The Focused Church at Jerusalem
Acts 6:1-7
May 20, 2012

Most recently in our studies of Acts we have recognized that
While Christ is growing His church, Satan is also attacking it.

We have seen intimidation from outward sources
That escalated even to physical violence and incarceration.

And we have seen inner deception with the influence of
Jealousy and ambition seeking to wreck the church from within.

And in both of those cases the church stood strong.

Well tonight we learn of another attack,
And yet again we see the church withstand it and move forward.

What we have here is the age old problem of grumbling.

It is the common response of people when the flesh tries to creep in
And people start fighting for their rights.

And it should be comforting to us to know
That even the early church was human.

For up to this point they have sounded like the unbelievable church.
• They are unified,
• They are tremendously giving,
• They aren’t intimidated by threats of persecution,
• They live so holy that the outside world is in awe of them,
• They have church services that last well over three hours
• They are growing at such a rapid rate is literally mind-boggling

We could look at a church like that and assume
They had no problems whatsoever.

That is until we get to a story like this one,
And this is one we can all identify with.

All we have to do is read the first verse, “Now at this time while the disciples were increasing in number; a complaint arose on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food.”

And that one verse has all the intrigue and problem
That any church member could dread.

Grumbling – Widows – Prejudice – Selfishness
And if you have been in church any time at all,
You have undoubtedly seen events like this unfold as well.

Because we are believers, filled with the Holy Spirit,
We have expectations of harmony and peace and unity and joy.

Because we are humans, living in the flesh,
We have the reality that if not careful we can fall into just the opposite.

Well that is precisely what this church was up against,
They were under attack.

And let me remind you that all of these attacks are thanks to the enemy.
That doesn’t mean we let people off scot free and only blame the devil, Certainly sinning people need to repent,
But we don’t let the devil off either.

His influence can easily be spotted in skirmishes like this.

So we see the church once again under attack.

But it is also important that you notice exactly what is under attack.

One could read this story very quickly and someone could ask, what is Satan trying to accomplish?

And you could easily give the answer that
He is trying to cause division and destroy the church’s unity.

And that answer would not be wrong.
It is obvious he is causing a tension between Hebrew and Hellenistic Jews that would threaten to divide the church.

Or at the very least cause the church to move to two services;
An early service for those who like Greek culture,
And a traditional service for those who like it the old Jewish way.

But that is not all that is at stake,
And that is not even the main thing Satan is fighting.

Satan is not just trying to steal the church’s unity,
Satan is ultimately trying to stop the church’s message.

You will notice that when the apostles come together to give an answer
To the dilemma their first word on the subject is this,
(2) “It is not good for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables.”

It is not coincidental that these were their first words.
You know how church conflicts work.
• They start with someone feeling wronged or cheated
• Then it leads to grumbling about the problem
(both of those had clearly occurred)

But you and I know what always comes next.
Someone gives their opinion as to how the problem should be solved.

And where do you take your opinion?
To the leaders (in this case the apostles)

And by reading verse 2 we even know what that opinion was.
What was it?

That the apostles needed to spend less time out preaching
And more time feeding the widows.

That is why they answered the way they did in verse 2.

Satan is no dummy he is not only trying to wreck unity
He is trying to slow the message of the gospel.

That is why at the close of this story,
After the attack has been escaped, Luke says this:

(7) “The word of God kept on spreading…”

Luke started with the problem of widows being overlooked
So to bring closure to his argument he should have ended by saying,
“So the widows got their food and the church settled down…”

But that is not what he said,
Because that was not the threat he was most concerned about.

Luke knew that this was an attack on the word of God being preached
And at the end of the day he is rejoicing
That the church had enough focus to settle their problems
Without limiting their message.

And that is why I call this section “The Focused Church at Jerusalem”
• They didn’t just see their own problems…
• They didn’t just see the immediate solution…
• They were focused not only on meeting needs, but on remaining faithful at the same time.

And that is a mark of a great church!

They did not lose their outward focus
Even when dealing with inward struggles, and many churches do.
It is easy, especially when there is conflict inside a church,
For a church to completely lose sight of their outward mission
And just sort of go into survival mode.

This church didn’t.
They settled their problem and they remained faithful.

And they did so by being focused.
So let me show you how this church’s focus
Carried them through this dangerous patch of water.

There are 5 things in our text tonight as we work through the story.
#1 THE COMMOTION
Acts 6:1

We already read this verse earlier to introduce the issue,
But you understand it.

Satan is crafty, if he can’t hold you back, he’s liable to push you forward in hopes that you fly past the mark.

And that is what he attempts here.
He has had no success keeping the church from growing,
It has grown in spite of everything he has tried.

Intimidation didn’t stop them.
Deception didn’t stop them.
Persecution didn’t stop them.

So now Satan attempts to use their growth against them.
“Now at this time while the disciples were increasing in number…”

The last recorded number of the church was in Acts 4:4
Acts 4:4 “But many of those who had heard the message believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.”

That was during Peter’s second sermon
And first arrest that just the men totaled 5,000.

That wasn’t counting women or children or youth.
And that doesn’t even take into account Acts 5.

Acts 5:14 “And all the more believers in the Lord, multitudes of men and women, were constantly added to their number,”

The point is that the church is exploding.
They went from 120 at Pentecost to
Probably somewhere around 20,000 at this point.

And we really couldn’t have been going for more than a few months.
Imagine if our church went from our current attendance to 20,000 in the next few months, do you suppose some problems would arise?

Satan thought so too.
And one did here.
“a complaint arose on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food.”

What a perfect opportunity for division.

Take a ministry that requires man-power and money, like feeding widows.
And take a ministry that requires basic love for humanity.
And Satan found his place to attack.

“Hellenistic Jews” were those of Grecian influence.
Thanks to Antiochus Epiphanies and his attempts to eradicate Jewish culture,
Some Jews came out of Israel with a decisively Greek culture.

• They spoke Greek, not Hebrew
• They read the Septuagint, not the Hebrew Old Testament
• They were Greek in their culture and way of life. (considered worldly)

Pharisees actually called them “Second class Israelites”

On the other hand we had “native Hebrews”
• These were the old school traditionalists.
• They spoke Hebrew, read Hebrew and lived Hebrew

Not too hard for us to understand.
• Let me just ask you, do you think the church should sing more hymns or choruses?
• Do you think we should sing them with a full band or only a piano?

And instantly you get the idea of the division here.
And while that difference was being tolerated,
All it needed to erupt was a catalyst.

And that catalyst was some of the Hellenistic widows
Not getting their meals on wheels one day.

And people’s suspicions being what they are,
“I’ll bet those Hebrews did it on purpose!”

It was a division waiting to happen.

That was the commotion.
#2 THE CIRCUMSTANCES
Acts 6:2

Ultimately we find that it led to a church assembly.
It certainly didn’t take long until the commotion reached the ears of the apostles,
And I can almost hear it.

And not only does the commotion come
But the obvious solution in people’s minds.
They think the apostles need to take care of this personally.

And that is why the first words out of their mouth are, “It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables.”

And I absolutely love the apostle’s focus.
• They were stuck in a difficult place, and I know this place.
• They were caught between the desires of the people and the conviction
of their calling.

What was their calling?
Acts 1:8 “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

The apostles were called to preach the gospel

What were the desires of the people?
A little less preaching and a little more ministry.

This is a tough road to walk.

When I first started preaching I had an older preacher come and tell me, “Rory, people will forgive a bad sermon, but they won’t forgive you not visiting them in the hospital.”

His advice was that as a pastor I need to make pastoral visits the priority,
Even if it causes my preaching to suffer.

And he is not at all alone in his thinking

And that is the pressure the apostles face,
But notice their focus and their resolve.

“It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables.”

• What are you too good to serve tables?
• Don’t you care about the widows?

And certainly the apostles did, but the issue was
They were called to preach the word of God.

If they didn’t preach, no one did.
They were the avenue through which God spoke,
And God’s word could not be neglected for anything.

It is a matter of priority.
HOW IMPORTANT IS IT THAT GOD’S WORD BE PRESENTED TO THE FLOCK?

They were not saying feeding the widows was not important, for it is.

James 1:27 “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”

In 1 Timothy Paul outlines in detail
The church’s obligation to care for widows.

Taking care of widows is important,
But not at the sacrifice of the word of God.

The Commotion, The Circumstances
#3 THE CONCLUSION
Acts 6:3-4

Here was the conclusion of the apostles.

The simple answer?
Get someone else.

Now it couldn’t be just anyone, they gave specific criteria these men needed to meet, but the answer was still “get someone else”

And they may sound harsh to some,
But in reality this is the church in some of her greatest beauty!

Romans 12:4-8 “For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.”

What Paul wrote there (also echoed in his letter to the Corinthians)
Is that the church is a body and that of many members.

And what Paul says there at the outset is huge.
“we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function…”

He goes on to say, “we have gifts that differ” and “each of us is to exercise them accordingly.”

And then gives the example of what he means.
And the idea is that if you have the gift,
Then use YOUR gift to the best of your ability.

• “if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith”
• “If service, in his serving”
• “he who teaches, in his teaching”
• “he who exhorts, in his exhortation”
• “he who gives, with liberality”
• “he who leads, with diligence”
• “he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness”

Now notice Paul did not say
• If you have the gift of prophecy then you need to neglect that and
instead go show mercy.

• If you have the gift of teaching put that aside and go start figuring out
how to give more.

• If you have the gift of giving ignore it and start preaching.

That would be foolish, that isn’t how the body is supposed to work.

And we can’t forget it is not men who selected their gift, but God.

1 Corinthians 12:11 “But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.”

It was God who selected us and God who distributed out the gifts.
And it is God who says go and fulfill that gift.
That is why what the apostles say makes absolutely perfect sense.

It wasn’t that they were above delivering food…
(There are days I’m sure that is what they would rather do)

It’s just that food wasn’t their calling, preaching the gospel was.
And that the risk of irritating people and making themselves unpopular
The apostles still chose to follow God’s calling and fulfill His mission.

So when the issue arose, they said, “get someone else”

And as we said they didn’t just want anyone…
“select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task.”

1) “from among you”
They had to be believers in the church

2) “men”
This position of leadership required the selection of men

3) “of good reputation”
They were going to handle money and food and have responsibility, they needed to be people that could be trusted

4) “full of the Spirit”
These needed to be Spirit-led men, not men of the flesh.
They needed to be men who served for the right reasons, not for their own glory or selfish gain.

5) “and of wisdom”
The idea being that they knew how to seek and trust God with a ministry that would require solving problems and dealing with people.

Trust me when I tell you if you are going to deal with people
You need God’s wisdom.

And if the congregation could find men that fit those qualities the apostles would “put [them] in charge of this task.”

And after putting them in charge:
(4) “But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

And that of course is the flip-side.
Widows were important, but so was prayer and preaching,
Under this plan they both get fulfilled.

But it also speaks volumes to the expectation of a preacher.
Scripturally it is justifiable to withdraw from certain ministries
For the purpose of delivering God’s word.

But one can certainly say if you are going to take that exemption
You had better devote yourself to the calling.

Paul told Timothy:
1 Timothy 4:13-16 “Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching. Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery. Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all. Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.”

So the apostles were justified in not taking on this ministry,
But were even more expected to fulfill their previous one.

The Commotion, The Circumstances, The Conclusion
#4 THE COMMISSIONING
Acts 6:5-6
And this speaks to the seriousness of the job.
The congregation (in unity) accepted what the apostles had to say
And chose the new leaders.

And after these men were selected based upon their criteria,
They were specially commissioned.

(6) “And these they brought before the apostles; and after praying, they laid their hands on them.”

This was a passing of authority and charge of expectation.

To do this was one saying to another,
• “I extend my ministry through you.”
• “You are going to do what I cannot”
• “I am with you, I trust you, I send you, I grant you authority”
• “Go and do with my blessing”

It is a serious thing and comes with the weight of much expectation.
(This is why we do this at commissioning services for mission trips)

These men had a job to do
And they are being charged by the apostles to do it well.

And it fits perfectly.
We’ll do our job, you do yours, and the church will move forward.

What tremendous focus!
• No one ignored their spiritual gifts…
• No one ignored their calling…
• No one ignored preaching…
• No one ignored the widows…

The church operated like the church and all were blessed!
That is the nature of being focused.

One more thing
#5 THE CONFIRMATION
Acts 6:7

And the result?
“The word of God kept on spreading”

Luke was not as concerned about the widows being overlooked
As he was about the message of the church being silenced.

And since the solution came through the body fulfilling its role,
“the word” continued.

And Luke reminds us why that is important.
“and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priest were becoming obedient to the faith.”

Now there is a hard sell.

If they accepted Christ as the Messiah and fulfillment of the Law
• They were out of a job
• They lost their prestige
• They lost their income

And yet even they believed.
WHY?
Because God’s word never returns void.

Now, aren’t we glad that the apostles didn’t quit preaching
At the request of the masses to make sure the widows were fed?

If they had verse 7 would have read something like this.
“The widows were fed and the division was quieted, but the church hit a stalemate and few converts were reached from this point on due to the lack of preaching taking place in Jerusalem.”

See, this church had focus.

The encouragement to us is simple.
1) Keep focus and follow the Spirit not the flesh; His solutions are better
2) Do what you are called and gifted to do
3) Don’t let inward division keep you from maintaining an outward focus

The early church was focused and as a result Satan lost again.

It was a rough patch of water, but they were guided safely through
Simply by remaining faithful to what God had called them to.

Ephesians 4:14-16 “As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.”

Understanding Opposition
Acts 5:12-42
May 13, 2012pm

As you remember last time we met
We talked about those subtle attacks of Satan.

And how Satan filled Ananias’ heart to lie to the Holy Spirit
And try to infiltrate the church with hypocrisy.

And we have noted that the church most certainly has an adversary.

While the book of Acts is clearly the record of how Christ grows His church, it simultaneously proves to be a record of the opposition that Satan gives to Christ’s work.

No sooner did the Holy Spirit arrive than resistance did as well.

It is only in the second recorded sermon of Peter in this book
That Peter and John were arrested and threatened.

Of course that didn’t stop them.
The church merely prayed for boldness and went forward.

Then we found that account of deception through Ananias and Sapphira, but thanks to Peter that event didn’t stop the church either.

God removed that threat.

But one thing that is clear is that threats continue.
Christ is growing His church, but Satan is opposing it.

Paul definitely reminded us of this in his letter to the Ephesians
Ephesians 6:11-12 “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

We know we have an enemy who seeks to stop our mission.

He worked against Paul in his travels…
1 Thessalonians 2:18 “For we wanted to come to you — I, Paul, more than once — and yet Satan hindered us.”

He worked against Paul by affecting his listeners…
2 Corinthians 4:3-4 “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

We know that even after a person is saved, Satan works to deceive them, primarily through false prophets and teachers.
2 Corinthians 11:13-15 “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.”

We know that Satan seeks to tempt us.
1 Corinthians 7:5 “Stop depriving one another, except by agreement for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.”

We know that Satan seeks to take advantage of us.
2 Corinthians 2:10-11 “But one whom you forgive anything, I forgive also; for indeed what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, I did it for your sakes in the presence of Christ, so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes.”

We know that Satan seeks to torment us.
2 Corinthians 12:7 “Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me — to keep me from exalting myself!”

We know that Satan wants to devour us.
1 Peter 5:8 “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

That is why Paul said about overseers
1 Timothy 3:7 “And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.”

And we know that Satan continually seeks to accuse us before the Father.
Revelation 12:10 “Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night.”

And I think you get the idea.
The church has an enemy.
The church has opposition.

And Jesus certainly wanted His disciples to know this ahead of time
So that they would not be shocked when it occurred.

He told them in the upper room
John 16:1-4 “These things I have spoken to you so that you may be kept from stumbling. “They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God. “These things they will do because they have not known the Father or Me. “But these things I have spoken to you, so that when their hour comes, you may remember that I told you of them. These things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you.”

It does no one any good to forget about our opposition.
We are called to be alert, to be ready, to be in defense,
And to take our stand against him.
And one of the things that is also helpful in this struggle
Is understanding why and how he works.

Here in the 5th chapter of Acts Luke helps us understand
Exactly why the church was so opposed.

And while Satan’s name is not mentioned in the chapter,
his fingerprints are everywhere.
We know that all opposition to the church is his doing.

Paul wrote to Timothy
2 Timothy 2:24-26 “The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.”

All the opposition the church faces is the result of Satan’s activity.
He is the one we war against.
He is the one who seeks to devour us.

And when men attack the church,
It is only because they are held captive by him to do his will.

And that is certainly what we see here.
We see the opposition and we see why they give it.

5 things
#1 JEALOUS OF HER POPULARITY
Acts 5:12-18

What you will immediately notice here is
Luke is making a point about the church’s popularity.

EVENTS OF THE CHURCH’S LEADERS (12)

It is clear that nothing has slowed down.
God is still granting His apostles
The ability to work miraculous signs in the name of Jesus.

This was for their validity
And God is doing it a lot

ESTEEM OF THE CHURCH’S MEMBERS (13)

I really like this verse.
It is probably the most rarely duplicated aspect of the early church today.

First, that no one “dared to associate with them”

WHY?
Because Ananias and Sapphira were just struck dead,
And the people knew you don’t go to church and lie to God.

The early church had a reputation of being sincere and real and holy.
And that is why “the people held them in high esteem.”

Of all the things that church might have been accused of,
“Just being a bunch of hypocrites” wasn’t on the list.

Like them or not, the world knew they were for real.

EXTENT OF THE CHURCH’S GROWTH (14-16)

The point of these verses is merely to give you a picture
Of just how popular this church was.

“multitudes of men and women, were constantly added to their number”

• And those that weren’t added were lining the streets.
• And people from surrounding cities were showing up as well.
• And they were all being healed, which only added to the circus.

Luke wants you to understand the church
Was experiencing popularity in record fashion.

The church was the main attraction going in Jerusalem.
It might have used to be the temple,
But now people were coming to Jerusalem because of the church.

And that leads to the first explanation of opposition.
EXPLANATION OF THE CHURCH’S ENEMIES (17-18)

And now you see that Luke wasn’t bragging in those first few verses
He was merely explaining why they were so hated.

And it is a simple word: “JEALOUSY”

“and they were filled with jealousy.”

It may seem strange, but at the root of the opposition to the church
Is not only the jealousy of men, but also the jealousy of Satan.

We’ve actually studied it several times here recently,
But we know that jealousy and selfish ambition is demonic.

James 3:14-15 “But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic.”

And the reason James says that is because those things are an indicator of Satan’s personality ruling your life, not God’s.

Satan was himself jealous of God.
Isaiah 14:12-14 “How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations! “But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north. ‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’”

And because of that we know that those
Who walk by Satan’s influence are also jealous.

Matthew 23:6-10 “They love the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues, and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called Rabbi by men. “But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. “Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. “Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ.”

These men were influenced by Satan and they clearly
Wanted the glory that was reserved only for God.

• The point being here that Satan wants God’s glory and when the church glorifies God it sets Satan off.

• He then influences men and tempts them with jealousy as well and thus the church is under attack.

• And as we saw last week this not only happens from the outside, but also the inside.

Ananias was also jealous of the fame that Barnabas received
And that is why Peter noted that Satan had filled his heart.

But if you want to understand what is at the heart of opposition,
It is that Satan is jealous of God’s glory.

So I guess if you want to avoid opposition, then never glorify God.

Satan is Jealous of her popularity
#2 PERPLEXED BY HER POWER
Acts 5:19-26

Here is another reason why the church is opposed,
It is that the world simply doesn’t understand her power.

We know the apostles were arrested,

READ (19-24)

And there you see it.
“they were greatly perplexed”
How did the apostles escape from jail?

You will even notice they weren’t sure how to deal with them.
READ (25-26)

And this is another reason the church has opposition.
The world (and Satan) are perplexed by her.

We’ve already seen this once.
Acts 4:13-14 “Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus. And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say in reply.”

And here we see it again.
There was no rational explanation for her power.

In the early church they were perplexed by her miraculous power,
But even today the world is perplexed
By the church’s power to see lives transformed.

We live in a world that loves for man to get glory.
Our world wants to credit science and medicine for everything.
There is simply no room for the supernatural.

• And so when sinners quit sinning…
• When drunks quit drinking…
• When drug addicts quit using…
• When the violent quit fighting…
The world is perplexed and ultimately opposed.

Listen to what Jude said:
Jude 8-10 “Yet in the same way these men, also by dreaming, defile the flesh, and reject authority, and revile angelic majesties. But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, ” The Lord rebuke you!” But these men revile the things which they do not understand; and the things which they know by instinct, like unreasoning animals, by these things they are destroyed.”

The idea behind this is that the church makes the world
Look wrong and foolish, and they world hates that.

Certainly Satan hates it.
His way is in direct contradiction to God’s way,
And when God succeeds it makes Satan look dumb.

When the church succeeds in changing lives
It makes the world look dumb and they hate it.

So if you don’t want opposition, then don’t walk in the power of God’s Spirit and never do anything that the world doesn’t understand.

Jealous of her popularity; perplexed by her power
#3 ENRAGED AT HER CONVICTION
Acts 5:27-33

Boy we’ve seen this before haven’t we?

Here is that same intimidating Council.
This is that mob family again.

It is Caiaphas and Annas and all the crew, and they are already angry.
(28) “We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.”

I thought that was their idea?
Matthew 27:24-25 “When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this Man’s blood; see to that yourselves.” And all the people said, “His blood shall be on us and on our children!”

They clearly asked for His blood on their heads,
But at this point they aren’t happy about it.

And then Peter lowers the boom again.
PETER’S MOTIVE (29)

Peter made no bones about why he didn’t follow their orders.
He had sanctified Christ as Lord in his heart,
And if man’s orders and God’s orders were in conflict, then he had to obey God.

PETER’S MESSAGE (30-31)

This is classic Peter.
Not only does he answer the question,
But he again gives them truth they needed to hear.

Namely this:
Jesus is Risen & Jesus grants Repentance

The One whom you killed is alive
And He is the One that can forgive you of your sins.

So even though Peter is in danger of proclaiming Christ,
He not only continues, but he proclaims Christ right here in the court
That has him on trial.

PETER’S MISSION (32)

Peter let it be known why he did not obey their orders.
He served God not man, and God had told him
To share the truth of the resurrected Jesus.

We call that conviction.
Peter was not easily shaken.

Now the Council was angry before,
But look at their response to Peter’s conviction.

(33) “But when they heard this, they were cut to the quick and intended to kill them.”
And there you have a third reason
Why there is such opposition to the church.

Satan and his world are enraged at the church’s conviction.
• They hate the fact that the church cannot be bullied or intimidated.
• They hate the fact that the church won’t conform under their pressure.
• They hate the fact that they have no control over the church.

This is certainly reason for Satan’s rage.
• He longs to control.
• He is from long ago a usurper.
• He loves to be in control of things he has no right to control.

It was God’s world and Satan sought control of it.
And he still wants control of it.

And Satan has control of everything in the world
Except for one thing: The Church.

He can’t control the church.

John 10:1-5 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber. “But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. “To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. “When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. “A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.”

The church is led by Christ.
The church is led by His Spirit.
And they refuse to follow the voice of another.

And this has always irritated Satan,
And this is why he and his world oppose the church.
It is the church’s non-conformity that angers the world.
• Why we won’t believe evolution…
• Why we won’t condone abortion…
• Why we won’t accept homosexuality…
• Why we won’t embrace drinking, or gambling, or other such things…

It is our conviction that angers the world.

So if you don’t want opposition, then just drop your convictions and go with the flow, stop going upstream and the opposition will stop.

They are Jealous of our Popularity They are Perplexed by our Power
They are Enraged at our Conviction
#4 LIMITED BY HER LEADER
Acts 5:34-40

And this really is a frustrating thing to the enemy.

WHAT WAS THE GOAL OF THE COUNCIL?
(33) “They…intended to kill them.”

This is what they wanted to do.
But God intervened.
And God intervened through a man named Gamaliel.

And he shows up with a logical argument that spares the disciples.

RENDER CAUTION (34-35)

Be careful Gamaliel says. It is not as easy as you think to kill this movement.

REMEMBER HISTORY (36-37)

Gamaliel wants them to realize man-made movements fail and fail quickly.
When people follow a man, they only follow until the man is dead.

“Cut the head off the snake and the body dies”

There is only one instance in which this doesn’t work…
RECOGNIZE GOD (38-39)

And what tremendous council he gives.
You can’t stop God if this is of God.

“but if it is God, you will not be able to overthrow them”

And this is another thing that drives Satan crazy.
God keeps limiting his plans.

Satan wanted Peter and John dead, but God didn’t allow it.
Just as the numerous times Satan tried to kill Jesus,
But we read, “His time had not yet come”

Satan is limited by God.

How many times have we read in regard to temptation..?
1 Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.”

God won’t let Satan have free reign and this is infuriating to him.
He is always on a leash, never able to do all he wants.

God sent Gamaliel with a logical argument and the Council gave in.
(40) “They took his advice; and after calling the apostles in, they flogged them and ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and then released them.”

Now I certainly don’t want to make light of someone being “flogged”
But you see that it was less than Satan would have liked.

These men could not fight and overcome God’s will.
And that is also irritating to the world.

So if you don’t want opposition, then quit following God,
For He limits the world and that irritates them.

They are jealous of our popularity They are perplexed by our power
They are enraged at our conviction They are limited by our leader
#5 POWERLESS TO STOP HER
Acts 5:41-42

I doubt that was the effect they had hoped to have.

They went away “rejoicing” and continuing in the ministry.
Their attack had no effect whatsoever.

• It didn’t make the apostles mad at God…
• It didn’t make the apostles more cautious…
• It didn’t even slow them down.

They still preached not only in homes, but still in the temple.
This powerful council had no negative effect on the church at all.

To them, suffering was merely a confirmation of God’s favor.
1 Peter 4:12-14 “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.”
Matthew 5:10-12 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

How do you argue with such logic?
People who delight in suffering because it is an indicator of Christ-likeness…

And this has to frustrate the enemy as well.
How long has he tried to stop the church and to absolutely no avail.

And so you understand their opposition.
• They are jealous of our popularity
• They are perplexed by our power
• They are enraged by our conviction
• They are limited by our leader
• They are powerless to stop us

So if you don’t want opposition, then your option is clear.
• Don’t ever glorify God – His popularity irritates them
• Don’t ever walk in His power – His success perplexes them
• Don’t ever stand on your convictions – His truth enrages them
• Don’t ever follow God – His power over the enemy frustrates him
• Don’t be a part of the church – Her resilience drives the enemy crazy

However, if you would rather be a part
Of the greatest organization the world has ever known,
Then embrace in your heart that opposition is part of the deal
And serve Christ with all you have.

1 Peter 3:14-17 “But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. AND DO NOT FEAR THEIR INTIMIDATION, AND DO NOT BE TROUBLED, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame. For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong.”

The Subtle Attacks of Satan
Acts 4:32 – 5:11
May 6, 2012

Last week we saw the church under attack
And we saw the church thriving under those attacks.

Peter and John were arrested and threatened,
But that did not deter them nor those who believed with them.

Peter told the Sanhedrin that they must obey God rather than man,
And when they shared with the congregation about the threat
The congregation didn’t retreat, they focused on their big God
And prayed for boldness.

In short, the threat of persecution didn’t faze the church.

And that is the first thing I want to show you tonight.

So let’s look at that and then
I want to show you something else that is very important.

But first off, we recognize that the church was un-phased by the threats.
#1 THE CHURCH’S POWER
Acts 4:32-36

That is a great statement about the church and who they are.

Let me show you a previous statement about the church that we studied:
Acts 2:41-47 “So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.”
That was the church immediately after Pentecost
Back when there was no threat of persecution.

And yet after persecution begins, they are still the same church!
Still unified, still bold, still sharing their possessions.

They don’t seem fazed in the least.

3 things we see here as we notice the church’s power.

1) THEIR UNITY (32)
What a statement!
“And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul;”

It is obvious that persecution
Hadn’t caused so much as a crack in their unity.

You would expect that today if threats came and persecution began
That there would at least be some who think boldness was a bad idea.

You would hope the majority would do as this church did and focus on God and pray for boldness,

But you would still expect that at least some would disagree.
But they didn’t in this church.

They were all on board.
They “were of one heart and soul”

They were unified.

And this is one of the marks of a great church.

Because there is such a push these days for some sort of surface unity,
Unity can get sort of a bad name, but please understand
Unity is important and it is the mark of a great church.

WHY UNITY?

For one reason, BECAUSE GOD IS ONE.

When the Corinthians had division and fighting Paul asked them:
1 Corinthians 1:13 “Has Christ been divided?”

A divided church makes Christ appear to be a little bit of a schizophrenic.
• One group says baptism is necessary another says it isn’t…
• One says salvation is secure, another says it isn’t…
• One says the Bible is God’s Word, another says it isn’t…
• One says holiness is required, another says it isn’t…

And all claim that Jesus told them that.

• So can Jesus just not keep His story straight from church to church?
• Is Jesus confused about baptism, security, the Bible and holiness?

Certainly not.
But it sure appears that way to a lost world when there is such division.
Another reason is because TRUTH IS SINGULAR.

Paul wrote to the Ephesians
Ephesians 4:1-6 “Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.”

Truth is not relative as our world would so readily declare it.
According to our world, everyone is right and no one is
All at the same time.

But truth is truth and it always has been truth.
2+2 always =4
That is the truth.

If truth is singular then the church has no excuse for not being unified.
The church by definition is “the pillar and support of the truth”

And so if we are not unified then we are obviously not all supporting truth.

Another reason is because JESUS WANTS IT THAT WAY.

Colossians says that Jesus is the head of the church and we are His body
Jesus is the Lord of the church.
If He is Lord then His will is supreme.

And His will is unity.

John 17:20-21 “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.”

That verse also indicates that unity is important
TO VALIDATE OUR MESSAGE.
“so that the world may believe that You sent Me”

And so you see why unity in the church matters.

Now, I agree I don’t want some sort of sentimental surface unity
Where we all agree to disagree and smile at Thanksgiving
While we all preach a drastically different gospel.
That is nonsense, and I certainly don’t want that.

But that does not mean that unity isn’t important,
It is, and we are to work to achieve it.

The early church was a great church because they had unity.
Let me show you another mark of this great church.

2) THEIR AUTHORITY (33)

The apostles didn’t just preach with power,
They preached with “great power”
They didn’t just have grace on them
They had “abundant grace” on them.

And they had it because they
“were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus”

They were not intimidated.
Again, in our world of uncertainties, this church was not uncertain.

Paul told Titus:
Titus 2:15 “These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you.”
The early church had that.
Not intimidated in the least.

Unity, Authority
3) THEIR CHARITY (34-35)

You could really even include the end of verse 32 which says, “and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them.”

CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT?

Not only that they did it, but “not one” of them resisted.

They didn’t even have a sour apple in the group
That refused loving charity to those in need.

And because of this, “there was not a needy person among them”

WHY?
Because those who had enough
Freely sacrificed to take care of those who did not.
Even to the point of selling property to fill a need.

Now it’s one thing to give of your surplus,
But it’s quite a different thing to sell something you can’t get back to share.

That is deep deep charity.
And that is also the mark of a great church.

John said:
1 John 3:16-17 “We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?”

James said
James 2:15-17 “If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.”

This church had it figured out.
• You would think that this new threat of persecution would have put a
crack in their unity, but it didn’t.

• You would think that this new threat of persecution would have slowed
their preaching, but it didn’t.

• You would think this new threat of persecution would have caused
them to tighten their fists to brace for any coming hardship, but it
didn’t.

They are the same church after persecution that they were before it.

And from that we see that while we often fear persecution,
It has never been a factor able to stop the church.

Church history proves that the church has thrived under persecution.
Outward hostility has never been the biggest threat to the church.
Worldly persecution has never been the church’s biggest danger.

WHAT IS?
Inward deception.

Satan has never caused as much danger to the church
Through outward persecution has he has through inward deception.

He is far more successful placing SPIES INSIDE the church
Then he has ever been with SOLDIERS OUTSIDE the church.

This is why Scripture gives so many warnings
About this dangerous inner influence.
Galatians 2:4 “But it was because of the false brethren secretly brought in, who had sneaked in to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, in order to bring us into bondage.”

Jude 4 “For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.”

2 Peter 2:1-3 “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.”

And these subtle and dangerous influences are very potent
And dangerous in the church.

That is why we get such warnings about them in Scripture.
1 Corinthians 5:6 “Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough?”

Galatians 5:7-9 “You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion did not come from Him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough.”

All one has to do is look at the churches of the Revelation.

Pergamum was a church in danger
Revelation 2:14-16 “But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality. ‘So you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. ‘Therefore repent; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth.”

Thyatira was a church already fallen
Revelation 2:20-23 “But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. ‘I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality. ‘Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds. ‘And I will kill her children with pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds.”

It is the deceptive danger of a sinful inner influence
That is most dangerous to the church.

And so while the church here shined amidst persecution,
Now we turn to see the really dangerous problem they faced.

The Church’s Power
#2 THE CHURCH’S PROBLEM
Acts 4:36 – 5:11

Now here there are four things I want you to see.
1) THE CONTRIBUTION (36-37)

There is certainly nothing in the world wrong with this incident.
Luke had mentioned how some were selling the property to meet the needs of others and here he gives an example of what he means.

This may have in fact been the initial example.
It is quite likely that Joseph here started the ministry
By being the first to sell property and give it to the church.

Because of his generosity he was given a nickname.
“Barnabas”

“(which translated means Son of Encouragement)”

So his name wasn’t Barnabas, his name was Joseph
But his nickname was “encourager”

And the idea is that he gave the church significant encouragement
Through his selfless example.

• He encouraged the poor that they were loved
• He encouraged the rich to be generous
• He encouraged the apostles who wanted their children to walk in truth

The point is that what Joseph did was highly encouraging to the church
And no doubt earned him a high reputation.

He certainly didn’t do it for the recognition,
But recognition found him none the less.

The Contribution
2) THE COUNTERFEIT (4:1-2)

On one hand you had Joseph who did it correctly,
But it is obvious that the accolades he received
Were a tremendous temptation to some of the other members.

For here we have “Ananias, with his wife Sapphira”

And they also “sold a piece of property”
And they also laid the money “at the apostle’s feet”

The only difference was that Ananias and Sapphira
“kept back some of the price for himself”

Now, there was no sin in keeping some of the money.
• No law said he had to sell the land,
• No law said he had to give all the money.

The sin is in the fact that he pretended like he did.

And here for the first time sin tries to enter the congregation.

MacArthur likened this to the Old Testament account of Achan.
“the troubler of Israel”

Joshua 7:1 “But the sons of Israel acted unfaithfully in regard to the things under the ban, for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, took some of the things under the ban, therefore the anger of the LORD burned against the sons of Israel.”

Joshua 7:25 “Joshua said, “Why have you troubled us? The LORD will trouble you this day.” And all Israel stoned them with stones; and they burned them with fire after they had stoned them with stones.”

He was a man who let his own greed bring sin into the camp
With such a result that God’s favor turned away.

Achan’s greed brought trouble on Israel.
That was the threat here.

The Contribution, The Counterfeit
3) THE CONFRONTATION (3-6)

Peter immediately calls him on it.

• We aren’t told how Peter knew Ananias was lying.
• Perhaps someone informed him…
• Perhaps the Holy Spirit made it known…

But either way Peter was brought to light as to what was occurring,
And Peter was infuriated by this subtle attack on the church.

“Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land?”

Last Sunday morning we talked about selfish ambition and jealousy.
No doubt Ananias had both.

He was JEALOUS of the praise heaped on Barnabas
And he was AMBITIOUS to receive the same praise for himself.

We also learned who is at the root of jealousy and ambition.
James 3:13-16 “Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.”

And that is exactly what Peter said here.
“why has Satan filled your heart..?”

• This was not some secondary incident.
• This was not some coincidental accident.
This was a full scale attack from Satan against Christ’s church.

Satan tried to attack from the outside through the Sanhedrin
And the church went on in unity, authority, and charity.

So now Satan attacks the unity, authority, and charity
With seductive attack from within.

Satan filled the heart of Ananias with ambition and jealousy
And Ananias took the bait and lied to God in order to get gain for himself.

And as Peter noted, this was unnecessary.
(4) “While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.”

Ananias may have thought, this was harmless,
After all the poor were still being helped.

Ananias may have also thought that he was merely fooling men.

But Peter clarifies, “You have not lied to men but to God”

And the result of this confrontation.
(5-6) “And as he heard these words, Ananias fell down and breathed his last; and great fear came over all who heard of it. The young men got up and covered him up, and after carrying him out, they buried him.”

The point was clearly made.
You don’t go to church and lie to God.

NOW JUST FOR A MOMENT MAYBE WE SHOULD EXAMINE
WHY THIS WAS SUCH A BIG DEAL

There are a lot of churches that would say, “So he didn’t give it all, at least he gave some and that is helpful…”

There are some churches today who wouldn’t care
If deception was involved so long as they got the money.
I’ve been around some churches who would take a tithe off a band robbery.

WHY WAS IT SUCH A BIG DEAL?
BECAUSE IT PROMOTED HYPOCRISY

• Which do you suppose God desires more money or truth?
• Which is more important to God in regard to His church, finances or integrity?

What is happening here is opening the door
For the church to completely change directions.

If what Ananias did catches on,
The entire focus of the church could change
From a group of people seeking the glory of God
To a group of people seeking praise from each other.

That is why we talked last Sunday morning about things like the church being careful who they praise.

Think about the children for a moment.
Paul said a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough.

When a child comes to church what do you think they are taught, just by what they see?

• They are told they look nice when they wear a cute dress or outfit…
• They are told they did good when they sing in front of the church…
• They see us pat the preacher on the back…
• They see us applaud the soloists…

And again I’m not saying words of encouragement
Or even appreciating someone who sings or preaches is a bad thing.

But the danger is that our kids learn
That church is a place to get accolades, and they miss the point.

This was the danger trying to infiltrate the church here.
Satan was trying to shift the focus of the church from a place that gives God glory to a place that seeks God’s glory for themselves.

This was so dangerous that Ananias lost his life.

The Contribution, The Counterfeit, The Confrontation
4) THE CONSPIRACY (7-10)

“an interval of about three hours and his wife came in”

MacArthur asked, “How long does it take you to do your hair?”

But that was the point.
She was waiting to make her grand entrance

And the Bible intensely warns about this sort of thing.
Matthew 6:1-3 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. “So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. “But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,”

Sapphira was blasting the trumpet, she was ready for glory.
But, like her husband, Peter stops her in her tracks.

(8-10) “And Peter responded to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for such and such a price?” And she said, “Yes, that was the price.” Then Peter said to her, “Why is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out as well.” And immediately she fell at his feet and breathed her last, and the young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.”

(Let me go on record as saying ushers have it much easier today)

• And so she also was instantly judged.
• God was not about to let this leaven infect the entire lump.
• God was punishing them publicly to leave little doubt as to where He stood.

And let me show you the final thing
5) THE CONSECRATION (11)

I think that is an understatement.

“fear” is PHOBOS
Where we get our word for phobia.

These people had “publicgiveaphobia”

They learned real quickly and without confusion
That you don’t go to church and steal God’s glory,
And you don’t go to church and lie to God.

1 Peter 1:17-21 “If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.”

This is also what Peter meant when he said:
1 Peter 4:17 “For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?”

It is a serious thing to be a hypocrite in the house of God.
• It is a serious thing to be shady leaven infecting the body.
• It is a serious thing to give the wrong impression.
• It is a serious thing to lead others the wrong way.

And God put a stop to it here.

But all that really does is reinforce what Jesus has taught us:
Matthew 18:6-7 “but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. “Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes!”

• This is why Paul handed that one sinning brother over to Satan…
• This is why Paul removed Hymenaus and Alexander so they would be taught not to blaspheme…
• This is why God was killing some of the Corinthians for their hypocrisy surrounding the Lord’s Supper…

They were putting the church at risk, and God would not have it.

The point tonight is obvious.
1) The most dangerous attacks against the church don’t come from outside, they come from within, be alert.

2) Make sure when you become a part of Christ’s church you do so in genuineness and truth, not hypocrisy.

Consecrate yourselves and have a little holy fear.
Do what you do for the glory of God.

And do not let Satan fill your heart with jealousy and ambition
So you lie to God, lie to the church, and blaspheme God’s name.

That is a serious offense.
Be real in the church.

1 Peter 4:17 “For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? “

 

Perspective in Persecution
Acts 4:23-31
April 29, 2012

When last we met we saw one of the most inspiring accounts of perseverance boldness in witnessing we have studied in the Scriptures.

Peter taught us in his epistle very important truth:
1 Peter 3:13-17 “Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. AND DO NOT FEAR THEIR INTIMIDATION, AND DO NOT BE TROUBLED, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame. For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong.”

But before Peter ever wrote those words
He first demonstrated them in the way he lived.

• We saw Peter and John arrested for the sermon they were preaching in the temple after the crippled man was healed.

• And on the next day they were brought before the most intimidating family in Israel.

Annas, his sons, and his son-in-law Caiaphas as well as the other future high priests.

These were the men who tried and ultimately persuaded Pilate to crucify Jesus.
They had no qualms killing the Son of God,
Certainly it wouldn’t bother them to kill His followers.

• And these men surrounded Peter and John and asked them in whose name they worked this miracle.

(if they found Peter and John to be promoting a false god,
they had authority from Moses to kill them)

• But Peter never lost his boldness, Peter never failed to give an account.

• And even when they ordered him to stop speaking, Peter sanctified Christ as Lord and refused to obey.

These men stood toe to toe with the most intimidating family in Israel
And boldly proclaimed allegiance to Christ.
(The man they had just murdered a couple of months ago)

And we were inspired as to “How to give an account”.

Tonight we move on in our story
And learn some of the secret to how they did it.

Now one key to their strength is obvious.
Acts 4:8 “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of the people,”

We cannot overstate the importance of being filled with the Spirit of God.
There is a night and day difference between the Peter at the Passover
And the Peter at Pentecost and beyond.

Their boldness, courage, their strength, it all starts with the Holy Spirit.
And we certainly don’t want to downplay that.

In fact if you have everything else we talk about tonight,
But aren’t filled with the Spirit you will not succeed.

You must be filled with the Spirit as Peter was.

But, there is still more to the explanation
As to how Peter and John accomplished what they did.

They were Spirit-filled, but SECONDLY they had tremendous perspective.

And this wasn’t just Peter and John
But the entire congregation of new believers.
And that is what I want to show you tonight.

In the event that you are in difficult and intimidating circumstances
And are called to give an account,
I not only want to tell you to be filled with the Spirit,
But I also want to tell you to maintain a proper perspective.

Believe it or not this life is filled with things that are not as they seem.

That has always been true, perhaps even more so in today’s day and time,
We can watch movies with special effects, or videos that have been edited, or pictures that have been photo-shopped.

Thanks to the world of computers, things are rarely ever what they seem.

But even before the computer age this has been so,
For there has always been a PHYSICAL realm and then a SPIRITUAL one.

And if we only ever look at the physical realm,
But lose perspective of the spiritual realm,
We are apt to be deceived as to what is reality.

A good illustration is Elisha and his servant:
• Elisha kept giving the King of Israel privileged information in regard to the plans of the King of Aram.
• This infuriated the King of Aram so he sent his armies to take care of Elisha.

2 Kings 6:15-17 “Now when the attendant of the man of God had risen early and gone out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was circling the city. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed and said, “O LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” And the LORD opened the servant’s eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”

The servant was deceived because he had lost perspective.
He had seen the physical clear enough, but had lost sight of the spiritual.

Another example:
Acts 7:54-56 “Now when they heard this, they were cut to the quick, and they began gnashing their teeth at him. But being full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; and he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

There again we see Stephen looking beyond his surroundings
And seeing things from a spiritual perspective.
It was all about perspective.

You could argue this is what was taking place in the book of Daniel
Where Daniel is continually calling the kings to look beyond the way things appear and see that there is a God who is really in control.

• This was the point behind Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of the statue…
• This was the point behind Nebuchadnezzar’s insanity…
• This was the point behind Belshazzar seeing the handwriting on the wall…

It was all an exercise in changing their perspective
To see the spiritual not just the physical.

And if we are to be successfully obedient in this world,
Not only must we be filled with the Spirit,
But we must also learn to maintain this new perspective.

That is certainly something the early church had,
So let’s look at our text tonight and see this perspective they had.

On the heels of the arrest and intimidation and threat to Peter and John we see two things that they and they early church never lost sight of.

#1 THEY HAD COMPANIONS
Acts 4:23

It just seems like a simple little statement,
And it could almost be taken as routine and insignificant.

While it is far from insignificant, it should be routine.

They had the blessing of other believers.
• A place to go for encouragement…
• A place to go for council…
• A place to go for support…
In our mission trip meetings we have been handing out sermons
A few weeks ago we studied one about the importance of the body.

We studied how the Spirit of God uses other believers to help us.

And in that sermon the preacher quoted from an unnamed author,
Here is what that author said:
“Do not let discouragement drench your spirit or fear flood your soul. Despite the howling winds of circumstance, and the undercurrents of the enemy and the power of sin, press on in the power of the Holy Spirit as you hold firmly to the rudder of faith. In the process of holding firmly to the rudder of faith in the midst of this storm, scan the horizon for a fleet of like-minded ships; vessels who adore and serve their King, the Lord Jesus. Once you find them, forsake your isolated wanderings for their protection, fellowship, and instruction.
The old ships will teach you reverence. Battered ships will be a practicum in compassion. Fast clipper ships leading the fleet will instill vision, motivation, hope, and obedience. Slow barges will instruct you in patience and kindness for they often bear the heaviest burdens. Front-line battleships will evoke respect and humility and teach you how to fight spiritual warfare. And even a broken boat will enlarge your heart for meeting needs.
By the way, an occasional collision with another freighter will alert each member to stay on course and faithfully deal with each other in love. No one ship can counsel all these heaven-sent lessons.”

That author understood the necessity of the body of Christ
For helping each other in difficult times.

Not to get too lost in illustrations, but I had another good one come to me via email in regard to this topic. It was called “The Silent Sermon”.

A pastor went to visit a man who had dropped out of attendance from church and hadn’t been seen in several months. When the preacher knocked on the door the man invited him in, but the pastor didn’t say a word, he just seated himself by the fire in the living room. After staring at the fire in silence for a couple of minutes the pastor took the tongs, reached into the fire and took one of the burning coals and set it over to the side by itself. After a few minutes the coal that once was burning went out and began to smoke. The pastor then took hold of that lone coal and placed it back in the flame with the other logs and it once again began to burn brightly. The pastor stood up, as did the man, and the man said, “I’ll be there Sunday”.

It makes the point of the necessity of the body.
We all need each other or we grow cold and our fire goes out,
But as we continue in fellowship with one another we grow and glow.

But you get the idea.
Hebrews 10:19-25 “Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”
We understand that the body is necessary.

You need the encouragement; you also need to give it.
We need the instruction, we need the discipline, we need the prayer.

Romans 1:11-12 “For I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established; that is, that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other’s faith, both yours and mine.”
It is necessary.

I continually get to talk to people in difficult circumstances in life.
One of the first things I always encourage them to do
Is make fellowship with other believers a priority.

And I do that for two reasons.
1) Thanks to pride that seems to be the first thing people quit doing.
2) They need it.

The last statement that author made about the ships was this:
“No one ship can counsel all these heaven-sent lessons.”

I can’t give them all they need.
The church body is important.

Now that is obvious, the perspective part is this:
THEY KNEW THEY HAD A BODY TO TURN TO

• Satan loves to make you think you are all alone in your struggles.
• Satan loves to make you think you are the only one who has it this rough.
• Satan loves to make you think you are the only one who stumbles.

If that is your mindset and you lose sight of the fact
That there is a body for encouragement, you are soon to be discouraged.

God has provided the best support group that the world has ever seen,
It is called the church.

And when you face difficult circumstances (Like Peter and John did)

When you face embarrassing circumstances (Like we all do)

Don’t lose sight of the fact that there is a church to turn to.

These men had a proper perspective.
They had companions and they went to them.

But that is not the only perspective they had.
#2 THEY HAD GOD
Acts 4:24-31

And this is really big.
• When the waves howl and growl.
• When the giant stands and mocks.
• When the enemy encircles you, don’t lose your perspective.

You have God.

Romans 8:31 “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?”

This is one of the worst mistakes we make in this world.
We lose our spiritual perspective.
We fail to see the armies of heaven,
We fail to remember that we have God on our side!

Don’t lose sight of God.
The early church didn’t.

They knew they had God, and notice what they knew about God.

5 things
1) A GOD WHO IS AUTOCRATIC (24)

An “autocrat” is an absolute ruler.
He is absolutely, without doubt, in charge of everything.

Now look at what they called God here in verse 24.
“they lifted their voices to God with one accord and said, “O Lord…”

In this text the church uses a strange name for God.
Ordinarily “Lord” translates KURIOS (nearly 700 times in N.T.)

But that is not what they called Him.
They did not call Him KURIOS here.
They called Him DESPOTES (only 6 times)

It’s where we get our word for Despot.
Despot – “an absolute ruler” it can even mean “Tyrant or Dictator”

The idea is of one who is in such control
That no one can go against His will.

In short, they are referring to Him not only as their Lord,
But as the One who is literally in total authority over the earth.

WHY DO THEY CALL HIM THIS?
“O Lord, it is You who made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and all that is in them,”

God is the total authority, because He is the creator of all things.
And Annas and Caiaphas could give orders,
But they are nothing next to God; the despot of the world.

• Who is Annas next to God?
• Who is Caiaphas next to God?

And so their perspective remained that man could threaten,
But they had God and He is autocratic.

If you will remember, it was actually a failure to remember this that caused Israel to be in such despair.

TURN TO: ISAIAH 40

In verse 1 we hear Isaiah offering “comfort”
Obviously Israel is shaken.

And then of course Isaiah promises that God is coming.

And we even get some insight as to why they were in despair.
They had lost perspective of who their God really was.

READ VS. 12-15
READ VS. 16-26

They had dumbed God down into comparison with an idol,
And when they belittled God, they wrecked their faith.

They had also failed to understand His greatness.
READ VS. 27-31

And so the Isaiah was clear, restore your big view of God
And it will restore your hope.

Well that was a view the early church had.
They had hope because they had good perspective.

• They knew their God was autocratic.
• They knew He was the absolute authority.
• They knew He could do whatever He wanted.

A God who is autocratic
2) A GOD WITH ADVERSARIES (25-26)

Now you will notice here that the early church quotes from Psalm 2.

Psalm 2 is another Messianic Psalm that looks to the futile attempts of the world to remove the Christ from His appointed place.

The peoples devised this futile plan, with the hopes of removing Christ.
Peter quotes verses 1&2, verse 3 reveals their plan.

Psalms 2:3 “Let us tear their fetters apart And cast away their cords from us!”

And the church remembered this,
That God is not a God without enemies.

And let me tell you why this is a good perspective to have.

On one hand so that you will not be surprised by opposition.
John 16:1-4 “These things I have spoken to you so that you may be kept from stumbling. “They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God. “These things they will do because they have not known the Father or Me. “But these things I have spoken to you, so that when their hour comes, you may remember that I told you of them. These things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you.”

1 John 3:13 “Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you.”

On the other hand so you will realize that the opposition is not against you, but God.

John 15:18-19 “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.”

Even when Jesus confronted Paul, notice what He said.
Acts 9:3-5 “As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting,”

So you understand that God has enemies, God has adversaries.

If you don’t maintain this perspective you can fall into the thought
That you have done wrong, and need to change your thinking.

If we thought no one ever got mad at God or opposed Him,
Then we would have no basis for anyone
Ever getting angry at us or opposing us.

But since God has adversaries,
It helps us understand when we face opposition.

The early church had this perspective as well, and it is important.

A God who is Autocratic A God with Adversaries
3) A GOD WITH AUTHORITY (27-28)

Of course we learned this when we saw that God was a despot,
But it is even more defined here.
God is a God with enemies, which is proved by the fact that “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,”

God had His fair share of enemies, and yet despite all their animosity and all their evil advances, we find that God was still in control.

(28) “to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur.”

At the end of the day all the accomplished was to fulfill the plan of God.
For it was decreed that the Christ should suffer.

Last week we read of Peter’s epistle about suffering
For doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong.

Immediately after that verse Peter then uses Christ as an example of this.

1 Peter 3:18-22 “For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water. Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you — not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience — through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.”

Satan did the absolute worst thing imaginable to Christ.
He killed Him and sent Him to hell.

Of course all that accomplished was to set the captives free
Who were waiting for their sin to be atoned for.

Satan must feel stupid a lot, because his plans just never work out
Like he intended, somehow God always seems to win.

Satan is a rabid dog, but he is on a leash and
God only lets him touch and attack what is in God’s plan to do so.

It’s like a man who burns down his neighbor’s barn
Only to find out that the man already had plans of a new one,
But didn’t know how to dispose of the one he had.
God was and is in charge.

And this was the unfailing perspective of the early church.
God was the supreme authority who definitely had enemies,
But the only time those enemies seemed to prevail
Was during those incidents in which God allowed them to
In order to fulfill His own sovereign plan.
Keep that perspective in the midst of difficult times.

A God who is Autocratic A God with Adversaries A God with Authority
4) A GOD WITH ABILITY (29-30)

They knew God could do whatever He wanted,
And that is why the present their request to Him.

The beauty of the request is that they didn’t ask for safety or protection.
They asked for boldness.

• That is the equivalent to crossing the line drawn in the dirt at the Alamo.
• Now they knew what they were in for and signed up anyway.

See, they knew their place.
It wasn’t God’s job to keep them comfortable,
It was their job to make God known.

Acts 1:8 “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

So they didn’t ask for safety, they asked for boldness.

And this, by the way, was great perspective as well.

Remember when Paul was about to be arrested?
Acts 21:10-14 “As we were staying there for some days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. And coming to us, he took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands, and said, “This is what the Holy Spirit says: ‘In this way the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.'” When we had heard this, we as well as the local residents began begging him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” And since he would not be persuaded, we fell silent, remarking, “The will of the Lord be done!”

They understood their purpose.

Another sermon we have read in our mission meetings is one by Charles Spurgeon called “Holding Fast to the Faith”

And he talks about this perspective.
“We also hold fast [the faith] by holding it forth in the teeth of all opposition. We must confess the faith at all proper times and seasons and we must never hide our colors. There are times when we must dash to the front and court the encounter when we see that our Captain’s honor demands it. Let us never be either ashamed or afraid. Our Lord Jesus deserves that we should yield ourselves as willing sacrifices in defense of His faith. Ease, reputation, life itself, must go for the name and faith of Jesus. If in the heat of the battle our good name or our life must be risked to win the victory, then let us say, “In this battle some of us must fall—why should not I? I will take part and lot with my Master and bear reproach for His sake.”
But beyond that, their perspective was of their God
Who is able to accomplish His will in spite of the opposition.

And they asked God to keep doing what He does.
• “take note of their threats”
• “grant that your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence”
• “extend Your hand to heal…through the name of…Jesus”

In other words, keep giving us opportunities,
And give us the boldness to seize them.

We know Annas and Caiaphas have told us to stop,
But that doesn’t concern us.

• What concerns us is our own weakness and inability.
• We can’t heal anyone on our own to create and opportunity,
• And if an opportunity arises we aren’t bold enough to seize it.

BUT YOU ARE
We have no ability, but You have enough for all of us.

And so they prayed to a God who is able, and what great perspective.

IS YOUR GOD ABLE?
Can your God do what is necessary to make the mission a success even in the face of opposition?

The early church’s God could.

A God who is Autocratic A God with Adversaries
A God with Authority A God with Ability
5) A GOD WHO ANSWERS (3)

And just like that, God showed up.
He filled them with the boldness they needed.
He filled them with the courage they needed.

Just as God does today.
He is a God who answers.
He is a God who responds.

And the early church never forgot that.
They knew that when opposition arose
They could go to their companions,
And they could go to their great God.

• A God who is in absolute authority
• A God who has enemies, but they can’t stop Him
• A God with great ability and sovereign control
• A God who cares enough about His people to answer when they call.

And with perspective like that we understand how they endured.

And so when the Annas’ and Caiaphas’ of this world
Surround you and threaten you
Just open your spiritual eyes and see them
Standing at the feet of the God of heaven.
That was where this early church found strength to endure.
• They looked past the armies of Rome or Israel and saw the armies of heaven.
• They looked past the murderous high priest and saw the Lord of the universe.
• They looked past the threats of the Jews and saw the unfailing plan of God.
• They looked past their own human frailty and saw the God who strengthens.

Keep your eyes focused on God, keep your perspective correct
And you will find it easier to hold fast to the faith as the early church did.

Romans 8:31 “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?”

How to Give an Account
Acts 4:5-22
April 22, 2012

Well, if you are one of those folks that just hates it
When the preacher sort of gives you two sermons in one,
I’m gonna have to apologize to you at the onset tonight.

Because the book of Acts is filled with such great narrative,
My mind often finds that it works as a great illustration
To reinforce truth that Scripture clearly teaches.

That being said, I don’t just want to give you the illustration
Without first giving you the substance.

So we are going to study this passage in the book,
But I first find it necessary to give you the basis behind the story.

As you know last week we talked about the message of God.

And we learned that if the message of God is accurately preached,
Then it comes with some expected effects.

1) It is Disturbing

As we said, the gospel message takes no prisoners.
It humiliates men, it embarrasses men, it condemns men.
It magnifies the worst in them, and renders them helpless before holy God

Of course it then picks them up and gives them a true and lasting hope
In the person of Jesus, who accomplishes what wicked men never could,
And that is righteousness before God.

• But before the gospel gives life, it first kills.
• Before the gospel gives hope, it first condemns.
• Before the gospel gives worth, it first humiliates.

And because of this we can clearly see that
Men are easily disturbed by the message of the gospel.

2) It is Despised

And this is the sad effect of it first disturbing men.
There are many who do not respond properly
To the confronting and convicting message of the gospel.

Instead of accepting it as true and yielding their lives to it,
They hate the message and seek to discredit it.

The world in general does not love the true message of the gospel.
Now we also learn that we should preach the message anyway, because 3) The message is Diligent, meaning it accomplishes its purpose and never returns void.

But the point is that we learned that the message of the gospel
Will inevitably land those who preach it in hot water.

We know Jesus said:
Matthew 10:22 “You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.”

We remember Jesus teaching:
John 15:20 “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.”

And that coupled with the obvious story we read here in Acts,
We know Jesus wasn’t joking when He said those things.

If you or I choose to preach the gospel we should not be surprised
If that decision lands us in hot water.

The question at hand is, HOW DO I GIVE A GOOD ACCOUNT?

You may remember we talked about this while studying Psalm 119.
Psalms 119:41-48 “May Your lovingkindnesses also come to me, O LORD, Your salvation according to Your word; So I will have an answer for him who reproaches me, For I trust in Your word. And do not take the word of truth utterly out of my mouth, For I wait for Your ordinances. So I will keep Your law continually, Forever and ever. And I will walk at liberty, For I seek Your precepts. I will also speak of Your testimonies before kings And shall not be ashamed. I shall delight in Your commandments, Which I love. And I shall lift up my hands to Your commandments, Which I love; And I will meditate on Your statutes.”

The Psalmist understood that there was work required beforehand,
He needed to “seek Your precepts”, “delight in Your commandments”, “lift up my hands to Your commandments”, and “meditate on Your statutes.”

The Psalmist saw the need to be prepared ahead of time.
Put wisdom in, if you expect wisdom to come out.

Well, that is the same thing we are talking about tonight.

The difference is where the Psalmist focused on preparing ahead of time,
Tonight we focus on the actual moment when we give an account.

And to get us ready for that I want us to look at another specific passage
That is very direct in its instruction about this very issue.

TURN TO: 1 PETER 3:13-17

We find this passage very beneficial, not only because it is Scripture,
But also because it came from the heart of Peter
Who happens also to be the man on trial here.

So, not only do we learn what Peter said about giving an account,
But we also watch Peter practice what he preached.
Or in this case here him preach what he first practiced.

We can’t spend a ton of time here, but I just want to point out to you
5 definite commands that Peter gives about giving an account.

READ 13-17

1) BE COURAGEOUS (13-14)

Peter is clear in that sometimes suffering comes when it is undeserved,
And it comes in the form of intimidation and troubling.

But Peter’s clear admonition is “do not fear” and “do not be troubled”
In short, be courageous.

2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.”

2) BE SUBMISSIVE (15a)

Very simply Peter says, “but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts,”

Make a conscious decision as to who you are going to follow.

Scripture is clear that a man can’t serve two masters.
And this is especially true when in a position
Where the world is trying to force you to stop obeying Christ.

So make a decision to let Christ be Lord.

Be Courageous, Be Submissive
3) BE READY (15b)

“always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you,”

Be ready can actually take on a dual meaning.

In one sense it means to seize the opportunity. It means that when you are on trial, expect that you will be questioned and be determined to speak.

In another sense it involves preparation, that is to know the truth so you will have something to share. (Like the Psalmist in Psalm 119)

If asked for “an account for the hope that is in you” don’t miss the opportunity
Be Courageous, Be Submissive, Be Ready
4) BE GENTLEY & REVERENT (15c)

“yet with gentleness and reverence;”

• We are “gentle” to the broken who want to know about our joy,
• And we show “reverence” to the king who has put us on trial.

When called to give an account,
There is no cause for brutality or arrogance or any such thing.

It won’t benefit you or the gospel to stir up trouble with your attitude.

Be Courageous, Be Submissive, Be Ready, Be Gentle & Reverent
5) BE HOLY (16)

In short, practice what you preach.
It is no mystery that Christians continually kill their witness
Because of inconsistent living.

This is what Jesus meant when He said, “Be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves”

It is what Peter had in mind when he wrote:
1 Peter 4:15-16 “Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.”

Understand that the goal of those who persecute is to stop you,
And if you give them grounds they will, even if what they find
Is totally unrelated to the message you have been preaching.

Remember how the Pharisees, Sadducees, Pilate, and Herod
All came together in order to kill Jesus?

If you want to give an account then make sure you have
Put on the belt of truth and the breastplate of righteousness.

And so Peter’s commands are clear.
• Be Courageous
• Be Submissive
• Be Ready
• Be Gentle & Reverent
• Be Holy

And then Peter closes it with:
(17) “For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong.”

When you suffer for “doing what is right” you suffer at the hands of godless men for your obedience to Christ.

When you suffer for “doing what is wrong” you suffer at the hands of God for your disobedience to His calling.

Obviously it is better to suffer for obeying Christ than for disobeying Him.

And that is Peter’s point.
It is a clear cut command of how to give an account.

Now let me show you a good illustration of that.
#1 THE HIGH COUNCIL
Acts 4:5-7

You will remember that in verse 4 Peter and John had been preaching the gospel and finally the Sadducees and temple guard could take no more.

They arrested them mid sermon and put them in jail for the night.

Now we get to the morning.
And notice the group that has convened
In order to deal with Peter and John, this is no insignificant court.

(5-6) “their rulers and elders and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem; and Annas the high priest was there, and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of high-priestly descent.”

“Annas” was not actually the current high priest, he was a former one, but he was still sort of the ruler of them all.

You may remember back when we studied the gospel of John we talked about this, how the office of priest had become an office that was very political and almost for sale.

“Annas” was the leader in this.

It was his sons who continually sat as high priest
With the exception of Caiaphas who was a son-in-law.

This was the most powerful family in Israel.

And on this day, not only did Peter and John manage to get a hearing with “rulers and elders and scribes”
They also managed a meeting with Israel’s mob family.

This family killed people who got in their way,
As evidenced by their treatment of Jesus.

And that is who Peter and John are called to give an account before.
And notice the scene.
(7) “When they had placed them in the center…”

Now, we call that intimidation.

“they began to inquire, “By what power, or in what name, have you done this?”

Annas and Caiaphas were not ignorant of Jesus,
They had played a major and personal role in His crucifixion.
Both had tried Him.

After Jesus’ arrest:
John 18:12-13 “So the Roman cohort and the commander and the officers of the Jews, arrested Jesus and bound Him, and led Him to Annas first; for he was father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year.”

This trial took place sort of in the court-yard and it was there
While Jesus was being tried, Peter denied the Lord three times.

From there Jesus was sent to Caiaphas
John 18:24 “So Annas sent Him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.”

I tell you that to recreate the scene.
Peter had already been intimidated before these guys before
And had shied away in fear.

Now he stands before them again, only this time he is the one on trial.
They have surrounded him and want him to specifically say “in what name, have you done this?”
That is tough.

Let me tell you what else they are doing.
Jewish custom after any miracle was always to put the prophet on trial,
To determine whether or not he was legitimate.

It is based upon Moses’ teaching.
Deuteronomy 13:1-5 “If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, ‘ Let us go after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your God is testing you to find out if you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. “You shall follow the LORD your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him. “But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has counseled rebellion against the LORD your God who brought you from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, to seduce you from the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from among you.”

They knew that just because a prophet worked a miracle,
Did not guarantee he was legitimate.
His legitimacy was determined by his message not his miracles.
If he worked a miracle but promoted a different god, he was to be killed.

That is the court that has convened here.
These men have convened to determine if Peter and John
Need to be killed for what they are preaching.
I just can’t imagine a more intimidating scene than this.

The High Council
#2 THE HONEST CONFESSION
Acts 4:8-12

So Peter and John have been put in a very intimidating situation
And have been called to give an account.

What did Peter say?
1 Peter 3:13-15 “Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. AND DO NOT FEAR THEIR INTIMIDATION, AND DO NOT BE TROUBLED, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;”

So let’s see how he does.

Now we mentioned that the last time Peter stood before these men
He fell away in fear.

But this is a different Peter.
(8) “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them,”

This is the Spirit-filled Peter, way different than the other Peter.

And again we remind ourselves of the importance of being Spirit-filled.
“Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit” says the Lord of hosts”

And then Peter is ready to give an account.
READ AGAIN 8-12

What I want you to notice is that not only is Peter ready,
But he is also prepared.

He speaks up, not only to the council, but “to all the people of Israel”
Peter wants everyone to know this!

And there are three things he wants everyone to know.
1) JESUS IS THE GLORIFIED SERVANT (10)

That is of course a reference back to what Peter had just taught the crowd
About why this man was healed.
Acts 3:13a-16 “The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus…And on the basis of faith in His name, it is the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know;”

• That is the same thing Peter preaches here.
• This man is healed because God is glorifying His servant.

When He was alive He glorified Him with the works He gave Him to do,
Now God glorifies Him still by granting that works be done in His name.

This man was healed because Jesus is the glorified Servant.

2) JESUS IS THE CORNER STONE (11)

Now this is an interesting point that Peter brings up.
It is very Jewish, but it is highly unlikely
That the Jews would have missed what Peter was insinuating.

The Scripture Peter is quoting is Psalms 118:22

TURN TO: PSALM 118
Again, we won’t spend much time here,
But you need to understand the backdrop.

This Psalm was part of what is called “The Hallel”
(Psalm 115-118)

It was the hymn commonly sung at the Passover, the hymn the disciples
Would have sung after their Passover meal on the way to the garden.

It is the Psalm of a champion.
But it is also a Psalm of the Messiah, and it perfectly fits Jesus.

Go ahead and mark this Psalm as follows:
(5-7) – Gethsemane
(8-9) – Gabbitha
(10-14) – Golgotha
(15-18) – Graveside
(19-21) – Glory

It is a Psalm that depicts that the conquering Messiah
Would first be wrongly accused and attacked
Before He opens the gates of righteousness.

That is why verse 22 says this:
Psalms 118:22 “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief corner stone.”

He was disregarded as unimportant and un-useful
When in fact He is the most important part.
And that is what Peter references here as he gives an account.

Jesus is the Glorified Servant Jesus is the Corner Stone
3) JESUS IS THE ONLY SAVIOR (12)

Peter is here pulling directly from the mouth of Jesus.
John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

And Peter makes sure that not only the council but all Israel knows this.
• Jesus is God’s Chosen
• Jesus is the most important piece of the puzzle
• And no one gets saved apart from Jesus

He told us to always be ready to give an account and he was.

He not only was ready to seize his opportunity,
But he was prepared proving that by quoting Psalms 118.

That is how you do it.
Be ready, and Be prepared.

The High Council, The Honest Confession
#3 THE HELPLESS CONFUSION
Acts 4:13-18

And honestly we find this portion of the story a little humorous.

Here were the finest spiritual minds in Israel and they couldn’t handle the wisdom thrown at them by these two uneducated fishermen.

They could only deduce one thing.
(13) “Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus.”

You get the idea that they fully expected Peter and John to cower like they did previously, and this time their “confidence” blew them away.

There was only one explanation for these previous cowards to be so bold.
They have “been with Jesus”

When they said “God raise [Him] from the dead” they meant it.
That was the only explanation for this new found boldness.

These guys believed what they said about the resurrection.

But that wasn’t their only problem.
There was also the problem of this healed cripple.
(14) “And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say in reply.”

All they could do was tell Peter and John to leave
So they could come up with something.

Peter and John had successfully baffled them.
Luke 21:12-15 “But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you, delivering you to the synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for My name’s sake. “It will lead to an opportunity for your testimony. “So make up your minds not to prepare beforehand to defend yourselves; for I will give you utterance and wisdom which none of your opponents will be able to resist or refute.”

I would say that was obvious.

And notice their confusion.
(16) “saying, “What shall we do with these men? For the fact that a noteworthy miracle has taken place through them is apparent to all who live in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.”

These guys are at a serious loss.
They were supposed to have the answers, and they don’t.

So here is the only thing they can come up with.
(17-18) “But so that it will not spread any further among the people, let us warn them to speak no longer to any man in this name.” And when they had summoned them, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.”

So they can’t argue with Peter, and they certainly can’t refute him.
All they can do is muster up their authority and give an order.

Do not “speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.”

There was no basis for the command,
But it was the command of the court none the less.

So Peter may have won the debate,
But the court gives a ruling none the less.

And imagine the scene.
This is intimidating and these men are serious
And their command is clear to stop.

But what did Peter say?
1 Peter 3:15 “but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts…”

So let’s see how he does.
#4 THE HOLY CONVICTION
Acts 4:19-22
And don’t you just love the answer!

“Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

Again, that is brilliant logic, what religious court is going to say, “obey us rather than God”,
But it is also Peter sanctifying Christ as Lord.

Now was Peter gentle? Yes
Was Peter reverent? Yes

But he was also adamant as to who he was going to obey.

• He didn’t tell them he would listen to them and then disobey them.
• He didn’t tell them to get lost.
• He didn’t get arrogant.

He just plainly told them that in all due respect he could not stop,
Because God had given him this command.
That is amazing conviction!

And the response of the council?
(21-22) “When they had threatened them further, they let them go (finding no basis on which to punish them) on account of the people, because they were all glorifying God for what had happened; for the man was more than forty years old on whom this miracle of healing had been performed.”

Now remember I told you that the council was meeting
To determine if these men were false prophets.
Trying to see if they worked this miracle to lead the people away from God.

But they could not condemn Peter and John, why?
“the people…were all glorifying God for what had happened”

All the council could do was threaten them again and let them go.

Peter and John did what God instructed, and God delivered them.
• They preached the message.
• They gave an account
• They submitted to Christ
• They were gentle and reverent
• And God honored them.

And what encouragement to us as to how to give an account.
Don’t be afraid to trust Christ and obey Him
Even the world is telling you otherwise.
2 Timothy 1:8-14 “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher. For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day. Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.”

See, this is where our confession is tested.

1 Peter 4:12 “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you;”

At times Christ wants to know if we will still confess Him when it is hard.
Many will say “Lord, Lord” when it is easy.
Will I still say “Lord, Lord” when it isn’t?

Peter not only told us how to do it, but showed us how to do it.

And after standing before Annas and Caiaphas and all the future high priests and yet seeing God deliver.

Peter could write:
1 Peter 3:14-15 “But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. AND DO NOT FEAR THEIR INTIMIDATION, AND DO NOT BE TROUBLED, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;”

He could write that because he lived it.
Be encouraged to follow his counsel and his example!