Acts 4:23-33 Prayer and Problems with Government

Background God had used Peter and John to heal a lame beggar  The leaders of Israel were unhappy with the miracle  They arrested the disciples and brought them before the Sanhedrin  “By what power or what name did you do this?”  They were actually asking, “By what authority did you accomplish this miracle?”  The disciples answered, “It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified”

Background God had used Peter and John to heal a lame beggar  The leaders could not deny that the lame man had been healed  So they said, “Whatever you do, don’t preach or teach any longer in that name”  The issue with Government is always authority!  The authority of the rulers, who set themselves against Jesus  The authority of Jesus Christ, who commanded the apostles to be his witnesses  Peter and John  “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

Acts 4: And being let go, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. 24 So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them, 25 who by the mouth of Your servant David have said: ‘Why did the nations rage, And the people plot vain things? 26 The kings of the earth took their stand, And the rulers were gathered together Against the LORD and against His Christ.’ 27 “For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together 28 to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done.

Acts 4: Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, 30 by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.” 31 And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness. 32 Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. 33 And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.

The Options Relationship between “God and Government” 1. Monastic 2. Secular 3. Cowardly 4. Biblical

The Monastic Option God alone with the authority of Government denied  Emerged early in the history of the church, in monasticism  Escape from the world!  Most are not so extreme today Americans are not very extreme about anything Take things as they come Compromise right and left  Withdrawal from “civic responsibility”  “I’m not interested in voting because, after all, politicians are all equally bad. None of them stand for anything. I am just going to stay home, go to church, raise my children, and ignore the world.”  Denies the legitimate role of civil government

The Monastic Option God alone with the authority of Government denied  Christians are not to deny the state’s authority  Remind the state  That its authority comes to it from God  The state is responsible to God for what it does  Accountability to God gives limits to the civil authorities!  When the state tells us that we cannot preach the gospel An overextension of its authority An illegitimate use of its legitimate authority  We must resist it

The Monastic Option God alone with the authority of Government denied  When the Sanhedrin forbade something God had told them to do, Peter and John disobeyed the Sanhedrin  They did not deny the Sanhedrin’s authority!  They said, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God”

The Secular Option Government alone with the authority of God denied  Pushes God out of the picture  The prevailing option of our day  Secularism  Does not prohibit us from practicing religion privately  But we are not supposed to bring it out publically  Because in the real world, Government is the only thing that matters!  This option is foolish!  We need God to appeal to when the state becomes evil or tyrannical  We need a check on Government  If you push God out of the picture, you have trouble!  This is what is happening in America today

The Cowardly Option The authority of both God and Government but with Government in the dominant position  This is the position Pilate reflected in the trial of Christ  When he saw Christ and recognized that he was dealing with an extraordinary man  But he didn’t want to take a chance!  He did everything he could to try to get Jesus excused  Pilate was that more afraid of Government than he was of God!

The Biblical Option God and Government but with God in the dominant position  The state has a legitimate authority - Romans 13  But the state is autonomous!  God delegates certain authority to human beings Church elders have authority Parents have authority over their minor children Employers have certain authorities over their employees Police have authority  But none is independent of God!

The Biblical Option God and Government but with God in the dominant position  All authority given to people is from God  Those who hold authority are responsible to God, who is the ultimate authority  That is why we have to obey God whenever the two come in conflict  That is what Peter and John did  And because they obeyed God they were used of God to impact the world!

The Biblical Option God and Government but with God in the dominant position  After being threatened by the Sanhedrin, the apostles were released  They went back to the assembly of God’s people  They had a prayer meeting!  They did not picket the council  They did not write nasty letters to their leaders  They turned to the living God in prayer

Their Prayer A Guide for Praying Through Problems They praised God  They told God their specific problem and asked for His help  They did not ask God to remove the problem but to help them deal with it  A model for us to follow when we pray  We may ask God to remove our problems, and He may choose to do so  But often He chooses to leave our problems in place and give us the strength and courage to deal with them

Their Prayer A Guide for Praying Through Problems They believed in God’s power  “Lord, You are God, who has made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is” - Acts 4:24  They prayed to God - the Creator of the world  All of nature looks to God for help and strength and sustenance  We must depend on Him too!

Their Prayer A Guide for Praying Through Problems They believed in God’s power  Psalm 146:5-8 5 Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, Whose hope is in the LORD his God, 6 Who made heaven and earth, The sea, and all that is in them; Who keeps truth forever, 7 Who executes justice for the oppressed, Who gives food to the hungry. The LORD gives freedom to the prisoners. 8 The LORD opens the eyes of the blind; The LORD raises those who are bowed down; The LORD loves the righteous.

Their Prayer A Guide for Praying Through Problems They believed in God’s power  Isaiah 42:5-7 5 Thus says God the LORD, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it, Who gives breath to the people on it, And spirit to those who walk on it: 6 “I, the LORD, have called You in righteousness, And will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the Gentiles, 7 To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the prison, Those who sit in darkness from the prison house.

Their Prayer A Guide for Praying Through Problems They believed in God’s power  The God of creation is the sovereign God  He is the only One who can do anything for us  Pray to the God who is the Creator and the Sustainer and believe  He is the God who has all power!

Their Prayer A Guide for Praying Through Problems They relied on God’s Word  They quoted from Psalm 2:1-2  “Why did the nations rage, and the peoples imagine vain things? The kings [Herod] of the earth stood up, and the rulers [Pilate] were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ” - Acts 4:25-26  They applied Psalm 2 to their specific situation  Their praying was based on the Word of God  They did not separate the Word of God and prayer  John 15:7 “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you”

Their Prayer A Guide for Praying Through Problems They yielded to God’s will  Acts 4:28 “To do whatever Your hand and Your counsel determined before to be done”  This is not just sitting back and saying, “What’s going to be is going to be”  This is believing that the sovereign God is accomplishing His purposes in this world  Pray, “Father, accomplish Your will in us and through us”

Their Prayer A Guide for Praying Through Problems They prayed  They didn’t try to overthrow the government!  They didn’t speak disrespectfully to those in places of authority!  They prayed to the highest authority in the universe  They came to the throne of grace and said, “Lord, You are God” (v. 24)  We don’t hear much praying like that today

Their Prayer A Guide for Praying Through Problems They prayed  When something happens in the city council, the county tax office, the state government or the federal government, many Christians try every other means except prayer to get things changed  It isn’t wrong for Christians to be involved in government  It isn’t wrong for us to campaign for good laws  But it is wrong for us to trust the government instead of God!  It is wrong for us to put our faith even in Christian politicians instead of in Christ  Christ Jesus is “King of kings and Lord of lords”

Their Prayer A Guide for Praying Through Problems They were burdened for God’s glory 29 Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, 30 by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.”

Their Prayer A Guide for Praying Through Problems They were burdened for God’s glory  They sought only to honor the name of the Lord Jesus  They didn’t ask for escape - They asked for power  They didn’t ask for their circumstances to change  They asked for boldness to use their circumstances for the glory of God  They did not pray for revenge - They prayed that God would be glorified!

Their Prayer A Guide for Praying Through Problems Their praying centered in God  They were not looking at themselves or at their circumstances  They were looking at God  Too often our praying centers on ourselves when it ought to focus on God

Their Prayer A Guide for Praying Through Problems Learn how we ought to pray!  Some here today may be having difficulties  What should you do?  Do everything you can do legally — but also pray!  “Go over their heads”  Pray to the God of the universe  Pray to the God of creation

God’s Answer Acts 4:31 31 And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.  That doesn’t happen much in our prayer meetings today

God’s Answer They received a new gift of power - v. 31  God’s answer of the apostles’ prayer was both swift and powerful  When the building shook, the believers realized that God had not only heard their prayer, but He also was pleased with it  The believers received a fresh filling with the Holy Spirit  Renewed their courage to go out and preach God’s message with boldness, just as they had requested – v. 29

God’s Answer They received a new gift of power - v. 31  This was not a second Pentecost  There will not be a second Pentecost any more than there will be a second Calvary  The Spirit has already come  There is one baptism of the Spirit, but there are many fillings  They were filled with the Holy Spirit, the agent of the power of God in our lives!

God’s Answer They had unity – v. 32  “And the multitude of those that believed were of one heart and of one soul.”  Prayer ought to unify us  “And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord” (v. 24)

God’s Answer They experienced a new enablement to witness – v. 33  “With great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus”  The very thing they were told not to do they did even better because God told them to do it  They witnessed that the resurrected Christ was King of kings, Lord of lords and the Savior of sinners  The church grew as people were converted

God’s Answer Prayer and Problems  If we believe in God’s power  If we rely on God’s Word  If we yield to God’s will  Then God will do something big when we pray!  If we are burdened for God’s glory and our praying desires God’s glory, then something big will happen when we pray!