Suffering for Jesus (Acts 5:12-42)

Great Commission Prayer

“You can tell how popular a church is by who comes on Sunday morning.

You can tell how popular the pastor or evangelist is by who comes on Sunday night.

But you can tell how popular Jesus is by who comes to the prayer meeting.” Jim Cymbala

what about the car wash???

purpose to love like Jesus

and share good news

there has been a subtle (incremental) but major shift in our culture

> 30 years ago = cool/expected to be Christian

—> 20 years ago = not cool/expected to be a Christian

—> , 10 years ago = open opposition to Christians

it will cost something to follow Jesus

it will also mean something to follow Jesus

no more closet Christians

the culture is coming at you

God vs. Jesus conversations

do you believe God’s Word is literal?

marriage—man and woman for life

gender—immutable

abortion—value life from womb to the tomb

you will suffer for Jesus

ridicule

opposition

jail time???

I hope I look good in orange

and y’all will bake me a birthday cake every once in a while

suffering for Jesus has been a foreign concept in America

except we are seeing glimpses of it today

pray at midfield after a football game

decline to bake a cake for your Biblical convictions

share the good news of Jesus in your workplace

we have been praying for boldness

speaking when rather be silent

despite the circumstances or consequences

not ugly, loud, argumentative, or cantankerous

never want to suffer for acting foolishly

but suffering for acting like Jesus???

pointing people to Jesus???

Luke 6:22-23

this message will not jive with

follow Jesus and all things will be easy/glorious/greater

this message will jive with

His ways are higher than your ways

God is greater

Christ’s kingdom is not of this earth

He is worthy

blank screen

background

4:32-37

freshly filled HS community

no need unmet

proactive love

can you imagine these church members???

Helen’s alternator went out & can’t get to work

Tom talked with his wife, Bonnie, loan extra vehicle

Frank knows a guy who can fix for a discount

pays in cash instead of buying new fishing rod

because felt the HS prompted him

Helen cannot wait to share of how the Lord provided for her need

Randy is living in Lufkin driving/paying $1,500 for rent on teacher’s salary

Charlie and Cindy live in Nac

offer extra room above garage

Randy is encouraged because

he is about to move closer to his work…and church family

John 13:34-35

Barnabas

son of encouragement

generous giver

but sin of jealousy will disrupt unity

5:1-11

Satan’s attacks have not been successful from the outside

so he tries from the inside

to ruin the unity

Ananias and Sapphira try to look more holy than they really are

sell land for $125,000, give $100,000, but lie and say they gave it all

lie to HS (who is God)

struck down immediately by God

God wants His church to be holy

set apart

not sinless, but repentant

if not, He will deal with it

5:5, 5:11 — great fear

Hebrews 10:31 “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

Ananias and Sapphira’s hypocrisy was not allowed to spread

unity doesn’t just happen without accountability

healthy churches do not tolerate any form of disunity

we cannot be healthy if we don’t care for each others’ souls

we want to be a church that pursues members that have strayed

we run after the wayward sinner

we love them back into the fold

BUT if they refuse to repent

Jesus gave instructions on church discipline (Matt 18)

tell it to the church

do you love your sin more than Jesus?

“corrective discipline doesn’t have to be public”

“Sin needs darkness to grow —

it needs isolation disguised as ‘privacy,’

and prideful self-sufficiency disguised as ‘strength.’ ”

“personal accountability friendships helps to prevent the sins we struggle with now from becoming scandalous later.”

“Churches grow when sin is nipped in the bud.”

otherwise it is a cancer that prevents growth and even breeds death

deaths of Ananias and Sapphira travels

but so does the work of the Lord

5:12-16

Jesus continues His healing ministry through apostles

but just like in Jesus’ day

the crowd is divided

Are you all in for Jesus?

5:13

None of the rest dared join them

have the courage, be brave enough—BDAG

but the people held them in high esteem

to show respect —LN

respected but not bold enough to join

people were willing to listen from a distance

but not take the next step to associate

happened with Jesus

some kept a healthy distance

others counted the cost and knew it was worth following Jesus (5:14)

not only is Jesus worth our devotion (HE DIED FOR US)

but to reject Him is far more costly

invitation to lost and lukewarm (5:13)

to be close to the children of God does not make you a child of God

Jesus is the only way you become a son or daughter of the King

Jesus wants you all in

and it was happening (5:14)

don’t just dismiss

who is Jesus to you???

life’s problems don’t disappear when follow Jesus

it might actually get harder

BUT joy is something you cannot buy

peace with God through Jesus is priceless

are you all in?

you can keep hanging on the outskirts and never give your life to Jesus

you could have prayed the prayer but never gave your life to Jesus

I don’t want you to hear, “Depart from Me, I never knew you”

don’t miss out on the journey of following Jesus today

the early church knew that following Jesus would cost

and they might not have known the full cost

but they were all in at all costs for Jesus

Are you all in at all costs for Jesus?

who likes roller coasters???

Astroworld

The Viper

Greased Lightning

Dungeon Drop

what is the worst thing about roller coasters? the line

what was the best thing? being on the ride

life can be like a roller coaster

as a Christian

too often we become consumed with our destination (heaven)

that we forget the ride (abundant life)

it’s like being on the roller coaster and wanting to get off when ride gets bumpy

you waited in a long line that zig-zagged and sweated a bucket

but you want the ride to end

what if the bumpy part of the ride we call life is intended to be the best part? time we are closest to God

why do we think that hard times of persecution are not God’s will

and pray for deliverance INSTEAD of courage (4:29)?

why is suffering for Jesus something we run from?

the first Christians understood this

but it seems that we have lost this understanding

we think Christianity is supposed to be easy

this was never promised

not by Jesus

Jn 15:18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.”

maybe we need to let the Bible reshape our thinking

Rom 12:1-2

join me on this little journey with the apostles

the conflict with Christians and Jews is intensifying—really cosmic battle between Jesus and Satan

5:17-21a

jealousy

zeal

stamp out Messianic movement

success for Christians was happening on religious leaders’ turf

order or Romans swoop in

public prison

religious leaders wanted to make a public spectacle out of apostles

which will backfire

God has the final say with His children

But… “Go…speak…”

immediate obedience

no fear of safety

likely same spot where arrested

irony: Sadducees didn’t believe in angels

the apostles did ;)

no fear when know God is on your side

why do we have fear in obeying the Lord?

let Satan’s voice drown out God’s voice

fear of our persecution (feelings hurt, don’t know answer, rejection) is stronger

than fear of eternal hell for lost person

5:21b-26

apostles direct contradiction 4:18

not only are the apostles missing from the public prison

they are out publicly teaching the people about Jesus

the religious leaders think they are in control

but have no control at all

5:27-32

religious leaders

“We strictly charged…”

literally “We commanded you with a commandment…”

what earthly force has commanded you with a commandment against speaking the name of Jesus?

athletic director

company policy

school board

government law

tax exempt status

yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching

ever got an accusation that was really a compliment???

BRAVO—Acts 1:8

religious leaders never mention

miraculous escape

or name of Jesus

BUT Peter is not ashamed of Jesus

apostles

We must obey God rather than men

“To be sure, Christians are called to be conscientious citizens and generally speaking, to submit to human authorities. But if the authority concerned misuses its God-given power to command what He forbids or forbid what He commands, then the Christian’s duty is to disobey the human authority in order to obey God’s.” John Stott

repent and believe in Jesus

where does a fisherman get the courage to scold the religious leaders?

and make a plea for them to repent and follow Jesus?

who knows what will happen when you pray for boldness???

former screen

5:33-40

they were enraged

literally—sawn in two

Gamaliel

greatly esteemed Pharisee

Sadducees ruled by majority on Sanhedrin

but often went with Pharisees who had popularity with the people

for Christians

he was Paul’s teacher before Christ (22:3)

Theudas rose up

Judas the Galilean rose up

followers of Jesus

Leader (Jesus) is no longer with them (presumably dead)

band of misfits

let it die out like Theudas and Judas

if from God, we don’t want to fight

don’t believe he thought it was from God

didn’t want the conflict

but it was clear whose side God was on

signs and wonders

miraculous escape from jail

God was flexing His might among the apostles

beat them

tripled strip of calf’s hide

each cycle divisible by three

2 on back; 1 to chest

maximum limit 39—1 less than prescribed in Deut 25:3

men died from this kind of beating

don’t know if full limit or not

likely lived with the scars for rest of life

response is not of this world

5:41-6:1a

how can anyone rejoice after receiving lashes?

it is an answer to prayer

4:29, 31

HS as response to prayer

it is in response to Jesus’ words

Luke 6:22-23

irony: followers of Jesus thrive under persecution

promise of Acts 1:8 is not cushy, but it is promised

witness = μάρτυρες

why aren’t we more faithful in sharing Jesus?

scared someone may disagree or ask hard questions

while apostles beaten

maybe we are not real faithful because we consider suffering a curse

something to run away from

2 Tim 3:12

Phil 1:29

we idolize comfort

then gives no room for Comforter to comfort

oh how we are like the people in 5:13

we want to get close enough to Jesus for Him to be our Savior

but not close enough for Him to be our Lord

how have you been holding back on being a witness for Jesus?

how has the Lord showed you this morning that He is bigger than any fear you have?

“Tertullian [155-220], addressing the rulers of the Roman Empire, cried out: ‘Kill us, torture us, condemn us, grind us to dust… The more you mow us down, the more we grow; the seed is the blood of Christians.’”

“Persecution will refine the church, but not destroy it. If it leads to prayer and praise, to an acknowledgment of the sovereignty of God and of solidarity with Christ in His sufferings, then – however painful – it may even be welcome.” John Stott