There’s the true story of a southern church that had been stressing the importance of witnessing to people.
One particularly slow young man in the congregation took the idea to heart, but he wasn’t quite sure how to do it. Then, that Sunday, a skeptic visited the church one Sunday, and the boy approached him and asked if he wanted to become a Christian. The man looked coldly at him and said "NO! I have no intention of becoming a Christian." The young man was quiet for a moment, then responded: “Well, then you can go to hell”… and he turned and walked away. The starkness of the boy's sincerity and bluntness shook the man and ultimately he turned his life over to Jesus.
(PAUSE) You can go to hell!
(pause) Do you suppose that young man was trying to insult the visitor? Me neither. I think that what that young man was telling the skeptic was the truth: If the man refused to turn to Jesus… he’d go to hell.
NOW, HOLD THAT THOUGHT.
I want to review the background of our story this morning. In Acts 3 we read about Peter and John going to the Temple to pray... but on the way they met a lame man and they healed him. This man was so excited about being healed that he began walking and leaping and praising God… and he also begins to draw a crowd… because everybody there KNEW him and they were shocked to see that he could now walk.
Never one to let a good crowd go to waste, Peter begins to preach. He tells the people that there was a reason this man could walk… and that reason was Jesus. This was Jesus, the Messiah that Israel had waited so long for… AND THEY KILLED HIM.
But God knew that they (and their leaders) had acted in ignorance. The Death and Resurrection of Jesus had been prophesied 1000s of years before Jesus came. But NOW (Peter tells them) they need to “Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord…” Acts 3:19-20
Do you think Peter was being mean-spirited here? Was he insulting the crowd? Was he being harsh or rude to them? Of course not - no more than the slow-witted boy we talked about earlier. Peter was simply telling the crowd what they needed to hear.
• They had crucified the Messiah.
• They had done it ignorance… but they had done it!!!
• And now - IF they continued to reject Christ… they’d go to hell.
• Therefore… REPENT and don’t do that – don’t reject Jesus anymore. And if they embraced Christ God would forgive their sins and give them refreshment and peace.
Now Chapter 4 starts out by telling us that “… as (Peter and John) were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the SADDUCEES came upon them, greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening.” Acts 4:1-3
As you can imagine, Peter’s sermon was NOT well-received by those in power (especially the Sadducees) and Peter and John found themselves behind bars. Now I’m pretty sure that was NOT the plan when they went to the Temple that morning. And the next day they were dragged before the Sanhedrin (the ruling body of the Jews) and they’re asked “By what power or by what name did you do this?” Acts 4:7
In other words – who gave you the right to go preaching like this????
Now it helps to understand what got this whole ball rolling. Did you notice I capitalized the word SADDUCEES in the text we put on the screen? This was the primary group responsible for the arrest of Peter and John. The Sadducees – along with the Scribes and Pharisees made up the Sanhedrin, BUT the Sadducees controlled the Sanhedrin. AND they were upper class of priests at the Temple (High Priest).
(https://bible.org/seriespage/3-sadducees)
These Sadducees were one of the major “movers and shakers” in religious world and they were instrumental in Peter and John being arrested. There was something about what Peter and John preached that day that angered them. But what was it that Peter and John were preaching that could have upset these guys so much?
Well, verse 2 says “(they were) greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming IN Jesus the RESURRECTION from the dead.”
(PAUSE) So… what’s wrong with that? Do you believe in the resurrection of the dead? So do I. But the problem was... the Sadducees didn’t believe that. They didn’t believe God had to power to do something like that. They were liberals of their day. They didn’t believe in a REAL physical resurrection of the dead. And they got pretty ticked off at those who did believe it!!
One person observed that “The Sadducees didn’t believe in the resurrection of the dead and so they were very SAD U SEE” (I worked on that one all week).
This was what had ticked them off so much about what Peter and John’s preaching. This was why they challenged Peter and John about their preaching. They despised the very idea of anyone believing that the dead would rise.
So now Peter and John have been arrested for teaching this doctrine of resurrection. And Peter now has been given chance to address the Sanhedrin – most powerful religious group in the nation. And just like the young man who told the skeptic he was going to hell, and just like when Peter told the crowd they’d crucified Jesus and needed to repent, Peter now tells this dignified ruling body of Jews exactly what they need to hear.
“Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit said to them: ‘Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth… this man is standing before you well.’” Acts 4:8-10
Now, if that’s all Peter had said… he’d have probably been OK. But Peter was not the type to be shy and quiet about his commitment to Christ. He has no intention of stopping there. Peter NEEDS to tell these people what they need to hear, and THIS is what they need hear:
“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. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 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." Acts 4:10-12
Peter tells the Sanhedrin EXACTLY what he told the crowd at the Temple: You crucified the Messiah. You rejected the One sent by God. And you need to understand that the only way you can undo what you’ve done is to appeal to the name of Jesus - the only name that can save you from your sins.
Now, these were not Peter’s words… these were words inspired by the Holy Spirit. And it was the same message Peter repeats over and over again. He said it at Pentecost when 3000 repented and were baptized into Christ, he said it at the Temple when he healed the lame man, and now he says EXACTLY the same thing as he addresses the Sanhedrin.
He’s not being harsh or rude. He’s not trying to insult them. He’s telling them the Gospel – they crucified Jesus…they’re guilty…and they need to repent.
It’s the same message we needed to hear when we became Christians: Our sins put Jesus on the cross. We were guilty and we needed to repent and be buried in the waters of baptism and to rise up to a new life. And because we needed to hear that message – do you suppose it was the same message EVERYONE else needed to hear? Of course it was.
ILLUS: Just so you get a grasp of how bold Peter’s speech was, imagine going to the White House… and going up to President Trump and telling him that HE’S WRONG and needs to change something. It wouldn’t be a pretty sight. But I want you to notice that while the Sanhedrin doesn’t like what Peter and John have preached but they don’t seem to be offended by it.
“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.” Acts 4:13
Peter and John were bold and they were not intimidated by the Sanhedrin. They had ONE message and they kept repeating it over and over: You’ve sinned, you’re guilty and you need to repent and turn to Jesus.
NOW the sermon series I’m preaching this month is dedicated to explaining HOW Jesus was going to build His church. Back in Matthew 16 Jesus told Peter “I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH” and what Peter did this day in front of the Sanhedrin was exactly how Jesus intended to do that.
ILLUS: There’s a poem by a famous poet named Edward Guest, but most people only remember the first line:
“I'd rather see a sermon than hear one any day;
I'd rather one should walk with me than merely tell the way.
The eye is a better pupil, more willing than the ear;
Fine counsel is confusing, but example is always clear,
And the best of all the preachers are the men who live their creeds,
For to see a good put in action is what everybody needs.”
Now, do you agree with that? Me too. It’s basically saying “If you don’t walk the walk no one’s going to listen when you try to talk the talk.” But too many people just quote the first line of that poem:
“I’D RATHER SEE A SERMON - THAN HEAR ONE" (Pause) Well who wouldn’t? Sermons kind of tend to go on and on! But that’s not the way Jesus looks at it!
The idea that I can get by with just DOING my faith and NOT TALKING about it is hogwash (that’s a Biblical term - “hogwash"). Trying to get by with keeping my faith to myself is a cheap way out. That’s not how Jesus intended His church to be built.
ILLUS: An atheist once told William Booth (the founder of the Salvation Army) "If I believed what you Christians say you believe about a coming judgment and that impenitent rejecters of Christ will be lost, I would crawl on my bare knees on crushed glass all over London, warning men, night and day, to flee for refuge from the coming day of wrath!"
So one of the questions for us today is this: Do you believe what you say you believe???
ILLUS: A man once told a preacher “I don’t wear my religion on my sleeve. My religion is personal and I don’t want to talk about it.”
The preacher was startled for moment… and he asked him, “You are a Christian aren’t you?”
He said “Yes, but I’m not a religious fanatic.”
The preacher gently said: “Did it ever occur to you it cost Jesus Christ His life so you could call yourself a Christian? It cost the disciples their lives too, and millions of Christians throughout the centuries have suffered or died as martyrs in order to get the message of God’s love and forgiveness to you. Now do you really believe that your faith in Christ is personal and private and that shouldn’t talk about it?”
The man bowed his head and replied, “No… you’re right. Tell me what I can do about it.” (Bill Bright in Pulpit Helps Oct. 05 p. 8)
So, another question for us today is this: Do you realize how much blood has been shed so you could be saved?
Jesus planned to build His church through faithful Christians who were willing to talk about their faith. Romans 10:14 tells us “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never (what this next word???) heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?”
That SOMEONE who should be “preaching to the lost” is you. And it’s me. And the Bible tells us that WHEN we decide to share our faith – God gets really excited about it. Romans 10:15 declares: "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!"
Well what is it that we need to share? That WE were sinners but WE decided to turn it over to Jesus. WE believed, repented and were baptized into Christ. And now WE’RE saved by grace. We try to live a good life… but it’s Jesus that guarantees us Heaven. Our good deeds can’t buy God’s grace, but we do the good deeds now because God gave His gift freely. And now we approach others with the same message: YOU have sinned - and you need to repent and you need to turn to Jesus.
(PAUSE)
Now, let me be perfectly clear here… just because JESUS wants you to share your faith doesn’t mean the people you talk to are going to be all that excited about it. In Acts 4:18-20 we’re told “(The Sanhedrin) called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 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, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”
In other words… the Sanhedrin told them to shut up about Jesus. Quit talking about Him. Stop sharing your faith. CUT IT OUT!!!!
(PAUSE)
But Peter and John say “Sorry… that’s not going to happen. We believe and love Jesus… and we’re not gonna stop talking about Him.”
ILLUS: There’s a part of my family that gets uncomfortable having me around. They complain that all I ever talk about when I’m with them is my kids and Jesus. (pause) Well duh! I’m a parent and I’m a preacher… what else do you expect me to talk about???
Now why do I talk about my kids? Because I love them and I tend to build my life around them. It’s the same with why I talk so much about Jesus. I love HIM and I build my life around Him as well. For the Christian, that’s a driving force. When we love Jesus - when we realize what might have happened to us if Jesus hadn’t died for us - what ON EARTH could we ever want to talk about that would be nearly as important.
ILLUS: How many of you ever been on Facebook? Have you ever noticed how much people share about cute little doggies or about something political? Now I happen to like cute little doggies, and I do happen to have political opinions… but I rarely share those things on Facebook. Do you know why? Because I don’t want anything to put Jesus in the shadows. I don’t want to distract folks from the real love of my life: Jesus.
Paul said: “I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. “ 1 Corinthians 2:2
But here’s the deal: The driving force in talking about Jesus MUST BE how much we care about whether or not the people we witness to, go to hell. You and I should be so driven by the concern that our friends/relatives/fellow workers/neighbor we should be concerned that they might very well go to hell if we don’t tell them about Jesus. If we don’t care about that… we’ve nothing really to share.
ILLUS: Someone once noted: “If there was a fire in your house and you had 6 family members inside, how many would you have to get out of the house before you'd be satisfied?”
Well, how many would you it take? All of them, right? In fact the Fire Dept would probably have to wrestle you to the ground to keep you from going in one last time to rescue whoever was left inside.
CLOSE: I want to close with this true story: (Dave Hastings, Kerusso Ministries)
A man named Dave Hastings told of sitting on the front porch with his friend Mike. Dave was in junior high years (probably 13 or 14 years old) and they were just goofing off. For some reason they started talking about death and Dave jokingly asked Mike what he would do if he (Dave) died.
Dave said “I can remember it like it was yesterday when he said, ‘It would break my heart because you died without Jesus.’"
That one sentence was the catalyst that changed Dave’s life.
INVITATION
