Boldness & Confidence With God’s Word

Transcript

GR 1588
01/16/11
Boldness and Confidence with God's Word
Acts 4:13-31
Gil Rugh

We're going to Acts 4, we're going to see some of the difficulties and trials that come with being faithful to our Lord and in our service for Him. You know we need to constantly remind ourselves even as God's people that the scriptures are the very word of God. As such they partake of God's character, they are, if you will, infused with God's power. It's God's word that He uses in accomplishing His purposes in the world today. That's been the pattern of the past, that's the pattern of today as well. God guarantees His word will always work, it will always be effective. There is no effectual opposition to the word of God because the word of God is always effective in accomplishing God's work.

Come back to Jeremiah 23. And Jeremiah was a prophet whose life was filled with trial and difficulty. He also wrote a much smaller book following Jeremiah called the Lamentations of Jeremiah. As a prophet he knew much of suffering. Look at verse 29, is not My word like fire, declares the Lord, and like a hammer which shatters a rock. You see what God compares His word to, something with great power, great effectiveness. It's like fire, it's like a hammer that shatters a rock. Something of the power of the word of God because Jeremiah was discouraged when the word of God was rejected. You remember the word of God through Jeremiah will be presented to the king and the king just took a penknife and cut it up and threw it into the fire. But he didn't destroy the word of God and the word that God gave came with devastating impact.

Back up to Isaiah 55, we'll break into the thought here. Verse 8, for My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there without watering the earth and making it bear and sprout, and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so will My word be which goes forth from My mouth. It will not return to Me empty without accomplishing what I desire, without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. And you understand that's the word of God which we have. This is the word of God, the very word of God. And it is always effective. It cannot go out and come back without accomplishing its intended purpose. It never fails, it is always effective.

Now I stress this because even we as believers get turned inward and we say, I'm not capable, I'm not able, I couldn't do that. Obviously there are things that God has not gifted us or enabled us to do, but you understand the enabling power for anything that is done in any of our lives and ministries as God's people is done by His work. And His work is done by His word. So when I am entrusted with the word of God, which I have been, which you have been, we are entrusted with that which is God's power for accomplishing His purposes. And we give out that word, it never, ever fails in God's purposes. It cannot come back empty, without succeeding in His purposes.

Before we come to Acts I want to take you back to II Corinthians, I want to take you back where we left off in our earlier study today, the last passage we read. Back in II Corinthians 2, and we'll just pick up with verse 15. We are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. You see the same point—God's word is always effective, it always accomplishes its purposes. Sometimes it brings men, women and young people to salvation, sometimes it confirms them in their lost condition. It always accomplishes God's specific purposes. The question comes, who is adequate for these things? He doesn't immediately answer it, but the answer is we are not like the many, the hoipaloi. They peddle the word of God, they make whatever adjustment comes for the context of the day to make it more acceptable, more pleasing to men. That is destructive in the word of God. Down in chapter 3 verse 5 he says, not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God who has made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, what we have as our New Testament.

So come back to Acts 4. What we are doing is walking through the early days of the church and what is happening in the early days of the church—they are giving out the word of God. And it is accomplishing God's purposes, God's work. In Acts 3 there has been a great healing through Peter and John of a man who is lame, crippled in his feet and his legs. He was born that way and he is over 40 years of age now. He has never walked. And God has miraculously healed him. And Peter uses that as an occasion to present the facts of the gospel. So picking up with verses 11ff Peter presented the gospel, the facts concerning the person and work of Jesus Christ. And the need to repent, turn from their sins and place their faith in Christ.

In Acts 4:4 we are told, many of those who had heard the message believed. And the number of men was about 5,000. Peter preached basically the same message in Acts 2 and 3,000 were saved. So the word of God is being a savor of life to life. But it's also being a savor of death to death and we see the other side of it as we move on in chapter 4. Unbelievers who are opposed to the gospel and antagonized by the gospel react negatively and so opposition now comes to the ministry of God's word. It will come from the leadership of Israel, the Sanhedrin, the governing body of the Jews, the Supreme Court of Israel, if you will, those who had the responsibility for the oversight of the nation and render judgment. The Romans had given the Jews much freedom in that realm and the Sanhedrin is carrying out that responsibility.

Verse 5, the rulers, the elders, the scribes were gathered together. Annas the high priest was there, Caiphas, John, Alexander, all of who were of high priestly descent. And here now before this august body of 71 men, Peter and John stand and are called to account. And Peter filled with the Holy Spirit, verse 9, had spoken to them about the healing of this man. And that becomes the occasion. The healing of the man, verse 9, of we are on trial for a benefit done to a sick man as to how this man has been made well. We noted has been made well is a translation of the Greek word sozo, to be saved. This man has been saved, saved from his physical calamity, his physical need. Then verse 12, after presenting the gospel he was healed through the power of Jesus of Nazareth, the One that you crucified, the One that God raised from the dead. Then he quotes from the Old Testament, verse 11, He is the stone which was rejected by you the builders but He became the chief cornerstone. There is salvation in no one else for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men whereby we must be saved, sozo. We looked and saw that the healing work of Christ was simply a demonstration and evidence that He is the One who can heal from sin, save from sin. We looked in the gospels where Jesus said to one who came to Him for healing, your sins be forgiven. He said the reason He said that and did that was so that they might know the Son of Man has power to forgive sins. And so here Peter joins the healing of this man physically to the power of Jesus Christ which is also the power of God to bring about salvation.

So we pick up with verse 13. And in verses 13-22 we are going to see the opposition that comes from the leadership of Israel. And then in verses 23-31 we'll see the response of believers to that opposition and growing persecution. So we pick up with verse 13. Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus. Several factors make an impact on the Sanhedrin. First is the confidence of Peter and John. They observed the confidence of Peter and John. A word that means boldness, openness, freedom in speaking. And so they have a boldness here, a confidence, an assurance. Now they are standing before an august body, really like I said the Supreme Court of Israel. I told you about that half-circle and Peter and John have to stand there facing these men who are sitting in judgment on what they are teaching and what they are doing. They stand there and speak with clarity and boldness about Jesus Christ. That impacts them. Peter will later write in I Peter 3:14-15, but even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness you are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation and do not be troubled. But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you. And do it with gentleness and reverence. So over the years Peter's attitude has not changed. His confidence comes from the Lord, his confidence is in the Lord. And these men, these men stand and speak with confidence and boldness.

And further they understand and know that they were uneducated and untrained men. Their confidence and assurance in handling the scriptures, in connecting what has happened to what the Old Testament scriptures say. And their assurance in front of these men is all the more amazing because they haven't been trained in the rabbinical school, they haven't been trained to be authorities in the scriptures. They are just untrained laymen, as we would say, nonprofessionals. And here they stand before the court of Israel with confidence, boldness and assurance, explaining Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of the Old Testament scriptures. They were amazed, it says at the end of verse 13. They marveled. They are really struck with this. Now what they would expect. They don't come timidly, not sure of what to say. They speak right out with what has happened here, where the power came from, how that was even what the Old Testament scriptures said would happen. They are not intimidated or taking even a half step back in the presence of these men.

And they began to recognize them as having been with Jesus. You know what? They recognized that they are followers of Jesus Christ. That puts them in an awkward position because this is the leadership that led the way in demanding the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. And Jesus Christ Himself was an untrained rabbi. And by that I mean He had not gone through the formal training of the rabbinical system.

Come back to John 7:14, breaking into the section here as Jesus has gone up to Jerusalem to the feast. And when it was now the midst of the feast Jesus went into the temple and began to teach. The Jews then were astonished, saying, how has this man become learned, having never been educated? He has not gone through the formal training process. He didn't have the theological training, the theological degree, if you will. But He is so knowledgeable. And so the Jewish leadership here makes the connection. These are followers of Jesus Christ. He was that uneducated rabbi who caused such trouble as He went around doing miracles and teaching. Now they claim that this is simply a continuation of His ministry.

Come back to Acts 4:14, and seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say in reply. The problem is multiplying. These men have full confidence and assurance, they are not shaken at all as they boldly, openly present their case, the truth concerning Jesus the Nazarene. Furthermore they recognize them as followers of Jesus. This is a greater problem because you would think they might be hiding someplace, they might be afraid of the consequences of being identified with Him. And how did they get all this knowledge because Jesus Himself hadn't been trained in our system. And now we add to this we have a man standing here with them and he has been healed. And they don't know what to say because Peter has effectively joined the healing of this man with the work of Jesus Christ. And not just the power of Christ to heal from physical illness, but the fact that there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby you must be saved. Because God has raised Him from the dead and He is alive.

So they had nothing to say in reply. You talk about the tables turned. Here are the 71 supreme leaders in Israel and you have these uneducated followers of the untrained Rabbi whom they crucified, and you have man they have healed from a lifelong affliction, and it's not Peter and John who are speechless. It's the Sanhedrin of Israel. They don't know what to say.

Come back to Luke 21. Remember Luke is the one that God used to write the gospel of Luke and the history we have in Acts, and they are a continuing account. In Luke 21 Jesus is instructing His disciples of the trials that will come. Verse 12, before all these things they will lay their hands on you, will persecute you, delivering you to the synagogues and prisons, bring you before kinds and governors for My name's sake. It will lead to an opportunity for your testimony. You know, don't lose sight of what is going on. You are arrested, you are imprisoned, you are brought before courts. That provides a unique opportunity to speak on My behalf. So make up your minds not to prepare beforehand to defend yourselves. Now note this, for I will give you utterance and wisdom which none of your opponents will be able to resist or refute.

Now that word refute is the same word as you come back to Acts 4:14, they had nothing to say in reply. They had nothing to say to refute. Same word. So what Jesus was saying was I will give you the wisdom to respond and they won't be able to refute what you say. And here we are told that is exactly what happened. The Sanhedrin, I mean, can you imagine the Supreme Court, since we make that loose connection here. You stand before them to present the testimony of Jesus Christ and that august body is speechless. The wise rulers, judges of the nation Israel, they don't have any way to refute what Peter says.

So Acts 4:15, but when they had ordered them to leave the Council, and that's basically the word we get the word Sanhedrin from, the Greek word. They began to confer with one another. Since they don't know what to say, they have them removed so they can confer among themselves. Basically, you have presented your case, you can leave now and we'll talk about it. So they ordered them to leave and they confer with one another.

What did they say? What shall we do with these men? For the fact that a noteworthy miracle, or sign. The word is sign here, and that's what the miracles were. They were signs, evidences of the power of Christ at work and the truthfulness of the message being proclaimed by His followers. A noteworthy sign or miracle has taken place through them. That's apparent to all who live in Jerusalem and we cannot deny it. What an admission. It's interesting, some people ask, how did Luke know this to write it? I mean, this is the Sanhedrin sitting in a closed session. Where did Luke get his information? We are not told. Perhaps someone is saved later out of the Sanhedrin, perhaps the Spirit of God just told him, just like He told the Old Testament prophets. Remember people said, there is a prophet and God tells him what you say in secret. But here is the truth of what they are saying.

The fact of this miracle is undeniable. Everyone in Jerusalem knows it because this man has been a beggar at the temple for so many years. People have known him from birth, he was born this way, he has never walked. Here he is. So there is no denying and getting around it and saying, this is a fake miracle. We can't deny it.

So you would think the next step would be to evaluate then what they are saying. How could they do this miracle that cannot be denied? They have claimed it is done by the power of Jesus the Nazarene, the One that we crucified, and they claim that God raised Him from the dead. And you remember the body did disappear and we paid a significant sum of money to the soldiers guarding the tomb to have them say that the soldiers fell asleep and His disciples came and stole the body while we were sleeping. How do sleeping men know what happened to the body? We don't know, but that's their story. But they claim He is alive. Now none of us has ever healed a crippled man, and Peter and John have claimed they couldn't heal a crippled man either. But Jesus Christ could heal him. And it was His power that brought about the healing. And furthermore they claim that He is God's Savior and His rejection by us is a fulfillment of scripture. Men, we have to give serious consideration to the scripture on this.

That doesn't come up at all. You see how hard and opposed to the truth of God the spiritual leaders of Israel are. Look at their next statement. The fact that a mighty miracle has been done, it's apparent to everyone and we can't deny it. Verse 17, but so that it will not spread any further among the people, let us warn them to speak no longer to any man in this name. We can't deny the reality of the miracle, we can just tell them you are not allowed to give this message anymore. In other words, we are just not open to consider. So you see the word of God that has resulted in the salvation of thousands of Jews. But here you have the religious leaders, it just hardens them further. One thing we are sure of, we have to put a stop to this message. We can't explain the miracle, we don't know how it happened, we refuse to believe that Jesus the Nazarene did it. And we refuse to allow you to teach the Jews about Him.

This is the same attitude that was manifested toward Christ during His earthly ministry. Come back to John 11. Jesus has healed Lazarus, he has been dead for four days. His sister, Martha, when Jesus says, roll back the stone from the tomb—it would have been cave with the entrance covered by a stone. She says, Lord, the body will stink. It has been four days since he died. That's how dead he was. You are familiar, they roll back the stone and Jesus cries out, verse 43, Lazarus, come forth. And he comes out, still bound with the wrappings that they used, hand and foot. His face is still wrapped in the facecloth. I mean, it's like a movie you see, mythical. But here comes Lazarus walking out. And that resulted in many believing, verse 45. But verse 46, some of them went to the Pharisees and told them the things that Jesus had done. They didn't go because they had become believers themselves and thought the Pharisees ought to hear this and see this. Because who else could call a man who has been dead and his body should have been decaying and stinking, to life and the man comes walking out of the tomb.

Verse 47, therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a Council. That's the Sanhedrin, the governing body of the Jews again. They were saying, what are we going to do? For this Man is performing many signs. If we let Him go on like this all men will believe in Him. And the Romans will come and take away our place and our nation. One of them, Caiphas who was high priest that year said to them, you know nothing at all. Here is the highest spiritual leader in the nation, the high priest. You do not take into account that it is expedient for you that one man die for the people and the whole nation not perish. Verse 53, from that day on they planned together to kill Him. What has He done? Raised a man from the dead, done mighty miracles of healing. We have to kill Him. How hard is the human heart.

So you see the work of God softens some by His grace, some believe. But it can bring tremendous hardening to people. I mean, their heart is so hardened when confronted with the truth of God and the presence of the Son of God as the Son of Man on earth, they determine to kill the Son of God and put Him to death to preserve their position and their power. Remarkable.

Back in Matthew 28. I referred to this earlier, just want you to see it. After the resurrection of Jesus Christ the soldiers are bribed to say that His disciples came and stole His body after they fell asleep. And then the Jewish leaders say, we'll intervene with you for the governor because that could be a capital offense, if they fell asleep on the job and then the body was stolen. So these guards were obviously in an awkward spot. They can either take the money from the Sanhedrin and they'll stick up for us, or we can go before the governor and have to say angels appeared and He rose from the dead. And the Jewish leaders declare them to be liars. At any rate that's the story, verses 11-15, they spread it. You see what the Jewish leaders do, even confronted with the testimony of their own soldiers here. Well we can't let this spread, let's concoct a lie. You know we sometimes in some views of apologetics, defending the faith, they say, you have to learn to present evidences, proofs because if the evidences are strong enough, credible enough, intellectual enough, scholarly enough, then people will be open to hear the message. That's not true. The problem is not lack of evidence. The evidence here is overwhelming. It doesn't change anything in the hearts of the unbeliever.

In Luke 16:32 Jesus said, if they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead. They won't believe the word of God, they won't believe the greatest of miracles. That's the point.

Come back to Acts 4:18, so they summoned them. The conference has met together, we can't deny the miracle, let's just pass that over. We're just going to tell them we are using our authority to tell you that you are no longer allowed to teach about Jesus the Nazarene. You can no longer speak to any man in this name. And that's a powerful statement. These are men who were able to bring about the crucifixion of Jesus. But you understand now Peter and John understand that in the context of the plan of God in providing salvation.

So they summoned them, verse 18, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. That's their instruction—you can't speak or teach in the name of Jesus. They didn't say you can't go and teach and speak and whatever else, but it's the truth about Jesus Christ that is offensive. I mean, you find that out. You can talk about a lot of things, a lot of subjects, expound on them and so on. But as soon as you bring up Jesus Christ now we have tension, we have conflict. That's not appropriate, that's not acceptable.

What do Peter and John say? We'll give that thought. No, Peter and John answered and said to them, whether it is right in the sight of God. Now here we are. Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge. These are the judges in Israel. Now would you tell us it is better to obey man than God? For we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard. We must obey God rather than men. Peter will later write in I Peter 2 about the responsibility of believers toward governing leaders and to be submissive. But there is a limit to that and that is where the governing leaders intrude on my responsibility before God. Now I want
to be careful I don't use that as an excuse to broaden out now into all kinds of areas and personal convictions. But I can never shut my mouth about Jesus Christ and His work and the salvation that is found only in Him. I must obey God rather than men, that's what Peter and John have to say.

Verse 21, when they had threatened them further, they let them go. So they added weight to what they have told them with threats, what could happen to them, I take it, if they continue to do this. And finding non 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 the miracle of healing had been performed. In other words what holds the Sanhedrin back on this occasion is they are afraid of a riot and an uprising if they try to do something to Peter and John, because this miracle has gotten a lot of attention. And people are always caught up with the miracles. That doesn't mean they are all believers here. Remember when Jesus fed the multitudes and He said, I know why you are following Me. It's because your stomachs were filled. So people jump on the miracle bandwagon but they don't all become true believers. But nonetheless there has been a mass response that can't be denied.

So they are released, that's all the Sanhedrin can do—threaten. When they are released now we'll see what the response of the believers is at this point. I mean, this has been an intimidating action here. I'm sure the believers who heard about this now are waiting. What's going to be the outcome of this? So Peter and John come back, and when they had been released they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. And when they heard this, they lifted up their voices to God with one accord. There is unanimity here, there is a oneness here. And said, oh Lord, it is you who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. First let's start out by who is sovereign over all. We go back to who is the Creator. The Sanhedrin, the judges of Israel have spoken, but there is a greater authority than human judges. You, Lord, made the heaven, the earth, the sea and all that is in them. And you are the One who by the Holy Spirit with the mouth of our father, David your servant said, why did the Gentiles rage and the peoples devise futile things? The kings of the earth took their stand and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against His Christ. The sovereign God who created all things and so who is Lord of all, judge of all spoke through the mouth of David the servant of the Lord. And here you have the inspiration of scripture. There is no doubt here. And these believers understand what David wrote were the words of the Lord. They are drawn from Psalm 2, it's the Spirit of God speaking. And He said, why did the Gentiles rage, the people devise futile things? The kings of the earth took their stand, the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against His Christ. What an awesome thing. The rulers and the people joined together against God and His Messiah. That's exactly what the scripture said. They are standing against the One who created everything, the One whom He anointed to be the Christ, the Messiah of Israel.

You see what we have? We have the word of God, that's their confidence, and what the scriptures say about God, He's the sovereign Creator of all. He has spoken and His word is authoritative. That's our confidence. They don't turn into themselves, they don't get caught up with we're not able to stand against such an august body. We're weak, frail people. These are the experts in the scripture, these have the power in the nation. What can we do? Their attention is directed toward God and who He is. And they are His servants and He has spoken.

For truly in this city, verse 27, we are 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. You see what gives stability to them? Why they could be confident and bold and assured? Not because they were people different than we are, but because they had their minds and hearts fixed on their God and what He said. If He is the One who created everything and all the people in His creation, and He had unfolded what would happen, they simply did what God said they would do. So we are no longer taken back. When Christ was taken away, arrested and crucified, they were in disarray. But now they understand they have a resurrected, living Messiah. And He is the Savior.

They mention here that the whole city and all the people, Jews and Gentiles alike, are gathered together against the One that God had anointed, the holy servant Jesus. He mentions Herod here. This is not Herod the Great who was ruling when Christ was born. He died about 4 B.C. After he died his kingdom was divided into fourths and then one of his sons was so incompetent that Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, took that portion. The Herod here is Herod Antipas who was governing the region of Galilee.

Come back to Luke 23, Luke talked about this. So he can presuppose the understanding because Theophilus, to whom he is writing, also received the gospel of Luke, so he would be familiar. Verse 4. And Christ has been arrested and being accused by the Jewish leadership, verse 4, Pilate said to the chief priest and the crowd, I find no guilt in this man. They kept on insisting, saying, He stirs up the people, teaching all over Judea, starting from Galilee, even as far as this place. Galilee is north, up by the Sea of Galilee and the region up there. Now Jerusalem is down in Judea. When Pilate heard he asked whether the man was a Galilean. When he learned that he belonged to Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who himself was in Jerusalem at that time. Since we're coming to a major Jewish feast, Herod Antipas has come to Jerusalem. Well Pilate sees a way out—I'll send Him to Herod. We are in Judea, we are in my region, but He is from your territory.

Now Herod was very glad when he saw Jesus, for he had wanted to see Him for a long time because He had been hearing about Him and was hoping to see some sign performed by Him. He questioned Him at some length but He answered him nothing. Jesus remained silent. The chief priests and the scribes were standing there, accusing Him vehemently. And Herod with his soldiers, after treating Him with contempt and mocking Him, dressed Him in a gorgeous robe and sent Him back to Pilate.

Now note what happens in verse 12, now Herod and Pilate became friends with one another that very day. For before that they had been enemies with each other. Jesus Christ not only unites believers in allegiance to Himself, but He also unites unbelievers. So you understand every unbeliever in the world has a common allegiance with one another, joined by a common opposition to God and His Son Jesus Christ. So there is unity in the world. The one thing that unites them all, they are under the authority of satan and joined in opposition to Jesus Christ. Here both Pilate and Herod have been in the presence of the God-Man, Jesus Christ, and Herod treats Him with contempt. Mocks Him, dresses Him in a gorgeous robe and then sends Him back to Pilate. And Pilate sees what Herod has done and they can now become friends. Sad state.

Come back to Acts 4. What is said here? Do you see the great faith of these early believers? Verse 28, these people have done whatever your hand and your purpose predestined to occur. In Acts 2:23 when Peter was preaching on the Day of Pentecost, he said that this act of crucifying Christ, you delivered Him over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, nailed Him to a cross by the hands of godless men. Even the worst, most vile deed ever done was part of the predetermined plan of God. God did not make them do this sinful act, but it was His predetermined plan to use their sinful desires to carry out His purpose. You see the assurance that comes with that? Nothing that sinful men can do can frustrate the plan of God. So what can sinful men do to us? Nothing that is not part of God's plan for us as His people. So why should we be intimidated? Why should we fear? The persecution, the opposition, none of that will occur but what is part of the plan of God for us, even as the crucifixion of our Messiah, the holy servant Jesus, the anointed of God, His crucifixion was part of the predetermined plan. Your purpose predestined this to occur.

So now Lord, take note of their threats, Acts 4:29, and grant that your bondservants may be delivered from any suffering. That's not what they pray. Lord, take note of their threats and grant that your bondservants may speak your word with all confidence. We're back to verse 13, now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John. Lord, grant to us that ongoing confidence, boldness, openness to speak, that we may speak your word with all confidence, while you extend your hand to heal and signs and wonders take place through the name of your servant Jesus. Because what is going on here? There is a validation of the message. We'd say yes, I would like to speak the word openly and also have the power to heal and do miracles. But you realize the miracles don't change anything. What the miracles are doing at this early stage are validating the new revelation being given by God.

Come back to Hebrews 2. As you are aware there is confusion on this in the movement called the charismatic movement and so on, where they say Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. So if He did miracles then He should do miracles today. It doesn't say Jesus does the same thing yesterday, today and forever. He walked this earth for 33 years, He's not doing that today. He was in a physical, unglorified body during that time; He's not doing that today. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. In His character He never changes. He is not ruling and reigning in glory on the earth today, but some day in the future He will. It is such a foolish use of scripture.

In Hebrews 2 a warning about not believing the message. For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard so that we do not drift away from it. The picture of a ship drifting past the safe harbor. And in those sailing days, that sailing ship drifted by the only safe harbor, now they are back in open waters again, they can't turn on the motor and come back. They are doomed to destruction in the storm.

For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty, how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation. After it was at first spoken through the Lord it was confirmed to us by those who heard. God also testifying with them both by signs and wonders and various miracles, by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will. Those who are receiving what we have as our New Testament had that new message validated by the miracle gifts given to them. But now that the word of God has been given, we are responsible to believe the word of God. That has been validated and confirmed. And if you don't believe the scriptures, you won't believe even if one is raised from the dead. So we're in that position.

So you come back to Acts 4. We want boldness to proclaim the word of God. Verse 31, and when they had prayed the place where they had gathered together was shaken. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness. So God confirms. Again, we are in this early stage, the church just started in Acts 2. The gospel hasn't even gone beyond the confines basically of Jerusalem, we haven't even gone to Samaria. That will take place in Acts 8. So there is the confirmation here and assurance to them. You have this small band of people and God confirms that they are to continue to speak with boldness. The Spirit of God provided boldness.

You know, we wrap this up, here we are in the church today 2,000 years after these events, but we have the same word of God. It was newly being given. At this stage we don't have the letters that will be written by Peter later and John's letters later, and his writings and Paul's writings. Now we have it all complete. We have the same responsibility, to speak with boldness, openness, clarity. And you'll note in Acts 4:13, the Sanhedrin, the trained theologians, observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood they were uneducated and untrained men. But they knew the word of God. You know one of the disasters that has happened to the church, we've moved away from the concept of every believer is to know and understand the word of God and to be prepared to speak forth the word of God with confidence and assurance. We think well trained people, scholars and theologians, and I appreciate God gives some with great minds, but it has been a disaster for the church, that the truth of God has been turned over to them as though they were a caste of priests above our abilities to understand. God could have taken trained men, He took Paul, a trained man. But He also took Peter, a fisherman, John, a fisherman and used them with great power as well.

Come over to I Corinthians 1:26, for consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh. We have spiritual wisdom, we have godly wisdom, and we know Jesus Christ and the truth that He has given. Not many might, not many noble. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise and God has chosen the weak things of the world to chain the things which are strong. And the base things of the world and the despised, God has chosen. The things that are not so that He may nullify the things that are so that no man may boast before God. But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. So that just as it is written, let him who boast, boast in the Lord.

Then Paul comes into chapter 2. And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come to you with superiority of speech or wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. I determined to know nothing among you but Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

Do you know Jesus Christ and Him crucified? Then you are qualified to speak before the wisest of men, the mightiest of men, the noblest of men. I take it that's what it says. We sit back and say, I can't do that, I can't talk to them, I'm not good with words. Do you know what they said about Paul? His speech is contemptible. And when you see his appearance it's not better. He was mightily used by God. Why? Because he was the best speaker, he was the most powerful personality. No, he had the word of God. And you remember what the word of God is? It's like a fire, it's like a hammer and it never comes back void. I think when we stand before the Lord, we'll wonder why we did so little with so much. Here we have the power of God entrusted to us and we say nothing, we go around timid, not bold. I don't think they would take it well from me, I don't think I'm the one to tell them. Wait a minute. Why not? Are you embarrassed about Christ? Remember what Paul wrote to Timothy? Don't be ashamed of me, don't be ashamed of the gospel, don't be ashamed of Jesus Christ. Why would we not be bold about Him? He is our Savior, He is the one we represent.

One more passage, II Corinthians 4:5. Paul has been talking about the gospel and the blindness of the unbeliever to the gospel. Verse 5, we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord. And we take our focus off ourselves. When do I get timid? When do I get intimidated? When do I get fearful? When I start thinking about me and what I can't do and how I wouldn't be the one to engage them, and they are so much more intelligent than I am. But God didn't ask me to use my brilliance and my intelligence and my wisdom, He told me to tell them His word. Verse 7, but we have this treasure, the treasure of the knowledge of Jesus Christ, in earthen vessels so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves. We are afflicted in every way but not crushed, perplexed but not despairing, persecuted but not forsaken, struck down but not destroyed. On it goes. So as we go out, everywhere we go, we ought to have the confidence. I would like to tell you about a Savior, the One who came to this earth from heaven, walked this earth, taught and did mighty things, was crucified on the cross and was raised from the dead. Do you know why? Because you and I are sinners and the penalty for sin is death. Jesus Christ the Son of God is the only Savior and there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. Have you ever believed in Him. Are there any of us who can't say that? Can't tell someone else? We pray for the right time, the right opening, the right opportunity. You are there, the unbeliever is there, that's the right time and the right opportunity. Spit it out and let God do His work.

Let's pray together. Thank you, Lord, for your grace. Thank you for choosing the weak, the despised, the base. Thank you, Lord, there are few wise, mighty and noble, but your work is carried on with the humble people you have chosen. Not the greatest people, not the most influential, not the smartest, but people entrusted with your word because you are the One to receive all the glory. You are the One to receive the honor. People are not saved because we were so clever, we were able to argue them into a corner, we were able to overwhelm them with our arguments. No, it's by your grace, the simplicity of the gospel. Lord, may we determine to know nothing as we go and carry the message to the unbeliever, but Jesus Christ and Him crucified. May we not be distracted or turned aside or intimidated because we have the message which is your power for salvation to everyone who believes. And we are living testimonies to the power of that gospel. And we give you thanks. In Christ's name, amen.