quoted to show Jesus's charge that the disciples would be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the uttermost parts
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth.”
12 By the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. They were all with one accord in Solomon’s porch.
13 None of the rest dared to join them, however the people honored them.
14 More believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women.
15 They even carried out the sick into the streets, and laid them on cots and mattresses, so that as Peter came by, at the least his shadow might overshadow some of them.
16 The multitude also came together from the cities around Jerusalem, bringing sick people, and those who were tormented by unclean spirits: and they were all healed.
17 But the high priest rose up, and all those who were with him (which is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with jealousy,
18 and laid hands on the apostles, and put them in public custody.
19 But an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors by night, and brought them out, and said,
20 “Go stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.”
21 When they heard this, they entered into the temple about daybreak, and taught. But the high priest came, and those who were with him, and called the council together, and all the senate of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought.
22 But the officers who came didn’t find them in the prison. They returned and reported,
23 “We found the prison shut and locked, and the guards standing before the doors, but when we opened them, we found no one inside!”
24 Now when the high priest, the captain of the temple, and the chief priests heard these words, they were very perplexed about them and what might become of this.
25 One came and told them, “Behold, the men whom you put in prison are in the temple, standing and teaching the people.”
26 Then the captain went with the officers, and brought them without violence, for they were afraid that the people might stone them.
27 When they had brought them, they set them before the council. The high priest questioned them,
28 saying, “Didn’t we strictly command you not to teach in this name? Behold, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and intend to bring this man’s blood on us.”
29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.
30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you killed, hanging him on a tree.
31 God exalted him with his right hand to be a Prince and a Savior, to give repentance to Israel, and remission of sins.
32 We are His witnesses of these things; and so also is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”
33 But they, when they heard this, were cut to the heart, and were determined to kill them.
34 But one stood up in the council, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, honored by all the people, and commanded to put the apostles out for a little while.
35 He said to them, “You men of Israel, be careful concerning these men, what you are about to do.
36 For before these days Theudas rose up, making himself out 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 dispersed, and came to nothing.
37 After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the enrollment, and drew away some people after him. He also perished, and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered abroad.
38 Now I tell you, withdraw from these men, and leave them alone. For if this counsel or this work is of men, it will be overthrown.
39 But if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow it, and you would be found even to be fighting against God!”
40 They agreed with him. Summoning the apostles, they beat them and commanded them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.
41 They therefore departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for Jesus’ name.
42 Every day, in the temple and at home, they never stopped teaching and preaching Jesus, the Christ.
referenced to show Pilate washing his hands and the crowd calling for Barabbas and saying let his blood be on us
1 Now when morning had come, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death:
2 and they bound him, and led him away, and delivered him up to Pontius Pilate, the governor.
3 Then Judas, who betrayed him, when he saw that Jesus was condemned, felt remorse, and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
4 saying, “I have sinned in that I betrayed innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? You see to it.”
5 He threw down the pieces of silver in the sanctuary, and departed. He went away and hanged himself.
6 The chief priests took the pieces of silver, and said, “It’s not lawful to put them into the treasury, since it is the price of blood.”
7 They took counsel, and bought the potter’s field with them, to bury strangers in.
8 Therefore that field was called “The Field of Blood” to this day.
9 Then that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled, saying, “They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him upon whom a price had been set, whom some of the children of Israel priced,
10 and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.”
11 Now Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus said to him, “So you say.”
12 When he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing.
13 Then Pilate said to him, “Don’t you hear how many things they testify against you?”
14 He gave him no answer, not even one word, so that the governor marveled greatly.
15 Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release to the multitude one prisoner, whom they desired.
16 They had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas.
17 When therefore they were gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus, who is called Christ?”
18 For he knew that because of envy they had delivered him up.
19 While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of him.”
20 Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the multitudes to ask for Barabbas, and destroy Jesus.
21 But the governor answered them, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” They said, “Barabbas!”
22 Pilate said to them, “What then shall I do to Jesus, who is called Christ?” They all said to him, “Let him be crucified!”
23 But the governor said, “Why? What evil has he done?” But they cried out exceedingly, saying, “Let him be crucified!”
24 So when Pilate saw that nothing was being gained, but rather that a disturbance was starting, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this righteous person. You see to it.”
25 All the people answered, “May his blood be on us, and on our children!”
26 Then he released to them Barabbas, but Jesus he flogged and delivered to be crucified.
27 Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium, and gathered the whole garrison together against him.
28 They stripped him, and put a scarlet robe on him.
29 They braided a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and a reed in his right hand; and they kneeled down before him, and mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”
30 They spat on him, and took the reed and struck him on the head.
31 When they had mocked him, they took the robe off him, and put his clothes on him, and led him away to crucify him.
32 As they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name, and they compelled him to go with them, that he might carry his cross.
33 When they came to a place called “Golgotha”, that is to say, “The place of a skull,”
34 they gave him sour wine to drink mixed with gall. When he had tasted it, he would not drink.
35 When they had crucified him, they divided his clothing among them, casting lots,
36 and they sat and watched him there.
37 They set up over his head the accusation against him written, “THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS.”
38 Then there were two robbers crucified with him, one on his right hand and one on the left.
39 Those who passed by blasphemed him, wagging their heads,
40 and saying, “You who destroy the temple, and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross!”
41 Likewise the chief priests also mocking, with the scribes, the Pharisees, and the elders, said,
42 “He saved others, but he can’t save himself. If he is the King of Israel, let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him.
43 He trusts in God. Let God deliver him now, if he wants him; for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”
44 The robbers also who were crucified with him cast on him the same reproach.
45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.
46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lima sabachthani?” That is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
47 Some of them who stood there, when they heard it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.”
48 Immediately one of them ran, and took a sponge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him a drink.
49 The rest said, “Let him be. Let’s see whether Elijah comes to save him.”
50 Jesus cried again with a loud voice, and yielded up his spirit.
51 Behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom. The earth quaked and the rocks were split.
52 The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised;
53 and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection, they entered into the holy city and appeared to many.
54 Now the centurion, and those who were with him watching Jesus, when they saw the earthquake, and the things that were done, feared exceedingly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God.”
55 Many women were there watching from afar, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, serving him.
quoted to encourage believers not to be surprised at fiery trials but to rejoice as partners with Christ in suffering
12 Beloved, don’t be astonished at the fiery trial which has come upon you, to test you, as though a strange thing happened to you.
13 But because you are partakers of Christ’s sufferings, rejoice; that at the revelation of his glory you also may rejoice with exceeding joy.
14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed; because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. On their part he is blasphemed, but on your part he is glorified.
15 For let none of you suffer as a murderer, or a thief, or an evil doer, or a meddler in other men’s matters.
16 But if one of you suffers for being a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God in this matter.
referenced to say that when Jesus was reviled he did not revile in return but entrusted himself to the one who judges rightly
1 Putting away therefore all wickedness, all deceit, hypocrisies, envies, and all evil speaking,
2 as newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the Word, that with it you may grow,
3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious:
4 coming to him, a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God, precious.
5 You also, as living stones, are built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
6 Because it is contained in Scripture, “Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, chosen, and precious: He who believes in him will not be disappointed.”
7 For you who believe therefore is the honor, but for those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected, has become the chief cornerstone,”
8 and, “a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” For they stumble at the word, being disobedient, to which also they were appointed.
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellence of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:
10 who in time past were no people, but now are God’s people, who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
11 Beloved, I beg you as foreigners and pilgrims, to abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;
12 having good behavior among the nations, so in that of which they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they see, glorify God in the day of visitation.
13 Therefore subject yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether to the king, as supreme;
14 or to governors, as sent by him for vengeance on evildoers and for praise to those who do well.
15 For this is the will of God, that by well-doing you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:
16 as free, and not using your freedom for a cloak of wickedness, but as bondservants of God.
17 Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.
18 Servants, be in subjection to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the wicked.
19 For it is commendable if someone endures pain, suffering unjustly, because of conscience toward God.
20 For what glory is it if, when you sin, you patiently endure beating? But if, when you do well, you patiently endure suffering, this is commendable with God.
21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving you an example, that you should follow his steps,
22 who did not sin, “neither was deceit found in his mouth.”
23 Who, when he was cursed, didn’t curse back. When he suffered, didn’t threaten, but committed himself to him who judges righteously.
24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live to righteousness; by whose stripes you were healed.
25 For you were going astray like sheep; but now have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
The message in order, in a few minutes of reading.
The pastor picked up the series in Acts 5, covering the apostles' second arrest and release, and what followed from it. The passage sits right between Carl's sermon on Ananias and Sapphira and next week's turn toward Christmas, and the pastor leaned into that position, showing how a church under evident blessing is also a church under evident pressure.
What was said
Before getting into the text, the pastor quoted James Montgomery Boice on a pattern the early church was already living: periods of real blessing draw real attack. If a church is only going through the motions, he said, the enemy has little reason to bother it. But if people are witnessing, serving, and breaking new ground, opposition should be expected. He offered that as a framework for reading everything that follows in Acts 5.
The apostles were working in Solomon's Colonnade, the open outer area of the temple, where crowds kept gathering. People were being healed, the sick were brought out on mats, and the movement was spilling beyond Jerusalem into the surrounding villages before the apostles had even left the city. The pastor noted that this was exactly the pattern Jesus had described in Acts 1:8, Jerusalem first, then Judea, happening in that order almost faster than the disciples could track.
The high priest and his officials, who were Sadducees, had the apostles arrested and put in the public jail. The pastor paused on that detail, pointing out that Luke's choice of words matters: the Sadducees were reaching for Roman civil infrastructure because they lacked the power to act alone. An angel released the apostles overnight and told them to go right back to the temple and keep teaching. When the council convened and sent guards to bring the prisoners out, the cell was empty and the guards were still at their posts.
When the apostles were brought before the full Sanhedrin, Peter said again what he had already said a chapter earlier: we must obey God rather than human authority. He told them directly that the Jesus they had killed was now seated at the right hand of God as prince and savior, and that repentance and forgiveness were still available. He added that the Holy Spirit is given to those who obey God. That last line was what pushed the council from anger into a decision to kill them.
Gamaliel, a Pharisee respected across the council's factions, called for calm. He pointed to two earlier movements, Theudas and Judas the Galilean, both of which collapsed when their leaders died. His argument was simple: if this is merely human, it will come to nothing on its own. If it is from God, you will not be able to stop it, and you will find yourselves fighting God. The council accepted his reasoning and released the apostles, though they had them flogged first and ordered them again to stop speaking in Jesus' name.
The apostles left rejoicing that they had been counted worthy to suffer for the name of Jesus. The pastor connected this to Peter's own later writing in his first letter, where Peter tells believers not to be surprised by fiery trials, and to keep doing what is right while trusting their lives to the God who created them. He noted that when Peter was reviled, he did not revile in return, and that this pattern is the one believers are called to follow.
The passage closes with a summary statement that the pastor said Acts uses at intervals to mark where the church stood: every day in the temple and from house to house, they did not stop teaching and preaching Jesus as the Messiah. He tied that to Gamaliel's test. The movement has not collapsed. It is still going, in small groups meeting in homes, in the words of a sister whose brother came to faith watching her life, in two girls baptized that same morning. The message is the same one, and it is still moving forward.
Doing a Bible study?
Here is a guide we have prepared for you: the passages
in order, questions for the group, and room to write.
James Montgomery Boice's paragraph warned that Satan is more likely to attack a church that is actively doing something for God than one that is just going through the motions. Where do you see that playing out, either in this church or in your own life right now?
The believers kept meeting at Solomon's Colonnade even though great fear had gripped everyone after what happened to Ananias and Sapphira, and no one outside dared to join them at first. How do you hold together genuine reverence for God's holiness with the kind of boldness that keeps showing up anyway?
Speaker 1Good morning, everybody. How are you? Good. Good to see you. Would you stand?
And we're gonna sing a few Christmas songs and a few other Christ my songs. And let's go tell it on the mountain. We've got a greater opportunity to do this here than anywhere else I've ever lived, to tell it on the mountain.
Speaker 2Go tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere. Go tell it on the mountain that Jesus Christ is born while shepherds kept their watching or silent flocks by night. Behold throughout the heavens, there's shown a holy light. Go tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere. Go tell it on the mountain that Jesus Christ is born.
The shepherds feared and trembled when low above the earth Go tell it on the mountain, over the hills and everywhere. Go tell it on the mountain that Jesus Christ is Amen. Amen,
Speaker 1Connor. How about Hark the Herald Angels Sing? Is that next up there, Jeff? Alright. Here we are.
Hymn number two seventy seven. If you're looking for a part. Actually, if you're looking for
Speaker 2a hymnal there at the sides over here. Hark the herald angels seen, glory to the newborn king, Join the triumph of the skies with angelic hosts proclaim Christ is born in Bethlehem. Heart the herald angels king. Hail the heaven born prince of deeds. Hail the song of righteousness.
Light
Speaker 1Amen. Y'all can have a seat and have a few announcements and and a little reading. We're gonna invite somebody up for. The announcements are these. I wanna see you at Awana.
It comes up like that every week. Now, this is not a regular club night. This is crazy hair night. Carl came into my office this morning wearing crazy hair. Not just because he just woke up.
He put on his crazy hair for crazy hair night a little early, And he came in and he announced something in both out of the really loud voice. And he didn't realize the boy scout spent the night here last night. And we were the first two in the building that were awake. And he just came in yucking it up with a with a headpiece on. It's worth coming in just to see Carl tomorrow night.
So kids club tomorrow night, 05:45. They'll start in here in this room and start off with a ceremony and then spread out all over the church. God's word is being poured into the minds of these kids and it's reaching their hearts. So it's worth it. It's good.
It takes a lot of volunteers. It takes a lot of dedication and the kids just love it and the adults just love it. And I'm saying, y'all ought to y'all ought consider it at least. Women's Christmas luncheon is happening this week on Wednesday. Lissa Hunter is leading the band.
I'm gonna be playing the band. Carl's gonna be playing the band. We have almost an orchestra. There are lots of us. And we'll be playing and then Deborah Buckingham will be delivering the message.
It's Wednesday, December 11. That's this week on Wednesday, twelve to two. It's a luncheon, so it'll be at the Snow King Ballroom. I said, please RSVP, but the time has passed for that. So hope you're hope to see you there.
But December 11, this week. The Buzzard Breath Chili Cook Off and Caroling, those go together, don't they? Chili Cook Off and Caroling happens this coming Sunday night. So December 15 in the evening, 04:30 in the evening. Chili is needed.
It is a competition. It is a contest, but it's all in good fun. There are lots of different prizes for lots of different categories. So if you would, come on and take part in that. We'll be eating the chili around six, but if you get here early at 04:30, we will leave from this place and go out and go all around Jackson downtown on the square and singing songs of the season, Christmas songs and hymns and carols, but chili after that.
Oftentimes, we leave from here and we gather a crowd and bring them back to eat chili with us and that's that's the that's what we hope to do. Angel Tree twenty twenty five, I'm sure as you walk past the tree out there, you saw that there were some tags hanging on it. Each one of those tags has family number so and so, and then one item on each one of the tags. Tanya, my wife, Tanya McDaniel is the one that's in charge of it. That's her phone number.
She tends to go and she meets with the people and we have, it seems like more tags on the tree this year. There are more of them on there right now. It's just a compacted season. So she also has several families that are in absolute dire need. And she said, if anybody wants to call me and ask about those, she can.
They can do it. That's her number up there. And but if you see the tags out there, that's what they're for. They have a little sticker on the back kind of saying how to go about the process, buy a gift, wrap it up, bring it with the tag still attached so we know what's in it. And we'll distribute those.
If you can get them in by the twentieth. This is a long standing tradition here at the church but it's something that that I just wanted to say, please, you know, have have a part in this. Good Samaritan Mission is we're working in close proximity like Good Samaritan Mission is just a couple of blocks away over there. It's a homeless shelter in town. And the new administration there is really getting things done.
They also have sent a list out, need a specific winter clothing, food, cleaning supplies, and different things. We have a list on our website if you want to know about those things specifically. You can go to the website, find out what they are if you wanna help with that. But Good Samaritan, be praying for them. They're they're seeking to do a really good job in Jesus' name, and so we wanna be as helpful as we can.
Discovery class is typically on the third Sunday of the month, but this one is putting it right up against something else. So we've got something else going on that that same day. So this is the discovery class for this month will be on the fourth Sunday of the month in my office. Second door on the left down the hall. And the special congregational meeting is the third Sunday and that's happening between services.
What we are seeking to do is confirm both Tim Erastorza and Philip Jordan as elders before before the end of the year. So December 15 to vote on that special congregational meeting next week right here between services. Connect hour on the twenty second is a potluck. We did this once in November and it was really, really good and fun. So we're going to do it again.
Please bring a dish to share in in between. The connect hour is the time from ten to eleven. And I think that's it. Is there anything else? Something I've forgotten.
Okay. I got the thumbs up from at least one person. How about the Gibson family? I saw one of two of the Gibson's leave, but here they come back. Here we go.
Josh Gibson is one of the elders and Leah, his wife, and all of their girls are coming forward. Two of these beautiful young ladies were baptized this morning, Ella and Emma. And so here we are together and they're gonna do our advent reading and light the candle.
Speaker 3Hello? Purple ones.
Speaker 1Purple ones.
Speaker 3You got it. One purple. Ella, you can do the other purple. This Sunday, the second in Advent, we light the candle of peace as we prepare to celebrate the coming of the prince of peace. We're reminded that God's timing is always perfect, and his provision is always sufficient.
Second Thessalonians three sixteen says, now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.
Speaker 1Amen. Amen. Thank you very much. Thank you, Gibsons. So sweet.
Would you all stand and we're gonna sing angels from the realms of glory. Oh, we're singing birthday of a king. Alright. It might be a solo. We'll see.
Do you all know birthday of a king? You're about to. Here we go. Hymn number two eighty four. If you happen to have a hymnal on you.
Speaker 2In the little village of Bethlehem, there lay a child one day. Hallelujah. How it rang and the sky was bright with the holy light. Twas the birthday of a and the sky was bright with the holy light was the birthday of the king.
Speaker 1Amen. And how about Emmanuel? Let's see what comes up on the wall. Okay. The words to Emmanuel are Emmanuel Emmanuel.
His name is called Emmanuel. God with us revealed in us. His name is called Emmanuel. We're gonna sing it twice.
Speaker 2Emmanuel. Name is called Emmanuel. God with us. God with us. Revealed in us.
His name is called. Emmanuel. Let's sing it again. Emmanuel.
Speaker 1Amen. Y'all can have a seat. I'm gonna invite the ushers to come forward, I think. Here they come. Lord God almighty, nothing surprises you.
There are some things that surprise me, lord. And I pray that we'd be ready to roll with the changes. I am so so blessed, lord, to be here in front of your people, trying to stay as faithful to your word as can I possibly can? Lord God, you do the work through your word. I I heard this week somebody say that the spirit of God is illumining the word of God so that the people of God would be more like the son of God.
It is in Jesus name that we pray. It's in Jesus name that we gather. It's in Jesus name, Lord, that we we seek to go forward sharing the gospel. Would you do your will, Lord, and your way among us? Would you bless us right where we sit and where we stand?
And would you bless others through us as we go out from this place. Lord God Almighty, you are reaching out and you are causing a stir. Still, still, Lord, your gospel goes forth. May we be faithful in carrying it out. In Jesus name, amen.
Amen. And you see Acts five twelve through 42, you might think that's not a Christmas passage and it's not really a Christmas passage but it is where we are in our study. We're rolling forward. I will turn towards Christmas next week. So we are going to go through Acts.
I think it's a really dynamic story. And this morning, we had, my goodness, baptisms and communion and boy scouts sleeping in the church and stuff down the hall and there was about 10 pounds of sugar to put in a five pound bag. And so I'm asking you all to listen fast. If you can listen fast, I'll do my best to preach fast. I love this story and I I think that it's really helpful.
There are several summary statements that we get in Acts and it's just good. We're gonna close on another one of those today. A pithy little thing that just tells where the church was living life at that time. But before I get started, I I wanna share a paragraph because I left Carl the unenviable task of preaching through Ananias and Sapphira last week. So I leave the leave to go home, be with my folks for Thanksgiving, which was wonderful.
And I listened to Carl's sermon and he presented on the son of encouragement, Barnabas and that would have been great to stop right there but he kept on which is good and I knew he was going to do it to consider Ananias and Sapphira and the purity of the church was so important to God. Oh my goodness. What is going on? The purity of the church was so important to God that that pronouncement of on Ananias and Sapphira, something hard to get through, hard to preach through, and where he closed off on verse 11 of chapter five was and great fear gripped them all. And I thought, wow, that sounds like a pretty hard place to stop but he did.
And I wanted to say, it is an amazing thing to see God's will work its way out. His word by his spirit working its way out and in the life of Jesus, we saw great amazing healing and proclamation and all this wonderful stuff and it drew attack by the authorities. It drew attack from the demons. It drew attack from the spiritual realm and from the political realm and from all different realms. And it's kind of a a difficult thing that he was going through.
Fear gripped them all. We'll see in the text today something. But I wanna I wanna share something. This is from James Montgomery boys. It's about the section that Carl preached last week.
So it's not exactly about this, but I think it's important. And partially because in the life of this church right now, there's a lot of amazing good stuff going on and there's all kinds of crazy going on. Okay? Seriously. It's a lot of crazy.
So this is an important warning. If we go through periods of special blessing as these early Christians had personally or in our church, we can expect that the enemy or one of his demons would be on the attack. It's because Satan does not want the church of Christ to thrive. If you're only going through the motions of serving Jesus, Ananias and Sapphira were going through the motions, but they're not really doing anything. If you're only going through the motions of serving Jesus, then Satan won't worry that much about you.
If you're not attempting anything important for God, if you're holding back, if you're not breaking new ground, you're not witnessing, you're not serving in any particularly effective way, then Satan will probably just leave you alone. But on the other hand, if you're really trying to do something for God, if the church is effective, if you have a strong missions program, if you have people that are out there witnessing with their lives and with their words, if you're trying to embody the gospel in social programs that minister to the needs of real people and to demonstrate the real love of Jesus Christ, then attack is to be expected. You'll have to be on your guard against that kind of attack. God, would you help us? Would you help us to see who you are and continually be following after you and seeking to reflect the way that you live life.
For those Lord who are far from you right now and absolutely opposed, I pray that you would break through to them, that you'd break through to them by the way that you use your willing and obedient humble servants. May we stay close to your word and your will. In Jesus name, amen. So here we are in Acts five twelve through 16. Now, you know the last verse said, and great fear gripped them all.
It's a it's a busy busy time spiritually speaking. It's the dawn of the age of grace. It has not been long since the day of Pentecost where the Holy Spirit was visited upon the apostles and the believers, the ones who came to believe in God because of their testimony. The apostles, it says right here, were performing many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers were meeting regularly at the temple in the area known as Solomon's Columnade.
It's not in the holy of holies. It's not in the inner rooms or the outer rooms, the court of the Gentiles. It's in Solomon's Colonnade. It's right out here. Now, this is available and anybody can go there.
It's available and open for folks and it's out of the weather. It's a good place to gather and this is where all the believers were gathered. Now, great fear gripped them all sounds like, wow. And then, yeah, they're still meeting all the time. All believers were meeting regularly but no one else dared to join them.
I wonder why. Did you just read about Ananias and Sapphira? It's kind of hard to think. That's a lot of power displaying itself. They were afraid they dared to join even though all the people had high regard for them.
They did see the good things that were coming about and they were beginning to understand the message and the believers who were added to their number were meeting regularly, yet more and more people believed and they were brought to the Lord, crowds of both men and women. That space was filled with people who were seeking after God, hearing the gospel, giving it a fair shake, and then accepting and believing it. Now as a result of the apostles work, sick people were brought out into the streets on beds and on mats. Now, if you just think about that for a minute, we've seen Jesus in a room full of people tell a guy to get up and take up his mat and walk in the gospels. We've seen Jesus with a guy laying next to the Pool Of Siloam.
Take up your mat and walk. We've seen that but with the apostles now, I read this and as I'm reading it just sequentially straight one line after another, I see this and I go, okay, beds and mats, they're following in the ministry that Christ has given them just as the father sent me. I'm sending you. I'm y'all stay in Jerusalem until you receive power from on high and you're gonna know what it looks like. This is what it's gonna look like.
And they're doing it. Now the next line, so that Peter's shadow might fall across some of them as he went by. To me, it's so weird. It is just so strange. Does it sound like Beatlemania or something?
It sounds like there's a a fanaticism or a weirdness there that I don't like, honestly. Maybe I'm just that Baptist. I really don't like it. I don't know why it is that they did it, but if you keep on going well, here it is. Is that weird to y'all?
Because it is weird to me. I I know that as I read Acts, I read that the people in Acts were perplexed over and over. And they were confused. One time it says they were confused because they understood. Right?
God speaking their language. It's weird to me and I kinda don't like it upon initial reading, but I have to go with it to the next verse that said, now crowds came from the villages around Jerusalem. Think about that. What did Jesus said in Acts one eight? He says, y'all are gonna be my disciples.
You're gonna do it in Jerusalem, in all of Jerusalem, and around it in Judea, and in Samaria, and even to the uttermost parts. And now, crowds are coming in before the disciples even got outside of Jerusalem. The word was going forward to the crowds around and people were bringing them from the villages around Jerusalem which would be Judea and bringing their sick and those who were possessed by evil spirits. And they were all healed. This is another one.
I pray for miracles. I pray for people to be healed every day. And I believe that I've seen people healed some of those days. I believe that God is still working on people in a very intimate way, but this is miraculous and it is it seems, it says all, it's universal. The ones that were brought were healed.
Now, even among charismatic churches that believe all the gifts are for today, absolutely, and they have particular people who who claim those gifts for today, they'd say all is a pretty good percentage. This is something that is absolutely of God. Now, and Pascal, my daughter. Where where that come from? Peter.
Peter and John had both said it's not by our power and it's not by our godliness. In the name of Jesus, this man was healed and he was healed in Jesus name. They said it two different ways. Crowds came from villages around Jerusalem. They're bringing their sick and theirs possessed by evil spirits.
They just like they used to bring them Jesus, they're bringing them now to his apostles and those capital a apostles were healing. They were involved in the healing ministry. They would say that it is the name of Jesus that is doing the healing. I believe that that is the case. Still is if somebody gets set free, if somebody gets to be sober, if that miracle happens, it is God that is doing that.
The high priest and his officials, who were Sadducees? It says that it throws it out there. Who were Sadducees? And the Sadducees believed in the written Torah. They did not read into it any supernatural anything, really, beyond that there is a god.
They were in power at the time. The high priest was a sadducee. The his officials were sadducees and I mentioned parts of the Sanhedrin. I I think I actually misspoke a couple weeks ago and I said pretty much the whole Sanhedrin was sadducees. That's not true.
There were pharisees there too, but the Sadducees were definitely in the majority at this time. The high priest and officials who were Sadducees were filled with jealousy. Now, a few weeks ago, we were going through a series on the 12 steps and I and I said if you start to do a fearless and searching moral inventory of your life and you want a good place to start from scripture, here is a list of all of the vices in the New Testament. Just all of them. Jealousy makes the list a couple of times and these sadducees who were supposed to be speaking for God, who were supposed to be the ruling board of the Jews up under the Romans at the time politically speaking.
They were jealous. They were jealous of the apostles. I'm sure they were jealous of the growth of the movement. I'm sure that they were jealous of the fact that people were listening. And if you had seen the power to heal and you're the one that's supposed to be the one speaking for God, it would infuriate.
It says that they were furious actually. They were furious. It says it later on. They were filled with jealousy and they arrested the apostles and they put them in the public jail. The public jail.
Why does it say the public jail? I'm sure there was a closet somewhere in the temple that they could have put all of the apostles and closed the door on and locked it up. I'm sure there was. But it's Luke calls attention to it being the public jail. And I think that that's important.
I'd say it's there so it's important. But I think it's important to kind of show what's going on here. The Romans politically are in charge. In this time of God's favor, he has Jesus born into the Pactromana. Yeah.
It's a forced peace and then these people have over their people the authority to rule in a limited way. But whenever it is convenient for these leaders, they use the public system. They couldn't crucify, so they use a public system. They arrested the apostles. They put them in the public jail.
But an angel of the Lord, a messenger of God. Angel means messenger. A messenger of the Lord came at night. He opened the gates of the jail and he brought them out. How do you do it?
That's what it says right there. He just did it. Opened the gates of the jail, brought them out, then he told the apostles, go to the temple and give the people this message of life. Now, that's their charge from the Lord through his messenger. Go to the temple, go and present.
Now, where was it that they were arrested? The temple. Solomon's Colony. They were at the temple when they got arrested. In chapter four, what they pray for?
Boldness to keep on preaching the name of Jesus. So they're arrested for it again. They're in the public jail. They're set free. Go right back where you're arrested and keep on.
The message is the message and keep on carrying this message forward. So at daybreak, the apostles entered the temple at just as they were told and immediately they began teaching. And when the high priest and his officials arrived, they convened the high council. The full assembly of the elders of Israel. Now they had arrested guys the day before, kept them in jail overnight.
They're gonna see them in a little while. They get together. Now, mentioned this couple of weeks ago, the Sanhedrin ruling body of the time. It consisted of 71 members who sat in a semi circle. That's pretty intimidating, I think.
And the head guy sat in the middle of the 71, 35 on that side, 35 on that side. His right hand man, number one right here, and then number two right there, and they were sitting in a semicircle in order of intelligence. The head guy was the smartest all the way out to the dumbest on the end. That would be incredibly intimidating if you're in the middle of this semicircle. That's 71 dots up there.
And then they sent for the apostles. This is getting comical right here. They sent for the apostles to be brought from the jail for trial. Here we are convened. We've had our initials.
Now, get those guys out of the jail. But when the temple guards went to the public jail, the men were gone. So they returned to the council and they reported the jail was securely locked. The guards were still there, but when we opened the gates, no one was inside. And I could point out that Roman soldiers were really responsible, right?
The public jail, they're responsible for the prisoners inside. We saw that during the trial of Jesus and the posting of the guards at the grave. The jail was secured a lot. The guards stand outside, but when we went open the gates, there's no one there. And when the captain of the temple guard and the leading priest heard this, they were perplexed.
Perplexed comes up a lot in Acts. They're confused by what's going on. Sometimes people are confused because they understand and more often, they're just confused. They're perplexed by what's going on and this says so much. They were wondering where it would all end.
Oh, we thought that we had it controlled when we got them to crucify Jesus. And now they come in and they're speaking in the name of Jesus. Now people are getting healed. Where is it gonna end? Now for anybody who took the scripture seriously and was looking forward to a time of Messiah, wouldn't it seem that we're stumble but in the chamber of hewn stone closed up and the guys were out in the open.
So the captain went with his temple guards and arrested the apostles again but without violence. Thank you for pointing that out. For they were afraid that the people would stone them. Now, who was it that the angel sent the apostles to speak to? The people.
And who were they, the leaders afraid of? The people. God was moving among the people. The soft hearts, the humble hearts were accepting him and believing and having a newness of life come about. But they were afraid of those people, So they didn't even beat the disciples like they wanted to do.
And then they brought the apostles before the high council. Here they are sitting in their semicircle. I'm sure dressed to the nines, ready to pass judgment, figure out what are we gonna do, where is it all gonna end. Here's the chamber. They're brought in apostles among the Sanhedrin.
And then they fall back on their authority. The high priest confronts them and says, we gave you strict orders, Peter and John. At least Peter and John. There were probably others in the room. We know that the guy that they had healed was clinging to them it says the first time around.
This is beyond that. We gave you strict orders. Did you not understand us? We said never teach again in this man's name and you can almost hear the hatred in this man's name. Instead, what you've done is you filled all the Jerusalem.
It's even spilling over into the villages around. You've filled all Jerusalem with your teaching about him and you wanna make us responsible for his death. Now, who is responsible for his death? Theologically speaking, I am. You are.
But who was it? Who was it? This same kangaroo court was in a lot of ways responsible for that. If you read Matthew 27, you'll see Pilate, the Roman official washing his hands and saying, I'm innocent of this man's blood. I've declared him innocent over and over and over again.
But still, the people who were convinced by the leaders were calling out, crucify him, crucify him. Who should I give you? Barabbas or this one? Give us Barabbas. There is no doubt.
Let his blood be on us and on our children, they said. Peter and the apostle said, you did say that to us, but we must obey God rather than human authority. He already said this one time a chapter and a half ago. We must obey God rather than human authority and that is civil disobedience. He was standing there before the creator said that so far in Acts.
He said, you're trying to make us responsible for his death. He still is trying to let them know that they're responsible for his death. Why was Jesus's death required my sin, your sin? Directly, their sin. After you killed him by hanging him on a cross, which is not something that that Sanhedrin could have done except they used public power to do it.
Then God put him at the place of honor at his right hand as prince and savior. He did this so that the people of Israel would repent of their sins and be forgiven. Now, all the believers were meeting in the Solomon's Columnade. All the believers, all the believers, the message was go to the people and carry this message and some of them are gonna accept it. Some of them might deny it, but the people Peter is still relentlessly sharing the truth of Jesus as Messiah.
He did this so the people of Israel would repent. Now, gave a very real invitation for these leaders the last time that he was speaking to him and I believe this is still a very real invitation to these folks that are sitting in that council. He's saying, God did this. He knew it ahead of time how it was gonna go. You still have a chance.
He's presenting Jesus. He says that he did it so that people would repent of their sins and be forgiven and we are witnesses of these things and so is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit testifies to this. The Holy Spirit is given by God and this made the people really mad, made the leaders really mad. The Holy Spirit is given to God to those who obey him.
Oh, now they knew that God gave his Holy Spirit to David. They knew that God gave his Holy Spirit at times to the prophets and at times to the kings, but they really could not stand this open message of salvation and of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit of God just upon people who would put their faith in him. They saw this as skipping them. We are witnesses of these things and so is the Holy Spirit who's given by God to those who obey him and when they heard this, what's that? When they heard that God gives the spirit to those who obey him.
When they heard this, the high council was furious and they decided to kill them. That's a reaction. Did it work with Jesus? Oh, no. It didn't.
They're still going on. Where is this gonna end? When they heard this, they were furious, decided to kill him. But one member. Now, this is the the member is the Pharisee Gamaliel.
We will meet him again in a couple chapters or next chapter and I will go into him. So remember his name, but we're gonna say a pharisee that was named Gamaliel. If you're the Sadducees, it's upsetting, it's aggravating for a lot of different reasons. One of them is authority. They've already mentioned their authority.
We told you not to do it, you're still doing it. One of them is jealousy that was listed. Another one is they don't believe in resurrection. And the resurrected Jesus is the one that is receiving the credit for all of the healings, for all of the people coming into the church. One member, a Pharisee.
Pharisees do believe in resurrection so theologically, he's like a little bit less worried Jesus would prove his point if if the resurrection was real. He's not saying it was real, but a Pharisee named Gamaliel who was an expert in the religious law and he was respected by all the people. That's saying something because their political situation was just as heated as ours. And so Gamaliel was somebody that both sides could respect. And Gamaliel stands up it says, and he ordered that the men be sent outside the council chamber for a while.
So executive session, get those apostles out of here and we need to make a determination. He said to his colleagues, Sadducees, Pharisees alike, men of Israel, take care with what you're planning to do with these men. Take care. It's very important how we react. Some time ago, there was that fellow Theodos.
You remember Theodos? He pretended to be someone great and he persuaded 400 folks to join him. But in the end, Theodos was killed and all of his followers went their various ways. Now, the whole movement came to nothing and it was upsetting. It was upsetting for this board, I'm sure.
But remember that? That happened. And after that, remember this guy? At the time of the census, there was Judas of Galilee and he got people to follow him too. There was a lot of spiritual activity at the time.
There are a lot of, I would say mental illness. There was a lot of spiritual activity and demon oppression, possession, stuff like that. And there were people that thought they were somebody and there were people who thought they were the Messiah. And Judas the Galilean started an uprising but he got people to follow him but he too was killed and all of his followers were scattled. Now, Thyudas and Judas the Galilean were both killed.
Jesus was killed too. And so if that's the case, it with Thyudas, his followers were scattered and nothing of the movement. Judas the Galilean, his followers were scattered, nothing of movement. So my advice, Gamaliel says, my advice, leave these men alone. Let them go.
If they're planning and doing things merely on their own, it'll soon be overthrown. It's gonna be upset. If it's of man, it's gonna be overthrown. But if it's from God, y'all aren't gonna be able to overthrow him and that's the story of Acts so far, is the plan of God, the spirit of God working on the people of God with the word of God is going forward And the gospel is advancing and it will not be flirted. If it's of God, you will not be able to overthrow them and you may even find yourselves fighting against God.
Sounds like a Pharisee speaking to the Sadducees, but he's speaking to everybody. You don't want to find yourself fighting against Almighty God. You know you're going to be overthrown that way. So the others accepted his advice. That sounds really reasonable.
Doesn't it? What was his advice? His advice is let him go. So the next line to me is another comical line. They called in the apostles and had him flogged.
They accepted his advice, but then they beat the disciples anyway. Then they order him never again to speak in the name of Jesus. Don't do it. We condemn it. You cannot do that.
Don't do it. Please don't do it. Listen to us. We're the ones in charge. Yeah.
And they let him go. So they did ultimately take Gamalu's advice by letting him go. They did beat him, but they did it in secret. They did it in the chambers because if they did it in public, it would have started a riot. So anyway, the apostles left the high council.
How did they leave? Rejoicing. Rejoicing that God had counted the worthy to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus. That I think belongs to the category. And one of the reasons I started off with the little paragraph I did from James Montgomery boys was they were seeking to do the right thing, seeking to do God's will and God's way and they were encountering resistance, external resistance, internal resistance, authoritative and from within their own hearts.
The fellowship of the sufferings of Christ. This is from first Peter four. Same guy who was preaching that day writes this later. It says, dear friends, y'all don't be surprised at the fiery trials that you're gonna that you're going through. As if some strange thing were happening to you.
No. Instead, be very glad for these trials will make you partners with Christ in his suffering so that you'll have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all of the world. If you're insulted because you bear the name of Christ, you will be blessed for the glorious spirit of God rest upon you. If you suffer however, it must not be for murder, for stealing, for making trouble, or for prying into other people's affairs, meddling, the New King James says, I think the New American Standard says. Don't let it because you're a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or even a meddler, But it's no shame to suffer for being a Christian.
Praise God for the privilege of being called by his name. I literally had somebody this week curse me and say, you're supposed to be a pastor. Praise God for the privilege of being called by his name. There are lots of places I can go for the fellowship of the sufferings of Christ to talk about the Via Dolorosa, the painful way. Four nineteen in that same book says this, so if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right and trust that your lie trust your lives to the God who created you for he will never fail you.
In that way, we are to be following after Christ. In first Peter two, I think it is, it says that when he was reviled, he did not revile in return. There was no evil found in him or in his mouth. He was continually entrusting himself to the one who judges rightly. God help us.
Help us live life right there where we're continually entrusting ourselves to the one who judges rightly and when you by your spirit convict us of sin, may we lay it down, ask for forgiveness and get up quickly and move on walking in your spirit. Amen. So the apostles left the high council. They're rejoicing that God had counted them worthy to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus and this is the summary statement that I was saying happens in chapter five. And every day in the temple, and literally, they got arrested the night before and they're still doing it the next day.
And it kept on from there. Every day in the temple and from house to house, they continued to teach and preach this message. Jesus is the anointed one. Jesus is the Christ. He is the Messiah.
I have this one in my log back here somewhere where it's like, and daily in every house, in the temple, in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ. I heard a witness testimony from a man this week say, my sister, I came to live with them for a while and my sister shines light of God so clearly and so distinctly that I could not deny and his word is just popping off the page right now and I am a part of the family of God and I wanna be baptized. Amen. It's wonderful because daily and every house, people still do this. Those little girls that were added, I asked them, I said, so what does this mean to you?
What's baptism mean to you? And one of the little girls said, it means that Christ has saved me and that I wanna follow after him and I wanna walk away from all evil. Where does that come from? It comes from the spirit of God and the word of God acting on the people of God. I'm gonna give you a few summary statements and we're gonna go into a time of communion.
In the first chapter, we see this, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be my witnesses, not my lawyers, not my judges. You will be my witnesses. You will testify about me in Jerusalem and in all Judea and in Samaria and for us even to the uttermost part. All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles teaching. Stick close to what it says.
And the fellowship, get together, and the sharing meals including the Lord's Supper and to prayer. In Peter's speech to the Sanhedrin the first time, he says this, when God raised up his servant Jesus, he sent him first to you, people of Israel, to bless you, not to curse you, not to get in your business, but to bless you by turning each of you back from your own sinful ways. And then continuing he says, for Jesus is the one that was referred to in the scriptures, you all know it, where it says, the stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone. What a statement this is. There is salvation in no one else.
God has given no other name under heaven whereby men must be saved, whereby we must be saved. There is salvation only in one and Jesus is that one. And every day in the temple and from house to house, they continue to teach and to preach this message. Jesus is the Messiah. Somebody said right before the service started, we started a small group at my house and there are 11 people that are coming together.
And every week, they're preaching and teaching Jesus as the Christ. If you consider Gamaliel's advice, has it died out? It's not of man, it is of God. Christ said he would build his church and he's still doing it. May we be declaring the message.
We're gonna do it right here. We're gonna do it in the way we walk out our life this week. We're gonna do it in the way that we use our words this week. Can I get the ushers to come forward? And would you pray with me?
Lord God Almighty, I pray that you would be blessing Each one here that has gathered, we've got visitors who knows from where. We've got folks that are home folks that have been here for their whole lives. And Lord, this table is open to anyone who has put their trust in you whether it be seventy five or eighty years ago or in the last fifteen minutes. Lord God Almighty, you make a very effective call. Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life.
He's the only way. In Jesus name, I pray Lord that you would do your will and your way among us that you'd bless those that receive communion and for those who have to let it pass because they just don't believe. Lord God Almighty, I pray that you'd work on them, that you'd persist and pursue them through those humble and obedient servants. In Jesus name, we ask you for your blessing on this little representative sample of the body of Christ. Amen.
Speaker 2Gain, my count but love and poor content on all my pride. That on I should boast saving the death of Christ my God. All the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice
Speaker 1Lord God Almighty, thank you. Thank you. On the same night that Jesus was betrayed, this is the kind of love he has. On the same night that Jesus was betrayed, he said to his gathered disciples and his voice still rings out to us today. This is my body which is given for you.
Take this and eat of it and do it as often as you will in remembrance of me. Thank you for that perfect example that you walked out in order to fulfill all righteousness, in order to fulfill all the righteous requirements of the law. Thank you that you had that walk and that perfect record that you could offer your sacrificial voluntary atoning blood. In Jesus' blood. Now as we prepare, Lord, I pray that you would bless these little plastic cups of grape juice representative of that perfect, pure, atoning, sacrificial blood that you voluntarily gave at the cross of Calvary.
I pray Lord that you would allow your word and your spirit to do its work in our midst today and with everyone that we would meet this week. In Jesus name, I pray that you would bless. Amen.
Speaker 2See from his hands, his my life,
Speaker 1In the same manner that he had taken the bread, he also took the cup. For them, it was probably a common cup that was passed around. For us, it's this little cup representative of the same thing. Jesus said to them and to us that this is the new covenant in my blood. Long live the world in sin and error paining.
This is the new covenant in my blood, Jesus said to them. Take this and drink of it. Do it as often as you will in remembrance of me. Keep us near the cross, Lord. Thank you.
Thank you. Paul says that as often as we do this, we declare his death until he comes again. Would you stand with me and we're gonna sing, I think, we're gonna sing, let's worship and adore him. We will see what comes up on the on the wall. Let's worship and adore him.
You'll recognize the tune. Amen. And next week, we're headed for Christmas. It'll probably be prophetic stuff about the coming Messiah but we're looking forward to turning our hearts towards the first advent next week. In Jesus name, I pray that you would rest in his blessing and that you would carry his peace to those who do not yet know.
