Sermon for 4/24/22 "Do We Obey God Or Men?" 18 Minutes

Acts 5:27-32

This morning I'll be reading Acts chapter 5 verses 27 through 32. And I'll be reading from the Holman Christian Standard Bible. Acts 5:27-32 Peter and all of the disciples are brought before the Sanhedrin after they had been arrested the evening before,,, but an angel of the Lord had released them and told them to go back into the temple court to continue their teaching. Acts 5:27–32 (HCSB) 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? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to bring this man’s blood on us!” 29 But Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than men. 30 The God of our fathers 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 grant 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.” God bless the reading and the hearing of your word this morning. Let us pray: Dear Lord,,, as we begin this morning,,, with everyone here today and all that are listening and watching by video,,, we ask that you open our ears to hear and our hearts and minds to receive the message that you have for us today,,, In Jesus' name I pray,,, Amen. ----------------------------------------------------------- Last week,,, being Easter Sunday,,, we looked at Luke 24:1-12 and the resurrection of course,,, but we also looked at the reasons why “skeptics” want to accuse the written word of not adding up,,, or not being true.

And we seen examples that a cold case detective gave from interviews during investigations that could help explain why there are differences between the writings of Matthew,,, Mark,,, Luke,,, and John.

All of this to help us see that just because something doesn’t seem true to us,,, may just mean that we don’t have the right information to make that call,,, and we should always believe the words in the Bible even when we don’t understand what is happening.

This morning we will look at these verses in Acts and see how they help us in our walk with God this week.

----------------------------------------------------------- As we begin our look at these verses,,, it will help us understand what is going on,,, by knowing what has happened in the scriptures leading up to these this morning.

Peter and John were arrested first after Peter had healed the lame man from birth that sat at the gate leading into the temple complex,,, beginning in chapter 3:1 through chapter 4:22.

And chapter 4 verses 1 through 4 say: 1 Now as they were speaking to the people, the priests, the commander of the temple police, and the Sadducees confronted them, 2 because they were provoked that they were teaching the people and proclaiming the resurrection from the dead, using Jesus as the example. 3 So they seized them and put them in custody until the next day, since it was already evening. 4 But many of those who heard the message believed, and the number of the men came to about 5,000.

Then we see that after Peter’s boldness in replying to their accusations,,, they were released,,, but with warnings,,, not to preach or teach in the name of Jesus.

But,,, afterward,,, all of the disciples are arrested,,, because they have continued teaching,,, and they are put in prison,,, but an angel opened the doors and told the disciples to go and stand in the temple complex and again,,, continue to teach.

When the religious leaders sent for the disciples the next morning,,, the officials over the prison went there with the intentions of bringing them before the Sanhedrin,,, but the disciples could not be found,,, and they were all puzzled,,, because the jail was securely locked,,, with guards standing in front of the doors.

They could not figure out what had happened.

Then it was reported that the disciples were standing in the temple complex teaching the people.

Then the commander and temple police brought them in,,, without using any force,,, because they were afraid of the people.

Which brings us up to the verses that we will look at this morning,,, but,,, any time that I read about the disciples during all of this,,, I’m always amazed at the difference in the attitude of the disciples.

These are the same disciples that,,, after Jesus had been arrested,,, crucified,,, and buried in the tomb,,, were afraid to be seen outside for fear of being arrested.

They wanted to stay out of sight,,, because of “fear”!

But now,,, they are boldly teaching others about the “Good News” of Jesus Christ.

And they are doing this “in-spite” of the definite danger of being arrested this time.

Why the difference,,, ,,, well,,, they have seen the risen Lord Jesus Christ and they have received instructions from Him,,, specific instructions,,, they know that He is alive,,, and they are not afraid anymore!!!

Now,,, they don’t care how many times they are arrested,,, put in prison,,, whipped,,, whatever they wanted to do as punishment,,, it didn’t matter,,, they were going to obey God.

And now we see that they have been brought back before the Sanhedrin after the angel had released them from prison.

----------------------------------------------------------- Verses 27 and 28 say: 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? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to bring this man’s blood on us!”

If you notice,,, the high priest purposely avoided using Jesus’ name,,, and he did it twice in both of his sentences to the disciples.

They were so jealous of Jesus,,, and now the disciples and their teachings are included since the people are flocking to them and many are believing their words.

This jealousy was blinding them to what the disciples was offering to them,,, which was a chance for forgiveness from God,,, if they would repent and believe that Jesus Christ was their Lord and Savior.

But their jealousy and hatred has blinded them to the truth,,, and they continue in their rejection of Jesus Christ as Savior,,, which is a mistake that we definitely don’t want to see today,,, but that’s something that we are still seeing today!

----------------------------------------------------------- Verse 29 says: 29 But Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than men.

They have replied with words that we,,, as Christians,,, must understand,,, and apply to our own lives today.

The disciples had prayed for boldness to speak and we can see that they have been given the faith that they needed to speak publicly,,, even though earlier they had been afraid to be seen on the streets.

Now,,, in the next few verses,,, they continue with their answer to the high priest.

----------------------------------------------------------- Verses 30 and 31 say: 30 The God of our fathers 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 grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.

The disciples are confronting the high priest and others with the way that they had Jesus murdered,,, but God had raised Jesus to sit at,,, His right hand as ruler and Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.

This forgiveness was offered even to those that had Jesus murdered,,, but again,,, their jealousy and hatred,,, has blinded them to the truth.

----------------------------------------------------------- Verse 32 says: 32 We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.”

The disciples let the high priest and others know that they are living witnesses to these events.

And not only were they living witnesses,,, the Holy Spirit was making their testimony believable by enabling them to preach boldly and to perform miracles.

This same Spirit,,, is available to us as Christians today.

And it’s not used the way that we should either.

But here,,, the disciples are using God’s words to show the high priest and others,,, that Jesus is alive,,, and ready for all to repent and believe that Jesus is available to them as their Lord and Savior,,, just as He’s still available to us today,,, as our Lord and Savior!

But,,, we know that sadly,,, most of them don’t heed the disciples warnings or pleadings. ----------------------------------------------------------- Which brings us to the focus of today’s scripture,,, and that’s the part of scripture in verse 29 that Peter and the disciples gave for disobeying them,,, “We must obey God rather than men.

Thankfully in our part of the country we don’t have this type of persecution,,, but it’s getting closer and closer to us,,, as Christians,,, having to deal with severe persecution.

Right now,,, the effects are more subtle,,, but I imagine that it will get worse instead of better,,, but hopefully I’m wrong.

But regardless,,, are we prepared to heed the warning,,, and rely on the guidance of the Holy Spirit like we should each and every day,,, like the disciples did then?

It was the power given to them by the Holy Spirit that gave them the faith,,, strength and ability to stand up to the high priest and the rest of their accusers that day,,, and all the rest of the days of their lives.

It was the Holy Spirit that gave Paul the same strength to change his ways and go from persecuting Christians,,, to helping them spread the “Good News” of Jesus Christ every where that he went,,, and like the disciples here,,, even to the faces of those that confronted him about it!

It’s the same Holy Spirit that today gives countless pastors the words that they need to say each and every Sunday,,, even when they were afraid to speak before they were given this strength by God,,, but yet each and every Sunday they are in front of congregations doing the job that God has called them to do!

Not because of their power or ability,,, but simply relying on the strength and guidance of the Holy Spirit.

----------------------------------------------------------- But this power isn’t just available to,,, disciples,,, or pastors,,, or any other religious figure that you can think of.

The power of the Holy Spirit is available to all,,, and it’s needed by all,,, so that we can live a life that is pleasing to God.

If you are a Christian,,, you know that we can’t go through the day without guidance from the Holy Spirit.

We may not listen to Him like we should,,, and stray off the path,,, but He’s always there to put us back on the correct path that we should be on.

That’s what allows us to stay in our relationship with God,,, each and every day.

----------------------------------------------------------- But if by chance you have lost touch with God,,, maybe you are struggling to find God in whatever trial that you are going through,,, please understand that God is still there beside you,,, He hasn’t left!

You have just lost touch with Him and you can’t see Him,,, even though He is right there where He has been all along,,, just waiting for you to notice that you have strayed off the path,,, and waiting for the words to seek His guidance again!

Just turn toward Him and acknowledge that you have lost touch with Him,,, and I promise that He will be more than ready to welcome you back into His arms.

----------------------------------------------------------- If you feel like you aren't experiencing God's presence and guidance the way that you should,,,

Let me remind you that it’s always available,,, but you have to make that choice.

It will not be forced on you,,, that is something that you must decide to do.

If you have never made the commitment to allow Jesus to be your Personal Savior,,, please make that decision today.

We aren't promised tomorrow,,, so the choice must be made today.

We don't know the hour or the day when Jesus comes back nor do we know if we will be called home,,, we are just told to be ready.

And to be ready,,, you must have made the decision to follow Jesus,,, be sure that you have made that decision today!

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So as we sing our final hymn,,, let me remind you that the alter is always open,,,

If you feel God speaking to you,,, don't hesitate to come,,, maybe you just have questions,,, God will answer,,, you just have to ask Him,,, whatever the need may be,,,

As we sing the final hymn,,, come if needed!

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