Acts 5:17-42

V 17-21A

Peter and the apostles had continued to pour out and perform miracles as they have before

There is beginning to become a great controversy as this new group is arriving and growing in mass quantities by the day

The religious leaders who put Peter and John on trial were so greatly filled with rage that they took the apostles and through them all in prison

If you recall the previous section, they ahd the apostles beaten and warned them not to continue preaching the gospel. For if they did it would not end well

notice their motivation is not exclusively pure. It isn’t a Holy motivation. Rather it is a jealous motivation. They are rivaling the spiritual authority at the time and that just cannot happen

The disicples are in prison for the gospel again, and then the miracle happens

The doors are opened and they are set free from prison

Application: God is a God of purpose. Whether he does or does not deliver his servants, he always has a purpose in his decision

V 21B-32

The religious leaders are confused beyond measure

The disciples, who had already been arrested and were supposed to still be in prison, are now teaching again at the temple?

Who let them out? how did this happen?

Peter standing before the council again, doubles down on his last take

Last time (Acts 4) peter stood before the council and claimed that he would not cease teaching in Jesus’s name because he did not want to defy God for the sake of men, they let him off with a warning

Example: When your coach let’s you off with a warning but says if it happens again you’ll spend the rest of practice running

You might be tempted to do it again, but you also know your coach will have way less sympathy

Peter stands before this council, fully assured of what he is to do and what has just happened, and he makes the claim that he is going to follow only what God has asked of him

Nothing that man can do will deter him from this goal. He is going to preach the name of Jesus regardless of what happens to him

Application: Do you and I have that same heart for the Lord? Or does the opinions and thoughts of others shape our obedience to God?

V 33-42

The council is enraged and before they condemn these men one member calls them to let cooler heads prevail

Gamaliel confronts them and encourages them to wait to see if this movement is to be an effective one

If it isn’t God, it will die out

If it is God, they can’t stop it

This is like kind of getting the idea but also missing the point

He had enough maturity to acknowledge that this could be something that is pretty serious and a movement that they could be on the wrong side of history on

Yet he failed to see how this very movement had its foundations

It wasn't rumors of a resurrected messiah and stories of healings, the council themselves could witness these things taking place

he was still lukewarm. It isn’t enough to merely acknowledge that Jesus exists but rather to follow him and believe in him is what we are called to do

The disciples are given another threat in the hopes that it’ll help to deter them

But they walk away rejoicing after receiving a beating that put them near to death?

They had a mind among themselves to rejoice as a result of the way God had intended to use them for his purposes

Their names were associated with the preaching of Christ and people were coming to know Christ through them

They were so elated at the thought of being associated with Christ they rejoiced at the opportunity to suffer for him

Application: When Christ is the ultimate reward, there is nothing man can do to stand in our way