Acts 4:1-12

 Acts 4:1-12

And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.  And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening.  But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.  On the next day, their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family.  And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?”  Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders,  if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.  And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

As Peter and John continue the witness to the people about the power of Jesus as demonstrated in the miracle, they are confronted by the authorities.  This passage is all about responses.  It records how the authorities respond to the miracle and the message as well as the people’s response.  It also records how Peter and John respond to the persecution and pressure they face as a result of their witness.  It is always important for us to remember that we do not control the responses of others to the message of the Gospel.  However, we are responsible for how we respond to the persecution we may face for obeying the Lord.

THE RESPONSES TO THE GOSPEL: Whenever the Gospel is proclaimed there will be a response.  At times, the response is indifference, unbelief, anger, jealousy, or fear.  In this case, the Sadducees and priests were annoyed by the message they heard.  They thought that they had taken car of the “Jesus problem” with the crucifixion, but here they were having to deal with it again and Peter and John are giving witness to the resurrection must as Jesus had commanded.  There are other responses that are more positive the those mentioned above, such as: curiosity, conviction, and conversion.  The people were curious about how this man that had been lame was now walking.  When they heard the message from Peter and John, they were convicted of their sin.  Then they believed and placed their faith in Jesus.  They had been proclaiming this message from morning until early evening, and God graciously brough over five-thousand new believes into the church.  The Spirit of God was empowering them as they testified and then working to bring those who heard to Christ.  The religious leaders decided to lock the disciples in prison over night and try to deal with the problem in the morning, but God was at work in the lives of men as they responded to the Gospel in faith.

THE REPETITION OF THE GOSPEL: After a night in jail, the religious authorities come and question Peter and John.  The only question that is recorded is them asking by what name or authority they preformed the miracle.  Peter knows that he was not arrested for performing a miracle, but because they had been testifying that the miracle was performed in the name of Jesus.  In essence, they were giving him a chance to give a more politically correct answer.  Perhaps a night in jail would make him realize that he needed to back off.  Instead, Peter is filled with the Spirit and not only affirms that the miracle was done by the power of Jesus but went on to point out that they had crucified Jesus.  However, they were quick to point out that God had not left Jesus in the grave but had raised Him from the dead.  Peter then states that only source of salvation from sin is through Jesus.  This was not what they wanted to hear but it is what they and every person on the planet needs to hear.  Jesus is the only source of salvation from sin.  People do not want to think they need salvation.  The Gospel confronts this thinking and calls men to trust in Jesus alone for salvation.  This is the message that He gives us to proclaim to the ends of the earth.

APPLICATION: We are not responsible for the results of our proclamation of the Gospel.  Whether people ignore us, persecute us, make fun of us, or respond positively to us is not our primary concern.  We would love to see thousands come to Christ as happened in this context.  However, we are less attracted to the result of being put in jail.  No matter the response, we are called to be faithful.  This means that no matter the circumstances, we will proclaim the Gospel.  People must understand their sinful condition and that Jesus has died and been raised again to pay the price for sin.