If you risked arrest by coming here this morning I wonder whether you would have still come. I wonder whether I would have. There have been times when Christianity has been dangerous. There have been times when it has been subversive. There have been times, even in this country, when preaching a sermon could land you in jail
The Apostle Peter lived and ministered in a time like that. Last week we read how Peter and John performed an amazing healing miracle in the sight of all the people. The crippled man who had been carried everywhere for forty years was now walking and leaping and praising God. People come running to hear the apostles speak…. and then the authorities panicked. Why? Because Peter’s message was spiritual dynamite in the highly charged conditions of time. Luke tells us: They (the authorities) were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. (Acts 4.2)
It was bad enough that they were proclaiming the resurrection of the dead – a doctrine utterly offensive to the Saduccees, but the resurrection of the dead in Jesus - that was the last straw, with its implication that Jesus himself had been resurrected and that all those who believe in him could be resurrected to eternal life, too. The authorities decided to silence the apostles by throwing them into jail. The next day a public inquiry took place. They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: "By what power or what name did you do this?"That was the question. Not ‘have you done it’ or even ‘why did you do it?’ but By what power or what name did you do this?"
Such issues of permission and authority continue to fascinate ecclesiastical officialdom to this day.
What does Peter say: Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit starts to speak. We did it by the name of Jesus. If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. Peter says: you want to know how we did it? We did it by the name of Jesus - and then to make it just a bit more pointed Peter adds: you know, the Jesus you crucified but God raised from the grave. That’s how this man stands before you - he’s been healed by Jesus. That wasn’t what they wanted to hear. They thought they had dealt with the Jesus problem once and for all. Now Peter tells them Jesus is alive and well. The walking, leaping, praising beggar is the living testimony to that. And there’s more: He is "'the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone.' It’s a bit like putting together one of those self-assembly packages from IKEA, and finding that the little lump of wood you threw away thinking it was part of the packaging, has a crucial role in holding your new wardrobe together.
Peter says that the devastating truth about the people Israel is they have rejected the very person who turns out to be the most important figure in the universe. They have turned away from the man they most need to know in all the world. The devastating truth to this day is that it so easy to reject Jesus. You can do it without crucifying Him, you can do it by ignoring, patronising him, by keeping him at a safe distance, even by being a bit religious but not allowing him to really come into your life. All you need to do to reject him is not to accept him. The stone the builders rejected has turned out to be the most important of all. He is the Son of God, He is the ruler of the universe. He is the saviour of the world. He has the keys of heaven and hell. Peter’s testimony to the inquiry is clear. There is no other way we can be saved except by the name of Jesus Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
It’s not just that only Jesus could have healed that crippled man. The Bible says only Jesus can make our lives whole. Only Jesus can open the gate to heaven. Only by believing in Jesus, can any of us be saved. Let us make sure that we have not rejected Jesus.
SPEAKING FOR JESUS… WHAT ABOUT US? Peter is famous for being the man who three times failed to speak for Jesus. He failed even to admit to knowing Jesus. You and I can identify only too well with his weakness, his lack of boldness, and his fear, yet ultimately he did speak for Jesus with great power and vitality and in the most intimidating circumstances
There’s a challenge in this passage for us all. If Peter can speak for Jesus in a world where to do that was to risk imprisonment (as it does in many countries today), then how much more ought we be prepared to speak for Jesus, to reach out to others, to get involved with the modern day lepers, the drunks, homeless (the tramps), drug addicts, the people we would not want to associate with here in comfortable Britain, where perhaps outright persecution is unlikely and the worst that’s going to happen to us is that we may risk being thought a bit un-cool, a bit naff, or lost the plot.
Let’s not give into the intimidation of an apathetic anti-religious culture. Let’s be prepared to speak and act for Jesus. Let’s be like Peter. Let’s be like Cameron Stout, the winner of 2003 Big Brother contest
The Ship of Fools website reported ‘Cameron's victory in Big Brother came despite a campaign against him by Channel 4's breakfast show which described him as a "wet, Bible-bashing wimp".
He played out the contest seemingly with no pretence, no false impressions. His secret weapon was his faith and his Bible. He wasn't afraid to stand up for what he believed in. Among his defining moments were...
· Big Brother asked him how he felt about being nominated for eviction and he read the opening verses from Psalm 37. "Dinna fret" he began, just as naturally as if he was reading a letter from home.
· When he had difficulty dealing with Lisa, he introduced Big Brother to the concept of WWJD ("What Would Jesus Do?").
· When asked by Big Brother how many dates should elapse before a boy has sex with his girlfriend, Cameron replied that he did not believe in sex before marriage.
· During the housemates' "Christmas party", he read out the Gospel account of the nativity, with simple sincerity. ‘
{Noah has been brought along today to Baptism and He is about to embark on a journey for the time being with his parents, family and friends. It will be a journey of discovery, excitement, with highs and lows and all that life brings with it. His parents are asking Jesus to be with him in that journey and hopefully one day He will make the promises his parents are making for him today for himself. Noah, too can be known as someone who reaches out for Christ to others. } When the opportunity presents itself, let us speak and act for Jesus. Let Jesus be known in us in the way we respond to others. Amen.
Questions
1. Would you have turned up for church if there had been a risk of arrest or persecution?
2. How do you respond to people you are unsure of or have upset or hurt you in someway?
3. Who are modern day lepers (I listed some) and how do you respond to them?
4. How would you like to respond?
Pray about the responses you make in difficult situations.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment