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1 | P a g e
Acts 5:17-42
Power In Spite of Persecution
This morning we are going to continue in our verse by
verse study of the Book of Acts, we will be in Acts
Chapter 5 this morning, verses 17-42…
Let’s pray before we get into it…
If you have been with us in the weeks past, we have
been following the Infancy and Growth of the Early
New Testament Believers.
We have seen the Spirit move with Great Power
through this Movement, these Called Out Ones, also
known as the Church.
But as the Spirit Moved aggressively and adding Great
Numbers to the Church, we saw that the forces of evil,
who rule this worlds systems, came into a head on
collision with the Church.
The early believers encountered hostile aggression,
and the Battle Lines between Light and Darkness,
between Truth and Lies, between Good and Evil had
been drawn.
And when the Spirit moved through the Church, the
Enemy of our Souls would quickly counter with great
viciousness and savagery.
We saw an amazing healing of a poor crippled beggar,
and immediately those under the sway of the enemy,
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the religious rulers arraigned Peter and John, along
with the healed man.
These religious authoritarians were threatened by the
miracle, it was causing many to break free of their
tyrannical control.
They stood before the Great Sanhedrin, the Highest
Court in the Land, and the sentence came forth, “Do
not speak or teach in the Name of Jesus any longer.”
It was meant to be the death blow to these lowly
fishermen and their healed companion, but we saw
something interesting, these ordinary men, had been
given an extraordinary boldness by the Spirit of God
that was now igniting a fire within them.
They quickly snapped back in Acts 4:19-20 "Whether it
is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to
God, you judge. 20 For we cannot but speak the things
which we have seen and heard."
The air would have left the room… who were these
bold nobodies to give such a reply to this High and
Esteemed body of rulers?
Flabbergasted and unamused, the court sent the
disciples away with further threats.
The disciples retreated for a moment, only to pray for
more boldness, and the Spirit filled them again with
courage from above.
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The bond and unity grew among the young church as
well, they shared in all things, and as the Lord added to
the Church daily those who would believe, their
Communion and Holy Fellowship developed all the
more.
This Koinonia, this deep supernatural fellowship, that
only exists within the Body of Christ brought about a
new strength and resolve in the Jesus Followers.
Satan failed to stop the church with fear and threats,
so last week, we saw a new tactic, as he attacked the
church from within, with a deadly spiritual hypocrisy.
Ananias and Sapphira his wife, desired to be seen as
religiously committed to the cause of Christ, but they
came with deceptive motives and lied to the Holy
Spirit.
Satan knew the purity of the young church was its
strength, Holiness is essential for God’s people to be
effective in the ministry.
The purity was threatened, God responded swiftly with
discipline and purged the compromised couple from
the church.
It was a blessed subtraction, and with this lesson of
Holiness fresh in their hearts and minds, the half-
hearted moved away from the church, and the genuine
pressed in, and the church rebounded with another
resurgence of Spiritual Power, as we saw fresh
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miracles and new phenomenon’s among God’s People
once again.
And each time Satan attacked the church, the church
only came out stronger because of it.
And this morning, Satan will ‘up the Ante’ with three
consecutive attacks upon the buoyant disciples.
I say buoyant, because, every time Satan brought a
wave of opposition against them, they popped up on
the other side of the wave, not only still afloat, but
swimming full speed ahead.
So we ended last time with multitudes coming to the
disciples, Jerusalem was buzzing and talking about all
that Jesus was now doing though His followers.
And we see now the high priest is alerted to these
events.
Look with me in verses 17 and 18 as the drama
continues…
Imprisoned Apostles Freed
5:17 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.
When the church is effective and people are coming to
the Lord, as was the case here in Acts 5, many were
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throwing off that old religion, and putting on Christ,
converting from Judaism to Christianity.
When this type of thing is taking place, understand
that opposition will come.
You see there is a very unbiblical idea about our
Christian faith today, that if we are in good times,
things running smoothly, and all is well, that we are in
the midst of the blessings of God.
We accredit financial gain, big homes, and great
comfort as the measure of our religious experience,
this is not biblical.
From the Old Testament on thru the New Testament,
we see the people of faith engaged in all out warfare,
continually.
When God moves in and through our lives, we must
expect the enemy to strike as well.
Here for the disciples, we see a familiar enemy that is
used to bring about this counter attack.
The high priest and his council, the sect of the
Sadducees, and remember, they did not believe in
miracles or anything supernatural, so these reports
would be an affront to their very lifeless religion.
These most powerful men were filled with indignation,
this word in the Greek is a fierce, jealous fiery anger, as
a husband toward an unfaithful wife.
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They would not stand for any attention being taken
away from them, it was not acceptable to lose any grip
or power over the people.
Mind you, if they were true leaders, and true
representatives of God, they would rejoice at the fact
that their countrymen and women were being saved,
even freed from demonic possession.
The suffering all around them was being remedied.
But the elite usually don’t care about the wellbeing of
others, they desire control, they will use suffering as a
mechanism for regulating the masses.
These people were being freed of this oppression, their
eyes opened, and they were breaking away from the
heavy hand of the religious rulers.
However, the disciple’s popularity was now putting
them in danger, remember this jealousy was ultimately
what drove these powerful men to put Jesus on the
cross, it was their fierce jealousy.
Jesus drew the crowds away from them, and they
hated Him for it, and now that Jesus was working
through His disciples, the scorn and wrath of these
men was turned toward them.
A jealous heart is a dangerous heart, it acts irrationally
and erratically, and it can be so destructive as it usually
acts upon emotion verses reason.
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In their jealous rage against the Apostles, these
Sadducees laid hands on them, and threw them into
the common prison, and they were treated now with
such contempt, that they were perceived as common
felons for their good deeds done.
And you see a Holy and Powerful Church will always
provoke some kind of unfriendly opposition from this
satanically influenced earthly system.
Powerful moves of God draw the attention of the
enemy, and no doubt, persecution is soon to follow
this attention.
And this should not in any way hinder us… opposition
does not mean we are doing things wrong.
People today believe if something is hard, then it is not
worth it.
And no wonder the church has lost its Power today,
because many do not want to venture past their own
comforts.
You see, we are to expect the opposition, and keep
moving forward in the face of it, and there is where we
find God’s Strength and Power.
Paul told Timothy in… 2 Tim 3:12-14 Yes, and all who
desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer
persecution. 13 But evil men and impostors will grow
worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But
you must continue in these things…
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Continue in these things, ministry, serving our Lord
was never meant to be about our comforts and well-
being, it is about laying down our lives for the cause of
Christ, at all costs.
The Apostle Peter wrote… 1 Peter 4:12-14 Beloved, do
not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is
to try you, as though some strange thing happened to
you; 13 but rejoice to the extent that you partake of
Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you
may also be glad with exceeding joy. 14 If you are
reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for
the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their
part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified.
Jesus also assures us in… Matt. 5:11-12 "Blessed are
you when they revile and persecute you, and say all
kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice
and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in
heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were
before you.
And again Jesus spoke… John 15:18-21 "If the world
hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated
you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love
its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I
chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates
you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you, 'A
servant is not greater than his master.' If they
persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they
kept My word, they will keep yours also. 21 But all
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these things they will do to you for My name's sake,
because they do not know Him who sent Me.
And in John 16:33 "These things I have spoken to you,
that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will
have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have
overcome the world."
Church, easy is not the path to be looking for, I know
today, in the current church culture easy, apathetic
and complicit is the norm, but it should not be this
way.
We are to be engaged, and active in this battle, this is
True Faith.
The early church knew this… Listen how these first
disciple took the Gospel to the ends of the earth, to
the bitter end of their lives, remaining in the battle to
the very end…
If church traditions are correct, Matthew … suffered
martyrdom by the sword. Mark … died in Alexandria
after being dragged through the streets of the city.
Luke was hanged on a large olive tree in Greece.
John …was scarred in a cauldron of boiling oil and lived
his last days banished on an island.
Peter …was crucified upside-down in Rome, James
…was beheaded in Jerusalem, James the Less …was
thrown from a high pinnacle and beaten to death with
a club, Philip …was hanged, Bartholomew …was
scourged and beaten until he died.
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Andrew …was bound to a cross and preached at the
top of his voice to his persecutors until he perished,
Thomas …was run through with a lance, Jude …was
killed by executioners’ arrows, Matthias …was stoned
and then beheaded, Barnabas …suffered the same fate
at Salonica, and Paul …was beheaded in Rome. And on
and on and on it goes. Hughes, R. K. (1996). Acts: the church afire (p. 85). Wheaton, IL:
Crossway Books.
Persecution and fiery trials are to be expected, anyone
who desires to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer.
The Apostles here in our text, are put into prison, but
God has a greater plan for this imprisonment, and this
is what God often does in the trial and the hardship,
He takes what might seem like a hopeless situation,
and He uses it as an opportunity to reveal Himself, and
to bring Glory to His Name.
I wonder if this morning, some of you are carrying a
heavy burden, perhaps a dark cloud is hovering over
you, the trials of this life have created a despair that
you don’t know if you can even manage it.
Understand something, if you are living your life for
God’s Will, then there is hope for deliverance, He will
come through, and He will carry you through, not for
your sake, but for His sake, He has a reputation to
uphold.
This too, whatever it is you are going through will be
used in the end for His Glory.
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Now of course if it is sin, or evil that has caused
hardship in your life, there is another path for that
pain, and that is repentance, and coming to our God
for Grace.
But for those who are in the fight, and the battle scars
are growing, and you are at the end of the rope, our
God will come through and He will prevail in the end.
I don’t know about you, but I needed to be reminded
of that this morning.
Let’s look now at this supernatural deliverance that
takes place for the disciples in verses 19 and 20…
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."
Incredibly, that night, an angel of the Lord came to
deliver them from their captivity.
Now, the interesting thing here, is that the Sadducees
doctrine is quickly falling apart on them, they did not
believe in miracles, and miracles were happening, they
did not believe in angels, and angels were working
against their plans.
Now, God was giving the disciples a lesson here, one
that we can receive this morning as well.
God is capable, more than capable, to deliver us from
terrible persecutions and dark trials.
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Even when it looks bleak, even impossible, God is able.
We will see evidence of this all throughout the Book of
Acts, later on Paul and Silas will also be arrested and
put in a terrible prison, and their confidence in this
truth caused them to have a midnight worship service.
God supernaturally saved them, and in turn many were
saved.
Peter will also be supernaturally freed from a jail cell
after a prayer service.
And understand, our God is still capable of the
supernatural, and still today, miracles happen often,
mostly unnoticed and unaccounted for.
And there are times God still uses angels even…
We are instructed in Heb. 13:1-2 Let brotherly love
continue. 2 Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by
so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.
I remember one time, shortly after I got saved, there
was a homeless man sitting outside the Albertsons in
Lake Havasu.
And I ran in to get something, and I thought, “Hey it’s a
hot day, I should get that man a Gatorade,” then I
thought he might be hungry, so I got him a sandwich.
And Jess and I were in a hurry, I cannot remember to
where, but I came out to give him the drink and lunch,
and he seemed out of his mind at first, I immediately
concluded he was on some type of drugs.
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And I said something like, “Hey man, Jesus put it on my
heart to give you this lunch.”
And at the Name of Jesus, his demeanor changed
completely, his body movements were not dramatic
and uncontrolled any longer, and with the greatest of
clarity and poise, he looked directly in my eyes and
said, “One day, we will all be worshipping Him before
the throne together.”
I said Amen, and was taken back a little, and I got in
the car, and this passage of scripture came to mind.
I am not claiming that I entertained an angel that day,
but perhaps, and when we all get to heaven, let’s
revisit this story together to see.
So the disciples were delivered from their
imprisonment by a celestial being.
And they were not freed to go do what they wanted to
do, but the heavenly messenger gave them some
instructions, to go to the temple, the very temple
where the men were that had them arrested…
And they were to go there and preach all the words of
this life…
This is a wonderful commission, they are to go and
preach all the words of this life, that is the Gospel
Message.
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This message of hope and salvation, it is a message
that brings the peace and secure reality about one’s
eternal life.
John 14:6 "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one
comes to the Father except through Me."
And not only is it a message about our future eternal
hope, Jesus said in…
And in John 10:10 The thief does not come except to
steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they
may have life, and that they may have it more
abundantly.
We bring a message of hope for eternity, but also the
hope of a life changed here and now.
When we accept Jesus as our Savior and allow Him to
be Lord of our lives, we become aware that His is the
Way, He is the Truth, and He is our Life.
St. Irenaeus said, “The Glory of God is a man fully
alive.”
And there is some incredible truths to what he said,
when we become alive in Christ, our God is truly
Glorified.
His Glory is revealed in our lives.
John 1:4-5 In Him was life, and the life was the light of
men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the
darkness did not comprehend it.
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So the angel commissions them to go and to keep on
preaching Jesus, the giver of life, the hope of our
salvation, and the stability in this unstable world.
And they obey!
Look now starting in verse 21…
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.
Now, the morning after the angelic jail break the
enemies of the church came together, this Great High
Court, and tried to decide what to do with these men…
Little did they know, that they were not too far from
them preaching again.
Verse 22 now…
Apostles on Trial Again
22 But when the officers came and did not find them in
the prison, they returned and reported, 23 saying,
"Indeed we found the prison shut securely, and the
guards standing outside 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 things, they wondered
what the outcome would be. 25 So one came and told
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them, saying, "Look, the men whom you put in prison
are standing in the temple and teaching the people!"
They get the news that the prison doors were locked
and sealed, and yet, the Troublemakers were not
there.
Once again the Great Sadducees are rocked with this
reality of supernatural events taking place, it did not
matter that they did not believe in the supernatural,
God does what He desires in spite of what man
believes.
I am always amazed at how mankind can make up his
mind about God and even when God reveals Himself in
mighty and powerful ways, they cannot let the facts
change their minds.
No matter what God does to reveal Himself to
someone, their hearts just reason away every
evidence.
It was like the little boy, whose father told him to stay
off of the roof, but curiosity got the best of him.
One day, his father left the ladder leaning up on the
roof after a project, and the boy saw his chance, but
what the little boy was not prepared for was a damp,
slippery roof.
He made it to the peak, and as soon as he did, he
slipped and was sliding quickly to his own peril.
The boy shouted out, “God save me!”
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And just then, his belt caught on a nail, and he stopped
abruptly, but only to say, “Never mind God, this nail
stopped me.”
Some people cannot see God in anything, and we
should guard our hearts from being cynical about the
events of our lives.
We must not be like these hard-hearted religious
leaders, who saw Jesus Powerfully displaying God to
them, and after killing Him, they too had the Apostles
miraculously displaying God’s Power to them.
But they refused to believe, instead they continue in
their evil plans against the Church.
They are more concerned with their earthly positions,
and the authority for which they had over their
countrymen, then they were concerned about the
Truth before them.
I would encourage you this morning, those who might
be here, and you have been fighting with God’s pursuit
over your heart.
You have been fighting the obvious truths of His love
that is continually poured out in your life.
Why not this morning, yield to Him, and to the Truth
that you know, God desires to Save you, and you are
not guaranteed tomorrow, don’t put it off any longer.
So they find the prison empty, and they are wondering
what is going on.
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They were already fed up and at their wits end in their
efforts to stop the spread of Christianity.
And they were desperate, because they had no way to
control what might happen next through these men of
God.
Mighty miracles, undeniable miracles, Powerful
Preaching, and a New Kind of Love was permeating
through the disciples, and it was drawing in multitudes.
The religious leader’s efforts were powerless in trying
to stop what God was doing.
Look now, starting in verse 26…
26 Then the captain went with the officers and brought
them without violence, for they feared the people, lest
they should be stoned.
Remember they had to be careful because the people
believed the Apostle’s preaching.
Verse 27 now…
27 And when they had brought them, they set them
before the council. And the high priest asked them, 28
saying, "Did we not strictly command you not to teach
in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with
your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man's blood on
us!"
Remember back in chapter 4 the religious leaders gave
very stern warnings before they let them go, not to
teach in the Name of Jesus.
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The Highest Court in the Land forbid them.
The words, “command you,” here mean they gave
them an explicit order, this was non-negotiable.
They were trying to intimidate or silence the Apostles
into submission to their order.
But the Apostles informed them that they answer to a
Higher Authority then earthly authority.
Remember in chapter 4, we looked at that defining
moment as our example.
Acts 4:19-20 "Whether it is right in the sight of God to
listen to you more than to God, you judge. 20 For we
cannot but speak the things which we have seen and
heard."
Church, may their convictions be ours today.
Look after they were jailed, and threatened even
more, Peter will double down… verse 29…
29 But Peter and the other apostles answered and
said: "We ought to obey God rather than men.
We answer to the Highest Authority church.
Now, I know many today really want to pretend all is
well, and things will always continue on as it always
has been.
Let’s just get through this Covid Crisis, and then the
Government will back off, society will back off and we
can get back to our happy Sunday morning routine.
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Let’s just submit, close down for a while, and we will
be fine.
Yesterday history was made in our nation, for the first
time a California state judge issued an unconstitutional
restraining order for Pastor Bob McCoy of Godspeak
Calvary Chapel, prohibiting the church from meeting
under our Governors unlawful orders.
Not only did the state go after the pastor, but the
injunction includes every person who attends the
church and who will attend the church in the future.
If anyone dares to visit the church and worship they
could be held in contempt of court.
But, this is the insanity of Governor Newsome’s order,
the church can operate as a shelter, provide food
services, and social services, but in the same building,
there can be no worship services.
People can receive food, but not take communion, the
church can house many people over night, strangers
even, but cannot hold a short church service, a Bible
Study, or meet for prayer.
People can receive counseling to find work, but the
church cannot counsel people on how to find eternal
life.
Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver
said, “The same governor who encourages mass
protests, bans all worship. The same governor who
says the church can meet for secular services, bans the
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church from having religious worship. If people cannot
see this obvious unconstitutional violation, they are
blind. This unconstitutional hostility against religious
worship must end. Enough is enough!”
And I agree with him.
Also know this, something the fear mongering media
will not tell you…
I mean every day, the News apps are sending me, all
throughout the day the dire numbers of people sick,
and they paint this ominous picture.
But it you simply get your calculator out, and see what
the numbers truly are, then you will see the sham of it
all.
In Ventura County, where Calvary Chapel Godspeak is,
it has a population of around 850,000 people. 78
people have died of COVID-19 since March 2020
Let me do the math for you…that is 0.009176 deaths in
Ventura County!
That is statistically insignificant.
If you catch Corona Virus, In California, your survival
rate is above 99%. It is more dangerous to drive to
church, then to get corona virus and die.
Church, there are forces at work here that are trying to
dim out the light of the church.
We need God’s Power and Wisdom to maneuver
through these times.
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We have come to a point where we will decide if we
will obey man or God.
We need to decide if we will continue to preach life
and all that pertains to real life, or will we be
restrained from doing so.
Will you be controlled by fear and lies or will you live
for Truth?
Things are not going to be the same from here on out,
we are not going back to the way things used to be.
It is time to choose.
The answer is not to leave California, but to stand in
God’s Power in the Name of Jesus.
And there is another great reality before us, many
people will never return to church who were here
before all of this, even after this crisis is cleared.
Because of the circumstances brought upon the
church, many have grown accustomed to pajama
church.
They are now growing accustomed to not being in
fellowship, it is getting easier for them to stay home
now, in fact, and many have flipped completely and
have become hostile toward the church.
Things will not be the same.
The church is changing, but I don’t say this negatively,
because look at the strength Peter preaches from in
light of this persecution.
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Starting now in verse 30…
30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you
murdered by hanging on a tree. 31 Him God has
exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to
give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 32
And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is
the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey
Him."
Peter gives another powerful message, and once again
flips the court on them, and brings their guilt before
them.
They killed the Christ, and God raised Him up and
exalted Him to His Right Hand as Prince and Savior.
Jesus is the Name above all Names, and Salvation is
found in no other.
Peter also includes repentance in this Gospel
presentation.
And these religious men are privileged to hear the
Gospel once again, and once again they will harden
their hearts and reject it, and this time the rejection
turns to rage and into a venomous wrath…
Gamaliel's Advice
33 When they heard this, they were furious and
plotted to kill them.
They wanted these men dead, just like their Master
Jesus, but this world soon learned, that just like the
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murder of Jesus, the murder of His follower’s only fans
the flames of this Gospel further.
Persecution always strengthens us, and gives us the
resolve we need to press on…
Now, next, a more reasoned man will speak, and he
will give flawed advice, but God will use it to free His
followers…
34 Then one in the council stood up, a Pharisee named
Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in respect by all the
people, and commanded them to put the apostles
outside for a little while.
Gamaliel wisely puts the contentious followers of
Christ out of the room to try to reason with the
leaders.
This would diffuse the situation.
This is the same Gamaliel that the Apostle Paul studied
under when becoming a Pharisee, in which he excelled
greatly…
Verse 35 now…
35 And he said to them: "Men of Israel, take heed to
yourselves what you intend to do regarding these men.
36 For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be
somebody. A number of men, about four hundred,
joined him. He was slain, and all who obeyed him were
scattered and came to nothing. 37 After this man,
Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census, and
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drew away many people after him. He also perished,
and all who obeyed him were dispersed. 38 And now I
say to you, keep away from these men and let them
alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will
come to nothing; 39 but if it is of God, you cannot
overthrow it — lest you even be found to fight against
God."
This well respected man, a member of the High Court,
and a teacher of the Law, was honored by all the
people.
He was actually the grandson of Rabbi Hillel, a great
Hebrew scholar.
Gamaliel stood up to speak, and here gives two
examples of men, who had a following, but after their
death, their followers scattered, and their movements
died.
He said, let’s see if this movement does the same, if it
succeeds it is of God, if it fails, it is not.
Of course it is flawed ideology, because today many
millions of followers are led away by cults and false
religions and they are not blessed by God.
But, the advice was used to serve God’s purposes, and
Gamaliel’s popularity and his presented logic was used
to spare the Apostles this time.
Let’s finish now with verses 40-42…
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40 And they agreed with him, and when they had
called for the apostles and beaten them, they
commanded that they should not speak in the name of
Jesus, and let them go. 41 So they departed from the
presence of the council, rejoicing that they were
counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. 42 And
daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not
cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.
And these savage religious leaders were satisfied with
a cruel beating here, as they once again made an
executive order for them to stop speaking the Name of
Jesus.
And I want you to notice the buoyant disciples here, as
each wave of attack hits them, they pop up on the
other side, stronger than before.
They left rejoicing in the fact that they were beaten.
You see, this is important, they understood that the
fact that they were being persecuted for Jesus’ Sake
was evidence that they were doing the right thing and
that they belonged to Jesus.
This crushes the Christian ideas of our day, where easy
breezy means we are where we need to be.
This is not true, when God moves in your life, when He
uses you for great things, expect Great Opposition.
This is the perspective we need to endeavor to
possess.
27 | P a g e
When we live with this understanding, it gives the
healthiest mindset in regards to our faith.
It is allows us to keep pressing on, to keep sharing, to
keep praying, to keep preaching and to keep believing.
Notice government threats and mandates did not stop
the early church, it only validated their movement to a
greater degree, and it caused the faithful to press in,
for more Power, more Love, and more of Jesus in their
lives.
They daily met in the Temple, and they fellowshipped
in every house, and they did not cease teaching and
preaching Jesus as the Christ.
Church underline those words, they did not cease.
If they did not cease, if Christianity has not ceased over
the centuries, may we not cease today.
Church, at all costs, now is the time to count up that
cost, at all cost, it is time to live for Jesus.
It is time to lay it all down for Him, may we never
cease, may this never stop, church commit with me to
keep these doors open, if they hold me in contempt,
commit to take the pulpit after me.
May God’s Word continually go forth from this pulpit
week after week, no matter the cost, let’s keep
teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ, the Savior
of the world.
28 | P a g e
Do not cease! We are in a supernatural battle, if we let
up, if we surrender, too much will be lost, Do not
cease.
Let’s pray!