UNLEARNED AND IGNORANT MEN

ACTS 4:13

Sermon of the Week #200903-January 25, 2009

In Acts chapter three Peter and John had healed a lame man at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and as a result a great multitude assembled to hear the second recorded gospel sermon that resulted in a total of over 5,000 as members of the new-born Church. The popularity of the Apostles brought on their arrest by the rulers, elders and scribes, and they were jailed overnight. On the next day the elders, rulers and scribes were gathered together, and when they had set them in the midst they inquired, “By what power, and in what name, have you done this?” They were set in the midst.

At such a trial the court would convene in a semi-circle, and the accused stood or sat in the midst, as question after question was fired at them. Jesus at the age of twelve in Luke 2:46 sat in the midst of the doctors of the law and they were amazed at His questions and His answers. In Psalm 22:16, there is a verse that suggests how it was at the trial of Jesus, “For dogs have compassed me; the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me; they pieced my hands and my feet.”

The encircled court of authorities would be very intimidating to most rustic persons as Peter and John, but it appears that this was not so in this case. There was no fear as Peter and John stood in the midst. Perhaps their faces had the demeanor of Isaiah 50:7, “For the Lord God will help me; therefore I will not be confounded: therefore I have set my face as a flint.”

The encircled court asked Peter and John the same question they had asked Jesus in Matthew 21:42, “By what power have you done these things, and who gave you this authority?” And Peter and John gave them the same answer. They told them, “The lame man was healed by the authority of Jesus, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, and He is the stone which was set at naught by you, the builders, which was made the head of the corner. And in none other is there salvation: for neither is there any other name under Heaven that is given among men, wherein we must be saved.” Now when they had perceived the boldness of Peter and John, and had perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus.

This seems to be the opinion of many in the present time; the Christian is viewed as a member of the society of Red Necks; a lower class of humanity, just a notch or two above the cave man. Mankind has advanced so far above the knowledge of two millenniums ago that all Christians are regarded as Peter and John—unlearned and ignorant men.

It is true we have advanced in knowledge many ways. We have split the atom; we have put people on the moon, at least for a little while. We have invented the computer, and space-travel seems to be just around the corner. But there is one thing that has not changed in spite of it all. The same devil that tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden is still alive today, and is still tempting humanity today, and humanity is still committing the same sins they did two thousand years ago, plus the fact that they have found new ways to do it. Unbelief in the Holy Spirit-inspired Word of God is as old as the devil.

It is easy today to find a hundred unbelievers in the divine inspiration, the Word of God, with advanced degrees, and it is easy to find a hundred grade-school dropouts who do not believe it either. So can it be said the highly educated are unbelievers because they are intelligent, and the grade-school dropouts are unbelievers because they are just plain dumb? Obviously unbelief is not a matter of education, or lack of it. Lack of faith is the reason for unbelief. Paul says in Romans 10:17, “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.”

The devil told Eve, “Ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil,” and in this world today man thinks he is God, and creates his own moral code. Paul said in Romans 1:25, “For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served the creature (himself) rather than the Creator.”

While it is true Peter and John were unlearned and ignorant men in much of worldly affairs, the Scripture reveals they knew many things their critics never knew then or now. One thing they knew is what is written in 1st John 3:2 as the Apostle tells of the return of the Lord. He said, “We shall see Him as He is, and we shall be made like Him.”

WE SHALL SEE HIM AS HE IS AND BE MADE LIKE HIM

And although we shall see Him as He is at that time of His coming and shall be made like Him, we shall not see Him as He was when He lived on earth.

John says, “We know we shall see Him as He is,” but we shall not see Him as He was. When He came the first time He looked like us. John 1:14 instructs us, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” It will not be as a babe that we see Him coming on the clouds with power and great glory. We shall see Him as He is then, and not as He was. When He comes we shall not see Him as a boy of twelve sitting in the midst of scholars both hearing them and asking them questions, but as the omniscient—all-knowing One. We shall see Him as He is, and not as He was.

We shall not see Him surrounded by wise men bearing gold and frankincense and myrrh. There will be no star to guide us as to what part of the Heaven He shall be seen. Because He is the bright and morning star, He will be visible to every eye, both saint and sinner. John tells us in Revelation 1:7, “Behold He cometh with the clouds and every eye shall see Him, and they that pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth shall mourn over Him.” We shall see Him as He is then, and not as He was. We shall see Him as He is and not as He was, when shepherds watching their flocks by night received the news of the birth of the Savior who is Christ the Lord. Actually,  when we see Him as He is, and not as He was, there will be faithful shepherds that Peter referred to in 1st Peter 5:2 when he told the elders to tend the flock of God, and the Chief Shepherd would give them a crown of glory that fades not away. We shall see Him as He is and not as He was at the crucifixion, hanging on the cross like a piece of raw meat whose vision is so marred that it is unrecognizable, and in the midst of a jeering, profane mob. We shall see Him in the midst of all the angels; Archangels, Cherubims, and Seraphims on the clouds of Heaven with power and great glory. We know we shall see Him as He is, and not as He was. But although we shall see Him as He is, and not as He was, it is also true that we shall see Him as He is, and also as He was.

WE SHALL SEE HIM AS HE IS AND ALSO AS HE WAS

I have often-times seen Him even now as He was baptized of John in the Jordan and coming up out of the water; whenever I see a sinner baptized into Christ for the remission of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit. I will see Him as He is, and I not only can see Him now as He was, every Sunday I see Him as He was, hanging on the cross as I look over a congregation of Christians observing the Lord’s Supper; doing as instructed by the Lord Himself to eat the bread and drink the cup in remembrance of Him. It is true, I shall see Him as He is when He comes, and I also see Him now as He was.

And in addition to seeing Him as He was, I also hear His gospel as it was during the observance of the Lord’s Supper. Paul said at that time, “We proclaim the Lord’s death till He come.” Christians preach a sermon in action as they eat of the bread and drink of the cup.

They proclaim that message in action to the Father praising Him for sending His only begotten Son. They proclaim that message in action to Jesus for loving us so much that He willingly died for us. They proclaim the message in action to any in the audience who have not obeyed the Lord. They proclaim that message in action to themselves as they think of the promise of eternal life, and they proclaim that message in action to the devil himself as they remind him of that day when the foundations of hell were shattered, and the gates of Hades were knocked off their hinges.

We shall see Him as He is when He comes again, and we can see and hear Him now as He was. Let the proclamation continue to be seen and heard again and again until that day when we shall see Him as He is and remember Him as He was. And now here is something else those unlearned and ignorant men knew. Peter said he knew the price of our redemption.

PETER KNEW THE PRICE OF MAN’S REDEMPTION

Peter knew the price of man’s redemption. Peter knew the price-tag on our salvation, which is something that ancient as well as modern men have never been able to understand. He gives us this valuable information in 1st Peter 1:18 when he said, “Knowing that ye were redeemed not with silver or gold from your vain manner of life handed down from your fathers, but with the precious blood, as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot, even the blood of Christ.”

Not all the money ever minted in all of world history could buy the redemption of one lost soul. All the gold in Fort Knox could not buy redemption for one lost soul from perdition. One of the most popular singers ever known in America died about fifty years ago, and of his great fortune made on Broadway and in movies, he left three million dollars to religious work; one million to Catholic charity, one million to Jewish charity, and one million to Protestant charity. I suppose he thought he had all bases covered, but if he goes to Heaven it won’t be because he gave three million dollars. In James 5:1-3 the inspired writer tells us, “Come now you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are rusted, and their rust shall be as a testimony against you, and shall eat your flesh as fire.”

Some may think money is all-powerful, but there is one reason why even the wealth of the richest person who ever lived could ever buy salvation. How could something that is corruptible buy redemption for a corruptible man? The salvation of even one corruptible man must be paid for by something that is incorruptible. The only price that can be paid for corruptible man’s redemption is the incorruptible blood of a lamb without spot and without blemish, even the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God; and that is why Paul said in Acts 20:28 that the Church was bought by the blood of God—God the son.

The blood of Christ is necessary for salvation because all have sinned and there is guilt in the blood. Pilate took water and washed his hands before the multitude saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this righteous man.” I can say the same words of Pilate not because I washed my hands in a bowl of water, and declared myself innocent, but because I was buried with Him in the waters of baptism in obedience to His command given the day the Church began, on the day of Pentecost.

In Hebrews 10:22 it is declared, “Without the shedding of blood there is no remission.” Jesus said in Matthew 26:28, “This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for you unto remission of sins,” and Jesus told them to remember it. Now let us read those words again, “…no remission of sins without the shedding of blood.” The blood of Christ was shed for the remission of sins, “Repent and be baptized for the remission of sins.” The gospel song asks us, “What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me pure within? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.” And now here is one more example of the knowledge of unlearned and ignorant men regarding the future of the planet earth.

THE FUTURE OF PLANET EARTH

The Apostle Peter tells us in his 2nd epistle, chapter three that he is writing to them to stir up their mind putting them in remembrance. And then he says, “Knowing this first of all that in the last days, mockers shall come with mockery.” Peter knew that, 2,000 years ago, so it should be no shock to us when we hear the mockery Peter mentioned. The first mockery and ridicule was the Second Coming of the Lord. Where is the promise of His coming for all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation until now, for this they willfully forget, for the world that was then by the Word of God being overflowed with water perished, and the heavens that now are, and the earth by the same Word are stored up for fire and the destruction of ungodly men.

According to what Peter knew, humanity at this year of the 21st century, is sitting on a powder-keg that could blow at any moment. And then he gets more specific when he declares, “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and all the things that are therein shall be burned up.” I make no comment on these words. I leave them before you as Peter, who according to wise men of his day, and now, is regarded as unlearned and ignorant.

And then this ignorant man advised, “Seeing then that these things are thus to be dissolved, what manner of persons should we be in all holy living and godliness, looking for and earnestly desiring the coming of the Day of God, by reason of which the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?” But according to his promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwells righteousness. Paul also said in Titus 2:13, “We are looking for the blessed hope and appearing of the great God our Savior who loved us, and gave Himself up for us, that He might purify unto Himself a people for His own possession zealous of good works.” Then John’s last word of encouragement to us is, “Even so come, Lord Jesus.” Peter said, “Desire the coming of the Lord,” John prayed for it, and Paul said, “Look for it.”

Then this unlearned and ignorant man advises us on a good plan when he said in that second epistle 3:17, “Ye therefore beloved, knowing these things beforehand, beware lest being carried away by the error of the wicked, you fall from your own steadfastness. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.”