The Lion of Judah's Roar

"When Christ reveals Himself there is satisfaction in the slenderest portion, and without Christ there is emptiness in the greatest fullness."
Alexander Grosse

The Lion of Judah's Roar
5For John baptized with water,
but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."
8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you;
and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,
and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
Acts 1: 5,8NIV


One of the principle reasons we are given the Holy Spirit of God
is so that we will be empowered
to be powerful witnesses for the kingdom of God and His Christ.

The word witness means:
Someone who has seen something so amazing
they are compelled to share it with others.

As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ
the Holy Spirit is desiring to fill us with the courage and determination
to build up our faith
so we can become star witnesses for the Gospel message.

In the third and fourth chapters of Acts we see a striking example of this in the account of Peter and John as they entered the Gate Beautiful of the Temple in Jerusalem.

1Now Peter and John were going up to the temple
at the ninth hour, the hour of prayer.
2And a man who had been lame from his mother's womb
was being carried along,
whom they used to set down every day at the gate of the temple
which is called Beautiful, in order to beg alms
of those who were entering the temple.
3When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple,
he began asking to receive alms.
4But Peter, along with John, fixed his gaze on him and said,
"Look at us!"
5And he began to give them his attention,
expecting to receive something from them.
6But Peter said, "I do not possess silver and gold,
but what I do have I give to you:
In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene--walk!"
7And seizing him by the right hand, he raised him up;
and immediately his feet and his ankles were strengthened.
8With a leap he stood upright and began to walk;
and he entered the temple with them,
walking and leaping and praising God.
9And all the people saw him walking and praising God;
10and they were taking note of him
as being the one who used to sit
at the Beautiful Gate of the temple to beg alms,
and they were filled with wonder and amazement
at what had happened to him.
Acts 3:1-10 NIV

It is worth noting that once healed this man…
Walked – he received his physical healing
Leaped – he received an emotional healing
Followed – he was spiritually transformed.

It is also interesting to note that Peter –
yes the guy who had just recently denied Christ;
was now filled with the Holy Spirit
and working miracles in the name of Jesus.

God’s Spirit distributes His gifts,
because we have need of the gifts…
We are needy of physical, emotional and spiritual healing and renewal.

If God distributes such gifts,
both for our benefit
and for the further work of the Gospel,
they we ought to seek them
and be obedient to use them to that end.

In Acts 4 we see that this one incident resulted in over 5000 men coming to the Lord. One has to wonder what the total effect was, considering these men had families; brothers, sisters and many had wives and children.

4But many of those who had heard the message believed;
and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.
Acts 4:4 NASB

Of course there was another reaction to this miracle…
The religious leaders of the day were threatened by such an outpouring amongst their “flock.” They had Peter and John thrown into jail, so they could conspire against them in an attempt to destroy or kill this “radical message.”

1As they were speaking to the people,
the priests and the captain of the temple guard
and the Sadducees came up to them,
2being greatly disturbed
because they were teaching the people
and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.
[the Sadducees didn’t believe in a resurrection - Edit fkj]
3And they laid hands on them
and put them in jail until the next day,
for it was already evening.
5On the next day, their rulers and elders
and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem;
6and Annas the high priest was there,
and Caiaphas and John and Alexander,
and all who were of high-priestly descent.
7When they had placed them in the center,
they began to inquire,
"By what power, or in what name, have you done this?"
Acts 4:1-3, 5-8 NASB

There are still these kinds of “religious” men in the world
who would deny the power of the Gospel of Christ.
They still hold on to the vain traditions of men,
and deny the fullness of the Word of God.

1But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.
2For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful,
arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,
3unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips,
without self-control, brutal, haters of good,
4treacherous, reckless, conceited,
lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5holding to a form of godliness,
although they have denied its power;
Avoid such men as these.
2 Timothy 3:1-5 NASB

13Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John
and understood that they were
uneducated and untrained men,
they were amazed,
and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus.
(my emphasis bold and underlined)

This is the source… being in the presence of Jesus!

14And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them,
they had nothing to say in reply.

When we receive the power of the Holy Spirit and walk in the light
signs and wonders follow after us…
there is no argument when God miraculously heals someone…
this is especially true of non-believers!

15But when they had ordered them to leave the Council,
they began to confer with one another,
16saying, "What shall we do with these men?
For the fact that a noteworthy miracle has taken place
through them is apparent to all who live in Jerusalem,
and we cannot deny it.
17"But so that it will not spread any further among the people,
let us warn them to speak no longer to any man in this name."
18And when they had summoned them,
they commanded them
not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.
(my emphasis bold and underlined)
Acts 4:13-17 NASB

The enemy of God’s people has not changed his tactics. This meeting could have taken place in almost any city in America today. In this “Post Modern Culture” you can espouse almost any radical spiritual view with immunity. But when you proclaim the Gospel of Christ the “religious types” are still saying “Go and don’t speak or teach in the name of Jesus.”

After they threatened them, they let them go…
They didn’t want to, but they were afraid of the people.

21When they had threatened them further,
they let them go (finding no basis on which to punish them)
on account of the people,
because they were all glorifying God for what had happened;
Acts 4:21 NASB

Peter and John went back to the disciples and followers of Jesus and recounted all that had happened and then they prayed
“Lord, fill us more!”

One might think they would have laid-low for a while.
But no, they sought more
until they were filled with the impartation and boldness
that only the Holy Spirit can impart.

29"And now, Lord, take note of their threats,
and grant that Your bond-servants
may speak Your word with all confidence,
30while You extend Your hand to heal,
and signs and wonders take place
through the name of Your holy servant Jesus."
31And when they had prayed,
the place where they had gathered together was shaken,
and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit
and began to speak the word of God with boldness
(my emphasis bold and underlined)
Acts 4:29-31NASB

Boldness is the characteristic of being “secure in being conspicuous.”
[Thayer’s Dictionary]

The Holy Spirit empowers us to be secure in the things of the Spirit…
 Stepping out for Jesus in uncomfortable places.
 Becoming comfortable with His moving
in the supernatural through us.
 Enduring ridicule or suffering for the sake of the Gospel

We were created to be lights on a stand set on a hilltop.

14You are the light of the world.
A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
15Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel,
but on a candlestick; and it gives light unto all that are in the house.
Matthew 5:13-14NKJV

We are to be the living words of life that change the atmosphere around us.

In the classic movie The Wizard of Oz the cowardly lion finally comes to the realization that courage has been within him all along…

to which he asserts: “Put ‘em up!, Put ‘em up!

Such is the type of transformation of our spirit
when we allow the Holy Spirit to take His rightful place in our lives.
There is no need for a learning curve,
He simply imparts the courage we need for whatever the situation.

The highest priority of the Holy Spirit is to reveal Christ to us.
If we will submit to His tutelage however, we will find that He will lead us in many wonderful and surprising ways:
He will lead us into courageous worship
He will lead is in revelation of the Word of God
He will lead us in fervent and effectual intercession
He will lead us into all Truth….

Our confidence comes from confiding in who He is!

Long before David was to face Goliath
He learned the power of being in God’s presence.
He spent years in praise and worship before the Lord
He spent years of pasturing his father’s flocks
and learning to face their adversaries.
I visualize him spending years of leisure time in the fields as he tended the sheep, practicing with his sling, never imagining its pending import.

The courage to face Goliath came from a lifestyle of intimate worship,
and the demonstration of God’s faithfulness to him.

Adoration of the Lord leads to revelation and empowerment.

The Holy Spirit also will lead us in such courageous remembrances.
He reminds us of the love, mercy, kindness and goodness of God.

Of course we all have the natural capacity to remember…

The Holy Spirit however brings us a supernatural ability to remember
just the right thing at the right moment of time.

I am often amazed at the faithfulness of God to bring a particular memory, or Scripture verse, or account to my mind when I am ministering to others. It is most always just what they needed to hear, so that they could be encouraged or walk in faith. These are Gilgal moments (see Joshua 4) that recall the power and faithfulness of our God.

Such remembrances keep us focused in the positive and allow our faith to grow.

Far to many are held captive by negative thoughts and fears
simply because they fail to go back to Gilgal
and be refreshed in the goodness and surety of God’s faithfulness.

Paul Harvey used to sign off by saying “That’s the rest of the story!”

In Christ we can say “That’s the BEST of the story!”

In our every situation and circumstance we need not face life alone…
Christ is with us in every circumstance and He is committed to us.

Surely I am with you always, to the end of the age.
Matthew 28:20b NIV

It is Christ in us that is the hope of glory.

To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles
the glorious riches of this mystery,
which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Colossians 1:27 NIV

The Holy Spirit keep us dwelling in the Shadow of the Almighty.

There is an interesting nature film simply named “The Bear.”
In this film there is a young bear cub that gets separated from its mother and is discovered by a hungry cougar. The cougar chases the little frightened cub and finally corners it. The little cub cowers and wines in the face of its impending doom. Just as the cougar gets ready to strike, it freezes.
The little cub suddenly looks down and sees his mother’s shadow in front of him. She is standing behind him and her shadow surrounds him. When he sees her shadow he rises up and lets out a “little bear roar.” Almost at the same instant the mother lets our a resounding “get away from my baby roar!” The cougar flees for its life and the baby bear is saved under the shadow of its mother.

1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD,
"He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust."
Psalm 91:1-2 NIV

The Word says that the devil is like a lion,
who goes about roaring seeking whom he may devour.

Be self-controlled and alert.
Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion
looking for someone to devour.
1 Peter 5:8NIV

Jesus did say we would have tribulation in this world…

But when the roaring lion meets the Lion of Judah in us
It is like the cougar that met the mother bear… no contest!

Jesus continued to say: Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.

33"I have told you these things,
so that in me you may have peace.
In this world you will have trouble.
But take heart! I have overcome the world."
John 16:33 NIV

The time is approaching and now is for the church to ask for this kind of courage.
It is time for us to stand in our authority in Christ
and defeat the enemies around us.

6 May the praise of God be in their mouths
and a double-edged sword in their hands,
7 to inflict vengeance on the nations
and punishment on the peoples,
8 to bind their kings with fetters,
their nobles with shackles of iron,
9 to carry out the sentence written against them.
This is the glory of all his saints.
Praise the LORD.
Psalm 149:6-11 NIV

We stand in the shadow of the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings!
It is time to roar with the Lion of Judah!

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