Untitled Sermon (12)

Well I am excited to be preaching this morning if you have your Bibles go ahead and get those out, and turn to Acts 4:23-31 (READ IT)

Pray

Hook: I read a story this week of when Jack Paar hosted Billy Graham on his television news cast. This was a considerably big news cast, and million where watching. Jack Paar, in inimitable fashion, wanted to speak frivolously and be silly with Billy and said, “I guess you’re here tonight to try to save my soul and try to straighten my life out. You’re probably going to try to get me to repent.” Billy smiled and said, “Well, Jack, have you thought about repenting? You know you need to, and, yes, I am concerned about your soul because without Jesus, Jack, you’re going to perish.” Billy Graham wasn’t nasty or insensitive, but he was bold before the whole nation. He wasn’t going to be manipulated into being silent about the truth of Christ……My concern and temptation I feel toward the American church right now is our drift toward being less bold for the sake of the Gospel….our put more bluntly R.C Sprouls says, “When the book of Revelation(21:8) speaks of the final judgment of God, it mentions those whom God will send into the lake of fire—murderers, adulterers, and cowards. If anything marks the church at the beginning of the twenty-first century, it is cowardliness. If anything describes the difference between us and the first-century church, it is our lack of boldness”

Context

of our passage gives us insight to why cowardliness can happen…. Acts everything is going great in the life of the church up into this point in Acts 4…… 5 thousand are joining the church, healing…….things are going great and then….peter and john are arrested….and the council(jewish religious leaders)…..tell them they can’t speak about Jesus anymore…..and their response is awesome verse 19….…..and the councils threatens them more and then sent them on their way…….

Persecution had began and as the church grew so did opposition.

they where fighting into a head-wind……

One thing we need to learn from the context of acts 4…..is that ……..Often in Christian circles if we are not carful I think we skip over the middle part of give your life to Jesus and Go to heaven and be with Jesus…right, sounds really awesome but what about this time on EARTH…..and what we do is sinfully we omit some words of Jesus that say……like some people will hate you say nasty things about you, could cost you your job…relationship, etc…that it can be very difficult to follow Jesus…

2 tim 3:12……ALL who desire to live a Godly life WILL………be persecuted.

Now don’t get me wrong you may defiantly be blessed as well BUT you WILL get persecuted….

And we instantly feel guilty when talking about talking about persecution…we are like well I’m not getting arrested, beaten….my physical life doesn’t feel in danger….and it stirs up guilt …

BUT Jesus speaks of two kinds of suffering. In Matthew 5:11, he says it this way: “Blessed are you”—so our blessing is actually our suffering—“when others revile you.” (Driscoll) revile in the greek speak harshly against……so anything like…..“Christians are idiots.” “Christians believe that God made the world.” “Christians are anti-science.” “Christians are bigots.” “Christians hate women.” “Christians hate sex.” “Christians hate homosexuals.” “Christians supported slavery.” “Christians don’t really love the rest of the people in the culture.” . They’re intolerant. They’re discriminatory. They’re narrow-minded. And they are a problem.”…..have you heard that…tv…coworker…neighbor..friend…..I like how one authors says, There is overt persecution where you get thrown to the lions. There’s covert persecution where you get thrown to the critics. There’s overt persecution where you die for Christ. There’s covert persecution where you live for Christ. There’s overt persecution where they silence you by killing you, and then there’s covert persecution where they silence you by shaming you.

The goal of both kinds of persecution is, don’t talk about Jesus.

We’ll kill you or shame you. We just want to silence you. Stop talking about him.” And both forms count.

Sermon in a sentence: Boldness is develop by looking at how great Jesus is

Four insights we can learn from these believers in this passage:

1. They had real Gospel centered community(Verse 23)

First way they respond is they went to the believers…..When released they went to their Friends….greek word literally means “own” meaning….their close associates….this wasn’t the huge church gathering….but their small group….a close nit body of believers….…..Don’t want to spend a ton of time on this point here in the text because I have recently hit on this but…………YOU NEED community!!! It is not enough to just come to church…it’s great that you are hear….

But who do you run to when life hurts??? Because here is the truth,

Peter and John had this type of community BEFORE the tough time hit.

….often many of us will wait till tough times and then think o man I need to be involved more in the church or need some closer Christian friends….You need it before the trail….Peter and John came in and unloaded to the group…told them everything…..James 5:16, ESV: "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.”……Praying together bring our burdens and our sins…ans speaking it out loud with other believers, stirs in us a courage…reminds us that we are in this together…because the enemy wants to think you are the only one….peter and john knew they kneed the bother and sister in Christ…so thats the first place they went

2. Their prayers weren’t me centered but Gospel centered. (verse 24-30)

Look at what peter and john share before they prayed….they share the report……they bring in the bad news…..and….then they start praying….and what do they pray…what was the first thing out of their lips…..O sovereign Lord….how would we have responded to that threat….be honest…we would have respond, God take them down, protect us….guard us from this…keep us safe……One author says, “too often today, believers gather for prayer as though attending a concert or a party. There is little sense of urgency and danger because most of us are comfortable in our christian walk. If more of God’s people we’re witnessing for Christ in daily life, there would be more urgency and blessing when the church meets for prayer.” See one fear that I had preaching this text is how many of us want to pray like they prayed???

They didn’t me centered pray’s for comfort…..Or

They didn’t pray God take us out of this circumstance But give us power in the circumstance.

Prayer that, prayer that is so focused on Jesus and His mission develops crazy amount of boldness……

Prayer was a natal reflex for them…like breathing…didn’t need to think about it…..why because they where walking with the Spirit…..

….I have herd is said before that

Prayerlessness is not a self discipline problem; prayerlessness is a sign that you are keeping in step with the Spirit

….so please don’t try to fix a prayer less life with just discipline….but reminded your self of your weakness and His power….preach to yourself the Gospel daily knowing that we need Jesus…..and out of this heart of dependence on his grace will flow a heart of constant prayer……..

—-One big point to take from these believers prayer that will help change your life into me centered praying to gospel centered praying in is “Praying the Word” praying scripture!! Because thats what they prayed!! they psalm two!!

Eugene Peterson: “True prayer is not just talking to God; it is answering God.

God has already spoken in his word… prayer is just a response to what he has said.”

This book is filled with thousands of promises….of who God is….God is speaking his nature and attributes!!!….The bible shows who God is…and then reflection on Him should show you how off you are and how desperate you are for His son Jesus… -Peyton Manning (more time in the film room than any other)

In the moment when things go differently than planned, he knows what to do. In the moment of trial, the apostles knew what Scriptures addressed that situation. You need to know that, too.

Know the Scriptures so well that when life cuts you, you bleed God’s word….know the attributes of God.. know the word to apply to that curve ball life has thrown you….! this is how you live bold…on his word!

3. They rested and trusted in God’s sovereign purpose (Verse24-28)

See their prayer on the word actually reflected on a attribute of God…which is he is Sovereign….Again I can’t express enough how important it is to know God….

Kevin Deyoung says, “Timid christians have a tiny God and Bold Christians have a big God.”

and if their is one attribute that shows God bigness is his sovereignty .”

The prayer starts with these two words, Sovereign Lord.

…greek work…..meaning MASTER….you are in command…..im not…thats what sovereignty means….God exercising his power over creation…..HE is on the throne…….HE is ruler….……

Wow what a way to pray and what a prospective that can give you such earthquaking boldness…… understand that while God doesn’t cause Evil but allows evil and while I don’t understand all of that…I understand one thing….God can upload a viruses to what the devil thought was going to take you out…..and it turns back on the enemy…and God can be exalted…and get glory in the worst of worst of situations!!!

Psalm 2 was what they prayed…this added to this idea that God is sovereign….. Psalm 2 describes the revolt from the nations… against God and his annotated one Jesus…..You talk about a time when everyone around started doubting the sovereignty of God…how much worse can it get then the Son of man being Crucified on a cross…But once again the disciples now look back and SEE wow God was sovereign in that……

Seriously how much more boldness you would you have if your perspective changed…… and you saw everything in your life…. good or bad…..as sovereignty ordered by God…..that was allowed for the purpose of God’s mission on the earth…God is in control and sovereign and Im going to use everything situation to turn back to point and show others HIs greatness!!

4. They had frequent fillings of the Holy Spirit

There was a earth quake (common for God’s presence) and they where filled with the Holy Sprit….wait what I thought they already got the Holy Spirit at Pentecost yes….they did, they got the seal of the Holy Spirit in there life…but they where seeking constant fillings of the spirit…thats how they were bold.….…….so what is the fullness of the Holy Spirit like……? Thomas Goodwin:

He says heres what its like….He uses the example of a father walking along with a young son..Ok so my sons are 4 and 6 so this is a good one for me…..So lets say I have my 4 year old Owen walking beside me and I look down at him and I just get overwhelmed by him, and this feeling of how cute he is, and so I pick him up and spin him around, and throw him up in the area safety and catch him….and tickle him….and its just this awesome moment…and the moment passes and I put him down and we keep walking……

Question was he anymore my son when I picked him up then when I was just holding his hand? NO legal not one bit more….but he felt his sonship more in that moment…then he did when he was walking on the ground…..The fullness of the holy spirit doesn’t change your statues as a son or daughter…it doesn’t make you closer to God…That has been fully settled legal in Christ…..What it does is it increases your awareness of your sonship…

Being filled with the fullness of God is the Spirit remaindering you want he has done for you and Who he is and What HE has done for You in Jesus ..and spinning you in his arms..and overwhelmed by him…..Ministry of the spirit is the spot light ministry….if you are walking along a night and notice a that is flood light or spot light beautiful building, and the aritcute you, don’t stop and say wow look at those flood lights…..

The work of the Spirit is not for you to stop and say, yes I got the Spirit the work of the spirit is to make Jesus look beautiful to you.

..and this leads you to boldness being overwhelemed by his presence.

Why do we stop seeking being complete filled with the Holy Spirit?…..Serioulsy When is the last time you have just prayed to be filled with the Spirit or when have you ever prayed that? Peter and John….the eyes witness of JESUS needed this filling how much more do you think today we need this filling as well??……

Pray for constant fillings of his Spirit.

RECAPE: Strategies for boldness: deep community..Prayer..sovereignty of God…frequent filling of the Spirit

Land the plane:

Why was this boldness important to them.because Jesus was everything to them….look at the last verse……what is the WORD….can be translated the message of God…the gospel…..JESUS…JESUS was threatened and they were not having it!!!!

Jesus name in this earth is too great….to allow for these threats to keep us from proclaiming his truth church……

.. God’s message of hope and healing through His Son Jesus who has come to rescue and redeem us…is FAR to Glorious for us…to have the world shame us to silence…..

My prayer for us and the Church universal this morning is exactly what they prayed in verse 29.

…And now Lord look at all that is going own(hostile with covid, hostility our nation….and

Our Prayer should be grant US to continue to speak the word with all boldness……renew the joy of our salvation….

But I would also ask you as Billy Graham smiled and with all love in his heart ask Jack “Have you thought about repenting? You know you need to, and, yes, I am concerned about your soul outside of surrounding to Jesus… because without Jesus, whoever your are you’re going to perish.”…….BUT as Ephesians 2 “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loves us, even when we were dead in our trespasses made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in christ Jesus……..turn to him repent and believe in Jesus and you will be save…in which you will experience a life worth living Boldly for the Gospel!