Sermon Tone Analysis

Message: In situations of persecution or difficulties, let’s lift God’s name.

Intro:

Dear brothers and sisters, so great to see you.

So many things happned this week, Maybe let’s pray together now.

Dear Lord, we want to lift our worries and burden in front of you.

The flood, lord may the rain calm, and help could be given to those who is needed.

In Ulkriane, we saw everyday people dying, Lord have mercy.

And lord, today give us holy spirit to listen to your words,so we know your will, and could become hands and feets of Jesus.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Yes Many things happen.

And one Religious discrimination law that shelved.

A few b/s asked me what it is about.

This bill basically was set up when same-sex marriage was legalized, and religious organization started to worry their rights, especially say Christian schools might get sued.

This bill took until this year to be passed, but because of all the oppoistion, especially cancelling 83(3) where schools cannot run through their ethos.

It was too much concesssion, so at the end of dropped it.

This raised question about are we Australian Christian are being persecuted?

The simple answer is no.

While it is important to protect our religious freedom.

We are not being persecuted.

We have freedom to gather and worship, join the army, vote, be prime minister.

Maybe , we should know those who are persecuted.

In Open Doors - Afgantisdan and North Korea are the two most persecuted in the world.

Actually two of our missionaries are exactly serving these areas, maybe indirectly.

North Korean any time you are discovered, you are in a forced labour camp.

It is equally life-threatening in Afghanistan, simply owning a bible, your family might kill you.

And so maybe, while we are nowhere persecuted, like those countries or these apostle, we might understand them and this passage a bit better.

And today, while our voice may be the minority, or even verbally abuse, or margin, maybe this passage be our encouragement.

Background Story so far:

As we have said, acts 1:8 is the theme of the book.

Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

As we continue to move through the book of Acts, we see the fulfillment of this promise.

Rev Leung talks about the holy Spirit comes upon the disciples , resulting in supernatural power leading to courageous, life-giving witness.

Last week Pastor Philip talks about as this group shows courageous as they witness Jesus, they rely on Spirit, they become united.

In anyway, signs and wonder accompanied the preaching of the world, and no one can deny that Godf was at work in a new way.

But as they establish, they fellowship, they witness, difficulties arises.

First internal, as we see the laying of Anania and Sapahira to the church has serious consequence.

God decisvely dealed with the sin, as a gospel without holiness is no gospel at all.

But also, increasing opposition from the outside, especially from the religious establishment that has opposed the ministry of Jesus, and then crucified HIm, took the same hostile approach towards the apostles.

“John 15:20 “Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’

If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.

These words were beginning to be fulfilled.

And so our passage comes right after another powerful show of spiritual power Acts 5:12-15 “Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles.

And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico.

None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem.

And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them.”

We will see three places that these disciples go, and each one raised a great question for us?

And disciples response give us some principals to follow.

In Prison (17-26)

And so, the price they had to pay for this spiritual power.

And the most important one here is jealously.

They filled with jealousy they arrested them.

See this is an esclation of persecution, before it was only Peter and John, now it is all the apostles, before it is just threaten them with words, this time round they want to kill them all.

The thing is this Christian movement directly threatens their whole Jewish religion existence.

They are preaching this person who was just hanged by them is actually the Messiah and was restore Israel and even the entire world.

They are preaching that temple is no longer as anyone who have faith in Jesus can have forgiveness and meditation of God.

They are preaching the scraficial system is no more as the ultimate scrafice is in Jesus.

They cannot see pass that God may be doing a new thing.

They did not love these apostles.

Their faith in God does not critize GOd for when his Spirit comes.

And so what we see he is a conintue carnal counter power, the power of politics and sword.

Their emotional opposition, their jealously, intimation turn into physical and legal opposition.

They go from commanding them not to speak, to putting them in prison publicaly withto shame them and set up a very tough prison to stop their movement.

And this perseuction, emotional, legal, physical reaches a climax in the next chapter, when Stpehen is stoned to death.

But what happened?

God is still working through all these progression, and this time by miraclsous interavtion.

An angel came to release them at night, and told them to continue preaching this life.

At that time they still don’t have a name for the gospel, Christians, just this life.

And see how the apostles do, after this miracolus deliverance, they straighly go back to the task at hand, to witness this life.

The miracle is so impressive, that the leaders did not know they left, and just when they thought how can it be?

Have to escaped?

And actually they were just nearby, in the temple preaching.

But this whole episode raises one question?

Questions: Why sometimes no miraculous deliverance?

We see all this miracle happening in Acts?

Why is God not acting now with some many sufferings?

The NSW Flood, the war in Ulkriane?

But even Acts does not happen all the time, we see very soon Stephen was stoned, Jacob was killed by Herrod.

In a way it’s God’s sovereignty, it is his will that these deliverances come, according to his free will.

But more importantly, the disciples never forgot about this life, this life that transformed by Jesus Christ does not only depend a miraculous deliverance.

When miracle comes like this one, we could give life, we could speak all the words of this life, we could give powerful witness.

But if you are not delivered, angel does not open that door, we may simply live Jesus life.

In all the suffering and disappointment , God is still with us , giving us strength to sustain us everyday.

And in some way, some of this suffering is good for us, but some we have to acknowledge we don’t know why.

But we know also at the end our all things turned for the good for those who trust in God, and that we would always have a resurrection life.

Apply:

When I reflect upon this church.

I see a lot of miracles happen.

People beliving in God, people getting healed, people experience God’s guidance in their life in significant ways, we praise God with that.

And at these times we give life.

but there are times that we pray and pray, sometimes, it is about holding to our faith, asking God to beside me.

And so how is our faith, how is our religion.

Is it based on miracle deliverances all the time, and when God does not deliver us, we complaint to him.

Or we will be like the freiends of Daniel, when they enter the fire furnance as they obey God, they say Daniel 3:17-18“If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king.

But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” Will our religion be always triumphist only about God’s miracle deliverance, or do how we share struggles, and a dark valleys?

So in miracles let’s give life, and in suffering live life.

And this turns us to the next scene, in front of the Sendrian as the apsotles are dragged back into this opposition.

Front of Sendrian (27-33)

是古代以色列由71位猶太長老組成的立法議會和最高法院。這個議會包括一名大法官、一名副大法官和其他69名成員。在開會時這其他69名議員坐成半圓形。猶太公會擁有其它猶太法庭所沒有的權利，比如它可以審判國王、擴張聖殿和耶路撒冷的邊界，它也是最終規定任何法律問題的部門。個公議會即有法庭的作用，也有管理或者政治作用。隨外國統治君主留給當地政府的權力以及當地君主的權力大小, 這個公議會的權利大小也不斷變化。

IN some way, it acts as a court and government at that stage.

And I guess if you have been called into this, you would be scared.

In front of these people who has power to prision you, to threaten you, or even kill you.