* Your greatest weakness is an over-extension of your greatest strength.
* We turn our strength into weakness.
* God turns our weakness back into a strength!
* Blind Harry’s book “Wallace” about the life of Scottish freedom fighter William Wallace.
* The opening line in the book - “In 1297, William Wallace raised his head.”
* All William’s previous experiences led him to this moment where he would lead his people to fight the English for Scottish freedom.
* Reading through the first few chaps of Acts made me think of Peter.
* The last time we saw Peter:
* He was on the seashore eating crow before Jesus.
* The time before that he denied Jesus three times.
* The time before that he got rebuked for cutting of someone’s ear.
* The time before that he got rebuked for standing in the way of Christ’s mission.
* The time before that God told him to shut up and listen (on the Mount of Transfiguration).
* Peter was naturally bold - it was his biggest strength, but also his biggest weakness.
* But now, things were different!
* It was the Day of Pentecost and the Holy Spirit descended powerfully on the place.
* People were confused …
* Vs 14 - “Then Peter stood up …”
* No longer relying on his own strength or cowering in fear.
* He stood boldly for the Lord and preached the very first message of the gospel.
* Acts 3:1 - he was also the first to heal someone.
* Peter turned his strength into a weakness.
* But God turned Peter’s weakness into a strength.
* What needed to happen before God could use Pete’s natural strength?
* 1) He had to be humbled.
* Boldness apart from Brokenness makes you a bully (Pete in the Garden) .
* Brokenness apart from Boldness makes you a bystander (Pete in the Courtyard).
* Boldness on the foundation of Brokenness makes you a Bridge between heaven and earth.
* Pete was now a bridge!
* 2) He needed the Holy Spirit.
* God fills the humble, pure, and courageous heart.
* Pete was simply “willing” to stand and speak, so the HS filled him for the job!
* But not everyone wants to walk across that bridge - and some people want to blow the bridge up!
* Response:
* Acts 2:37 - 3k got saved.
* Acts 5:33 - “When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put him to death.”
Acts 2:14 (6/22/22)
Turning Weakness Into Strength
June 22, 2022 • Benham Brothers • Acts 2:14
Acts 1:4-5 (6/20/19)
June 20, 2019 • Benham Brothers
* Luke wrote acts as a continuation of his gospel. * Acts bridges the gap the gospels and Romans. * It shows how the church sprang up and how the gospel began to spread. * Wiersbe - “The Book of Acts is also the account of the work of the Holy Spirit in and through the church. The Gospel of Luke records what Jesus “began both to do and teach” in His human body, and the Book of Acts tells us what Jesus continued to do and teach through His spiritual body, the church.” * Jesus had already given them the charge to go into all the world to make disciples, yet He tells them to wait to do it. * First, they needed to be clothed in power. * They had to stay in Jerusalem in order to get it. * At this point Jerusalem was the most dangerous place on earth for a Christ follower. * They could’ve been killed like Jesus was. * They also could’ve easily said, “Let’s hurry and go fulfill our calling.” * But they waited and showed us a great principle - Power is often a result of pace! * So they had to do two things - wait (move at God’s pace) and resist (the fear of being killed). * Power is the ability to do something. Authority is the right to do it. * Christ had given them authority, now they had to wait on the power. * While they waited, they resisted the enemy (fear).
Acts 1:6-8 (6/5/14)
June 5, 2014 • Benham Brothers
Jesus had now risen from the dead and was giving His last instructions before He ascended to Heaven. The disciples asked if now was the time He would restore the Kingdom back to Israel. They were under Roman bondage and they thought He was going to restore the kingdom. Jesus was going to do that, but He wasn't going to do it from the outside-in, He was going to do it from the inside-out. Observe: 1) Jesus didn't deny the physical restoration of Israel, but He knew that if spiritual restoration took place first then physical restoration would be the natural outpouring of that. He was going to restore the kingdom from the inside-out. Jesus is more interested in changing a person than a persons' behavior because He knows behavior will follow naturally when a person is changed on the inside. 2) Before Jesus made the nation of Israel "right" He needed to make people "right," so He was going to actually come and live "inside" of people to do this. Jesus changed their identities - He "made" them brand new. 3) He gave them their mission - to simply be His witnesses! That's it - just tell the world what He's done and how He lives inside of people. Testimonies are so powerful because they cannot be debated - you can't debate someone's experience. Internal transformation must precede External Transformation. https://dl-http://web.dropbox.com/get/podcasts%20-%202014
Acts 1:15-22 (6/16/16)
June 16, 2016 • Benham Brothers
• Can you imagine the conversation amongst the disciples about Judas after Jesus died? • But then Jesus shows up and confirms their deepest hopes of His resurrection. • They weren’t focused on Judas anymore, but Jesus. • Then Christ gives them new marching orders and ascends to Heaven. • These disciples were no longer a band of buddies with no purpose, but now a band of brothers united to honor their king. • But what about Judas’s spot? • Notice how Peter handled the situation - he pointed to Scripture. • He was able to see God at work even in the situation with Judas’ betrayal. • Notice: • 1) There was an obvious situation that need to be dealt with. • 2) Peter went to the Scripture and found a passage. • 3) Peter applied the truth of God’s Word to the situation. • 4) He then made the proper application. • In doing this he kept his emotions from taking the lead. • This is how to properly handle any situation you find yourself in.