Part 4 - Trinity Fellowship - Raton, New Mexico

PETER AND JOHN BEFORE THE SANHEDRIN

(ACTS OF THE APOSTLES—PART 4)

The Teaching Ministry of Rick Trice

June 5, 2005

Trinity Fellowship, Raton, NM

Scripture Reference:

Acts. 4:5-22

THE SANHEDRIN

ARRESTED PETER AND JOHN THE EVENING BEFORE. JEWISH DAY ENDED AT 6:00PM. THE DAILY SACRIFICES AND BUSINESS OF THE TEMPLE WAS ABOUT TO CONCLUDE, AND SO THERE WAS NO TIME TO BRING THEM TO A HEARING PRIOR TO THE END OF THE DAY.

WE ARE INTRODUCED TO THE SANHEDRIN: ANNAS, HIGH PRIEST, AND FATHER-IN-LAW TO CAIAPHAS, CAIAPHAS HIGH PRIEST, JOHN, SON OF CAIPHAS, AND ALEXANDER…OF WHOM NOTHING IS KNOWN.

SOME POINTS REGARDING THE SANHEDRIN:

*WAS THE JEWISH “HIGH COUNCIL.”

*MADE UP OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE PHARISEES AND SADDUCCEES

*WAS MADE UP OF FAMILY MEMBERS (JEWISH PRIESTS WERE OF ONE TRIBE, AS ORDAINED BY GOD IN MOSES DAY)

*WERE THE SAME MEN WHO HAD JESUS ARRESTED AND KILLED

GOD WAS GOING ALL THE WAY WITH PETER’S AND JOHN’S TESTIMONY. HE CHOSE TO BEGIN HIS CHURCH RIGHT IN THE NERVE CENTER OF THE JEWISH FAITH…THE TEMPLE…BUILDING HIS NEW COVENANT ON TOP OF THE OLD ONE. THIS IS WHY IN VERSE 11 PETER TALKS ABOUT THEM REJECTING THE CHIEF CORNERSTONE.

THE OTHER SIGNIFICANCE OF LISTING ALL THESE NAMES, IS THAT GOD IS ABOUT TO SHOW THE IMPORTANCE AND POWER OF JESUS’ NAME. (V7) THESE MEN HELD POWERFUL NAMES. BUT THEY WERE NOTHING COMPARED TO THE NAME OF JESUS. IT’S INTERESTING THEY FELT THAT THIS DOCTRINE WAS NOT BEING PREACHED IN PETER’S AND JOHN’S NAMES…THAT THERE WAS ANOTHER NAME.

FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT

(V8) “PETER, FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT.” REMEMBER, THIS IS A MIGHTY WORK THAT GOD IS ACCOMPLISHING HERE…BUILDING THE CHURCH…THE VERY BODY OF CHRIST. HE DIDN’T WAIT A FEW YEARS…HE BEGAN RIGHT AWAY, FOLLOWING JESUS’ ASCENSION. HE DIDN’T TAKE IT TO THE OUTLYING COUNTRIES OR TOWNS…HE STARTED RIGHT IN THE HEART OF THE TEMPLE. THIS IS INCREDIBLE ODDS AGAINST THIS HAPPENING. AND WITH INCREDIBLE ODDS, GOD’S WORK CAN ONLY BE ACCOMPLISHED BY THE PRESENCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

YOU KNOW YOU CAN’T GET ANYONE SAVED UNLESS YOU’RE FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT? WE CAN TALK AND TALK, AND PREACH, AND READ SCRIPTURE TO PEOPLE. BUT IT’S THE WORK AND PRESENCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT WHO DRAWS PEOPLE TO CHRIST.

SEE, PETER WOULDN’T HAVE KNOWN WHAT TO SAY AT ALL. BUT THE HOLY SPIRIT GAVE HIM UTTERANCE. THREE TYPES OF UTTERANCE THE HOLY SPIRIT GIVES…

*THE SPEAKING OF OTHER EARTHLY LANGUAGES

*THE SPEAKING OF THE GIFT OF TONGUES, WHICH IS A HEAVENLY LANGUAGE

*THE SPEAKING OF THE RIGHT THINGS AT THE RIGHT TIMES.

A WHOLE LOT OF FOLKS PRAY FOR THE SPIRITUAL GIFT OF TONGUES. A FEW OTHERS PRAY FOR A MIRACULAOUS LEARNING OF ANOTHER EARTHLY LANGUAGE. BUT HOW MANY OF US PRAY FOR UTTERANCE? THE SIMPLE ABILITY OF KNOWING WHAT TO SAY AND WHEN TO SAY IT? THIS TOO ONLY COMES FROM A FRESH FILLING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE HEARING

(V13-14) THEY WERE SPEECHLESS! WHEN YOU DO GOD’S WORK UNDER THE POWER AND FILLING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, PEOPLE HAVE NO EXPLANATION ! IT’S INTERESTING TOO THAT “THEY RECOGNIZED THAT THEY HAD BEEN WITH JESUS.” THEY REMEMBERED THAT, LIKE THEM, JESUS HAD HAD NO FORMAL EDUCATION EITHER, YET SPOKE WITH GREAT AUTHORITY.

(V15-18) NOW THIS DOESN’T MEAN THEY LIKE IT, OR WON’T TRY TO STOP IT. THEY JUST HAVE NO LOGICAL EXPLANATION OF IT. THERE ARE ONLY TWO VALID RESPONSES TO HEARING THE NAME OF JESUS SPOKEN IN POWER AND AUTHORITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT:

*ACCEPT JESUS AND BE SAVED

*REJECT HIM AND MAKE THREATS

(V19-20) AND THERE ARE ONLY TWO WAYS FOR A BELIEVER TO RESPOND TO THREATS FROM THE UNGODLY:

*LISTEN TO GOD

*LISTEN TO THE UNGODLY

(V21-22) THEY COULDN’T PUNISH THEM…TOO MANY WITNESSES IN THE TEMPLE…IT WAS OBVIOUS, EVEN TO THE SANHEDRIN, THAT GOD HAD INDEED DONE A MIRACLE. AND SO THEY RELEASED PETER AND JOHN

REACTION OF THE CHURCH

(V23-31) PETER AND JOHN WENT BACK TO THEIR COMPANIONS AND TESTIFIED TO THIS GREAT EVENT. NOT THE GREAT EVENT OF THE HEALING, FOR THEY HAD ALL SEEN THESE THINGS BEFORE.. BUT THE GREAT EVENT OF THEM BEING DRAGGED BEFORE THE SANHEDRIN, THE VERY MEN WHO HAD CONDEMNED THEIR LORD! AND GOD HAD PROTECTED THEM.

THIS PASSAGE SHOWS HOW VERY DEEPLY THEY HAVE PUT THEIR FAITH AND TRUST IN THE LORD FOR THEIR VERY LIVES. V 27 INDICATES THEIR UNDERSTANDING THAT NOTHING HAD BEEN DONE TO JESUS WITHOUT GOD’S AUTHORITY. AND THEREFORE, NOTHING WAS GOING TO HAPPEN TO THEM WITHOUT GOD’S AUTHORITY.

(V29) BUT NOTICE THAT GOD’S PROTECTION IS NOT WHAT THEY PRAYED FOR… WHAT THEY ASKED FOR WAS THAT, IN SPITE OF THEIR THREATS:

*GIVE THEM BOLDNESS TO SPEAK HIS WORD

*HE WOULD HEAL

*SIGNS AND WONDERS BE DONE

AND THAT ALL THIS BE DONE THROUGH JESUS’ NAME, WHICH THEY HAD BEEN EXPRESSLY FORBIDDEN TO MENTION.

(V31) WHEN WE PRAY LIKE THE CHURCH IS SUPPOSED TO PRAY, THINGS GET SHAKEN. “THEY WERE ALL FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT, AND THEY SPOKE THE WORD OF GOD WITH BOLDNESS.”