A Timely Prayer (Part 2 of 2)

In the face of persecution.

Early church wasn't praying for protection or deliverance. Instead, they were praying that they would proclaim the gospel more boldly today on Truth for Life. Alister Greg continues a message back is challenging us to make their timely prayer our own today in acts chapter 4 verse 23 and when they were they went to their friends and they reported and on receiving the report. The people there lifted their voices together to God and then acknowledge that all that it taken place was under the sovereign hand of God.

You see, my dear friends unless we understand that God is a sovereign God then it was almost inevitable that we will be buffeted and bowled over by the events which are clearly evidences of opposition and incipient persecution in relationship to the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. I suggest to you that is exactly what is happening here the kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers set themselves against the Lord and against his anointed, I say to you again that the sovereignty of God, a God who is unfolding his purpose from all of eternity is at the very heart of biblical Christianity. Notice what they say Lord you made heaven and are then they say in verse 25. Not only are you the one who made but you are the God who speaks and in verse 28 and you decide what is happened here is happened as a result of the hateful animosity in light of Psalm two expressed in Herod and Pontius Pilate, who, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel where where amassing their forces against Christ but that was only doing what your plan had predestined to take place.

This is why I suggest to you this morning that it is a timely prayer for surely the great need of the hour in the church of Jesus Christ is simply this for spirit filled, Christ centered boldness. Jesus remember quoting the Scripture says man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. The prophets make it clear that the grass withers and the flower falls by the word of the Lord will endure forever.

So this is this is what he was promising before he left them Jesus is and I will send the Holy Spirit another one who will come and he will lead you into all truth. What an amazing transformation read again Peter's sermon on Pentecost considered his ability to answer here and compare that with what he was like only a matter of weeks before when he stumbles before a lady who accuses him. Suggest to them that he is a follower of Jesus, and now such ball by the power of the Holy Spirit aware of the fact that what is happening here is that the promise of Jesus has come to fulfillment in the giving of the spirit and the giving of the spirit as revealed in Peter's ability to do this with the accompanying signs that said as foundations and this time now.

With that in mind, this is what I'm suggesting to us that this then is not a time to sound retreat, but rather reveille to remind ourselves of what it is were doing as a church small C and big C in's, particularly in the Western world to remind ourselves who the enemy is with others only studied in Ephesians, then we, the battle is not waged against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness.

I wanted you believe that that there are cosmic powers that are over this present darkness, it is always dark. But there are periods of declension the dark days that are difficult times, about which Timothy was warned in the first century. Grievous times will come times of great trial times when it appears as though the whole world is so destabilized against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. That is why saying that in Ephesians and writing then in Corinthians, he says listen the weapons of our warfare are not of the flash but have divine power to destroy strongholds is no surprise then that when Paul makes these statements for the encouragement of those to whom he writes.

He then calls for his readers to pray at all times in the spirit with all prayer and supplication. In other words, to pray big and to pray. He says for me also. Why so that I may no longer be persecuted so that I will not have to spend all these times getting the beating gets pending in jail no. Pray for me also that words may be given me to open my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel to proclaim the mystery of the gospel. Do you realize what a great temptation.

It is to the church at this point in our country to deviate from course chasing down all kinds of notions and ideas just reading as I do the country of my birth.

See how much time is given by striking figures of the established church to tackle questions that have to do with the removal of statues or the presence of financial insecurities, and so on. Preach the gospel, the mystery of the gospel. Pray for me.

He says that's why they're praying grand to your servants to continue to continue to scream, but this is not a new program is not a new program now and the and the proclamation of the apostles was not reactionary. Now it was proactive.

It was declaration they were man on a mission. They were man with a message they were serving their master. Now you say what what would it mean for them. What did it mean for them to continue to speak the word of God with all boldness while we can spend a very long time. Considering that, but we won't. I want this just actually to consider two short phrases to help us with this as being representative of if you like the more comprehensive preaching that they're doing and incidentally, in talking about preaching the reason I began as I began is so that we don't say to ourselves is were listening but I suppose this is a terrific word you should have use it for basics of there being a basic it seems to be all about preaching no the whole gospel has been given to the whole church to reach the whole world.

So whether you're a musician or an engineer or a farmer or a pharmacist. It doesn't matter the charge of God is to speak his word. The mystery of the gospel with boldness and so when you go to the second chapter again of acts and Peter has stood up and made his declaration and then in verse 22 says men of Israel, hear these words hear these words. There's a call and in the ESV and then the very next words on his lips Jesus of Nazareth, hear these words, Jesus of Nazareth not hear these words. I got a political agenda, hear these words I have financial idea, hear these words are gonna fix justice in the word no hear these words one Jesus of Nazareth and who is this Jesus of Nazareth attested by God with mighty works and wonders and signs and so on.

This Jesus delivered up. That's the first phrase this Jesus delivered delivered by who delivered up by the father for God so loved the world he gave his only son.

This is the father's plan Jesus in speaking says nobody takes my life from me. I lay it down. I lay it down of my own accord. You see the very heart of the Christian gospel is the cross of Jesus Christ and find any attempt to proclaim Christianity that diverges from the cross of Christ is to no longer be in keeping with apostolic preaching and the apostolic priorities that are given to those who follow. So in other words, people are to be say what what was happening at the cross everyone to be able to be doing this speaking the word with boldness were going to tell them that on the cross, Jesus was wounded for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities upon him the chastisement that brought us peace was born and with his wounds we are healed. No.

In other words, and in short order. The good news that Jesus offered himself to their for the sake of our sins means absolutely nothing to us.

Nothing to us until we are brought face-to-face with our need of a Savior. There need of a Savior using if we're going to speak to men and women with boldness concerning the word concerning the mystery of the gospel. We don't have to be brave and offers our friend Rico tells us press through the pain barrier which comes from those who say will wait a minute you see, I don't think I have a friend or a neighbor or a colleague who is unprepared to acknowledge that their life is filled with defects or errors or misunderstandings or false or shortcomings and you can get people to say what he is unsure another perfect person I haven't done everything right or try my best and so what, that's not the same as speaking about sin of sin were very good at admitting that we are less than we might be and then very quickly explaining as to why it is we are the way we are and if you listen carefully to immediate response is to blame someone else, or to blame something else or to blame my background or to blame this or the next thing in a way that pushes it from me, but you see to face up to my sin involves being prepared to own up to my defects to admit that I have been living my life for myself without regard to the law of God like a child sneaking out under cover of darkness from his parents home in order to do things which he or she knows displeases his parents. The Bible says that science sneaking away from God.

Sneaking away from God and finding ourselves wondering in the darkness, wondering in a fog of unknowing, and here's the wonder of the gospel that into that darkness and into that fog.

The searchlight of the love of God shines and shines in the person of Jesus.

Again, take your Bible and read it, read the stories of those who encounter with Jesus like a woman at the well if if we could have her with us and give her testimony this morning, and if we get it we sit or what you want to say about this in relationship to acts chapter 3 and four. She says you know that pacifier where Peter talks about your sins being blotted out's blotted out. She said my my my life was such a wreck. I looking for love in all the wrong places. I had multiple relationships. I was notorious in the town I came for water in the middle of the day because nobody neither male or female could be bother me at all hard when I met Jesus or living water. All that delete key or that redo all that fresh start.

Just as I am wretched, blind site, riches, healing of the mind. Yay. All I need in you. I find Lord Jesus Christ. I come see them out of the gate couldn't fixed himself.

His condition was hopeless is a picture of our condition outside of Christ, he needed a power outside of himself. We are completely incapable of change in ourselves. We need Jesus to changes in all, the issue is surrender. Surrender to accept God's offer of free forgiveness involve surrender a surrender. Most of us by nature are unprepared to make all of us actually Jesus is presented, then in this kind of preaching as the one who is delivered up is the one who is delivered up for our sins and raised for our justification but he doesn't just remind his listeners that this Jesus was delivered up and I just deal with is very briefly but he then goes on to say God raised him. God raised him the same God who delivered them up to death for our sins is the one who has raised him. He has triumphed over the reminder that when we pray as we must, that the servants of God might be enabled to proclaim the word of God with boldness.

We remind ourselves.

Christianity is not a philosophy is not a package of religious ideas know these fellas were propelled onto the streets of Jerusalem in light of the fact that they knew that Jesus was alive.

If Jesus had risen from the dead. Why would Peter be out here preaching like this, it makes no sense. And furthermore, we would probably never of Herod of Jesus of Nazareth, whether not for the fact of the resurrection. Christianity is grounded in facts is grounded in history if he had been buried and left dead in that Palestinian tomb than the whole thing would've been over if you're wondering, the about these things in these days. If you're prepared to think it out. You have to ask yourself what was it that changed the disconsolate disciples who on their journey to Emmaus on that Easter Sunday morning had everything in the past tense.

We had hoped. We thought that perhaps it was going to be what was their problem. They had been looking for the solution in the wrong place. They were looking for a Messiah who is going to do something vastly different from this, but what changed.

Jesus changed the memo. They said, upon reflection, did not. Our hearts burn within us. When he talked to us on the road. Notice and opened to us the Scriptures open to us the Scriptures the same thing brought about the change in a self-satisfied religious man called Saul of Tarsus and he is the one who when he writes his great theological treatise in Romans says of Jesus that Jesus I had had no interest in Jesus. I thought that the people who follow Jesus were nuts but he was delivered up for our sins, and he was raised for our justification and it is on that basis, you see that Peter makes this striking declaration in the 12 verse of chapter 4 when he says there is no salvation in anybody else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

He is the only safe because no one else possesses the qualifications. This is not arrogance, is actually a logical deduction from the facts that are there before us in the person and work of Jesus. While S. Let us try and set listen online. The need of the hour. Is this spirit filled, bold proclamation of Jesus. Jesus. And that is why the prayer is a timely prayer because we are living now in a culture of an incoherent mix of opinions and tensions. The charges to be able to go out and say I'm not ashamed of the gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes force for the June and then for the Gentile. But it finishes in verse 31 in the section that we read we find out what it happened after they prayed and when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continue to speak the word of God with boldness. I think of all the things are missing on the mom and I miss our prayer times on the third Sunday night of the month.

Look forward to getting back to that soon and when we come back for our first time in the midst of our prayers were going to pray that what happened there might happen to us that we might say to God, corporately, as we gather all Lord shakers, all Lord Phyllis all Lord embolden us enable because your servants to speak your word with great boldness and question each one of us basis is will we respond to the call to boldly proclaim the good news of Jesus during this crucial point in time.

That's Alastair Briggs challenge today in his message on Truth for Life in just a minute Alastair will be back closing prayer.

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Things like his wisdom or his compassion.

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None else right to Truth for Life at PO Box 39, 8000, Cleveland, OH 44139. Let's join Alastair as he closes in prayer father and a multitude of words. We pray that the voice of the risen Christ. Maybe sailors Lord from lethargy from a wrongful sense of fearfulness grant that we might fear you and fear no one else grant that boldness may not be a personality type a braggadocio no childlike trust taking you at your word being prepared to say this is Jesus I command them to you. He was delivered bearing our punishment in order that we might be forgiven of in The law and all of its righteous demand that he is been raised up.

He's alive.

So not only will our sins be blotted out to the part of the Holy Spirit will be granted to us in order that we might live for all Lord help us in the states. Shakers Phyllis embolden us, for Jesus sake, we pray Bob Lapine. Thanks for listening.

How do you typically respond when you're experiencing a trial facing affliction. Alastair explains there is actually an upside to suffering, but requires something crucial from us.

Find out what that is tomorrow the Bible teaching of Alistair Begg is furnished by Truth for Life learning