Lechem Panim #135 "Avoiding The Evidence" (Acts 4:15-22) Pastor Cameron Ury

Hello, and welcome to Lechem Panim. I hope all of you are keeping safe. I’m not sure how the weather is where you are, but here in and around the Seattle area this week the winds have been absolutely unbelievable. The other night my wife and I were laying awake in bed terrified, positive that one of the trees surrounding our house back in the woods was going to keel over on top of us. And though that didn’t happen (thankfully), the following morning we found branches strewn all over our yard. Unfortunately in our neighborhood it was trash night and so everyone had put their trash out just before this windstorm. And so these gusts of wind toppled many a trash can and strew garbage all across the streets. I got to speak with our trash man and I said, “I’m sure glad I’m not you today. And he said powerlines in nearby neighborhoods were down. I mean, a real mess. It’s amazing what a little wind can do. But you know it’s interesting, I read that the fastest windspeed possible on our planet is 250mph. And I mean nothing survives that kind of force. However, on the planet Saturn, the windspeeds there actually reach a whopping 1,118mph. Now I cannot even begin to wrap my mind around how fast that is. Good luck trying to stand up there. I am very glad to be from planet earth where the windspeed (at least most of the time) is just perfect to allow for life; the atmosphere is just right (don’t even get me started on Saturn’s atmosphere; it’s all gas). In fact they say that if you were to put Saturn in an ocean of water (if you could) it would float; it can’t sink, it is that gaseous. But we have clear air to breath; water, which is so rare and yet absolutely essential for life. The earth is just the right size so as to provide the perfect level of gravity. We have the moon to give us the tides we need, not to mention light at night; we are precisely the right distance from the sun to provide just the perfect amount of heat where we’re not iced or burnt; we are perfectly placed. Our rotation around the sun; the tilt of the earth; the speed that earth rotates on its axis; I mean all of those things are just right; I mean to the point where it really (if we are going to be honest) defies comprehension. You could not create a planet more conducive to life than ours.

Grandma’s Violin— The other day I was playing my Grandmother’s violin (actually I should say “attempting to play”). And in studying its construction, I marveled at just how many things have to be perfectly right to create music. I struggled for a while just to get the thing in tune; all the micro-adjustments that needed to be made. The bow needs to be tightened to a certain degree. And not only that, but the bow has to be rosined, where you rub this stuff (rosin) on it to give the horse hair on the bow to give it friction enough so that it will create sound. I mean everything has to be fine-tuned just perfectly. And then I put the bow to the strings and play sweet, melodious…….(okay, let’s be honest) mind-destroying screeching. Yeah, I’m still at that stage. But you know the universe is fine-tuned just like that violin. No matter how you look at it, the world has been engineered according to a blueprint that right down to the structure of our DNA speaks to the incredible design of a Creator. Scientists are discovering day by day new levels of that design that are making it harder and harder for any rational, thinking person to hold to the belief that all of what we know (and more) exploded from a grain of sand so many trillions of years ago and slowly self-created itself out of some kind of primordial soup, which is what you have to believe if you don’t accept that God did it. That’s why I confess I could never be an atheist. I don’t have that kind of faith. I feel like I would have to shut my eyes to what so clearly seems to me to be the work of God around me.

Avoiding The Evidence— But that is what I believe is happening in our passage today with the religious leaders here in Acts chapter 4. John and Peter (whom they have taken into custody) have just healed a lame beggar in the name of Jesus. And yet (despite the evidence) which was absolutely irrefutable, as there were a plethora of witnesses; and witnesses who had known this lame beggar for a long time, these religious leaders refused to believe. But they cannot refute the evidence, because the man with the shriveled legs was now standing right there in front of them with Peter and John. And so, not knowing what to do, they have Peter and John (and the man) removed so that they can secretly confer with one another. And it says in…

Acts 4:15-16 (ESV)— 15 But when they had commanded them to leave the council, they conferred with one another, 16 saying, “What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.

Not Truth-Seekers— Now if anything is clear from our passage today, it is that the council (the Sanhedrin) were not really seeking the truth. They were not seriously considering the evidence and allowing the evidence to lead them to the only possible conclusion, which is that Jesus is indeed the Savior of the world. Instead, we find that they avoid the truth! They allowed their pride and the hardness of their hearts to keep them from accepting the truth of what Peter and John were proclaiming to them. Their hard hearts stood in the way. And because of that, they actually saw the healing of the man as a problem rather than a mighty work of God; perhaps even a problem that needed to be removed. And you know that was nothing new. Remember that after Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead, everyone was starting to follow Jesus. And the triumphal entry was actually the avalanche that had been started by that miracle. But listen to what it says in…

John 11:47-53 (ESV)— 47 So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” 49 But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. 50 Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” 51 He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, 52 and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. 53 So from that day on they made plans to put him to death. (SO INSTEAD OF ACCEPTING WHAT THE MIRACLE REVEALED, THEM DECIDED TO KILL THE MIRACLE WORKER) But that’s not all! It says in…

John 12:10-11 (ESV)— 10 So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, 11 because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.

Get Rid of The Evidence— You see, it’s was much easier for them to get rid of the evidence than to deal with where the evidence pointed; because to accept the evidence would be to allow God to re-shape their worldview. And that was not something they were willing to let God or anybody else do. And you know the same is often true today. But remember that they had done the same thing with the empty tomb, saying the disciples had stolen the body. By the way it’s interesting that nobody ever really seems to make that claim again anywhere in the book of Acts. The religious leaders themselves don’t even seem willing anymore to back that story anymore. And yet they are still unwilling to follow where the evidence points. And note how they never seek to answer any of Peter’s arguments. Instead they just agree (amongst themselves) that a notable sign has indeed been performed and to try to hush this movement up. And so they say…

Acts 4:17-18 (ESV)— 17 But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.” 18 So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 

Pillars of Justice— Now I love this next part, because these are the guys who are supposed to be the pillars of justice and truth in Israel. You know how you always see statues of Lady Justice (with her eyes blindfolded). Well, if you were to picture justice in the 1st century world, you would have a statue of these guys. They were supposedly the most righteous judges in Israel. And yet listen to how Peter chooses to answer them.

Acts 4:19-22 (ESV)— 19 But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20 for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” {You see, he plays right on the position they say they hold. And they can’t really do anything at this point so it says…} 21 And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people, for all were praising God for what had happened. 22 For the man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than forty years old.

Who’s More Crippled— Let me ask you a question. Who is the more crippled in this story, the lame beggar or the Sadducees. Whose situation was more hopeless? The beggar was healed and saved (according to the text), and stood for Jesus with Peter and John. The Sadducees ducked the truth. And so who was really more crippled?

Resurrection In Us— You know, this passage challenges us because it reminds us of just how much the resurrection of Jesus Christ ought to challenge and re-shape our world-views. We might not have the same objections to Christ that the Sadducees had, but there are beliefs and patterns of thought in us that the truth of the Resurrection challenges and demands we change. You might believe in the empty tomb, but what condition is the Jesus in your heart in? Has He be raised in you? You might believe in God’s healing of this lame beggar, but do you believe in His power to meet your physical and spiritual needs right here and now; and to heal you completely of sin in and through His Holy Spirit. If you were to describe your spiritual position today, what would it be. Are you standing? Are you lame? Maybe even spiritually dead? As Peter and John stood before the Sanhedrin in our passage today, so the Holy Spirit I believe is standing before you and I right now in this moment. And He’s asking, just like Jesus asked the blind man in Mark 10:51 “What do you want me to do for you?” And basically He’s asking, as he asked the lame beggar by the pool of Bethesda “Do you want to be healed.” (John 5:6) Are you going to accept the truth of the Resurrection for your life and the healing that Jesus is offering you now in this moment? I want to challenge you as we close today to accept the truth of Christ’s resurrection for you. Ask God to bring the healing to your heart and life today that He so greatly desires to bring to you. And He will touch as much of your life as you are willing to give Him. Give Him your whole life today. Amen.