ACTS 4:23-31 - NOTICE THEIR THREATS

SERIES #6: Acts of the Apostles; Witnesses to Jerusalem [1-7]

TOPIC: Power; Church, Testimony, Witness

TITLE: NOTICE THEIR THREATS - Prerequisite for Speaking with Boldness!
TEXT: Acts 4: 29-30 [23-31]

"And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence, while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant Jesus."

CONCISE OUTLINE
INQUIRY: How did the disciples react to the threat of persecution by the Jewish leaders?

I. THE THREAT MADE THEM PROCLAIM GOD … !

A. Their faith in God

1. Openly
2. Enthusiastically

II. THE THREAT MADE THEM PRAISE GOD … !

A. Loudly!
B. Unanimously!

III. THE THREAT MADE THEM PETITIONED GOD … !

A. Powerfully

TRUTH/CONTEXT: By now we should remember …

First that the Acts of the Apostles is outlined in chapter 1 verse 8 … and second that there are three themes revealed in its contents …

1. The preeminence of the Living Lord,
2. The prominence of the Holy Spirit, and
3. The power of the authentic church

We’ll be in Jerusalem through chapter 7; we’ll then enter Judea and Samaria until chapter 13, when we begin a journey to “the remotest part of the earth.”

Last week we saw that the authentic church can’t stop speaking about what is know to be true … unless it has allowed calluses to build up on its heart, or unless it, like the church in Laodicia, has lost its first love. [Revelation 2:4]

This week we’ll see how persecution results in a fearless voice, a unified voice, and a powerful voice all working together for God’s Glory.

EXPANDED OUTLINE
INQUIRY: How did the report of persecution by the Jewish leaders affect believers?

I. THE THREAT MADE THEM PROCLAIM GOD – Fearless Voice!

For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel. [27]

A. Jesus
B. By faith
C. Openly
D. Enthusiastically

1. Considered it an honor to suffer for His name
2. Unconcerned about the consequences
3. Hungered more

E. Didn’t suggest a retreat, criticize or question the apostle’s motives, suggest they go easy, stop going to the temple, propose appeasement, or send others so they could stay home.

II. THE THREAT MADE THEM PRAISE GOD – Unified Voice!

“And when they heard this, they lifted their voices to God with one accord.” [24a]

A. When the disciples reported on the threat the combined response was unified. [24]
B. Praised God

1. Loudly
2. Unanimously
3. About

a) His creative POWER! [24]
b) About His providential care! [25,28]
c) About His word and its truth! [25,26]

C. Gave God the glory

1. … here called “Sovereign Lord” …
2. recognized He is greater than “nations … peoples … kings … and rulers” [despõtes]

III. THE THREAT MADE THEM PETITIONED GOD … Powerful Voice!

"And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence, while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant Jesus." [29, 30]

A. As a result they prayed boldly to God …

1. to consider the threats of His enemies
2. to grant them all confidence to proclaim the Good News
3. to continue …

a. His healing … not just the flesh but the spirit.
b. His signs and wonders …

E. Notice the use of Scripture in their worship of God [24b,25b,26]
F. Notice they don’t hesitate to call a “spade” a spade [27,28]
G. Notice they don’t cower but rather

1. Requested God would humble His enemies and
2. make bold His witnesses. [29]

H. Notice they don’t ask for boldness selfishly but rather for the benefit of others and for the glory of God! [30]
I. And notice God answered their prayers and released them with power … but for many it meant dispersion, tribulation, and death! [31]
J. Notice the request is not for power to afflict God’s enemies with His wrath but rather to extend His mercy “through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.” [30]

We should covet the same.

APPLICATION:

[COMMAND] During WWII the North African Campaign was in a mess and General Montgomery was sent to clean it up. I’m told his first order was as follows: “The orders of the Commander-in-Chief will no longer be open to interpretation ... just action.”

God will not bully or threaten those He has chosen. No gun will be put to their head; they will not be drug kicking and screaming into the streets.

We may choose to obey or disobey. Yet there are those who insist they’re obedi-ent and but clearly are not! Such is the problem of the twentieth century.

Were I chosen to write the epitaph for the church of this century, I would write:

GREAT PROCLAMATION;
PROCLAMATION UNPROCLAIMED

The POWER of the church (for certain THE AUTHENTIC CHURCH) was reflected in the events that followed:

1. Immediate answer to prayer … [4:31]
2. Community … [4:32-35]
3. Barnabas … [4:36,37]
4. Ananias & Sapphira [5:1-16]
5. Followed by more persecution [5:17ff.]

CHALLENGE: The AUTHENTIC but contemporary church should expect, if it has committed itself into His hands, to be …

1. shaken
2. filled and
3. made bold.

[ARMY] A few years ago the U.S. Army unveiled a new recruitment slogan recently. The “Be All You Can Be” line, a cultural icon since the 1980s, was re-tired and replaced with “An Army of One.”

According to reports, the Army hopes the slogan will appeal to a genera-tion less attracted to military service than its predecessors.

Paul says the church has had that slogan for 2,000 years …

“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.”

Ephesians 4:4-6

And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.

Acts 4:31

Thus we know and proclaim, “I am an army of One in Christ Jesus … undefeated and unbeatable; overcoming and victorious!”

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