Peter and John Before the Council
1And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and lthe captain of the temple and mthe Sadducees came upon them, 2greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming nin Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3And they arrested them and oput them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. 4But many of those who had heard the word believed, and pthe number of the men came to about five thousand.
5On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, 6with qAnnas the high priest and rCaiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. 7And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, s“By what power or tby what name did you do this?” 8Then Peter, ufilled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, 9if we are being examined today vconcerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, 10let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that wby the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, xwhom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. 11yThis Jesus1 is the stone that was zrejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.2 12And there is asalvation bin no one else, for cthere is no other dname under heaven given among men3 by which we must be saved.”
13eNow when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. 14But seeing the man who was healed fstanding beside them, gthey had nothing to say in opposition. 15But when they had commanded them to leave the council, they conferred with one another, 16saying, h“What shall we do with these men? For that ia notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. 17But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them jto speak no more to anyone in this name.” 18So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19But Peter and John answered them, k“Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20for lwe cannot but speak of what mwe have seen and heard.” 21And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, nbecause of the people, for all were praising God ofor what had happened. 22For the man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than forty years old.
The Believers Pray for Boldness
23When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24And when they heard it, they lifted their voices ptogether to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, qwho made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, 25who through the mouth of our father David, your servant,4 said by the Holy Spirit,
r“‘Why did the Gentiles rage,
and the peoples plot in vain?
26The kings of the earth set themselves,
and sthe rulers were gathered together,
against the Lord and against his tAnointed’5—
27for truly in this city there were gathered together against your uholy servant Jesus, vwhom you anointed, both wHerod and xPontius Pilate, along ywith the Gentiles and zthe peoples of Israel, 28ato do whatever your hand and byour plan had predestined to take place. 29And now, Lord, clook upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all dboldness, 30while eyou stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed fthrough the name of your gholy servant Jesus.” 31And when they had prayed, hthe place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and ithey were all filled with the Holy Spirit and jcontinued to speak the word of God with boldness.
They Had Everything in Common
32Now the full number of those who believed were of kone heart and lsoul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but mthey had everything in common. 33And with great npower the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and ogreat grace was upon them all. 34pThere was not a needy person among them, for qas many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold 35and rlaid it at the apostles' feet, and sit was distributed to each as any had need. 36Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means tson of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, 37sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and ulaid it at the apostles' feet.
Proclaiming God’s Truth with Boldness
1 Peter 2:9–12, Acts 4:8–31 Sermon • 42:11 • ID: 3591Providence in Christ’s Death
Acts 2:23, Acts 4:28 Sermon • Includes Transcript • 30:24 • ID: 3058God’s Providence in the Death of Jesus Christ
Acts 2:1–47, Acts 4:1–37 Sermon • 43:24 • ID: 3080Is the Exclusivity of Christ Unjust?
Acts 4:8–13, John 3:16–21, John 7:37–44 Sermon • 50:38 • ID: 3073Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language.