November 17, 2013
Hymn 335 - I am so glad that our Father in heaven
Prayer
We are going move along with the kings of Judah. After King Jotham came Ahaz. Ahaz was not a godly king. He closed the temple and made Israel fall away from God. Following him to the throne was his son Hezekiah. In the split kingdom, Hezekiah stands out as the best king. He had a big job after what his father Ahaz had done.
2 Kings 18:3 & 5
2 Chronicles 29
Hezekiah wanted to do that which was right before the Lord. To do this, He needed to repair the temple, so that Judah could worship God; after this, God could begin to bless them again. To get God’s blessing, we need to obey Him. In Ephesians 6, it tells us that there will be blessing when we obey.
God’s wrath had come upon Judah because they were not worshiping Him. It was the priests’ and Levites’ job to clean out the temple. They brought all the garbage that Ahaz had brought into the temple outside the city. Sometimes, we have sin in our lives and we need to confess it so that we can be close to the Lord again.
Once everything was ready in the temple, Hezekiah offered a big sacrifice to the Lord. God had given them the tabernacle because He wanted to be near to them. The offerings were types of the Lord’s death on the cross. He died so that we could draw nigh to Him.
Hezekiah has become king. He wanted to do that which was right and the people rejoiced. Lord willing, we will be able to look at more stories with Hezekiah.
Acts 4:1-22
This is a continuation of the story we had last week. Peter was speaking to the people, and guess who comes along. The priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees. They were grieved that they taught the people. Peter had used this miracle to teach that Jesus rose from the dead. The priests were among those that had determined the Lord was a blasphemer and unfit to live, while the Sadducees didn’t believe in resurrection at all, so of course they were grieved.
Instead of the phrase “from the dead” Darby uses the phrase, “from among the dead”. The Jews believed in a general resurrection of all people at the last day, but this was a resurrection where not all were raised. Some were left, like when Lazarus was raised. Darby highlights this distinction, showing that Jesus rose from among those that were dead.
These rulers were grieved, knowing this situation would be hard to deal with because of the healing of the lame man. They took Peter, John, and apparently the healed man, and put them in prison overnight, because it was already late. This didn’t help them, though, because about five thousand men—and we don’t know how many women and children—heard and believed what Peter said. That’s the power of the Holy Spirit.
The next day at the trial there was quite a crowd: rulers, elders, scribes, Annas the High Priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and the High Priest’s relatives. They asked Peter and John, “By what power or name have you done this miracle?” They couldn’t have done it; they didn’t believe in the name of Jesus. This question was all that Peter needed to start another discourse.
He began by almost poking some fun at these men, because they had been put in prison and were being examined for a good deed. Then he told them, “It was by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Whom you crucified and God raised, that this man was healed.” These men had admitted that there was power in this name.
The name of Jesus means a lot to a Christian. It’s through that name alone that we have salvation. Through it we have the remission of sins, in it we have the ground of gathering. It’s above every name; the centre of worship in time and eternity. At that Name God’s enemies draw back. It’s meaningful to us!
This Name wasn’t known in Old Testament times. It speaks of the Lord’s humanity as well as divinity, because it was only announced at His birth. It represents all that Christ is, and all that He stands for. Adding “of Nazareth” reminds us that He was despised by men.
Peter made the most of this opportunity because the rulers couldn’t deny the notable healing of the lame man. After boldly proclaiming the name and power of Jesus, he then rebuked these men as the crucifiers of Christ, telling them that God raised Him from the dead. He tied things back to Old Testament scriptures, reminding them that they should have been builders, but they rejected the most important stone, the one that held everything together. He doesn’t tell them to do Old Testament works, but rather that there is no way to be saved except through Jesus. He is the only way. What we believe matters, not just how sincerely we believe it. Peter narrows salvation down to one name, and one Person.
These rulers saw the boldness of Peter and John. They weren’t mincing their words, they gave things straight so that they would touch consciences. And they did. The rulers marvelled, seeing that Peter and John were ignorant men. The only explanation of their behaviour is that they had been with Jesus. It showed! They hadn’t been to college or seminary, but they had been with Jesus, and people could tell. We need to be with Jesus.
Hymn 194 – Take the name of Jesus with you
Prayer