The Hero of Heroes (Acts 5:12-42) Witnesses: The Acts of the Apostles • November 17, 2019 HOOK: ————————————————————————————————————————— I don’t know how much this affects you, but I’ve been seeing a sharp increase in the amount of fear and anxiety people are having today. To be honest, there is a lot to be afraid of today…politics, climate change, natural disasters, hip-hop. We all have fears. In the USA, this is a list of our Top Ten Fears: 1) Flying, 2) Public speaking, 3) Heights, 4) Dark, 5) Intimacy, 6) Death, 7) Failure, 8) Rejection, 9) Spiders, and 10) Commitment. Wow! That’s a list! Do you know what I fear? Public speaking in the dark while I’m on high up in an airplane that is filled with spiders—knowing I’ll fail and be rejected while the plane crashes. Honestly, how much of your life is filled with fear and anxiety? When I was a Senior in High School, I was filled with a lot of fear. I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life, and it was time to make a decision about where I would go to college and what I would do with my life. The future filled me with fear! It was then that someone shared with me God’s words to Joshua as he took over the reins of leading the nation of Israel from Moses. Joshua followed one of the greatest leaders in the Bible, was leading 1.5 million people, was called to invade the Promised Land, and drive out all of its inhabitants. Not a bad day at the office! So, God spoke four words to Joshua over and over again: This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9 (NLT) I love how God had to “command” Joshua to be strong and courageous and to not be afraid or discouraged! After all, God will “never leave us nor forsake us.” Do me a favor, close your eyes and think about the biggest fear you are facing right now. Let me read that verse over you (read three times aloud). My friends, are you living in fear or are you living with faith? Years ago, I heard this definition of Fear: False Evidence Appearing Real. I like that! I love movies where people have every right to be afraid but step out anyway and act with courage. Movies like Hacksaw Ridge, Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan, The Patriot, Gladiator, Braveheart, Luther… BOOK: ————————————————————————————————————————— Today I want us to see a story about courage in the face of fear—and in doing so, to see the real hero of our story. Our text is long, so I am going to simply read through the story and then focus back on one section. Ready? The apostles were performing many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers were meeting regularly at the Temple in the area known as Solomon’s Colonnade. But no one else dared to join them, even though all the people had high regard for them. Yet more and more people believed and were brought to the Lord—crowds of both men and women. As a result of the apostles’ work, sick people were brought out into the streets on beds and mats so that Peter’s shadow might fall across some of them as he went by. Crowds came from the villages around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those possessed by evil spirits, and they were all healed. The high priest and his officials, who were Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. But an angel of the Lord came at night, opened the gates of the jail, and brought them out. Then he told them, “Go to the Temple and give the people this message of life!” So at daybreak the apostles entered the Temple, as they were told, and immediately began teaching. When the high priest and his officials arrived, they convened the high council—the full assembly of the elders of Israel. Then they sent for the apostles to be brought from the jail for trial. But when the Temple guards went to the jail, the men were gone. So they returned to the council and reported, “The jail was securely locked, with the guards standing outside, but when we opened the gates, no one was there!” When the captain of the Temple guard and the leading priests heard this, they were perplexed, wondering where it would all end. Then someone arrived with startling news: “The men you put in jail are standing in the Temple, teaching the people!” The captain went with his Temple guards and arrested the apostles, but without violence, for they were afraid the people would stone them. Then they brought the apostles before the high council, where the high priest confronted them. “We gave you strict orders never again to teach in this man’s name!” he said. “Instead, you have filled all Jerusalem with your teaching about him, and you want to make us responsible for his death!” But Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than any human authority. The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead after you killed him by hanging him on a cross. Then God put him in the place of honor at his right hand as Prince and Savior. He did this so the people of Israel would repent of their sins and be forgiven. We are witnesses of these things and so is the Holy Spirit, who is given by God to those who obey him.” When they heard this, the high council was furious and decided to kill them. But one member, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, who was an expert in religious law and respected by all the people, stood up and ordered that the men be sent outside the council chamber for a while. Then he said to his colleagues, “Men of Israel, take care what you are planning to do to these men! Some time ago there was that fellow Theudas, who pretended to be someone great. About 400 others joined him, but he was killed, and all his followers went their various ways. The whole movement came to nothing. After him, at the time of the census, there was Judas of Galilee. He got people to follow him, but he was killed, too, and all his followers were scattered. “So my advice is, leave these men alone. Let them go. If they are planning and doing these things merely on their own, it will soon be overthrown. But if it is from God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You may even find yourselves fighting against God!” The others accepted his advice. They called in the apostles and had them flogged. Then they ordered them never again to speak in the name of Jesus, and they let them go. The apostles left the high council rejoicing that God had counted them worthy to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus. And every day, in the Temple and from house to house, they continued to teach and preach this message: “Jesus is the Messiah.” Acts 5:12-42 (NLT) So far in our walk through the beginning of the Church, as seen in the book of Acts, everything has gone amazingly well for the early followers of Jesus. Miracles are being performed, people are being brought to God, there is an undeniable movement of God. But as we move into the next stage of the early Church, we’re going to see that things begin to get difficult for these disciples. Opposition beings. Persecution begins. Suffering begins. The possibility of death begins. But you also see faith, courage, and boldness! LOOK: ————————————————————————————————————————— Early followers of Jesus faced intense opposition, persecution, suffering, and death—and did it all with incredible courage. History tells us that in the first 300 years of the Church there were at least ten large-scale, systematic persecutions of Christians in the Roman Empire. Believers in Jesus had their possessions taken, they were imprisoned, they were tortured, and even killed. In fact, there was a total of 100 years in that time period where it was completely illegal to be a Christian. And yet historic accounts reveal that many Christians died praying for their executioners. They died singing as they were thrown to the lions. In Rome, followers of Jesus were hung on crosses along the highways so people could watch them as they were coming in and out of Rome. Where did they get that kind of heroic courage to face suffering and death? AND, can I get that kind of courage to face my troubles today? I believe the answer to that is found right here in our story. But Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than any human authority. The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead after you killed him by hanging him on a cross. Then God put him in the place of honor at his right hand as Prince and Savior. He did this so the people of Israel would repent of their sins and be forgiven.” Acts 5:29-31 (NLT) The apostles knew they could die for their actions. The religious leaders were furious that they kept sharing about Jesus and would not give up. When the apostles spoke, they could look into the eyes of their accusers, and they could see their death in their eyes. But they made the clear decision that “We must obey God rather than any human authority.” Imagine it! These leaders were looking for a reason to kill them and stamp out the message of Jesus, and the apostles can only say, “we must obey God rather than you!” That’s heroic! Where did they get such courage in the face of death? Notice it says, “God put him in the place of honor at his right hand as Prince and Savior.” We use the word “Savior” a lot to speak about Jesus. It’s the Greek word, soter because Jesus is the “savior of all mankind. By dying on the cross, he saved us.” But that first word, “Prince” isn’t something we use for Jesus, but there is something beautiful about it. It is a very unusual Greek word and it’s used four times in the Bible (twice in Acts/twice Hebrews), and it always it refers to Jesus, but it’s an unusual word, and it’s a very hard word to translate. The word is translated “prince” twice, “captain” once, and “author” once. Jesus is our “Prince.” Jesus is our “Captain.” Jesus is our “Author.” It’s the Greek word archegos (arch-ego) and in the Greek culture it simply meant “Hero.” BUT, in that culture there was only one known as both Soter and Achegos and it was the legendary hero Hercules. So anyone with a Greek background would have immediately understood that Jesus is being presented as THE hero of all heroes. The Greek and Roman world was based on heroism, and the way parents instilled virtue and character in their children was not by teaching Values Clarification in school or propping up little Johnny or Suzie’s fragile self-esteem. What they did was they told them stories about heroes and glorified the heroic culture of old. It’s the same with us when we teach about George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, or Martin Luther King, Jr. So, Luke and the author of Hebrews deliberately used a word for hero (like Hercules) and applied it to Jesus Christ so that their readers understood that Jesus was the greatest hero of all time! “You think that Hercules was strong? Let me tell you about Jesus who calmed the wind and the waves, who healed, and actually brought people back to life! You have heard about the power of Hercules? Let me tell you about someone so powerful that he would lay that power down and give up his life to save them. That’s power! You’ve seen statues of the glory of Hercules? Let me tell you of the one who laid down his glory to save us!” How did these followers of Jesus get this courage? In Hebrews 12:2, one of the four places in the Bible where Jesus is called the hero, it says, We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Hebrews 12:2 (NLT) Where do you get your courage? These early followers did it by keeping their eyes on Jesus. My friends, you have a Jesus who went before and conquered death for you! You have a Jesus who scaled every wall to get you to freedom! TOOK: ————————————————————————————————————————— Joshua Chamberlain was a schoolteacher who was in one of the most critical battles of the Civil War. He was placed ¾ up on Little Round Top hill on July 2nd, 1863 and told, “Whatever you do, you can’t leave this location. The enemy will try to breach the line through you and if they come through you, they will gain the high ground. If that happens, they will wipe us all out.” Chamberlain was just a 34-year-old teacher. He knew nothing about military or battle tactics. He was a colonel because he was one of the first men from his hometown to volunteer. He spent the entire morning and afternoon with his men of the 20th Maine laying up a rock wall about waist high and 110 yards long. At 2:30 in the afternoon, the 15th and 42nd Alabama charged up the hill, attempting to flank the Union position. Chamberlain and his men of the 20th Maine pushed them back. This happened four more times—five charges in a row they repelled, until they realized they were out of ammunition. They knew that they were indefensible with the next charge up the hill. His sergeant told him that they were all out of ammunition. Looking down at his men he gave his command, “Fix bayonets.” His men simply stared at him in disbelief. “We’ll have the advantage of moving downhill,” Chamberlain said. “Fix bayonets now. Execute a great right wheel of the entire regiment. Swing the left first.” Now, all of his men had been thinking that they were going to run or retreat. Lt. Melcher who was the flag bearer asked, “What’s a great right wheel?” His sergeant said, “This crazy man’s is fixing to charge.” Before anybody could argue with Chamberlain and before anyone could do anything, Chamberlain was up on the wall, screaming to the men to “fix bayonets.” Before they could figure out what was happening, Chamberlain was charging down the hill. With a power born of righteousness and fear, the schoolteacher from Maine roared, “Charge! Charge! Charge!” to his men—and they did. The 20th Maine charged down the hill, with the left wing wheeling continually to make the charging line swing like a hinge, creating a simultaneous frontal assault and flanking maneuver. Meanwhile, the Confederates were half-way up the hill forming their sixth charge. When Chamberlain and his men tumbled over the wall, the Confederates looked up and thought the enemy had been reinforced. After being repeatedly fired upon, Chamberlain charged with his men down the hill and he placed his sword on the neck of an Alabama captain and said, “You sir, are my prisoner.” The man was so confused he said, “Yes sir, I am.” Most of the Confederates threw their guns down and ran. Chamberlain, with his 80 men, without ammunition, captured 400 fully armed men. Historians say that had Chamberlain not charged—and held that hill, the South would have won at Gettysburg a month later. They say that if the South had won at Gettysburg, then the South would have probably won the Civil War, and it would have been over by the end of the summer. Now, if the South had won the war, we wouldn’t have just been a nation divided into the North and the South. We would have been the North, the South, Louisiana, Texas, California, the Oregon territories—in essence, there would have been no United States of America. Today, if this 34-year-old schoolteacher had not fixed bayonets and charged with no ammunition, we would continent of 9-13 countries. Which means that when Hitler swept across Europe, there would not have been a United States of America to stand in the breach. Which means that when Emperor Hirohito systematically invaded the South Pacific Islands, there would not have been a United States of America to stand in the breach. That one 34-year-old schoolteacher made a difference over 150 years ago. Why were the early believers willing to die for Christ? Because Christ had already died for them! Our courage flows out of the one we put our confidence in. If your confidence is in you, then you will fail in the day of battle. If your confidence is in Jesus, then he is already gone ahead of you and won the battle! My friends, you are following the Heroes of all Heroes. Jesus has already jumped over the wall and engaged the enemy. It’s time to fix bayonets and follow him over the wall. PRAYER

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Discipleship Questions (Community, Women’s, Men’s Groups plus Family and Friends)

The Hero of Heroes (Acts 5:12-42)

HEAD: These questions help you examine the truth of God’s Word.

Read Acts 5:12-42

1. What in this text (Acts 5:12-42) impacted you the most? Why?

HEART: These questions help you wrestle with what you believe.

I love how God had to “command” Joshua (Joshua 1:9) to be strong and courageous and to not be afraid or discouraged! After all, God will “never leave us nor forsake us.”

The disciples said, “We must obey God rather than any human authority.” Imagine it! These leaders were looking for a reason to kill them and stamp out the message of Jesus, and the apostles can only say, “we must obey God rather than you!” That’s heroic!

2. What is one area of your life God is asking you to be heroic and turn your fear into faith and live out the above verses? Please be specific.

(Have someone in your group write down each person’s answer to question two)

HANDS and HABITS: These questions help you bring the truth and live out behaviors that change your life

3. Based on each person’s response to question two. Please spend some significant time in praying for each other to be heroic, strong and courageous.

UPCOMING EVENTS

DIVORCECARE: SURVIVING THE HOLIDAYS | TU., NOV 19TH | 6:30-8:30PM Are you dreading the holidays knowing that everything has changed and that happy memories from past years can't be recreated? If you are divorced or separated, please join us to learn practical coping strategies to help navigate this holiday season. Childcare provided. Contact Scott Egbert at [email protected].

SENIOR DINNER | FRI., NOV 22ND | 6PM | DINING HALL The Senior Dinner will be held at 6PM on Friday, November 22nd with a Harvest theme. Sign up in the foyer on Sundays, Nov 10th & 17th. Donation appreciated on the night of the event. For more information, contact Peggy Staggs at [email protected].

THANKSGIVING COMMUNITY MEAL | THURS., NOV 28TH | 12-2PM | DINING HALL Open to all, children are welcome. In partnership with Alliance Bible Church. To serve or prepare for the meal, sign up online: isonrise.com/events.

ADOPT A FAMILY FOR CHRISTMAS | NOVEMBER 25TH – DECEMBER 4TH Help provide Christmas for families in need. If needed, find a friend or your small group to help adopt larger families together. Contact Heather Brown at [email protected] or 503.640.2449 for more information or to get a family. Drop off by December 17th.

DONATE A NEW TOY | STARTING NOVEMBER 25TH | FOYER Donate a new toy for our Toy Give-a-Way to families in need. Toys are meant for ages 1- 13, boys or girls. Bring to church on Sunday, Dec 1st, 8th, or 15th in the foyer or drop off in the office, Monday - Thursday 9:30AM-4PM. Deadline is December 19th. Contact Heather Brown at [email protected] or 503.640.2449 for more information.

LEAD CLASS | SUNDAY, DEC 8TH | 12:47-2:47PM | FIRESIDE ROOM We are hosting the last in our new series of classes for 2019. The LEAD Class is the last of our formal Discipleship Pathway classes that teaches us how to lead others in discipleship that Jesus demonstrates for us in the Gospels. At Sonrise, we desire to live out Jesus' calling and purpose for our lives.

MERCY FUND REMINDER | THANK YOU FOR BLESSING THOSE IN NEED Through your generous giving, we continue to help those who are hurting to get back on their feet. Our Mercy fund helps with rent, utilities, medicines, and more. If you are led to give financially to the Mercy Fund, please mark “Mercy” on the giving envelope or you can give online. Any questions, please email Heather Brown at [email protected].

HOMELESS MINISTRY

SHELTER AT ORENCO STATION | STARTING DEC. 2ND (SOS) is the only 90-day (Dec- Feb) overnight homeless shelter for adults in Washington County, where clients receive a warm meal, hot shower, and a place to rest inside. There are a variety of volunteer opportunities: guest registration, preparation and serving/clean-up of a hot meal, shower escorts, staying overnight, dropping off dessert or breakfast. Visit www.sos-shelter.org to learn more or contact Kim Marshall, [email protected].

SONRISE HOMELESS SERVICES - DAY CENTER | STARTING DEC. 3RD The Day center will be open Monday -Thursday 9:00am-1:00pm during the SOS season starting December 3rd. A hot shower and warm lunch are provided. Clothing and hygiene items are also available. Staff and volunteers are there to help with resourcing and walking with guests to self-sufficiency. Please contact [email protected] for more info and volunteer opportunities. ______

WEEKLY EVENTS

BOXING | MON-FRI | 6-8PM | DINING HALL Days of training include: M,W,F - Competition Training; TU & TH - Boxing conditioning. Classes are held in the Dining Hall. Please contact Kimo at (808) 497-1497. Cost is $30 a month.

SILVER SNEAKERS STRENGTH & BALANCE CLASS | TU & TH | 10-10:45AM | DINING HALL Silver Sneakers Strength and Balance class, presented by Meals on Wheels, happens on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10AM to 10:45AM in the dining room. Contact Gloria at (971) 808-7885 for more information.

BINGO! | WEDNESDAYS | 10:30AM | DINING HALL Come join us for Bingo every Wednesday at 10:30AM. There is no cost to play and prizes are awarded.

4 CORE EXERCISE CLASS | TU & TH 7:30AM | TU & TH 10AM | TH 6:30PM | FIRESIDE ROOM Classes are held in the Fireside Room. Contact: Lanae 503-348-6113. Cost is $35 a month.

SONRISE SHOWER MINISTRY | TU & TH | 9:30AM-1PM | ENTRANCE D Sonrise Shower’s is a safe and welcoming place where those who are less fortunate can come have a shower, meal, and sign up for local services and resources. We are looking for male volunteers. We are always in need of full-size hygiene items, new men’s/women’s socks and underwear. If you have any questions, want to volunteer, or donate, please contact Tory at [email protected]. Thank you! ______