A Sermon Series on the Book of Acts We Must Obey God!

Transcription

1 Passage: Acts 5:12-42 A Sermon Series on the Book of Acts We Must Obey God! Additional Scriptures: 1 Cor. 6:9-20; Eph. 2:8-10; James 2:14-26; 1 John 1:5-2:6 A. INCREASED NUMBERS, INCREASED PERSECUTION (Acts 5:12-18) The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. The Holy Spirit continued to testify to the message of Jesus resurrection the apostles were preaching through many miraculous signs, and the response of the people was one of wonder at what they were seeing 2. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon s Colonnade. 3 No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. 14 Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. Note that, in spite of rising opposition from the religious leaders, the believers continued to meet for worship, prayer, and the Apostles teaching publicly in Solomon s Colonnade next to the Temple. Due to this increasing persecution, as well as the great fear that had seized everyone due to the divine judgment on Ananias & Sapphira, people were hesitant to associate with the apostles. Yet the Lord continued to bring many more men and women to saving faith in Jesus Christ! Opposition and growth go hand-in-hand As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. 16 Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by evil spirits, and all of them were healed. Where there was great opposition to the Gospel, there was also great power as the Lord worked through the Apostles in healing many of various diseases and evil spirits. It was a pagan belief that even the shadow of a miracle-worker could heal, so many were trying even to get near Peter in the hopes of

2 being healed. Luke tells us that all who came to be healed were in the Name of Jesus! Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. 18 They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. Luke continues to contrast the response of the religious leaders to that of the believers and those Jews who were coming to faith in Jesus the Messiah. Reminder: The Sadducees were a religious sect of Judaism, heavily involved politically with the Romans, and part of the Sanhedrin the ruling council of 71 within Jerusalem. They did not hold to all of the teachings of the Old Testament prophets and writings, but only the Torah, the 5 books of Moses (Genesis-Deuteronomy). As well, they did not believe in a future resurrection of the dead or supernatural beings such as angels or demons Instead of being filled with wonder at all that was happening (Acts 3:10), the religious leaders were filled with jealousy (Acts 5:17). This is the same Greek word (pimplemi) that Luke uses to describe the believers being filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4; 4:8, 31; 9:17; 13:9). Luke is telling us that instead of repentance and being filled with the Holy Spirit, the leaders instead hardened their hearts towards the message and acts of God through the Apostles. The result: now all the Apostles find themselves arrested and put in jail, similar to what had already happened to Peter and John as a result of the earlier healing of the man born crippled (Acts 4). The religious leaders once again thought they could simply get rid of this problem. B. THE FULL MESSAGE OF THE GOSPEL (Acts 5:19-21) But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. There is a wonderful bit of irony and humour here as the Sadducees did not believe in supernatural beings like angels or demons, the very thing God used to deliver the Apostles in the middle of the night! Imagine how confused and bewildered the Sadducees must have been trying to come up with an explanation for what happened (Acts 5:24)!

3 The Bible tells us that angels are created beings who dwell in the presence of God and are sent by Him to help those who will inherit salvation (See Job 38:7; Col. 1:16; Matt. 18:10; Heb. 1:14). i. Hebrews 1:14 Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation? Go, stand in the temple courts, he said, and tell the people the full message of this new life. 21 At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people. Notice that the angel did not tell them to flee the city, but to return to the very spot where they had been previously arrested in full public view in the temple courts! Not only did the angel command them to return to the same location, but they were to continue to preach the same message repentance from sin and salvation in Jesus Name as Messiah This would have required bold faith on the part of the Apostles! It would have been easier for them to run and hide (remember what happened the night of Jesus arrest Zech. 13:7; Matt. 26:31; Mark 14:27). It also would have been all too easy for them to water-down the Gospel and only preach what the religious leaders wanted them to preach a salvation devoid of Christ (Acts 4:17-18; 5:28, 40)! i. We, too, must remember and heed the angel s warning & command to preach the full message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ a message of repentance from sin to faith in Jesus blood as the only way of salvation (John 14:6; Acts 4:12). This is definitely NOT a popular message in our Canadian culture that values religious tolerance and personal autonomy. But it is the only message that can save sinners souls! ii. Another unpopular part of the Gospel is that true saving faith is not based on good works, but leads to good works (See Eph. 2:8-10; James 2:14-26). This goes against the popular thought in Canadian culture that being a good person is enough to get to heaven. The Bible clearly teaches that all are sinners in need of forgiveness (Rom. 3:23-24); all our good works are like filthy rags in God s sight (Isa. 64:6) because He alone is perfect and holy in all He is and does (Lev. 11:44; Ps. 77:13; 99:9; Isa. 6:3; Rev. 4:8).

4 iii. The Gospel also calls sinners to ongoing repentance and sanctification the process by which we become more and more Christ-like in our attitudes and actions (See Matt. 3:8-10; 1 Cor. 6:9-11; 1 John 1:5-2:6). This challenges the popular message that only says God loves you just the way you are! The truth is that God loves you too much to leave you the way you are. Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil in our lives so that we would live free from the consequences of sin (See Rom. 6:1-14; 1 John 3:7-10). C. WE MUST OBEY GOD, NOT MEN! (Acts 5:21-32) Then someone came and said, Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people. 26 At that, the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles. They did not use force, because they feared that the people would stone them. The Apostles obeyed the Lord s instruction and continued to boldly proclaim the Lord Jesus as the way of salvation in the temple courts The leaders, however, were afraid of the people because they held the Apostles in high regard (5:13). Once again we can see a clear contrast between the Jewish leadership and the Apostles The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. 28 We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name, he said. Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man s blood. The Sanhedrin were upset that the Apostles had continued to teach in [Jesus ] name because it implied their guilt at having Him crucified. The irony here is that Jesus had told the religious leaders that they would be held responsible for rejecting Him (Matt. 23:35), and they even called a curse on themselves when Jesus was on trial before Pilate (Matt. 27:25). The Apostles were merely speaking the truth! The Sanhedrin had given strict orders not to teach in Jesus name and had threatened them if they continued in their civil disobedience what would they do? i. It must be pointed out that followers of Jesus are expected to honour and respect earthly authority as a way of submitting to God s authority (See Acts 23:1-5; Rom. 13:1-7).

5 ii. However, when that human authority sets itself up against God s authority, then it is a Christian s duty to humbly and respectfully disobey for the sake of God s higher Law (See Daniel 3; Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; Rev. 13:11-18, 14:9-12) Peter and the other apostles replied: We must obey God rather than men! Knowing the potential consequences and yet trusting in the Lord s plan and ability to deliver them (See Dan. 3:16-18), the Apostles made their bold declaration and commitment to Christ. They knew what they had been commanded to do by the Lord, and to obey these human rulers would be to disobey the voice of God. As we consider our contemporary Canadian context, there are several areas where we as disciples of Jesus need to be ready to humbly and boldly take our stand for Jesus Christ, the Word of God: i. Creation The Bible clearly teaches that In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Gen. 1:1). This He did through the spoken word (Gen. 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 22, 24, 26) in six literal 24-hour days (Gen. 1:5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31). ii. iii. iv. Gender The Bible clearly teaches that God created man in His image and made them male and female from the beginning--there are only two possible genders (Gen. 1:27). Our gender is not fluid but chosen by God and fixed within the womb (Ps. 139:13-16). Marriage The Bible clearly teaches that marriage is intended between one man and one woman for life, and that sex is to be enjoyed exclusively in the context of the marriage relationship, never outside or beforehand (Gen. 2:24; Matt. 19:3-9). Morality Canadian culture has in recent years openly embraced the homosexual lifestyle as a valid life choice. Recently, the Supreme Court has legalized the possession of and use of recreational marijuana. How are Christians to respond? a. Homosexuality The Bible clearly teaches that homosexuality (along with every other form of

6 idolatry and rebellion) is a sin, and that those who continue in it will not inherit eternal life (See 1 Cor. 6:9-11; Gal. 5:19-21). Many churches want to welcome and love gay people (a good thing) but without calling them to repentance and holy living. This results in a false gospel that leaves people in their sin and brokenness! b. Legalized Marijuana Now that our Canadian government and the culture have embraced and made marijuana use legal, how are disciples of Jesus to respond? Is it lawful for us to use? Does the Bible give us any principles? I believe it does! 1) Though I may be permitted, legally-speaking, to use marijuana, is it beneficial? (1 Cor. 6:12) 2) Though I may have the freedom to use it, will it lead to greater freedom or slavery? The issue is this: will it ultimately control and master me (See 1 Cor. 6:12)? Since marijuana use dulls the senses and produces an altered state of mind, some form of control of the mind to the drug occurs, when Scripture commands that a believer be sober-minded and self-controlled by the Holy Spirit (See Rom. 8:9, 12-15; Gal. 5:16, 22-23; Eph. 5:18; 1 Peter 4:7). 3) Finally, is my body actually my own to do with as I please? (See 1 Cor. 6:19-20; 10:31) v. Religious pluralism The Bible clearly teaches and Jesus affirmed that there is only one way to God (John 14:6) an exclusive claim that is seen in our culture as intolerant of other views. This is because our culture has believed the lie that there are no absolute truths and every truth claim is equally valid. vi. (Super) Naturalism Ever since the scientific age of enlightenment, the belief in the spiritual realm and miracles has been eroded. Yet Christianity affirms the supernatural in creation, Jesus ministry and His resurrection from the dead, making us seem weird or foolish in the eyes of the educated. Q: Will we obey the words of God or listen to the competing voice of man in these areas?

7 D. AN UNEXPECTED VOICE OF REASON (Acts 5:32-40) We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him. The Apostles, like Jesus, pointed to the miracles as evidence that their message was from God. They also pointed out that the promised Holy Spirit had been given to those who obey the message. Implication: the religious leaders were disobedient and rejected as far as the faith was concerned! The Apostles and the church had now been given the keys (authority) of David s kingdom (See Isa. 22:22; Matt. 16:19; Rev. 3:7), meaning that the Sanhedrin had lost their authority no wonder they were furious! When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death. Furious diaprio = to be sawn in two by means of They were so angry at the Apostles response that they were sawn in two (lit. pierced through ) with animalistic rage, wanting to kill them on the spot! This is in stark contrast to the crowds who had earlier been cut to the heart (Acts 2:37) by Peter s preaching through the Holy Spirit. There are really only two responses to God s work: we are drawn closer and our hearts are opened, or we harden our hearts and go further away (See Isaiah 6:9-10; Luke 8:10; John 9:39-41) But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. In the midst of this tense scene steps forward an unlikely voice of temperance and wisdom: Gamaliel. The Pharisees were the opposition party to the Sadducees and were committed to upholding the purity of the Law of Moses. Unlike the Sadducees, the Pharisees held to all of the prophetic writings of the Old Testament and oral tradition, believed in supernatural beings and the resurrection of the dead, and upheld the sovereignty of God. They were also the popular favourites among the people hence Gamaliel was honoured by all the people. Gamaliel was also called The Elder because he was the grandson of famous Rabbi Hillel, and it was said in the Mishnah (Jewish commentary) that when he died, the glory of the law ceased and

8 purity and abstinence died. 1 He was a brilliant teacher of the law whose student happened to be Saul of Tarsus, later the Apostle Paul (See Acts 22:3). Clearly he commanded a lot of respect among the Sanhedrin! Gamaliel calmly reminded the Sanhedrin of two previous attempts at uprisings among the people that had failed. Even though we are not told that Gamaliel ever became a believer, he was used by God to speak a word of caution and rational thought in this situation. God can use unexpected people to be sympathetic to His people! Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. 39 But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God. Gamaliel was given wisdom to know that it was too soon to determine of what origin this Way was. He cautioned that it would be foolish to fight against something supernatural in origin. 2,000 years later, we can affirm that the Church is God s work as no one has been able to stop its progress and growth! His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. Even though his speech persuaded them not to put these men to death, they still did not soften their hearts to the message of salvation in Jesus or repent of their pride. Instead, they beat them and once again commanded them not to preach or teach in Jesus Name. E. REJOICING IN SUFFERING (Acts 5:41-42) The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. A supernatural response to what they had just experienced, evidence that this group of disciples had ben radically transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit since their desertion and denial of Christ the night He was betrayed. May this be our attitude toward suffering, should we also be called upon to stand up for our faith in the face of great challenges and consequences! 1 Bock, Darrell L. Acts, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Baker Academic, Grand Rapids: 2007, p. 249.

9 2. 42 Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah. Choosing not to obey the corrupt Jewish leadership, they went right on doing what the Lord Jesus had commanded them witnessing to His resurrection, baptizing new believers, and teaching them to obey all of the Lord s commands (Matt. 28:18-20). May we prove faithful to this mission as well!