We Ought To Obey God

MAY 4, 2022 STUDY NOTES ACTS 5:29-40 BIBLE TEACHER: CLIFTON JONES WE OUGHT TO OBEY GOD Act 5:29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. “We ought to obey God” should be one of the scriptures marked in your Bible It should the normal way for a Christian to think, keeping God’s will in our mind at-all times It is easy to say, but too often obedience to God is not the path of life that we are traveling The pattern of Peter and John’s life was obedience to God even after being threatened and persecuted Act 4:19 But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. Our decision should always be God first, Mat 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (God will put all things together for us) “Rather than men” does not mean that Peter is openly defying the laws of the land The law of the land had forced him to make a choice between God’s Word and man’s law The Sanhedrin Court had said, Act 4:18 And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. God had said, Act 5:20 Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life. Obedience to man’s law called upon Peter and John to disobey what God had told them to do Christians are to obey the law of man unless it contradicts the Word of God, which Peter was facing (Study Romans 13:1-7 and 1 Peter 2:13-25) Peter stated that the Apostles would live their life obeying God even if it meant death by man’s hand Peter once again explains why he must obey God, why he must teach and preach Jesus Act 5:30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. The Sanhedrin knew who “the God of our fathers” was, they believed in the true God of Israel Peter had previously identified the God of the Jews, Act 3:13 The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go. They did not want to believe that God “raised up Jesus” or that they were guilty of Jesus’ death The truth that Peter has already preached to them, “whom you slew and hanged on a tree,” Act 2:23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: You crucified Him and God raised Him from the dead, Act 4:10 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. Threats of persecution would not change the mind or message of Peter, he would continue to preach Jesus Act 5:31 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. “Him,” Jesus, the one you crucified, the one God raised up, “Him” God has also “exalted,” Act 2:33 Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. Page 1 of 5 His exalted position is now at the “right hand” of God, identifying Him as “a Prince and Savior” Peter had already presented Jesus as “Prince,” Act 3:15 And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses. The “Prince of Life” presents Jesus as the author, originator, creator, and giver of life (John 10:10) The One Who goes first on the path and hence is the source, the leader, the pioneer Who blazes the trail Here the “Prince” is the One who leads the way to salvation, Heb 2:10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. The same word translated “Prince” in Acts 5:31 is found in Hebrews 2:10, “captain of their salvation” And is found again in, Heb 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author (same word) and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Jesus is the “Savior,” the One who rescues, delivers, saves, and preserves for today and eternity Luk 2:11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. The importance of Jesus the “Savior” is presented in Titus 1:3-4; 2:10,13; 3:4,6 Remember that Peter is standing before the Supreme Court of the Jewish nation Peter personally applies the truth of “Prince and Savior” to Israel, “To give repentance to Israel,” Act 13:23 Of this man's seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus: Act 13:24 When John had first preached before his coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. Peter had preached the importance of “repentance to Israel,” Act 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, (Israel) Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Salvation demands repentance, Act 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; There can be no “forgiveness of sins” except through Jesus the “Savior,” Act 13:38 Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: Forgiveness of sins is in His name, Act 10:43 To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. Jesus said, forgiveness of sins is by faith in Him, Act 26:18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. Act 5:32 And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him. Peter now explains why he cannot obey the demands of the Sanhedrin, he is a “witness” to the truth A “witness” is a person who has had a personal experience and can testify to the truth of that experience Peter had already stated why he must witness, Act 4:20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. The truth that must be proclaimed to the world, and it must be proclaimed through the “Holy Spirit” Which is possible even today because of the promise of Jesus, Act 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. And it is possible through every believer today, Rom 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. Page 2 of 5 The Spirit is within us because we are of God, 1Co 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? We belong to God, 1Co 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. To glorify God, we must “obey him,” obedience is not the means of salvation, it is because of salvation We “obey Him” because of who He is and because of who we are, we submit to His authority We are to give attention to His Word, the Bible, we are to learn and live according to His will Act 5:33 When they heard that, they were cut to the heart, and took counsel to slay them. “They heard” why Peter and John could not obey them, and why they must obey God rather than men They heard what Peter said about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, and that they needed to repent Here is an example of what you can expect when you share the gospel with people The truth of the gospel will convict people, some will open their heart to Jesus, Act 2:37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? (They were saved, baptized, and received the Holy Spirit) The Sanhedrin Council was convicted by the Spirit and “they were cut to the heart” Which was not a conviction of sin, it was a rejection of the Savior, their heart was filled with anger They were not just mad, they were enraged, and furious, “they took counsel to slay them” Think about that, religious leaders planned to kill the followers of Jesus If you find that hard to believe, study Acts, study the history and the future of the NT church Your study will also reveal the presence of the “Hand of God,” God is always in control (Read on) Act 5:34 Then stood there up one in the council, a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the apostles forth a little space; “Then” has the thought of “on the other hand,” and that other hand was the “Hand of God” God has His hand upon a man by the name of “Gamaliel” who stood to speak This is interesting because the Sanhedrin Council was mostly Sadducees, and he was a “Pharisee” Usually, the Pharisees and Sadducees did not agree or get along, they were at odds with each other Gamaliel was also “a doctor of the law,” literally a teacher of the Jewish Law, he was a lawyer And he had a “reputation among all the people,” even the Sadducees respected his opinion When he stood to speak, he got their attention, “all the people” listened when Gamaliel spoke He spoke with authority, his words were forceful, he “commanded,” and his words made sense “Put the apostles forth a little space,” his point was, time will tell the truth, he explains it--Act 5:35 And said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what ye intend to do as touching these men. As a Pharisee, Gamaliel believed that God was in control of everything, time would reveal God’s will Gamaliel told them to pay attention to what they were thinking, think about the outcome, use your head Act 5:36 For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered, and brought to nought. Gamaliel used a man by the name of “Theudas” as an example, only time in the NT that he is mentioned Whoever he was he had influenced 400 to follow him, they were committed to his cause Gamaliel’s point is that when Theudas was killed, his followers “scattered,” his cause died with him His name and his cause came “to naught,” there were no followers, there were no teachers of his cause Page 3 of 5 The point is, if these followers of Jesus are not of God, their teaching will also come “to naught” Act 5:37 After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him: he also perished; and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed. Gamaliel gave them another example, “Judas of Galilee,” historians give us a record of him The point of Gamaliel is the same as the previous example, many people followed him while he was alive But when he died, his cause died, his followers scattered, they did not scatter to spread his teaching Compare these examples to the followers of Jesus, Act 8:4 Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word. Act 5:38 And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: This verse is a classic truth, how true it is, revealing the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ How long would the truth of the gospel of Jesus had lasted if it were “of men?” If it is of man, it will not last anyway, leave it alone and it will eventually “come to nought” Here the original states that the message of Jesus would be destroyed if it was not of God If it is of God, the decision of the Sanhedrin would not defeat the gospel of Jesus Some commentaries warn of accepting these words of Gamaliel as 100% accurate Stating that many movements of man have gone on for ages, including religious movements I agree with the fact of agelong movements of man, but there is something else to consider No other religious movement has ever faced the persecutions that the God of Israel has faced The very existence of God’s chosen people, the nation of Israel, confirms the words of Gamaliel No other religious movement has faced the worldwide persecution that Christianity has The NT Church is still being persecuted today and will continue to be persecuted until Jesus returns The greatest persecution upon Israel and the Church is yet to come, during the “Great Tribulation” Yet, one of the signs of the end of the age is, Mat 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. The words of Jesus confirm the truth of what Gamaliel told the Sanhedrin, Mat 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Christ or His Church will not be conquered by Satan or man, 1Co 15:57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Act 5:39 But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God. Gamaliel’s point is Biblical proof that the gospel of Jesus is of God If it is “of God” putting the disciples to death would not “overthrow” the Gospel You cannot put an end to the Gospel because you cannot put an end to God The conclusion to Gamaliel’s speech is, you cannot “fight against God” and win, 2Ch 13:12 And, behold, God himself is with us for our captain, and his priests with sounding trumpets to cry alarm against you. O children of Israel, fight ye not against the LORD God of your fathers; for ye shall not prosper. (You will not be victorious) Act 5:40 And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. The words of Gamaliel made sense to the Sanhedrin, “they agreed” with him Page 4 of 5 The Sanhedrin went one step further than they had done previously, they “beat” the Apostles Once again, they “commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus” They knew that “the name of Jesus” was the central point and power of their message The Apostles lived and died for “the name of Jesus,” Act 15:26 Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Sanhedrin beat them “and let them go,” but where did they go? (Acts 5:41-42) Page 5 of 5