Who is Really Working? | Pastor Johnnie Simpson Jr.

Acts 4:5-12

⁵ The next day the rulers, the elders and the teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. ⁶ Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and others of the high priest’s family. ⁷ They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: “By what power or what name did you do this?”

⁸ Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! ⁹ If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed,¹⁰ then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. ¹¹ Jesus is

“‘the stone you builders rejected,     which has become the cornerstone.’

¹² Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

 

When someone who is not working very hard is put next to someone who is working hard you can spot the difference easily. There are real workers in Acts chapter 4, the Book of Acts tells the early history of the church. Peter and John are in this part, two disciples with different personalities going around preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Peter, a brasher, and louder person, while John is calm, cool, and collected. There is a place for both types of people in the church. Peter and John are going around preaching about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the church is growing. The Church is growing by leaps and bounds, Jesus started with 12 disciples, by the time we get to chapter 1, there are 120, by chapter 2, we have 3,000 and by chapter 4, another 5,000 souls have been added to the Kingdom.

 

Peter and John regularly go to the temple to worship while they are growing the Kingdom of God, one day on the way to the temple there is a man at the temple gate called beautiful down on his luck. This man was lame from birth and is at the gate looking for some help, seeing if anyone can spare him some change. Peter says to the man silver and gold have I not, but such as I have is this, in the name of Jesus take up your bed and walk. Immediately this man is healed, and he went into the temple courts praising God for his deliverance. That is a great testimony, however, those actions did not get Peter and John celebrated, Peter and John were incarcerated.

 

Acts 4:4-12, Peter and John are arrested and put on trial before the Priestly family, Annas, his son-in-law Caiaphas, and others, a family that controlled the area. The Romans were in charge but they made sure that they had some insiders helping them keep the people in line. Peter, John, and the other disciples are out here growing the Church of Jesus and that is upsetting the powers that be. Annas and Caiaphas were some of the same people that persecuted Jesus and now they are coming after his followers.

 

Chapter 1-4 proves to us the disciples know what they are doing and that they are effective, however people will resist change especially when it seems like that change is going to make them lose power and control. Peter and John were raising a church of believers and it stood to take the Pharisees and Sadducees out of power, so the Sadducees had Peter and John arrested. This is not the Roman Government that arrested Peter and John, these are the Sadducees, these are the church folk. These are oppressed people because everyone is under the Roman Government, but these oppressed people are oppressing others.

 

First, the priestly council has a problem with the disciples preaching that there is resurrection in Jesus Christ. Then the council wants to know by what power or name did Peter and John heal this man. The council moved the goalposts, they said I may not be able to get you this way, but I will get you another way. In verse 2 they had a problem with the teaching, in verse 7 they had a problem with the actions, I would submit to you that they had a problem with the loss of control. Thousands of people were being filled with the Holy Spirit and the old guard had to take notice. The old guard thought they were going to stop this Jesus problem before it got any worse. The Sadducees believed if they did not fix the Jesus follower problem, they would soon have a Roman soldier problem to deal with. The Romans kept the Sadducees and others in power to stop any potential Jewish uprisings and people are following Jesus by the thousands after he has been crucified. The Priestly council probably thought if they could bring Peter and John to court, that would shut this thing down, oh but they were wrong.

 

Peter is filled with the Holy Spirit when he answers. If you want to make a difference in your life, if you want to make a difference in the world you are going to need the Holy Spirit's help. The Holy Spirit will make you speak when others are quiet, the Holy Spirit will make you quiet when everyone else is running their mouths. The Holy Spirit helped Peter in his situation and the Holy Spirit can also help you. Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and that helped him answer anything the Sadducees wanted to know.

 

Peter focuses on the good work being done (a man was healed), instead of worrying about who is in charge, who has the power, who is in control, worry about the work being done. Peter points out the stone which they rejected turning out to be the cornerstone. Peter was quoting Psalm 118 when he said that phrase, the High Priests rejected Jesus, now he is the most important person. Peter who also rejected Jesus is out here working hard for him now. If there is hope for Peter, then there is hope for me.

 

There is power in the name of Jesus

There is healing in the name of Jesus

There is salvation in the name of Jesus