Against the Lord and Against His Christ

Introduction

Turn in your Bibles to Acts chapter 4. Let’s be reminded of where we have been:

Acts 1

Ascension of Christ

The completion of the 12 witnesses.

Acts 2

Christ pours out the Spirit

Peter gives a sermon

3,000 people are converted

Repentance, baptism, fellowship, the Lord’s Supper, prayer, and the teaching of the Apostles.

This is not the establishment of the church.

There are so many examples that could be given to illustrate this. One such example is that bridal language is used toward Yahweh’s covenant people throughout the Scripture:

Isaiah 54:4–8 (LSB)

“Do not be afraid, for you will not be put to shame; And do not feel dishonored, for you will not be humiliated; But you will forget the shame of your virginity, And the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more. “For your husband is your Maker, Whose name is Yahweh of hosts; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, Who is called the God of all the earth. “For Yahweh has called you, Like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, Even like a wife of one’s youth when she is rejected,” Says your God. “For a brief moment I forsook you, But with great compassion I will gather you. “In a flood of fury I hid My face from you for a moment, But with everlasting lovingkindness I will have compassion on you,” Says Yahweh your Redeemer.

Hosea 2:19–20 (LSB)

“And I will betroth you to Me forever; Indeed, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice, In lovingkindness and in compassion, And I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness. Then you will know Yahweh.

Notice these two times at least where God refers to Israel as his bride. We see this same language applied to the New Jerusalem: “And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.” (Revelation 21:2) The New Jerusalem is made up of God’s people. Those whom God has called to Himself out of the darkness and into His marvelous light. The church consists of those elected persons elected by God, purchased by Christ, and gathered in by the Holy Spirit. And this has always been true ever since the fall of man in the Garden. The seed of the serpent has always been at war with the seed of the woman. The godly line extended through Seth to Noah who alone was righteous in his generation and continued through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the twelve tribes of Israel.  Then in Exodus 24 we see the establishment of the Mosaic Covenant, and the nation of Israel becomes God’s covenant people. And this people erred, they pursued idols and went whoring after other gods: they were unfaithful to their husband. So, God judged them with the nations of Babylon and Assyria. But they returned to their land led by Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah.  And they continued there until the Persian empire was conquered by Alexander the Great. And eventually Jerusalem fell to Rome.

By the time Jesus of Nazareth came on the scene, the religious establishment of the Israelites was so corrupt that Jesus said they were of their father the Devil. The seed of the serpent was the religious establishment of God’s bride. The church.

God has always had His people, those who were circumcised in heart. Those who have truly experienced the washing of regeneration by the Holy Spirit. The movement from the “Old Covenant” into the “New Covenant” did not change the essential nature of the “Covenant” - It was still administered by the Grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ alone: the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. The Old Covenant ordinances looked forward to Christ, and the New Covenant ordinances look backward to Christ.

“This covenant was differently administered in the time of the law and in the time of the gospel: under the law it was administered by promises, prophecies, sacrifices, circumcision, the paschal lamb, and other types and ordinances delivered to the people of the Jews, all fore-signifying Christ to come, which were for that time sufficient and efficacious, through the operation of the Spirit, to instruct and build up the elect in faith in the promised Messiah, by whom they had full remission of sins and eternal salvation; and is called the Old Testament.” (WCF Chapter VII, paragraph 5)

“Under the gospel, when Christ the substance was exhibited, the ordinances in which this covenant is dispensed are the preaching of the Word and the administration of the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper; which, though fewer in number, and administered with more simplicity and less outward glory, yet in them it is held forth in more fulness, evidence, and spiritual efficacy, to all nations, both Jews and Gentiles; and is called the New Testament. There are not, therefore, two covenants of grace differing in substance, but one and the same under various dispensations.” (WCF Chapter VII, paragraph 6)

The Old Testament body of saints was just as much the church of God as the New Testament body. What was happening in Jerusalem at Pentecost was restoration and expansion. Not creation, re-creation. God had bought His people back to Himself with His own blood and made a way for “All the nations of the earth to be blessed.”

God demonstrated to His people that this renewal was happening through the signs and wonders accomplished by the Apostles: those men sent out by Christ to witness His resurrection. To proclaim to the world that death had been reversed. The earth was being renewed. God had redeemed His unfaithful bride back to Himself. This is what the Apostles were sent to tell the world.

But we will see today that the seed of the serpent, those children of the Devil were still at work. The war had been won, but many hard battles still needed to be fought.

Last time we were in Acts we saw the first sign and wonder done by Peter and John in chapter 3. This is really the second sign in the book. The first being Pentecost itself after which Peter gave his explanation of the sign and 3,000 people were saved. This established the New Testament church. Then the Apostles were sent where? To Jerusalem and Judea, then Samaria, then to the uttermost parts of the earth. And this is where we find ourselves:

Chapter 3 begins the witness to Jerusalem. And it stands to reason, that if the witness is in Jerusalem, then the best place to start is at the Temple. And we saw that everything in that chapter was pointing us to the Temple. We saw the restoring power of the Holy Spirit enable the lame man to enter the temple with them. Something that the Old Covenant community could not accomplish. And something that we cannot accomplish.

It is not by works of righteousness which we have done. God alone saves. It is through faith alone in Christ alone that any person is restored: given eyes to see and ears to hear and feet to walk into the presence of the Almighty God.

Peter then explained to the amazed crowd what the sign was there to signify: “But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. “Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time. “Moses said, ‘THE LORD GOD WILL RAISE UP FOR YOU A PROPHET LIKE ME FROM YOUR BROTHERS; TO HIM YOU SHALL LISTEN to everything He says to you. ‘AND IT WILL BE THAT EVERY SOUL THAT DOES NOT HEED THAT PROPHET SHALL BE UTTERLY DESTROYED FROM AMONG THE PEOPLE.’ “And likewise, all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and his successors onward, also proclaimed these days. “It is you who are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant which God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘AND IN YOUR SEED ALL THE FAMILIES OF THE EARTH SHALL BE BLESSED.’ “For you first, God raised up His Servant and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways.” (Acts 3:18-26)

Temple Conflict (Acts 4:1-31)

We now turn to Acts chapter 4. Chapter three demonstrated the sign which the Apostles did, and you will remember that this will occur three times between chapter 3 and chapter 8, which ends the section to Jerusalem. Peter preached a sermon in explanation of the sign, and he pointed to the name of Jesus as being the source of that man’s healing. We looked at the prophecy in Joel where it says, “Whosoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.” And we saw that Peter was saying that salvation is through the name of Jesus.

“And on the basis of faith in His name, it is the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know; and the faith which is through Him has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all.” (Acts 3:16)

In response to these signs and wonders, we will see conflict with the Old Covenant community. The seed of the woman is still at war with the seed of the serpent. The heading for this section is Temple Conflict.

The Gates of Hell Attack (Acts 4:1-22)

The Gates of Hell Do Not Prevail (Acts 4:23-31)

The Gates of Hell Attack (Acts 4:1-22)

Greatly Agitated (4:1-4)

Now as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them, being greatly agitated because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they laid hands on them and put them in jail until the next day, for it was already evening. But many of those who had heard the message believed, and the number of the men came to be about five thousand. We see that Peter and John are “speaking to the people,” “teaching the people,” and “proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.” These things were the cause of the agitation. Peter and John, commoners, should not have been teaching the people. That was the realm of the established authority. From the perspective of the religious establishment, they were the only ones authorized to speak to the people for God. God had rejected the Jewish establishment and raised up His own authority to speak to the people. The old authority was in process of being cut off and they were “greatly agitated.” So, to thwart these presumptuous teachers who not only in pride decided to speak for God to the people, but also had the audacity to say that the very man, Jesus, whom the religious leaders had crucified, rose from the dead, they “laid hands on them and put them in jail.” These leaders of the old age first failed to recognize the Author of Life Himself, Jesus Christ. They killed Him. Now they are failing to recognize His witnesses: those authorized by Christ to teach. Recall the Great Commission: “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to keep all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20) To whom was all authority given? Jesus Christ. And who did Christ send to teach? The Apostles. They were the new authority. But Christ warned them that the old order would hate them as they had hated Him. And the message of this new authority, resurrection through Christ Jesus, was being accepted and believed by the people, “the number of the men came to be about five thousand...” Just the men! The people were listening to the teachers that God had sent to them. They began to inquire (4:5-7) “Now it happened that on the next day, their rulers and elders and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem; and Annas the high priest was there, and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of high-priestly descent. And when they had placed them in their midst, they began to inquire, “By what power, or in what name, have you done this?” “Their rulers and elders and scribes...” The religious establishment. And note the emphasis on the high-priest. Annas was there, who was actually the former high priest (John 18:13), Caiaphas, the current high priest, and “all who were of high-priestly descent.” But for us, we have a greater High Priest after the order of Melchizidek, not after this priestly line of Levi. It says in Hebrews 7, “For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but the word of the oath, which came after the Law, appoints a Son, who has been made perfect forever.” (Hebrews 7:26-28) And these high priests according to the Old Order had a question for these New Order priests: “By what power, or in what name, have you done this?” On whose authority? That is their question. Who has authorized you to speak to the people. We are established by lineage to be those persons who speak to the people for God. We have not given you permission to speak to the people so why are you doing this? The Stone which was rejected (4:8-12) Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of the people, if we are being examined today for a good deed done to a sick man, as to how this man has been saved from his sickness, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by this name this man stands here before you in good health. “He is the STONE WHICH WAS REJECTED by you, THE BUILDERS, but WHICH BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone. “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” Peter was “filled with the Holy Spirit.” This conjures up images of the judges of old, raised up by God to deliver Israel. The Spirit of Yahweh came upon Othniel, Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson and they were empowered to do great deeds in the name of Yahweh. And now, Peter is filled with the Spirit of Yahweh. He is about to slay 1,000 philistines with the jawbone of a Donkey. And his “1,000 philistines” are the religious establishment and his “jawbone of a donkey” is the Name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene. And this is a good thing for us to remember, the greatest weapon of war that we have is the strong name of Jesus Christ. We proclaim it unashamedly before men: Why are you taking care of the homeless? We are doing this in the name of Jesus of Nazareth. Why do you offer a community meal? Because of Jesus of Nazareth. Why do you care so much about doing good work? Because of Jesus of Nazareth. Why do you love your family so much? Because of Jesus of Nazareth. Why are you so joyful? By the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene...by this name I stand here before you in good health. Everything that we do is because of Jesus. And Peter is again quick to point out that these leaders rejected Him, “whom you crucified...” and he cites Psalm 118, our Scripture reading text, to prove that this was done in fulfillment of Scripture.

They stand condemned before God for rejecting the Author of Life and choosing a murderer in his place. And recall that Jesus also quoted this passage to the Jews in Luke 20:9-18 after the parable of the vine-growers. In that parable, the wicked servants kill the son sent by the father, who says, “Perhaps they will respect him.” But what happens? They kill him. So, Jesus says that the father will kill those wicked servants and give the vineyard to others. The Jews say, “May it never be!” And in response, Jesus quotes Psalm 118. Jesus told them that He would be despised and rejected of men. That he would be the stone that the builders rejected. And now, Peter, the messenger of Jesus, is telling them that Jesus was right.

What is surprising is that Peter tells them that not only was Jesus right, but he is also their only hope, “there is salvation in no one else...There is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” The Son that was rejected wants to save them!

“Soterias” - this is the word from which we get soteriology – the doctrine of salvation. Jesus says, “I am the way the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father except through me.” And at the strong name of Jesus every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord.

Have you rejected Jesus? Have you betrayed Him? Crucified Him? Spit on Him? He still offers to save you from your sin. Repent of your sin and believe on Jesus Christ as he is freely offered to you in the Gospel.

Having been with Jesus (4:13-18)

“Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and comprehended that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were marveling, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus. And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say in reply. But when they had ordered them to leave the Sanhedrin, they began to confer with one another, saying, “What should we do with these men? For the fact that a noteworthy sign has happened through them is apparent to all who live in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. “But lest it spread any further among the people, let us warn them to speak no longer to any man in this name.” And when they had summoned them, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.”

When we think of authority, we think of someone who can speak to something. An expert. We tend to think that only a medical doctor can speak about medicine, only a CPA can speak about finance, only a scientist can speak about biology, only a Greek or Hebrew scholar can speak about the “true meaning” of the text. Jesus turns that all upside down. J

esus is the author of authority. By Him kings rule and princes decree justice. There is no other authority. He is the authority over every other authority, the King of kings and the Lord of lords. If Jesus commands you to do something, then you have all authority to do it. If Jesus commands you to say something, then you have all authority to say it.

Peter and John were obeying their authority: Yahweh. They did not need an establishment education; they had been with Jesus.

And despite the flagrant fulfillment of prophecy “standing with them,” the healed lame man, a “noteworthy sign” which was apparent. They could not deny it. They still set themselves against Yahweh and against His Anointed one. They command them to speak no longer in the name that is above every name, the name of Jesus, the Anointed One. The Alpha and Omega.

Do you see the stark contrast? The battle lines have been drawn, and these religious leaders have set themselves against God. They are showing that they are the seed of the serpent. It is from this idea that the protestant doctrine of the Divine Right of Resistance comes, and it is on this doctrine that the American Revolution was founded. King George was overextending his authority, and the colonies said, No.

The American Revolution was, therefore, a defensive war. The British tried to come and take, and the Americans resisted on the basis of knowing how far the British were divinely authorized to extend their authority.

If I as a husband, a divinely authorized authority, require my household to disobey God, the highest authority, then it is my household's responsibility to resist me. If Nick or I overextend our authority as elders, a divinely authorized authority in this church, it is your responsibility to resist us. This is your divine right. And I will take it a step further, this is your divine obligation. Because if you do not resist, then you are complicit in acting against God. If Peter and John had responded to this injunction to not speak in the name of Jesus out of a pietistic sense of loyalty/obedience to the “powers that be,” they would have been disobedient to God, the Power that IS.  And this is exactly what Peter and John say:

What we have seen and heard (4:19-22)

But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to hear you rather than God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.” And when they had threatened them further, they let them go (finding no basis on which to punish them) on account of the people, because they were all glorifying God for what had happened; for the man was more than forty years old on whom this sign of healing had occurred.

On whose authority? On the authority of the Almighty God. It is obvious who we ought to obey.

It may be obvious but it is not easy. Think about this: these establishment leaders had all the apparent authority: they laid hands on the Apostles, they were the ones inquiring, they held the earthly authority.

Sometimes, we will be called to follow our Heavenly authority and this will put us in conflict with an earthly authority. We must be ready to accept these consequences, giving up ourselves to the service of the Almighty God. We will pray this in our thanksgiving prayer:

“We beseech you now to give us that due sense of all your mercies, that our hearts may be truly thankful, and that we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives; by giving up ourselves to your service...”

We must die daily, take up our cross, and follow our King. The only Authority. And we must know when an authority is overstepping its boundaries. You must know. It is not good enough to trust your leadership to know. You must know. Wives should know the extent of their husband’s authority. Congregants should know the extent of the elder’s authority. Citizens should know the extent of the state’s authority. And we should know the extent of our own authority. There is no other way for people to govern themselves: we must know.

The title of this section was the Gates of Hell Attack from versus 1 through 22. And now we see that the Gates of Hell Do Not Prevail from verses 23 through 31.

The Gates of Hell Do Not Prevail (Acts 4:23-31)

The Church gathers (4:23)

So when they were released, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them.

The first point here is this: what did the church do in response to this attack by the religious establishment? They gathered. This is what we ought to do. We ought to gather. Christ’s body, the church gathers. It is what we do. We want to be together. Yes, we go into the world and do our work, build the kingdom, and proclaim the good news of this kingdom. But, we always gather together again, celebrating the victory that has been won by our King. Eating at His table, singing songs of Zion. The gates of hell will not prevail against the church gathered. And what does this gathered church do? They appeal to their Authority:

The Church prays (4:24-30)

And when they heard this, they lifted their voices to God with one accord and said, “O Master, it is You who MADE THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH AND THE SEA, AND ALL THAT IS IN THEM, who by the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of our father David Your servant, said, ‘WHY DID THE GENTILES RAGE, AND THE PEOPLES DEVISE VAIN THINGS? ‘THE KINGS OF THE EARTH TOOK THEIR STAND, AND THE RULERS WERE GATHERED TOGETHER AGAINST THE LORD AND AGAINST HIS CHRIST.’ “For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur. “And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your slaves may speak Your word with all confidence, while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders happen through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.”

They pray Psalm 8 and Psalm 2, which we sang already in this liturgy. Psalm 8 is our song of the month. They appeal to the maker of heaven and earth. God Almighty. And do not miss the fact that they connect Jesus Christ to Psalm 2 in a very direct way, stating that these events happened when Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, crucified Jesus. And what is the response of Yahweh in the Psalm?

He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord mocks them. Then He speaks to them in His anger And terrifies them in His fury, saying, “But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain.” (Psalm 2:4-6)

God used their wickedness, the crucifixion of His Son, to redeem. Jesus resurrected from the dead and now as King, Jesus Christ, ascended to the throne and is established upon Zion. Yahweh had installed His King upon Zion.

And these saints prayed to their King. This is reminiscent of the prayer of Hezekiah who also uses Psalm 8 as a base for His prayer. The Apostles pray: “take note of their threats...”, Hezekiah prays,

“O Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, who is enthroned above the cherubim, You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. “Incline Your ear, O Yahweh, and hear; open Your eyes, O Yahweh, and see; and listen to all the words of Sennacherib, who sent them to reproach the living God.” (Isaiah 37:16-17)

And do you remember what happened?

“‘Indeed I will defend this city to save it for My own sake and for My servant David’s sake.’” Then the angel of Yahweh went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And the men arose early in the morning, and behold, all of them were dead bodies.” (Isaiah 37:35-36)

Yahweh will defend His people.

The church gathered and appealed to its true Authority saying, “take note of their threats...” This should cause the enemies of the Church to tremble in fear. Psalm 4:3-4 says,

“But know that Yahweh has set apart the holy one for Himself; Yahweh hears when I call to Him. Tremble, and do not sin; Ponder in your heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.”

God hears when the church prays. Are we praying? Are we seeking God? Are we appealing to Him? Are we asking Him to take note of the threats of the “powers that be?” Yahweh hears when we call to Him. So call, Christian, and watch the wonders of Yahweh:

The Church speaks (4:31)

“And when they had prayed earnestly, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with confidence.”

Go this week into the world with confidence that when you proclaim the truth of God’s Word you proclaim it with God’s Authority. By the name of Jesus we stand here in good health. And there is no other name under heaven, given among men, whereby we must be saved. And the Holy Spirit will use the Word of God to save those who repent of their sin and believe on Jesus Christ as their savior.

We saw the Gates of Hell attack and question the authority of the Apostles. But, the Gates of Hell did not prevail because Yahweh has installed His King upon Mount Zion. And this King has sent us to proclaim salvation through His name.

Amen. Let’s pray.

Prayer

“O Yahweh, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth, Who displays Your splendor above the heavens!”

You are God over all the earth. The King of kings and Lord of lords.

Hear us now when we pray and observe the wickedness in our land. All things are not as they should be. You promised through Isaiah that,

“...a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of Yahweh of hosts will accomplish this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7).

Do what you have promised. Establish justice and righteousness in the land through your Gospel of peace. Empower Covenant Reformed Church to proclaim the Good News of Your kingdom to every creature in Western New York.

I pray you would clothe us with your Spirit as you clothed Gideon to do the work you have for us.

I pray that you would destroy the wickedness of those who countenance the brutal killing of children in the womb. I pray that you would destroy false religions that ravish Christian lands. I pray that you would remove weak and impotent rulers of men who espouse evil.

Raise up godly and righteous rulers in our land, for Your sake and for the sake of Your glory, Oh Yahweh.

We thank you for your Word and for all the blessings with which you have blessed us. We pray that we would not take these things for granted.

It is in the strong name of Jesus Christ that we pray, AMEN!