There is no other way we can be saved except through Christ.  Therefore let’s look at 3 aspects of this fact.

I.                The power of our Lord, Jesus’ resurrection (vs.1-4)

In today’s passage Peter and John are seized and put in jail.  This is the first  case of persecution in the first church.  This happened because Peter and John were teaching and proclaims Jesus and the resurrection.

“The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were …teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead.” (1, 2)  The priests and the captain of the temple guard were Sadducees too.  There were 3 main sects in the Jewish faith.  The Essenes were a group of very strict and zealous Jews and so they rarely appear in the Bible.  In the Bible the Pharisees and Sadducees that usually appear.  The Sadducees didn’t believe in the resurrection of the dead nor a future life.  They rejected belief in angels and demons.  They rejected the idea of a spiritual world.  They couldn’t accept anything that they couldn’t conceive in their minds so that didn’t believe in miracles. However, they believed in Moses.  Since Peter and John were preaching about the resurrection, the Sadducees were “greatly disturbed” (2) Therefore, they seized Peter and John.

In other words, it could be said that Peter and John’s preaching had enough influence that it was greatly disturbing the Sadducees. This influence came from the power of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 3:15, 16

As a result of their faith in the resurrected Jesus, they were able to boldly proclaim the Gospel. The power of Jesus’ resurrection gives us power to boldly share the Gospel.

Acts 1:8

Peter and John from the beginning didn’t have any special power.  If you look at verse 13, “they were unschooled, ordinary men”.  However, by meeting Jesus and following Him they were completely changed.  However, when Jesus was put on the cross and died they lost all hope and dreams.  Peter even denied Jesus 3 times.  However, when Jesus rose, Jesus came to Peter and through his forgiveness and love; Peter was able to stand again.  In addition, Jesus gave the wonderful power of the Holy Spirit.  As a result Peter was no longer concerned with protecting himself, but was ready to give his life for Christ.  Even if the face of death, he boldly proclaimed the Gospel. They boldly proclaimed the resurrection of Christ as a result of the power of the Holy Spirit.

We are no different from Peter. However, by knowing the risen Christ, we too can boldly proclaim the Gospel.  As a result, from the people who hear our proclamation, miraculously many people will believe in Christ.

II.              Real Authority (5-7)

According to vs. 5 and 6, the next day the rulers, elders, teachers of the law, and the high priest met in Jerusalem. This would mean the Sanhedrin, the supreme court of the Jews met. They put Peter and John in the center of them and asked them, “By what power or what name did you do this? (7)

Notice that the content of their questioning has changed.  Peter and John were arrested for proclaiming about the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  However, here they are being questioned, “By what power or what name did you do this?”(7) It is because there were Pharisees in the Sanhedrin too.  The Pharisees believed that there was a resurrection after death.  Therefore, the Sadducees were not able to talk about John and Peter’s teaching about the resurrection.  Therefore, they changed their focus in order that the Sanhedrin would take a unified stand against Peter and John. They were now focusing back on the healing of the lame man.  They want to know “By what power or name did” they heal the lame man?  What they wanted to say was that in order to heal or do a miracle, they needed to get permission from the Sanhedrin. Also to teach in the temple, they needed the permission of person in charge of the temple, the High priest or the temple guard. They are accusing Peter and John of not getting prior permission, of doing things on their own and not following the rules of the temple. However, the Sanhedrin had made a mistake of thinking that they held all authority.  They had forgotten that there was an authority greater than themselves, God. They had forgotten to fear God, and to follow Him.  This was the root of their problem.  As a result their thinking and life had changed.  They became more interested in themselves than God.  They thought that they were working for God, but in reality they were using God and working for their own profit.  This was their problem.

However, this isn’t just their problem.  Sometimes there are people who use God’s name for their own profit.  There are times when we think we are following God, but we really aren’t.  There are times we are more concerned about how we think or our own contentment than we are about what God has to say. We need to not have a faith that looks on the outside like we are following God, but listen to God’s voice and have a faith where the inside is the same as the outside.

III.            There is salvation in no other. (vs. 8-12)

This is the answer that Peter gave to the Sanhedrin to their question of “By what power or what name did you do this?”  First Peter says that if they are on trail not for teaching about the resurrection of the dead, but “for an act of kindness shown to a cripple,…It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.” (9,10) The Sanhedrin made the decision to crucify Jesus Christ.  However, God laughed at their authority, and Jesus who was killed on the cross by them, was resurrected by God.  This is because Jesus has supreme authority and the power to raise the dead.  This Jesus healed the lame man. 

Peter is saying clearly that “it is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth” that this man was healed.  Therefore, they must repent and return to God.  They need to believe in the name of Jesus.  However, just because there is a miracle, Israel must be careful not to just look at the result and believe easily.   This is because the false prophets have done the same types of miracles.　Moses warned the Israelites of this in Deut. 13:1-3.  Therefore, what is important is not whether the miracle was performed in the name of Jesus, but whether the name of Jesus is an idol or another God or not.  Therefore, Peter quotes Psalm 118:22 in verse 11.

Peter is saying that Jesus is the cornerstone of the temple. Jesus was thrown out by the Jewish leaders by being put on and dieing on the cross. God rose Jesus up from the dead. Jesus was thrown out one time, but He became the most glorious cornerstone.  In other words, Jesus can’t be thrown out.  He is the most important. He is the Savior that has been prophesized about for thousands of years.  Therefore, Peter says in verse 12, “Salvation is found in on one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

There is no other way that we can be saved from sin except through Jesus Christ.  He’s the only Savior that can save us from the punishment of sin and give us eternal life.  We can’t be saved if we don’t believe in his name.

Peter could so boldly proclaim the Gospel in the midst of such hardships because he had assurance that there was no other way to be saved except through Jesus Christ.  Do you have that assurance?  There is no other way to saved except through Jesus Christ so we need to share the Gospel.