key ideas in Peter’s defense/sermon.
8 Then Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and said to them,
“Rulers of the people and elders:
9 If we are being examined today about a good deed done to a disabled man,
by what means he was healed,
10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel,
that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,
whom you crucified and whom God raised from the dead ?- ?
by him this man is standing here before you healthy.
11 This Jesus is the stone rejected by you builders,
which has become the cornerstone.
12 There is salvation in no one else,
for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved.”
share the truth of the gospel with confidence.
After healing a lame man and sharing the gospel,
Peter and John were jailed and called before the Sanhedrin.
verses 8-11 (PSG, pp. 48-49) to identify Peter’s audience.
8: Filled with the Holy Spirit:
a specific empowering for the purpose of speaking the gospel with boldness.
9: Examined:
an inquiry or an investigation.
Peter and John were not politely invited to a religious dialogue.
this is the first known incident of persecution against the church,9: Good deed:
no good deed goes unpunished.
Peter’s questions imply that he and John were on trial because God used them to heal a lame man.
As when Jesus healed, the leaders were more worried about a message that threatened their authority
than about helping someone in need.10: Name of Jesus Christ:
By attributing the miracle and the title of Christ/Messiah to Jesus,
Peter emphasized that He was fully divine.11: The stone rejected:
Psalm 118:22.
He indicted the religious leaders for their rejection of God’s Son, the foundation stone of God’s kingdom.
His message directly confronted the leaders’ guilt in rejecting God’s cornerstone,
Instead of honoring Him as the bedrock of human history,
the leaders cast Him aside like a useless or flawed stone at a construction site.
how does showing respect and pointing to Old Testament prophecies connect with this group.
Note how the Spirit helped Peter boldly denounce the religious leaders for missing the Messiah.
verse 12 (PSG, pp. 49-50)
Addressing someone’s needs is often just the beginning of a meaningful spiritual conversation.
The immediate questions should lead us to confront a deeper need: eternal life.
Acts 4:12
Spend time praying Scripture using Acts 4:12.
Read the verse, then respond to these questions:
How does God reveal Himself in this verse?
How should I respond to what He reveals?
Example: Thank God for sending Jesus who made salvation and forgiveness of our sins possible.
Ask Him to make you aware of opportunities you have to tell others about Jesus
and the salvation that is only found in Him.