ACTS: BOLD AND BLESSED

Pastor Jonathan Falwell 

Acts 3 & 4 (NKJV) 

1. Peter delivers a powerful sermon on the power of the Gospel 

3:11-26 Now as the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch which is called Solomon’s, greatly amazed. 12So when Peter saw it, he responded to the people: “Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? 13The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go. 14But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses. 16And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all. 17“Yet now, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance, as did also your rulers. 18But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. 19Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 20and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, 21whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. 22For Moses truly said to the fathers, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you. 23And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’ 24Yes, and all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days. 25You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ 26To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.”

• After the miracle of healing, Peter was quick to point people to the source of this miracle. It was not found in man, it was found in Christ.
• Peter uses a clear connection drawn from their Scriptures (the Old Testament) to help them draw a line from the law to the fulfillment of the law.
• Here, Peter gives a clear presentation of the Gospel.

2. When the Gospel is proclaimed, the enemy attacks

4:1-3 Now as they spoke to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came upon them, 2being greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3And they laid hands on them, and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening.

• Peter and John threatened the authority of the religious leader and their teaching, so they threw Peter and John into jail.
• This is the first record of Christ followers being jailed for the faith.
• Peter and John were locked up to keep them from continuing to preach in the Temple. The leaders knew they must stop the spreading of the “lie” that Jesus was the Messiah.
• Remember, at this point, Peter and John had no assurances what the outcome of their incarceration might be. It was not long ago they saw Jesus in the same situation which led to His death.

3. When the enemy attacks…

• Any person who stands up for their faith will face persecution.
  • John 15:20a (NKJV) Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you…
• That persecution is not a cause for fear, it is a promise of blessing.
  • Matthew 5:11–12 (NLT) God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. 12Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.
• So, what must our response be when the enemy attacks? 

A. Be Loud

Vss 4-12 However, many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand. 5And it came to pass, on the next day, that their rulers, elders, and scribes, 6as well as Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the family of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem. 7And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, “By what power or by what name have you done this?” 8Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: 9If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, 10let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. 11This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ 12Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

• “Wherever we see the Word of God purely preached and heard, there a church of God exists, even if it swarms with many faults. “- John Calvin[1]
• The leaders had hoped after a night in jail, Peter and John would be scared to continue to preach this dangerous message of the Gospel.
• However, their voices were louder. They preached Jesus.

B. Be bold

Vss 13-20 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. 14And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. 15But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, 16saying, “What shall we do to these men? For, indeed, that a notable miracle has been done through them is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. 17But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them, that from now on they speak to no man in this name.” 18So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. 19But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. 20For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”

• The leaders gave them an order, “don’t talk about Jesus any more!”
• Verse 17 tells us they were severely threatened.
• Peter and John made it clear, regardless of what might be done to them, they can do nothing but preach the name of Jesus.

C. Be blessed

Vss 21-31 So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way of punishing them, because of the people, since they all glorified God for what had been done. 22For the man was over forty years old on whom this miracle of healing had been performed. 23And being let go, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. 24So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them, 25who by the mouth of Your servant David have said: ‘Why did the nations rage, And the people plot vain things? 26The kings of the earth took their stand, And the rulers were gathered together Against the Lord and against His Christ.’ 27“For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together 28to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done. 29Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, 30by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.” 31And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.

• The result of their boldness for Christ was the greater awareness of the presence of Christ.

[1] Martin Manser, ed., Christian Quotations (Martin Manser, 2016).