Acts 3:22-4:4
Last time we looked at promise #1:
According to verse 19 when there is true repentance your sins will be blotted out.
Today I want us to focus on the Prophets and the persecutions.
Peter uses the prophets in order to make an impact on his audience.
He knew the prophets were held in high priority for the devout Jew.
Look at verses 22-23: This is a direct quote from Deut. 18
He reminds them that even Moses prophesied to them that a prophet would come. Moses tells them that He [this coming Prophet] would be their Messiah, and that not following Him would bring some very devastating consequences.
He warned them of eternal death and destruction for those who refuse to listen.
[Deuteronomy 18:19 NLT] “I [GOD] will personally deal with anyone who will not listen to the messages the prophet proclaims on my behalf.”
Have you ever heard some of the things that people base their belief of heaven and hell on?
Some believe that hell is right here on earth! In other words we’re living in hell and when we die God transfers us to heaven.
There are those who believe that we all go to hell but after 1,000 years God will transfer us from there to heaven forever
How about; “You can’t tell me that a loving God would ever send anyone to hell!”
I can tell you that you are absolutely right. He won’t but if you are bound and determined to go there He won’t stop you…
In verse 24 Peter then reminds them that Moses was just one of many other prophets, to declare the same message!
Did you know that over 300 direct prophecies about Jesus have been fulfilled? Prophecies like…
Is. 7:14 He would be born of a virgin Lk. 1:7 it happened!
Micah 5:2 born in Bethlehem Lk. 2:4 that happened!
Gen. 49:10 born of tribe of Judah Mt. 3:3 that happened!
Psalm 78:2 speak in parables Mt. 13:34 that happened!
Zech. 9:9 ride on the colt of a donkey Mt. 21 that happened!
Is. 61 heal the broken-hearted Lk. 4:18 that happened!
Is. 53:3 would be rejected by His own Jn. 1:11 that happened!
Is. 53:7 stand silent before accusers Mk. 15:5 that happened!
Ps. 22:18 cast lots for His robe Jn. 19:23 that happened!
Ps. 22 (hundreds of years before crucifixion was invented) prophets said they would pierce His hands and feet, and it happened!
Ps. 22:1 “my God, why forsaken me?” Mt. 27:46 that happened!
Ps. 22: 15 tongue cleave to jaw Mt. 27:50 & Jn: 19 that happened!
Zech. 11:2 sold for 30 pieces of silver Mt. 26:15 that happened!
Is. 53:9 buried with the rich Mt. 27 that happened!
CHECK THIS OUT
If you were to cover the state of Texas with quarters, 2 feet deep, mark the back of 1 of them with an X. Now let’s place a man anywhere he wants to stand in the state, blindfold him, and ask him to find the quarter with the X on the first try. What do you think his chances of finding that quarter would be?
That’s the same chance of just 8 of the Bible’s 300+ prophecies being fulfilled by coincidence! Jesus fulfilled them ALL!
Look at verse 25 Peter tells them “You, being Jews are children of the covenant. You have all this inside information and to not get saved now is to sin against superior understanding!
Through the prophets of old, Peter says, you have a flood light; not a candle showing you the way!”
Today you and I have the Word of God as our floodlight and the same goes for us.
How many of you have ever tripped over your kid’s toys or stepped on something sharp in the dark, that was left in the floor?
You know it’s one thing to do it in the dark, but in broad daylight you need to be ashamed of yourself!
Peter says, for you to not accept Christ is to sin against a flood of lights!
Notice in verse 26 Peter’s use of the word “you”…can’t “you” see this?
I can say the same to this crowd here at EBC.
What a shame that some will go to hell from EBC and Jesus promises there will always be some mixed in with this group and every other Bible believing group BUT to go to hell from EBC is to sin against a flood of lights!
To sit here and hear the truth week after week, to be surrounded by people who love and pray for you…and to not make sure you’re saved in the face of all of that is much worse than stepping on your child’s sharp toy, in broad daylight!
If you’re here today and you’re not sure, you’ll never have a better chance to MAKE sure than right here, right now…today!
We’ve looked at the Promises and the Prophets…
Now let’s examine the Persecutions:
Acts 4:1-4 Peter’s sermon produced 2 opposite results:
• 5k who heard, believed, and got saved…
• But notice that the religious leaders and many others who heard, rejected it, and began the persecuting process which continued throughout the early church [eventually all the apostles would be jailed, beaten, and all would be murdered for what they believed]
The Bible has a lot to say about the persecution that is promised to true followers of Christ.
[Mat 5:10-12 NKJV] “10 Blessed [are] those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 "Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great [is] your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
[John 15:18-20 NKJV] 18 "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before [it hated] you. 19 "If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 "Remember the word that I said to you, 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.
There were 10 great Roman persecutions, during the first 300 years of Christianity. From Nero to Diocletian Christianity faced persecution like the world had not known before.
It has been estimated that some 4 million believers died at the hands of the Roman Empire.
They were burned at stake, fed to lions, gored by bulls in stadiums, roasted on spit rods like a side of beef, sawed in half, beheaded and even boiled alive. Their bodies or heads were dipped in oil and set on fire...
I can’t tell you how many times I have been asked; “Why do the righteous suffer, while the wicked prosper?”
I don’t have an acceptable answer for that, but I can tell you it has been that way right from the beginning and continues to this very day!
Think about it:
Abel was righteous…Cain was wicked. What did Cain do? He killed his own brother, Abel!
David was a man after God’s own heart, why is he constantly dodging spears thrown at him by Saul and others?
Why is Daniel, the purest in the kingdom, thrown into the lions’ den? Why were the 3 Hebrew children tied up and tossed into that fiery furnace?
John the Baptist was referred to as the best man ever born of woman, and yet Herod had him beheaded!
The Bible says, “all who live Godly in Christ Jesus SHALL suffer persecution! (not MIGHT, SHALL!!!)
Instead of asking “WHY” maybe we ought to ask, “Why not?”
Maybe you need to start by asking yourself “have I, as a Christian, ever been persecuted?”…….If not, why not?
And if so, how did I respond? Did I rejoice when persecuted, as the Bible commands or did I retaliate, as the Bible forbids?
If you live a life of faithfulness to the Lord, and if you live a separated life, showing a distinct difference in Christ, and if you profess that Jesus Christ is Lord, and that people need to be saved from their sins, you WILL suffer persecution. That is a promise.
You might look back at the persecution of the early church and say; “I’m sure glad to know persecution like that doesn’t happen today”
Think again!
Here are some facts for you:
"The 20th century is known as ’The martyrs’ century’ because more people lost their lives for their Christian faith since 1900 than in all the previous centuries together," according to the mission agency Open Doors.
This information is not popular news coverage, regardless of the fact that “All over the world there are some 200 million followers of Christ suffering today,” says Michael Horowitz of the Hudson Institute, "and it’s surprising that nobody, neither the Christian community nor the establishment, talks about it."
"We want to break the silence," explains Horowitz. "We see that people don’t want to believe facts. It blows their mind that at Sudan’s market you can buy a young Christian slave. The starting bid is only two chickens."
Torture and arrest has become a part of daily life in the Muslim world. In Saudi Arabia there is a special religious police whose job it is to search private houses and make arrests, confiscating Bibles as well as tapes of religious recordings.
The Muslim world is not the only place where Christians are persecuted. "In China thousands of those who profess Christ live in religious prison camps, known as gulags." "They are imprisoned and tortured simply because they dared to pray, sing hymns and read the Bible in public places." Chinese prisons hold more Christians than any other country of the world.
Christians are also persecuted in North Korea, Laos, Nigeria, Cuba, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan, Iraq, Kuwait, Viet Nam, Ethiopia, and some parts of the former Soviet Union. When I was in Kenya, 1993, there was a Muslim uprising and they vowed to kill those of us who claimed to be Christians…
Christians were being killed, at one point on an average of 17 every hour.
Does it happen here in the USA?
Here in America, religious persecution is widespread, but subtle and we see it mostly in non-violent forms…for now!
Losing a job because you refuse compromise your convictions. Being passed over for promotion, people mocking and taunting you for your witness, having doors slammed, being called intolerant etc.
The House of Hope has lost some donors because of their convictions!
Churches like ours in America have had it relatively easy for 2 reasons:
1. It’s still a semi-free country.
2. We’re not witnessing or taking a stand for Christ!
Many foreign missionary’s actually feel sorry for American Christians, whose idea of persecution is having a door slammed in their face on visitation, or a friend laugh at them if they witness to them.
Why we feel like a martyr today if the temperature isn’t just so in the sanctuary!
I saw Bill Nye, “The Science Guy” on the CBS Morning News and I am simply amazed how quickly people will switch sides, just because some guy in a bowtie says it’s true, just to avoid being labelled as radical.
America may very well face extreme persecution of Christians in the future so let me ask you something…
What if you were put on the rack, and asked to renounce your faith? What if you were scalded with water, whipped or beaten or worse…
That may be an easy answer for you… “They will just have to shoot! I refuse to deny Christ!” BUT what if the person being tortured or threatened is someone in your family,, someone you love dearly?
I don’t believe any of us can know what we would do in that moment…
But here is something to ponder… Probably one of the strongest pieces of evidence you can look for to determine how likely you will be willing to die for Christ is a very simple question. Would you like to know what that question is?
Are you living for Him right now?
With millions worldwide risking their lives on a daily basis just to attend underground churches, I find it hard to offer any sympathy for today’s Sunday morning churchgoers. Especially those who know in their hearts right now that your seat will be empty for at least a week if not more.
If your faith won’t bring you back to God’s house Sunday nights or Wednesday nights it is highly unlikely it would take you to the gas chamber.
I want you to know that a faith that does not bring words of witness to your lips in our land of free speech would not likely take you to a burning stake to become a public testimony for Christ Jesus.
If your faith can’t get the 10% our Lord requires out of your pocket, I doubt if it would get you to donate your head at the chopping block!
If your faith is too weak to keep you away from the amusements of world and if your faith isn’t powerful enough to pull you out of that pill bottle or that liquor bottle or any other chemically or natural addiction… it’s not likely to have the power to take your flesh through the lions’ den.
A faith that can’t bring you to obedience in the smallest of matters like Bible study and prayer will never be able to hold you up in front of a firing squad.
How do I know if I would die for Christ?
For starters, I must ask myself “Am I LIVING for Him?”
[Rom 12:1 NKJV] “I beseech you (I beg you) therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, [which is] your reasonable service.” (added)
You can know for certain that you WILL NOT submit yourself as a dying sacrifice if you aren’t a living sacrifice right now!
God help us Christians who aren’t a living sacrifice, who aren’t facing persecution at all, because WE ARE NO THREAT to Satan AT ALL!
