Sermon 2025-01-05 Acts 4:13-22

Well, if you're not sure about what we've been doing or preaching to acts The Acts of the Apostles, we find ourselves in 4:13 in the middle of a story that's been a compelling Story. 1, that hopefully has arrested your attention. And I pray this morning that that's what would happen is that you return to God's work. I will want to remind you of some of the basics that I often remind you of each. And every week we're here to study God's word what God has to say. It's important for us when we find out what God says about who he is and we see him for who he is. We end up finding ourselves out for who we are. It's always in reflection for who got is in this morning. We've already talked about the fact that we've been made in the image of God and just knowing that itself is important. And as we think about this passage of scripture this morning, I pray that what you Do is turn your attention to it, that you'd be driven in the Life by it, that you be renewed this morning because you're desperately in need of God's word, whether, you know it or not. So, if you have a Bible and you failed Acts chapter 4, would you mind standing with me and honor of reading God's word? If you are willing and able, if you are able to stay and join us. It's okay. So this is the word of the Lord.

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. But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition, but when they had commanded them to leave the council, they conferred with one another 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. But in order that day, that it may spread no further among the people let us warm them to speak. No more to anyone in this name. So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter, and John and answer them. Where is right in the sight of God, to listen to you. Rather than to God, you must judge for. We cannot bless speak of what we have seen and heard. And when did further threaten them, they let them go finding no way to punish them because of the people for all were praising God for what had happened for the man on whom this. Sign of healing was performed was more than 40 years old, join me in praying. Oh God. These astonishing events that you have put in your word knee, are needed by us to remind us of so many things. So, Lord, I pray that you would use the storyline of the texts of scripture to awaken our soul to the life that we live, that we would find our place in what you were doing and that you would make us a bold. This morning Lord, we need boldness but not like the world. Oh God. I pray that we would be conformed to the image of Christ that we would follow in his footsteps. And what they would say about us, as what's said about the apostles here, they have been with Jesus. Oh God. We need you. We need you desperately bad. So this morning, I pray that you would show up in a in a unique way to each of our storylines and help us. See, you better for the sake of your glory. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.

You know, the duty of preaching is always a bold thing and I want to remind you that that's exactly what Peter was doing. He was preaching and it was a bold thing. There was no other way to say this is Jesus. You whom you crucified with the way he said it and he's doubling down on his boldness in this distinct moment. And I think in all seriousness the world is trying to find and figure out their bonus. They really are there. So many books written today about anxiousness and how not to be anxious and figuring out what anxiousness is and how to deal with anxiety pressures and the pressures that were all experiencing in a fallen world, they're trying to find their boldness. One of the attempts recently that I've come across is a Stanford Professor by the name of Carol, dweck her attempt to come up is to have, what is called a growth mindset rather than a fixed mindset. Interesting. Sort of attempts, if you will to be bold. That's what she desires. She deserves to give boldness to others. And one of the talks that she gives she talks about a student of hers, even that learned to be bold in networking because they finally were willing to risk it. Now, what is this growth mindset vs. Asset mindset. I think it's something that we're all dealing with. If, if you listen to are you, you realize why she resonates with the culture, we're dealing with the temptation to hide and what are we going to do? And in what she shows you is you need to be willing to risk. Need to be willing to take the risk and to move in Risky ways. Just explain how that's going to be genuinely grounded. In something like what we have is Christian's namely the gospel but she says this is what humans What they live in, is this mindset? That is set. Like things are always going to be this way. I'm always going to struggle with this. My life experiences are always going to be like this and what it leads to is a kind of Despair. And I would say, anxiety, that's where we find the world and what the world trying to do is, how do we grasp be bold with our lives, attempting to do great things. It's a funny thing to attempt to do without a gospel. And what Jesus has come to do is rescue centers so they don't have to live in insecurities and genuinely have a set mindset. Like this is the way that it's always going to be. But what I noticed about churches, as they begin to develop a non growth mindset Without even paying attention, they develop a kind of fear. I can't do that. I can't meet with other Christians, I don't have time. I can't read my Bible. This year, there's no way that I can do this. That's not that person can't be saved. There's clearly too far gone. This relationship. Can't be healed. There's just too much damage. That's taking place on and on it goes and these are mine sets that we begin to develop when there's no ground at all for the Christian to believe such nonsense.

Do that church can't grow. Its, we don't want to talk about. It was surely, they must be manipulating to grow. Its it's almost a way that was like is your who believe in the resurrection of David. I do believe that somebody could be saved and walk again. What happened to us, we've slid at times into our own fallenness in the way that we view the world and it breaks churches. Oh, they do it look like that. This is my favorite one. They don't want good truth today which is true, right? It's like it's a truth that we know is true but what happens to us Well, they can't be saved becomes the foot. Like we can't reach this community. Nobody wants a church. That's going to preach the solid Biblical. Truth though, that's not true. They didn't want the truth. Then the practice reading with pages of what we've been studying. Did you notice that wind the Sanhedrin / Sadducees got together to arrest them equally as they might have done the Peter and John and even this lame man. Walking when they did this, they didn't want to believe and we're going to discover in the text today. They don't want to believe, and yet at the same time, the church grew with people who did Did that happen because the, they were well-reasoned intelligent know. It happened because people are desperately in needed meeting, being raised from the dead and some of our mindsets need that too. Because we've grabbed hold of the death of a culture around us and we need to return to the boldness that ours in Christ Jesus. Hilton, we put something in Bowl. We want people to see it, we want him to recognize it it. Sticks out. If you're reading a material, like a book or a magazine, the Bold headings, many of you just read so that you find out what it's about and skip over the rest. But bold matters. We want both things to stick out because we want it to took two to catch the attention of the eye. This guy's experience of walking again, is a bold experience, is it. It's something that sticks out and last week we mentioned slightly, the boldness of Peters attempt in conversation and his preaching, but it was evident to those who didn't even care that he was bold. I wonder why a lost world doesn't see Christianity as bold when we don't have to be afraid and that they do. Why don't they see us for the boldness? That's ours in Christ Jesus Anymore. Maybe we're living. Like, we have to please others. Rather than please, the god who's rescued us. I wonder sometimes if it would take the Lord himself thundering Ford in his word. Well hate maybe it does and I pray that this morning. That's what this is a chance for you to hear in God's word, you can be Bowl for the glory of God. You can be bold, you can take wrist because ultimately everything has been settled and what he has done in Jesus Christ. And this man was a sign of that. I want to take this idea of boldness further than we took it last week and I want to I want to drive home. A few things that I think stick out in God's word. This Jesus whom you crucified is not the only bold thing that's been going on in the text. There's a lot of them. We want to have an uncommon experience with people. We want to stick out. Not because of us, not because of something we've drummed up and us because of something we have by grace in Jesus.

What we need? Is bold discipleship. Two-faced bold opposition with bold, obedience because we have a bold. God, all of creation is singing his glory. All of redemption is pointing to what he has done. If we turn her eyes away, We miss out and we live in Insanity. Like those who resist the apostles hear the attempt. This morning is to encourage you and to prepare you for what's coming because something is always coming. You need God's word to give direction to your life and you need help. This thing that we're doing together and reading God's word even as a church, it isn't something to pass the way. Please don't miss. This is opportunity for you. To be bold to be different to read the entire Bible in a year that that's gutsy, that's a move, maybe even some of you've never done that before. But what if you did it with your church community,

You know, there's a big difference between a Nile Reno and me to this morning after hearing everything. I said, what you can say is like I already knew this. I know Dan. Or what you can say is me too. I need to grow and boldness. I need to find the areas in my life where God is hitting me in his word and saying, no, you're actually afraid. No, you're actually insecure know, you're you're not willing to take a risk and I'm calling you to ask more full life and you're running away and you, you act as if this is thus the way it's always going to be. Everything we experience right now is not the way it's always going to be one day. All things will be made new and we will see him for who he is and we will be completely who were supposed to be be if we trust and believe in what Jesus has already done. so, since that is true, What if we could be bald? What if we could be Bowl? All right, so the first thing I want to talk about it is what I've already mentioned. We need bold, discipleship, and that's all that he found in verse 13, and we're going to dive into that in just a second. But I think if we had bowled discipleship, it would look creepy to our community. Bold discipleship would look a little bit creepy. I'm not saying that we become creepy for creepy sake, but we live in an era that struggled demonstratively, to live in community, with one another, in an authentic way, our churches are struggling with it because it comes in bedded in the culture, which we live. That is sometimes overwhelmingly individualistic. And in this individual culture, that's bent on you, what you want to do, for your sake, For Your Glory, and your timing according to your plans. If we were the kind of people who are shaped as a church, to love each other, the way that were called to an expected that from one another, it would make us creepy. People would look at that and they would say things that come into the culture. Like they must be in a bromance. Look how much they hang out. Where are, you know? And at the same time, you know that there's a craving within the culture itself to have somebody who cares. Somebody, who knows what's going on? What I find beautiful in this text that can be easily missed. Is it took bold discipleship for these guys to be formed in the way that they were. You noticed already, what we studied, in the book of Acts, they had all things in common, they were selling property. They were generously giving to all who had need. This is, this is there sticking out there already sticking out, but where did they learn the stick out? Like this will from the discipleship that they found that they had, it was given to them, you know? This boldness that they had was found and in particular ways in the way that they challenge the authorities and proclaim the solution of Jesus in their face like this, this would be a unique experience for them. So, let's look at verse 13. Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John noticed this, they have a perception of it, they perceived their boldness. What it it doesn't correspond to their experience. What's up with these guys boldness? They're going to have a perception. They perceived that they were uneducated. Common Man. They were astonished. So what they were Peter and John us tourist them in the way that they talked and responded in the moment of testing, they snuck out. They were bold and they were astonished at Voile stuck out. How is this possible? What what what made them stick it will? They didn't have the education. They didn't have the credentialing that they didn't experience Porres School the way the leaders did and they were in it as long. What gives how do these guys have the guts to take an open? A Bible and talk to me like that. I'm their teacher. Who do they think they are? These uneducated fisherman were giving away perhaps by their Galilean accent. Perhaps by their uncommon clothes over their common clothes. 4/2, by the way, they smelled. Several things would have given these men away to their own comment or unlettered, or uneducated credentialing. And these guys who have all the credentials and all the smells and all the clothes Saw them as what. Who are these guys know? I love this next part because it's what everybody loves and we should all love it because it's huge. What else were astonished them? And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. This is the astonishing part. This is the thing that we need because this is bold, discipleship. Jesus prepared. These men. What Peter is walking into we talked about it. Last week is the same thing he walked into before and he's failed and now at the restoration of Jesus at Asher and Galilee where he said, do you love me feed my sheep. That's exactly what Peter's doing in a vulnerable place now with boldness. Where before a little girl can make him deny that he even knew Jesus. Peter is standing with dusto and he's recognized as distinct. How is this happen? It's happened because the resurrection is real because all of the scriptures makes sense in light of Jesus. Because without seeing things new and through, Restorations eyes you live without being able to see the Bible at all. Did Jesus have called these fishermen by name when they were in Galilee from before and said, become fishermen of men. And it's exactly what they're doing after this discipleship program, that these disciples had participated in where they sold everything they had, and linked their life to Jesus. They stuck out as unique and different because Jesus was unique and different. We can't help. But remember what it was the Jesus was doing before he was crucified arguing with these guys who knew the Bible in the temple and they rejected him and they were trying to question him and they were trying to trick him. And what did Jesus do silence them. They get to a point that the Rebellion is so deep that what they do is they reject Jesus and they are set on, we're going to crucify that guy. And it says, if you look at here, Jesus is showing up again in the disciples. I thought we dealt with this problem. We need to be involved with one another. The way that these guys were involved with one another We do. You need A discipleship program. Our participation in one another's life, or you will not be equipped to be bold in the test of this life to be with Jesus is to be with his people and to be grown up to take on the test that you face. We're not meant to take them on alone even Peter in his most unique experiences is going along with John here and what they notice about them is they're together and there's a strength. They both have, this isn't just Peters word. This is them together their astonishment. At their practice together they would have seen Jesus do bold things, things like you do walk on water.

Heal. Well it would heal o a lame man. It's as if these things have been done before and they participated in life with him and watch Jesus work. When we participate together in a life of discipleship, that's genuine that is present with one another that cares about one another. It feeds a boldness that we need. It does. If you want to be authentic, leibold not just say nasty things on the internet. You're going to need life together in such a way that it teaches you to care for other people as you tell them the truth, so that you can be both loving and direct. What we think is to be loving, is to be indirect and it's just not true. and what we think is, is the kind of direct that I am is obviously loving And it's just not true. if we're going to grow and boldness, We're going to have to be willing at times to listen to people who disagree with us, namely our fellow bloaters Believers in Jesus. And especially those who don't believe anything like we do. We're going to have to labor with others. We're going to have to care for them when they won't care for themselves.

This is going to take a genuine kind of discipleship that would move us and places of vulnerability. And like I said last week, Peter could have ate it here. Jesus told him he was going to eventually, this could have been

So what kind of close relationship in this new year, is Jesus calling you to with one another?

Is it always just an arm's length? Or is it an invitation into your life? What marks out your relationship today? Who do you literally spend time with? Who are you discipling and going after for the glory of God, right now who has got set on your heart that you're going to pursue. Maybe maybe it's your children, maybe it's your neighbor. Who are you going after after intentionally for the glory of God? How is God moving you in a bold way towards other to speak the truth to them in the most loving and intentional way possible?

Who are you going to submit to being discipled by in this upcoming year? Who are you in pursuit of to learn from? Because we need bold, discipleship. Bold discipline connected to God's word, to prepare us for the test that we face and it happens in a community of Believers and then what these guys saw that they had been with Jesus because they were together. And unity. they shared the same strength, even this new guy who's on the scene who's newly walking Has a kind of happy boldness, that cannot be easily explained slain. Now, why do we need this? Will number to the next thing. We're going to talk about this morning is Too Faced, Bulldog opposition. We need Bowl discipleship to face, bold opposition, A lot of times we look at this world and we don't realize how crazy it is. This world is crazy, y'all. Or what we do is we trivialize that craziness and keep it as far away from us as possible. We like the world's crazy and it. Yeah. And then we just move on without actually feeling the weight. Of the Brokenness of the world around us, the world is broken around us. You all black like last week we noticed that the opposition was deadly, Memories. We said that instead, this opposition is deadly, it could cost them their lives. They're moving into a vulnerable place because Jesus was ultimately crucified by the same crew. Not only is this opposition deadly and vicious. It's insane. The opposition to Jesus. You probably need reminding is nuts. You shouldn't fight resurrected guys who are at the right hand of the father, you shouldn't do it, but that's what our culture is all about and we live in a place that is going to move in those ways, they're going to be in opposition of Jesus. And we don't want to just highlight that we want to feel the weight of it and walk among people who are just like that, there's going to be bold opposition. That's crazy. Look at this with me and verse 14. But seeing the man who was healed beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition, in this moment. Just like, oh yeah, we've been here before, right? We have nothing to say to Jesus, and it's as if Jesus is showing up again. They had nothing to say, no position could be a revealing moment for them, where it's like, hey, maybe it's time to repent. Maybe it's time like what happened in a previous Urban that they would get cut to the heart. And what the strangest to understand is when you preached the word, some people are going to be cut to the heart. They're going to see the Vivid display of somebody raised from the dead right in front of them. And they're going to look at it and they're going to deny it because of what they have to hold onto and keep for themselves. This is big spirits of many people in this world. It's a bold opposition, but it's insane. But why would you do that? If I can I don't know if you're like me. But when I read this, I go come on.

You see the truth right? In front of you, but we think it's like, what if they saw the truth then they would repent, not necessarily many people see the truth and double down in rebellion and they hold fast to their sin. And what they're going to do is they're going to test your heart. And you need Bowl. Discipleship, the face that You do you need a community of people who see Jesus raise from the dead and say that is actually the dominant truth your nuts. You shouldn't fight this guy. What they saw is an example of that right in front of your face, they have nothing to say and so what they decide to do is go and talk like God can't hear them. I think that's what they're fixing to do. They're going to go and have a conversation with themselves. Like God can't hear the Gods Not present and these are the guys who claim to believe the Bible watch, would watch the way this plays itself out. There's nothing. But when they had commanded them to leave the council, they conferred with one another. Here we go. The counsel of the wicked, just like Psalms talks about Saying what shall we do with these men? I think I know the answer with pets.

That's what you should do. You should repent. No, no we got to figure out something because we're not giving up our property, we're not giving up the temple control, we're not giving up our place of authority. We're not giving up any of that you've lost your mind. You're actually the crazy one. That's the argument in rebuttal, isn't it crazy? They are that a notable sign has been formed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem that apparently not the guys having this conversation.

A notable sign has been performed and all of Jerusalem is recognized it except for the leaders. That's Bull Shaw.

And we cannot deny it so they can't deny it yet. They won't repent. First 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 is the profound insanity. So, you're saying that this guy is running around the temple, with new legs Lieutenant, Dan and your response to. This situation is don't talk about it anymore as if it would be possible.

But in their wickedness, they're plotting the counsel of the. Wicked isn't always stupid. They're stupid because ultimately what's going to happen if Jesus is going to rain, but this in their mind is a place of wisdom. Or what they can do is harangue these disciples later for having Dawn what would been impossible from the not to do so that they can arrest them again? This is the wickedness of the world which we face. It's not a blind side, a type type of unintelligence. There's a kind of in intelligence that exist in Rebellion, to God, that frames itself to get into the. We figured it out, we know how to take him down when NN guess what? They don't. Play times, it looks like they win and without bold discipleship, you're not ready to face. Bold opposition opposition, it doesn't make sense. I have you ever tried to make sense of any of it. Like, why would you keep, why would you dye your fighting a resurrected guy? You're fighting guy who walks now. Who's never want? What are you doing? Ultimately, at the end of the day, who's going to warn them? They want to warn these disciples, but who is going to warn them? If you persist in this Rebellion, you will die apart from grace in Christ, Jesus. You know, it's an irony, isn't it? Who's going to warn them? The irony is They gathered together and these other disciples had the boldness that they probably coveted. Because they had gathered with Jesus, but they gathered together and they formed a council that would create and massive amounts of insecurity. And that's exactly what they had. Massive amounts of insecurities that they couldn't say what needed to be said, because they could only say what benefited their power and the structure that they had created and they couldn't liberate themselves to speak about the truth, even when was playing and right in front of their face, that's devastating. It's bold and it's a bold opposition and we need bold. Discipleship to face it. And we need to look and see things that happened in the world in like manner because this is true people, when they do the worst harm to themselves are just like this their bold in their sin.

and I won't let go because they think that what they're doing is actually bringing life to them and it's not

We can be bold in the face of bold opposition. and the next thing, Don't want to talk about this. We need both discipleship to face opposition with bold. Obedience, which one of us space situations. We Face test things of this sort. Things are going to come up there. Going to move you toward believing that God, can't do things that he's not going to do things that this is just the way it's always going to be and end. We Face opportunities to just cower in fear and faith. In fact, the attempt here is to place fear on the apostles and to shut them up. That's that's what they did. That's going to be the whole attempt and so this bold opposition is going to force us into the position of needing bold obedience. Not because it's unreasonable, but because it is reasonable, in fact, that disciples are going to spell that out for the leaders here. They're going to say no, it's your being. You're the one that is unreasonable because there is a God of the universe, and we're not going to talk with you like that. God isn't present in this moment of testing, we're going to point it out. We're going to point that out, each of us faces situations. And those situations may not have been like these situations but this dangerous situation of prison where your existence depends on others. Coming to take care of you, who may or read that the authorities, May arrest, because their league with you, I mean, there's all kinds of fraught tensions here present, that could make one afraid and sometimes when you read this, you your temptation is to think. Well, I wouldn't be afraid. I would be there, there are reasons to be afraid but they don't outrank the ultimate reason to have genuine fear and that's the god of the universe is called you to the place that you're in. Seybold obedience recognize that there is a God of the universe and he is not accidentally place to hear. You're here even this morning by God's Divine appointment. It's it's not an accident for your growth in bold, obedience, to his name. Not because that leads to Salvation for you but because you have actually been saved and rescued from the Disobedience of falling out to the patterns of this world is desperately what we need, if you're viewing things like Peter and John did. You would see the the complications of what bold actually is. Would it be bold to stand in opposition to them or be bold to stand in opposition to God? It's bold to stand in opposition to God, they won't back down, they will not back down. In this moment. Verse 18.

So they called them, they imagine the scenario. They've had their backdoor meeting. They're calling them into the, in front of them and they charge them not to speak or teach it at all, in the name of Jesus. Okay. This is actually cute of their plan. And Peter and John are now in the situation, what will they do? But Peter and John answered them, weather is right in the sight of God, to listen to you. Rather than God, you must judge, which is hilarious. For, we cannot but speak of what we have seen. And heard. They will not stop speaking. I find it hilarious because they're going to be even more bold and their attempted like you were even more. You better listen to us. But in all of this Peter and John, they clarify the moment. Clarify. I see what you're doing. I'm not going to be afraid. I'm not going to stop talking about Jesus. And the question pushes into all of our hearts. Who are we afraid of? Pura Fredo do we fear the lord that gives wisdom to our life? Or do we fear, man? It's riddle through the pages of scripture from the conversations of Moses, Moses to the Proverbs were called the fear of the Lord. And if we're to fear the lord, we we do it. Not as individual acts as a part of people throughout Redemptive history who have stood up in the face of opposition to people who did not love God's word. You have a rich history and tradition that has been handed down to you by God's grace to be in. Defiance of people who don't see things in light of Jesus's ultimate work. When were discipled in Jesus's Church, where discipled in his name and that's the name we cannot help but speak of

Do you really see a guy? God God at work and all things. Do you your moments of oppositions are opportunities, not chances for you to fall apart. There are opportunities for growth for you because the god of the universe has saved you, despite the fact that you fall in opportunity, But we shouldn't be the kind of people when faced with a test like this one who just decide that I'm checking out of them, we need to check in with one another and say how how can we encourage you and your attempt to be bold for Jesus because we all need encouragement. We're not meant to do this by ourselves. We can't. In fact, it's impossible. When you wonder from the herd of Christ and the disciple and Community, you can't stand at all, you're meant to stand with those who are the church throughout all human history and point to Jesus, every passage in story Echoes and print points to his name coming. When he shows up to rescue his people, they can't help but point to it. And that's what we're called to do in the experiences of our lives. With the people of God and not by ourselves. These versus they described the Defiance of the government for sure. But that government, that Defiance is happening, over the name of Jesus and it's preaching of the gospel. And what we need to practice that defiant properly is a formed community of people to participate. And if you're trying to do it as a solo at, you're not doing it.

The mission of God is built, implicitly on working and building his church, as a Define community of people in the community that is going after insane things and you need one and you do. This is what it means to be bold. This means we need deeper friendships. This means we need to pray that God would grant them. This means that there are people who drive by every day in lockstep with Rebellion to Jesus. And we're going to be called to be in relationship with them and point them in different direction. And that's going to take a kind of boldness, a bold obedience in our community. So we both discipleship to face opposition with bold obedience, because we have a bold God, You know, when every story pointing to Jesus God is showing off his glory, he really God shows off, do realize it is a delight for the Lord to get Glory through people who can't do it. If you showed up today and uses like I can't good you never could. And it's a moment to realize what you can do in the name of Jesus. Because in the name of Jesus, you can truly do all things sometimes that suffering. Well, if sometimes that's seen God change, a whole community of people for the sake of his glory, and it never came from us, it changed us, and we became a part of it. That's my prayer. And desire for our church is that we would see this bold God at work in our circumstances and situations because he is at work. In our little church, God is bold in the way. He does things with normal weak people, because he loves showing off with mit's Misfits, he doesn't all throughout your Bible. If you feel like a misfit, Good. Swim against the tide with us.

See you in my life. There's a growing hunger for God to show off more and more. I want that to be for you to. I don't want you to see when you hear this. Go. Yeah. I know that I want you to hear me to. I want God to show off.

It's going to take God to do it. but, The world around us isn't going to believe it is possible. And sometimes what we can do is attach our attention to that and say it's not possible. We can attach our belief systems to that and say it's not going to happen. Are these last couple of verses but let's look at them with me. Look at them. First 21 and when they had further threatened, they let them go, which is hilarious. It's like you tell him finding no way to punish them because of the people. You see this situation They're insecure and lack boldness because the popularity with the people constrain them. That's what formed their sense of identity and purpose in the world. And so God is showing off In This Moment, by let these guys being let go in the same way, they had to be skeezie over Jesus. The cat from when nobody was looking like, they had to let him go because of their popularity and that's what they crave and it's well, they couldn't because big work, bold. And also, the people's popularity was a thing that you didn't want to neglect because it could create problems with the other thing. They wanted the Romans affirmation, we need the Roman to love us and be our buddies, or they're going to take us out.

Is this situation is a rising is is happening because God is done this again and he does it over and over again. This is happening. within the storyline of scripture over and over again, God shows off and the little guy. And the younger brother and the short David taking down the big Goliath because it's only God that can do that.

When popularity is prized your words are not.

What popularity is prized? Your words are not. I'm not saying that's without exception, there are exceptions, or their times were people prize their words in such a way that they're simply using them to manipulate the masses.

What if what you want is for people? To connect with the God who made everything through his word. Do the ultimate word Jesus, you're going to speak in such a way that you can show them that God is showing up in the unrecognized. God speaks loud and bold even when people are silenced like these knuckleheads. Can you hear the Lord speak? His word is true. Notice what they were doing. They were all praying for all were praising. God for what it happened. The people connected it to God in the leaders didn't. They recognized got it. Work, and the leaders did not. Do you see God at work? The man on whom the sign was healing with perform was more than 40 years old. I love this part because it's one of those things where you could just read right past that and I don't want you to do it. I'm going to take a few minutes to rent. This guy was 40 years old. Let it soak in.

This means that likely Jesus walked right past him.

Jesus walked right past him.

Appear. Pick him up with the right hand.

Cuz that was a time.

Your God does things in his time. He has a bold way of doing things in this moment. Makes it big because it's 40 years, 40 years is a generation that means all kinds of things in the Bible, 40 years. This guy never worked before if you get 40, that's when you start being able to walk. Good.

This guy can dance, man.

Sometimes. Dodge's gets people up. It wakes him up. They were unnoticed. And yet at the same time noticed, do you know that's how this works? Never seen that. There's a God. There's a gal in our community that we don't see anymore. But they're people that you try not to see that's what this guy would have been. She had a do umbrella and she just walked around and it was multicolored. Maybe you saw her walking down Thomasville 26 like I do.

We stopped and gave her food thing. One time anyways would like, is one of those people that just like that is talking to her is even more uncomfortable. That's this guy. He's uncomfortable and always walking around and it's making people twice is uncomfortable. Cuz he's not supposed to be doing that. Not sure to let me talk to you.

There's this guy named Michael Lewis, he's an author and he likes pointing out things that people aren't recognizing. One of the one of his books is Moneyball you ever heard of Moneyball? It's a story about the Oakland Athletics and how they couldn't pay as much money as the New York Yankees for, you know, getting players. And what they had to do is find all of the players by analytics that weren't being recognized. By all the big that like they weren't the big athletes, they were all the goofy. Got dad a guy who's through, basically underhand that there was I don't know what to do with that. In other words, he likes to discover and finds other things that people don't recognize a notice and you write the whole story about it and then didn't like how the A's won the championship with a 30 million rather than 150 million dollar payload like, how did that happen? And he wants to find these anomalous. Wrote, the book about Blind Side to about Michael or you can you can, you can look at it, he stays good. The one of the things he notices about the world is like, there are all kinds of people that people look over and I want to speak to a church. That it's easy to look over, whether you know, it or not. It's easy for people to drive right past here. we had to go out there on that road people just drive by What's going to make him notice?

A changed group of people that stick out for boldly. After one another's heart because the Gospel of Jesus Christ has raised them from the dead. Just because we're small just cuz we can't do everything that they do. it's outside of our control, but we can be people raised from the dead in Jesus Christ. And if that distinguishes us as a people, and we grow into the people who expect people to experience that in Christ, Jesus, who knows what the church would look like?

If we practice bold discipleship, right now and started intentionally, who knows what the Lord may do. It started going after somebody started. I need to grow in some areas. Can you help me grow in that started pursuing others? So that we would be prepared for bold opposition with bold obedience because we have a bowl of God. Either way. What would God do? We don't know. But we have hopeful expectation. That's what's happened to us, has happened to the could happen to other people and we're willing to watch God do what he does.

That's what happened in this community. and this situation, They have problems and so do we? But Jesus has risen from the dead. And each and every week we renew our boldness as we come together as a people reminding each other that we believe in Jesus we're not here by our own accord were here cuz he's brought us for the sake of his glory. We may be unrecognized to the world and passed over really easy. But one day Jesus will return and you will not be passed over very easy. One of the ways we do this is we come to the communion table each and every week as a small and important that this is a meal for believers, we partake in the cup and in the bread to remind us of the