27/2/2022 [Book of Acts 17] www.lifechurchmissions.com

“Which is Right in God’s Eyes: To Listen to You, or to Him?

Introduction:

* What are the reasons for believers always not listening to God?

1）Because of the temptation and pressure to listen to men

2）Because do not have the thinking which is able to listen to God

Read <Ac 4:13-22>

1. <v13>: Who are the workers truly used by God?

*  Peter and John were considered as unschooled, ordinary men

* But the apostles possessed true knowledge (Old Testament + Christ’s death and resurrection) <Lk 24:44>

* The apostles’ knowledge was combined with the courage in their hearts given by the Holy Spirit

* In 1929 at the Westminster Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, Pastor Martyn Lloyd-Jones spoke about the purpose of training preachers

* The church needs more preachers who are like general practitioners rather than academics who are like specialist doctors

2. <v14>: True physical healing that comes from God

* Surely come about by the sovereignty of God, instead of the faith of a divine physician

* Will greatly reduce after the completion of the biblical canon

3. <v15-17>: The evil of Jewish leaders

* They did not refute the truth of Christ’s death and resurrection preached by the apostles, because they knew it very well in their hearts

* They only feared losing their place in the hearts of the people

4. <v18-20>：Choose between listening to men or to God

* All men have failed, only Christ is victorious

* The tension between listening to men and listening to God

* A person who lives before the face of God cannot go against God’s urging in his heart

* Peter said, “You be the judges!”

5. <v21-22>：Two kinds of people, two kinds of outcomes

* Those who were hardened became more hardened

* On the other hand, those who listened to the Lord bore witness to God’s glorious deeds