A People Engaged: Resolute In an Intimidating World

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Well, last week we turned the page to a new section of Acts, Acts 3 through 5. So these 3 chapters, I'm calling this section A People Engaged. The people that God has prepared are now sent out into the world, and they're engaged with the world, with their mission from God and with each other. And as— As the people of God engage with the world, sometimes it's right and good to be accommodating. Sometimes it's right and good to be uncompromising. To be either one of those things at all times is not good.

Everyone, everyone tends towards one or the other. Everyone has a natural instinct towards either accommodation or being inflexible when it comes to their interaction with the world. If those instincts are left unchecked, you will go all the way to the extreme. If you never compromise, there's no winsomeness, there's no connection with the world that needs Christ. But if you— if all you do is accommodate, you have nothing distinctive to offer this world at all.

So we need a balance. We see this balance in Scripture. Paul, the same Paul, writes 2 different things. He says, try to live at peace with everyone. Sounds like accommodation, right? The same Paul also writes, stand firm. Sounds pretty uncompromising. So if this is— if there's a balance that's needed, think about a seesaw. There's got to be a fulcrum. There's got to be a middle point, a pivot point upon which the balance is achieved. Well, what is that fulcrum?

What is the pivot point? I would submit to you here in Acts 4, the apostles have found their pivot point. They've found the point upon which they're saying, it's clear now what we should— in this case, in the situation that we're going to read that they're in, These are the things that we're not going to accommodate on. These are the things that we won't compromise on. They found their fixed point, and they find it when they face their first direct resistance so far in the book of Acts.

This is going to be a theme in the rest of Acts, a lot of encounters with the world, a lot of resistance. So, they have found their fixed point, and now we're going to study it and see it together and learn from it and apply it to ourselves and to our context. today. So turn with me to Acts 4. This is God's holy inspired word. It is without error. It is breathed out by God and is able to build us up into godliness and faith, to expose not only the lies of the world, but to expose the sin in our own heart and to speak back to all those things and to bring new life.

So let's come to God's Word with holy reverence and with an expectation that he will work, because he has promised that he will. He's faithful and he's good. This is Acts 4:1-22.

As they were speaking to the people, The priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about 5,000. On the next day, the rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem.

With Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander and all who were of the high priestly family. And when they had set them in their midst, they inquired, by what power or by what name did you do this? Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed, done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, 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, whom God raised from the dead, by him this man is standing before you well.

This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you builders, Which has become the cornerstone. 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. All right. Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, perceived that they were uneducated common men, they were astonished, and they recognized that they had been with Jesus. But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition.

But when they had commanded them to leave the council, they conferred with one another, saying, What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them. To speak no more to anyone in this name. So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.

But 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. For we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard. When they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them. Because of the people. Because of the people. For all were praising God for what had happened. For this man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than 40 years old. Pray with me.

Lord God, as you have promised, make your word living and active as it goes forth right now. We know that your promise is true. You do not lie, Lord, and you It's your will, it's your good and gracious will that new life, new spiritual life would happen in dead people like us who are dead in our sins apart from you. Lord, continue what you are building up in us. Help us to see how we should follow you in this world. Give us the kind of boldness and courage that we see here.

Remind us, Lord, of your unfailing promises, your presence with us. Lord, do your work in your people for your glory and for our good. We pray this, Jesus, in your name.

Resolute in an Intimidating World. Last week was Intentional in a Needy World. Resolute in an Intimidating World. This passage is about standing with Jesus, engaging with the world As God's distinctive people requires discernment when to accommodate, when to stand firm.

The apostles here show us 4 truths that we should never accommodate on, that we should never compromise on. And by the grace of God, we will get through these 4 without me trying your patience, because this— there is a lot in this passage. There's a lot of meat in this passage. Here are the 4 things that we should never compromise on based on what the apostles do here: who heals, who saves, who transforms, and who reigns. Who heals, who saves, who transforms, and who reigns.

All of these things have to do with Jesus. That is their pivot point. That's their fulcrum upon which they are making this balance. Of moving towards the world but also standing firm, being distinctive. Okay, let's go through them. Who heals? Most people in our time and place are materialists. And I'm not talking about greediness, although that's out there. What I mean is that they— the worldview, the mindset of people people around you is that the physical world is all that there is.

That's what I mean by being materialists. Reality is what we can see and feel and touch and measure. That's it. That's all reality is. This is how many people think. We who follow Christ believe that there is an unseen spiritual side of reality all around us. Just as real as the material side of reality. But living in this world, we feel an unspoken, oftentimes, pressure to conform to other people's viewpoint. If we get well after being sick and we say to someone, God did it, he healed me, you know some people will look at you funny, right?

Won't they? Some people will look at you funny. Some people will roll their eyes at you. Some people might even laugh at you. So we feel pressure, right, to say something that people will understand, that will, that will be a shared point, something that they will get. So we attribute it to doctors and to medicines, and we made some better choices with our lives, and that's how we got better. They can understand that. We feel that pressure to go that direction.

The apostles were feeling a pressure too. Peter had met a man who was over 40 who was lame from birth. People saw him for years sitting at the temple gate begging, begging, asking for money, the same situation every day. But now he was healed. He was standing beside them completely healed. Everyone was praising God. Well, not quite everyone. Temple authorities and the Sadducees are upset. If you don't know who the Sadducees are, let me tell you. They are— they were the ruling class of religious leaders.

They were wealthy. They were elite. They were aligned with the Romans. They cozied up to political power. They liked the status quo. They were also theologically liberal. They weren't looking for the Messiah to come. And they also didn't believe in the resurrection. So, to them, the disciples were both agitators and heretics, a twofold problem that they are prepared to deal with now. So, they arrest them, and they bring them before the whole Sanhedrin.

The Sanhedrin was the Sadducees and more. The scribes, the elders. They asked them, by what power or by what name did you do this? The pressure is beginning. It's building. The apostles know what these men want to hear, the same way that you know what your neighbor wants to hear when they said, oh, you got better? How did that happen? You know what they want to hear. You know what they will accept as an answer and what things they will scoff at. The disciples knew.

They knew the answers that these men would accept and what answers they would not. To speak the truth is going to mean a disagreement, a conflict, or worse. They had an easy out, friends. They could have said, God did this. The God of Israel, Adonai, Hashem, Elohim, you know him, he did this. That would have been technically true, right? But would it have been the whole truth? No, it would have been a half-truth that the people that they were talking to would have agreed with, and they could have gotten off easy and been released.

It would have kept the peace. All right. But look at what the disciples chose to do. 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, whom God raised from the dead, by him this man is standing before you well. Now that's clear, huh?

They gave the credit to God, but also furthermore to the one through whom God had worked. All right. The one whom they don't want to hear about, Jesus of Nazareth. Double whammy, a man that claims to be Messiah and a man that they claim has risen from the dead. 2 things they don't agree with. And they go even further and say, this is the same Jesus, do you remember? You rejected him, that you crucified, and we're here to tell you this is the same Jesus that is alive.

The apostles have made their decision. They are testifying to the power of Christ. He is the one who heals. They did this even though they knew it would be contentious. They did this though they knew that these men they were talking to Men that had political control and power, that they would hate to hear it. The apostles are showing us the way forward. Jesus is the only source of real healing and new spiritual life. He is the one who heals in every situation.

People have to know this, church. They have to know. Don't these dry bones and broken bodies and wounded hearts need the healing touch of the risen Jesus, right? Have you received that healing touch of Jesus?

Have you received it? Yes, you have. If Jesus is who you're looking to for healing, then Jesus is who you should tell people about. Don't credit others.

There was a church plant that I know about that experienced tremendous growth and success. People were coming, new people were putting their faith in Jesus, people were getting involved in church. It was, it was a blessed ministry and it was growing. Whenever that happens, you get people who are in kind of the church ministry world start wanting to investigate. Like, but positively. I mean, like, tell us what's going on here. We want to get the story.

They want to kind of figure out what's the strategy that you have? Where's the success coming from? And I know that this church planter was sought out by people from magazines and other people wanting to do interviews and stuff. What— tell us. We want the code. We want the program because we want to replicate it. From what I heard, those interviewers were a little disappointed because the pastor just over and over said, it's the gospel.

It's the gospel. That's it. There's no secret formula. There's no advanced playbook. It's just the gospel. What is happening here is the power of the gospel of Christ. That's what you see. That's it. Anything further is just ancillary. The power is Christ's. He does the work. He heals people. He builds up his church. He brings new life. When new life comes into your life, into your— into this church, into your family, please don't credit the book that you read.

Don't credit your doctor. Don't credit your counselor. Don't credit your pastor. Please, and please don't credit yourself. Give the credit to Jesus. He's the one who brings life.

That's what they did here. They didn't take the easy way out. They went straight to Jesus and they told the whole truth. Speak the whole truth to your neighbors. I know you have doctors and medicines, and God God uses those things, but tell the whole truth, that God is behind all of this and it's Jesus' new life in you.

I'll keep going to the second one. Who saves? This passage says the Sadducees were annoyed, but they weren't annoyed at the healing. They were annoyed because they were teaching the people, the apostles were teaching the people And proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. What started out as a healing wound up as a sermon.

Because why? Because Peter was willing to go deeper. At every step of the way, he was willing to press in a little bit more. He went from the man's need and his ask for money to his need for healing. When people marveled at the healing, Peter directed them to the true source. which was Jesus. When he mentioned Jesus, then he shifted and talked about their rejection of Jesus, their guilt and their accountability before God. From there, he called them to repent, and he told them about the promise of forgiveness and refreshment and blessing that would come.

And now he's gone on to say the greatest blessing is eternal life, resurrection life, not angels floating in heaven, Not immaterial spirits floating in some ether. That is not our future in Christ. Our ultimate future in Christ is a bodily resurrect— a glorified physical body reunited with our soul eternally with God, body and soul.

All of this comes only through Jesus, through faith in Jesus. Because only he became our substitute, taking our sin and dying in our place. Only he rose victorious over death. And only he reigns at the right hand of the Father. Only he will raise his people from the grave and bring them into the home that God's prepared. Only him. Only him. Only him. Only him.

And so Peter is bold and honest to say there is salvation in no one else. For there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

There is no other salvation because there is no other Savior. Peter knew this would be inflammatory, but it needed to be said. Right now, inclusivity is one of the highest virtues in our culture.

I've already made the case that what Peter said is true. But what about in 2026? Can we really say it now? Let me be clear. Yes, we can say it, and yes, we must say it.

We have to say it. Jesus said, no one comes to the Father except through me. We heard that earlier. In the Scripture reading. If we make it sound or imply that all roads lead to God— other religions, moral living, generally being kind to people— we're contradicting Peter, we're contradicting Jesus, and we are obscuring the only way that people can be saved.

Why would anyone in the world take the difficult path of following Jesus when you can get to God your own way? Why would they? If you make it sound like you can, they won't, and they won't be saved.

The gospel is the good news that sinners can and will receive salvation and forgiveness by God through repentance and faith in Jesus. Let me say that again. The gospel is the good news that sinners can and will receive salvation and forgiveness by God through repentance and faith in Jesus and only in Jesus.

This is inherently offensive, and there is no way around it. To soften the offense is to lose the gospel. But just remember, when people are offended by this, the offense is not ultimately against you. Their offense is against God. And you have to be able to live with that. All right. Suppose a rich man builds a big estate, a great house with vineyards and fields and springs, and in his generosity he throws a housewarming and he says to everyone in the land, come into my estate, come live with me.

Come eat and drink with me. Come be my friend and live well. My only condition is that you come in through the front door. That's my only condition. If someone hears that and says, boy, I— that party sounds great.

I want to go to that party, but I don't want to go in through the door. And so, this person tries to jimmy open a window, or climb over the wall, or dig a tunnel underneath the estate and come up through the floorboards. What is that person saying about the owner of the house?

Honestly, what is that person saying with their actions about the owner of the house? It sounds to me like he doesn't respect that man very much. Right. It sounds to me like he wants the party, but he doesn't want the relationship.

Ultimately, it sounds like a demand. Give me what I want my way. It sounds arrogant, and it sounds, well, offensive. Who is really being offensive? Is it God?

Building a house, throwing a party, inviting people in and saying, you have to come in this way, or is it the inclinations and actions of every human heart without Christ to try to get in some other way? Who is really being offensive?

None of us deserves to be with God. We are not entitled to it. In fact, what we deserve is punishment for our sin, but in his generosity, He has opened a door and he said, come in. This is the way. This is the way to the estate, to all of the blessings, the biggest of which is me, God says. I am your greatest blessing. Relationship and health and life with me. What a generous and gracious God we serve. We don't deserve this, but he has opened the door through us, through Jesus Christ, the Holy and Righteous One.

Inside is fellowship and life, but we must be clear about how to enter. Here's the next one. Who transforms? Have you ever had someone say to you, You look different somehow. They kind of cock their head to the side, trying to figure out, what is it that I see in you that's different? They don't know why or what, but they see a new you somehow. That's what happens to these apostles in this moment before the Sanhedrin. This is the most intense interrogation they've faced yet.

This is a group of over 70 religious leaders. And these are educated men. They are experts. They have positions of power. But now they are shocked. Verse 13 says, when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they were uneducated common men, they were astonished.

The Greek word for uneducated— or no, I'm sorry, the Greek word for common is idiote. What English word do you think we get from that? Resolute. These men were not trained.

They were not sophisticated. They were not from elite families. They were not well-read. They had spent more time in a fishing boat than in a classroom. All of that was obvious, but you know what else was obvious? Their courage. Their conviction, their knowledge. How is this possible? And even this stubborn Sanhedrin recognized what has happened. They've been with Jesus.

It wasn't just that they had followed Jesus for 3 years listening to him. It wasn't even the 40-day instruction instruction they got, the special class they got after Jesus was raised. What the Sanhedrin saw was the inner transformation of who they were in their innermost selves, the Holy Spirit at work in them. This is what they saw.

This is what made the difference. Jesus is who changes people in the deepest and most significant ways. People can change their appearance or their behavior or their capability, but only God changes the heart. I was just listening to a podcast the other day where they were interviewing Joni Eareckson Tada, a wonderful, wonderful saintly woman, woman of the Lord. She was talking about how she was significantly involved in getting the Americans with Disabilities Act passed many years ago.

She remembers she was recalling the dinner that they were celebrating after it was passed by Congress, and a speaker got up and he said, just remember, we can change laws and we can tell people what to do and what not to do, but we cannot change their hearts. He was saying there's work to be done to convince people that people with disabilities have worth and value. But what Joni heard when she heard him say, we can only change laws but not hearts, she immediately thought, God can.

We must continue God's mission to change people's hearts through the gospel. Only God makes people new and different in their innermost selves. This tells us 2 things.

I'm going to be brief here. First, we should be different. Friends, brothers, sisters, we should be different. It makes our testimony of Christ credible. Part of what transfixed the Sanhedrin was that what the apostles said and how they acted agreed with each other. Right. They talked about Jesus being this amazing power, and they saw it in them. They said Jesus had the power to heal and save, and they themselves looked like men who had been healed and saved.

When you talk about new life in Christ, people are going to immediately think about how much new life they see in you. When you say Jesus frees from sin, they're going to wonder how you are free from sin. When they hear about treasure in heaven, people are going to reflect on what you treasure. A changed life makes your testimony credible.

Are you different? Students in the room, do you stand out from others in your school? Do you stand out? Do you stand out from others in your office? From others in your neighborhood? From others in your family? Do people notice that you're different? If so, that's good. That's good.

This passage tells us we should be different, but also, friends, it tells us that we can be different. We can and we will in Christ. Jesus uses ordinary people, but they don't stay ordinary. He does something amazing in them, something supernatural, and he does it to prepare them to follow him in the world. Jesus told them that trials would come, but he also told them, I'm going to prepare you for that. I'm going to get you ready. And wouldn't you know it, when Peter needs to speak, he is filled with the Holy Spirit and he speaks.

Whatever challenge you're facing, Jesus can help. Jesus can make you different, can change you in your innermost self to meet that challenge. Don't ever say, I'm always like this and I'll— I always will be. Don't say it. Don't put God in a box.

I'm talking about speaking about him, but also whatever he calls you to, whatever you feel inadequate before God can change you so that you meet that challenge. Parenting, managing your household, enduring a difficult situation, forgiving someone, serving the church as an elder or a deacon— God can and will prepare you for that. Draw near to him. The Sanhedrin said they recognized that they had been with Jesus. Not heard about Jesus, with Jesus. If you want to change, and you will, but only through being with Jesus.

Draw near to Jesus and be changed. And what will happen is that other people are going to look at you and say, it's got to be Jesus because I know you. Yes. This isn't you. And that's your moment to say, you're right. It's me now, but only because of Jesus. Will you come with me and draw near to him too, and you can be different also? You can be free also. This is not me. This is Jesus making a new me.

All right, here's the last one. I promise it's the shortest one. Who reigns? Who reigns? This experience might be triggering flashbacks for the apostles. Just about 2 months earlier, this same group had interrogated who? Jesus. It happened much the same way. Annas and Caiaphas presided then, too. The apostles knew what had happened to Jesus. They don't have any reason to expect it's going— it's going to go any differently. And yet, They have stood firm.

The men of the court run out of options, but they flex their muscles one last time. They can't deny the miracle. They can't silence the crowds, but they can tell the apostles with as much sternness as they can muster, don't speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. Now that's a better offer than Jesus got, right? Jesus didn't get that plea bargain.

These apostles can go free without worry of any further harassment. They don't have to stop believing in Jesus. They don't have to stop worshiping Jesus. All they have to do is stop talking about Jesus. There's only one problem: that was exactly what their risen Messiah had told them to do.

Listen, those same terms are offered to you all the time, aren't they? We'll leave you alone. You can worship him. You can believe in him all you like, but stop talking about him.

We're not facing jail time. We're— the kind of threats we're facing is awkwardness. To some of you, that might be worse than jail. Awkwardness, disapproval, maybe estrangement in a relationship. And yet we take this plea bargain far too often, I'm sad to say. And I'm calling myself out here too. Okay, you want me to just shut up, but I can keep worshiping and believing, and I could have an easier life, less conflict. Okay, I'll take that deal.

It's humbling to read how Jesus— I mean, how Peter and John answered, isn't it? I think we should be a little humbled to read how they respond, and we should aspire to respond the same way. Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard. All right. In other words, come what may, we would rather be right before God than right before you.

The Scriptures— God in the Scriptures is calling us all to this. Brothers and sisters. To have the same disposition, the same firmness of conviction that we would rather be right before God than right before people, come what may.

If we really believe that Jesus has all authority, that he has sent us out with purpose, then we must obey him, the one who reigns above all others. If we believe that nothing will defeat us, that nothing will separate us from him, then let's live like it. Let's stand with Jesus in this intimidating world, come what may, because he will never let his sheep be snatched from his hand.