ACTS 4: 11-13 (PASTOR TONY CLARK) 11/20/16

alright let's dive into the Word of God together turn with me in your Bibles to Acts chapter 4 we're gonna be looking at verses 11 through 13 and father thank you so much again that you have brought us to sit at your feet and learn from you so we pray that your Holy Spirit would teach us the truths that we need to hear and know and understand and follow today in Jesus name Amen Acts chapter 4 looking at verses 11 through 13 as we continue to go verse by verse through the Word of God we find ourselves in the book of Acts on Sunday mornings and as you know we're in the book of Deuteronomy on Wednesdays as we're studying the Old Testament and seeing all that God has for us all the riches he has for us in the Old Testament just a fabulous time going through the word acts 4 11 through 13 the title of this message is have you been with Jesus lately have you been with Jesus lately one of the things that is so amazing is when we hang out with people we end up becoming a little bit like them we pick up on their phraseology and little phrases and things that they do little habits and things that we we pick up from them oh that the same thing is true on the negative side this is why the Bible says bad company corrupts good habits who we have a tendency to be around we have a tendency of being like oh it's an old sand but it's still true birds of a feather flock together so this question is important for us to ask ourselves have we been with Jesus lately because the answer we give can tell a lot about what is going on in our lives and in these verses we will cease what spending time with Jesus did in the lives of Peter and John now we left off last time we're Peter and John being arrested for teaching the people about Jesus and the resurrection from the dead according to verse 3 so the temple police arrest them and brought them before the sanhedrin which was the Jewish Supreme Court according to verse 6 and Peter is in the midst of telling them that it was by the power of Jesus Christ that they healed the crippled man in chapter 3 he says this in verse 10 now Peter continues in verses 11 and 12 look what he says there it says this is the stone which was rejected by you builders which has become the chief Cornerstone nor is there salvation in any other for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved now the religious leaders felt that Peter and John were teaching the people false doctrine by teaching them about Jesus and the resurrection but Peter quotes psalm 118 in verse 22 and says that Jesus is the fulfillment of this Old Testament verse and Jesus is the stone that they the builders of the nation rejected which now has become the chief Cornerstone so after proving from this Old Testament scripture that the members of the Sanhedrin were very familiar with now in verse 12 Peter is calling for them to repent of their sin of rejecting Jesus the cornerstone or I have to pause right here and I have to pause here and say that many people don't know and I'm bringing it to your attention and putting an emphasis on it because it's very vital people don't know and don't realize that rejecting Jesus Christ is a sin people just think well I'm just not choosing Jesus Christ well to not you to not choose them is a sin well I'm not formed what Jesus say you not form you either for me or against me there's no middle ground well I'm kind of on the fence there is no fence who says that there was a fence people always say I'm on the fence what since he said you're either for me or against me oh this is very critical here this is very vital for us to know and for us underst to reject Jesus Christ is they saying meaning that if you're not following him if you're not studying the Word of God you're not doing the things if it's a sin and we don't realize that and here it is Peter is making this clear to the Jewish Supreme Court this is powerful because just like I mentioned last time that God will allow for us to experience unfortunate circumstances to place us in a on a greater platform to preach Jesus Christ to a greater audience and they would have never gotten a chance to preach about Jesus to the Jewish Supreme Court had they not been arrested all the same is true for us God will allow at times for us to experience unfortunate circumstances to place us on a greater platform to preach about Jesus Christ I want you to notice place us on a greater platform to preach about Jesus I put emphasis there because you have to first be preaching about Jesus on a lesser platform in order for him to use you on a greater platform many people would think well I hear what you're saying so you know when is God going to allow for me to speak to our Supreme Court are you even sharing Jesus Christ with people in your job are you sharing Jesus Christ on a lesser platform then how can you think that you can preach about Jesus on a greater platform if you're not preaching about him on a lesser platform so for those of you who are sharing on a lesser platform be ready because God will allow what you will call unfortunate circumstances to allow for you to preach about Jesus Christ on a greater platform oh you know we see this also with the Apostle Paul oh we see this will Paul and and this is what one thing we have understand is that we see in the life of the Apostle Paul God allow for him to be wrongfully arrested lied upon to the point where he had to appeal to his Roman citizenship and appealed to Caesar according to acts 25 and verse 11 and that's not on the screen is for you note-takers let me just say this again God allowed for Paul to be arrested wrongfully lied upon because I know what you think o me they lie on me lied upon to the point where he had to appeal to his Roman citizenship and appealed to Caesar and this unfortunate event gave Paul an audience with the most powerful man in the world at the time Caesar Nero and Peter continues to tell them that they needed to repent and embrace Jesus Christ in verse 12 I want you to notice how verse 12 starts with the word nor nor is a conjunction and an adverb used to introduce a further negative statement the first negative statement is in verse 11 when Peter told them that they rejected the stone Jesus Christ which is now the chief Cornerstone nor verse 12 says is there salvation in any other not in Judaism not in keeping the law nor following the 613 commandments that the religious leaders came up with that they taught made a person righteous in the eyes of God I just thought about this Lord just put it on my heart nor is there salvation and you not eating pork or red meat there's not salvation in that it's nothing and none of those things the Bible says in 1st Corinthians 8 8 is now on the screen it says food does not commend us to God for if we eat are we the better if we don't eat are we the worse and people try to put you on some guilt trip oh you with that pork that's one I'll tell you those who've the moves you know God said we need to meet them hooves and that and then shrimp yeah that's the old scavenger down there you can be that either cut it out food does not commend us to God the Bible is very very clear on that notice he says there is salvation in no other and if you're trying through religious rules and regulations to make yourself righteous please re-read this verse nor is there salvation in any other Peter gets more specific in the rest of verse 12 when he said for there is no other name under heaven given among men by whereby we must be saved you can't get any clearer than this the name is Jesus Christ because he told them in verse 10 that it was by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth whom whom God raised from the dead by him this man stands here before you hold now in verse 12 Peter is saying that there is salvation and no other for there's no other name under heaven not in Abraham not in Moses not in David not in Solomon nor the name given to my men not in Muhammad Allah Buddha or whoever else name that's out there there's no salvation in any of those things and notice he says there's salvation in no other and no other name giving them I'm being notice by which we must that work must means of absolute necessity we must be saved oh I want to draw your attention to the word saved there the Greek word is sozo and it means save to be delivered or to be made hold o the same greek word is used in verse nine where it says by what means he has been made well what made welders sozo and just like this man was made well physic referring to the crippled man Jesus is able to make us hold make us well spiritually and deliver us from sin and hell oh I have to ask you are you are you are you made whole today have you been made well today all the old hymn writer Fanny Crosby said as well with her soul is it well with your soul is it well with your soul is your soul not at peace it's not at rest there's chaos and turmoil and mess in your life oh you can have turmoil and and and tribulations and mess in your life and your soul can be well but if you have those things going on in your life and your soul is not well Jesus is able to soso make your soul well he's able to deliver you he's able to save you he's able he's here he's still in the saving business we have to understand that that God hasn't lost any of his power of his authority he's still in the saving business and he still decides to use as the Bible called the foolishness of preaching in order to save souls today he's still saving people and this is not original with people with Peter what is being said here this is not original with him Peter got this from Jesus jesus said himself in John 14 verse 6 he says I am the way the truth and the life no man could come to the Father but by me he also said in John 10 and verse 9 he says I am the door by which you enter in to be saved or many people say oh come on what what is this door but ok you switch in metaphors there first you used it that you're the way the truth in line 19 sent you at the door well I don't I don't get that well see you got to understand Shepherds at this particular time when they would have their sheep grazing out in the fields when it got to be evening and maybe the Sheep wasn't done grazing instead of bringing the Sheep back into town they will make little she folds out their loop in and they will make it these out of rocks or some other material and they make this a little pin with an opening in the front so all the Sheep can come in to this little fold and then the Shepherd watch this the Shepherd would take himself and lie down over the opening and literally become the door that the Sheep could not get out or the wolves cannot come in without going through that shepherd who was the door and so there's a beautiful metaphor Jesus and I'm that door by which you enter in to be saved and today people they say and accuse us of being narrow-minded oh okay well jesus said in Matthew 7:14 narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life and there are few who find it and I didn't make this up these are the words of Jesus himself then you hear people say well you're in many religions out there and they all lead to God okay well jesus said again in Matthew 7:13 why does the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction and there are many who are going in by it this is why he starts off this particular verse and Matthew by saying enter the narrow gate so according to Jesus you're either on the narrow way that leads to life or the broad way which leads to destruction and it is narrow because it's only one way is through Jesus this is why it's narrow see God is not trying to be mean God was trying to make it simple he said look mankind I'm only gonna make one way to get to me our people today that's narrow minded God said I just want to make it simple I'm just gonna make one way and that one way is through Jesus Christ you see how we've jacked up one way can you imagine if there are two or three ways to get the guy oh well we would be there'd be chaos even more Oh God said I just wanna make one way I'm gonna make it simple to get to me and that's through Jesus Christ and Peter is saying that these religious leaders who were part of the Sanhedrin were on the broad way that leads to destruction and hell Abbey look at the boldness of Peter he is standing before the Jewish Supreme Court telling them that they're on the broad way which leads to Hell itself you can't understand this is huge this is huge because this st. Peter about two three months earlier coward before a little servant girl who said you're one of his disciples aren't you no no I don't know the man what are you talking about I don't know him and now here it is he is standing before the Jewish Supreme Court telling these religious leaders you're on the Broadway going to Hell itself is a made different Peter whole different Peter but where's this boldness that scene at him oh they saw the boldness as well look at verse 13 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 oh I can spend the whole time I could have spent the whole time on just this verse alone when the Sanhedrin saw the boldness of Peter and John that came from being filled with the Holy Spirit from verse 8 what did Jesus say what happened to them when they were filled with the Holy Spirit according to acts 1:8 he said that they would be witnesses and that is exactly what they are and what they were at this particular time witnesses of Jesus Christ this is this is vital here this is vital jesus said when the Spirit of God comes upon you you shall be witnesses for me in Jerusalem Judea Samaria and to the ends of the earth it said that they were filled with the spirit and they spoke the word with boldness we a consistency in the scripture when people are filled with the Spirit of God that it empowers them to speak to be a witness to be a bold witness for Jesus Christ so often you hear today being filled with the Spirit of God and then right afterwards you hear is some bizarre thing that's done in church the purpose of the filling and the empowering of the Spirit of God so we can speak boldly for Jesus outside the church and so often we see just the opposite we hear people describe some kind of bizarre thing that drew attention to them inside the church when we should be boldly speaking for him outside the church Oh somebody needs to hear that today you've been in too many churches where bizarre things have been going on all in the name of being filled with the Spirit of God and the Scriptures make very clear when we're filled with the Spirit when the Spirit of God comes upon us it empowers us to speak boldly for him and so here they saw the boldness of Peter in John the question is can people see the boldness in us I think a line is has already been drawn in the sand because there are laws and and and I call political correctness a law it's a it's an unspoken law that is designed to shut Christians up it's designed to open the door and allow everyone to come out of the closet and shove Christians into the closet so everyone else has a voice Muslims have more of a voice in this country than we do as Christians you your mother and they they've put their guard born and all this and say this and everyone say oh no oh whatever you want yes whatever you want I'm a Christian oh you you you better get back in there get back in that closet so we see there is very clear that they are designed to shut us up so if we boldly proclaim Jesus Christ today o people gonna see that and my question is are people seeing that from your life are people seeing that on your job are people seeing that when you come in contact with folks who are people seen the boldness you have for Jesus Christ boldness doesn't mean we don't speak the truth with love it does but here's the thing can people see it oh they saw it in Peter and John and I believe that many people they want to see Jesus Christ in our own lives but we're too timid is that what they're seeing are they seeing the timidity from us are they seeing the cowardness are they see are they seeing something other than a boldness the opposite of boldness look at the second part of verse 13 it says they perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men and they marveled meaning that the apostles who were Galilean fishermen didn't study at the University of Jerusalem with their scholars however in actuality they were the most trained men in the world because they set for three and a half years at the feet of Jesus Christ how much more training can you be than that and this shows us that we don't have to have some form of theological training to be used by God however one thing that is needed to be used by God this is the most vital this is what this whole mess is hinge hinges upon and that is the third part of verse 13 it says they realized that they have been with Jesus this is a sensual being used by God spending time with Jesus now what brought them to this conclusion oh because Jesus were brought them to this conclusion is that Jesus boldly proclaimed the truths about the kingdom in front of this saying Sanhedrin in front of the same Jewish Supreme Court in acts 18 in verses 19 to 24 and they knew Jesus had not attended the University of Jerusalem and studied with their scholars and I know that they were like I thought we got rid of this Jesus when we crucified him got rid what we thought this was done and then when they saw the same characteristics of Jesus in the lives of Peter and John that they marveled they were blown away as a matter of fact I just think about when this the whole thing about Jesus not studying that their universities when Jesus was twelve you remember he stayed back in Jerusalem and finally when Mary and Joseph found him can I pause right here let me just pause and say this it says in the Book of Luke it says that they had gone a day's journey they had gone a day's journey and realized Jesus wasn't with them and they went back and searched for him and then they found him in the temple can you go a day's journey can you go days and not even care that Jesus isn't with you I wonder how long can we go before we wake up and sense that the presence of God isn't with us that they went a whole day's journey and then they searched for him among the relatives and then they went back to Jerusalem and I just wonder how long can we go and and we feel it's okay that we don't sense the presence of God the presence of Jesus in our lives I wonder we can go weeks and months without seven one foot in the church or we can go weeks and months and years without picking up a Bible or praying a prayer unless it's some prayer God rescue me out of some situation and I just wonder if we're no different than Mary and Joseph we can go on with our lives go back home and going on and not even real that Jesus is not among them I just wonder and here it is they go back to the temple and when they found him Luke 2 verses 46 and 47 said that he was there in the temple asking questions sitting in the midst of the teachers the scholars in verse 47 says in and all who heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers amazing things happens to us when we spend time with Jesus we become more like him if you want the boldness that Jesus had and that Peter and John is exhibiting here it is by spending time with hear him in prayer and Bible reading meditating on the Word of God do all you can to saturate yourself in the presence of Jesus and people will be able to tell that you have been with him we start to act like him talk like him think like him treat people the way he treats them look at people the way he looks at them instead of thumbing our spiritual noses up at people as we look down upon them in the midst of the same sin we used to be involved in I just wonder we begin to think his thoughts this is what Philippians 2:5 confirms let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus we spend so much time with Jesus that we think like him or think his thoughts what an amazing thing oh it doesn't stop there we can also smell like him you said what do you mean on 2nd Corinthians 2:15 it says for we are to God the fragrance of Christ oh we have an illustration of this and in John chapter 12 and verse 3 with Mary you remember that Mary took a pound of very costly all called spike dart which was a very expensive oil imported from India and she had known at the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair and the home was filled with the fragrance of the oil see this is what happens to us when we spend time at the feet of Jesus we take on the fragrance of Christ we take to smell his fragrance see the fragrance that she anointed the feet of Jesus with she wiped his feet with her hair and now her hair took on the fragrance oh but it didn't stop there because it goes on to say and now the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil so if the aroma in your home stinks the smells badly then men single parents spend time with Jesus first wipe his feet with your hair first and then collectively as a family and I guarantee you that the fragrance in your in your home changes it I've said it many times if you want your family altered you have to have family altar it's still true so how do we get the boldness to speak for Jesus Christ by spending time with Jesus how much time daily weekly monthly all the time as much as you can at home listening to the audio Bible Bible studies in your car sermons at church that means you gotta come to church to hear them at the gym whatever little bullets or whatever you fooling around with listening to as you call yourself working out many y'all just fooling around I see y'all just fooling around but that's okay you lease you there I can imagine you there even though you come there and fooling around and but you're there at least you're there when I live to go just fooling around just that's alright don't you there I'm glad you there but the point is you can never spend too much time with Jesus now the opposite is true as well people can tell when we have not been with Jesus we're cranky Moody short snapping at everyone at work and at home we have an attitude for no apparent reason we get easily irritated at people sounds like our teenagers but there are some adults acting just like teenagers moody that's nasty face always look like you smell something and here's the thing you forgot I have to I have to look at it every Sunday and Wednesday and I've said that many times I wish that I could I could easily just kind of just hide and I got a mirror in my hair and I just go up to you like this say look at yourself look at you and you'd be like and then when I show you the mirror you try to change it then just nasty moody just cranky oh people can tell when you have not been with Jesus however we get this way by not spending time with him and it shows that we have not been with him lately so there are two ways people can tell that we have been with Jesus number one to fragrance about us and we just talked about that and number two the glow we leave behind you said what do you mean you remember Moses spent 40 days in the presence of God and when he came down from the mountain his face was glowing according to Exodus 34 and verse 29 and the glow on his face prepared the people for the law he had in his hands and I believe that this is the word for us parents this is the word for us parents how do you get your kids to listen to you when you're laying down the law in your home is it by the belt the wooden spoon or a loud voice sometimes sometimes let's not get this twisted here let's make sure we maintain the balance some time but I wonder what would happen if we first spent time with Jesus like Moses did and replaced our glaring face with a glowing face oh I've made many mistakes with my children growing up they're grown now with a glaring face loud voice and the belt now there are times that we must use these things once again let's not get it twisted that's understand sometimes we have to use these things but I wonder what difference my home would have been like if I had a glowing face rather than a glaring face if I had a glowing face more then I had a glaring face if I spent more time with Jesus before I laid into them either with a belt in a loud voice I wonder I just wondered the difference it could have made I believe it would have made a huge difference this is why I'm so thankful for God's mercy and grace and forgiveness because they turned out all right I mean ain't turned out perfect they don't have little wings on their backs like their Angels know that by longshot no however they turned out all right notice how the Sanhedrin never refuted what Peter was saying he never they never refuted it because they were at a court they could have they were looking for something to refute but because he used the scriptures to to to justify his position they couldn't fight with the scriptures or they'll be found fighting against God so they could not refute so you use the Word of God people can't fight against the word they want to fight against the word they fighting against God not you make sure that your children are fighting against the Bible not your rules your rules that have no basis or no backing in the Word of God at all it was just how you were raised how your parents are raised now you're raising them like that well what is that in the Bible I don't know but it's just how it is in my home your kids will fight all day against your rules but when you establish your rules on the Word of God if they want to fight therefore be fighting against God and I don't recommend that practice a fighting against God you can't win you know so here's a question whatever happened whatever happened to the crippled man that was healed by Peter in Chapter three the last time we heard from him was chapter 3 verse 11 whatever happened to him he was jumping leaping praising God hanging all over Peter and John Deacon walking what whatever happened to this guy well we find him in verse 14 that we will have to see God's will next week because he's going to teach us a valuable lesson there's some lesson that some wisdom that he's gained that I believe is vital for our lives today you said well what is it well you got waiting to next week that's what it is let me conclude with this so now we know what to do let me ask you again have you been with Jesus lately your family's close friends and co-workers can answer this question for you by either saying yes or no they have not been with Jesus lately they can tell either by the fragrance we have about us or the glow we leave behind and if your home stinks you can change it by bringing the fragrance of Christ into it by first wiping the feet of Jesus with your hair like Mary did and then watch and see how you you and your entire home will be filled with the fragrance of Christ finally this is how we receive the boldness to speak for Jesus Christ by spending time with him so determine in your heart you're going to spend more time with Jesus just let me give you a good marker determine that you're gonna spend more time with Jesus then you do your phone then you do at the gym then you do watching TV oh those are some markers kind of help you a little bit because I wonder if we spend more time with Jesus then we do these things and wonder the difference it will make in our lives in our homes on our jobs everywhere we go I just wonder that's a thought as well god bless you let's pray father thank you so much for this time in your word and god we pray that your word would be written upon our hearts and our minds that we might think your thoughts and we might do the things you've called us to do so Lord we pray that your Holy Spirit would draw us to you today Lord I pray for those who have been rejecting Jesus Christ and have not repented of their sin and accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior I pray for those Lord who are struggling and spend time with you I pray God that they will come and get prayer so they can leave here with the fragrance of Christ help us we'll be praying Jesus name Amen

Channel: calvarynn

Views: 2,388

Rating: 4.9130435 out of 5

Keywords: WEDNESDAY SERMON

Id: 6dI6jf1IXMs

Length: 36min 30sec (2190 seconds)

Published: Sun Nov 20 2016