Acts 4:5-20 stand up for Jesus

Acts 4:5–20 (NRSV)

5 The next day their rulers, elders, and scribes assembled in Jerusalem, 6 with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. 7 When they had made the prisoners stand in their midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, 9 if we are questioned today because of a good deed done to someone who was sick and are asked how this man has been healed, 10 let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead. 11 This Jesus is ‘the stone that was rejected by you, the builders; it has become the cornerstone.’ 12 There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.” 13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed and recognized them as companions of Jesus. 14 When they saw the man who had been cured standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition. 15 So they ordered them to leave the council while they discussed the matter with one another. 16 They said, “What will we do with them? For it is obvious to all who live in Jerusalem that a notable sign has been done through them; we cannot deny it. 17 But to keep it from spreading further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.” 18 So they called them and ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in God’s sight to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge; 20 for we cannot keep from speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

That’s enough

God calls for Christians of every century, every nationality, every social standing, and every gender to stand up for Jesus! We are to take advantage of every opportunity to stand up for Jesus. Christians need to consistently and courageously stand up for Jesus.

Luke declared the sincere, steadfast, and strong witness of two soldiers of Jesus Christ. This passage of Scripture shows us some ways we can stand up for Jesus.

I. We are to stand up personally. (vs. 7–8)

“And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, ‘By what power or by what name have you done this?’ Then Peter,”

Peter and John had been arrested after healing a lame man and preaching the gospel. The priests, captain of the guard, and Sadducees were greatly disturbed that they had preached that Jesus was resurrected. They had Peter and John arrested for their public testimony of Jesus.

Verse 4 tells, “However, many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.”

The rulers, elders, and scribes, along with the high priest, came together and placed Peter and John in their midst. The Sanhedrin consisted of 71 members, most of whom were Sadducees—those who didn’t believe in the resurrection.

Peter and John personally stood up for Jesus. They didn’t ask someone else to do it or pay someone else to do it, but they personally stood. Jesus is pleased when we personally stand for Him.

Great Bible Truth: When we stand for Jesus He will stand for us.

This truth is evidenced in Acts 7 when Stephen stood for the Lord. God had used Stephen in marvelous ways and some were stirred up against him. They falsely accused Stephen and brought him before the council. He addressed the council and preached the gospel. Stephen’s preaching was so powerful and convicting that the elders were cut to the heart. Instead of repenting and receiving Jesus, the elders gnashed their teeth, hardened their hearts, and stiffened their necks against the gospel message. The Bible says, “But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said, ‘Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God’!” The elders rose up, cast Stephen out of the city and stoned him to death.

When we stand up for Jesus, Jesus will stand up for us! Peter and John stood up personally for Jesus. We, also, are to stand up personally. Next, we see:

II. We are to stand up powerfully. (vs. 8b, 13)

“Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, ‘Rulers of the people and elders of Israel’:” (vs. 8b)

“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.” (vs. 13)

Peter and John didn’t stand in their own strength, but they stood in the power of the Holy Spirit. When we get filled with the Holy Spirit, we will stand up for Jesus. The key to an effective, consistent and powerful witness is being filled with the Holy Spirit.

Filled: The passive voice of this verb shows that Peter was yielded to the Holy Spirit’s control. Peter was able to stand up and proclaim the gospel with power against the most educated and powerful people of his nation because he was filled with the Holy Spirit. True power for standing for Jesus comes from the Holy Spirit.

Stand up, stand up for Jesus,

Stand in His strength alone,

The arm of flesh will fail you,

Ye dare not trust your own.

Put on the gospel armor,

Each piece put on with prayer,

Where duty calls, or danger,

Be never wanting there.

Peter was not intimidated by his circumstances. He was not afraid of those he spoke to, nor was he confused about the message he proclaimed. When we get filled with the Spirit of God we will not be intimidated either. We can share personally and we can share powerfully. Because Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit, he didn’t have to think about what he was going to say or how he was going to say it. The Lord spoke through His servant. The Lord still speaks through those who stand up for Him. Peter was experiencing the fulfillment of the promise of Jesus given in Matthew 10:16–20, “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues. You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.”

The power of the apostles was seen in what they said and how they said it. In verse 13, the elders saw their boldness!

Saw: This word is not the common term for a casual glance (theoreo), but connotes more of the idea of a close investigation. This word at times referred to a military inspection.

Boldness (parresia): means courage to speak openly and frankly. This referred to the open and confident defense of their faith.

When the power of God comes on you, you will have boldness to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Stand up, stand up for Jesus,

The trumpet call obey,

Forth to the mighty conflict,

In this his glorious day.

Ye who are men, now serve Him

Against un-numbered foes;

Let courage rise with danger,

And strength to strength oppose.

A Good Word: They spoke the word of God without reservation and without hesitation.

Do you speak God’s word with boldness?

Some of us need Holy Ghost boldness! We need to be resolved that we will stand for Jesus no matter what.

Lupercio Taba was a fearless pastor in Colombia. One Sunday he was preaching from his pulpit when a man appeared at a side window of the church, aimed a pistol at Lupercio and ordered him to stop preaching. The congregation, seeing the danger, dove to the floor and hid under the pews. Lupercio, however, never flinched. He went right on preaching the gospel. The man fired four shots at him. Two shots went past his head—one on one side, and one on the other side—and lodged in the wall behind him. Two shots went past his body—one under his right arm and the other under his left arm—and also lodged in the wall. The would-be assassin then dropped his gun and fled. Lupercio, still unmoved, continued to preach the gospel and finished his sermon.

The elders, scribes, and council members saw their boldness and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men. Uneducated refers to the fact that they did not have Rabbinical training. Untrained meant they were not professional theologians. You do not have to be trained in seminary to share the gospel with boldness; you only have to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

The wisdom and power that Peter and John displayed caused the elders to marvel. verse 13 states, “And they realized that they had been with Jesus.”

When we have been with Jesus and are filled with the Holy Spirit, we can stand up powerfully for Jesus. People take notice when we have been with Jesus. The elders didn’t like it, but they recognized that Peter and John had been with Jesus. When the saints stand up powerfully for Jesus, it brings conviction on those who do not know the Lord or those who have rejected the Lord.

We are to stand up personally and we are to stand up powerfully. Next, we see:

III. We are to stand up publicly. (vs. 10a)

“Let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel,”

Peter declared the truth of God’s word to all of them—not only to the elders and the rulers, but also to all the people of Israel. Christians are to take a public stand for Jesus. Peter and John stood publicly for Jesus. They were not ashamed of the Master or the message.

God’s word beckons and calls us to faithfully stand for Jesus. We are to stand publicly for Jesus. We are to stand up in the check out lines, in the office, on the golf course, in the stadiums, at work or at play—wherever we are in the public domain we are to stand for Jesus.

The church is never to be silent. We are to rise up and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. We cannot be just “silent witnesses.” Even the existential philosopher Albert Camus said, “What the world expects of Christians is that Christians should speak out, loud and clear … in such a way that never a doubt, never the slightest doubt, could arise in the heart of the simplest man.”

For way too long the church has been silent. Alvin Reid, professor of Evangelism at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, wrote, “People are more amazed at our silence than offended at our message.”

Would you commit this day to stand up for Jesus publicly?

We are to take a public stand for JESUS!

We are to stand up personally, powerfully, publicly, and next we see:

IV. We are to stand up proudly. (vs. 10b–12)

(A.) We are to be proud of the Exalted Messiah. (vs. 10b–11)

“That by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone’.”

Peter was not ashamed of the Master. Peter preached a strong sermon to the elders and rulers who had Jesus crucified. The council knew that Jesus was from Nazareth, but here Peter specifies that Jesus from Nazareth is the Christ. Fred Howard wrote, “In using the word ‘Christ,’ Peter stated clearly that Jesus of Nazareth was the promised Messiah.”

Peter was proud of Jesus. He bragged on Jesus, and he exalted Jesus as the Messiah. Peter laid it on the line! It was by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth that the lame man was healed. Peter accused the council as the ones whom had Jesus crucified. John MacArthur wrote, “By pointing out that they executed Jesus hut God raised Him up, Peter showed them to be the enemies of God. Peter refused to compromise the gospel by deleting what would offend the Sanhedrin.”

Peter said that though Jesus was crucified, God raised Him from the dead. Though the elders, scribes, and theologians rejected Jesus, Peter says that God had accepted Jesus. The stone that the builders rejected became the most important and prominent stone. They indeed rejected the Messiah. When we do not boldly share the gospel, we are in essence saying that we are not proud of our Messiah.

We are to be proud of the Exalted Messiah. Next, we learn:

(B.) We are to be proud of the exclusive message. (vs. 12)

“Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Salvation means deliverance. We are saved from our sins by the Lord Jesus Christ! Matthew 1:21 declares, “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

Jesus means “Yahweh is salvation.”

Peter didn’t preach a watered-down, liberal, all-inclusive message. There are not many ways to heaven. Only through the Lord Jesus can a person be saved. It excludes all other ways. John 14:6 states, “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me’.” The false cults, false gods, and false religions of this world deceive millions and give people a false sense of security. These false religions were masterminded by Satan and the demons of hell! Peter said, “There is no other name under heaven.” John Phillips wrote, “Not the name of Confucius, Buddha, or Allah, not the name of many or any of God’s choicest saints. Not the name of Abraham or Moses. Only in the name of Jesus is salvation to be found.”

We are to be proud of our exalted Messiah and of His exclusive message. We live in a world that teaches that there are many roads to God and many ways to heaven, but the Bible knows nothing of that. John MacArthur said it well, “The exclusivism of Christianity goes against the grain of our religiously pluralistic society. Christians preach an exclusive Christ in an inclusive age. Because of that, we are often accused of being narrow-minded, even intolerant. Many paths, it is said, lead to the top of the mountain of religious enlightenment. How dare we insist that ours is the only one? In reality, however, there are only two religious paths: the broad way of works salvation leading to destruction, and the narrow way of faith in the only Savior leading to eternal life.”

Are you proud of the exclusive message? Do you believe that only through Jesus can a person go to heaven?

Peter and John stood up personally, powerfully, publicly, and proudly for Jesus. Next, we see:

V. We are to stand up passionately. (vs. 19–20)

“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’.”

The council had threatened them and told them not to speak or teach in the name of Jesus anymore. Peter and John responded passionately for their Lord.

A sign in the Grossmunster church in Zurich, where Zwingli preached, reads, “By God’s grace do something courageous.”

John MacArthur wrote, “Ironically, the early believers had to be commanded to be quiet, while many modern ones have to be commanded to speak.”

Peter and John said that they could not help but speak the things that they had seen and heard. They could not keep it in or hold it back. The gospel message was in their hearts, on their tongues, and seen in their lives. Peter and John didn’t care who agreed with them. They were not worried about how many “Amens” they received. They only spoke the truth in love. Warren Wiersbe challenges us, “All of us need to follow Peter’s example and make our decisions on the basis of ‘Is it right?’ and not ‘Is it popular?’ or ‘Is it safe’?”

Peter and John did not obey the authorities because the authorities commanded them to disobey God. We are to always obey the Lord and His word. That should come first and foremost in our lives.

Have you taken a stand for Jesus? Do you stand up passionately for Jesus?

Rachel Scott and Cassie Bernall, two young ladies at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, suffered a martyr’s death because of their passion for God. The Boston Globe reported that two days before her savage, unexpected death, Cassie Bernall wrote a poem signifying her passion for God:

Now I have given up on everything else,

I have found it to be the only way

to really know Christ

and to experience the mighty power

that brought Him back to life again,

and to find out what it means to suffer

and to die with Him.

So, whatever it takes,

I will be one who lives

in the fresh newness of life

of those who are alive from the dead.

Cassie Bernall was ready to die because she had determined to live for God with passion.

Most of us will not be martyrs. The question for us is not “Will we die for Jesus?” The question is, “Will we live for Him?”

The question for us today is will we live passionately for Jesus? Will you stand up passionately for Jesus?

Robert Ingersoll, the noted infidel from the state of Illinois, would speak in cities all across the Midwest. He would speak on subjects such as “Why I Am Sure There is Not a God,” “The Mistakes of Moses,” and “Why Only a Fool Would Believe in Hell.”

One night in a mid-western city, after Ingersoll had supposedly exploded any possibility that there might be validity in the Christian faith, he offered a challenge to his audience. He said, “I am aware that many Christians come to hear me speak. I would like to ask who in this audience tonight, after I have spoken, would still claim to be a Christian. After hearing what I have said tonight, is there anybody here who will testify, “I still believe?”

Not a soul stirred. Ingersoll put his hands on his hips and laughed loudly and proudly. He offered the challenge a second time.

“Isn’t there even one Christian here who will stand tonight and say, ‘I still believe after hearing the great Ingersoll’?” Nobody responded.

Again, Ingersoll laughed. He offered the challenge a third time. This time, from one of the back rows of the theater, two teenage girls stood and began to move out of the row and slowly down the aisle singing,

Stand up, Stand up for Jesus,

Ye soldiers of the cross,

Lift high His royal banner,

It must not suffer loss.

As they walked, others slipped out from their rows and followed them, until, ultimately, almost the entire audience was standing as one great throng in front of the stage singing in Ingersoll’s face, “Stand up, Stand up for Jesus.”

Today, the church needs men and women that are passionate about the Savior and who will unashamedly stand for Jesus. Have you been standing for Jesus?

God wants our bold confession in the world we live in today!