Are You Trusting God's Control?

Introduction

God’s Protection Amidst Persecution

Apostles Arrested

Acts 5:17–18 “Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, (which is the sect of the Sadducees,) and were filled with indignation, And laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison.”

The Sanhedrin once again found themselves at odds with the Apostles because of their continual teaching and preaching the resurrection of Jesus Christ. They were upset because the Apostles had not listened to them when they instructed them in chapter three not to speak in the name of Jesus Christ.

Because of their failure to listen to their instructions the high priest ordered to have them arrested and thrown into the prison. This was a public arrest resulting in public imprisonment.

Apostles Release

Acts 5:19–20 “But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said, Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.”

God was not through with the Apostles, and, in fact, he wanted everyone to know that He was in control and that He was God on high. He allowed his angel to open the prison doors where the Apostles were held and allowed them to escape, unharmed and undetected, from the custody of the soldiers.

After their escape the angel of the Lord instructed them to go back to the temple and preach the gospel.

Apostles Teaching

Acts 5:21 “And when they heard that, they entered into the temple early in the morning, and taught. But the high priest came, and they that were with him, and called the council together, and all the senate of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought.”

Having recieved their marching orders from the angel of the Lord the Apostles went to the Temple and began, once again, teaching the people the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Apostles Sought

Acts 5:21–26 “And when they heard that, they entered into the temple early in the morning, and taught. But the high priest came, and they that were with him, and called the council together, and all the senate of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought. But when the officers came, and found them not in the prison, they returned, and told, Saying, The prison truly found we shut with all safety, and the keepers standing without before the doors: but when we had opened, we found no man within. Now when the high priest and the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these things, they doubted of them whereunto this would grow. Then came one and told them, saying, Behold, the men whom ye put in prison are standing in the temple, and teaching the people. Then went the captain with the officers, and brought them without violence: for they feared the people, lest they should have been stoned.”

When the Sanhedrin called the council together they had one item on the agenda that was first and foremost; the trial of the Apostles for their sadistic behavior against the authority of the council. So, they ordered that they should be taken from prison and brought before them.

Only when the guards went to escort them before the council they were gone from their cells. The jail had no signs of a break in. The prison was in working order, the guards were at their post and alert, but the Apostles were no where inside the jail. This was something that was a concern and they desired to keep it quiet hoping the news of this story would not reach the ears of the common people.

Finally, someone discovered them teaching in the Temple. Then the Sagan jumped to action hoping to bring the Apostles before the council without incident, meaning without the people discovering what had happened and end up turning on him so that he might be stoned. When he arrived he spoke gently to the Apostles and requested that they accompany him fearing what the people might do if they forced them to come. The Apostles agreed to come with them and were escorted to the council.

Opposition to God Always Fails

Apostles Accused

Acts 5:27–32 “And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them, Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us. Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.”

The High Priest asked, “Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.”

There were two accusations laid to the charge of the Apostles, both of which were punishable by death:

a. disobedience to the council

b. accusing the Sanhedrin of responsibility in Jesus’ death.

First, they had been told not to teach or preach in the name of Jesus Christ so they had disobeyed the orders of the council. This was not debatable. The apostles had been so directed publicly and they had very publicly disobeyed this order.

Secondly, they had accused the Sanhedrin of having the blood of Christ on their hands. In other words they had accused the Sanhedrin of murder and were pointing out that they were trying to get them killed with such baseless accusation. Of course, the accusation was not baseless, but the Sanhedrin were defending themselves against the accusations of the Apostles.

Given the serious nature of the accusations laid against the Apostles the talk of the death penalty being imposed began to circle the council.

Apostles Defended (5:33-39)

Then a defense of the Apostles comes from the unlikeliest of places, Gamaliel, of the minority of the group. He stands and basically states that instead of doing something that might cause an uprising of the people that they should just let God take care of it. He stated, “God is in control.” If this group is of God you cannot stop them and if they are not He will stop them.

Apostles Beaten (5:40)

Agreeing to the advice of Gamaliel they commanded them once again not to speak in the name of Christ. Also, wanting them to remember what they said they ordered them to be flogged. This was a typical punishment that would be rendered by the council short of the death penalty. They would use a whip with three cords and they would receive a total of 39 stripes on their chest and back. They would receive one lash on the chest for each two on the back. It was not a light thing to be flogged as some even died from the ordeal.

Apostles Rejoice (5:41)

The Apostles departed from the Council rejoicing in what had occurred. They were excited that they were counted worthy to suffer for Jesus Christ. Some might have complained about how unfair people were to them or become disgruntled at God for allowing such an atrocity when they had been faithful to God, and some might have left the church and faith altogether. The Apostles chose, however, to rejoice in what God had allowed them to accomplish in His name.

Apostles Continue (5:42)

They went away from the council of the Sanhedrin where they had faced the possibility of death, were beaten by the council, and they chose to continue preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. How could a group of people come to the place where they were willing to continue preaching and teaching about Christ even though they had been beaten and even if they might face death in the process?

God was in control. When we realize that God is in control we have greater peace, strengthened faith, and more boldness.

So, who is in control? Do we believe that God is in control? Do we try to be in control of our lives? Do we try to let others control us?

There were many instances that help us understand from the text that God is in Control.

Evidence of God’s Control

The Sanhedrin arrested the Apostles and God set them free.

The Sanhedrin did not believe in Angels and the Apostles were set free by Angels.

The Sanhedrin thought they were in control and sent the Sagan to take the Apostles to the council, but the favor the Apostles received from the people caused the Sagan to request that they come.

The Sanhedrin sought to kill the Apostles, but God used Gamaliel to preserve the life of the Apostles by declaring that God was in control.

This story helps us to understand that indeed God was in control, but also that the Apostles believed that God was in control.

MAIN IDEA: God is in control and when we choose to have faith in God we are able to accomplish his will in our lives.

When God is in Control the Power of others is irrelevant

The Sanhedrin were given power over the region by the Roman government. Because of the government backing enjoyed by the Sanhedrin their power was significant. But their power in relation to the lives and ministry of the Apostles became irrelevant when God showed he was in control of the situation and the Apostles responded in faith and submission to God’s control.

They were imprisoned, but God set them free. They were facing a sentencing of death from the Sanhedrin, but God supplied an influential defender to stop the Sanhedrin’s power. They were beaten, but God supplied the Apostles with the ability to have joy in their suffering and to possess the determination to continue.

Despite the Sanhedrin’s extensive power they became irrelevant in relation to the Apostles because God was in control and the Apostles submitted that control.

When we trust that God is in control we focus on the task to be accomplished

Even before they were set free the apostles did not let the Sanhedrin influence them to cease preaching of Jesus Christ and his resurrection because they had submitted to God’s control in their lives. They went about doing what he asked of them. That zeal to live for the Lord now had them arrested and imprisoned again. God was willing to show his servants that he indeed was in control and that they needed not worry about the power of their foes, but to focus on the task to be accomplished.

God helped them escape prison and they went right back to doing what he asked of them. They were able to do this without fear because they had faith that God was in control despite earthly powers that sought to stop them and that faith allowed them to simply focus on the task without worrying about what would happen to them.

When we believe God is in control we are able to rejoice in suffering for Jesus

Suffering often causes us to pause and reflect what we are doing. Sometimes we are not living for the Lord like we should and suffering highlights our failures in our walk with the Lord allowing us to adjust our behavior and turn to him in repentance.

When we submit our lives to God’s control and we know doing what he wants us to do suffering sometimes comes into our lives. Often this suffering is caused by those who oppose the name of Christ or those that are opposed to the ministry that God has given to us. When one suffers for his name in this way there are various responses that are observed. When one has submitted their lives to God’s control then it allows them to deal with suffering in a way that seems peculiar to the common people. We are able to rejoice that we have suffered for the Savior while we sought to uplift Christ in the lives of others and give the Gospel.

The Apostles departed from the council of the Sanhedrin having been beaten severely for preaching and teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. They also departed with a spirit of rejoicing that they were counted worthy to be persecuted for the name of Jesus Christ. Only someone who has submitted their lives to God’s control could rejoice over such a severe beating.

When we realize God is in control we have the determination to continue serving

When they departed from the Sanhedrin council, they did not just have a attitude of rejoicing, but they also had an attitude of determination to continue the work God had called them to do. The Bible says, “And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.”

A flogging that, for some people, resulted in their death would have been enough to stop a regular person. It was not enough to stop a group of people that had submitted their lives to God’s control and further had experienced firsthand how God exerted his control over some very powerful foes. They left the flogging rejoicing and with a determination to continue the work. They ceased not to preach Jesus everywhere.

When we submit our lives to God’s control we have the determination to continue serving God and to accomplish the task and ministries he has given us.

Are We Trusting God’s Control

From this passage of Scripture we learned that there was very powerful men that tried to stop the Apostles from doing what God called them to do. We observed that despite the great earthly power they had God was still in control every step of the way. In addition, we saw that the faith and trust of the apostles in God’s control allowed the Sanhedrin’s power to be irrelevant, their focus to stay on the task, their attitude of rejoicing to overshadow their suffering, and gave them the determination to continue serving the Lord even with the threat of death upon their lives.

This morning could you say that you believe that God is in control? Could you say this morning that you have faith in God’s control over the powers of men? Could you say that the truth that God is in control allows you to focus on the task he has given you? Do you allow the earthly power of men to be relevant to your determination to continue serving God? Does suffering cause you to reduce your service to him? Does suffering cause you to doubt God and His Word? Or does it cause you to rejoice that you are worthy to suffer for the cause of Jesus Christ and give you the determination to stay the course, and to continue living for him?

If earthly powers keep you from accomplishing the task God has for you then you are not trusting in God’s Control.

If what others say or do keeps your focus off of the task or ministry God has given to you or keeps you from surrendering to his will altogether then you are not trusting God’s control.

If suffering causes you to doubt God or blame God rather than bring rejoicing to your heart and life then you are not trusting God’s control.

If you allow circumstances to cause you to waiver in your commitment and responsibility to take the gospel to your community and to the world then you are not trusting God’s control.

This morning, the question is not whether God is in control. The question that is before us this morning is, “Are we trusting in him to control our lives?”