4^th Sunday of Easter – May 3, 2009

He’s risen! He’s risen, indeed! Alleluia!

Friends in Christ,

In the book of Psalms, David, in his amazement at those who so foolishly and hopelessly plot against God’s anointed King, writes: “The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them” (Psalm 2:4). And so it is that every person who dares to oppose the Savior King is doomed to failure, because finally – the Lord in heaven is in control.

Sometimes though, it just doesn’t seem that way, does it? Throughout the history of the world, it is Christian’s who have been killed for standing firm in the faith. Rulers of this evil world, who disagree on most things, have found themselves united in their opposition to God’s rule – and seem successful. It is the wicked, in our eyes, which seem to prosper while we and our fellow Christians seem to have to grind our way through life. But is that really how it is? Our continuing narrative from the book of Acts tells us no. In fact, these words this morning calm our concerns and remind us once again, the Lord in heaven is in control.

In Acts chapter 3, we were told how Peter and John healed a lame beggar in the name of Jesus. When a crowd gathered, the apostles used the opportunity to proclaim sin and grace to them. Chapter 4 informs us that the Sanhedrin had Peter and John arrested, put in jail, and placed on trial. During the trial, Peter confronted the Jewish leaders with their guilt in rejecting Jesus. Now the Jewish ruling body was in a bind. They could not deny the miracle. They could not take violent measures against the apostles because the people were on their side. But they also feared the consequences if the apostles continued to preach. So their decision was to command the apostles to say nothing more about Jesus.

This led to the apostles’ magnificent response, one that still stands as a shining example for us, “We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). So, all that the Sanhedrin could do was threaten the apostles and send them away. And it was this series of events that the apostles now reported to their own people, and our text tells us of their reaction:

Acts 4:23-31 - On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David: ‘Why do the nation’s rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One!’ Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

As I was driving home from Port Huron last week Saturday, I was very surprised to see all the damage that had taken place due to the powerful wind. Many a tree lay broken off or uprooted in front of several houses. A horse trailer setting by the side of the rode had been blown right over. Even a couple of roads had to be closed because of downed trees or power lines. And as I talked and visited with members on Sunday and throughout the week, I found out that some had damage to their houses or barns, and that more than a few were without power for days. Yet, in all of the damage that I saw, it was what I didn’t see that made the biggest impression. I never saw any flashing ambulance lights. In all of the personal accounts from members and the reports on TV, it was what I didn’t hear that struck me the most. I heard of no casualties or serious injuries. Sometimes it happens that our attention is drawn to something because it isn’t there. We have a situation similar to that this morning.

Do you notice what is not there in the reaction from those believers in Jerusalem? Never do we hear them moan, “Whoa are we!” Never do we hear them whine, “Why, Lord?” Never do we hear them complain, “It’s not fair!” Never do we hear them pessimistically say, “Isn’t this how it always goes, the ungodly get their way!” Never do we hear them begrudge the fact that Jesus had called them to be his witnesses. No, instead we hear them go to God in prayer and draw the strength they need from Scripture. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David: ‘Why do the nation’s rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One!’”

One can only imagine how disheartening it must have been for those disciples of Jesus. Just consider their crisis. The highest power and authority in the Jewish nation had said, “Cease and desist from your gospel witness – or suffer the consequences!” How easy it would have been for them to lose heart and question God’s ways. But they didn’t, not because they fell back on their on iron will to resist such an unjust demand, but because they knew that the Lord in heaven was in control. And they had Scripture to back it up.

They were able to apply the words of David to their very own situation. “Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed.” They understood that the conspiracy against Jesus which led to his death was a chief example of such plotting against God’s king. But they also understood that when this plot was carried out to its bitter end it did not signify that God had lost control. On the contrary, they understood that “they did what [God’s] power and will had decided beforehand should happen.” They understood that this was exactly as God had planned it. Peter had told his Pentecost audience, “This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge” (Acts 2:23). Recall the words of Isaiah 53, “It was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer” (Isaiah 53:10).

The omniscient and almighty God took the wicked actions and hideous sins of those men and simply advanced his purpose. The Lord in heaven was in control the whole time, and these believers in Jerusalem knew that. God had controlled everything and used everything to bring about their salvation. Jesus had to be handed over to wicked men in order that he could die. Only in this way could he crush the serpents head. Jesus had to be lifted up on the cross. Only in this way could he be forsaken by God to suffer the full force of God’s punishment over our sins. Nothing had happened by accident. What these enemies had done by bringing about the death of Jesus was simply make themselves the instruments in God’s almighty hand as he carried out his eternal plan of grace to redeem sinners. Through the sufferings and death they inflicted on Jesus, the holy God was judging and punishing Jesus for us and all sinful men. As Peter says, “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world” (1 Peter 1:18-20).

It was this knowledge that gave to those apostles, to those disciples, all the confidence they needed. Jesus had risen from the dead. By doing so, God had proclaimed that his Son, Jesus, whom he sent into the world, had remained holy and sinless all through his hellish agony and suffering and had won a perfect redemption for all. The plans of Herod, Pontius Pilate, the Jews and the Gentiles had failed. God’s plan had reigned supreme. Their forgiveness and salvation had been won. Could there be any doubt that God’s plans for them now, to be his witnesses, would fail? Could there be any doubt that Jesus, the resurrected and ascended King, was in control? Could there be any doubt that if the wicked men would have their way with them now, they would simply join their Savior in heaven? They were certain that they could simply lay their concerns into the hand of their Sovereign Lord and he would do that which was best for them.

And you know troubles of all kinds still surround us today. They threaten our lives, our faith, and our church. They come in the form of those who still seek to crush and ridicule Christianity. They come in the form of sickness, disease, pain and death. They come in the form of financial stress, day to day stress, relationship problems, and natural disasters. You name it, and it is there. But how do we react to such crisis? Do we whine and moan saying, “Why, Lord? It’s not fair!” Do we complain because it seems like the life of others is so much better than our own? Do we lose heart and wonder what good is all of this? Are there even times that we begrudge the fact that Jesus has called us to be his own?

Shame on you. Shame on me. We know so much better! God has not called us to faith so that we should turn around and doubt his ways. God has not made us his children so that we can run around as if we have no clue who is control. God has not written down on the pages of his Bible the marvelous acts of our salvation so that we, in the moment of persecution, or temptation, or a bad day should complain about his love. Our trust in our risen, ascended, glorious King need not be that weak. Just look, he has given us the same certainty that he gave to his disciples living in Jerusalem. Perhaps the problem is that we are focusing on the wrong thing. When times get rough, when situations turn bad, when the world turns its ugly head against us, it is not to our ourselves that we need to turn, but to God’s holy Word. There we are reminded that the Lord in heaven is in control.

You see, the fulfillment of the words of our text from the 2^nd Psalm should mean as much to us as it did to the first Christians. They identify those who were lined up against Jesus. The king in this case was Herod. The ruler was Pontius Pilate. The heathen were the Gentiles, or the Romans who had a hand in Jesus’ death. The people were the Jews, the people of Israel. Yet, although these all combined to bring about the death of God’s holy Servant Jesus, God laughed at their efforts and used them to do what he had determined before hand to be done. And what was it God wanted done through the death of Jesus? He wanted your salvation! He wanted to set you free from your guilt, he wanted to make you his dear child and heir of heaven! And he did. Through the perfect life of Christ, his death on the cross, and his resurrection, he has removed from you every sin that you have ever committed. At your baptism he created faith to receive that forgiveness. Through the Word he has sustained that faith that you might believe that he paid for the times you doubted, complained and whined…so now you don’t have to doubt or complain or whine any more.

God made the enmity to Jesus turn out for the salvation of the world. He likewise laughed at all the efforts to stop the preaching of Jesus’ name and more than sufficiently answered the prayers of those disciples that they be made bold witnesses. Will he not also do the same for us? So pray! Pray that his will be done when it seems like the godly are constantly getting trampled upon. Pray that his will be done when you suffer from a disease. Pray that his will be done when your mother or daughter or father or son or brother or sister has to go through surgery. Pray that his will be done when that job is lost, the budget is tight, when you don’t know what to do. Pray, and know that the Lord in heaven, the Lord who worked out your salvation, who bought you at the price of his own blood, is in control.

Just listen to what he has to say to you - to encourage you, to uphold you, to sustain you, to comfort you: “I am the Good Shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me…and I lay down my life for the sheep” (John 10:14). The answer is right here: “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who…endured the cross… and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart” (Hebrews 12:2,3). Then we will be able to rejoice in our suffering, and know beyond the shadow of a doubt “that in all things God works for the good of those who love him” (Romans 8:28). After all, the Lord in heaven is in control. Amen.