Thrown In Jail With The Key

Title: Thrown in Jail with the Key

Book: 44

Verses: 3:11-4:4

Subject: Freedom From Sin

Series:

Author: Mark A. Wood

Dr. Wood uses this message to encourage believers that whatever their circumstances they are freed by Jesus and to introduce non believers to grasp hold of the key of salvation who is Jesus Christ. Dr. Wood Encourages those who are held captive by circumstances to be released by the saving power of the real savior Jesus Christ.

This scripture tells of what happened after the lame man was healed by God through Peter and John. This same man had been at the gate for untold years. People passing him on the way into the temple would give money to him-they knew who he was and what his condition was. After the healing, the people were amazed and mistakenly looked to Peter and John as the ONES who healed the man. Peter quickly tells the people that it was not them but HIM, Jesus Christ. In verse 13, Peter reminds them that this Jesus Christ was the same one they had crucifixion just a short while before. He goes on telling them of the requirement of repentance of their sins and belief in Jesus Christ to open the doors to heaven to them.

Chapter 4 tells of the reaction of the priest, and the Sadducees. They were disturbed by the teaching and preaching of Jesus and his resurrection from the dead. They laid hands on him. This by no means that they were “laying on hands” to pray for healing. They laid hands on them to throw them in jail. The priests and Sadducees thought that would stop Peter and John from spreading the Gospel; however, they failed to realize that Peter and John had the KEY with them. We too, have the KEY if we have a relationship with Christ.

Four Characteristics of being thrown in jail with the KEY

I. We are captured by the cause v15

We must realize that Peter and John were witnesses to the Life of Jesus. Beyond that they were witnesses to His death burial and resurrection. Nothing could ever steal this witness away from them. They were completely captured by the reality of who Jesus is. Even Judas himself understood who Jesus was. Unfortunately, he chose suicide rather than reconciliation with Jesus Christ.

A. Every person is captured by a cause. Let us reflect on the life of Peter. His occupation was that of a fisherman. One would wander if he was not capture by his occupation before he was called by Jesus to be a disciple. Think for just a moment would Peter have left the banks on his boat and thought to himself, “I do not care much for fishing today, I believe I want to just catch 2 maybe three fish.” This is very doubtful, he most likely left the banks with the desire to catch a boat full of fish. Why? Because he was captured by the cause of his occupation. Today people have a purpose set forth in their lives. Children cannot wait until they become a teenager they are captured by the cause of getting older. Teens are captured by the idea that they may be able to graduate from high School. Adults are capture by their occupation and the goal of retirement. Often these things we are captured by becomes our cause. The word cause is used as if to say we set a goal or principle served with dedication or zeal. These guys, Peter and John were no doubt captured by the cause of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

II. Arrested by the Faith v16

Peter quickly set the record straight. He told the gathering crowd that it was not man that had done a great act by healing this lame man it was the very person in which just days earlier they had killed by crucifixion. More than anything man could do it was simple faith in God that had healed the man. Not only was Peter and John arrested by faith the man to whom they had shared their faith with became arrested as well.

A. Because of this arresting faith Peter and John was able to stand boldly and proclaim who was ultimately responsible for this great miracle. These two guys new that it would be destructive to claim this miracle for themselves. Because of the arresting faith in Jesus Christ they gave credit where credit was due. A key point to remember here is that faith in yourself will only lead to self destruction. Total faith in Jesus Christ will lead to total reconstruction. Jim Law the Sr. Associate pastor at First Baptist Woodstock recently said during a sermon while filling the pulpit there made this comment, “We must move out of the sense world and into the world of faith, God is the God of impossibility.” This is an incredible statement. He further stated that when we move into the faith world we will then be a people who will, “receive more to give more to do more to love more….” He repeated this statement many times. How true that is to be arrested by faith we will accomplish much than to be arrested by self.