The passage today is from Acts 4, verses 1 to 31.
And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them,
greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.
And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening.
But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.
On the next day, the rulers and the elders and the scribes gathered together in Jerusalem,
with Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high priestly family.
And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired,
By what power, or by what name, did you do this?
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them,
Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man,
by what means this man has been healed,
let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel,
that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified,
whom God raised from the dead,
by him this man is standing before you well.
This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you,
the builders, which has become the cornerstone.
And there is salvation in no one else,
for there is no other name under heaven given among men,
by which we must be saved.
Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John,
and perceived that they were uneducated, common men,
they were astonished,
and they recognized that they had been with Jesus.
But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them,
they had nothing to say in opposition.
But when they had commanded them to leave the council,
they conferred with one another, saying,
What shall we do with these men?
For that a notable sign has been performed through them
is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
and we cannot deny it.
But in order that it may spread no further among the people,
let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.
So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all
in the name of Jesus.
But Peter and John answered them,
Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God,
you must judge,
for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.
And when they had further threatened them,
they let them go,
finding no way to punish them,
because of the people,
who were all praising God for what had happened.
For the man on whom this sign of healing was performed
was more than forty years old.
When they were released,
they went to their friends and reported
what the chief priests and the elders had said to them.
And when they heard it,
they lifted their voices together to God and said,
Sovereign Lord,
who made the heaven and the earth and the sea
and everything in them,
who,
through the mouth of our father David,
your servant,
said by the Holy Spirit,
Why did the Gentiles rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers were gathered together
against the Lord and against his anointed.
For truly in this city
they were gathered together
against your holy servant Jesus,
whom you anointed,
both Herod and Pontius Pilate,
along with the Gentiles
and the people of Israel,
to do whatever your hand
and your plan
has predestined to take place.
And now, Lord,
look upon their threats
and grant to your servants
to continue to speak your word
with all boldness,
while you stretch out your hand
to heal,
and signs and wonders are performed
through the name of your holy servant Jesus.
And when they had prayed,
the place in which they were gathered together
were shaken,
and they were all filled
with the Holy Spirit
and continued to speak
the word of God
with boldness.
This is the word of the Lord.
All right, thank you.
Thanks, Hannah.
Let's pray together,
and then we're going to look
at this passage.
Father,
your word is so wonderful.
It's thousands of years old,
and yet it speaks to us
even today.
It speaks to our circumstances.
It speaks to our hearts.
Lord,
as we look at your word,
we pray that you will speak to us.
We are more interested in you speaking
than the opinions of man.
And so, God, I pray,
help us to see
what you want us to see
in your word.
Help us to do here
what you want us to do.
Help us to be the people
that you want us to be.
Lord,
we pray these things
in your wonderful
and your gracious name.
Amen.
As we come to this passage today,
I want us just to,
I want to ask us a question
up front,
and that is,
how do you respond
to fear?
How do you respond
to fear?
How do you respond
when what is maybe
most important to you,
maybe your family,
your life,
your job,
maybe your reputation,
the thing that makes you
feel secure in life,
when that,
when the thing that's
most important to you
is threatened,
is under threat,
is the potential
of being taken away from you.
Friends,
how do you react
when someone challenges you
or accuses you of something,
when someone wants
to take something precious
away from you?
Friends,
how do we respond
when somebody's actions
threaten our security,
our life,
maybe our family members?
I think we can all recognize
that in times such as these,
when we feel threatened
or afraid,
often the deepest,
most real part
of ourselves
is revealed.
There's a guy called Eric
with me for many years.
Eric Reid said,
over many years
I've learned this lesson.
A person's spiritual maturity
is not truly visible
until they don't
get their way.
Then you see
the real person.
And it's true, right?
It's very easy
to kind of play the part
and go through the actions
and have the smiley face.
But when things
don't go our way,
when things that are
precious to us
are threatened
or potentially
taken away,
what's most real to us,
what's deep inside of us
comes alive,
comes out.
Well,
we're working through
the book of Acts
and up until this point
the story has been
very wonderful
and encouraging, right?
In Acts chapter 2
the Holy Spirit
is poured out
on the church
and they are filled
with the Spirit
in a remarkable way.
The gospel goes out
and many people respond
and come to saving faith.
An amazing,
amazing community
is formed.
A community of generosity
and selflessness
and giving is formed.
And signs and wonders
are being done.
Miracles are happening.
And everything seems
to be going well.
But the Christian life
isn't always this rosy.
And here on chapter 4
we see the first instances
of trouble coming their way.
Because here we see
the first opposition
against the church.
And what we see
in this passage
is two groups of people
who both are threatened
by the other group.
They both feel threatened.
One is perceived,
one is real.
And yet here in this passage
we see two different ways
of people responding
to the threat
that is in front of them.
Friends,
how do you respond
to feeling threatened
and afraid?
Here we're going to see
two different ways
by two different groups.
And so this passage
that Hannah read to us
is the fallout
from what happened last week.
Don't worry about that Oscar.
Last week
Alan preached
Acts chapter 3
and what we saw there
is two disciples
Peter and John
are on their way
to the temple
to pray
at the regular hour
of prayer
and they walk past
a man who is crippled
and he's begging.
He says,
please give me some money
and they say,
we don't have silver and gold
but what we do have
is Jesus Christ.
And they pray for him
and miraculously
his legs are strengthened
and he starts to walk.
He's healed.
And suddenly this man
that's never walked
in his life before
is leaping and dancing
and celebrating
and a crowd starts to form
around Peter and John
and their new friend.
And the crowd forms
and a stir arises
and Peter stands up
and he says,
listen,
this miracle is great
but this isn't
the real miracle.
The real miracle
is that Jesus Christ
was dead
but is now alive again.
And the reason God did this
is because God sent Jesus
to save us from our rebellion.
To save us from our sin.
That's the real miracle.
You want miracles?
Miracles are great
but the amazing miracle,
Jesus Christ has risen
from the dead.
He's alive.
He said,
you can come to know him
and be saved.
And that's where we got to
at the end of last week.
Now in this passage
we're going to see
what happens
as a result
of that instance.
And today we're going to see
three things in this passage.
As always,
we're going to see
the crippling power
of fear and insecurity,
the compelling power
of faith and confidence,
and then thirdly,
how we grow
in this faith and confidence.
Okay,
so let's dive in
and take a look.
Firstly,
the crippling power
of fear and insecurity.
So here,
Peter has just finished
giving this amazing sermon.
He's described
what's happening
to the crowds.
He's impressed upon them
in the fact that
Jesus is the Messiah
who came to rescue
and save us
from our sin.
And look what happens.
Look at chapter 4,
verse 1.
It says,
As they were speaking
to the people,
the priests
and the captain
of the temple,
that means the captain
of the police,
and the Sadducees
came upon them
greatly annoyed
because they were
teaching the people
and proclaiming in Jesus
the resurrection
from the dead.
And they arrested them,
put them in custody
until the next day
for it was already evening.
I wonder what Peter
and John thought
at this, right?
Remember,
they are in Jerusalem,
the very city
that just a few weeks
and months earlier,
Jesus was arrested
one night,
put in custody overnight,
put on trial
the next day,
and then ended up
on a Roman cross.
And so here they are
arrested at night
and trial awaiting
them the next day.
And throughout the night
they must be thinking,
is our fate
going to be the same
as Jesus of Nazareth?
Are we going to end up
on a cross?
And look at verse 6,
Luke just happens
to tell us
who is overseeing
this arrest.
It's Caiaphas,
the high priest,
and his father-in-law,
Annas,
who John tells us
were the same two people
that oversaw the arrest
and the trial
and the crucifixion
of Jesus.
Now,
why would the religious leaders
arrest Peter and John?
I mean,
what have they done wrong?
All they've done
is they've helped
a crippled man
to get strong
and they've done
a sign and a wonder,
what's wrong with that?
Well,
look at what Luke
tells us.
He says,
as they were speaking,
the priests
and the captain
and the Sadducees
came upon them
greatly annoyed
because they were
teaching the people
and proclaiming
Jesus the resurrection
from the dead.
What causes
their annoyance?
Well,
it's not just
that they're telling
people about Jesus.
It's about the fact
that they're proclaiming
the resurrection.
That Jesus of Nazareth
died but didn't stay dead.
He rose again.
And what that means?
And what does it mean?
Well,
it means that Jesus
is the divine king.
He's the messianic king,
the one who rules
on the throne
of not just Israel
but all creation.
He is the king
of the entire universe.
The fact that he died
and rose again
means that Jesus
is not just a good man,
a moral man,
a religious teacher,
a rabbi.
He is the messianic king,
the divine king
that he said he was,
that he proclaimed to be.
And that means
that everyone,
everywhere,
needs to bow down
and surrender
to him as Lord.
Where is Jesus now?
Well,
he's not in the grave.
He's on the throne.
The throne of the entire universe.
And everyone needs to
bow down to him
as king
and as Lord.
Look at the last verse
of Peter's sermon,
chapter 3.
He says this,
God,
having raised Jesus up,
sent him to you first
to bless you.
How?
By turning every one of you
from your rebellion,
from your wickedness.
In the book of Acts,
whenever the apostles
are teaching about Jesus,
what do they proclaim?
The fact that he died
and he rose again,
that he's resurrected
from the grave.
Why?
Because that guarantees
as proof
that Jesus is who he said he is.
He is heaven and earth's
true king.
And this greatly gets
under the skin
of the religious leaders.
They are greatly annoyed.
The word there means
to be agitated,
to be disturbed.
It's like,
your peace has been disturbed.
And now the religious leaders
are agitated.
Something has got
under their skin.
Why?
Because the message
of Jesus as king
is a threat
to their own power.
Their own authority.
Their own influence.
And here the religious leaders
are watching their power,
their authority,
slipping through their hands.
And the more they try
and grasp,
the more it slips
like sand on the beach.
It's slipping through their hands.
And they are deeply afraid.
And they feel deeply threatened.
Friends,
what greatly annoys you?
What causes you
to be afraid?
To feel threatened?
To feel agitated?
If we look back
over the last week
of our lives,
when was it that
the words of our mouth
were harsh
and cutting
and vindictive?
When did we
threaten others
in response
to feeling threatened
ourselves?
When were our words
defensive and harsh?
Why did we speak
like that?
I was thinking
just Thursday night,
Oscar led us
at prayer meeting
and part of the time
was a prayer of confession
and like Alan
led us this morning.
And one of the things
I had to confess
was just that very morning,
taking our kids to school
and there was delays
and, you know,
shoes weren't on in time
and I was getting agitated.
I was getting frustrated
because my plan
and schedule
was being put out of plates, right?
And the words
that came out of my mouth
weren't the nicest words
to my teenage kids.
Friends,
as I look back
over my life,
the times
that I've been
the worst husband,
the worst father,
the worst son,
the worst friend
or colleague,
the times my words
have been the most
cutting and sharp
are often the times
I felt most insecure,
most threatened,
most afraid.
I've told you
this story once before.
I remember
a good friend
in Cape Town.
He was my friend
but also my boss
and I remember
we were texting each other
and he said something
and I felt backed
in a corner
and I sent this message
back saying,
okay Ryan,
if you want to play
like that,
I will also play hardball.
All right?
Probably not the kind
of thing you want
to say to your boss
but feeling pushed
in a corner,
I was going to come
out fighting.
Friends,
what makes us feel
agitated,
annoyed,
defensive,
or aggressive?
And yeah,
we see these
religious leaders,
they are feeling
threatened because
the message of Jesus
is destabilizing
their power,
their authority
and how do they
respond?
Well,
they threaten back.
Look at verse 15
here.
Verse 15 says,
when they had brought
the apostles in
for questioning
and then says,
when they commanded
the disciples
to leave the council,
they conferred
with one another
saying,
what shall we do
with these men?
For that a notable
sign has been performed
through them
is evident to all
the inhabitants
of Jerusalem.
We cannot deny it
but in order
that it may spread
no further,
let us warn them
and to speak
no more
to anybody
in this name.
And verse 21,
when they had
further threatened
them,
they let them go,
finding no way
to punish them
because of all
the people
for they were
praising God
for what had
happened.
How do they
respond to
feeling threatened?
They threaten
back in return.
And one of the
things that John
Stott points out
in his commentary
on this passage
is that nowhere
do the religious
leaders attempt
to discredit
the apostles'
message of the
resurrection
of Jesus.
Nowhere do they
say,
oh,
if Jesus rose,
show us the
body.
Where's the
body?
Where is he now?
They know where
do they attempt
to discredit the
message,
even though they
knew that message
was central to
their gospel.
Why?
Because it's not
the truthfulness
of the message
that they're worried
about,
it's what's going
to happen to
their power,
what's happening
to them.
It's not the
truthfulness of the
gospel that's
threatening them,
it's their own
insecurity and
their fear
that's got them
riled.
One of the things
that I saw in this
passage for the
very first time
this week,
I've never seen
it before actually,
is that the
people in this
passage that
actually hold all
of the power,
all of the
authority,
both political
power and social
power and military
power,
the people that
hold all the
power are those
that are most
afraid.
and conversely,
those that hold
no social power
whatsoever,
verse 13,
Luke describes,
they describe these
men as common
uneducated men,
fishermen turned
preachers,
those who hold
no power whatsoever
are fearless and
bold and courageous.
And that doesn't
make any sense,
right?
You think the
people that hold
all the power and
the authority,
they've got the
money,
they've got the
social power,
they've got the
military,
they should be the
ones that are not
afraid and they're
deeply afraid.
And these guys
that hold no
power whatsoever
are bold and
courageous.
Why?
Friends,
one of the things
that the Bible
tells us again and
again is that it's
not your circumstances
that gives you
peace,
it's not your
circumstances that
gives you joy or
confidence or rest,
it's something else.
Your circumstances
can be falling apart
and yet you can live
with joy and peace
and rest.
And conversely,
you can have all
the power and all
the authority and all
the money in the
world and yet be
deeply insecure,
deeply afraid,
deeply unrested.
Now,
friends,
what does this
tell us?
One of the things
that the scriptures
tell us again and
again is that in
most circumstances,
the thing that
causes us the
greatest fear,
the greatest angst
in our heart is
the thing that is
most precious to
us.
The thing that we
attach our value to,
the thing we
attach our self-worth
to,
the thing that in a
sense,
we feel like we
cannot live without.
The thing that is a
good thing that has
become almost like God
in our hearts.
And the idea of
losing this thing
causes our hearts
such fear and
anxiety and angst
in our hearts that
it causes us to act
and behave and to
say things that
normally we'd never
think we're possible
to say or do.
And the Bible
shows us that what
is most precious to
us actually has a
power over our
lives, a crippling
power, a destructive
power, a power to
control our behavior
and our relationships.
And what we fear,
we give immense power
to and power that
often is destructive
and harmful.
And so the crippling
power of fear and
anxiety in our lives.
But this passage also
shows us secondly,
the compelling power of
faith and conviction.
friends, what is our
greatest nightmare?
Losing the one thing
that we believe we
cannot live without.
But here the gospel
comes with great good
news.
Because the gospel
tells us that Jesus
Christ promises us
that the one thing
that matters most in
the world, the one
thing that we need
more than anything
else in the world,
the only thing that
can give us real
security and real
peace and real joy
and real hope and
boldness and
confidence is
something that can
actually never be
taken away from us,
can never be
devalued, never be
spoiled, never be
destroyed.
It's something that
inflation and
tariffs and markets
fluctuation and
inflation and these
things can never
touch.
And that is who
Jesus Christ is,
what he's done on
the cross by dying
and rising again,
and who you are
if you are in
Christ.
Jesus says that who
he is and what he's
done on the cross and
who you are, your
true identity, your
true security can
never be touched or
devalued or diminished
or subject to
inflation or anything
else.
The resurrection of
Jesus from the dead,
despite everything that
the authorities try to
throw at Jesus,
including being nailed
to a Roman cross,
the resurrection
guarantees that what
he offers is truly
unshakable, unbendable,
undestroyable, and
therefore rock solid.
And look at how this
plays out in the life
of these disciples,
these apostles.
It's this rock solid
confidence in the
unrivaled supremacy of
Jesus that causes
Peter and the
apostles to speak with
such boldness, such
confidence.
Look at what they say
in verse 8 here.
It says,
Then Peter, filled
with the Holy Spirit,
said to them,
Rulers of the people
and elders, let it be
known to all of you
and to all the people
of Israel, that by the
name of Jesus Christ
of Nazareth, this man
whom you crucified,
whom God raised up
from the dead, by him
this man is standing
before you well.
And then Peter quotes
Psalm 118.
He says,
This Jesus is the
stone that was
rejected by you, the
builders, which has
become the cornerstone.
And there is salvation
in no one else, for
no other name under
heaven given among
men by which we must
be saved.
And the leaders get
all threatening and
intimidating and
they threaten them.
Look at verse 19.
Peter says,
Whether it's right in
the sight of God to
listen to you rather
than God, you judge,
but we cannot but
speak of what we have
seen and heard.
Friends, just a few
weeks, these very
people in the council
have sent Jesus to
the cross.
And Peter, with
unbelievable boldness
and confidence, can
look them in the eye
and say, you
crucified him, but
that changes nothing.
And you can crucify us,
you can threaten us,
you can send us to the
Roman cross as well.
We cannot but speak of
what we've seen and
heard and known to be
true.
And Luke's point here
is that it's not the
boldness and the
authority and the
extroverted temperament
of these men, it's the
conviction that they
hold because they know
who Jesus is.
These common uneducated
men have discovered the
compelling power of
faith in Christ.
But in this passage,
there's something in
particular that Luke and
the apostles see, and I
want us to see it here.
There's something in
particular that leads to
their boldness and the
authority.
It's not just their
faith in general, it's
something in particular
that they've come to see
in the scriptures that's
led them to this
confidence.
And to see that, look at
the two Old Testament
quotes that they quote
here.
The apostles here quote
two Psalms, firstly
Psalm 118 and then
Psalm chapter 2.
And look at what Peter
says here in verse 11, I
read it earlier, Peter
says this, this Jesus is
the stone that was
rejected by you the
builders that has
become the chief
cornerstone.
Peter here is quoting
Psalm 118 and Psalm
118 is this amazingly
confident Psalm.
It's a Psalm about the
fact that the person who
trusts in the Lord will
prevail despite the
difficulties and the
hardships in life.
And let me read a couple
of verses to us.
This is what Psalm 118
says.
Out of my distress, I
called to the Lord.
The Lord answered me and
set me free.
The Lord is on my
side.
I shall not fear.
What can man do to me?
The Lord is on my side.
I shall look and triumph
on those who hate me.
It is better to take
refuge in the Lord than
to trust in man.
Better to take refuge in
the Lord than trust in
even princes.
And on and on it goes
about my confidence is in
God, not man.
And then verse 22.
The stone that the
builders rejected has
become the cornerstone.
It's a great picture,
isn't it?
I don't know.
I'm sure many of us
know the statue of
David, Michelangelo's
statue of David in
Florence of Italy.
Some people might have
just to go visit that a
few weeks ago.
The statue of David is
probably the greatest
statue ever sculpted by
human hands, right?
I mean, it's just
mind-blowingly remarkable.
But I'm not sure.
I'm sure many of you
know this.
The piece of marble
that Michelangelo used to
sculpture that statue was
actually rejected and
despised by many master
sculptors of his day.
And so sculptors like
Donatella and other
famous master sculptors
had all tried to work on
this piece of marble and
had rejected it,
describing it as
mediocre and
unworkable.
And so after three or
four master sculptors had
tried to work on this, it
was eventually discarded
and left in a yard for
25 years as something for
kind of amateurs to
practice on.
And then one day
Michelangelo finds this
piece of marble and
says, I will try and
bring something out of
it.
And he does.
And he carves the
greatest sculpture the
world has ever seen,
right?
It's still standing today
hundreds of years later.
What an amazing picture
of the stone that is
rejected and despised and
yet something remarkable
has come out of it.
And that's the imagery
that Peter is quoting
out of Psalm 118.
He's saying, Jesus is
like the stone that
you, the authorities,
you rejected, you
despised him, you
thought he's nothing
worthwhile, he's a
trouble causer, and you
try to get rid of him.
You try to kill him and
then throw him in the
yard.
But this rejected piece
of stone has become
the cornerstone, the
foundation stone upon
which God is building
his kingdom.
This is Jesus.
He's the one that you
crucified.
You try to get rid of
him.
You think he's a
nothing and a nobody,
but nothing, nothing,
not the authorities,
nothing in this world
will stop God's plans
and purposes.
For this despised and
rejected stone is the
foundation upon which
God's entire kingdom is
going to be built.
And then look at what
Peter does.
He says the same thing
in verse 25.
These guys are arrested
and they are then
released and they go
back to their friends
and they pray and they
quote Psalm 2.
And Psalm 2 is this
amazing Psalm about the
fact that God is a king
that he's going to anoint
and put on the throne.
But the nations around
him don't like this king.
They don't want him on
the throne.
And so they come together
and they have a
consultation about how
they can get rid of
this king.
Look at what Psalm 2
says.
Why did the Gentiles
rage and the people
plot in vain?
The kings of the earth
set themselves together.
The rulers gathered
together against the
Lord and against his
anointed.
This king that's going
to be on the throne,
the other kings gather
and say how can we get
rid of this king?
Well Psalm 2 goes on
to say he who sits in
the heavens laughs.
He laughs at the
futile intent.
So I was trying to
stop his son being
crowned king and Lord
of all.
The Lord is on the
throne.
He holds them in
derision.
Friends, this is Jesus.
And Peter says this is
who Jesus is.
He's the king.
He's despised.
He's rejected.
But he's the Lord who
will conquer and rule and
reign forever.
Ever and ever of
all opposition.
This was their
conviction.
That these apostles know
how the story is going
to end.
Yes, you killed Jesus,
but it didn't stop him.
And these apostles know
that nothing, that they
can arrest them, they
can persecute them, they
can terrorize them, they
can even take their
lives.
And that won't stop the
plans and purposes of
God.
That the gospel will go
out.
That Jesus will be
exalted.
That God is going to
bring about a new
creation where all evil
and wickedness will be
banished.
And those who know him
will be saved because
they've come to trust in
Jesus.
And they know how the
story ends.
And because of that
conviction, they have
immense power, immense
authority to stand up to
these leaders and say,
throw at us what you
will.
We will not back down
because you will die and
we will live forever and
ever and ever.
Friends, the compelling
power of faith and
conviction.
And in a sense, the
disciples know that what
happens to Jesus must
happen to them.
That for Jesus, the road
to glory is paved with
persecution and
opposition.
The cobblestones on the
way to glory are stones
of opposition and
persecution.
But the disciples know
that the same road that
Jesus walked is the same
road that they're going to
have to walk.
And since they're not
surprised, they say, you
did this to Jesus, you can
do it to us.
But we know where this
road ends.
It ends in glory.
Friends, where does your
ultimate hope lie?
To what have you pinned
your hopes, your confidence,
your joy, your security,
your peace?
Friends, how stable is that
hope?
Friends, what comes out of
us when that hope is
threatened?
When our security is
challenged?
When our authority is
challenged?
How do we respond when
somebody threatens our joy,
our peace, our security?
Are we like the religious
leaders, full of anger,
full of threats, full of
fear?
Or has the compelling power
of Jesus Christ in the
gospel produced a
confidence, a faith, a joy
in our hearts?
You know, towards the end
of Peter's life, when he's
an old man, he writes these
two letters to the church.
And in his first letter in
the New Testament, it's
just called the letter of
one Peter.
But he's an older man now
and he writes to these
Christians that are really
suffering.
They're going through a
very, very difficult time.
And he writes them and he
says, he reminds them that
because of the resurrection
of Jesus, they have been
baptized or immersed into
what he calls a living hope.
Such a great description.
It's not a vague hope that's
somewhere down there.
It's not a dead hope.
It's a living hope.
I hope that he says, cannot
perish, spoil, or fade.
I hope that it's kept rock
solid secure in heaven for
you.
It's like the picture of the
Swiss bank vaults, right?
Nobody's going to touch
them.
He says, your hope is like
those Swiss bank vaults, but
it's kept in heaven.
Nobody's going to touch it.
And then he says, now you're
going through suffering and
your suffering is like a
refiner's fire.
It's taking your faith and
it's refining it like gold in
the furnace.
But this suffering, because of
your hope in heaven is going
to lead to praise and glory
and inexpressible joy.
Oh my goodness.
Inexpressible joy in the
midst of suffering.
Where do you find that?
Peter says, because of your
hope in the resurrection of
Jesus.
Inexpressible joy, compelling
power of faith in the
resurrection of Jesus.
Friends, if you're a follower
of Jesus, you have every reason
for great confidence, great
remarkable peace, even joy, even
in the midst of suffering.
For the God who called you, who
gave you his spirit, who we've
come to worship this morning, is
not dead, but he's alive.
And he's sovereign over
everything and everyone.
And he will be victorious in the
end, no matter what the world
throws at him, no matter what the
world throws at you.
So, what should we do?
You know, friends, this week,
something is going to happen
that's going to cause fear and
anxiety in each one of our
hearts.
Each one of us this week are
going to face something that's
going to make us a heart rate
rise, right?
Something is going to cause us to
feel slightly threatened.
How should we respond?
Maybe you get a bad medical
report.
Maybe something happens at work.
Maybe it's the headlines or you
get a phone call from a family
member.
Something's going to challenge us
this week.
How do we respond?
Well, lastly, how do we grow in
faith?
In this passage, we see something
that Peter and the apostles do
that really helps us.
Something very practical that
helps us grow in faith.
On the surface, it looks like
they pray.
They turn to God in prayer.
And that is a good thing, right?
We should all pray.
But every Christian knows we
should grow in prayer.
Yes, yes, I know.
I should pray more.
You should pray more.
We know that.
But in this passage, there's
something very particular that
the apostles do that if you've
taken any of the CCF courses or
you're familiar with Paul Tripp's
writings or David Powlison, you
should notice something that they
do here, right?
David Powlison was an amazing,
amazing Christian counselor.
And one of the things that he says
is when the heat of life comes,
when life really heats up, when the
stuff of life comes to us, there's a
question that we all need to ask
ourselves.
I mean, there's a couple of
questions.
One of the questions is why is my
heart responding the way it is?
Why am I feeling the way I am?
But there's one question in
particular that's very, very
important.
And the question is this.
Who is God?
And in particular, who is God as it
relates to this situation I'm
facing, right?
I'm feeling unloved.
Who is God?
God is the one who promises his
love will never cease, never fail.
I'm feeling, I'm feeling, what else
do we feel?
I'm feeling like uncertain about the
future.
Who is God?
He's the one who knows all things
and omniscient about every single
thing, all the features in his
hands.
When the heat of life gets turned up,
we must ask ourselves the question,
who is God as it relates to the fear,
the anxiety, the worry, the sadness,
the joy, the hope.
Who is God as it relates to what I'm
going through?
Well, look at what the apostles do
here in verse 23.
Look at how they tell themselves who
God is.
How they answer this question.
Verse 23 says this,
When they were released, they went to
their friends and reported what the
chief priests and the elders had said
to them.
And when they heard it, they lifted up
their voices to God and said,
Sovereign Lord, you who made the
heaven and the earth and the sea and
everything in it.
And then they quote Psalm 2 about the
nations raging and God being sovereign
over everything.
It says,
They were filled with the spirit and they
continued to speak the word of God with
all boldness.
Two things to know about this prayer.
Firstly, nowhere do the prayers,
nowhere do the disciples pray for an easy
time.
Nowhere do they pray and say, God, please
just take it away.
Just make it easy.
Just make our path smooth and play it
sailing.
They never ask for an easy time.
But secondly, look what they do do.
They answer the question, who is God?
And who is he?
Look at what they pray.
He is the sovereign Lord.
That means the one who is in total control
of everything, of everyone.
He's control of Pontius Pilate.
He was in control of Herod.
He is in control of Judas Iscariot.
He's control of the authorities now.
He's control of the elders and the leaders
that are arresting these guys and
threatening them and trying to intimidate
them.
He is Lord of everyone, including your
boss and your colleague and your
neighbor and your parents and your
children.
He is Lord of everyone.
The sovereign Lord of everything.
He's not only Lord of everyone.
He's Lord of everything.
Everything in all of history.
Every atom that moves God is sovereign
Lord over every minute thing in the
history of the world.
Look at what he says here, including
the death of Jesus upon the cross and
the glorious resurrection of Jesus
from the grave.
Friends, who is God?
He's the one who's in total control of
everyone and everything.
Friends, what is our only hope in life
and death?
That the risen Christ alone, who lived
and died and rose again, is King and
Lord over everyone and everything.
See friends, what the apostles do here is
they have this deep conviction and they
remind themselves of this conviction in
prayer that this is who God is.
And because this is who God is, it gives
them incredible power to face the
difficulties that they are facing, to
stare them down, to walk through the
trials and the storms with immense
courage and confidence and boldness.
Friends, it's not the naturally bold or the
courageous or the extroverted who discover
this confidence.
It's those who irrespective of their
personality type and know who God is
and know how to remind themselves of who
God is in prayer and worship and know
how to find their confidence in him.
Friends, this week, as we said, you and I
are going to face a challenge.
No doubt about it.
We're all going to be confronted with real
fears.
How are we going to respond?
Are you going to be controlled by the
crippling power of fear and anxiety?
Are you going to be enabled by the power of
faith and confidence in God?
Will we come to Jesus and remind ourselves
of the gospel, remind ourselves of who he
is and turn to him in prayer and trust that
he who died and rose again is with us and
that our faith is in him.
Why don't we do that as we come to him now
in prayer?
Let's pray together.
Oh, sovereign Lord, the one who is Lord of
all, who made heaven and earth, the sea and
everything in it.
You, Lord God, are king over everything and
everyone.
And God, because you're king, we bow down and we
surrender our lives to you.
We don't want to be like the religious leaders
who buckle and resist your authority.
We want to receive you as king and Lord.
Help us to do that now, I pray.
God, help us this week in the midst of trials
and challenges and difficulties.
Please give us your Holy Spirit.
Help us to live full of faith and confidence.
Lord, we need your spirit.
We need you.
We need the sovereign God.
And so I pray, God, give us your spirit and
help us to walk in faith and confidence in you,
not in ourselves.
In your great name we pray.
Amen.