Read 325a.) Acts 3:1 through 5:42. We take up at 4:13, and Peter before the Sanhedrin. He just proclaimed to them all they needed to know that they might be saved! The Jewish leadership, while openly acknowledging the miracle that had been performed, rejected their message, and ordered them to stop preaching of Jesus. The valuable principle that a person must obey God, rather than men came from out of this. Going back to their fellowship, they prayed for boldness and power to continue to further proclaim the Gospel. Their message again was that which is stated in verse 33, the resurrection of the Lord Jesus!
Chapter 5 relates 3 particular things. The first is the matter of Ananias and Sapphira, and their lying to the Holy Spirit. The passage serves to prove that the Holy Spirit is a divine person, as Jesus stated in John chapters 14 and 16. Verses 12 thru 16 confirm that which we are taught in Heb.2:3+4, and from Mk.16:20, that the Apostolic miracle-working was to confirm their message that people might believe on Jesus! This resulted in the Apostles' arrest, and their proclamation of the Gospel once again. Note verses 30 thru 32 carefully… How many of The Essential Elements are within their message? We have the 5.) Gospel of Jesus' death and resurrection mentioned. His death was due to their 2.) sin. They killed Him! Jesus is declared to be the 4.) Savior! This salvation comes about by 6.) repentance, which results in the 8.) New Birth, by means of the forgiveness of sins, which is salvation! This message took less than 30 seconds to proclaim, yet it contained enough to save if any were of a mind to believe… There were 5 of the essential elements within this brief 30-second message to the Sanhedrin! They had no excuse! Worse, they became furious!!! Gamaliel rendered his opinion as to what the Sanhedrin should do, and they agreed. It was not good counsel, as we have countless false religions in existence today that did not fail. Interestingly, he even threw out the possibility that what the Apostles were proclaiming and the Church they were all about founding, might actually be from God! That should have enraged them all the more!
And how does chapter 5 end? The Apostles "never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ." This last verse speaks to everything… Jesus is 4.) the Savior. He 5.) gave us the Gospel of His death and resurrection. One must 6.) repent, and 7.) believe on Him in order to be saved, which is 8.) the New Birth. The "good news that Jesus is the Christ" actually contains all 5 of these Essential Elements, or the expression would be meaningless! It's what the Book is all about!
ForeverKingdom,
Harold F Crowell
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