Sermon by Pastor Brent Kompelien
April 28, 2024
INTRO
Good morning! We working our way through the book of Acts, and today we come to the second of three confrontations between the Apostles and the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem.
As we look at our text today, we need to remember the original commission from Jesus for his disciples in Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
If you look at the Series Overview document I created, which is linked on your notes sheet or we have copies in the back, the main body of the book of Acts unfolds following this pattern: witnessing in Jerusalem, witnessing in Judea and Samaria, and witnessing to the ends of the earth. And we are right in the middle of the fulfillment of the first part as Peter and the other apostles come into direct conflict with the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem.
Here’s what I want you to see right off the bat: Our passage this morning is an answer to prayer.
We’ve been talking about emphasizing prayer this year at our church, and it struck me as I was studying Acts 5 this week that this account is a direct answer to the prayers of these early believers from Acts 4.
You see, right after Peter and John were arrested for the first time and warned not to speak or teach in the name of Jesus, they were released and joined with the rest of the believers and prayed this in Acts 4:29-30, (SLIDE 2) “Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
They prayed that God would enable them to be bold.
They prayed that God would stretch out his hand to heal.
KEY: They pleaded with the Lord to do HIS work THROUGH them. They knew who was the center of attention, they knew who was sovereign over the situations they would encounter, they knew whose power they relied upon, and they knew the One who had a perfect plan that they could stake their lives on: It is God alone.
(SLIDE 3, title) Our text this morning will show us that this prayer was answered as God enabled the Apostles to speak boldly, and as God did miraculous wonders to heal people. And yet this answer to prayer doesn’t make the believers’ lives easier.
You see, as God does his work and as the Apostles witness about Jesus, we are going to see a developing theme: How do God’s people respond to persecution? How do these early believers react when trials and opposition come? What characterizes a genuine Christ-like witness in the face of those who reject the gospel?
Open with me to Acts 5:12-42. We are going to read this account of the miraculous works of God that authenticate the gospel message as God enables the Apostles to speak boldly about Christ to the authorities in Jerusalem. Let’s read our text. READ Acts 5:12-42.
PROP — This passage makes something very clear: You can’t stop God’s redemptive plan. For the Jewish leaders here at this moment, they have to ask themselves a question: Whose side am I on?
ORG SENT — This passage has three parts that shows us how God answered the disciples’ prayer and reveals that God’s mission will not fail. There are two answers to prayer: signs and wonders, as well as boldness. We will also see how the Jewish leaders respond to God’s work through the Apostles.
MAIN 1 — Answered Prayer: Signs and Wonders (vv. 12-16). (SLIDE 4)
A couple weeks ago, we addressed the topic of miracles. We know that miracles are real and that God will sometimes act in special and surprising ways. Miraculous things are still possible today, and a biblical worldview must acknowledge that God can do supernatural things as he sees fit.
However, we also need to understand the unique contextual situation at this moment in the book of Acts. Remember our conversation last week about descriptive and prescriptive passages? Here Luke describes the signs and wonders of the Apostles, and in the context of this moment in the first generation of the church, these miracles have a specific function or purpose, which is this: (SLIDE 5) Signs and wonders authenticated the Apostles’ message.
There are two unique things happening here:
First, (SLIDE 6) we need to remember that the New Testament wasn’t written yet. The accounts of Jesus’ miracles and teachings were verbally proclaimed by the Apostles who were eyewitnesses and had been given authority directly by Jesus to establish the church.
In other words, signs and wonders accompanied their eyewitness testimony in order to prove the authenticity and divine origin of their message, especially in the face of opposition from Jewish and Roman leaders at this time.
Second, (SLIDE 7) this follows a pattern of miraculous works of God throughout the Old Testament at major turning points in God’s redemptive work.
KEY: Whenever God announced new details about his salvation plan, or intervened to save his covenant people, or revealed something about his nature and character, there were often miraculous events or “signs and wonders” accompanying these revelations of God’s redemption. We see this in the story of the Exodus, in the conquering of the Promised Land, in Judges and Kings, and in the prophets. (SLIDE 8) Miracles often punctuate the story of God’s redeeming work.
Here’s the point when it comes to the book of Acts: This is the generation of the dawning of the Messiah, a new work of God that reveals more about his nature and character and his saving work, and this is the moment where there is a fork in the road: Will you see the signs and wonders and believe that Jesus truly is the Messiah? Or will you harden your heart and reject him?
This is exactly what we see happening in this passage. Just look at the contrast of verses 13 and 14. READ vv. 13-14. (SLIDE 9)
Verse 13, “no one else dared join them” — Some reject.
Verse 14, “more and more men and women believed in the Lord” — Some accept.
At this pivotal moment in salvation history, when all of God promises come to fulfillment in Christ Jesus, the Apostles’ proclamation of the gospel becomes a lightning rod. And as they speak, this is the function of signs and wonders: To prove or authenticate that Jesus truly is the risen Messiah, and that the testimony of the Apostles is true, and that the message of the gospel demands a response.
It is this demand for a response that brings us to the confrontation with the Jewish leaders. Let’s see what happens next.
MAIN 2 — Answered Prayer: Boldness to Speak (vv. 17-32). (SLIDE 10)
When we pick up the story in verse 17, things suddenly take a dangerous turn for the Apostles. They are arrested by the High Priest and put in jail. Now it is not just Peter and John whose lives hang in the balance, but all 12 Apostles!
Yet, even at this pivotal moment it is abundantly clear who is in control of the situation. Remember what we talked about when the believers prayed in chapter 4? They prayed that the Lord would do HIS work THROUGH them. (SLIDE 11) It is God who is the main character of this story, and it becomes very obvious who is on God’s side when the Apostles are miraculously freed from jail and obediently go straight to the temple courts to continue preaching the gospel.
And when they are arrested again, this is where we see Peter proclaim the gospel to the Jewish leaders, and his boldness in the face of possible execution makes it abundantly clear that the truth about Jesus Christ demands a response (vv. 29-32). (SLIDE 12)
Just look again at what Peter and the Apostles say to the Sanhedrin. READ vv. 29-32.
This is a bold call for the Jewish leaders, and therefore all Israel, to repent and trust in Jesus Christ as their Messiah, as their Lord and Savior.
Remember, Jesus commanded his disciples to be his witnesses in Jerusalem. They were to go to the old covenant people of God first and invite them into the new covenant through Christ. And yet these Jewish leaders continue to order the Apostles to stop teaching about Jesus, and the Apostles’ reply: “We must obey God rather than human beings!”
(SLIDE 13) This is a decisive moment in the Bible. I need you to see this: The Apostles are not attempting to separate themselves from Judaism. In fact, they are preaching that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Hebrew scriptures and all the promises that God made throughout the history of their people!
But the Jewish leaders reject Jesus and his followers. They think they are preserving the purity of the Hebrew faith, but rather they are cutting themselves off from the fulfillment of God’s promises, and we know this from Ephesians 2 and 3 that it was the mystery of God’s redemptive plan all along: that the new people of God would be people from every nation together in one family under Christ.
You see, this is what Peter says in his speech to the Sanhedrin: (SLIDE 14, full list)
God raised Jesus from the dead (v. 30).
God exalted Jesus to the place of supreme authority to bring people to repentance and to forgive sins (v. 31).
God gave the Holy Spirit to us, to those who obey him (v. 32).
KEY: Do you notice again who is at the center here? Who is the main character? Who is the one doing the saving work? It is God! And Peter is boldly confronting the Jewish leaders by saying, “Don’t you see? Don’t you want to be on God’s side? Don’t you want to participate in the fulfillment of all of God’s promises? Don’t you want to humble yourselves before him?”
And yet, what happens next? The Jewish leaders are furious and want to kill Peter and the other Apostles.
MAIN 3 — God’s Mission Will Not Fail (vv. 33-42). (SLIDE 15)
Even in the face of this violent response by the Jewish leaders, it is clear that God is still in control. A highly respected Pharisee named Gamaliel takes the floor, and he brings some sanity to the proceedings. As he lays out his advice, he speaks better than he knows.
Now, who was Gamaliel? (SLIDE 16)
(SLIDE 17) He was the grandson of the famous Rabbi Hillel, who was the founder of one of the major factions of Judaism.
(SLIDE 18) Gamaliel was highly respected by the different parties in the Sanhedrin and was known for his rigorous scholarship, his wisdom, and his level-headedness.
(SLIDE 19) Most interestingly, we know that one of his best and brightest students was a young man named Saul, whom we will meet later in Acts 8 and 9.
Gamaliel brings some practical wisdom to the situation. (SLIDE 20) His advice is two-fold:
He basically says, “We’ve seen this before. When a group of radicals springs up and their leader is killed, the followers disburse and it turns to nothing. This Jesus is dead anyway, so it is most likely that his followers will dissipate and this whole thing will go away.” In other words, his first piece of advice is: (SLIDE 21) wait and see.
And this approach is related to his second piece of advice: (SLIDE 22) If this is from God, you can’t stop these men; you will only find yourself fighting against God.
Did you notice again who is the main character? Did you notice who is the One who is working through the Apostles? It is God.
APPLY — Friends, these words spoken by Gamaliel are prophetic and apply to every generation of the church. He spoke better than he knew, and as the book of Acts unfolds and as the church age unfolds, Jesus’ promise in Mark 16:18 comes true: “the gates of hell will not prevail.”
(SLIDE 23) Nothing can stop the advance of the gospel. The boldness of the Apostles is built on an abiding trust in God’s sovereign plan to do HIS work through the church. And even though the Apostles are warned and beaten up, this results in a response that is unlike any other: They rejoice and they keep preaching.
Think about this for a moment:
The text says that they were “flogged.” When it comes to flogging, there were three different levels of severity that could be inflicted upon a prisoner. This probably refers to the 40-minus-1, which was 39 lashes on the back and chest with a three-stranded whip of calf hide. It would have left the apostles severely bleeding and would have been extraordinarily painful; and yet they were rejoicing!
Did you notice the Apostles’ thought process at this moment? READ verse 41.
“Worthy of suffering disgrace” is an oxymoron. (SLIDE 24) In a shame/honor culture, the beating was meant to produce public shame. But it had the opposite effect. Why?
This is what happened: The apostles look at the marks of the lashes on their own backs and chests, and they recall the bloodied wounds of Jesus on that fateful day when Christ was crucified for their sins. Their minds are flooded with memories of the great price that was paid for their salvation, and they now taste in partial measure the shame that Christ endured so they could be accepted. In this they find the greatest joy, that God would count them worthy to be disgraced for Jesus.
Jesus said in Matthew 5:11-12 — (SLIDE 25) “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
ILLUST — Someone who understood this well was missionary Jim Elliot. (SLIDE 26) The fall of 1949 was a pivotal time in evangelicalism. Billy Graham had just held his first crusade with over 6,000 people hearing him preach the gospel at the Civic Auditorium in Grand Rapids, Michigan. There was a movement stirring, and God was working to bring thousands of people to saving faith in Christ.
God was stirring in the heart of 22 year old Jim Elliot. That same fall, on October 28, 1949, Jim wrote this in his prayer journal: (SLIDE 27) “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” You see, God was preparing Jim’s heart to be ready to take great risks to spread the gospel to the ends of the earth.
A few months later in early 1950, Jim first heard about the Huaorani tribe in Ecuador, and God put a burden on his heart for them. (SLIDE 28) After years of language training and preparations, Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, Ed McCully, Roger Youderian, and Pete Fleming flew into the jungles of Ecuador in a small missionary plane to reach out to the Huaorani people, only to be killed upon making first contact with them on a sandbar along the Curaray River. Jim was survived by his young wife Elisabeth and their 10 month old daughter Valerie.
In that same prayer journal from 1949, just below what he wrote about “gaining that which you cannot lose,” Jim wrote this: “Scripture leaves so many stories untold.” Some may think that Jim’s story went untold, that his life was unnecessarily cut short, that God’s purposes were thwarted, or that the mission was lost.
But remember: Nothing can stop the advance of the gospel. (SLIDE 29) Just two years later, Elisabeth Elliot and her young daughter Valerie bravely went back to live among the Huaorani tribe and minister to them in the name of Jesus and continue what her husband started by sharing the gospel with them.
Elisabeth later wrote this: “The deepest things that I have learned in my own life have come from the deepest suffering. And out of the deepest waters and the hottest fires have come the deepest things I know about God.”
The deep things she learned were this: the trustworthiness of God, the blessings of obedience, hope in the midst of sorrow, the call to love one’s enemy, and the power of God unto salvation through the gospel of Jesus Christ. And in this she found the greatest joy.
(SLIDE 30) Later in life, Elisabeth hosted a daily radio program called “Gateway to Joy.” For 13 years, she opened each broadcast with these words: “You are loved with an everlasting love, that’s what the Bible says, and underneath are the everlasting arms. This is your friend, Elisabeth Elliot.”
Oh, that we would rejoice, come what may, in the deep love of God, the unstoppable power of the gospel, and the faithfulness of God to do His work through the church. May we never stop teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is Lord and Savior.