You Can’t Stop Jesus
Acts: To the ends of the earth • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Most things in life can be held back, and stopped.
The dam wall that stops a river,
Brakes stopping a articulated lorry’s momentum,
The advances of a dictator eventually fall apart.
IN Acts, we are seeing repeated attempts to stop Jesus from moving outwards, reaching ultimately the ends of the earth.
Today - again in our passage, The authorities try to stop the gospel. But it keeps breaking through—stronger, bolder, and against all odds, more joyful.
And the reason is simple: You can’t stop Jesus.
But let’s be honest. It can feel like Jesus is being stopped
—when we feel afraid to speak,
when ridicule or rejection makes us want to go silent,
Oe even our indifference to warning people about God’s judgemnt.
But Acts shows us what faithful witness looks like in the face of pressure.
A church that keeps going,
keeps speaking,
and even keeps rejoicing—
not because they can do it - but because Jesus is:
You can’t stop Jesus—not with fear, not with pressure, not with power, not with pain.
1. You Can’t Stop Jesus—Not with fear (vv. 12–16)
1. You Can’t Stop Jesus—Not with fear (vv. 12–16)
The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade.
Luke begins this section with a summary of the church’s life and ministry.
the apostles are performing signs and wonders “among the people.”
These aren’t hidden miracles—this is public gospel ministry.
Solomon’s Colonnade is a covered walkway inside but along the edge,
of the temple courts,
and is the same place where Peter healed the lame man in chapter 3.
And Was arrested in 4:1–3
- being warned not to preach in the name of Jesus again.
Despite the threats designed to induce fear in them - They are not hiding in houses. They are witnessing in public.
But fear of the Sanhedrin is not the only fear in Acts at this stage.
You’ll remember last week when Annias and Sapphira
deceived the church and thought they could deceive God by lying about the amount of money they were giving to the church.
They were both struck down dead by God.
And
Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.
So it’s not 100% clear which fear is influencing the non-Chirstians as
they watch from a distance the gathered church.
but
No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people.
Fear of the authorities and fear of God - seem to have stopped Jesus according to that verse.
But clearly v13 is a commentary on how things appeared as you went through the temple courts.
Becasue - despite the fear:
Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number.
‘You can’t stop Jesus.
Infact a right fear of God actually draws people to Jesus - for he, despite being judge, is also our only hope of mercy.
It is because the church is marked by holiness, truth and confidence despite opposition, that more are drawn in.
It appears the very high view and fear of God that people rightly had was attractive!
As a result, people brought those who were ill 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. Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing those who were ill and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed.
As the apostles continue Jesus’ own ministry,
affirming their message and annointing from Jesus himself
- they heal everyone in sight, perhaps just by passing by them!
This is not a healing event with hyped up placebo, exaggerated claims and prosperity gospel promises as we see from false teachers today.
This is total power of sickness, from God - confirming they are speaking the truth from God about Jesus.
No-one could deny it.
And so, despite the
Fear of man,
and Fear of God,
Jesus cannot be stopped.
For a longtime in the UK - Christianity has been unpopular, viewed from a distance.
Have we been too fearful of the world?
But the current trends have changed.
Bible sales have rocketed by 87% in the last 5 years,
Because, the studies say, young people are looking for something more meaningful than worldly woke, and personal truth.
Perhaps the fear of God in judgement over sin,
our own call to holy but public living is interesting them.
It is time for us to speak again!
You can’t stop Jesus—not with fear.
2. You Can’t Stop Jesus—not with pressure (vv. 17–26)
2. You Can’t Stop Jesus—not with pressure (vv. 17–26)
Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail.
Luke now shifts the focus from the growing crowds fear
to the growing pressure on the Apostles.
The gospel’s public impact in verses 12–16 is met with escalating resistance in verses 17–18.
The high priest and the Sadducees—the very ones who arrested Peter and John in Acts 4—are back.
And Luke tells us plainly what motivates them: jealousy.
They’re not responding to crime or even perceived blasphemy.
They’re reacting to influence.
The apostles are drawing crowds,
commanding attention,
and offering a message that undercuts the authority of the religious elite.
So what do they do? They arrest the apostles and throw them in jail.
We’ve seen this before for Peter and John in Acts 4:3.
But Now it’s all the apostles.
→ The pressure is escalating.
But so is Jesus.
But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out.
No ‘dramatic’ jailbreak. No riot.
Just a quiet, sovereign act of God.
And the angel doesn’t tell them to flee.
He doesn’t hide them.
He sends them straight back to the task:
‘Go, stand in the temple courts,’ he said, ‘and tell the people all about this new life.’
Go again, perhaps it’s even implied they should be even bolder, move from Solomons collonade squarely into the temple courts.
The message you are forbidden to preach?
Preach.
Will they obey or has the pressure stopped them?
At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people.
Jesus can’t be stopped.
Jesus empowers by His Spirt,
Jesus sends the angels to free captives to preach.
pause
When the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin—the full assembly of the elders of Israel—and sent to the jail for the apostles.
We read this on Tuesday at our staff meeting and Josh as he read it genuinely chuckled.
It’s funny because we truly see the pathetic and confused efforts of sinful men to stop the name of Jesus!
Like a well timed comedy,
we the reader, know before the characters,
who think they are in control,
what’s about to happen!
But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they went back and reported, ‘We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside.’ On hearing this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were at a loss, wondering what this might lead to.
Then someone came and said, ‘Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people.’
Can you feel the irony?
The authorities tried to silence the apostles with Preassure.
Now they’re louder than ever.
Jesus cannot be locked away.
His messengers cannot be silenced.
His word will not be stopped.
The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed,
But
The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them.
‘I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.’
→ What do you do when obedience to Him brings pressure, not ease?
→ When God’s call doesn’t remove the danger, but leads you back into it?
We often assume that if God is with us, things will get easier.
We want to be faithful
—but we also want to avoid conflict, criticism, or awkward conversations.
Hesitant to re-enter spaces where we've already felt rejection
But as the angles said:
“Go... and tell the people all about this new life.”
You can’t stop Jesus—not with pressure.
pause
But what happens when pressure turns up another level— personal loss, rejection, even pain?
3. You Can’t Stop Jesus—Not with Power (vv. 27–40)
3. You Can’t Stop Jesus—Not with Power (vv. 27–40)
‘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 apostles are dragged once again before the Sanhedrin
—the very same council that condemned Jesus and had warned them already.
This is a repeat courtroom scene, but now the conflict is hotter, and the stakes are higher.
“You have filled Jerusalem with your teaching…”
What an unintended compliment!
We would love people to say that of us I hope!
Everyone in this school, this street, this workplace, knows about Jesus!
even though the authreoirties hold the ‘power’ Jesus has not been stopped.
Despite being warned, jailed, and opposed, the apostles have flooded the city with the news of Jesus.
But notice the accusation:
“…you are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.”
They feel personally attacked by the apostles’ message.
Why? Because Peter keeps saying “you killed Jesus.”
He has not shied away from God’s judgement and our sin.
The gospel is confronting them with guilt they don't want to face.
As it does us all when we are convicted of our sin and hand in the death of Jesus.
But Peter’s motivation is simple, he will preach sin and judgement becasue: 29b
‘We must obey God rather than human beings!
The REason JEsus is unstoppable
is becasue his people are empowered by the Spirit
to obey God, not man.
So even when the powers and authorities stand in the churches way
- inexplicably - Jesus’s name goes on.
IN Iran, For the past 45 years,
there has been wave after wave of persecution against those who decide to become Christians.
To own a Bible in the national language of Farsi, is prohibited.
Sharing the Christian faith with others is outlawed.
Christian leaders have been arrested, interrogated, and imprisoned.
Some even sentenced to death under charges of apostasy and as spies threatening its Islamic system.
But In the past decade Iran has been one of the fastest-growing churches in the world. Some estimates point to a million or more Iranian converts to Christianity.
You can’t stop Jesus - not with preassure or power.
The church bows to God alone, not man,
And right on queue -
And especially bold given the power of those demanding their silence:
Peter preaches the gospel AGAIN!
v30 “The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead”—a claim the Sadducees explicitly denied
“Whom you killed by hanging Him on a cross”—Peter doesn’t soften the offence; he names their responsibility
“God exalted Him to his own right hand as Prince and Saviour”—a direct challenge to their authority
“That He might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins”—, repentance is commanded.
“We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit
We should pray for this kind of boldness shouldn’t we?
In the face of fear, pressure and power telling us to be silent,
We can proclaim:
Jesus is risen, exalted, reigning—humanity, you killed him - repent for the forgivenss of sins.
Not an invitation - a command!
As believers we join in with a bold ‘Amen’
But those who reject Jesus as Lord - especially those in power -
you can only imagine their frustration and angre!
And we see it in our passage:
We must shut these people up
- but if we do - we’ll have a riot on our hands!
And so insteps Gamaliel - a man with terrible advice for them,
but used by God to set the stage for all of history moving forward:
Gamaliel is a respected Pharisee and teacher of the law later identified in Acts 22:3 as the apostle Paul’s mentor before he was converted.
His advice is cautious and calculated.
He reminds the sanhedrin of two failed revolutionary movements:
Theudas and Judas the Galilean.
Both stirred up a crowd, gained followers, but collapsed when their leader died.
His logic is simple:
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. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.’
It’s not a statement of faith
and he’s forgotten a crucial point -
their leader has also died - but they are no dispersing!
The explanation - Jesus rose to new life!
Where he is spot on though is in saying:
If this is from God, you won’t stop it.
Over 2000 years later today -
well You can’t stop Jesus.
The council is persuaded not to kill the apostles,
but they still flog them
—likely the 39 lashes prescribed by Jewish law.
Even when human power tries to crush gospel witness,
God uses them to ensures that the message continues.
You can’t stop Jesus— not with power.
In our land, that is presently fairly free to speak of Jesus - let us be praying for those where they are not so free.
Not just for their protection and safety - but that Jesus will not be stopped.
Fear, pressure and power hasn’t stopped Jesus’ name going out,
but what about severe physical pain -
as the apostles now have to deal with?
Well you guessed it:.
4. You Can’t Stop Jesus—Not with pain (vv. 41–42)
4. You Can’t Stop Jesus—Not with pain (vv. 41–42)
The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.
The apostles have just endured a brutal flogging.
This wasn’t symbolic. This was blood, torn flesh, bruised bodies.
This is the first time in Acts where the church suffers physical violence for the gospel.
And how do they respond?
How would you and I respond?
We struggle with much less painful decisions:
annoyed if their is a clash between playing hockey and church.
or our chilld is invited to something that clashes with Sunday service.
Or hectic work weeks mean we can’t talk about Jesus even fro 5 mins.
We can’t even call that suffering,
let alone brutal physical pain.
But how do the apostles respond to the pain inflicted and aimed at stopping JEsus?
“Rejoicing.”
They rejoice—not in the pain for its own sake,
That would be odd.
Of course they didn’t leave rejoicing that they wont be able to lie down on their backs for 2 weeks.
but they rejoiced because they were
“counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.”
This is profound.
They see suffering not as a sign of failure, but as a badge of honour.
Why? Because it means they are walking the path of Jesus.
The One who bore shame, suffering, and scorn
—now counts them worthy to share in it.
This is exactly what Jesus told them would happen:
‘Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
YOu can’t stop Jesus - not even with Pain.
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.
They went right back to the most public place of danger in the temple courts,
But that wasn;t enough,
so they went house to house.
“They never stopped…”
– You can beat them, threaten them, jail them… but you can’t stop them.
Because you can’t stop Jesus.
Suffering becomes the context for deeper joy,
greater boldness, and stronger witness.
The apostles understood that
Jesus reigns not just in victory—but through the cross.
So when they suffer for His name,
they know they are not abandoned—they are honoured.
I think I, and probably most of us have it backwards.
We have believed a subtle version of the proposerity gospel.
Where Jesus will make life happy and successful.
What is sad - is that we ought to find joy in JEsus,
But not through comfort and success -
We find it in Christ likeness.
Suffering, pain, sacrifice for God and for others.
SO if
You’ve lost a friendship or a sibling because of your Christian convictions.
You’ve faced ridicule in your family or hostility at work.
You’ve experienced rejection or alienation because you refused to compromise.
Painful yes - but honourable before JEsus:
to be considered worthy of sharing in his suffering.
So we rejoice in that!
It is a sign we are on the winning side.
So don’t go out looking for pain,
But go out expecting pain if we’re following faithfully and telling of sin, repentance and salvation in the name of JEsus
You can’t stop Jesus
Pray.
