Unschooled, Ordinary Men

SERMON: 2010-08-29--ac1049--unschooled-ordinary-men-part-1 SOURCE DURATION: 00:28:38.000 PROPOSED CUTS: 1 CONFIDENCE: 0.95 APPROVED: false REASON: The recording begins with a conversational setup for the sermon (segment [0]) and concludes its main expository content at segment [265]. The subsequent segments ([266] onwards) are sustained acoustic music/singing, marking the end of the spoken sermon material. Acoustic segmentation found sustained music at the end edge and moved the boundary to the adjacent transcript segment. ACOUSTIC EVIDENCE: available ACOUSTIC MUSIC INTERVALS: 00:25:47.080-00:28:38.400 ACOUSTIC SPEECH OVERLAP: yes ACOUSTIC BOUNDARIES APPLIED: end Inline CUT markers identify each proposed audio boundary after the relevant word. --- ORIGINAL TRANSCRIPT WITH PROPOSED CUTS MARKED --- Well, as we look this morning at these verses that we have read together in Acts chapter 4, I'd like to try to make three observations. Number one, when you engage in the mission of Jesus, you can get into a lot of trouble. Notice again how Acts chapter 4 begins. The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. They seized Peter and John, and because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. Now, you would think, would you not, that when a 40-year-old man who has been crippled since birth, supernaturally and marvelously gets healed, you would think the whole city would be filled with joy. And indeed, the city was filled with joy because verse 21 says, "All the people were praising God for what had happened," all, that is to say, except the religious leaders. Notice again how the passage puts it. The religious leaders were greatly disturbed, and they were greatly disturbed according to this passage for two reasons. They were greatly disturbed, first of all, because the apostles were teaching the people. Remember teaching was their domain. The apostles had not been credentialed by their seminary to preach, and besides that, not only were they preaching, but they were preaching the earlier chapter tells us in Solomon's Colonnade, which is to say a porch attachment to the temple. This was their territory. And not only were they preaching, but note what it was that they were preaching. They were proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. Now that was obnoxious for two reasons. First of all, if you read the earlier part of the chapter, you will see that all the religious leaders that were involved in this little episode with Peter and John were the same people that had put Jesus to death a couple of months earlier. And so for the name of Jesus to be resurfacing as being alive would have been their worst nightmare come true. Like wouldn't this guy ever go away? But more than that, they were preaching about the resurrection from the dead in Jesus. And that's significant because if you think back to that opening verse, which is the religious party that is in power at this time? Did you catch it when we read it together? It's the Sadducees. What do you remember about the Sadducees? So they were the theological liberals of Jesus' day, and they denied there was such a thing as a resurrection from the dead. And so not only are these apostles preaching on their turf, but they're preaching a gospel that is at odds with everything they had ever stood for. And so it is no wonder they were terribly upset, and it's no wonder they aren't going to take this lying down, which is why Peter now quotes in his talk Psalm 118 verse 22, where he says concerning Jesus, "He is the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone." That little verse from Psalm 118 is quoted very frequently in the New Testament. Jesus quotes it one time each in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Peter quotes it here in Acts chapter 4, and then later on he quotes it again in his letter, the second chapter of 1 Peter. And what this refers to, the picture here, is that of a group of builders trying to erect a stone building. And as they are surveying all the stones which have been cut that are to go into the walls of this building, they find this one stone that doesn't make any sense at all. And so they throw it off to the side, only to discover later it is the single most important stone in the whole building project. It is the capstone, sometimes translated as the cornerstone. And it's hard to know which is being referred to, because a capstone and a cornerstone are two very different stones. A capstone goes on top of your wall, holds them together. A cornerstone typically goes on the bottom of your wall and holds it together. So I did a little research on my own this past week to try to figure out what does the Greek really say. And what the Greek talks about, it uses two words for cornerstone or capstone, and the first word is the word "head," and the second word is the word "angle." And so it represents an angled stone that holds two walls together. And so some translations translated "head of the corner." And personally, I think that is the preferred translation. But regardless of whether it's a capstone on top or a cornerstone on the bottom, this much is clear. This stone, which the builders rejected, was the single most important stone in the whole project, it is the stone that holds it all together. And to put that in more contemporary terms perhaps, the idea of keystone in an arch gets the picture across. It's not a cornerstone, it's not a capstone, but it is a keystone that holds the arch together. And we know from Scripture, of course, that that is the role Jesus plays. In fact, the apostle Paul in Ephesians chapter one talks about Jesus, that God's purpose in Christ to unite all things in heaven and on earth. And that is why Peter goes on to say then in verse 12, "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." And so here's what Peter's saying. In this process of building human civilization and looking for answers to human problems, the builders of this world have no use for Jesus. Why? Because He demands repentance. He demands acknowledging our weakness. He demands that we acknowledge our dependence upon God. He demands our surrender. And people who are proud at heart and people who think they can do it themselves will always be offended when the gospel of Jesus is proclaimed and when people start leaving out the reality of that gospel. That's what Peter is talking about, and that's why these Sadducees are so desperately bent out of shape. They are at odds with who Jesus is and what His message is. And the implications of that for you and me are tremendously huge if we really understand it because it means that if we take seriously the gospel, if we not only embrace it and live it in our own lives, but if we proclaim it and if we point people to Jesus, then according to Scripture we'll always get one of two reactions. We'll get those who are tired of doing it on their own, who have come to know their own limitations, who hear that message of Jesus. It resonates with their hearts. It's good news to them. They embrace it and they become living stones in the temple of God built together in the Holy Spirit. But then there also will be those, and the Bible describes them as the builders of this age, the rulers and the principalities and the powers that make the world turn. Anybody whose heart is not yielded to Jesus, anybody who prides himself in his own ability, his own belief system, his own way of doing things, who refuses to acknowledge his need for grace, his need for repentance, anybody who wants to be proudly exalted in his own heart, the message of the gospel comes along and it will always be offensive. Why in China is the Communist Party so nervous about the Christian house church movement? Because they cannot control it and they are afraid outsiders are going to come in and undermine their authority and their power. And so whenever you and I engage in mission, whenever you and I proclaim Jesus in truth and in power, you've always got that kind of two-fold reaction. Here's how Peter describes it in 1 Peter chapter 2, the verses 7 and 8. And you'll see the contrast here. Now to you who believe this stone, that is Jesus, the cornerstone, is precious. Is anybody more precious than Jesus once you've come to understand what God gives to you in him, the answer to everything that ails humanity, but to those who do not believe, the stone the builders rejected has become the capstone, the head of the corner, and a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. They stumble because they disobey the message, which is also what they were destined for. And that's a whole other subject that we won't get into this morning. Let me give you one quick illustration that drives, I think, home at this point and how readily this happens even in places where you least expect it. Good many years ago, I was approached through an intermediary by a family asking me to look up their lost and wandering daughter. This girl had drifted far away from home. She had gotten herself caught up in things that were painfully, unspeakably difficult, reflected very badly on her family. And as many church-going families do, they wanted their daughter back into their circle. And so I did. I looked her up, got together with her. The first of what proved to be many meetings. And as she shared with me her story, it was one of those moments where the Holy Spirit gives you a heart of compassion. And I remember looking her in the eye. And for her, that was a very difficult thing to do, but I remember looking at her eye and saying something to the effect that, yes, your life is a mess, but, you know, Jesus can fix this. And He's bigger than everything. And that was the start of a journey together that, by God's grace, has reestablished her in life and marvelously transformed her life and her experience. And you would think, would you not, that parents would be tremendously encouraged to watch that kind of transformation taking place in their daughter, but they weren't. Because you see, in the process of getting her life back together, she felt led to write them a letter in which she shared her sin and her journey. And I read the letter. Before she sent it, it was a very good letter in my judgment, but it was very poorly received by her family. And I will never forget the day when a whole delegation of her family came to visit me in my office to discourage me from counseling this young woman, to try to convince me that she was a liar, that she was a mental case and a whole lot worse, and that I was making a serious mistake in believing her story. And I remember later on reflecting on this, saying to myself, "Well, a little gratitude for helping your daughter might not be inappropriate on this occasion that you do it for that." But why that reaction? Because the family has its own dysfunction that they do not want exposed, and while outwardly this may look very religious, inwardly there are places that have not been yielded to Jesus. So don't ever be surprised at the fiery ordeal that comes upon you because the gospel will lay bare what is in the depths of a person's heart, whether that heart is oriented towards God and will yield to His authority, or whether that heart is yet unrepentant, not yielded towards God, in fact opposed to Him. There is nothing hidden, says Jesus, that will not be revealed, and that doesn't mean that everybody that disagrees with you or me is automatically a pagan. No, I'm saying that to the degree to which somebody embraces the wisdom of the world, to that degree they will be offended by the message of Jesus. And we need to understand that and never be surprised by it. Have you experienced maybe some of this in your own life? But we proceed, the second observation that I want to make in this particular passage is not only that the mission of Jesus can get you into trouble, almost for sure will by times, but secondly, Peter uses the opportunity to proclaim the name of Jesus. Let's listen again to his speech, "Peter filled with the Holy Spirit said to them, 'Rulers and elders of the people, if we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple, and are asked how He was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel, it is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. He is the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone, salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men, by which we must be saved.'" Two things very quickly I want us to note in Peter's defense to the Sanhedrin. The first is that he is absolutely fearless in his presentation because listen again to how he puts it, "Know this, you and all the people of Israel, it is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed." Not only does he rub their noses in the fact that their theology is all wrong and that Jesus is alive, that's bad enough, but then he points his fingers squarely at them, and he says, "This Jesus that God has raised from the dead, remember what you did, you crucified Him." In other words, you are at odds with the exalted Christ, and he is fearless in pointing that out to them. Why is he fearless? Well one of the reasons we're given in the text is because Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit, "Filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter said to them, 'Rulers and elders of the people,' and on he goes." Now here's an interesting thing that I had never noticed before. The phrase, "Filled with the Holy Spirit" in the New Testament is unique to Luke, who is the author not only of the gospel named after him, but also the book of Acts. And he uses it three times in the gospel and five times in the book of Acts. Other people use different versions of it, but this exact version is unique to Luke. And what Luke means by being filled with the Holy Spirit is that the Spirit of the resurrected Jesus comes upon a person giving faith, courage, boldness, and liberty to fearlessly proclaim the name of Jesus. It is of course the fulfillment of the promise Jesus made in Acts chapter one. You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth. And the purpose of Pentecost was to transform weak, cowardly, and helpless people into bold, courageous Christ-proclaimers. And Peter himself is the classic case study. Remember how he denied Jesus, how he had followed Jesus into the high priestly courtyard after he had been arrested. And the slave girl comes up to him and says, "Aren't you one of his disciples? I think I recognize you." And how Peter cowardly denied the Lord Jesus three times until the cock crowed and Jesus looked at him according to one of the gospels and he went out and he wept bitterly, undone by a girl. Doesn't get much worse than that. But here he is now facing the religious and the political leaders of his day and he stares them in the eye and he says, "This Jesus you killed, God raised from the dead." He is empowered by the power of God's Holy Spirit. And that of course is precisely the promise of Jesus because earlier as he was training his disciples he had told them, "When you are brought before the synagogues, rulers and authorities do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say." Because here's the interesting thing about being filled with the Spirit. It only happens when you need it. I remember many years ago my father telling the story about one of the early Christian martyrs who on the day of tomorrow was going to be burned at the stake and as he let his mind wander through the gruesomeness of that process, fearful of the pain, he was running his finger through the flame of his candle, trying to feel the pain and what this was going to be like and he said to himself, "I can never do this. The pain will be too intense." Well, the next day when they hauled him out of his jail cell and they dragged him onto the pyre and they set it on fire, the power of the Holy Spirit came upon him. As often is the case when people are being martyred or often is the case when people are called to declare the authority of Jesus and suddenly it was there and he died a hero's death because God in Christ through the Spirit was with him. And you and I, many of us will have experienced a similar situation. Sometimes we look into a difficult situation that we're coming into, somebody that we have to speak to maybe that's very difficult or a conversation that we know could go in a thousand different directions or a job that just taxes us beyond our skills and our stomachs are churning and our mind is going a thousand miles a minute and we pray like we've never prayed before but nothing much seems to happen. And we think it won't happen before we get there and sometimes it does but I can tell you most of the time it does not. It's not until the Israelites in the Old Testament stepped into the Jordan River at the command of God that the waters began to part and that they were able to go through on dry ground. And so it is with you and me. It's not until we step out in faith that God meets us in his power and all of a sudden we discover in prayer a burst of energy and faith that we never had before. All of a sudden we discover in conversation words, thoughts, ideas coming to us that have never been there before and all of a sudden we discover an energy and a courage to step into situations that we could never ever see ourselves doing and then we look back upon it afterwards and say, "What in the world happened?" Well, I can tell you what happened. You were filled with the Spirit and the Spirit of Jesus has been given to you and to me to help us proclaim the name of Jesus. I think that's where we'll stop this morning. We'll pick it up again, Lord willing, next time we come back to this third observation that I want to make and that is the fact that these religious leaders confronted by Peter and John's courage and boldness were absolutely astonished because you see they were unschooled, ordinary men, but remember they recognized they had been with Jesus and there is a lesson there that has huge implications if we can hold on to it and apply it to our lives individually and collectively. [CUT] [PROPOSED CUT 1 START at 00:25:47.080; remove through 00:28:38.000] Men of faith, rise up and sing of the great and glorious King. You are strong when you feel weak in our brokenness from pain. Shout to the north and the south, sing to the east and the west, Jesus, the Savior of all, the Lord of Heaven and Earth. Rise up, women of the truth, stand and sing to broken hearts who can know the healing power of our awesome King of love. Shout to the north and the south, sing to the east and the west, Jesus, the Savior of all, the Lord of Heaven and Earth. We've been through fire, we've been through rain, we've been refined by the power of his name, we fall in deeper in love with you, you burn the truth on our lips. We will shout to the north and the south, sing to the east and the west, Jesus, the Savior of all, Lord of Heaven and Earth. Rise up church with broken wings, fill this place with songs again of our God who reigns on high, by his grace again we'll fly. We will shout to the north and the south, sing to the east and the west, Jesus, the Savior of all, Lord of Heaven and Earth. We will shout to the north and the south, sing to the east and the west, Jesus, the Savior of all, Lord of Heaven and Earth. He's the Lord of Heaven and Earth, He's the Lord of Heaven and Earth. [CUT] [PROPOSED CUT 1 END at 00:28:38.000; resume after this marked segment]