Grace to be BOLD

Text of Focus: ACTS 4:23-31
Topic: Grace to be Bold

Introduction: It has never been the will of God that His children be; timid, fearful, unadventurous nor stagnant. The truth of God concerning the demeanor of His people is the exact opposite, in reality it is the purpose of God that His servants operate as those who are; intrepid, confident, audacious living in a spirit of BOLDNESS.

For far to long the enemy has projected this image of believer as those hunched over from the weights of life on one shoulder and on the other shoulder the burden of their past sin & present short comings. In reality there is only one thing that God has called us to carry and that is the cross of Christ; which is no longer a sign of guilt and shame, but now is a symbol of power and victory.

The truth of the matter is God has called his followers to be bold, regardless of the situation or opposition. Such is the case with today’s text.

In order to fully understand the response that is highlighted in our text of focus we must go back to chapter 3 of the book of Acts to view and understand the cause.

Acts 3:1-10 tells us that as the Apostles Peter & John were on their way to the temple to pray a lame man cries out them begging for alms, instead of granting his request they through the power of the Holy Spirit, give him something far greater, the ability to walk. As a result of this miracle, those who witness this phenomenon, filled with wonder and amazement, respond by praising God.

{Parenthetical note I:
The appropriate response to acts of God done through anyone is praise to God, not accolades to man.}

Pressing on to the commencement of chapter 4 of Acts, we find the Priests, Temple Guards and Sadducees so disturbed by what the Apostles did and how the people responded they place Peter & John in jail. On the following day a trial is held for the two “insurrectionist.” In verse 7 the question is asked of them; “By what power, or in what name, have you done this?” Being filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter replies in such a confident way, the prosecutors immediately realized that what this man knew came, not from schooling but, from God Himself.

{Parenthetical note II:
When you are doing great work for the Lord opposition will come, but you have to have the confidence to know that the same God that empowered you to do the work, will empower you to defend it.}

Fearing that this uncontrived, uncontested boldness would spread to all the people of the region, in verse 17 the Council orders them not to speak to anyone in the name of Jesus. As a testament their faithfulness to the call of God desire to see God’s kingdom advance they reply in verse 20, facing threats on every hand, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

{Parenthetical note III:
Preservation of self and resources must never trump your passion to please God.}

Now to the text of Focus

Acts 4:23 When they had been released, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them.
The people spoken of in this verse were the believers who followed Peter & John’s ministry. It is awesome to note that they did not respond to the judgement of the Council or the threats to their leaders with violence, instead they peacefully at shared the news with those they confided.

{Parenthetical note IV:
Use wisdom in unfavorable situations and know who to confide in.}

4:24-30 24 And when they heard this, they lifted their voices to God with one accord and said, “O Lord, it is You who made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and all that is in them, 25 who by the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of our father David Your servant, said,
‘Why did the Gentiles rage, And the peoples devise futile things? 26 ‘The kings of the earth took their stand, And the rulers were gathered together
Against the Lord and against His Christ.’ 27 “For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel,
28 to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur.
29 “And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence, 30 while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.”

In response to the judgements and threats that had been made towards their leaders, the Church unified themselves a prayed to the Lord. This reveals the secret to personal and corporate boldness through the grace of God, its all about the proper acknowledgement, lets take a look;
They acknowledged the Trinity and its ability.
They acknowledged the futileness of the enemy.
They acknowledged the sovereignty of God.
They acknowledged the power of the word of God.

4:31And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.
As a result of the unity, specificity and potency of their prayer, the Lord revealed himself in two awesome ways
He Shook the place where they were. This was a symbol of sifting; removing the thing of lessor value to reveal the thing of greater value.
He filled them with His Holy Spirit. This speaks of being endowed with supernatural ability to face and do all that God has set forth.
They used His Spirit to speak His word with with boldness, and time you use the Spirit of God to to the will of God, you can stand bold and know that you will be successful.

The Application of Grace

Lesson Premise
The grace which God has so benevolently showered on us as believers is amazing and life changing. However, if we as believers never proactively engage in that grace, sadly we will not see amazing things happen and our lives will not differ much from its current condition. As wonderful of a gift as it is, grace is not a prize to be admired, but a tool be used in our efforts to become who God created us to be. In this lesson we will study the logistics of God’s grace and the implications that it presents to the believer.

The application of Grace
Text of Focus: 2 Peter 1:2-11 NASB
2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in(through) the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord;
Peter begins his missive by informing his audience that true grace and peace can only be multiplied
by the knowledge of Jesus Christ and God the Father. This knowledge which Peter speaks of is not
merely knowing God’s attributes through the study of His word, but knowing and reflecting His character which He only reveals to those whom He is in intimate relationship with.

3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and(then) godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.
Contrary to popular belief this verse has nothing to do with any carnal trappings. God would not squander His divine power on anything that could not transcend the physical realm. The life that the writer speaks of is the spiritual life of believers that is regenerated at the point of conversion. The godliness refers the ability to operate in carnal situations from a perspective likened unto God. As we grow in awareness of our spiritual livelihood and Godly abilities we will realize that the grace which we freely partake of was most expensive. Christ traded His glory for grace to share with us and because He was such an excellent steward over what Father God gave Him that He traded His Sonship for Lordship (Philippians 2:5-11).

4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.
Through the glory and excellence of Christ we have been granted precious and magnificent promises, which are the objects of our faith that cause us to rely more on the spirit and less on the flesh, which the world was corrupted.

5-7 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.
In light of the major moves that Christ has made on our behalf, the Apostle gives us our logistical expectations, that we are fully capable of carrying out if we operate through God’s grace;
Diligence - We must have a level of consistency in our relationship with God and his ministry.
Faith - Be confident in the fact that the same God that saved you, has the ability to empower you.
Moral Excellence - Strive above grace not beneath it. Example: “I don’t have to be entangled with because God has given me the grace to be holy, not We’ll even thought I mess up a lot God’s grace is sufficient.”
Knowledge - Learn God’s will then prove that you know it by living it.
Self-control - Only say and do what you have learned from the Lord, letting the God in you rule you.
Perseverance - Don’t give up, under any circumstances.
Godliness - Do what God would do even, when no one is watching.
Brotherly Kindness - Let wisdom and benevolence govern all your human relationships.
Love - Be willing to sacrifice all, only to satisfy the Godly longing of your heart.


8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
If you strive and thrive in these qualities you will enhance the persona of God in the faces of those who have yet to come into relationship with Christ.

9 For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.
If you do not make these qualities a priority in your life, you will lose the ability to see yourself the way God created you to be, and be forced to rely on your past to chart your future.

10-11 Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our bLord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.
Prove to yourself that you are saved, resurrected and transformed by acting like it. When Life on this side has concluded we will have the blessed heavenly reward for our faithfulness on Earth.

Grace to be HOLY

- Romans 6:12-14 (NKJV)

12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.

13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.

14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

Topic: GRACE to be HOLY
Holiness for the believer does not mean that you never sin, but that you sin less and you are integral about your sins / no cover ups / no blame games / no taking others down with you.

The 6th chapter of Paul’s letter to the church at Rome opens with him addressing a question that he believed to arise among the Romans after hearing of the abounding grace of God which was at the immediate deposal of every believer at the expense of Jesus Christ through His death, burial and resurrection. In essence the question was simply “since we have this grace that is given on an as needed basis, shouldn’t we sin more so the we can get more grace?”

Romans were indulgent by nature and Paul knew it, therefore he replied in such a way that would remove any attempt of carnal over indulgence at the expense of Jesus Christ. In His reply to the roman church he reveals an awesome truth regarding the new life of the believer. Paul declares that all who have been baptized into Christ have died to sin and have been resurrected to new life in Christ. This death to sin which the apostle speaks of indicates our freedom from the bondage and eternal sting of sin, which means we no longer have to sin habitually or be classified according to our sins, “I did what I did but I'm not what I've done!” -Dr. Todd Hall

This declaration can only be made by those who have been buried with Christ and resurrected in His glory, which means that you no longer live to please yourself but instead you live to please Christ.

Before we can bask in the riches of God’s grace, we must introspectively ask ourselves a question;
Have you been resurrected or merely resuscitated?
To resuscitate means to revive to a previous state from unconsciousness or apparent death. (some of us want to be saved from our situations but not from our sin)
To resurrect means to restore (a dead person) to life.
You know you’ve been resurrected when the things you used to do with ease not it kills you to do it.
As resurrected members of the body of Christ we have been given the access to the wealth of the grace of God which, if used properly will render us holy individuals.

To the text:
12: In this verse Paul implores us not to let sin reign in our mortal bodies, which means that we can render the lordship of our bodies to whom ever we chose. Your heart & soul may belong to God but who does your body belong to? Remember: A. King, no matter how powerful he is can only reign as long as his people are willing to be subject to him.”\

13 In the Geek text this verse reads “do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those who are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness.

I read this verse from the Greek to highlight the two different tenses in which the word present is used. In the first tense present is used as a present participle; which indicates that its continuous without out a definite end. If you keep on sinning you’re going to keep on sinning and sin only attaches itself to parts of you that you can’t control. “you may say no in your mind, but sin will attach itself to your flesh so bad that you body will start telling you mind that you got to have it.

The second tense that present is used is present perfect, which speaks of a definite complete action which happened before now. Which means its always been God’s will for you be free from sin and live in righteousness, He’s just waiting on you to embrace what He’s already done!

14: The Apostle culminates his statement by professing over the people, For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

Finally he reveals to us the sharp dichotomy between the former dispensation and the dispensation we now live in;

Under the law we were born in sin, but under grace we can be born again!

Under the law if we were was sick had to the priest, but under grace by His strips we are healed!

Under the law we had to pay for our sin, but under grace He became the ransom for many!

Under the law we couldn’t see God, but under grace He came to save us!

Under the law if we killed others we had to die, but under grace He died for us!

Under the law the sacrifices was burned up , but under grace our sacrifice JESUS Rose up!

Anxiety

What is Anxiety?
painful or apprehensive uneasiness of mind over an impending or anticipated ill.
fearful concern or interest.
an abnormal and overwhelming sense of apprehension and fear often marked by physiological signs (as sweating, tension, and increased pulse), by doubt concerning the reality and nature of threats, and by self-doubt about one’s capacity to cope with issues.

How do I know if I have a problem with anxiety?
PProverbs 24:10
If you are slack in the day of distress, Your strength is limited.

Unraveling under pressure is a clear indication that you have and anxiety problem.

What is God’s intended posture for us when we face distressful situations?
Isaiah 41:10
‘Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

Regardless of the situation we face, we must constantly rely on God’s Omni -presence & potency.

Does our relationship with God affect the level of anxiety in our lives?
Jeremiah 17:7,8
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord And whose trust is the Lord. “For he will be like a tree planted by the water, That extends its roots by a stream - And will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, And it will not be anxious in a year of drought Nor cease to yield fruit.

When we trust in God, He insures us completely.

How do we handle anxiety that is conjured up in our own minds?
2 Corinthians 10:5
We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,

If we don’t take control of our thoughts, they will take control of us.

What type of defense do we have over anxiety in reasonably severe situations?
Philippians 4:6-7
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all 1comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Things will happen but if we keep a consistent line of communication with God he will see us through.

Should we be anxious of our punishments from God?
1 John 4:17,18
By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear 1involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.

God’s Love for us will always overshadow His wrath towards us.

Six Biblical Steps to Overcoming Anger

1.) Face the real issues (Gal 5:13-26)
Can you admit to having a spirit of anger?
Do you really want to live as God desires?
Do you want self-control?
Do you want to love others?

We must accept the fact of our anger. Ask those around you if they sense a spirit of anger in you. Acknowledgment is the first step of overcoming anger. Why? Our pride does not make it easy to say that we were wrong in our actions, words and judgments.
Do I really want to live out God's love in my life?


2. ) Deal with your anger (Jam 1:19-20)
Unresolved anger is always bad. I must not tolerate it.

We must acknowledge that man's anger will not accomplish God's work.


3.) Die to self; live by Christ (Galatians 2:20)
I have died to myself. I now live for Jesus Christ.

An open and deliberate decision not to live according to your old life and consciously to allow Christ to live out His life in you, is a special and necessary part of deliverance from anger. When this is done, you open yourself to Christ's full work in your life.

There seems to be two aspects to dying to self. There is the initial dedication period which is like starting anew. There is also the regular daily dying to self - a daily morning prayer were we commit ourselves to the Lord.


4.) Break the stronghold of anger (2 Corinthians 10:3-7 )
May God destroy every last lie of mine!

A stronghold is some hidden sin from our lives that we have given up hope on overcoming. We probably have tried to overcome anger in the past. Failure brings with it a disheartening and final cover up of our sin.

Truth, however, gives strength and confidence to do what is right. Lies block out the light and therefore strip us of any confidence in overcoming a certain problem.
From the verses quoted here and the many places exhorting us to deal gently with people rather than in anger, we are clearly responsible and able through Christ to overcome this stronghold of anger.





What common lies minimize the problem of anger and therefore prevent us from overcoming anger? Our common excuses;
"They deserve it."
"I was so hurt by them. I need to get back."
"I can't help it."
"I was always that way."
"My parents were that way."
"It's not too bad."
"My anger is better than before."

Hope comes when we are broken before God over our sin and welcome Him to overcome the sin in our lives. More than often our pride minimizes our anger's wrong and makes exceptions and excuses for our anger.


5.) Replace anger with acts of kindness (Ephesians 4:31)
Anger must go, but I will replace it with fruits of love.

Peace and fullness of love will not be activated unless we replace our angry spirit with a loving spirit. We must not focus on what we should not do but on what we should do. Be practical. Write down a few things you can do for that friend you have wounded (or has wounded you).

Regulate your conversation by polite statements and well-intentioned motives. For example, I will not interrupt another. I will wait for them to finish what they are saying before I speak.


6.) Fully deal with each day's anger (Eph 4:26)
Make sure before I go to bed, I deal with my anger.

Unresolved anger turns into wrath. We have a command from the Lord to heighten the importance of settling quarrel before we sleep.
Have you and your spouse made a commitment to resolve anger before going to bed? 

As a parent, have you committed yourself to make peace with your children before they sleep?

The Power of Unity: Lesson 1

Purpose
The purpose of this study is to take council with the Word of God as to arrive at clear and concise understanding of Unity; its purpose, parts and product.
As a result of the productivity of this study we should be able to take a sound biblical plan of action to infuse greater unity in our; family, church and community.

What is Unity?
The state of being united or joined as a whole.
Harmony or agreement between people or groups.
According to Aristotle there are three principles required for corporate success
Unity of time - having the proper concept and context of time.
Unity of place - all being in one place; spiritually, physically and emotionally.
Unity of action - all having the proper idea of corporate and individual goals.

Our Text of Focus
Psalm 133
1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
2 It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;
3 As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.

Through this text we find three truths about unity
The Purpose of Unity
The Parts of Unity
The Product of Unity

The Purpose of Unity
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
The purpose of unity is to bring Good and pleasantness to all mankind.

The Good {from Strong's Hebrew lexicon 2896 Tov}
Righteousness
Morally sound example
Practical living
Excellence

Pleasantness {from Strong's Hebrew lexicon 2898 Tuv}
Beauty
Cheerfulness
Prosperity

The Parts of Unity
It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron' beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;

The oil that was used by Moses to anoint Aaron the high priest was developed by God to imputed His holiness upon His People. Lets take a look at the oil.

Exodus 30:23-25, 30
Take also for yourself the finest of spices: of flowing myrrh five hundred shekels, and of fragrant cinnamon half as much, two hundred and fifty, and of fragrant cane two hundred and fifty, and of cassia five hundred, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and of olive oil a hin. And you shall make of these a holy anointing oil, a perfume mixture, the work of a perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing oil . . . And you shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister as priests to Me. (NASB)
The oil used to anoint Aaron was a mixture of four spices in oil.
myrrh - medicines & perfumery
cinnamon - spice & flavor
cane - sweet
cassia - therapeutic
The spices were mixed together in olive oil, which worked as a purifier.

They were different spices mixed together to make a wonderful fragrance - a holy oil. What a picture of unity. It is a picture of very different people, yet people who are united.


The product of Unity
As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.

The dew of Hermon - represents the supernatural provision of God.

Our unity with each other in Christ will yield the greatest blessing of eternal life.

Deeply Rooted in the Teachings of Christ~ Luke 20-21:36

Chapter 20
Lesson 1: V.1-8 “You don’t have to explain yourself to people that are not willing to do the same for you.”

Lesson 2: V.9-18 “When the sent leaders of God come with His instructions obey them or else..”

Lesson 3: V.19-26 “God promotes proper priority.”

Lesson 4: V.27-40 “Resurrection is a true benefit for every believer, but only for eternal gain.”

Lesson 5: V.41-44 “Christ is greater than divine humanity but He is divinity in human form.”

Lesson 6: V.45-47 “Be aware of people who honor ceremony over sincerity and use their position for gain.”

Chapter 21
Lesson 7: V.1-4 “God honors the depth of your sacrifice more its weight.”

Lesson 8: V.5-9 “There are no endtime signs or prophesies; only God’s time.”

Lesson 9: V.10-28 “ Being a Christian in this world is hard but God will be with us every step of the way.”

Lesson 10: V.29-36 “We all must live faithful to God & His word that we endure these times until eternity.”