When Submerged

When submerged

Glow sticks.. illustration.. or moth illustration?

Some times God has to break us to see where we are at with him..

20000 people in the church.. disciples arrestd for healing a man ..they are now on trial..for this horrible act..

But more importantly the are on trial for who they say is responsible for the miracle.. Jesus

They are suffering for Jesus..

If you feel broken.. (we all should)

Spend time with Jesus

Acts 4:13-14 (ESV)

13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. 14 But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition.

Who is this jesus you suffer for?

He is our refuge

Psalm 62:8 (ESV)

Trust in him at all times, O people;     pour out your heart before him;     God is a refuge for us.

He is our strength

Philippians 4:13 (ESV)

I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

He is our provider

Psalm 23:1 (ESV)

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He delivers us

Romans 11:26 (ESV)

And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion,     he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”;

He is our light

John 8:12 (ESV)

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

He is our mediator

1 Timothy 2:5. (ESV)

For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man[a] Christ Jesus,

He is our truth

John 1:14 (ESV)

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son] from the Father, full of grace and truth.

He is our salvation

Acts 4:12 (ESV)

And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men[a] by which we must be saved.”

How do people see you?

How do they see those who hang out with you?

Sometimes we think we know someone by just how they dress..

Breakfast club

Or.. jesus had taught the pharisees when he was a teenager.. He spoke knowledgably of the word and we just heard peter take the scripture and teach about it.. so although unlearned they knew the disciples had been with Jesus because they now knew the word.. they where fisherman, tax collectors…. Teaching the scripture.. commen men because they had not been through the syngagogues training.. but instead the Lord’s training..

How do people know we are with Christ?

Word

John 1:1

love

John 13:34-35 (ESV)

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

But probably most. Importantly they copied what he did.. they followed his actions and copied them…

How he lived his life iis how they lived theirs..

I remember when Ace was little people would tell me all the time that they knew he was my kid because of how he walked.

1 peter 2:21 (ESV)

21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.

Apacolo tha ohh

The word “follow” is the Greek word epakoloutheo. It is a compound of the words epi and akoloutheo. In this context, the word epi means after, and the word akoloutheo is the word that means to follow. When compounded into one word as they are in this verse, the new word means to carefully follow after someone with the goal to replicate what he or she does. It depicts a person so committed to imitating another person that he is willing to follow him exactly and to do whatever he does. This is a picture of true discipleship. The word epakoloutheo could only describe a person who is very serious about replicating someone else’s life in his own

Greek word

keep teaching Jesus

Acts 4:15- 18 (ESV)

15 But when they had commanded them to leave the council, they conferred with one another, 16 saying, “What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. 17 But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.” 18 So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.

Empty Threats

History of threats

Pharaoh tried to hold God’s people Captive and silence them

King Ahab tried to silence Elijah

King Nebuchadnezzer tried to kill Shad, mesh. Abendego and silence them

King Darius tried to feed Daniel to the lions and tried to silence them.

The Pharisees tried to silence Jesus by putting him on a cross …

You serve a God who cannot be silenced. When someone threatens your beliefs, your morals, your way of life in Christ.. remember who you serve.. the God of the universe

Celebrate those speaking truth and surround them

Acts 4:19-22 (ESV)

19 But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20 for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” 21 And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people, for all were praising God for what had happened. 22 For the man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than forty years old.

Ecclesiastes 4..

Pray

Acts 4:23-25 (ESV)

23 When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24 And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, 25 who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit,

In this prayer, they quoted from Psalm 2, which refers to the conspiracy of all men against God. In Psalm 2, David reflected on the fact that the nations around Israel were in rebellion against God. "The nations rage, and the peoples plot," he said. The leaders of these nations fought among themselves, but were united in their opposition to God.

Acts 4:26-28 (ESV)

“‘Why did the Gentiles rage,     and the peoples plot in vain? 26 The kings of the earth set themselves,     and the rulers were gathered together,     against the Lord and against his Anointed’—

27 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.

Emerge pic

Emporer moth pic

A man found a cocoon of the emperor moth and took it home to watch it emerge.

We want someone to let us free. But God has us where we can be used or drawn closer to him.

VS 27 IS THE HISTORY

VS 28 IS THE THEOLOGY

God’s hand is moving!

Psalm 2:4 (ESV)

He who sits in the heavens laughs;

the Lord holds them in derision.

So if we start experiencing persecution its ok God is in control

Not only is it moving but it is stretched out

Acts 4:29-30 (ESV)

29 And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, 30 while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

Look God even sees John Cena..

Stretch armstorng

Psalm 139:7-12

English Standard Version

7 Where shall I go from your Spirit?     Or where shall I flee from your presence? 8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there!     If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! 9 If I take the wings of the morning     and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 even there your hand shall lead me,     and your right hand shall hold me. 11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,     and the light about me be night,” 12 even the darkness is not dark to you;     the night is bright as the day,     for darkness is as light with you.

This prayer offers 4 things

God is in Control

Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them,  who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit,

Consider us

Looks like the bad guys are winning again. From when Cain killed abel..the Egyptians enslaved the isrealites.. pilate and herod killed Jesus.. they had seen how God had delivered over and over again and so the went to him

Ukraine short video

We are in a battle of biblical proportions every day over the souls of the world for Christ.

And prayer is our greatest weapon..

“If you do not know that life is war, you will not know what prayer is for.” John Piper

Not only did the see how over and over again God deliver but they also saw God’s people rise up in the face of danger, death, persecution, war.

Boldness

Acts 4:31 (ESV)

31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

A prayer for courage.. for the right words.

Daniel 6:16 The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!”

Spread the Gospel

Are you suffering in your marriage.. pray trust God’s word live it out rest in the gospel of your salvation

Are you suffering at work.. pray trust Gods word live it out rest into the gospel

Are you at war with sin.. .. pray trust Gods word live it out rest into the gospel

Are you in pain.. .. pray trust Gods word live it out rest into the gospel

No matter what happens to us.. we have the gospel..

Would we come to a place that our prayers shake up our lives for God.

No fate I dread I know I am forgiven

The future sure the price has been paid

For Jesus bled and suffered for my pardon

And he was raise to overthow the grave

Jesus hear me

Release the chains of sin

Oh I am free

But only through Christ in me!