How to Give an Account
Acts 4:5-22
April 22, 2012
Well, if you are one of those folks that just hates it
When the preacher sort of gives you two sermons in one,
I’m gonna have to apologize to you at the onset tonight.
Because the book of Acts is filled with such great narrative,
My mind often finds that it works as a great illustration
To reinforce truth that Scripture clearly teaches.
That being said, I don’t just want to give you the illustration
Without first giving you the substance.
So we are going to study this passage in the book,
But I first find it necessary to give you the basis behind the story.
As you know last week we talked about the message of God.
And we learned that if the message of God is accurately preached,
Then it comes with some expected effects.
1) It is Disturbing
As we said, the gospel message takes no prisoners.
It humiliates men, it embarrasses men, it condemns men.
It magnifies the worst in them, and renders them helpless before holy God
Of course it then picks them up and gives them a true and lasting hope
In the person of Jesus, who accomplishes what wicked men never could,
And that is righteousness before God.
• But before the gospel gives life, it first kills.
• Before the gospel gives hope, it first condemns.
• Before the gospel gives worth, it first humiliates.
And because of this we can clearly see that
Men are easily disturbed by the message of the gospel.
2) It is Despised
And this is the sad effect of it first disturbing men.
There are many who do not respond properly
To the confronting and convicting message of the gospel.
Instead of accepting it as true and yielding their lives to it,
They hate the message and seek to discredit it.
The world in general does not love the true message of the gospel.
Now we also learn that we should preach the message anyway, because 3) The message is Diligent, meaning it accomplishes its purpose and never returns void.
But the point is that we learned that the message of the gospel
Will inevitably land those who preach it in hot water.
We know Jesus said:
Matthew 10:22 “You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.”
We remember Jesus teaching:
John 15:20 “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.”
And that coupled with the obvious story we read here in Acts,
We know Jesus wasn’t joking when He said those things.
If you or I choose to preach the gospel we should not be surprised
If that decision lands us in hot water.
The question at hand is, HOW DO I GIVE A GOOD ACCOUNT?
You may remember we talked about this while studying Psalm 119.
Psalms 119:41-48 “May Your lovingkindnesses also come to me, O LORD, Your salvation according to Your word; So I will have an answer for him who reproaches me, For I trust in Your word. And do not take the word of truth utterly out of my mouth, For I wait for Your ordinances. So I will keep Your law continually, Forever and ever. And I will walk at liberty, For I seek Your precepts. I will also speak of Your testimonies before kings And shall not be ashamed. I shall delight in Your commandments, Which I love. And I shall lift up my hands to Your commandments, Which I love; And I will meditate on Your statutes.”
The Psalmist understood that there was work required beforehand,
He needed to “seek Your precepts”, “delight in Your commandments”, “lift up my hands to Your commandments”, and “meditate on Your statutes.”
The Psalmist saw the need to be prepared ahead of time.
Put wisdom in, if you expect wisdom to come out.
Well, that is the same thing we are talking about tonight.
The difference is where the Psalmist focused on preparing ahead of time,
Tonight we focus on the actual moment when we give an account.
And to get us ready for that I want us to look at another specific passage
That is very direct in its instruction about this very issue.
TURN TO: 1 PETER 3:13-17
We find this passage very beneficial, not only because it is Scripture,
But also because it came from the heart of Peter
Who happens also to be the man on trial here.
So, not only do we learn what Peter said about giving an account,
But we also watch Peter practice what he preached.
Or in this case here him preach what he first practiced.
We can’t spend a ton of time here, but I just want to point out to you
5 definite commands that Peter gives about giving an account.
READ 13-17
1) BE COURAGEOUS (13-14)
Peter is clear in that sometimes suffering comes when it is undeserved,
And it comes in the form of intimidation and troubling.
But Peter’s clear admonition is “do not fear” and “do not be troubled”
In short, be courageous.
2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.”
2) BE SUBMISSIVE (15a)
Very simply Peter says, “but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts,”
Make a conscious decision as to who you are going to follow.
Scripture is clear that a man can’t serve two masters.
And this is especially true when in a position
Where the world is trying to force you to stop obeying Christ.
So make a decision to let Christ be Lord.
Be Courageous, Be Submissive
3) BE READY (15b)
“always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you,”
Be ready can actually take on a dual meaning.
In one sense it means to seize the opportunity. It means that when you are on trial, expect that you will be questioned and be determined to speak.
In another sense it involves preparation, that is to know the truth so you will have something to share. (Like the Psalmist in Psalm 119)
If asked for “an account for the hope that is in you” don’t miss the opportunity
Be Courageous, Be Submissive, Be Ready
4) BE GENTLEY & REVERENT (15c)
“yet with gentleness and reverence;”
• We are “gentle” to the broken who want to know about our joy,
• And we show “reverence” to the king who has put us on trial.
When called to give an account,
There is no cause for brutality or arrogance or any such thing.
It won’t benefit you or the gospel to stir up trouble with your attitude.
Be Courageous, Be Submissive, Be Ready, Be Gentle & Reverent
5) BE HOLY (16)
In short, practice what you preach.
It is no mystery that Christians continually kill their witness
Because of inconsistent living.
This is what Jesus meant when He said, “Be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves”
It is what Peter had in mind when he wrote:
1 Peter 4:15-16 “Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.”
Understand that the goal of those who persecute is to stop you,
And if you give them grounds they will, even if what they find
Is totally unrelated to the message you have been preaching.
Remember how the Pharisees, Sadducees, Pilate, and Herod
All came together in order to kill Jesus?
If you want to give an account then make sure you have
Put on the belt of truth and the breastplate of righteousness.
And so Peter’s commands are clear.
• Be Courageous
• Be Submissive
• Be Ready
• Be Gentle & Reverent
• Be Holy
And then Peter closes it with:
(17) “For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong.”
When you suffer for “doing what is right” you suffer at the hands of godless men for your obedience to Christ.
When you suffer for “doing what is wrong” you suffer at the hands of God for your disobedience to His calling.
Obviously it is better to suffer for obeying Christ than for disobeying Him.
And that is Peter’s point.
It is a clear cut command of how to give an account.
Now let me show you a good illustration of that.
#1 THE HIGH COUNCIL
Acts 4:5-7
You will remember that in verse 4 Peter and John had been preaching the gospel and finally the Sadducees and temple guard could take no more.
They arrested them mid sermon and put them in jail for the night.
Now we get to the morning.
And notice the group that has convened
In order to deal with Peter and John, this is no insignificant court.
(5-6) “their rulers and elders and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem; and Annas the high priest was there, and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of high-priestly descent.”
“Annas” was not actually the current high priest, he was a former one, but he was still sort of the ruler of them all.
You may remember back when we studied the gospel of John we talked about this, how the office of priest had become an office that was very political and almost for sale.
“Annas” was the leader in this.
It was his sons who continually sat as high priest
With the exception of Caiaphas who was a son-in-law.
This was the most powerful family in Israel.
And on this day, not only did Peter and John manage to get a hearing with “rulers and elders and scribes”
They also managed a meeting with Israel’s mob family.
This family killed people who got in their way,
As evidenced by their treatment of Jesus.
And that is who Peter and John are called to give an account before.
And notice the scene.
(7) “When they had placed them in the center…”
Now, we call that intimidation.
“they began to inquire, “By what power, or in what name, have you done this?”
Annas and Caiaphas were not ignorant of Jesus,
They had played a major and personal role in His crucifixion.
Both had tried Him.
After Jesus’ arrest:
John 18:12-13 “So the Roman cohort and the commander and the officers of the Jews, arrested Jesus and bound Him, and led Him to Annas first; for he was father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year.”
This trial took place sort of in the court-yard and it was there
While Jesus was being tried, Peter denied the Lord three times.
From there Jesus was sent to Caiaphas
John 18:24 “So Annas sent Him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.”
I tell you that to recreate the scene.
Peter had already been intimidated before these guys before
And had shied away in fear.
Now he stands before them again, only this time he is the one on trial.
They have surrounded him and want him to specifically say “in what name, have you done this?”
That is tough.
Let me tell you what else they are doing.
Jewish custom after any miracle was always to put the prophet on trial,
To determine whether or not he was legitimate.
It is based upon Moses’ teaching.
Deuteronomy 13:1-5 “If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, 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,’ 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. “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. “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.”
They knew that just because a prophet worked a miracle,
Did not guarantee he was legitimate.
His legitimacy was determined by his message not his miracles.
If he worked a miracle but promoted a different god, he was to be killed.
That is the court that has convened here.
These men have convened to determine if Peter and John
Need to be killed for what they are preaching.
I just can’t imagine a more intimidating scene than this.
The High Council
#2 THE HONEST CONFESSION
Acts 4:8-12
So Peter and John have been put in a very intimidating situation
And have been called to give an account.
What did Peter say?
1 Peter 3:13-15 “Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. AND DO NOT FEAR THEIR INTIMIDATION, AND DO NOT BE TROUBLED, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;”
So let’s see how he does.
Now we mentioned that the last time Peter stood before these men
He fell away in fear.
But this is a different Peter.
(8) “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them,”
This is the Spirit-filled Peter, way different than the other Peter.
And again we remind ourselves of the importance of being Spirit-filled.
“Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit” says the Lord of hosts”
And then Peter is ready to give an account.
READ AGAIN 8-12
What I want you to notice is that not only is Peter ready,
But he is also prepared.
He speaks up, not only to the council, but “to all the people of Israel”
Peter wants everyone to know this!
And there are three things he wants everyone to know.
1) JESUS IS THE GLORIFIED SERVANT (10)
That is of course a reference back to what Peter had just taught the crowd
About why this man was healed.
Acts 3:13a-16 “The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus…And on the basis of faith in His name, it is the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know;”
• That is the same thing Peter preaches here.
• This man is healed because God is glorifying His servant.
When He was alive He glorified Him with the works He gave Him to do,
Now God glorifies Him still by granting that works be done in His name.
This man was healed because Jesus is the glorified Servant.
2) JESUS IS THE CORNER STONE (11)
Now this is an interesting point that Peter brings up.
It is very Jewish, but it is highly unlikely
That the Jews would have missed what Peter was insinuating.
The Scripture Peter is quoting is Psalms 118:22
TURN TO: PSALM 118
Again, we won’t spend much time here,
But you need to understand the backdrop.
This Psalm was part of what is called “The Hallel”
(Psalm 115-118)
It was the hymn commonly sung at the Passover, the hymn the disciples
Would have sung after their Passover meal on the way to the garden.
It is the Psalm of a champion.
But it is also a Psalm of the Messiah, and it perfectly fits Jesus.
Go ahead and mark this Psalm as follows:
(5-7) – Gethsemane
(8-9) – Gabbitha
(10-14) – Golgotha
(15-18) – Graveside
(19-21) – Glory
It is a Psalm that depicts that the conquering Messiah
Would first be wrongly accused and attacked
Before He opens the gates of righteousness.
That is why verse 22 says this:
Psalms 118:22 “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief corner stone.”
He was disregarded as unimportant and un-useful
When in fact He is the most important part.
And that is what Peter references here as he gives an account.
Jesus is the Glorified Servant Jesus is the Corner Stone
3) JESUS IS THE ONLY SAVIOR (12)
Peter is here pulling directly from the mouth of Jesus.
John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”
And Peter makes sure that not only the council but all Israel knows this.
• Jesus is God’s Chosen
• Jesus is the most important piece of the puzzle
• And no one gets saved apart from Jesus
He told us to always be ready to give an account and he was.
He not only was ready to seize his opportunity,
But he was prepared proving that by quoting Psalms 118.
That is how you do it.
Be ready, and Be prepared.
The High Council, The Honest Confession
#3 THE HELPLESS CONFUSION
Acts 4:13-18
And honestly we find this portion of the story a little humorous.
Here were the finest spiritual minds in Israel and they couldn’t handle the wisdom thrown at them by these two uneducated fishermen.
They could only deduce one thing.
(13) “Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus.”
You get the idea that they fully expected Peter and John to cower like they did previously, and this time their “confidence” blew them away.
There was only one explanation for these previous cowards to be so bold.
They have “been with Jesus”
When they said “God raise [Him] from the dead” they meant it.
That was the only explanation for this new found boldness.
These guys believed what they said about the resurrection.
But that wasn’t their only problem.
There was also the problem of this healed cripple.
(14) “And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say in reply.”
All they could do was tell Peter and John to leave
So they could come up with something.
Peter and John had successfully baffled them.
Luke 21:12-15 “But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you, delivering you to the synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for My name’s sake. “It will lead to an opportunity for your testimony. “So make up your minds not to prepare beforehand to defend yourselves; for I will give you utterance and wisdom which none of your opponents will be able to resist or refute.”
I would say that was obvious.
And notice their confusion.
(16) “saying, “What shall we do with these men? For the fact that a noteworthy miracle has taken place through them is apparent to all who live in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.”
These guys are at a serious loss.
They were supposed to have the answers, and they don’t.
So here is the only thing they can come up with.
(17-18) “But so that it will not spread any further among the people, let us warn them to speak no longer to any man in this name.” And when they had summoned them, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.”
So they can’t argue with Peter, and they certainly can’t refute him.
All they can do is muster up their authority and give an order.
Do not “speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.”
There was no basis for the command,
But it was the command of the court none the less.
So Peter may have won the debate,
But the court gives a ruling none the less.
And imagine the scene.
This is intimidating and these men are serious
And their command is clear to stop.
But what did Peter say?
1 Peter 3:15 “but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts…”
So let’s see how he does.
#4 THE HOLY CONVICTION
Acts 4:19-22
And don’t you just love the answer!
“Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
Again, that is brilliant logic, what religious court is going to say, “obey us rather than God”,
But it is also Peter sanctifying Christ as Lord.
Now was Peter gentle? Yes
Was Peter reverent? Yes
But he was also adamant as to who he was going to obey.
• He didn’t tell them he would listen to them and then disobey them.
• He didn’t tell them to get lost.
• He didn’t get arrogant.
He just plainly told them that in all due respect he could not stop,
Because God had given him this command.
That is amazing conviction!
And the response of the council?
(21-22) “When they had threatened them further, they let them go (finding no basis on which to punish them) on account of the people, because they were all glorifying God for what had happened; for the man was more than forty years old on whom this miracle of healing had been performed.”
Now remember I told you that the council was meeting
To determine if these men were false prophets.
Trying to see if they worked this miracle to lead the people away from God.
But they could not condemn Peter and John, why?
“the people…were all glorifying God for what had happened”
All the council could do was threaten them again and let them go.
Peter and John did what God instructed, and God delivered them.
• They preached the message.
• They gave an account
• They submitted to Christ
• They were gentle and reverent
• And God honored them.
And what encouragement to us as to how to give an account.
Don’t be afraid to trust Christ and obey Him
Even the world is telling you otherwise.
2 Timothy 1:8-14 “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher. For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day. Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.”
See, this is where our confession is tested.
1 Peter 4:12 “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you;”
At times Christ wants to know if we will still confess Him when it is hard.
Many will say “Lord, Lord” when it is easy.
Will I still say “Lord, Lord” when it isn’t?
Peter not only told us how to do it, but showed us how to do it.
And after standing before Annas and Caiaphas and all the future high priests and yet seeing God deliver.
Peter could write:
1 Peter 3:14-15 “But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. AND DO NOT FEAR THEIR INTIMIDATION, AND DO NOT BE TROUBLED, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;”
He could write that because he lived it.
Be encouraged to follow his counsel and his example!
