No Other Name (Acts 4:1-22)
I have heard many theories about Christian congregations dwindling in size. Some say it's happening because of the society we live in. Do you believe that? Are society and the political correctness agenda to blame for the lack of effectiveness in your evangelism? Are they at fault for the resistance we feel? If we don't blame society as a whole or mass media, who should we blame? Who is responsible for the general resistance we feel, and how can we turn the tide?
Today, we will examine the story of two apostles in the first century. They didn't live in a society that accepted their beliefs, but that didn't matter to them. I'd like us to notice what they do, why they do it, and what the result was.
Arrested (4:1-4)
In Acts 3, we learned about Peter and John stopping to help a man who was lame beside the gate to the temple. They didn't help him by giving him silver and gold. They helped him by telling the man to rise and walk in Jesus' name. The most unbelievable thing happens. He does! He not only walks, but he also leaps through the temple praising God and drawing all kinds of attention. People began to flock to the man in hopes that they could learn what had happened to him. He was clinging to Peter and John, so all the people naturally believed that Peter and John had healed him, but they said, "No. It was not by our power. It was Jesus, whom you killed. God has raised Him from the dead, and we can heal because of the power he has received." This fantastic information is followed up with the good news that all of God's promises are available through Jesus. God doesn't want to destroy his rebellious people. He wants to save them and make them his children!
That news sounds great, but Peter and John share that news in the presence of the religious leaders responsible for killing Jesus. Usually, leaders guilty of murder don't like to hear men talking about their actions in front of a crowd of people they are leading. Such was the case here. These men threw Peter and John into prison.
Now, **imagine how you would feel** if you had just made the religious leaders angry enough to throw you into prison. These are the very men responsible for Jesus being sentenced to death. I doubt that was a very restful night of sleep. There would be a trial in the morning to decide what would be done with them. But Jesus has prepared them for this very thing. He said in [[Luke#12 8-12]] that they didn't need to worry about what would happen to them when they were forced to speak before the leaders. In that hour, the Holy Spirit will give them the words to say.
Testimony (4:5-12)
The following day, the leaders gathered together. These would be the most influential men in Israel coming together to judge what has happened and what Peter and John are saying. They asked Peter and John, "By what power or by what name do you do these things?" Listen to what Peter said.
Acts 4:8--12 (ESV) --- 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, 9 if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been 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, whom God raised from the dead---by him this man is standing before you well. 11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 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.”
Peter stands up and tells them exactly where the power came from. Can you imagine being in the room when Peter says this? He is a fisherman, but he eloquently states how ridiculous this is. He says, "If we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man..." I love that. Since when is doing a good deed worthy of arrest and imprisonment? Then, Peter tells them that this man was healed by "the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead." I wonder how the leaders would respond to hearing that. Those words cut to the heart of the evil they have done. But that's not all he says. Next, he quotes the Old Testament to say they have fulfilled it. "He is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone."
Incredibly, they let him keep speaking at this point. But his last words are so crucial for everyone to understand. He says, "There is salvation in no other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." Did you catch that? There is no other name. There is not one person who has the power or the authority to refresh your spirit and restore your relationship with God. No one will ever be able to do what Jesus can do. The religious leaders can't be saved by the High Priest or anyone else. There is not another man who will come and be the Messiah. Jesus is it. Peter says, "If you don't like him and refuse to submit to him, you will not be saved from the judgment to come."
Wow! Talk about politically incorrect! People didn't say that type of stuff in those days. Why would they say that if they weren't confident it was true? These statements would starkly contrast to anything these men have ever said before anyone in any role of authority.
Think about the impact this statement should have on our lives. If it is true that there is no other way to be saved from the condemnation that we deserve, how should that affect our day-to-day lives? If it's not true, we could roll our eyes and return to enjoying our temporary existence. But the knowledge of our guilt and sin haunts us. We know that we are here for more than what we have accomplished. We seek fulfillment and joy in our sins but don't find it. Jesus is the answer. There is salvation in no other, and we should give him our hearts because that is all he wants.
Plotting In Vain (4:13-18)
When the religious leaders heard these words, they were astonished. They commanded everyone to leave so they could discuss what had just happened. They said, *"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."* The religious leaders knew that the disciples had healed the man. They knew that these men were given the ability to speak boldly and eloquently because they had been with Jesus. They even said, *"We cannot deny it!"* So, we would expect the following words in the book to be, "So all the religious leaders confessed their sins and sought forgiveness in the name of Jesus, the Messiah." But that's not what happened.
What happened next shows us why our evangelism will never be 100% effective. These religious leaders were handed the truth on a silver platter, but they didn't care. They had all the evidence they could ever need for faith, but they rejected it. The truth was not the most important thing to them. All that mattered was minimizing the damage that spreading the truth would cause them. So they ordered these men to stop speaking or teaching in Jesus' name.
Not Silenced (4:19-22)
But the response of Peter and John is classic. It's so impactful that I'm sure many of you who have heard this story before can quote it for yourselves. They say, *"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."* That's the ESV version, so it might be slightly different than what you are used to. But what a statement! These words tell us that these men were devoted to the spread of truth. They didn't hold back based on what those in authority expected.
Peter and John were not scared of the repercussions. They knew that some men and women would hear this good news, believe, and submit to Christ instead of rejecting him. We probably wouldn't have spoken like that to those in authority. Their words were bold. Don't they know that these men have the power to crush them? We might not speak in this way, but they did. Why?
Peter and John would spend the rest of their lives spreading the good news of Jesus to the world around them, regardless of what man had to say about it. These men had a sense of God's existence. They were more afraid of God's judgment than the judgment of men.
You might wonder, "How could they get away with this?" Why didn't the religious leaders start working up a way to kill these men for defying their instructions? The answer is found in verses 21-22. It says, *"All the people were praising God for what had happened. For the man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than forty years old."* Everyone knew that man was lame, and everyone knew that man was now walking. The only logical explanation was that God had healed him, and the ones who did it were the messengers of the gospel. If the religious leaders were to punish these men, they would have a riot on their hands. So they let them go.
What Do We Learn?
So what do we learn from this? Three things stand out to me so far in our story. 1. Jesus is the cornerstone 2. People will reject him 3. We must obey God rather than men.
Jesus Is The Cornerstone
The first is that **Jesus is the cornerstone**. A cornerstone is the very first building block for a structure. It dictates where the structure will be and how everything will be built. Peter makes this point to the religious leaders. If they are looking for a Messiah, no one else is coming to fulfill that job. God didn't choose the high priest or anyone in his family. He never chooses the best-looking, most powerful, or richest man, and he never will. He has already chosen Jesus and begun construction on his church. Jesus is the suffering servant who was crucified to set all of us free from sin. Peter clarifies by saying, "There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
We must accept this. We will not find our hope in religious leaders, celebrities, politicians, or billionaires. These people cannot provide what Jesus can. But the world around us gets so enamored by these people. They spend their lives trying to be just like them. Do you? Is Jesus your role model, or is someone else? We need to instill this into our minds and hearts. We want Jesus, and we want to be like him because he was given to us for that purpose. We also need to instill this into our children. The most outstanding athlete has nothing on Jesus. Jesus lived the perfect life. We should strive to be like Christ more than we strive to be like Mike.
People Reject Him
The second idea that stands out to me is how **people reject the gospel of Christ.** There will always be people who refuse to believe the truth. Have you ever tried to evangelize and found someone who refused to believe? You may have found a whole bunch of people like that. When we teach people, we need to understand that, in some cases, their current lifestyle is too comfortable for them to give up. Like these religious leaders, they completely ignore what is true and happily accept the lie. Isn't that frustrating and disheartening? But this has always been the case. These religious leaders were given a miracle that they couldn't deny, but they rejected it. People will always resist the truth. But look at Peter and John.
We Must Obey God Rather Than Men
Do you see how boldly they proclaimed the truth? They aren't ashamed or afraid of what people might think. They were so convinced of the truth they were sharing that they couldn't imagine living life without sharing it. Is this the way you feel about the truth? Do you have to share it with your family, friends, coworkers, and perfect strangers? Please don't get disheartened when they refuse to believe. Remember that this text also reveals thousands who accept the truth.
We will face extreme resistance to spreading the truth. We aren't there yet in South Alabama, but the world is trending toward that. I have heard Christians acting depressed over the resistance they feel. Please understand that it is nothing new. What happened last century was an anomaly. Throughout history, evil people have suppressed the truth and punished those who teach it. Why should we expect our lot to be any different?
We need to decide to obey God. It's easy to do that right now. We do not fear punishment, but it might not always be that way. In the last two years, we have seen how shaky the foundations of our country are. We must not trust that it will always be that way. Some of you have a gift to be an evangelist and a heart that wants to share the truth with others. Evangelists are people who teach the word to others. You don't have to be a preacher to be an evangelist. Others here have a gift to encourage, exhort, serve, organize, or provide. Some have multiple gifts. God expects us to use our gifts.
Remember the parable of the talents. Jesus is coming back with an expectation that we will use what he has given us. That's what these disciples are doing. They are using what he has given them. They have counted up the cost and decided that Jesus is worth it. They will use their gifts to worship and serve him by spreading the truth. What about you?