Upon This Rock Message 6

Upon this Rock

The first of the Church

Message 6

A Noticeable Difference

Acts 4:1-13

Me:

1. Look at verse 4

a. 5000 people

Acts 4:4 NIV

4 But many who heard the message believed; so the number of men who believed grew to about five thousand.

ii. Notice it says men

iii. That does count the women and children

iv. The church has probably grown to about 20,000

v. Mega churches are nothing new.

vi. It isn’t just a hand full of disciples anymore

b. A lame man is healed

i. Act 3

ii. 40 years he laid at that gate

iii. What does the lame man do?

1. He dances in the temple courts for all to see.

iv. What does Peter do?

1. He preaches a sermon – You killed the Messiah – But by God’s grace you can be saved.

2. This is the same coward that denied Jesus 3 times before the rooster crowed!

We:

Jesus warned them

a. When we preach about Jesus

i. The world is not going to be happy about it

ii. Their opposition had to be thinking

iii. This Jesus thing has gotten out of hand

iv. Something needs to be done

b. Side Note.

i. Persecution can come from political forces

ii. But also come from religious forces

iii. Don’t be surprised

Persecution takes a dark turn.

i. Peter and John are jailed

ii. The physical abuse is going to get worst

iii. Now they stand before the Sanhedrin

iv. Let’s listen to what they say.

God:

A Noticeable Difference

a. Peter and John before the high priest

Acts 4:5–11 NLT

5 The next day the council of all the rulers and elders and teachers of religious law met in Jerusalem. 6 Annas the high priest was there, along with Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and other relatives of the high priest. 7 They brought in the two disciples and demanded, “By what power, or in whose name, have you done this?” 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of our people, 9 are we being questioned today because we’ve done a good deed for a crippled man? Do you want to know how he was healed? 10 Let me clearly state to all of you and to all the people of Israel that he was healed by the powerful name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the man you crucified but whom God raised from the dead. 11 For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says, ‘The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’

Here is why we are hated.

Acts 4:12 The Message

12 Salvation comes no other way; no other name has been or will be given to us by which we can be saved, only this one.”

It will take courage

Acts 4:13 CEB

13 The council was caught by surprise by the confidence with which Peter and John spoke. After all, they understood that these apostles were uneducated and inexperienced. They also recognized that they had been followers of Jesus.

ii. Why could they say what they said?

iii. Courage from walking with Jesus

You:

Here’s your greatest challenge

Stepping through your fear.

i. We don’t suffer physical abuse, do we?

ii. No one is going to jail for preaching about Jesus

iii. I can stand here and preach my heart out.

iv. Satan is more subtle than that.

See if this sounds familiar

i. We don’t open our mouths about Christ because we fear someone might not like us

ii. Or we’ll sound like some religious nut

iii. Or we’ll be ignored from a community we want to be part of.

iv. Or being ostracized from society

v. Being called intolerant

Understand this clear principle

To live as a follower of Christ you will suffer

2 Timothy 3:12 NLT

12 Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

iii. Suffering sounds bad

1. to submit to or be forced to endure

2. to endure death, pain, or distress

iv. But there is a reward

We:

The Reward of Suffering

Maturity

James 1:4 GW

4 Endure until your testing is over. Then you will be mature and complete, and you won’t need anything.

b. Listen to verse 13 again

Acts 4:13 CEB

13 The council was caught by surprise by the confidence with which Peter and John spoke. After all, they understood that these apostles were uneducated and inexperienced. They also recognized that they had been followers of Jesus.

ii. Uneducated and inexperience but walking with Jesus

What a difference Jesus can make

If we have the courage

Step through your fear

i. Satan is lying to you.

Somebody out there needs your story.

We will not grow as a church if you are driven by your fear.