SERMON: WHAT A DIFFERENCE

11 April 2010

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Acts 4:23-31

23. On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them.
24. When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. "Sovereign Lord," they said, "you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.
25. You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David: "`Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?
26. The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One. '
27. Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed.
28. They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.
29. Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.
30. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus."
31. After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

-- what a difference a week makes! -- just last week, our stores and homes and churches were filled with the signs of Easter -- bright spring colors -- big Easter bunnies -- chocolate candies -- dyed eggs -- colorful new dresses
-- families and churches came together to hunt Easter eggs and to share time together -- we got up early to watch the sun rise and to worship God -- and many of us enjoyed the various Passion Plays that were presented throughout our communities
-- our churches were actually filled as members and friends who rarely darken our doors lined the pews to spend Easter with their family in the house of God to remember and to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus
-- you know, out of all the doctrines of the church -- out of all the foundational beliefs that we have as the people of God -- none are more important than the resurrection of Christ -- in fact, in 1 Corinthians 15:14, the Apostle Paul wrote that "if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith." -- in other words, the resurrection is so important that our very faith and belief system rises and falls with the truth that Jesus died and was raised from the dead on the third day
-- if Jesus did not rise from the dead, Paul writes, then we are wasting our time -- but, we know that Jesus did rise from the dead -- the Bible tells us so -- the eyewitnesses of the resurrection tell us so -- even other writers hostile to Christianity in the first century make note of the fact that Jesus rose from the dead -- and the Holy Spirit confirms it in our own hearts

-- so, what does that mean to us? -- it means that it's still Easter! -- last Sunday -- Easter Sunday -- was only the beginning of the season, not its climax -- it was only the beginning of a new way of life, not a one-day holiday
-- because Christ rose from the dead, we have hope of eternal life -- because Christ rose from the dead, we have been empowered with the Holy Spirit -- because Christ rose from the dead, we have been sent forth as His ambassadors to share the good news of salvation and power over sin and death to everyone we meet
-- we should be standing on the street corners shouting the good news to everyone -- our churches should be filled with jubilant worshipers -- our homes and our lives should be demonstrating the power of the risen Christ -- we should be seeing lives changed and hearts transformed and people growing more like Jesus everyday
-- that is what Easter Sunday was all about -- that is what Jesus' life and death and resurrection were all about -- but, oh, what a difference a week makes!
-- already, the Easter decorations have been taken down -- the eggs eaten -- the chocolate candies a fond memory -- the stores have moved on to the next holiday -- and the people who were here last week have moved on -- today is traditionally the Sunday with the lowest church attendance all year long -- it's like Easter never happened

II. The Resurrection Life
-- which begs the question -- if Jesus did rise from the dead, then why aren't we seeing Easter year-round? -- if Jesus did rise from the dead, then why aren't we seeing a difference in our homes and in our families and in our churches? -- if Jesus did rise from the dead, then why aren't we seeing a change?
-- certainly, Jesus' resurrection made a change in the early Christians -- it certainly had an impact on the disciples -- it was their experience with the risen Christ that led the disciples from being fearful followers of a dead rabbi into being sold-out believers who turned the world -- the religious -- the cultural -- and the political world -- upside down through their teaching
-- it was the resurrection of Christ that grew the church from a handful of followers on Good Friday into over 3000 saved souls on Pentecost -- it was the resurrection of Christ that gave Peter and John and James the boldness to stand up to the crowds and to the religious leaders and to proclaim forgiveness of sins through Jesus -- and it was the resurrection of Christ that gave feet to the Apostle Paul, leading him to carry the message of Christ to the far-flung reaches of the Roman empire
-- this same resurrection that we celebrated last Sunday should be empowering us and leading us onward to do great things for God, too -- as Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:4-6 -- "There is one body and one Spirit-- just as you were called to one hope when you were called -- one Lord, one faith, one baptism -- one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."
-- if we have the same body and Spirit as the early church -- if we have the same hope as the early church -- the same Lord -- the same faith -- the same baptism -- the same God and Father -- and have been touched by the same resurrection as the early church, then we should be living lives that are sold-out for Christ -- we should be making a difference in this world, just like them -- and we should be seeing the same fruit in our homes and our lives and our churches as they did
-- this call of Christ is not just for those people back then -- it's for all of us here and now -- in the places and among the people that we live and work with every day -- it's a mission of making sure the poor get good news -- of releasing captives and welcoming them back into our communities of faith -- it's a mission of healing and restoring the sick, the lame, and the blind -- of rebuilding the broken and making it better -- of witnessing to and joining the work of God's kingdom whenever and wherever it may be found -- and of declaring God's saving love and power that brings us eternal life through Christ -- both with our words and with our actions
-- that is what we should be experiencing -- that is how we should be living -- that is what Easter is all about

-- I read a story one time about a man who borrowed a book from a friend -- as he read through it, he found a bunch of places that his friend had underlined -- that had obviously spoken to him as he read -- and out in the margin next to each of those underlined passages were the letters "YBH"
-- when he returned the book to his friend, he asked him about those letters -- What does "YBH" stand for? -- his friend replied, "Yes, but how"
-- this Sunday, those three letters should be written on our hearts and our souls -- "Yes, we should be living life as the early church -- yes, we should be going forth and ministering in Christ's name -- yes, we should be living sold-out for Christ and should be seeing fruit in our homes and in our churches -- yes, we should be doing all that the early church did -- yes, but how?"
-- Easter was about the "Yes" -- Easter was about experiencing the risen Christ -- Easter was about recognizing and receiving the call of Jesus to go forth in His power to minister to others in His name
-- for the next several weeks, I want us to talk about the "How" -- how did a ragtag group of believers in the first century with no visible power -- no prestige -- no influence -- no religious or political standing -- how did they turn this world upside-down for Jesus? -- and how can we do the same? -- how can we see revival in our homes and in our lives and in our churches? -- how can we start living up to the call that Jesus has given us?
-- I think the best way to begin to answer those questions is to start at the beginning -- to see how the early church fulfilled the call of Christ so that we might share in their experiences, as well

III. Scripture Lesson (Acts 4:23-31)
-- so, let's look again at this passage from the Book of Acts -- and before we dig back into these scriptures looking for the "How," let me give you the context to let you know where we are at in the story
-- this passage occurs on the heels of the resurrection -- as you know, Jesus stayed with the disciples for 40 days following that first Easter -- teaching them and discipling them and preparing them to take over His ministry -- and 10 days after His ascension, we read of the Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came to indwell believers and to infuse them with His sanctifying power
-- this passage occurs after Pentecost -- after the church has begun to grow -- Peter and John have been preaching and teaching throughout Jerusalem -- and after healing a crippled beggar at the Gate Beautiful leading into the Temple -- they were arrested and brought before the Sanhedrin and warned to stop preaching in the name of Jesus -- this passage opens up immediately after they were released by the Sanhedrin and gives us one very clear picture of the "How" that we are looking for

-- so, if you would, look back with me at Acts 4, starting at verse 23

23. On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them.
24. When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God.

-- the early church has just received its first experience with persecution -- ever since the crucifixion and the resurrection and Pentecost, the disciples had been left alone -- no where do we read that they were persecuted or harassed at any turn
-- but now, as the power of God is being made manifest within the walls of the Temple -- as the ministry of Jesus continues to threaten the established order of things -- we see the start of persecution
-- the issue that really faced the early church was how to respond to this persecution -- this was the first real test of the early church
-- Luke tells us here that when Peter and John were released from jail, they went back to their own people -- in other words, Peter and John went to church -- this speaks to the purpose of the church -- we exist, not merely to gather together on Sunday to worship God -- we exist to encourage and strengthen one another in our trials and in our failings and in our triumphs
-- Peter and John had just been arrested by the same people that had killed Jesus less than two months before -- certainly, they should have been in fear for their lives -- remember what happened the first time their lives were threatened -- the disciples all fled the Garden of Gethsemane and left Jesus there -- Peter denied three times that he knew Jesus
-- but, this time, rather than shrinking away in fear, they went to their own people -- they went to the church -- to encourage and to be encouraged -- to strengthen and to be strengthened
-- the first thing to do, then, when we're trying to answer that question, "Yes, but how?" is to turn to the church -- but, in order to do so, we have to first be the church

-- Luke tells us that after Peter and John reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them, that the church raised their voices together in prayer to God
-- the second thing that we are to do when we're trying to answer that question, "Yes, but how?" is to turn to God through corporate prayer
-- notice that it says that they lifted up their voices "together" -- they were in one accord -- they were in unity with each other -- and this is key
-- when we are faced with the issue of persecution -- when are faced with the issue of living out God's commands in our homes and in our churches -- then we must come together as one to pray for God's guidance
-- but, honestly, our churches are rarely like that, are they? -- the one complaint I hear more from unchurched and dechurched people is that the church is divided -- that factions in the church argue with one another -- and that is true -- church can be a very divisive place if people rely on their own wisdom and understanding -- if people put their own agendas and goals ahead of God's
-- the issue is not what I want or what you want or what any group in the church wants -- the issue is what God wants -- and the message here is that the church should come together -- in one accord -- to seek God's will and direction and purpose for everything that goes on in the name of Christ
-- if we could just learn this one lesson, then we would really start seeing God's power made manifest in our churches

-- let's look at their prayer -- look back at the second part of verse 24

24b "Sovereign Lord," they said, "you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.
25. You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David: "`Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?
26. The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One. '
27. Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed.
28. They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.


-- it should be noted here is that the Greek word that we see translated here as "Lord" or "Sovereign Lord" in this passage is not the usual one that we see translated as "Lord" throughout the New Testament
-- usually, we see the Greek word "kyrios" translated as Lord -- this is more a title -- it signifies majesty or deity -- it was used by the early church to affirm that Jesus was the Messiah -- that Jesus was God
-- but, the Greek word that we see here is used to denote one who rules over others -- it was applied to the highest magistrate or officer -- it denotes authority, power, absoluteness in ruling -- it stood for authority or absolute rule
-- what this tells us is that when the early church first experienced persecution, they appealed to God -- not on the basis of His deity -- but on the basis of His absolute rule -- of His sovereignty
-- in other words, the church humbled themselves before God -- they recognized His authority, not only over them, but over everyone and everything -- on other words, in this prayer they were recognizing that God was in total and complete control of the situation they were in as they faced persecution from the Romans and from the Jewish leaders
-- there's a song on the radio right now that says, "I am a friend of Christ" -- and that is true, but that is not the relationship that the church in this passage is considering -- they are bowing to the authority and sovereignty of God -- they are recognizing that He is in charge of everything -- He is in charge of the Romans -- He is in charge of the Sanhedrin -- He is in charge of the church, and so they come to Him in humbleness, seeking His face and His will for them as their absolute and divine ruler
-- the third thing that we are to do when we're trying to answer that question, "Yes, but how?" is to recognize and submit to God's authority

-- the fourth thing that we are to do when we're trying to answer that question, "Yes, but how?" is to stand on the promises of God
-- how many times do we stand and sing that song, "Standing on the Promises," but fail to do that which we have just proclaimed?
-- in this prayer, the church looked back to the prophecy that God had given King David in Psalm 2 -- God had told them that opposition would come -- that the nations would rage against Him -- that the people would speak against the Messiah -- that the kings and rulers would take their stand against Jesus"
-- God knew that this would happen -- He knew what they were going through -- and He said He would take care of it -- this Psalm that the church quoted in their prayer goes on to say, "The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them -- He rebukes them in His anger and terrifies them in His wrath"
-- so, in other words, the church prayed the promise of God -- they asked Him to fulfill His words and His promise through them -- they were affirming their trust in God's ability to see them through the storm
-- there are so many promises in Scripture that we are failing to see come to pass in our lives and in our churches -- not because they are not true -- but because we doubt their truth and we fail to stand on those promises as the fulfilled word of God -- if we are going to be the church who lives in the resurrection power of Christ, then we are going to have to stop just mouthing the words with our lips and start standing on the promises in reality

-- verse 29

29. Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.
30. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus."


-- the last thing that we are to do when we're trying to answer that question, "Yes, but how?" is to actually do the Lord's work in the world and fulfill His call with our lives and with our churches
-- notice how the church closes its prayer here -- they don't just ask for protection from evil, but they ask that God would be glorified through the evil and the persecution -- they pray for boldness to press on and to speak His word to others -- they ask that He would work through them to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders -- they prayed that God would do great things for the kingdom through them
-- you sense in this closing of the prayer an echo of Christ's words in the Garden of Gethsemane -- "Not my will, but thine be done" -- the church came together here to pray, not for themselves, but for God -- to pray that God's word and message would go forth -- that others would hear it and that lives would be changed and hearts and minds transformed through the power of the resurrected Christ
-- the empty tomb does not bid us to gather together on Sundays and to preach to the choir -- the empty tomb and the risen Christ bid us to go and make disciples -- to do God's work -- to minister in His name, even in the midst of trials and troubles -- even in the midst of persecution -- so that, through us and the power of Christ, others might live

-- verse 31

31. After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

-- prayers like this shake the world -- when the church was finished praying, God answered their prayer by showing them His power -- He shook the room where they were meeting to let them know that He was going to shake the world through them
-- their prayer was answered -- they were filled with the Holy Spirit -- and they were empowered to go forth and proclaim the word of God boldly, even in the face of persecution

IV. Closing
-- so, what does this mean for us? -- it means that God did not quit working when the Bible was written and the binding put on the book -- it means that God still changes hearts and transforms lives -- it means that God still wants to use His church to further His kingdom in this world
-- God wants us to be His hands and feet -- He wants to use us to be dynamic agents of change in our world -- but we can only do that if we allow Him to work in us and through us and if we actually get up and go out and do what He has told us to do

-- we began this message looking for the "how" -- in this passage, we saw five ways that the early church lived out the call of God in their lives:
-- first, we have to be the church and turn to the church for encouragement, enlightenment, and empowerment
-- second, we have to turn to God through corporate prayer, praying in one accord
-- third, we have to recognize and submit to God's authority
-- fourth, we have to stand on the promises of God
-- and, fifth, we have to actually do the Lord's work in the world and fulfill His call with our lives and with our churches

-- our goal when we meet together should be to take the promise of Easter and make it "yes" in our lives and our world -- these steps are the starting point to make that happen
-- so, as I close in prayer, I want to ask that you would prayerfully consider where we are today in this church -- are we the dynamic, powerful church that we see portrayed in Scripture -- are we living the "yes" of Easter?
-- if not, then let's come together in one accord and ask God to give us wisdom and direction as we seek to fulfill His call in our lives
-- let us pray