Doug Sutherland is teaching Acts 4:1-12. The video below is the introduction to the study. For the complete study click here for Part 1 and here for Part 2. by Jim Wise Just a few weeks earlier Jesus prepared his disciples with the warning that they would not be popular with some of those very people who opposed Jesus' teaching. Acts 4 describes the disciples' first taste of many fulfillments of that prophesy. In verses 1-4, Peter and those who are with him are confronted by the captain of the temple, who is the official second only to the high priest, and by the Sadducees. They are annoyed by the teaching that the lame beggar was healed by the faith that is through Jesus who was resurrected from the dead. This is the same combination of adversaries of Jesus who refused to see him as the long prophesied Christ and crucified him and those who did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. Both are interested in crushing this upstart movement of faith in Jesus that threatens their position and power over the people. The message of Christ crucified was offensive to them. Then as today, the gospel message of the cross and the salvation and freedom that comes through faith in Jesus is powerful. Those who recognize their need for a savior accept it as did the 5000 in Jerusalem who had believed in Jesus by chapter 4 of Acts. For those who do not want to change and want to preserve their old way of life, the gospel is disturbing and something to be quashed. The power of the gospel message has not changed but those who receive it have. by Jim Wise In Isaiah 52:13-53:12, the prophet spoke of God's servant who would be despised, rejected, esteemed not, wounded for our transgressions, oppressed and afflicted. Through Isaiah, God spoke of his servant as the righteous one who shall bear their iniquities and who bore the sin of many and makes intercession for the transgressors. In the ultimate fulfillment of the prophecy, Isaiah wrote in 52:13 that the servant shall act wisely and shall be high and lifted up and shall be exalted. The Jewish people had been looking for hundreds of years for this “Servant” mentioned by Isaiah to free them from foreign oppression. Peter was using this familiar passage to show them that they had actually put Him to death. The nation of Israel had been looking for the lion that would free them from the crushing boot of the Romans and missed the Lamb. While Isaiah wrote of Jesus coming as the sacrificial lamb in his first coming, he also wrote about the ultimate fulfillment of the prophecy in the second coming of Jesus. Isaiah 53:12 says of Jesus, "I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong." Jesus the Lord of Lords and King of Kings will be exalted and return like a conquering general and in that second coming He will share with believers in His name the benefits of that exaltation. Peter is telling the crowd that the Jesus they killed, the Author of Life is the key to being freed from captivity. He uses the limiting physical captivity of the lame man and the miracle derived from faith in Jesus' name as the prepared ground for presenting the gospel message and the freedom from the captivity of sin it offers. We should look for prepared ground today and do likewise. by Jim Wise Seeing the amazed crowd, the formerly fearful Peter who had denied Jesus, spoke again with the conviction and force he exhibited at Pentecost. Not fully committed to Jesus prior to his death because his human expectation of Jesus restoring the Kingdom of Israel was unfulfilled, Peter now sees things in a different light. The difference was the resurrection and glorification of Jesus which Peter said was by the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. That same God in Exodus 3:6 said to Moses, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." Just as God was saying to Moses that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were alive, so now Peter tells the crowd that God's servant Jesus is alive. Peter directs the crowd's attention to Jesus, the Author of Life, and says that it is the faith that is through Jesus that restored the man to health. Just as Moses led the Israelites from bondage to freedom, so now Jesus provides a way to freedom from the bondage of sin and to eternal life with God. Probably reflecting on how he failed to understand the ultimate purpose of Jesus' miracles, Peter now uses miracles to point the crowd to the salvation that comes through the risen Jesus Christ. His sole focus now is on promoting God's kingdom on this earth and the eternal life that comes through faith in Jesus. Jason Mills and Doug Sutherland review Friday's Bible Study by Jim Wise The lame beggar was looking for money to get through life for another day, while Peter and John were looking for an opportunity to give someone life for eternity. The Holy Spirit was at work and Peter and John were His instruments. As Peter directed his gaze at the man, the man fixed his attention on Peter and John. Luke's use of the eyes reflects the idea that "the eyes are the window to the soul" and the thought in Ephesians 1:18 which says, "…so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you...." We like the apostles should be looking for someone with whom we can share the gift of eternal life through the gospel message. We are not responsible for bringing anyone to faith in Jesus, but we do have the job of sharing the good news of the gospel. While this world is not our home, it is our mission field preparing us for home. The words of the hymm "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus" reflect the thought:
O soul, are you weary and troubled? No light in the darkness you see? There’s light for a look at the Savior, And life more abundant and free! Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face, And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, In the light of His glory and grace. |
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