MEN OF COURAGE
“How Will Your Shadow
Affect the World?”
Acts 5:12-42
January 31,2016
The PurityPower of the Gospel Displayed in Their
Lives Vs 12-16
The Pressure & Persecution Brought on by the Gospel
Vs 17-28
Their Perseverance in Bold Proclamation of the Gospel
Vs 29-32
The Proposal, Prevention, & Promise of the Gospel
Vs 33-40
The Perspective, Purpose, & Passion the Gospel Brings
Vs 41-42
I WAS HERE!!!
Where Does Your
Shadow Come From?
Who Is In the Influence
Of Your Shadow?
What Is Your Shadow
Saying to Others?
Who Will Walk Take the
Place of Your Shadow?
What Will Your Shadow
Leave Behind?
What Shadow Will Petal FBC Leave Behind for the Next Generation and What Part Will You Play in That?
1
MEN OF COURAGE
“How Will Your Shadow Affect the World?”
Acts 5:12-42
January 314, 2016 A.M. Service
Graffiti slogan – most popular – I Was Here…
Many of us wrote on something, carved on something, left our mark on something that said I was here – restaurant, bathroom, cabin wall, billboard, etc.
Why is it the most popular? We all want to outlive our life – yes to be in heaven with Jesus no doubt, but that our time here on earth that the Lord gave to us that we made a difference. The world noticed we were here, that we made an impact, that our lives made a difference in the life of someone else. We want that impact to outlast our presence after we are long gone! Been in that stage lately – I have completed most likely if the Lord lets me live – half of my ministry journey (25 years with hopefully 25+ years of ministry left I pray), and really this message resonates with me and really it should whether you are just starting out or you are in the later seasons of your life – we can still consider this question – How can we leave an impact here in this world that will last?
How can we write I WAS HERE…
Impact of the Shadow of Our Lives
I want us to talk about our shadow – yours and mine and what kind of shadow are we casting and who is in our shadow and what difference we can make for those who see, hear, and watch the shadow of our lives.
Let’s read this lengthy but incredibly powerful passage of Scripture and you’ll see what I mean and how their shadow left an indelible impact on their world through the life changing and transforming Gospel of Jesus Christ!
Let’s talk about Shadows for a moment…
Transient, Representation of the real thing, image of who we are – can be stretched or made short – distorted – at the right angle and the right view it is a picture of who we really are
What Will the Shadow of Your Life Be?
Our Presence, Our Prayers, Our Words Promises, Pledges, Persuading
In Persecution – under pressure, my priorities, my purpose b
Lives, Leadership, Influence – Power, Persuasion Prompting
Influential to Be Impactful
The Purity & Power of the Gospel displayed in their livesVs 12-16
The Pressure & Persecution Brought on by the GospelVs 17-28
Their Perseverance in Bold Proclamation of the GospelVs 29-32
The Proposal, Prevention, & Promise of the Gospel Vs 33-40
The Perspective & Purpose the Gospel BringsVs 41-42
Gamaliel’s influence and perspective
God has given us all a place of influence that leads to impact
Too often we think we are influential to be successful – NO! (Could be a success – can God bless you and make you successful, absolutely and in fact God does this with certain people for the His kingdom to be advanced – not to be healthy, wealthy and wise, nor to a sign that they are being “a good Christian”, so yes, but not the prime reason), influence is to have great impact for the kingdom of God! Where has God given you a place of influence? To be a person of influence to influence – people in the high positions to be people of influence and in the same way to be a person of influence wherever God has planted you to bloom, be ambitious so that you can have the greatest impact for the Kingdom of our Savior!
Flow with God, not fight against God – again Gamaliel’s words
Follow the Spirit’s leading not our own desires or wants. How you think life is going to turn out most likely isn’t going to happen that way.
Who is leading your life – you or the Holy Spirit?
ILLUS Disney Rides – big ones versus riding the train – huge difference –big rides – out of control – exhilarating, take your breath away kind of rides, versus ho hum – and isn’t that the kind of life Jesus called us to is that exhilarating letting the Lord be in control kind of adventure as we chase after Him and His call for our lives – yet too many of us are satisfied and content with the park bench and taking it easy, little risk, but little adventure and little reward and little to no impact.
Accept dishonor for Jesus as an honor
Flogged for the name of Jesus – 1/3 across your bare chest and 2/3 for your back – would leave a mark on you for the rest of your life. It was to be for shame, and yet these men counted it as a joy and a honor that they were counted worthy to suffer.
Your character of my life will be told by who honor’s you! Will Godly men and women honor you when you die? Or the ungodly
Provides great clarity to our character.
They shared their faith on Sunday and Monday
Sundays and Mondays look a lot alike!! We should have impact the same – great worship should follow great obedience and because of our obedience our worship becomes greater!
Sharing Jesus with people – befriend someone – take them to lunch 10 times – don’t say pass the bread – by the way did you know Jesus is the bread of life or pass the water he is the living water – no – spend time caring about them, getting to know them and then at the right moment speak the truth of the gospel into the situations in their lives!
- The Church/Apostles – Authenticating the Truth
Purity
PowerThe power came from their purity and their unity
Priorities
Product
These disciples were living out the truth in their daily lives. Reminder again what is the truth? Jesus. John 14:6
Do they see the purity of our lives? Can the sense that we are passionately in love with Jesus and that is supreme, above everything else? Do they see that we love the sinner but hate the sin? Do they see that we are a holy people?
Are people in awe of what they see God doing in your life/family?
Are people in awe of what they see God doing here at Bethsalem?
Do they see that we are different, that what we say is how we live? That we claim Jesus as our Savior and Lord, does our life back that up? Is it reflected by how we spend our time, our talents and our treasures, or is it is the same as theirs?
Do they see the power of God on display in you and me, our church?
Do the sense and can they see that we are truly dedicated, sold out, willing to do whatever it takes to see Christ rule and reign in our lives? That we are living out of an overflow of what God’s power is doing in us and through us, and how he is purifying us to make us more like him. Do they hold you and me in high esteem, our church?
I wonder what happens when people walk in my shadow? Do they want to be in my shadow? What is the shadow of our church? Does it testify to the awesome power and purity of God and the power and purity that is displayed in our lives?
ILLUS: William and my shadow Parents, brothers sisters, (Family)
(In our school, workplace, community, etc.)
The early church and the apostles had their priorities in order.
They were meeting together regularly and nothing would stop or keep them from it. Not even the threat of Persecution. (V.O.F.) Yet many of us will let the smallest things keep up from God’s house, fellowshipping and worshiping with God’s people.
Folks, quite frankly many of us have lost our appetite for the things of God, it why we can easily shrug off our commitment, can make so many excuses as to why we can’t help, can’t serve, can’t commit. etc.
Let somebody else do it, its their turn, I can’t make the time, I have other things I have to do, Somebody else will do it, they won’t miss me being there or serving in my place, etc.
And the Product (End) Luke tells us here that multitudes were being added, more than could be kept up with and be counted!! Even in the midst of this purity (no tolerance for sin) and the obvious commitment that was required to become a follower of Jesus.
Instead of Purity we have become polluted, instead of power we have become powerless, instead of one priority we have way too many priorities and instead of production, seeing the fruit, we have too often become fruitless. And sad to say, Satan has lulled us to sleep into thinking all that is ok that God understands and there will more time later to make all that right.
Do we long to see these baptismal waters stirred, the fruit being ripened unto harvest? Seeing lives changed?
Too often we have become polluted by the world instead of making it pure, we have allowed the world, its schedules, its pleasures, and its priorities to take over our lives and pollute our thinking to where we rationalize our lives and consequently have made us too many times very shallow in our faith. We are so full of the world that our appetites of have little room left for the stuff we need the most, the Word of God.
ILLUS: Eating dessert first
It becomes if we can find the time when we are not too tired, not feeling too bad, not too much else to do, not responsibilities elsewhere, not something else more pressing, not something on TV, and the list goes on and on.
We go into debt like the world does, we spend more than we have, we have many of the same habits they do, we go to all the movies they do, read the same books they do, carry on the same jokes they do, we too often make church a matte of convenience, or something we are supposed to do, something to get our spouse off our backs instead of being a place that we long to come to and have the opportunity to worship together, to be encouraged, to fellowship, to pray, to be challenged in our walk with the Lord and to be changed when we leave.
Bottom line, many don’t believe it’s the truth, because they don’t often see in you and me living the truth. They don’t see it is as truth because honestly they can tell the difference. They don’t see a need for it in their lives because it seems to have so little effect on ours.
Are our lives authenticating the truth or does it make one wonder what is the truth, and is that really the truth on display on their lives? Do they see the hunger in us for the truth or that we are fill up from the world that we only have a little room left for the things of God?
There must be balance, we aren’t supposed to be nuts for Jesus or freaks for God, or bible thumpin’ people, live at the church 24 hours a day, there must be a balance. We must pray the Lord will help us to find the balance and not the enemy. If we are not careful, the enemy will convince us that balance means, hey read your Bible every once in while, pray a few times a week, try to live right most of the time, go to church as many Sunday mornings as you can, but for us to go beyond that point is a little much, to dive into God’s word daily, to pray daily, to seek His face above any other, to give up something to actually sacrifice for the kingdom, to come to SS, get in a LifeTrak come join in the battle in prayer on Wednesday nights, to have a place of service, would tip us over the edge.
We believe the subtle lies and before we know it we have missed the great joy that God wants us to have and we found ourselves so satisfied with so much less than God ever intended for us to have!
Maybe for some here this morning you just simply need to believe the truth, to make it your own, not your parents your faith, your spouses faith, but to make it your own! You have never come to a place where you have seen the power of God on display, from the purity in their lives and you see something different. Maybe you have been walking in the shadow of a believer and today you want to step out of that shadow and into the light for yourself.
- The Council – Attacking the TruthVs 17-28
No real surprise here, whenever the power of God is on display in people’s lives, and the purity is being lived out Satan takes notice and will do something. Here he once again brings persecution upon the church and particularly the all 12 apostles.
This same Council who had Peter and John arrested now has all 12 apostles arrested, but the power of God come shining through as an angel comes and frees all 12.
One would say they were attacking these apostles and the church but
in reality that were just attacking the truth, Jesus Christ and who He is
and what He stands for.
Preaching to the people, they are jealous of them
they have them arrested, thrown into common jail, people could see
Freed them in them in the middle of the night, told them to get back to preaching.
Council starts meeting again, tells the captain of the guard go get the 12 and he goes to get them and they are not there, but in fact are right were they arrested them yesterday still preaching!!
Notice the change they more or less ask the disciples to come with them because they were afraid of being stoned by the people, the disciples willingly agreed and went with them
Told them not to preach in this name, can’t even say the name of Jesus. They admitted that they had filled Jerusalem with the teaching!! Can we be accused of that?
Basically said, how dare you preach in this name and said that is blood is upon our heads. Today’s translation talk about God fine, but bring Jesus into to it, no way, and tell me that I am a sinner in need of a Savior, that it is my sin that put Jesus on the cross!! No way!!
- The Apostles – Affirming the TruthVs 29-32
Notice once again the incredible boldness of the disciples as they share the truth right in front of this council yet again and basically give them a chance to respond to the truth.
They did not back up, let down, change the story, water it down a little, but stayed the course and told them the truth in love and with great power and boldness!!
We must obey God rather than you. (A rare thing to do, but here this is the only thing they could do!)
- Gamaliel – Avoiding the TruthVs 33-39
The Council was cut to the quick, sawn in two, wanted to kill them
right then and there. That is what the truth will do to some people
when they are confronted with it!!
Some would say, well Gamaliel is contemplating the truth here and perhaps he was, and what he says is incredibly true.
But he was doing more to avoid the truth, making a political move, keep the peace, and even for himself to avoid the real truth for what these men were preaching. Deal with it another day.
- The Church – Announcing the Truth Vs 40-42
And they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ!!
And they rejoiced because they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name. 40 lashes, 2 to front and 1 to back
That is two things that are radically different for the church today and sad to say too often in my own life.
Our Possible Response:Response of the Council
- We can deny the truth
- We can pretend it does not exist
- We can hope it will go away
- We can putitoff until another day
- We can accept the truth and live the truth
The Churches Response:Our Response
- Let’s Authenticate the Truth with our lives
- Let’s be aware that others will Attack the Truth
- Let’s Affirm the Truth in what we say
- Let’s never Avoid the Truth with anyone
- Let’s be a church that constantly Announces theTruth to everyone
See Acts 5:20 “the whole message of this life”
Life: That is why were are here to share with people life
Life everlastingLife abundant and free!
Life where they can connect, make friends, someone to love them, care for them. Life that counts, that means something, knowing that there life matters and that they can make a difference.