Good morning, thank you for reading. I pray you are well. Merry Labor Day!
We finished up last week with the verse that we opened up our look at the book of Acts with, several weeks ago, before we went on vacation. A verse with an important message, a lesson for all of us as believers in Christ. Acts 3:24-26, this is Peter speaking.
“Indeed, all the prophets from Samuel on, as many as have spoken, have foretold these days. And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all people on earth will be blessed.’ When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”
Let’s unpack this in order.
First, biblical history proves that, indeed, from Samuel on, as many prophets as have spoken, have proclaimed these days, the coming of the Messiah.
Not only that, but hear this, you are heirs of the prophets and of the actual covenant God made with your fathers. So as Samuel, the last of the judges, was also a prophet and priest, and was revered for his leadership in Israel as it moved away from the rule of the judges to a monarchy, ruled by kings; Samuel played the crucial role of kingmaker, by anointing Saul and then David as kings. This anointing was important, for it recognized the will of God as being the significant power behind the future kings of Israel.
All of us are heirs to this history, and to the actual covenant itself because of blood, our bloodline, our lineage. If you are a born again believer in Jesus Christ, the blood of Jesus flows through our veins. We are in the same lineage as Jesus himself.
Meaning this: It is through our offspring that all peoples on earth will be blessed. We are part of the blessing. As part of this blessing we are to bless others. It is the logical conclusion to this statement from Peter. Our families are to bless all the peoples on earth.
Jesus began with the Jewish people, to bless them by turning them from their wicked ways. It is for us, like Peter and John, to pick up where the last offspring of God has finished. Depending on the number of years that you use for a generation’s length, since Peter and John, there have been somewhere between 66 and 100 hundred generations that have had the opportunity to bless the peoples on earth. Not bless the earth, but the peoples on earth.
This is our mission. To bless others, introducing this covenant and the Good News of Jesus Christ to people, which in turn blesses them by helping them to turn from their wicked ways.
The real truth that complicates this process is that there are many people who do not want to turn from their wicked ways. They are wicked. Peter and John, right after healing the beggar at the temple gate called Beautiful, and the excitement of Peter’s heartfelt testimony and message, and then the positive response from the Israelites present, run smack dab into the temple guard and the Sadducees. Before we see how Peter and John deal with the temple guard and Sadducees, let’s go to Isaiah 44:21-23,
“Remember these things, O Jacob, for you are my servant, O Israel. I have made you, you are my servant; O Israel, I will not forget you. I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you. Sing for joy, O heavens, for the Lord has done this; shout aloud, O earth beneath. Burst into song, you mountains, you forests and all your trees, for the Lord has redeemed Jacob, he displays his glory in Israel.”
God is continually reaching out to the lost, the wicked, and the deceived. As Peter preached in the temple in our reading from last week, the hearts of those who participated in and were witnesses of Christ’s crucifixion fell under conviction. They now understand that the Jesus they saw die was in reality, their true Messiah, their Redeemer, just referenced by the prophet Isaiah, sent by God to redeem and forgive all of Israel.
But, the temple guards and the Sadducees do not believe in the resurrection or a personal Messiah. Plus, they are legitimately responsible for the death of Jesus Christ. The blood of Christ is on their hands. Acts 4:1-4,
“The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. They seized Peter and John, and because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. But many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand.”
So the eloquent and effective message that Peter delivered in the temple after healing the beggar at the temple gate called Beautiful resulted in about five thousand new believers. These were heads of households. These hearts felt the conviction in Peter’s words as he delivered his testimony which we covered last week. But the wicked, the deceivers of Israel, the rulers, teachers of the law, the Sadducees, and the Sanhedrin were not pleased at the hearing of Jesus’ name being proclaimed in the temple. They had to do something, and fast.
They took Peter and John, and because it was evening, they threw them in jail. The evening sacrifices ended around 4 pm in the evening. Matters involving life and death must be concluded before 4 pm, in daylight hours, for the temple gates are closed at 4.
You can tell that this upset the dark powers within the temple community, because the next day brought forth a gathering of all the powerful leaders that just a few weeks before had conspired to crucify Jesus. Acts 4:5-7,
The next day the rulers, elders, and teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and the other men of the high priest’s family. They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: ‘By what power or what name did you do this?’”
This is very similar to the questioning that Jesus received from these folks, in fact, he was even hit during his questioning. But there are a couple of important differences between the questioning of Jesus and this interrogation of Peter and John.
First, Jesus was born to die on the cross. That was his mission from the Father. He was going to submit to all the evil, all the actions of church and political bureaucracy so as to make sure that he went to the cross. Jesus did not resist. He went willingly to die on the cross.
Peter and John do not have the mission to submit to evil. In fact, their call is to reveal and resist the evil in Jerusalem by proclaiming Jesus’ name and the Good News of Jesus Christ. The Good News of Jesus Christ when held up in comparison to the known deeds of all of these religious and political leaders shines God’s light upon their corruption. The people can see the difference and so does the history of mankind.
The second difference is this: Peter and John have now been filled with God’s Holy Spirit. No longer is Peter the frightened believer listening to the rooster crow three times.
Our mission is that of Peter and John. God’s Spirit is available to every believer, just like Peter and John.
Having a mission to share the Good News and being filled with God’s Holy Spirit is a very powerful combination, no matter the obstacles. Sin has powerful combinations that link up to form dark strongholds that enslave many. At OH the dark combination is drugs, alcohol, and sex. Let’s see what this combination of mission and power does with Peter and John as they are interrogated by the powerful Jewish leadership. They had just asked, ‘By what power or what name did you do this (healing)?’ Acts 4:8-12,
“Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: ‘Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, 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. He is (Psalm 118:22) the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.’”
I guarantee you that the leaders are stunned. They thought that Peter and John would go silent, like Jesus to a cross or whatever manner of death they could come up with. Instead, Peter cites boldly the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth and repeats the Good News message. James 4:7, the key to effective spiritual warfare, I’ll read the whole passage, James 4:4-8,
“You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely (or longs jealously)? But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says in Proverbs 3:34: God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you.”
When Christ submitted to all the rulers in Jerusalem, it was to complete his mission by dying on the cross. This is not my mission, it may be revealed to me later on that it is, but not now. Peter will die similarly, but that is not his mission at this instance. It is to resist the devil, resist evil, to proclaim the name above all names Jesus Christ.
I found this quote from Firebrand Magazine,
“We are clothed with his armor and authority and are able to resist or oppose the devil categorically and conclusively. Resistance means to hold the line, not to give in, but to push back with all your resources. We have been given grace and power, but we need to choose to resist. It is a command.”
The more we resist evil, the closer we come to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Let’s see what happens with Peter and John. Acts 4:13-18,
“When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together.”
“‘What are we going to do with these men?’ they asked. ‘Everybody living in Jerusalem knows they have done an outstanding miracle, and we cannot deny it. But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn these men to speak no longer to anyone in this name.’ Then they called them in again, and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.”
Well, that’s it then. Surely Peter and John will say OK, wave and say goodbye, and skedaddle out of Jerusalem, right? Wrong! Acts 4:19-22,
“But Peter and John replied, ‘Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.’ After further threats they let them go. They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened. For the man who was miraculously healed was over forty years old.”
Let’s repeat verses 19-20,
“But Peter and John replied, ‘Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.’”
How can you and I not help speaking about what we have seen and heard, what we have read in our Bibles, what we have experienced in our own lives. How can we not share this Good News of Jesus Christ of Nazareth and not willingly proclaim that Jesus’ name is the name above all names.
I sadly submit that this is not the case for much of modern day Christendom today. There is a great reluctance, an unwillingness to share the Good News and proclaim the name of Jesus.
But it should not be that way for us here at Opportunity House and Harmony Church in Concord, North Carolina. No. As your pastor I will proclaim Jesus’ name, prayerfully, with my last breath. We all should. My prayer is that we all will.
Let us pray, please agree with me.
Father, I thank you for your son Jesus and his name that is above all names. I know and believe this to be true, and I have placed my faith in Christ.
Please guide me and direct me in sharing Jesus with others effectively. Guide me to divine appointments through your Spirit.
Help me to resist the devil consistently and completely, not giving in an inch to his temptations or his fear mongering.
Help me be a light in a dark world.
In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth I pray. Amen
Do no harm, do good, and stay in love with God.
Blessings,
Thad Brown
Opportunity House
and Harmony Church
Concord