We are back in our series called “The Church Unleashed.” Today, we will be in Acts 4:1-22. Go ahead and find your place there in your Bible. The title of today’s sermon is “Compelled by Christ.”
Since we’ve been out a few weeks, let me give a quick update on what’s going on in Acts before I read the text:
The book begins with Jesus gathering His followers and telling them that He is leaving, but He will send the Holy Spirit to be with them, and when the Holy Spirit comes, they will receive power and be witnesses for Jesus.
Then, the Holy Spirit indeed comes, and miraculous and powerful events take place on the day of Pentecost, wonderfully displayed through the many people who respond to Peter’s preaching.
Then, we see the first church start to take shape as the people come together for prayer, fellowship, generosity, and teaching.
Then, we see Peter and John heal a lame beggar while Peter powerfully shares a Holy Spirit-filled message and calls the people to repentance.
That brings us to where we are today. Remember (as I just said), a lame beggar was healed by the power of God, and Peter brought a strong message afterward to explain the power of God. It is that healing and that message which serve as the background for what we’ll learn about in today’s passage.
So, join me now in Acts 4:1-22:
1 While they were speaking to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple police, and the Sadducees confronted them, 2 because they were annoyed that they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. 3 So they seized them and took them into custody until the next day since it was already evening. 4 But many of those who heard the message believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.
5 The next day, their rulers, elders, and scribes assembled in Jerusalem 6 with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and all the members of the high-priestly family. 7 After they had Peter and John stand before them, they began to question them: “By what power or in what name have you done this?”
8 Then Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders: 9 If we are being examined today about a good deed done to a disabled man, by what means he was healed, 10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified and whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing here before you healthy. 11 This Jesus is the stone rejected by you builders, which has become the cornerstone.
12 There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved.”
13 When they observed the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed and recognized that they had been with Jesus. 14 And since they saw the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say in opposition. 15 After they ordered them to leave the Sanhedrin, they conferred among themselves, 16 saying, “What should we do with these men? For an obvious sign has been done through them, clear to everyone living in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. 17 But so that this does not spread any further among the people, let’s threaten them against speaking to anyone in this name again.” 18 So they called for them and ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.
19 Peter and John answered them, “Whether it’s right in the sight of God for us to listen to you rather than to God, you decide; 20 for we are unable to stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
21 After threatening them further, they released them. They found no way to punish them because the people were all giving glory to God over what had been done. 22 For this sign of healing had been performed on a man over forty years old.
Join me now in prayer as we ask God to speak to us through His Word.
(prayer)
By the way, I’ve preached this passage before at another church in our area during my sabbatical. What’s more, you’ve heard this passage preached before because Pastor Richard preached it here during my sabbatical on the same day that I preached it.
Nevertheless, this is the passage that lies before us today in our series in Acts, as we walk verse-by-verse through the book. So, I will preach it again, and you will hear it again.
As we journey through this passage, we’re going to notice five elements of this story; elements that we must pay attention to as we seek to learn what God is teaching us. Because there are five, we can’t waste any time, so let’s get right to it.
First, notice . . .
I. A supernatural filling.
In verses 1-7, we see that all of these important religious people had come to see what was going on in the temple complex.
Peter and John were ministering in the temple complex, and these leaders probably felt threatened by their presence and by their success.
After all, they were the professional religious elite, not Peter and John.
So, they sent out all the important folks, including the priests, the captain of the temple, the Sadducees (a certain group of professional Jewish experts), the rulers, the elders, the current high priest, the former high priest, and even people from the priestly family.
This gathering was the who’s who of important Jewish people.
Then they made a big mistake: they asked this question (look at the second part of verse 7), “By what power or in what name have you done this?”
I mean, could they have teed this up any better for Peter and John?
We’ll get to Peter’s answer in just a second, but before we do, notice what verse 8 says: “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them . . . ”
Listen, church: this was not simply Peter speaking to them. This was Peter filled with the Holy Spirit of God. This was a supernatural filling.
As we continue in this passage, we’re going to see powerful stuff coming from Peter and John. As we journey through Acts over the next weeks and months as a church, we’re going to see some powerful stuff happening in the life of the Church.
We must understand that God was doing powerful things then, and He is doing powerful things today!
Remember, Jesus said in Acts 1:8, “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.”
Jesus wasn’t lying! Jesus said they would receive power, and we see that they indeed received power.
So, also, if you want to be used by God for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ, you must be filled with a powerful supernatural filling by God’s Holy Spirit!
First, we see the supernatural filling.
Second, we see . . .
II. A saving name.
The religious leaders wanted to know by what power or what name Peter and John brought healing to this disabled man and by what name they were teaching the people.
Peter gave them exactly what they wanted. Peter said in verse 10, “let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified and whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing here before you healthy.”
Peter didn’t beat around the bush, did he? He gave them their answer and he gave them more than they were asking.
Peter goes on to say in verses 11-12: “This Jesus is the stone rejected by you builders, which has become the cornerstone. There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved.”
Not only was Jesus the name by which this man was powerfully healed, but Jesus is also the one whom the religious leaders had rejected, Jesus is the one who had become the cornerstone, and Jesus is the only name by which people can experience salvation.
The name of Jesus is a saving name!
Peter wants to make it clear that there is a way to know God, there is a way to experience heaven after this earth, there is a way to be saved, there is a way to be forgiven of our sins, and it’s through the name of Jesus!
The apostle Paul said in Romans 10:13, “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
There’s just something about the name of Jesus! It’s a saving name! It’s a powerful name!
Kings and kingdoms will all pass away, but there’s something about that name: Jesus!
In this passage, we see the saving name of Jesus.
Next, we see . . .
III. A significant fact.
Look at verse 13 (I love this): “When they observed the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed and recognized that they had been with Jesus.”
Everything the religious leaders knew about Peter and John was insignificant except for one thing: they had been with Jesus.
What was happening through the ministry of Peter and John in the temple complex was amazing, but no one could come up with a reasonable explanation for why these amazing things were happening except this: they had been with Jesus.
Listen, church: do you want God to do amazing things in you and through your life, for His glory? If you do, spend some time and effort getting close to Jesus.
It’s not about how talented you are, how wealthy you are, which ethnicity you are, what your family history is like, how educated you are, how attractive you are, or anything like that. None of that matters in the kingdom of God. None of that will really help you accomplish something truly amazing.
If you want to be a person whom God uses to change the world, then get close to Jesus!
This is the significant fact that made a difference in the lives and ministry of Peter and John: they had been with Jesus.
Fourth, we see . . .
IV. A strong compulsion.
As we journey through the next few verses, we see that the religious leaders told Peter and John to leave for a while so they could talk things over. After all, as we see in verse 14, the man was standing in front of everyone and he was healed; no one could really dispute that.
So, the religious leaders had to come up with something to say, or they were going to lose credibility, and they were going to be unable to stop Peter’s and John’s message from spreading.
So, in verse 18, we see that the religious leaders charge Peter and John not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.
By the way, the name of Jesus is the name that the authorities asked about earlier. Now, they’re saying that Peter and John can’t use that name anymore.
It’s kind of ridiculous when you think about it. It’s like they’re saying, “Yeah, you know that name that you did great things through; don’t do anything else through that name.”
Peter’s and John’s response is amazing. Look at verses 19-20, “Peter and John answered them, ‘Whether it’s right in the sight of God for us to listen to you rather than to God, you decide; for we are unable to stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.’”
Church: don’t you want to feel compelled to be a bold witness for Jesus like Peter and John did? Don’t you want to experience the power of the Holy Spirit like we see here in Acts 4? Don’t you want to have that kind of faith?
Peter and John were compelled for Christ.
Let’s not forget, their own Lord had gone through a similar trial, and it ended in His crucifixion. Peter and John had no guarantee that they would leave this trial alive. Yet, they were compelled for Christ. They had a strong compulsion.
That name that brought healing to the disabled beggar. That name by which Peter taught the crowds who were present. That name which the religious leaders demanded Peter and John no longer teach. That name which called Peter and John several years before to leave their fishing nets and follow Him. That name which Peter denied three times. That name which said, I will be crucified and then rise from the dead. That name by which the Church would be built and the gates of Hades would not prevail against. That name that told Peter and John (and His other followers) that He was going to heaven to be with God the Father, and would send the power of the Holy Spirit. That was the name of Jesus. Peter and John could not help but speak and teach by the name of Jesus.
They had a strong compulsion because they had been touched and changed forever by the power of the name of Jesus.
Brothers and sisters, do you have a strong compulsion to speak in the name of Jesus?
Finally, let us see . . .
V. A spectacular glorification.
Look at verses 21 and 22: “After threatening them further, they released them. They found no way to punish them because the people were all giving glory to God over what had been done. For this sign of healing had been performed on a man over forty years old.”
Let me tell you something, brothers and sisters: if you are close to Jesus, if you are filled with the power of God’s Holy Spirit, God is going to do something spectacular in your life, and He will be glorified through it.
The people in Acts 4 couldn’t help but praise God for what had happened. I mean, the man was right there standing before them, healed. What’s more, the people got to witness the boldness of Peter and John and see their conviction in the name of Jesus.
All this resulted in God receiving glory and praise in a spectacular way.
If you want to see God be spectacularly glorified in your life, get close to Him and be led by His powerful Spirit. Be convicted by the gospel message, be compelled to live for Jesus, and watch God do something wonderful where He receives all the glory.
Let this bottom line summarize this passage for us:
Bottom Line: Your faith in Jesus, and the filling of the Holy Spirit should compel you to be a bold witness.
Remember, in Acts 1:8, Jesus said, “you will be my witnesses.”
If some of us are honest with ourselves, we might say that we really aren’t bold witnesses for the name of Jesus. Let’s stop and ask ourselves for just a second why that is the case.
Perhaps no one takes time to ask what is different about us because nothing is actually different about us. Perhaps we’ve never actually been close to Jesus.
Perhaps there’s no power in our lives because we’re not being led by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Listen, church: if you truly have faith in Jesus, if you truly have the power of the Holy Spirit, you will be a witness for Jesus; you will be compelled for Christ.
May this true gospel story of Peter and John in Acts 4 stir our hearts to greater faithfulness to God’s mission for us, God’s power in us, and God’s glory displayed through us.
For those of you who are followers of Jesus, here’s one practical step you can take as we leave this place today:
Weekly challenge #1: Ask the Holy Spirit to compel you to be a witness for Jesus.
Did you know God loves to hear from us in prayer? Think about this for a second: if you want to be a better witness for Jesus, and you ask the Holy Spirit to help you do that, don’t you think that will be a prayer that God would love to answer?
So, take some time this afternoon, in just a moment when we sing, or sometime this week to pray to God that He would fill you with His Spirit, so that you could be a bold witness for Jesus in Bartow, in Polk County, in Florida, and all over the world.
(Gospel presentation)
(closing prayer)
COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER: The text contained in this sermon is solely owned by its author. The reproduction, or distribution of this message, or any portion of it, should include the author’s name. The author intends to provide free resources in order to inspire believers and to assist preachers and teachers in Kingdom work.
