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Hello and welcome to Lechem Panim. We have been taking a look at Peter and John’s healing of a lame beggar here in Acts chapter 4; we have seen the crowds gathering in response, Peter and John’s using this as an opportunity to share the Gospel, the angry response from the Jewish leaders, their duplicity in overlooking the evidence in front of them, and their command for Peter and John to no longer preach or teach in the name of Jesus, which of course invokes a response from Peter and John that no doubt shocked and angered them. It says in…
Acts 4:19-20 (ESV)-- 19 But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20 for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” Their Release & The Growth of The Church-- Now the Jewish leaders don’t really have a strong case against Peter and John. Plus Peter and John obviously have the strong support of the people. And also the man who was healed was standing right in front of them; and so they have no choice but to let them go. And following this we see that despite this persecution the Church grows in an incredible way. From 120 praying men and women in Acts 1 to more than three thousand on the day of Pentecost, to now, where (in response to this miracle) the Church grows to over 5,000 disciples. [In the days that followed, “believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women” (Acts 5:14; and see 6:1,7). {And so we see that} Satan’s attempts to silence the Church only led to a stronger witness for the Lord.] And that is often how it is today as well. The harder the Church is persecuted, the more multiplied is the spread of the Gospel. Now it says in… Acts 4:23-26 (ESV)-- 23 When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24 And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, 25 who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit, “‘Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain? 26 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed’-- Entering Into Prayer-- Now I love this. The first thing that happens after this righteous protest is Peter and John immediately start praying with fellow believers. And that’s a good test of a righteous protest. If you can immediately enter into Spirit-filled fellowship with God and fellow Christians in prayer after a protest, you have probably done it right. And this is truly one of the great prayers recorded for us in scripture. And I love how it is born out of the Church coming together to unite in the midst of adversity. "One Accord"— But you know, that was typical of the early Church. Over and over again throughout the book of Acts we run into the phrase “of one accord”, which shows up again here in verse 24. The disciples always fought hard to keep that spirit of unity. And one of the chief ways they so often managed to do this was in and through prayer. They prayed with fervency, because they knew it was absolutely critical to maintaining unity in the Body of Christ and to further the work of helping to build His Church. In and through prayer they (together) sought the heart and mind of God and God was therefore pleased to answer their requests. Referencing the Entire Psalm-- Now remember what I told you several weeks ago. Jewish men and women during that time would have massive amounts of scripture memorized that they could quote at any moment verbatim. Many still do. Men would often have the entire Old Testament memorized and could (at the drop of a hat) recite and portion of the Old Testament you asked them to. Even women (who were less educated and rarely received training from rabbis) were all expected to have Psalms, Proverbs, and Deuteronomy memorized. By the way, that is why you notice that whenever Jesus is talking with women, he only speaks to them using passages from those three books; from the books they would have known by memory. Now keep in mind that the chapter and verse references were not a part of the text during that time. And so the way that you would reference a passage is by quoting the first line. And then your audience (who had the entire text you were referencing memorized) would mentally pull up and have it (in its entirety) in their mind. It was like our saying “Open your Bibles to…” Only they didn’t have to open up their Bibles. They would just mentally turn to the text you were referencing. Now you need to understand this key part of Jewish culture because note how the passage they quote (from Psalm 2) is the very beginning of the Psalm. And so why are they doing this? You see, the disciples here are more than just pulling a nice little pithy passage to use in their prayer time. No, they are quoting the first line in order to bring to the minds of all those who are a part of that prayer meeting the entirety of Psalm 2. And since most of us don’t have it memorized, let me go ahead and read it. In this psalm David writes… Psalm 2 (ESV)— 1 Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying, 3 “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.” 4 He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. 5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, 6 “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.” 7 I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. 8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. 9 You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.” 10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. 11 Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. Why Psalm 2 Encouraged Them— Now why do the disciples use this psalm as the basis of their prayer meeting? It may interest you to note that [This psalm is often mentioned in the New Testament (see Acts 4:25-26; 13:33; Hebrews 1:5-6; 5:5; Revelation 2:26-27; 12:5; 19:15 ).] It was one of those psalms Christians found very encouraging, particularly during times of persecution. Why? Well, first of all, it’s because this is a Messianic psalm. And there are [Several psalms {that} are called “messianic” because of their prophetic descriptions of Jesus the Messiah (Christ)—his life, death, resurrection, and future reign.] And this psalm in particular [describes the rebellion of the nations and the coming of Christ to establish his eternal reign.] And [David may have written these words during a conspiracy against Israel by some of the surrounding pagan nations.] And so what this reminded the early believers of (and should remind us as well) is the fact that Satan has always been at war against God’s plan of salvation. All who were chosen and anointed by God had to face intense persecution in the midst of Satan’s attempt to thwart God’s plan. And the disciples here in this prayer meeting are acknowledging this reality. And you know Satan is still at war with us. The nations are still raging. And Peter and John’s rejection and persecution by the Sanhedrin was just another one of Satan’s many, typical attacks. But in David’s case, note how he didn’t lose faith. He knew that he had been chosen and anointed by God. And because of that, he [knew that God would fulfill his promise to bring the Messiah into the world through his bloodline (2 Samuel 7:16; 1 Chronicles 17:11-12).] And what this Psalm shows us is that the disciples (in a similar way) were trusting in God to work out His plan of salvation regardless of the resistance they might meet along the way. They (as the last verse says) take refuge in him knowing that though the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain, the Lord will eventually break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. The Lord will be victorious; and their mission will succeed because it is a mission that is endorsed and empowered by God Himself. God’s anointed (Jesus Christ) will sit on the throne; and nothing can thwart the coming of the Kingdom of God. Can you begin to see the roots of their boldness? They stood in a very real and tangible way on the promises of God. Now after referencing this psalm, they say in… Acts 4:27-28 (ESV)— 27 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. Prayer and Politicians-- Now I love this because while many pastors are told to keep politics out of their service (which means don’t mention the name of your president, your governor, or any other politician), we find here in the early Church the early Christians mentioning two politicians by name whom they recognized had set themselves against Christ. But we also find that the early Christians did so in a spirit of prayer, praying for their leaders; even those at enmity with them; at war against Christ and His Church. And that was no doubt the spirit here as well. But note also how they acknowledge the actions of these politicians to still be under the sovereign hand of God. God had a plan that was not only not thwarted by these men who had set themselves against God in their feeble attempts to de-rail God’s plan, but had actually only succeeded in helping to further His plan. And listen to what these Christians pray. It says in… Acts 4:29-31 (ESV)— 29 And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, 30 while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” 31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness. “With Boldness”-- And note that word “boldness”. It comes up again and again. The early Christians were bold. But it wasn’t a boldness that came from arrogance or righteous indignation. It was a boldness that came from the Holy Spirit of God. A Right Pattern-- And so today I want to encourage you, as we continue to face a government that is increasingly at odds with us, to follow the pattern set by these early Christians. The temptation to divide is only going to become stronger. And so we need to be Christians who are committed to unity with Christ and with one another; Christians who are committed to truth; Christians who are committed to following the clear mandates of God as revealed to us in scripture; Christians who are committed to taking a stand for God (even against authority when necessary), but to do while demonstrating the love and self-sacrifice of the one we are proclaiming; with a conviction and integrity that touches every area of our lives. Let’s do so. Amen.
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Hello and welcome to Lechem Panim. If you have been following our study of the book of Acts, you will know that for the past several weeks we have been taking a look at chapter 4, in which Peter and John find and heal a crippled beggar outside of the temple gate. And seeing the crowds that gathered around them as a result of that miracle, they use it as a launching point to tell them about Jesus, in whose name the miracle was performed. And they’re proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. Now the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees don’t appreciate that; because remember the Sadducees rejected the concept of a resurrection and an afterlife); and so they seize Peter and John, hold them in custody until the following day, and then make them stand before the Jewish religious court known as the Sanhedrin, the members of whom were supposed to be the keepers of truth in the land. And yet here we find them ignoring the truth; being unwilling to follow where the evidence pointed because of what it would mean for their own personal worldview. And we see in the text that they are not even willing to deal with the evidence. They choose to ignore it. And they resolve amongst themselves to try to silence Peter and John. So they threaten them and order them to no longer preach or teach in the name of Jesus.
Satan’s Strategy-- And you know, that is what Satan always does; he seeks to stifle the Gospel by getting Christians to remain silent. And sadly, this often works. Christians have often allowed themselves to become the “silent witnesses” of the Church, even in a day and age of unparalleled freedom (at least here in the United States). And I just wonder “Why is that?” Why are we so reluctant and timid when it comes to sharing the Gospel? Penn Jillette’s Encounter With A Christian-- Recently I re-watched a video of famous magician Penn Jillette as he shared about his encounter with a man who sought to give him a Gideon Bible and to share with Him the good news of the Gospel of Christ. And Penn of course is a stout atheist. But in this video he shared about his encounter with this Christian and what an impact this man had on him in the few moments he had contact with him. And he said this. “…I don’t respect people who don’t proselytize. I don’t respect that at all. If you believe that there’s a heaven and hell and people could be going to hell or not getting eternal life or whatever and you think that “well it’s not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward.” And atheists who think that people shouldn’t proselytize; just leave me alone; just keep your religion to yourself. How much do you have to hate someone to not proselytize? How much do you have to hate somebody to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them that. I mean if I believed beyond a shadow of a doubt that a truck was coming at you and you didn’t believe it; that truck was bearing down on you; there’s a certain point where I tackle you; and this is more important than that….This guy was a really good guy. He was polite, and honest, and sane; and he cared enough about me to proselytize and give me a bible…”. Albert Camus-- I love what [the existential philosopher Albert Camus said, “What the world expects of Christians is that Christians should speak out, loud and clear … in such a way that never a doubt, never the slightest doubt, could arise in the heart of the simplest man.” They Cared Enough-- Part of the reason Peter and John were unwilling to comply was because they cared enough about the people they were ministering to to take a stand. Why? Souls were at stake. And so they chose to openly defy the Sanhedrin. It says in… Acts 4:19-20 (ESV)-- 19 But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20 for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” Commanded to Proclaim-- Now one of the key prerequisites to Peter and John openly choosing to disobey these authorities was that they had a clear inarguable command from Jesus Himself to proclaim the Gospel. It says in… Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV)-- 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Standing on The Word-- And similarly, if we are going to take a stand, we need to do so being sure that we are following the clear directive of the Word of God. This is especially important when we are challenging the authority of our government. We need to be sure that we are standing not on the basis of our own perspective or our own righteous indignation, but on the clear teaching of the Word of God. And I say this because there are many groups today that seek to oppose and defy government. But they do so on the basis of what they think is right or wrong (or merely on what is popular at the time) rather than on the basis of what the Word of God says. How to Stand-- Now while at times it is important and necessary for Christians to practice "civil disobedience", we need also to understand how to do so while still living out the teaching and principles of scripture. Peter and John were obviously not the first ones to take a stand for what they knew was right. Think of the Jewish midwives in Exodus 1 who refused to follow the command of Pharaoh to (when delivering the Hebrew babies and if they see that the baby is a boy, to) kill it because of the (what was perceived to be) the overpopulation of the Jews. Or think about Moses’ parents who hid their child against the edict of the king (Hebrews 11:23). Or you might think of Daniel, who resolved not to eat the king’s food in Daniel 1, or later in chapter 6 when he refuses to cease praying to his God and pray only to the king. Daniel’s three friends, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (also known as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) also took a stand and refused to pray to the statue that Nebuchadnezzar had made of himself and commanded that all should worship (Daniel 3). Now on the surface their protesting might look similar to other modern protests. But when we look closely, we see that each of these biblical characters were operating on a specific set of principles. The midwives who refused to murder the Hebrew babies did so out of a recognition that to do so would go against God Himself. That is what it means when it says in Exodus 1:17 (and please note carefully how it opens; it says)... Exodus 1:17 (ESV)-- 17 But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live. Fearing God-- You see, they feared God, which meant they knew where He stood on the issue of the sanctity of human life and therefore chose to act in alignment with His will rather than Pharaoh’s. Moses’ parent’s no doubt refused for similar reasons. Daniel refused to eat the king’s food for reasons that are highly debated; we don’t know all the reasons. Some have suggested that it was because the food was not kosher; some have suggested that it was food that had been offered to idols; others say that it merely represented Nebuchadnezzar’s overall attempt to get these young men to acknowledge that he was the center of their lives; replacing their former God. Or it may have been a combination of those three. But regardless, Daniel knew where God stood on the issue and therefore he knew both where he stood and what he needed to do (or not do). And later Daniel couldn’t worship the king and Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah would not fall down and worship the statue of Nebuchadnezzar because they knew… Exodus 20:2-3 (ESV)-- 2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 3 “You shall have no other gods before me. Exodus 34:14 (ESV)-- 14 (for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God), Now in a similar way Peter and John knew they could not obey the command given them to not speak of Jesus and the resurrection because of how it went against what Christ had so clearly commanded them to do. And so (at least in this instance) it would have been wrong for them to obey. An Integral Conviction-- But note something else about each of these examples of conscientious objectors given to us in the Old Testament. Not only were all of them obeying the clear directives of God given to them in scripture, but they also protested out of a conviction that touched every area of their lives rather than just manifesting itself when it came to that particular issue. Does that make sense? Unrighteous Protest-- For example, take the man who has no qualm about cheating on his taxes, cheating on exams, driving while drunk, or beating his wife but who (for whatever reason) is suddenly moved to take a stand against police brutality. Now there may be a place for that kind of protest; and there is a right way to do that, but you see there is a lack of integrity in the whole of that person’s life that gives credibility to that particular area in which he is choosing to take his stand. And sadly we often see a lack of integrity in much of the mob violence taking place today. Somebody who loots and burns is obviously NOT demonstrating the righteousness of their cause. No, it is the righteous people who seem to command the most attention when they protest because people recognize in them an integrated conviction. Love-Centered Conviction-- The Biblical characters we mentioned were all people of integrity whose convictions touched every area of their lives, not just what they happened to be protesting about in that moment. And if you look closely, you will note also that each of them (though they were defying the law) were also at the same time maintaining an attitude of both respect and courtesy. Daniel took special measures to make sure that the chief of the eunuchs did not get into trouble because of his refusal to eat the king’s food. Similarly here Peter and John used their arrest as an opportunity to tell the Sanhedrin the good news of the Gospel of Christ. And really all the apostles and Christians in and throughout the book of Acts used their arrests as an opportunity to bless and witness. And so we learn from this that it is important for us as Christians to (when we must disobey) to at the same time show respect and love for those persecuting us (see Rom. 13; Titus 3:1–2; 1 Peter 2:13–25). And this obviously is in keeping with the pattern of Christ, whom 1 Peter 2:13-25 calls us to imitate. Christ also protested against injustice, but He always did so with a spirit of self-sacrifice and with a central motivation that people might come to know God and experience the joy and love that comes through a right relationship with God, made possible through the shedding of His own blood. What’s Your Motivation?-- And so we must always (when we choose to take a stand) ask ourselves what our motivation is. Are we clearly standing on the Word of God? Does our protest flow from a conviction that touches every area of our lives? And does that protest flow from a spirit of love and self-sacrifice? Answer those questions truthfully and you will know if, when, and how to take a stand. Let us (like Peter and John) be willing to take a stand for Christ and His Word. Let’s do so. Amen. Hello, and welcome to Lechem Panim. I hope all of you are keeping safe. I’m not sure how the weather is where you are, but here in and around the Seattle area this week the winds have been absolutely unbelievable. The other night my wife and I were laying awake in bed terrified, positive that one of the trees surrounding our house back in the woods was going to keel over on top of us. And though that didn’t happen (thankfully), the following morning we found branches strewn all over our yard. Unfortunately in our neighborhood it was trash night and so everyone had put their trash out just before this windstorm. And so these gusts of wind toppled many a trash can and strew garbage all across the streets. I got to speak with our trash man and I said, “I’m sure glad I’m not you today. And he said powerlines in nearby neighborhoods were down. I mean, a real mess. It’s amazing what a little wind can do. But you know it’s interesting, I read that the fastest windspeed possible on our planet is 250mph. And I mean nothing survives that kind of force. However, on the planet Saturn, the windspeeds there actually reach a whopping 1,118mph. Now I cannot even begin to wrap my mind around how fast that is. Good luck trying to stand up there. I am very glad to be from planet earth where the windspeed (at least most of the time) is just perfect to allow for life; the atmosphere is just right (don’t even get me started on Saturn’s atmosphere; it’s all gas). In fact they say that if you were to put Saturn in an ocean of water (if you could) it would float; it can’t sink, it is that gaseous. But we have clear air to breath; water, which is so rare and yet absolutely essential for life. The earth is just the right size so as to provide the perfect level of gravity. We have the moon to give us the tides we need, not to mention light at night; we are precisely the right distance from the sun to provide just the perfect amount of heat where we’re not iced or burnt; we are perfectly placed. Our rotation around the sun; the tilt of the earth; the speed that earth rotates on its axis; I mean all of those things are just right; I mean to the point where it really (if we are going to be honest) defies comprehension. You could not create a planet more conducive to life than ours.
Grandma’s Violin-- The other day I was playing my Grandmother’s violin (actually I should say “attempting to play”). And in studying its construction, I marveled at just how many things have to be perfectly right to create music. I struggled for a while just to get the thing in tune; all the micro-adjustments that needed to be made. The bow needs to be tightened to a certain degree. And not only that, but the bow has to be rosined, where you rub this stuff (rosin) on it to give the horse hair on the bow to give it friction enough so that it will create sound. I mean everything has to be fine-tuned just perfectly. And then I put the bow to the strings and play sweet, melodious…….(okay, let’s be honest) mind-destroying screeching. Yeah, I’m still at that stage. But you know the universe is fine-tuned just like that violin. No matter how you look at it, the world has been engineered according to a blueprint that right down to the structure of our DNA speaks to the incredible design of a Creator. Scientists are discovering day by day new levels of that design that are making it harder and harder for any rational, thinking person to hold to the belief that all of what we know (and more) exploded from a grain of sand so many trillions of years ago and slowly self-created itself out of some kind of primordial soup, which is what you have to believe if you don’t accept that God did it. That’s why I confess I could never be an atheist. I don’t have that kind of faith. I feel like I would have to shut my eyes to what so clearly seems to me to be the work of God around me. Avoiding The Evidence-- But that is what I believe is happening in our passage today with the religious leaders here in Acts chapter 4. John and Peter (whom they have taken into custody) have just healed a lame beggar in the name of Jesus. And yet (despite the evidence) which was absolutely irrefutable, as there were a plethora of witnesses; and witnesses who had known this lame beggar for a long time, these religious leaders refused to believe. But they cannot refute the evidence, because the man with the shriveled legs was now standing right there in front of them with Peter and John. And so, not knowing what to do, they have Peter and John (and the man) removed so that they can secretly confer with one another. And it says in… Acts 4:15-16 (ESV)-- 15 But when they had commanded them to leave the council, they conferred with one another, 16 saying, “What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. Not Truth-Seekers-- Now if anything is clear from our passage today, it is that the council (the Sanhedrin) were not really seeking the truth. They were not seriously considering the evidence and allowing the evidence to lead them to the only possible conclusion, which is that Jesus is indeed the Savior of the world. Instead, we find that they avoid the truth! They allowed their pride and the hardness of their hearts to keep them from accepting the truth of what Peter and John were proclaiming to them. Their hard hearts stood in the way. And because of that, they actually saw the healing of the man as a problem rather than a mighty work of God; perhaps even a problem that needed to be removed. And you know that was nothing new. Remember that after Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead, everyone was starting to follow Jesus. And the triumphal entry was actually the avalanche that had been started by that miracle. But listen to what it says in… John 11:47-53 (ESV)— 47 So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” 49 But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. 50 Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” 51 He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, 52 and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. 53 So from that day on they made plans to put him to death. (SO INSTEAD OF ACCEPTING WHAT THE MIRACLE REVEALED, THEM DECIDED TO KILL THE MIRACLE WORKER) But that’s not all! It says in… John 12:10-11 (ESV)-- 10 So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, 11 because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus. Get Rid of The Evidence-- You see, it’s was much easier for them to get rid of the evidence than to deal with where the evidence pointed; because to accept the evidence would be to allow God to re-shape their worldview. And that was not something they were willing to let God or anybody else do. And you know the same is often true today. But remember that they had done the same thing with the empty tomb, saying the disciples had stolen the body. By the way it’s interesting that nobody ever really seems to make that claim again anywhere in the book of Acts. The religious leaders themselves don’t even seem willing anymore to back that story anymore. And yet they are still unwilling to follow where the evidence points. And note how they never seek to answer any of Peter’s arguments. Instead they just agree (amongst themselves) that a notable sign has indeed been performed and to try to hush this movement up. And so they say… Acts 4:17-18 (ESV)— 17 But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.” 18 So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. Pillars of Justice-- Now I love this next part, because these are the guys who are supposed to be the pillars of justice and truth in Israel. You know how you always see statues of Lady Justice (with her eyes blindfolded). Well, if you were to picture justice in the 1st century world, you would have a statue of these guys. They were supposedly the most righteous judges in Israel. And yet listen to how Peter chooses to answer them. Acts 4:19-22 (ESV)-- 19 But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20 for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” {You see, he plays right on the position they say they hold. And they can’t really do anything at this point so it says…} 21 And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people, for all were praising God for what had happened. 22 For the man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than forty years old. Who’s More Crippled-- Let me ask you a question. Who is the more crippled in this story, the lame beggar or the Sadducees. Whose situation was more hopeless? The beggar was healed and saved (according to the text), and stood for Jesus with Peter and John. The Sadducees ducked the truth. And so who was really more crippled? Resurrection In Us-- You know, this passage challenges us because it reminds us of just how much the resurrection of Jesus Christ ought to challenge and re-shape our world-views. We might not have the same objections to Christ that the Sadducees had, but there are beliefs and patterns of thought in us that the truth of the Resurrection challenges and demands we change. You might believe in the empty tomb, but what condition is the Jesus in your heart in? Has He be raised in you? You might believe in God’s healing of this lame beggar, but do you believe in His power to meet your physical and spiritual needs right here and now; and to heal you completely of sin in and through His Holy Spirit. If you were to describe your spiritual position today, what would it be. Are you standing? Are you lame? Maybe even spiritually dead? As Peter and John stood before the Sanhedrin in our passage today, so the Holy Spirit I believe is standing before you and I right now in this moment. And He’s asking, just like Jesus asked the blind man in Mark 10:51 “What do you want me to do for you?” And basically He’s asking, as he asked the lame beggar by the pool of Bethesda “Do you want to be healed.” (John 5:6) Are you going to accept the truth of the Resurrection for your life and the healing that Jesus is offering you now in this moment? I want to challenge you as we close today to accept the truth of Christ’s resurrection for you. Ask God to bring the healing to your heart and life today that He so greatly desires to bring to you. And He will touch as much of your life as you are willing to give Him. Give Him your whole life today. Amen. Hello, and welcome to Lechem Panim. In recent weeks we have been discussing Acts chapter 4; a marvelous chapter in which Peter and John heal a crippled beggar outside of the Temple in Jerusalem. And everyone is captivated and eager to learn from them the means by which this man was healed; and so Peter and John explain that it is by the power of Jesus that this man was healed. And that prompts a very negative reaction from the religious leaders, who seize Peter and John, hold them for the night, and them make them stand on trial before the Sanhedrin, the very council that was responsible for condemning their Rabbi (Jesus) to death not long before this. And they pointedly ask/demand of them the answer to a question, which is given to us in verse 7. It says…
Acts 4:7 (ESV)-- 7 And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” By God or Satan?-- And the reason they ask this is because they don’t know if this is a miracle done by an evil power or a good one. If it was as work of God or a work of Satan. And (when you think about that) don’t you find that rather sad? I mean to think that these guys are the spiritual leaders of Israel; and yet apparently they have become so spiritually blind that they cannot even distinguish between a miracle of God and a miracle of Satan. Having noted that Peter and John had been with Jesus (which we see in verse 13), they should have been able to recognize that this was the same power and authority that Jesus had Himself demonstrated throughout the course of His ministry. And Jesus did things that only God could do (or someone working for God), so they should have recognized that this miracle as also having come from God. But, having been blind to the source of Jesus’ miracles (often willingly), it is no surprise they are here blind to the source of Peter’s and John’s as well. But Peter declares it boldly. It says in… Acts 4:8-12 (ESV)-- 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, 9 if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, 10 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. 11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 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.” Peter’s Hutzpah-- Now in studying this passage, I was amazed at the Hutzpah here of Peter. I mean Peter had not long before this (out of fear) denied three times that he even knew Jesus. And yet here (before the very council that condemned Jesus; the chief leaders of whom were Sadducees and therefore denied that there even is a resurrection and an afterlife) Peter was willing to respectfully yet forcefully declare their guilt in having killed the Messiah and to declare (basically) that their whole theology about the resurrection was wrong and that Jesus (the One they crucified) has not only been raised, but is their only Way of salvation. And it is clear from verse 8 that this boldness and fearlessness came directly from the Holy Spirit. It was the Holy Spirit who wrought the greatest transformation in Peter and was now empowering His messages. And you know, if we are to have that same boldness, it doesn’t matter how many speaking seminars or witnessing books we read; what is going to give our message authority and power is the anointing of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the One who gives us understanding and who moves in the hearts of those we are witnessing to, bringing conviction and (hopefully) change. Peter’s War Cry-- Now the members of the Sanhedrin (like many in the crowd) had no doubt seen this crippled man many times. They had no doubt even given him alms or perhaps even piously prayed for or even over him. He was a common fixture there at the temple Gate Beautiful. But now (apparently) he’s right there in the courtroom with Peter and John (as verse 10 seems to indicate); a living testimony so to speak. You might say Peter and John’s testimony stood. And Peter declares that it is through the power of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom they crucified and whom God raised from the dead that this man is standing before them (v.10). And considering what their beliefs were and what they had done to Jesus only a short time before this, just think about how these words must have pierced and convicted the hearts of these Jewish leaders. They had thought that when they killed Jesus, they were finished hearing about this small-time prophet from the back hills of nowhere (which is what Nazareth was). But now two of His disciples are standing before them in all the might and power of their Rabbi Jesus, declaring to them (and all the people) that Jesus is alive! I mean, these guys (the Sadducees) reject the resurrection. And so on two fronts Peter’s declaration must have sounded to them like a declaration of war! “You killed the Messiah, but then God raised Him.” And in saying this, Peter is also implying that they had set themselves against God Himself. The Rejected Rock-- Now after this Peter (as he always does) starts quoting the Old Testament, this time from Psalm 118:2 when he says This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. (v.11) And this is a messianic reference, one which Jesus Himself quoted in Matthew 21:42 (and which Peter uses again later in 1 Peter 2:4-8). And [They knew that the “Rock” was a symbol of God {Himself} (Deut. 32:4, 15, 18, 31; 2 Sam. 22:2; Ps. 18:2; Isa. 28:16), and that the prophet Daniel had used the rock to picture the Messiah and the coming of His kingdom on earth (Dan. 2:31–45).] And so Peter is using imagery that they were familiar with; and he interprets the Psalm for them. They (the members of the council) were “the builders” and Jesus (the Son of God) was God’s Stone that they had rejected. They had stumbled over the Rock (Rom. 9:32; 1 Cor. 1:23) and rejected Him, just as Psalm 118:22 had predicted. And yet that rock (for those who have trusted in Him; in Jesus) that rock has become the chief Cornerstone (1 Peter 2:4–8, Eph. 2:20); the very source of Salvation itself (as Peter declares in verse 12). A “WHOLE” Salvation-- And this healing of the beggar was a picture of that, which Peter indicates. He says in verse 9 that the man was “made whole”, which in Greek is the word σῴζω (literally meaning “saved”) which is the foundation for the word he uses for salvation in verse 12 (σωτηρία). And this is very Jewish, because the Jews saw a [human being as a psychosomatic unity, an indivisible amalgam of body and soul in which if either goes wrong, the other is affected.] This is why [the Greek verb sozo was used in Jesus' day to mean both ""to save"" and ""to heal,"" and soter could signify either ""savior"" or “”physician.""] And that fits Jesus so perfectly. He is our Savior and our Great Physician. And as such, He and He alone can heal mankind of its greatest disease, the sickness of sin (Mark 2:14–17), which Peter highlights when he says in verse 12: 12 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.” And you’ll remember Jesus’ own words in… John 14:6 (ESV)-- 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. The Life-- Jesus is Life itself; He’s not just living or life-giving. No, He is the source of all life; He is Life. And therefore there can’t be salvation in anyone else. To choose Jesus is to choose life. To reject Jesus is to reject life. It’s that simple. And Peter is very clear on this, which is why he says in verse 12: there is salvation in no one else, Acts 4:13-14 (ESV)-- 13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. 14 But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition. It’s A Trap!!!-- You see, they recognized that they were “trapped.” Either way they approach this, they lose. They couldn’t deny the miracle (which would be tough to do with the man standing right there in front of them; a man everyone knew had been lame since birth; whose legs and even his mental capacity to walk had never developed; and therefore could not be healed any other way). Neither could they explain how these (the text says) “uneducated, common men” could perform such a miracle. They weren’t mighty Rabbis (at least by the standards of the Sadducees) and certainly didn’t have the backing of the Jewish authorities as ministers and scribes. They were simple fishermen from an unholy place (Galilee; known as Galilee of the Gentiles) whose only qualification on their resume was that they had been with Jesus. Now the council could say that the miracle they performed was powered by Satan, but the problem is that false prophets and workers of demonic miracles always seek to undermine the Word of God, something that Peter and John were clearly not doing. In both sermons that Peter has preached, we find Peter preaching straight from the Word of God (in context), using the Old Testament [to support and explain his claims, {which}… is one evidence of a true prophet of God (Deut. 13:1–5; Isa. 8:20).] He is standing on, not undermining the Old Testament. And the Sanhedrin doesn’t know what to do. The miracle, coupled with what Peter and John were saying, was clear [evidence that Jesus Christ was alive and at work in the church by His Holy Spirit.] And yet (as we will continue to see as we proceed) these Jewish leaders continue to choose to look away; away from the sign; away from the evidence; even a piece of evidence that could not only speak, but stood (literally) in their presence, bearing testimony to them of Jesus. The Mundane Miracles-- You know, the thing that bothers me the most about both myself and our culture is how completely oblivious we so often are to the magnificent power of God moving in our midst. There is so much we take for granted. And some intentionally look away for the same reason the Sanhedrin looked away. Others are like me; we have just become so desensitized to the mundane, everyday miracles. I was reading in bed with my kids the other night a devotional book; and in that devotional book the author was talking about the development of the eye in an unborn child and how the optic nerve slowly moves from the eye towards the brain while at the same time the optic nerve is growing from the brain towards the eye. And the end of each of those nerves growing towards one another contains 2 million connection points, all of which have to match up perfectly. And when the two ends of that optic nerve meet, all the connections somehow manage to find their way to each other. It’s funny, I was taking a parishioner to his eye appointment this past week. And I told him this. And he and I sort of laughed together. We just thought that it is so funny how often we complain when things go bad, never realizing the miracle in their ever having worked at all. What evidence is there of the presence of Jesus in your life? Are you overlooking the miracles He has worked in and through you? Maybe this year, the challenge we can take from this passage is simply to look; to truly see and acknowledge what God has done for us, even in the mundane everyday miracles that you and I take for granted. Because if we can do that, I think we will recapture the awe of what it means to know in Jesus the One who is both our Creator and (as with this man) also our Re-Creator as well. Let’s commit to look. Amen. Hello, and welcome to Lechem Panim. In our study of Acts chapter 4, you will remember that Peter and John have just healed a crippled beggar outside of the temple and (seeing the crowds) used that as a launching point to declare the Gospel to them. Now you’d think that everyone would be thrilled to hear the message of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and what that means, but there was a group of people who were not happy about it. It says in…
Acts 4:1 (ESV)— 1 And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, Burst Upon-- You know, I have always been fascinated with nature shows; have been ever since I was a kid. And now I enjoy watching them with my kids. And this week I watched some particularly amazing footage of the Kingfisher bird. Now the Kingfisher bird is a bird of prey that dives into the water to catch fish. And in this footage the perspective of the camera was below the fish. The fish was going about its business and you could see the bird above the fish plummeting down towards the water. And suddenly the bird broke through the water and the beak of the bird was wrapped around the fish. And it plucked that fish out of the water and flew away. Well, that imagery is similar to that which is behind this phrase “came upon them” here in verse 1. These religious leaders [Burst upon them suddenly or stood by them in a hostile attitude]. The Afterlife-less Pastor-- I remember back when I was ordained, the leaders of our denomination put me through quite a thorough doctrinal examination. They wanted to make sure that I held to the essential teachings of the Christian faith and that what I would preach and teach had its anchor in scripture. Now this is not what happened, but let’s say that in the course of the follow-up interview, one member of the board, looking over my answers, says, “Hey Cameron, I notice that all you put in the section on your beliefs concerning the resurrection and afterlife was ‘not applicable’. What do you mean by that? And I say, “Well, I put that because (simply put) I don’t believe in resurrection or an afterlife. There’s a long silence. “Ummmm, what?” “I don’t believe in either a resurrection or an afterlife. Is that going to be a problem?” Another long silence. What do you think? Would it be a problem for you to have a pastor who doesn’t believe in a resurrection or an afterlife? Let me put it in a slightly more focused context. I have done many funerals over the years. And funerals (for anybody) are difficult. The grief of being separated from a loved one (even when we know it is only temporary) can be excruciatingly painful. But what would it be like to have a preacher for your loved one’s funeral who doesn’t believe in or preach a resurrection or an afterlife? Would you be okay with that? The Afterlife-less Leaders-- Now I want you to think about that because (as you know) the Sadducees of Jesus day rejected the concept of a resurrection and an afterlife. But did you know that the High Priest and his family were all Sadducees? The spiritual shepherds of Israel during the time of Christ and the Early Church did not even believe in an afterlife. Pretty astounding to think about, isn’t it? And so you can begin to understand then why so much of their focus was on the here and now; why the focus of their concern was on their danger from Rome (losing their position, their place); how their perspective was always temporal. Because that is all they believed in. He’s Moving!!!-- Once a Pharisee, a Scribe, and a Sadducee were once discussing what they would like people to say after they die and their bodies are on display in open caskets. Pharisee: “I would like someone to say, ‘He was a righteous man, an honest man, and very generous.’” Scribe: “I would like someone to say, ‘He was very kind and fair, and he was very good to his parishioners.’” Sadducee: “I want someone to say ‘LOOK! HE’S MOVING!!’”] When you’re a Sadducee, that’s how it is. There’s nothing else you’d wish for because (for you) there’s no afterlife! Beliefs of the Sadducees-- Contrary to the Pharisees (a rival faction) […the Sadducees denied the resurrection of the dead (Mt 22:23 – 33; Ac 4:1 – 2 ; 23:6 – 8 ), the immortality of the soul, the doctrine of reward and punishment and the validity of the oral law (regulations passed down by rabbinic tradition). They accepted as binding only those laws based directly upon the written text of the Pentateuch {(Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy)}. It is for this reason that Jesus defended the doctrine of the resurrection to them from the standpoint of Exodus 3:6 rather than from the prophets (Mt 22:32).], who were much clearer on the resurrection. Now, as we see in the Gospels (and we see here and in and later in the book of Acts as well), the Sadducees vehemently defended their beliefs, which is why they seize Peter and John. It says they were… Acts 4:2-4 (ESV)-- 2 greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. 4 But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand. Reading Them Their Rights-- So they arrest Peter and John, and not doubt read them their rights in typical Sadducee fashion: [You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say will be misquoted then used against you.] Unfortunately that seems so often to be the case in and throughout the book of Acts (not to mention the ministry of Jesus). And it says… Acts 4:5-6 (ESV)— 5 On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, 6 with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. Why Annas and not Caiaphas?-- Now you may be wondering why (instead of Caiaphas) this guy [Annas is designated as high priest. {Well} (Much like U.S. presidents, high priests seem to have retained their title for life.) He had served in that role earlier (A.D. 6–15) and was the controlling figure in the high-priestly circle, which may also explain why he is given the title here. His son-in-law Caiaphas was the official high priest at this time (serving A.D. 18–36), and Annas’s son John would serve in the role later (36–37).] Now this was not how things ought to be, because essentially what this meant was that [The court was essentially composed of the high priest’s family. The Jewish religious system had become so corrupt that the offices were {simply} passed from one relative to another.…In fact, five of Annas’s sons held the office of High Priest at one time or another. Somebody has defined a “nepotist” as “a man who, being evil, knows how to give good gifts to his children.” Annas certainly qualified.] Now it says in… Acts 4:7 (ESV)-- 7 And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” A Right to Investigate— Now what is going on here is not unusual. [This was an official meeting of the Sanhedrin (Acts 4:15).… {And} The Sanhedrin {was the Jewish court of the land that} was charged with the responsibility of protecting the Jewish faith, and this meant that they had to examine every new teacher and teaching that appeared in the land (see Deut. 13).] And that is not in and of itself a bad thing. A lot of times when John the Baptist or Jesus was questioned, it wasn’t always malicious. Sometimes they were just being tested to see if what they were teaching matched what the scriptures teach. And the Sadducees certainly had the right to investigate this new movement and to enquire as to what this new teaching was and on what authority Peter and John (not to mention Jesus) were preaching. The problem is that they weren’t do so honestly. They arrested innocent men and ignored the evidence presented in their favor. And they had done the same with Jesus. Keep in mind, this was [the same council that a few months before had condemned Jesus to die. In fact, these officials recognized Peter and John as the associates of Jesus (Acts 4:13).] And they had done everything wrong at that trial. You will notice here that (because it was evening) they postponed the meeting until the morning. That was how things were always supposed to be done. But remember that Jesus had been tried at night, which was actually against Jewish law. They were law-breakers. And their willingness to subvert justice is seen here as well, as (despite the miracle) they [did everything they could to avoid admitting that a miracle had taken place (Acts 4:14).] Note that in verse 7 they say “By what power or by what name did you do this?” It’s interesting that (publicly) [They were evasive and merely referred to the miracle as “this.”] It is only later in v. 16 that (in private amongst themselves) they acknowledge it is as a notable sign. Avoiding Christ’s Lordship-- And so here are a group of guys who are trying to avoid the full reality of what has taken place; they are trying to deny that it truly is God who is at work through Peter and John. And as we will see next week, Peter has no problem telling them exactly whose name is the source of this healing. But of course they will not want to accept that because if God is at work through them, then their message is validated; and therefore their indictment against them would stand. Remember the same thing had happened to Jesus. The religious authorities always seemed to avoid what the signs Jesus was performing actually pointed to; that He truly was the Son of God. Because if Jesus is more than just a man speaking on His own behalf; if He is the Son of God speaking with all of the authority of God, then His indictment against of their sin would stand. And you know, the same is true today. People don’t want to look too closely at the person and works of Jesus or the evidence that supports His divine claims because if He truly is who He claimed to be, then He has authority over my life. And we don’t like that. We want to be in authority over our own lives. Even us Christians can often fall into (as we begin the New Year) this mentality of “This year I’m going to take the bull by the horns and achieve all the things I want to accomplish.” Now it’s not wrong to want to become a better person. That is what Christianity is all about. But it is amazing how quickly we can go from the manger (to a celebration of Christ being born into our existence to bring the very presence and authority of God into our flesh) to thinking that we are going to take better control of our own lives. There is something missing in the lives of many Christians; and that is the sincere belief that Jesus truly is Lord of your life and mine. But if we make Him Lord this coming year, His favor will abide on us and He will see fit to grant us success in those things we purse that are in keeping with His Lordship. And so let us this year seek to (in every way) honor Jesus Christ as the Lord of our lives. Let’s do so. Amen. |
Rev. Cameron Ury graduated from Asbury University in 2007 with a B.A. in Bible and Theology. From there he continued his studies at Wesley Biblical Seminary in Jackson, MS. It was there that he met his wife Tanya, who graduated from WBS with her M.A. and M.Div. degrees. Cameron and Tanya got married in 2009. Cameron then graduated with his M.Div. degree with a pastoral concentration in 2011.
After shepherding churches in both Mississippi and Ohio, they joined the ministry team at Renton Park Chapel in January of 2018, where Cameron serves as Senior Pastor and Teacher. Cameron is also the founder and host of Lechem Panim, a weekly radio show that airs on KGNW 820AM "The Word Seattle". The ministry of Lechem Panim is centered around leading people into the life-giving presence of God in and through Bible study, prayer, and active discipleship with the aim of ministering to a world that is in desperate need of the healing touch of Jesus Christ. Archives
January 2022
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