Acts 4:1-8 And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them, 2 Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they laid hands on them, and put them in hold unto the next day: for it was now eventide. 4 Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand. 5 And it came to pass on the morrow, that their rulers, and elders, and scribes, 6 And Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem. 7 And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, By what power, or by what name, have ye done this? 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost,

A couple of weeks ago we saw the Apostles Peter and John at the Eastern Gate of the Temple, that lovely bronze gate called “Beautiful”. This is the first gate opened when the sun rises, and a main entrance into the Temple. We saw a homeless man begging for money, a man who had been lame from his mother’s womb. Year after year this man suffered, and when he called out to Peter and John, he hoped for just a few cents to help him eat that day.

The unnamed man got more than he bargained for. Peter told the man:

Acts 3:6-8 ….. Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. 7 And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. 8 And {he who was lame} leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.

This was the 9^th hour of the day, a time of Jewish prayer about 3 pm.

As people had their prayers interrupted, they left where they were in the Temple to see watch this healed man.

Peter used this time to preach the Gospel of Christ. What happens? As we come to chapter four, we see, as the ball player Yogi Berra used to say: It’s deja vu all over again!

The Lost World Despises The True Jesus

So now we come to chapter four. Peter is preaching the Gospel in Solomon’s Porch (Acts 3:11). This is the exact same porch where Jesus told the Pharisees and Priests that He was the Christ (John 10:23), and the “Jews took up stones again to stone {Jesus}” (John 10:31). They could not kill Jesus, as it was not yet His time to be crucified. “Jesus escaped out of their hand” (John 10:39). But they tried to kill Him.

It is on this same porch – Solomon’s Porch – that Peter and John are confronted by (guess who?) the same curmudgeons that Jesus had to meet. The lost world despises the true Jesus, but desperately needs to Gospel!

Acts 4:1-2 And as they {Peter and John} spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them, 2 Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead.

As Peter is preaching, he says “God raised up His Son Jesus” (Acts 3:26). The “priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees” are upset with this politically incorrect message.

• The “priests” are those who were instrumental in having Jesus Christ killed. It was the High Priests Joseph Caiaphas (Matthew 26:57) and his father in law Annas that had Jesus sent to the Governor Pilate to be crucified.
• The “captain of the temple guard” is a special Levitical Office that assisted the High Priest. The “captain” would control the Temple Police (1 Chronicles 9:11; Nehemiah 11:11). His title was “Ruler of the House of God”.
• Finally the “Sadducees” were the rich political leaders of Israel. The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection. “The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both.” (Acts 23:8; Mark 12:18). And PETER IS PREACHING A RESURRECTED JESUS! Holy cow!

This unholy trinity of power is enraged that Peter and John are preaching in their Temple. How dare they?

These are the people who got rid of Jesus. They saw the soldier spear Christ’s side, and “blood and water ran out” (John 19:34). They saw Jesus’ dead body removed from the Cross by Joseph of Arimathaea and Nicodemus (John 19:38-39). These same men ordered that a guard be placed at the Tomb of Jesus, lest He be taken away by His disciples (Matthew 27:63-64). Jesus was dead, and He needs to stay buried. So …

Acts 4:3 …they {the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees} laid hands on them {Peter and John}, and put them in hold unto the next day: for it was now eventide.

They lock up these “troublemakers”, and wait to judge them the next day. Dinner is ready, and they didn’t want to miss their meal! But the damage has been done. As Peter and John preached on Solomon’s Porch, we read:

Acts 4:4 Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand.

Around “five thousand” believed on Jesus for salvation, and were saved. On the Day of Pentecost Peter preached, and there were 3000 saved. What is going on? The next day we read that Peter and John are removed from prison.

Acts 4:5-7 And it came to pass on the morrow, that their rulers, and elders, and scribes, 6 And Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem. 7 And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?

Peter and John are “set … in the midst” of “rulers, and elders, and scribes, And Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest”. The High Priest “Annas” is the father-in-law of “Caiaphas”. Though Caiaphas is the acting High Priest, Annas is the power behind that office (John 18:13, 24). Peter and John are asked: By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?

What Is The POWER That Drives You?

Word Study: Let’s look at what the Sanhedrin {the ruling council} asked Peter and John. The Dakes Analytical Bible notes, “By what NAME means by what AUTHORITY. The council was convinced that they {Peter and John} had wrought a miracle, but by what means they were not certain. As all traffic with demons and familiar spirits was unlawful they hoped by examination to prove them guilty of death according to Leviticus 20:27”.

They wanted Peter or John to confess to healing the man at the Gate Beautiful through occultism.

How will Peter answer? Peter often put his foot in his mouth when he walked with our Jesus. On the night that our Lord Jesus was crucified, right after the disciples celebrated the first Lord’s Table with Jesus, our Lord said:

Mark 14:27-28 All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered. 28 But after that I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee.

Jesus knew that He would meet the judgment of the Sanhedrin, and the Cross of Calvary alone. But Peter spoke up. Peter was ALWAYS speaking up!

Mark 14:29 But Peter said unto him, Although all shall be offended, yet will not I.

Peter is a faithful follower of Jesus, but he is
full of HIMSELF.

Peter is filled with pride in his own power. Peter is a strong fisherman. He had fought the waves of the sea, and often pulled in nets filled with fish. Peter had two guns – his left arm and his right arm. With his guns he had, I’m sure, beaten others before he met Jesus. “Everyone else will run away. But Jesus, You misjudge me! I’ll be there no matter what!”

Word Study: The Bible warns against PRIDE. I wondered if the word PRIDE had an acronym (an abbreviation formed from the initial letters of other words and pronounced as a word) on the internet. It does. In fact, there are some 30 acronyms for PRIDE in the free dictionary. The one I think is most accurate is Personal Responsibility in Delivering Excellence. The motto of the P.R.I.D.E. filled person is “I can do ALL things”. Peter was like that. He was filled with self assurance. He knew he could do all things. Peter believed in HIMSELF.Peter is the picture of the self assured man. The Bible warns us:

Proverbs 11:2 When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom.

Pride brings contention (Proverbs 13:10), problems, destruction.

Proverbs 16:18 Pride goeth before destruction, and a {arrogant [גֹּבַהּ gôbahh]} spirit before a fall

Jesus told Peter in Mark 14:30, “Verily I say unto thee, That this day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice.”

Did Peter listen to Jesus? Did Peter draw closer to God, or to himself? We read:

Mark 14:31 {Peter} spake the more vehemently, If I should die with thee, I will not deny thee in any wise. Likewise also said they all.

Peter bowed up with pride, and the others followed suit. They were NOT going to betray Jesus. Yet they did. As Peter stood outside the Temple, watching Jesus being tried for blasphemy, Peter was questioned first by a young woman who said, “I saw you with Jesus” (Mark 14:67). Peter denied the Lord. Then a little girl (Mark 14:69) confronted Peter, who said “I don’t know Jesus”. When another said, “Yes, we all saw you with Jesus”, it was at this point “Peter began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not this Man of whom ye speak” (Mark 14:71). And the second time the cock crowed. At this point Peter remembered the words Jesus spoke, and wept bitterly (Mark 14:72; Matthew 26:75).

We Choose What Or Who Will Fill Us

You choose the power that will enable you to live your life. Before Jesus died on Calvary, Peter filled himself with Peter. But now Peter allows himself to be filled with Someone else. We read:

Acts 4:8-10 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel, 9 If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole; 10 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.

Word Study: Peter was “filled with the Holy Ghost”. He was not filled with PRIDE, not filled with HIMSELF, not filled with FEAR. He was “filled with the Holy Ghost”. Who is this “Holy Ghost”? This is the Greek hagios pneuma, which the King James sometimes translates “Holy Ghost” and other times “Holy Spirit”. The latter is the best translation. The Holy Spirit of God was promised by Jesus to every believer. When a person believes on Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, God the Holy Spirit comes to that believer and causes the believer to be “born again”. Jesus told Nicodemus,

John 3:5 … Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God

Jesus said, “that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:6). The Holy Spirit must effect a change in you in order that you be saved. When the Gospel is preached and believed on, you are born again because the Holy Spirit causes it to be so. The Christian is:

1 Peter 1:23 … born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

It was the Spirit that caused the Messiah (Christ) to become flesh (Jesus). The Angel told Mary, “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:35). The birth of Christ into humanity was a miracle. The new birth of every Christian is a miracle! When we called on the name of Jesus, we were saved.

Romans 10:9, 11 … if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. … 11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

When we profess Jesus to be Lord, our LORD, and believe that “God hath raised him from the dead”, we are saved. The Holy Spirit does a work in our hearts. Oh, I wish I had time to tell you all that Spirit does.

The Spirit REGENERATES you,
making you spiritually alive (John 3:3-8).
The Spirit SANCTIFIES you,
making you a saint of God (1 Peter 1:2).
The Spirit ADOPTS you,
making you a son of God (Romans 8:9-16).
The Spirit SEALS you,
fixing your destination heavenward (2 Cor 1:21-22).
The Spirit BAPTIZES you,
uniting you with the Body of Christ (1 Cor 12:13).
The Spirit INDWELLS you,
making you God’s possession (2 Tim 1:13-14).

Oh what a glorious salvation we have! But there is one other thing the Spirit does. The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity. We are baptized in the NAME of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). The Holy Spirit can FILL us. This is what is going on with Peter right now.

Acts 4:8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy {Spirit}…

Peter is not filled with FEAR, not filled with HIMSELF, but he is FILLED with God. His focus is GOD. His desire is GOD. He is surrendered to God. This is the Christian superpower! Not in us, but through God’s Spirit. When Zerubbabel led a group of Israelis back to Israel to rebuild Jerusalem, God told him:

Zechariah 4:6 (ESV) …Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.

Peter and John are standing before this crowd who wanted them dead, and are standing in the power of Almighty God the Holy Spirit. Though there are Sadducees in that bunch, Peter unafraid says:

Acts 4:9-10 If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole; 10 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.

Peter said, “The power that healed this man was not the occult. It was the “name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole”. It is because of Jesus we are saved. It is because of His Blood shed on Calvary that we are empowered and inhabited by God the Holy Spirit. It is Jesus – the Jesus Who died and ROSE AGAIN – Who caused this man to be made whole.

Acts 4:11-12 This {same Jesus} is the Stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. 12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Peter is actually quoting both Psalms and Isaiah, two prophecies concerning the coming of the Christ {Messiah}. These prophesies are:

Psalm 118:22-23 The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.

Isaiah 28:16 … thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: ‘Whoever believes will not be in haste.’

The Pharisees, Sadducees, and Priests are the “builders” of Judaism. Yet they rejected Jesus Christ, God’s Cornerstone and God’s Foundation. Each trusted in their own abilities.

• The Pharisees and Priests trusted in their ability to keep the Law of God, believing this would save them. The Law is good, and right. But the problem is that we are all fallen humans – even the Pharisees. The Apostle said:

Romans 8:3-4 … what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Without the Spirit of God, we could not be born again. Without the Spirit of God, we could not honor God’s Law. We are all fallen, and all need the Savior. The Bible says:

Hebrews 10:4, 11-12 … it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. … 11 And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: 12 But {Jesus}, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;

• The Sadducees trusted in their popularity and political power to be right with God. Yet they were just as polluted as every other human on the face of this earth is polluted. We must have the power of God change us, or else we have no foundation with God. We must receive Jesus Christ as He is. As Peter boldly said to these “builders”:

Acts 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.

The NAME or AUTHORITY that brought about the crippled man’s healing was JESUS. The NAME or AUTHORITY that brings about our own salvation from sin and selfish sickness is JESUS. We all desperately need God. When we call on Jesus, God the Holy Spirit comes to us, and fulfills the promise of God:

Hebrews 10:16-24 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; 17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. 18 Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. 19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; 21 And having an high priest over the house of God; 22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) 24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

Oh, what a blessing it is to be the miracle that is a Christian. Will you join me, or continue to live your life in your own power? Though 5000 came to Jesus through a Spirit Filled Peter’s preaching, what did these “holy men” of Israel do? They had a little pow wow. We read:

Acts 4:13-18 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. 14 And beholding the man which was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. 15 But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, 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. 17 But that it spread no further among the people, let us straightly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name. 18 And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.

This is the devil’s way. This is where “cancel culture” comes from, Satan himself. “Don’t say the name of Jesus anymore, you ignorant people!” But Peter replied:

Acts 4:19-21 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. 20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. 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.

What will you do with this information? Will you receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, and allow God to create a miracle in you? Or will you follow the dead crowd to a miserable life, and a damned afterlife? The choice is yours. You choose Who will fill you. You choose by which Power you will live your life. May God the Holy Spirit through this Word draw you close to His side this very day. Amen and Amen.