[2] How many of you have ever heard of the cooking method called shake ‘n bake?
[Shake ‘n bake demonstration.]
Ever feel like that piece of pork? Let me rephrase that… Ever feel like that piece of meat? Wait a minute… Ever feel like your trapped in a situation that’s shaking your life all around? (And coating you with bread crumbs.)
Sometimes we find our self in the midst of a situation that’s shaking up our lives and we just don’t know what to do about it.
Difficult things happen to good, God-fearing people and our lives get shaken up. But we need to understand that God has a purpose for it all and that He will help us through even the worst possible situation. You see, God wants to turn our trials into triumphs.
That’s what He did for the early church that we’ve been studying about in the book of Acts. Turn with me to Acts 4 where we see Peter, John, and the entire church, shaken up.
Let’s remember what’s led up to this point. Peter and John are going into the Temple to worship. A lame beggar asks them for some money. Instead of giving him some, they spoke healing into the man’s legs. Then the three of them go into the Temple together praising God for the miracle. A crowd gathers, Peter preaches and God works amongst the people. But the religious rulers didn’t like Peter’s message about Jesus so they threw him, John and the beggar into jail. The next day the three men stood trial. And Peter, as bold as ever, told them that it was because of Jesus Christ that the miracle happened.
The shake ‘n bake process was in full swing by this time. [3] Basically, the religious rulers wanted to get the disciples to deny their faith in Jesus as the Christ. They wanted this movement to stop, so they were shaking Peter and John with imprisonment and threats of future punishment. Let’s pick up the story in verse 4:13.
[Read Acts 4:13-16.]
Even these ungodly men realized that Peter and John had done nothing wrong and that a bonified miracle had taken place. But they still wanted them silenced.
[Read Acts 4:17-22.]
Again, they found nothing wrong with their actions. They just didn’t like the message that went along with their actions. So they ordered them to not speak of Jesus or else!
Now telling Peter to stop talking about Jesus is like telling a Mockingbird to stop singing. It just aint gonna happen!
So Peter even tells them that it’s better for them to obey God rather than man in this situation. Now Peter isn’t trying to justify anarchy on the basis of religious beliefs. But when the government is forcing you to sin, then it’s best to follow God instead of man. His government was trying to force him to stop talking about Jesus which went against God’s explicit teachings about reaching the world with the gospel.
Think about this, Peter and John’s main purpose for living was to tell others about Jesus, and right off the bat that purpose was challenged by the highest authority in the land. But this was something that God allowed to happen to them.
You and I are going to find ourselves in the midst of trials sooner or later in our lives. (Maybe even as we speak.) And those trials are going to try and get us to doubt our faith, doubt God, and even deny Jesus the ability to work in our lives.
Maybe that shaking in our lives comes from friends or family or coworkers or classmates who belittle our faith. That constant ridicule or obvious exclusions can really shake up our lives.
Maybe we find ourselves facing a terrible illness that gives us little hope for the future. Our entire life can get shaken up with the results of a simple medical test.
Or maybe we look at our own government and we find ourselves worried about the direction it’s going. We don’t feel as safe as we once did.
Trials will come. We will be shaken. But in all reality, God’s allowing those things to come into our lives so we can grow and thrive and even triumph. You see when that shaking comes into our lives, we need to put it into the baking process. [4] The baking process of prayer. Humble, obedient, biblical prayer.
That’s what the early church did when their world was shaken up.
[Read Acts 4:23-30.]
What an incredible humble, obedient, biblical prayer uttered by these thousands of baby Christians. Remember, some 5,000 people had gotten saved in just a matter of days. And the disciples had only walked with Jesus for three years before that. These weren’t mature Christians who knew the Bible backwards and forwards. These weren’t theologians or trained ministers. These were simply humble, obedient followers of Jesus Christ.
[Read Acts 2:41-42.]
These were people that were dedicated to God’s Word, each other, worship and prayer. And when a trial came into their church they didn’t freak out and run for the hills. They stood together and called on God.
In humility they realized they couldn’t handle things on their own.
In obedience they submitted to God as their “absolute master”. Look back at 4:24. The Greek word used for Lord is the word “despotes” which means absolute master. They humbly submitted to the Lordship of Christ.
And as these young Christians began to pray, you can see that they had an incredibly biblical view of the Lord. They referred to Him as the creator of the universe of which He certainly is. That helped them remember that since He created it all, it’s all His.
They also made it clear that they understood that God was sovereign and that these events, these terrible events happening to them, were in accordance with God’s purpose and plan for them and for the world.
[Read Acts 4:26-28.]
They probably didn’t know what God’s plan was in all of this, but they knew and trusted that He did have a plan.
Sometimes when I find myself in the midst of a trial I spend too much energy trying to figure out why God’s allowing this to happen to me.
[Free piano story.]
God has a plan for the good and the bad that comes into our lives. He is in control and we simply need to trust Him. That’s exactly what the early church did when faced with the trials of persecution.
So as they prayed for God’s will to be done, God literally shook that place and then provided them a feast. [5] A feast of miracles, unity, boldness and favor!
[Read Acts 4:29-33.]
You see, these people didn’t want to just go to church and be comfortable. They didn’t want to just gain their salvation, sit on the sideline for the next 30 years and then die and go to Heaven. They wanted to be the church in their messed up world no matter how hard it might have been.
They didn’t pray for comfort, they didn’t pray for the Jews demise and they didn’t pray for a way to sneak around in their faith. They prayed for more of the same that got them into trouble with the government in the first place! They prayed for more miracles and more boldness to preach about Jesus.
God answered them immediately with a shaking of the building in which they were standing. But you didn’t see them running for cover. They welcomed the miraculous in their midst and recognized that God was showing them how he was going to shake the world through them. He was showing them that He would in deed work miracles through them.
You know, we don’t need to be afraid of the miraculous. I think we got a little taste of this a couple weeks ago when I was reading a verse about God’s Word and how it’ll go forth like rain and accomplish It’s purpose. Remember as I began to read the rain started to fall on the roof here. God was telling us that He is with us and will accomplish His will in our midst.
God also blessed them with some incredible unity as they continued to share whatever they had as anyone in their midst had need.
[Read Acts 4:32.]
Isn’t that beautiful? We’re going to look at that unity a little closer in a couple weeks. This trial they went through as a church brought them closer to each other than they ever could have imagined.
God also gave them boldness to continue to preach the gospel no matter the pressure form the government. And they also were blessed with grace or favor amongst all the people of the city.
[Read Acts 4:33.]
God had turned their trials into triumph. One day they’re in prison facing the same people who killed their Lord wondering if they’d be crucified next. The church goes to unified prayer and God shakes the earth. Now they’re back together, unified, prosperous, bold and even respected in the community. Only God can turn things around like that. Only God can turn such a desperate trial into a triumph.
This is something that we need to not just understand but own for ourselves. After all, sooner or later, maybe even right now, we find ourselves in the midst of a trial. The Apostle Paul sums it up in Romans 8:28 like this: [6] “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”
Are you in the midst of a terrible trial and feel like your life is shaken up a bit? Let God turn that trial into triumph. Go to Him in humble, obedient, biblical prayer and He will help you through this tough time. And when His purpose for the trial is accomplished, the triumph will come! [7]
[Invitation, prayer.]
