Acts the Story Continues (15)

Believers Pray for Boldness.

Last week we talked about service. We Jumped ahead a few chapters because I believe God is casting a vision of biblical service in this church. It’s important to point out biblical. As we discussed last week we have this need to remove all that isn’t biblical and focus on things the first century church focused on. It doesn’t mean we do church the sam way, but our focus should be on the same thing.

This week we are going to discuss Boldness.

Acts 4:23-33

Acts 4:23–31 ESV

When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit, “ ‘Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed’— for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

As we go through this mornings verse I want to point out some things on the road to boldness. If the bible is supposed to our guide than we must learn to ask it questions. Peter and John stood before the Council of the “Spiritual Elect” and their lives we threatened. They immediately went to find the church and set themselves to pray.

Now the first question I usually ask is

How can I apply this to my life?

As of right now there isn’t a whole of physical persecution in the United States. So my main enemy at this point, and one could argue even Peter and John’s main enemy, is demonic forces. Spiritual attacks of the enemy. Attacks of the mind. Attacks to sin. Attacks to give up. How do we safe guard ourself against the onslaught of attacks the demonic realm is constantly rushing us with. And if not demonic forces how can we disarm the desires of my flesh—the persecution of myself.Because if we are honest some of our biggest battles aren’t the enemy it’s our own natural desire gone haywire. Sexual sin-something God made and human prevented. Anger, jealousy, the desire for more. None of the has to come from Satan because we are prewired for these desires, but in the right context. Jesus was angry. Jesus desires more, more of us, more souls. The Old Testament is very clear that we worship a Jealous God who doesn’t want to share us.

Christians need to understand that Yes persecution is around around, but our biggest persecutor is inside of us. How do we defend against that.

This may or may not have been the first time the disciples were brought in front of the court, but it’s the first one we know of and I find it interesting that’s Peter’s first reaction isn’t to bash those in authority, but to run to his Spiritual family, the church.

The first verse we come across this morning is

Acts 4:23 ESV

When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them.

When they were released they went to their friends. They explained what happened. and in VV24 they prayed...

TOGETHER

Why is it in our lives that for many of us the church is the last one who finds out about our struggles or the bad news in our lives. My wife, on Friday, brought my attention to Kanye’s new album. Now as a rapper he is an amazing writer. vocals eh, but his words have power. He wrote this one song hands on that when he gave his life to Christ Christians were the first one to judge him, hated him, reject him but what amazed me the most is the end where he says he just wants someone to pray for him.

When the first century church heard about persecution they came together and immediately prayed. Now as I don’t commend the bashing of Christians I do believe his words shed light on some major areas we as the church need to work on. When we hear juicy gosip the first thing out of our mouth shouldn’t be slander it should be prayer. We are going to crack open what the churches prayer was.

Sovereign Lord

- The term sovereign means a person who has general authority of others,

Especially denoting ABSOLUTE OWNERSHIP and UNRESTRAINED POWER.

Galatians

Galatians 2:20 ESV

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Luke 14:27 ESV

Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.

Luke 9:23 ESV

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

And there are many more verses that all call us to remove ourselves and give God Absolute authority over us. The First century church knew that it was an all or nothing deal.

In order to defeat our flesh we must put it to death. If we were capable of controlling ourselves we wouldn’t need a Sovereign God to rule over us, but we aren’t I haven’t seen anyone master their flesh on their own. In order to fight we must first know to whom we belong.

Secondly they came to Him as Creator

Creator

When I read this I asked myself

Why is the term Creator important?

They already said Sovereign so why go into creation?

By calling God creator they are stating that they are not only dependent on Him, But he is the Absolute reason, everything depends on Him. It’s goes past the submission of self and into realizing that everything is under his submission.

1 Peter 4:19 ESV

Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.

Understand this was the first action God did-He created…everything.

Secondly I want to look at Vv 29

Acts 4:29 ESV

And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness,

What did they go to the Creator for?

Boldness

Why? I recently took my wife’s van to the shop. They drove it and couldn’t get it to respond the same way it had for my wife. They ran some tests and when they couldn’t figure it out the called Chrystler. Why? Because they understood that if Chrystler made it they intimately know all it’s features and all the problems that vehicle line has. No one knows a Chrystler vehicle like Chrystler. They have ultimate authority and knowledge of the vehicles they make.

The same is true with God. He has ultimate authoirty and knowledge of the world he made. He knows what they need to fix the issue. The biggest problem we Christians face is that we look at a

Symptom

and called it the issue. When you got to the Dr. to treat the flu. The doctor doesn’t treat the flu they manage the symptoms of the flu until the flu passes. If they treated the flu we wouldn’t have the flu anymore. They cannot attack the flu because they didn’t make it, they don’t know how to stop it. So they treat the symptom. We as Christians do this same thing. Lord, stop the persecution. Stop the pain. Stop the disease. All of those are symptoms. Of what?

A system that isn’t dependent on the Creator.

God knew fixing persecution wouldn’t solve our issues. He knew that in order to fix the problem we have to increase in boldness to preach his word so that more will become followers of Christ.

You want to end persecution EVERYWHERE—Preach the gospel Everywhere until all people know God. ONce we are all truly following the same God in the same direction there will be no more persecution. The issues wasn’t the behavior it was the lack of boldness to preach the gospel.

Satan isn’t going to go away. So we have no choice but to get stronger. The flu isn’t going to go away, but it is proven that those who take care of themselves are less likely to get sick.

This amazes me. The early church didn’t condemn those who are threatening them. The didn’t even pray for it to stop. Their answer to the threats is give us more boldness to speak your words. Enable us to endure the threats. Enable us not to conquer through sword, but to triumph through the Power of the Holy Spirit. this is evidence by the list of expectations they put forth—IE what they hoped to accomplish through their boldnes.

Acts 4:30 ESV

while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

Give us boldness to do your work in the face of persecution. We know the issue—it’s sin and until we conquerer that nothing else matters.

So what was the answer?

Acts 4:31 ESV

And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

Becoming more filled. Increasing in God and reducing our own flesh. Only then can we overcome our demons. Only when we have full reliance of God and the infilling of the Holy Spirit can we rely on who God is to the point that we don’t care what happens to us.

This wasn’t a second Pentecost-they already were filled, what they needed wasn’t the Holy Spirit it was MORE of the Holy Spirit and less of themselves.

John 3:30 ESV

He must increase, but I must decrease.”

This gathering increased in God and decreased in flesh.