HANDLING THE PRESSURE
ACTS 4:1-22
The
Since the beginning of the
church true believers have faced persecution in one form or another.
It has been as simple as
being poked fun it for one's faith and as harrowing as facing death because of
commitment to Christ.
John 16:2-3 - They shall put you out of the
synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he
doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have
not known the Father, nor me.
2 Timothy 3:12 - Yea, and all that will live
godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
From the beginning,
Christians have had to learn to handle pressure because of their faith.
The last time we came
together, we saw that Peter and John had healed a man who had been handicapped
for over 40 years. This resulted in another evangelistic message from
Peter. In the passage before us, Peter
and John are forced to handle the pressure that followed this healing and
message.
OPPOSITION BY THE LEADERSHIP
- Vss. 1-3
Vs. 1 - There is a rule of
thumb in ministry. If Satan tries to oppose what you are doing, chances are you
are having an impact for God.
Vs. 1 - This message took place in the temple
area. The temple officers showed
up. Included in the crowd were the
priests. They were probably the priests on duty at the time.
Also there was the captain
of the temple. He was the head of the temple guard and second only in rank to the
high priest. Third in the group were the
Sadducees. They were a sect within Judaism that included the high priest and
his family. They were the religious
liberals of their days, only believing in the first five books of the Bible and
not believing in angels, the resurrection or future punishments or rewards.
Vs. 2 - These people were grieved with Peter and
John. First, they were grieved that they taught in the first place. These apostles were no more approved to
preach by the authorities than John Bunyan was. They were not official
teachers. They didn't want the Jewish people influenced by the Christians. They
were also grieved because they preached through Jesus the resurrection of the
dead.
There are people today who
don't want the Gospel preached. They are unhappy when it is preached and often
call those who preach salvation in Christ "narrow-minded".
Vs. 3 - They did what they could to stop the
apostles. They arrested them and placed them in jail for the night. The hour
was late.
In our country today it
seems like everyone except the Christian has rights. Christians are discouraged from sharing their
faith at work, and Christians are now restricted in the classroom and at
graduation exercises for public schools. They have kicked God out of the
classroom and off the job.
OPERATION OF GOD'S SPIRIT -
Vs. 4
In spite of the opposition,
God's Spirit went to work. Over 5,000
people since the beginning were now believers.
Over 1000 probably came to Christ as a result of this sermon.
Of course those opposed to
Christ are going to oppose the preaching of God's Word.
But God's Spirit will use
God's Word in order to bring others to Christ.
Sometimes, when things are
going their worse, God is at work. We once had a
Vss. 5-6 - The official ruling body of the Jews was
the Sanhedran. It was like a supreme court. It was they who gathered together.
There were the rulers, probably heads of the 24 courses of priests, elders who
were family heads and heads of tribes, and scribes who were the religious
scholars.
In Verse 6 we are
told that the family of the high priest was present.
Annas was called the high
priest, but in reality at this point it was his son-in-law, Caiaphas.
Once a person was high
priest, he was still referred to as such. Annas evidently was the real power.
Five sons, a son-in-law, and a grandson all served in that capacity.
Vs. 7 - The council asks by what power or in whose
name did the apostles work the miracle.
Now think about it, they were placed
in a position of giving a testimony for the Lord.
A lot of times when we are asked why
we do the things the way we do, we will have
opportunity to share our faith.
Sometimes persecution turns out to be an excellent
preaching opportunity. 1 Peter 3:15
1 Peter 3:15 - But
sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to
every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and
fear:
Vs. 8 - The Holy Spirit took over! This is exactly
what Jesus promised! Luke 12:11-12, Acts 1:8
OPPRESSION FROM THE
SANHEDRAN - Vss. 13-18
OBSTINACY OF PETER AND JOHN
- Vss. 19-22