The Obedience Hierarchy

Text: Acts 5:12-42

Central Idea of the Text: Even when faced with jail and death, the church cannot shut up about Jesus.

Proposition: Because Christ is King, his people cannot/must not disobey his imperatives and commands.

Purpose: All hearers should challenge all allegiances in their life to be submitted to Christ.

Introduction

In the 3rd Century before Christ, a Chinese philosopher named Han Feizi wrote a story about a merchant who sold weapons. In the story, the man had a spear and a shield for sale, but they were not ordinary. He claimed that the spear was a spear that, when used in battle, could pierce any shield. He also claimed that the shield was a shield that was utterly unpierceable. No weapon could break thru it. When the merchant was pressed as to which was stronger, he had no answer. The paradox as it was called “máodùn” (pron: mao [up] duin [down]) was known as the spear-shield paradox. To us, it is the background story to a famous question of philosophy. What happens when the unstoppable force meets the immovable object?

That question has been applied to many wars or famous athletic competitions throughout history. But as we see when the question is applied to real world situations, there is typically a force, a team or a fighter that does break through. It’s a paradox that rarely sees its true real world application.

When it comes to the conflict between church and state, God versus government, or faith vs federalism, some may think that we have one of those paradoxes. And to some extent, this is a place of much discussion and debate in the philosophical and practical realms happens for the church. We love God. We love our country. But when the two are at odds, which one do we obey? The book of Acts makes it plain that the church was quite clear about where her allegiances lay. Let’s look closer at today’s text, found in Acts 5:12-42: (Read Text)

This is the word of the Lord for us this morning.

Would you pray with me? Lord, thank you for your faithfulness, your love and your promises. We thank you for the work you have done through your church in all generations, but especially the work you have done in the life of your servant Peter. His faithful witness in the face of challenges over and over make the challenges of our own day seem quite small. Would you give guidance and grace to us as we study your word this morning? Help us to say no when we should say no, and to always say yes to Jesus as our Lord and King. It is in His name we pray, amen.

The church has been well established in the Book of Acts. Jesus set the pattern from the beginning, for a church that would be his witnesses, literally “his martyrs.” From the book’s beginning, that is exactly what the church has done. They have spoken the message of Christ, and the people have responded. The church has grown and grown. It has been faithfully gathering. The seed of God’s word has been finding a home in the hearts of people. And we have already seen the patterns of worship, fellowship, giving, communing, prayer laid out as patterns and regulative to the church. A growing and healthy church is fully engaged in all of these efforts.

One side note of today’s text that we should momentarily address in found in verses 12-16. There we read of the miracles and healings that took place. Are those things that the church should be expecting every week? Or are we out here selling an unbiblical service because we don’t offer a healing service every Sunday? I believe this is a descriptive text rather than a prescriptive one. The reason is that these specific signs and wonders are tied to Peter and those specifically known as “Apostles”. This is what we mean when we speak of “Apostolic Authority.” Christ gave these specific disciples this power and ability. Note that these are called in verse 12 signs. Why? Because they served the same purposes they served in Jesus’ life and ministry. The miracle was given to attest to the power and authority of Christ. It was not about the individual. It was not about their anointing. It was not about their ministry or raising money. It was not even ultimately about the miracle that was done. All of the individuals that were healed in these texts would eventually die. It was to attest to the fact that Jesus is the Messiah, He is God, and He is Lord over all. “All Authority”, as He said, has been given to him. The role of the 12 would be to attest of that same power in these signs. The role of the whole church would be to “Go and Make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them to obey” all that Jesus had commanded. That is what is relevant and regulative to the church today. We can pray for healing. But we must preach the word.

Now as the church is on the upswing, as Justin Raulston noted last week, the church does encounter problems. Some of them are what we might call opportunities, (or as Duane King used to call them … “probortunities”) like what we see in chapter 6 and the serving of the widows by what we know as deacons (or designated servants). Delegation of service for the growth of the church and the Love of God to be known among the widows is a good thing, even though it could seem like a problem. But this text, happening just before, is more certainly a true problem. The apostles, meeting, speaking and healing, find themselves confronted by the authorities in the most challenging way yet, with trial, jail time, beatings and consideration of the death penalty. Life is getting harder for the church as they grow and are faithful. And this is generally what the church should expect when it comes to problems and growth. The world, those who hate God, will feel threatened by what they see coming from the church. We should expect that with faithful living and serving, things will get harder.

I really want to emphasize one key verse in today’s text, found in verse 29. I hope you will underline it, highlight it, share it on your social media, talk about it with your family, and do whatever you need to do to commit this verse to memory. There Peter, when confronted and told to stop simply and boldly says these words before he goes on to clearly present the Good News of Jesus again: “We must obey God rather than men.” (Repeat 2-3 times)

It is a small sentence, but there is great power and meaning toward the believer, especially in how we carry ourselves in thinking about where our allegiances lie as followers of Christ. There are twin truths in this phrase that highlight what I would like to call the obedience hierarchy. When multiple authorities complete for the allegiance of the Christian, who wins? Or is simply an unsolvable paradox?

Main Body:

In Some Circumstances, the Believer Must Disobey Men.

Peter identifies the two conflicting parties in this situation in this way. There is God & there is men. And we must obey God rather than men. Especially when God has given us an imperative and a message that goes against what Men want us to do. Another way to speak of men might be to speak of “the world” in terms of all it’s powers and systems. So in saying yes to God, who is Peter willing to say “no” to? We see within the text three powerful groups defined as the “men” to which Peter is saying no.

First, Peter has a willingness to disobey Individual People

The first person we see leading the way is the High Priest in pressing against what Peter and the Apostles are doing in the temple area. Now back in Acts 4:6, we saw the high priest Annas referred to, along with his son Caiaphas. Now we don’t know which of these men are being referred to here. Both served as high priest, and were involved in the trial and crucifixion of Jesus. Here and now, we see one of them standing up to lead the way on all of charges against the Christians and the church. He spearheads the effort to send them to trial, to put them in prison, and certainly to suggest they be put to death. The High Priest had no hesitation to do so to Jesus, and after what the church had been saying about the people of Israel putting to death one that they called Messiah, you can imagine Annas and Caiphas both had plenty of what they may have termed in their own minds as holy anger.

Now you can imagine that Peter and the others may have had their own animus toward those who had put Jesus to death, including the high priest. But they would neither slander him, nor would they pull any punches with their message, nor would they be intimidated by his status. They had seen Jesus very boldly stand up to this powerful and famous leader among the Jews. We should note that the Apostles were not slave to any one person’s whims or wishes. They did not follow a cult of personality, and they would not obey the high priest just because he accused or ordered them.

Second, Peter has a willingness to disobey Religious Pressures

The second group is we see Peter willing to disobey is the larger gathering of the Jewish teachers. Verse 17 notes that it was all who were with The High Priest, that rose and went with him. Here Luke specifically mentions that it was the party of the Sadducees, and that they were “filled with jealousy.” In other words, the leaders who support the High Priest are the religious leaders of the Jews. These Sadducees, you may remember from the Gospels, were the sect of Jewish leadership that were the more liberal wing. They rejected miracles and rejected the idea of resurrection. So you can imagine their horror, after a very public sentencing of Jesus to death, that not only did a rumor spread un-suppressed that Jesus had risen, but now that same group of people who said that it happened kept showing up at your house of worship over and over with their number growing. Think there would be much anger or jealousy at the large following the Christians were gathering? You bet there would be!

But Peter and the other apostles would not be shaken. They knew what they had seen and heard! They knew that what the more popular religious masses wanted them to shut up about was the very message that could save their fellow Jews. Even with a large number of these well known religious leader against them, they would not be slaves to untruthful or unbiblical pressures. They would rely upon the Word of God and upon what is true! And they is what we are to do as well. When faced with pressure, we return to the Word. What does it say? The Christian must testify to that and do that.

Third, Peter has a willingness to disobey State Powers

The third group that Peter would stand up to was the powers of the state. The text says in verse 21 that Peter and the others would stand before the council, all the senate of the people of Israel. We don’t fully know all the details of the political workings of Israel at this point, but we do know that they had been and were both a religious and politicial state. The text here seems to imply a larger group appointed/elected to deal with the legal matters of the people. And of course, the Jewish government was doing all of this under the overarching authority of the Roman Empire. They were not a fully autonomous nation. It was in the best interest of the Jews to handle this Jewish matter, to demonstrate to the Romans that they could, indeed, keep the peace of Rome.

But even as Peter looked all of that authority in the eye, he did not blink. Peter knew what the savior had commanded him to do and the example he had set. When Jesus went on trial, he plainly and boldly spoke truth, laid down his life and died. And after that, God raised Him from the dead. This had to be heavy on Peter’s mind as in this moment he would not be a slave to governmental forces and ungodly laws or court rulings or orders for silence. Now ...

One issue Christians struggle with: How does this contrast with what Paul writes in Romans 13:1-7?

This scripture is a big one that comes up when Christians consider something that the government has asked us to do. Consider a few portions of what Paul writes in that passage.

Romans 13:1–7 ESV

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. ... Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

Some people consider the Acts, but also consider what Paul wrote, and then ask themselves: “What is a Christian to do?” There’s a much deeper sermon and teaching here, but I want to simply give you a question to mull over. Peter speaks in today’s text, and Paul is the one who will later testify in front of both Jewish and Roman authorities in a very public fashion. Do you really think that this same Paul would be writing something in Romans 13 that is contrary to the actions that he and the other Apostles take in Acts? Not at all! Paul & Peter are both clear. The message of Jesus must be proclaimed and the church must be faithful to her mission. In all other matters, it is good to be at peace with the governing authorities.

Now I want to bring this to bear just shortly on a relevant issue in our recent history as a country and as a church. Let’s go back for just a moment and talk about the year of COVID and what that meant for the church. Some of you remember that as a very hard year. I remember it pastorally as a very lonely and discouraging year. I am glad that we made it through that year as a church. Many other churches chose to divide over issues connected to COVID, and I am glad that we were not one of those.

But let us remember for a moment what happened. We had our GOVERNMENT leaders telling churches that it would be good for us to stop meeting. We had other RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS saying it would be good to close our doors and stay isolated from each other. I had LEADERS who I respected telling me that this would just be best practice to go along with what these other organizations were telling us. And yet, most of us were not at high risk of this virus. And while all the world told us to shut our doors and love our neighbors by being alone, we kept the liquor stores, the strip clubs and the casinos open. They said it was safe to gather for a protest, but not at the beach. They said you could go to Walmart or Home Depot but not to to your small local shop. Everything our government (and others) did during that era is a tell on their true intention. That year was a banner year for isolation, division, and disruption in our country. And it was taboo for many in the church, because of our torn allegiances and lack of scriptural conviction, to even question this. But there were places with churches and faithful Christians that, because of their conviction that the church ought not neglect gathering, continued to meet. Their churches not only survived (no plagues of infection and death more than the rest of society), but their witness thrived.

I do hope that we consider what happened THEN and consider what could happen in the future. When the church is faced with it’s next challenge from the authorities of the world, how will WE respond?

The Bottom Line: When man (and the systems of man) sets himself against God & what is true, the believer must disobey.

But this is not a blind disobedience or anarchy because we note the rest of what Peter said ...

In All Circumstances, the Believer Must Obey God.

What Peter does here is truly bold and fearless. When the authorities speak up and say to Peter and the others: “SHUT UP!” Peter responds clearly and authoritatively, because he speaks from the one who has highest authority. “We must obey God rather than men.” It’s like a soldier who, when he comes under fire, defaults back to his training. Who are the authorities in my life and where do they rank? What is the Obedience hierarchy in my life? Peter speaks with no fear, but with great clarity. Indeed, the Holy Spirit that we have been given is "not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” (2 Tim 1:7) In light of God in us and Christ as our King, all other fears of these lesser authorities fade in light of it. Note three specific areas where the church had NO FEAR …

Believers must be unafraid to be numbered/public in their faith.

We noted that from the beginning of the church on the first day at Pentecost, 3000 people turned from their sin and were baptized in obedience to Christ. From that day, many more have responded. But that is not all of the church in those 3000. Acts 2:42 reminds us that the Lord “added to their number day by day those where were being saved.” In Acts 4:4, we see that more who heard the word believed and the number of believers is about 5000. It is from this point of Acts that the church does not give a number of the believers, because to number the church is becoming more and more difficult.

Certainly, the church is growing exponentially here, but they are doing so in a very PUBLIC way. Today’s text begins with the gathering of believers and the signs done in and around the Temple in Jerusalem, and it ends with the Apostles and other believers going to the Temple and from house to house “preaching and teaching that the Christ is Jesus.” (Acts 5:42) It all takes place in public in what is increasingly a hostile climate. The believers have not simply prayed a private silent prayer to follow Jesus, or simply raised their hands with every eye in the room closed. They have publicly confessed and been baptized into Jesus. The early Christians knew that God was not a secret to be kept, and that to be a disciple of Christ was to be his public disciple.

Friends, don’t be a quiet follower of Jesus. Be public. Say Jesus is Lord. Be baptized as Jesus commanded. Be an active member in your church. Let people know that you are part of the believers here.

Believers must be unafraid to speak.

Along with being public in their commitment, the followers of Jesus were public in their witness. That is the definition of a martyr. And this is the main activity that the authorities were trying to stop the Disciples from doing. They wanted to shut them up. Everything they are ordered to do in chapter 5 is premised on what happened in Acts 4:18 “So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.” The order of the authorities is a gag order. But as Peter & John responded there in Acts 4:20 “for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”

So in Chapter 5, the drumbeat continues, as Peter is challenged by the high priest … “We strictly told you no to teach in this man’s name!” Peter replies unfiltered in verses 30-32:

They have to talk about Jesus: “The God of our fathers raised and exalted Jesus. We are witnesses to this!”

They have to talk about Sin: “You killed Jesus by hanging him on a tree.”

They have to talk about Salvation offered in His name: “God offers repentance and forgiveness of sin for all who believe. He gives his Holy Spirit to those who obey him.”

The disciples minds and mouths are so full of Jesus, that when placed under pressure, Jesus is the only name that comes from their lips. They can’t help but say his name and why he came. So it must be with us as well.

Believers must be unafraid of penalty.

Simply within the space of this one chapter, what do we see the church enduring? We see multiple arrests, jail time, beating. The apostles even took one of the arrests in verse 26, because they believed that they were going to be stoned by the mob. The chose to take the lesser penalty of arrest over death by mob rule.

There will be much more to say on this topic next week and throughout Acts, but it is simply worth noting here that in the moment, Peter knows what to do, even when they threaten Him. He does not step back or back down because of threats. He steps up to meet the moment like Jesus did. When placed on trial, Peter WANTS to walk in Jesus’ steps of suffering. It is the way of Jesus. Peter’s abandon toward suffering matches Paul’s own fervor that he spoke of in Philippians 3:8-10

Philippians 3:8–10 ESV

Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,

May this be the desire of our hearts as well, to do what is right and speak what is true no matter what may come.

Summary:

This morning, we have seen the Obedience Hierarchy that applies to the life of every believer. In some circumstances, the believer must disobey men. But in all circumstances, the believer must obey God.

This is what it means to have Jesus as not simply your savior, but as your Lord and King. And that is who he is if you receive him. He is over all authorities, kings and presidents. The lives that we once lived for ourselves, lost in sin and selfishness, have now become oriented around him. Jesus is the center of the Disciples universe, and every other gravity or pulling force must yield to him. He is both the unstoppable force and the immovable object. And in the end of all things, King Jesus will stand tall and victorious.

Invitation:

In the words of the old hymn: now is the time to Trust and Obey. That could start for you today, here and now. Believe Jesus and his good news. Confess your sinfulness to him and be forgiven. Call him Lord and reorient your life around his. Be baptized as he calls us to, and bear the name of Jesus. Step up and speak out. Today is the day of salvation.