What Shall We Do? Series

WHAT SHALL WE DO?

Acts 4:14-22

INTRODUCTION:

A. Have you ever been a position that you needed to know what to do?

1. Do we sell or hold on to our stock or house?

2. Do we need this or that type of insurance?

3. Should we buy a new car or continue to repair the old one?

4. Most of us have had to make a decision and had to wrestle with it.

B. There are time is our spiritual lives we have to wrestle with some things as well.

1. Can I afford not to devote so and so amount of time to prayer and Bible reading?

2. I know I need to do more of both but how to get it done is beyond me – What Shall I Do?

C. Many will do the same thing with life’s path.

1. What good is religion – with so many, What Shall I Do?

2. Confronted with the gospel they probably often wonder, What Shall I Do? – I know I did.

D. Well in our scripture passage for this evening we have that type of scenario.

1. The question, What Shall We Do? was on everybody’s mind.

a. First those of the world were asking, What Shall We Do?

b. Secondly, Christians were asking What shall We Do?

2. Decisions were made that day that ultimately forged their futures – even eternal destinies.

3. It is the same today and will be until the end of time

4. May God help us to see the possible answers to the question What Shall We Do? and may he help us to come to the right answer.

PRAY

We begin this evening by looking at

I. THE WORLD – WHAT SHALL WE DO? Acts 4:14-18, 21-22 And beholding the man which was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. [15] But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, [16] Saying, What shall we do to these men? for that indeed a notable miracle hath been done by them is manifest to all them that dwell in Jerusalem; and we cannot deny it. [17] But that it spread no further among the people, let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name. [18] And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus…So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people: for all men glorified God for that which was done. [22] For the man was above forty years old, on whom this miracle of healing was shewed.

A. A miracle had been performed by Jesus – the lame man was standing right in front of the crowd.

1. The council looked upon him and could not deny it

2. In fact they even commented that a notable miracle had been done

3. They could not deny it

4. Hence the question, What shall we do with these men?

B. This group of people had occasion to witness a God size miracle in their midst and instead of owning up to the “Facts” there only thought was how to defuse the situation and keep their so called “religious” system, their own life’s view, in tacked.

1. Any time the gospel is given, which it was in Acts 3 leading up to the healing, people will react in many different ways.

2. In Acts 17 Paul preached a message on Mars Hill.

a. Following the message we read this account of what happened, And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter. [33] So Paul departed from among them. [34] Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed: Acts 17:32-34

b. Note three things:

1) Some mocked

2) Some wanted to hear more

3) Some believed

3. To this list we can add that of our present text – disbelief despite the facts – followed by hatred and persecution

4. We should expect any of these things.

a. The mocking often comes due to a lack of knowledge or spiritual conviction, something only God can give.

b. Those who want to hear more may have a working of the Spirit but either do not understand or have not come to a conviction of their need.

c. Those who get saved of course have been convicted of their need, repented and asked the Lord for salvation in Christ

d. Those in our passage probably had a tinge of conviction but chose rather to ignore it, thus taking action to keep it from happening again. What Shall We Do?