There once was a baby who was born crippled.  When his parents counted all his fingers and toes, as all parents do the first time they see their newborn, his parents stopped when they saw the terrible shape of his ankles and feet.  He was not perfect. Everyone thought it was sad that such a little one was born with this life-defining defect.  His entire identity was going to be “the crippled guy.”  No one would remember his name. They would only remember him as the crippled guy who sat by the Beautiful Gate. 

At least that would have been the way people remembered him if Peter and John had not intervened to change his story.  The crippled guy at the Beautiful Gate’s identity was transformed into the guy who was healed in the name of Jesus.  His entire 40 years of existence was dramatically changed the moment Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk."

Everything was different.  He was no longer the fixture at the Gate.  He was no longer ignored as a moocher or pitied with people’s loose change.  He was no longer irrelevant.  He was abruptly the center of the spotlight! He was jumping all over the Temple causing quite the stir.  The news of his healing spread like juniper pollen on a windy spring morning. In just moments a crowd had gathered to see if it was true. In just moments Peter was preaching again.  In moments 1,000s believed the message; Jesus of Nazareth was the resurrected New Moses! 

Wow!  He was no longer the crippled guy.  He was the evidence of God’s blessing.  People were repenting and being baptized all over the place and receiving HDTV’s.  No, wait, what they received was better than HDTVs. They were receiving forgiveness and the Holy Spirit!  God, in his splendid timing, waited for 40 years until just the right day for this healing. The combination of miracle and message was marvelous!  The man, formally known as the crippled guy, had become meaningful. His entire 40 years was now filled with purpose.  He was now the guy who was healed in the name of Jesus! 

But, not everyone was thrilled with this turn of events.  It did not take long for the authorities to swing into action.  The establishment responded to the troublesome stirrings in the way they typically react to disturbing news; they arrested someone.  Peter and John were thrown into the clink to spend the night for disturbing the peace.  Then they were hauled before an impressive list of dignitaries.

Acts 4:5-6  The next day the rulers, elders and teachers of the law met in Jerusalem.  Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and the other men of the high priest's family.

These were the highest muckety-mucks of Jewish aristocracy.  Remember, these were the same guys who were behind Jesus’ death.  They thought they had taken care of this Jesus-thing with the crucifixion.  They thought they had crushed the Nazarene movement.  They thought they had nipped it in the bud.  Now, it had popped up again. This time worse because now they claimed this Jesus of Nazareth had come back from the dead.  To make bad matters worse, these uneducated fishermen had healed the crippled guy who begged by the Beautiful Gate.  They all knew the crippled guy he was a fixture and now he was standing before them bouncing up and down like Tigger.  Not that they would have known who Tigger is, but you do.  So, they responded by arresting Peter and John and now they drug them out of jail to stand before them and explain all this… nonsense.

And that was when they made a terrible mistake.  They asked the question, everyone who is in charge asks, because they assumed they were the ones with the power… But the question was a mistake.

Peter was just aching for them to ask the question.  Peter was primed.  Peter was full of the Holy Spirit. Do you remember Jesus’ promise? The one he made while he was still alive and told them what would happen when they were standing before authorities? He made it twice.

Luke 12:11-12   "When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say."

Luke 21:12-15  "But before all this, they will lay hands on you and persecute you. They will deliver you to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name.  This will result in your being witnesses to them. But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves.  For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.”

So, Peter was doing just that; he wasn’t worrying.  He was waiting.  Waiting for them to make the mistake and ask the question…

Acts 4:7-10 They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: (Here is there question) "By what power or what name did you do this?" "Rulers and elders of the people!  If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: 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.”

The irony was too good to be true.  “Have we been arrested because we were kind to a crippled guy?  Is that against the law?  Sorry, we didn’t know healing was a chargeable offense?  But, if you are asking how we did it, then let me answer that one; we did it through the power of Jesus whom you crucified!”  To me that is really sticking it to the man.  Do you remember the 60’s terminology; sticking it to the man?”  Jimmy does.  The rulers realized their mistake and are squirming in their seats.  But it is about to get worse. Peter continues…

Acts 4:11  “He is 'the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone.' “

Wait, I remember the capstone thing from Luke 20.  Do you remember Jesus quotes from Psalm 118 and claims that he is the capstone?

In the old days before concrete, which can be poured into any shape, stones were quarried in rock quarries.  Big chunks of limestone or whatever were broken off into blocks.  But the blocks weren’t all the same shape or size. It kind of depended on how the lines of the stone went and how it would break out. So, the masons would have to pick and choose the right stone to fit into the right place.  It was kind of like doing a puzzle.  Each piece of rock went into the right place until the building was built.  In Psalm 118:22 the metaphor is the builders kept ignoring a particular block.  “No, we don’t want that one,”  “That is the wrong stone, not that one. Pick a different one,” until the whole building is built and the stone that has been repeatedly rejected then becomes the stone which holds the entire structure together, the capstone.  The rejected stone takes the preeminence.  Jesus who had been rejected by them and killed has now been chosen by God and raised to become the capstone!

Watch this.  Here is something I didn’t say when we studied Luke 20. There was a big building project going on in Jerusalem as Peter was speaking. They had been spending most of the last 40 years, - interesting 40 years. How old is the crippled guy? - These authorities Peter was speaking to have been in charge of building the actual Temple.  Which is not yet finished, almost, but not yet completed.  The connections are overwhelming.  These guys had been building the Temple, actually and metaphorically.  They had rejected Jesus, who in his resurrection, has become the capstone of Judaism.  But they missed him!  Now Peter rubs their noses in their mistake.

Acts 4:11-12  “He is 'the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone.'  Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."  

Not only does the name of Jesus have power to heal, it has power to save!  It is the name of Jesus which we call upon for our salvation. Luke is no advocate of religious pluralism; this silly metaphor that says all roads to heaven.  Peter announces salvation; social, physical, as well as spiritual is found only in the name of Jesus. It is his power as the Messiah which is the completion of the Temple, the capstone and the fulfillment of the hopes of the Jewish community to be God’s people.

This is an amazing speech!  It is short but full of analogy and metaphor and use of OT scripture as well as a kick in the britches of the man! And it is all from a fisherman?  

Acts 4:13   When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.

Now “the man” has a real problem.  They have been backed into a corner by two uneducated men! To keep with the capstone metaphor, “They are between a rock and a hard place.”  If they punish Peter and John the people are going to have a fit.  Tigger is still bouncing beside them.  They can’t spin it into anything but a miracle.  If they just let them go the people will assume they also have acknowledged the miracle and more people are going to believe in this Jesus of Nazareth.  They can’t deny the miracle.  But they can’t let them keep talking about it. So, here is their bottom line:

Acts 4:16-18 "What are we going to do with these men?" they asked. "Everybody living in Jerusalem knows they have done an outstanding miracle, and we cannot deny it.  But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn these men to speak no longer to anyone in this name."  Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.

Sidebar: How did Luke know what they talked about behind closed doors?  Who do we know that was a member of this group who later becomes a Christian and was good buddies with Luke?  Paul.

So, they again did what authorities attempt to do; stop the news, suppress the press, control the media, ban the books, shut up the people.  But this rarely works and it wasn’t going to work with Peter, either.

Acts 4:19-20  But Peter and John replied, "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God.  For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard."

Now, I told this story, because it was the next chapter in Acts, but also because I want to watch what Peter and John do.  What they do after this run in with the man is our lesson this morning.  Remember, Luke is not just teaching a history lesson.  He is teaching us how to be church.  Watch what Peter and John do after this public demonstration of Jesus’ power, after the message of repentance, after this confrontation with “the man;” they went back to church and…

Acts 4:23-24  On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God.

Wow, they prayed.  They prayed out loud together as a church! No quiet solitary prayer but a loud everybody-prayer.  But it is not so much that they prayed which is our lesson, it is what they prayed for, that I want us to adopt. 
-They didn’t pray for no more conflict with the authorities.
-They didn’t pray for a peaceful resolution to their differences.
-They didn’t pray for deliverance from persecution.
-They didn’t pray for a free country where they can meet without fear of molestation.

Watch what they prayed for.

Acts 4:24-28  "Sovereign Lord," they said, "you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David: "'Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?  The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One.'  Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed.  They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.”

They haven’t asked for anything yet, they have simply praised God for being in charge. Now they get to their request in this prayer.  They ask for two things which I believe we should ask for. 

Acts 4:29-30  “Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.  Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus."

The prayed for boldness to speak the word.  And they prayed for continued miracles.  They asked God to do his thing and keep on healing and doing wonders.  And as a result of the wonders done by God, they wanted to have the boldness to witness to the wonders. God does his thing; miracles and the church does its thing; speak boldly.  Divine deeds followed by words of witness.  They wanted amazing, miracles and boldness to follow them up!

We have been praying for Hanna; a bunch.  God has been working to heal Hanna.  Guess what?  Now it is our turn to speak words of witness.  It goes together.  God has done his part. Now we must boldly speak words like:
-God has healed her.
-Praise God for her healing.
-Everyone we told about her epilepsy we must now tell about her healing.
It is our witness that makes God’s power turn into more believers!  And God’s timing is spectacular! 

Notice God’s answer to Peter and John’s prayer.

Acts 4:31  After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

Wouldn’t that be cool?