Acts 4:1-31 | The Power and the Name | Rich Jones

we our study through the book of Acts title of our message this morning is the power and the name the power and the name you can now take out your smart phones or your iPads follow along the notes if you don't have that just do an app search for Calvary Hillsboro let's pray father thank you so much because we know that you want us to hear your heart that you want us to receive your word because you send your word with power you send your word by your Holy Spirit to take hold of our lives to transform our heart and so we come this morning asking anticipating desire that you would move among us by your Holy Spirit through your word in Jesus name Amen Acts chapter 4 is a continuation of what was happening in Acts chapter 3 and remember now this is the church being born the Holy Spirit being poured out igniting lives and it's a great story remember what was happening Peter and John were up on their way to the temple at the hour to pray is kind of a routine they were just going up there to pray and they see a man who was set down by the gate called beautiful a lame man who had been lame from birth and he was begging alms alms for the poor almost for the poor he'd call out and he saw Peter and John Peter and John said look at us so he looked at them thinking he was going to get something and they said silver and gold we do not have but what we do have we give to you now and he says in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth I say to you walk and he took him by the right hand and lifted him up and he began walking and leaping and praising God he went into the temple you know shouting and leaping and the great crowd gathered because they saw what had happened and they started gazing at Peter and John like they were something amazing like look at you you Wow what is that you are you've got to be somebody amazing and and Peter saw them gazing at them and so he called that why do you marvel at us where do you gaze at us as if by our own power or our piety we made this man well he then drew them into an understanding of what God has been doing through Jesus Christ this is a great sermon he gives and he tells them God has glorified his servant Jesus and then he says it is on the basis of faith in his name that this man was well and then here I love when he takes it and he makes it personal to the crowd he begins to explain what God is doing he explains what Jesus is before them and then he says to them personally now I say to you repent and return to the Lord that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord this is so awesome because he draws the crowd personally it's about you in fact he said to them it was for you that God raised his servant up from the dead to bless you by turning every one of you from your evil ways well you just love the boldness here of Peter calling it straight out see and that's where we pick up our story in chapter 4 here we read in this chapter that 5,000 people in that crowd who heard that message came to faith in Jesus Christ however there were some who didn't exactly appreciate everything that was going on the Jewish leaders came along with the temple guard as you can imagine the temple would always have a guard and they'd come to lay hands on them it's not laying hands for prayer they're laying hands on them because they've had enough of this and they arrest them put him in jail overnight get this in the lady evening and so these are the same Jewish leaders that had already encountered Jesus and they didn't like Jesus these were the legalists these were the ones who had been teaching that the way to God was by keeping the letter of the law and by living under the burden of keeping the letter of the law Jesus taught something very very different Jesus taught that he had fulfilled the law and that he was the way and the truth and the life and that no man would come to the Father but through him now it's interesting in this group of Jewish leaders they were also these Sadducees a group of these leaders these are the ones who did not believe in any form of resurrection they did not believe that there was life after our existence here they didn't believe in angels they didn't believe in anything miraculous they didn't believe in any of this sort of thing which might explain why they were Sadducees I and that's an old corny joke but nevertheless it's interesting because Jesus had these confrontation with them and in this confrontation with them I love what he said you are mistaken I love this you are mistaken because you do not understand the Scriptures and you do not understand the power of God but yes that is my Lord there's like power there and you know what I I know that there are actually theologians today that are actually very much like that theologians very much like that they do not believe in the resurrection of any form they certainly don't believe in the resurrection from the dead they don't believe in miracles and they go to great extent to try to explain them all away now there's something greater that God is doing because when they brought Peter and John the next day to kind of you know give an account for what happened standing right next to them was this man who had been healed and had been lame for 40 years and so when Peter and John began to speak about the resurrection of Jesus Christ they had nothing they could say because the man was standing right there it's a powerful story let's read it chapter 4 verse 1 as they were speaking to the people the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came upon them being greatly disturbed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming Jesus the resurrection from the dead jesus said I am the resurrection and the life so they laid hands on them and put them in jail until the next day for it was already evening and many of those who had heard the message believed and the number of the man came to be about 5,000 and they came about on the next day that their rulers and elders and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem and anis the high priest was there Caiaphas and John and Alexander and all who are of high priestly descent in other words they are taking this very seriously all hands on deck this is serious we're gonna have a big meeting about this when they had placed them in the center they began to inquire by what power or in what name have you done this here's the verse where we give a tile of our message the power and the name by what power or what name have you done this so Peter take note here filled with the Holy Spirit he said to them rulers and elders of the people we if we are on trial today for a benefit done to a sick man as to how this man has been made well then let it be known to you and to all the people of Israel that is by the name of Jesus Christ and nazarene whom you crucified by the way whom God raised up from the dead it is by this name this man stands here before you and good health he is the stone which was rejected by you now here he's gonna bring in Scripture but he makes it personal he is the stone that was rejected by you the builders but which became the very cornerstone and here is a key verse very important much theology is based on this that we would understand God he says there is salvation in no one else for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved now as they observe the confidence of Peter in John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men they were marveling at this and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus and seeing the man who had been healed standing right there with them they had nothing they could say in reply but when they had ordered them to go aside out of the council they began to confer with one another saying what are we going to do what shall we do with these men for the fact that he noteworthy miracle has taken place through them as apparent to all who live in Jerusalem and we cannot deny it but in order that it may not spend any further among the people let's warn them to speak no more to any man in this name so they summoned them back in and they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus but when Peter and John answered and they said to them now whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God you be the judge but we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard in other words we are not going to listen to you because we cannot stop speaking about it there's something compelling them this is a powerful answer now when they had threatened them they threatened them further they then let them go finding no basis on which they might punish them on account of the people because they were all glorifying God for what had happened for the man was more than 40 years old on whom this miracle of healing had been performed and when they had been released they went to their companions reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them when they had heard this they lifted their voices to God with one Accord and they said O Lord it is you who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all of us in them who by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of our Father David your servant said why do the Gentiles rage and the peoples devise futile things the gods of the earth took their stand and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against his Messiah for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus whom you anointed both Herod and Pontius Pilate along with Gentiles and the peoples of Israel to do whatever your hand and your purpose predestined to occur very interesting and now Lord take note of their threats and grant that your bondservants may speak your word with all confidence while you extend your hand to heal and signs and wonders take place through the name of your holy servant Jesus when they had prayed the place where they were where they had gathered together was shaken and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit began to speak the Word of God with boldness what a great story the account of the birth of the church is now gaining momentum as the power of the Holy Spirit is seen but let's go through this story and understand that God wants us to take hold of many things here for us one of the things we need to see is how Peter here keeps speaking about the power of this name the authority of this name and really the call for us is personal we need to live by faith in this name he's calling VAM he's calling us to understand it key verses in this chapter help us to see God's heart God's desire one of these is verse 10 by the name of Jesus whom you crucified whom God raised from the dead this man stands before you in the last chapter atop of 3 Peter said it's by faith in his name that God has moved in power reminds me of Philippians - one of the great chapters speaking about this it says in Philippians - God bestowed on him the name which is above every every name so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father powerful understanding but see really we need to understand it for our lives well what do we do in response to it how do we respond to that the answer is build your life on it build your life on his name Peter said some amazing things verse 12 is key there is salvation and no one else there's no other name in heaven that has been given amongst men by which we must be saved isn't as exactly what Jesus said himself remember in John chapter 4 verse six Jesus said I am the way I am the truth I am the life no man no one comes to the Father but through me now you have to look at that and realize that's not exactly what you might call a politically correct statement I mean today you know the mantra is old now come on now let's be politically correct let's say things in such a way that everybody can be included here but you know what I find interesting is that when you have the name which is above every other name you're really not very concerned about being politically correct and in fact personally I would rather be more concerned about being correct than being politically correct I would rather stand on the truth than a compromise Jesus is the only way to the Father he said God proved that by the resurrection see the resurrection is everything here everything is built upon it is the foundation of what we believe in fact let me see something very bold I don't think this is necessarily offensive but it's bold if Jesus was not raised from the dead he's a liar and all the disciples are liars and I want nothing to do with it however if Jesus is raised from the dead that I'm gonna build my life on everything that he said and everything he did it's that important it all comes down to that if he is in fact raised from the dead then it makes all the difference in the world and I'm gonna build my life on what he said and what he did this is the exact point that Peter was making in verse 11 when he said that Jesus was the stone verse 11 he is the stone which was rejected by you which became the chief Cornerstone now he's referring here to a time in Israel's history they understood all this because it was quoted many times in the scriptures when the Israel was taken captive and into Babylon they were there seventy years we're studying it in Jeremiah when they returned they were given the permission and actually instruction to rebuild the temple well when they came back to Jerusalem what they found is a pile of rubble I mean a mountain of rubble and factors of rubble bull was there the governor looking at this what do we do this pile of rubble we're gonna go through it we're gonna rebuild it and so the first thing you need when you're gonna rebuild this temple based on stone you've got to have the cornerstone because the engineering is such that the cornerstone then would take the weight of the the corner of the building then was designed to take the weight the engineering of the structure would be based upon that cornerstone so they got to go through and they got to find it they're looking through now here's the thing they found it but they didn't recognize it and so they cast it aside they kept looking now since they had already cast aside the cornerstone they're not gonna find it because they've already tossed it aside interestingly has Israel found yet their Messiah no they have not the reason because they already found him and they cast them aside and this is the very point that Peter is making there is no other name there is no other cornerstone there is no other foundation on which you can build your life now will they find him will they get their cornerstone one day oh yes they will the scripture says that he will appear in Jerusalem in the last days and they will look on him whom they have pierced and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only Son because they will realize that they have rejected their Messiah see he's quoting here from psalm 118 can we just turn there take your Bibles we're gonna turn to a couple of places today if you don't mind we're gonna do a Bible study psalm 118 is the famous chapter that remember when Jesus was coming into Jerusalem that day that triumphant entry they're waving their palm branches you know we call it Palm Sunday triumphant entry they were shouting from psalm 118 and let's just kind of jump in psalm 118 verse 20 this is the gate of the lord the righteous will enter through it I'll give thanks to you for you've answered me you have become my salvation and here's the famous quote the stone which the builders rejected has become the chief Cornerstone this is the Lord's doing this is marvelous in our eyes this is the day which the Lord has made let us rejoice and be glad in it I always when I read this I like to point out that many people misinterpret that phrase right there because there used to be an old song we sang in the church many many years ago some of you who've been in the church a long time remember it it was simple you know kids loved it this is the day this is the day that the Lord has me that the Lord has made and we go on and on and it says but you know let's rejoice in me God in it and the way was interpreted was often the yep in the morning it's a beautiful day the sun is shining and so you say this is the day that the Lord has made let's rejoice that's not what he means it's not about the weather it's about the fact that this is the day of salvation that's the most important day since the foundation of the earth this is the day this is the name this is the way this is everything and he goes on the same still in psalm 118 verse 26 verse 25 o lord do save literally Hosanna Oh Lord we beseech you send prosperity blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord and there is that phrase that they shout it out when Jesus came into Jerusalem he's the chief Cornerstone if he's the chief Cornerstone then I suggest this is what Peter is saying then you need to build your life on that rock build your life on that stone in fact Matthew 21 verse 43 interestingly Jesus referred to the exact same thing and then he goes on to say therefore I say to you speaking to the Jewish leaders the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and it will be given to a people producing the fruit of it that's you and me right there we're right in the verse he who falls on that stone this is key he who falls on that stone in other words you fall on that stone because you humble yourself with a broken heart with a humble heart god I fall on this stone for mercy I set my life upon this stone for mercy he says whoever falls on that stone will be broken to pieces but on the whomever it falls it will scatter him like dust then the scripture says that the Jewish leaders perceived that they were speaking about them and they were not happy Luke 6 verse 47 to 48 Jesus tells us more everyone who comes to me and hears my words and lives according to them he is like a man who builds a house and he dug deep and he laid a foundation on a rock and then when a flood curd that torrent burst against that house and could not shake it because it had been well built build your life on this got to build your life on something build your life on this is what God is saying but go back to Acts chapter 4 because one of the things we need to also see is that Peter here is filled with the Holy Spirit this makes all the difference in the world this is the message for us be ye fill be filled with the holy spirit this makes all the difference before Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit we remember Peter always putting his foot in his mouth always saying the things that were out of order denied the Lord in the darkness filled with fear brash sticking his foot in his mouth but now look at him the Holy Spirit makes all the difference in his life because the Holy Spirit is the life of God the scripture says that we were dead in our trespasses and sins we were dead that's it that's an apt phrase that's a good description we were dead but then he goes on to say that he's gonna send the Holy Spirit so you would wake up wake up wake up from your death in fact the Ephesians chapter 5 verse 14 for this reason it says a Oh sleeper and arise from the dead and Christ will shine on you make all the difference in the world wake up in fact speaking of Ephesians 5 let's turn there we're gonna turn to a couple places let's look at that one though Ephesians chapter 5 turn there because I want to show you something really important features chapter 5 beginning in verse 18 because here is that famous verse where he gives the instruction to the church Ephesians 5 beginning in verse 18 do not get drunk with wine that is dissipation but be filled with the Holy Spirit speaking to one another in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord he's describing a heart that's alive he's describing a heart that's awakened into life in the joy and so he says verse 18 don't get drunk with wine that's dissipation be filled with the holy spirit oh it's way better where do people why do people get drunk with wine and you know I've talked to many I saw it loosens me up you know people they need this in order to find joy apparently they got to have something to loosen them up you know to the loose and their inhibitions so that they can you know they can find some kind of joy in life like oh now I can now I can be ration bowl now I'm gonna have fun cuz I couldn't have fun before and so he said now don't be drunk with wine be filled with the Holy Spirit that's way better your hearts alive singing and making melodies the Lord that's way better reminds me of when I was at an Oregon State many of you know my story I went to Oregon State got involved with a fraternity big mistake drinking parties the whole thing my life was just going down and then God got ahold of me you remember the story I remember I woke up Sunday morning I've walked outside my feet sticking to the floor cuz of all the beer weaving my way through the beer bottles and I'm out there just standing on the porch and God just got ahold of my life like oh god I miss I can't live this way anymore went to my room took me a while but I found my Bible it got in my car I didn't know where a church was but I kept driving until I found one I got in church i sat there and just bawled because I was so glad to be in the house of the Lord now God's getting a hold of my life and I remember one day shortly after somebody was having a party in their room and there were drugs and they said hey rich wanna join us and before I can answer somebody jumped in and answered for me and they said no he will he won't go to your party and they said really why because he's already high really yeah he's high on life and I thought okay I'll take that you know one of the one of the best compliments that I could ever receive if somebody says have you been drinking actually I have the Holy Spirit I've been drinking of the Holy Spirit that's what I've been drinking what do you been drinking there's more joy in the light that comes from the Lord and then you say well okay how do I get the Holy Spirit that I want that he says be ye filled with the Holy Spirit I want that how do you get it answer is very straightforward ask ask seek knock see this is very important let's turn to another verse let's turn to Luke chapter 11 would you do that Luke 11 because this is really important where Jesus speaks to this very point Luke chapter 11 beginning in verse 9 I say to you now these are the words of Jesus I say to you ask and it shall be given to you I say to you seek and you shall find I say to you knock and it shall be opened to you for everyone who asks receives everyone who seeks finds to him who knocks it shall be open now he uses an illustration suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish he would not give him a snake instead of a fish not would he dad I'm hungry can I have a fish sure son look in the basket no he said you wanna do that he goes in verse 12 now if your son asks for an egg he wouldn't give him a scorpion can I have an egg sure son look in that No he said if you event being evil in other words being of the world know how to give good gifts to your children how much more does your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him ask him I want more I want more of the Holy Spirit he says in Ephesians 5 be ye filled ask seek knock I want more Lord I want more life I want more of you I want to press in deeper I want Lord you to fill my heart in my soul I want more I'm asking for more Lord fill your Holies fill your servant with your Holy Spirit now let's go back to the Acts chapter 4 because here we often need to see this the key to change they took note that he they had been with Jesus I love that phrase the key to change be with Jesus he says they observed that they were untrained and that educated men and they were marveling as having recognized them as having been with Jesus wouldn't that be a great thing for people to say about you there's something I'm seeing here what is that you've been with Jesus the what a powerful statement what insight into what it means to be transformed notice something though they observed the confidence of Peter and John see this is really for us to take home have this same confidence God wants us to have this confidence in God see there seem to be two things that we can observe in people either they are filled with fear security and self-doubt or they're filled with self confidence and self-assurance and in interestingly many people are filled with both at the same time very interesting fear and insecurity self-doubt or a self-sufficiency and a self a confidence and self-assurance to quote the famous British philosopher Elton John he has a self-sufficient swept-back hairdo pretty certain that he's got it made God doesn't want us to live that way but we also know that God does not want us to live in fear and insecurity either 2nd Timothy 1:7 God hasn't given us a spirit of fear that's not from God he's given us a spirit of power and love and a sound mind so I'm kind of confused it seems like those are the only two options either I've got self-doubt and itself fear and insecurity or I've got self-sufficiency and self assurance of what is there another option here actually there is God does not 1s self-confident well really that's the whole mantra of our society you go to conferences and buy books there's shelves filled with them what do you mean God is a want is to be self-confident what does he want us to do be filled with fear I'm confused no there's another option confidence in God in fact if you have confidence in self it's gonna stand in the way of having confidence in God because your self assurance you don't need God and your arrogance makes it so that you don't even desire God this is a powerful point see this is faith it's confidence in God that is faith confidence in God is the stuff of faith it's being filled with the Holy Spirit Hebrews 13 6 so that we confidently say the Lord is my helper I will not be afraid what can man do to me there is that confidence of faith so that I may confidently say the Lord is my helper if the the one who's self-assured and self-sufficient says I am my helper well good luck because that's the best you're gonna get but when the Lord is your helper ah now that's all another thing see it's interesting we're studying through Jeremiah I mentioned that we're going through Jeremiah on Wednesdays unless this last Wednesday we just happen to be on Jeremiah 30 Jeremiah 30 is very interesting because it reveals an interesting insight that God has for us but he uses an amazing sense of humor you know that God has a sense of humor and he uses this amazing sense of humor in Jeremiah 30 I'll just quote you the verses joy Maya 30 verse 6 and and 10 11 he says ask now and see if a male can give birth okay what is this at what yeah he says ask now and see can a man have a baby really is this God saying this yeah yeah this is God saying this this his sense of humor he says can a man have a baby he just was like that's funny of course a man can't have a baby and then he goes on really well then why do I see every man acting like he's a woman in childbirth see this is his confrontation really look easy can a man have a baby of course you can't well then why does it look like you're having a baby he's like why is everyone holding his loins you know like a woman like oh that's my best imitation why is a man looking like you're having a baby he said why have your faces turned pale then he goes on to say fear not though Jacob my servant do not be dismayed Oh Israel for I am with you to save declares the Lord there it is why are you acting like you're having a baby if you have no faith have you lost all hope fix your eyes on him the Lord is with you to save have you forgotten it fix your eyes have some faith that noticing back to acts 4 notice the prayer that disciples in verse 29 and that your bondservants may speak your word with confidence with all confidence then they're filled with the holy spirit see this is powerful here they are they're filled with the Holy Spirit they're witnesses of the power of God they've seen the resurrected Lord so why not be filled with all faith and confidence if you have seen the Lord Jesus Christ raised from the dead and you are filled with the Holy Spirit you're gonna have confidence in God because you've seen God move your faith is now alive they know that God is now with them that's why Peter said we're not gonna stop should we listen to you or should we give heed to God well since he raised Jesus from the dead I'm thinking we're gonna give heed to God that's what I'm thinking Psalm 71 5 David says you are my hope Oh Lord God you are my confidence from my youth I love that you are my confidence David from his youth you know that when David faced Goliath he was just a young man literally late teens and he's the one teaching Israel he goes out there and says to the Goliath to the Giant so that all Israel may know that there's a God in Israel there's a confidence because he knows who God is Psalm 27 verse 1 David says the Lord is my light the Lord is my salvation whom should I fear should I fear if the Lord is my light in my show of my salvation who should I say if the Lord is the defense of my life who should I dread should I have dread in my life the Lord is my defender Acts chapter 4 here we need to see this your teacher is Jesus this is so key we got to take hold of this because this is really what transformation is about see in verse 13 it says they understood that Peter and John were uneducated and untrained men well that's what they thought and they were wrong now yeah it's true they weren't formerly trained in the theological institutions that they ran but frankly some of that dentist Christians I've ever met had enough letters behind their name to start an alphabet soup that does not make you alive I've seen the opposite many times but these these these these they walked with Jesus for three years they walked with him heard his words I saw the resurrected Christ this is the best training possible in John chapter 8 verse 31 to 32 jesus said something very important if you abide in my word abide if you dwell if you stay in this place of abiding in my word then you are truly disciples of mine this is the key what is the word disciple means one who is being taught are you a disciple if you were a disciple of Jesus then he's your teacher this is really important he's your teacher he says if you're abiding in what I say if you're abiding in my word if you're dwelling in this place then you are truly disciples of mine and then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free the truth is powerful the truth is alive the truth is a caged lion let it out because it will make every difference in the world the truth some of the most effective Cobra Chapel pastors don't have great degrees at all but they have the word written on their heart and that's what makes them effective see this is the power of the transformed life it's the key to our understanding Jesus must be your teacher the power the transformed life of faith is built by hearing the words of Christ we understand truth sets people free to abide in God's Word is to be with Jesus to abide in his words is to be with him and that's the power the transformed life but we have to be teachable so we have to come to him and say Lord you are my teacher be my teacher we need we need to desire ad for walk of faith a deeper relationship we need to say to the Lord you be my teacher I want to learn I want to learn teach me Lord but in order to be teachable we have to recognize that our way doesn't work this is really hard this is really really hard you know why it's so hard because every man is convinced that his way is right every person is convinced that he's right no one could tell me well I know what's right God says you know what I'm sorry that's not gonna work this is not gonna work you have to recognize that his way is higher than your way you have to recognize that his thoughts are higher than your thoughts and desire his ways and desire his thoughts judges 17:6 in those days there was no king in Israel every man did what was right in his own eyes proverbs 12:15 the way of a fool is right in his own eyes but a wise man is he who listens to counsel God gives Jesus the name wonderful counselor he's gonna speak some words that we gotta hear but to hear them this is why Jesus said let him who has ears to hear let him hear because many people's ears are stopped up what are they stopped up with self sufficient pride oh you got I'm right God says it's not gonna work job 23:12 job says I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my necessary food now that's a heart to be taught I've treasured your words more than my necessary food that's a great picture because you know hunger drives I want I'm hungry when a woman is pregnant she often has cravings mmm any woman here who's been pregnant knows this is so you have these cravings is interesting because we had a friend and she used to say that is ridiculous this whole idea of women getting pregnant having cravings that is ridiculous until she got pregnant and I had all these trainings and so we know this is true and cravings of a pregnant woman are often based upon what she needs what her body needs where she had a friend who craved dirt and she talked to her doctor why do I crave dirt because you need iron you need to take iron not dirt take honor there's a craving I remember I remember one of course my wife had three natural and we adopted two but I remember she had these cravings and one night I was react we was really late and we were not getting ready to go to bed and all of a sudden she said I got this craving I've got to have a chef's salad well this is healthy that's good but it's like almost midnight really yeah I've got to have a chef's salad which means of course someone's got to go to the restaurant would you go dear now every husband here knows the answer that question of course I'll go I would love to my dear so she calls her restaurant and she said don't tell him that she calls the restaurant says I'm pregnant and I'm having a craving and I need chef salad my husband's coming so I come to house ray for bed you know my hair's all amass you know I'm done she was like I'm here oh they all started snickering you must be the one with the pregnant wife but it's based on a need there's a there's a I need this because the body needs it may we have a craving my point is this may we have a craving for God's Word I need this in my life I need the transformation from it I need the filling of God in it I need I desire God pour your word because in reality in Jesus life has new purpose it changes everything changes everything it turns everything upside down it's a whole new way to live you want meaning in your life on purpose he gives it to us see being with Jesus Peter was changed from a fisherman to a Fisher of men new purpose in the prayer of the disciples verse 29 they asked that they may speak God's word with all confidence that's because it's now important to them we want to speak your word you've been pouring your word into us we want to speak about God we want to speak it with all confidence verse 31 God answers their prayer filling them with the Holy Spirit and they began to speak the Word of God with boldness because the Word of God changes lines may I say something you're very important do you want meaning in your life you're searching for some meaning the greatest meaning you'll ever have in that when you serve God and then you make a difference in someone's life you've had an eternal effect that's significant that's meaning you want to make a difference in somebody's life that's meaning pray that God would bring somebody into your life on whom you can share your faith and see their life transformed you find somebody speak boldly ask God for boldness we can have the same prayer why can't we say the same prayer God grant that your bondservants would speak your word with all confidence fill me with your Holy Spirit Lord I want to make a difference bring someone into my life that I can share my faith you might say well alright I don't have much to share then abiding this word you got a lot to share and grow together see here's a great verse for us and we'll end with this 2nd Corinthians chapter 5 verses 9 and then 14 and 15 therefore we have as our ambition you ambitious we have as our ambition to be pleasing to him for the love of Christ controls us having concluded this that he died for all so that they who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who died and rose again their behalf living for ourselves is how we used to always live in the world that's what you do you live for yourself he says I'd like you to live for something far higher than that greater meaning than not be compelled by this live for him he's the one who died and rose on your behalf it was for you let's pray father thank you so much for your life for your word for the encouragement to our soul when we see you moving in power in life Lord we pray this morning as they prayed God fill us fill us with your Holy Spirit fill us with your word we want to make a difference in this world we want to press in we want more we want to be deeper we want a deeper walk of faith we want a deeper relationship church as we're praying this morning as we're before the Lord would you know this that God is pursuing you God is desiring you you would have an ambition in your life have a meaning in your life of significance to your life to make a difference in this world be you filled with the Holy Spirit be filled with the life of God abide in his word abide in is truth let him ignite your life make a difference in this world would your prayer be this morning God I want a deeper walk of faith I want more I want to be filled with the life of God I want to be filled with the Holy Spirit God I want you in my life is that your prayer would you say that to the Lord that's why we you just raise your hand and just say that to the Lord just be bold you know where the Spirit of the Lord is there's boldness god bless you guys god bless you as you desire God is moving to answer God ignite our soul we are so thankful for the outpouring of your Holy Spirit we look Oh God that you would move in your church ignite us and revive us we pray everyone said

Channel: Calvary Chapel Worship Center - Hillsboro, Oregon

Views: 1,803

Rating: 4.75 out of 5

Keywords: Acts 4, Power, God (Deity), Jesus Christ (Deity), Holy Spirit (Deity), Salvation (Belief), Acts Of The Apostles (Religious Text), The Bible (Religious Text), Calvary Chapel (Organization), Christianity (Religion), Nondenominational Christianity (Religion), Truth, Lord, Born Again (Belief)

Id: 2BK8PYo3c1U

Length: 46min 39sec (2799 seconds)

Published: Sun Feb 23 2014