Be Bold Acts 4:23-31

Introduction

The group Open Doors USA figures that 360 million Christians last year lived in countries where persecution was “significant.” Roughly 5,600 Christians were murdered, more than 6,000 were detained or imprisoned, and another 4,000-plus were kidnapped. In addition, more than 5,000 churches and other religious facilities were destroyed.

You might be thinking something like this as i read those statistics to you “Bro. Cody isn’t this supposed to be an encouraging message” or “who would want to follow Jesus if all you can promise is persecution?”

I’m here to tell you that we can find encouragement in the midst of the persecution because we aren’t alone in it. This morning we are going to look at a prayer of the first church who had just faced round 1 of persecution. And in this prayer I believe we can find comfort to face anything the world might throw at us.

The Apostles return to the church vs. 23

The apostles are let go

The Apostles healed a man that had been crippled for over 40 years and the religious leaders again were losing people to the church.

They realized that no one could deny the miracle that happened so there was nothing they could really do to Peter and John to punish them because there would be an uproar against them in Jerusalem.

Instead of punishing them they threaten them if they speak or teach in the name of Jesus.

The Apostles answered them with this statement “For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard”

When you have been with Jesus you can’t help but talk about it!

They go back and report to the Church what had just happened

As they told the church about the threatening I’m sure there were some gasps, some anxiety, even some doubt to whether or not the church could go forward.

Can I remind you this morning that worry is a natural occurence in life. How we respond to worry is important.

The Bible tells us to cast all our care(our worry, our anxiety, our doubt) on Him (Jesus) because he cares for you.

When we worry we have two options we can drown in our worry or we can lay it on Jesus.

Phil 4:6 “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”

How will we respond when we are threatened for speaking or teaching in the name of Jesus?

How the church responds is how we should respond as well.

The Prayer of the Church vs.24-30

Notice despite the persecution they were still unified. vs. 24

What the Devil sends to divide, as a church we must stay unified. We are better together.

The word accord means Agreement; harmony of minds; consent or concurrence of opinions or wills.

Notice the church prayed in one accord when things were going good Acts 1:14 “These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.” and when the going got rough they were still praying in one accord. There is strength in numbers.

When they heard what Peter and John had to say they lifted up their voice to God and used His credentials to encourage themselves. vs. 24

The sanhedrin was Powerful but God is all-powerful

The sanhedrin could threaten but they were threatening the God who created the Sun, moon and stars.

He is the God that created heaven

He is the God that created the earth

He is the God that created the sea

He is the God who created everything that is in the heaven, earth and the sea.

Is 51:12-13 “I, even I, am he that comforteth you: Who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, And of the son of man which shall be made as grass; And forgettest the Lord thy maker, That hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; And hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, As if he were ready to destroy? And where is the fury of the oppressor?”

They quotes scripture to remind themselves that persecution isn’t new. vs. 25

Psalm 2:1 “Why do the heathen rage, And the people imagine a vain thing?

The reference to the heathen was ment to apply to Herod, Pilate, and the rest of the Gentiles who persecuted and executed Jesus.

The reference to the people refers to the Jewish mob and their leaders who were guilty of the same crime.

The kings of the earth stood up vs. 26

the phrase stood up means they took their stand. The problem is they were standing for the enemy instead of standing for a Holy God. In fact they took their stand against a Holy God.

The messianic prophecy in Psalm 2 goes beyond its initial fulfillment in the rejection and crucifixion of Christ, it also looks forward to a worldwide rejection of Christ and His people in the last days.

I truly believe we are living in the last days, the world leaders have rejected God and people all over the world have rejected God.

It is true that the world is against Jesus

Thy Holy Child

Luke 1:35Luke 1:35 “And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.”

God sets up kings and leaders

There was some individual guilt in the crucifixion of Jesus

Herod - A king of the Jews who mocked Jesus and scorned him because he was angry

Pontius Pilate - A gentile ruler who murdered Jesus and he sentenced Jesus because he was afraid

Luke 23:8 “And when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad: for he was desirous to see him of a long season, because he had heard many things of him; and he hoped to have seen some miracle done by him.”

The motive of rejecting Christ was different but the result is the same.

Luke 23:1-7 “And the whole multitude of them arose, and led him unto Pilate. And they began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King. And Pilate asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answered him and said, Thou sayest it. Then said Pilate to the chief priests and to the people, I find no fault in this man. And they were the more fierce, saying, He stirreth up the people, teaching throughout all Jewry, beginning from Galilee to this place. When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked whether the man were a Galilaean.

There was corporate guilt as well

The Gentiles

The Jews

Both groups were there crying out for the death of Jesus

If we don’t accept Christ as our saviour we are guilty of Rejecting Christ as well.

This rejection leads to eternal separation in a place called hell.

Has it ever occured to us that nothing has occured to God? vs. 28

God’s plan to send Jesus to a cross happened before the world had even begun.

Though the plan was orchestrated before the world began doesn’t mean that man isn’t guilty

Henry Morris says this “These verses (vs. 25-27) contain a striking example of the joining of human responsibility and God’s sovereignty.”

Nothing surprises God, but God still gives us a choice to do what we want.

Because God allowed man to crucify his only begotten son we have the privilege of receiving God’s saving grace.

In the old rugged cross stained with blood so divine; a wondrous attraction I see; For twas on that old rugged cross Jesus suffered and died to pardon and sanctify me.

John Phillips said this “Thus God converted that gallows into a means of grace, so that the cross that meant a horrible death to Jesus now means everlasting life to us.”

What the world meant for Evil God turned for Good

They prayed for boldness vs. 29

They knew the threatenings against them were real

they had seen what the sanhedrin had done to Jesus

Jesus had warned them that tribulation would come but also that they could have peace in him because he had overcome the world

John 16:33 “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

I think sometimes we ask God to take away what he has put in our lives to make us more like him.

How often do we find ourselves praying to take something away rather than asking God to give us boldness to make it through.

Notice they didn’t pray for God to take away the persecution but rather to give them the boldness to make it through.

They prayed for continued miracles vs. 30

God is still working miracles in our lives today

It’s a miracle that we got saved

It’s a miracle that I made it through my teenage years

The result of their prayer vs. 31

The place was shaken

they were filled with the holy Ghost

They spake the word of God with boldness

Eph. 5:18-20 “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;”

We should pray that God would empty us of self and fill us with the Holy Spirit every day

Conclusion

God is still on the throne no matter the persecution we face. He is there to help us through.

While world leaders and unbelievers around us reject Christ we should boldly proclaim the message of Christ.

If you are here today and you have never accepted Christ as your saviour accept him today. Don’t reject him, this could be your last opportunity to accept him as your saviour