watch & listen to series messages
Sermon notes
Acts 3:1–10 - Healing at the Temple Gate
Have you ever had a day that seemed completely ordinary, only for God to step in and change everything? That’s what we see in Acts 3. For Peter and John, this was just another afternoon of prayer at the temple: a rhythm they followed daily. For the lame man at the Beautiful Gate, it was just another day of begging for survival as one does: but it’s something he had done for years. But in a single moment, their paths crossed, and a routine day became a divine appointment.
This story is about more than just a miraculous healing isn’t it? It’s about how Jesus is still at work through His people, empowered by the Holy Spirit. The book of Acts is not only a historical account of what happened after Jesus ascended; remember, it is the continuation of what Jesus began to do and teach (Acts 1:1). And today, in Acts 3, we see that Jesus is still healing, still restoring, still calling people into His kingdom: this time, through His Spirit-filled disciples.
And here’s the truth, this isn’t their story alone, It’s ours too. Just like this man, many of us have been stuck in the same struggle for years. Just like this man, some of us have stopped expecting anything to change. And just like this man, some of us have encountered Jesus in a way we never expected. Can I ask you a few questions that you can write down in your notes for the week?
Where do I need to be seen?
Where have I been expecting too little from God?
What am I holding onto that I need to surrender to Jesus?
When we bring our brokenness, our expectations, and our deepest needs to the One who sees us, He doesn’t just fix what’s broken, He makes us whole. Let’s pray and open Acts 3 together and see what God has for us today.
V1-3
The opening verses of Acts 3 introduce us to a moment of divine appointment where the daily routines of men intersect with the supernatural power of God. Peter and John, two of Jesus’ closest disciples, now apostles and leaders of the early church, are going to the temple at the hour of prayer (3 PM). This is significant because, even after Pentecost, we see that the early believers didn’t abandon the temple altogether, they still engaged in Jewish practices of worship and prayer, but now with a new understanding of Jesus as the fulfillment of the Law. The temple was not just a religious site; it was a place of encounter, a place where people gathered in expectation.
At the same time, a lame man, crippled from birth, is being carried to the Beautiful Gate. This was his daily routine—he had likely been doing this for years, relying on the generosity of temple-goers. In this, we see a picture of human limitation:
He is unable to walk, unable to move on his own—just like humanity, crippled by sin and in desperate need of restoration.
He is dependent on others to bring him to the temple—just as we, in our brokenness, cannot bring ourselves into God’s presence apart from Christ.
He is begging for money, expecting temporary relief—but he is about to receive something far greater than what he asked for.
This moment sets up a powerful contrast between expectation and reality: he expects money, but God is about to give him a miracle.
And just like in Luke 5, where Jesus healed the paralyzed man, the work of Jesus is still continuing. This time through His Spirit-empowered disciples. This miracle is not only about physical healing, it’s about confirming the authority of Christ, the message of the gospel, and the love of God that transforms lives. The stage is set. A broken man is at the gate of the temple, about to encounter the power of the risen Christ. This is what happens when the gospel moves beyond the upper room and into the streets. The work of Jesus and the work of the Holy Spirit are one in the same: God confirming His love to humanity while confirming His authority and message.
Application: I think we have to pause and recognize that Jesus, through the Scriptures, is showing us something profound—though our situations may be different, our condition remains the same. I can’t imagine what it’s like to never walk from birth. To never know what it means to stand on your own, to be constantly dependent on others, to long for freedom but feel trapped by your body. That’s not my experience. Some of you, however, have walked through unimaginable suffering. Some of you have been carrying the same burden for years. Maybe it’s a chronic illness, an emotional wound, a financial struggle, or a relationship that feels beyond repair.
Now, let’s take this out of ancient Jerusalem and into 2025. Some of us are sick. Some of us have been in the same struggle for so long that we’ve stopped even praying about it—because it’s just become normal. Some of us need a healing touch from heaven. And I want to tell you— I believe for you this morning. I believe God sees you. I believe God cares. And I believe that this man being healed was no accident.
But listen—here’s what we must understand: Jesus isn’t just interested in fixing our situations; He’s after our souls. This man needed more than new legs—he needed new life. Because what good would it have done him to have his legs healed, only to use them to run straight into sin? What good is physical healing if the heart remains hardened before God? What good is having a prayer answered, if the answer never leads us into deeper worship of the One who gave it?
I want to ask you today—what are you waiting for God to heal? And more importantly—what will you do when He moves? Because healing isn’t just about restoring what’s broken—it’s about redirecting our lives to the One who makes us whole. Let’s not just seek a change in our situation—let’s surrender our condition. Let’s trust that whatever healing looks like in our lives, it will always be for His glory and our good. If you believe that this morning, would you tell the person sitting next to you, “I believe Jesus can heal me.”
V4-6
How many times have you walked past someone in need and looked away quickly before they noticed? We’ve all done it. Not because we don’t care, but because seeing them means acknowledging their need—and sometimes, that can feel overwhelming. I’m not condemning.
But here in Acts 3:4, Peter does something radically different. He stops. He looks. And he says, “Look at us.” This is intentional. Peter and John are drawing this man’s attention to the fact that they see him—and just as important, he needs to see them too. Why? There is something deeply human and deeply spiritual about being seen. It is wired into our souls—this longing to know that we are NOT invisible, not forgotten, not abandoned. God shows us in His Word that He is the God who sees. He is the God who saw Hagar when she was cast out, alone, and abandoned in Genesis 16. She was not the “right person” in the religious crowd—she was an outsider, a runaway, a slave, a woman dismissed by society.
And yet, God saw her. And when she realized that, she gave Him the name: El-Roi—”The God Who Sees Me” (Genesis 16:13). Think about that for a second. Hagar was not a patriarch. She wasn’t a priest. She wasn’t a prophet. She wasn’t an Israelite. And yet, God saw her. He called her by name. He acknowledged her pain. And now, in Acts 3, God is doing the same thing through Peter and John. This man—crippled from birth, dependent on scraps, overlooked by thousands—is being seen by God. Before Peter even speaks of healing, he gives this man what he has craved for years—dignity. Acknowledgment. Recognition. This is where ministry begins. It’s not always in the miracle of healing itself—sometimes it’s in the moment you stop and see the person others have ignored.
Sometimes, the deepest healing starts with being noticed. I remember when this happened in my life. Do you remember when God used someone to do this for you? I was seen. Take on this challenge this week: Let the Holy Spirit lead you right now in your thoughts of who it is that you may have overlooked. Who in your life needs to be seen and how might God use you uniquely to minister to that person? Right that name down in your notes right now.
In verse 5, the lame man fixes his attention on Peter and John, expecting to receive something from them. Of course, he should! In just a few words—“Look at us”—these men have already changed his whole outlook on life. For possibly the first time in years, maybe ever, he isn’t just another overlooked beggar at the temple gate. He is seen. And when you are seen, you begin to hope.
We don’t realize how much hope is tied to visibility—to knowing that we are not forgotten. I think about this often in my life and especially when I get the opportunity to visit and pray with people in assisted living situations or in the hospital. It is a great honor to love people where they are at in their life. How many people around us are spiritually or emotionally crippled, longing for someone to truly see them? How many are silently crying out, “Does anyone notice? Does anyone care?” The moment someone is seen, they begin to believe—maybe my life matters. Maybe my story isn’t over.
Maybe there is something more for me. And isn’t this exactly what Jesus does? He sees us. When others overlook, dismiss, or walk away, He stops, looks, and calls us by name. When we were dead in sin, lost in shame, trapped in cycles we couldn’t break, He stepped in and spoke life. Meditate on this verse for a moment of what this means about God actually seeing us and knowing us:
Psalm 139:1-2 – “O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar.”
This is what makes the gospel so powerful—before Jesus changes our situation, He changes our identity. He doesn’t just heal; He restores dignity. He doesn’t just fix what’s broken; He gives us a new purpose. And just like this lame man, when we realize we are seen by God, we begin to hope again. We have to pause here and ask—do we live with expectation?
When we fix our attention on Jesus, do we come to Him believing that He will respond? This man expected money, but he was about to receive a miracle. How often do we expect far too little from God? How often do we come to Him asking for temporary relief when He desires to bring total restoration? Then verse 6 shifts everything. Peter says: “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!”
Imagine the moment—the anticipation, the uncertainty, the weight of that declaration. The man was expecting money, but Peter offered something far greater.
Peter had no silver or gold—but he had Jesus.
“What I do have I give to you”—Peter gave what was within him.
He had nothing material to offer, but he had the Spirit of the Living God. This is so important—you cannot give what you do not have. We don’t peddle hope, we lead people to Jesus who is our hope. That’s what Peter had, that’s what I have, that’s what you have when you come to Jesus. Hope eternal in Jesus name.
“In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”
Peter had no power of his own. He wasn’t healing by his authority, but by the authority of Jesus. This isn’t magic. It isn’t about money, formulas, or rituals. It’s about Jesus. Healing, salvation, transformation—all are found in the name of Jesus!
Acts 4:12 – “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
This is the same name that commands demons to flee, that calms storms, that raises the dead, that forgives sins. And this man—a man who had spent his whole life dependent on the mercy of others—is about to encounter the power of that name in an area of his life that was absolutely hopeless. This is the great reminder to those who know Jesus and those who want to know Jesus alike, Call upon the name of the Lord! One of my favorite authors wrote this about how we as Christians should do ministry:
“Ministry is acting in the name of jesus. when all our actions are in the name, they will bear fruit for eternal life. to act in the name of Jesus, however, doesn’t mean to act as a representative of Jesus or his spokesperson. it means to act in an intimate communion with him. The name is like a house, a tent, a dwelling. to act in the name, therefore, means to act from the place where we are united with Jesus in love. to the question “where are you?” We should be able to answer, “I am in the name of Jesus.” Then, whatever we do cannot be other than ministry because it will always be Jesus himself who acts in and through us. The final question for all who minister is, “are you in the name of Jesus?” When we can say yes to that, all of our Lives will be Ministry.”
V7-10
The moment Peter reaches out his hand and lifts this man up, everything changes. Strength floods his feet and ankles, and for the first time in his life, he stands. But he doesn’t just stand—he leaps, walks, and praises God. The command to walk is repeated four times in these few verses, emphasizing that this isn’t just a physical healing—this is restoration, transformation, and a new way of life. This moment should immediately make us think of Isaiah 35:5-6:
“Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.” Isaiah’s prophecy was about the coming of the Messiah, about the time when God would bring renewal and healing. And now, in Acts 3, we see that this promise is being fulfilled through Jesus. This man isn’t just healed in his body—he is restored to the community. He enters the temple—walking, leaping, praising God—right alongside the people who had once passed him by. He belongs.
Notice the pattern: In Acts 2, the outpouring of the Spirit is confirmed by a miracle, followed by the preaching of the gospel. Now, in Acts 3, another miracle takes place—and once again, the gospel will be preached.
God is showing us something here. Miracles are never just about the event itself—they are about pointing people to the truth of Jesus. They serve as a witness to God’s power, mercy, and the inbreaking of His kingdom.
More than anything, we can’t read Acts 3 without seeing the call to respond. Peter and John didn’t have silver or gold, but they gave what they had. And this is what Christian mission is all about—responding to the needs around us with what we do have, with what God has uniquely entrusted to us. God doesn’t ask us to give what we don’t have—but He does ask us to be faithful with what we do. What if Peter and John had looked away?
What if they had assumed someone else would take care of it? The truth is, God moves through those who are willing. So what do we have? What has God given you—your gifts, your voice, your compassion, your resources—that could be used to bring healing and restoration to someone else? Because this isn’t just Peter and John’s story—it’s ours. We are called to respond to the brokenness around us with what God has placed within us: The Holy Spirit, The Gospel of our salvation, all in the name of Jesus.
This man, who had spent his entire life on the outside looking in, now enters the temple—walking, leaping, and praising God. But don’t miss this—he’s not just walking into a building—he is walking into a community. For years, he was carried to the gate while others walked past him. He was left outside while others went in to worship. But now, because of the power of Jesus, he steps through the very gate where he once sat, not as a beggar, but as a worshiper. He belongs. He is seen. He is part of the family of God.
And this is a word for you today too, whether you are with us in person or online: Maybe you’ve felt like an outsider, like everyone else has a place, a purpose, a community—but not you. Maybe life has left you at the gate, feeling forgotten, overlooked, or unworthy. But hear me—you belong. If you would have us, we will be your people. You don’t have to stand at a distance, you don’t have to wonder if there’s room for you in God’s house.
The gospel is an invitation to all of us including the forgotten, the cast-aside, the ones the world has passed by. And when God calls us home, when we stand in His presence forever, you will see that the family of God is vast, diverse, and full of people just like me and you. There is a seat at the table. There is a place for you in the kingdom of God. you are seen. So come in. Walk, leap, and praise God. Because He has made a way for you today in the name of Jesus. Let’s worship Jesus together.
Acts 3:11–26 - Peter's Second Sermon
There’s something absolutely undeniable about walking in the prayers and promises of God in Acts 3. This chapter is about the collision of faith, expectation, and the undeniable reality of God’s power. But pause for a second and really think about this: have you ever walked in the answer to a prayer you once prayed? Have you ever stepped into something so clearly orchestrated by God that you couldn’t take credit for it, even if you tried?
It’s a humbling thing. You realize—I didn’t cause this. I didn’t make this happen. I prayed, I sought the Lord, and He answered. And when He does, it’s almost overwhelming. Because deep down, you know the truth: it wasn’t about trying harder, being more disciplined, or doing all the right things. It was about a faithful God who meets us with real answers, in His timing and in His way.
That’s exactly what we see in Acts 3. A man who had been lame from birth suddenly walks—not because of anything he did, but because of the power of Jesus. Peter and John? They didn’t manufacture the miracle either. They simply lived in the reality of God’s promises, spoke in faith, and watched Him move. That’s what makes walking in the fulfillment of God’s Word so humbling—it’s not our doing. It’s His. And when we recognize that, our response can only be what this healed man and Peter did: cling, rejoice, and point it back to Jesus. Do you remember the first time you walked in an answered prayer? I wasn’t even saved, I hadn’t given my life to Jesus, but it was one more piece to the puzzle as Jesus was drawing me to Himself.
V11-12:
There is a beautiful picture here of the man clinging to Peter and John. We are reminded that God uses people in our lives. In Acts 3:11, the healed man clings to Peter and John—and honestly, that’s a whole sermon here. When something life-changing happens, we instinctively reach for the people around us. This guy just experienced a miracle, and instead of running off solo, he sticks close to his people. That’s a reminder for us: faith isn’t a solo journey. We’re meant to celebrate together, struggle together, and grow together.
Romans 12:15 hits it perfectly—”Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” Life is better when we’re doing it with people. But let’s be real—sometimes we cling because we’re unsure of what’s next. This man had never walked before. He was stepping (literally) into a new reality, and that can be overwhelming. We all need people who keep us grounded when life shifts unexpectedly. God designed community for this reason—Galatians 6:2 calls us to carry each other’s burdens, and Hebrews 10:24-25 reminds us to show up for one another. But here’s the key: Peter and John didn’t let this guy put them on a pedestal.
They immediately pointed him to Jesus (Acts 3:12). That’s the kind of community we need—people who will hold us up but always direct us back to Christ. At the end of the day, the Christian life isn’t meant to be a one-player game. We weren’t built to do this alone. The world pushes independence, but God calls us to interdependence—leaning on each other while staying rooted in Him. So, here’s the challenge: Who are you clinging to? and here’s an even more powerful thought, Who’s clinging to you? Whether in struggle, joy, or healing, we are challenged to commit to doing life together—authentically, intentionally, and always pointing each other to Jesus.
I’ve noticed it’s almost harder to point people to Jesus when they are doing good rather than when they aren’t. When people aren’t doing good they are desperate for an answer. When we are doing ok, it’s more like well, I could take that advice, but I don’t really have to. And so the challenge remains for those struggling and those who are rejoicing: cling to Jesus and His church.
Don’t allow distraction or despair to draw you away from your faith but allow it to root you deeply in the name of Jesus. And so as the crowd gathers in amazement, Peter points them to what they really need, Jesus. In verse 12, Peter, standing in Solomon’s Portico, addresses them and makes a powerful statement: “Why do you stare at us?” The people were in awe, fixated on Peter and John as if they had some kind of supernatural power of their own. But Peter knew better—he knew exactly what was happening.
This wasn’t his moment; this was Jesus working through him. Peter recognized that he, too, was walking in answered prayer. Just like the lame man had been lifted up to walk, Peter was standing in the very calling he had once hesitated to embrace. He had told Jesus, “I will feed your sheep” (John 21:17), and when others had turned away, he had declared, “Where else shall I go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68). Now, here he was, living that reality—not by his own strength but by the power of Christ at work in him. So, when he asks, “Why do you stare at us?” it’s not out of false humility or deflection—it’s the truth. I didn’t do this! This is Jesus! he redirects their gaze, not just away from himself, but toward the One who deserves all the glory.
V13-15
In verse 13, Peter doesn’t waste any time clarifying exactly who is responsible for this moment: “The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His servant Jesus.” He roots this miracle in the long story of God’s faithfulness, tying it back to the covenant promises made to Israel. This wasn’t just a random act of power—this was the fulfillment of everything God had spoken, now revealed through Jesus. Remember that throughout the book of Acts, signs are the most useful tool in drawing attention to the gospel and this is why, especially in the book of Acts, miracles are inseparable from preaching the gospel. Now, with the audience’s attention secured by the miracle, Peter preaches that Jesus Christ is:
- God’s Servant: Holy and Righteous One (Acts 3:13-14)
- Author of Life (Acts 3:15)
- The Promised Prophet (Acts 3:22-23)
- The Agent of Promised Blessing (Acts 3:25-26)There are hints to 2 huge themes that we cannot miss also: God will ultimately bless all people and there is a restoration plan for Israel.
Let’s dive into how these titles are going to be addressed by looking at a structural component of Peter’s sermon first. He’s going to break it up into 2 major pieces: the first part of his address v12-16 focusing on the actions of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, especially their disavowal of Jesus, “the author of life.” The second part of the address v17-26 focuses on the actions of God, especially his appointment of Jesus as the messiah.
This first part of Peter’s sermon is heavy—it confronts the people with the reality of what they’ve done. Peter immediately grounds his message in Israel’s history. This isn’t a new idea or a new movement—this is the continuation of God’s covenant with their ancestors. Jesus is identified as God’s Servant, echoing Isaiah’s Servant Songs (Isaiah 42:1; 52:13). This connects Jesus to God’s redemptive plan. But rather than recognizing and embracing this Servant, they handed Him over. He says, “But you denied the Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murderer to be granted to you.” This is an undeniable contrast:
They had the Holy and Righteous One, the One set apart by God, and instead, they chose Barabbas—a criminal and murderer. The irony is heavy here: they rejected the truly innocent one in favor of the guilty one. As if that’s not enough He finishes with this gut punch: “And you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.”This is one of the most profound statements in Peter’s sermon. They didn’t just reject Jesus—they killed Him. But pause and think about the weight of Peter’s words: “You killed the Author of Life.” That phrase alone carries staggering theological depth.
The term Author of Life (archēgon tēs zōēs) means more than just the “beginner” or “originator” of life. It speaks of Jesus as the very source and sustainer of life itself. it is a direct claim to His divinity. Only God can be the Author of Life. The Old Testament repeatedly affirms that life itself belongs to God alone:
Genesis 2:7 – “Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.”
Ezekiel 37:5-6 – “Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”
Job 33:4 – “The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.”
By calling Jesus the Author of Life, Peter is declaring outright that Jesus is divine. This is no ordinary prophet, no mere teacher—He is God in the flesh. The irony is staggering: they killed the very One who gives them breath. The One who formed them in their mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13) was the One they nailed to a cross. The One who sustains all things by His word (Hebrews 1:3) was the One they sentenced to death.
But don’t get it confused, my friends—this wasn’t just *“the Jews’” fault or “those people” who crucified Jesus. It’s far too easy to distance ourselves from the weight of this moment, to read Peter’s words and think, That was them, not me. But the truth is, it wasn’t just their sin—it was my sin, your sin, the sin of the world that put Jesus on that cross. Yes, Peter was speaking directly to a crowd in Jerusalem, many of whom had been there when Jesus was condemned. But this sermon isn’t just for them—it’s for us. The cross wasn’t simply a historical event carried out by a specific group of people; it was the result of the brokenness of all humanity. Every rebellion, every lie, every moment of selfishness, every act of pride—our sin demanded justice, and Jesus willingly bore it. So we can’t sit back and think, Well, if I had been there, I would have done differently.
No, we were there. We are there. Because every sin that separates us from God is another nail driven in, another voice in the crowd shouting, “Crucify Him!” And yet, here’s the beauty of the gospel: though we are responsible, Jesus willingly went to the cross for us. Whether you’re sitting in this room or watching online, God is calling you to account at this moment. Not to condemn you, but to invite you—to see your sin for what it is, to recognize your need for a Savior, and to respond to the One who took your place. The gospel isn’t just something that happened back then—it’s something happening right now.
But here’s the ultimate proof of His identity: death couldn’t hold Him. If Jesus were just another man, His death would have been final. But because He is the Author of Life, His resurrection was inevitable. Peter declares, “Whom God raised from the dead.” Life Himself cannot be conquered by death. This statement in Acts 3:15 isn’t just an indictment of the people’s actions; it’s one of the clearest affirmations of who Jesus truly is. He is not just a healer, not just a teacher, not just a prophet—He is the very source of life, God Himself in human flesh. And that truth changes everything.
V16 is the lynch pin to the entirety of His sermon. This is the point of it all let’s read it together:
“And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.” -Acts 3:16
The focal point of it all is in the name of Jesus. It is faith in the name of Jesus. Whether they know it or not, that Jesus died for them and is being preached to them is the answer to the prayers their mothers and fathers prayed. Jesus is the answer to every longing, every prophecy, every promise of God. And they are being given the opportunity to step into it—to walk in it. To walk in all that God has for them, as soon as they put their faith in His name. This verse is not just about a crippled man standing to his feet—it’s about an entire people who were crippled by sin now being given the chance to rise, to embrace truth, to step out of spiritual paralysis and into the fullness of life in Christ. Peter is saying, “This isn’t just about this one man. This is about all of us.
The same power that made him walk is the same power that can save and restore us.” But the key is faith in Jesus’ name. Not tradition, not effort, not trying harder—faith. The miracle in front of them is physical proof of a deeper reality: Jesus is alive, and He alone has the power to save.
V17-26
The second part of Peter’s address now shifts the focus from what the people did to what God has done. In verse 17, Peter softens the blow a bit, acknowledging that they acted in ignorance—they didn’t fully understand what they were doing when they handed Jesus over to be crucified. Even their rulers, the religious leaders who should have known better, were blind to the truth. But here’s the key: God was not surprised. In fact, He had purposed this to happen.
The idea of a suffering Messiah was so difficult for many to grasp that some Jews believed there would be two different Messiahs—one who would suffer and another who would rule and reign. But Peter is making it abundantly clear: there are not two Messiahs—there is one. And this one Messiah, Jesus, fulfills both roles. He is the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53 and the reigning King of Psalm 2. The problem wasn’t with God’s plan—it was with their understanding.
This is why Peter is taking such careful effort to show them that the Old Testament must be understood through Jesus. Have you ever read your Bible and felt like the God of the Old Testament seems different from the God of the New Testament? That’s the very misunderstanding Peter is addressing. God is one. There is no contradiction between the Old Testament and the New Testament, no shift in God’s character. The same God who spoke to Abraham, Moses, Samuel, and David is the same God who sent Jesus. And the only true way to understand the Old Testament is through Jesus as the key that unlocks it. Every prophecy, every law, every promise—it all points to Him.
V19
After laying out both their guilt and God’s sovereign plan, Peter calls them to the only appropriate response: repentance. There is no middle ground here. The only right response to the work of Jesus is repentance. There is no bargaining, no excuse-making, no self-justification. Repentance is not just feeling bad about what you’ve done—it’s a complete turning away from sin and toward God. Peter doesn’t say, “Think about it.” He doesn’t say, “Try harder.”
He says, Repent. And what happens when they do? Their sins will be blotted out. when something was “blotted out,” it meant it was completely wiped away, leaving no trace behind. That’s what Jesus does with our sin. When we turn to Him, our failures, our rebellion, our guilt—it’s not just covered up, it’s erased. But there’s more. Repentance doesn’t remove sin, it brings something new: refreshment. Peter says that “times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” it’s renewal. The Greek word for refreshing (anapsyxis) means a cooling, a relief, a breath of fresh air. It’s the feeling of stepping into shade after standing in the scorching sun.
It’s the deep, soul-level exhale that happens when the burden of sin is lifted. Do you need that kind of refreshment today? Are you tired—tired of your sin, tired of your life, tired of where your choices have been leading you? Maybe you’ve tried to fix things on your own, maybe you’ve carried guilt for too long, maybe you’ve run from God instead of toward Him. Come to Jesus and be refreshed. The answer isn’t in trying harder or being better. It’s in turning to Him.
Accept what He’s done, say thank you, stop running, stop resisting—just turn to Him. And when you do, you won’t just find forgiveness. You’ll find life, renewal, and refreshing in His presence. This is what it feels like to walk in the answer to our prayers.
V21
At the end of verse 20 and through verse 21, we get a glimpse into apostolic eschatology—in other words, how the early church understood the return of Jesus. Peter declares that Jesus “must remain in heaven until the time for restoring all things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.” This tells us something crucial: Jesus’ return is directly tied to the fulfillment of God’s restoration plan.
One key element in this restoration is the repentance of Israel. Many Old Testament prophecies point to a future time when Israel, as a nation, will turn back to God and recognize Jesus as their Messiah (Zechariah 12:10, Romans 11:25-26). Peter seems to suggest here that Jesus will remain in heaven until that happens. This doesn’t mean we set specific conditions for Jesus’ return, but it does emphasize that God’s redemptive plan is still unfolding.
While we wait for that ultimate restoration, God is still sending times of refreshing today. Peter’s words remind us that refreshing is something God does now. There are seasons when His presence moves powerfully among His people, bringing renewal, repentance, and restoration. We should pray for and believe in these times of refreshing. Think about the moments in your life when God has refreshed your spirit, or when He answered prayer—when His presence brought clarity, peace, and renewal. Those moments are a taste of the ultimate restoration to come. But they also remind us that we don’t have to wait until Jesus returns to experience His renewal. Revival begins in our hearts today.
V22-26
Peter now shifts his argument to the entirety of the Old Testament, showing us that Jesus is not just a part of God’s plan: Jesus is the fulfillment of every prophecy, every promise, and every covenant. He doesn’t just appear in the story of Scripture; He is the story. He is the answered prayer. Peter quotes Deuteronomy 18:15-19. You have to understand this, Moses was the ultimate prophet in Israel’s history—he was their leader, their lawgiver, their deliverer. He spoke directly with God, performed miracles, and led the people through the wilderness.
But even Moses knew he wasn’t the final answer. He prophesied that God would send another prophet like him—but greater.
Samuel was the first major prophet after Moses, anointing David as king and ushering in the prophetic tradition. But Peter is making a bold claim: every single prophet—from Samuel onward—was pointing to Jesus.
David (Psalm 110:1 – The Messiah will reign at God’s right hand).
Isaiah (Isaiah 53 – The suffering servant who would bear the sins of many).
Jeremiah (Jeremiah 31:31-34 – The promise of a new covenant written on people’s hearts).
Ezekiel (Ezekiel 36:26 – The promise of a new heart and spirit).
Daniel (Daniel 7:13-14 – The Son of Man given eternal dominion).
Peter’s point is clear: The entirety of Scripture points to Jesus. This isn’t a new message—it’s the fulfillment of an ancient promise. He ends his sermon by sharing that Jesus is the fulfillment of the greatest promise made to the father of faith himself, Abraham.
This goes all the way back to Genesis 12:3, when God told Abraham that through his offspring, all the nations of the earth would be blessed. The Jewish people had always understood this as a Messianic promise—that through Israel, God would bring salvation to the world. Peter is now saying: That time has come. That offspring is Jesus. This is the grace and mercy of God. Jesus came first to the Jewish people—not because they were better, but because they were chosen to carry the promise. But the ultimate goal was never just Israel. It was always about all nations, all peoples, all families of the earth. That’s our great answered prayer! The time has come and Jesus is ours through faith in His name.
I’ve intentionally left verse 23 out until now—not as a scare tactic, but because this is the reality of where Scripture points us.
“And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.” – Acts 3:23
It’s a direct echo of Moses’ prophecy in Deuteronomy 18:19, where God Himself says that rejecting this Prophet (Jesus) has eternal consequences. Peter has spent this entire sermon showing that Jesus is the fulfillment of every promise, prophecy, and covenant. But now, he is making it clear: ignoring Jesus is not a neutral choice. There is no middle ground. And it’s not a coincidence that you’re hearing this today. Whether this is your first time in church, your 5,000th time, whether you’re sitting in this room or watching online, God has purposed this moment for you to hear His Word.
He is calling you—not to condemnation, but to life, to renewal, to restoration. Peter’s message is clear: Repent and be refreshed. That’s not just an invitation—it’s a promise. If you turn to Him, He will blot out your sins, He will restore your soul, and He will refresh you with His presence. And here’s something else to consider: your salvation is an answered prayer.
Maybe you don’t even realize it yet, but someone has been praying for you—maybe for weeks, months, or even years. A parent, a grandparent, a friend, a spouse—someone has been bringing your name before God, asking Him to draw you to Himself.
Here we are, standing in a moment that was always meant to be. A moment where God is speaking, where Jesus is being lifted up, where the call to repentance and refreshing is as real as ever. Peter’s sermon in Acts 3 wasn’t just for the crowd at Solomon’s Portico—it’s for you. Right now. This is your moment of decision. This isn’t about religion, or self-improvement. It’s about Jesus—the Author of Life, the Promised One, the Servant who suffered, and the King who reigns. Every prophecy, every promise, every covenant finds its fulfillment in Him. And today, you are stepping into that prayer being answered. This moment is not accidental. God is speaking to you. will you listen?
Acts 4:1–22 - Opposition from the Religious Leaders
Intro:
Well, if you haven’t heard it yet this week, You are going to face opposition. That is an undeniable reality of life. Every pursuit, every goal, every conviction will face resistance. Happy Sunday, you can all go home and partake in self loathing until Christ’s return. No, I’m kidding! That’s not the end of the story. For the Christian, opposition is not just a general struggle, it is a spiritual certainty. Scripture tells us that to follow Christ is to enter into war. And there are three primary forces that stand in opposition to your faith:
- Satan – The Adversary
He is real. He is your enemy. And his mission is singular: to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10).He seeks to accuse you before God (Revelation 12:10), tempt you to sin (1 Peter 5:8), and deceive you into doubting the truth of Christ (Genesis 3:1-5).
If you have placed your faith in Christ, you are no longer under Satan’s dominion, but that does not mean he stops trying to fight for your attention and for control.
- The World – The Opposing System
The world is not neutral. It is actively hostile to God’s ways.
Jesus declared, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you” (John 15:18-19).
The values of this world—its thinking, its motivations, its desires—are diametrically opposed to the kingdom of God.The world wants you to compromise, conform, and keep silent. God calls you to Persist, Persevere, and proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ!
- The Flesh – The Internal Struggle
The greatest battle is often within you.
Your sin nature still craves what is contrary to the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-17).While Satan attacks externally, and the world pressures you from the outside, your flesh wars against you from the inside.
But here’s the good news: the Spirit of the Living God dwells in you, and He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world AND sin itself AND the flesh (1 John 4:4, Romans 8:9-11).
Acts chapter 4 is the first recorded persecution of Christ’s followers. It marks the first major opposition to the church—not from Rome, but from the religious elite who should have recognized Christ. This is only the beginning of what will unfold in chapters 4, 5, and 6, leading up to the stoning of Stephen in chapter 7, where the full weight of opposition explodes into violence. From this chapter onward, Acts becomes a tale of two kingdoms:
- The world’s kingdom—opposed to God in its thinking, motivations, and values.
- The kingdom of God—where Jesus reigns as Lord, and His followers live by an entirely different reality.
And so the question is not “Will you face opposition?” The question is “Will you stand boldly in the face of opposition?” Let’s pray and read Acts 4 together.
Read Acts 4:1-22
Acts 4 is broken into 4 major Scenes for us. If you are taking notes, we will approach each scene this morning
- Scene 1: The Arrest (v1-4)
- Scene 2: The Trial (v5-12)
- Scene 3: The Dilemma (v13-17)
- Scene 4: The Defiance and Release (V18-22
Scene 1:
Begins and Peter is in the middle of preaching (Acts 3:11-26), declaring Christ boldly in Solomon’s Portico, and the very rulers he just accused show up—not to repent, but to shut him down. The opposition consists of three groups: The Priests – Representatives of the religious establishment, responsible for maintaining orthodoxy and temple order. The Captain of the Temple Guard – The second-highest authority in the Temple, responsible for keeping peace and preventing disturbances. This was not just a religious figure; he functioned almost like the chief of police, acting with Roman authorization. The Sadducees – Theologically liberal, aristocratic rulers who denied resurrection, angels, and the supernatural (Acts 23:8). They saw this teaching of Peter as dangerous, not just the resurrection itself, but the idea that Jesus was alive and at work. Now Luke uses a very deep Greek word to describe how they approached the Apostles, they came upon them it says. Luke deliberately uses this term to show that opposition to the gospel is immediate, unavoidable, and confrontational. When you boldly proclaim the truth of Christ, you can expect immediate opposition, whether from religious authorities, secular powers, or even cultural elites. The text tells us why they were “greatly annoyed”
- Because they were teaching the people. Teaching the people was the exclusive right of trained rabbis and religious leaders. Peter and John had no such credentials, yet they spoke with undeniable authority. This hurts their ego and even more so, it takes away their authority. That’s a big no-no.
- Because they were proclaiming “in Jesus” the resurrection from the dead. This message was a direct assault on the Sadducees’ theology. More than that, it was a political challenge, implying that Jesus was still in authority, still active, still ruling.
Can we agree on something this morning, church? We still believe this today. Jesus is still in authority, still active, and still ruling! Amen? There’s also some theological irony happening here: The Pharisees and Sadducees disagreed on the doctrine of resurrection (Acts 23:6-8), but they united in their rejection of Jesus. Isn’t this always true? The world’s ideologies may conflict, but they will always find common ground against Christ. Many in the world have no problem with spirituality, religion, or philosophy, until you bring up Jesus. The name of Jesus demands a response, it forces a decision. In verse 3 we see the first imprisonment for the gospel. The Jewish court, called the Sanhedrin, did not meet at night (unlike the illegal trial of Jesus in Luke 22:66-71). Notice what they did: Instead of allowing Peter to finish his message, they silence him by force. This moment foreshadows the ongoing persecution of the church. Again, the words matter, Luke uses the phrase “laid hands on them” and it is used both positively and negatively in Scripture, here, it is a hostile force. But we have to understand this in Acts 4, Opposition does not kill the church, it fuels its growth. The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. The message of Jesus cannot be silenced by force. Sometimes, God allows us to suffer opposition so that the message will spread further. The arrest of Peter and John does not hinder the gospel. In fact, it gives them a bigger platform in the next scene.
Scene 2
Verses 5-12 starts Peter and John have now spent an entire night in prison. They are brought out the next morning, and the full force of Jewish authority is assembled. Who is present? Luke makes sure we understand that this is not just any trial—this is the Sanhedrin, the supreme Jewish council. Rulers, Elders, Scribes, And then Luke names the most powerful figures: Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander. Why Does Luke Emphasize the High-Priestly Family? Because the same people who put Jesus on trial now stand in judgment over His followers. This is not just about theology, this is about power. This group sees themselves as the gatekeepers of God’s authority on earth. The ultimate irony? They are about to judge the true High Priest and the true source of power, but they don’t recognize Him. They demand to know whose name has such power—and they are about to hear the only Name that truly holds authority in heaven and earth. Now Peter speaks, but not alone. The rulers thought they were interrogating a fisherman from Galilee, but the Name and the Power they are opposing is now speaking through him. Peter is filled with the Holy Spirit to speak again. This must be dually noted. Jesus promised His followers that they could rely upon Him and He would give them the words to speak. And so Verse 9 begins, “If This Is About a Good Deed, Let’s Talk About That.” big emphasis on the “if” here. They are not actually on trial for healing a man, they are on trial because this healing happened without their approval, outside their authority. This is not about whether the miracle was real, it’s about who is in control. So verse 10 Peter is now fully on the offensive: You crucified Him—but God raised Him. You rejected Him—but He is still working. You tried to silence Him—but by His Name, the crippled now walk! The Holy Spirit through Peter then quotes Psalm 118 saying that Jesus is the stone. The builders (Sanhedrin) threw out the most important stone in God’s building. But God Himself established Jesus as the foundation. They evaluated Jesus and concluded He was worthless, but God made Him everything. Verse 12 is the key verse not only for Acts but for the entire gospel message. It is a confrontation with every other belief system. It is a completely exclusive claim that we too claim as a church and for this reason we must read it together this morning: and there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12 Powerful, powerful verse. All over Acts 4 we keep reading name, name, name. Why does this matter so much? Names carried power in Jewish thought. To invoke a name was to call upon its authority (Exodus 3:14-15). Peter is not performing here, he is declaring that Jesus is alive and active, this is the name that carries all power. Peter is not suggesting that Jesus is a way of salvation—he is declaring that Jesus is the only way. There is no other name, no other authority, no other means by which anyone can be saved. This verse cuts through religious relativism, through the idea that all paths lead to God, through the cultural insistence that truth is subjective. There is a power struggle. Scene 2 is a power struggle, This moment is a battle of authority. The rulers demand to know whose power is at work. Peter tells them exactly whose authority they are opposing and they hate it! Scene 3 is going to show us the dilemma they now face.
Scene 3
The first thing the Sanhedrin noticed was boldness—not fear, not hesitation, but courageous confidence. These men were not trained speakers, nor were they trying to impress anyone—but their courage came from the certainty of what they had seen and experienced in Christ. The Sanhedrin was shocked that Peter and John could speak with such conviction and command of the Scriptures. Let me tell you why. We have to look at 2 Greek words here: Ἀγράμματοι (agrammatoi) – translated “Uneducated.” It literally means they had no words. This does not mean illiterate, rather, they were not formally trained in rabbinic schools. They had no religious credentials and had never sat under a Pharisee or a scribe. In other words, they were outsiders to the system of authority. The second word is the word Ἰδιῶται (idiōtai) translated for us “Common men.” Yes, you guessed correctly, this term is where we get the word “idiot” in English, BUT! in Greek, it means layperson or someone without professional status. These were fishermen, not scholars. From the Sanhedrin’s perspective, they had no business speaking so boldly about theological matters. Can we just look at the irony here for a second? The Sanhedrin had all the training, all the credentials, and all the religious status—yet they were speechless. Meanwhile, the men they dismissed as nobodies (Wordless idiots) were the ones proclaiming truth with power. Come on! It does not get better than that! The world expects influence to come from status, education, or position. But God works through those who simply walk with Him. Here is to this exact point: notice what they recognized. The Greatest Credential: Being With Christ Here’s the key phrase to understanding scene 3. there’s the realization that these men had been with Jesus. Here it is: “They recognized that they had been with Jesus.” -Acts 4:13 I want nothing more from my life than to be with Jesus and have people recognize that I have been with Jesus. They had no degrees, no diplomas, no letters of recommendation—but they had the presence of Christ evident in their lives. Their words, their courage, their wisdom—all of it pointed back to Jesus. The Sanhedrin thought they had eliminated Jesus, yet His presence was still transforming lives. “Do People Recognize That You Have Been With Jesus?” This is the ultimate question that comes out of this verse. Not, do you have theological training? Not, do you have an important position? Not, do you have status or credentials? But, is it clear to the world that you have been with Jesus? Here is my challenge and exhortation for you this week: One mentor of mine put it this way, If I were to take you to court, and I subpoena your coworkers, your neighbors, social media, family, friends, would I be able to convict you? That your words, thoughts, and actions show that you have been with Jesus? Maybe you need to take a walk with this today and ask the Lord to reveal in you where these changes need to be made. Notice that Peter and John had no earthly qualifications—but their lives testified of Christ so clearly that even their enemies had to acknowledge it. So now The religious elite, the most powerful court in Israel, is now speechless. Why? Because the evidence is standing right in front of them. They tell them to leave while they compile their notes and try and manipulate this situation. This scene is almost laughable, the most powerful court in Israel is unable to stop a few fishermen? Come on, this can’t be real. We know that it is more than that the truth is: The Name of Jesus is unstoppable. Amen? They tried to silence Him in death, but He rose again. They tried to silence His followers, but the movement spread. They tried to suppress the truth, but even their own admission proves it’s real.
Scene 4
In verses 18-22 and they think they have the answer. So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. Simple enough right? If we can’t beat them, stop the spread! If we can’t disprove it, contain it. The Sanhedrin had all the training and authority, yet the only response they can come up with is censorship. They don’t deny the miracle. They don’t even engage in theological debate. Instead, their only tactic is suppression. When people can’t argue against the truth, they try to silence it. This has always been the world’s response to Jesus. Peter and John know better. This is their declaration as witnesses: We will listen to God, not men. We will speak, because we have seen and heard. The way this sentence is structured is beautiful they say “It is utterly impossible for us to remain silent.” This is not stubbornness by the way—it is conviction. They aren’t being rebellious—they are being obedient to a higher authority. The Sanhedrin had given a command—but God had given them a commission. There is nothing else they can do but walk in what God has commissioned them to do.
In verses 21 and 22 we see that the rulers, now frustrated and powerless, heap more threats upon Peter and John, but ultimately, they let them go, unable to punish them without provoking an uprising. Their fear of losing control over the people outweighed any concern for seeking the truth. But the real issue wasn’t the crowd, it was their own hardened hearts. They could not deny the miracle, yet they refused to acknowledge the Name that made it possible. The healed man, more than forty years old, stood as a living testimony, a permanent witness to the power of Jesus. The people, unlike their leaders, responded rightly, praising God for what had happened. The Sanhedrin tried to suppress the message, but the evidence was unshakable, and the Name of Jesus remained unstoppable.
Conclusion:
Church, what do we do with all of this? We have just walked through Acts 4:1-22, where the forces of religion, politics, and power stood against the gospel of Jesus Christ… and they failed. The Name they sought to silence was proclaimed with boldness. The men they sought to intimidate became even stronger. The message they sought to suppress only spread further. The Sanhedrin had every opportunity to acknowledge the power of God at work before their eyes, but they hardened their hearts instead. They feared losing control more than they feared standing against God. But Peter and John? They could not be threatened into silence. They could not be contained by fear. They could not stop proclaiming the Name above every name. So I ask again, church: Do people recognize that you have been with Jesus? Do your words, your actions, and your convictions testify that you know Him? You may not be standing before the Sanhedrin, but you will face opposition. In your work, your family, your school, your friendships, and in this world, there is opposition. And when that moment comes, what will your response be? Will you be silent? Or will you speak of what you have seen and heard? Opposition does not stop the gospel, it fuels it. Persecution does not destroy the church, it strengthens it. Threats do not silence the truth, they amplify it. Peter and John were not special. They were not scholars. They were not men of great status. But they had been with Jesus. This is what it takes to stand boldly in the face of opposition. Let it change everything for you today.
Acts 4:23–37 - Prayer and Generosity in the Early Church
We are going to continue in our worship of Jesus this morning as we study God’s word together. What a morning we’ve had dedicating our children to God and blessing these beautiful families, worshipping through praise, and now we get to look at a really powerful portion of our bible here as we pick up our study of the book of Acts. This morning we are in Acts chapter 4 and we will start in verse 23 together.
As you are turning in your bibles to Acts 4, I wanted to pose a thought to anchor our discussion a bit here: have you thought about how you are encouraged lately? Like what really encourages you? Maybe you’ve done a few personality tests, or you’ve read the book “the five love languages”, or maybe you’ve just spent a lot of time doing the hard work of spiritual formation and you’ve come to some conclusions on what encourages you. Now hear me, encouragement can absolutely take on different forms in your life so for that reason I feel the need to ground our conversation a bit.
If you look up the word encouragement, here’s the definition- Encouragement: the action of giving someone support, confidence, or hope. That is such a powerful definition of encouragement. I think sometimes we can confuse encouragement with a few things. Why? Because giving someone support, or confidence, or hope is really rewarding for us and for them and we want to help. If not done right, we can actually cause some temporary relief with some more long term problems. Let me explain this a bit better by talking about the things we can confuse encouragement with:
Encouragement Shouldn’t Be:
- Coping/Distraction – People sometimes mistake encouragement for simply helping someone escape their problems rather than giving them true support. Distractions (entertainment, hobbies, or even words of comfort) can provide temporary relief, they don’t necessarily equip a person with the strength or faith to endure and grow, right? Biblical encouragement doesn’t just help someone feel better in the moment—it helps them trust in God, persevere, and find lasting hope. This is the point of encouragement.
- Enabling – Encouragement is not making someone comfortable in a destructive or stagnant place. When people confuse encouragement with enabling, they may support behaviors or mindsets that actually prevent growth. True encouragement challenges people to keep going, not stay where they are. It acknowledges struggles, sits with it, loves them in that moment, but also calls people higher. It urges them to trust God, take responsibility, and move forward in faith.
- Flattery – Flattery is excessive, insincere praise designed to make someone feel good or gain their favor. Encouragement, on the other hand, is grounded in truth and love. Flattery may build pride or false confidence, but biblical encouragement strengthens faith and character. While flattery focuses on what people want to hear, encouragement speaks what they need to grow in God’s calling. This form of encouragement finds itself at it’s core to be self-centered and not helpful at all. I’ve found that these next three points about what biblical encouragement should be really focuses the gift of encouragement God has given me, and has helped me to encourage others in their gift and their lives.
Biblical Encouragement Should Be:
- Rooted in Truth – Encouragement is about reminding people of God’s promises and calling. True encouragement points people to Scripture. It helps them stand on God’s word rather than emotions or circumstances. Romans 15:4 – For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
- Strengthening for the Journey – it should equip and build resilience, helping people endure hardship with faith. True encouragement reminds others that God is with them and that their purpose extends beyond their struggles. It’s not just words, but action—meeting real needs in real time in ways that are actually helpful. One of the most impactful ways I’ve learned to encourage others is by knowing when to set boundaries on what I can offer and when to lean in and ask how I can truly help. Sometimes, the best thing I can do is simply say, “Hey, I want to help as much as I can, but I don’t know how. Can you tell me what would be most helpful to you?” That is strengthening for the journey—offering real support that meets actual needs. We don’t know how long we have with each other, but for as long as God calls me into the relationships I have, I want to give the most encouragement I can—encouragement that actually strengthens, equips, and sustains. James 2:15-16 – “If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?”
- Given in Love with Purpose – Because encouragement is meant to uplift and edify others. It’s given out of love, with the intent of building up, not manipulating or gaining approval. It challenges, supports, and strengthens others to walk in faith. Hebrews 10:24-25 – And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. So here’s the definition we’ve sourced for today: Encouragement is the Spirit-led action of strengthening, comforting, and urging others toward faithfulness in Christ through truth and love. Encouragement builds community, confidence, and perseverance by pointing people to God’s promises and calling. True encouragement reflects the ministry of the Holy Spirit, who is the Great Encourager, that comes alongside believers to guide, empower, and sustain them in their walk with God. Let’s read Acts 4:23-37 together.
Read Acts 4:23-37
V23-31
The first instinct of Peter and John after persecution is to return to their community. They are returning to their church. They report on how God is at work. Notice the symbiotic relationship of encouragement between the two: The Apostles need their Church and the Church needs their Apostles. Can my words encourage you today? There is a truth here, we are called to be men and women of encouragement. Part of that is listening and sharing with one another. Notice where it leads to, prayer. The Prayer– There is a pattern of early church prayer that would behoove us to learn. The pattern of petitionary prayer we find here opens with an address to God that gives God a name, Sovereign Lord, and is followed by a description of truths about God that deserve to be recounted before God, and then follows the petition itself. In the history of how the church has learned to pray, especially in Sunday worship, these three elements of petitionary prayers are called invocation, acknowledgment, and petition. Most times these prayers finish the petition with an expression of the goal of God’s answering the prayer and some of the grace foundation like through Christ our Lord or in the name of Jesus. This pattern happened throughout the Old Testament, King Solomon the wisest king prayed this way, as did Jesus, and the early church. This is a great model for petitionary prayer. To me it rightly frames how prayer is encouragement. We place God in His rightful place, we recount his goodness through scripture, and we ask! Ask for God to do what only He can do.
V-31
Verse 31 is the answer to their prayer: the response comes in three areas: The place was shaken. They were filled with the Holy Spirit. They continued to speak with boldness. This moment parallels Pentecost, reinforcing that God responds powerfully when His people pray. The shaking reminds us that God is strong, the filling of the Holy Spirit is the ultimate encouragement, and the continued speaking with boldness is the faithfulness of God.
V32-35
The response to God’s answer to prayer. We have to park in this verse, verse 32 because this is what God’s response to prayer leads us to. Can we read this verse together? Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common.-Acts 4:32 In your bible I need you to highlight or underline or whatever it is you do in your bible to the portion that says “those who believed were of one heart and soul.” This is what an encouraged people looks like. A people who have been encouraged, meaning properly supported, with confidence, and hope, together, in the Holy Spirit. Believers who are of one heart and soul is God’s plan. It’s how He encourages us.
Let’s work through this a bit to fully unpack what God is sharing with us today. “The full number” – Meaning this was not a small group or elite class within the church—it was every believer. The only requirement for this kind of unity was faith in Jesus Christ. Every believer is called to be of one heart and soul in God’s plan. You are never too young or too old, you have never put in enough time, you are never too good or too bad, this is the goal: Full of the Holy Spirit, Full of faith, Fully encouraged, Fully loved, Fully forgiven, Fully on mission with God. One heart. One soul. In Jewish thought, the heart was the center of desire, will, and decision-making. The soul represented the inner life, emotions, and being. Together, this means they were: United in their desires. United in their purpose. United in their devotion to Christ. How do we know they were of one heart and soul? They stopped living for themselves. They let go of personal ownership in favor of kingdom generosity. Their perspective shifted from “mine” to “ours”—not because they were forced to, but because their hearts were changed. A church filled with the Spirit should be marked by selflessness. The opposite of unity, and the very antithesis of encouragement, is selfishness—when we hold too tightly to our time, our money, our resources, we resist what God wants to do in and through us. This does not mean that they lived in forced communism—it means they voluntarily shared as needs arose. “Common” This is the root of the word koinonia, meaning fellowship, partnership, and sharing life together. Don’t get it confused, this is not just a money thing, This was not just about possessions—they shared their lives, their struggles, their joys, and their mission. All of it! A church filled with the Spirit does not cling to material things, it clings to each other. Let’s look at verses 32-35 together now. One of the most powerful realities of Acts 4:32-35 is that gospel proclamation and radical generosity are inseparable. When the Holy Spirit filled the believers, they didn’t just speak boldly—they gave sacrificially. The Gospel and Generosity Go Hand in Hand Great power (boldness) and great grace (unity) go together. A church that is spiritually healthy is also radically generous. But why? The very essence of the gospel is God giving. If God’s love is revealed through giving, then our love for God must be revealed the same way. A gospel that does not lead to generosity is a gospel that has not been fully understood. The early church understood that Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross was not just about eternal salvation, it shaped how they lived daily. The world’s system is built on accumulation but the gospel is built on distribution. In a self-centered world, generosity is countercultural.
V36-37
Barnabas’ introduction in Acts 4:36-37 is a deliberate and powerful bookend to the church’s radical unity and generosity. His very name, meaning “son of encouragement”, signals something deeper: he embodies the very essence of the early church. While the entire body of believers is marked by Holy Spirit-empowered boldness and sacrificial giving, Barnabas is singled out because his character and actions set him apart as a model disciple. Luke takes great care in introducing Barnabas with a full background: a Jew of the diaspora, of the tribe of Levi, and born in Cyprus. This detail is important because Levites traditionally did not own land (Numbers 18:20-24), yet Barnabas does. It’s telling us that, as part of the Jewish diaspora, he was financially well-off. But what makes Barnabas stand out is not his heritage or wealth, it is his willingness to surrender it for the sake of the gospel and encourage others. His act of selling his land and laying it at the apostles’ feet is a visible, tangible demonstration that he understands God’s mission and is fully invested in it. Barnabas is strategically generous. He doesn’t just give out of excess, he gives as an act of faith. He doesn’t just observe what God is doing, he aligns his entire life with it. This is why Barnabas will later become a critical figure in the expansion of the gospel, mentoring Paul (Acts 9:27), advocating for John Mark (Acts 15:37-39), and serving as a bridge-builder in the church. From the very beginning, Barnabas’ defining characteristic is that he lives on mission with God—using his time, talents, and treasures in service of the kingdom. His life forces us to ask: Do we view everything we have—our resources, abilities, and influence—as tools for God’s mission?
Conclusion:
We have an opportunity today. What if people looked at you and said, “That person strengthens others. That person builds up the church. That person lives like Barnabas—fully invested in God’s mission.” Wouldn’t that be a legacy worth leaving?
We spend so much time thinking about how we are encouraged, but have we stopped to ask, how am I encouraging others? When people encounter you, do they leave feeling stronger in their faith, more certain of God’s calling, more equipped to press on? Or do they leave unchanged, distracted, or even discouraged? When your story is told, what will be said of you? Will you be remembered as someone who strengthens others in their family, friend group, coworkers? Will you be known for building up the church, not tearing it down? Will you be known for being fully invested in God’s mission?
Encouragement is not just a personality trait or an occasional kind word, it is a way of life for those who follow Jesus.
Acts 5:1–11 - Ananias and Sapphira
Intro:
Today I want to jump into our text and it’s going to feel a bit like the birds and bees conversation. You remember the first time you had that conversation? And how weird and awkward it was. Well, that’s how today is going to feel. You want to know why? Because we are talking about giving, holiness, and unity seen in their antithetic forms or the opposite side of the coin in: withholding money, unholiness, and division. You know, all of the awkward conversations that no one wants to have in church.
Acts 4:32-37 Giving, Holiness, Unity (One Heart and Soul! Sharing! Encouragement! Life!)
Acts 5:1-11 Withholding Money, Profane, Division (Heart filled by Satan! Lying to the Holy Spirit! Fear! Death!)
And if this is your first time at Friends Church, you’re probably thinking oh no! I came on the worst Sunday ever! Know this, I don’t want your money. If you walk away from today’s message thinking, ok, I just need to throw a little more money in and I can deal with the bit of guilt or shame I’m carrying, or wow, I don’t want to die like Ananias and Sapphira so here’s a couple more bucks, you’ve missed the whole point of Acts 5. This is a heart thing! I remember Jesus talking about money all the time in the bible! Here are some facts about Jesus talking about money:
- Approximately 11 of Jesus’ 39 parables (28%) deal with money or possessions.
- 1 in every 7 verses in the Gospel of Luke relates to money.
- Jesus talks more about money and possessions than He does about heaven and hell combined.
- Roughly 15% of Jesus’ recorded words in the Gospels address money, wealth, or stewardship.
Not once though do you see Jesus talking about money and then passing a plate. Or flipping his iPad around for 15%. 18%, 20% tip.
Show Picture of Jesus holding an iPad
We as a church do not want your money. We actually stopped passing a plate for this exact reason. Listen to me very closely, hear me, because I love you and you need to know this: God’s word must shape you and you need to know God’s heart. A people that are on mission with God and know His heart are generous people. Giving is a byproduct of receiving from God. Jesus was after hearts and He still is today. So why did He spend so much time talking about money? Jesus knew this key piece: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21) But here’s a fact about life whether you’re a christian or not, you think about money all the time. Whether you’re paying bills, fueling up your car, getting milk or groceries, receiving a gift, it all costs something. So can we take some time as a people today and build out a biblical understanding of this? Jesus made it clear that He wasn’t after money, He’s after your heart. And there is an intrinsic link between what we spend on and what we value. Every Christian is privileged to give. The question we are asking today is this: What’s your heart filled with today?
V1-2
In direct contrast to Barnabas and the whole early church, Ananias and his wife Sapphira kept back for himself some of the proceeds. Interestingly enough, Ananias’s name means graciously given by God and Sapphira means sapphire, so a precious stone. The word employed here is Νοσφίζομαι (nosphizomai) – “to keep back, embezzle, misappropriate” This word suggests a deliberate deception in financial matters. The same verb is used in Joshua 7:1 (LXX) to describe Achan’s sin of keeping part of the spoils from Jericho. “But the people of Israel broke faith in regard to the devoted things, for Achan… took some of the devoted things. And the anger of the Lord burned against the people of Israel.” (Joshua 7:1) The sin of Achan is the sin of Ananias in the sense that it had to do with the heart and their faith. There is a direct link between withholding money and their lack of faith and where their heart is. The result? Both are killed. So withholding money is a sin? How does that work? I had to build this out for myself because I just couldn’t have it in my head any longer. Have any of you ever wrestled with the idea of giving? Oh man… I have been on both sides of the spectrum of giving. On one end of the spectrum where I thought giving was stupid and only religious cults did that, to now being in a place to freely, generously and hilariously give. I remember being in this place of lying to myself and to God in this way, “Well, I give a lot of my time and talents away so this month I don’t need to give financially.” or how about this one, I had this while I was pastoring at a church even, I’m not proud of it but this is where I was: “well, I don’t fully agree with the leadership of this church and I don’t agree with how money is being spent so I’m going to wait until they are out or the spending stops on these things that I don’t like and then i’ll start giving again.” I’ve been there. Or how about this one, I’ve been here too: I want my money to really do something that matters. So I’m not going to give to the general fund. That’s boring and my money isn’t going to just go to keep the lights on. I want to give to missions or something better because then I know my money is making a difference! Here is my final one: well, does the bible really say I need to tithe? Does it even say I need to give at all? This feels like a scam! I don’t know your financial situation or what you are dealing with, all I can share are my own sinful thoughts about giving through the years and how God has lovingly corrected me through this process and didn’t drop me dead like Ananias. Thank God there is grace for all of this. But I needed someone to straighten out my thoughts about money, and God, and my understanding of giving and I seek to help you in this today. For some of us, we need to be challenged in these areas of our spiritual lives because giving, and listen now, giving is spiritual more than it is financial. That’s why there is no place in your bible, especially in this story, where an exact number is given. It doesn’t say for $19.95 plus shipping and handling you’ve covered your giving! God does share with us a percentage, he calls it a tithe and tithe literally means 10%. And I don’t know who needs to hear this today but I still do: If you aren’t willing to give one dollar when you make 10 dollars, you’re never going to give 100,000 when you make a million. Giving is a spiritual discipline. I can’t share the fruit that God wants to produce in your life in regard to giving. In the same way I can’t share the fruit that God wants to produce in your life in regard to prayer, or fasting, or solitude, or praise, or any other spiritual discipline. It’s a fact of spiritual disciplines, you don’t gain the fruit of it until you start doing it. This is where I’ve settled in my heart the idea of the tithe are you ready? Tithing, or giving 10%, is assumed in the New Testament. I’ve heard it time and time again: Jesus never said we have to tithe! And you’re right, he also never said you have to pray, or read your bible, or go to church, or fast, or sing praises, or even the trinity for that matter. There is not written anywhere in the New Testament: Thou Shalt tithe. Let me show you why I believe it is assumed. If you are taking notes, I’m going to walk you through a bit of your bible you’ll want to jot down:
- Giving Before Sin If we are going to talk about something that is assumed in the New Testament, it has to happen before sin entered into the world, before Genesis chapter 3 because then we can make the claim that this is the way God intended it to happen. Or it needs to have a direct correlation woven through the repetition of Scripture because we use the bible to interpret the bible. The understanding of giving has both. We start in Genesis 2 Genesis 2:15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and keep it. God put us in the garden to work and to keep. And you have to see 3 major things happening here:
- Giving is built into our work and rest: In Genesis 2:15, when God placed Adam in the garden, the Hebrew word used for “put” (vayanihehu) is connected to the word for “rest” (vayanach) found in the Sabbath commandment in Exodus 20:11. This suggests that Adam wasn’t just placed in the garden to work—he was also called to rest in God’s presence. The words “to work it” (le’ovdah) and “to keep it” (le’shomrah) are the same words used in the Sabbath command: “Six days you shall labor” (ta’avod) and “keep” the Sabbath (shamor). This means Adam’s role was more than just gardening, he was given a spiritual responsibility to honor God through both work and rest. From the very beginning, God wove the rhythm of work and worship, effort and rest into creation, showing that both are part of a life devoted to Him. Our work is an act of stewardship, what we produce should honor God. Our rest is an act of trust, when we stop working, we acknowledge that everything belongs to God. Giving flows from this balance: We work to earn, but we also rest and give to recognize that God is our provider. Giving is not about what we earn, it’s about trusting God with what we have.
- Giving is an Act of Fulfilling God’s Commandments. The same words used for Adam’s role in the garden—”to work” (le’ovdah) and “to keep” (le’shomrah)—are used throughout Scripture to describe obeying God’s commandments. This means that Adam’s work was an act of serving and obeying God. Just as Adam was called to work and keep the garden, we are called to obey and uphold God’s commands. Giving is not just an optional good deed, it is part of our obedience to God. Giving therefore is not about following rules, it’s about fulfilling God’s purpose in our lives.
- Giving is Part of Our Priestly Calling. The same Hebrew words that describe Adam’s work in the garden are later used to describe the work of priests in the Temple. This means Adam’s role was about worship. The garden was a place of worship, and Adam’s role was like that of a priest in God’s sanctuary. As New Testament believers, we are priests in God’s Kingdom (1 Peter 2:9). Our giving is a priestly act, just like the Old Testament priests who brought offerings before God. When we give, we are serving God’s kingdom, supporting His mission, and reflecting His generosity. Giving is not just about supporting the church, it’s about fulfilling our calling as God’s priests. From the beginning, God designed work, rest, obedience, and worship to be woven together with giving.
- Giving Before The Law One of the strongest biblical cases for tithing before the Law of Moses is found in Abraham’s tithe to Melchizedek in Genesis 14:18-20. Genesis 14:18-20 “And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) And he blessed him and said, ‘Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!’ And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.”
It was given voluntarily, Abraham was not commanded to tithe, but he did so as an act of worship. It was given to a priest of God – Melchizedek represents a higher priesthood, one that prefigures Christ (Hebrews 7:1-10). Abraham’s tithe then prefigures our giving to Christ and Jesus is our great high priest. It was a response to God’s provision – Abraham’s tithe was an act of gratitude, not an obligation. It’s showing us something very clear: Tithing is not just a legal requirement, it is an act of worship, gratitude, and submission to God. If Abraham tithed to Melchizedek, a foreshadowing of Christ, how much more should we honor Jesus with our giving today?
- Giving is The Way of Jesus In Jesus inaugural address,Matthew 5-7, He tells us what He’s about. Let me give you a firehose run down as Jesus is defining what His kingdom is about: we start with the beatitudes, salt and light, He shares about fulfilling the law and not abolishing it, and then shares the things you shouldn’t do with a Jesus spin on it, the real meaning, right? So he talks about murder and anger, adultery, divorce, taking oaths, eye for an eye, giving, and loving enemies. And then He assumes the things that people do in the kingdom of God and shares why you should do these without hypocrisy. What are those things? Giving, Prayer, and Fasting. Jesus assumes that these are key in His kingdom and He assumes you should already be doing this, why? Because He already gave the entire Old Testament and we don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. These 3 things He mentions, giving, prayer, and fasting (When you give, give this way. When you pray, pray this way. When you fast, fast this way.) Jesus assumes you are doing this.
Then all of Acts happens where people are marked by their generosity, giving and sharing, until wham! Acts 5 happens in the middle of it. We are coming back to this I promise but you have to see how it would continue: Paul writes to churches in how to correct certain things that aren’t aligned with the way of Jesus and His kingdom and so he shares this key piece of knowledge for us: Now about the collection for the Lord’s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 There seemed to be a giving that was regular and Paul is saying add to that regular giving as we take care of the needy in Jerusalem.
To sum this whole thing up, here is how He puts it for the church: The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 Giving is for everyone, Every Christian is called to be a giver. Some may have small resources and others large resources, but giving isn’t about how much, it’s about the heart. We should never be pressured, manipulated, or guilted into giving. That’s not Biblical giving—that’s taxation! Instead, giving should flow from a willing and joyful heart. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 9:7 that God loves a cheerful giver. The Greek word for cheerful (hilaros) is where we get the word hilarious. Think about that—God wants our giving to be joyful, even overflowing with laughter! Why? Because that’s how God gives. He delights to give to us, and when we give with a joyful heart, we reflect His nature. True giving doesn’t just bless others, it fills us with joy. So let’s give not reluctantly, not out of obligation, but cheerfully, because A heart full of giving is a heart full of God.
V3-5
Let’s pick back up in our text. If giving is the way of the kingdom, then it should be obvious to us that withholding is the way of Satan. In verses 3-5 we see exactly that when Satan filled Ananias heart! This is a battle between Satan and the Holy Spirit. The last time we saw someone’s heart filled with Satan was when Judas betrayed Jesus. Satan has always come against the work of God . It seems that Satan knows where to strike, the heart! And can you remember what was given? 30 pieces of silver. Again, there is a direct link to money and the heart. Be reminded that this is not about an amount given by Ananias, it has to do with a heart that is wicked and chooses to lie to the Holy Spirit. There is a holiness and reverence to God that we are called to. Your holiness matters. God is starting something new, His church, who is called according to His name, and God is not going to tolerate Satan’s methods in His church. God cares deeply for the heart of His people and He wants to fill our hearts.
V4-6
Ananias drops dead. I don’t have an exact rationalization for you of why Ananias needed to die here and why God allows me to live even though I have sinned against Him. C.S. Lewis once spoke about Aslan in his book the chronicles of Narnia and Aslan is a picture of Jesus. One of the most powerful thing C.S. Lewis writes about Aslan is, He is not a tame lion. Our Jesus is not a tame lion. What I do know is that His ways are above mine. I am not God, Jesus is. This text is sobering and reminds me that yes, of course Jesus is my friend and He is always there for me. But we can never forget that Jesus is King and worthy of our worship and praise as king. I am called to bow the knee. As I read this I can’t help but to notice the young men mentioned in this portion of Acts. They are so excited to be walking with God and doing a new thing in church and then they show up one day and there is a death in the family. Can you imagine? They’ve spent this time really working through what it means to follow after God, learning their bibles, they are watching friends and family get saved and baptized, they are seeing a miraculous Spirit inspired giving of all things: Time, Talents, and Treasures. And then this happens. They see a man and his wife who are known by name to this church of over 5,000 people and they drop dead. Death reminds us that this is not the way it is supposed to be. God created us for life. Death sobers us to the reality that this life is not the end. When our hearts are filled with an awe of God, we are reminded to live in the reality of His ways.
V7-10
Repeats and confirms what has happened now with Ananias’s wife Sapphira. We get one more detail about what is happening here on this spiritual battlefield. Peter is clearly given the gift of discernment and is speaking to them the truth of God and he shares this, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord?” Acts 5:9 There is only one place in your bible where God tells you to test Him. Curiously, it has to do with giving. Allow me to read this passage for you.
Malachi 3:6-10 “For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.
See, God called it robbery because the people kept for themselves what rightfully belonged to Him. But it’s not just the tithe—everything we have belongs to God (Psalm 24:1). He entrusts us as managers, allowing us to steward His resources. However, tithes and offerings are different. They are not given to us to manage; they belong to God’s house. When we tithe, giving 10% to God, it doesn’t mean the other 90% is ours to waste. It’s all His; He just allows us to manage the rest wisely. Many people struggle financially but fail to do the most important thing first: honor God with their resources. If our heart is “How little can I give and still please God?”, our hearts are in the wrong place. The early church understood this and said, “We’re not under the tithe, we can give more!” Here’s the challenge: God dares us to test Him here. Not in the way Ananias and Sapphira did, but in this way. This is where He says, “Try Me now in this.” He’s saying: “See if you can give to Me and be the poorer for it.” “See if you can out-give Me.” You can’t. God is always the greater giver. Will you trust Him with what’s already His? Fill your heart with faith, not fear; with generosity, not greed; with trust, not trespass. Step into the joy of giving, knowing that God’s supply never runs dry, and His blessings always overflow; test Him in this! Malachi 3 says to test God in giving—Acts 5 shows what happens when people test Him in hypocrisy.
V11
The Bible tells us, “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control” (2 Timothy 1:7). So why does Luke say that great fear came upon the whole church after the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira? Because this is not the kind of fear that paralyzes—this is the kind of fear that purifies. Sin leads to fear. Adam hid in the garden because of sin (Genesis 3:10). Ananias and Sapphira lied, and their deception brought judgment. Fear follows sin because sin separates us from God. Disunity leads to fear. The early church was marked by unity, generosity, and truth (Acts 4:32-35), but Ananias and Sapphira introduced deception into the body. When dishonesty enters the church, trust is broken, and fear takes its place. Disobedience leads to fear. God calls us to faith-filled obedience, but when we walk in rebellion, we invite the fear of exposure, of consequences, of loss. But the fear in Acts 5:11 is not the fear of men—it is the fear of the Lord. The kind of fear that awakens the church, purifies hearts, and keeps us from playing games with God. The kind of fear that reminds us He is holy, He is just, and He takes sin seriously. This fear is a gift. It’s a reminder that we serve a God worthy of reverence, truth, and wholehearted devotion. So let us not fear man. Let us fear God rightly, and walk in holiness, unity, and obedience. Let your heart be filled with a healthy fear of God.
Conclusion:
But this fear wasn’t meant to drive them away from God—it was meant to draw them closer. It was a holy fear, the kind that reminds us: God is holy. Sin is serious. And the cross is the only place where we find grace. Ananias and Sapphira held back what belonged to God. But aren’t we all tempted to do the same? We hold back our surrender, our trust, our obedience. We hold back parts of our heart from Him. But the beauty of the gospel is this: God has never held back from us. At the cross, Jesus gave everything. He didn’t give 10%—He gave His body, His blood, His very life. And today, we come to the table to remember. Am I holding back from God? Am I living in full surrender? Is my heart filled with faith or fear? Come to the table not with pretense, not with deception, but with an open heart. Come to receive from the One who has already given you everything. Let’s pray and prepare our hearts to remember the sacrifice of Jesus.
Acts 5:12–42 - Apostolic Signs and Persecution
Intro:
A few months ago, me and my Nathan got into it. And I’m trying to do this parenting thing right, you know? But it is hard. I want my marriage and my sons and soon to be daughter to be the greatest thing I produce in this world. My magnum Opus. I really do! But this is tested DAILY. It’s been said that the days are long but the years are short. Everyone who’s in the trenches of parenting, grandparenting, aunt and uncling, caretaking, whatever it is God has called you to in this season, can I get an amen this morning?
If it can be said of me when I’m gone, “Gee, that Aaron was a good guy. It’s too bad His sons aren’t walking with the Lord, are on their 6th marriage, and can’t hold down a job.” Then I have utterly failed my core responsibilities. I am called to be a son of God first and foremost. My relationship with the Lord matters. I’m called to be Alexis’s husband. My relationship with my wife matters. I’m called to be David, Nathan, Zadok, and Selah’s dad. My relationship with my kids matters. I’m called to be a part of Friends Church. My relationship with my church matters. These things matter and in that exact order. And I’ve realized that I can fail when I put one thing in front of the other or I manage to mess up that order: My God, My wife, My kids, My church. Myself.
I’ve got a problem though, I never had that modeled for me growing up. I got a bit too friendly with my dad. And I remember that moment very clearly: My dad grabbed me by the shirt and pulled me in, looked me square in the face and said, “I’m not your friend, I’m your father. And you will obey me.” Well, this trauma dump is getting somewhere, I promise. So Nathan and I got into it a few months ago. And I’ve had a day and screwed up the order, Aaron is going first. The boy and I are at odds and he’s lost some respect somewhere along the way and he goes to hit me. So I grab his hand as if I’m on auto-pilot. I pull him in and I tell him, “Nathan, I am not your friend. I’m your father. And you will obey me.” We walked past it and I didn’t think much of it… until last week. He’s on the trampoline and jumping his 2 year old brother to the moon and I see him and say, “Dude, knock it off. He’s a baby, stop messing with him.” Nathan hops off the trampoline and comes up to me and says, “Dad, I’m not your dude. I’m your son. Remember, we are not friends.” It was a dagger to my soul.
Because my son had bought the lie from the pit of hell that my dad sold me and I sold him and I couldn’t bear it. That fear is the best way to lead. If they fear you they’ll listen and if they don’t obey, beat them into submission until they obey. Make sure every word is weaponized because man, if they find out you are a human and can be wrong, you’ve failed. That is the lie from the pit of hell. The Gospel pleads another way. The way of grace. The way of our Lord.
The way of second chances. I talked it over with a friend, prayed, and I sat my boys down in the backyard the next day on that beautiful sunny day we had. And I said, “Boys, I need a do-over. I need a second chance because I over-corrected. I want to teach you that you are to honor your father and mother. And I want to teach you obedience. And I tried to do that the wrong way. I told you a lie when I was angry. I said I’m not your friend and you need to obey me. That’s not the truth. The truth is, I am your father, and I’m your friend. And I live to protect you and be strong for you. I also live to hold you and tell you I love you. I am very proud to call you my son and I want you to be proud to call me your dad. So I need to teach you about grace and forgiveness. A second chance. Here’s how it works. I was wrong for what I said and I’m sorry. The way I want to fix it is by replacing those words with these: “I am your father, and I am your friend. I am going to teach you how to obey as God teaches me how to obey. You are to honor your father and mother. And I too want to honor my Father in heaven.” Will you forgive me for what I said and give me a second chance to make it right?
The hardest thing about grace is that I am going to fail again, and ask for grace again, and repent again, and be forgiven again, and on and on and on. It can feel like you are in this vicious, endless cycle of shame and guilt brought on by sin and another attempt at obedience. It’s the hardest thing, until there is a mindshift. Here’s the mindshift we need, are you ready? Without grace, the natural cycle leads to death. You and everything you love leads to death because the wages of sin is death. It is the common denominator of everything wrong in the world; it dies. Grace by its very supernatural existence begs another way! Where life says there is a vicious endless cycle of death, grace promises a light at the end of the tunnel that leads to life, and joy forever! This is why we say that Grace is receiving what you don’t deserve. The mindshift then isn’t oh I keep failing and pleading for grace and then I fail again, and on and on. NO! It’s that you never deserved it and couldn’t expect it apart from the work of Jesus, and so now that you live in grace, you can replace old habits, and generational ruts, with new heuristic and rhythms. The grace mindshift says this doesn’t have to lead to death, it actually leads to life everlasting and so we keep going. And each time I fail I fail forward. And if that old thing pops up again, I reckon it dead and remind myself of the hope of heaven! That sin and death are not the end of me! They are the end of this old thing but behold God is doing something new! I can be new, I am new in Christ Jesus. I will walk in grace until Jesus breaks all of those old things or I see Him in heaven whichever happens first, and to God be the glory! As a Christian, you are going to need a lot of grace and offer a lot of grace in every season of your life. Now if you are with me this morning, I’m in Acts 5 verse 12. And if you’re thinking man, I never read the word grace not one time in Acts 5, how did you get there? Grace is the great common denominator of the kingdom of God. If you are taking notes today, we pick up in Acts 5:12-42, which in my humble opinion should’ve been all of Acts 5, probably even just verses 17-42 but I’ll leave that for someone smarter than me to debate with the Archbishop of canterbury, Stephen Langton, when we get to heaven. There are 5 scenes we are looking at today:
- The Apostles Signs and Wonders (Acts 5:12-16)
- The Apostles Arrested and Miraculously Freed (Acts 5:17-21a)
- The council Confronts The Apostles… Again (Acts 5:21b-32)
- Gamaliel’s Counsel (Acts 5:33-40)
- The Apostles are Beaten and Rejoice (Acts 5:41-42)
Scene 1: The Apostles Signs and Wonders (V12-16)
We just finished with a horrible judgment upon the church, specifically Ananias and Sapphira who drop dead for their deception, division, and disobedience. Luke, our author by way of reminder of the book of Luke and Acts, has used v12-16 like a few other places in his writings as a transitional summary of what happens and to introduce the occasion of the apostles’ second appearance before the Jewish authorities in Jerusalem. This could’ve been lost on the church after the fear and awe of what just happened. You see the natural cycle would have been judgment, death, division, adjourn. It’s the grace of God that led them to focus again on the work of God and join the mission of God. So yes, it was painful, and yes the grace of God led them to continue the mission. Your wins, your adjustments, your failure and your victories are all met by the grace of God. Grace and real life are not mutually exclusive. Intentionally, God is not separating His holiness from you. He instead calls us to be holy as He is, therefore Grace and real life must intersect. That’s why this scene feels like earth beginning to look like heaven.
- “They” were all together in solomon’s portico. v12
- None of “the rest” dared join them. v13a
- “The people” held them in high esteem. v13b
There are 3 groups of people here: The first group are the believers, that’s the “They” who were all together in Solomon’s Portico. The second group is the “None of the rest dared to join” this has to be the unbelieving jews around them who are still in fear. And then the third group is “The People” who hold them in high esteem, that’s the population at large. From this third group we are told in verse 14 that more than ever, believers were added to the Lord men and women. This is one of the most beautiful points in the forming of the church is that even in a culture that may have excluded women or overlooked women, the grace of God has Luke write both men and women here. It’s like the church is getting back to this healthy understanding of the image of God that both men and women are equal in their worth, their gifts, their worship of God. Acts affirms in great detail that both men and women, all people, are worthy of the gospel and worthy of the grace of God. verses 15 and 16 remind us that Jesus told them,
Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. John 14:12-14
Jesus wanted this to happen and knew it would happen. He told His disciples in a hard time in their ministry, you are not being fired, or disbanded, but you are going to continue and do greater works. Greater numerically speaking. This is the start of some towns around Jerusalem joining the movement.
Scene 2: The Apostles Arrested and Miraculously Freed (Acts 5:17-21a)
In scene 2 we pick up with the high priests. The signs and wonders performed by the apostles elicit both fear and honor from the people of Jerusalem, but jealousy which turns to rage from the leaders. The leaders arrest the apostles and put them in prison only for God to send an angel to break them out of prison. To me, this scene feels a lot like Daniel 6? You remember the story of Daniel in the lion’s den? Here’s why I think there is a connection: Daniel is imprisoned for defying the king and praying to God. The Apostles are imprisoned for defying the religious leaders and preaching about God. God sends an angel to close the lion’s mouth with Daniel. God sends an angel for a quick prison break with the apostle. What’s the thread? Obedience. It’s to say, There is Grace for us when we walk in obedience to God. The jail break is sweet and the first of 3 in Acts but, My favorite piece about this scene has got to be the angels’ command to the Apostles. Which, for clarification, is the command of God through an angel, to the Apostles. “Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life.” -Acts 5:20 There is such beauty in this angelic command to speak all the words of this Life. I’m certain this is about the life of Jesus. I’m certain it’s about the teachings of Jesus that affect this life as a Christian. And I am certain that Grace affects our words and commands us to speak life. And so they do exactly that.
Scene 3: The council Confronts The Apostles… Again (Acts 5:21b-32)
Scene three starts in the middle of verse 21 with a bit of comedy. They send for the prisoners, they aren’t there, there’s a whole debacle about what’s happening, they literally have to say in verse 23-24 “we found the prison securely locked and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them we found no one inside… they were greatly perplexed about them, wondering what this would come to.” So then they have to go back and rearrest these guys, but they can’t do it by force or they are going to be stoned by the people, and it’s like come on! How much more in the wrong do you have to be? You have to think about this from 2 angles, the first angle is oh gosh we are going to look bad because we are the leaders and messed this thing up. And then second, remember these guys don’t believe in anything supernatural at all. How do you think this went over when they were told that an angel let them out of prison so they can go talk about the miracle of God raising the son of God from the dead? Yikes! Oh, and by the way, if you don’t believe us, go ask the locked prison door and the guards that have been standing watch all night. And for my next act, I’m going to preach and teach the gospel in the name of Jesus as you strictly told me not to thank you very much! It is the Grace of God that allows us to walk in the gifts and commands of God. Grace, what they didn’t deserve, empowered them to do something that they shouldn’t have been able to do. It’s why when we walk in it we can’t take any credit for it. It’s all what He’s done: He gave the command, He gave the gift, and He gave the grace to walk in all of it. Thank you, Jesus, for your grace. In verse 28 we learn something about why the leaders are growing in their hatred against the Apostles. “You have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” Notice that they can’t even bring themselves to say Jesus’ name here! So not only have they not listened, but they continue to teach about Jesus and they’ve filled Jerusalem with their teaching, and it seems that the people are now in agreement that these leaders are complicit in the murder of Jesus. Oh man, they are not excited about this because they could lose their status, their jobs, even their lives. The apostles have a short but quite punchy response to the accusations in verses 29-32. The structure of their response is so powerful. You have to see it:
A: We must OBEY God rather than men
B: The God of our fathers raised Jesus
C: You killed him by hanging Him on a tree
D: God exalted Him at his right hand as Leader & Savior
C: To give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins
B: We are witnesses to these things, and so is Holy Spirit (God)
A: whom God has given to those who OBEY Him
To me, the obedience knuckle sandwich here is so painful to them, because it’s telling them very clearly the inverse is true of them:
A: You don’t OBEY God. You obey men.
B: You don’t believe God raises the dead.
C: You killed Jesus.
D: Because you don’t believe God exalted Him you are exalting yourselves as the leaders and saviors and you’re not.
C: You are unrepentant Israel even though he desires to forgive you.
B: You aren’t filled with the Holy Spirit.
A: You aren’t those who OBEY God.
I think we learn something abundantly clear about the lack of grace here: If there is a Grace for us when we walk in obedience to God, we get what we deserve when we walk in disobedience to God. Yes, God allows the rain to fall on the just and the unjust, meaning He is God and I am not. This is not prescriptive, this is descriptive of what we are witnessing here. I hope that is clear for us to see.
Scene 4: Gamaliel’s Counsel (Acts 5:33-40)
Now, scene 4 starts how you might imagine it would if you just dropped a bomb in enemy territory. Here’s what verse 33 says, “When they heard this, (and you better believe they heard that loud and clear), they were enraged and wanted to kill them. -Acts 5:33 *emphasis added*
In the middle of this drama in the courtroom, we get one level headed guy stand up. He’s not just any guy though, he’s a pharisee. The first pharisee mentioned in the book of Acts. And, one of the most highly decorated bible scholars of his day with the pedigree to match it. His grandfather was one of the greatest to do it. So Gamaliel steps onto the scene right as things hit boiling point. The religious leaders are furious, ready to put the apostles to death for boldly preaching Christ. But Gamaliel stands up and basically says, “Hold on. Slow down. Think about what you’re doing here.” He wisely reminds them of past uprisings that looked impressive at first but fizzled out because God wasn’t behind them. His point? Human movements collapse; divine ones can’t be stopped. Then Gamaliel drops a truth bomb: if this Jesus-movement is just another human fad, it’ll fade away. But if God’s behind it, opposing them means picking a fight with God Himself. And good luck winning that battle. His words land powerfully, He shifts the whole mood. The council backs off, opting just to beat the apostles and warn them again, but Gamaliel’s wise counsel saves their lives and, ironically, helps fuel the unstoppable mission of the gospel. What’s our take away here? Right when anger and violence had hit their peak, right when these guys were ready to literally murder the apostles and spill blood, God drops in a voice of grace—through Gamaliel. He offers them a chance to stop, breathe, and reconsider their path. Gamaliel slows the entire thing down, interrupting the downward spiral before things get deadly. That’s what grace does, church—it interrupts our worst moments, our harshest instincts. It gives us a moment to pause, to breathe, and to choose another way. Just like God graciously gave me space to pause, reflect, and choose grace with my sons, He offered the same kind of moment to the religious leaders through Gamaliel. Grace always gives us a second to stop, rethink, and choose life. Grace means God constantly offers us a pause, a second chance, and a moment to reconsider. Sometimes the loudest voice of grace is the whisper telling you to pause because grace interrupts our mess and offers us a holy moment to choose again.
Scene 5: The Apostles are Beaten and Rejoice (Acts 5:41-42)
Isn’t scene 5 the most intensely convicting scene? The Apostles are a people that learned to turn the other cheek. They are people that learned what Jesus meant when He said you will suffer for my name. And they are a people that learned that There is a Grace in everything if you are willing to trust God for it. I don’t know how this works. And you know why? Because God doesn’t give us grace for made up scenarios in our head. Instead He tells us to keep our thoughts captive. Because I’m the king of person that can make up scenarios in my head and have option a,b,c,d,e,f, and g through it! But God gives me a grace for my reality. He gives me the grace to still be married, to be a dad, to pastor this church. And sometimes I do a good job, and sometimes I feel like I’m constantly juggling and have to choose which to fail, which to be mediocre at, and which to do a good job in. That’s life, everyone has that when they are busy. But notice that the Apostles are rejoicing for being worthy of suffering. It’s what Jesus promised them. We rejoice when we walk in the promises of God as well, no matter what they look like. James would say it this way:
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2-4
They lack nothing. And then they continue on with the mission of preaching and teaching EVERY DAY. If God has an everyday grace for the Apostles to walk in then we can be sure that God has an everyday Grace for you.
Conclusion:
Here’s what Acts 5 is shouting to us today: God’s grace never quits. It met the apostles in the miracles, in the prison cell, in the courtroom drama, and even in the pain of their beatings. It showed up in a wise old Pharisee’s voice that offered a holy pause, just as it meets me in my backyard conversations with my boys. Grace isn’t about avoiding mistakes or pretending we have it all figured out. Grace is about letting God interrupt our broken patterns, heal our wounds, and lovingly redirect us toward life. So, wherever you find yourself this week: in parenting, marriage, singleness, friendships, or the daily grind, know this: grace is available right here, right now. It interrupts our worst moments, breathes hope into our mess, and gently reminds us that God isn’t finished with us yet. Keep leaning into grace, keep embracing the holy pause, because every step forward, even through failure, moves us closer to the life He promised. That’s the unstoppable power of grace. Grace isn’t about never messing up; it’s about recognizing that God meets you in the mess and gently, lovingly, powerfully invites you to pause, reflect, and choose life again. Friends, there’s fresh grace waiting for you. Today, tomorrow, and every single day until Jesus makes all things new. Let’s walk in that grace together.
