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?”
