God's Authority

Good Morning and welcome to another week of Church here at the Bridge. I am so glad that we could be joined together and worship together this morning. It is the Sunday after Easter. WE celebrate the resurceted King this morning and we are happy to be here. Last week i talked about putting ourselves in the shoes of the original people that are written about in the Bible. Let us try to do that this morning.

A Cold Dark Cell

Close your eyes and imagine with me. You have just been arrested. Now i Know your all good Christian people and you would be arrested right but just try to use your imagination.

You have just been arrested. You were arrested by the High Priests of the Sanhedrin because you had been preaching the Good news of Jesus Resurrected to people in Jerusalem. You were being held to await trial before the whole Sanhedrin because they were Jealous and envious of the of the message you were sharing with the people was the Good news and it is powerful.

They took you to a dark store room, dungeon, or even a Grain silo to hide you away while they waited to put you up for trial. No one comes to check on you. No one brings you any food. No one comes to take you to the bathroom. The left you alone in isolation removed from anyone and everyone.

Now it wasn’t uncommon that people could be held like this for a long period of time. This wasn’t a formal punishment but simply the time that you were being held before your trial. Imagine for a moment the wonder and uncertainty of when you would be freed from that prison. When someone might come to get you out? When someone was going to set you free?

They just wanted to hide you away so that you might be forgoten because your message was one that theyd din’t want to be heard.

Sounds like a Pretty dark place to be.

Imagine being the apostles who are in this situation. They have been arrested by a group that was jealous of the message and authority that you had Gained through Christ. Yet something amazing happened in that prison that is a testament to who God is.

Acts 5:12–18 NIV

12 The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade. 13 No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. 14 Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. 15 As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. 16 Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed. 17 Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. 18 They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail.

The Apostles Persecuted

The apostles were performing many miraculous signs and wonders and preaching to the good news of Jesus. They were spreading the message of Jesus Christ Crucified and they were succeeding in continuing the ministry of Jesus to the people around Jerusalem. The High Priest needed this to end. Like Jesus though they knew they couldn’t just eliminate them they had the favor of the people after all. so they arrested them. They hid them away trying to keep them from the people. Hoping that everyone would forget about them and move on in their lives.

God had other plans

God sent an Angel to the Apostles.

Go back to that Cell. Put yourself in their shoes. Imagine sitting there wondering when the door was going to open andyou were going to face your accusers. When suddenly the door swings open. It isn’t a gurad or even a priest but it is an angel of the Lord who calls you out of your prison.

I don’t know about you but i might have been a little cautious wondering what was happening in that moment. Is this some kind of trick? Are they going to get me for escaping prison.

Than the Angel looks at you and simply says “Go stand in the temple courts, and tell the people all about this new life.”

The Angels walked them out of the prison. Past the guards without anyone noticing and simply tells them to not stop preaching.

God is showing in thsi moment that nothing is going to stop the Good news of the Gospel. Not any plans of men. Not prison doors. Nothing will stop the message that is to be preached.

Sure enough at daybreak as people are entering the temple courts there are the Apostles waiting ready to preach the message more and share the hope that they had.

Than the Religous leaders showed up and the story gets real interesting

Acts 5:21–25 NIV

21 At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people. When the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin—the full assembly of the elders of Israel—and sent to the jail for the apostles. 22 But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they went back and reported, 23 “We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside.” 24 On hearing this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were at a loss, wondering what this might lead to. 25 Then someone came and said, “Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people.”

The Sanhedrin

I can only imagine the shock and wonder that had to be going on for the sanhedrin. They knew these men had been thrown in Jail. They knew they had the key still. Who would have let them out? Why would somenoe do that? Didn’t they know how much trouble this was going to cause?

In fact they were so scared the temple Guard was very cautious when they went to gather the Apostles to present them to the Sanhedrin.

Acts 5:26 NIV

26 At that, the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles. They did not use force, because they feared that the people would stone them.

The Temple guards knew something more was going on. They knew that the Apostles had the favor of the people. They were afraid and honestly If i was in their shoes i probably would be too.

The Sanhedrin moves forward though with their accusations.

Acts 5:27–28 NIV

27 The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. 28 “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.”

The Sanhedrin

One of the most interesting things about this section of the passage is that the Sanhedrin didn’t even address that these men had broken out of prison. They didn’t bother to ask them “How did you get out of your cell”?

Think about that for a moment.

The Leaders were so embarrassed by what had happened and that something more might be going on that they didn’t even address the recent break out from prison but immediately moved to what the Apostles were preaching about.

Authority and Influence

The truth is that Sanhedrin and the Chief priests were more worried about their authority and the influence they had on the people of Jerusalem that they didn’t want to bring too much attention to the fact that these men had done something that could be described as nothing short of miraculous. They knew they were walking this fine line and they had to be careful because they were afraid of losing their authority and their influence.

Authority and Influence: Today

That is one of the biggest things that stood out to me about this passage. The chief priests and leaders were so afraid that they couldn’t see the message of the good news that was right in front of them because that message questioned their very authority.

Do we try to hang on to that same authority and influence today?

That is a real question we have to ask ourselves as Christians. Are we so caught up in being influential and having authority over people that we lose sight of the fact that..

Only God has Authority over all.

We can’t risk being like these leaders who were so afraid that they would lose power and influence that we loose sight of the message of the Kingdom. This is a real issue that we face and must keep in mind as we share the message of the Gospel to the world.

We are left asking the question of who it is that we serve and obey?

Acts 5:29–32 NIV

29 Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings! 30 The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—whom you killed by hanging him on a cross. 31 God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins. 32 We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

The Authority of God

Peters response is amazing. “We must obey God rather than human beings!”

Here they are in the face of what could be death. They are facing the wrath of the Sanhedrin and they point blank say we don’t answer to you we answer to God.

This is a Bold statement.

This is a statement that is born out of the power of the Holy Spirit that is upon them. This is a Statement that makes a stand to say that we are followers of God and his Son Jesus blessed by the Holy Spirit. We fear not what you may do to us because we know that God will deliver us. He has already delivered us from the prison you have put us in and you can’t hold us.

How do I get that Boldness?

I was moved and inspired by the boldness of the apostles. They had no fear of speaking the truth in spite of the fear of death and punishment. They knew that not earthly persecution would be enough to shake them from their faith in God. I thought about this and i realized that the best way for us to come to this boldness comes to us a short time before this story.

Acts 4:31 NIV

31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

The believers were praying. They were together in prayer and seeking God. They were actively pursuing God in their lives. They weren’t passive or hoping that if they simply came to church once a week that would be enough. No they sought more. They looked for more. They prayed. They worshiped. The sought the Holy Spirit and God provided.

What are you wanting for God to do in your life right now?

Are you hoping that he will help you with your problems?

Are you seeking his guidance on the next steps of your life?

Do you have the confidence that if you ask he will provide?

Are you looking for his Will and authority in your life?

The Apostles knew that they had to trust in Him. They knew that they had to answer to God and no one else. They knew that they had to rely on Him and his authority. It is this boldness that we find in prayer and growth in our relationship with Him.

Let us than this morning enter into prayer and ask God to shake this place. To shake our very hearts and remind us of his authority and grant him Authority over out lives.