3rd Sunday of Easter, 4/15/18
Acts 4:8-12
Know This: Jesus Is Risen from the Dead!
I. A powerful knowledge that heals
II. A powerful knowledge that saves
Knowledge is a tremendous blessing from God. And the advancement in human knowledge in the last three or four generations is astounding. No one would debate that humans have achieved more with their knowledge in the last 100 years than they did in the previous 2,000 or more.
For instance, living where we do, we’re more familiar than most people are with the advancements in heavier-than-air flight. Prior to 1900, people only dreamed of flying; now it’s commonplace. Some of you do it regularly. The knowledge humans used to enable us to fly is a great blessing.
But human knowledge can also lead us into areas that are concerning at best and frightening at worst. For instance, I’m certainly no scientist, but I understand that human cloning is possible. The questions are, “Should we? Are there any unintended, harmful consequences that are unknown at this time? What if we create something harmful that we can’t control, limit, or eradicate?” Sometimes, our advanced knowledge can leave us with more questions than it answers. We’re not sure of what we have.
This morning we’re continuing our celebration of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Easter is the pinnacle of Christian celebrations and one of the many reasons for that is that Christ’s resurrection was and is a stunning display of the almighty power of our God.
We know that resurrection. We praise God for his almighty power that he displayed in Christ’s resurrection. But, are there times in your life in which you wonder what you have with that knowledge? Have you ever declared in a challenging way, “I know that Jesus rose from the dead. But what good is that doing me right now? Look at the disaster that my life is!”?
The truth is that, as Christians, we know and believe in Jesus’ resurrection from the dead and the power of our risen Lord Jesus. But we need to know it all over again. The words before us this morning give us that blessed opportunity. We listen this morning as Peter declared to the men before him and to you and me today: “Know this: Jesus is risen from the dead!” Could you use a little more confidence as you live your life? Then join me as we take Peter’s encouragement to heart.
Part I.
We often know what happened; we just don’t know how it happened. For instance, Facebook users know what happened: their personal data has been mined and sold and used for purposes of which they were unaware. Congress spent hours and days this past week trying to find out why it happened in an attempt to assure that it doesn’t happen again.
Here’s another instance. We frequently hear about tragic accidents occurring on our local interstate system. And often, immediately after the accident, the area of the mishap is closed to traffic while authorities determine why it happened and who’s responsible. We know what happened. We need to know why.
Since you probably don’t have a hard copy of the Bible in front of you or your Bible app open on your mobile device right now, you might not be aware of what was going on as Peter speaks these words in Acts 4. Let me help you. The previous day, Peter and John had met a man who had suffered from paralysis in his legs since birth. After a short verbal exchange with him, Peter and John performed a miracle and enabled the man to walk, and not just walk, but literally go jumping into the temple in Jerusalem. Everyone who saw the man knew what had happened—even the leaders of the Jews who still hated Jesus; but they didn’t know why.
That gave Peter a golden opportunity to do what Jesus had called and enabled him to do—to be his witness. The Jewish leaders had hoped that, by crucifying Jesus, they had heard the last of this scoundrel. But just the opposite had happened. The whole city of Jerusalem was still buzzing with excitement over his supposed resurrection from the dead. And now this formerly paralyzed man is walking. How did this happen?
Peter states the obvious—no one is accusing Peter of doing something wrong. No one would claim that giving this man the ability to walk was a bad thing. But the fact that the Jewish leaders were upset about it enough to call Peter and John to account for it indicated they refused to acknowledge the truth. So Peter laid it out for them.
He stated, “Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame 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.”
First, this was no hoax. Peter and John were not trained illusionists or magicians. In this case, the feet were not quicker than the eye. What the leaders and the other Jews saw was real—the man was walking unimpaired. In fact, he was even jumping.
So, the leaders couldn’t deny the outcome, but they could question and deny the source. After all, didn’t the magicians in Egypt perform some of the same miracles as Moses had? And didn’t they do so by the power of Satan? Indeed they did.
But Satan was not involved here. Just the opposite. The risen Jesus was with his almighty power. In performing the miracle, Peter had said, “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk” (Acts 3:6). There’s the “how.” This man was now walking by the power of the risen Jesus. Peter called on everyone to know that. He calls on you and me to know it.
Know this: Jesus is risen from the dead—a powerful knowledge that heals.
Have you ever wondered what would have happened if Peter and John had met this man in the temple, but had not performed a miracle of healing? Consider that for a moment. Would the Holy Spirit still have caused the writer of Acts to include it? What if Peter and John had only offered him the message that Jesus was crucified and risen for him? Would you still be impressed? Probably not. Would you be disappointed? Likely so. So…we’re impressed by physical healing but not so much with spiritual healing. Is that accurate? Sadly, it’s often the case. We look for the healing power of Jesus in our lives. And there’s nothing wrong with that. He is the Great Physician. He can and does heal. There are times we even pray for a miracle of healing. And there’s nothing wrong with that. I encourage you to do so, but realize that such a miracle might not be in keeping with his will. It might not occur. But it is his will to heal you spiritually with the forgiveness of sins. How do we know that forgiveness is ours? How can we be certain of forgiveness even when we’ve made a terrible mess of our lives and the lives of those we love? Know this: Jesus is risen from the dead. His resurrection assures us that our sins are forgiven. And with that forgiveness, you also have every spiritual blessing that Jesus won for you. You might still physically stumble, but spiritually you’re walking and jumping! Jesus is risen from the dead—a powerful knowledge that heals.
Part II.
I call it “spiritual equality.” It’s the attempt to place all spiritual beliefs on the same plane. It claims that whatever a person believes is spiritually valid. It’s true for them and no one has the right to tell them that what they believe is false, or, worse yet, wrong.
What the Jewish leaders in our text believed to be spiritual truth was vastly different from what Peter believed and proclaimed. Peter states boldly and without reservation, “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.”
There is a great spiritual divide and it has to do with the resurrection of Jesus. No rational person in the world who has any knowledge of history would deny that a man named Jesus from Nazareth was a Jewish prophet whose life ended by crucifixion. But the closing words of Christianity are not that Jesus died. The truth about Christ continues after his death. The truth is that he rose from the dead and lives. And that is the great spiritual divide.
The resurrection of Jesus makes him the only way to heaven. Listen once again, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” That is not a popular truth in our world. In fact, people will call you a “hater” if you proclaim it. But actually, if you proclaim it in a loving way, as Peter did, you’re a “lover.” You love Jesus, you love his truth, and you love other people so much that you want them to know the truth.
That’s why Peter proclaimed, “Know this!” Jesus isn’t dead. He rose from the dead. He lives. And a living Jesus is the powerful knowledge that saves. It’s the only knowledge that saves.
Our worship focus this morning is to proclaim the risen Jesus. That’s our highest reason for joining together as a congregation of Christians. We exist to share the risen Jesus with each other and with one and all. So ask yourself, “How am I doing that? What’s my place in our effort as a congregation to proclaim a risen Jesus? Whom do I know who needs to know that Jesus is risen from the dead?”
Permit an example. About a month ago Stephen Hawking died. For all of his physical limitations, he had a brilliant mind. He knew vastly more than the average person does. But he died not knowing the risen Jesus.
Bottom line…what good is knowledge, what good is life, if you don’t know the risen Jesus? Praise God that you know him! Proclaim him! Amen.
April 14, 2018
April 8, 2018
Listen to a Solid Witness Speak Solid Truth!
2nd Sunday of Easter, 4/8/18
Acts 3:12-20
Listen to a Solid Witness Speak Solid Truth!
I. We crucified the Lord of life.
II. God raised him for our justification.
I’m going to assume that you no longer believe everything you see and hear. Am I right about that? If so, when was it that you became skeptical? That might be difficult to answer. I don’t think any of us went to bed one night confident that people in general were telling us the truth, only to awake the next morning doubting everything we see and hear. It happens slowly, imperceptibly, undetected.
But it happens with good reason. You listen to someone tell you something and the whole time you’re wondering if it’s the truth. You watch the news as the well-intentioned reporter shares a segment of that day’s news with you and you wonder if there’s another side to this story—a side that you’re not hearing.
And one of the reasons for our skepticism about what a person is sharing with us is that we know all too well that everyone has an agenda. They have a reason for wanting us to believe what they are telling us. And that means the presentation of the facts might be weighted in one direction or another—whichever one favors their agenda.
Unfortunately that’s precisely what occurred and still occurs with the greatest news event ever—the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Just what really happened and how does it affect you and me?
Well, we know what happened and we know it’s so important that we’ve gathered this morning to hear it again. And as far as how it affects us—we can all use a refresher course. Peter provides that very thing for us this morning as we continue our celebration of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Peter wasn’t simply toeing the party line. He wasn’t the victim of an evil power forcing him to speak something that wasn’t true. He was a solid witness speaking solid truth. As such, he’s infinitely worth listening to. So do it. Listen to a solid witness speaking solid truth. Let’s see how that truth applies to us today.
Part I.
Our text breaks into the middle of a miraculous event. It occurred shortly after Jesus ascended into heaven—maybe a couple of months after he rose from the dead. Peter and John had met a man suffering from paralysis of the legs who was begging at one of the gates of the temple in Jerusalem. Peter declared to him that he didn’t have any silver or gold to give him, but what he had, he would gladly share. And then in the name of Jesus Christ, he commanded the man to get up and walk and that’s just what he did. And the crowd of people that witnessed it were naturally amazed.
Peter used their amazement as an opportunity to declare God’s solid truth. The first truth that he wanted them to understand is that he wasn’t responsible for this miracle. He stated, “Men of Israel, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus.”
In short, Peter was giving all glory to Jesus. It was Jesus who healed this man. Jesus simply used Peter as the vehicle for his almighty power.
But now, having mentioned Jesus, Peter had the opportunity to speak to them about another solid truth—the truth about what they had done to this Jesus who had healed this man. He declared, “You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. You killed the author of life.” Whoa! Did Peter really mean what he said? Did he really want to accuse these people of killing Jesus?
How could that be true? Well, first the obvious. It’s entirely possible that some of these men standing before Peter were actually there in Pilate’s courtyard on Good Friday. They may have joined in the shouts of, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” And, even if they hadn’t joined in those murderous shouts, no one spoke up to defend Jesus. No one even questioned the injustice of it all.
But even if they weren’t there and weren’t aware of it, even if the people to whom Peter was speaking had never heard of Jesus (which is highly unlikely), the solid truth is that their sins made the death of Christ necessary. There was no other way that a loving and merciful God and yet a holy and just God could deal with the sins of every sinner than for him to send his only Son, Jesus, to the cross for those sins. When Peter points his apostolic finger and shouts, “You killed the author of life” he’s pointing at every sinner; he’s pointing at me, at you.
Listen to a solid witness speak solid truth. We crucified the Lord of life.
An orthopedic surgeon was tending to the broken leg of a ten-year-old boy. He could tell the boy was in pain. He knew he could help the boy, but he wanted him to know what it was going to mean for him to set that leg bone correctly. So he told him, “I’m going to have to make it hurt a little more so that it can heal correctly and begin feeling better.” He spoke the solid truth.
As Christians who have come to worship today to continue your celebration of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, I hope you’re not appalled at the solid truth which Peter shares with us this morning. We crucified the Lord of life. But couldn’t Peter have focused on the positive—the resurrection of Jesus—and forget about the negative? After all, life the last six days was hard enough on us. No sooner was Easter over than our stress levels returned to normal—right through the roof. We got thrown right back to the wolves—our family members, our co-workers, our fellow students. We forgot about our ailments on Easter but they came raging back into our lives on Monday morning. What’s more, we know we weren’t perfect in the past week. We know we sinned. And now, pastor, you share Peter’s solid truth with us—you crucified the Lord of life? What’s that all about? Kicking us while we’re down?
The solid truth is that God has to make it hurt a little more before he makes it better. The resurrection of Jesus, his sufferings and death, and his perfect life mean nothing to the person who doesn’t recognize this solid truth, “I crucified Jesus.” My sins cost Jesus his life. It does no good to mask that truth or to anesthetize us against our sinful reality. As hard as it is for us to take, we need to hear that solid truth. And, in his love for us, our God has Peter, his solid witness, speak it to us this morning.
Part II.
But thanks be to God, that isn’t the final word from our God or from the lips of his solid witness, Peter, either. Peter proclaims, “God raised him from the dead.”
That’s what Easter is all about. It’s about the resurrection of Jesus from the dead—physically, really. That’s not some myth. It’s not a fictional story generated by his followers out of a delusional impression about Jesus’ greatness. Nor is the resurrection of Jesus simply a metaphor for the fact that the memory of Jesus lived on in the hearts and lives of those who loved him.
And it certainly wasn’t the gospel writers’ way of bringing a tragic story to a happy ending. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John did not muse, “Let’s see…how can I make the crucifixion of Jesus a little more palatable? I know! I’ll report that he rose from the dead!” It didn’t happen that way.
It happened just as Peter explains it here in our text. God raised him from the dead. He had promised to do it several times in the Old Testament. And what God promised, he did. Absolutely. Definitively. Solidly.
Even more so, he raised him from the dead to assure us of our forgiveness. Think about it. If Jesus is still dead, then Jesus is just a sinful, human prophet who met a tragic and untimely death. But, if Jesus rose from the dead as he said he would, then he is true God. If he is true God, then I can be sure that his death was a payment large enough to pay for the sins of the world. And, if Jesus’ death paid for the world’s sins, then he certainly paid for mine. The Bible declares, “[Jesus] was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification” (Rom. 4:25). God justifies us. He declares us holy. How can I be sure of that? Because Jesus rose from the dead.
Listen to a solid witness speak solid truth. God raised Jesus for our justification.
Knowing that we are sinners, knowing that we crucified the author of life, what will it take to convince you that God justifies you, that God looks at you just as if you had never sinned? It would take something really big, wouldn’t it? How about the resurrection of Jesus from the dead? Does that fit such a need for a big display of his power? Indeed it does!
You see, for the Christian, Easter is not a once-a-year celebration. The resurrection of Jesus has practical meaning for our lives each and every day. How can I be sure of my forgiveness when guilt paralyzes me? Jesus rose from the dead. How can I be sure of eternity with God when I can’t even imagine what tomorrow will bring? Jesus rose from the dead. You see, because of the resurrection of Jesus, all of God’s promises are certain. That’s the rock-solid truth God wants to implant solidly in your heart. That’s the rock-solid truth that his solid witness proclaims this morning. With that solid truth you’re ready to meet today – tomorrow – eternity with your loving God. Amen.
Acts 3:12-20
Listen to a Solid Witness Speak Solid Truth!
I. We crucified the Lord of life.
II. God raised him for our justification.
I’m going to assume that you no longer believe everything you see and hear. Am I right about that? If so, when was it that you became skeptical? That might be difficult to answer. I don’t think any of us went to bed one night confident that people in general were telling us the truth, only to awake the next morning doubting everything we see and hear. It happens slowly, imperceptibly, undetected.
But it happens with good reason. You listen to someone tell you something and the whole time you’re wondering if it’s the truth. You watch the news as the well-intentioned reporter shares a segment of that day’s news with you and you wonder if there’s another side to this story—a side that you’re not hearing.
And one of the reasons for our skepticism about what a person is sharing with us is that we know all too well that everyone has an agenda. They have a reason for wanting us to believe what they are telling us. And that means the presentation of the facts might be weighted in one direction or another—whichever one favors their agenda.
Unfortunately that’s precisely what occurred and still occurs with the greatest news event ever—the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Just what really happened and how does it affect you and me?
Well, we know what happened and we know it’s so important that we’ve gathered this morning to hear it again. And as far as how it affects us—we can all use a refresher course. Peter provides that very thing for us this morning as we continue our celebration of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Peter wasn’t simply toeing the party line. He wasn’t the victim of an evil power forcing him to speak something that wasn’t true. He was a solid witness speaking solid truth. As such, he’s infinitely worth listening to. So do it. Listen to a solid witness speaking solid truth. Let’s see how that truth applies to us today.
Part I.
Our text breaks into the middle of a miraculous event. It occurred shortly after Jesus ascended into heaven—maybe a couple of months after he rose from the dead. Peter and John had met a man suffering from paralysis of the legs who was begging at one of the gates of the temple in Jerusalem. Peter declared to him that he didn’t have any silver or gold to give him, but what he had, he would gladly share. And then in the name of Jesus Christ, he commanded the man to get up and walk and that’s just what he did. And the crowd of people that witnessed it were naturally amazed.
Peter used their amazement as an opportunity to declare God’s solid truth. The first truth that he wanted them to understand is that he wasn’t responsible for this miracle. He stated, “Men of Israel, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus.”
In short, Peter was giving all glory to Jesus. It was Jesus who healed this man. Jesus simply used Peter as the vehicle for his almighty power.
But now, having mentioned Jesus, Peter had the opportunity to speak to them about another solid truth—the truth about what they had done to this Jesus who had healed this man. He declared, “You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. You killed the author of life.” Whoa! Did Peter really mean what he said? Did he really want to accuse these people of killing Jesus?
How could that be true? Well, first the obvious. It’s entirely possible that some of these men standing before Peter were actually there in Pilate’s courtyard on Good Friday. They may have joined in the shouts of, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” And, even if they hadn’t joined in those murderous shouts, no one spoke up to defend Jesus. No one even questioned the injustice of it all.
But even if they weren’t there and weren’t aware of it, even if the people to whom Peter was speaking had never heard of Jesus (which is highly unlikely), the solid truth is that their sins made the death of Christ necessary. There was no other way that a loving and merciful God and yet a holy and just God could deal with the sins of every sinner than for him to send his only Son, Jesus, to the cross for those sins. When Peter points his apostolic finger and shouts, “You killed the author of life” he’s pointing at every sinner; he’s pointing at me, at you.
Listen to a solid witness speak solid truth. We crucified the Lord of life.
An orthopedic surgeon was tending to the broken leg of a ten-year-old boy. He could tell the boy was in pain. He knew he could help the boy, but he wanted him to know what it was going to mean for him to set that leg bone correctly. So he told him, “I’m going to have to make it hurt a little more so that it can heal correctly and begin feeling better.” He spoke the solid truth.
As Christians who have come to worship today to continue your celebration of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, I hope you’re not appalled at the solid truth which Peter shares with us this morning. We crucified the Lord of life. But couldn’t Peter have focused on the positive—the resurrection of Jesus—and forget about the negative? After all, life the last six days was hard enough on us. No sooner was Easter over than our stress levels returned to normal—right through the roof. We got thrown right back to the wolves—our family members, our co-workers, our fellow students. We forgot about our ailments on Easter but they came raging back into our lives on Monday morning. What’s more, we know we weren’t perfect in the past week. We know we sinned. And now, pastor, you share Peter’s solid truth with us—you crucified the Lord of life? What’s that all about? Kicking us while we’re down?
The solid truth is that God has to make it hurt a little more before he makes it better. The resurrection of Jesus, his sufferings and death, and his perfect life mean nothing to the person who doesn’t recognize this solid truth, “I crucified Jesus.” My sins cost Jesus his life. It does no good to mask that truth or to anesthetize us against our sinful reality. As hard as it is for us to take, we need to hear that solid truth. And, in his love for us, our God has Peter, his solid witness, speak it to us this morning.
Part II.
But thanks be to God, that isn’t the final word from our God or from the lips of his solid witness, Peter, either. Peter proclaims, “God raised him from the dead.”
That’s what Easter is all about. It’s about the resurrection of Jesus from the dead—physically, really. That’s not some myth. It’s not a fictional story generated by his followers out of a delusional impression about Jesus’ greatness. Nor is the resurrection of Jesus simply a metaphor for the fact that the memory of Jesus lived on in the hearts and lives of those who loved him.
And it certainly wasn’t the gospel writers’ way of bringing a tragic story to a happy ending. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John did not muse, “Let’s see…how can I make the crucifixion of Jesus a little more palatable? I know! I’ll report that he rose from the dead!” It didn’t happen that way.
It happened just as Peter explains it here in our text. God raised him from the dead. He had promised to do it several times in the Old Testament. And what God promised, he did. Absolutely. Definitively. Solidly.
Even more so, he raised him from the dead to assure us of our forgiveness. Think about it. If Jesus is still dead, then Jesus is just a sinful, human prophet who met a tragic and untimely death. But, if Jesus rose from the dead as he said he would, then he is true God. If he is true God, then I can be sure that his death was a payment large enough to pay for the sins of the world. And, if Jesus’ death paid for the world’s sins, then he certainly paid for mine. The Bible declares, “[Jesus] was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification” (Rom. 4:25). God justifies us. He declares us holy. How can I be sure of that? Because Jesus rose from the dead.
Listen to a solid witness speak solid truth. God raised Jesus for our justification.
Knowing that we are sinners, knowing that we crucified the author of life, what will it take to convince you that God justifies you, that God looks at you just as if you had never sinned? It would take something really big, wouldn’t it? How about the resurrection of Jesus from the dead? Does that fit such a need for a big display of his power? Indeed it does!
You see, for the Christian, Easter is not a once-a-year celebration. The resurrection of Jesus has practical meaning for our lives each and every day. How can I be sure of my forgiveness when guilt paralyzes me? Jesus rose from the dead. How can I be sure of eternity with God when I can’t even imagine what tomorrow will bring? Jesus rose from the dead. You see, because of the resurrection of Jesus, all of God’s promises are certain. That’s the rock-solid truth God wants to implant solidly in your heart. That’s the rock-solid truth that his solid witness proclaims this morning. With that solid truth you’re ready to meet today – tomorrow – eternity with your loving God. Amen.
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