[0:02]
legend gentlemen if you'd welcome you jane holl to the platform please a little like cheese score down here you did embarrassing all right Eugene has instructed me to be brief you see them so here it is Eugene is a senior minister at grace Point Presbyterian Church that's correct what's up in lit come and Burwood because we're Molly Eugene and his wife

[0:32]
Pauline planted this church in 1999 if you think your church life is complicated they have eight different congregations four of those in English two in Cantonese two in Mandarin and there's a prospect of an Indonesian Church as well and open the scriptures yes thank you for that friends if you could open the Bible with me to Acts chapter 4 that would be great its we going to look at Acts chapter 4 and there is an outline as well I think on the reach Australia app if you want to download that that will be helpful for

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you courage is something that everyone wants we all want it it's the reason why we love our heroes because they inspire us our kids love it from fairy tales to the great myths and legends in our respective cultures to the great stories that have captivated popular culture think with me for a moment the Lord of the Rings trilogy The Chronicles of Narnia the Harry Potter series The Avengers Marvel Universe we esteem courage across cultures in Chinese

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culture you have the legendary story of general Yu who with 500 men faces off 100,000 invaders even in Greek culture you have the legendary story of the Spartan King Leonid us 300 Spartans 700 thespians holding off a hundred thousand Persians at Thermopylae in the Harry Potter series time and time again Harry demonstrates courage in the face of great adversity courage to face his insecurities and fears courage to move

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forward despite the death of his family in the Lord of the Rings time and time again we see the hobbits Frodo and Sam face overwhelming odds in their journey to Mordor we esteem courage our history books are filled with stories of courage the courage of the Anzacs and the shores of Gallipoli I came back from the Philippines recently and I read of the story of the courage of Rizal who fought the Spanish colonial rule the courage of Martin Luther King and Mandela who spoke

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out against injustice we need stories of courage stories of courage are actually taught across cultures they are told to teach us and to inspire us and to encourage for us and to model for us what courage looks like now Acts chapter four is no different it's there to do just that for us as the people of God to show us what courage looks like in the face of hostility to show us what courage looks like for the preacher of

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the gospel when threatened by those in power what courage looks like for the church when the rising tide of persecution actually comes now Acts chapter four if you're not aware actually marks the start of opposition to the gospel in the life of the early church and if you are familiar with the narrative of Acts chapter four actually records the first imprisonment for the preachers of the gospel Peter and John are actually jailed and the book if you have never realizes the book also ends

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with another imprisonment Paul is in Chains under house arrest awaiting his execution in Rome and so so it's as if the story actually begins with imprisonment and it ends with imprisonment but the book ends with a very particular word that I want to highlight and you're gonna have to file this away take note of this because the book ends Acts chapter 28 verse 31 and it's a word that's going to be used three times in Acts chapter four and

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that's the word courage or boldness and so acts 28 west there you want let me read that for us he Paul proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ and here it is with all boldness with all courage and without hindrance now that word courage Horatius farther away because we're going to come back to that in Acts chapter 4 the gospel is being proclaimed with all boldness courage piraeus and without hindrance I want to look at Acts

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chapter 4 under three headings the need for courage the picture of courage and the source of courage the need for courage the picture of courage the source of courage so here's the first one the need for courage verse 1 to verse 7 Acts chapter 4 if you look with me Acts chapter 3 the public healing of the crippled man becomes the launching pad or the occasion for Peter and John to now preach they preach a sermon on the death and resurrection of Jesus

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which is why Craig read that for us that's the content of the sermon and it's a message that begins to stir up the authorities okay so look with me verse 1 in verse 2 the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people they were greatly disturbed why they were annoyed they were agitated because the apostles were teaching the people proclaiming in jesus the resurrection of the Dead and it's understandable because if you've actually read what Peter

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actually said what Craig read first chapter 3 what was he declaring he was declaring the resurrection chapter 3 verse 15 you killed the author of life but God raised him from the dead we are witnesses to this now you notice what follows in chapter 3 he declares the resurrection and what follows is a word of condemnation and a word of hope a word of rebuke and a word of forgiveness it condemns those who reject the risen

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Christ yet it offers the possibility of repentance and having your sins wiped out and so it's no surprise that the religious authorities are angry they are hostile because in the gospel Peter proclaims he condemns them for rejecting the Savior have a look chapter 3 verse 13 you handed him over to be killed you disowned him before Pilate you disowned the holy and righteous one you are that a murderer be released you killed the author of life you acted in

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ignorance as did your leaders so repent both people and leaders turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from his people notice how in proclaiming the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus all our call to repentance you say they all Israel and her leaders who acted in ignorance now the same thing is actually going to happen in Acts chapter 17 we're

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not looking at that Bunny Acts chapter 17 verse 30 Paul as he preaches before a Gentile crowd right the Athenian Areopagus he calls all the Gentiles to repentance as well let me read that in the past he overlooked their ignorance same word but now he commands all people everywhere to repent remember what Mikey said yesterday Luke chapter 24 the call for the gospel

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workers is not just to proclaim the resurrection of Jesus it's also call people to repentance you cannot hold out and preach the gospel each week without calling for repentance you cannot hold out Christ before people without calling them to the Lord Jesus in repentance you know the first of Luther's ninety-five theses I didn't have this in my notes and then I heard Mikey preached calling for repentance and I thought look most people know that Luther nailed their 95 theses to the door of Wittenberg most people have never read the 95 theses do

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you know what the first one says no church history people here the first thesis reads when our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said repent he called for the entire life of believers to be one of repentance you cannot preach the resurrection if you're not calling people to repentance now come back to Acts chapter 4 because here in Acts chapter 4 what follows is a scene that we've seen played out before it's a

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scene reminiscent of the trial of Jesus right just as they seized Jesus and held him overnight Luke 22 we read verse 3 the same of Peter and John they seized Peter and John and because it was evening they put them in jail until the next day and like Jesus Luke 22 Peter and John are brought before the very same counsel that fried and judged and condemned Jesus verse 5 the next day the

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rulers the elders and the teachers of the law they met in Jerusalem they had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them by what power or what name did you do this and it's a scene we've seen before in Luke's Gospel right the one they have just proclaim has stood where they are now standing before the Jewish Sanhedrin the seventy-one member Court of the most powerful religious leaders the very same powerful council that tried and unjustly

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condemned Jesus you will not find Friends of the gospel here now it is a very intimidating scene because we all know the possibility of death was real and it does look like history is going to repeat itself will Peter and John suffer the same fate are they going to be handed over to the Romans to be executed and you and I know what happened to Peter the last time he was in this situation remember he followed Jesus he boldly declared Lord

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I'm ready to go with you to prison and to death Luke 22 well he wasn't ready to go with Jesus to prison he wasn't ready to die in fact what does he do he denied Jesus three times and so will Peter and John's stand firm will they cave in will they bow to the powerful while they recant will there be another doesn't it will there be another denial in response to the preaching of the gospel they're

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seized they imprison and they brought to trial before a powerful court that we all know has not and will not predisposed to the gospel and so you notice in verse 1 to verse 7 there's a clear need courage now I want to say to you as gospel workers most of you if not all of you will never find yourself in a situation where you will be seized incarcerated and brought to trial before a powerful court that will not be predisposed to the gospel you proclaim

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so I suspect most of us will never find ourselves in that situation but I can assure you that you'll find yourself in situations where you will need courage to keep proclaiming the gospel to keep your hands on the plow in Christian ministry to keep moving forward you'll need courage to face suffering when tragedy comes into your life and family you will need courage to face disappointment that ministry will bring at some point you need courage to deal with loneliness from making decisions in

[12:02]
ministry you need courage to face personal rejection from people you have invested in and loved for years when they reject you you need courage to face intimidation from those who have the power of influence over your ministry friends there will always be a need for courage if not now at some point in your Christian life in ministry verse 8 to verse 22 notice what follows you have

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the need for courage but now you have a picture of courage okay here is what courage looks like in verse 8 to verse 22 and the courage of the Apostles can be seen in three things right Peter speaks of demonstrates courage and you'll see three things you see defense declaration and defines right defense declaration defines you see a pointed defense exclusive declaration and you see godly defines okay so here's the first one verse eight to verse 11 there is a pointed defense by what power our name did you do this verse eight then

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Peter filled with the holy spirit said to them rulers and elders of the people if we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed then know this you and all the people of Israel it is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth whom you crucified but God raised from the dead that this man stands before you heal Jesus is a stone you rejected which has become the cornerstone now notice Peter does not defend himself

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does he he doesn't avoid the Christian right it doesn't sidestep the question he's not concerned with his own personal safety or reputation and he is certainly not unaware of the gravity of the situation now this is not a normal defense because he does two things firstly notice with me he uses it as an opportunity to point to the gospel the death and resurrection of Jesus you see there even under trial what's he doing he's making the gospel known he's proclaiming the death and

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resurrection of Jesus from the dead but notice the second thing the one who is being judged is executing judgment over those who would judge him rulers and elders of Israel know this you and all the people it is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead that this man stands before you healed Jesus is a stone you builders rejected which has become the cornerstone and so you'll notice with me even on the trial he points to the resurrection of Jesus he

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points to their rejection of Jesus and he calls them to repentance they need to repent now Peters response is no different to what he's previously proclaimed in chapter 3 chapter 3 13:23 you killed the author of life but God raised him from the dead you and your leaders acted in ignorance repent turn to God so your sins may be wiped out anyone who does not listen to him will

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be completely cut off from their people it's a pointed defense because even on the trial he points to the gospel the resurrection of Christ and the need for his hearers to repent of their rejection of Jesus but there's a second thing notice as well in the face of hostility he moves from point of Defense to exclusive declaration salvation is found in no one else for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved and so before a powerful intimidating

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judiciary he makes a declaration that would have been sure to a fin if it isn't enough that he condemns them and caused them to repentance he now says you need saving they need saving they need Jesus who's the only Savior the one they've rejected and executed and so one crippled man's healing crime becomes a small picture of salvation offered and now available to all in the Lord Jesus and so he moves from defense to

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declaration there is really nothing nuanced in his declaration there's no attempt to sugarcoat this declaration there's no attempt to apologize for making this declaration and this is what courage in the gospel worker looks like declaring the exclusiveness of the gospel that Jesus Christ alone saves and it's actually a declaration that disrupts that threatens certainly in a culture that esteems pluralism and

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conformity it certainly did that in the early church sociologist Rodney Clark stopped stock sorry rights of the first century Roman world and in his book he writes that let me read that for us too often historians have ignored the sincerity of pagans that is unbelievers miss reading their casual forms of worship which is religious pluralism they mistake that or they miss read that for indifference he says large numbers of Romans especially those making up the

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politically elite sincerely believed that the gods had made Rome the great Empire it had become well this is what happens the exclusiveness of the gospel that Christ alone save disrupts and threatens that I read a article recently my poor heart talk scholar a scholar who wrote on the maltreatment of Christians in the early church and he writes in the average Roman mine the traditional religious rituals were of essence of

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what it meant to be a good Roman citizen and so the whole Empire he says was stayin and nourished by a system of delicate social structures and religious practices then along come the Christians thus Christians endanger the packs do Durham write the peace of the guards why because they did not honor the Roman gods in their plurality in the eyes of Rome the Christian abandonment of the gods in peril threatened all in society by risking divine wrath and misfortune and this is

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why the gospel of the Lord Jesus that Christ alone saves will always be a disruption and a threat wherever it is proclaimed in every culture in every nation both within the church and in culture in society it was true then and it remains true today because it says two totalitarian States it says two political power you are not the Saviour Christ is it says two religious people your good works and your morality cannot save you it says to all other religions

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and claim truths your beliefs cannot save you only Christ can it says to secular paper people self-fulfillment cannot save you it says to those concern with justice and mercy feeding the poor does not save only Christ can it says to those concern with creation care solving our environmental issues will not save only Christ can and it saves to Rome your gods cannot save you Caesar cannot save you only Christ can

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friends I also want you to see that while the declaration is incredibly exclusive it is far more inclusive in its breadth this is what makes the gospel good news it is for all people look at me again at verse 12 for there is no other name given to mankind given notice delivered bestow it like a gift granted to all people by which we must be saved salvation is offered to all in the gospel cry it's made available to all

[19:52]
people Luke 24 verse 47 it's meant to be for all nations sometimes in declaring the exclusiveness of the gospel we forget to also highlight its inclusiveness salvation is made available to all true the risen Christ in fact the exclusive nature of the gospel right is far more inclusive than any other religious worldview it's far more inclusive even more than secularism let me tell you why religion and

[20:25]
secularism as a worldview is actually far more narrow and far more exclusive than the gospel preached why because religion actually says to the Morrow's the law keeping the good it says only to them it says they deserve to be safe only the moral the law keeping the good deserve to be safe and so whatever people make of salvation and in our culture in our plurality of beliefs people think many things about salvation certainly the religious and so it could be a release

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from the cycle of rebirth it could be enlightenment it could be heaven it could be forgiveness and so in Hinduism you must walk the path of duty knowledge and devotion to the gods to be saved only then will you be released from the cycle of birth and rebirth if you can do it in Buddhism you must hold on to the Four Noble Truths you must live out the Eightfold Path and then you find release from your suffering and enlightenment but only if you can do it in Judaism you must keep the Torah the law in Islam you must keep the five

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pillars and you get heaven but only if you can do it and so you notice right religion operates on the principle of what salvation by works and that only privileges it only rewards the strong the good the moral the disciplined only those who are able to achieve and meet the demands of religion are saved so what if you're not strong what if you're not able to do what's asked of you what if you're not good enough what if you can't meet the moral expectations of religion what if you haven't enough willpower to be disciplined well religions answer is work harder to be

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good work to be more moral work to be more disciplined and so religion is pretty narrow and exclusive don't you think but secularism in our culture is no different is just as narrow is just when it comes to salvation you know do secular people believe in salvation of course they do functionally everyone believes in salvation we just use different terms let me explain

[22:29]
in an article exploring the novels of the English novelist Ian Foster John Coleman writes this a whole set of religious terms salvation grace conversion Transfiguration have become assimilated into an essentially secular vision men and women now seek their happiness on this earth not in heaven they have developed a religious veneration of life as we know it where men and women no longer find a true ground of their being in God they now

[23:02]
look for it in the personal in the self consequently their ideals become self realization self fulfillment or just sheer getting on or true something in life now what does that mean it means both religious and secular people are looking for salvation the religious looks to find salvation in God the secular looks to find salvation in self-realization or self fulfilment in their work perhaps in their relationships perhaps in their accomplishments perhaps in their

[23:32]
ambitions or simply in salvation and getting true something in life salvation from personal suffering salvation from poverty in short functionally everyone is looking for salvation or redemption of sorts and the secular actually says you can save yourself by your own effort by your own intellect by your own hard work if you're strong enough if you're smart enough if you're resourceful enough secularism says obviously there's no God we live in a closed universe

[24:03]
nature is all there is and so you must save yourself it's the logical conclusion and so secularism say salvation only belongs to who the strong the smart the resourceful it's a dog-eat-dog world and the bigger dog deserves to survive save yourself you have to be the bigger dog in the workplace in your relationships in your studies you know that's actually the principle of natural selection in nature at work evolution is weeding out those who deserve to be saved and those who don't

[24:34]
deserve to be saved secularism only favors those who are strong who are smart and resourceful Nature does not favor the weak and the slow you know in response to why bad things happen evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins says it's either bad luck or bad genes it's evolution at work and so the weak and the slow actually have no place in secularism secularism lived out functionally is built on salvation by

[25:04]
works which favors only the strong the smart the resourceful but what if you're not strong what if you're not smart whatever you and resourceful now what if you're slow and weak what if you're struggling well secularism the answer is try harder work harder to be smarter work to be better work to be stronger secularism is pretty narrow and exclusive don't you think I noticed the gospel the gospel of the risen Christ as the only way of salvation the gospel as

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an exclusive declaration is far more inclusive far more inclusive than religion and secularism Peter noticed what he says verse 12 Jesus Christ the one who saves the name that saves has been given delivered bestowed granted to all people it's not something you have to earn it's not something you work for it's not secured by your morality or your good works it's not obtained by being strong in fact the exclusive

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nature of the gospel that Christ alone saved means you don't have to be strong you don't have to be good enough you don't have to be moral enough you don't have to be strong smart or resourceful enough it says the weak the slow the underserved and the guilty all people can be saved why because the gospel operates on the principle of grace grace are welcome from the Father grace forgiveness full and free grace that's

[26:38]
greater there are failings race has come it's been given and it's awaiting in the gospel of the risen Christ I think it's the best news ever and all people have to do is repent and receive the Savior before hostile judiciary Peter makes pointed defense to the gospel exclusive declaration to the

[27:10]
gospel now we do read verse 13 if you look with me when they saw the courage or boldness and that word has now come up when they saw the courage and Bowl as the paresis of Peter and John and realized they were unscrew ordinary men they were astonished and they took know that these men had been with Jesus now that word courage parecía is a loaded word in antiquity because / Asia was actually the ancient Greek practice of courageous truth-telling before the powerful it's a loaded word

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Fuko in his lectures on the courage of truth I see you some lectures he gave in 1983 he writes / Asia as a practice is the courage of speaking the truth to a friend to a tyrant to a king before the government of a city the courage of speaking truth to those in power and the courage of speaking the truth is done at the risk of rejection shame exile imprisonment and death and so parasya courage takes place when truth and

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courage actually meet it's got to be about truth and courage and so / Asia courage and bolas is speaking the truth it's supposed to actually be a dangerous thing because it both disrupts and threatens doesn't it it exposes it exposes the one whom you speak to to tyrant to King to those in power and authority to government to a culture to a society to a city to a believer to an unbeliever is dangerous why because it necessitates a response it calls for change the truth it speaks

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demands a response and so is dangerous for both the hearer the city but it's also dangerous for the one who speaks courage and boldness in speaking the truth before all now notice the courage and boldness the parecía of Peter and John is seen in what they declared in what they spoke friends notice courage and boldness for the gospel worker is bound up in speaking the truth about the death and resurrection of Jesus it's bound up in

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calling for repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus it's bound up in declaring the good news that salvation is for all it's tied in with that truth friends can I say to you don't forget that we are in the ministry we are in the business of declaring the truth of the gospel you know courage to speak the truth about the death and resurrection of Jesus is not the same as courage to speak out on environmental issues even though it's

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important courage to call people to repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus is not the same as courage to speak out on gender issues even though that's important courage to declare that salvation is true Christ alone is not the same as courage to speak out on issues of justice and mercy even though that's important parasya courage to speak the truth in acts is with specific reference to salvation made available in

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the recent Christ you know speaking with courage and boldness on the most pressing cultural issues we face is really not the same as courage and boldness in speaking the truth of the gospel God is not going to say can I say this God is not going to save because we win our religious freedoms you got to hear that one God is not going to save we are not going to reach Australia because we have religious freedoms not because the law will protect our people's right to express their beliefs God is going to save through the gospel

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worker with courage and boldness speaking the truth of the gospel the gospel defended the gospel declared even in the face of hostility and lack of freedom you know the Chinese Church in mainland China has lived under the cloud of religious persecution with hardly any freedom for over seventy years and it has not stopped the growth of the gospel young fan gang is a scholar of religion at Purdue University in Indiana he puts the Protestant numbers in 2018

[31:22]
and a hundred million and his base and what they believe has been 7% annual growth between 1949 and 2010 this is 7% that's what he was asking for last night do you really think that losing your religious freedoms will stop the growth of the gospel you see what we need is many women who were speak with courage and boldness the gospel in the face of hostility and I want to say this if our

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people in our churches if they have not got the courage to defend and declare the truth of the gospel when they're free I can tell you this they will not do it when they lose their freedoms you know in the church on social media I hear people concern that they'll lose their religious freedoms and so for many people the most pressing issue is to fight to maintain our religious freedoms and I think that's important but if our people have never used their religious freedom to courageously speak the truth

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of the gospel when they're free they'll never do it when they lose their freedoms longing now was one of the leaders of the Chinese church he was in prison from 1963 to 1987 teen years in prison he was arrested and he was in prison in the mid 50's as well so over 25 years in prison his wife Deborah was also in prison at the same time for about 12 years all up he spent about 23 25 years of his life in prison he was released in 1980 he was an 8-year old man international pressure finally actually

[32:55]
led to his release he was frail he was nearly blind he was partially deaf because of his years in prison when he was released visitors Amnesty International they would come Christian unbelievers to become Christians and unless they came they visited him from Asia Europe North America and they would visit him in this little apartment that he lived in in Shanghai and and and whenever guest came he would always invite he's guest his visitors to sing with him and he would sing loudly hymns and he could be heard

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outside and his visitors right and they came and they would be nervous because this is China in the early 80s he was constantly being watched and monitored by the security officers now one ming House response was always the same I sang with joy when I was in prison I sing all the more now that I'm free I sang with joy while I was in prison I sing all the more now that I'm free he was fearless in defending and speaking the gospel in prison and he was just as

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fearless in speaking and defending the gospel and declaring the gospel and release and so with courage he would he was singing of his Savior he would proclaim his Savior when beaten and deprived of food and human contact with just as much courage he would do it when he was free friends if our people have not got the courage to defend and declare the truth of the gospel when they're free I can assure you they will not do it when they lose their freedoms but there's a third thing in our picture

[34:27]
of courage a godly defiance there's pointed defense exclusive declaration and there's godly defiance you find it verse 14 and verse 22 Peter John noticed there warned to speak no longer of anyone in the name of Jesus they commanded them verse 17 verse 18 commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus the commanded to stop proclaiming the risen Christ verse 19 but Peter and John replied which is right in God's eyes to listen to you or to Kim you be the judges as for us we cannot help speaking about

[34:58]
what we have seen and heard now again that's parousia that's courage that's boldness to keep proclaiming the gospel that's courage to keep speaking the truth we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard we cannot help speaking the truth of the risen Christ you see being willing to speak the gospel is an issue of obedience it's an issue of obedience to God right Luke 24 x1 we heard yesterday jesus said you are witnesses to my death and

[35:29]
resurrection and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached to all nations you are my witnesses when it comes to speaking the truth of the gospel staying silent has never been part of God's economy a plan for us and for our people you know the Puritan John Bunyan he was jailed in 1658 he spent about 12 years of his life in prison he could have known freedom at any time

[36:00]
the the local magistrate was willing to free him if he promised to stop preaching he told the local magistrate he would rather remain in prison on Tomas screw over his eyes then failed to do what God commanded him to preach the gospel but even in prison Bunyan was a funny man he preached in the jail courtyard and people we read from all around Bedford would come and stand outside the walls of the prison to hear and preach and so what the authorities did was they to silence him they then

[36:31]
place him in a Cell deep within the walls of the prison and that's when John Bunyan actually started writing and that's when John Bunyan preached his loudest really in prison he pinned the pilgrims progress many of you read that to your children this great Christian classic and the Christian life that has brought the gospel really to generations of men and women around the world do you know for 300 years that followed Bunyan that book the pilgrims progress was the most widely read and translated book in the world after the Bible that's godly

[37:03]
defines here is a picture of courage appointed defense to the gospel an exclusive declaration of the gospel and a godly defines to keep making the gospel known that's courage but acts 4 also gives us the source of courage Phil's gonna talk more about that I suspect tomorrow on prayer where do we find power to be bold where does the gospel find power to defy defend and declare the gospel well it's found in prayerful dependence verse 23 verse 31

[37:35]
notice verse 23 we read that Peter and John they go back to the community of believers reporting the hostility to threat the man and this is the immediate reaction of the church you you think that the church right would have been overwhelmed with a sense despair you think they would make plans to now protect themselves you don't see them falling into despair notice what happens verse 24 when they heard this they raised their voices together and pray to God the sovereign Lord God is sovereign Lord he's a ruler of unmatched unchallenged power you know the powerful

[38:06]
judiciary they've just spoken to that has prohibited them from preaching the gospel well they to a subject to a much higher power and authority in fact the rule of men cannot overturn the rule of God the threats of man cannot unhinge the great purposes of God to save in his risen King and so this is the source of their courage Sovereign Lord verse 24 you made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them you spoke by the spirit to the mouth of your servant our Father David why do the nation's rage

[38:36]
and the people's plot in vain the kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed Psalm to the scriptures become the basis of the prayer of the church it's a reminder to them that God has established a saving rule of his son verse 27 they the powerful the authorities the Kings the governors they have conspired against him they have banded together against him but we know verse 28 what do we know by God's power

[39:07]
and will he has established the saving rule of his son they crucified Him but God raised him to life it's an act of futility the gospel of the risen Christ has and it will prevail people will be safe this is where the church must look to find its courage in darkness this is where the gospel worker must look to find courage to defend to declare and to defy to make the gospel known the right side of history actually lies with the

[39:37]
saving rule of the risen Christ remember that and the request for courage now comes in verse 29 and again we meet that same word parecía courage and bolas is speaking the truth of the gospel look at verse 29 with me now Lord consider their threats their hostility their intimidation and enable your servants to speak your word with great courage with great boldness with great Piraeus to speak the truth the Piraeus the courage received in Peter and John

[40:08]
the church now asked for courage to the fin courage to declare courage to defy to make the gospel known they asked for the same thing and notice they're not praying that the hostility of threats might stop they're not praying for religious freedom even though that's important their biggest need is not personal safety it's not personal comfort their biggest need is boldness or courage to defend declare and defy to

[40:38]
make the gospel known and it's not just boldness they asked for because notice what else they asked for on verse 30 they also asked that people might be saved they pray that people might be say verse 30 stretch out your hands to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant because remember the healing of the crippled man in chapter 3 was the occasion for the preaching of the gospel and we know what happened when the gospel was proclaimed chapter 4 verse 4 as the gospel was proclaimed many who heard the message

[41:09]
believed so the number of men and women who believed grew to about 5,000 that's what they're praying for courage and bonus parecía to speak the truth of the gospel courage to defend declare and the fight to make the truth of the gospel known so that people might be saved that's their prayer and so for the third time we meet the word parecía courage verse 31 after they prayed the place where their meeting was shaken and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and

[41:41]
they spoke the Word of God with courage with boldness piraeus they spoke the gospel with courage the place trembled but they were not trembling the place was shaken but they were unshakable could you see the source of courage for the church pray full dependence on the God who has established the saving rule of his son to save in the preaching of the gospel and that's the reason why the book of Acts right the book of Acts ends

[42:12]
with the same word all courage without he engines in the preaching of the gospel pareció tsakalotos acts 28 verse 31 he Paul proclaimed the kingdom of God he taught about the Lord Jesus Christ with all courage and without hindrance the gospel is being proclaimed with all boldness and all courage without hindrance where Jerusalem Judea Samaria to the ends of the earth to the nation's it's being preached in his name to all nations has gone out to the ends of the earth courage comes by prayerful

[42:44]
dependence on the God who has established the saving rule of his son in the preaching of the gospel let me end my wave story in Dan Comics book The Killing Fields or living field some of you would have read that it's the story of the unfinished portrait of the Cambodian church the title of the book is killing fields living fuels the story of the church that would not die he tells the story of the Cambodian Church really under the Khmer Rouge one story he tells us a story of hime a Christian

[43:15]
teacher and his family the Khmer Rouge they rounded up not just believers but unbelievers as well anyone who was educated but they were rounded up high mean his family were rounded up because they were Christians let me read a portion of that to you the family spent a sleepless night comforting one another and praying for each other as they lay bound in the dewy grass beneath the stand of friendly trees next morning the teenage soldiers returned and led them from their Gethsemane to their place of execution to a nearby Vale somló The

[43:46]
Killing Fields the place was grim indeed and bought many gruesome signs of a place of execution a sickly smell of death hung in the air curious villagers foraging in the scrubs lingered half hidden watching the familiar routine as the family were ordered to dig a large grave for themselves then consenting to Himes requests for a moment to prepare themselves for death father mother and children hands linked knelt together around the gaping pit and then with loud cries to God hime began exhorting both

[44:20]
the Khmer Rouge and those looking on from afar to repent and believe the gospel what do you think he prayed for I think they prayed for courage and in that moment you see parecía the gospel proclaim and all are called to repentance and faith their world was shaken but they were unshakable now

[44:53]
Jaime's family were executed because we do read that the news spread testin egos across the border carried really to the refugee camps of Thailand not always by Christians but by Cambodians who until then had only despised we read the PHA kaew sue the followers of Jesus friends I suspect none of us in this room will ever find ourselves in such a place idelle but we will always need courage to defend declare and defy to make the

[45:24]
gospel known you will need courage to call men and women to repentance and faith in the risen Christ you need courage to proclaim the gospel when tragedy comes into your life and family you need courage when the waves of disappointment comes you need courage when you experience personal rejection by those you have loved and cared for in ministry friends as Matt shared last night you will need courage to let go of relationships to see churches planted so lost people can hear about the Lord

[45:55]
Jesus you need courage to send your best people to see new churches planted to reach lost people it will take courage to give up your comfort and security to join a church plant it will take courage to have your life and relationships and your children's life and relationship disrupted to join a planting team it will take courage to make changes in your established churches so the gospel actually goes out it will take great courage to reach Australia and the

[46:25]
nations the gospel worker and his people will always need courage to make the gospel known it was true for Peter and John it was true for the early church it was true for Bunyan it was true for warming down it was true for hime and his family and it remains true for each of us in this room today friends may the Lord Himself give you

[46:56]
and your people courage to defend declare and defy to always make the gospel of his risen son known let me pray for us father we do thank you that you have established the saving rule of your risen son in our fears give us confidence in you as our sovereign Lord empower us by your spirit to be faithful

[47:27]
as witnesses to the death and resurrection of Jesus calling all to repentance and faith grant us and our people the courage to always defend declare and define to make the gospel known so that many might be saved amen