Self Government Acts 5:17–32

Introduction

General Introdction: Today we begin a four week sermon series titled Biblical Governance. I believe this sermon series is deeply needed, and I have labored to craft this in such a way that each of us will be deeply discipled as we navigate these historic and Biblical ideas and themes together. When most of us think of the word “government” our first thought is typically of Civil Government, referring to political governance at any level: alderman and mayors, governors, senators, presidents, etc. While the State is a form of government discussed in the Bible, it is not the only form of government discussed in the Bible. If we are to be wise Christians, who know the Word of God, and rightly understand the foolish mistakes being made by many in the culture around us, we must have a Biblical Worldview of Government.

Counter Cultural: I want to give a warning, perhaps a disclaimer, before we get any further in this series. Each week, as I do in all my sermons, I am going to be pushing on some idols that may be quite sensitive, if not to you, then to secular culture around us. You see, our secular culture around us is not neutral on these issues. Secular culture bought fully into an anti-Biblical worldview, and we in the Church have let some of that slip inot our own camp. And so as we expose these errors, it may be painful. The goal here is discipleship for right living in order to honor Christ our King.

Four Governments: What are the four governments we’ll be discussing. First, is governance of the self before a Holy God. Second is governance of the family, a mother and father and their children. Third is governance of the church, the bride of Christ. And fourth (and what I and many others would call the least among the four) the civil government. All four of these fit together in such a way that when properly functioning, a healthy society is accomplished. So, in the midst of our unhealthy society, we want to have clarity on what God says things ought to look like, for ourself, for our families, for our churches, and for civil government.

Context: Today, we begin with a dive into Self-Government, a vital starting place. The centerpiece around which the other three forms of government operate. Proverbs says.

Proverbs 16:32 “Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.”

In other words, it is better to be a self-governed man, than to be a hero. The primary text that we will be based in today is Acts 5:17-32 which is a narrative. The Book of Acts tells the story of the early New Testament Church after the death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ. And early in the fifth chapter we find the early church growing underneath the leadership of the Apostles, much to the chagrin of the local religious and civil leaders. Let us read the account together.

Acts 5:17–32 “But the high priest rose up, and all who were with him (that is, the party of the Sadducees), and filled with jealousy they arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison. But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, “Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life.” And when they heard this, they entered the temple at daybreak and began to teach. Now when the high priest came, and those who were with him, they called together the council, all the senate of the people of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought. But when the officers came, they did not find them in the prison, so they returned and reported, “We found the prison securely locked and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them we found no one inside.” Now when the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them, wondering what this would come to. And som…”

From this text, I will draw three principles of self-government.

I TO BE SELF-GOVERNED IS TO BE, AT THE END OF THE DAY, ANSWERABLE TO CHRIST ALONE

Terms: When we speak of the word “self-government,” It would be easy to think that we are speaking about being a government unto ourselves. This is not what is meant. That is the idea of autonomy, that we are and can do as we please, because we are our own master. That is not Christian; we are not autonomous. We are instead theonomous, under the ultimate of God. We are aiming to bring all of our life, all of our thoughts, all of our ethincs, all of our politics, underneath the authority of God.

Layers of Authority: Notice this short narrative the competing levels of authority that are mentioned throughout.

High Priests (17): In verse 17 we have the High Priest who was annually replaced within Judaism as the chief among the priests, descending all the way back to the original High Priest in the Old Testament during the days of Moses, Aaron. Very powerful guy.

Party of the Saducees (17): In that same verse we see the “party of saducees” mentioned. The saducees were one of a few major sects of Judaism in the days of Jesus, who did not believe in an afterlife. They are often pitted agains the other major party within Judaism which was called the Pharisees. So we see those two groups arguing often in the New Testament.

Arrested (18): In verse we see that they were exerting their authority by arresting Peter and a few of the other Apostles. The Roman Empire, who was the official government at the time, functionally allowed the Jews in Jerusalem to govern themselves on issues that pertained to their own religion, to a degree. This is why the High Priest had authority granted to him by the Romans, to arrest.

Angel (19): Then in verse 19 we have an angel, a messenger from God, who gives instruction to Peter. This angel not to defy the “seeming authorities over him.” He is to defy the High Priest by escaping from prision. And he is to defy them by preaching the message assigned to them. There is certainly a bit of irony in the scene when we see the angel of the Lord simply opening locked prison doors. It’s as if the reader is given a hint. “Those authorities that locked Peter up have no actual power.”

Captain and Officers (26): Peter escapes and starts preaching. Everyone’s confused on how the jail cell could be empty. And then in verse 26 we see another layer of authority, captain and officers. This would have been a similar crew to the guys who arrested Jesus in the middle of the night. They were the temple police. And we se in verse 26 these police officers were a little afraid because of the people.

Culminating Moment: And it is at this point, when they haul Peter and the other jail escapees before the council that we reach a culminating moment. The high priest sits them down before the council and demands that they stop preaching the message that the angel told them to preach. Verse 29 records Peter’s response.

Acts 5:29 “But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.”

Peter understood the great truth that many are yet to learn. Christ is the King of Kings. Christ is sitting on his throne in all glory and honor and justice. Christ has all authority and we are answerable to Christ alone! And when a lesser authority dares to defy (an earthly governor, or an earthly church leader, or an earthly parent) dares to defy Christ, we are to respond by defying them.

God’s Law: Therefore to be self-governed is to be a person, filled by the Spirit, who abides by and champions God’s law, even when a lesser authority or influence tells us otherwise. This is why, if we look at God’s law in the Old Testament, many of the laws were written to civil leaders how to punish crime, or to religious leaders how to operate the temple. But the Moral Law, the 10 Commandment (which each of the 10 Commandments are categories under which many other aspects of God’s moral law find their home) is directed to the individual. See, God’s Moral Law is for self-governance. It is for managing yourself and your life as one who is truly submitted ultimately unto God.

Application - Families: Let me wrap up this first point with a bit of pastoral care. One of the places where this principle works itself out most often, for us, is not in relationship to our Church or the civil government, but is in relationship to the government of our family. I have heard the story so many times of someone who comes to saving faith in Jesus Christ, and their family of origin is outraged. There is some in this church right now, who are experiencing that in one degree or another. Let me give you some counsel. First, cling to Christ. He is your heavenly father. He knows all you’re going through. He will be enough and he will sustain you. Second, family takes time. Pray for your family member’s salvation. Who knows if one by one, they will not see how you have clung to Christ in that hardship, and come to faith themselves.

II TO BE SELF-GOVERNED IS TO MANAGE YOUR LIFE TO BECOME MORE LIKE CHRIST

The second principle I’d like to consider is that ‘To be self-governed is to labor towards a grace based Christ likeness. This idea of “self-control” is so intricately with self-government that they are almost one and the same thing. The term “govern” is actually rooted in an old Greek term that mean to steer a ship. And so to govern oneself is to steer oneself in the proper direction. And so self-governement, is all about how one conducts their life, and leads their life, irregardless of any other opinion. In our text, this principle is clearly seen in Peter’s mini sermon in verses 30-32.

Acts 5:30–32 “The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.””

Peter Shares the Gospel: Peter takes his moment and shares the gospel doesn’t he? He explains how Jesus Christ was crucified at the hands of the religious leaders, but he was crucified for a purpose, “to give repentance and the forgiveness of sins.” Peter understood that Jesus’ death was a fulfilment of Isaiah 53 that said,

Isaiah 53:5 “But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.”

But Peter goes further, and in verse 32 explains how God has given all of his witnesses the Holy Spirit. And what he is saying in verse 32, is that the strength and the power to faithfully live the Christian life and bear witness to Christ are a result only of the grace and the power given unto them by the Holy Spirit. The evidence of this by the way is Peter himself, who only a few days prior was weeping and hiding in a room after Christ was killed. But suddenly he is boldly standing firm against the High Priest. That’s the Holy Spirit in him. That is grace working through him.

Christian vs. Secular: When we discuss “self control” as Christians we must be very careful to draw a clear and distinguished line between secular self control and Christian self control. In the secular world, self control is the ability to manage one’s life, to accomplish set goals, to discipline oneself in order to find success. Athletes are incredibly self-disciplined people. Military personelle are incredibly self-disciplined. Most successful people are quite self-disciplined But Christian, self-control (or self-governing / self-leading) is only a fruit of a person’s union with Jesus Christ through death, burial, and resurrection. Christian self-control is not the effort of man to become an excellent religious specimen. But rather is the fruit of a life that is radically changed by Jesus Christ, united to him by His Spirit, born again to a new and living hope, and living moment by moment in absolute dependence on Jesus Christ. What happens to a person whose self control is rooted in their walk with Jesus, is the fruit of Christ flows naturally through their life. It isn’t forced.

What is the Self-Control: And for the Christian, self governance / self-control is living a life of looking to Christ and seeking, by his strength, to grow more and more like him. We want to govern ourselves to be like Him. Christ is the model. So what must we do practically to accomplish this.

Putting off the Flesh: The Apostle Paul gives us great instruction for this,

Galatians 5:19–21 “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

The self-governed Christian, before a Pastor ever provides direct instruction, is applying the Word of God into their life by the power of the Spirit in them. The self-governed Christian is like a master gardener who pulls the weeds out by their roots. Where sin is discovered in their life, they trace it down to its root and properly apply the grace of the gospel in order to remove it. The first three in the list all have to do with sexual immorality both physically and in our hearts and minds. Because the Spirit of God dwells inside the authentic Christian, when sexual sin, whether physically or emotionally, wells up in their heart, they recognize it as the flesh that it is, and plead with the Lord to remove it.:

Putting on the Spirit: But the self governed Christian does not only put off the things of the flesh, but they put on the fruit of the Spirit.

Galatians 5:22–24 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

See what kind of person a Christian out to be. We are not simply emptying ourselves of all that is worldly and fleshly, but we are clothing ourselves in righteousness, in Christ-likeness. This is what it means to be self-governed.

The Bigger Picture: It is very important that we understand how this particular principle, fits into the larger whole picture of government. Let us consider all three other forms of government (family, church, and civil) to see why this is so important.

Family: Parents know that they are aiming to develop self-governed children. If a child grows to be a teenager or a young man, and is prone to all the works of the flesh. They prone to drunkenness and sexuality and debauchery. Managing that child consumes the energies of that family. Of course the parents would do this lovingly, but there is an issue, the lack of self-governance of the individual.

Church: If the Elders of a church are consumed with dealing with personal moral failings of the members. The elders would do that joyfully and lovingly. But it is very easy for Pastors and Elders to suddenly find themselves consumed in cleaning up disasters that were caused because of a lack of self-governeance.

State: It was the second President of the USA, John Adams, who when founding this nation understood the risk that the great American experiment was taking on. America was the first country in history to essentially make a truly free people, a people functioned as Kings in their own right. And he very famously said,

“Because We have no Government armed with Power capable of contending with human Passions unbridled by morality and Religion. Avarice, Ambition, Revenge or Gallantry, would break the strongest Cords of our Constitution as a Whale goes through a Net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”

Lifting Others Up Around Us: What John Adams is saying is simply what I am saying. The basis of a family that functions well, or a church that functions well, or a society that functions well, is a self-governed moral people. Rooted in the fountain of grace, we keep laboring in our life for more Christ-likeness. Out of a position of already being fully loved in Christ, because of death and resurrection, we strive for be like Christ, and we do so we lift everyone up around us.

III TO BE SELF GOVERNED REQUIRES COURAGE & WISDOM

Third and finally. To be self governed requires courage and wisdom. Look what happens to Peter and the Apostles at the end of this account.

Acts 5:40–42 “and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.”

The Text: Peter was beaten for his refusal to bow the knee to the corrupt authorities. He was commaned to stop speaking about Jesus. But he refused, because he had already been commissioned by a higher authority. And in the midst of knowing that what he was doing was increasing the hostility of earthly powers around him, Peter rejoiced. I find this phrase of Peter’s extraordinary. He rejoiced because “he was counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.”

Today: We today, in the modern West are facing a new frontier, a brave new world of sorts. We didn’t get here overnight. Those who like history can trace the roots of our current cultural moment back to the Enlightment, through the French Revolution and so on. Nevertheless, what we are experiencing right now in our culture is a direct frontal assault on the God of the Bible, and on anyone who would dare to stand confidently and live holistically upon His Words. Many of you know this simply from common everyday life.

Bringing Jesus Up: Perhaps you know the pressure of what its like in our modern culture have Jesus brought up in a group setting. Depending on that group, it can feel like walking on egg shells to not set somebody off.

Marriage & Sexuality: And if it’s not Christ directly, many of the issues we discuss in our modern culture are issues of Biblical morality that the Bible has a lot to say on. Marriage, Gender, and sexuality. The Bible is overwhelmingly clear on what is good and right and true on these issues. But you know what it is like to be the person standing on that ground.

They Hate the Bible: Why is there so much vitriol and hatred for anyone who takes these positions? Here’s why. We are in a very confused age. The ideology of Karl Marx has worked its way into many facets of culture. One of the ways that this philosophy has woven its way into Western culture is by assuming all structures and norms and historic ways of thinking are bad, and that we need to be liberated from those structures. We will actually see next week how this has played itself out in teh context of the family. For many who hold to this view, often quote from the book of Genesis, when Satan tempted Eve to break God’s law, and Eve took that bite. The authors of this movement believed that Satan was the hero for rebelling against the great authority. And we should all be like Eve, and eat in rebellion to God. So you see, in our new age, the greatest authority, and the greatest power that needs to be fought against and rebelled against, is God. This is why conversations are so tense. Because God claims to have the authority to know what is good, and how we ought to structure our lives.

Easier Said Than Done / Martin Luther: And so the question becomes for the simple Christian today. How will you live when the lines are drawn in the sand? How will you think? How will speak? Oh the answers to these questions take great wisdom and self-control. The reality that everyone thinks their courageous, until they’re in the line of fire. The great Reformer Martin Luther gives some helpful instruction when he writes

“If I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the Word of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Him. Where the battle rages there the loyalty of the soldier is proved; and to be steady on all the battle front besides, is mere flight and disgrace if he flinches at that point.”

When we look back at Peter, it feels quite obvious as twenty-first century Christians who are not being placed at gunpoint for proclaiming Jesus Christ, was Peter ought to have done in his cultural moment, when he was told to stop preaching the Gospel. But it is much harder to see those clear lines of delineation in our own day, and in our own cultural battles that rage. We must be courageous, and like Peter, learn to rejoice if God so ordains it that we should suffer dishonor for the name of Jesus Christ, the name above every name.

Peter: See what the centerpiece of Peter’s life was.

Acts 5:42 “And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.”

I want to make sure that you are hearing my words clearly. I am not trying to produce a bunch of culture warriors. I want you to see that what you are called to, the simple life of Christianity, is radically Christ-centered. Peter had a born-again experience, and after that occurred, his life could not be the same. Peter, who only a few days prior to this ran away from Christ in Christ’s hour of need out of fear and timidity. But one of the first things Jesus did after his resurrection was forgive Peter for his sin, and give him a new life, a life filled with courage from Christ himself.

Look to Christ: But our great example is not Peter, but it is Christ himself.

See the courage of Christ in the wilderness, when after fasting for forty days he was confronted by the Devil who claimed the authority to grant Christ power and wealth. Christ did not give an inch, but stood on the word of God.

See the courage of Christ in the face of the Pharisees, the religious leaders who tried to quiet him and silence him. But Christ spoke directly and confidently about His Father and about his own work.

See the courage of Christ in the Garden, when knowing the torturous death that awaited him, he cried, not my will but yours be done.

See the courage of Christ as he stood before Pontius Pilate, after having been scouraged and beaten, with blood upon his brow. Pilate told him that he had the authority to release him and Jesus replied,

John 19:11 “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.””

See the courage of Christ, who when he was being crucified for sins he did not commit, he looked down over those whom he loved and he said, “Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do.”

Summary: At the center of world history is Jesus Christ. The courage we need to faithfully follow Christ is not ours to muster on our own, but it is drawn from the courage of Christ himself. He will grant you both wisdom and courage in your hour of need.

Conclusion

Today we have considered the first of four types of government. And as we have seen, if we get this one wrong, we will get the rest wrong as well. But if we get this right; if we aimed to be a people who are self-governed underneath the authority of Jesus Christ, we give space for the Holy Spirit to move in such a way that none of us can deny.