Sunday, January 8, 2023 AM

Prayer in the Face of Threats and the Church’s Response

Let's go to the Lord together in prayer. Heavenly Father, we come before You today. What a joy it is to rejoice in hope that Your Son and our Savior is risen from the dead, that we live in the light of His reign, and we are received to the light of Your face by His name.

It's a great joy to be here with my brothers and sisters, and I ask today for each and every one of us that You would bring the truth of Your Word to bear upon our lives, and I pray that You would have Your way, do Your work.

We ask, Father, that You would supply our every need, that You would teach us and instruct us and encourage us and conform us to the image of Your Son, the one with whom You are well-pleased. We ask these things in His name.

Amen. I invite you to open your Bibles and turn with me to Acts chapter 4, Acts 4, and we will be reading verses 23 through 31 for our text this morning. Acts chapter 4, verses 23 through 31. Peter and John have had a showdown at the temple.

They went there at the hour of prayer. Three o 'clock in the afternoon, the hour of prayer. It was also the hour of the evening sacrifice, but that wasn't as important to the story that Luke is telling than the fact that it was the hour of prayer.

Because the events that started at that hour of prayer have come full arc to another hour of prayer here in our text. There was a showdown in the temple. By the power of Jesus Christ, a man who was born lame was healed.

And in the excitement of everyone who was there that day, there was the opportunity to preach the gospel of the kingdom. How was this man made whole? How was he saved? Because of Jesus, who is the Christ, who is risen from the dead and reigning from the right hand of the Father.

That's how this man has been made whole. And you need to be made whole as well. You need to be saved as well. They preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. This greatly disturbed the Sadducees and the Sanhedrin.

They arrested them and then threatened them to not speak or teach in the name of Jesus anymore. Now, when the great excitement broke out in the temple, the people there thought that Peter and John were special.

There's something amazing about you two, because this man who's with you is healed. So obviously, you're pretty amazing. And Peter and John clearly said, it's not about us. It's about Jesus of Nazareth, who is the Christ.

Then when they were at their trial, the Sanhedrin were throwing their weight around, throwing their authority around and saying, we're threatening you. You better not cross us. Do not preach or teach anymore this message.

To which Peter and John said, it's not about you. It's not about you. It's about Jesus of Nazareth, who is the Christ. And he said to keep doing this, and so we shall. So it's not about us, and it's not about you.

We've heard that in chapters three and four so far. And now, now Peter and John come back to their own companions, their brothers and sisters in Christ, and we're going to see how they respond as a church to the threats that they have received.

If you'll stand with me, I'm going to read Acts chapter four, verses 23 through 31. This is the word of the Lord. And being let go, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them.

So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said, Lord, you are God who made heaven and earth and the sea and all that is in them, who by the mouth of your servant David have said, why did the nations rage and the peoples plot vain things?

The kings of the earth took their stand and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against his Christ. For truly against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles and the people of Israel were gathered together to do whatever your hand and your purpose determined before to be done.

Now, Lord, look on their threats and grant to your servants that with all boldness they may speak your word by stretching out your hand to heal and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.

When they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and they spoke the word of God with boldness. This is the word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

You may be seated. There are many of you here today who have a seasonal burden in your life when other people in your household rejoice in watching sports and it seems to be unnecessarily protracted. There's not just the game, there's the pre-game show and then there's the post-game show.

They talk about what they think happened. They talk about what happened and they talk about what they thought happened.

Why?

Well, on another level, it is a very human thing for us to do to engage in thinking about upcoming conflicts, contests, to consider what's going to happen when we think there's going to be a disagreement, to go over it again and again before it happens and what is a sports contest but some kind of conflict of some sort.

It's also very human of us to, after the contest is over, after the conflict disagreement, after the showdown has happened, to then reflect on what was said, what was not said, what I wish I would have said and so forth.

Perhaps you've experienced this. It's the post-game show. And thinking about what was the main factor that really, unfortunately or fortunately, seemed to control what happened. The apostles, Peter and John, return to their companions.

They come back to their brothers and sisters in Christ and they say, here's what happened. You know, they didn't come home that night. Obviously, the church found out what happened. Undoubtedly, they had been concerned.

Here comes Peter and John and they share with them what happened. Here was the conflict. Here's what was said. And here is the post-showdown analysis. Now, if we are in the habit of separating everything neatly, as Plato and Aristotle would have, into, well, this is physical, but this is spiritual.

If we're into the Greek philosophy of doing that, then we would look upon the engagement and we would say something along these lines. Well, politically, the church lost. And logistically, the church lost.

Obviously, the Sanhedrin still have all the political power. Those who murdered Jesus still have the power. And yes, 5 ,000 believers, well, that's a great number. But really, the numbers are not with the church.

So, we put all the data points together and politically and logistically, this was a big L for Jesus. But spiritually, on the other side, spiritually, it was a great victory. That's a very Greek way of thinking.

Actually, what's going on in the political contest is spiritual. And the logistical realities have spiritual impact and connection. And it wasn't simply healing a man born lame, but also bringing him to Jesus so he would be saved.

It wasn't this nice little neat division going on. And in the prayer of the church, they immediately, rightly, pray about the spiritual realities that are intermixed with the political and logistical issues.

I think we should take note of that. We should take note of that because what if it had gone the other way? What if there was a 50 ,000-person conversion? What if there was a revival and the Spirit broke out in such a way there in the temple?

All the chief priests and priests, all of them converted at once. The temple is now closed for Jewish business. Welcome to the new church. We're going to be gathering up here. This is where we're going to have services.

And what if there was such a groundswell of support of the people that the Sanhedrin lost all their power overnight? They were deposed by the Roman government, and they recognized Christianity as the religion of the Jewish region.

What if it had gone supremely well? Whether it was a difficult time or a wonderful time, the assessment by the believer is absolutely the same. It's the kind of assessment that Paul the Apostle gave in 2 Corinthians 3 -5.

Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as being of ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God. That's the post-conflict assessment. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God.

And so, being let go, they come back to their companion and say, this is what happened, and what do they do? They respond in prayer. God's servants prevail through prayer, advancing his kingdom. God's servants prevail through prayer, advancing his kingdom.

In this passage, we are going to see the reason for prayer, the object of prayer, the content of prayer, and the answer to prayer. Now, the reason for prayer is simply this, the weakness of the saints.

That's the reason for it. Why are they praying? Their reason? We can't do it. Their reason? We need help. Their reason? It's too much. That's their reason. The reason for this prayer is the weakness of the saints.

Verse 23, they were let go, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them, which basically came down to this, if you keep preaching in the name of Jesus, if you keep teaching in the name of Jesus, if you leave here and keep this up, we're going to make your life as miserable as we can make it.

Say goodbye to your freedom. Say goodbye to your business. Say goodbye to your money. Say goodbye to your friends. Say goodbye to your family. We are coming after you. This is your one warning. If you keep on doing this, we're going to bring the full weight of our authority to bear upon your life, and we're going to make you miserable, just so you know that.

So they report this to the church. So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord. With one accord. They're in unity here. They're going to pray. And what do they say? Well, they say a lot.

But I want you to focus, first of all, on their requests. What they're asking for. Here's what we need. They certainly declare who God is. They certainly declare what the main issue is. But look at what they need.

Verse 29. Now, Lord, look on their threats and grant to your servants that with all boldness they may speak your word by stretching out your hand to heal and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of your holy servant, Jesus.

So what are they asking for? What's the cause of concern? They share the cause for concern with the whole church. They say, this is what the Sanhedrin said. They're threatening us if we continue to teach and preach in the name of Jesus.

And what do they say? Oh, Lord, look on their threats. Now, they've been thinking about these threats. They heard the threats from the Sanhedrin. Peter and John came back and they talked to the church about these threats.

They said, what? They said they were going to do what if we did this? They certainly looked upon the threats. But what do they ask for? Oh, Lord, you look upon their threats.

Why?

Our perspective is not enough. Help us see it from your point of view. It's not really our job to pay attention to these threats as much as it is your concern. Because you are God.

You're the Lord.

We're just your servants. They say, Lord, we need you to grant to us, to grace unto us, boldness. That we will speak your word. Of course, the threats was what? Don't speak in the name of Jesus. And all these threats that come with it.

The idea is we're going to make you be quiet. We're going to cancel you. We're going to silence you. We're going to end you. So they asked the Lord for boldness. We need boldness to continue to obey the instructions and speak in the name of Jesus.

Why do they pray for this? Because their proclamation is not enough. Their boldness is not enough. Their strength is not enough. And they ask that God would continue to do the kinds of things he did there at the hour of prayer, at the gate beautiful, in the temple.

That he would continue to do powerful work, signs and wonders, done through the name of your holy servant, Jesus.

Why?

Because our power is not enough. Our abilities are not enough. In other words, the reason for this prayer is the weakness of the saints. They're saying our perspective, our proclamation, our power is not enough.

Oh Lord, we need your perspective. We need your proclamation. We need your power if we're going to succeed. Now, this list of needs is baked in to the instructions that Jesus gave to his disciples at the end of Luke's first volume in Luke 24.

In Luke 24, verse 44, Jesus said to them, these are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms concerning me.

And he opened their understanding that they may comprehend the scriptures. In other words, we need your perspective. We need to see things from your point of view, how you see things. Then he said to them, thus it is written and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name, in the name of the one who was risen from the dead, to all nations beginning at Jerusalem.

And you are witnesses of these things. So not our proclamation, but yours. What you have to say, what you want to be said. So we need your perspective. We need your proclamation. Verse 49, Behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you, but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.

Not our strength, not our ability, but we need your power to do the work. You see, the promises that Christ made, the instructions he gave to his disciples, all come back here in this prayer. It's about how God sees things.

It's about what God wants to say. And it's about how God empowers and equips us to do what he's called us to do. Which, again, shows that they're focused on the task. They're seeking first the kingdom of God.

All these other things will be added to them. They have a task. They are to preach, in the name of Jesus, the promise of forgiveness of sins, the reality of the resurrection from the dead, the gospel, the good news of the kingdom, and they're to preach it in Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria and the uttermost parts of the earth.

Well, things are just beginning to get started. Things are just now gaining traction. They're just now getting over the target here in Jerusalem, and they begin to take flak, enemy fire.

Now what?

It's a very large commission, is it not? Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, the uttermost parts of the earth.

Wow.

That's a huge job. And look how much trouble we're having already. Right? That's kind of discouraging. It's not only discouraging in the sense of how big the task is, but also in the practicalities of the obedience and the realities of the day-to-day.

For instance, they just got released from the Sanhedrin. They come and tell the church about it, and you know the question is, look, what are we doing this afternoon? What are we going to do tonight? What's tomorrow look like in light of these threats that have just been issued on us?

Right? That's kind of discouraging. I don't really know what to do next. How are we to proceed? Jesus said, be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. What does that look like? What are we going to do next?

So not only the grandness of the commission that they have been entrusted with and called to, but then the practicalities, the actual, what do I do next? That can be really difficult to discern, especially when facing these threats.

Their weakness is what is on display here. I don't have an answer. I don't have a plan. I don't have an ability to outmaneuver my enemies, and I can't overcome them. I don't know what to do. The weakness of the saints is on display.

What do they do? They pray. The reason for the prayer is the weakness of the saints, which of course will govern then, not the reason for the prayer, governs the posture of the prayer, governs the approach of the prayer.

There's a great prayer in Psalm 62, verses five through eight. This is an address to the self and a call to others. My soul waits silently for God alone. Why? Because my soul is talking too much. My soul is eager to get going and do something about this.

I don't like feeling weak. I don't like not having the answer. I don't like being without the resources,.

And my soul is talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk.

Here's plans A through F. My soul wait, wait, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation. He is my defense. I shall not be moved. And God is my salvation and my glory.

The rock of my strength and my refuge is in God. Having settled that with the soul, now it's time to talk to fellow believers. Trust in him at all times, you people. Pour out your heart before him. God is a refuge for us.

That's our hope. There's our confidence. This is the way that Christ modeled prayer, taught prayer to his disciples. You can look back in Matthew chapters six and seven. When Jesus is instructing his followers about the kingdom of God, what is it like to live in God's kingdom?

How should you pray? He says in Matthew chapter six, verse eight, therefore do not be like them. Like who? I like the ones who pray because they think it's impressive to others around them. It improves their opinion of me.

So I pray. My status is increased. I pray. He says don't be like them. He says don't be like those who use vain repetitions for they think they'll be heard for their many words. In other words, I'm going to convince God of my sincerity by praying more and extra over and over and therefore I will achieve something.

I will convince God. I will push God's buttons and I'll put in my prayer, my two quarters of prayer, and I'll hit J10 and I'll get my thing from the vending machine of God. Jesus says they think they'll be heard for their many words.

He says don't be like them. There are wrong ways to pray. And so Jesus says here's the right way to pray. Verse eight, Matthew six, here's the right way to pray. Do not be like them for your father knows the things you have have need of before you ask him.

Remember to whom you pray. In this manner, therefore, pray after this fashion. Here's a good model for praying. He doesn't say repeat after me. He just said he doesn't want vain repetitions. He just said no vain repetitions.

So this is not a prayer to repeat over and over and over again and gain merits to cash in with the saints. That's for the Catholics. In this manner, therefore, pray. Our father in heaven, hallowed be your name.

Well, there's your perspective from heaven. Your kingdom come, your will be done. In other words, how does the kingdom come? How does it advance? By the preaching of the word. How do we know God's will?

By the word, your proclamation. On earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. We need your provision in our lives. We need your power in our lives.

Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.

Amen.

What kind of prayer is this? It's a kind of prayer from somebody who is weak and needy. I don't have it. I don't have the right perspective. I don't have the right idea. I don't have the authority over myself.

I don't have bread for today. I don't have forgiveness of my sins. I don't have deliverance from temptation and from evil. Unless I have it from you.

I am needy. I am weak.

Jesus says, pray like this. The reason for the prayer is our weakness, which governs, therefore, the approach of the prayer, the posture of the prayer. It's not like, it's not like the Pharisee in Jesus' parable who had it all together and he went to the temple to pray so he could talk with himself and remind God of the favor he was doing to God by praying to him.

That's not the approach to prayer. Jesus condemns that and he rejoices in the posture. Think about the posture of the tax collector who would not even raise his head to heaven, but beat upon his chest.

Think about the approach of the one who was in need where he's praying to God like a man on his last fingernails on the ledge before he plunges into hell. He says, be propitious to me. Be merciful to me, the sinner.

I'm in need.

I can't save myself. I can't forgive myself. I can't deliver myself. I can't get myself out of any of this. The reason for prayer is the weakness. Matthew 7, verses 7 and following, ask and it will be given to you.

Seek and you will find. Knock and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. He who seeks, finds. And to him who knocks, it will be opened. This is the way Jesus says our expectation concerning prayer.

That's a hard sell, Jesus. God is busy. He's big. He's distant. I'm just a little old me and I've not done a lot for him lately. You know, that might be fine for, oh, I don't know, George Mueller, but I'm no George Mueller.

Jesus knows it's hard for us to believe what he just said, so what does he say? Well, he builds the faith, doesn't he? He says, think about this. What man is there among you? If his son asks for bread, will you give him a serpent?

Or give him a stone, I mean? Verse 10, if he asks for a fish, will you give him a serpent? He's asking for bread. You're going to give him a rock and laugh at him and his hunger? He asks for a fish. You're going to give him some sea snake that might bite him?

If you then being evil, right? He says, you're no prize as a father, right? You're no righteous, wonderful human being here. You're guilty of sin. You're evil. You're depraved. But even then, you know how to give good gifts to your children, don't you?

How much more will your father who is in heaven, who's perfect, who's good, who's righteous, who's all-powerful, give good things to those who ask him? Doesn't that build the faith? Right?

It's not about us.

It's about the Lord. So Jesus says, pray. Pray as children. Pray as persistent children, needy children, seeking children. Pray together as children, our father who is in heaven, to a good father, to a loving father, to a generous father.

That's how we are to pray. Now, is this not what is going on here in Acts 4? Not only is this descriptive of what happened in the church, it's also prescriptive. We see that this is exactly how Jesus taught his followers to pray.

This is a good example for us to consider and to meditate on. That they're praying out of their need, out of their weakness. I mean, what's the issue? The issue is that Jesus has told them, you are witnesses of these things.

You are my witnesses. You are going to proclaim the good news of the kingdom in my name to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, the uttermost parts of the earth. This is your job. And now there is a great impediment to accomplishing that.

There is a threat against doing that. Now, what did the Sanhedrin say? You don't teach or preach in this name to anyone, anywhere, anytime. And the mamas in the group are like,.

But I want to teach my children in the name of Jesus, right?

And the fathers are saying, I want to teach my family in the name of Jesus. Hey, family, we had plans to invite our neighbors over for supper. We were going to share our food with them and share the name of Jesus with them.

That's what we had planned for this evening. And now the Sanhedrin has said this. What if word gets back to them, right? See, it has a huge impact on the lives of these Christians. What now? There's some danger, some threat, some impediment to our obedience unto Christ.

What now?

Pray.

When something occurs that exposes our weakness, this is not a time to say, well, oh, well, that didn't work out. That is a reminder of our weakness, a reminder to pray. It's not a time to say, oh, if I was a better Christian, then this wouldn't have happened.

No, it's a reminder to pray. We are to pray communally, 2 Corinthians 1, 8 through 11. Just like Peter and John, they come to their own companions. They report all that the chief priests and elders said to them.

So they hear that, and then they raise their voice to God with one accord. They're all together. They're praying together. This is what we do on Sundays, Sunday mornings, Sunday nights. We pray together.

We especially pray together on Wednesday nights. We come together.

Why?

This is the way Jesus wants us to pray. Yes, he says in Matthew 6, go into your private room and pray to your heavenly father. And he also says we are to pray together. In 2 Corinthians 1, 8 through 11, listen to the way that Paul writes.

He says, for we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren. I don't want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble, which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life.

Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves that we should not, listen to, we should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead. I don't want you to be ignorant of how weak we are, and how weak we felt in this particular situation.

But it's not about us, it's about the Lord. Verse 10, God delivered us from so great a death, and so does deliver us in whom we trust that he will still deliver us. You also helping together in prayer for us that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the gift granted to us through many.

Paul is like, this is so essential that you do not live in ignorance of how weak we are, how needy we are, because we need your prayers, and we are praying together with you. Pray communally. Pray continually.

Pray continually. This is something that we see in the book of Acts, right? How often do we find the believers stopping in prayer? About as often as we find Jesus stopping in prayer in his ministry. Frequently.

Lots of time. Pray continually. 1 Thessalonians 5 .17 says, pray without ceasing. Pray without ceasing. Have you ceased being a needy child? Has God ceased being a generous father? Have we ceased being weak and unable servants?

And has God ceased being an all-powerful Lord? No, pray without ceasing. Pray without ceasing. We're never going to outgrow prayer. Never going to get so proficient at the Christian life that we're going to find ourselves in a position where we're confident and well able to do whatever we're supposed to do.

Pray without ceasing. Pray communally. Pray continually. Pray confidently. Paul says in 2 Timothy 4 .17 -18, he says to Timothy, but the Lord stood with me and strengthened me so that the message might be preached fully through me.

Right?

It's not about me. It's about the Lord. The Lord is the one who strengthened me. And that all the Gentiles might hear also, I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. Verse 18,. And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for his heavenly.

Kingdom.

To him be glory forever and ever.

Amen.

How's that for confident praying? Why can Paul be so confident in that prayer? Well, because of who he's praying to.

Right?

He's praying to the all-powerful God. Who are they praying to? They raise their voice with one accord, verse 24, and say, Lord, you are God who made heaven and earth and the sea and all that is in them.

The reason for the prayer is the weakness of the saints. But the object of the prayer is the all-powerful God. The all-powerful God. They pray to him and they say, verse 29, Now, Lord, Lord, look on their threats and grant to your servants that with all boldness they may speak your word.

If you have one of those Holman Christian standard Bibles, HCSB, came out about the time that I was starting seminary. It reads, Now, Lord, look on their threats and grant to your slaves that with all boldness they may speak your word.

Because that's the meaning of the word behind servants. And the word Lord, the word Lord there is not the normal common Greek word of but that of despot. The only kind of person using that as a title of address,.

Oh, despot.

The only person ever using that as a title of address is a slave. Isn't that great? The slaves of the all-powerful despot, the all-powerful Lord. And master, well, they just got threatened for doing the job he told them to do.

Master, so here's what happened. We got threatened to stop doing what you told us to do. But we're going to keep on doing it. But boy, do we need your help to keep doing it. And boy, are we glad it's not our problem.

Right?

Sanhedrin's not our problem.

Why?

Because that problem belongs to the master, not to the slave. He'll take care of them. He's the God who made the earth, the heavens, and the sea, and everything that's in them, including the Sanhedrin.

He made them too. So he'll take care of it.

Right?

He's in charge of it. So they are delivered, therefore, from any anxiety connected to their weakness. They may confess their weakness freely. They may confess their weakness fully. But they're not filled with anxiety about their weakness, or worry about their weakness, or shame because of their weakness, because they are merely the slaves of this all-powerful master who made heaven and earth and everything that is in them.

They go all the way back to Genesis 1 to place into proper context this situation. This is fundamental, God-fearing faith. This is the kind of doctrinal ballast that every believer needs. Called to glorify Christ, to declare His goodness to others, to proclaim the good news of the kingdom.

We know that we're owned lock, stock, and barrel by God because He's sent His Son to purchase us unto God on the cross. We know that we belong to Him. We know that we have a great commission that we're supposed to follow through on, and the practicalities of that obedience confront us every single day.

How do I proceed? What do I do? I look to the all-powerful God. In Psalm 146, we read exactly this phrase. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, O my soul. While I live, I will praise the Lord. I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

It's a great way to start out, especially when you're being threatened and persecuted. Do not put your trust in princes, like, you know, those running the Sanhedrin. Nor in a son of man in whom there was no help.

His spirit departs, he returns to his earth. In that day, his very plans... In that very day, his plans perish. But not like the son of man who reigns forever and ever, and his plans never fail. Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God.

Who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them. Who keeps truth forever. So we're definitely not going to stop saying the truth. We're definitely not going to stop teaching and preaching in the name of Jesus, even though they're coming after us for no good reason.

After all, verse 7, who executes justice for the oppressed? Who gives food to the hungry? The Lord gives freedom to the prisoners. Okay, Sanhedrin, follow through on your threats. Right? Oppress us.

Right?

Attack our economics. Take away our money. Throw us in prison. We worship the God who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and he's going to take care of us. The Lord opens the eyes of the blind.