Under Authority | Acts 4

Shaping Theme in Acts: Authority

Remembering that Jesus arose from the grave helps us to remember that we aren’t just followers of a philosophy or practitioners of a practice, but believers in a risen person: Jesus Christ. Today’s theme flows directly from that, and that is the theme of Jesus’ authority. Authority means the right to give orders, make decisions and enforce obedience. Think about your boss (if you have a boss); that is authority – they have the power and right to be in charge and tell you what to do, to make decisions, and to lead the way.

The big idea is: Christians are under God’s authority. Churches are under God’s authority. That means God has the right to give orders, to make decisions for us and to enforce obedience.

The Authority of Jesus

As Jesus began his public, earthly ministry, everybody was astonished. No one could believe what he was like, and his fame spread immediately. Why were they so astonished? What was so amazing about Jesus? The most remarkable thing about Jesus when he began his ministry was his authority (Mark 1:27).

Now think about the end of Jesus’ ministry on earth and the Great Commission. This is the final word of Jesus to his disciples: “All authority has been given to me, go, make disciples, baptize and teach them to observe all that I have commanded” (Matthew 28:18-19). So Jesus enters and exits on a note of divine authority.

This passage flows very nicely into the beginning of the book of Acts, where we see the apostles obeying Jesus’ command to them. We see them scattering about, making disciples and teaching them. The apostles get to work, attending carefully to what Jesus commanded. And Jesus is clearly in charge here in Acts 1:1-5.

Moving on to Acts 4, we read about Peter and John being brought before the rulers, elders, scribes and all who were of the high-priestly family after proclaiming Jesus’ resurrection (vv. 1-12). And we see that “when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished” (v. 13a).  They were not astonished at their eloquence or what genius plans they had laid to begin this new religion, they were astonished because they had this air of transferred authority about them. They recognized they had been with Jesus (v. 13b). And as they were being pressured heavily by these Jewish authorities, Peter and John couldn’t give in – because a higher authority had given them different orders (vv. 19 & 20). They did not have the right to neglect God’s orders to obey man’s orders. They were obedient servants to a living, resurrected Lord who had divine authority, so they had to proceed.

God Is Our Authority

The bottom line is, as we approach the book of Acts and God’s Word, trying to be pliable and moldable and submissive, we see that God is the authority over the apostles, over the church from the very beginning and over all Christians for all time, including us. God is our authority. We are to attend carefully to all that Jesus commanded. And we have the same Holy Spirit through which Jesus commanded the early apostles – we are under authority just like they were.

Now, you might be thinking, “This sounds a lot like Old Testament stuff. The new covenant is about mercy and grace; it’s about God being kind and good to us and forgiving us; he doesn’t demand obedience anymore, surely, he just wants faith.” But in John, we read Jesus saying that if we love him, we will keep his commandments (14:15). The scriptural teaching is pretty clear on this: obedience does not lead to salvation, but salvation does lead to obedience. And where there is no obedience to Christ, there is no salvation. You cannot only have Jesus as your Savior and not your Lord. Obedience is central to us if we are to be Christians.

The two questions for us are:

• Are we, as a church, shaped by God’s authority?
• Are we as individual Christians shaped by God’s authority?

And the challenge for us is to submit to God’s authority – as a church and as individuals. As we submit ourselves together, we will see that where there was autonomy and isolation there will be camaraderie and fellowship; where there is ongoing, unrepentant sin, we will begin to see repentance, confession, freedom and real spiritual growth; where there is lukewarmth and apathy, we will start to see passion for God and people; where there is a preoccupation with preferences, we will see an increasing self-forgetfulness and the pursuit of obedience to our Lord. It all starts with submitting to God’s authority and obeying him.

From the sermon series: Shaping Themes in Acts.

Discussion Starters

1. Read and discuss Acts 4:1-22 together. Read also Mark 1:27, Matthew 28:18-19 and Acts 1:1-5.
2. What do these passages say about the authority of Jesus?
3. What does it look like for us to be submissive and molded by God’s Word?
4. Are we as individuals being shaped by God’s authority?
5.  Based on John 14:15, how do we show our love for the Lord?
6. What are some of the commandments Jesus gave to us?