INTRODUCTION
Are we tired and heaved-laden? Troubled with a load of care? Have you recently been feeling discouraged, even as you have taken it to the Lord in prayer? You have felt tired and drained from the burdens of life and the staleness of our culture. It is exhausting, isn’t it? Life batters us down; it robs our joys, and it takes our focus off the things that matter – the things of the Kingdom as we become consumed by distraction and busyness. And, if we are being honest, the joy and confidence that once marked our walk with Jesus and the love of Jesus fade with time, and we find ourselves becoming shy and quiet where we once had the confidence and boldness to share Jesus and show Jesus by the transformation in us.
Things have been moving rapidly over the three chapters that open the book of Acts; Peter and John, empowered and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, have been making known the name of Jesus. Moreover, they have been declaring that he is alive, and the hope the world has been looking for is to be found in his death and resurrection! As they preached the coming of God’s Kingdom, they showed its transforming reality in the world today by practical deeds: they healed a man who had been lame his entire life! An act that was not about them but the one under whose authority they acted – Jesus.; Luke wants it to be clear to us today that in following Jesus, we must never pursue the miraculous above our Pursuit of Glorifying God and witnessing about Jesus. Everything in our lives points to the one in whom we have our living. Think about some of what Peter said in chapter three already: this is no longer a boy afraid to speak; this is a man declaring the war cry of the Kingdom:
- 3:12&13 – “And why stare at us as though we had made this man walk by our own power or godliness? For it is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—the God of all our ancestors—who has brought glory to his servant Jesus by doing this. This is the same Jesus whom you handed over and rejected before Pilate, despite Pilate’s decision to release him.” (NLT)
- 3:15 – “You killed the author of life” (NLT)
- 3:19&20: “Now repent of your sins and turn to God… he will again send you Jesus, your appointed messiah!.” (NLT)
It is amazing. Was it not that just a few days before, Peter denied Jesus three times? He did not want people to know that he was in any way associated with this Teacher who had just been arrested. Now, he stands transformed by Jesus, in Jesus, declaring that salvation alone comes from Jesus. This passage is built on the truth that gospel confidence comes from truly knowing Jesus, and its transforming effect should lead us to want to tell people about him.
What must it have been to sit there and listen as Peter preached so powerfully, as he proclaimed the saving work of Jesus Christ, not as some spiritual truth, but a real world-changing moment that was grounded in history! A historical event that brought transformation to all who believed in Christ, and from them, brought transformation to the world event that will change the world. Acts chapter four is a continuation of the events that unfolded from that sermon in the temple, where again we see Peter preaching with the power, a message that does not conform to the social, religious, or cultural expectations of the day but rather confronts them to transform. Yet, this is not a confrontation of judgment; it is a confrontation of beauty that exposes the ugliness of the world. Peter has been captivated by something better than all the treasures of the world can offer; he has seen the source of life and now boldly confronts the death and darkness of the world with the beauty and light of Jesus.
CONTEXT
Acts 3-5 is the beginning of a change in the book of Acts; things begin to shift. The honeymoon period is over, and the gloss has begun to fade. The troubles of the world begin to become real as, perhaps for the first time, the followers of “The Way” and the disciples and those who have come to faith begin to understand what Jesus meant about a willingness to take our Cross. This is What it will be like to follow the risen King in a dying world – difficult! They would understand the value of truly knowing Jesus and being transformed by him because the world would resist their way so much. Beautifully, we will see that the wonder of the Gospel cannot be silenced even when the world commands it to be. These are moments that bring to life those beautiful words of Paul:
”that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death” (Phil 3:10 ESV).
We do it, don’t we? We all do it – even ministers; we get lazy or scared about showing our confidence in Jesus and showing our transformation that comes from him! I have been in the shop recently, been asked what I do and found myself hesitant to start talking about Church because I was afraid of the reaction – I had lost my confidence in Christ because I had let my gaze slip from the wonder of truly knowing Jesus and making him know.
Chapter four rebukes that laziness out of us as the landscape for the early church becomes bleaker, and darkness seems to set in as, for the first time, the disciples are arrested. The trouble jumps off the page of the text. It’s a moment that is bleak yet poignantly beautiful, and against all logic. The followers of Jesus enter a period of profound suffering yet profound growth. Why? These people have a confidence the world cannot take from them, a confidence that comes from truly knowing Jesus and has been transformed by the Spirit’s work to Know Jesus and make him known! And nothing in the world will stop them, so what the world means for evil is that God will use it for good.
- Offence (The Arrest: 4:1-7)
- Defence (Peter Makes his Case: 4:8-12)
- Tense (A Clashing of Authorities: 4:13-22)
PAGE ONE | TROUBLE IN THE TEXT
Peter and John are Arrested (Acts 4:1-17)
Trouble is Brewing
In 3:11, we see Peter preaching in Solomons Colonnade (Poriticco), one of the outer parts of the temple. An act that was in itself in no way illegal or dangerous. It was not where the preaching occurred or even the fact that they were teaching. It was what they were preaching that caused offence. Thus, as chapter four begins, Peter and John are approached by a delegation of different religious leaders: priests, the captain of the temple guard (police), and some Sadducees. The word used for approach implies that there are negative intentions behind this coming. These are not people interested in knowing more about the message being shared; they are people threatened by it and determined to stop it. It is a clash of cultures as the religious and ethical morality of the Pharisees and their understanding of God and what it means to live for him: is met head-on with the Gospel of Grace in the hope of the resurrection. We do not know much at the start, but one thing is clear – the Pharisees are offended, and there is trouble in the air.
What Offends You
Have you been offended recently? Like truly and properly offended to the point where you posted on social media or phoned someone to complain? We all know those people who are offended by anything. They live in a perpetual state of offence, hurt and angry at the things they face in the world or what has been done to them.
Today, especially, there seems to be a lot of offence in our culture, and no one is really that sure what to do with it. Peter and John offended the crowd in Chapter Three with their gospel confidence, as they made clear that salvation comes only from Jesus. It is an amazing scene as the strength and conviction of their preaching show the transforming reality of life with Jesus: shy men become bold, and the uneducated teach the truth that the world has been longing for – and the Pharisees cannot handle it. Rather than taking some of the glory of the healing onto themselves, they pointed clearly to Jesus and made sure the people knew of what they and their leaders had done to him (Repent!):
“You… murdered him. You murdered the author of life.”
Preaching on the temple steps was nothing new; many had done it, and many would do it again. Yet, this preaching was something new in its power, authority and focus! The Declaration of Salvation was to say to the people that their Messiah had come and to ground it in the cross, which was to make clear to all who would hear that salvation would look nothing like they would want it to look. Jesus was the messiah they needed, But not the one they expected. Thus, Jerusalem, a city that has always been on edge as the tensions between the Roman occupiers and the religious establishment try to maintain an uneasy balance, now finds itself even more tense. Why? Because the people faced a threat renowned, confident, and bold, which they thought they had dealt with. Crucifying Jesus was meant to get rid of him, not embolden his followers to declare that the Cross was a victory when it was meant to be defeat!
TROUBLE BREWING: CHRIST IS SHOWING
This confident preaching of Jesus, the resurrected Lord and Saviour, by simple men from Galilee made it all the more believable because their transformation was so obvious. An obviousness that made it all the more dangerous – this preaching from another world challenged the religious and social norms of this world, and in their fear, the religious leaders tried to deal with it by political power and the fear of the sword! Yet, when a few days before the disciples fled from Jesus, such was their transformation and confidence in the Gospel that they stood firm and bolder all the more as they proclaimed the hope of the Cross!
Their confidence proclamation of the Lordship of Jesus “greatly annoyed,” so they were arrested! This is the reality of the world then and remains true today, some 2000 years later, in a completely different context. The people who need to hear the good news of the Kingdom often have no desire to hear it, and they will deal with it in their own way (3:4). The trouble in the text might seem like a reality far from so many of us in Belfast, yet, it is the reality of the majority of Christians in the world. They have found the meaning of life in Jesus and want the world to know – and they tell the world, and it locks them up! Yet, nothing could stop the transforming power of the good news of Jesus. The world might bring trouble, but God brings forth Kingdom fruit:
“But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.” 3:4 (ESV)
This trouble is not unique in our passage today; it’s a constant theme throughout the book of Acts as we are exposed to a confident Church and an angry world. This tension between proclaiming the Gospel truth and the threat of persecution was a common theme as the Church was born and remains a constant theme for so many today. Yet, as then, so it is now – it allows disciples to display a renewed confidence in Christ and his Gospel for Salvation and Transformation.
THE TROUBLE IN THE WORLD
There is trouble in the text with the disciples’ newfound courage and the message in which they peach! The world needs to hear, yet it doesn’t want to hear. As the Kingdom of God stirred, trouble rose against it. It might have been some 2000 years ago in a completely different context and culture, but isn’t it amazing how the world is still as sensitive and offended when the gospel is proclaimed today as it was then? Trouble was rising up as the gospel was proclaimed in those early days in Jersulam, and 2000 years later, it was often met with the same distance and rejection. Many across the world experience arrest, and while we may not fear the threat of arrest, we should be willing to – we must be honest with ourselves when we admit how offended our Culture gets.
What is Truth?
We live in a pluralistic society where everyone’s voice and opinion matter. Where we can promote ourselves and speak with authority on a subject (on which we have no real authority) via our own social media channels, blogs, or podcasts, as long as what we say does not make any absolute claims in terms of truth and what we share does not lessen the validity or truth of another position. Then, suddenly, our culture will find itself offended. There is trouble in the world today because our culture wants us to believe that truth does not matter and that it can be plural. Yet, we are seeing the fruits of such ills in our culture moment, as politicians lead and chaos is the norm.
The trouble with our cultural moment is that it wants us to think that Truth does not matter, even when we live in a world where it does: The Law Courts, Parliament, Local Government, Organisations and many other areas of our lives we want to know that truth is the norm. From Acts, we have been reminded about the truth in which all other things find their meaning – the Lordship of Jesus Christ and that Salvation comes from him alone. Yet, how often will we hear the truth of the Gospel preached with clarity in our churches? How many ministers have been wearied by the complaints of the few so have lessened the weight of what they preach to the many? This is the greatest trouble of ours, and the Church of Christ has lost its confidence in the truth of Christ and the confidence that comes from the transforming work of the Gospel in us.
The Truth that Gospel Truth Causes
It’s hard to proclaim the good news of Jesus in the world today because we have been told to be quiet, and we don’t want to often. I know, even as a minister, that there are times when I could have shared my faith, and I have been hesitant because I don’t want the stress of rejection or annoying someone; there have even been times I have been invited to preach elsewhere, and I have been unsure of how strong to preach. Then, if we are with family, at work or out with friends, how many of us have shied away from sharing a testimony or speaking about the Gospel because we want to avoid the challenges that it will create? The trouble in this passage is the same trouble we face today. So what do we do? Like Pete, as he makes his case, we renew our confidence in the Gospel and from it as we point not to ourselves but to God.
GOD’S GRACE IN ACTION
What a difficult setting Peter finds himself in, one that so many Christians around the world can relate to as the norm of their everyday lives. Today, we have all faced the same troubles to different degrees – we might have begun to talk about the Church or what Jesus means to us, and then suddenly we are rebuked or rejected, or worse, threatened in some way. When trouble stirs, I wonder what you would do? How might you react?
- Would you apologise to the person you were talking to and assure them you did not mean any offence?
- Maybe you might question their offence to try and understand it and then find a way to navigate around it.
- Perhaps you might even respond to their offence with offence! Defending your right to speak and share your faith! We live in a multicultural society, and everyone has the right to share.
More than likely, we would fade with a whimper and retreat back to the shadows from that brief moment of confidence. Feeling that we have let ourselves down, or worse – let God down. It’s hard to deal with rejection and to respond to trouble. Yet, we need to grasp that this will be a reality of our life in the Kingdom as we live for the king – we must expect the world to reject the very message it needs to hear because Jesus warned us, and they rejected him! So, how do we deal with the trouble that comes from belonging to Christ’s Kingdom? Simple! Like Peter, it is the most surreal reaction to the rejection of the world, as under the threat of arrest, he does not seek to defend himself nor those with him. No, he doubles down on the message he has been preaching as he proclaims more boldly the work of God in the world. Peter literally turns his offence into his defence. In the face of worldly powers, he points to the greater power that is sovereign over the world: it is not Peter that has healed this crippled man, but the God who raised Jesus Christ from the dead (3:9).
By what power do you do these things?
They wanted to know by what power Peter was doing his miracles: not by my power, declares Peter, but by the Power of God, the same God who raised Jesus from the dead – the guy who you crucified. Peter wants everyone to be clear that as he declares to the religious leaders “and all of Israel,” that the God of Jesus is the one who has done the work, and the one who they crucified is now the cornerstone of God’s work in the world. What does that mean? That God’s salvation work in the world was in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. They rejected it, and God established it. Peter is transformed by the Grace of God as he proclaims the Gospel of Salvation in Christ:
“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 4:12
Here is Peter faced with the threat of possible death; it was not that long ago that Jesus was crucified for saying the same things, and now Peter stands unrecognisable declaring the hope of the Gospel.
It’s the Work of God that Makes a Difference
What’s the difference? He has been with Jesus and been transformed by the Grace of God and the working of the Holy Spirit in his life. God’s work in the world in response to trouble is grace, and in the witness, confidence and transformation of Peter, we see just how powerful and amazing that grace is. Peter is unconcerned with earthly powers because he has glimpsed the throne of heaven and knows that in the presence of the Holy Spirit, there is nothing the world can do to take what he has received. God is at work in the world, and in each of us, he can take our worst situations and use them as a powerful testimony to the worth of Jesus and the power of the Gospel. God is at work in each of us, and it is a work that is visible and tangible, to the point where people could one day say about each of us: “They must have been with Jesus.” As God is at work in the world, let’s pray that he will be at work with us.
GODS ACTION IN THE WORLD TODAY
Trials and troubles come, and we should never be surprised. Even though there are parts of the Church today that proclaim prosperity, we must not listen to what we want to hear – rather, we must stand firm and trust Jesus. Trouble may come, but what comes with it is even better – opportunity. It is in those moments when we step into the opportunities that God gives us that we make known something of his grace in the world. Think about the person who, like Peter, stands firm when trouble comes.
We Are Never Alone in the Work of the Kingdom
They might not do it at the same stage or moment, but their faithfulness is as important as Peter’s first witness 2000 years ago. The shop worker who risks praying with someone when other colleagues might mock them, the nurse who defends a Christian perspective even though she might be reported. Those are moments of grace from the quiet confidence that is in each of us as the Spirit works his Gospel transformation. There are moments when we display who we live for and what our life is built on – the salvation that comes from Jesus. In those moments of beautiful resistance, we make the Salvation of Jesus known and real. Standing firm is a fruit of our transformation because it shows the worth of Jesus. As James writes: “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.”
What Can Be Done With Them?
In 4:16-17, the religious leaders find themselves stuck, they do not know how to respond to such clear evidence of Jesus. When we beautifully resist for Jesus, even in those moments of discomfort. It brings far more discomfort for the world because when they are confronted with the value of Jesus, they do not know what to do with it! This is why, in an age that is searching for truth (as a congregation), we must renew our knowledge of the Gospel, our love of the Gospel, and our confidence in the Gospel of Salvation. When we are confident in the Gospel, we are continuing our transformation, our sanctification; and let’s be clear – when the people of God are transformed by the Holy Spirit they bring transformation wherever God has called them to witness for him. Our beautiful resistance pushes back the Kingdom of this world as it advances the kingdom of God and brings hope, joy and life eternal to those who have been searching their whole life for it. The Gospel brings transformation because the Gospel is transformation.
Let us Never Be Silent.
Here is the simple truth: all the troubles, trials, and tribulations that will come our way. If we know Jesus as Lord, then we know that we will never face them alone! God, the Holy Spirit, is always with us, working in us and equipping us for the situations that God has called us to face. And when we know where the Spirit is: God is acting in the world. God acts in the world through the body of Christ, so let us be renewed in our confidence and emboldened in our call to make known the good news of the Gospel, that Salvation comes only by Jesus. That it might be true one day that someone would say of us as we witness to Jesus – they have been with him! And that we might have the confidence to say to those who would seek to cause us discomfort, as 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, [20] for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” “Acts 4:19–20
Atr Irwin 