United in Prayer
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“Church On the Move”
“United in Prayer”
Acts 4:23-32
2 years ago we took a family vacation to Alabama. Connor, Levi and I were able to leave a couple days before Kristi and the girls, so we could enjoy the journey. Instead of taking the most direct route to Alabama, being south and east, we went east then north then south then west to get where we were going.
As we started that journey, I knew how many states Connor had been in, but I learned that Levi’s list was significantly smaller. SO, we purposed to add as many states as possible to the list. Along the way we did some fun stuff like biking through downtown Nashville, stopping at the worlds largest knife store, and camping beside a river with nothing but hammocks for a couple hours.
We experienced new things, and things I wish we hadn’t. I got to witness Levi’s first time seeing the ocean, and his first-time swimming in the ocean.
There was one incident where we were almost killed by a vehicle that almost ran us off the road. While looking for the aforementioned river to stop and sleep for a little while, it took almost an hour of driving for me to realize we had been driving right beside it for about an hour…maybe a little more maybe a little less (I WAS SUPER TIRED)
The bottom line was the JOURNEY WAS EXCITING!
Everything didn’t go the way we wanted the whole time, but life rarely does.
Life is full of ups and downs, highs and lows, AND TOO OFTEN good times interrupted by bad times.
The same goes for the Church on the Move.
Sometimes it seems like it would just be easier to mind our own business, deal with the stuff that comes up in our own lives, and not try so hard to do what is required of being a Christian.
BUT THE FACT IS, IT IS IN THE HARD TIMES THAT THE GOOD TIMES ARE MADE GREAT TIMES.
There was a meme going around FB not to long ago that said something to the effect of
Bad times make strong men
Strong men make good times
Good times make weak men
Weak men make bad times
It points to the fact that we typically grow stronger through adversity. Good things happen under persecution and hardships.
It was the accusations that the 120 were drunk that led to Peter, preaching the first sermon that led to 3000 souls being saved.
Last week I preached the story of Peter and John going to the temple for prayer and encountering a man that had been lame from birth, 40 YEARS!
THESE WERE EXCITING TIMES!!!!
PEOPLE WERE ASTOUNDED!!!
Again, Peter has an opportunity to address the AWE and Amazement of the people!
Repeatedly, Peter and the other disciples PREACHED JESUS!!!
Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 1:18 that the preaching of the cross is foolishness to those that are perishing, but to those that believe it is the power of God unto salvation. A few verses later in v 23 he says, we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles.
Over and over this method is used to bring people to a saving faith in Jesus!
It’s taking the bad to highlight the BEST!
It’s using the circumstances that are hard to show people there is a better way!
In Acts 3, Peter took an incident (the man being healed) and used the opportunity to show people Jesus!
That led to BOTH Peter and John being ARRESTED in Acts 4:3
And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening.
But Peter used this incident to call out the religious leaders of the Jewish faith.
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
The crux of it all…
And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
I think that is where I left off last week. The fact that Peter had used this incident to not only bring glory to Jesus, but to call for repentance, and show people that there is ONLY ONE WAY TO THE FATHER!!!
As they were on this JOURNEY, As they were being the CHURCH ON THE MOVE, they experienced hardship that opened the doors of opportunity for Peter to share his faith.
I talk a lot about the necessity of sharing our faith with other people. The reality is MOST people aren’t ready to HEAR, but they can’t help BUT SEE!!!
The reality is a lot of people in the church aren’t ready to share, BUT HOPEFULLY, we are all ready to live differently than the world around us.
We can live in a way that produces thirst in others.
We can live in a way that is a light to our community around us that causes people to SEE.
Acts 3:9 the people SAW!!!
And all the people saw him walking and praising God,
When people see our lives and see something different in us, eventually, we will have open doors and open ears to tell them why we have the faith that we have!!!
BUT EVEN THEN, THE HARDSHIPS WILL COME!
People, influenced by evil, will still seek to destroy us.
They will seek to have their own way!
They will seek to disseminate the lies of the enemy. They will constanly try to tell us that lifestyles and ways of thinking that are diametrically opposed to our ways of life and beliefs are not just OKAY, but Better.
The fact of the matter is we have to shine brighter and be saltier to help people see, and preserve what morality is left. We have to let something be seen and experienced in us that causes people to want to know more about the Jesus we follow.
Look at the next 2 verses
Acts 4:13-14 SAW, PERCEIVED, AND RECOGNIZED!!!
Acts 4:13–14 (ESV)
Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition.
Too often people HEAR what we are against, BUT WHAT IF THEY SAW WHAT WE ARE FOR?
What if they SAW, PERCEIVED, AND RECOGNIZED that we LIVE AND LOVE like Jesus.
WHAT IF THE RECOGNIZE THAT WE HAVE BEEN WITH HIM?
What if they were left speechless because the evidence spoke for itself?
What if we went about being so kind to folks (regardless of ANYTHING) that they couldn’t or shouldn’t be able to say anything in opposition.
BUT THEY STILL WILL!!!
Speechless or not, those that HATE God, or the idea of Christianity will still rise up.
The religious leaders recognized that there was no wrong that had been done. They recognized that the masses had witnessed the NOTABLE SIGN. They knew it couldn’t be denied. SO, they did the only thing they knew to do. They decided to try and preserve their religious system. They told Peter and John, to go and teach no more in the name of Jesus.
UPS AND DOWNS.
Highs and lows.
Regardless of how good it seems, or how bad it feels, life is a lot like Missouri weather…give it a day and it’ll change.
HEALINGS THAT LEAD TO THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE JESUS
SHARING JESUS TO PEOPLE THAT HAVE WITNESSED THE NOTABLE SIGN THAT LEADS TO ARREST
RELEASE THAT LEADS TO A COMMAND TO TEACH NO MORE IN THE NAME OF JESUS.
They have an opportunity to walk away quietly. They have the opportunity to smile and nod politely, and continue to do what they do.
INSTEAD, Acts 4:19-20
But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”
They had a deep conviction because of a deep relationship!
They had spent time with Jesus and they LITERALLY believed and understood their PURPOSE.
They knew they were chosen and commissioned to spread the truth of Jesus.
BUT Purpose or no purpose, persecution WILL come!
Rest assured that if you are in the will of God, the enemy will be seeking to stop you.
BUT PETER AND JOHN KNEW WHAT TO DO!
AS THEY WERE RELEASED THEY KNEW WHERE TO GO!
To this point the church had been united.
THEY SHARED IN ALL THINGS!
And this meant they shared in burdens which meant they would share in prayer. They would take these hard times, and seek God in them.
PRAYER!!!
This is one of the greatest privilege we have as Jesus Followers.
Prayer IS THE FULFILLMENT of what Jesus came to accomplish.
Jesus came to fully restore our ability to commune with a Holy God.
He came to be the intercessor between the broken creation and the perfect Creator.
He did this by fulfilling the requirements of the Law once and for all.
Because of His sacrifice we can come BOLDY to the throne of Mercy and Grace.
Prayer is not only something we SHOULD do, IT IS SOMETHING WE GET TO DO!!!
So, prayer is simply conversation…
IN Genesis 3:8-9
And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”
There is an implication that this was a normal thing. There is an understanding that they knew God would be looking for them, because it was that time of the day…BUT COMMUNION WAS BROKEN
Sin would lead to a separation between God and Man that would last until the seed (Jesus) would crush the serpents head.
As we approach Easter we are coming to this time when we commemorate the fulfillment of that FIRST PROMISE following the Great Fall.
We look to the time when Jesus hung between life and Death for your sin and for mine.
We look to the time when He said “IT IS FINISHED” as He yielded up His Spirit.
We remember the time when the disciples came to find an empty tomb and hear from an angel, “HE’S NOT HERE, HE HAS RISEN!”
So every Sunday as we eat the Lord’s Supper together and remember His broken body and spilled Blood, LET’S ALSO REMEMBER THE GREAT OPPORTUNITY AND HONOR WE HAVE IN COMMUNING WITH HIM ON A REGULAR BASIS!
Rabbi Abraham Heschel, “Prayer is a humble answer to the inconceivable surprise of living!”
And that’s exactly how the disciples went to God..
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.
Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.
I. They remembered WHO would pray with them Acts 4:23
When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them.
a. UNITY, TOGETHER
b. The Lord’s Prayer
i. Our Father
ii. Forgive US
iii. Give US OUR daily bread
II. They remembered WHO God IS Acts 4:24
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,
a. Albert Einstein “We must live like EVERYTHING is a miracle, or nothing is a miracle.
b. Have an AWE of God that leads us to KNOW WHO HE IS
III. They remembered WHAT had happened Acts 4:27-28
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.
a. Be RELIANT ON HIM
IV. They remembered God’s Promises Acts 4:25-26
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’—
a. We have to know God’ Promises
V. They remembered WHAT they Needed Acts 4:29-30
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.”
VI. They received What They Asked for Acts 4:31
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.
KEEP IT SIMPLE, KEEP IT REAL, KEEP IT UP
B.H. Clendennen said one time, “The most heinous crime is that of prayerlessness.”
We MUST be known as a people that prays and communes with God.
COMMUNION
For the next few minutes as Kristi and I come around and serve you communion, spend some time in communion with Him!
Examine yourself, and be sensitive to the Holy Spirit as He points out areas where you may need to confess, then be obedient to confess!
Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.
PRAY
For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.