Peter and John Before the Sanhedrin

If you had to defend yourself in a court of law, how well do you think you would hold up under cross-examination?

What were the positive and negative effects of what Peter did? (v. 1-4)

Positive:

Christ was glorified.

Many people were saved.

Negative:

The religious rulers were greatly disturbed by their message.

They were arrested and thrown in jail for a night.

What were the motives of the council in this event? (v. 5-7)

They wanted to know how they were able to perform such a miracle.

They wanted to condemn them for preaching Jesus.

They wanted Jesus’ name to go away. They wanted all people to forget about Him.

Do you think the fact that these men were still performing the miracles that Christ performed while still alive made them nervous? Maybe there was something to this Christ....

How did the Holy Spirit aid Peter in his response? (v. 8-12)

He helped Peter:

Justify their actions by the effect of those actions.

To acknowledge and glorify the name of God.

Bring their sin before their eyes.

Use Scripture to solidify the deity of Christ (Psalm 118:22)(v. 11)

God raised Him from the dead.

He is the chief cornerstone.

There is no salvation in any other name.

What circumstances caused the religious leaders to marvel? (v. 13-14)

Peter and John’s boldness and knowledge of Scripture (They were uneducated)

These men were disciples of Jesus.

The man was healed.

What was the dilemma of the council? (v. 15-18; 21-22)

A notable miracle had been done through them and they could not deny it.

Many witnessed the miracle themselves and many others by now had heard of it.

They could not kill them for they had done nothing wrong, but they were preaching the name of Jesus, which they did not want to happen.

What was Peter’s response and how was it fitting for the situation? (v. 19-20)

You can judge amongst yourselves whether we should listen to you or to God.

He told them that they were against the will of God because they were against Christ.

If they claimed they were right in this situation, they could not explain the miracle performed.

If they agreed this act was of God, then they also had to agree that Christ was the Son of God.

He told them they did not have a choice. They must speak the things they had seen and heard…they know to be truth.

The Holy Spirit once again came through and helped Peter respond.

What are some of the risks in telling others about Christ?

It could cost you a relationship.

It could cause hard feelings.

It could cause a lot of people to talk about you in a negative light.

It could cause you to second guess your ability to communicate the Gospel.

How can we be prepared to stand up for Christ when our beliefs are challenged?

We must study the Word. The more equipped we are with the Word, the more comfortable we will be in articulating our beliefs to others.

We can also study what others believe so that we are better equipped to have those conversations.

How can we prepare ourselves for the costs we may have to pay for following Christ?

We can study our Bibles.

The Bible is full of examples of people who gave everything for the cause of Christ.

We can study Church History

The history of the Church is riddled with many of names who became martyrs for the cause of Christ.

We can read the biographies of those who suffered much for Christ.

Studying those who have been there helps us to understand that we are no better than they were. Knowing what they gave sheds light on the persecution we now face, and also encourages us to speak up and speak out for the cause of Christ.