With Jesus pt1

Starting the Sunday after Easter, we have spent the last 5 months talking about how our culture has changed and how that demands a new way of looking at our world in order to be able to advance the Gospel. And how it demands a new way of sharing the same message in a world where stories are more powerful than assumed authority and consistency is more valuable currency than point by point outlines.

So to bring this all to a close, we are going to spend the next 9 weeks looking at the value of that consistency in the first century and how it MUST be present in our lives in a post-Christian culture. How we live is much more important than what we claim to believe in 2023 Oklahoma. So many people are now claiming to represent Jesus whose actions deny that have ever known Him, much less ever read a single word about Him.

West Metro, we cannot be those people!

But if we were to embrace a more radical way…a way that shows the imprint of the life and words of Jesus on our lives, that can be traced back to the Bible and the life of Jesus, we would see opportunities to gain a hearing for the claims of the Gospel! And as we have discussed ad nauseum over these last few months, that is all we need and can ask for. Jesus does the work of saving. We do the work of bearing witness. And to do that our actions and words must be in alignment.

So turn with me to Acts 4:1-22 and let me show you the genesis of this series.

Here is the set up. Peter and John and have healed a man at the Temple Gate who has been lame from birth. And after that, Peter has preached a sermon at Solomon’s Portico proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah and calling on people to repent. And as Chapter 4 opens, we see the reaction to that, not from the gathered masses, but from the political power brokers and religious leaders of the day.

(vs1-4)

The initial reactions to the preaching of the Gospel are either acceptance or rejection. That’s pretty normal if you think about it. Some of us heard the Gospel and immediately we said yes. We were so blown away by the grace of Jesus and His love for us and what He did for us on the cross. We needed little prodding to admit our sins and know we needed to be forgiven.

God had given us soft hearts, long before hearing the message.

But others had a different reaction. They were annoyed or offended or threatened.

Church, that is going to happen. We should not be surprised when the Gospel and the truths of Jesus are met with opposition. We live, especially now, in a culture where being offended is seen as a right. And where offense has to be corrected and castigated.

Acts The Arrest (4:1–4)

The prime concern of the Sadducean aristocracy, of whom the high priest was the chief spokesman, was the preservation of order, the avoidance at all costs of any confrontation with the Roman authorities.

Acts The Arrest (4:1–4)

The idea of a general resurrection was an apocalyptic concept with all sorts of messianic overtones. Messianic ideas among the Jews of that day meant revolt, overthrow of the foreign overlords, and restoration of the Davidic kingdom. There had been such movements before (cf. 5:36–37), and the Romans had put them down. There would be many more in the future. In fact, the worst fears of the Sadducees were indeed realized when war broke out with the Romans in A.D. 66, with terrible consequences for the Jews

So what?

The people who are offended and scandalized are also loved by Jesus, so when this happens we have to take the long view. We do not back down from the Good News but we also do not change our view of the people who are unhappy with us. They need Jesus too.

Notice Peter and John don’t try and rally the mob to free themselves. They simply go to jail. And as we discussed last Sunday jail isn’t pleasant. They aren’t in a good place, but they are going there with Jesus.

(read vs 5-12)

So note this…the next day the people who were, and may still be offended, are also curious. These guys are not behaving like typical rabble rousers or rebels or heretics. They are instead acting like…well…Jesus. They are answering the questions even of the people who are against them and pointing them to Jesus. I mean LOOK at verse 12…that’s the Good News. There is a way to be right with God and His name is Jesus.

Acts Peter’s Response (4:8–12)

Some interpreters assume that the question has to do with the man’s healing, but the main reason for the arrest had been the preaching of the apostles (v. 2). They were concerned about the source of the disciples’ teaching and the possibility that their emphasis on the resurrection could lead to a major messianic insurrection with serious political repercussions. They were concerned about authority, proper accreditation, law and order, keeping the peace

Acts Peter’s Response (4:8–12)

The crux of the sermon is a play on the Greek word sōzō, which means both physical “salvation” in the sense of healing (v. 9) as well as the spiritual, eschatological sense of salvation (v. 12). The physical “salvation” of the lame man through the name of Jesus is thus a pointer to the far greater salvation that comes to all who call upon his name in faith

Acts Peter’s Response (4:8–12)

The ultimate verdict rested with them. Would they continue to reject the one whom God had placed as the final stone for his people, the only name under heaven in which they would find their own salvation? The final verdict would rest in their own decision

Church it is consistency the world craves. What they are sick of is hypocrisy. Of people who claim to represent and follow Jesus being crooks and abusers and molesters and grifters and haters and fearmongers and politcians and in general people you wouldn’t allow in your home. The broken trust is what we are up against. The sin in the camp.

There is a verse in 1 Peter 4:17 that says it is time for judgement to begin with the house of God. The preceding verses tell the church to rejoice if they suffer for being followers of Jesus but not to claim persecution if they suffer from the results of their own sin. And right now, the church in Oklahoma and America are suffering from the results of our collective sins and are refusal to acknowledge them.

That had to stop with us.

(Read vs 13-14)

Their opponents noticed 4 things about Peter and John. We should strive for all 4

First- they were bold- they were not shy about their faith and they were not deterred by opposition or questions

Second- they were normal people- not some over educated religious elite or experts. They were just part of the everyday life. (Remember who Jesus chose as His disciples)

Third- they recognized that they had been with Jesus. They were associated with Jesus. Folks, that’s who we want to be associated with. Not the angry or the syncretists or the holier than thou. Jesus who met people where they were but refused to leave them there.

Fourth- they could not deny what had happened. The change in the lame man was undeniable. The spiritual changes in us should be the same.

Acts (2) Warned and Released (4:13–22)

The Council sat in silence. At this point there was nothing they could say. Indeed, Jesus’ promise was being fulfilled before the apostles’ eyes (Luke 21:15). The irony can scarcely be missed—the accused spoke with utter boldness and freedom; their accusers sat in stony silence

(Read vs 15-22)

So what happens? They are let go. Oh they threaten them, but when they say…we are not shutting up, they back down. They are not rude or aggressive they are simply honest and direct. They cannot stop talking about Jesus.

And why do they back down- because the people who have seen the work of God cannot be denied.

Acts (2) Warned and Released (4:13–22)

The court had no alternative but to threaten them further and release them (v. 21). They could find no grounds for punishing them at this point, and they feared the apostles’ popularity with the populace. The man, born lame, was over forty years old (v. 22), so the miracle was particularly striking; and the people took it for what it was, an act of God, a sign.

Church when we are consistently following Jesus, we will not have to mount a strenuous, aggressive defense. Those to whom we have ministered, who have seen Jesus in our lives, who know we have been with Jesus, they will speak for us.

We simply need to be with Jesus. Aligned with His words and actions, not those who want to co-opt Him for their own gain.

So this morning, I invite you to begin an examination of your life. If you have never followed Jesus, I invite you to follow Him (Gospel presentation here)

For those of you who know Him, would you commit to an examination of His words and your lives over the next 9 weeks. Would you see what in us is with Jesus and where we are far from Him. And would we be quick to repent of our straying and return to Him.

People are watching and they are looking for the hope of the people who are with Jesus.