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You can turn again to Acts chapter 
4. What we began this morning will 
continue this evening as we consider this prayer of the gathered assembly 
in the early church. Following the proclamation of 
the gospel, the healing of a lame man, the opening up to the Jewish 
audience of the fact that the old covenant scriptures that 
by the mouth of all God's holy prophets since the world began 
Christ was spoken of through promise, through type, through 
figure, through shadow, and through certain prophecy. And the Jewish 
unbelievers, primarily the religious leaders of the day, bring Peter 
and John, you'll remember, to a mock trial, if you will. Not a mock trial, but to some 
measure of an unjust gathering that they might threaten them 
severely. and command them to no longer 
speak in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, nor to heal in 
his name. And they bring this report back 
to the people. And we again pick up at Acts 
chapter 4 and verse 23. And being let go, they went to 
their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and 
elders had said to them. So when they had 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, who by the mouth of your servant David have said, 
why do the nations rage and the people plot vain things? The 
kings of the earth took their stand and the rulers were gathered 
together against the Lord and against his Christ. 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 to do whatever your hand and your purpose 
determined before to be done. Now, Lord, look on their threats 
and grant to your servants that with all boldness they may speak 
your word by stretching out your hand to heal and that signs and 
wonders may be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus. 
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. Amen. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, 
we rejoice again that we can gather for worship tonight and 
that now we can engage in this act of worship, the preaching 
of your word. Once again, we would pray that it would be unto 
the praise of your grace and unto the praise of your name. 
We would ask the spirit to send your spirit that the saint would 
be lifted up and strengthened, that sinner would be saved. Lord 
God, that we would gain an appreciation and an understanding of Holy 
Scripture and that we might be rightfully humbled before the 
God of creation and before the God of revelation and before 
the God of sovereign governance. We just rejoice in the fact that 
you've caused us to be here and that you have saved us by your 
grace and that we have the freedom to read the Scriptures, that 
we might understand and rejoice in the Savior, the Lord Jesus 
Christ. And it is in His name that we pray. Amen. Well, you'll 
remember, because it was not too long ago, that we looked 
at this passage, and we noted as we began this morning that 
in Acts chapter 4, 23 to 31, we could break it down in four 
ways, or look at it in four observations. And the first two we looked at 
this morning And those were the congregation's unity and the 
congregation's confidence. We noted very simply from this 
simple sentence, Acts 24. So when they heard that, they 
raised their voice to God with one accord and said that there 
we have the congregation's unity. We have the fact and we must 
have the fact that Christians are to be marked by that unity, 
which is again a unity in the gospel and for the gospel, for 
the sake. of the truth of Jesus Christ, 
the Lord. And we looked at the congregation's 
confidence, noting that in the invocation or in the recognition 
of the God to whom they pray, who is the only living and true 
God, that they recognize that he is God, the sovereign creator, 
that he is God, the sovereign revelator, and that he is God, 
the sovereign predeterminer and governor. acknowledge the fact 
that he created heaven and earth and the sea and all that is in 
them. They acknowledge the fact that he has by servants revealed 
in this case the quoting of Psalm 2 that by the mouth of your servant 
David have said. We noted that they quote Psalm 
2 and they quote it for a specific reason because they knew that 
this Psalm was fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ and those who 
conspired murderously against him. And it is being fulfilled 
in their midst by virtue of those proclaim the message of Christ 
as the nations and the rulers of the earth still conspire together 
to try and or to seek to cut those bonds and to loose those 
cords of God's sovereign mastery over them and we noted of course 
as well that they interpret this psalm and they say that both 
Herod and Pontius Pilate the Gentiles of the people of Israel 
were gathered together verse 28 to do whatever your hand and 
your purpose determined before to be done. And so the congregation's 
confidence is in this God. They need not have a fleshly 
anxiety because of the God who has revealed himself, the God 
who has created, the God who has revealed himself, and the 
God who has purposed by his sovereign hand to bring about holy ends, 
even by the wickedness of those who oppose the risen and exalted 
Christ. And so after they have invoked 
the God of Holy Scripture, recognized His sovereign mastery over the 
universe and over the events that befell before them, we now 
look at two more things from this passage of Holy Scripture. And those two things are the 
congregation's request and the divine response. So the congregation's 
request we find now in verse 29, and we Find three things 
here under the congregation's request. And the first thing 
is the administration of justice. Notice that the Christians here 
request the administration of justice. Verse 29, after calling 
upon this living and true God, they say, now, Lord, look on 
their threats. Now, Lord, look on their threats. They are seeking the administration 
of justice. And we just, you know, a bear 
and a quick reading of this might just we might just have the understanding 
or arrive at the idea that these Christians are praying that God 
would just look with the piercing vision of omniscience upon the 
landscape of gospel opposition. But that's not what these gathered 
Christians are saying. This language, when they say, 
now, Lord, look on their threats, they are calling upon this God 
of creation, this God of revelation and this God of sovereign governance. They are calling upon him to 
administer justice in their midst, justice positively for them and 
justice negatively for those who would seek to oppose the 
gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. The prayer for looking is not 
a plea for the exercise of omniscience, but for the exercise of wholesome 
severity against those opposing Christ and the spread of his 
gospel. You see, God always looks with 
the piercing gaze of omniscience. We need not ask God to see things 
because God sees all things. The eyes of the Lord are in every 
place beholding the good and the evil, Proverbs 15 3. We know 
that the Lord God is omniscient by virtue of the fact that he 
is God and that he has revealed such that he is the one who has 
that piercing vision of omniscience. But you see, the Christians want 
the administration of justice, and it is. Legitimate, first 
off, generally, that Christians pray that God would render justice. You see, it betrays a weakness, 
or we might say a wimpiness, in modern Christianity to shy 
away from the stuff of Psalm 58 and psalms and prayers of 
imprecation, that God truly would visit justice upon those who 
oppose him. that God would vindicate His 
name in all the earth. How is it that we should pray 
like David in Psalm 58? Or turn to Psalm 10 for a moment. 
Because in Psalm 10, we have some of that same stuff. As we 
consider the request for the administration of justice, we 
need to grasp that, generally speaking, it is legitimate for 
Christians to supplicate God that He would intervene in the 
affairs of the world. Notice in Psalm 10, beginning 
at verse 12. Arise, O Lord. O God, lift up 
your hand. Do not forget the humble. Why 
do the wicked renounce God? He has said in his heart, you 
will not require an account, but you have seen for you observe 
trouble and grief to repay it by your hand. The helpless commits 
himself to you. You are the helper of the fatherless. 
Break the arm of the wicked and the evil man. Seek out his wickedness 
until you find none. The Lord is king forever and 
ever. The nations have perished out of his out of his land. Lord, 
you have heard the desire of the humble. You will prepare 
their heart. You will cause your ear to hear 
to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed that the man 
of the earth may oppress no more. You see, the Christians with 
theological propriety and with Christian hearts can cry out 
to the God of creation and revelation and sovereignty and say, break 
the arm of the wicked and the evil man. Seek out his wickedness 
until you find none. You see, when we read in Romans 
chapter 12 that vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the 
Lord. And when we see that God visits 
that vengeance in time and in history through those appointed 
in positions of power, we are to, with that in view, pray that 
God would actually do that. You see, if it is a holy thing, 
and if it is a righteous thing, according to 2 Thessalonians 
1, for God to afflict those who afflict his people, then it is 
certainly legitimate for us to pray that God would look upon 
the nations and render justice in the name of his Son, the Lord 
Jesus Christ. For example, you can turn with 
me to Psalm 44, because there we have something with respect 
to the administration of justice and actually don't turn there 
yet because we haven't looked at specifically at what is going 
on in Acts chapter 4 with regards to the specific or the particular 
request for the administration of justice. When we talk about 
God or the legitimacy of God visiting vengeance upon his enemies 
or before that Christians and the legitimacy of Christians 
to pray to God that he would do that in the contents of context 
of Acts chapter four. It's a very interesting way that 
they are praying for that justice to be rendered. Notice as we 
move back to Acts chapter four, there is specifically specifically 
how justice is to be administered or how the Christians are asking 
that justice should be administered is in this way. Now look, Lord, 
on their threats and grant to your servants that with all boldness 
they may speak your word. You see what is the juridical 
response that they desire that is What is the exercise of justice 
that they want to see, but that God would embolden by His Spirit, 
His people, so that contrary to the command of the unbelieving 
Jews to no longer preach in the name of this Jesus, that they 
would be all the more emboldened to do so. That they might be 
able to open their mouths with courage to preach the living 
and true Christ. You see, it's a very interesting 
thing. If you turn with me to Revelation 
19, I'm talking about the visitation of justice by the preached word. In Revelation 19, you should 
remember that address of Scripture because prior to the portion 
that we'll read, we see the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, 
this mighty man of valor, truly the God-man, the Lord Jesus Christ, 
rides victorious upon the white steed. And we see in verse 17, 
this language continuing, and hopefully you will see this as 
we read this, we see that judgment very often comes not by the physical 
sword, but by the sword of the spirit. Notice verse 17 of Revelation 
19, then I saw an angel standing in the sun. And he cried with 
a loud voice saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of 
heaven, come and gather together for the supper of the great God, 
that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, 
the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those 
who sit on them and the flesh of all people, free and slave, 
both small and great. And I saw the beast, the king 
of the earth and their army, the kings of the earth and their 
armies gathered together. to make war against him who sat 
on the horse and against his army. Then the beast was captured 
and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence 
by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast 
and those who worshipped his image. These two were cast alive 
into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. and the rest 
were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of him 
who sat on the horse and all the birds were filled with their 
flesh now perhaps you're asking yourselves well what does this 
have to do with Acts chapter 4 what what does this have to 
do with now Lord look upon their threats and grant to your servants 
that with all boldness we may speak your word." Well, notice 
what is going on in verse 21. The rest were killed from the 
sword which proceeded from the mouth of him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled 
with their flesh. You see, Christ is riding with 
the two-edged sword that proceeds from his mouth, which we read 
of elsewhere, which is, the sword of the spirit, which is the word 
of God. This victorious writing comes 
with the boldness of gospel proclamation, says John Gill on this passage. 
The meaning is either that these shall be subdued, conquered, 
and converted by the word, and so are fitly called a remnant, 
a remnant according to the election of grace among the anti-Christian 
party, and which sense agrees with Revelation 11, 13. or else 
that they will be convicted and confounded, and not be able to 
stand against the light and evidence of the Word of God, and will 
be sentenced by Christ to everlasting punishment. And it may be partly 
one and partly the other. You see, in other words, the 
Christians, as they're praying in Acts 4, know that this promised 
Christ, riding upon the white steed of gospel victory, has 
a two-edged sword protruding from his mouth, It cuts two ways. The preached word of Jesus Christ 
either subdues and convicts and saves some, or it further hardens 
and it further pushes those onto their death and punishment by 
the rejection of that selfsame word. It is a word of life, or 
it is a word of death. It is the aroma of life, or it 
is that stink of death to those who would reject. such a glorious 
Christ. And so, back to Acts 4, when 
we talk about, or when we read, now look on their threats, we 
are to see generally this idea that they're requesting the administration 
of justice, and more specifically, that it comes by what follows, 
that with all boldness we may speak your word and proclaim 
the gospel of Jesus Christ. As Gil says, it is partly one 
and partly the other subdued and conquered and converted or 
else convicted and confounded and not able to stand against 
the light and evidence of the word of God. And so we have the 
congregation's request first seen in the administration of 
justice. And if you want to see or read 
an Old Testament passage, Psalm 66, that corroborates this idea 
that they're not just calling upon God to look down upon things 
in a general omniscient way, but rather to visit, to look 
upon them with a juridical oversight. We read in Psalm 66 at verse 
7, he rules by his power forever. His eyes observe the nations. Do not let the rebellious exalt 
themselves, say law. You see, God's eyes observes 
the nations. When we see wickedness in the 
land, when we see what seems like the wicked prospering and 
the righteous failing, We are to see and to understand and 
to know that it is the Lord God omnipotent who reigns. He observes 
the nations and he will most certainly judge. The second thing 
that we see under the congregation's request is we see the request 
for Christian courage. Back to Acts 4 verse 29. Now, 
Lord, look on their threats and grant to your servants that with 
all boldness they may speak your word. You see, isn't this a wonderful 
thing? Peter and John were proclaiming 
the glories of Christ. First to this lame man, silver 
and gold we do not have, but what we do have, what I do have, 
I freely give to you, the gospel of Jesus Christ. In the name 
of Jesus Christ be healed. And the multitudes run because 
they see this man who was lame, a cripple, coming to the gate 
which is called beautiful at the temple and crying out for 
alms. They see him now bounding and 
leaping with great joy, no longer lame and no longer crippled. 
And so they're amazed and they come and they rush to Peter and 
John and that is the blessed occasion where Peter then can 
open up the Old Testament scriptures and say, the prophets spoke concerning 
this Christ whom you murdered upon a tree. And this man stands 
before you whole by virtue, the name of the Lord Jesus Christ 
and the glory of his gospel. And so those who accost Peter 
and John, They acquiesce a bit or they concede in their decision, 
but nevertheless, they severely threaten them and they say, no 
longer speak in the name of this man, the Lord Jesus Christ. And 
so what is one of the things that they pray for? That with 
all boldness, they may speak your word. That with all boldness, 
we may speak your word, Lord God. Yes, the unbelieving Jews 
and religious leaders will command us not to preach the name of 
the Lord Jesus Christ, but Lord God, give us the strength to 
do so, because we will obey God rather than men. So they pray 
for Christian courage. Remember what we just read at 
the outset of worship in Psalm 146. Where is our confidence 
and our trust to rest? What are we to trust in? You 
see, when trial comes and affliction comes, when whatever comes upon 
us, We have the natural inclination to trust in princes and to trust 
in the sons of men, don't we? The people of the earth want 
a physical savior. They want someone of the sons 
of men to come up with physical might and with physical power 
and to redeem them in an earthly and in a lower way. But in Psalm 146, And certainly 
elsewhere, we know that the God of Holy Scripture would have 
nothing of this. Before the passage that we read 
this morning when we were talking about God's creatorship, notice 
what we find in verse 3 of the 146th Psalm. Do not put your 
trust in princes, nor in a son of man in whom there is no help. His spirit departs. He returns 
to his earth. In that very day, his plans perish. This language of do not put your 
trust in a son of man obviously isn't speaking with regards to 
the capital S son of man, the Lord Jesus Christ, but rather 
earthly men, those who are the sons of the men of the earth. 
We are not to put our trust in one who is solely human alone, 
found in depravity and wickedness and sin, but rather we are to 
put our trust in the Lord God, alone. Do not put your trust 
in princes, nor in a son of man in whom there is no help. They were not to rely upon their 
own strength, but upon the strength that God gives. Last Lord's Day, 
and bear with me as we work through this exercise, if you will, of 
a case study in Christian courage. Last week, we read from Jeremiah 
9 in our Old Testament scripture reading. You should know that 
because tonight we read from Jeremiah chapter 10. But in Jeremiah 
chapter 9, we read those words of Jeremiah, which are sometimes 
ripped out of context, but they are words that are fantastic 
even if they are ripped out of context, because they certainly 
have application. But what Jeremiah writes is, 
let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the rich 
man glory in his riches, let not the mighty man glory in his 
might, but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands 
and knows me, that I am the Lord, exercising loving kindness, righteousness, 
and justice in the earth. You see, let not the mighty man 
glory in his might. Christian courage is not found 
in glorying in or trusting in or resting upon our own might. And a case study in this can 
be found in 1 Samuel 17. You probably know that passage 
of Scripture, don't you? 1 Samuel 17, David and Goliath. A very noteworthy passage here 
and contrast between Goliath and David, if we pick up reading 
in 1 Samuel 17 at verse 44. Notice what we find there. And 
the Philistine, that is Goliath, said to David, come to me and 
I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts 
of the field. You see what Goliath is doing 
there. We can very simply read through 
that and say, well, what's the big deal? He says, come to me 
and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the 
beasts of the field. You see, Goliath trusted in himself. Goliath, 
because he is a heathen idolater, because he is a follower of a 
half-fish, half-man constructed God, a God constructed by the 
hands of men, he's trusting in himself, and we see that he trusts 
in javelin. He trusts in spear. He trusts 
in sword for because David then says in verse 45, then David 
said to the Philistine, you come to me with a sword, with a spear 
and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name 
of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom 
you have defied. Some of the greatest words in 
the narrative of the old covenant, someone who has that Christian 
courage. someone who is not resting upon, 
he's not trusting in princes, he's not trusting in a son of 
man, but rather he is trusting in the Lord of hosts, the God 
of the armies of Israel. And he goes on, this day, the 
Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and 
take your head from you. You see, the Lord will deliver 
you into my hand. David doesn't say, I will, I 
will, but rather before he says, I will, He attributes the I wills 
to the Lord God alone. The Lord God will deliver you 
into my hand. This day I will strike you and 
take your head from you, and this day I will give the carcasses 
of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the 
wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there 
is a God in Israel. then all this assembly shall 
know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear for the 
battle is the Lord's and he will give you into our hands you see 
so moving back to acts for the Christians gathered there praying 
to the Lord God Almighty recognize that they are not to stir up 
and to arouse their own courage and boldness but rather they 
beseech the Lord that he would grant it because they need that 
help from on high for Christian courage. They knew that it is 
only by the provision of courage from on high that men proclaim 
the gospel. If you see here, this is a theme 
that constantly comes up elsewhere in the New Testament, in the 
Old Testament to be sure, elsewhere in the New Testament, but specifically 
in the book of Acts. In fact, in a portion that we 
did not read from this morning but in Acts 4.13 we read this 
now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived 
that they were uneducated and untrained men they marveled you 
see they had a boldness that was given to them by the Lord 
God Almighty in Acts 9 27 and 29 again Christians do not have 
a boldness because They are Christians by virtue of themselves, but 
by virtue of their God. Notice in Acts 9 and verse 27 
and 29, but Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. 
And he declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the road 
and that he had spoken to him and how he had preached boldly 
at Damascus in the name of Jesus in verse 29. And he spoke boldly 
in the name. the Lord Jesus and disputed against 
the Hellenists, but they attempted to kill him. You see, boldness 
marks the proclaimers of Jesus Christ. Boldness marks those 
who proclaim the gospel of our Savior and that the origin of 
that boldness is not the greatness of their heart or their own virtue, 
but the greatness of our God and the condescending mercy of 
giving his people. boldness to proclaim the word. 
This is Matthew Henry on this particular thing. In threatening 
times, our care should not be so much that troubles may be 
prevented, as that we may be enabled to go on with cheerfulness 
and resolution in our work and duty. whatever troubles we may 
meet with. Their prayer is not, Lord, behold 
their threatenings and frighten them and stop their mouths and 
fill their faces with shame, but behold their threatenings 
and animate us. Open our mouths and fill our 
hearts with courage. They do not pray, Lord, give 
us a fair opportunity to retire from our work now that it is 
becoming dangerous. Lord, give us grace to go on 
in our work and not to be afraid of the face of man. Observe, 
those that are sent on God's errands ought to deliver their 
message with boldness, with all boldness, with all liberty of 
speech, not shunning to declare the whole counsel of God, whoever 
is offended. You see, they do not pray, take 
us out of the situation, but rather, Lord, in this situation, 
give us boldness that we may proclaim the Lord Jesus Christ. Thirdly, under the congregation's 
request. So we have the administration 
of justice, the request for it. We have the request for Christian 
courage. And thirdly, we have the request 
for continued confirmation. The request for continued confirmation. Notice again, verse 29. Now, 
Lord, look on their threats and grant to your servants that with 
all boldness they may speak your word by stretching out your hand 
to heal and that signs and wonders may be done through the name 
of your holy servant Jesus going back to what we observed when 
they pray for boldness of speech when they had been commanded 
not to speak in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. What else 
took place prior to this? persecution, if you will, by 
the religious leaders of the day. They also healed a lame 
man. You see that the courage and 
the wholesome temerity, if you will, the wholesome boldness 
and courage of these Christians is seen that they asked to do 
two things, both of which the unbelieving Jews commanded them 
not to do. Lord God, they commanded us not to preach the Lord Jesus 
Christ but God we are to obey you rather than men give us boldness 
to proclaim the Lord Jesus Christ that preaching of the Lord Jesus 
Christ was was vindicated or validated its veracity was vindicated 
by the healing of the lame man so they pray as well Lord stretch 
your hand out that healings may be done as well in the name of 
the Lord Jesus Christ it's a wonderful boldness that God has given these, 
and the request comes to God. And as we'll see later, the divine 
response is such that he grants the boldness requested. But continued 
confirmation, they prayed that God would vindicate the veracity 
of apostolic preaching by the provision of the miraculous. Veracity simply means the certain 
truthfulness of a thing. So when we say, vindicate the 
veracity, a good alliteration if there ever was one, vindicate 
the veracity that God would vindicate, that is, validate, that is, testify 
to the certain truthfulness, the veracity of apostolic preaching. In other words, this proclamation 
of the gospel of Jesus Christ is true. And the vindication 
of that truthfulness comes in this context by the healing of 
men and the doing of miraculous things. We need to understand and we 
must understand because there are certainly those within the 
milieu, the landscape of modern Christianity that would bring 
modern signs and wonders and miracles and healings and all 
of these things up to a level where it is really enjoined to, 
or it is joined to the gospel of Jesus Christ. And in other 
words, there is a modern importance and validity to healings and 
and miracles and the doings of marvelous things that are seen 
in the book of Acts. We must understand that healings 
and miracles and signs and wonders were, at the time of the apostles, 
for a peculiar thing. They were not for the end of 
themselves. Healings were not so people would 
marvel. Well, healings were certainly 
so that people would marvel in God, but they were not to marvel 
at the healings and stop there, but rather marvel in what those 
healings validated. that Jesus Christ is King of 
Kings and Lord of Lords, and He has come to redeem His people 
from their sins. A beautiful truth. If we don't 
believe that, or if we don't really understand that simply 
from me saying it, hopefully if we back up in redemptive history 
to Mark 16, we will see exactly what we're discussing here. In 
Mark 16, we have something of an example, or a statement rather, 
where this truth is brought to the fore. Notice in Mark 16 at 
verse 19, So then after the Lord had spoken to them, he was received 
up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they 
went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and 
confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen. You see, the function of miraculous 
signs in the early church was for the confirmation of the word 
that was being preached. In Acts chapter two, we have 
the same thing. When Peter is rehearsing the 
work of the Lord Jesus Christ, we have in Acts chapter two, 
the same thing spoken of. There we read in Acts two at 
verse 22, men of Israel hear these words, Jesus of Nazareth 
a man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs 
which God did through him in your midst. You see, these signs 
and miracles that were done by Christ, that were done by the 
apostles and Christians in the early church, were such that 
their end was to validate, to vindicate the veracity of the 
truth of the message of the early church, that Jesus Christ has 
come, the promise Messiah to save His people from their sins. They pray for continued confirmation. And we see here then again, the 
boldness is already given as they're praying to God. They 
are praying, and in the midst of their praying, it's as if, 
or maybe not as if, but it is that God is giving them the spirit 
of boldness, because again, they don't pray out, God, woe is us, 
deliver us from this present trial, but rather now, Lord, 
look on their threats and grant to your servants that with all 
boldness, they may speak your word by stretching out your hand 
to heal. So we have the congregation's 
request. Now notice the divine response. 
The divine response. You see, isn't it wonderful to 
see in the pages of scripture that our Lord God does answer 
prayer. God just does not leave his people 
to the machinations of the unbelieving Jews that had already commanded 
them not to speak in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Stir 
up and arouse your own courage. pull up your socks, you pull 
up your bootstraps, and do what you should be able to do in your 
own might, in your own strength. Know God answers their requests 
for divine aid. Notice we see three things here. First off, we see an indication 
of His presence. An indication of His presence. 
Verse 31, and when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled 
together was shaken. It would have no doubt been a 
terrible thing. When we say terrible, we don't 
always necessarily mean a bad thing, but that it would have 
been awe-inspiring, if you will, because they had just given this 
request to God for juridical oversight, for boldness in proclaiming 
Christ, and for accompanying signs. And immediately, when 
they had prayed, when they had said their amen, if you will, 
the place where they were assembled together was shaken. This ought 
to remind us of Sinai. Remember that scene, Mount Sinai, 
and the codification of the law, the presence of the Lord God 
Almighty upon Mount Sinai. In fact, turn to Psalm 68, because 
about this language of being shaken, we have record there. 
And the illusion is to the reference is to Sinai and Psalm 68, this 
language of, uh, of shaking Psalm 68 beginning in verse four, notice, 
sing to God, sing praises to his name, extol him who rides 
on the clouds by his name, yaw and rejoice before him. A father 
of the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy 
habitation. God sets the solitary in families. He brings out those who are bound 
into prosperity. But the rebellious dwell in a 
dry land. O God, when you went out before 
your people, When you marched through the wilderness, Selah, 
the earth shook. The heavens also dropped rain 
at the presence of God. Sinai itself was moved at the 
presence of God and the God of Israel. You see, this divine 
response, this first thing that we see, an indication of his 
presence, and it wasn't to instill a fear, an ungodly fear whereby 
they flee away from the presence of the Lord, but rather It was 
to instill in them all the more that they would fear with that 
Christian reverential awe the Lord God of heaven and earth 
and fear less the men who are commanding not to proclaim in 
the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. God gives, if you were an approbation 
and approval of their prayer and responds with this instance, 
this indication of his presence. Calvin says, Luke declare it 
now that God did not only hear this prayer, but did also testify 
the same by a visible sign from heaven for the shaking of the 
place should of itself have done them small good. But it tendeth 
to another end that the faithful may know that God is present 
with them. and guilt. This was a symbol 
of the divine presence and a token that their prayers were heard. 
This shaking wasn't just a perfectly timed earthquake or, you know, 
just by chance there was an earthquake right after they said their amen. 
But a God owned and a God stirred up shaking in order to disclose 
his approbation for their right prayer and his indication of 
his presence. that he would, no doubt, answer 
their prayer. And that is what we see because 
we see next the giving of his spirit. Notice God first answers 
their request. The divine response comes in 
shaking the place where they were assembled together. And 
then secondly, we see the giving of his spirit. And when they 
had prayed, verse 31, the place where they were assembled together 
was shaken and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. You see, this coordinates properly 
and perfectly with the request for boldness. For how can a Christian 
have courage? How can a Christian be bold but 
without the spirit of the living God? In those mighty acts of 
valor in the Old Testament that we find, we do not find the men 
doing those mighty acts of valor without the spirit of God. Remember 
what we have been reading as Pastor Butler has been preaching 
those excellent messages through the book of Judges. What do we 
find with mighty Samson when he is exerting his mighty strength, 
but we find the fact that the Spirit of the Lord is upon him 
in Judges 14 and verse 6. We read, and the Spirit of the 
Lord came mightily upon him and he tore the lion apart as one 
would have torn apart a young goat. We see the Spirit of the 
Lord again spoken of in Judges 14 at verse 19. And there we read, Then the Spirit 
of the Lord came upon him mightily, and he went down to Ashkelon 
and killed thirty of their men, took their apparel, and gave 
the changes of clothing to those who had explained the riddle. We see it again in Acts 15 and 
verse 14. We read there, When he came to 
Lehi, the Philistines came shouting against him. Then the Spirit 
of the Lord came mightily upon him, and the ropes that were 
on his arms became like flax that is burned with fire." You 
see, the mighty acts of God's servants that they do are not 
the mighty acts of God's servants properly, but rather properly 
the mighty acts of God that he brings about in time and in history 
through his servants. They act and they function. and 
they are courageous by the Spirit of the Lord coming upon them. And so when we read of the divine 
response in verse 31, and we read they were all filled with 
the Holy Spirit, we would understand this, that God gives His Holy 
Spirit so that His people might have boldness and courage in 
the face of such trial and affliction. We read those accounts. If you 
don't have Fox's book of of martyrs. Maybe there's one in the library, 
perhaps, but maybe you do have it. But as you read all these 
accounts of martyrs throughout the history of the Church, how 
can they do what they do without the Spirit of the Lord? We have 
to believe that they couldn't do what they did without the 
Spirit of the Lord. We do not put our trust in princes nor 
in the sons of men, but rather in the living and true God who 
gives his Spirit with a peculiar measure that his servants might 
do those acts that are good in his sight. You think of, I'm 
trying to remember if it's Polly Carper or who it was, but there's 
an account of one of them who's about to be torn apart by bull 
and lion. And Polycarp says to his persecutors 
and those who were about to murderously put him to death, he says, give 
me bull, the horns of the bull, and give me the teeth of the 
lion, only that I may have Christ Jesus my Lord. See, with the 
prospect of being torn apart by a bull, The prospect of being 
torn apart by the teeth of a lion. Polycarp doesn't pray out, Lord 
deliver me from this present trial that I might escape scot-free. But rather, with all boldness, 
he says to his persecutors, give me the horn of the bull and the 
teeth of the lion. I have my savior. Only by the spirit of 
Christ do his saints and his martyrs do those mighty things. Not by their own might. They 
are not to glory in such, but rather glory in the knowledge 
and in the understanding of God who gives His Spirit to His people. Thirdly, under the divine response, 
and lastly, we have the provision of courage. So verse 31 again, 
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. You see 
the beauty of this account. Lord God, this righteous and 
this whole, W-H-O-L-E, holistic, if you will, H-O-L-I-S-T-I-C, 
prayer, recognition of God as creator, as revelator, as sovereign 
governor, and then these requests given upon that glorious recognition 
of the God who is the recipient of their prayer, and then this 
very simple answer for everything that they requested. When they 
had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken. 
They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the 
word of God with boldness. It is from the Lord and by His 
Spirit that this courage comes. Christians do not stir it up 
from within. In fact, that psalm that we read 
from, Psalm 68, serves us well at this point as well. In Psalm 
68, we find this very same thing. Psalm 68 and verse 35. Oh God, you are more awesome 
than your holy places. The God of Israel is he who gives 
strength and power to his people. Blessed be God. You love that 
language. Oh God, you are more awesome 
than your holy places. You know, there was a time where 
I, you know, I'm gonna make an argument right now for the reclamation 
of the word awesome. Because the word awesome has 
fallen on hard times since the 80s. I can remember as a young 
boy using awesome for, the word awesome for everything. That 
bag of ketchup chips was awesome. You know, that hit, that NHL 
player X laid on NHL player Y, that was awesome. You know, the 
stupidest things are awesome to the young mind. Or maybe I'm 
growing old. You can use the word awesome for whatever you 
want, I guess. But what I'm trying to say is, 
you see, the word awesome has the good and proper non-slang 
meaning of something that demands our fear and demands our reverence. Ketchup chips are not properly 
awesome. They're bad for you, they taste 
okay, and they satisfy you for about five minutes and you pay 
for them later. They're not awesome. God is awesome. Oh God, you are 
more awesome than your holy places. The God of Israel is he who gives 
strength and power to his people. It is the triune God of Holy 
Scripture that is awesome. The Lord God Almighty indicates 
his presence in his divine response. He gives his spirit in his divine 
response, and he gives the provision of courage in his divine response. I'll remind you again because 
I believe it is worthy of reminding, and then we will have two quick 
thoughts and close in prayer. Psalm 29 always amazes me, and 
I've said this at least seven times from the pulpit, but Psalm 
29 is absolutely amazing to me because when we consider the 
God of Holy Scripture, the only living and true God who has revealed 
himself within the pages, the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, 
We do not find the God of modern Christendom who smiles back at 
us from the pages of a comic book with a beard and a cane. 
We find the God of Holy Scripture who is holy, holy, holy. The God of Holy Scripture who 
our confession describes with the foundation of the Scriptures 
as a most pure spirit, invisible, without body, hearts, passions, 
most absolute, most loving, a divine and infinite being. You see, 
this God that we have in the Holy Scriptures is described 
in Psalm 29. And you see, this touches upon 
what we spent more time on this morning with the futility of 
the gods of the Gentiles. You see, we read Psalm 29, give 
unto the Lord, O you mighty ones. Give unto the Lord glory and 
strength. Give unto the Lord the glory, do his name. Worship 
the Lord in the beauty of holiness. You see what's going on here. 
Some commentators have said, when he's saying, when he's writing, 
the psalmist, David, give unto the Lord, O you mighty ones. 
Yeah, okay, he could be speaking of, you know, the mighty rulers 
of the earth. Might even be speaking about 
the angels, the heavenly host. of angels. But some would see, 
and I would tend to agree with them, that he's calling upon 
the gods of the heathens to give unto the Lord glory and strength. You, gods of the heathens, who 
are no gods at all, give glory unto the Lord God Almighty. Worship 
the Lord in the beauty of holiness. The voice of the Lord is over 
the waters, you see, because Though they have mouths, they 
cannot speak, these fashioned by the hands of men from rocks 
and trees. But the God of glory thunders. 
The Lord is over many waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful. 
The voice of the Lord is full of majesty. They have mouths, 
but they do not speak, but our God. The voice of the Lord breaks 
the cedars. Yes, the Lord splinters the cedars 
of Lebanon. He makes them also skip like 
a calf, Lebanon and Syrian, like a young wild ox. The voice of 
the Lord divides the flames of fire. The voice of the Lord shakes 
the wilderness. The Lord shakes the wilderness 
of Kadesh. The voice of the Lord makes the 
deer give birth and strips the forests bare. And in his temple, 
everyone says glory. The Lord sat enthroned at the 
flood and the Lord sits his throne as king forever. What a marvelous 
ascription to the glory and to the majesty of our Lord God. in and of himself, and certainly 
against those gods of futile idolatry. But then you see, it 
is always a blessed surprise when we get to verse 11. This 
same Lord we read up here. The Lord will give strength to 
his people. The Lord will bless his people 
with peace. Think about this for a moment. The Lord God who 
set the the immense galaxies in their orbit. The God who created 
red dwarfs and the massive gaseous giants that shine their light 
in the expanse of the universe condescends to give strength 
to his people and to bless his people with peace. What an amazing 
God we serve. What an amazing God that these 
early church Christians prayed to. What an amazing God that 
we have as an audience for our prayers here now in this lower 
world. So we close two things. I would 
submit that it is a good thing for us to follow the pattern 
of prayer of the early church. What should we do when we pray? 
We should come to this God and recognize him as who he is. You, oh Lord, our God, who made 
the heavens and the earth and the seas and all that are in 
them, who have spoken by your servants, the prophets, who has 
and who does uphold all things by your purpose and by your hand. We are to come with a request 
to God, and yes, removed from the Axe Force situation. Nevertheless, 
ought not we pray for the administration of justice, the wickedness all 
around us? Ought not we pray for Christian 
courage that even in the face of coworkers and those who we 
go to school with, or wherever we may find ourselves, who are 
in unbelief, who do not believe the Savior, we would have courage 
not to be silent, but courage to be vocal, to speak of the 
riches and the excellencies of such a Christ. We are to follow 
the pattern of prayer that we have given to us here in the 
early church, and we are to seek a spirit of humility. You see, 
God rejects the proud, but gives grace to the humble. We are not 
to stir up our own courage, to stir up our own strength, to 
trust in or have confidence in fleshly things, but rather we 
are to humble ourselves before the God of heaven and earth who 
gives strength to his people and who blesses his people with 
peace, knowing that when we do so, we have a response from the 
throne room where he will give us his presence, his spirit, 
and the provision of courage. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, 
we do rejoice in your holy scriptures. We thank you for what they disclose 
concerning you, our precious God. We pray that we would have 
the proper notions and ideas and knowledge of our God, that 
we would not follow after the fanciful thoughts and opinions 
of the modern world concerning the God that they follow, but 
rather, Lord God, that we would know the scriptures, that we 
would understand and know you, that you are the Lord, exercising 
loving kindness, justice, and righteousness in the earth. And 
we pray that we would have minds like these in the early church, 
that we would recognize your glory and your majesty, in all 
of your perfections, that we would come with proper requests 
to you. And Lord God, knowing that you 
have answered your saints throughout time and that you no doubt will 
continue to answer and provide for your saints in this lower 
world until our Lord Christ comes again. We do pray that you'd 
go with us into this upcoming week, that you'd help us to live 
in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, I do pray, Lord God, 
for any gathered right now as we close in prayer, any who are 
outside of Christ Jesus in unbelief, that they would know you, that 
you would cause them to know you, Lord God, that you would 
cause them to know themselves, they would know their sin, that 
they know they stand rightly under the wrath of Almighty God. 
But Lord, that you would cause them, by your grace and for your 
glory, to flee with great joy to the Lord Jesus Christ, who 
is the only Saviour of men. And we do pray that you would 
go with us now, be watching over each and every one of your saints, 
Lord God. Help us to be unified here at Free Grace Baptist Church 
in the things of the gospel. And might we do all things to 
the praise of your most high name. And it is in Christ's name 
that we pray. Amen.