A wise general once said that a good soldier, not only knows that there is a battle, but he knows what the battle is about. And we learned from our text this morning that from the earliest days of the church, he has faced battles, he's known warfare and controversy and struggles. And yeah, there are many in our churches today, many who do not realize that the churches at war, they don't realize that there is a battle much less what this battle is all about. As the Quintley, the modern church, the 20th century church or 21st century church, depending on your view of the millennium, the modern church has lost its sense of mission. She's lost her sense of message, her side of the message, she's very unsure of herself, she's afraid, she's afraid she might have thinned somebody. She's afraid that she might be rejected. One thing is for sure, as we talk about our own church, that we will never ever be bold. We're never going to be bold like Peter and John until we are convinced, until we are as a people, convicted so that when people talk about Trinity's right but here in church, they say, that is a convicted people, just they will convicted of what? Convicted of what Peter and John are convicted. What was I convicted of? They were convicted of verse 12, they're convicted that there is no other name. There's no other alternative, there's no other hope, there's no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved than the name Jesus Christ. We should say, oh, that that verse, that simple verse, that very familiar verse for many of you that favorite verse would come alive and would be fresh at Trinity Presbyterian church. We might say 412 and we would all know what we mean and we say 412, because it would be 412, Acts 4 verse 12 would be the very foundation of everything that we think, everything we do, everything that we say, it's our mosque, I would be like putting banners all around our site where all over this church at 412, what is 412 me? And you say, that's our conviction. That's who we are, 412, 412 needs to be the spiritual backbone of this congregation, and we would say, resolution, we say there's no other name, there's no other name under heaven given among men by which you must be saved. Now let's look at the story as it unfolds for us in this verse, verse 12 verses of this chapter 4. In verse 1, it says, now as they spoke to the people, they spoke, now we need to understand Peter and John, your spectacular translation they say, Peter and John spoke, we sometimes get the idea that only Peter would speak, he's the main spokesman certainly, but Luke wants to make it clear that John is not just sitting over in a corner, so we're not saying anything. He is also expressing himself, while they're speaking, verse 1 continues, the priest, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came up on them, now understand they didn't just meander up, they didn't just come and mingle among the crowd and sort of try to look like everybody else and maybe we'll catch them saying them, they went with the purpose of arresting Peter and John, it was their strategy, they went and they seized these men, who why did it was the priest who we might call the temple police and they're being led by the captain of the guard whose job it was to maintain peace in the temple and the Sadducees. We'll learn some about the Sadducees this morning, Lord willing, we'll learn more next week, a very elite group, a very powerful group of individuals, probably the most influential group of men in the land of Israel, these Sadducees. Verse 2, being greatly disturbed that they taught the people and placed in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. In other words, we'll find this out again, Lord willing, next week, more so, that Peter and John weren't qualified. According to the priest, they'd not been disseminary, they'd not been to the rabbinical schools, they had no right to teach in the temple, and not only so, they were not to teach in a doctrine that the Sadducees didn't even smell, being the resurrection, they didn't believe that. So they had no right to be taking, therefore, Peter and John are a threat, they're a threat to these religious leaders, leaders of the church. So what they did to them, verse 3, they laid hands on them and put them in custody until the next day where it was already evening, because of the hours, because of the lightness of the hour, because the evening sacrifices had already been carried through, and don't you know, because they wanted to intimidate, they wanted to intimidate us to gentlemen into silence, so they put them in jail for the night, but the Word of God cannot be put in jail. The Word of God cannot be changed, as it says at the top of the boat, and I urge you again, when you receive the bulletin in the mail, you read, you cry over it, so great means of preparing for church on 20 morning, and you had to done that, you would have seen that verse at the top already, and you would have already meditated, that the Word of God cannot be changed, because look at verse 4, many of those who heard the word believe, and the number of the men came to be about 5,000. So let me give you a principle. The world has nothing to do with the success or failure of the gospel. The world does not determine whether the gospel message is going to be successful or not. In other words, the gospel message does not succeed because the world decided that it would be friendly for the gospel message. Neither does the gospel message fail because the world decided that it would be hostile toward the gospel message. In fact, ironically, it's really the opposite. When the world is hostile, it's then the church grows, it's then that the church becomes stronger. There's a very real sense in which Christians, when they find themselves in controversy, when they find themselves in the heat of the battle, they were talking about this morning, when you find yourself in a trial or in a struggle, there is, and again, not arrogantly, but there's for the Christian that's understanding that they smile, they smile in the face of a struggle. It might be behind their face. It might even be behind tears, but they smile because the Christian knows that nothing whatsoever will ever, ever, ever stop the gospel. Try as they may. The world may do everything within their power. They may try to outlaw the church or outlaw preaching or outlaw prayer, and they may even persecute Christians. They may torture Christians. They might even murder Christians, but nothing. There is not a power on the face of this earth that can stop the gospel message. C.P. Wagner, great mission strategist, talks about what happened in China. Listen to what he said. He wrote, the efforts made by the communist government to extinguish the church were massive. Pastors were jailed, Bible's confiscated and burned, church buildings were closed, Bible schools were disbanded, and Christian literature was outlawed. Both lay leaders and clergy suffered humiliation, imprisonment, and torture. Most outside observers thought the gang of four and the cultural revolution would be successful in wiping out the church. As the bamboo curtain began to lift in the late 70s, the mood began to filter out. It became clear that the Holy Spirit had remained behind in China and was doing a mighty work. The first word was that one million Christians were still there, then the estimates continued to grow to three and five million Christians there, then eight to ten million, and now the conservative estimates range from 30 to 50 million people, became Christians when Mayo was in power. It can't be stopped, and you'll notice in our past of this morning, Luke mentions 5,000 male members, you might have picked up on that. There's not a specific number given to entire households. A conservative number would be somewhere around 20,000 Christians, living in Jerusalem at the time prior to the great persecution after Steven's death, after Steven's murder, where many would have been wiped out through that persecution, but about 20,000 would be a good conservative number. Well, this day, we're mentioning now, it was a very dark day, here in John Throne in jail, the Christians are ringing them as, what are we going to do? What are we going to do? And God adds 2,000 to their number. 2,000 changed by the gospel. Look at the trial, beginning in verse 5, it came to pass on the next day, no doubt they hastily gathered the Sanhedron for this trial. Verse 5 continues that their rulers, elders, and scribes. Now the Sanhedron was made up of 71 members. This would have been the Supreme Court of Israel. You would have had the rulers with their authority. You would have had the elders with their wise advice, their wise counsel. You would have had the scribes, the scribes being the teachers of the law, the experts in doctrine. The 71st member was the high priest. The high priest served as the chairman of the board. He was the president of this ruling body. Verse 6 continues to mention some anecdotes, the high priest, Kaifat, John and Alexander, although some commentators talk about who they might have been. They are certainly unknown to us at this point. And as many as were of the family of the high priest were gathered together at Jerusalem. Verse 7, when they had set them in the midst. These three men, now three men, Peter, John and the lame, the man who was lame, the healed man, are standing before this semi-circle of elevated seats. The seats are occupied by the Sanhedron. The semi-circle for the purpose of not allowing the Sanhedron to see each other as they would have rendered judgment. But here are these three men and their standing before the semi-circle of very powerful men, 71 of them. And here comes the question in verse 7, but by or by what power or by what name have you done this? And the emphasis on you, that you've done this, this is the last word in the great sense, so it takes the emphasis by what power, by what name have you done this? No matter that you heal the lame man, no matter you've done a good deed, no matter you perform the miracle, no matter that we should be rejoicing with the lame man. In fact, no matter that you're even preaching the resurrection, you pick up on that, they don't even ask them about that. The tone is, how dare you do this deed? The issue is by who's the authority. It's always the issue. It's always the controversy. It's always the line of combat with the world. In whose name did you do that? Wherever you are, your business is. In your families, the line is always drawn. Why do you do that? Why do you act that way? What makes you the way you are? And we'll never understand the world in which we live. We'll never understand this world that God has sent us to minister to until we understand that the line is drawn at Jesus' name, that he is the very part of the controversy. He's the issue, but if not the issue, all of is not the issue. Jesus, and you know that, you know that from your experiences, as a Christian, in the world. Jesus is the issue. Interesting to me when Tom Wandsry dies a few months ago. It's a great man's faith. They talk about what a fine man, you hear that on the news. What a good man? You might have heard he was a religious man. And maybe their hand was forced possibly to talk about but put a most important no mention of his faith. Well, the news, CNN, or ESPN, when the Redskins won the Superbowl, Joe Gibbs was the coach. Joe Gibbs deviled the labor outspoken and he was walking off the film and it's a great high moment, emotional moment for him. And the interviewer, the commentator, puts the microphone in his face and says, how do you feel? And he turns and looks straight into the camera space and he says, Lord God Almighty has answered my prayers and I am humbled, Christ is King, the Lord is sobbing. It's like the interview was over. What was he going to say? What an awkward moment for the commentator. You never would have seen it. Have you not seen it live? Because they never would play down the highlight film. I'm told, entire networks today have instructed their cameraman. If you picked up one of those FCA and I guess they still left it, FCA started them, I believe, those prayer huddles in the middle of the field, after the game, post game, if a cameraman catches one of those lives, he's fired. You can't show that on network television or some networks that they saw the tournament. Muhammad Ali talked about all of it. He talked about all as long as he wanted to. The cameras were never pulled back. The interview was never over until he wanted it to be over because all was not the issue. Buddha's not the issue. Jesus is the issue and you cannot have Jesus and not have the controversy. And many of you do know that. Many of you should know that. You cannot have Jesus and not have controversy with the world. I feel for you. I respect you. Christian businessmen and women in the world because I know and I know what you know. There's no way you can have Jesus in the world without having controversy. If you don't have controversy, you've got to question. You've got to wonder why? Because Jesus is the controversy. He is the issue. He's at the very center of combat with the world. And then Peter unflinchingly responds to these. What I would refer to is a clasicle bureaucrat. You know, might say a word about that. Clasicle, the bureaucracy. This bureaucracy within the church. The church like Trinity has got to be careful to be honest with you. You really do. Because bureaucrats, clasicle bureaucrats can very easily slip into the life of a church. They can call it so much distinction. And I mean that a person who is very tough conscious in the church, which is my domain, don't touch it. Control oriented. Control freaked when it comes to God's spin so many years doing this. How dare you? Again, that's the tone. How dare you? Do you know that sometimes it doesn't even matter if what the person is doing is a good deed? It's a threat. Very often they're people in the church who are threatened by others who are actually carrying out ministry. God forbid that it ever happened in our church. God forbid ever that ministry to people would become subordinate to someone's turf, or someone's control, or someone's influence, someone's position. Again, God forbid you ought to pray that out of our church. The Peter is able to respond, as I mentioned a moment ago, unflinchingly. How does he do that? How is he able to take the stand that he takes? Verse 8, then Peter filled with the Holy Spirit. Instead of them rulers and people and elders of Israel, see, one of the signs that you're filled with the Spirit is boldness. If you have the Holy Spirit, then you will have the courage to speak the truth. You speak the truth in law, but no less uncompromising. The truth, not compromising the truth. You speak courageously, the truth. Look at verse 9, if we this day are judged for a good day done to the helpless man by what main thing has been made well, Peter say, are you actually telling me that I am on trial for doing this good day? Are you telling me that this, what I have done for this lame man, is what this is all about? Shame on you. That's what he's saying, and that's ashamed of you. How harsh can you be? How petty can you be? And then even Bolver, in verse 10, let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by him this man stands before you whole. Just like Peter said, let me tell you something, you 71 men of your worst nightmare, because the very one you murdered is alive. And not only is he alive, he's the one who performed the miracle. He's the one who gave, who made this man whole, and very typical Peter, he gives old Testament passage support when he saw Psalm 118. He says this, he's talking about Jesus, this is the stone, which was rejected by you builders. Can you imagine what those men must have felt like, which has become the chief cornerstone, the cornerstone, now possibly the foundation stone, very easily could be applied to Christ, you know, that he's the foundation stone, but here it's more likely they're talking about the capstone, which completes the building. Jesus is the final capping revelation of God. The builders are the leaders of the nation. It's the rulers of the nations, and Peter is saying you, as the builders of the nation, of all people, you have rejected the very final capstone, the very stone that would have completed the building and you rejected him and you murdered him. But God, even though you did that, God has still fulfilled His purposes, very, very bold preaching. That's what happens when the Holy Spirit moves into an individual or moves into a church, we sometimes think that when the Spirit is there, then there's nothing but pain. But if the Spirit is there, it is complete absence of conflict, and that's just not true. We think that when the Spirit is there, everybody's going to be so sweet and gentle and we're just going to be so accepting and we're going to accept everybody's opinion and everybody's lifestyle and everybody's going to enjoy it and it's not true because the Spirit of God is the Spirit of truth. And when He moves into a place like this and the truth is spoken, sin is exposed. And when sin is exposed, people get their feelings hurt. They get angry, sometimes they leave. But it means the Spirit is there, He makes you bold, not rude. It gets out of license to be rude, but it is a license, I guess you say it is, the way the Holy Spirit causes you to declare the truth. Not only does He have the Holy Spirit, but He is spirited by this profound conviction in verse 12, nor is there salvation in any other, but there is no other name under heaven, given among men by which we must be saved. Peter is absolutely convinced that Jesus is not only the Savior, He is the only Savior, and I say there was only the Savior, but the only Savior. And that conviction is what drives Him to preach that there is no other alternative, there is no other hope. There is no other name under heaven. Even Jesus said it of course and self in John 4K, I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man comes to the Father except through me. Verse 32, verse 5, where there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. Verse 5, at verse 11, and this is the testimony that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Verse 12, He who has the Son has life, He who does not have the Son of God does not have life. It is very interesting, kind of ironic, that in the early 70s, amidst all that moral relativism and religious relativism, what was the motto of the Jesus movement? One way, one way. He says to this narrow, yes it's narrow. Is it exclusive? Yes. Christianity is exclusive. You say it sounds intolerant. It is intolerant. Christianity is intolerant, but its truth and only a fool would reject the truth. You want to be laughed at, you want to be scorned, you want to be hated, then go to your place of business and you tell them that I stand on the scriptures and I believe there is no other name under heaven, give them them men to be saved in Jesus Christ. There is no way you can be saved from hell than for Jesus Christ, and they will find you to the death because the natural man doesn't want to hear it. The natural man will not sit under this kind of preaching, they hate, they want to get out of here, they don't want anything to do with it because the natural man doesn't want to be told that they can't do it themselves. They don't want to be told that there's only one way and that's God's grace, that God has provided one way for those who had no way to get to have a beer and a burning building and the firemen make their way to you and they say we have a way out but there's only one way out we've carved it down the building, come and follow up, it's the one way up, you're not going to stand there and say to the firemen, that's unfair, I want another way out, you're not going to say that's intolerable of you because we have a group of people here that you're not taking into account their personalities, they may want to go left and you're saying go right, left right, you're not going to do that and you wouldn't do it to God, God has graciously provided a way out even in the midst of hatred and resentment, he still provided a way out even when there was those who demanded that there be another way out, he still says I'll give you one way and it's through my son, Jesus Christ. Why would Peter risk his life in the first place? Why would he take the chance? Because he knew it was true, do you believe it's true? I want you to look down at your Bible and I want you to look at verse 12 and I want you to, I want to ask you, you can ask yourself but I'm going to ask you, do you believe that verse is true? Are you convicted that 412 is true and if so is your conviction leading you to boldness, you can look up at me now but when I'm saying we have a people to win, we have souls to say, we've got an enemy to conquer, if we don't have this verse burned into our hearts, if we're not convicted by 412 in this church, our relationship is going to grow stale, our fellowship is going to be trivial, our prayers are going to seem so pointless, our worship is going to stagnate, but when 412 is burned into our hearts, when 412 grabs hold of us with this grip that just will not let us go and we live by 412 it's then that we're going to rediscover what the mission of Trinity Church is, we're going to have life, vitality, we're going to move in the direction that God wants us to move and we're going to become what God wants us to be as a church and now as we pray together. Our God and our Father, we bow ourselves before you and we pray that you make 412 in blazing down our hearts, that you make it real to us that our own salvation would be authentic that they might be reading in our hearts this very day make us up bold people and we make our prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.