Transcription
Ladies and gentlemen, some people are not attacking you because you're succeeding. They're attacking you because your success points out their failure, and they can't stand the fact that God is keep raising you up. And every time that they try to knock you down, here you come again. [Applause]
I want to summon your senses and invite your intellect to the book of Acts, chapter number four. Acts, chapter four, and it is there that the Holy Spirit is highlighted for us. This context of Scripture, beginning with verse number thirteen. Acts, chapter four, verse number thirteen. Your Bible should read:
Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled. And they took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus. And beholding the man which was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.
But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, saying, "What shall we do to these men? For that indeed a notable miracle has been done by them is manifest to all them that dwell in Jerusalem; and we cannot deny it. But that it spread no further among the people, let us straightly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name."
And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said unto them, "Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard."
So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people; for all men glorified God for that which was done. For the man was above 40 years old on whom this miracle of healing was shown.
I won't attack this text. I've come too far to quit. You may be seated in the Lord's church. Would you look at somebody and tell them, "I've come too far to quit"?
Now, ladies and gentlemen, let me announce that the onset and introduction of this sermon, one simple truth which serves both as the introduction and the thesis for this sermon, and that is simply this: You cannot keep a person down who won't stay down. It's one thing to be knocked down, but the problem is you won't stay down. There are already witnesses in this room who would testify, "It's not that I haven't been knocked down, but God keeps giving me the strength, the energy, the wherewithal, the anointing, the power to not stay down." That every time something or somebody knocks me down, God keeps raising me back. Might I suggest to you, ladies and gentlemen, that that's the real doctrine of the Resurrection? It's not that Jesus wasn't knocked down; the problem is he wouldn't stay down.
Such is the discipline discovered in the discourse of Acts chapter 4, in which there is a problem between the current religious system and the new order that Jesus had established. What we discover in Acts chapter 4, ladies and gentlemen, is that Jesus Christ wasn't just affecting the world, but Jesus Christ was affecting religion. Since Jesus Christ was the final sacrifice for sin, then there was no more sacrifices to be made after him. And therefore, certain aspects, if not all aspects, of the historical temple service was no longer needed. As a matter of fact, the priests after Christ really had no presence in the New Testament because there was nothing left to sacrifice after Christ. We didn't have to come and go into these private closets to tell clergy our intimate business. We can now go to God ourselves. As a matter of fact, a sign of your maturity is not how much you call your pastor, it's how much you call God.
Might I suggest to you, ladies and gentlemen, that as we shift, as Jesus Christ shifted the landscape, he was also affecting the traditional religious system. As a matter of fact, the New Testament teaches us about the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. But you are a royal priesthood, and therefore this whole work of the priests was no longer necessary. And even in the New Testament, the language of the kingdom changed from prophets to apostles and pastors, from priests to preachers, from priests to evangelists, whose job it was to not necessarily stay in one locale, but to go across the world and spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.
And the current religious system in the book of Acts came against Peter and John. As a matter of fact, chapter 3 opens up with the first post-Pentecostal miracle, that being this crippled man who laid at the gate called Beautiful. In Acts chapter 3, he was lame from his birth. He was above 40 years old. He had never walked in his life. Peter and John went up at the hour of prayer, noticed this man laying by the gate, and said, "In the name of Jesus, rise up and walk." And the aftermath of the miracle is that Peter and John were arrested and spent one night in jail. But, but the charges were not clear at the time of arrest.
When you read Acts chapter 4, as a matter of fact, you came to Fellowship Bible Baptist Church with a Bible. You discover in Acts chapter 4, verse 2, that they they were apprehending Peter and John because they were grieved at their preaching of the resurrection of Jesus. That's Acts 4 and 2. But by the time we get to Acts 4 and 10, when they actually interrogated Peter and John, the question was, "By what authority do you have to give this crippled man the ability to walk?" You will notice, church, that the interrogation and the incarceration were two different reasons. They incarcerated them for what they preached, but they interrogated them for what they did. It's unclear of why they actually arrested them. We're not clear because one reason does not necessarily associate with the other. Are you mad at what I said or what I did?
I'm not really clear on why you arrested me because your reasons keep changing. The interrogation and the incarceration were not consistent. You mad at what I said, but you're interrogating me by what authority I'm operating in? Because the authority I'm operating in didn't come by your permission. So I'm not really sure what you're upset about. And so that there is some confusion here. There's some confusion here. Are you mad about the power of God or the fact that I didn't ask you for permission to operate in God's?
They arrested Peter and John, and something is interesting here because when we take another look at these two seemingly unconnected causes here. If you're mad about what I was preaching about the resurrection of Jesus Christ, I understand that because you're mad at the resilience of the person of Christ. 'Cause if he's resurrected, he got up. But if you're mad about the authority by which I operate in, I can understand that too. Because on one hand, you're wrestling with the person of Christ, but on the other hand, you're wrestling with the power of Christ. And here's the problem. Here's the problem, church. If you're wrestling with the person of Christ, because the resurrection says the person is back, and you're wrestling with the power of Christ, because his name gave this man the ability to walk, I understand why you're mad. I get why you're mad. Because if he's back and his power is still operating, then I understand why you're mad. Because less than two months ago, y'all killed him and put him on a cross, putting nails in his head and in his feet and a crown of thorns on his head, and two months later, his person is back, his power is back. So now I understand why you're mad because you failed. Y'all shout yourself! [Applause] [Applause]
So the reason why you are under attack is because your success reveals somebody's failure. Reach in here. Token more. You are under attack 'cause every time God raised you up, somebody sees your success as a reflection of how they failed. Because if any of this is true, the fact that y'all killed him and still operate in the power of his name says he won't stay down. See, ladies and gentlemen, life is not about not getting knocked down. Life is about not staying down. I thought I had about 50 of y'all who tell the truth. You haven't always been where you are. You are where you are. Every weapon against you is not going to be possible. The problem is you won't stay down. [Applause] And the people who knocked you down keep attacking you 'cause the fact that you're up says that they failed. I can't get no help in here.
So might I suggest to you, ladies and gentlemen, that there are some insights in the passage that give us revelation on the strategy of folks' attack? Get your Bible. Let's walk through this text together. When you are under attack, the first thing people will try to do is to diminish your credibility. [Applause] I'm in verse 13, so you won't know I'm lying because I'm not lying. Verse 13 says, "And when they saw the boldness of Peter and John." And let me help you, they arrested them at the beginning of the chapter, kept them in jail for one night. The next day, they're getting ready to interrogate Peter and John. So they're at the interrogation between verses 10 through 13. Peter stands up and says, "Y'all asked me about the authority that I did this miracle? It went in my name. It was in the name of Christ, the one y'all killed, who was raised from the dead." And verse 13 says, "And when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled." I'ma try to give you, mister. And when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled. Okay, y'all still missing one action. Was they saw? The other one was they perceived. Come on, come on. No, no, no, no, no. Come on. You're gonna get this. When they saw them be bold, but look at him and say, "They don't look like they that smart." Lord have mercy. Inhibited. When they saw, they heard them speak and try to figure out that the gift and the package don't look like they belong together. Somebody's gonna get this in a minute. See, people think one thing of you until you open your mouth and they start to figure out you may be something different than how you look. 'Cause you can't judge a book by its cover. You can't assume I look ignorant to you. Touch the my antennae. Be careful what you say about me. Be careful how you look at me because if you have an encounter with me, you might discover that there's a difference between the exterior. They couldn't put it together of what they heard versus what they perceived. The text says they marveled. Pick your face in here. Y'all, that word marveled in the Greek is the Greek word *thaumazo*, so it means to wonder or admire. [Music] Let me try one more time. When they heard him speak, saw how outspoken they were, and perceived that they were ignorant and unlearned men, they marveled. They were admiring, like, "Wow." To hear them speak and to see them are two different things. Since y'all still won't get the text, let me help you. They are trying to discredit them by projecting ignorance [Applause] onto intelligent people because they're trying to make them to be what they wanted to be so that they can look superior to Peter and John. Now, don't blame me like you ain't got people in your life who are trying to project something on you that really is not the reality, just to make themselves look comfortable and feel good with you. The text says they marveled. Wait, John, hold on. You just arrested me and you're not even sure why you arrested me. You don't like what I say, you don't like what I've done. You've arrested me and put me in jail for a night, but when you hear me talk, you're marvelling. Ladies and gentlemen, sometimes your public adversaries are actually your secret admirers. [Music] The reason why they're attacking you is because on the download, they actually like you, but they don't know how to express it because if they express it, they don't feel inferior to themselves. Everybody attacking you don't like you. Some people attacking you are secret admirers, but they can't show it because they're too insecure. I'm preaching in here today. You can sit on me if you want to, but the truth of the matter is, apologizing to insecure people who can't stand the fact that God has a grace on you, baby, stop apologizing to insecurity. I'm not arrogant, you're just insecure. I know who I am, you don't know who you are. [Applause] Everybody who's coming against you, I'm not your enemy, they're just secret lovers who don't know how to express it. Rate stolen target. So what they do? They discredit and they try to diminish your credibility to bring you to a level that they can handle. 'Cause the only way you can handle me is if you project me to be ignorant and unlearned. I'm talking so good in here today. I will set somebody free 'cause you're so busy trying to please people who are studying trying to bring you down instead of lifting them up. They gonna try to diminish your credibility. That's not all they're gonna try to do. They won't just diminish your credibility, they won't acknowledge your positive changes. Get the Bible. They stand in there talking to Peter and John, and Peter won't back down. The very thing they arrested him for is the very thing he said in interrogation: "The name of Jesus, the guy y'all killed and was raised, he did this." And the man who was the beneficiary of the miracle is standing right there. [Applause] Come here. The man who they worked a miracle on showed up the next day to the court just to be evidence on behalf of the defendant. He didn't say nothing. He just stood there. And verse 14 says that the Sanhedrin Council did not say a word. They saw him standing there but didn't say nothing. Verse 15 and 16 says they called an impromptu closed-door meeting and told Peter and John, "Y'all step outside for a minute while we have a closed-door impromptu meeting." And look at verse 16 and 15. Listen what they said in the meeting. They said in the meeting, "Man, that is a miracle out there." [Applause] [Applause] You know, when you do something right, they don't want to say nothing. When you do something wrong, they the first to say something. They diminish your credibility, and then they downplay your positive changes. Here's the question. King John, I'm gonna talk to you since you're looking at. I got a question. History says that Luke wrote the book of Acts, which is an addition and an addendum to his own gospel, the Gospel of Luke. Acts 4 says that they put Peter aside and John aside. They had a closed-door impromptu meeting. My question is, if it was a closed-door impromptu meeting, how did Luke get the minutes? [Applause] [Music] Luke is not a member of the Sanhedrin Council. He's just a physician working for Jesus to get the gospel out. If you want to know me, how did you get the minutes? I want to suggest that you can call secret meetings against God's people, but you can't call secret meetings against God. Thus, God has a way of sneaking somebody in the meeting that you didn't even know was there. Oh, God. [Applause] He's not a member of the council. How'd you get the minutes from a closed-door? I want to suggest sometimes God got snitches. That when you're trying to plot against God's people, God got some barbecue that will step in and [Applause] I'm a preach you. God, God snitches. It was some people plotting against you, but God had somebody in a meeting. They said, "No, you ain't gonna do that to that sister." "No, you're not gonna do that to that brother." You've got to understand that God's got somebody working for you even when you don't see that working for you. They'll try to discredit your credibility, and they'll try to downplay your positive changes. But the final thing they'll do, y'all, they'll try to depress your capabilities. [Music] [Applause] Hey, REM Dix. [Applause] They had a meeting, a closed-door meeting. Mike, and in the meeting, just between the council, listen what they say. I said, "Man, that is a miracle. The whole city know." I'm in verse 15, 16. They said, "Hold all the rules. No way. It's a man. What we got to do? We got to do something to stop the spread. We can't do nothing about this." John Jackson is gonna bless your life. But what we got to do is do something to stop the spread, that there be no more preaching and no more miracles. So what we gonna do? We gonna threaten them 'cause we can't stop what was done. We got to stop what might happen. Y'all so sleep. I'ma talk to this. Ad. Ladies and gentlemen, your enemy is attacking you 'cause your enemy then had a glimpse of your potential. I'ma talk back to y'all in a minute 'cause this side acted funny. The reason why some folks attack you is because they've already imagined that you got potential to be better than what you are. So they gotta stop what's gonna happen, even though some stuff you ain't even talked about yet. Y'all see like the friend sling your head in it. It is strange how sometimes your enemy got more faith in your future than your friends do. [Applause] 'Cause your friends are sick. I can be silent while your enemies working overtime to try to stop what they believe is gonna happen. So what I'm trying to tell y'all, ladies and gentlemen, is that sometimes what the enemy is doing in your life is a compliment. They're actually acknowledging the fact that they got no faith in your future. There's some people who walk with you because they're busy trying to stop it. [Applause] So everything they try to do is what up? Is what is what's gonna happen. We gotta make sure that nobody else gets healed. Make sure and nobody else gets fed. We gotta make sure that they do nothing else to affect positive change. I don't know who I'm talking to in here, but the enemy is not attacking you for your past. He's attacking you for your future. [Applause] I got good news for you. If you just endure this latest attack, come here. Here's where it's gonna turn the corner. Watch this. If you just endure this latest attack, your future is going to happen because some good you've done in the past is gonna catch up with you. Okay, y'all slept through all of that. [Applause] They healed the guy in Acts chapter 3. The next day was the court date. He shows up at court, which means the blessing that they had put on his life had caught up with him on the next day. And the evidence of how he blessed somebody else was so strong that they, they could do nothing but accept the fact that that is the truth, that God did work this miracle. His God's news, ladies and gentlemen. It is not always the case that what you do bad catches up with you, but sometimes what you do good is gonna catch up with you. And what you thought was blessing you, it's gonna turn around and bless you. That's why you got to spend most of your time doing good, because that which a man sows, that shall he also reap. Here's the good news. You got to hang in there and don't quit. Why? Sure. Peter says, "You got to hang in there and don't quit." Because your experiences from your past will catch up with you in a good way. He said, secondly, you got to hang in there and don't quit because you got to remember that when they requested Peter and John to stop talking in Jesus' name, Peter says, "I can't help it. I didn't make that up." He says, "We cannot but help to speak the things that we've seen and heard." Okay, watch this. The request presumes, John Jackson, that God has done something worth being quiet about. [Applause] And God has never done anything that you can be quiet about. Genesis chapter 8, Noah's storm in this boat for a year and ten days. By the time he lands, it's a stinking boat 'cause animals have been on there, humans have been on there, nowhere to release their waste. The ship stinks, but it's still keeping them alive. [Applause] You'll catch that probably Thursday. And when they get off this boat, the first thing Noah does is build an altar in Genesis chapter 8, verse 20. Oh, nothing because everything is wiped out, but it glorifies God that God spared me through a storm, and I can't be quiet about it. Exodus chapter 15, the children of Israel have just come through the Red Sea. They have been been through a wall of water and they saw Pharaoh's army drown in the Red Sea. Exodus 15 says after God caused the water and Pharaoh's army drowned, it says Moses and the children of Israel sang a song of glory to God because when God has done something like that, I can't be quiet. First Samuel chapter 17 and 18, David has to stand the focal life. He takes David out with a stone and a slingshot, and when he comes back from the battle, the Bible says the women came out with their tambourines and their instruments, and they were praising God because the victory we just saw, we can't be quiet about. Joshua chapter 4, verse 24, the Jews of Israel are going into Canaan. God splits the Jordan River, closes the Jordan River back up, and the last verse of Joshua chapter 4 says, "And they glorified God because they had not seen this before." Because what they just saw, they can't be quiet about. Second Chronicles chapter 20, Israel is under attack by Moab and Ammon. And the Bible says they said, God said, "Listen, y'all stand still and see the salvation of the Lord." When they got to the battleground, it was dead bodies everywhere. And Second Chronicles 20, verse 26 and 28 says they started praising God in the ballad of Barak, and then they moved to the house of the Lord because what they just saw, you can't be quiet about. Well, can he be quiet about seeing money in the mouth of a fish? About seeing crying people get shy? About seeing people? When God does it, you can't be quiet. Catch somebody, tell them neighbor, "God has done so much in my life, I can't be quiet about it." So they say, "So from the hand of a healer, he healed me. I got to say something. He saved me. I got to say something. He gave me a blessing. I got to say something." Okay, y'all still acting funny. These days at the airport, when you go through security, there's a little TV screen there, chattering. When you're standing in security line, there's a lady talking on the street. She says, "If you see any suspicious behavior, if you see something, say something." Still acting slow. If you see anything that's out of the normal, if you see something, say something. Y'all still acting funny. Maybe you haven't seen a miracle lately, but if God steps in your life and does something out of the normal, if you see something, say something. Be quiet about it, buddy. Shut you up, Georgia, baby. If you see something, say something. [Applause] Crazy. The Lord. Praise him in his sanctuary. Praise it for his excellent goodness. Praise him for his loving-kindness. Touch the people. He'd been too good to me for me to be quiet. I will not shut up because if I do, rocks don't cry out, and rocks ain't been through what I've been through. I've got to open my mouth. I quit. [Applause] They say, "No, no, no, no. Threatening with jail." If you want to, I'll just preach in jail. All right, here's the close. This is I really got someone to say, but I got it. I got it. I gotta shut it down. I gotta quit. Y'all supposed to say, "Pastor, you can't quit." [Applause] I don't come too far to quit. Now, everybody grab your Bible. This is it. This is it. Tap your neighbor, tell your neighbors, "Excuse me, I might run on this point." I'm in verse 21. Here it is. Here it is. They was going to punish Peter and John. Text says they didn't punish him because of the people. Y'all missed it. God didn't get him out of this one. God just sent some people to stand with him. So y'all don't know how to act appreciative 'cause many of you want to walk around saying, "It's just me and the Lord." No, it ain't just you and the Lord. God got some people in your life that if it wasn't for them, you would be dead already. But God sent some people to help you stand. Understand with you so the enemy wouldn't take you out. That ain't it. Here it is. That's it. That's it. The Bible says in verse 21, "And all the men glorified God for what was done." Did y'all see in verse 21? You saw it, but you don't know how to appreciate it. I swear y'all getting on my nerves. It. I swear. "And all the men then appreciated and glorified God." Come here. They were intending to arrest Peter and John so that Jesus would not get the glory. But [Music] by the time we get to verse 21, they figured out that even going to jail will still bring God the glory. 'Cause the glory you tried to stop, but every time you throw down on me, I'm just packing it under my feet, so I rise higher to the situation. Tap your neighbor, tell your neighbor, "What they favor?" But they found out the very thing they trying to stop, they actually keeping it going. Therefore, I reckon that this light affliction is only working for a moment to bring us into a greater weight of glory eternal in the heavens. Grab somebody, tell them neighbor, "It's not that you being mad about the attack. The attack is getting ready to bring God some glory." What they think they trying to stop, they're actually gonna continue. That's why you can't quit. You can't quit. You come too far to quit. Now, and if you quit now, God won't get the glory. God just doesn't get the glory out of your successes. God gets the glory even in your struggles. Never gonna be helped in here. [Applause] He takes you out. You grab somebody by the hand and just tell them, "Neighbor, it's not that you get knocked down. Just make up in your mind, I ain't staying down." I said, "Make up in your mind, I'm not staying down." Everyone's standing. I refuse to stay down. I might get knocked down, but I refuse to stay down. God's word to somebody in here is, "Quit, quit." [Applause] God never promised you you wouldn't get knocked down, but he did promise you he'll raise you up. And when he raises you up, you have the testimony: "I refuse to quit." I don't know who I'm talking to, but God done brought you through too much. God has brought you through too much. You were depressed, he raised you back up. You were broke, he raised you back up. You went through divorce, he raised you back up. You had a bad relationship, he raised you back up. You got fired, he raised you back up. To something on the inside won't let you stay down. And no matter what they say about you, no matter how they view you, no matter how they ignore your accomplishments, it's always interesting. People are silent about your accomplishments and loud about your failures. [Applause] Next time you run into somebody like that, just tell yourself, "Oh, that person likes me. That's all. They just don't know how to tell me they like me." Those often times your public adversaries are actually secret admirers. Hey, hey, hey. Foreman, if you so busy trying to attack me, you apparently ain't got a life. [Applause] Because if you was busy minding your own business and tending to your own life, you wouldn't have time. You got too much time on your hands. Go get you a boo, obey something, go to the movies, do something with yourself. You got too much time on your hands. Go learn how to cook, do something. You got a lot of time on your hands 'cause my life is busy. And if you got time to keep up with me, you ain't got a life. Here's the good news: for every one person that will raise up against you, God got somebody that will stand with you. I want to challenge somebody in this place: stop magnifying your haters and celebrating lovers. Stop giving so much attention to people who are against you and start recognizing the people who are standing right there with you. Because if God be for you, he's more than the whole world against you. Grab hands with the person next to you. Father, I just have one request for the hand that I hold, and that is, Lord, I pray that you will give my brother or sister pop back power. [Music] I don't even care what knocked them down. I'm asking right now, God, that you would give them back up. [Music] Whatever broke their heart, whatever bothered their spirit, give them pop back up power. As a matter of fact, God, while I'm praying, I pray that your joy will overtake them right now in the name of the Lord Jesus. Give them joy unspeakable and full of glory. You proved to us through Christ that we can be bad and get back. Would you press into the hands of the person you hold? Pop back power to tell them, "Neighbor, you can't stay down. You just got God's brought you through too much. You can't stay down. He keeps bringing you out so you can get back up. He keeps raising you until you can get back up. You plant weak." [Music] [Music] [Music] And may you discover the power of God, the power not to quit, in the name of the Lord Jesus. And the people of God said, Amen. Somebody give him praise like y'all said, give him praise like you up. [Applause] I said, give it back. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music]