To Obey or Not to Obey
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Last week we looked at this trial of Peter and John and we saw how Peter made this amazingf proclaimation...There is salvation in no other name.
This week we look at the Verdict in that Trial.
God uses the Ordinary to do the Extraordinary.
Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus.
And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say in reply.
This is the power of the Spirit:
He brings confidence
He brings knowledge and wisdom
These facts AMAZED the Sanhedrin. These are uneducated. They are not trained as we are. They do not have the culture, history, standing as us. They are just dumb ole fishermen.
but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong,
The world looks up to Goliath...God sends David.
The world seeks a political ruler...God sends a carpenter.
God sent the shepherds to proclaim His birth.
God sent Moses the infirm talker, to challenge Pharaoh
The world acclaims Educators..God sends common men to preach the gospel.
But when they had ordered them to leave the Council, they began to confer with one another,
saying, “What shall we do with these men? For the fact that a noteworthy miracle has taken place through them is apparent to all who live in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.
“But so that it will not spread any further among the people, let us warn them to speak no longer to any man in this name.”
And when they had summoned them, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.
It was one thing to have these uneducated men speak. But there was another wrinkle...they had healed a man. And everybody knew it.
So the only recourse they have...Threaten them.
But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge;
for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
This is the pivotal point in the passage. The main idea.
The disciples refuse the sadducees. They refuse the Sanhedrin. They looked at the ones who killed Jesus and said...No thank you.
And this brings up an interesting dilemna.
The Scriptures clearly teach us to obey the law.
Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority,
or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right.
For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.
Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God.
Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.
Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.
Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.
For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same;
for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.
Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience’ sake.
For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing.
Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.
Scripture is clear. Obey the law. Obey those who have authority over you.
So why now do the Disciples openly disobey the Sanhedrin?
When a law or edict or request goes against the authority of God...it is permissible to disobey.
John MacArthur said, “When God’s commands conflict with those of the government, the government must be disobeyed.”
Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other was named Puah;
and he said, “When you are helping the Hebrew women to give birth and see them upon the birthstool, if it is a son, then you shall put him to death; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.”
But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt had commanded them, but let the boys live.
Then the commissioners and satraps began trying to find a ground of accusation against Daniel in regard to government affairs; but they could find no ground of accusation or evidence of corruption, inasmuch as he was faithful, and no negligence or corruption was to be found in him.
Then these men said, “We will not find any ground of accusation against this Daniel unless we find it against him with regard to the law of his God.”
Then these commissioners and satraps came by agreement to the king and spoke to him as follows: “King Darius, live forever!
“All the commissioners of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the high officials and the governors have consulted together that the king should establish a statute and enforce an injunction that anyone who makes a petition to any god or man besides you, O king, for thirty days, shall be cast into the lions’ den.
“Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document so that it may not be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which may not be revoked.”
Therefore King Darius signed the document, that is, the injunction.
Now when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he entered his house (now in his roof chamber he had windows open toward Jerusalem); and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God, as he had been doing previously.
When you find yourself at odds with obeying the government...you must ask yourself, Does the Scripture explicitly teach against this law. If so, obey God rather than man.
The Purge. The government passed a law that said on one night of the year it was lawful to kill another person. So this night became know as the Purge. Vigilantes could go after criminals with no repercussions. You could take out your neighbor becuase you didnt like the color he painted his house. Anything goes. Can a Christian participate in this? (This is a rather extreme example)
Thou shall not murder. So we don’t murder even if its legal.
That transcends to the womb. Just because abortion was legal for 50+ years doesn’t mean we have to participate.
When they had threatened them further, they let them go (finding no basis on which to punish them) on account of the people, because they were all glorifying God for what had happened;
for the man was more than forty years old on whom this miracle of healing had been performed.
When they had been released, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them.
And when they heard this, they lifted their voices to God with one accord and said, “O Lord, it is You who made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and all that is in them,
who by the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of our father David Your servant, said,
‘Why did the Gentiles rage,
And the peoples devise futile things?
‘The kings of the earth took their stand,
And the rulers were gathered together
Against the Lord and against His Christ.’
“For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel,
to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur.
“And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence,
while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.”
And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.
God was being glorified through this event. Which is why Jesus did many of the miracles He did. To glorify the Father.
The Disciples were praising God for God’s will.
The rulers gathered together agains tthe Lord.
Herod and Pilate, Gentiles and Israel gatherede together against Jesus.
They acknowledge that this was God’s plan. Whatever your Purpose predestined to occur.
The Disciples asked God for more boldness.
They would need this boldness in days to come. Because things got hard for the disciples. Life would not be easy. And they would need Gods boldness. they would need the Spirit.
Boldness so that they could speak out.
They didn’t ask for a good hiding place.
They didn’t request a furlough.
They asked for more boldness so that they could speak up.
