Acts 4:13-22

Good morning, good morning. Welcome to Coffee and Devotions. This is where every day we get together. We get into God's Word and we grow in our love for the Lord together. And this year, 2022, we'll make it all the way from the book of Acts to the book of Philemon. It's so good to have you here this morning. We're at Acts chapter 4 and we are, let's see, at verses 13 through 22. Acts chapter 4, 13 through 22.
Let's have some coffee, pray, and get into God's Word. Let's go ahead and pray. Father, we thank you so much for this day and we thank you for your word. We pray now that as we read your word, that you would care for us, bless us. Let us walk in your ways in Jesus's name. Amen. All right. Acts chapter four, verses 13 through 22. Let's look at God's word together this morning.
Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, they perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men. They marveled, and they realized that they had been with Jesus. And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, saying, 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. But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them that from now on they speak no more in this man's name. So they called them and commanded them to not speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.
But 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. for we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punishing them because of the people, since they all glorified God for what had been done, for the man was over forty years old on whom this miracle of healing had been performed.
Well, we need to ask ourselves, A, what is this about? B, what's the best verse to summarize this? And C, what are we called to do in response to these words? Well, A, what is this about? Remember Peter and John, they were going into the temple and this blind man was, or this lame man was there and he was asking for alms and Peter looks at him and he says, look at me. gold and silver I do not have but what I do have I freely give to you get up and walk and he gets up and walks and he hangs on the disciples and he praises God because of this and they're going through the temple and Peter boldly proclaims about the works of Jesus Christ And he says, what do you think, that somehow this is the power in us or something?
No, this is because God raised Jesus from the dead, and it is by the name of Jesus that this man is saved. And so, well, the high priests and the temple police and the scribes and stuff, they're not very happy about this, so they arrest him. And they get everybody together. It's the next morning, and they've drilled him down, and now what do they do? We get to lean in on the conversation of what's going on inside. They drill down and they're speaking amongst themselves and they go, whoa, whoa, hold on. These are just unlearned, untrained Galileans. And what do they say? They realize that they had been with Jesus.
I wonder about that in my life. I wonder about that in your life. If people heard us talk, would they know that we have been with Jesus? Just as a little illustration on the side, I heard John MacArthur give in his very first sermon at Grace Church out in California. He was giving this illustration about two men who had been invited into this poetry reading.
And as they were reading, as they were asking about what they would read, somebody said the 23rd Psalm. And the first man gets up and he's very eloquent and he reads through the 23rd Psalm and it's perfect and there's nothing in the syllable that's missed or anything like that. But then an older man stands up and he's a pastor and he reads Psalm 23 and everybody is brought to tears. And the question is, what was the difference? One of them read about Psalm 23 with the Great Shepherd, and one of them knew the Great Shepherd. The disciples had been with Jesus. They knew Jesus and they preach powerfully in his name.
And so they're, they're confounded. They don't know what to do. They've kicked them out of the, of the meeting and they're trying to figure out, and they threaten them and they say, well, we can't stop this. They're afraid of the people. And so they say, we're going to, we're going to threaten them. We can't do anything right. Cause they're, they're worried about losing their power. They're worried about uprisings. They've just had this whole shindig go on with Jesus, where they had this man crucified and they were worried about the people then, and they're worried about the people now.
And so what do they say? They called them in and they said, what shall we do for these men? And they say, so that it spreads no further from among the people, let us severely threaten them that from now on they speak to no man in his name. And this is a threat. They make these threats to them and they say, don't speak or teach in the name of Jesus anymore.
And Peter says, press the brakes hold on buddy what does he say he says whether it is right or not to speak or in the sight of God to listen to you more than God you judge for we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard They had seen Jesus risen from the dead and ascend up into heaven.
They had heard his commands. They have been commissioned to go out with the gospel. And he's laying down the gauntlet here. Do we obey God or do we listen to your threats? You be the judge. If God had truly commanded them to go out and share the good news of Jesus Christ, teaching all the nations what he had commanded them, that they might follow after Jesus, Should they obey God or obey man?
And they go out. They still threaten them. They still go out, right? So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them because of the people, since they all glorified God for what had been done. The people knew it. The man had been lame for 40 years, four decades, half, sometimes over half the average person's lifespan. And now he's been made whole.
The people are glorifying God and all the religious leaders can do are make threats to try to silence the men who had been with God. What's the best verse in this passage? Well, in my Bible, I have underlined verses 19 and 20, when Peter challenges them, whether they should obey God or them. See calling, what are we called to do in response to this?
Have you been with Christ? Have you thought upon Him? Have you sat at His feet and learned from Him? Have you drank deeply of the water of life? Do you worship the Lamb who is slain before the foundation of the world? Has God given you a heart to love Him and to follow after Him? Do you tell others about what you have seen and heard? Are you kept silent by the threats of others? Or will you do the supernatural thing, the hard thing, and speak, not worrying about what you're going to say, but when the time comes, speaking about Christ? Are there divine appointments you have this week with people in your life?
Maybe a brother or a sister. Maybe it's your parents. Maybe you need to talk to one of your children or grandchildren about Jesus Christ. Maybe it's a co-worker. Maybe it's a friend. Who is it that the Lord has placed on your heart that you might tell them about the Jesus whom you have been with?
Let's pray. Oh Father, we thank you so much. that we can follow after you, that people can make threats all they want, but what can they take from us? All they could do is kill us. And at the end of the day, we'll be with you. Lord, we pray that we would follow after you and love you.
Lord, we pray that you would give us courage and confidence, fill us with your spirit, that we might share the good news with others in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, may the Lord bless you today. May you love Jesus Christ and walk in his ways. May you do what brings your Father glory in heaven. And may your heart be filled with the peace of Christ that surpasses all understanding. I'll see you tomorrow. Bye.