Acts 4 - A story of transformation

Sermon - Acts 4:23-37 Transformation Graham Grove, June 2009 Scene 1 - How would you respond if you were told to stop talking about Jesus at work or school? * (Slide 1 - Title) * (Pause) * I want you to imagine something * You're at work, or at uni, and it's your lunch break and your sitting in the cafeteria talking to some people * And you get on to religious discussion and you start talking about Jesus and how much you know he loves you, and how you wish other people could discover the forgiveness and love that he brings * Next thing you know, you're being hauled in front of your boss, or the dean, or someone in authority, and you're told: "We've heard that you've been talking about religion, pushing your ideas on to others. That's not on. You'd better stop or there's going be consequences." * This sort of thing does happen; it's not frequent in Australia but but it does happen from time to time * And some countries, it happens frequently * So what if it happened to you? * Think about it for a minute * What do you think your response might be? * (Pause for answers) * I think I know what a common response would be * Some Christians would probably want to not rock the boat, to settle down with the religious discussions, stay out of the limelight and stay out of trouble * Alternatively, another common response might be to get angry - I can imagine myself saying, "you can't keep me quiet!" * So it's actually quite a challenge when I consider how Peter and John and the early church community reacted Scene 2 - Peter and John, when faced with this decision, didn't react normally (they didn't seek safety * The way that the early church community reacted is quite different from how people often react when they're faced with persecution * But that's the story of the early church community in so many weays * They so often stood out as different, and unique * They didn't fit the mould * (Slide 2 - Bible Passage) * Take a look at verse 24 o When they heard the report, all the believers lifted their voices together in prayer to God: "O Sovereign Lord, Creator of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them" * And then again at verse 29 and 30 o "And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word. o Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus." * After this encounter with persecution, the early church community didn't hide away to stay out of trouble * They weren't silent * However, they didn't get angry or violent * They did something different * (Slide 3 - Prayer) * They prayed * And remarkably, they didn't pray for what might seem the obvious thing * They didn't pray for their own personal safety * They didn't pray that they wouldn't be persecuted * (Slide 4 - Prayer details) * They prayed simply that they would be courageous and continue to speak about Jesus openly * (Pause) * In my medical work, I frequently look after people dying of cancer * Many years ago, I cared for a woman who was a faithful Christian who just had one health problem after another * There were blood clots, spread of cancer to her lungs, spread of cancer into her brain * She just couldn't get a lucky break * One day I asked her how she dealt with the constant admissions to hospital * This is what she said o "I don't pray that God will cure me." o "These days, my prayer is that every time I'm in hospital, I'll have new opportunities to speak to someone about Jesus" o "I spoke to the cleaner yesterday about God's love" o "What an answer to prayer that was" * (Pause) * She didn't pray for what appears like to the obvious prayer * Her request wasn't the normal request * There's something different about this woman isn't there? * She just didn't fit into the normal mould, just like the early church * The early community of Christians who were persecuted in Acts 4 were different than most people * They had different perspective on life and so had different goals * Their goal wasn't personal safety or good health * Not that these are bad things - it's obvious that safety and health are good * It's just that safety and health weren't the things that they were thinking about - they were looking at a different goal and so they didn't need to worry about their safety * Whether they were safe or not, didn't change the goal that they were aiming for - the goal of speaking boldly about Jesus * (Pause) * So, that's the first thing about this early community of Christians that stands out as different Scene 3 - But this was consistent with their unusual approach to all aspects of life * The second thing is no less remarkable * (Slide 5 - Acts 3:32) * Look at verse 32 o They felt that what they owned was not their own o So they shared everything they had... * (Pause) * It's funny - from a very young age, we learn to think of things as mine * Matthew, when he was little, had this little ukulele that he loved to hold and sway with and pretend he was playing music * One day his friend Josiah was over for a play and he saw that ukulele * And of course, when Matthew noticed that Josiah had spied his toy, Matthew ran over to it, and they both grabbed at it - wanting to hold onto it and play * When that happens, you can't reason with little toddlers (or teenagers for that matter!) * Toddlers don't seem to get it when you say - share it guys, take it in turns * If they want something - sharing is out the window * Actually, we're not really that different as adults are we? We're just a little more polite about it * (Mind you, toddlers can be very thoughtful and share) * (Have you ever had a toddler who has insisted that you take bite out of his half eaten apple or pear!) * But in general, if we're honest, we all recognize that sharing is not a strong point of both toddlers and of the human race in general * So here again, in verse 32, is another example, of just how different and how unique the early church was * (Slide 6 - Sharing and Prayer) * They shared everything - caring for the needs of others * (Pause) * What an unusual way for people to live * To share everything * To always care for others in need * Like the prayer for boldness rather than the prayer for safety, this is also an attitude thing * I don't think there was a legalistic expectation that everyone sold everything they had and gave all their money away * Their sharing wasn't an oppressive rule that they were required to obey, rather it was attitude that swelled up within their hearts because their hearts weren't thinking about building up wealth and getting more stuff and having more things * That just wasn't how they were thinking; wealth accumulation wasn't in their mind or part of their purpose * How different is that from the norm * What a challenge that is for us... for me... * These early Christians had hearts that were all about caring for others * And so they were different * They stood out as unique * Actually, as I reflect on this uniqueness, it is one of true love that has cast away all fear * (Slide 7 - Love) o Loving God with their whole hearts that they would worship him without fear publicly even when threatened o And loving their neighbours so much that they would, without fear of their own poverty, share all they had with others * That is a unique way to live * And it's the call of God on all of us * (Pause) Scene 4 - But this unusual approach to life wasn't how the early Christians began life, rather it was what they were transformed into * There's something really important though about this unique way of life of the early followers of Jesus * And the importing truth is this - the followers of Jesus didn't start off life different from those around them * They weren't always unique like this * Go back just a few pages in the Bible and there's a totally different story told * For example, just a few pages back, in John 18:25 there's the story of Peter on the night before Jesus died * (Slide 8 - John 18:25) * This was only a few months prior to story we've read in Acts 4 o Meanwhile, as Simon Peter was standing by the fire warming himself, they asked him again, "You're not one of his disciples, are you?" o He denied it, saying, "No, I am not." o But one of the household slaves of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, "Didn't I see you out there in the olive grove with Jesus?" o Again Peter denied it. * (Pause) * In Acts 4, you can see how different Peter had become since that night in John 18 * In Acts 4, Peter stood up, praying to God that he would be bold to keep speaking about Jesus no matter how much pressure he was under * What a contrast to John 18, just a few months earlier, when Peter was denying he even knew Jesus because he was so afraid * (Pause) * Likewise, let's take a look at Luke 9:51, which tells this story * (Slide 9 - Luke 9) o As the time drew near for him to ascend to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. He sent messengers ahead to a Samaritan village to prepare for his arrival. But the people of the village did not welcome Jesus because he was on his way to Jerusalem. When James and John saw this, they said to Jesus, "Lord, should we call down fire from heaven to burn them up?" * In Acts 4, we see that John and the church shared everything to people who were needy in an act of beautiful, pure love * Where only a few months earlier, in Luke 9, the disciples called for Jesus to bring a storm of fire to rain down and kill people in an act of hatred and vengeance * What a difference in only a few months... * Yes, the early church was completely unique and different from the rest of society * But more than they, they were also completely unique and different from the way they had been, they were completely different from their old selves * They had changed * Somehow, for some reason, they were transformed to become entirely, completely different from what they had once been like * Acts 4 is beautiful because it shows us people who had been transformed * (Pause) * Nicole and I travelled in Egypt 20 years ago * Egypt is famous for two of its great natural landmarks * (Gesture to allow answer) * The Sahara desert * And the Nile river * (Slide 10 - Satellite image) * It's quite incredible when you're standing there, seeing the barrenness of desert everywhere and then all of a sudden, along an invisible line in the sand, everything becomes green, beautiful and lush * The contrast is remarkable * (Slide 11 - Contrast desert with green) * This oasis of greenness really stands out * When you see a transformation in the desert like this, it's obvious that there is some amazing underlying reason for this greenness * Underneath all of the grass or reeds in the soil, there's water * (Slide 12 - The Nile) * And that water, it changes everything * (Pause) * When we look at these followers of Jesus in Acts 4, they stand out, different, transformed from the rest of the world * This transformation should raise the question: Why? * Why were they so different? * How had they become transformed? * What's the water that is underneath them that has made them so unique? * What do you think? Why were they so transformed and different? * (Allow people to answer and respond to their answers) * There are a lot of different ways we can look at it, but I reckon, in the end it boils down to two simple reasons * One reason relies on human endeavour and action * And the other reason relies on God's intervention o (Slide 13 - Faith) o Firstly - knowledge of the truth and reality of the risen Jesus and therefore faith and trust in a faithful God o (Pause) o And secondly o (Slide 14 - The Holy Spirit) o The presence of God the Holy Spirit among the followers of Jesus changing them, giving them new hearts * Faith was essential for this transformation to occur * Jesus had told his followers that there was only one way that they could be forgiven and come to know God and receive life that would be eternal * The one way to know God was to know Jesus, to trust and believe that he was from God, that he was God's Son with the power and authority to forgive them * If these early Christians completely trust and believe this, then why would they be so different? * Why would they be wanting to speak about Jesus and worship Jesus, if they didn't believe what he said? * But they knew that what Jesus said was true * They believed everything that Jesus had said * Because they had seen Jesus die and rise back to life * These early Christians had faith in the reality that Jesus was living and he would one day, after they had died, return them to life, to live eternally in God's presence * These early Christians knew this was true and so they could be different, they were free to allow themselves to be transformed - because if these things about forgiveness, resurrection and eternal life are true - then things like safety and health and having lots of material things don't ultimately matter, important as they might seem - in the end, they don't really matter * (Pause) * But there was another reason why these followers of Jesus were so different and had transformed * They were different because God had taken their old hearts away and replaced them with new hearts * Their old selfish nature was gone, their new nature was one which was shaped by God, by the Holy Spirit, who was among them, who lived in them and filled them * Take a look at verse 31 - They were all filled with the Holy Spirit * It was God who had ultimately made them different and transformed them * Think of your own failings and faults * If you're like me, no matter how hard you try, you can never get it quite right * It's so. hard to get rid of all bitterness, all lust, all pride, all hatred * I need God's help for that, I can't do it on my own * (Pause) * God spoke about this hundreds of years before Jesus was on earth * Take a look at Ezekiel, chapter 36, verse 26 o I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart * Jesus also spoke about this while he was on earth * He called it being born again * Take a look at the third verse of the third chapter of John o Jesus said: I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God * When someone is born, they're transformed * A baby goes from being a person enclosed within the womb not needing to breathe or eat, to become transformed into a person who breathes and eats * Being born is a huge transformation; and although it can be a painful and long transformation, it's the second greatest thing that can happen to someone * The greatest thing of course, is being born again - not a physical birth, but a spiritual birth, where God changes the heart and make a person really alive, ready to live for eternity * (Pause) * So these are the two things that made these followers of Jesus different, transformed from everyone around them o Complete trust that.Jesus is alive o And a new heart, a changed nature, from God * (Pause) * These are two things that we need to make us different * Without these two tings, we will never be unique and different from the world * (Pause) * I want to finish by asking a couple questions for reflection * The first one is for the follower of Jesus here * It's a simple question: Are we different? Have we been transformed? * Is my goal in life to boldly speak about Jesus where-ever I am, what-ever I do, who-ever I meet? * Do I have faith in the reality of resurrection and eternal life to the extent that I'm not afraid of poverty, and. Not constantly focussing on things, but instead am focussing on caring for and sharing with others? * That doesn't necessarily mean that you and I have to emulate the early church, doing things exactly the same as they did * That's not the point * We're never going to be an exact replica of the early followers Jesus because we live in a different time and a different culture * But the principles are important * Followers of Jesus will be different because they have faith in reality of Jesus and therefore eternal life with God * And followers of Jesus will be transformed because the Holy Spirit has made our hearts new * (Pause) * I look around at the people at church here, and I do see people who are transformed - who are different And that is encouraging * One day Jesus is going to say, "Well done, good and faithful servants" to many here * (Pause) * The second question I want ask is for anyone else who hasn't really thought about following Jesus * Perhaps today, or maybe tomorrow, or in the coming week, spend some time thinking about this story in Acts 4 * You can see that these followers of Jesus were different from those around them * They weren't interested in vengeance * They weren't focussed on staying safe * They cared more about caring for others and sharing than they did for building up piles of treasures for themselves * Something transformed them * Do you want be different? * Because God can transform you * Jesus can give you a new heart * That is a promise....