From
Acts to Revelation
Part
14 – Apostles Persecution
Pastor Bruce A. Shields
House
of Faith Church | www.PS127.org | www.TruthDigest.org
INTRODUCTION
By this time in the Book of the Acts of the
Apostles, they have been instructed by Christ before the ascension, obeyed His
command and received the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, healed the lame,
arrested for preaching, released and warned not to preach or teach in the name
of Jesus any more, and returned to doing what the Lord commanded them.
Now we will see that the persecution
continues against them by the jealous leaders of the Sanhedrin. Sadducee
and Pharisees continue to squash the
teachings of Jesus Christ, and punish any who preach in His name.
If you were arrested, imprisoned, whipped,
and told not to say another word about Jesus, would you still share the Gospel?
How about if none of that stood in your
way, would you share it then?
SCRIPTURE READING
Acts 5:17-42
17 Then
the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the
Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. 18They arrested the apostles and put
them in the public jail. 19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors
of the jail and brought them out. 20 “Go, stand in the temple
courts,” he said, “and tell the people the full message of this new life.”
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 puzzled, wondering what
would come of this.
25 Then someone came and said, “Look! The men you put in jail
are standing in the temple courts teaching the people.” 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.
27 Having brought the apostles, they made them 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.”
29 Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God
rather than men! 30 The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead—whom you
had killed by hanging him on a tree. 31 God exalted him to his own
right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness
of sins to Israel. 32 We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy
Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”
33 When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put
them to death. 34 But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who
was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the
men be put outside for a little while.35 Then he addressed them: “Men of
Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. 36 Some
time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men
rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all
came to nothing. 37 After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the
census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his
followers were scattered. 38 Therefore, in the present case
I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or
activity is of human origin, it will fail. 39 But if it is from God, you will
not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against
God.”
40 His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and
had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and
let them go.
41 The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had
been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. 42 Day
after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped
teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.
I.
ARRESTED … AGAIN
1. Arrested and put in
jail by man
1. Worldly things
imprison us.
2. Scripture tells us
that sin is our master, and enslaves us.
3. We are confined by
our sin, forced to live within its grasp.
1. Ask someone who is
addicted, how free they really are.
2. Ask someone who is
imprisoned with chains of fear, anger, animosity, greed, selfishness, hatred,
jealousy how free they are to live.
2. Released and set
free by God
1. A ministering angel
came to aid them.
2. This is one of many
angels who serve as ministering Spirits to Believer's.
3. Hebrews 1:14 “ Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve
those who will inherit salvation?”
4. This is
probably where we get the term, “Guardian Angel.”
5. This
angel released the Apostles from prison without waking any of the guards.
3. Instructed by the
Angel of the Lord
1. Remember, angel
literally means, “Messenger of God.”
2. After releasing the
Apostles, this Messenger of God gave them instruction in verse 20, “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the
people the full message of this new life.”
3. What
message? The full message of this new life
1.
Where sin locks you in, the Lord opens the door
2.
Where you were once a slave, now you are a free man in Jesus
Christ!
3.
You do not have to be trapped by your sin
1. slave
to alcohol
2. slave
to drugs
3. slave
to pornography
4. slave
to anger
5. slave
to hate
6. You can
be set free by the Lord today!
4. They returned to
preaching and teaching Jesus is the Messiah
1. The Apostles obeyed
the angels instruction.
2. How did they know
that this angel was sent by God and his message was from God?
1. Because it passed
the test.
2. Not because they
were set free from the cell...any man with a key could have done that.
3. BUT, the
instruction from the angel lined up with what Jesus had told the Apostles to do
with His own mouth...preach and teach the people about Jesus the messiah.
3. The angel did not
tell the Apostles anything that God did not already tel them.
4. So they returned to
what Christ had originally instructed them to do.
II.
INTEROGATED AND EXAMINED
1. The high-priest
questioned them
1. He asked them, did
we not instruct you against this?
2. Peter and the
Apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than man.”
3. Peter then
continues to explain that what they preach and teach is the truth.
1.
30 The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead—whom you had
killed by hanging him on a tree. 31 God
exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give
repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. 32 We
are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to
those who obey him.”
4. When
they heard this, they became furious, and wanted to put the Apostles all to
death.
1. These
teachers of the law, who were supposed to know ad understand God's word, were
nothing more than selfish, self-centered haters, whom Jesus called the church
of Satan.
2. He also
called the Sanhedrin, the children of the devil.
3. They
follow their father, who was a liar and murderer from the beginning.
5. But
liars and murderers can see the truth, and chose to accept it!
1. We see
one man step up to defend truth among the Sanhedrin.
2. Gamaliel
stood and asked that the Apostles be removed from the court so he could address
the Sanhedrin.
III. REASON, FLOGGED AND
RELEASED
1. Gamaliel, a teacher
of the law, who was honored by all the people, addressed the Sanhedrin.
2. Men of Israel,
consider carefully what you do to these men
1. Some time ago,
Theudas appeared and claimed to be something, and 400 rallied with him. He was
killed and his followers dispersed, and it all came to nothing.
2. After him, Judas
the Galilean appeared in the days of the census, and a band of people followed
him in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers scattered.
3. Gamaliel used some
common sense here about uprisings, saying, “Look, Jesus too was killed, now
wait and see what happens.”
4. “Therefore, leave
these men alone! Let them go!”
1. Reasoning: “If what they do is
of human origin (as
in the two examples), then it too will fail. But, if it is from God, you
will not be able to stop these men, and you will only find yourself fighting
against God!”
2. Good Logic: This statement was
made approximately 2,000 years ago...are there still followers of Jesus the
Messiah?
5. His speech
persuaded them...somewhat.
6. The Sanhedrin
flogged the Apostles, warned them again about preaching in the name of Jesus,
and let them go.
IV. THE APOSTLES
RESPONSE TO ALL OF THIS
1. To the cowardly and
unjust beatings they received
1. The Apostles
rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer for His name.
2. Have you ever
suffered prison, beatings, any such thing for His name?
3. What persecution do
you actually face in this day and age?
4. When you suffer
that persecution because of your belief, do you rejoice?
5. Do you allow that
persecution to keep you from spreading the Gospel?
2. To the ignorant and
pointless instruction to stop preaching and teaching about Jesus the Messiah
1. Verse 42 tells us,
they returned to the Temple Court DAILY
2. Boldly and properly
disregarding their illegal judges command
3. They continued to
preach that Jesus was the Promised Messiah.
CLOSING
The
Apostles had already been arrested a few times, put in jail, interrogated,
flogged, or beaten with a whip or a rod, and instructed not to speak of Jesus
again. However, they immediately returned to the temple courts, and going from
house to house preaching and teaching that Jesus is the Messiah.
Would
you speak the name of Jesus after this?
What
about now? What are you facing that is so terrifying, that you do not share the
Gospel of Salvation with people around you every day?
We
need to evaluate ourselves, and ask the question in light of today's scripture.
Am
I still imprisoned by my sin, enslaved, waiting to be released by an
Angel? Am I freed from my sin, but
afraid of persecution, so I stay silent?
Or, am I free, and fearless in the strength of the Lord sharing the
Truth of scripture with all, and rejoice when I am persecuted for His name!
