Sermon Tone Analysis

have some deep thoughts to hit you with this morning

Blessed are the peacemakers what Jesus says

peacemaking is different than cowardice

But sometimes there is a time for conflict.

I'm a crappy friend because I don't like conflict.

I remember I had this roommate ... Steve and Scott not staying over.

But sometimes there is a time for conflict.

My passiveness just made me a coward.

At the same time I'm avoiding conflict I want adventure.

Life can get stuck into habits of church, work, kids stuff, work, 2 job work, family stuff, etc.

Everything forming into habits but I'm not sure where these habits head.

Are you there too?

You've been checking out this Jesus thing for a while or even grew up around church people.

You want to be a good person but it seems that Jesus is actually dull.

Culture even reminds you of how dull they think following Jesus is.

Have you ever noticed that anything immoral is labeled "adult."

Their is a subtly implied idea that if you want to be an adult you should be able to do this immoral stuff and handle it.

Like what Charlie Sheen said once, "some people can hande their crack and some can't."

It's nuts!

For many of us we have chased after

their is little to the adult things except being locked into a habit or worse an addiction.

Even the adult becomes an addiction to self what pleases me, makes me feel good, and doesn't cause to much trouble.

what pleases me, makes me feel good, and doesn't cause to much trouble.

some of us switched the habit of focus on what feels good when we began to follow Jesus to a habit of being good.

What we think of as good, of behaving.

work, chores/family, tv, work, chores/family, tv, work, family, tv, ...

Yet where’s the adventure?

Didn't God create us for more than this?

Yes He created you for a relationship with Him.

Two guys that actually had a physical relationship with Jesus, they walked with Jesus daily for three years, both started as fisherman.

Just working guys, one becoming Jesus best friend , Peter, and the other one who started as the guy with the quickest temper to becoming the guy who Jesus told to watch after his own mother Mary, that guy was the apostle John.

Peter and John show us the kind of habit we need to form to follow Jesus

Remember

God used Peter and John to heal the crippled beggar at the temple gates

God used Peter and John to heal the crippled beggar at the temple gates

- the people were amazed

Peter went on boldly speaking in an truly powerful way.

He and John were arrested.

Never judge whether you’re following God based on pleasurable things happening as a result.

Steve left me alone after I backed down

having sex outside of marriage feels good; using drugs without a dr’s guidance feels good.

Exercise makes you hurt.

Studying sucks, Standing for Christ can you get ghosted or worse

- the next day's trial Peter and John woke up to stand trial

Acts before the Sanhedrian (verse 5-6)

Bible nerd note - the Sanhedrin is a generic name for a governmental group

The Jews had an official religious Sanhedrin that only met in the day, did not meet before Sabbaths or holidays, and could legally order someone killed but that was frowned upon.

Any more than 1 death in 7 years thought of as a bloody council

Then their was a political Sanhedrin.

Made up of the Chief Priest of the temple and friends.

Or religious leaders who were friends of the king.

They couldn’t kill anyone themselves but they could refer to the Romans for killing.

My best guess is this was a political Sanhedrin.

It gets worse

This was the same group who handed Jesus over to Pilate to be killed and the same people who were trying Jesus when Peter denied him 3 times.

,

In that first time Peter was filled with fear.

It became the lowest moment in his life.

same representative body as convicted Jesus ,

- This time Peter Stood up!

How did Peter get the courage when he had been such a coward?

He developed a habit.

But I’m not ready to tell you about the habit, because that’s not where we are at in the story.

First we have to see what happened.

The last time Peter saw these people they ordered Jesus to be handed over to the governor to be crucified and could easily do so again.

The Sanhedrin didn’t know what to do.

Just get them out of here.

The facts - Peter and John had no training yet could talk to the highest court of their people

The guy was healed

Peter and John developed a habit of boldness in Jesus.

Peter and John developed a habit of boldness.

People can be bold, for themselves and their own desires.

But these guys were bold in God - they healed a guy.

You want to be so bold that you could scare Political leaders?

That’s what was happening.

They didn’t know how to deal with them.

It scared the Sanhedrin, check out how scared they were.

The first time Peter met them, all he could think about was staying alive.

He was caught in fear.

vs 16 - 17 the fear of the Sanhedrin

Fear is the opposite of boldness.

Peter and John developed a habit to reduce fear.

This time the Sanhedrin is afraid.

They are caught in their own political problems of the people caring more about what these bold guys say and the people following them.

This is funny, Peter and John were told to treat the name of Jesus like Hogwarts was supposed to treat the name Voldermort.

Don’t say his name, don’t mention him.

Don’t talk about Jesus of Nazareth.

Today people can still be uncomfortable when the name of Jesus is brought up.

VIDEO

vs 18 the order of the name that should not be said

We have bought into what the Sanhedrin was asking Peter and John to do.

Religion is impolite to talk about.

I wonder though, if it really is and the problem for us is not that people don’t like to talk about it but we aren’t willing to build a habit to see Jesus come up naturally.

Peter and John were not listened to because they were great speakers.

The Sanhedrin said they could tell they were unlearned men.

They were listened to because God had acted.

God healed a man through them.

It was the habit that Peter and John developed that made them speak when God acted.

So they couldn’t shut up.

It was their habit.

Acts 4: