THE GIFT OF BOLDNESS
ACTS 4:1 8
An undeniable sign of the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit is boldness. What is boldness? "It is the inner delight of a liberated person expressed in daring."
In the midst of human weakness and the timid nature of religion, the great need is for boldness...boldness in loving...forgiving...speaking the truth in love...and obedience to the will of God that is revealed to us in prayer.
Boldness is the key to the 4th chapter of Acts, and the center point of this section is found in verse 13: "When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus."
The word boldness means "telling all" "to pour forth, like pouring water out of a cup." It's the conviction, communication and character that are based on undeniable truth and experience.
Boldness is something that captures attention...compelling people to listen. It combines the emphasis of "I know this is true because it happened to me" with a clear "Thus saith the Lord."
It is rooted in scripture and also personal communion with the Lord. There is no apology for it or in it. True boldness, which comes from being with Jesus, is not brash, hard, or arrogant...but attractive and clear, confident because we know that He has won the battle with death, Satan, and the world.
The apostles had a holy boldness. They were possessed by a great passion that was motivated by their experience of Jesus, His resurrection, and His return in power in the Holy Spirit.
Someone, not just something, had happened to them both before and after Pentecost. They were the new creation, filled with the excitement of the promise Jesus had made them:
"I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father."
The greater works of quantity, not quality, were being done. Christ was unloosed in the world. The apostles were filled with His Spirit; thousands had responded to their preaching of the gospel; a lame man had been healed...and nothing was impossible now!
I want to look at the source, the motive and the nature of authentic boldness over the next few weeks. Let's begin by reading Acts 4:1 4 and look at the boldness of the resurrection.
The motive of the boldness of the apostles was the resurrection... Christ's and their own. They were the people for whom Christ's resurrection was the central fact of history...and the focus of their faith in a living Lord.
The experience of the empty tomb, now maximized by the power of the Holy Spirit, gave them a mission and a message. The resurrection had enabled them to be born again...and now their character was being transformed by the same power that raised Jesus from the dead.
The more they focused on the victory of the empty tomb, and the fire of the His Spirit burning inside them...the more they sensed a new freedom from self centeredness, competitiveness, pride, and defensiveness.
What had happened to them, they wanted to happen through them to everyone! That was the energy and the fire behind their bold preaching.
This was the irrepressible dynamic in their lives...they had died to themselves and had been raised to a death defying, life affirming, everything's possible, contagious faith!! GLORY TO GOD!!
Christ's resurrection is the source of disillusionment. Now, usually when we think of being disillusioned, we look at it in a negative light. But the true meaning is to set free of illusions.
Think of the false illusions, or deceptions, about God...life and the afterlife...death...and the power of Satan that are being promoted in the world today.
So many of the so called stars and idols, especially in the entertainment field, have set up a barrage of lies and deceptions about these things...and millions are buying into it.
But the worst that man can do is only a prelude to the best that God has to offer!
Rebellious man thought it had the final word at Calvary, only to find that Christ had the last word on Easter morning. The illusion that death had the ultimate power over life was exposed as false.
Christ told Martha, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, yet shall he live. And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die" ...and this became the charter of a bold people.
In v. 2 we see that the apostles "were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead.
This implies that they preached Christ's resurrection...the resurrection from the dead for those who believed in Him...!and„Ç the joy of resurrection living...
Just what is resurrection living?
It's a life filled with the uplifting power of God that will be there for us in the midst of life's problems and situations.
Christ's resurrection, plus our regeneration, equals release from fear and frustration. No wonder the number of those who believed came to be about five thousand.
It also explains why the priests, the captain of the temple guards, and the Sadducees came upon them, being greatly disturbed. The word used here for "disturbed" is a very strong word...
It means they were worked up with anger, mixed with contempt and disgust...a violent displeasure. Why such a strong reaction? Some background may be helpful.
The leaders were from the Sanhedrin, the highest ruling body of the Jews. It was made up of 70 leaders plus the high priest, who served as president.
There were 3 groups and 2 parties represented in the 70. (Much like our political system...Conservatives, liberals, moderates...Republican and Democrat)
Here, the rulers were the chief priests of the temple. The elders were the tribal or family heads of the nation. The scribes were the experts in the Law and the oral tradition.
The two religious parties were the Pharisees and the Sadducees. The Pharisees were committed to the preservation of the Law, the traditions of the people, and the minute detail of the regulations of their religion.
They hated foreign domination, admitted the possibility of spirits, accepted the idea of resurrection, and awaited the coming of the Messiah, but only according to their carefully defined presuppositions. Most came from the trade class and were known for their impeccable legalism.
The Sadducees were the ones who controlled the wealth, owned most of the land, and had immense power. For them, it was peace at any price when it came to foreign powers...anything that would help them keep their material advantages.
They had worked out a deal with Rome which cost them dearly but allowed them to hold control of the finances and keep their status as the aristocracy.
Theologically, they were often in direct conflict with the Pharisees. They did not believe in resurrection, a life beyond the grave, or the spirit realm of either angels or devils.
Neither did they anxiously await the coming Messiah...because that would surely threaten their financial security. The Sadducees desperately wanted to keep things as they were...and to them resurrection and revolution were synonymous.
Now we can see why the Pharisees opposed Jesus for theological reasons and why the Sadducees hated the early Christians for political and economic reasons.
And it was the Sadducees who started the conflict with the apostles. Luke is clear in including them as part of the group that "came upon" Peter and John.
In v. 1 it says they came up to Peter & John, but in the Greek it reads "burst upon them suddenly and expressed a hostile attitude of anger."
They were alarmed because of the preaching of resurrection through Jesus...the miracle they had performed in His name...and the assurance of the power of the Holy Spirit.
This causes me to wonder: who are the Sadducees today?...or let's get more personal...what are the things we must protect and defend which make the bold living and sharing of the victorious life in Christ so difficult for us?
And what about as a local congregation? Luke has given us a very convicting comparison between the mild mannered defensiveness of religion...(if we HAVE to we'll defend our faith) and the boldness of a church that is alive with the resurrection hope and power.
After the healing of the lame man at the Beautiful Gate, the crowds gathered to hear Peter forcefully preach that the miracle had been done in the name of Jesus...
The message was unmistakable: Christ, who the Jews had crucified, had been resurrected and was alive with them through the Holy Spirit... continuing His miraculous ministry through the apostles.
When word of that reached the Sadducees, they quickly gathered the temple police, who were stationed to keep law and order, and the chief priests, who wanted no disturbance of the sacrifices of the temple.
The Sadducees instigated the arrest and had Peter and John put in custody overnight. We wonder why they didn't call the Sanhedrin together immediately for a trial...
Of course it was evening, and Jewish law forbid a trial after sundown. But surely what they really wanted was to use the night hours for gathering their forces and making sure their party could represent a majority and tip the balance of power with the Pharisees.
The Sadducees had cooperated with the Pharisees, the chief priest, and the high priest in sealing the decision for the death of Jesus. Now some clever maneuvering had to be put on the Pharisees to get them to help silence these bold witnesses to the resurrection.
READ vs. 5 8
Imagine this awesome confrontation. Here were 2 Galilean fishermen face to face with the most powerful authority figures in Israel... enough to freeze anyone with fear.
Picture this group of angry, hostile leaders robed in dignity, seated in a semi circle in their chamber. Think of what the apostles must have felt as they stood in the center, all eyes focused on them and the beggar they had healed.
Feel the conflicting emotions that surged within them as they looked into the faces of the very people who had condemned their Lord to death less than 2 months before.
Did they have flashbacks of that Passover night that had caused them such anguish? If we could just get into the minds of Peter & John we could maybe begin to capture the thoughts and the feelings they experienced.
The drama of the scene intensifies as we feel the rage and hatred of Annas and Caiaphas. They had assumed that they had dealt with Jesus and his followers once and for all...but not so!
Here were 2 of His disciples who claimed He was alive, preaching the resurrection through Him, and performing miracles in His name. If Jesus, who claimed to be the Messiah was dangerous...a movement of His followers preaching His living presence was full of potential for revolution.
All of the fear and hatred Annas and his family had felt for Jesus was now focused with hurricane force on Peter & John. What was behind this alarm they felt? Why were they moving so quickly to stop the rising popularity of His followers?
Again, background is helpful. Annas was the religious power in Jerusalem. He had been high priest from A.D. 6 14. Five of his sons, and now Caiaphas, his son in law, had followed him in this powerful office.
Before the Roman occupation, a high priest held office for life, but by this time an appointment was made each year by the Roman governor. It went to the highest bidder and one who was willing to collaborate with Rome.
Annas used his tremendous wealth to continue his dynasty. And the plot thickens as we discover how he got his fortune. The "Bazaars of Annas" as they were called sold sacrificial animals in the Court of the Gentiles...and at extortionist prices.
Only these animals were accepted by the inspectors who were appointed by Annas or the members of his family. Annas grew wealthy by exploiting the poor.The common people hated the high priestly family, and it wouldn't have taken much to start an insurrection.
That is why Jesus had to be stopped. And it was the cleansing of the temple of the money changing and bazaars that sealed His death.
Incredible amounts of time and energy had been expended by the high priest to assure the crucifixion. News of the resurrection reached them, which they squelched with rumors that someone had stolen the body of Jesus. They were finished with Him forever...or so they thought.
Now we can understand the action taken against Peter and John. Something had to be done immediately before the people rallied behind them.
It is against this background that we can appreciate the boldness of Peter & John. Their lives were at stake. Only the Holy Spirit could give them the courage they displayed.
Then Peter, "filled with the Holy Spirit" responded. This alone can explain Peter's daring capacity to speak in that frightening situation.
The Spirit filled his mind...saturated his emotions...compelled his will...and energized his body. GLORY
In Acts, there is a difference between being "full of the Holy Spirit" and being "filled with the Holy Spirit." The first begins when we surrender our lives and open ourselves to be both containers and transmitters of the living Spirit of God.
The second is given for special need for witness or ministry. Luke tells us that Peter was filled...in Gr. this indicates an act performed upon Peter, rather than a continuing state. And he probably wasn't surprised.
Jesus promised that when they were brought before authorities that they didn't need to worry about what to say, because the Holy Spirit would teach them what to say (Luke 12:11 12).
The need before Peter brought forth the power the Holy Spirit gave him. Have you ever wondered why we never experience the kind of power Peter shows? Maybe it's because we are never bold enough to take a stand in the first place...one that would necessitate such a filling.
The Holy Spirit is both sanctifier and strengthener. He brings to our remembrance what Christ did and said, gives us the gift of faith to believe, and enables us to grow in Christlike character...
But it is by the special "filling" of the Holy Spirit that we are given the substance for our boldness. He equips us for a unique situation, pressing problem, difficult challenge, or dangerous extremes.
Peter & John's boldness gives us the assurance that we will be given the wisdom, discernment, knowledge, and power to be faithful and obedient in !any„Ç circumstance or relationship.
We will be filled with the Holy Spirit when we dare to do what could never be accomplished on our own strength and insight.
