How to Not Be Afraid - (Acts 4:23-31) P9

Sunday, April 30, 2023

Introductory information

After healing a 40+ year-old man who had been crippled from birth and then preaching the Gospel...

...the Apostles had been threatened with beatings and imprisonment by the Jewish leaders who had the authority to do that and more

The church did not have any governmental support or civil pathway for defending themselves against these threats

Continuing to preach the good news of Jesus - and apparently even healing people - was now something that could put them in serious danger of losing everything

READ

Question to consider as we read:

What should we fear?

Acts 4:23–31 CSB

23 After they were released, they went to their own people and reported everything the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24 When they heard this, they raised their voices together to God and said, “Master, you are the one who made the heaven, the earth, and the sea, and everything in them. 25 You said through the Holy Spirit, by the mouth of our father David your servant: Why do the Gentiles rage and the peoples plot futile things? 26 The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers assemble together against the Lord and against his Messiah. 27 “For, in fact, in this city both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, assembled together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, 28 to do whatever your hand and your will had predestined to take place. 29 And now, Lord, consider their threats, and grant that your servants may speak your word with all boldness, 30 while you stretch out your hand for healing, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” 31 When they had prayed, the place where they were assembled was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God boldly.

EXAMINE

What are some key points in this passage?

Acts 4:23 CSB

23 After they were released, they went to their own people and reported everything the chief priests and the elders had said to them.

In response to their opposition, the Church appealed to God:

They declared His power and authority

(Acts 4:24 When they heard this, they raised their voices together to God and said, “Master, you are the one who made the heaven, the earth, and the sea, and everything in them.” )

They recognized that God had warned them this would happen

(Acts 4:25 “You said through the Holy Spirit, by the mouth of our father David your servant: Why do the Gentiles rage and the peoples plot futile things?”)

John 15:18 [Jesus speaking] “If the world hates you, understand that it hated me before it hated you.”

They realized the Jewish leaders’ opposition was actually against God, not them

(Acts 4:26 “The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers assemble together against the Lord and against his Messiah.”)

They acknowledged God was in control of the situation

(Acts 4:27-28 “For, in fact, in this city both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, assembled together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, 28 to do whatever your hand and your will had predestined to take place.”)

Acts 4:29–30 CSB

29 And now, Lord, consider their threats, and grant that your servants may speak your word with all boldness, 30 while you stretch out your hand for healing, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

They didn’t ask God to remove the opposition, they asked for boldness to overcome it

They trusted God for justice - “Lord, consider their threats”

They were motivated to see people healed and delivered, and Jesus glorified in their community

They were not motivated by their own desire for safety and comfort

Acts 4:31 CSB

31 When they had prayed, the place where they were assembled was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God boldly.

God granted their request for boldness and power

The result of being filled with the Holy Spirit was that they spoke the truth about Jesus without being afraid

Their enemies were still there - the threats were still there - but their fear was gone

Their prayer was really a prayer about the fear of the Lord

“Fear of the Lord” - is about having a proper perspective on who God is

Proverbs 9:10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

Jesus had said to them in Matthew 10:28 “Don’t fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; rather, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

Oswald Chambers - “The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God, you fear everything else.”

They continued in their work, and received power from God, because they focused on what God could do rather than what the Jewish leaders could do

APPLY

[Pose the following questions for group discussion, offering the suggested answers below only if the group has nothing to say or drifts too far off topic]

What are the “big ideas” you see in this passage?

Suggested “big ideas”

We can never allow ourselves to think that anyone other than God is in control

God will always make a way, either by removing obstacles or empowering us to overcome them

How do these ideas apply in your life? or what may be your next steps?

Suggested applications and next steps

If I find myself crippled by fear or anxiety, it probably means I am not focusing on God

I do not always need God to remove obstacles in His life, but I do always need His Spirit to empower me

I need to focus on the full reality of who God is and act accordingly

REFLECT

Prayer Point

Ask the Lord for fresh boldness and power to do what He is calling you to do

Devotional Question

In what ways do you need to fear God? In what ways do you need to stop being afraid?