Acts 4:1
Outline:
I. \\#Acts 1:1-8:4\\ God’s Work in Jerusalem
A. \\#1:1-3\\ The Introduction
B. \\#1:4-26\\ Jesus’ Departure
1. \\#1:4-8\\ The Command
2. \\#1:9-11\\ The Ascension and Promised Return
3. \\#1:12-26\\ The Wait for the Holy Ghost
C. \\#2:1-8:4\\ The Holy Ghost’s Coming
1. \\#Acts 1:1-4\\ The Holy Spirit Comes
2. \\#Acts 2:5-8:4\\ The Power of the Holy Spirit
a. \\#Acts 2:5-13\\ The Power of Languages
b. \\#Acts 2:1-36\\ The Power of Preaching
c. \\#Acts 2:37-41, 47\\ The Power of Salvation
d. \\#Acts 2:42-47\\ The Power of Fellowship
e. \\#Acts 2:44-45\\ The Power of Giving
f. \\#Acts 3:1-11\\ The Power of Healing (miracles) and
more preaching \\#Acts 3:12-26\\
g. \\#Acts 4:1-31\\ The Power of Suffering
h. \\#Acts 4:32-5:42\\ The Power of Chastening
(1) \\#Acts 4:32-37\\ The Continuous Demonstrations
of the Holy Ghost (fellowship, preaching,
giving)
(2) \\#Acts 5:1-11\\ The Holy Ghost Chastens
(3) \\#Acts 5:12-42\\ The Continuous Demonstration of
the Holy Ghost (healing, salvation, suffering)
II. \\#Acts 8:5-12:24\\ God’s Work in Judea and Samaria
III. \\#Acts 13:1-28:31\\ God’s Work in Uttermost Parts of the World
I. \\#Acts 2:5-8:4\\ The Power of the Holy Spirit
G. \\#Acts 4:1-31\\ The Power of Suffering - Suffering is not
normally considered to be a grace given to us by the Holy
Ghost. Some would think that anyone can suffer; but to
suffer so that glory can be brought to the Savior is a work
that only the Holy Ghost can accomplish.
1. While I am systematically pointing out the gifts (powers)
that the Holy Ghost brought to the church when He came,
His gifts continue to work throughout the Book of Acts
and likely throughout the history of the church.
a. \\#Acts 4:2\\ Preaching continued.
b. \\#Acts 4:4\\ Souls continued to be saved. This time,
5,000.
c. And persecution, once it began, would not end.
2. \\#1-7\\ "priests, and the captain of the temple, and the
Sadducees"
a. These are the same religious leaders who had crucified
Jesus just over 2 months earlier.
(1) Why did the religious leaders not kill the
disciples from the beginning?
(a) First, that was not what God wanted! God
protected them.
(b) It had been two months since Jesus was
killed. During that two months, things had
probably "cooled" somewhat.
(c) The religious leaders had never ‘targeted"
the disciples, just Jesus. Perhaps they
never saw Jesus’ disciples as a danger. We
have no record of the religious leaders
ever seeking an occasion against one of the
disciples—until now.
(2) While killing will not be the religious leaders
first alternative, it will not be long until
they are ready to kill again \\#Acts 5:33\\.
b. \\#2\\ "Being grieved …preached …Jesus"
c. \\#3\\ "laid hands on them …put them in the hold
…for it was now eventide" - Peter healed the man
around 3 PM \\#Acts 3:1\\ and so must have preached
and worked with the crowds two to three hours for it
was now "eventide."
d. \\#6\\ A great hosts of the religious leaders was
assembled.
e. "By what power, or by what name, have ye done this"
(1) They want to know who told them to do and to
speak these things. How did they get this
power?
(2) As in the life of Jesus, at first, the religious
leaders seem mostly curious.
3. \\#8-12\\ The Preaching (The recording of the sermons are
getting much smaller.
a. \\#9\\ Application to contemporary events
b. \\#11\\ Text - \\#Ps 118:22\\
c. \\#10\\ The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.
d. \\#12\\ Call to salvation
4. \\#13-22\\ The first persecution was threats.
a. \\#13\\ The leaders’ perception of the disciples
(1) They saw their boldness (courage, confidence,
certainty).
(2) They saw they "were unlearned and ignorant men."
There were only two classes of people in that
day, the educated and the worker. Most of the
workers had little, if any, education.
(3) They "marveled."
(4) "they took knowledge …that they had been with
Jesus." - They attributed the men’s boldness to
Jesus.
b. \\#14,16\\ The leaders’ perception of the healed man.
It could not be denied for the man had been in that
condition for more than 40 years \\#22\\.
c. \\#15, 17-18\\ The leaders’ decision - They "straitly
threatened them" \\#17\\ and "commanded them not to
speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus."
5. \\#19-31\\ The Apostles reaction
a. \\#19-20\\ Peter and John told them that they would
obey God over man.
(1) This is an important truth to understand.
(2) While God commands us in His Word to obey those
who have the rule over us
\\#Heb 13:7, 17 Romans 13:1-8, Titus 3:1\\, God
is over all and all the world is commanded to
obey Him \\#Ex 19:5, John 14:15, 23, 15:10\\.
(3) So I believe Christians:
(a) Should obey the Word of God (not necessarily
our conclusions from the Word of God) over
the government.
(b) May flee from the government when being
persecuted for obeying God.
(c) But must face whatever punishment comes with
respect and courage.
b. \\#23-31\\ Then they returned and reported to their
own company (that is, the church).
(1) \\#24\\ They praised and prayed to God.
(a) The believers have always counted it a
privilege, not a penalty, to suffer for
God.
(b) In the book, The Insanity of God, by Nik
Ripken, many who were persecuted did not
even pray that the persecution would stop.
Rather, they prayed that they would be
faithful to endure it. To them,
persecution was natural and necessary.
(2) \\#25-28\\ They considered the persecution a
fulfillment of prophecy \\#Psalm 2:1-2\\ and a
continuation of what was done to Jesus.
(3) \\#29-31\\ They asked for courage and received
a renewed filling of the Holy Ghost for
witnessing. (Note: There is no mention of the
Holy Ghost’s filling causing the gift of tongues
here for there was no one who needed the gift to
be exercised for understanding.)
c. Would the disciples obey the leaders and stop
preaching Jesus? NO.
(1) They had a command from God to preach.
(2) When man’s law and God’s law collide, God’s
command is greater and must be obeyed.
(3) However, the disciples were never rebellious
to the man’s government or disrespectful.
H. \\#Acts 4:32-5:16\\ The Power of Chastening
1. \\#Acts 4:32-37\\ Continuous Demonstrations of the Holy
Ghost
a. \\#32\\ The Power of Fellowship
(1) "And the multitude" - So many had been saved and
were following the Holy Ghost that they are
described as a "multitude."
(2) "were of one heart and of one soul"
b. \\#33\\ The Power of Preaching - "the apostles
witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus"
c. \\#32, 34-37\\ The Power of Giving - This grace of the
Holy Ghost provides the back drop for another power
that the Holy Ghost gave.
(1) \\#32\\ The mindset of the church was "they had
all things in common."
(2) \\#34-35\\ Because of that spirit, the people
sold what they had and took care of others,
under the distribution of the apostles.
(a) Is this socialism? No. Socialism offers no
choice! These people did what they did
because they wanted to do so \\#Acts 5:4\\.
(b) God was leading these believers to do this
in part because persecutions were coming.
Those who sold and gave their goods away
got the joy of doing so while other
Christians would lose all that they had in
the persecutions.
(3) \\#36-37\\ "Joses, surnamed Barnabas" - One who
did so was Barnabas. This is our first
introduction to this man who will later help
Paul be accepted by the church and be a
missionary.
(a) Barnabas was a Levite and so was a priest.
(b) He was born in Cyprus, an island about 200
miles off the coasts of Israel. We are not
told why Barnabas was born in a Gentile
land.
(c) \\#37\\ "Having land, sold it" - Yet, he
lived in Jerusalem and possessed land which
he sold to give to the church.
2. \\#Acts 5:1-11\\ The Holy Ghost Chastens
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