Jesus Is the Only Savior

APRIL 3, 2022 STUDY NOTES ACTS 4:11-22 BIBLE TEACHER: CLIFTON JONES JESUS IS THE ONLY SAVIOR INTRODUCTION Peter just answered the question, by what power or name was the lame man healed (Acts 4:10) He now preached his third sermon since the Day of Pentecost, preaching specifically to the Jews His sermons have been consistent, his subject has been the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus He has often used OT scripture to confirm his message, which he does again, he quotes Psa 118:22 The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. Act 4:11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Jesus had used the same passage when the temple authorities had questioned His authority, Mat 21:42 Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? Peter told the Sanhedrin that they had fulfilled prophecy, you are the builders who rejected the Stone The “Stone” which the builders refused is Jesus, He is the “Stone” rejected by Israel and put to death The Jews crucified the “Stone,” but He is now “the head of the corner,” He is the “Capstone” Through resurrection and exaltation, He has become the “headstone of the corner,” Eph 2:20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; The “chief corner stone” was carefully placed because the entire building lined up with it The “chief corner stone” governs the lines and angles of all the other stones, 1Pe 2:6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Those who believe are never ashamed or disappointed,1Pe 2:7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, The word “builders” refers to skilled, qualified, professional, and religious people, the world’s elite They rejected the stone, they threw the stone to the side, they tried to build on another foundation They think they have the skill, the qualifications to build a spiritual structure on their own, but they don’t, 1Co 3:11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. God has chosen the one they rejected to be the “head of the corner,” Col 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. “The Stone” that had been rejected by the Jews is the One who had healed the lame man The “Stone” is Jesus, He is the only Savior, the only way of salvation Rejecting Jesus as the Messiah, the One sent from God, is rejection of God’s only plan of salvation Act 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. This verse is often quoted but must also be fully understood, we must understand “salvation” The subject of salvation is of eternal importance, we must understand the truth of salvation Page 1 of 5 Spiritual salvation is the greatest need that lost man has Salvation is a personal experience, a personal acceptance of Jesus through faith in “Who” He is It is important that those who are saved understand salvation and live like they are saved Christians must learn that our salvation is the life that we are to live now (Gal 2:20) Peter begins to explain its truth by revealing that there is only One Savior, only one way to be saved Religions throughout the world presents that a right relationship with God can occur in many ways Denominations debate the subject of salvation, the question of how can a person be saved? Peter speaks the truth of salvation in simple, plain, literal language, because “we must be saved” Peter is telling us the truth of spiritual salvation, the deliverance from sin and its consequences Salvation from the penalty of eternal death and the eternal state of Hell’s torments (Luke 16:19-31) There is only one way to be saved because there is only “One Savior,” Jesus is the “Savior” No one else can save you, there is “none other name” whereby we can be saved “Under heaven” covers all other possibilities, throughout the world throughout all ages There never has been and there never will be another Savior or another way to be saved The “One and Only Savior” came from heaven, He is “God-Given” (Jn 3:16; Rom 5:17; 6:23) The only way of salvation has been “given among men” by God’s magnificent, grace (2 Cor 9:15) Given to sinful mankind, a godless world, enemies of God, with no hope for eternity (Eph 2:1-10) “We,” Peter, John, the lame man, the Sanhedrin, every human being, “we must be saved” (Jn 3:1-15) In-order to be saved we must know the way to be saved, Jesus is the only way (John 8:24; 10:9; 14:6) We live in a religious world that offers many ways of salvation to the world People select the one they like, but Jesus warns us, Mat 7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Mat 7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Paul knew the importance of preaching the one and only true gospel of salvation (1 Cor. 15:1-11) The gospel Paul preached was the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, by which you are saved Paul preached that there is no other gospel (Galatians 1:6-10) and warns those who would change it, Gal 1:8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. Gal 1:9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. Peter and John told the Sanhedrin the truth they must hear, they were amazed at the message and the man Act 4:13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. “They” refers to the highly educated, sophisticated, religious leaders of the Supreme Court of Israel They saw what they could not believe, “the boldness” of Peter and John, they spoke with confidence Which got the attention of the Sanhedrin, they could not believe what they were hearing from these men The Sanhedrin considered them to be unschooled, illiterate, plain, common men (1 Corinthians 1:18-31) Peter and John had no formal theological training, no Doctor of Divinity Degree, but they had Jesus And the Sanhedrin knew it, “they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus” Their message came from Jesus, their boldness to preach the message came from Jesus They had the characteristics of Jesus because they were filled with the Spirit (John 14:26; 15:26; 16:13) Before you go to be with other people take time to be with Jesus, begin your day with Jesus (Psalms 1) It’s a good testimony when people say they know that you go to church (Hebrews 10:24-25) But it takes more than weekly attendance in church for them to say that you have “been with Jesus” Begin your day with a morning quiet time in God’s Word, end your day with Bible reading and study Page 2 of 5 Ordinary people can make an extraordinary impression on others because of Jesus in their life, Php 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Then claim, Php 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Act 4:14 And beholding the man which was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. The miraculous healing of the lame man could not be denied, people saw the man walking and leaping The healed lame man was a witness to the physical healing power of Jesus But he was also a witness to the spiritual healing of Jesus, which Peter presented to them as the gospel Those in the Temple heard him praising God, a supernatural work had occurred before their very eyes A testimony that could not be denied, which Jesus had promised, Luk 21:12 But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake. Luk 21:13 And it shall turn to you for a testimony. Peter and John took the opportunity to testify in the name of Jesus Act 4:15 But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, It was time for the Sanhedrin to get their heads together, they had to come up with an answer We are not told how long this closed to the public session lasted with the Sanhedrin Council “They conferred among themselves” indicates they conferred over and over, a careful consideration Their dilemma was what action could they take against Peter and John Act 4:16 Saying, What shall we do to these men? for that indeed a notable miracle hath been done by them is manifest to all them that dwell in Jerusalem; and we cannot deny it. They could not deny the miraculous healing of the lame man, everyone could see the evidence of it Word had spread throughout Jerusalem, Peter and John were using it to spread the gospel to Jerusalem They could not deny the miracle, so they must deny the message Peter preached to explain the miracle Act 4:17 But that it spread no further among the people, let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name. Their decision was to silence the preaching in the name of Jesus, put an end to the name of Jesus The Sanhedrin Court issued a “gag order,” there could be no public discussion in the name of Jesus The name of Jesus could not even be spoken in public, how often do you hear the name Jesus used today? Is Jesus’ name used more often as a curse word than the truth of Jesus as the only way of salvation? Act 4:18 And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. Peter and John were called back to the chambers of the Sanhedrin Court, the Supreme Court of the Jews Peter and John were the first of the followers of Jesus to be brought before the Sanhedrin Court in Acts But they were not the last, again there was Peter and the apostles, Act 5:27 And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them, Then Stephen, Act 6:12 And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and caught him, and brought him to the council, Page 3 of 5 And then Paul, Act 22:30 On the morrow, because he would have known the certainty wherefore he was accused of the Jews, he loosed him from his bands, and commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul down, and set him before them. The Sanhedrin commanded Peter and John to never again speak or teach in the name of Jesus It is interesting that the Sanhedrin gave no explanation as to why they could not speak the name of Jesus But Peter gave them the reason they must continue to speak the name of Jesus The same reason we must continue to speak the name of Jesus Act 4:19 But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. The answer that Peter and John had for the supreme authorities of the land is a guide for us today Whose authority are we to be committed too, government or God? (1 Peter 2:13-17) More and more we are becoming subject to government authority and instructions, which are of man Government has a role but must not attempt to take over the role reserved for God As long, as government law is not contrary to the Word of the Lord, we must be willing to obey When government laws go against the will of God, we must accept the words of Peter as our answer You do not disobey God in order to obey man, Act 5:29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. Peter said it must always be for the “Lord’s sake, which should be our motive for all things (1 Peter 2:13) Loyalty to the Lord is to be the guideline of our life, we have Biblical examples to follow Read the story of the three Hebrew boys who disobeyed King Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 3:8-30) Read the whole story, Dan 3:28 Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God. God will always be glorified through our obedience to His will for our life Act 4:20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. This verse should be our personal testimony as a Christian, we must tell what we have seen and heard We must share what we have personally experienced, Jesus is the only Savior, the only way of salvation Peter said we can’t stop speaking of Jesus, we can’t stop being a witness for Christ It may not be the most popular thing to do in the sight of the world, it will not always be easy to do People will object, government objects, Satan will oppose and even bring persecution upon you But it is the right thing to do, it is that which the Christian must do (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8) Act 4:21 So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people: for all men glorified God for that which was done. The Sanhedrin saw that their command had not worked, so they now “threatened them” We are not told what those threats were, as we continue to study Acts, we will find out what they were At this time their threats were only words of warning, hoping to put fear within them The Sanhedrin was troubled because God was being glorified through the testimony of the healed man It was the same Jesus they had crucified who had healed the lame man Act 4:22 For the man was above forty years old, on whom this miracle of healing was shewed. This verse points out the important truth of God’s salvation, the before and after, what a difference Throughout the life of the lame man, 40 years, he could not stand or walk, now look at him There was no denial of the fact of his healing, the Sanhedrin knew it, all the people knew it Page 4 of 5 The same is true of spiritual healing, the true story of salvation is the before and after We not only need to know that we are saved, we must know what it means to be saved (2 Cor 5:17) CONCLUSION The greatest miracle of all is the salvation of a helpless and hopeless sinner who cannot save himself Salvation is through the “Amazing Grace” of God, Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. Salvation is not something that we can praise self for, but we can sing praises unto God for our salvation If you are saved, watch the screen, and sing with the joy of salvation within you Page 5 of 5