“Who by the mouth of Your servant David have said:

‘Why did the nations rage,
And the people plot vain things?
The kings of the earth took their stand,
And the rulers were gathered together
Against the Lord and against His Christ.’

For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done.” (Acts 4:25-28)

You can learn a lot about a person by hearing them pray, and you can learn a lot about a church by their prayer meetings. In Acts 4 we see a prayer meeting in the early church, and it shows us wonderful things about the early church. Their prayer began with three important principles (Acts 4:23-24), and at Acts 4:25 it shows us something else important about prayer.

When the early church prayed in Acts 4, they prayed God’s word. We don’t specifically who spoke these specific words, but they voiced the unified heart of the whole prayer meeting. They said, by the mouth of Your servant David have said. This was the heart of all the disciples that the prayer meeting (remember they prayed with one accord). They recognized that words of the Old Testament (Psalm 2 to be exact) were really the words of God. God was speaking by the mouth of [His] servant David.

It’s an important point. The apostles and prophets believed that the words of King David, recorded in Psalm 2, were actually the words of the Lord God, said by the mouth of King David. The earlier Christians had a high view of the Holy Scriptures.

Why did the nations rage, and the people plot vain things? Their unified prayer quoted Psalm 2 because the disciples quoted Psalm 2 because he and the other disciples understood what happened by seeing what the Bible said about it. From Psalm 2, they understood that they should expect this sort of opposition and not be troubled because of it because God was in control of all things.

When we pray, we must see our circumstances in light of God’s Word. In conflict, we see the spiritual battle (Ephesians 6:12). When there is sin, we confess and repent (Psalm 32:3-4). When we need strength, we rely on God’s promises (Ephesians 3:16).

With this confidence they could say to God, do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done. Because they saw their circumstances in light of God’s Word, they could recognize that the wrath of man never operates outside of the sphere of God’s control; these enemies of Jesus could only do whatever the hand of God allowed.

This brings real peace, knowing that whatever comes my way has passed through God’s hand first, and He will not allow even the most wicked acts of men to result in permanent damage.

Today, let God’s word give you confidence and peace that He is in control!

Click here to read David’s commentary on Acts 4

But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:19-20)

A council of important and powerful men sat in judgment of Peter and John. The important men seemed to have all control of the situation, but that didn’t bother Peter and John. Bold in Jesus Christ, they refused to bow before the threats of the council.

By the power of the Holy Spirit, God gave Peter and John the exact words for the moment. Jesus had promised in Luke 12:11-12: Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say. These words from Peter and John were a beautiful fulfillment of that promise.

They said, Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. It was self-evident that they should listen to God instead of man. Peter made an effective appeal to this truth. This is an important principle. God has established legitimate authority in humanity. We see this authority in the home, in the church, and in the community. God wants us to respect and obey these authorities, but never in an absolute sense. If doing what people tell us to do would make us disobey God, we are to obey God. We must listen to God before even legitimate human authority.

With this boldness, Peter and John proclaimed, we cannot but speak. Peter and John had to speak of the things which they had seen and heard. They had to, not only because of the inner compulsion of the Holy Spirit, but also because of the command of Jesus. In Acts 1:8 Jesus gave the command to all His disciples, You shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem.

What were they supposed to say? They were to speak the things which we have seen and heard. This was not a message that they created. This was the message of who Jesus is and what Jesus did to rescue lost humanity. This was no made-up message; they merely relayed it as reliable eyewitnesses.

There are some things that are so good, we should never stop talking about them. The greatness of who Jesus our Messiah is, and what He has done to save us, is certainly the greatest of all those good things. Not only should we refuse to stop talking about it, God helping us we will also determine to obey God before man. To live in the fear of man is beneath the dignity God’s children and is actually the sin of idolatry. We give respect where it is due, but listen to God before any human authority.

Click here to read David’s commentary on Acts 4

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. (Acts 4:13)

Peter and John stood before the council of religious leaders. The powerful men saw the boldness of Peter and John, but they also noticed something else – that they were uneducated and untrained men.

Peter and John were certainly uneducated in one sense – they, like Jesus before them, had no formal rabbinic education according to the customs and standards of that time. Yet they were educated in at least two more important ways: they knew the Scriptures, and they had been with Jesus.

That kind of education was more important than the customs and standards of their time. The truth that knowing the Bible and a real relationship with Jesus is more important that formal education and degrees has been proven in the lives of God’s servants again and again. It has been proven true through such servants of God as Charles Spurgeon, D.L. Moody, William Carey, D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, and Hudson Taylor.

Yet it is helpful to remember that God has also used many who were greatly educated. Moses, Daniel, and Paul are all Biblical examples. Augustine, Martin Luther, and Billy Graham are just a few historical examples. It’s just as wrong to think that formal education disqualifies someone for effective service as it is to think that it automatically qualifies someone for effective service.

In Acts 4, the boldness of Peter and John came from the fact that they had been with Jesus, they were naturally bold. When one is a servant of the all-powerful God, he has nothing to fear from the judgment of men.

It is interesting to note what the Jewish leaders did not do: they did not make any attempt to disprove the resurrection of Jesus. If it were possible to do, this was the time to do it. Positive proof that Jesus had not actually risen from the dead would have crushed the early Christian movement. Yet these religious leaders could not disprove the fact of the resurrection.

They realized that they had been with Jesus: This means that the bold exclusivism of Acts 4:12 was coupled with a radiant love characteristic of Jesus. If we will preach no other name we should also make it evident that we have been with Jesus.

Sadly, when Christians became strong and powerful, and when Christianity became an institution – too often Christians were those who arrested people and told them to be quiet, threatening them with violence and sometimes carrying it out against them. That is not evidence that one has been with Jesus.

People should go to Jesus directly, but often they won’t. The only Jesus they will see is the Savior who shines through our life. God helping you, today live in such a way that it will be obvious that you have also been with Jesus.

Click here to read David’s commentary on Acts 4

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 here before you whole. This is the “stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.” (Acts 4:10-11)

Peter preached to the religious leaders of Jerusalem, boldly telling them of Jesus Christ. As he did, he took words from Psalm 118:22 and applied them to Jesus. Peter told them that though Jesus was rejected by men – by those leaders – nevertheless He was exalted by God the Father.

This quotation from Psalm 118:22 has a special place in the Bible. It is a strong and important statement in the New Testament understanding of the person and work of Jesus. Jesus quoted this of Himself in Matthew 21:42, Mark 12:10-11, and Luke 20:17. Peter quoted it here in Acts 4:11. Paul alluded to this verse in Ephesians 2:20, and Peter again referred to it in 1 Peter 2:7-8. No text in the Old Testament is quoted more in the New Testament.

The principle of the rejected one becoming the chief of all is found in many Bible characters. It was true of Jacob, Joseph and David – each were rejected and then raised high. It was most certainly true of Jesus.

– They didn’t approve of His origin (John 7:52).
– They didn’t approve of His lack of formal education (John 7:15).
– They didn’t approve of His disregard for religious traditions (Luke 6:2).
– They didn’t approve of His choice of friends (Matthew 9:11).

Yet Jesus has become the chief cornerstone. We see that even though the religious leaders (the builders) of His day rejected Him, God established Jesus as the chief cornerstone of His great plan of the ages, that all things would be founded and fulfilled in Him.

Notice that this was God’s doing – God raised Him from the dead. The exaltation of Jesus from the cross to the resurrection to the right hand of God on high is the work of God alone. Who lifted Jesus high again, exalting Him above all?

– Not the religious leaders – they rejected Him.
– Not the Roman leaders – they crucified Him.
– Not the Jewish multitudes – they chose another.
– Not the disciples – they cowered in fear.
– Not His influential followers – they buried Him.
– Not the devoted women – they were beset by grief.
– Only God the Father Himself could lift Jesus high.

And He did – God the Father lifted Jesus High when God raised Him from the dead. We can’t lift Jesus any higher than the Father has, but we can recognize the exalted Jesus and honor Him as He deserves.

A cornerstone is something to build upon. All the work of God across creation is built upon Jesus Christ. He is the strong, unshakable foundation for your life. Whatever you build today, build on Jesus Christ – the chief cornerstone.

Click here to read David’s commentary on Acts 4

And it came to pass, on the next day, that their rulers, elders, and scribes, as well as Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the family of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem. And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, “By what power or by what name have you done this?” (Acts 4:5-7)

Only a few times in my life have I stood before a judge or before angry people in authority. I have been in court for a few traffic tickets once for small-claims court, but nothing too stressful. It’s hard for me to imagine what Peter and John felt at this moment.

The air was filled with stress and tension when they stood before all kinds of officials and authorities: rulers, elders, and scribes, as well as Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and many from the family of the high priest. Just two humble disciples of Jesus on accused and examined before all these important people!

In 1521, when Martin Luther defended his teachings at the Diet of Worms he stood before some intimidating people: Charles V, the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. There were also 24 dukes; 30 archbishops, bishops, and abbots; 7 ambassadors and papal nuncios. In all there were 206 persons of rank sitting in judgment of Martin Luther. Imagine being judged by so many important people!

In Acts 4, the important men asked Peter and John: By what power or by what name have you done this?It was as if they said, “This miracle is clearly beyond your power – so who was really responsible for this?”

We can say that in itself, this was a perfectly legitimate question to ask. Together, these important men were the guardians of the Jewish faith. It was natural and appropriate for them to be concerned about what was taught on the temple mount. If someone was spreading dangerous lies or deception, it was their job to stop them.

The problem was not with their investigation, but with how they did it. They did it with intimidation and threats instead of an honest search for truth. No one is beyond accountability, and it was not wrong to call Peter and John to account for all the uproar on the temple mount. But how you call someone to account makes a big difference.

These important men also were wrong regarding what they did with the results of their investigation as the rest of Acts 4 will show.

Maybe this week you will be responsible for investigating something or calling someone to account. If so, the do it – but take care to do it in the right way, without dishonest intimidation tactics and lack of concern for the truth.

Maybe this week you will be investigated by someone else or called to account. If so, they keep your eyes on Jesus and answer truthfully and boldly – just like Peter and John did.

Click here to read David’s commentary on Acts 4