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plan you see you think at times that sovereignty has no place at the throne of grace sovereignty is the foundation for the throne of grace if we don't have a sovereign God why would we ever think to pray in other words it doesn't change him but if he is not sovereign why pray typically people ask people for help who they think are in a position to help see no one here has ever come to me and said hey can you loan me a million dollars because you know I'm not in a position to help we typically ask people for a million dollars who have shown themselves you know financially savvy and they own banks or you know then it's not can you give me it's more can you loan me but you get the point we come to God because he saw a friend and this stabilizes the early church this provides comfort and strength to the early church God the Creator God the divine writer behind Scripture God the one who has purpose even this revolt of man against God and against his Christ this is the will of the Lord now the obvious implication ought to be this if the nation's rage and if the people's plot a vain thing against Yahweh and against his Christ and we see that flashed out specifically in the earthly Ministry of Christ visa vie Pilate and Herod and ultimately Christ being crucified there will be extension to the people of Christ in other words if they persecuted and rejected Jesus this way it really ought not to surprise us that the godless Sanhedrin has threatened us to not speak in his name right you'll get that right in other words they're thinking theologically through this situation and that not only informs their prayer life but it also dictates their conduct when they get off their knees see if they're going to oppose Jesus and say away with them away with him crucify em and basically laugh and scoff and mock while he's on that cross then they're going to threaten us when we stand before the Sanhedrin to speak no longer in this name this prayer is designed to afford the greatest degree of confidence and comfort and stability to the players and I think that we ought to take heed in our praying so of course Matthew 10 the Lord Jesus taught that if they hate the master they're gonna hate the disciple John 15 he teaches the same thing if they hate the master they're going to hate the disciple it's simply the way it is you know it's amazing at times that we as Christians just can't believe that we're opposed I can't believe it I just can't imagine you know what's a nice guy like me suffering any persecution well they hated Jesus and hung him on a cross what do you think they're gonna do for people that are Pro Jesus you think they're gonna say oh you're a great guy you're a great girl know that enmity has settled in their hearts and since they can no longer get to Jesus and hang him on crosses they do that for his people you see it's kind of a no-brainer and that's the implication and that's how they understand the situation so we've seen invocation we've seen exposition now notes supplication supplication other words supplication is when we ask of God something I think this is a great model prayer we think of that acronym acts we adore God we express contrition we express Thanksgiving and then we supplicate in other words we don't just run right through the front door of heaven and say God give me and then we think that that's the way we ought to pray but brethren stop and marvel in the presence of God you know when your kids are little or you're at home and the kids run home and they you know first thing through the door can I have a snack you probably want to throw a granola bar at them how about hi dad hi mom actually you don't want to throw in all that's not very kind make sure they get their granola bar and throw it with a little bit of heat you walk in he say how are you today it's good to see you dad it's good to see you mom it's been you know the six long hours since I've been blessed with the the radiance that is your face something kind it's an offense to just run in and say gimme gimme gimme the leech has two daughters according to Solomon or ager in Proverbs 30 what do these two daughters say they say give give that's all they ever say give sometimes God's people can be like that we run through the front door of heaven and say give give before any adoration before any invocation before any contrition before our God before any expression of Thanksgiving to our God we get right to supplication give me give me give me is our petition and prayer now again brethren if you're you know pummeling down the you know mountaintop in your car you can ask God to spare you without you know the a CT but for the most part if you have time for prayer in your closet not if you have time make time for prayer in the closet adore God express your contrition before God thank God and then supplicate God that's what these brothers do but notice their supplications there are two of them and the first highlights for us what they saw as most important now imagine for a moment that you spent a weekend at a Christians home and you happen to know that during the weekend that one Christian the man or the woman prays audibly some people do that you know don't be freaked out about that some people in private prayer will pray audibly they'll pray out loud because you know it helps them to verbalize and and to speak to God so imagine you happen to be walking down you know the hallway and you've got your toothbrush in hand and you know you overhear brother so-and-so or sister whoever we could tell a lot about a man or a woman by what they ask of God can't we yes if I said to you what do you pray for all week long and you say I pray for a new pony I'm going to conclude that new ponies are something very important to you what is it that the church prays for it shows where they understand their priority lies we pray for courage to preach the Word of God in other words the primary application the primary reason for existence with the church is the preaching of God's Word anything that will threaten that anything that will seek to dissuade us in that has to be overcome at the throne of grace notice the Apostle for the Brethren says first now Lord look on their threats again I don't think it's in this manner look on their threats and destroy them they don't pray that is it ever right to pray for the destruction of God's enemies yay and amen it is if you do not affirm that you're gonna struggle with David songs but we're not always obligated to pray for the destruction of God's enemies in other words there's lesser things we can pray for so everybody get that notice as well that they don't pray for our comfort for our stability for our well-being so that we won't be molested in the Empire that's not what they pray it's not for the immediate removal of their enemies and it's certainly not for their safety in their security but rather their prayer is this in light of the fact that the prophetic word announced this and we see it lived out in the life and Ministry of Jesus and by extension these opposers are still going to resist Jesus people we're not praying that you stop them threatening we're not praying that you remove us from the sphere of being threatened but rather were praying for boldness so that when we are threatened we don't kowtow we don't roll over we don't play dad but rather we speak the word with boldness it's brilliant isn't it the sublimity involved you know we could pray God destroy smash the teeth of your enemies I'd be legit so I'm 58 the righteous will dance in the blood of the wicked that's legit but you're not always obligated to pray and prakit Ori Psalms and in this instance they do not they don't pray for the destruction of the Sanhedrin they don't pray for the removal of the threat but rather they pray for the boldness to navigate their way in the midst of a threat saturated culture it's really beautiful the way these brothers prayed now notice now Lord look on their threats and grant to your servants that with all boldness they may speak your word again I believe that this is a recognition of their primary calling this is a recognition of their primary calling in this infant church notice what is not their primary calling social programs after-school sessions for the kids game night movie night and a myriad of other nights the church has sacrificed for the true preaching of God's Word such that any more churches that actually just want to preach the word or look that like nuts no movie night no no popcorn brethren the problem in Canada isn't a lack of movie night and popcorn such that the church should see themselves as the entity to provide that now the problem is sinners are going to hell there is an angry God in heaven there is mutinous man on the earth and Psalm 2 has shown us definitively that man will always lose when he comes into opposition with God and then men everywhere ought to be wise they ought to be instructed they ought to kiss the son lest he be angry and they perish in his way you see why the church got in the business of entertaining people is still something lost on me I don't get it we're not good at it and that's always a problem when the church has a rock band it will never be as good as a real rock band why would we even attempt that when our primary calling is to do what to preach the word what's Paul's last corporate command before Paul dies according to 2nd Timothy chapter 4 preach the word not entertain the masses not have therapy sessions not have encounter groups not try to ameliorate every problem of the downtrodden book preach the word be ready in season and out of season convince rebuke exhort with all longsuffering and teaching why because the times gonna come Paul tells us when they won't into her sound doctrine so what have we done in the 20th and 21st century they won't endure sound doctrine so we're gonna show movies and have rock bands and give them popcorn no that's not what you're supposed to do when they don't endure sound doctrine you know what the answer the church is give them more sound doctrine it's counterintuitive I've often thought that when Timothy received that letter either wait a minute they don't want sound doctrine and my response is I have to give them sound doctrine Paul you're so mean let's give a movie night let's have puppet shows let's entertain them let's just you know have encountered written know you preach the word to them Timothy you see God knows that man is not fit to prescribe his own remedy man doesn't know what's best for him any more than your four-year-old knows what's best at dinnertime but but I want hey I don't care what you want jr. you will have Brussels sprouts because they're good for you they'll put muscles on you protein is necessary cake doesn't do it do we enter into debate with the four year old when it wants cake over meat do we know we give them what is necessary so what's the church dime we got a bunch of people screaming for K so let's give them cake that's terrible that's bad it's horrible that that's the response of the church to sinners dying and going to hell this group knew what was most important not smash their teeth eliminate the world with referent the Sanhedrin with reference to the world Lord made sure that no threats ever come our way no threats are settled Sanhedrin opposing Christ is settled give us the boldness to preach the word in the midst of it it really is counterintuitive for many Bach says Darrell Bock says the early church knew that its key priority was the mission of preaching Jesus to a needy world you hear that too that's another book title number three we need to be like the early church you know what the early church didn't do they didn't have movie night and give popcorn to the dying masses they preach the gospel you see brethren again it's just so you know counterintuitive to the way that we think today you guys shared before people will call not so much anymore maybe the words out there but you know what do you have as a church what do you do well we have morning and evening worship and a Bible study on Wednesday night they don't always say this but I think this is what they're thinking that that's it that that's it that that's all you've got why is that because the consumer mentality says that my church ought to do everything for me I need to have brilliant beautiful nursery care not that we should have terrible nursery care we ought to have programs for every age group at every time during the week for whenever I want it good thing I don't say the kinds of things that I want to say at times guess whose job it is to parent your children it's yours see people want the church to parent their children worse they want the state to parent their children unfortunately there's a willing state that will do that and there's unfortunately churches that will do that that's not the job of the church it's to equip you as parents so that you can deal with your kids hopefully properly but this that's it mentality with reference to a church that tries to emphasize the preaching of the word that's everything isn't it isn't that what we're about you but what's he on about you know we come here obviously we think that the st. the common rapport and this is what it was here they they knew what their primary calling was and the the identification of their primary need good grant gold Ness what does that indicate they had boldness didn't they I mean for Peter to stand in Solomon's porch and bring it with reference to who Jesus Christ is in a situation where a vast majority of those people oppose the message of Jesus Christ that was boldness wasn't it remember when they stand before the Sanhedrin in verses 5 to 12 they make that declaration again heavy emphasis upon who Jesus is the Sanhedrin now observes specifically with reference to Peter and John their boldness but remember the scripture reading from this morning was boldness native to Peter was Peter 8-foot tall and bulletproof in any situation he entered into no he kowtow to a servant-girl and he denied the mass what ought we to conclude the boldness that Peter had had been supplied by God and in order for that supply chain to continue on we need to ask God to provide for us and what does this say with reference to preaching not only what I argue it's the primary emphasis with reference to the church but the type of preaching is it supposed to be feeble and weak is it supposed to be hands and pockets chat it's supposed to be with a boldness that's I mean every man has to raise his voice and yell and scream but there ought to be an earnestness when it comes to the preaching of God's Word Paul not only gives the what preach the word how convinced rebuke exhort with all longsuffering and teaching why because the time will come when they won't endure it so they need to be convinced they need to be rebuked they need to be admonished they need to be nurtured and you need to do it with long-suffering and teaching you see it's not only the lot that we find here but in that with reference to their prayer it's the how they're facing a hostile Empire hands in pockets chats aren't gonna win the day when Paul finds himself at the Areopagus a couple of humorous anecdotes aren't going to win the day with those stoic and epicurean philosophers when Peter and the rest of the Apostles are facing down men who can give a kill order to send down to a Lions Den the stakes are too high for them to put their hands in their pocket and mumble something about Jesus of Nazareth they need to convince rebuke and exhort they need to do it with all long-suffering realizing that God is sovereign in the matter of salvation and they need to do it with teaching Lords all preaching should be expositional in nature it should teach the people of God what the Word of God says it should teach unbelievers what the Word of God says those elements are combined in passages like these such that if we ask the question what's the primary focus for the church or the primary aspect of the church's mission in this world I would hope that all of us would say the true preaching of God's holy word that's it it's what we do what we're about that's it notice well one text that I want to highlight before we move from this request for boldness you get this idea in your head of Paul don't you kind of like you do this with you know Moses and you do this with David I mean I don't know David on the at the Valley of Elah he's just you know he's been out with the Sheep and and he's you know ripped apart bears and lions I got to think the guy he's you know he's in good shape you just got that bad idea I mean he's right small and he's you know in comparison to Goliath he's nothing to look at but a dude that bare handedly rips apart beasts has to have something going on so you get this idea of David right you get this idea of what he's like and I think that happens with Paul you know he's the patron saint of reformed theology right we all we all just love Paul you know the the paradigmatic Calvinist he's just this machine of theology interesting because Paul describes himself just the opposite he says when I was among you I had nothing persuasive about me they mocked me he's no orator he's he's nothing to look at but when I preached it was in a demonstration of the spirit of power can we have this idea that David and Peter and Moses and and Paul just had this this native boldness and we conclude things like well I don't have native boldness so God will never use me well then we sound just like Moses don't we because wasn't this mump assist Ruffo ah you know choose Aaron here am I send Aaron Lord he's got a good you know ability to speak he's got you know forceful NASA a natural leadership ability Erin's your guy what's God say I make mouths I made years I could certainly animate you and equip you to stand before Pharaoh with your finger in his face Paul prays with reference to boldness in Ephesians 6 19 and 20 and 3 for me that utterance may be given to me that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel for which I am an ambassador in Chains that in it I may speak boldly so you mean it wasn't native to Paul he needed to ask God for boldness he needed to ask the Ephesians to ask God for boldness yes and I love what he says at the very end this kind of goes with what I said earliest not only the what but it's also the how that in it I may speak boldly as I ought to speak in other words this gospel is so glorious it demands far more than a chatty preacher it demands far more than humorous anecdotes it demands far more than an illustration from you buying a car the other day it demands boldness it demands commitment it demands exposition of God's Word so pray for me that I would speak boldly as I ought to speak so these brethren at this prayer meeting they pray first for courage and then secondly they pray that God will confirm the message that they preach they've already seen this happen right God healed this man who had been lame from birth he was over 40 years old he used to beg at the gate called beautiful he would hold out as a palm and he'd ask for alms and and Peter and and John had nothing and so they'd give him the name of Jesus Christ and and it's that powerful name that brings healing to this man so so they pray God confirmed stretch out your hand show those signs show those wonders not to dazzle not to impress but to authenticate the true preaching of God's Word now of course people are going to jump here and say well why would you be a cessationist because remember the written word isn't completed at this point there were still signs and wonders there were still miracles operative in the early church but now that the New Testament documents are complete brethren we just pray that God the Holy Spirit make that word known in the hearts of men women boys and girls but that's the point in this 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 now notice through the name of your holy servant Jesus next time you read chapters 3 and 4 in the book of Acts and you are the kind of person that underlines in your Bible underline the word name because that's what's at stake in chapters 3 and 4 it's the name of Jesus by what power or by what name are you doing these things so when they come to pray to God most high we want courage to speak the truth with boldness as we ought to speak and we want you to confirm it with these miraculous signs so that the name of Jesus Christ will sound forth so that the name of Jesus Christ will go forward so that the name of Jesus Christ will be the means of salvation according to acts 4:12 there's no other name given under heaven among among men by which we must be saved so essentially what they're saying is embolden us and send forth confirming power so that the name of Jesus Christ will go through the empire conquering and to conquer that's what a prayer meeting should look like now God answers God answers specifically their petition does God answer prayer yes he does and he does so right here very specifically notice in verse 31 we're coming to a conclusion we're going to end soon but notice and verse 31 and when they had prayed the place where they were assembled together was shaken that doesn't always happen God can answer prayer without shaking the actual building you're in don't be a Terrence Matt well God didn't shake my room so I'm not gonna get an answer that prayer no remember first century Christianity was punctuated by supernatural phenomena again to validate confirm and affirm that the word preached by the Apostles was in fact the Word of God I know that charismatic don't like this argument but the signs and wonders accompany revelation other words when God is speaking he confirms that speech by miracles through Moses through the prophets through Jesus and through the Apostles once that word is confirmed and affirmed and it's canonized and we have it we shouldn't be looking for those supernatural phenomena doesn't mean God can't send it doesn't mean God is somehow forgotten how to shake a building but rather brethren we are not to live based on that phenomena but the written word of the Living God but in this instance he shakes the place where they are it's reminiscent of the day of Pentecost isn't it when the Spirit comes in power it's a rushing mighty wind there's this phenomena that attends the presence and the power of the Spirit we see this in Exodus 19 you see at 9:06 the presence of God brings shaking but it's not only that they're filled with the spirit now these are believers in Jesus that had received the spirit this isn't a second work of grace this isn't you know perfectionism and isn't a second blessing but rather the Spirit is given to them in answer to the specific petition for boldness the Spirit comes and what do they do they speak boldly that's that's the text look at verse 31 and when they had prayed the place where they were assembled together was shaken and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and they spoke the Word of God with boldness so you see God heard their plan God answered their prayer and they having had the answer now do what God called them to do in fact look at excuse me verse 33 verse 33 and with great power the Apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus and great grace was upon them all you see they invoke God they they expound God's Word and see it in its own application in their lives and then they they supplicated a petitioner they request from God and that request highlights the priority for the early church it's that the word be preached and that the word be preached with boldness brethren I would conclude by saying first we ought to observe the priority of prayer you know we do that at times oh yeah all we can do now is pray what a terrible sort of recommendation for prayer all we can do now is pray Wow makes me real confident about prayer you know all we can what do you mean all we can do is pray we have the ear of God most high we mean all we can do is pray that ought to be our priority in every circumstance and in every situation not to say we shouldn't you know learn how to speak with boldness or take voice lessons but whatever it takes to to loosen our I'm not saying we don't use those means but prayer John Calvin observed wherefore let the cruelty and reproaches of our enemies rather stir up in us a desire to pray then any wit discourages a discourage us from going forward in the course of our offense in other words the threats the violence the intimidation the attempt to control the attempt to bring into subjection the very people of Christ don't let it don't let it distract a Q pray the priority of Prayer secondly we ought to appreciate the theology in their prayer the theology in their prayer what they pray reveals for us what believe concerning God they understand God made the world and all things in it in other words they had a proper understanding of Genesis and it fed their souls and it strengthened them and it comforted them they saw the doctrine of creation not as something distant and far and and and unrelated to life in this present world you notice that very fact that God is creator and we are his creature that very fact that that steals the soul against the enmity of men that want to keep us down from preaching the gospel as well they interpret their present trial in light of God's Word they don't just say well we can't understand what's happening of course we understand because God through David said it's on - we see it played out in the life of the Messiah messiahs gone now in terms of his physical a manifestation of presence rather on earth he's at the right hand of the Father but that doesn't defame the enemies of Messiah they're going to come after the church and so this theology of Psalm 2 informs them and it it is the the rationale behind the conduct that they undertake and then they recognize that the rage of the nation's is ultimately under the sovereign hand of God I've often thought that in the whole debate concerning you know Calvinism arminianism or God's sovereignty those passages that aren't necessarily salvation passages that highlight the sovereignty of God the fact that God is behind the rage of the nation's against himself and against the Messiah who's gonna actually argue God's not sovereign in light of verse 28 when the Apostles can say everything that we're seeing here happens according to your purpose and plan when Peter and 2:23 can say this is the predetermined plan of God in 3:18 Peter can say that that that God had had specified that that you would do this that the the Christ would suffer that that this was all written about I mean once the debate about God's sovereignty that that should have died a long time ago that there's still people out there saying well God's not sovereign haven't read rapture and then notice the supplication in their prayer brethren pray these prayers for this church cam and I don't want to be the most handsome fellows we're sure that ship has sailed we don't want to be the most famous fellows because that's just not what we want we don't want to be the most successful fellows again I think that ship has sailed but we want to be faithful fellows opening our mouths to speak the word with boldness if the Apostle Paul asks the Ephesians to ask God that God give boldness to Paul then can you dear brothers and sisters pray for us that when we stand in this pulpit or when we represent this church in our community it wouldn't be with the latest stories about life in our shoes it wouldn't be with little fireside chats or or a little bit of an interesting anecdote in the life of camcorder Jim Butler but it would be to speak the Word of God because that's why we exist that's why we're here that's the purpose for free grace Baptist Church it's not to be the most famous it's not to be the most successful it's not to be the place where the most razzmatazz is seen but it's supposed to be faithful to the to the vocation that God is given we can't do that without prayer brethren Paul will say in first Thessalonians pray for us pray for us and then finally with reference to the gospel if you are not a Christian here this morning see God's and I speak anthropomorphic ly here so you know allow me see God's heart in other words what's important to God what makes it in the book of Acts it's this emphasis on the preaching of the gospel why is God like that because God is in Christ reconciling the world to himself this very passage where the Apostolic men are seeking boldness to preach the Word of God ought to communicate to you this morning that God really is about saving sinners and if God really is about saving sinners and I'm a sinner and I need to be saved I'm gonna go I'm gonna flee I'm gonna run I'm gonna hide I'm gonna kiss the son lest he be angry and he I perish in the way when his wrath is kindled but a little bless it are all those who put their trust in him let us pray father we thank you for your word we thank you for your heart as it is revealed to us in the scripture we know God that you're about saving sinners and we pray that this gospel would go forth today conquering and to conquer that your word would not return unto you void but it would accomplish the purpose for which you send it and that many sinners from every tribe and tongue and people and nation and God would cry out to you specifically for sinners in this city sinners in this room that they would taste and see that the Lord is good that they would believe on him that is altogether lovely and chief among ten thousand that they would believe on Him who is able to forgive and able to save to the uttermost all who draw nigh unto God through him we ask this in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ amen well let's sing the doxology in our praise to God will stand as we sing the doxology [Music] [Music] the Lord bless you and keep you the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace God may this be true for each of us may you go with us now may you watch over us and protect us help us to sanctify the day today and find great joy in the presence of our God Most High bless us we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord amen well please be seated for a brief time of meditation