In This Together — Acts 4:23–37 - video Dailymotion

Medical Lake Community Church

Please enjoy this message delivered by Pastor Mark Hudson.  ✉️ Check In: https://medicallake.church/checkin 🔗 Next Steps: https://medicallake.church/next-steps  #mlcc #church #churchonline

Transcript

00:00You and I know we live in a broken world and illness is part of this world that we live in

00:04right now. I mean, it's, it's sickness is here. One day it won't be, but it is right now.

00:10So when an illness attacks a person, what, how do they respond? I mean, what, what is it? What

00:15is the response when illness attacks a person? Well, James Garrett reported about one of the

00:20representatives. I don't even think he's still alive anymore. Sam Rayburn. He was in the house

00:26of representatives and he got super sick when he was serving. And he announced to the house

00:32of representatives that he was going to go home for medical tests. And they said, Hey,

00:37question. They said, why are you leaving Washington DC to go back to Texas when Washington DC has

00:42a lot of great hospitals and a lot of places you could get tests done in Washington. Why

00:47would you go back home to Texas? And this is what he said. Bohem, Texas is a place where

00:56people know it when you're sick and where they care when you die. He was going home. It's

01:05going back to his people, the people who know when you're sick and the people who care about

01:10when you're going to die. He was going back to his people. It's an illness attacking representative

01:17Rayburn's body. And the only place he wanted to go was home. He wanted to go home to his people,

01:23to a place where people know it when you're sick and when they care when you die.

01:30He was in attack with this illness and that's how he responded.

01:35But what are you and I to do when we're attack for our faith?

01:40When we're trying to live out our Christian life that's been given to us in Christ and we're trying

01:45to be faithful and obedient to him and all of a sudden we're attacked, whether it's by your

01:49family, whether it's by your workplace or your neighborhood, what do we do when we're attacked

01:54for our faith? When you're fired for being unwilling to compromise your ethical values when the

02:01boss tells you to do something that's unethical? Or exiled from your family because you believe

02:07in Jesus Christ and they don't want to hear anything about it? You know, you radical Christian you,

02:12you Jesus freak. What do we do then when you're exiled from your family because of your faith in

02:18Jesus? I actually met a believer, Teresa knows who I'm talking about. She came to faith and her

02:24parents locked her in her bedroom for a period of time. Obviously they let her out, but originally

02:29when she said, I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, they locked her in her room for a period of time.

02:36In every hostile and restricted nation that we pray for, they understand what it means to be

02:41attacked for their faith. That's why we pray. They're being attacked for their faith.

02:46Many of us, most of us have very minimal experience with being attacked for our faith.

02:54It happens occasionally, but it's not like in those nations at all where your village throws

02:58you out because you believe in Jesus or they take your wife away from you and give her to somebody

03:03else because you believe in Jesus. So, but what do we do? To whom do we turn to when we suffer

03:14attacks for our faith? What do we go to for encouragement, for strength, for the courage to

03:23continue on in the face of opposition? Often a Christian wants to turn to their family,

03:29but often their family are not believers. What about a co-worker? Well, often again,

03:37most co-workers are not believers. You try to bring them the situation of being attacked for

03:42your faith and just kind of look at you like you're strange. What are you talking about? They can't

03:46comprehend it. How about venting to your neighbor? Again, they may not understand it if they're not a

03:54follower of Jesus Christ. They may not get what it means to be attacked for your faith. They can't give

03:59you that encouragement. They can't give you that strength and they can't give you the courage to

04:02continue on in the face of opposition. So whom do we turn to then when suffering attacks for our faith?

04:11We turn to a place where people know it when you're sick and they care when you die. We turn to our

04:20people, our family, this church. That's what we turn to for strength. That's what we turn to for

04:29encouragement. That's what we turn to for courage to continue on in the face of opposition. We turn to

04:35our family, to our people. We saw last, well, two weeks ago, Andy preached last week. We saw that

04:44Peter and John had been arrested for proclaiming Jesus Christ. They healed the man at the beautiful

04:48gate. Then they were arrested by the Sanhedrin. They're overnight in jail. The next day they go

04:53before. They're tried. They're threatened. Don't speak anymore in the name of Jesus. And then they

04:58were released. And where do they go? They go back to their family. Not their families like Peter's

05:03family or John's. They go back to their family, their people. They go back to the church.

05:11After hearing what happened, the church began praying, praising God for the deliverance of the

05:17apostles and asking him for courage to continue their witness in the face of opposition.

05:23They turned to the people who understand, the people who are our people, our family.

05:35So after suffering the attacks at the beginning of the chapter, Peter and John return now to the

05:39believing community. And a praise and worship service breaks out when they arrive. Look at

05:46chapter 4, verse 23. So if you open your Bibles, turn on your biblical device, whichever the case

05:51is, this is God's word. We're going to look at it together. They've been arrested, in jail

05:55overnight, tried, threatened, released. They go back home to their people. Verse 23. When they

06:03were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders

06:09had said to them. And when they heard it, they, that's their friends, the church, they lifted their

06:15voices together to God and said, sovereign Lord, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and

06:21everything in them. It's a very Jewish way of starting a prayer. They're calling on the sovereign

06:27Lord, the creator of all things, who through the mouth of our father, David. So we have creation as a

06:31witness. Then we have the word of God as a witness here, who through the mouth of our father, David,

06:36your servant, said by the Holy Spirit, inspired by the Holy Spirit, why did the Gentiles rage and the

06:43people's plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers were gathered together

06:49against the Lord and against his anointed. For truly in this city in Jerusalem, there were gathered

06:56together against your holy servant, Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius,

07:01Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel to do whatever your hand and your plan

07:09had predestined to take place. And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to

07:16continue to speak your word with all boldness while you stretch out your hand to heal. And signs and

07:23wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant, Jesus. And when they had prayed,

07:29the place in which they were gathered together was shaken and they were filled with the Holy Spirit

07:35and continued to speak the word of God with boldness. That's a prayer and praise service I would like to

07:42be a part of. I mean, I've been in the church before up there working in my office and it's really windy

07:48and I can feel the building move at times, but I've never seen it shake while we're here praising Jesus.

07:53That would be, that would get your attention, wouldn't it?

07:59So after being released, Peter and John went to their own people. It says to their friends,

08:05but the idea is to their own, to their own people. And I'll show you how the word is used

08:10here real quickly in the book of John, but it's the idea, this is their people, their family,

08:16their own. They belong to each other. They're united together in Christ. It's a good understanding

08:24for this word, pointing to the idea that these are God's people. Here, I'll give you an example,

08:28how it's used in John 1. John 1, chapter 1, verse 11. He came into his own, that's the word right here,

08:37and his own people, same word right there, his own people did not receive him. It's the idea of,

08:41that's his family, their family, their own people. That's the ones who understand what it means to be

08:46threatened for their faith, to understand what it means to believe on Jesus the Messiah,

08:50to understand what it means to give encouragement and strength and confidence as one moves forward

08:56in the face of opposition. When things get hard, when opposition arises against you, go to your people.

09:05Go to your people, your family, your supporters, your encouragement. We like to run to all different

09:11other places, and we find that they don't bring us any help whatsoever. This church is a family.

09:19We have been united together through Jesus Christ, united to him, and united to one another. We are

09:25part of God's family. We happen to gather together here in Medical Lake, but this church is a family.

09:32Not every member shares the same interest. Any family, just think about your family. Not everyone

09:37shares the same interest. Some people like sports. Some people like science. Some people like reading.

09:43Some people like snowboarding. Not all families share the same interest, but you know what?

09:49When the family is being attacked, we all come together to support one another.

09:57We don't all share the same things, and that's okay. That's good. We all have different interests.

10:01There's nothing wrong with that. We have multiple interest groups in our churches. That's perfectly

10:05fine, because I know when the family is attacked, you will rally together and support one another

10:12in the face of any opposition we may encounter, because we're a family. You're my own. You're my people.

10:22We don't go to the world. The world's not going to understand us. The world is not going to be able to

10:26give us strength in the face opposition for our faith in Jesus. They don't get it, but the family

10:33does. We understand, and this service, this service, this prayer service was really a worship service

10:43that included prayer. Now, they pray, granted, but it is a worship service. They're praising Jesus.

10:48It just happens to be a prayer that they're doing, so it's a worship service. Prayer is part of it.

10:53That's part of what's going on. They knew that God was real. He was the sovereign Lord. He's the creator

10:58of heaven and earth. He's a real being. You're not just speaking into the air when we pray. We're speaking

11:03to a real person, a real being. So we pray to him because he is alive. He is the living God, the sovereign

11:10God, the creator of heaven and earth. He is a personal God. It's like talking, we're talking to the creator

11:17of the universe and the savior of our souls, a real person. Remember up at this point, they're all

11:23Jewish believers. There are very few, maybe a couple of proselyte, Gentile proselytes, but most of them

11:27are all Jewish believers. And so when they say sovereign Lord, it's a way that a lot of Jews start

11:32their prayers. In fact, in the Old Testament, you'll see it often. It starts with sovereign Lord.

11:36Sovereign Lord is the Greek word despot, which means absolute authority. In our fallen world right now,

11:43the word despot is never used in a positive sense. It's always used in a negative sense.

11:48A despot, the absolute ruler over a country, a despot. But in this case, in this case, it's,

11:54in this case, it's for good that God has absolute power. The world that we live in, that despots in

12:01our world right now exercise power for evil. Our God has absolute power for good. We can never forget

12:09this. Our God is always good. He's always good. He is never evil. He's never going to attack you or

12:19harm you. He is your father in heaven who loves you with an everlasting love. He will train you as

12:25you go along in discipline, but he will never cause you harm in that sense. He loves you. He is your

12:31father. He is the sovereign Lord, the creator. Even Nehemiah started that prayer, his prayer in

12:38Nehemiah 6 with the idea of God being the sovereign Lord. You are the Lord, you alone. You have made

12:44heaven and the heaven of heavens with all their hosts, the earth and all that is on it, the seas

12:48and all that is in them, and you preserve all of them. The host of heaven worships you. That's how a

12:53lot of Jews prayed in the Old Testament. We see it. That all-powerful God known through his creation as

12:59being wise and powerful. So the creator God, they knew him as a sovereign Lord. They were responsible to

13:07him. They followed him. Hezekiah prayed the same way when he prayed to the sovereign Lord, but

13:13Hezekiah prayed for deliverance. You don't see that here, do you? They didn't pray for deliverance.

13:21They prayed for boldness in the face of opposition. You and I would go, hey man, I just, I want to get

13:26out of this. I don't like being threatened. I like, I want everyone to like me. I don't want people to

13:31throw me in jail. I like to be liked. I want out of this opposition. Deliver me. And they're going, no.

13:38I want to pray that you give me boldness to be faithful to you in the face of opposition.

13:47And then they quoted Psalm 2 here. It's a section from Psalm 2. They included scripture in their

13:53prayer. And that really is a great way to pray. Say, I'm not quite sure how I should pray.

13:57Open up the Psalms, read through one of them, and pray God's word back to him. It's a great way to

14:03pray. If you're not quite sure how to pray, just open up a Psalm, read it, and then pray his word

14:07back to him. It's a great way to pray. That's what they do. They quote his word. We have to remember

14:13that the highest purpose of prayer is not to meet the needs of people. The highest purpose of prayer

14:19is to bring glory to God. We pray to help meet the needs of people, but the highest is to bring glory to

14:25God. Phillips Brooks says, do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men and women. Do not

14:33pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks. It is the Holy Spirit that's

14:42going to give us boldness to proclaim the name of Jesus when being opposed. It is the Spirit who's

14:46going to do that in us. There's no complaining here. Do you hear an ounce of complaining from these

14:53people? Like, how could they do this to your people, God? What's wrong? There is no complaining

14:57going on whatsoever. They're praising God for this. There's no complaining. Dr. R. A. Torrey said,

15:06pray for great things, expect great things, work for great things, but above all, pray. Pray.

15:13It has been said, nothing lies beyond the reach of prayer except that which lies outside the will of

15:21God. Pray. Pray. So they quote Psalm 2. Now, if you take time, please don't do it right now. Just

15:30wait till you get home. Now, some of you are going to do it just because I said that. Psalm 2 in the Psalms,

15:35in the Psalter, there's no heading for Psalms 2. Who wrote it? Some of you are checking it out right now.

15:41Is he right? There's no heading in Psalm 2. But we're told right here through Luke, in the

15:46inspiration of the Holy Spirit, we're told who wrote Psalm 2, it was David. And he wrote it under

15:51inspiration of the Holy Spirit. So we have information here that we did not have in the

15:54Old Testament revealed to us by the Spirit. So we know who wrote Psalm 2, David. And we also know that

16:00it was inspired by the Holy Spirit. And this is a coronation psalm for the kings when they come into

16:05their throne. This psalm is. It's a coronation psalm. And Psalm 2 is also a messianic psalm.

16:12Describing the reaction of the kings of the earth and people to God's anointed king. In

16:17this case, King Jesus. So it's about Jesus. When David writes it, it's a coronation song

16:23for the king, but it's pointing toward the king of kings and the Lord of lords. King Jesus

16:27is what it's pointing to. Warren Wiersbe wrote, whenever a new king was enthroned, the vassal

16:33rulers around were required to come and submit to him. But some of them refused to do this.

16:38God only laughed at the revolt for he knew they could never stand up against his king.

16:44He held them in derision, the psalm says. The nations raged, the people laughed. They conspired

16:50against God and against his anointed. And God laughs. Why? Because they can't stand against

16:55his king. They can't stand against his king. So they apply this psalm now to Jesus, God's

17:02anointed, to be anointed. They talked about the raging nations, the Gentile rulers and

17:08the soldiers who were at his crucifixion plotted in vain. That's the people of Israel, especially

17:13the religious leaders plotted in vain against Jesus. Kings of the earth, Herod, rulers of

17:18the earth, Pontius Pilate, Jesus, God's anointed. So they apply it to Jesus as God's anointed one

17:24here in Psalm 2. God's opponents in Psalms 2 arrogantly set themselves against God's sovereignty

17:31because they knew their authority was being threatened. Sounds just like the Sanhedrin,

17:36doesn't it? Their authority was being threatened. All the plotting against Jesus, God's anointed,

17:43was in vain for God had already determined the outcome. He determined to send his son that

17:50you and I would have life in his name. That he would take your sins and my sins and place

17:57them on Jesus on the cross. That he would die in our place for us. That you and I could receive

18:03forgiveness. That you and I could stand before a holy God someday and spend eternity in his

18:09presence. Remember, he is holy. Not like when we say Christians are holy, we're to be like

18:14him. He is absolutely holy. He is set apart. He is unlike anything. And he cannot say

18:20be in the presence of sin. We would be hopeless people without the blood of Jesus Christ for

18:28the forgiveness of our sins that we could stand before a holy God. That was God's plan. The cross

18:36was not an accident. It was God's plan. In fact, Acts 2, we've read it before. Let's read

18:41it again. Acts 2, Peter's sermon. Men of Israel, hear these words. Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested

18:48you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst

18:53as you yourselves know. This Jesus delivered up, crucified according to the definite plan

19:00and died. He was born to die. His life, yes, so good. His teaching, absolutely. It was in

19:11his death that we find hope. His resurrection, his life. You crucified and killed by the hands

19:21of lawless men. The cross was not unexpected to God. It didn't take him by surprise. He is

19:29the author of the cross. God is. The Sanhedrin may threaten them, but they could never defeat

19:36the king of kings and his followers. It's not going to happen. It's not going to happen.

19:42Romans 8, what then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? It's a

19:49rhetorical question. The answer is no one. There's no one that can be against us. If God is for us,

19:55who can be against us? Not anyone, not even yourself can be against you. Oh yeah, we try. We talk down to

20:00ourselves all the time, but God is for us. Who can be against us? He who delivered up his own son

20:07can freely in his son give us all things that we need for life and godliness. Who could be against us?

20:17God's purposes always prevail. So the rulers plotted against Jesus. Now they're plotting against his

20:22people. And the sad thing is, Henry, when he lists all these Gentiles, he lists also the people of

20:30Israel. This is what's so sad. His own people. Remember, he came unto his own and his own people

20:36did not receive him. His own people are listed here of those who oppose God's anointed. The Jews

20:43are found among the enemies of God's plan. You think, what? That nation that's been chosen by God

20:49through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to bring the promised Messiah into the world and to give us the

20:55revelation that we have in the Old Testament through the Jews. Now they're plotting against

21:00God and against God's anointed. We just finished Romans chapter 11 last week in the men's study.

21:07This is a section out of Romans chapter 11. Speaking about the Jewish people, as regards the gospel,

21:13they are enemies for your sake. Right now, the Jewish people, not the remnant, not the believers in

21:18Jesus, but the ones who don't believe in Jesus, they're enemies of the gospel right now. They're

21:22opposing God's gospel. But I want you to finish the verse with me. But as regards election,

21:28regard the choosing, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

21:33God has not cast off his people forever. He will restore them one day, but right now they are the

21:38enemies of the gospel. But one day they will not be. That all Israel will turn to the Lord and be

21:43saved when Jesus Christ comes back again. But right now they're the enemies. For the gifts and calling of

21:49God are irrevocable. When God chose Israel, he chose them. It's irrevocable. It goes with our choosing as

21:54well. But this case, its context is Israel. They had taken a stand, Israel, with the Gentiles by

22:01opposing God's anointed, the eternal king of God's people. And as you read through this prayer, you

22:09would think, you would think that they would have prayed for deliverance like Hezekiah did. You would

22:13think they would pray for deliverance. But did you catch what they prayed for? They prayed for more of

22:18the same. What? More opposition? More persecution? The fact that the apostles are going to get beaten

22:25in chapter 5? You're asking for more? It's like all over twist. More, please. Can I have more,

22:30please? It's like, give me some. No, I want more of this. Let me say more of this opposition.

22:36I don't get that. More of the same? Yes, more of the same is what they prayed for. Notice who was

22:43doing the healing here in the text. Did you notice this? You, that's God, stretch out your hand. It's

22:48God who's doing the healing. Now, we know that he used Peter in chapter 3 to heal the man at the

22:53beautiful gate, the lame man that was there. Yes, but it's God who's doing the healing. It's God. He's

22:57the one that's doing the healing. And the signs and the wonders are done in the name of Jesus Christ,

23:03the authority of Jesus Christ, not in the name of the apostles. It's not their power. It's Jesus' power.

23:08And these miracles, these signs and wonders always serve the word of God in the book of Acts.

23:15They were there to confirm and to verify that what the person is speaking is from God. This is God's

23:19word that's being proclaimed, and the signs and wonders attest and verify that. The signs and wonders

23:25were seen as a verification of the gospel message preached by the apostles. So they're asking,

23:31confirm your word even more by signs and wonders. May people turn to you by hearing your word

23:36proclaimed about your son, Jesus, and show them, gather their attention so they will hear your word

23:41proclaimed. And they were requesting more signs to confirm the word spoken by the apostles. More.

23:48We want more people to be saved. We want our fellow countrymen to be saved.

23:54They had to know this would bring more persecution to them. They had to have known this. They had to have

24:00known to pray this way would bring more opposition and persecution their way. But that's how they prayed.

24:05That's how they prayed. They understood that God's plan included opposition to Jesus Christ.

24:14Let me share something with you. Hasn't changed today. Has not changed today. We live in a world that is

24:22opposed to Jesus Christ. The majority of the people do not believe in him, do not want to believe in him

24:28at all. There will always be opposition to our Lord Jesus Christ and the proclamation of his name.

24:37Always. Always. And then the house was shaken. I love it. Confirm that God's presence is among his

24:45people. Just a confirmation. A lot of stuff happens in the book of Acts that doesn't happen in other

24:49times. Like next week when we see something that happens that has never happened ever again.

24:54So this is one case where we don't read a lot of God shaking houses after this event right here.

24:59It doesn't happen very often. But this case it was. And I wonder as you can remember these are Jews.

25:06They're sitting there in the house praying and all of a sudden the house shakes and I wonder if they

25:11thought back to Mount Sinai when God gave the first covenant to the nation of Israel and brought

25:16them into this national covenant on Mount Sinai. Did they think about that event? Exodus 19. Look what happened on

25:23Mount Sinai. Now Mount Sinai. Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the Lord had descended

25:28on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like a smoke of a kiln and the whole mountain trembled

25:34greatly. It shook. And I wonder if they're thinking, oh, that's the covenant making God who makes

25:40covenants with his people and keeps his promises to his people. He's trustworthy and faithful and he loves

25:48his people. Maybe that's what they were thinking about when the house shook. The Mount Sinai in the

25:53first covenant. They're now in the second covenant that God promised through Jeremiah. They're in the

25:58new covenant of the Lord Jesus Christ. But they may have thought back to that covenant that God made

26:02with them. Said, you're my people. You're my people. God grants their prayer for boldness by filling them

26:10with the Holy Spirit so they can continue to speak his name in boldness. In other words, deeply,

26:16absolutely, absolutely, I don't care who sees me abandoned. I love it. I don't care who sees me

26:22abandoned. I want to speak the word and truth. I don't care. Call me a Jesus freak. Okay. All right.

26:30I'm a Jesus freak. So now Luke returns back to something we talked about in chapter two. And I'm

26:37just going to briefly go over it because what he's doing is he's making a transition from the end of

26:41chapter four into chapter five. He's going to introduce us to a new person who plays a major

26:46role in the book of Acts. And then he's going to tell us and remind us again how they lived in

26:50community with one another because it sets the stage for chapter five. So this section is like

26:55a transition between chapter four and chapter five. Look at verse number 32.

27:00Now the full number of those who believe were of one heart and soul. They were unified. And no one said

27:07that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. Remember

27:12we talked about that in chapter two. And with great power, the apostles were giving their testimony to

27:18the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. The resurrection was always a key element in their proclamation and

27:23great grace was upon them all. God's grace was upon God's favor was upon them. There was not a needy

27:30person among them for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of

27:36what was sold and laid it at the apostles feet. This is the first time they laid at the apostles feet

27:41and it was distributed to each as any had need. Thus Joseph, that's actually his name. We always call

27:49him Barnabas. His real name is Joseph. The nickname apostles gave him was Barnabas. His real name is

27:54Joseph. Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas, which means son of encouragement,

28:01a Levite, a native of Cyprus, sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it

28:07at the apostles feet. Again, a transition from chapter four to chapter five, introduction to Barnabas.

28:12And again, back to this sharing what they had. So there was no one in need, which brings us to chapter

28:18five. So they were unified together, one heart and one soul. They were family. They sensed their

28:25family-ness. They sensed that they belonged to each other, one heart. They weren't everyone. Everyone

28:30didn't look the same. They didn't all wear the same clothing. They all have the same hairstyle. They were

28:35not uniform. They were unified. The believers had the attitude, what is mine is yours. It was a voluntary

28:46selling of possessions to meet the needs for the believing community. Many people said, oh, this is communism.

28:52This is communism. And I'm going to bring you that quote I gave you when we were doing chapter two,

28:56because it was just so good. I want to repeat it again. John Corson remarked, college professors in

29:01the 60s and 70s who used this verse to say that the early church was communist missed the marks

29:07completely. I love it. I just think that's funny. I like that. Boom. Okay. The early believers were not

29:13communists. They were communists. And there's a big difference. Communism says what yours is mine.

29:20Communism says what's mine is yours. I care enough about you because you're part of my family that

29:27if you have a need, I want to meet your need. I care for you. You're valuable to me. We belong

29:33together. What's mine is yours. The selling and giving to those in need was voluntary and it was

29:39temporary and it was motivated by love. Again, communism says I'm going to take what is yours and spread it out

29:47to everyone and redistribute it to everyone else. That's not what happened here. It was no force.

29:51They voluntarily did this. They wanted to help their friends. They wanted to help their neighbors.

29:55They wanted to help those who are their family.

29:59It has been said, a real Christian could not bear to have too much when others have too little.

30:05We have been blessed in America with lots of stuff.

30:08When we see a need, we all probably have an opportunity to somehow meet that need.

30:13We all have an abundance, most of us at least, somewhat of an abundance and the money wasn't

30:19to redistribute it evenly. It was to whoever had a need. If you needed it, if this person didn't need

30:23it, they didn't get any money, but this person needed it, they needed it. 1 John 3, 7, John tells us

30:28this, but if anyone has the world's good and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against

30:34him, how does God's love abide in him? It's a good question. If we see a brother or sister in need

30:40and I have the ability to help that person in need, and I say,

30:44oh yeah, well, I'm sure God will meet your need.

30:48Not thinking that God could use me to meet that need.

30:50Oh, you'll get it. Be warm and filled. No, that's not God's love.

30:56The main thing about the believing community

30:58was their desire to proclaim Jesus, to keep

31:01proclaiming his name. It doesn't matter what opposition comes.

31:04We want more. Give us more, please. We want more.

31:10In the Old Testament, there's an interesting thing about poor, poor people in the Old Testament.

31:15God said at the very beginning to his nation, as he was calling them out, he was giving them

31:19instructions, and he was giving them a way to live among each other as family, as a national

31:24family. And it comes in Deuteronomy chapter 15.

31:27But there will be no poor among you, for the Lord will bless you in the land that the Lord

31:35your God is giving you for an inheritance to possess. If only you will strictly obey the

31:40voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all this commandment that I command you

31:45today. In other words, if we're faithful and obedient to him, there's not going to be any

31:50needy among us. There's not going to be anyone that's poor among us that's needy. If we're

31:55faithful to him, and we're willing to give up what we have been given to help someone

32:00else in need, there's not going to be any poor. There should not be any poor among us

32:04here today, because we're a family. We take care of each other.

32:11So they brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet. First time, before they just

32:15distributed it to those in need. Now they lay it at the apostles' feet.

32:19There's something they continue to do. Again, it's that type of verb form that they did it

32:23in the past, and they continue to do it. Now what's interesting is to lay something at

32:28the feet of the apostles meant to offer it to Christ like a sacrifice. Keep that in mind

32:34next week when we get to chapter 5. It was seen as something devoted to God as a sacrifice.

32:40Devoted to him. Given to him completely, voluntarily, freely, devoted to God like a sacrifice.

32:47Now we're introduced to this man named Barnabas. For the first time, he's going to play a major

32:53role. Barnabas plays a major role later in Acts, but here he's just mentioned with limited

32:58details. More comes later. In fact, he encourages the apostle Paul and all the other people to

33:04accept him in chapter 9 when this is the one that was murdering saints has now become a

33:08believer. Welcome him. Barnabas was one of the first people to welcome him. Barnabas puts

33:15the believing community's needs above his own. In other words, there was a need and I have

33:23the ability to meet that need. I can do this. God can use me to meet a need. There'll be no

33:29poor among you when we take care of each other, when we take care of our family.

33:35Philippians 2, do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more

33:40significant than yourself. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also

33:45to the interests of others. So after hearing what happened, the church began praying, praising

33:52God for the deliverance of the apostles and asking him for courage to continue their witness

33:57in the face of opposition. You and I today, we need boldness also because this world is

34:04still opposed to Jesus. You've heard it. You've tried to talk to people about Jesus and it's

34:09time out, cut off. I don't want to hear about it. There's still opposition. We need boldness

34:14to proclaim his name. We don't know what the future is going to bring to America. Right now,

34:20we're relatively safe. We can meet together. No one's going to arrest us. There isn't really

34:23heavy persecution like in some of the nations we're praying for right now, but I'm not sure

34:28what's coming to our nation. I pray it doesn't happen, but it might. So when things get hard,

34:36when opposition arises against you, go to your people, go to your family, go to those people

34:44who understand you, who can pray for you, who can meet your needs, who can encourage you,

34:49who can strengthen you, who can give you that courage, that boldness to continue on in the face

34:54of any opposition. You're my people. You don't know what that means to me. You're my family.

35:06We belong to each other. I can't think of anything greater than to belong to this group of people

35:13here. We are the community of the crucified and risen one. We are the community of the redeemed.

35:22We are the community of the family of God. You're my people. Let's pray. Father, thank you.

35:32Thank you for gathering us together here. It's more than just hearing a word proclaimed or singing

35:37songs to your name. It's how we minister to one another when we're present with each other,

35:42how we encourage each other, how we can love on each other, how we can give each other courage and

35:48boldness to continue on in the face of opposition. When we rub shoulders together,

35:52in this world. Thank you, Father, for the church, for bringing us together. Thank you for uniting us to

35:58your son. And thank you for uniting us to one another in him. Thank you. Father, thank you for this

36:06family, your family, my family. Thank you in Jesus' name. Amen.

In This Together — Acts 4:23–37

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