John and Peter were fishermen. It says in Acts 4:13 they were unlearned and ignorant. Because of this, the Sanhedrin were mystified about how they could perform a miracle. A man, born crippled, was now able to walk. This miracle was no easy task. It was well known that the man was in his 40s so he had to have been crippled that long. The story can be found in chapters 3 and 4 of Acts.
There is a sharp contrast here. The Sanhedrin who believed they were the ‘keepers of the faith’, and the two apostles who were known followers of Jesus. Even the Sanhedrin knew that they couldn’t have it both ways. The followers of Jesus can’t be performing miracles and the Sanhedrin continue as the guardians of the one true God. This is when our pastor opened his text with this, “It’s not the roads put before us but the paths we chose to take.”
The Sanhedrin were well educated in the faith of their fathers and were scrupulous about its teachings. To protect their beliefs they threatened the apostles and told them to speak no more of this Jesus. This was the path for the Sanhedrin.
On this same road the apostles ran up against the Sanhedrin. They were threatened. Peter and John told them that they could only tell about what they saw and heard which is what they would do. It was for God to judge. So they continued on their path.
The crippled man? “In the name of Jesus” (Acts 3:6) he rose up and walked. It also says that he praised God and stood with Peter and John before the Sanhedrin. He had chosen his path, too.
Copies of the sermon are always available and we would love to send you a CD of it. They are free. Call (417) 543-6219 to get a copy. However, if you would rather just pick one up, they are available at Strong’s Watch Shop in Barnes Shopping Center, Ava.
