We must obey God rather than men!
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17 But the high priest rose up and those with him (that is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with jealousy.
18 And they laid hands on the apostles and put them in a public jail.
19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison, and taking them out, he said,
20 “Go, stand and speak to the people in the temple the whole message of this Life.”
21 Upon hearing this, they entered into the temple about daybreak and began to teach. Now when the high priest and those with him came, they called the Sanhedrin together, even all the Council of the sons of Israel, and sent orders to the jailhouse for them to be brought.
22 But the officers who came did not find them in the prison, and they returned and reported back,
23 saying, “We found the jailhouse locked quite securely and the guards standing at the doors, but we opened it and found no one inside.”
24 Now when the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them as to what would come of this.
25 But someone came and reported to them, “The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people!”
26 Then the captain went along with the officers and proceeded to bring them back without violence (for they were afraid of the people, that they might be stoned).
27 And when they had brought them, they stood them before the Sanhedrin. And the high priest questioned them,
28 saying, “We strictly commanded you not to continue teaching in this name, and yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.”
29 But Peter and the apostles answered and said, “We must obey God rather than men.
30 “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you put to death by hanging Him on a tree.
31 “This One God exalted to His right hand as a Leader and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
32 “And we are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God gave to those who obey Him.”
Introduction:
Introduction:
You may feel a sense of déjà vu in our text today.
That is because the Apostles have been in this situation before.
The Holy Spirit recorded these similar events in Scripture so we could acknowledge the patterns.
God wants us to learn something!
Let’s compare Scripture today and hear what God is saying.
The Church is making a huge impact on the culture around it.
On one hand, people are respectfully keeping their distance from the Church.
13 But none of the rest dared to associate with them; however, the people were holding them in high esteem.
On the other hand, the Church is growing more rapidly than ever before!
14 And more than ever believers in the Lord were added to their number, multitudes of men and women,
The same thing that turns some away will draw others in!
Of course, the church is drawing attention from the Sanhedrin (Jewish leaders)
1. The Jealousy of the Sanhedrin.
1. The Jealousy of the Sanhedrin.
17 But the high priest rose up and those with him (that is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with jealousy.
18 And they laid hands on the apostles and put them in a public jail.
They were jealous of the Apostle’s following and influence over the people!
Jealousy itself is not a sin! But it implies ownership! Coveting is desiring something that does not belong to you (10th commandment)
God is Jealous of our worship!
4 “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.
5 “You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me,
14 —for you shall not worship any other god, for Yahweh, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God—
Jealousy can be sinful. We are warned not to be jealous of the wicked!
1 Do not be jealous of evil men, And do not desire to be with them;
2 For their heart meditates on destruction, And their lips talk of mischief.
Obviously, the jealousy of the Sadducees in our text is sinful.
God defended His Apostles!
Acts 5:19-21
19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison, and taking them out, he said,
20 “Go, stand and speak to the people in the temple the whole message of this Life.”
21 Upon hearing this, they entered into the temple about daybreak and began to teach...
He supernaturally delivered them, then sent them right back into the public square to preach the whole message of Christ!
What Satan fears most is Doctrinal preaching! What God delights in most is His Doctrine being preached!
When persecution comes, we must resist the temptation to water down our message! We must preach the whole message!
2. God confounded the wisdom of man!
2. God confounded the wisdom of man!
21 ...Now when the high priest and those with him came, they called the Sanhedrin together, even all the Council of the sons of Israel, and sent orders to the jailhouse for them to be brought.
22 But the officers who came did not find them in the prison, and they returned and reported back,
23 saying, “We found the jailhouse locked quite securely and the guards standing at the doors, but we opened it and found no one inside.”
24 Now when the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them as to what would come of this.
25 But someone came and reported to them, “The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people!”
The Sanhedrin assumed that arresting and holding the Disciples would silence their message. They did not anticipate God sending an angel to deliver them.
Why didn’t this miracle force them to reconsider everything? They have rejected Christianity more than once in spite of the miracles and evidence.
God often confounds the wisdom of the wicked. We see this taught by the Apostle Paul!
18 For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God.
19 For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And the cleverness of the clever I will set aside.”
20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?
21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased, through the foolishness of the message preached, to save those who believe.
22 For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom,
23 but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness,
24 but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
Our message is a two edged sword. We do not change the message for the audience!
Christ will use His message when it is preached faithfully!
We must understand that some will mock our message, and some will stumble over it.
But those with ears to hear will rejoice to receive the message!
3. The Sanhedrin’s motivation was self preservation!
3. The Sanhedrin’s motivation was self preservation!
Notice the tone has intensified since their last encounter in chapter 4.
16 ... “What should we do with these men? For the fact that a noteworthy sign has happened through them is apparent to all who live in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.
17 “But lest it spread any further among the people, let us warn them to speak no longer to any man in this name.”
18 And when they had summoned them, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.
26 Then the captain went along with the officers and proceeded to bring them back without violence (for they were afraid of the people, that they might be stoned).
27 And when they had brought them, they stood them before the Sanhedrin. And the high priest questioned them,
28 saying, “We strictly commanded you not to continue teaching in this name, and yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.”
Strictly command! (Verse 28)
Filled Jerusalem with this teaching!
16 Also the multitude from the cities in the vicinity of Jerusalem were coming together, bringing people who were sick or afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all being healed.
This man’s blood! (Verse 28)
25 And all the people answered and said, “His blood be on us and on our children!”
23 this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of lawless men and put Him to death.
36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.”
14 “But you denied the Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murderer to be granted to you,
Conclusion:
1. The Apostles were clear, concise, and confident!
Conclusion:
1. The Apostles were clear, concise, and confident!
29 But Peter and the apostles answered and said, “We must obey God rather than men.
They actually repeated themselves here. This is the same statement given in Acts 4: 19-20
19 But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to hear you rather than God, you be the judge;
20 for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
2. Peter preached the Gospel.
2. Peter preached the Gospel.
30 “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you put to death by hanging Him on a tree.
31 “This One God exalted to His right hand as a Leader and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
32 “And we are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God gave to those who obey Him.”
Death, burial, and resurrection! (Peter is a witness of all three! He is an Ambassador of Christ!)
Repentance and forgiveness of sin! (You put him to death! Acts 2:36-38)
The indwelling Holy Spirit for believers! (Those who obey!)
3. Peter preached the Kingdom!
3. Peter preached the Kingdom!
30 “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you put to death by hanging Him on a tree.
31 “This One God exalted to His right hand as a Leader and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
32 “And we are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God gave to those who obey Him.”
The Trinity is clear in this statement!
(God the Father in verse 30-31; God the Son in vs 31; God the Holy Spirit in vs 32)
Jesus Christ is Israel’s Messiah! Vs 31
Jesus Christ is King! (Those who obey Him vs 32)
Our enemy is jealous of our success. He desires to preserve his kingdom!
Christ’s Kingdom is smothering out the kingdoms of evil!
God is Jealous of our worship! God is Jealous of His people! He will deliver us in our time of need!
Either man is jealous of our influence, or God is Jealous of our worship. We cannot please both!
We must preach the whole message of Christ, trust Providence to deliver us from evil, and work in the power of the Holy Spirit!
