Acts 5:17-42 - Go, Stand & Speak

Introduction

[CONTEXT] The early church continued to grow since the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. Through persecution from outside the church and sin within the church, it continued to grow.

Today we return that theme of persecution from outside the church.

We pick up at Acts 5:17…

[READING]

Acts 5:17–21 NASB95

17 But the high priest rose up, along with all his associates (that is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with jealousy. 18 They laid hands on the apostles and put them in a public jail. 19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the gates of the prison, and taking them out he said, 20 “Go, stand and speak to the people in the temple the whole message of this Life.” 21 Upon hearing this, they entered into the temple about daybreak and began to teach. Now when the high priest and his associates came, they called the Council together, even all the Senate of the sons of Israel, and sent orders to the prison house for them to be brought.

[PRAYER]

[TS] Let’s think about our passage this morning in three PARTS…

Major Divisions in the Text

Part #1: Go, Stand, And Speak (Acts 5:17-21a)

[EXP] There is righteous jealousy and unrighteous jealousy. In Exodus 20, God told His people, “You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God…” (v. 5). God is rightly jealous for the worship of His people because their worship rightly belongs to Him. There is, however, the unrighteous kind of jealousy, the sinful kind of jealousy. This is when we are jealous for that which doesn’t rightly belong to us. This is the kind of jealousy that filled the high priest and his associates in Acts 5:17.

The high priest and the Jewish sect of the Sadducees were the religious leader within Judaism at this time. They were the men who should have been pointing the people to God’s glory in Christ Jesus, but they were not jealous for God’s glory. They were jealous for their own glory.

As people started to come to the Apostles to be healed and forgiven in the Name of Jesus, these religious leaders saw their own influence waning. But rather than say as John the Baptist did, “(Jesus) must increase, and I must decrease,” they said, “We must do everything we can to make sure that Name of Jesus decreases so that we continue to increase.”

They were jealous because God was being glorified and they wanted that glory for themselves!

They were jealous because Jesus was being exalted and they wanted that exaltation for themselves!

[ILLUS] A church was once putting on a Christmas play which would feature live music, a live choir, different actors and actresses, and a backdrop that would span the entirety of the stage. In fact, the backdrop would be so big that it would block the choir from view. They would sing behind the backdrop. Some members of the choir were OK with this, but some others were not. In perhaps a moment of self-revealing honesty, one choir member said, “When I sing in the choir, I want people to see me.”

I am like that. Aren’t you? Don’t you want to be seen, recognized, applauded for the things you do? I think if we’re honest, we are all like that sometimes. We are jealous for praise, jealous for glory, jealous for exaltation, jealous to be seen.

This is not good. It isn’t right.

[APP] As followers of Jesus, everything we do is supposed to be done behind the backdrop of His glory so that He will be exalted rather than us.

We pray in secret. We fast in secret. We give in secret. We sing in secret. We witness in secret. We even sing and preach in secret because we are jealous for God’s glory in Jesus Christ!

We are not trying to exalt ourselves! We are trying to exalt Christ! We are jealous for God’s glory in Jesus Christ because all the praise, glory, and honor rightly belongs to Him!

Do we do what we do because we are jealous for God’s glory or jealous for our own?

[EXP] The jealousy of the high priest and His associates had teeth. It was a biting jealousy that “laid hands on the apostles and put them in a public jail,” (Acts 5:18).

To be put in a public jail was to be put in jail publically. In other words, this move was not only meant to lockup the Apostles but humiliate them as well. But what was meant to humiliate them only served to embolden them because “during the night an angel of the Lord opened the gates of the prison” and took them out.

God is sovereign over all things. He is the One who ultimate decides whether His Apostles will be jailed or free.

In this case He decided they would be freed, and He gave them this command in v. 20…

Acts 5:20 NASB95

20 “Go, stand and speak to the people in the temple the whole message of this Life.”

Every part of this command required courage. It required courage to go back to the place where they had just been arrested. It required courage to stand for Christ in that place once again after being persecuted. It required courage to speak not just a few vague words about a better life but the whole message of new life in Jesus Christ who is the only way of salvation, the only embodiment of divine truth, and the only source of eternal life (cf., John 14:6).

How tempting it might have been for these Apostles to water down the message, to sugarcoat the facts just a bit, but the Lord said through His angel, “Go, stand and speak… the whole message of this Life.” The first part of v. 21 tells us that when the sun came up, they began to do just that.

[ILLUS] It’s hard to follow Jesus if you’re a coward. It’s hard to go, stand, and speak unless you have courage. Probably almost 20 years ago now someone came to me and said they were talking with a friend over lunch. That friend happened to be a Mormon and made some mention about how Mormons where really just the same as Christians, which is not true at all. But the person telling me this story about lunch with their Mormon friend just started laughing and said, “When he said that, I was like, ‘I’m not touching that one!’”

Why? Why not say something in that moment? Why not tell the truth in love in that moment? Isn’t the answer that there’s no courage?

[APP] We read about the Apostles in Acts 5, and we are amazed a their courage, maybe convincing ourselves that if we had been there that we would have been just as courageous, but do we even have the courage to make lunch awkward?

I’m not trying to pick on the person that told me that 20 years ago either, because I have often been the person without courage. I have often been the one who didn’t want to make lunch awkward, didn’t want to run the risk of offending someone, didn’t want to “touch that one” whenever the Lord dropped it in my lap. I have often been the coward.

But brothers and sisters, if we don’t have the courage to make lunch awkward, how will we have courage when persecution really comes?

Oh may the Lord give me and give you the courage to make some thing awkward for Him!

Where is He calling you to go, stand, and speak?

[TS]…

We Must Obey God Rather Than Men (Acts 5:21b-32)

Acts 5:21–32 NASB95

21 Upon hearing this, they entered into the temple about daybreak and began to teach. Now when the high priest and his associates came, they called the Council together, even all the Senate of the sons of Israel, and sent orders to the prison house for them to be brought. 22 But the officers who came did not find them in the prison; and they returned and reported back, 23 saying, “We found the prison house locked quite securely and the guards standing at the doors; but when we had opened up, we found no one inside.” 24 Now when the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them as to what would come of this. 25 But someone came and reported to them, “The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people!” 26 Then the captain went along with the officers and proceeded to bring them back without violence (for they were afraid of the people, that they might be stoned). 27 When they had brought them, they stood them before the Council. The high priest questioned them, 28 saying, “We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” 29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. 30 “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross. 31 “He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. 32 “And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.”

[EXP] The ruling council of Jewish religious leaders, the Sanhedrin, plus some other Jewish leaders reconvene the day after arresting and imprisoning the Apostles. They want the Apostles brought from prison so they might examine and intimidate them, but the Apostles are not in jail. After being set free by the angel of the Lord during the night, the next morning they’re back in the temple preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ once again! The prison was still imprisoning other prisoners and the guards where still guarding other prisoners, but the Apostles were no longer prisoners but preachers once again and so they did preach!

I’m sure the religious leaders would’ve liked to beat the Apostles and drag them to another round of examination and intimidation, but they couldn’t do that because the people held the Apostles in high esteem. If they roughed up the Apostles in public, they might have a disturbance on their hands.

But the captain of the guard brought them in before the Sanhedrin without violence and then the high priest started in on them…

Acts 5:28 NASB95

28 saying, “We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.”

[APP] Oh wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could fill Mobile with the teaching of Jesus Christ, the teaching of His perfect life, atoning sacrifice, resurrection from the dead, ascension to the Father’s right hand, and imminent return?! Oh that we could fill Mobile with “the whole message of this Life,” (Acts 5:20)!

But that is precisely what these religious leaders hated and it is precisely why the Apostles are being persecuted.

The religious leaders had commanded them to no longer teach or preach in the Name of Jesus, but the Apostles persisted in doing so.

Before the crucifixion of Jesus, the religious leaders said, “His blood be on us and our children,” but here they didn’t want the blood of Jesus to be laid on them, and yet the Apostles kept telling the truth; they kept saying that these religious leaders had Jesus crucified because they did.

The religious leaders were basically saying, “How dare you? How dare you defy us? How dare you teach about Jesus? How dare you blame us for His death?” Peter answers by saying, “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:28) and then he proceeds to tell them once again about this Jesus that they crucified.

They had put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross, but God raised Jesus up! God exalted Him to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior so that Israel would repent and be forgiven on its sins!

And everything about this message of Jesus was confirmed by multiple witnesses! The twelve Apostles and, most importantly, the Holy Spirit, whom God gives to all who obey Him.

[ILLUS] When something get broken in my house or when something gets spilled on the floor or when toys are brought out and not put up, we like to play a little game of It Wasn’t Me! You know how the game goes, each contestant is confronted with a broken item, a spilled beverage, or abandoned pile of toys, and they take turns saying, “It wasn’t me!” Whoever is least convincing gets in trouble.

We’re trying, however, to get better at taking responsibility. We’re trying to get better at admitting, “It was me,” and honestly our kids do a great job of that.

We need to do a great job of that when it comes to Jesus’ death on the cross.

[APP] We all need to admit “It was me; it was my sin that hung Him there; His death was because of my sin; it should’ve be on that cross suffering God’s wrath, but He took it for me! It was me! It was me! It was me!”

The religious leaders were playing It Wasn’t Me! when they could have just admitted their sin, repented, and believed on Jesus for salvation, and they would have been forgiven, and God would have given them the Holy Spirit.

Refusing to admit that it was your sin that put Jesus on the cross will keep you out of heaven!

When you read about or hear of Jesus dying on the cross, don’t play It Wasn’t Me!; we know the truth!

It was you!

It was me too!

But we are forgiven as we take responsibility for our sin and trust in Jesus who paid the price for our sin on the cross.

[TS] …

Part #3: Kept Right on Teaching and Preaching Jesus as the Christ (Acts 5:33-42)

Acts 5:33–42 NASB95

33 But when they heard this, they were cut to the quick and intended to kill them. 34 But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the Law, respected by all the people, stood up in the Council and gave orders to put the men outside for a short time. 35 And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you propose to do with these men. 36 “For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a group of about four hundred men joined up with him. But he was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. 37 “After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census and drew away some people after him; he too perished, and all those who followed him were scattered. 38 “So in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or action is of men, it will be overthrown; 39 but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God.” 40 They took his advice; and after calling the apostles in, they flogged them and ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and then released them. 41 So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name. 42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

[EXP] Cut to the quick by the truth that Peter spoke, they decided to kill the Apostles rather than take responsibility for their wickedness and repent. But Gamaliel, a respected teacher among the Jewish people, measured his words carefully as he tried to reign in his bloodthirsty colleagues.

He reminded them of Theudas and Judas of Galilee.

Both men were popular among some of the Jews at one time.

Both men gathered a following.

Both men also died, and then their followers scattered and their movements came to nothing.

Gamaliel’s point was that, although Jesus had been popular among some of the Jews and although He had gathered a following, Jesus had also died like Theuda and Judas of Galilee.

If Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, then His followers would eventually scatter as well and the Christians would soon amount to nothing.

But if He did rise from the dead as Peter and the rest of the Apostles claimed, and if He did ascend to the Father’s right hand as Peter and the other Apostles testified, then killing the Apostles of Jesus would be the same as attacking God Himself.

Gamaliel essentially said, “Leave these guys alone because if Jesus is dead in a hole somewhere, then this thing is going to fizzle out, but He’s really at the hand of God as they claim, well then, we’ll find that we are on the wrong side of this thing.”

[EXP] They sort of took Gamaliel’s advice. They didn’t kill the Apostles, but they did flog them, which was severe, and then ordered them to no longer speak in the Name of Jesus.

As the Apostles perhaps limped away in pain, they were leaping for joy in their hearts because they had been counted worthy of suffering for Jesus, the One who had suffered on the cross for them.

It is an honor to suffer for Jesus.

[EXP] Acts 5:42 wraps up this episode…

Acts 5:42 NASB95

42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

The Apostles couldn’t be intimidated. They couldn’t be scarred off. They couldn’t be threatened or beaten so that they stopped teaching about Jesus. With God-given courage and a holy boldness, they just kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

[APP] This is how we remain faithful. We just keep right on teaching that Jesus as the Christ.

In the face of awkwardness, we teach that Jesus is the Christ!

In the face of threats and even persecution, we teach that Jesus is the Christ!

Do you know that Jesus is the Christ?

All throughout history, God promised that He would send a Redeemer, a Messiah, a Christ—an Anointed Son who would save His people from their sins.

His people needed to be saved from their sins because sin provokes His wrath, and no one can survive God’s wrath.

Who this Christ, this Anointed Son, this Savior would be was a mystery until Jesus of Nazareth was born. Messengers from God proclaimed Jesus as the Christ to Mary and Joseph and to Zechariah and Elizabeth before He was born, and they proclaimed Him as the Christ to some shepherds in a field on the night he was born!

Perhaps most surprising though would be how Jesus the Christ saved His people from their sins: He didn’t it by dying in their place on a Roman cross!

God decreed that the price for sin is death and that without the shedding of blood there can be no forgiveness of sins, so Jesus Christ paid our price by shedding His blood for us on the cross!

Jesus was buried in a tomb, but three days later He was raised from the dead. You see, Jesus Christ had no sins of His own, so once He paid the price for our’s, God the Father raised Him from the dead.

It’s proof that Jesus was really the Christ!

It’s proof that if we trust Jesus as the Christ then we are forgiven of our sins and will one day be resurrected from the dead!

If we trust in Jesus, we will have eternal life with Him rather than eternal torment in hell.

Do you know that Jesus is the Christ?

I’m going to pray that you do.

[TS]…

Conclusion

[PRAYER]