Scripture Reading
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.
Opening Prayer
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.
Introduction
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.
The Congregation's Request
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.
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.
Request for Christian Courage
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.
Request for Continued Confirmation
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.
The Divine Response
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.
Indication of His Presence
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.
Giving of the Holy Spirit
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.
Provision of Courage
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.
Application
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.
Closing Prayer
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.