I would like to highlight the word “vindication” today. The title of this message is “Vindication of the Gospel.”
Let’s pretend that in the course of this message, I tell you that I am the reincarnation of the prophet Elisha. I am the Elisha of the Old Testament returned in the flesh to exhort you to serve God through the Lord Jesus Christ. Immediately a number of red flags should pop up. First, I used the word “reincarnation,” which is not a Biblical term or a Biblical principle. And then some of you have known me for forty years, but just now I am telling you I am Elisha. ??? You theologians know that God sent Samuel, Moses and Elijah back from the dead on different occasions for specific purposes – before the completion of the written Word. But what reason would the Lord have to bring Elisha back in the body of this flesh – and now? Furthermore, you have been taught to believe the Bible before you trust any man or pretend prophet of God.
If I continue to insist that I am Elisha, and you don’t immediately walk away or call for the police, you might – just might – be willing to let me try to vindicate my assertion. You might say, “If you are Elisha, do some Elisha-like things.” Make a dry path across the Spokane River, or at least make an axe head float upstream, then to across and come back. Be like Jesus or Elisha: multiply my supply of oil and bread, or give me free gasoline and make some chicken wings appear on my table as I get home today. Raise my grandmother from her grave; I’d like to speak with her again. Heal another Naaman and command that President Biden be struck down with shingles. Prove that what you claim is true; vindicate yourself and your statements. Defend your claims. You should demand these things, because, isn’t it true, you really don’t want to believe that I am Elisha?
Of course, I am not going to tell you a lie like that. But I am going to tell you that you and your potential reaction are good illustrations of the unbelieving Jews in our text of scripture. Those people had no more desire to believe Peter and John and their gospel of Christ than you have to believe that I am Elisha. The leadership of Israel already had a hatred for Jesus of Nazareth. They had stalked and harassed Him for a couple years before finally having Him crucified. He was executed, because they refused to believe what He was telling them. They had no interested in His gospel message, and they looked down on everyone connected with Him. So with Peter and John standing before them, they “commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus” – (Acts 4:18).
But going back to my word of the day, earlier they demanded that the disciples vindicate themselves. “By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?” And Peter replied, “by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.”
To understand all of this let’s return to the events of the day before.
Peter and John, filled with the Holy Spirit and a rejuvenated faith in the Lord, were approaching the temple just before the time for afternoon prayer. As they entered through the gate called “Beautiful,” and passing by a crippled beggar, they heard him cry out for a coin or two. Apparently this man had been in the temple nearly every day for more than thirty years. He was well-known to all the regular temple attendees, including the priests and the national leadership – the Sanhedrin. Then Peter, “fastening his eyes upon him… said, Look on us,” and the man willingly did, hoping for a gift. But then he heard, “Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.” When he heard that Peter had no silver or gold, he might have hoped fore a less valuable coin. But then Peter reached down with his right hand and pulled the man to his feet. Miraculously his shriveled legs were made whole and strong, supporting his adult-sized weight. And the formerly helpless man began to leap, dance and skip along with the apostles into the temple. With his arms were around them, he was apparently creating quite a stir, vociferously praising God. And “all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is called Solomon’s, greatly wondering.”
Then Peter, surrendering himself to the leadership of the Holy Spirit, began to preach Christ and the gospel. “Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? Or why look ye so earnestly on us, as through by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk.” “It was not by our will, power or goodness, but through the power of Jesus Christ that this man has been healed.” After that Peter verbally stepped back. “But you and your leaders took our Lord Jesus Christ and had Him crucified.” The Messiah of Israel died on a Roman cross as you know and many eye-witnesses will testify. But I am here to tell you that He is no longer dead. I and my friends have seen and spoken with Him, eaten with Him and prayed with Him since His death. He who is the Prince of life, has been raised from the dead by the power of our Heavenly Father. “Those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled. Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord…”
At that point, some of the priests, men of the Sadducean sect, came rushing in “being grieved that they taught the people and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead.” Despite being familiar with the Old Testament, the Sadducees denied the possibility of resurrections. So Peter and John, along with man who had been healed, were tossed into jail to be kept over night. What a wonderful night that must have been – especially for former beggar. As he admired his newly strengthened legs, he spent several blessed hours with men who had spent years with the Messiah – the Son of God. If that man had not become a believer just after his healing, he undoubtedly was by the next morning. He was ready to “suffer as a Christian… and to glorify God” in sharing his new found faith in Christ.
After the sun arose, the Jewish High Priest and his corrupt father, the former High Priest, along with several others, brought out the three prisoners. “By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?” Done what? First, there was the healing of the lame man, and then there was the audacious declaration that it was done by the power and name of Jesus of Nazareth, whom Peter directly called “the Messiah” – the “Christ.” Peter also declared that those very men had “denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted” freedom. I wish I had time to fully examine all the ways in which Peter described the Lord Jesus. He called him Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah. Jesus, the Son of the God of Abraham. The Holy One and the Just. The Prince of life. The prophet who was to be like Moses. The resurrected One. The stone which the builders of Israel had rejected, referring to Psalm 118:22. And then he said that Jesus Christ is the Saviour. “Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other name under heaven given among men, where by we must be saved” – Acts 4:12.
It was for all these things and this Biblical theology that the priests demanded that Peter vindicate himself. “By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?” They wanted to know the source of Peter’s power – “dunamis.” From where did the physical power of this miracle come? And they wanted to know from where he got his authority – in whose “name” have you done these things?
With that I come to my theme for this morning.
The vindication of the gospel.
I’d like to use some of Peter’s words and deeds to justify what I do here on Sunday mornings, week after week. I want to vindicate myself before any potential criticism from the unbeliever. I hope to explain why I preach the gospel of the Lord Jesus within a society that wants no part of Him.
And I will start at the heart of Peter’s reply. “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost said unto them… be it known unto you all… that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.” I can justify my declaration of the gospel – because the Saviour, who is the center of that gospel lives.
Peter began his message to the crowds in the temple, pointing out their sinfulness in crucifying Christ. “Ye delivered up (God’s Son), and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go. But ye denied the Holy One and the Just… and killed the Prince of Life” – Acts 3:13-15. Then into the faces of the priests he said once again “Jesus Christ of Nazareth ye crucified” – Acts 4:10. Peter didn’t need to quote Paul’s Romans 3 to prove their sinfulness, and he didn’t need to make an itemized list. One fact was sufficient: they killed the Son of God. Can there be a greater sin than this?
But then in both messages Peter vindicated his boldness and his message by saying, but “God hath raised (Him) from the dead; whereof we are witnesses” – Acts 3:15 and 4:10. I preach the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ without shame or regret, because the Saviour who gave His life a ransom for my salvation lives today overseeing the application of that ransom. This is one of the central truths – a primary, foundational truth – of the Gospel. Earlier, on the greatest Pentecost in history Peter was again preaching, and he said, “Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.” When Peter was talking to the Roman soldier Cornelius, he said, “We are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree: Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly; Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead. To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins” – Acts 10:39-43.
The resurrection of Christ was the theme of all the early preachers, and it should still be today. Acts 17:2 – “And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ.” He began his Roman epistle with the authoritative words: This letter is “concerning God’s Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; and declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.” Perhaps, anticipating some push back from unbelievers, Paul said in I Corinthians 15 – “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.”
Of course, we today are more than two thousand years removed from the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. It is easy for the modern unbeliever to talk about science and religious fables and lack of evidence for the resurrection of Jesus. But when Peter was talking to these priests everything was fresh in everyone’s minds. The facts were obvious. Furthermore, these priests were actually involved in the cover-up of the resurrection. Some of these very men bribed witnesses to keep their mouths shut about the truth. With every reference Peter made to Jesus’ resurrection, the knife of the Holy Spirit was splitting their hearts open just a little wider.
Do I care that people sometimes laugh at my acceptance and belief in Jesus’ resurrection? Yes I do just a bit, but not for myself, because their snickering doesn’t change the facts or hurt my faith. But it bothers me on their behalf, because this is an essential part of the gospel. Those unbelievers and rejecters of this truth are condemning themselves before God. The resurrection of Christ is a vital and necessary part of the gospel. And as a historical fact, it vindicates what I try to do in this place every Sunday morning.
As I look at Peter and John, I see some other things which vindicated them – and which speak to my heart. For example, I see their boldness, who only a few weeks before were cowering in fear before these same priests and Sadducees. The disciples – all of the disciples – had been changed by the grace and power of God. Look at the faith of these two servants of God: “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.” Come on Peter, what gives you the guts, or gall, or faith to tell a forty-year-old invalid to stand up and walk? His faith was explained when he was brought out of his cell and told to stand before the High Priest. “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost said unto them…” Empowered by the Holy Spirit Peter boldly declared the gospel to people who hated the primary character of that gospel.
Later when they were released, the three men met with many people of the church, telling them what had happened, and “when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together, and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.” I confess with some degree of shame, that I know what it is to minister the gospel without the power of God. But on the other hand, it is not pride when I say, I also know what it is to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to preach the gospel with power and boldness. On those occasions, and there have been many… on those occasions, I feel fully vindicated in carrying out my commission. On those occasions, the presence and power of the Lord is the source of my power. I have people who are concerned for lost souls, and who care about the ministry – who are praying that I be filled with the Spirit of God when I get up here. To answer the skeptics, who say, “by what power, or by what name, have ye done this?” I say, it is in the name and under the authority of the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ.
I don’t know if Peter was deliberately trying to do so, but he vindicated his ministry with scripture. He alluded to the Old Testament several times when he was preaching there in the temple. And earlier, in his Pentecostal sermon, you could say that he took his text from Amos and other Old Testament writers. Here he pointed to Deuteronomy 18 – “For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto.” And 5,000 of those people did hear him that day. Then, as I said earlier, Peter referred to Psalm 118, when speaking to the priests. When they were told not to “speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus,” Peter told them, “We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” And what they heard came directly from the lips of the Son of God.
How do I vindicate my preaching of Christ? If these were my ideas… if I was preaching my philosophy… I might be embarrassed. But I try very hard to saturate my messages with quotations from the eternal, written Word of God. The preacher of the gospel must fill his messages with the Bible, for it is the power of God unto salvation.
Each of these things were important to Peter, and they are important to me, in the vindication to the ministry. But there was something else which reached out and grabbed the hearts of those wicked priests. Verse 13 – “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. And beholding the man which was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.” What is the most obvious vindication of the gospel message? It isn’t the changed lives of stale old disciples. It’s the changed lives of wicked and spiritually handicapped sinners like the man at the Beautiful gate.
Everyone who lived in Jerusalem had at some time or other seen the man in the temple with the useless legs. And verse 22 tells us that he was more than forty years old. Probably from a child, his parents had carried him to a prominent doorway into the courtyard of temple, and there he begged for coins and food from the passersby. Perhaps through the years he had made a good living that way. Perhaps could afford to pay men to carry him to his preferred spot now that he was grown. I don’t know, and I don’t care. The point is, he was well-known, and now he was becoming a celebrity. And this celebrity was willing to serve and to suffer as a believer in Christ.
Oh, how I wish I knew the rest of his story. One these days perhaps the saints of God will all know. How many hours was it before he demanded baptism as a testimony of his repentance and faith? Was he immersed that morning before the noon meal? As joyful as he was, I don’t think he returned quietly to his family, just satisfied to have two good legs. The man had never been employed, so he didn’t go back to his old job with a new attitude. I’d be surprised, if he didn’t become an evangelist of some kind. Was he one of the deacons? Was he one of the members of the Jerusalem church to go to Antioch as the persecutions became hotter? I guarantee that he would have been one of the primary targets of Saul and other persecutors. Maybe we never hear anything more about him, because he was jailed or even executed shortly after his salvation and conversion to Christ? The vindication of Peter’s ministry included this man and his testimony of salvation through Christ.
And still today, one of the most important justifications of the gospel is the fruit of the gospel in saved souls. If you are a child of God, recently born into the family of God, then you need to cling to Peter and John and be willing to be put in the hold of the enemy. You need, along with the blind man of John 9 when his Saviour was slandered, “he answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.” The gospel of Christ is vindicated when the new creatures in Christ begin to live as Christians, serving the Saviour with all their hearts.
Are you a child of God? Why are you not? Why not join the five thousand who were saved that day after witnessing the salvation of this lame man, and listening to the message of the apostle? Are you living the life of the Christian and sharing the testimony of a child of God? Why not? We have only one life and soon ‘twill pass. Only what’s done for and through Christ will last.
Oh, I beg of you to repent of your sins before God and put your trust in the Saviour. And then, give the Lord your two new legs and the rest of your life in His service, and for His glory.