Essentials Of The Faith / Sunday Morning Sermon Series / Acts: Enlarging Our Vision
Proclaiming God's Truth (Part 1) 09/28/08
Message: ‘Proclaiming God’s Truth’ pt.1 Text: Acts 4:1-31
Introduction: From time to time, perhaps more often in some people, we become afraid. For a relative few, the fear is immobilizing. And names have been given to what’s called ‘irrational fear.’ Here are a few examples.
· Peladophobia: fear of baldness and bald people.
· Porphyrophobia: fear of the color purple.
· Chaetophobia: fear of hairy people.
· Odontophobia: fear of teeth.
· Cacophobia- Fear of ugliness.
· Alektorophobia- Fear of chickens.
· Phobophobia: fear of being afraid.
From Nothing to Fear, by Fraser Kent, Doubleday & Company, 1977
ILL: Louis Pasteur, a French chemist and microbiologist, was known for remarkable breakthroughs in the causes and prevention of disease. He was best known for inventing a method to stop milk and wine from causing sickness; this process came to be called pasteurization. Pasteur is reported to have had such an irrational fear of dirt and infection he refused to shake hands.
Jane Goodsell, Not a Good Word About Anybody, Ballantine
ILL: President and Mrs. Benjamin Harrison were so frightened by the newly installed electricity in the White House they never touched the switches. If there were no servants around to turn off the lights when the Harrisons went to bed, they slept with them on.
Jane Goodsell, Not a Good Word About Anybody, Ballantine
Fear…it creeps into our lives from time to time. Yet, there is power to overcome fear.
ILL: Seeking to know God better, John Chrysostom an ancient theologian, became a hermit in the mountains near Antioch in A.D. 373. Although his time of isolation was cut short by illness, he learned that with God at his side, he could face anything and anyone.
That lesson served Chrysostom well. In A.D. 398 he was appointed patriarch of Constantinople, where his zeal for reform antagonized the Empress Eudoxia, who had him exiled. Allowed to return after a short time, Chrysostom again infuriated Eudoxia, who sent him away again. How did Chrysostom respond to such persecution? With these words: “What can I fear? Will it be death? But you know that Christ is my life, and that I shall gain by death. Will it be exile? But the earth and all its fullness are the Lord’s. Poverty I do not fear; riches I do not sigh for; and from death I do not shrink.” Today in the Word, MBI, October, 1991, p. 33
There is power to overcome fear…in the presence of God.
Background: As we continue our journey through the book of Acts, we will see the explosion of radical Christianity that burst on the scene. The power and the excitement present was directly related to the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
· This same explosion of radical Christianity,
· this same power,
· this same excitement
can be present today wherever the saving message of the Gospel is faithfully proclaimed.
But…that doesn’t happen very often today, does it? At least, not like it did in the Book of Acts. Why? Fear. We have it, and the early disciples didn’t.
As we read our text today we’ll see that the early disciples, specifically Peter and John, had every reason to be afraid. But found the power to overcome it. And as a result, thousands were brought into the family of God…and, we have been given their example to follow.
Transition: Open your Bibles to Acts 4:1 (pg. 833 in the Bible under the chair in front of you) For it’s there that we will we’ll fine we enlarge our vision of God by faithfully proclaiming His truth.
I. Acts 4:1-4 God adds to the Church
Read: Acts 4:1-3
Here’s the picture. Peter was preaching about Jesus, His resurrection, and His power to act…right now, from heaven. He told the people in he crowd that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah that all the prophets had spoken about. His message was so powerful that he had attracted a huge crowd.
And after a three hour sermon, Peter also got the attention of the religious leaders who had them dragged from the Temple courts and placed in prison. The next morning. Peter, John and the man who was healed were brought before the Sanhedrin, the most powerful and highest civil and religious court in all Israel.
The problem? Peter was teaching the doctrine of the man (Jesus) they had put to death for what they considered false teaching. And they were doing it the Temple…in their ‘house’ if you will.
Standing before the Sanhedrin, Peter and John had ever reason to be afraid…but, as we’ll see, they were instead filled with the Holy Spirit and boldly proclaimed God’s truth. And that, is the key to overcoming our fear.
But, let’s look at what happened before Peter and John were arrested.
Read: Acts 4:4
In the midst of the guards dragging Peter and John out of the Temple, 5000 men believed, they placed their faith in Jesus, they were saved! And the number was probably higher because the text only mentions the men who were saved. Undoubtedly there were women and children who were saved as well.
5000+ began a new life in Christ. That’s how the Holy Spirit works.
· He comes into a human heart, his work is to take the risen Saviors life and give it to you,
· To forgive you,
· to empower you,
· to encourage you,
· to strengthen you,
· to do whatever you need, to help you faithfully navigate your journey of faith
· …without fear!
And the Holy Spirit still works the same way today…Amen? Wherever God’s truth is faithfully proclaimed… God is at work!
Transition: But, that doesn’t mean the faithful proclamation of God’s truth will come easy or be accepted with the same enthusiasm that those in the crowd possessed.
II. Acts 4:5-22 God’s people are tested
Read: Acts 4:5-7
Notice that all the big guns were there. The Supreme Court of Israel was trying this case. This was important Peter, John and the man who was healed stood in front of this very intimidating dais of religious leaders. They ask Peter and John by what power or in what name did they heal this man?
Now, this is a very important question and one I’m sure the Holy Spirit had something to do with them asking. It’s important because it links authority or power with the name by which they performed the act. In other words,
· to act in the Name of Jesus is to act with His power and His authority. Let me say that again,
· to act in the Name of Jesus is to act with His power and His authority.
And folks, the same is true for us today. When God gives us the opportunity to proclaim His truth, we act in Jesus’ name and we with His authority and His power…Way be afraid?
Transition: Peter and John were placed before the same group that had Jesus killed, they had every reason to be afraid, yet we’ll see that they were up to the challenge and were found faithful.
Read: Acts 4:8-12
Notice Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit… again. The filling of the Holy Spirit is not a one time thing as Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit during his first sermon at the Pentecost event. Scripture calls us to pray for continual filling of the Holy Spirit so that we might walk faithfully with God and boldly proclaim His truth…without fear!
Back to Peter’s response. It was brief and to the point. This is the gist of what Peter said.
· He was respectful of the religious leaders by acknowledging their place in the Jewish culture.
· He said it certainly can’t be evil or wrong to heal someone. That’s a good thing. Good for this man who can now walk and good for society who will have one less beggar on the streets.
· He told them the name of the one who gave them the ability to heal this man…His name is Jesus.
· He reminded them that it was this very same Jesus they had condemned to death and God raised from the dead.
· He told them Jesus was the stone they the builders rejected which had become the capstone. This may seem to be a strange thing to say but it’s found in Psalm 118 and represents the religious rejecting the Messiah.
· Then he boldly proclaimed perhaps the greatest truth of all…
‘salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.’
· The implication is that Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, not only can bring physical healing, it is the only way one’s soul can be healed of sin.
This was a startling declaration. Peter is saying that there is no other
· who can forgive sin,
· who can impart truth,
· who can grant eternal life in heaven
· …no one, but Jesus!
Being filled with the Holy Spirit, I’m sure the Holy Spirit reminded Peter of what Jesus had said ‘I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except by me.’ (Jn. 14:6)
We need to take a few moments to feel the full force of this absolute claim in our pluralistic age.
It’s because of this absolute claim, that Christians are often called ‘bigoted’ and ‘intolerant’ of other faiths. And there is a sense in which those accusations are correct.
ILL:
Jason is a 38-year-old economics
professor in California. In response to a question asking why he didn’t
attend church, he replied, “I know you don’t like to hear this but I really
don’t see how Jesus can be the only way to heaven. I definitely believe in
God, but there are just too many people in the world who don’t believe in
Jesus for me to think that God doesn’t love them too.”
That’s what’s called
‘relativism’. It’s a philosophy that says it makes no difference what you
believe. There are no absolute truths. What’s true for me may not be true
for you. (Chuck Herring) Yet, Jesus still says ‘‘I
am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except by
me.’ (Jn. 14:6)
ILL:
Singer, Tina Turner calls herself a ‘Buddhist/Baptist. They are both very
close.’
That’s syncretism, a
philosophy that states all religions have some measure of truth. You see the
totality of God’s full revelation by joining the beliefs of all religions.
(Chuck Herring) Yet Jesus still says
‘I am the way, the truth and the
life. No one comes to the Father except by me.’
(Jn. 14:6)
There are those who call
themselves Christians who hold a greatly expanded view of God’s mercy. They
believe God makes exceptions for sincere followers of other religions by
applying Christ’s saving work to them after they die. This is done even
though they never believed in Jesus.
(Chuck Herring)
Yet Jesus still says ‘I am
the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except by me.’
(Jn. 14:6)
You see the difference is, while the
other religious leaders may have been good moral teachers and their
teachings may have helped people, Jesus is the only one
· who can forgive sins,
· who can impart truth,
· who can grant eternal life in heaven
· …no one, but Jesus!
That’s why we can never agree to even consider any other name to be equal with that of Jesus. That’s a fundamental, absolute truth that we have to come to terms with if we desire to be biblical Christians in a pluralistic nation and world.
It’s the kind of truth that either makes converts or enemies. And it’s not a ‘live and let live’ kind of truth which is perhaps why many Christians fear the backlash faithful proclamation of God’s truth might bring.
There are times to keep quiet and there are times to speak up. Brothers and sisters in Christ, the time for us to speak up is now! Sharing our stories of what God has done for us, is at the heart of who we are as followers of Jesus Christ.
· There were new legs for a lame man in Jesus’ name.
· There was sight for the blind man in Jesus’ name.
· There was life for dead Lazarus in Jesus’ name.
· There was forgiveness for the woman at the well in Jesus’ name.
· And, there was salvation for Bob Mills, as well as for you in Jesus’ name.
Don’t be afraid to faithfully proclaim God’s truth because there is power to overcome fear in Jesus’ name.
Conclusion
But God
I know not, but God knows;
Oh, blessed rest from fear!
All my unfolding days to Him are plain and clear.
Each anxious, puzzled “Why?”
from doubt or dread that grows,
Finds answer in this thought: I know not,
but He knows.
I cannot, but God can; Oh, balm for all my
care!
The burden that I drop His hand will lift and bear.
Though eagle pinions tire,
I walk where once I ran,
This is my strength to know I cannot, but He can.
I see not, but God sees; Oh, all sufficient
light!
My dark and hidden way to Him is always bright.
My strained and peering eyes
may close in restful ease,
And I in peace may sleep; I see not, but He sees.
Annie Johnson Flint