Date:   03/18/2007

Text:   Acts 4:23-31

Title:   Source of Strength

Theme: Since God is in control of all, we can find strength when facing opposition.

Introduction:

  Life is not only unfair, but it is often unfriendly. We've come to this country to search for a better life but f ound our work situation unbearable. We came for greater freedom of expression, but instead finding ourselves working like a cheap laborer, doing things that others with similar qualification would not do. We try to do the right thing at work and with friends, but are taken advantage of, misunderstood, mistreated and even rejected. We eat and sleep right, but find ourselves diagnosed with various diseases. We want to share with others our faith in Christ, the experience that means so much to us, instead people either give us a cold shoulder or make fun of us. There are times, even our own family members can not understand and instead, treat us with contempt.

  What do we do in such situations? I don't know about you, but I will complain, find someone to air out my frustrations. I want people to understand me and to be on my side. I will be discouraged, indulge in self pity and may even give up trying.

  In the passage we read today, the disciples were in a hostile and unfriendly situation. Peter and John had just healed a person who was born crippled. This person was about 40 years old. The people in Jerusalem were all excited about this healing, but not the religious leaders. Of all the people, they should be the ones to rejoice over the healing of a person who was crippled since birth. Instead, they were cynical and downright hostile to the two apostles. So they arrested Peter and John, questioned them about their authority. In order not to offend the people, the religious leaders threatened the two, warning them not to preach Jesus again, and released them.

  If we were Peter and John, we may have felt like a big balloon, just when things were going well, flying high and far, now it is pierced by a needle. It could be discouraging, right? So what did they do? Before we plunge into the passage, it is important that we remember what happened in Acts 1. God commissioned the disciples to be His witnesses to represent and reflect Him, first in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, to the end of the earth. This was his desire for his people from the very beginning of human history. That his children would represent and reflect him. He not only commissioned them, but also sent His Holy Spirit to empower them to represent Him. They were to be his witnesses in friendly and hostile environments. The passage we just read is about being his witness in difficult times.

I.   The believers can find strength in a united community.

  Vs.23, “ they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them.” Friends most probably refer to the original 120 disciples who prayed together after Jesus'' ascension. It was a community of believers. From 2:43 and 4:32 we learned that this is a united community. A community that prayed and cared for each other. When the disciples were threatened, they could find strength in their united and supporting community.

  On 3/10, AP reported a meeting of a Christian group related to the fashion industry where sex appeal and sleek bodies are the standard and where partying and promiscuity are often behind-the-scenes realities. This group is called Models for Christ. Its purpose is to support Christians to walk faithfully with Christ and to reach out to others in this fashion industry.

  I have also shared with you about the Master Media ministry in Hollywood. Its purpose is also to support and encourage believers in the movies and entertainment industry to follow Christ and reflect Christian values in movies and TV shows.

  When we face difficulties in life, when we find ourselves in the minority, we need a united and caring community to strengthen us to faithfully follow Christ. Many have said to me how thankful they are to God that during the down and out times in life, brothers and sisters in this community had encouraged and supported them, giving them the strength they needed to continue.

  It is my desire and prayer that you not come here not only to worship on Sundays, but also to find a fellowship or small group that can encourage and support you. Not only that, but you can also be the person to encourage and support those in need. When we face opposition and hostility, we need a united community to sustain and strengthen us.

II.   The believers can find strength in acknowledging God's sovereignty in life.

  When this community heard of what happened to Peter and John, they prayed. This is the first public prayer by the disciples in the book of Acts. They were united in prayer. This does not necessarily mean they all prayed at the same time, rather they all agreed with the prayer's content. Let's take a look at this prayer.

1.   The Sovereign Lord.

  How did they address God? “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them.” It is strange way to begin a prayer like this. This word sovereign lord is used only 5 x in the NT. It means the absolute master. Being the creator of everything, he is in complete control of all events. When facing opposition, where did the disciples turn to? The absolute and powerful God. But we say, the disciples were threatened, later they were beaten, and they were killed because of their faith in Jesus Christ. Yes, even while these events were happening, God was still in control, He is the absolute master.

  This is no easy faith. Yet the scripture is quite clear on this, isn't it? Psalm 29:10, “ 10 The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits enthroned as king forever.”When the flood and storm is raging, the Lord is still sitting on this throne, he is still ruling. When we face dark moments in life, when life doesn't make sense, when we are being mistreated and misunderstood, He is still the absolute master.

  The belief and conviction that even when things are not going our way, He is still the absolute master. This is the source of comfort and strength. There is more in this prayer, and does not get any easier.

2.   The truth of predestination.

  The disciples in their prayers began to quote Psalm 2:1-2, “ 1 Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his anointed,..” What was their understanding of this passage. In vs.27, “ 27 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel,..” The disciples saw that the words in Psalm were a prophesy about Jesus Christ. It was fulfilled when Jesus was crucified on the cross.” Then they went on and say, “ 28 to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.” The word predestined means to determine beforehand. It is saying that God is the supreme historian who wrote all history before it ever began. Even those the gentiles and Jews had conspired together to do their worst in killing Jesus, they were merely fulfilling God's eternal plan. The disciples recognize that even the hostility before them falls into this eternal plan. Its like Psalm 76:10, “the wrath of man shall praise you.” Even when we are turning against God, we are only fulfilling God's plan. This is a very humble realization, right?

  When we are in those dark and discouraging moments in life, when we feel so unhappy about what we are doing, feeling that we are being underutilized, we fill bitter and even resentful about our present situation. We would say, if not for the children, or for FACE, we would have long returned to China. But what do we learn from this prayer?

  Even when we are in such situations, people around us are doing whatever God's hand and His plan had predestined to take place. I wish there is another way to translate or interpret this passage. But no matter how we translate it, the word predestined is here. It will also help us if we turn to that familiar passage in Roman 8:29, “ 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son,..” We learn here that all things work for good, what good? To be conformed to the image of His son. That is, God works in all situations, even in those very dark moments of life, God is working in your life to help you to become like Christ Jesus. Topics like this are hard for us to understand and accept, but it is so clearly stated in the scriptures. We cannot explain God and his doing in our lives. but we have to believe in what he has told us. He is in absolute control of our lives.

  Many of us have heard of the story of Joni Eareckson Tada. When she was a teenager, she had a diving accident that left her paralyzed from the neck down. She ended up in a wheel chair all her life. During the early years of her recovery, she was depressed for a long time. She must have asked many times, why, why, why me. In a recent interview in the Discipleship Journal, she expressed that she would like to squeeze her husband's hand, kneel in prayer, diaper a baby, wash dishes, peel an orange, knead bread dough, run my fingers through the new-mown lawn. These are things we do every day, but she can't do any of them. She was asked what book does she wish everyone would read. “the Reformed doctrine of predestination by Boettner.” “I read it when I first got out of the hospital after my accident, and it proved to be a great comforter. It helped me to know that despite my accident, God had not taken his hands off me for a nanosecond.”

  Dear brothers and sisters, some of us may be experiencing great pain in life, the breakup of a relationship, physical pain, terminal illness, being mistreated, misunderstood by someone close to us. remember: God is still the absolute master. No matter where you are, he has not taken his hands off you for a nanosecond.

III.   The believers can find strength in acknowledging human responsibility in life.

  I am certain we have many questions on God's sovereignty in life. We may say, if God determined beforehand, then why bother to do my part. We can easily become fatalistic and take a hand off attitude towards life. But let's continue to look at the disciples' prayer. vs.29, “……..to continue to speak your word…..” Facing opposition and difficulty, did they just back off or give up? No, they prayed that they will continue to speak God's word, to proclaim the gospel message of God's kingdom. They prayed that God will do his part: healing and other miracles and the disciples will do their part: to continue to speak the word. What we see is God's sovereignty on the one hand, and on the other, human responsibility. There is the divine deeds, but also human effort. We just can't separate the two. When we go too far on God's sovereignty, it will make us lazy and indifferent and fatalistic. If we go too far on human responsibility, we'll be man centered. The scripture clearly teaches God's sovereignty, and at the same time, human responsibility. Our challenge to learn to maintain a balance between the two. They are not exclusive of each other.

  Joni recognized God's sovereignty and predestination in her life, but she also knew about human responsibility. During her years as a quadriplegic in a wheel chair, she learned to paint with her mouth holding the paint brush, started a radio ministry to minister to the handicapped, organized the Joni and Friends International Disability Center, ministering to the disabled and their families.

  Yes, the scriptures teach us about God's predestination, but also want us to know of our responsibility. What did the disciples pray for? They did not pray for protection. Nor did they ask God to tie the hands of the hostile authorities. Instead they pray for boldness so they could continue to do the right things. God will give them boldness to continue to speak the word. They know their responsibility to speak God's word in that hostile and unfriendly environment. And it would get increasingly hostile as days went on. They did not pray for a change of the religious leaders' hearts. What a prayer.

  What can we learn from them? Even in our dark, sad and unhappy moments, we ask for strength to continue to do the right things. Instead of doing what everyone else is doing, we ask God to help us do what is pleasing to him. Isn't this what is important in life? Not what is good for us, but what is right in God's sight. Sometimes God in his own sovereignty will change our environment, but this is His prerogative; other times he'll give us the strength we need to do what is pleasing to him.

   What happened after they prayed? Vs.31, “ 31 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 continued to speak the word of God with boldness.” The first time when the Holy Spirit filled them it was like fire and wind, and the disciples start to speak in languages of foreign land. Now, when the spirit filled them, it was like earthquake, and they were given the boldness they needed to continue to do the right thing, to speak God's word. God had commissioned them to be His witness. Now facing opposition, God also gave the strength, courage to represent and reflect Him.

Conclusion :

  I think of a time in my personal life. I found myself in a situation I detested. If I would have known earlier, or if I could be the captain of my ship, I would have never travelled down that path. In reflection, Cynthia said, “The road you took was very crooked. But God was in it all.” His hands had never left me for even one nanosecond. He was always there, guiding and strengthening me, enabling me to do what is right and pleasing to Him.

  When we find ourselves in a hostile environment, instead of focusing on ourselves, we're to turn our eyes onto the Lord. We're to recognize God's sovereignty; being the absolute master of the physical and our world. On the other hand, we also recognize our human responsibility to continue to be His witness. Instead of praying for a friendly environment so we can more easily speak and proclaim the kingdom's good news, we're to ask for strength and courage so that we can continue to represent and reflect God in that hostile environment. God has promised that he would never leave us alone, and to give us the power we need. .

  I know many of us had great aspirations prior to coming to this country, this city. But in no time, you were disillusioned, disappointed and discouraged. Sometimes I can almost hear you going home after a long day's work, your sighing and feeling like a deflated balloon. This brings conflicts and disharmony in family life and relationships with others.

  May we all learn to turn our focus on God. Even though our situation is unfriendly, unhealthy and even hostile, His hands have not left you one nanosecond. Even when the flood is raging, He still sits on His throne, He is still in charge. H is Holy Spirit will continue to give you courage to do what is right and pleasing to him. This is our comfort, our strength and help in times of need.