What Is Blocking You From Believing?
Ice breakers
It’s January! We got snow! Yay! Did anyone go out and make a snowman?! Our neighbor across the street managed to roll three big snow balls and made a snowman about chest high! Can you believe it? I didn’t want to go out there for more than just a few seconds to take some pictures of the snow! So, when do you decide it’s OK to go out in the cold? When you have to take pictures, or need to make a snowman, or when you have to do plumbing because it goes out, or need to go to church. Otherwise, do you go out in the cold?
For the last couple of months we’ve had Turkey, and cookies, cake, and candy, and you name it. Not the healthiest for you stuff! Wasn’t it awesome?!!! It’s too bad that gluttony is a sin, right? Shhhh! Do we get a pass in November and December? When you go to see the doc they give you a pass, right? It’s time to try Defying Calories. Do you listen to your sweet tooth, or do you listen to the doc? Sadly, we often listen to our sweet tooth! Sometimes, we’re good and we hold ourselves back?
A compulsive liar
I once worked as a security job. A friend of mine told me if you can’t ever find a job, there’s always security jobs out there but you won’t like it. So anyway I was desperate so I took the security job. Yeah, it’s weird but security guards, the ones you trust to guard stuff, are usually the dregs of society! It’s really weird, right!? So, right away there was this lady that worked there and she was a compulsive liar. It really got to be where you knew she was lying when her lips were moving. She could be really convincing tho, so if you didn’t know better, you would think she was telling you the truth. How do you even deal with someone like that? If they actually tell you the truth, you’ll think they are lying. Do yourself a favor and if find a person like that, get away from them, and certainly don’t believe them, or do anything they say! I’m a terrible judge of character, but even I could figure her out. I hope you have at least some skill at being a good judge of character!
What happened before this chapter
In Acts chapter 3, Peter and John were going to the temple and when they got to the gate called Beautiful, they found a beggar who couldn’t walk and they took hold of him and the man began to walk. Everyone around was amazed and ran up to them and they tried to explain that it wasn’t by their own power that the man was healed, but it was the faith in Jesus that strengthened the man and they were very clear that it wasn’t by their own power. He sort of chided them for disowning and rejecting Jesus and it was by Jesus that it happened!
Now with such a bold public display, you can guess that this caused quite a stir! The people were talking! So much talking in fact, that it got up to the leaders, the Sadducees! This was, of course, a challenge to their beliefs and religion! How do you think it’s going to go? So, if you can imagine, we enter chapter four with this situation: Peter, John, this healed person, all of the amazed people around, and here come the Sadducees! We gotta put a stop to this preaching and miracle stuff right now!
Peter, John, and a healed man jailed for preaching and healing!
Acts 4:1-22
4:1 As they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them, 2 being greatly disturbed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they laid hands on them and put them in jail until the next day, for it was already evening. 4 But many of those who had heard the message believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.
They were greatly disturbed because Peter and John were teaching people and proclaiming Jesus and the resurrection from the dead! What was wrong with that? The Sadducees didn’t believe in the resurrection. Obligatory: they were Sad-you-see!
So were the Sadducees warm and fuzzy, easy to get along with people? It sure doesn’t seem like it! They were cruel and mean it appears and didn’t take kindly to non-Jewish-preaching!
Raise your hand if you’ve ever been thrown in jail - just kidding - don’t raise your hand!
If you have, you know it’s very stressful and not a fun thing - they don’t treat you nicely I’m sure!
Being in with a bunch of criminals too can’t be a joy either! Now they had to spend a night in jail too since it was already evening! So it looks like they threw all three of them, Peter, John, and the healed guy in jail. Wouldn’t that be something, get healed and then thrown in jail?
Even though all that happened, it says that many still had heard the message (and seen the miracle) and believed bringing the number of men to about 5,000 (that’s probably not including women and children now)! That’s a lot!
The elites put Peter, John and the healed man on trial!
5 On the next day, their rulers and elders and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem; 6 and Annas the high priest was there, and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of high-priestly descent. 7 When they had placed them in the center, they began to inquire, “By what power, or in what name, have you done this?”
So basically, all the powerful elites ganged up on them and made them to answer their questions. Don’t you know that must have been intimidating!
Now if you ask a question like that, it’s like, OK you asked for it, I’ll tell you!
Peter Shares the Truth about Jesus the Savior
8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of the people, 9 if we are on trial today for a benefit done to a sick man, as to how this man has been made well, 10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by this name this man stands here before you in good health. 11 He is the stone which was rejected by you, the builders, but which became the chief corner stone. 12 And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”
So Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, gave them an earful! He totally chided them for being on trial for healing! He also chided them for crucifying Jesus, but God raised Him from the dead and because of Jesus he’s healed! He also chided them for rejecting Jesus when He was the Messiah - the only name by which they can be saved!
Did you catch that? Jesus is the only name whereby we can be saved! Not Muhammad or Buddah or even anyone else named in the Bible! You know some people say there’s many ways to heaven and whatnot but that’s not what the Bible says! Only Jesus can save!
Peter and John threatened
Threat and Release
13 Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus. 14 And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say in reply.
All of the elites that had ganged up against the three men were sort of put back in their place! Surely they could see something special happened with the healed man as they had to have known him sitting at the gate every day! They were flabbergasted and didn’t know what to say!
Elites double down and triple down against the truth!
15 But when they had ordered them to leave the Council, they began to confer with one another, 16 saying, “What shall we do with these men? For the fact that a noteworthy miracle has taken place through them is apparent to all who live in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. 17 But so that it will not spread any further among the people, let us warn them to speak no longer to any man in this name.” 18 And when they had summoned them, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; 20 for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.” 21 When they had threatened them further, they let them go (finding no basis on which to punish them) on account of the people, because they were all glorifying God for what had happened; 22 for the man was more than forty years old on whom this miracle of healing had been performed.
But instead of rejoicing for the miracle, what did they do? They doubled down! They threatened them and tried to shut them up. But what did Peter and John say in reply? Whether we heed you or God, you be the judge. That was very politically correct. They could have just told them to get lost or worse but they didn’t. But still the elite tripled down and tried to tell them not to speak in Jesus’ name again even! Wow!
They did let them go and partly because of the people. Remember that 5000 people crowd outside who just got converted!?
To me, these elites were like the lady who was a compulsive liar. How can you listen to her or them? They will lead you astray. That lady lied so much that she didn’t even know what was the truth anymore and would believe her own lies. Do you think the elites were that way too, even ignoring the truth of Jesus because they couldn’t let go of the lies of their religion?
Conclusion - don’t let the elites blind you to the truth about Jesus - Jesus is the Savior!
So, what would it take to convince you that Jesus is the Messiah, the anointed one, the one who saves? Would it take a miracle? Would you let some religious leader tell you you couldn’t worship Him or believe in Him? Isn’t it weird that the religious leaders tried to hide the truth from people. You do know who is behind that, right? That’s the devil that doesn’t want you to know the truth about Jesus!
John 20:24-29 Jesus appears to Thomas
24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”
But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”
28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Thomas was a bit stubborn and had to see Jesus to believe. What did Jesus say? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. Some people are stubborn and say unless they see a miracle they will not believe. Don’t be like Thomas and be stubborn and not believe until some unreasonable criteria happens. The Bible tells us that because of lack of faith Jesus didn’t do much in certain towns. All we can do is try to persuade you of the truth from the Bible but you have to be the one to allow faith to work in your life. We can not have the faith for you, that’s something you have to have on your own. Ask God to open your eyes!
Because of sin, you had a debt that had to be paid with your life! But Jesus paid that debt for you on the Cross when you put your faith in Him. So now the only debt is a debt of love and gratitude.
If you don’t know Jesus, I hope you will learn the truth in spite of peer pressure or what other elites or others may say and trust in Him. I hope that you will grow in love and faith and have the Hope that He gives! The hope of a future and all good things and a home in Heaven! You have to figure it out for yourself and figure out who is telling you the truth and not just because they say so! Just because the elites told them to not believe the truth didn’t mean they had to do it. Instead they trusted the truth and trusted in God and so did about 5000 others including even more when you count women and children.
Even the elites knew the truth and couldn’t say anything about the healed man but still they didn’t believe it so they even believed their own lies. Their end will be destruction. For those liar-liars, their pants really will be on fire! To thine own self be true! If you have been lying to yourself about Jesus, don’t believe your own lies. Don’t let anyone mislead you about the truth of Jesus. There are liars everywhere, just tune them out, weigh the facts, and come to the conclusion on your own! Come let us reason together and understand the truth! The Good news that Jesus came to save sinners! The Bible is the truth and Jesus is the way the truth and the life, no man comes to the father but by Him!
