Acts message 14

Moving Forward.

Acts 5:12–21 (NKJV)

12 And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. And they were all with one accord in Solomon’s Porch.

13 Yet none of the rest dared join them, but the people esteemed them highly.

14 And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women,

15 so that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them.

16 Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed.

17 Then the high priest rose up, and all those who were with him (which is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with indignation,

18 and laid their hands on the apostles and put them in the common prison.

19 But at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said,

20 “Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life.”

21 And when they heard that, they entered the temple early in the morning and taught. But the high priest and those with him came and called the council together, with all the elders of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought.

Intro:

As we go through the book of Acts, we must remember that we’re learning about the history church.

Even today we deal with the same types of issues our brothers and sisters faced in the first century.

Experiences of suffering like those we read about in Acts continue today. Maybe not someone dropping dead in church, but what we will read in the Acts.

True accounts of faithfulness in spite of it are indeed both convicting and encouraging.

But what we see is true faithfulness, moving forward even though this were not easy.

Moving forward. Because that is what they were doing. Moving forward.

Last week the church faced opposition from the inside. Today we will see the church receives opposition from the outside.

Satan enjoys using both tactics. He hates gospel-centered ministry because he knows when the gospel is being shared, people will be saved.

We will encounter hostility when we follow Jesus wholeheartedly.

If you want to make an impact with the gospel it involves this. You have to pattern of Jesus’s ministry, which involved words and deeds

What The apostles’ do is just that, they follow the pattern of Jesus. And as they share the gospel, and perform miracles persecution intensifies.

If you decide to live out your faith publicly, hostility will come.

Christian faith is not a private faith. Remember, Jesus was crucified publicly—for all to see

Living a public Christian life results in hostility. But don’t miss the other side of the matter. Public faith blesses many.

While gospel ministry will anger some, it also has power to bless others and to lift up those doing it. So let’s take a look at these three effects of gospel ministry.

Unity

Acts 5:12 (NKJV)

12 And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. And they were all with one accord in Solomon’s Porch.

“And they were all with one accord in Solomon’s Porch.”

“Accord” With one mind, togetherness.

Think about what had happened. Ananias, and Sapphira both dropped dead because they lies to God.

This was a tragedy. Two people died because they lied.

This could have caused problems with the church.

They could have blamed God.

They could have blamed Peter.

But what happened was “Unity” One accord.

Issues, problems, tragedies can cause a disruption of unity, church spits, people to quit, fighting within the church.

These things stop church grow, lack of spiritual grow.

People will cause problems, situations will cause problems.

Tragedies will cause problems.

Too many times it hurts thee church.

For the first church. They were still one accord.

Solomon’s Porch:

“And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people”

Great things were happening.

Signs and wonders.

Growth

Acts 5:13–14 (NKJV)

13 Yet none of the rest dared join them, but the people esteemed them highly.

14 And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women,

The New Testament: An Expanded Translation (Chapter 5)

And of the rest, not even one was daring to be entering into fellowship with them, but the people were esteeming them highly.

And those believing on the Lord were the more constantly being added to the number, crowds both of men and women

There were people in the Temple who were not followers of Jesus. They did not join them in their meetings and worship.

But they “esteemed them highly.”

King James Version Chapter 5

magnified

They didn’t press themselves into company of the followers of Jesus, but they admired them.

Acts: Commentary Chapter 5

spoke highly of them

Not everyone is going to come to church. Not everyone is going to become a follower of Jesus.

There those who are against Christians.

There some who even though they don’t believe, respect those who do.

So there were those who did become a part of them, but there those who did.

Acts 5:14 (NKJV)

14 And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women,

First notice this “added to the Lord”

Men and women.

How did this happen? They were committed to reach the lost with the gospel.

We must be committed to reaching everyone with the gospel message. Some people will respond to it in faith!

For them, just like us today, some believed, some did not.

They had been through precaution, they were told to not teach Jesus. But the kept moving forward. They kept sharing Jesus, and

14 And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women,

Miracles

Acts 5:15–16 (NKJV)

15 so that they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them.

16 Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed.

This was the results of a church moving forward.

People brought their sick loved ones, “cot”

The word of this new “religion” was getting around.

They may have not understood the full meaning of Christianity. But they had heard what was going on.

12 And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people

They believed, so they brought their sick to be healed.

“that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them.”

Peter shadow did not heal anyone. But it was the faith of the people who brought them.

Mark 2:5 (NKJV)

5 When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”

Peter Shadow: Again it was faith.

Women with the blood flow “Issue of blood” 12 years

Mark 5:28 NKJV

28 For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.”

Mark 5:34 NKJV

34 And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.”

Acts 5:16 NKJV

16 Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed.

Not just people in Jerusalem, but places around Jerusalem.

Mark 5:27 (NKJV)

27 When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment.

Sick, unclean spirits And were healed.

God is still in the healing business

Matthew 13:58 NKJV

58 Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

Opposition

Acts 5:17–18 (NKJV)

17 Then the high priest rose up, and all those who were with him (which is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with indignation,

18 and laid their hands on the apostles and put them in the common prison.

The New Testament: An Expanded Translation Chapter 5

Then having arisen, the chief priest and all those with him, the sect which is of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. And they laid their hands upon the apostles and put them in the public prison

High Priest:

The high priest and the Sadducees loved power. So as the apostles gain popularity and influence, this group gets “filled with jealousy,” arrests the apostles, and puts them in prison

The Sadducees didn’t believe in miracles like the resurrection or in the existence of angels.

Here this group is filled with jealous (deep jealous) anger because their beliefs are being challenged and they are losing power.

What did the apostles do to create such outrage among the religious leaders, here’s the answer:

they healed people! They loved people! They shared the gospel with people. The religious leaders want all of this to stop.

Imagine the high priest, supposedly the spiritual leader of Israel, filled with anger and jealous because sick people were being healed and because Satan’s hold over peoples’ lives was being broken. Truly no hatred is like religious hatred

Satan hates the gospel message. He will all He can to stop it. Even from religious people. (Elab)

Acts 5:18 (NKJV)

18 and laid their hands on the apostles and put them in the common prison.

Intimidation.

Obedience

Acts 5:19–21 (NKJV)

19 But at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said,

20 “Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life.”

21 And when they heard that, they entered the temple early in the morning and taught. But the high priest and those with him came and called the council together, with all the elders of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought.

I’m sure there was a lot of prayer going on, both in the prison and out.

God sends and angel to open the door. Why didn’t God just open the door?

He had a message for them. VS 20

“Go”, stand in the temple and speak to the people the words of life”

Not run and hide. Not stop perching. Not you can quit if you want to.

Go back to the place where you were arrested, back to where the bullies are, and keep preaching.

Over time these men (other them John would be killed for what they were doing)

Acts 5:21 (NKJV)

21 And when they heard that, they entered the temple early in the morning and taught. But the high priest and those with him came and called the council together, with all the elders of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought.

End with this vs today and start with it next week.

Look at the first part of the verse.

And when they heard that, they entered the temple early in the morning and taught.

They obeyed. They kept moving forward.

No matter what we go through, we have to keep moving forward.

Unity.

Growth.

Miracles.

Opposition.

Obedience.