Eklessia: Identity - Discovering Christ's Identity
Acts 4:1-22
Text: Acts 4: 23-31
Some years ago I was invited to an Interfaith event where I was asked to pray the opening prayer when I finished I thought I had prayed a great prayer little did I know afterwards that I had offended some. The reason why I offended them was because I ended my prayer with " in the name of Jesus".
I have never lived in a time where I thought that mentioning the name of Jesus in a public place would bring such resistance.
All I was doing was Identifying with the one in whom i gave my life to.
I have found out that even today as I stand before you...... People still have a problem with the fact that you IDENTIFY with a SAVIOR who Died and Rose again 3 Days later!
Peter and John were arrested and tried. They were arrested "as they spoke," that is, while they were preaching. Remember that the cripple man had walked through the temple leaping and praising God (Acts 3:8-11). With all the excitement of this man's healing, a huge crowd of thousands had rushed to see the cripple man who had been healed and to hear the message being proclaimed by the two men who had such power.
The excitement and noise were bound to attract the attention and bring the temple authorities to the scene. What they saw and heard disturbed them to no end. They thought they had eliminated the "Jesus movement" eight weeks earlier when they had crucified Jesus.
They had heard about the preaching incident several days earlier and how excited the people had become (Acts 2:5f). Now these two men (Peter and John) were publicly preaching the fact that God had raised Jesus from the dead. And they were preaching, of all places, in the temple precincts.
It was time to investigate the matter, to nip the movement in the bud before it could spread.
Note those who came to arrest them. As mentioned above, they had stopped Peter right in the middle of his message.
Peter and John suffered abuse because they preached the resurrection. The officials were threatened by the preaching of Jesus being raised from the dead. They knew that it was the nature of people to respond to hope, especially to great hope. They also knew that great excitement existed within the people's heart for the coming of the Messiah and that it would take only a small spark of hope to set the excitement aflame.They just could not allow Jesus to be preached, not the hope of His resurrection, for the resurrection meant that all men who followed Him would arise. People ached and were ripe for such a message. Therefore, the authorities, knowing the nature of man and the situation, were threatened. If the people turned to the new movement, the authorities......feared the loss of the people—their loyalty, recognition, and esteem.
They feared their loss of position, authority, and livelihood. If they lost the loyalty of the people or allowed a disturbance, the Romans would replace them with other officials.
The Romans were usually tolerant, but they were quick to stamp out disorder and disloyalty.
They also feared the people might begin to think that their doctrine was wrong. If they allowed the preaching of the resurrection to continue, they would be admitting that God had by-passed them and revealed the truth to others.
Their own spiritual condition and beliefs and teachings would be suspect. They were the secure religionists and the official religious leaders. Therefore, they would be jeopardizing their own religion and leadership among the people. They would be undermining their own sense of security and their sense of being acceptable to God.
They feared acknowledging they were wrong in crucifying Jesus. If He were truly the risen Son of God, then they were sinners, chief sinners, guilty of denying and rejecting God's Son.
Note how the same fears strike so many today, causing them...not to support true men and women of God and the genuine movements of God. So many today are afraid not to rock the boat. Not to do what is right.
Too many today are seeking after: acceptance,esteem,recognition,position,wealth,possessions, authority( power),bigger and better things instead of really serving Gods.
So .....when the authorities arrested Peter and John. It was late in the afternoon, it too late for a trial, so they placed them in jail for the night.
I want you to notice the significance of the fact that before Peter was arrested, he had shared enough of the gospel for the crowd to respond.As a result of this Five thousand men (not counting women and children) made decisions for Christ.
Persecution did not stop the Word of God nor the Spirit of God from working and reaching souls who were saved despite the abuse and opposition.
Isaiah 55:11 says " So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. "
The Sanhedrin court convened the next morning to put Peter and John on trial.
The term "rulers, elders, and scribes" means the Sanhedrin. It was the ruling body, both the governing council and supreme court of the Jews.
The term "rulers, and elders, and scribes" is apparently just a term of synonyms, a term used by the people when referring to the Sanhedrin:
Rulers would refer to the whole body.
Elders would refer to the most esteemed of the nation. The whole Sanhedrin was sometimes simply referred to as the Elders.
Scribes was a definite profession of men, the experts, the doctors of Jewish law and tradition.
Annas was apparently recognized as the High Priest by most Jews. He had actually been removed from power by the Romans, but he had been so influential among his peers that he was still recognized as the power behind the throne.
However in the eyes of the Romans Caiaphas was serving as High Priest.
The question the court asked was straight to the point. They wanted to know "by what power, or by what name have you done this [healed the man]?"
The court was doing exactly what God had said to do. God had instructed Israel to try every man who claimed to be a prophet and worked signs and wonders among the people.
Deuteronomy 13:1-5 says
If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the Lord your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Ye shall walk after the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him. And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the Lord your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the Lord thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee.
So if the man was not a true prophet, he was to be executed.
But there is more to their questioning than this. They knew Peter was preaching the resurrection through Jesus Christ. They had to stop it or risk losing the loyalty of the people and their position and livelihood, so they were seeking opportunity to accuse and stop Peter and John. (Acts 4:2-4.)
Their questioning may also involve something else. After all they were the religious leaders; therefore, they thought the power could not be of God. If God should choose to do some marvelous work, especially in the temple, they thought He would choose to reveal it to them, the traditional religious leaders. Therefore they felt the name and the power that healed the crippled must be diabolical or characteristic of the Devil.
Remember they said the same thing about Jesus in Luke 11:15 when they said that," He was casting out devils through beelzebub the chief of the devils."
Every minister, organization and believer must guard against this thinking that God can only work through them. Let me tell you something......"God can work through anyone...He is always raising up new faces and groups into the picture to do His work. He must, for the mission is so enormous and there is still so much to do—so many who have not yet heard and been helped.
God equipped Peter and John with the Holy Spirit. Notice how quickly God came to the rescue: "Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit." Peter had not even had time to speak, and God was present, filling Peter with the Holy Spirit. God's Spirit was ready to take over and give Peter the words to say.
Peter and John credited Christ with the power to make men whole. Peter declared three critical points.
a. It was "the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth" that made the man whole. Note that Jesus is called the "Christ" (Messiah). Peter was declaring that men must know that Jesus is the true Messiah, and there must be no doubt which Jesus: it was the Jesus of Nazareth. He is the Messiah, the Savior whom God promised to send to the world.
Note the word "whole"
The man was made whole in spirit, body and soul. Who did it? Who could heal the man in his spirit, body and soul? Peter declared unequivocally: not he himself, nor John, nor any other man. It was Jesus Christ, the Messiah, you know ..... the Jesus from Nazareth; He alone had made this man whole.
b. It was Jesus Christ (Messiah) whom ye crucified.
Remember Peter was speaking to the top leaders of the nation. He charged them with killing not only a man, but the Messiah. What an indictment! To be charged with killing the Son of God Himself!
c. It was Jesus whom God raised from the dead that made the man whole. Peter was declaring that it was the power of the resurrected and ascended Messiah, the Lord of heaven and earth who had such power.
In Acts 4:11-12 Peter says "This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. "
Peter had just shared the source of his power, the name of Jesus Christ. He now proclaimed the salvation that is in Jesus. And to strike the point home, he used the declaration of prophetic Scripture. From Psalms 118:22 which declared that Jesus Christ is the Head, that is, the Chief Cornerstone of God's building.
God gave man the Head Cornerstone for His building, the life He wanted man to build. But men set the stone "at nought," counted it as no good, unacceptable, of no account, of no worth.
Men rejected God's Head Stone and went about finding their own chief stone and building their lives as they wished.But God took His Stone, despite man's rejection, and still made Him the Head of the corner. God has exalted Jesus Christ and made Him the Head of life.
Jesus said in Matthew 21:42 "Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?"
Ephesians 2:20 says We the Eklessia are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone.
Peter proclaimed in 1 Peter 2:6 "Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on Him shall not be confounded."
Jesus Christ is the only one alone saves. There is no other Head, no other exalted Lord; therefore, no man can be saved...by any other head or lord nor by any other name given under heaven except the name of Jesus.
No teacher is capable enough, no prophet is noble enough, no minister is good enough to save himself, much less anyone else. Therefore, no matter the claim—no matter the indulgence and strength of the name—whoever the man may be he comes far, far short of being God's chosen Head. No man has the name by which God saves men. All men are mortal. No man can make another man immortal. Therefore God's Head, the name which God uses to save men, must be eternal; and only One Man is eternal and thats : Jesus Christ.
John 3:16 says For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
1 Corinthians 3:11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Peter and John gave evidence that they had been with Jesus. It was the boldness and power of Peter and John that caused the rulers to recognize the fact that they had been with Jesus because the rulers had witnessed the same boldness and power in Jesus. And now it was the same boldness and power that identified these two men as having been with Jesus.
Acts 4:13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.
The boldness and power or Anointing that was on them was not due to education and learning. It was due to them having "been with Jesus." It was their mark of Identification.
The clear evidence that a person has been with Jesus is boldness and power. The man made whole stood before the Court of the World. Therefore, the world was silenced. The enemies of Jesus could not refute the claim, for the claim was backed up by the evidence of a miracle, of a changed life: a man was made whole.
There is only one evidence that we identify or belong to Jesus. If we have been with Jesus, then His boldness and power will be present within us.
Acts 4:15-18 But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, 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. But that it spread no further among the people, let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name. And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.
Yes Peter and John suffered threats. The court had Peter and John escorted from the council chambers so they could discuss the matter and reach a verdict. They acknowledged that a "notable" (clear, unmistakable) miracle had been done. The man was made whole. All the people knew the man had been transformed. They could not deny the miracle. They would have; but the evidence (the power of Christ), made the man whole, which stood before them.
The great need of the hour is for lame men to be made whole, transformed by the power of Christ. When a man is truly transformed, the world cannot deny it. The power of Christ stands within them as evidence that He is the risen and exalted Lord.
The rulers knew they must stop the new movement, suppress it from spreading any further among the people they speak among themselves and say in Acts 4:17 But that it spread no further among the people, let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name. At this point, they did not dare take drastic steps lest the people cause a disturbance that would bring the Romans down upon them.
Acts 4:21 says "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."
Their decision was to threaten Peter and John, forbidding them to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. But how can you stop preaching about someone who ???????????????????????????
The orders and decisions of the court were binding except in the death penalty (which had to be referred to the Romans). The court's orders had to be obeyed or else Peter and John would face severe consequences.
But I love their response in Acts 4:19-20 it says Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.
Peter and John refused to compromise their message.
There are two all-important reasons.
1. There comes a time in your life where your going to have to take a stand for the sake of the Gospel. It is in that very moment that you will find that God must be obeyed rather than men.
The highest authority must always be obeyed. This is the very basis of men and their laws. It is the word of the highest authority that men must carry out. Peter and John challenged the world: "Ye judge" (Acts 4:19). "[If it is] right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye" (Acts 4:19).
Christ had commanded them to preach time and again (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; John 20:21). They had to obey Him. They could do no other, for the highest possible authority had spoken. They were commissioned by God to speak and teach the resurrection, even in the face of opposition and persecution.
How can believers keep silent about Christ and His glorious salvation? He has commanded us to speak and teach, to bear witness and testimony to the living Lord.
A man must testify to what he has seen and heard. Notice that the two disciples were claiming to have seen and heard Jesus after His resurrection as well as during His ministry.
The result of such a dynamic witness was that men glorified God, and they kept on glorifying Him. Why? Because the power of Christ had taken a man who had been helpless for forty years and made him whole, completely whole.
Conclusion:
When you identify with Jesus it will change the way you live and cause you to rise above adversity. It's normal for us to identify with something or someone. It makes us feel connected and gives us a feeling of belonging.
In our everyday lives, we identify with a person, organization, occupation, nationality, or church. We also have an identity in the spirit realm. The scriptures say we have been crucified with Christ (Gal. 2:20). Not only did we die with Him on the cross at Calvary, we also have been raised with Him.
EPHESIANS 2:4–7 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
According to this passage of Scripture, we are seated with Christ in heavenly places. Unfortunately, some Christians are having an identity crisis. They don't know who they are in Christ or where they are seated. Instead of identifying with Christ, they identify with the problems that confront them. You can tell they do this because they call themselves by their problems.
When we really understand our identity in Christ—who we are in Him—it changes the way we think and live. Second Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV) says, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." That same verse in The Living Bible says, "When someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same anymore. A new life has begun!"
Before we were in Christ, we were destined for death and destruction. Now we are destined for eternal life (1 John 2:25). Before Christ, we were destined for despair, degradation, and poverty. But in Christ, we are destined to have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10).
In Christ is where our identity should be. It's in Jesus that we are somebody!
Did you ever notice in the Scriptures that God often changed people's identities? They looked at themselves one way, but God told them who they really were. This is what happened to Gideon. He was so terrified of the Midianites that he hid inside a winepress to thresh his wheat. He believed the Midianites would take what little he had if they saw him threshing grain (Judges 6:1–11). One day the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon and said, "The Lord is with you, mighty warrior" (Judges 6:12 NIV). Gideon was acting like anything but a mighty warrior! However, when he finally saw himself the way God saw him, he went on to deliver the Israelites (Judges 7:1–25).
God also changed Abram's name. It was impossible for Abram and his wife, Sarai, to have children. But God said, "No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations" (Gen. 17:5 NIV). He also changed Sarai's name to Sarah (Gen. 17:15). And God's words were fulfilled when Sarah gave birth to Isaac.
God calls those things that are not as though they were (Rom. 4:17). In the natural realm, what God is calling us may not exist. But in His eyes, it does. So we need to talk about ourselves the same way God does.
What God says about us is found in His Word. Here are some things we are and have in Christ:
We are new creatures (2 Cor. 5:17).
We are the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21).
We've been healed (1 Peter 2:24).
We've been made rich (2 Cor. 8:9).
We are accepted (Eph. 1:6).
We are free from sin (Rom. 6:20–22).
Psalm 23:4 says, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil." I like to say that verse like this: "Yea, though I walk through all of the mess that the devil tries to put on me, I will fear no evil. Through my identification with Christ, I can walk on scorpions and not be harmed. I can walk on anything that tries to get in my way and come out victoriously."
It's time for us to stand up and be who God says we are. And we need to let the devil know that we know who we are in Christ. Then anytime he tries to attack us, we can throw our shoulders back and say, "Don't mess with me. I'm identified with Christ!"
When you identify with Christ, God gives you a new identity.
Instead of SINNER, you are called CHRISTIAN.
Instead of LOST, you are called FOUND.
Instead of ENEMY, you are called FRIEND.
Instead of UNRIGHTEOUS, you are called RIGHTEOUS.
Instead of SICK, you are called HEALED.
Instead of POOR, you are called RICH.
When you understand your identity in Christ, you'll be a stronger and more stable Christian. Your faith will work for you better, your prayer life will be enhanced, and you'll walk in a new level of power and authority.
Dr. Charles C Jones
3/2/2019
