Point the Way unto Heav’n (Acts 4:5-12)
When I was a youth minister in Kentucky, Tammy and I took the kids to Ohio to conduct a Vacation Bible School. We made it to the small Ohio town where we were conducting the VBS, but I couldn’t find the church building to save my soul.
While I was driving all these teenagers through town, I spotted a cop. The only problem was that he was out of his patrol car and was arresting a man. Well, I was lost, and a cop putting handcuffs on someone could give directions as well as any other officer.
Tammy was nearly hysterical and told me not to think about pulling over and asking for directions, but I did! The officer could not have been more kind, and he gave me very good directions. And, not only did the cop give me directions, but the guy in handcuffs gave me fairly good directions, too.
How many of you have had trouble finding your way? Do you ever use the GPS—even if you know where you’re going—so you can avoid traffic? Maybe you’ve stopped at a gas station and asked for directions. Perhaps you’ve gotten lost following the GPS.
Peter gave directions. In fact, Peter told the Sanhedrin where they could find salvation. Peter demonstrated: “You point people to heaven by pointing them to Jesus.”
Scripture (Acts 4:5-12)
verses 5-7:
The day before this meeting of the Sanhedrin, Peter had, at the temple, healed a man born lame. Peter then spoke to the crowd about the Resurrected Jesus who had made the man’s healing possible. The Sadducees and other members of the Sanhedrin put Peter and John into custody until they could hold the meeting Luke recorded here.
The Sanhedrin asked the apostles, “Who gave you the right to do this?”
verse 8:
Peter spoke as he was filled by the Holy Spirit.
verses 9-11:
Instead of taking credit for the healing himself, Peter pointed the Sanhedrin to Jesus—the same Jesus they had crucified and the same Jesus God had raised from the dead.
verse 12:
Salvation can only be found in Jesus. The Sanhedrin wanted a name; Peter gave them a name—the name of Jesus.
Application
“You point people to heaven by pointing them to Jesus.” Peter could have made himself into a great man; after all, he had just healed a lame man. Instead of centering on himself, Peter pointed the Sanhedrin to Jesus.
How can you point people to heaven by pointing them to Jesus?
One: You Strive.
Peter preached to the Sanhedrin because he had done a good deed by healing a lame man.
You must Strive to do good deeds so that you can point others to heaven. “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation” (1 Pet 2:12).
How much do you Strive for good deeds before unbelievers? Do you make sure the hungry are fed? Do you make sure the naked are clothed? Do you welcome the stranger? Do you comfort the sick? Do you care for the prisoner?
Two: You Speak.
Peter opened his mouth to Speak Jesus.
When asked why you do good deeds, Speak. When the Sanhedrin arrested the apostles, an angel came to them that night and released them. And he said to them, “Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life” (Acts 5:20).
The gospel saves: “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Rom 1:16).
How much do you Speak Jesus? When someone has a question about what you believe, what do you say? When you see a neighbor for whom you’ve been praying, what do you say? When a friend asks why you don’t engage in a certain sin, what do you say? What do you Speak?
Three: You use the Spirit.
The Sanhedrin asked Peter by what authority he preached. “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them. . . .” (Acts 4:8). Peter spoke to the Sanhedrin through the Holy Spirit.
You, too, must proclaim what the Spirit has said in Scripture. “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching” (2 Tim 3:16). The one who teaches should use that word to teach: “Whoever speaks [should speak] as one who speaks oracles of God” (1 Pet 4:11).
When you speak to someone about his soul, you must do so as though you were speaking the oracles—the very word—of God. Do you use the Spirit to teach someone about his soul? How much do you say, “I think” versus “The Bible says?” How much do you respond with “I once heard a preacher say” versus “Here’s what the Bible says?”
Conclusion
After Peter’s sermon, the Sanhedrin threatened the apostles and warned them not to preach in Jesus’s name anymore. Instead of obeying the Sanhedrin, the apostles prayed for boldness. What would happen if the church here prayed for boldness? What if we prayed for the courage to take the word to the lost? What if we prayed to be so moved by the lost that we sought to save them?
Do you need us to pray for you this morning?
This sermon was originally preached by Dr. Justin Imel, Sr., at Church of Christ Deer Park in Deer Park, Texas.