Sermon Tone Analysis

Scared

Some of the very best parenting moments have come when my kids are terrified.

Logan learning to ride a bike?

He was too afraid, unless I was running alongside him holding on.

He was afraid, but he trusted that I was able to catch him if he fell on the bike, and that filled him with the courage to ride.

Seven years ago I took Logan, my son, to a Broncos game.

He was so excited to go.

My friend gave us his season tickets and he had two rules.

We had to stay the whole time, like a true fan.

And Logan had to wear his Bronco hat for luck.

Logan was so excited, and took these requirements very seriously.

We parked over here at the park n' ride and took the bus down.

Logan loves the bus.

We arrived at the stadium, Logan is thrilled.

We figure out where our section is and get on the escalator.

On the way up the people behind us are talking about this particular escalator... why the security guards only let a few people at a time because one time it went crazy, malfunctioned, went into warp speed and threw people off and piled them up...

I'm like "cool story, I want to look that up."

What I didn't see is that Logan's eyes going wide.

We get our hot dogs and sodas, and we walk out to our seats.

We are on the third level and we are high up.

The stairs are tiny and steep.

We sit down and Logan is kind of shaking.

"Are you Okay?"

"Yeah... just...

I didn't expect to be so high!"

He tries, like a champ to hold it together.

He is more and more terrified.

Then, late in the first quarter, we score.

And everyone goes nuts, like you do.

And they start stomping... and the stadium starts shaking... and Logan just starts losing it.

He is terrified.

Now, I have to get my son home.

The buses don't start heading back until halftime.

We take a taxi.

He was intimidated.

He tried to face it.

I tried to help him.

But it just kept mounting and ultimately he was terrified.

We had to leave.

We missed the game.

This was an intimidating situation that played on Logan’s fears.

How do you face that?

How do you “fix that”?

What do we do when we are simply too afraid to do the thing we are “supposed” to do and even want to do.

What do when we’re afraid?

We find Peter and John in the midst of a terrifying situation.

One that plays on known fears in Peter: the fear of being called out, of being condemned, of being associated with Jesus and rejected by the crowd and by the religious authorities.

Recap

Peter and John are in this intensely intimidating situation.

Before the religious leaders for preaching in the name of Jesus, they hold nothing back.

Peter is filled with the Holy Spirit (we read in Acts 4:8) and boldly proclaims the name of Jesus and declares:

It is Jesus by which the beggar was healed and...

How do we know he said it boldly and not hesitantly or cautiously or reluctantly?

His boldness set these powerful men back on their heels in shock.

Boldness.

Confidence.

Courage.

But there’s nothing the religious leaders can really do.

Is that going to intimidate them?

Recall how easily Peter was intimidated before.

But Peter and John are no longer intimidated by men, they are living in light of God, mindful that the Sovereign God is with them.

Peter and John Full of God’s Spirit and mindful of His Sovereignty, speak boldly the name of Jesus.

And in the face of that boldness, there wasn’t much the authorities could do.

Total success.

Released in safety.

What is the response of the people?

The people respond with prayer and it is the longest prayer in the book of Acts.

They are inspired by what Peter and John have done, above all by their boldness in standing up to the powers and authorities for Jesus.

Sovereign Lord.

They quote from Psalm 2, and then they interpret it.

They first affirm what Peter affirmed: the Sovereignty of God.

It is the Sovereign Lord, who made everything.

And even the plans of the rulers against Jesus… even that is in His hand and in His predestined plan.

God is Sovereign.

In view of the Sovereignty of God… what is it that they pray for?

My instinct would be to pray for safety.

God, please make it so none of the rest of us are ever arrested.

Please make the authorities back down.

That isn’t what they pray for.

They are amped up and they want in the game!

They want boldness.

They speak with boldness while God continues the miracles.

They want to keep doing it!

Note that they want to “continue speaking” in boldness, they are fully aware that it is God who will do wonders and miracles.

They just want courage to speak.

And God answers that prayer by giving Himself.

They continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

Ongoing imperfect action, over and over, constantly they were all speaking the word of God with “boldness”.

Exactly that kind of boldness Peter and John showed.

He’s Here and He’s Got This

Faced with threats and intimidation, Peter and John boldly proclaim the name of Jesus.

Inspired by their example, all the believers pray for that kind of boldness.

God sends the Holy Spirit… and they speak with boldness.

Peter and John had both of these things.

They know the truth, that God is Sovereign.

and they experience the reality of the Spirit within them.

God is with them.

God is Sovereign and He is with them.

He is King and He is here.

Logan wasn’t confident on the bike when I wasn’t there.