Be Submissive (Acts 4:5-7)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/21/2017 10:44 AM

My Worship Time                                                                              Focus: PT-1 Persecution Met

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:    Acts 4:5-31

            Message of the verses:  I mentioned in our first SD on these verses that I was not going to quote all of them, but quote the ones that we will be going to look at that particular day.  We also looked at there were only two main points in Acts 4:1-31 and we have already covered the first main point in our preceding SD’s.  The last main point, “Persecution Met” will be made  up of several different sub points, and we begin with the first one this morning “Be Submissive,” and it covers verses 5-7.

            “5 On the next day, their rulers and elders and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem; 6  and Annas the high priest was there, and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of high-priestly descent. 7 When they had placed them in the center, they began to inquire, "By what power, or in what name, have you done this?"”

            I want to begin with 1 Peter 2:18-24 “18 Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable. 19 For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God. 21 For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, 22 WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH; 23 and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; 24 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.”

            I begin with these verses to show why Peter and John showed no resistance in being arrested and then being questioned by the Sanhedrin.  After walking with Jesus for three years, and seeing Him being resurrected and then seeing Him go to heaven, and also realizing that the promised Holy Spirit was living in them, they had no problem being submissive to these Jewish leaders.

            We have written in past SD’s what the Sanhedrin was all about as it was the ruling body of the nation, which of course was under control of the Romans, but as we have also seen the Romans let the Jewish leaders do pretty much what they wanted to do as long as there were no riots.  We have also meet Ciaphas, and Annas when we looked at the trials of Jesus in the 18^th chapter of John and also in our study of Mark’s gospel.  Not really sure who Alexander was as nothing else is said about him.

            John MacArthur quotes Homer Kent, Jr. who states that “the Mosaic Law specified that whenever someone performed a miracle and used it as the basis for teaching, he was to be examined, and if the teaching were used to lead men away from the God of their fathers, the nation was responsible to stone him (Deut. 13:1-5).  On the other hand, it his message was doctrinally sound, the miracle-worker was to be accepted as coming with a message from God.”  

            “1  "If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, 2  and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, ’Let us go after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them,’ 3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your God is testing you to find out if you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 “You shall follow the LORD your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him. 5 "But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has counseled rebellion against the LORD your God who brought you from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, to seduce you from the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from among you.”

            The Sanhedrin demanded to know “by what power, or in what name” the apostles had healed the lame man.  We know that a name represents authority, and there is no higher authority in the entire universe than our Lord Jesus Christ.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  To realize that Jesus Christ is the highest authority in the universe and to realize that He died for me brings about humility into my life.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  I trust that since there have been very many prayers going up to heaven for the man that the Lord brought into my life to tell the truth of the gospel to that the Holy Spirit of God will continue His word of salvation in this man’s life.

Answer to yesterday’s Bible question:  “In Troas” (Acts 16:8-9).

Today’s Bible question:  “Who was Jacob’s most loved wife?”

Answer in our next SD.

9/21/2017 11:07 AM