← ArchiveActsSunday, May 19, 2019DateMay 19, 2019Speaker—TextActs 4Passages in this sermonActs 40:35Acts 4:15:062 Corinthians 419:21TranscriptMachine transcribed. Click any line to jump there.0:00Music. Okay, how are y'all doing?0:29Excellent. If you have your word with you today, join me in Acts chapter 4. We have Bibles here in the pews for you. So if you didn't bring one, I know some of you walked in today, he said, damn, those are back. I didn't play a mean joke on you. These are Bibles. If you do not have a Bible, and I've already had a friend that's asked me today, he said, can I have one? I said, absolutely. We believe in the word of God that changes our lives,0:58changes our hearts, and transforms our world. So if you don't have one, please, that's our gift to you today. Acts chapter 4. My name is Josh, by the way, lead pastor here. I didn't introduce myself earlier. And we've been working through the book of Acts, and we'll continue to do so this summer. A series called The Model Church. We want to know what we should look like so that we can become what we should look like. And, you know, thinking back through my life to this point, I really believe, as my parents told me,1:27I really believe that I could be anything I want. Right? I mean, we, my generation, and I'm not going to tell you how old I am, I'll just let you guess. But we grew up with our parents telling us, little Josh, you can be anything you want to be when you grow up. And guess what? We believed it. And so I think really for our, for our young adults, for our youth, and for our kids who are in the back,1:57and for our younger men and women right now, we, we have a deep desire to change the world. Youth, am I not right? Are y'all awake? Yeah, some of you. Thank you, Noah. God bless you, friends. I'll give you your money after church. Yeah, but I want to do something for the Lord. I don't want to just sit and, and rust or rot. And then I get to the end of my life and I realize how much I wasted. I mean, how much time I wasted on TV2:26and mindless entertainment or those memes that, that are all over the world. And we just get lost in that. I was listening to the radio today, or actually this week, and they said the grumpy cat died. You know the grumpy cat meme? Sorry, I wrecked some of your weeks. The cat, their, their nine life left. This week. And so the grumpy cat's no longer with us. But how much time we spend on mindless memes2:53and plans that do not matter, squandered on, you know, squandered on being mentally absent for our families and for our wives because we've wasted our time at work. We've used all of our energy chasing the wind or these plans that we make and projects and meetings and busyness and being religious or onto the next best thing3:21or the hopes and dreams. And I look, look back and I realize, look, do these even matter in eternity? Yeah, I don't want to waste my life. And I get to the grave and say, God, I didn't do anything for you. I want to be bold. And that's my heart for us as a church and for a community that we are bold in our faith, that we're not content just to play this on Sunday mornings, but that we radically want to change the world3:51and be bold in our faith. And I believe, I'm convicted, that we live in a world that desires boldness. Whether they know it or not, they want something greater than themselves. And I can prove that very simply through marketing, right? Some of you have used and I've used it in the sermon and notes are online. We type in bold faced fonts. I don't think that's by accident. You can buy chips at the grocery store, Frito-Lays. You can buy the bold pack.4:20Some of you like the bold pack. You can even purchase bold hairspray that will keep your hair in perfect symmetry. And whether you admit it or not, don't raise your hand. Some of you watch the bold and the beautiful. Now, what is our world telling us? We want to be bold for something. We desire boldness. And with that,4:50we're going to look at the early church. We're going to look at a man named Peter that was bold for Christ. And my desire, the title of the sermon today is simply just a bold people, a bold people. So how do we get to this point? To Acts chapter 4, verse 1. So Peter and John are going to the temple as they do constantly, probably every day. And they're going to this, they pass this gate and the gate's called Beautiful, named after me, obviously.5:20And there's this man who's lame, 40 years old, the scripture tells us. And he's been there every day at this gate. And so he's there because his parents want him to beg for money because he's disabled. And in the ancient world, there was nothing he could do. In an agrarian society, you can't plow the fields if you can't walk. And so they drag him to this gate called Beautiful, again named after me. And Peter and John walk up and so he's begging for money.5:48And Peter looks at this man and says, well, some of you know it in the King James. Silver and gold have I none, but what I do have in the name of Jesus Christ, may your pockets be full. No, that's not what they say. In the name of Jesus Christ, get up and walk. And so what we have in Acts chapter four6:18is you have Peter and John and the not so lame man standing. This is the picture where we pick up in Acts chapter four, beginning in verse one. While they were still speaking to the people, that's Peter and John, the priest, the captain of the temple police and the Sadducees confronted them because they were annoyed that they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus6:48the resurrection of the dead. So they seized them and took them into custody until the next day since it was already evening. But many of those who heard the message believed and the number of men came to about 5,000. So we don't know if this is 5,000 more than what we talked about last week at Pentecost or 5,000 total or just 5,000 men. So maybe it's another 5,000 women and 5,000 children. But whatever's going on7:16with the community, they're hearing the word of God. Lame men are walking and the religious Sanhedrin gathers the group and says, okay, we need to stop this. So before we look at that, let's pray. Father, we simply ask right now that we would understand your word. Lord, we know we cannot understand eternal truths without the Spirit of God opening our heart and giving us the faith to believe7:46and the strength to serve. So Lord, we ask that you do that for us. Father, if there is someone here that does not know you, Father, if they are the lame man, I pray that they would hear the good news of Jesus Christ, that he is the Messiah, that he lived a sinless life, that he died for their sins and that you are calling them into relationship today if they believe. We pray that we would believe and that you would transform us. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. And amen.8:15And amen. So verse one, bold truth number one in verse one, a powerful gospel annoys a power-hungry world. A powerful gospel annoys a power-hungry world. So look what is going on, right? So Peter is preaching in verse one and who shows up? We have an interruption in the service. People of prestige, we have in verse one, you have who? You have the priest and you have also8:45the Sadducees. you also have the CSB which is what I preach from says the temple police or the captain of the temple guard. It's this man named the Sagan we know in Greek. And this was a man who would have been from the family of the high priest and he would have been in charge of all the security in the area. And we know that the temple captain would have most likely been a stepping stone position to the high priest.9:14So there's some interested parties here because he knows if I do a really good job if I make a name for myself and I squash this rebellion hey maybe one day I'll be the high priest and everyone will look at me and they'll desire what God is doing in my life. So it's a stepping stone position and with complete transparency this is what the word of the Lord says. they gather everyone up9:44everyone up this band of brothers they come into the church or the colonnade and they interrupt Peter's sermon. Why? We see in verse 2 because they were they were grieved the King James says I heard right the CSB also says that they were they were annoyed something that they've heard has caused angst in their hearts. what could that be? Are they having a theological10:14a theological discussion? I don't think so. It was somewhat theological because for the Sadducees you know people always say they're sad you see because they don't believe in the resurrection. So what you see is what you get. You live you die you're done. And here they go to the temple complex and Peter is proclaiming what? The resurrection of the dead because Jesus has risen to new life. Now let me again paint the picture. You have Peter10:43preaching you probably have John here and behind Peter is who? Standing up. The lame guy except he's not lame. He's standing. So can you imagine coming in saying we don't believe in this Jesus but yet this Jesus is the same one in the name of that this man who was paralyzed for 40 years is no longer paralyzed. And they're proclaiming this powerful resurrection and the Sadducees don't like that because they don't believe in the resurrection but they can't11:13deny the miracles of God. But I think more than this if there's a resurrection if they believe who Jesus is what does Jesus say about life as they know it when Jesus returns what's going to happen? And we've talked about this in Acts Jesus has a sinless life he died on the cross he rose again and now he sits and we don't talk about this in church much but he ascended into heaven and he's sitting down he's sitting where? He's sitting11:43He's sitting at the right hand of the Father but he's not staying in the seat. One day he's coming again the second coming and when he comes again he's going to reestablish recreate everything. we have so messed up the world that God's going to remake it. There are going to be new heavens and new earth which reminds me don't get attached to this because it's going to be made new. Now I do12:13believe we see glimpses of eternity in the world. I believe we're going to get to heaven and say man the trees are so much greener than I saw on earth but God you are showing me a picture of your beauty and your majesty. man the fruit in heaven tastes so much greater but I remember what it tasted because I was able to taste it here on earth and Lord it reminded me of your majesty and your glory. And so Jesus if what we believe is true Jesus is saying12:42to the Sadducees I am coming to disrupt your life one day. See Jesus doesn't let us stay where we are. And I believe the bold claim of the gospel is causing grief grief in the King James annoyance in the CSB because if we're really honest we're very much like the Sadducees and the temple guard and the Sanhedrin.13:11If we're really honest most of us like our lives don't we? And we want just enough of Jesus not to mess up our lives. We want we're okay living a happy existence and we want God to bless us more than what we have but we don't want him to come again and change everything. We just want to stay where we are. And the13:40And the Sadducees understand a fundamental truth. If I don't believe in the resurrection and Jesus is who he says he is I got a problem. And if you are here today and you don't want Christ to mess up your life as it is you have a major problem because the Jesus we see in scripture this Messiah radically changes who we are. Radically changes. It's going to annoy the fire out of you because that's the power14:10the power that's the boldness of the gospel. Are you ready for this bold truth? And you say well I don't want my life messed up. It'll be for God's glory and for your good. There is no better place to be than in relationship with the Father through the Son Jesus Christ. That is the power of the resurrection. That is the power of the gospel working in us. And the danger that we live is that14:40is that most of us don't want to change or to be changed. Or we want Jesus to change us in a way that we're comfortable with. And Jesus says it's either all or nothing. Do you believe who you say I am? So with all of this they set up a power play. And so we now have in verse five the next day rulers elders scribes assemble into Jerusalem. Jerusalem is the capital. We have the power players of15:10of the capital. With Caiaphas John Alexander and all the members of the high priest family. So here's what's going on. Ancient documents tell us that they would have their councils in a crescent moon. So think behind me. Right? So you would have this crescent shape with all of your important figures. And on one side there's a scribe who's taking notes, who's transcribing anything for the15:39for the defense. And on the other side you have on this side of the crescent moon another scribe and he's writing down accusations. And in the middle of all these people right here you have Peter and John. So can you see the intimidation factor? Now if I'm there I'm looking at the scribes trying to figure out who's writing more. Defense or accusations? And they're intimidating intentionally16:08intentionally Peter and John. And this is going on because they do not want their lives disrupted. They fundamentally want power because a powerful gospel annoys a power hungry world. So here's the power structure behind us. Peter and John in the middle. And then they asked this question in verse 7. They just come out with it. After16:38After they had Peter and John stand before them in the middle they began to question them. By what power? Bingo! This is their annoyance. By what power or in what name have you done you authority in my life? Wrong question to ask. True question but that was the fundamentally wrong question to ask17:07ask because at that moment the inquiry betrays their interest. They don't care about theology. They don't care about the temple. They don't care about Yahweh. They care about who? Don't take my power. And are we not the same way? We live a life that God you can have anything you want but don't take away my power. Lord I will give you anything but I don't want to surrender my life. I'll17:38I'll call you Savior but I don't want to call you Lord. And Jesus says but I'm the same. I am not Peter flips the script. I love Peter. Peter instead of giving them a defense gives them a name. By what power do you do this? And Peter simply says this. Verse 8.18:088. Peter filled with the Holy Spirit said to them rulers of the people and elders. He's being nice right now by the way. If we are being examined today about a good deed done to a disabled man this guy I can think Peter laying his hands on him and saying hey this guy right here by what means has he healed let it be known to all of you and to all18:37all the people of Israel and to the people of St. Clair County that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth by the way whom you crucified God raised from the dead by him this man is standing here before you healthy this Jesus is the stone rejected by you builders which has become the chief cornerstone so if you want to know by what power we live by his name is19:07is Jesus wow I guarantee you they never ask that question again by what power it's as if Peter is relaying the second Corinthians four we have this treasure in jars of clay so that the extraordinary power may be from God and not from us church let me ask you are you living out the power of God in your life if19:36if I'm honest I don't see the power of Christ working out in the church anymore in the west if you pull up on Operation World of the Joshua Project the places in the world today where the church is growing the most let me give you three of those top ten just quickly number one Iran the20:05the church of Christ the power of the resurrection is growing faster in any other place in the world than it is in Iran number two the church is growing faster in Afghanistan than any other country number four Cambodia number seven Somalia what do these places have in common extreme persecution and difficulty20:35difficulty that is the power of God this church is rising up in Iran and saying we can't do anything in our power but we can do a lot through the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ so go ahead and bring us before your little crescent moons just google the Iranian flag when you get home by the way and we'll tell you the power it's not of ourselves it's not in our buildings it's not in21:05in our strength or plans or programs it is by the power of the name of Jesus Christ you know what list the United States is on it's in the top 30 least growing countries I think we are relying on our power less than we are on the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ so I simply want to ask right now who has the power and control in your life is21:33is it Jesus or is it Josh who has the power and it would be wise for us to ask the same question that the Sanhedrin asked in chapter 4 of verse 7 by what power or what name can we do this it's Jesus Christ a bold gospel annoys22:03annoys a power hungry world and it will eat at you until you confess him as Lord and live out in the power of the resurrection bold claim number two look at verse 12 exactly where we picked up and where we pick up and exactly where we left off he says there is salvation in by the way if you didn't get all that about the you rejecting the capstone you builders if you didn't get all of that look22:32look at verse 12 there is salvation in no one else for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved the Sanhedrin wanted a name they wanted a defense and Peter gave them a sermon typical pastor right you want a name you want an easy power but let me give you23:02you a sermon of the glory and the majesty of Jesus Christ not only is this a name of power but Peter says this is the name the only name that people can believe in and be saved bold truth number two for us in the church is right here in verse 12 an exclusive gospel is bold for a pluralistic world and23:31and exclude listen if you believe in Jesus Christ you believe in the only name by which men under heaven can be saved how many other names are there there there there's a lot how many names are there that can save none none and so I want to unpack this listen Peter did not give us a list of programs Peter gave a direct answer and instruction Peter gave the same exactness24:00exactness that I want an air traffic controller gave him when my pilot calls him up and says hey we're about to land Peter Peter didn't say well you know what there's about five runways here that are open I think you just figure it out you pick one anyone want that air traffic controller hey number three looks pretty good I don't know the schedule but if you hurry you might be able to get there I want my air traffic controller to say you know what everything else is clogged24:30clogged up but 31 is open you looks perfect let's go and so we live in a world that feels pluralistic but when it comes down to life and death we actually want to be exclusive don't we I don't want my pilot saying well I don't like 31 I don't like odd numbers give me 30 give25:00give me 32 I want my pilot to say there's only one runway that I'm going to take and it is the runway that brings us safely home it's exactly what Peter does and Peter begins to unpack these truths and he zeros in in the one name that brings salvation I believe church we have lost our conviction that Jesus Christ is the only hope I believe that we have lost25:30lost the conviction that Jesus Christ is the only hope because we live in a pluralistic world that says this I'm okay believing in Jesus but I'm equally okay you not believing in Jesus because that's the way we live isn't it well I don't want to talk to I don't want to talk to Bill about faith because he might get upset at me and I don't want him to hurt my feelings if25:57if that's the way we live listen I would rather hurt someone's feelings and they find Jesus Christ than them love me and they go to hell because I have not opened my mouth about the one name that can save and we do not push the gospel on people we cannot convert people by the sword but church have we lost our conviction that Jesus Christ is the way the truth26:27truth and the life I think we have let our culture teach us that there are lots of ways yes we believe in Jesus but he's only one way so I am fine with someone else living by another way hoping that one day they will live good enough and that my God will accept them let's read again verse 12 there is salvation in who no one else this is a language of urgency for there is no26:57no other name under heaven given to people by which men can be saved I simply believe that we do not share Christ because we're not convicted of this truth we're not convicted of the urgency and the exclusivity of the name of Jesus Christ wow what a powerful name but it is the name are you sharing in June we're going to go out with crossover Birmingham and we're going27:27going to knock on doors and canvas the moody area we invite you to be a part of that and to open up doors and tell people look there is one name that Jesus Christ but here's the power of the gospel you can be saved if you believe that is a bold claim some people want answers instead give them a name give them a name his name is27:57is Jesus Christ when's the last time you had a gospel conversation with someone because you care so much about their soul and their eternity that you shared the name of Jesus you shared the resurrection with people who don't believe that's exactly what Peter does bold claim number three let's continue on so they realize they've asked the wrong question to the wrong person at the wrong time and then we see in verse 1328:2613 they observe the boldness of Peter and John and they realized that they were uneducated and untrained literally the word uneducated untrained means that they did not have letters they possibly could not even read and they were amazed and they recognized that they had been with Jesus bold truth number three boldness is found28:55is found in the presence of Jesus Christ you want boldness spend time with the Savior you want to do great things in this world spend time with the Messiah that's exactly what has happened and this the word here the boldness the word that they use for boldness is a Greek word that means freeness of speech it's almost as if someone who was a slave or could not speak that now they're speaking about something29:25something they have a new found freedom it's almost in Peter's life that they've actually cracked the dam to his heart and now there's water everlasting water spilling out because he's free to share the joy that is in him you see the gospel is not a burden it's a delight for those who know it and this is the boldness that they have the Sanhedrin didn't understand because Peter was uneducated and29:54and in the struggle they have again let me paint the picture yes Peter is uneducated he's speaking with such boldness and beautiful language about the resurrection and the one who has the name to save and to his right probably is John and they're trying to deny the resurrection but to the left as Peter is speaking with boldness you have lame guy but no but he's not lame he was lame man and he was lame for 4030:2340 years and he was begging at the temple gate and now he's no longer lame but he's standing and so they can't deny the power of God working in his life because they see the power of God in his life you you want to be bold spend time with the Messiah and as I was reading this passage this week really this is the one verse that began to stir my heart and stir my30:53my mind and really wrecked me spiritually thinking if I could only have one thing said about my whole life it would be this I don't want to be known as a great preacher or leader or husband which that would be nice or a great father these are all great things but if you could only say one thing about my life I wish you could look at me one day and say man Josh has been with Jesus he's31:21he's been with the Savior there's a boldness and an affection there's a love and a desire we don't know what's happened but we do know one thing we know that he spends time with the one that he says he loves can the same be said of you this morning would your neighbors look at you and say Richard Richard have31:50have he been with Jesus Christ they don't even have much education we don't know how he's doing it but one thing that he he spends time with the Savior if that's not you I want you to know right now that Jesus died so that you would be in relationship with him that God has designed you to know him and love him and be loved by him32:20him forever and if you repent of your sins and call upon the name the one name under heaven by which men can be saved if you would call on that name today you can be saved but some of you right now are Christ followers and you have not spent the time that you should spend with Jesus I think we're all32:47but I want to look back on this week and say God I know I messed up a lot of places but I have spent time with you I been with Jesus that is a bold claim boldness is found in the presence of God and look at verse 19 so they threaten them now let me stop really quick so they're uneducated unlearned and and we see that by the name of Jesus33:17Jesus Christ the lame are now not lame and so after all this someone has the bright idea to say you know what maybe if we threaten them they're going to say okay we're just kidding we're done if the name of Christ if the power of God is so powerful in their life what is a man's threat so they shouldn't have asked by what power and authority and now they shouldn't have threatened him because we33:47we pick up in verse 19 and Peter says this in John okay guys listen up Sanhedrin whether it's right in the sight of God for us to listen to you rather than to God you decide for we are unable to stop speaking about what we have seen and what we have heard this is boldness this is this is a Bible verse that has34:16has carried the persecuted church throughout centuries has carried missionaries that are facing death you can kill me you can threaten me but we are unable to stop speaking about this name the one that can change your life radically and for now and throughout eternity what boldness is found in the presence of God I want that I want to be with my Savior and say Lord give me34:46me this boldness that when people threaten me I say really your threats the Jesus that makes the lame walk and the blind see and I'm worried about you game on Satan game on bold truth number four Peter and John now go to the church and they released and they go and they tell the church in verse 23 they35:16they tell their own people everything that has happened to them all the threats all the worries all the trials all the persecutions and when the church hears this in verse 24 they raised their voices to God and they said so they began to pray this is their prayer look at verse 29 wait for it right you're thinking they pray that God would strike them down with lightning35:46lightning no they pray that the Lord would open up the earth and just eat the Sanhedrin no that was in numbers they pray that God would send quail and satisfy their their appetites and then kill them they would just blow up no this is the prayer and now Lord in verse 29 consider their threats and36:14and grant that your servants or grant that we also that us may speak your word with boldness while you stretch out your hand not to kill but to heal more people for more signs and more wonders and that they would be performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus and when they prayed the36:43the place where they were assembled was shaken and they were filled with the Holy Spirit and they began to speak the word of God boldly bold truth number four if you want to live a bold life for Jesus Christ a praying people are a bold people wow what a prayer I just want to be honest with you this is not the prayer that I would be praying Lord send the angels on the scary locust things and Joel37:13Joel you know remember the locust that had the faces of a horse send those guys like the Apache helicopters of the Old Testament send them like God just destroy them and yet the church says Lord give us the boldness God we want what Peter has Lord we want what John has Father when we're threatened we just simply say we can't help it this is what Christians do Christians live for Christ Christians37:41Christians live boldly for the name of Jesus Christ Christians believe that the resurrection is so true that even if we die we're going to be raised again and the second resurrection is going to be so much greater than this life anyway so go ahead and kill us by the glory of God to live as Christ and die as gain it's a lose lose for you Satan it's a win win for those that know Jesus this is boldness and I just38:10I just want to know have we lost the boldness in our lives because we don't pray like we should are we praying selfless prayers with the power38:28world I want to pray prayers like like the early church that says God consider their threats Lord we know that you hear all things but we know that the psalmist says that before a word is on our tongue you know it completely so Lord you heard their threats but God don't don't protect us we don't really care about that right now Lord may we boldly boldly pray God things38:58things and if it cost us our life if we go to jail if it costs us sending our kids away to Afghanistan or Iran by the way the church is growing so much faster there they'll probably be better off anyway God if we had to send our generations out that the world might know about this name of Jesus it's worth it so Lord boldly work in us how does it when39:28when they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God boldly when was the last time your life was shaken by the power of God when was the last time where you were praying before God not selfish prayers not God give me a better car God give me a bigger house or God help my toenail or God my39:57my neighbor is not liking me right now so destroy their fence when was the last time that we were really shaken that God do something great in me when is the last time we believed like that when is the last time we prayed God there is a lame man and I know he wants silver and I know he wants gold but I don't have anything but I give him40:27and Lord we don't just want physical healing God that's great that's temporary but change his life for all of eternity the nations are raging as you can go back and read that prayer but they're counting on the people of God to to hit our faces and maybe that's your response to the Lord today that you come to the altar you hit your knees where you are and you hit your face and you say God I want boldness to live the power40:56power of the spirit of the living God I want conviction that there is only one name under heaven by which men can be saved the name of Jesus Christ Lord I want the boldness that people can look at my life and say we don't know what's going on but we do know one thing and we know they've been with Jesus today wow that's what I want that if you go to the restaurant they say I don't know what's going on at Bethel but41:26but your face is shining like you've seen someone so much greater than yourself we're going to sing a song of response and I just ask you to simply pray like the early church pray say God shake us God I'm tired of just playing this I'm tired of being in the Sanhedrin God I want to be standing in the middle with boldness proclaiming the truth of the good news maybe you're here right now and you think this is too good to be true and you say well Jesus can never save anyone41:56anyone like me I just want to affirm you this way if God can save me he can save you and if you would simply acknowledge your sins and say God it can be as simple as God I believe today I know that I have fallen42:19if you will do that with a sincere heart the Bible says you will be saved and we want to celebrate with you we want to celebrate with the heavens that when God radically changes lives there's a party in heaven for one sinner that has come to faith church may we be a place shaken by the power and the presence of God because we live boldly42:48boldly for the one name under heaven by which men can be saved the name of Jesus Christ father← Previous in ActsSunday, May 12, 2019Next in Acts →Sunday, May 26, 2019More sermons on Acts →
