July 20, 2025 Sunday Worship Service

Prelude
Call to Worship Psalm 118:21
Hymn JBC# 513 Walking in sunlight, all of my journey
The Lord’s Prayer
Hymn JBC# 278 There’s within my heart a melody
Offering
Scripture Acts 4:1~22
Prayer
Sermon “The name by which we must be saved”
Prayer
Hymn JBC # 81 God, our Father, we adore Thee!
Doxology JBC # 671
Benediction
Postlude
Welcome & Announcements

In today’s Bible passage, we see Peter and John continuing to talk to the people.
There was a man who was lame from birth, who was always laid at the gate to the temple in order to receive alms. Peter healed him in the name of Jesus Christ.
Through this miracle, Peter showed the people gathered around that this man was made strong by the name of Jesus Christ.
They also explained to the people that Jesus Christ was killed by man, but also resurrected.
Peter said, “You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead.” (Acts 3:15)
In order to atone for the sins of man, Christ died (was killed) on the cross. Therefore, each one of us crucified Christ.

But Peter said (in the verse immediately preceding today's passage) that God intended, by sending Jesus into the world as God's servant, that through him (Christ) each of us might receive blessings (3:26).
In Christ there is true blessing.
When good things happen, we celebrate together, rejoice and bless each other.
Whether it’s a birthday, getting accepted into a school, or when something we desired comes to pass, we bless each other.
It would be nice if situations where we could bless each other just constantly occurred, but it is not the case that only things we can celebrate always happen.

However, through Jesus Christ’s cross, death, and resurrection, God has given us His unconditional love.
Through Christ, it has been clearly known to us and proven that “you are loved” and that “you are so precious to me (God).”
　God’s love and grace, as well as the forgiveness of sin are all communicated through Christ.
That grace and blessing is given to each one of us. God is always blessing us with Christ’s grace.
Through Christ we are shown that God’s love is unconditional (not dependent on our efforts or achievements) and that it is always being poured out upon us.
Therefore, those who have been shown the grace of Christ can live in joy and thanksgiving for Christ’s blessings. Let us be grateful that such a way of joy has been prepared.
In today’s passage, the priests, captain of the temple guard, and the Sadducees come to capture and arrest Peter and John as they were talking to the people.
They were upset that Peter and John were evangelizing about Christ’s resurrection, so they arrested them.

Particularly the Sadducees did not believe in resurrection and therefore rejected that teaching.
The priests also likely felt angry that Peter and John were preaching that the man that they had executed on the cross had resurrected.
However, in verse 4 of today’s passage, we see that about 5,000 people believed after hearing Peter and John speak.
Peter and John were arrested and thrown into prison. They were robbed of their freedom. But through them speaking about Jesus Christ’s resurrection, many people’s hearts were drawn to belief in Christ and changed.
In this way the truth will spread without fail.
No matter how hard people may try to silence the word of God, God’s power is what truly gives people hope and strength, so the truth of the Word cannot be made powerless by the power or evil intent of man.
We can receive the same powerful word of God through the Bible now. Is this not reassuring?
　Through the Word of the Bible, we can live while being strengthened in the midst of difficulties.
In verses 5-6, we see that the next day the rulers, elders, teachers of the law, as well as the family of the high priest gathered. It was a gathering of all the Jewish authorities.

Peter and John were standing in the middle of all these authority figures. I wonder if they were afraid.
They may have felt some fear being surrounded and questioned by all these authority figures. However, Peter had a powerful supporter.
Verse 8 states “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them”
In what would normally be a very frightening experience standing in the middle of many authority figures, God’s Holy Spirit filled Peter, giving him words to speak. The Holy Spirit was given to Peter as a powerful helper.
The resurrected Jesus told His disciples, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you” (Acts 1:8)
This promise is being fulfilled in today’s passage.
We also can receive help and guidance from the Holy Spirit.
In the midst of hardships, when we do not know what to do or what to say, the Holy Spirit will teach us what to do and say.

In order to receive this help from the Holy Spirit, let us familiarize ourselves with the words of the Bible, keep experiencing and have conviction that God is speaking to us even now and giving us power through His Word.
The Holy Spirit is working in the living word of God, and will surely strengthen us when we need it.
In verse 11, Peter cites the scriptures (a verse from Psalms 118:22).
Jesus is
“‘the stone you builders rejected,
which has become the cornerstone.’
“The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone”.
This is what it means.
The builders (people who build homes as a profession), viewed a stone as being useless as a cornerstone (a stone placed in the corner of a building’s foundation) and discarded it. Jesus Christ is being compared to this stone.
Just a stone that was thought to be unfit, Jesus was scorned, denied, ridiculed, and finally crucified by people.

However, Peter states that because He is such a person (and only in Him) people can find salvation. Our salvation is found in the One who was considered “useless” and abandoned by others.
This is because Jesus Christ, who died (was slain) on the cross, was the Son of God, the One equal to God, the One who was sent into the world to bear the sins of all of us human beings and to forgive us.

In the verse 12 in today’s scripture written is it.
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (v.12)
It is by the name of Jesus Christ who died on the cross and who resurrected from the dead that we are saved. There is no other way.
On this truth (salvation is only in Christ) we Christians and the Christian Church can continue to stand. We will continue to speak this truth.
Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, preached powerfully because he was confident in salvation in Christ. That power and boldness was enough to surprise the rulers, as stated in verse 13.
The rulers, priests, and teachers of the law that surrounded Peter and John were specialists in Judaism and religious authorities.
However, Peter’s words were far bolder and more powerful even than their (human’s) authority.
The resurrected Christ filled Peter’s heart through the Holy Spirit, strengthening him and giving him words to speak.

In the end, the rulers threatened Peter to “not speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus from now.”
However, Peter had a surprising response to their threat.
“Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”(v.19～20)
This is a truly bold and Spirit-filled statement. It is also filled with the love of God.
Peter is not saying this to unilaterally defeat his opponent, but instead asks them if it is better to obey God or to obey them (people), and he leaves it up to them to decide.
Is it right before God to obey people (succumb to people’s threat) rather than obey God? Please think about that carefully.
Peter is showing consideration and respect to the people he is speaking to by asking them to think carefully, reflecting on their own conscience to make a decision on what is right.
Peter is not trying to defeat them (like the rulers, elders, and teachers of the law imprisoned Peter), but is calling out to them trusting in the truth, love, and power of Christ.

It is right for us to obey God, not people. That is the truth in today’s passage that believers should protect in faith.
However, faith that “obeying God is right” is not something that we can use to look down on others, exclude others, or force upon others in our way.
Our Lord Jesus Christ, in His great love and infinite patience, continually speaks to us whose heart is so stubborn.
Even now Jesus desires that we choose to live rightly before God.
However, in reality there are times (or often times) God shows us our own heart that we fail to obey God, live in a self-centered way, and we even try to get our own way at the cost of others.
For those of us who have received the tremendous sacrificial atonement of Jesus Christ’s death on the cross, let us repent (return to God) each time we sin.
And let us resolve to walk with God, rejoicing and thanking Him for forgiving us.