Obey God rather than men. (Acts 5:17-41)
Billy Milton - July 4, 2004
For the benefit of our guests this morning just let me take a few minutes to summarise what we’ve been looking at over the past couple of months. We’ve been studying the book of Acts, also known as the Acts of the Apostles because, as the label says, it describes the various actions that the 12 Apostles did as they set about following the instructions of Jesus to take the gospel to the whole world. During the course of the first 5 chapters we’ve been treated to some pulsating drama as we’ve followed the adventures of the early church, ably led by a transformed Peter.
As the apostles continued their acts, the early church began to experience phenomenal growth. A report of thousands at a time being converted can be found in ch.2 and many other amazing miracles were witnessed. These were exciting days to be a Christian. But they were also dangerous days as we can see from the passage before us today. The Jewish religious leaders, known as the Sanhedrin, were not happy at their comfortable world being invaded by the followers of this rabble-rousing carpenter from Nazareth.
And this is not the first time that Peter and John had got themselves into trouble with the jealous Jewish leaders. In a very similar story in ch.4 Peter and John were dragged before the Sanhedrin and ordered to stop preaching about Jesus and his resurrection because it was threatening to disturb the peace. You’ll remember that Peter, risking his life, told them that there was no way he could stop preaching about Jesus. So they threatened them with violence and let them go. Once again in today’s passage the disciples are in trouble. This time we are told the actual reason – the Sadducees were “filled with jealousy”. Terrible thing jealousy – isn’t it? They arrest the disciples and throw them into jail and decide to deal with them in the morning once they have had a chance to cool their heels in prison overnight. But then another amazing miracle takes place.
An angel appeared to them and opened the prison doors and instructed them to go and preach the gospel in the temple courts. The disciples obediently head off, but soon their ‘breakout’ from the jail is discovered by the officers. Can you just picture the scene in vv22-26? (DESCRIBE) The disciples are eventually re-arrested and brought once more before the Sanhedrin who by now are so mad that they just want to kill them. At this point a Pharisee called Gamaliel interjects and presents a reasonable, if somewhat cowardly, argument as to why the disciples should be spared, and so they are ‘just’ flogged and released. Anyone who has seen The Passion of the Christ will understand what ‘just getting flogged’ was all about!
How do you feel as I recount that story? I feel a deep sense of frustration. If it were possible, I would reach out and give the Sanhedrin a good shaking and say, “Waken up guys!! You’ve had all the evidence you’ll ever need of who Jesus was and what his power accomplishes in the life of those who follow him – and you blew it because of your own pride!”
The evidence for the resurrection is overwhelming and, in those days, especially so. Hundreds of people had seen and heard Jesus Christ speaking after his death and burial and were telling whoever would listen about it. As well as that there were all the signs and wonders that were taking place and yet these religious leaders refuse to acknowledge who Jesus was and what he had accomplished. The hard evidence only seems to anger them further. How true the words, “There are none so blind as those who will not see.” The evidence that Jesus was indeed the promised Messiah was overwhelming and yet they trade a relationship with Christ and an eternity with him for a little bit of authority and power now.
I mentioned this a few weeks ago but I want to elaborate on it a bit further today. The big problem that the Sanhedrin had was that they were religious… but didn’t know the gospel. Many, many people today – in fact I’d go as far as to say that most people in the Western world who claim to be Christian - would fall into this category. The Bible puts it this way, “They have a form of Godliness, but deny the power thereof.” In other words they substitute true faith in God for a pale imitation called religion. Let me explain.
The Bible says that in order to get right with God we must come to him through Jesus Christ and ONLY through Jesus. There is nothing we can do to earn our salvation; no amount of good living, or being an exemplary citizen, or even attending a church can persuade God that we are good enough to merit his forgiveness. Ever since the time of Christ people have made that most fundamental of mistakes – I can come to God because I deserve it. God says, no! I will save you but not because of anything you say or think or do. I will save you on one basis only – that is that you accept that the death of Jesus was for you and was absolutely necessary because of your sin. And that’s it.
Rom 10:9 says, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved.” That is the solemn, binding word of God. Confession, acceptance of Christ, belief in his resurrection and you are saved. Finito! That’s called grace. Through no merit of my own God forgives me and welcomes me into his family.
Now, why I’m emphasising this is because religion by its behaviour denies that truth. Many people will acknowledge that they are saved by the grace of God alone and then go on to live as if they need to earn their own way to heaven. This is a tragedy. It was a tragedy in Peter’s day and it is equally a tragedy today. Martin Luther, the great 16th century reformer, said, “The default mode of the human heart is to go back to religion.”
I know that some of you were brought up in church environments, as I was, where grace was talked about but actually religion reigned in a practical sense. For instance, I remember talking to Nic Hanekom about his experience of church and religion as a child in Citrus Dal in South Africa. NIC, WOULD YOU MIND COMING UP HERE AND TELLING US YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH RELIGION VERSUS GRACE?
Thanks Nic. What Peter and John were preaching about when they were arrested was the saving grace of Christ. Unfortunately when grace meets religion the result is turmoil because they are implacably opposed to each other. What we see all through this story is a clash between religion and grace. I’m not going to go through this point by point just now but I have prepared a handout which compares and contrasts Religion and the Gospel. If you’re not clear of the difference or would just like to have it available for reference then take a copy later.
Religion led these Jewish leaders to contemplate killing the disciples because things were not being done their way. Fortunately, as we mentioned a couple of weeks ago, because of the resurrection the disciples no longer feared death. And so they rejoiced at the threats and the beating of the Sanhedrin. They learned that to obey God brought joy and happiness.
Today we have witnessed the baptism of Mark and Helen. They too are saying, in public, we have chosen to follow Jesus Christ and not to bow to the demands of man. But, and this is crucial, they have not ‘got religion’, as some would put it. Nor have they ‘become religious’. What they have discovered is the grace of God, that removes all fear and sets them free to serve him from grateful hearts.
Let me say in closing, there are 3 ways to relate to God this morning. There is the non-religious way that just dismisses God as being irrelevant, if indeed he even exists. If this is where you are this morning then all I want to say is that I hope you have rigourously examined that view because you are staking your whole eternal destiny on it being correct! The 2nd way is the religious way that I’ve described in a bit of detail this morning and it’s as dangerous to your eternal salvation as the non-religious way. And finally there is the way of grace. I believe from the Bible that this is the only way to know God and I commend this way to you this morning.