Scripture: Acts 4:1-31
Exercise: Cardio/Circuit Training - Upper body
Acts 4:1-31Amplified Bible (AMP)
4 And while they [Peter and John] were talking to the people, the high priests and the military commander of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them,
2 Being vexed and indignant through and through because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in [the case of] Jesus the resurrection from the dead.
3 So they laid hands on them (arrested them) and put them in prison until the following day, for it was already evening.
4 But many of those who heard the message believed (adhered to and trusted in and relied on Jesus as the Christ). And their number grew and came to about 5,000.
5 Then on the following day, their magistrates and elders and scribes were assembled in Jerusalem,
6 Including Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander and all others who belonged to the high priestly relationship.
7 And they set the men in their midst and repeatedly demanded, By what sort of power or by what kind of authority did [such people as] you do this [healing]?
8 Then Peter, [because he was] filled with [and controlled by] the Holy Spirit, said to them, Rulers of the people and members of the council (the Sanhedrin),
9 If we are being put on trial [here] today and examined concerning a good deed done to benefit a feeble (helpless) cripple, by what means this man has been restored to health,
10 Let it be known and understood by all of you, and by the whole house of Israel, that in the name and through the power and authority of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Whom you crucified, [but] Whom God raised from the dead, in Himand by means of Him this man is standing here before you well and sound in body.
11 This [Jesus] is the Stone which was despised and rejected by you, the builders, but which has become the Head of the corner [the Cornerstone].
12 And there is salvation in and through no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by and in which we must be saved.
13 Now when they saw the boldness and unfettered eloquence of Peter and John and perceived that they were unlearned and untrained in the schools [common men with no educational advantages], they marveled; and they recognized that they had been with Jesus.
14 And since they saw the man who had been cured standing there beside them, they could not contradict the fact or say anything in opposition.
15 But having ordered [the prisoners] to go aside out of the council [chamber], they conferred (debated) among themselves,
16 Saying, What are we to do with these men? For that an extraordinary miracle has been performed by (through) them is plain to all the residents of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.
17 But in order that it may not spread further among the people and the nation, let us warn and forbid them with a stern threat to speak any more to anyone in this name [or about this Person].
18 [So] they summoned them and imperatively instructed them not to converse in any way or teach at all in or about the name of Jesus.
19 But Peter and John replied to them, Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you and obey you rather than God, you must decide (judge).
20 But we [ourselves] cannot help telling what we have seen and heard.
21 Then when [the rulers and council members] had further threatened them, they let them go, not seeing how they could secure a conviction against them because of the people; for everybody was praising and glorifying God for what had occurred.
22 For the man on whom this sign (miracle) of healing was performed was more than forty years old.
23 After they were permitted to go, [the apostles] returned to their own [company] and told all that the chief priests and elders had said to them.
24 And when they heard it, lifted their voices together with one united mind to God and said, O Sovereign Lord, You are He Who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything that is in them,
25 Who by the mouth of our forefather David, Your servant and child, said through the Holy Spirit, Why did the heathen (Gentiles) become wanton andinsolent and rage, and the people imagine and study and plan vain (fruitless) things [that will not succeed]?
26 The kings of the earth took their stand in array [for attack] and the rulers were assembled and combined together against the Lord and against His Anointed (Christ, the Messiah).
27 For in this city there actually met and plotted together against Your holy Child and Servant Jesus, Whom You consecrated by anointing, both Herod and Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles and peoples of Israel,
28 To carry out all that Your hand and Your will and purpose had predestined (predetermined) should occur.
29 And now, Lord, observe their threats and grant to Your bond servants [full freedom] to declare Your message fearlessly,
30 While You stretch out Your hand to cure and to perform signs and wonders through the authority and by the power of the name of Your holy Child andServant Jesus.
31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were assembled was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they continued to speak the Word of God with freedom and boldness and courage.
Reseraching Acts 26 - Why do the heathen rage. This was also mentioned in Psalms
http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/End%20of%20the%20World/why_do_the_heathen_rage.htm
Why Do The Heathen Rage? by David J. Stewart
"Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us" -Psalm 2:1-3
This Old Testament Scripture is quoted in the New Testament...
"Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is: Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?" -Acts 4:24–25
Notice Acts 4:26, "The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ."
Mankind's Sinful Nature is Against God
Mankind has always been against God and His Word. God uses men for His purposes. We read in Acts 4:26-28 that is was God who controlled all the events in Christ's crucifixion, "For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done." No man could have laid a hand upon Jesus if it had not been God's divine will. Nevertheless, the Bible says that there was a conspiracy against Jesus to destroy him (Herod, Pilate, the gentiles and Israel). That conspiracy has continued over the centuries against the disciples of Christ, Christians. The animosity has been snowballing as it has come down through the centuries, and it will break out finally in a worldwide revolution against God and His Children. Just as the lost world hated Jesus Christ, so it hates His disciples. "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution" (2 Timothy 3:12).
Those Who Love Sin, Hate God
Why do the heathen rage? Why are they so adamant against the Lord Jesus? John 3:20 tells us, "For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved" (John 3:20). Mankind loves sin! A man would rather burn in hell for an eternity, than to repent from his sins and come to the Lord for forgiveness. Notice, I did not say "give up" his sins--there's a big difference. To be saved, one must condemn his own sins; thus, in so doing he has repented (or changed his mind about his sinful condition). "Repentance" is a "change of mind" about yourself, your sins and the Savior. Whereas you used to reject Jesus, think you were a good person and think sin was acceptable--Now you accept Jesus, realize your a wicked sinner and condemn the sins in your life. The Hue Hefner's and the Madonna's of the world love their sins and REFUSE to see themselves as sinful. They REFUSE to come to Christ, " lest his deeds should be reproved" (John 3:20). They REFUSE to repent! They REFUSE to change their mind about their sinful lifestyles (fornication, adultery, nudity, filthiness, lasciviousness, greed, lust, sodomy, drunkenness, etc, etc.) They are servants of Satan!
I hear worldly people all the time trying to rationalize their sins. They say, "What's wrong with smoking, tobacco grows naturally doesn't it?" And doggy-doo-doo is natural also but you don't eat it do you? They say, "Adam and Eve were naked and not ashamed, so why should I feel ashamed for posing nude in a porno magazine?" Because Adam and Eve were the only two people in the world at the time. Do you see how foolish the hearts of the wicked can be? There is NO justification for sin--NONE. Just because you are poor does NOT give you the right to steal. Just because you grew up in a cruel home does NOT give you the right to abuse your family. Just because someone cheated you does NOT give you the right to be a crook. We must all stand individually before our Creator in judgment. "So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God" (Romans 14:12). Do right! Do right! Though the stars fall, do right!
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