HOSTILITY TO THE FAITH
1. I have some pictures from a Ukrainian summer camp.
2. These were taken about 6 months after communism fell apart in Russia.
3. In one of these photographs there is a young man sitting by a chess board.
4. He was waiting for someone to come along and challenge him.
5. After making a couple of hand motions we were both situated and started to play.
6. If you have ever played chess, you know that the game ends when someone is checkmated.
7. Someone says “check” when they threaten their opponent’s king.
8. When the king is threatened and cannot move, this is checkmate and the game ends.
9. The young man in Ukraine was checkmated. He was beaten.
THE PEOPLE WE READ ABOUT IN ACTS 4 WERE ALSO CHECKMATED, THOUGH THEY WERE NOT PLAYING A BOARD GAME.
A. The text shows that the apostles were preaching. Thousands of people had become Christians.
B. The conversions were making the Jewish officials angry.
C. The anger was so great that there was a trial.
D. Peter, John, and a man they had healed were brought before the high court.
E. Some officials asked the apostles for an explanation.
2. In previous studies we have looked at part of what Peter said.
3. Peter that a “good deed” had been done (verse 9).
4. He said that salvation is in “no other name” (4:12).
5. Peter said that Jesus was a stone that was rejected but God used Him anyway (verse 11).
6. There is a picture in Acts 4 that is very graphic and very relevant.
7. Tonight it is my hope to bring the story that Luke tells to life.
A. Let’s start with the information in verse 16 – READ .
B. The word “notable” has been defined as “a remarkable miracle.”
C. Another source says that this miracle was “clearly recognizable.”
8. These are good definitions.
9. Consider what was done.
10. Acts 3:2 says that there was a man who was unable to walk since his birth.
11. People had to carry him.
12. Here is how he is described – READ 3:2.
13. In Acts 3:7-9 we have some more information – READ .
14. The man who had never walked, according to Acts 3, was doing many things.
A. In our country we have an expression – “I over did it.”
B. Some who are released from hospitals find that this is true for them.
C. They go back home, resume activities, and strain themselves.
D. Some patients so exert themselves that they must return to the hospital.
E. The man in Acts 3 did great things.
F. For someone who had never walked he put his cure to the test.
G. In Acts 4 we read about this same man.
15. Notice the little detail in Acts 4:14 – READ .
16. This man was “standing.”
17. In spite of all the activity from the previous day, he was still able to stand up.
18. During the court proceedings this man did not need a chair or someone to support him.
19. The point is even more impressive when we add that Luke used the perfect tense.
20. This man had been standing and he continued to stand.
21. This explains why the rulers said that a “notable” miracle had been performed.
22. This tells us why the Jewish officials said, “We cannot deny what has happened” (16b).
23. THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO DOUBT ABOUT THIS MAN’S HEALING. THE ONLY DIFFERENCES WERE IN HOW PEOPLE RESPONDED TO WHAT HAD BEEN DONE.
A. Some believed and obeyed.
B. Just the number of men who became Christians was about 5,000 (Acts 4:4).
C. This was one of the miracles that helped convince people that Christianity is true.
D. There were other people who were not convinced.
24. Many of the religious rulers failed to believe.
25. This disbelief was not based upon a lack of evidence.
26. Here we have a case where people had irrefutable proof but they chose to ignore.
27. An airtight case was made for the faith but some didn’t want to believe it.
28. They had their own beliefs and system of religion and nothing was going to change that.
A. I once worked in a foreign country with a preacher who is about my age.
B. We were part of a team that had a man who was well known for personal evangelism.
C. The preacher who is about my age said, “I have a sister who is not a Christian.”
D. If only the brother who is with us could teach her she would be converted.”
29. Perhaps he was right.
30. My suspicion was that he was not right.
31. There are some people who are like the hard ground in the parable of the sower.
32. No matter who presents the truth, or no matter what is presented, some are impervious to it.
33. Some are just as resistant as the people in Acts 4.
34. I want to demonstrate just how resistant the men in Acts 4 were.
A. We have seen that they acknowledged the miracle. They couldn’t deny it.
B. They said that it was a “notable” sign.
C. Let’s take another look at verse 14 – READ .
D. The leaders could “say nothing against” the miracle.
E. Luke used the imperfect tense (continuous action in the past).
F. That is, these men continually had nothing to say against the miracle done by the apostles.
35. These men were, to use a word from the beginning of the lesson, checkmated.
36. When a king is checkmated it cannot move. There is no place that the king can go.
37. These rulers had no alternative explanations.
38. They were surrounded by the truth on all sides.
39. Today people are sometimes put in this same kind of position.
40. People believe something but they find that their belief is inconsistent with some facts.
41. People are still put into positions where they must make choices.
42. Will they stay with what they believe and probably enjoy, or will they go with the facts?
43. Good hearts see the need to change and go with the truth.
44. There is another mindset that says “I will cling to my beliefs no matter what.”
45. Some have their minds made up and they will not listen to the facts.
A. This is exactly what the men in Acts 4 did.
B. Verse 15 provides us with another important piece of information – READ.
C. These men “conferred” amongst themselves.
D. The verb “conferred” meant “to throw together.”
E. Sometimes people are in a situation where they “throw something together.”
F. Sometimes people are quickly called out of bed and they “throw on” some clothes.
G. These men were trying to throw together an explanation.
H. They had no interest in truth. They were not concerned about God’s will.
I. They wanted to keep their cherished beliefs intact.
J. Since Luke again used the imperfect tense he described some frantic searching.
46. These men looked as hard as they could for an explanation but could not find one.
47. This kind of response is not surprising.
48. Listen to Lk. 6:10-11 – READ .
49. The Lord had to deal with this same type of mentality.
50. There were some who were more interested in their beliefs than truth.
51. What happened when Jesus dealt with these kinds of people? He did not convince them.
52. Jesus was God in the flesh.
53. The man that the Lord healed had a “withered hand.”
A. The word “withered” describes “the loss of natural fluids.”
B. Here was a man whose hand was dried up and probably immobile.
C. This man had a terrible disease that was clearly visible but he was cured.
D. In spite of watching the cure, still wanted to do away with Jesus.
54. Some have the kind of mentality where not even the Son of God cannot convince them.
55. One of the most distressing things for a Christian is to be unsuccessful in evangelism.
56. We sit down with people, talk with them, work with them the best we can, but they do not change.
57. We try to teach people but they do not respond.
58. I have lost count of the family members who have said, “We have tried to talk to our…”.
59. Christians can look at themselves and think that they have done something wrong.
60. If only they had been more persuasive. If only they had lived a better life.
61. If only they knew more or something else they could have converted someone.
62. There are some cases where these things may be true.
63. There are many other cases where these things are not true.
64. If we knew the Bible cover to cover, there are some people we would not convert.
65. If we could perform miracles like and Jesus and the apostles, some would still be unconvinced.
66. In thinking about this matter I want to inject another reference from Luke.
A. This passage occurs near the end of his gospel – Lk. 21:15.
B. This passage is in the context of miraculous help but it still has meaning for us.
C. The Lord spoke about the times when His people would be asked to explain some things.
D. Here is what He said – Lk. 21:15 – READ .
E. Jesus promised that enemies of the faith would not be able to “answer” His apostles.
F. This is exactly what we find in Acts 4.
67. Notice if you will what Jesus actually promised in Lk. 21.
68. We may be left with the impression that Jesus promised the apostles that they would convince people.
69. The promise had nothing to do with getting people to believe the truth.
70. The Lord simply said that His people would present an air tight case.
71. The defense by the apostles would be perfect but this would not guarantee that others would believe.
72. Today we can look at this passage as well as Acts 4 and say, “this is right.”
73. As sad as this is, nothing has changed.
74. We as individuals must come to grips with the sad truth in Acts 4.
75. Some will not believe no matter what is said or done.
76. In fact, in Lk. 16 Jesus said that people coming back from the dead would not convince some.
77. When we try to teach someone and they do not respond, we must not blame ourselves.
78. We must be sure that we are open to the truth, find the truth, and hold to the truth.
79. This is what the apostles did.
80. We then take the information we have and share it with others.
81. If others are not convinced we have done or job.
82. Is this how we are trying to live?