A Door into Jesus' Life.

Acts 3:11–26 NIV

While the man held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon’s Colonnade. When Peter saw this, he said to them: “Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see. “Now, fellow Israelites, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Messiah would suffer. Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus. Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from their people.’ “Indeed, beginning with Samuel, all the prophets who have spoken have foretold these days. And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’ When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”

Acts 4:1–14 NIV

The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people, proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. They seized Peter and John and, because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. But many who heard the message believed; so the number of men who believed grew to about five thousand. The next day the rulers, the elders and the teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and others of the high priest’s family. They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: “By what power or what name did you do this?” Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. Jesus is “ ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say.

Introduction:1. The missionary E. P. Scott was ministering in India when he felt called to go out into a less-known region of India. Answering the call, he went forth. After two days of travel, he suddenly found himself surrounded by an armed band. With spears pointed at him, at a loss of what to do, he took out his violin and began to play and sing, “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name.” Understandably afraid, he continued to sing, with his eyes closed, through the third verse. Finally, he opened his eyes and was astonished to see the spears had been dropped and the men were crying. On that day in India, it was again rediscovered that there is power in the name of Jesus. And this is the point of the proclamation that Peter makes in the next sermon of the first church that we will be looking at today (Duncan Morrison, The Great Hymns of the Church [Toronto: Hart & Company, 1890], 157–158).

Last week Peter said that Jesus was attested by the things he did in his life, and This week Peter and the Disciples are simply living out the impact that Jesus had on their life.

37-What did Jesus do during his life?

1. The church has continued to grow, and the original disciples are demonstrating the power of God through signs and wonders. In Acts 3, Peter and John heal a man who had been unable to walk. This draws a lot of attention to them, and so in chapter 4 the leaders of the Temple come to them and arrest them (4:3). The next day (v. 4) they are brought before the high priest and the Sanhedrin and questioned. The Sanhedrin was the seventy-one-member body that ruled the temple. It was led by the high priest. There were also former high priests, because though the position was supposed to be for life, during the time of Roman occupation, high priests were regularly removed from their position. Nevertheless, because of the powerful families these individuals came from, they remained influential in the Sanhedrin (William Barclay, The Acts of the Apostles, Daily Study Bible [Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1976], 38–39). It is to this body of ultimate power within the Judaism of the day that Peter now courageously speaks. He answers their questions and turns it into a moment to proclaim Jesus.

But this is the kind of thing Jesus would do.

HE LIVED…”Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.” (Matthew 4:23)

* God’s will is revealed in Jesus’ life.

* God’s Kingdom is embodied in Jesus’ healing, delivering, and preaching.

* Jesus teaches and demonstrates life empowered by the Holy Spirit.

* Ordinary people are apprenticed in kingdom proclamation and demonstration for healing, deliverance, and empowered ministry, following Jesus' example (Matt. 10:7-8) - Tim Vink

My Serminary Experience - The Disciples are just ordinary people - Recall “Marked Sermon Series”

And soooo...

38-Jesus’ Life Trains Us in the Gospel.

1. Peter demonstrates the truth of his claims by his very presence there in front of the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin were astonished by this proclamation because they realized that John and Peter were “uneducated, common men” (4:13). Tim Keller shows how the presence of these ordinary men proclaiming Jesus to the extraordinary religious leaders demonstrates the power of the gospel. - But they did make note that the Apostle’s were with Jesus

39-Apprenticeship: The Way we Learn Triangle - Classroom, Apprenticeship, Immersion.

40-3DM - The Square - Jesus' method for training his disciples.

Naomi Learning to Drive

Electrician

41 - Disciples finally got it. They don’t take credit, it all Goes to God. - That they may see your good works and praise your Father in Heaven.

Jesus promised they would do greater things. - Find passage.

So Jesus’ life is good news, so how....?

42 - Helping People Walk into Jesus’ Life.

Faith - Faith is involved, our faith, the person whose healed’s faith, corporate faith. - It is Faith in the Name of Jesus, and it is Faith through him. - vs. 3:16

And so, we walk in Faith, praying for people - for healing, for the Holy Spirit, for evil to be cast out. Then…- Neighbor I prayed with.

43 - The doors and how the life of Jesus opens the door through healing and then sharing the other hinges of History.

44 - Application Point:

-Be an apprentice of Jesus so that you can do the things Jesus did.

-Then as people are blessed by Jesus because of your way of living, share the full Gospel of Jesus.

-Invest in other people to apprentice others.

Lady who was healed in mentoring experience.

Sam excited to tell me about his serving when at Love INC.

Conclusion: