Christian Confession

Introduction

Few things reveal one’s character like stressful situations where there’s a lot on the line. We’ve all been in these types of moments where we are faced with a choice and there are ramifications based on what we decide to do. Every Saturday night/Sunday morning I am faced with a pretty stressless situation as I ask Lindsey what suit and tie combination I should wear. It’s stressless because if anyone thinks I picked a bad suit or a weird tie, I can just pass the buck to my wife! Just kidding… But seriously, this isn’t a very stressful decision and many of us have lots of similar decisions that we make every single day. But what about the make or break decisions? How do we go about making them? Some of us are very logical and we weigh the pro’s and con’s like a cost/benefit analysis in the business world. Others of us are more feely and we do whatever feels right in the moment. Others are a little more right brained and they talk to someone and express their thoughts. In stressful moments, we have to think clearly in order to make the best decision.

Every March millions of people do something kind of strange: they fill out a bracket. What is the bracket for? March Madness, the college basketball tournament. In March Madness there are 68 teams who are selected by a committee to play against one another until there is a single winner. In many sports tournaments and leagues, if you lose a game it’s ok because there’s usually another game coming up the next day or next week to look forward to. In March Madness, it’s win or go home. Everything is on the line for these players, especially for the seniors as this is their last season playing for their respective school. It’s always interesting to see how these teams handle adversity and stress as some large, popular schools always seem to get upset by smaller, lesser known schools. Why does this happen year in and year out? Some players and teams step up to the challenge at hand while others shrink back and don’t perform as well as they did during the regular season. Some players rise to the occasion whereas others are unable to do what is asked of them. The pressure is immense and the team that best handles it is the one that wins the college championship.

Consider, how do you handle pressure? Maybe you have a good foundation, a good family, a good job, a level head. But just as there are some really good basketball teams, sometimes they don’t handle the pressure very well. Sometimes they get upset by an unknown school. Sometimes we have a good foundation, but whenever the pressure builds, we crumble and fall. Sometimes whenever the lights shine the brightest, we fold like a house of cards. How can we fight against this? How can we handle the pressure better? How can we fulfill our calling to be Christ’s witnesses? By following the example before us in Scripture. By stating the facts. By relying on Christ’s power rather than our own. By remembering who is truly in control and striving to honor and obey Him above all else!

As Christians, we have the greatest news of all to share and we must share it with love, grace, and urgency because we don’t know how many more opportunities we will have. Let’s read about how the early church capitalized on the opportunities given to them by God - even in a difficult, pressure-packed, situation!

Acts 5:21–32 CSB

21 Hearing this, they entered the temple at daybreak and began to teach. When the high priest and those who were with him arrived, they convened the Sanhedrin—the full council of the Israelites—and sent orders to the jail to have them brought. 22 But when the servants got there, they did not find them in the jail; so they returned and reported, 23 “We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing in front of the doors, but when we opened them, we found no one inside.” 24 As the captain of the temple police and the chief priests heard these things, they were baffled about them, wondering what would come of this. 25 Someone came and reported to them, “Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple and teaching the people.” 26 Then the commander went with the servants and brought them in without force, because they were afraid the people might stone them. 27 After they brought them in, they had them stand before the Sanhedrin, and the high priest asked, 28 “Didn’t we strictly order you not to teach in this name? Look, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.” 29 Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than people. 30 The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom you had murdered by hanging him on a tree. 31 God exalted this man to his right hand as ruler and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 32 We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.”

Faithful Christians Follow Through (21-25)

Last week we left off with a divine miracle as an Angel of the Lord rescued these apostles from prison and told them to go to the Temple and preach about Jesus Christ. We touched briefly on the fact that if the apostles did what they were instructed to do, it would likely cost them another trip to prison or another trip before the Jewish leadership. Whenever we count the costs, there are times where it doesn’t make a lot of sense to do something. Whenever we are busy, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to add additional responsibilities to our already full plate. Whenever we are stretched financially, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to go out and make a very outlandish purchase. Whenever we are punished for doing something, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to do the exact same thing that we got punished for in the first place! Yet, this is exactly what we see these Christians do. We read in verse 21 that the apostles went to the temple and taught others about Jesus. They followed through with what God commanded of them!

We will focus more on this at the conclusion of our text this morning, but consider examples in your life where you witnessed someone follow through with something even though it was difficult. Maybe it was an order given to you by a boss or military officer. There are times where we simply have to say “yes” and do what we are told to do. With that in mind, though, some people think that this absolves them of responsibility as many in our world pass the buck and simply say that they are “following orders.” I’m not at fault, I’m just doing what so and so told me to do. Others, though, don’t like to follow orders at all. They want to do whatever they see fit in their own eyes. This idea of following military orders from a commanding officer don’t resonate with some people, especially when considering this story, because they might say that they know better than the person giving the orders. After all, the one who told the Light Brigade to attack this location wasn’t even going into battle with them. In our world, we look at our circumstance and it can be easy to question others and to question authority as well. What we see in our text, and what we are reminded about throughout Scripture, is that we are always supposed to trust and obey our God.

As the apostles obey God, it’s not like their problems magically go away either! The Jewish leaders are shocked at what has happened. We read that they send servants to go and get the Christians from prison and bring them before the Sanhedrin but the servants return and say that the jail was locked, the guards were in place, yet there was no one inside! They are shocked because they have no explanation for what has happened! As one commentator puts it, “The Sanhedrin was totally thwarted in its designs, totally helpless to control the situation. All was in God’s hands.” Friends, how often do we try and control situations? This is a normal thing for us as we like to be in control - just like these Jews thought that they had everything in control in Acts 5. Yet, what are we reminded about time and time again in Scripture and in our lives? That we are not the ones in control… God is in control!

Many people don’t like this idea. They want to be the master of their own fate. They don’t want to think of someone else being in control. The facts don’t always line up with our feelings, though. We know that we serve the king of kings and lord of lords. We know that He has a plan and that His ways are better than ours

Isaiah 55:8–9 CSB

8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways.” This is the Lord’s declaration. 9 “For as heaven is higher than earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

This is good news, church! It is good that we are not in control. With that in mind, though, we see throughout Scripture that people who are faithful followers of God are those who follow through with what He calls them to do. We recognize that God has a plan and we also understand that we have a responsibility to play our part! We must follow through with what He wants us to do. This is what these Christians do. They are rescued from jail and they immediately go out and preach about Jesus Christ.

The question for us this morning at this point in the text is simply this: Are we willing to follow through? Are we willing to do what God is calling us to do regardless of the cost? Faithful Christians are willing to do this and our prayer should be that God would give us boldness and courage to fulfill the task at hand.

Faithful Christians Imitate Christ (26-28)

Part of fulfilling our task is acting, speaking, and looking like Christ. We are to love others as Christ has loved us. Paul, in 1 Corinthians 11 says this

1 Corinthians 11:1 CSB

1 Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ.

This is how we are to operate day in and day out! How does this practically work? How can we imitate Christ? After all, we are sinners and we are people of unclean lips as Isaiah states in Isaiah 6

Isaiah 6:5 CSB

5 Then I said: Woe is me for I am ruined because I am a man of unclean lips and live among a people of unclean lips, and because my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Armies.

This is us! We are sinners. Yet, we are told to imitate Christ! What a lofty goal. This can be awfully discouraging because often times we quickly realize that we fall short in this process and it can be much easier to give up rather than trying harder and relying on His power to accomplish this task.

We can imitate Christ in many different ways. We can speak to others as Christ spoke to others (with love, dignity, respect, and hope), we can help others as Christ helped others (physically, financially, with food), and we can act like Christ around others. In our text we see that the Jewish leaders sent the captain of the temple guard and several other servants to bring the Christians to the council to be questioned yet again.

Is there a precedent in the Gospels to a group of soldiers going to bring a certain someone to be questioned before the Jewish leadership? There certainly is! We know that Jesus Christ was betrayed by Judas and captured before being brought before the officials and eventually crucified. The Bible speaks to what Jesus did and what He didn’t do in this moment. Did Jesus command His followers to raise up their swords and defend Him from these people? Did He call upon the army of angels at His disposal to destroy the opposition? No. What did He do? In accordance with Isaiah 52-53, we read that Jesus was silent. He didn’t cause a riot or call upon His followers to get Him out of the Garden.

How do these apostles follow Jesus’ example in our text? We read that the Jews are afraid that if they bring the Christians in by force that the people would rise up and stone them. The Christians are extremely popular because of the power of Christ and because of the hope that Jesus brings to the people of Jerusalem. The Jews realize this and they are afraid that if the Christians rally behind these apostles that things could turn violent quickly. How do the Christians respond whenever the leaders come for them? Do they throw a fit? Do they cause a fight? Do they start a riot? Do they cry out that their rights are being infringed upon for all to hear? No. They were willingly go back.

They imitate Christ as they understand that there is a greater purpose at stake than their personal comforts. What could be greater? Telling the Jewish leadership once again about Jesus Christ.

Is sharing the Gospel more important to you than your earthly comforts? For many Christians, they would hesitate. I’ll share about Jesus if it doesn’t infringe on my free time, comforts, family time, or if it’s convenient! But if it’s not those things, if it is going to cost me, if it is going to force me to get outside of my comfort zone then I’m not going to do it. That temptation is present for us every single day, friends! Consider, what do you think other people think about your life and what you value most of all? I hope other people think that I value my family. I hope that other people think that I value my church family and my education, my job, my hobbies, my passions, my steak and chocolate chip cookies! But friends, what’s got to come first? It must be Jesus. Jesus has to come first. Whenever other people see us or they think about us, let them see Jesus Christ! The Jews say that these apostles are continuing to preach about Jesus Christ even though they have been warned not to do so. Let this be said of us as well! Let us be people who are unapologetic about our faith in Jesus Christ and let us imitate Him in how we act, think, and speak with others. Let’s think with a Kingdom first mindset rather than a self-centered mindset.

Faithful Christians Stand Firm (29-32)

As we imitate Jesus Christ and live for Him, we will be tempted to water down our message. The Gospel message is one that people will always oppose because it calls us out. The Gospel is an incredibly hard pill to swallow because it says that you are not good enough. You’re no where near good enough. Consider our culture and society today! This is the exact opposite message that our culture preaches day in and day out. Our world says that you are good enough. You are worth it. You are perfect. You are this and you are that. The Bible says that we are not good enough because we are all sinners!

1 John 1:8 CSB

8 If we say, “We have no sin,” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

The Psalmist states that this isn’t just something that happens to us later on in our life, but that we are born sinners

Psalm 51:5 CSB

5 Indeed, I was guilty when I was born; I was sinful when my mother conceived me.

Yikes! It’s no wonder that people don’t like the Gospel message. As Paul states

1 Corinthians 1:18 CSB

18 For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but it is the power of God to us who are being saved.

To these Jews, they want the apostles to stop talking and teaching and healing in the name of Jesus Christ. Why? Because they believe that the Christians are trying to convince people that the Jewish leadership are guilty of killing Jesus Christ, the so called Messiah. Verse 28 shares this truth with us. The Sanhedrin is convinced that the Christians are determined to make them look bad and are trying to get people against them because of Jesus’ death. What have we read throughout the book of Acts so far about this very event?

Acts 2:23 CSB

23 Though he was delivered up according to God’s determined plan and foreknowledge, you used lawless people to nail him to a cross and kill him.

Acts 3:15 CSB

15 You killed the source of life, whom God raised from the dead; we are witnesses of this.

What has Peter declared very clearly? The Jewish leaders are guilty of killing Jesus Christ. Does this mean that they should be punished or that Christians today should look down on the Jews? No. It means this: We have to give them the Gospel! For Peter it was black and white, if you accept Christ, you’re saved. If you don’t, you’re lost. There are people today who are incredibly confused about this subject. They think that you can be a Jew and be saved by God or you can accept Jesus and you are saved by God. Friends, the Bible is clear that if you reject Jesus, you’re lost. It doesn’t matter what your last name is, what your ancestry looks like, or if you’ve gone to church your whole life, if you get Jesus wrong, you’re going to be separated from God for all eternity. This is a HUGE deal and we must stand firm on what the Bible teaches!

To quote David Peterson, “The Christian faith is the fulfillment, not the contradiction, of Judaism, if Judaism is rightly understood.” What does this mean? It means that we don’t have to look at the Bible in 2 different halves as if the 1st half only applies to Jews and the 2nd half only applies to Christians. What we see is that Jesus Christ fulfills all of the Old Testament law/Old Covenant. He fulfills it all.

Hebrews 10:14 CSB

14 For by one offering he has perfected forever those who are sanctified.

Jesus paid it all! What must we do now? We must follow Jesus. Who must follow Jesus? Everyone. Peter makes sure to note in this conclusion of sorts that the Jewish leaders are responsible for having Jesus murdered but that God is responsible for raising Him up in order to give repentance to Israel and to forgive them of their sins. This is good news! The same Jews who ordered Jesus to be killed are the same ones hearing this message of salvation yet again and they are being told that they must repent and believe in Christ! There is forgiveness available even to the men responsible for sending Jesus to the cross - friends, there is forgiveness available to you regardless of what your past is! There is no one too far gone for the grace of Jesus Christ.

What must we stand firm on? The need that every single person has, regardless of ethnicity, skin color, background, or past, to repent and believe in Jesus Christ. Paul shares this in Romans 11

Romans 11:19–21 CSB

19 Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 True enough; they were broken off because of unbelief, but you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but beware, 21 because if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.

Why are some of the branches broken off of the tree (God’s family)? Because of unbelief. Meaning this: There are Jews who rejected Jesus who are not saved. How can that be? I thought that the Jews were God’s chosen people! They are, but the Bible answers this question for us

Romans 9:6–8 CSB

6 Now it is not as though the word of God has failed, because not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. 7 Neither is it the case that all of Abraham’s children are his descendants. On the contrary, your offspring will be traced through Isaac. 8 That is, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but the children of the promise are considered to be the offspring.

So who is true Israel? Not the physical offspring, but the children of the promise! Who are those people? Those who repent of their sins and believe in Jesus Christ. After all, whenever Peter preached his first sermon in Acts 2, there were Jews who were pierced to the heart and they asked

Acts 2:37–38 CSB

37 When they heard this, they were pierced to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” 38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

We must believe in Jesus Christ! This is our Christian Confession. It’s Jesus alone or it’s nothing at all! Have you believed in Jesus Christ as your Lord? Have you repented of your sins? Are you living for Him today?

Conclusion

If so, Peter declares, we must obey God rather than men. Acts 5:29 is a difficult verse for many reasons. Does it mean that we ignore what men say, specifically what the government or authorities say, and disobey them entirely? That’s not what the verse is saying. We know in the New Testament that God has ordained the government and has given them a purpose. We are to submit to the state and government as long as they don’t contradict God’s Word. Scripture tells us to do this

1 Peter 2:13 CSB

13 Submit to every human authority because of the Lord, whether to the emperor as the supreme authority

We do this because we have been called by God to share of His goodness with those around us who are still lost in darkness!

1 Peter 2:9 CSB

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

But what if the government tells us to do something that goes directly against what the Bible says? For example, in our text we read that the Jewish leaders told the apostles to stop preaching about Jesus Christ. What if the government tells us to stop teaching about Jesus? What do we do? We, in love, tell them that we cannot abide by that command because we are called by our Savior to be His witnesses and to proclaim His goodness and grace with others. Consider examples in Scripture of people who stood up to tyrants out of their fear of the Lord: Daniel, Shadrach, Meschach, Abed-nego, Esther, Joseph, Peter, John, and numerous early church leaders in the first 3 centuries of the church. They said, essentially, “We must obey God rather than people.”

Now, where’s the line? Do we simply say this whenever the government says something that we disagree with or that we don’t like? No. We can’t say it then. It’s whenever the government oversteps their God-given authority and goes against God’s Word. In that moment, we must follow Jesus. We don’t riot or cause a fight. We simply declare the Gospel of Jesus Christ with no shame as Romans 1:16 instructs us to do.

2 application points for us from this message

Take advantage of opportunities to share the Gospel. We’ve seen the last 2 weeks that the apostles were persecuted against for sharing about Jesus, but we also see a boldness in them to tell as many people as possible about Jesus Christ. Even when it made people a little bit upset, they told them the truth. They didn’t water down the message. They didn’t do what was best for their own skin. Are we taking advantage of the opportunities God is giving us day in and day out to share the truth of the Gospel with others? Pray for guidance as we do this!

Be all-in for Jesus. When the pressure rises and we are tempted to take the easy way out, remember what Jesus has done for you as 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, He who knew no sin became sin, so that in Him, we might inherit the righteousness of God. Don’t be all in for a tradition or for an idea, be all-in for Jesus because He satisfies and there is salvation only found in Him.

Don’t waste an opportunity to share the Gospel with others. Even when it’s difficult or when you’re put under the spotlight, we have the best news of all to share. Tell others the truth - Jesus Christ Saves!