Untitled Sermon

A study in Acts

Lesson 31

I. Threatening opposition scorned. (4:23-27)

a) The fellowship. Acts 4: 23 And being let go, they went to their own company, and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said unto them. 24 And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is: 25 Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things? 26 The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ. 27 For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, 28 For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done. 29 And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, 30 By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus

Fellowship in suffering. V.23 And being let go, they went to their own company, and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said unto them.

The proverb says “birds of a feather flock together.” Being let go, they went to their own company, says Luke. Of course they did. We see that principle at work all the time. When restraints are removed, we gravitate to our own kind. That is one of the proofs that we love the Lord - we love His people.

Peter and John now related to the whole body of believers the experience of the last few hours - the arrest and arraignment and, above all, the arrogance of the Sanhedrin. The battle lines were now clearly drawn. Perhaps the infant church expected nothing less, but probably the believers had hoped that the whole nation would repent and receive Christ. It was not to be. In the new fellowship of the body of Christ if one member rejoiced, all rejoiced, so the lame man was recieved with open arms; if one member suffered, all suffered, so the bullying of Peter and John became the bullying of all. It was God’s first sovereign move to separate the church from Judaism, though of course the first Jewish believers had no inkling of that.

2. Fellowship in supplication. (Verses 24-30) 24 And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is: 25 Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things? 26 The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ. 27 For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, 28 For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done. 29 And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, 30 By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus.

a) Praise. (24-28)

i. For God’s omnipotence. (Verse 24) And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is:

The whole congregation of believers now gave themselves over to prayer. The first word said was praise. They praised God for being what He is; omnipotent, the creator of the universe.

That helped put things into perspective. The Sanhedrin had power;God had almighty power. The Sanhedrin could threaten, but it could not go one step beyond the permissive will of God who can create the sun and stars, seas and shores. We serve the God who holds in His hands all the forces of nature, all the factors of space, matter, and time, all the possibilities and eventualities in the universe.

Threats of the Sanhedrin seemed rather weak compared to that - rather like a two year old with a plastic toy hammer threatening the village blacksmith.

ii. God’s omniscience. (verses 25-28) 25 Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things? 26 The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ. 27 For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, 28 For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done.

* in prophetic foreknowledge. 25 Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things? 26 The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.

This quotation is from Psalm 2, which we recognize as a prophetic and messianic Psalm. We would see it’s final fulfillment at Armageddon; the infant church saw its initial fulfillment at Calvary. Calvary and Armageddon are two critical phases of the worlds planned opposition of Christ. They represent the worlds attitude to His two comings.

The first time He cam, He came in weakness, and God allowed men to do their worst to His beloved. The next time He will come for war and with all the power of His might. The first time His glory was veiled; the next time it will be displayed in dazzling splendor. The first time they shed His blood; the next time He will shed theirs. Both times the worlds opposition is organized, official, and determined.

God was not taken by surprise by Calvary. David (and many others) foretold it. The worlds opposition to Gods Son was foreseen and predicted. The title nailed to the cross proclaiming Jesus to be king of the Jews, was not only mockery, but inclusive. It was in Greek, the language of this worlds culture, in Latin, the language of this worlds power, and in Hebrew, the language of this worlds only revealed religion. The whole world endorsed the crime of Calvary.

* In prophetic fulfillment. 27 For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, 28 For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done.

The is in keeping with the previous affirmation that God was omnipotent, creator of all things. No He is affirmed to be omniscient as well, aware of all that would happen if Hos Holy Child Jesus were to live on this rebel planet earth. The description of Jesus as God’s Holy Child pictures Him as seemingly helpless in the hands of brutal men. It is a title that aggravates the wickedness done unto Him. The guilt of the whole human race is mentioned. There was individual guilt - both Herod and Pontius Pilate. Herod Antipas, who was a king of the Jews mocked Jesus, and Pontius Pilate, a gentile ruler murdered Jesus. Herod scorned Him because he was angry; Pilate sentenced Him because he was afraid. The motive for rejecting Christ is different, the result is the same. There was corporate guilt; the gentiles and the people of Israel. Pilate and the soldiers who executed His sentence represented the whole gentile world; the people of Israel were represented by their leaders and the mob that howled for the death of Jesus and that gathered at Golgotha to watch Him die.

Thus Psalm 2 had it’s initial fulfillment. The world united against that Holy Child Jesus. We see Him crying in Gethsemane Abba Father (Matt. 14:36), Abba being an Aramaic word, the word of an infant - we would use the word daddy to convey its meaning. Was ever a sight so sad? Heavens beloved weeping His heart out in the lonely darkness of that garden gazing into the cup that was offered to him crying daddy, Later we hear the dreadful cry, “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?” . That was Emmanuel's orphan cry. There He hung, Gods Holy Child Jesus with the whole world united against Him.

At the same time, although not for one moment absolving men of their guilt, it was all done in accordance of a plan worked out in eternity - “to do whatsoever thy hand and thy council determined before to be done.” It was all foreknown and foretold. God turned that horrible scaffold upon which men murdered their maker into a stage upon which He demonstrated the wonder of His saving grace. The cross that meant a horrible death to Jesus now means life everlasting to us.