You might be opposing God...
Walking through the Book of Acts • Sermon • Submitted
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You might be opposing God
You might be opposing God
You might be opposing God!
33 When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them.
34 But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in honor by all the people, stood up and gave orders to put the men outside for a little while.
35 And he said to them, "Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do with these men.
36 For before these days Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing.
37 After him Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and drew away some of the people after him. He too perished, and all who followed him were scattered.
38 So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail;
39 but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!" So they took his advice,
40 and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.
41 Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.
42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.”
The concluding verses of this chapter give the positive results of the pure, powerful, persistent, and yet persecuted church. Although to some it was brief, Peter’s sermon to the Sanhedrin was powerful and resulted in great conviction. He charged the Jewish leadership with rejecting and executing their Messiah, and because of that they were in rebellion against God. He did not play on their emotions or soften the confrontation, but presented the truth. Conviction that leads to salvation can only take place when the Spirit of God uses the facts of the Word of God to produce repentance in a person’s heart, mind and soul.
“7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me;10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer;11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged”
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Let us pray…
You might be opposing God... so affirm the possibilities.
, “When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them.”
Convicting preaching will always provoke a violent response from those who are hardened in sin. When these authorities heard Peter’s bold presentation of the gospel of Jesus Christ, they were beside themselves. All they could hear through their unsaved ears was blasphemy with enraged them all the more. The Greek word here for enraged is “Diaprio” which means to be cut in two, which is apt metaphor to describe the power of the Word of God.
, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
But these Jewish leaders remained unyielding to the truth, with their hearts and ears hardened. They continued to be enraged, cut in half and unable to put them selves back together because of their rejection.
Just as they had done to Jesus these leaders rejected Him in spite of the abundance of evidence. Because they Christ Jesus, they rejected His apostles, and the rejected His teachings.
, gives us some insight to this rejection,
“The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone?” The Jews answered him, “ It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God” ( ).
The high priest and his fellow Sadducees were enraged with the apostles for several reasons. (1)The apostles had denied their doctrine by proclaiming the resurrection. (2)They had defied the Sanhedrin’s authority by preaching after that had ordered them to stip. (3) By charging the Sanhedrin with executing the Messiah; the apostles assaulted their spirituality. (4) Finally, by winning large numbers of converts they threatened the Sadducees’ domination of the people.
These leaders had had enough and were left with only one response; they were intending now to kill them. The apostle Paul faced a similar reaction later in the book of Acts in , “But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ. When many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him, but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket.”
Whenever are a serving God there will be great trials and tribulations, David once wrote, “ The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes their teeth towards the them and draws a sword towards them and bends their bows towards them. Later in Jesus would give a clear summary of this problem.
, “Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town.”
Our gospel presentations must be definitive enough that the world must take note, even if they reject our message. If the gospel we preach is not convicting enough to make some people angry, is it convicting enough to bring them salvation? These leaders had made up their minds and affirmed their wicked direction until yet another leader shared with them some caution.
You might be opposing God... as you attack His people.
, “When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them. But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in honor by all the people, stood up and gave orders to put the men outside for a little while. And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do with these men. For before these days Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. After him Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and drew away some of the people after him. He too perished, and all who followed him were scattered. So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!” So they took his advice, and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.”
Some react to a convicting presentation of the gospel with open hostility, but others with a milder indifference. Such a person was a certain Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the Law. He was easily the most prominent rabbi of that time and one of the greatest of all antiquity. He was the grandson of another prominent rabbi, Hillel, and his successor as leader of the liberal wing of the Pharisees. Gamaliel was one of the few honored with the title “rabban”, instead of rabbi, which means Master, Teacher. This was because he was so highly respected by all the people and was the President of the Sanhedrin. When he died it was said, “the glory and the Law ceased and purity and abstinence died.” And we know that his most famous student was the apostle Paul.
Gamaliel stood up in the Council and gave orders to put the apostles outside for a moment, so that they could speak openly. He them warned his fellow members of the Sanhedrim, Men of Israel, take care what you propose to do with these men. Unlike the Sadducees, the Pharisees accepted both the miraculous and the sovereignty of God. Gamaliel’s counsel on the surface seems to reflect his belief that God was in control of events. He them offers two illustrations before driving home his main point. What happens next is a great example of God’s sovereignty and the fact that God will make all things work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes. I say this because Gamaliel counsel was really unwise and dangerous. That the Sadducees would heed the words of a Pharisee shows just how distinguished a man Gamaliel was. In spite of the fact that Gamaliel tried to use cool logic rather than overheated emotions, his approach was still very flawed. To begin with, he automatically classified Jesus with two rebels, which means he had already rejected the clear evidence of what God had done through the apostles.
To him this “Jesus of Nazareth” was just another zealous Jew, trying to set the nation free from Rome. But think about it did Theudas or Judas ever come close to doing what Jesus had done? Were signs and wonders ever assigned to them? Did a great movement ever start after their death? Were the ever raised from the dead? The comparison between Jesus and Theudas and Judas was a false equivalence. A false equivalence is a logical fallacy in which two completely opposing arguments appear to be logically equivalent when in fact they are not. How could Gamaliel ever compare to rebels to Jesus Christ the righteous?
With a clever twist of bad logic; Gamaliel convinced the council that there was really nothing to worry about! Troublemakers come and go, so just be patient. Furthermore, Gamaliel assumed that “history repeats itself” Theudas and Judas rebelled, they were subdued, and their followers were scattered. Just give these Galileans enough time and enough rope and they too will disband, and you will never hear or see them again, or about this Jesus. But this time it was different, different because God Himself, had broken into history and visited the through this man, this man, Jesus of Nazareth! You cannot subdued the gospel or subdued His messengers
Gamaliel also had the mistaken idea that if something is not of God it must fail. But this idea does not take into consideration the complete sinful nature of man and the presence of Satan in the world. Mark Twain once said, that a lie runs around the world while truth is still putting on her shoes. In the end, God’s truth will be victorious; but meanwhile, Satan can be very strong and influence multitudes of people. Success is not test of truth, in spite of what the pragmatist say. False cults often grow faster than God’s church. This world is a battlefield on which truth and error are in moral combat, and often it looks as if truth is “ on the scaffold” while wrong sits arrogantly on the throne.
How long should the council wait and see if the new movement would survive? What tests would they use to determine whether or not it was successful? What is success? No matter how you look at it Gamaliel’s wisdom was foolish. Look at what God says in first in
, “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”
And also look at what God says in,
, “But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption.”
But the biggest weakness of this advice was this very motive: he encouraged neutrality when the council was facing a life- and death issue that demanded a decision. “Wait and see!” is actually not neutrality; it is a definite decision. Gamaliel was voting “Now!” but he was preaching “maybe someday.”
There are many matters in life that do not demand courageous decision of conscience but this one did. Gamaliel refused to do just that. He lost an opportunity for salvation because he turned the meeting into a petty discussion about Jewish insurrectionists instead of really looking at the facts of who was this Jesus of Nazareth.
Jesus made it clear that it is impossible to be neutral about Him and His message. “He that is not with Me is against Me and he that gathers not with Me scatters abroad.” The members of the council knew the words of Elijah, in , “And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word.”
There are times when being neutral means making a quiet (and perhaps cowardly) decision to reject God’s offer. It’s significant that the first group named among those who go to hell is “ the fearful.”
, “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
If Gamaliel was really afraid of fighting and opposing God, why did he not honestly investigate the evidence, diligently search the Scriptures, listen to the witnesses, and ask God for His wisdom? This was an opportunity of a lifetime, it was once said that “truth makes a man of courage.” Gamaliel shows no courage only that he was a cowardly religious politician. Gamaliel was at best a pragmatist— a poor substitute from being the great biblical scholar he as known as; he opposed God by being neutral concerning the attack on God’s people.
You might be opposing God...which sometimes advances the gospel.
Part of the council wanted to kill the apostles, but after listening to Gamaliel’s speech tempered their violence. In a compromise move with the apparent approval of Gamaliel, the council decided to have the apostles beaten instead; so the men were given thirty- nine strokes, which was forty strokes minus one to ensure they did not break the law of .
“If there is a dispute between men and they come into court and the judges decide between them, acquitting the innocent and condemning the guilty, then if the guilty man deserves to be beaten, the judge shall cause him to lie down and be beaten in his presence with a number of stripes in proportion to his offense. Forty stripes may be given him, but not more, lest, if one should go on to beat him with more stripes than these, your brother be degraded in your sight.”
Then the apostles were commanded to stop speaking in the name of Jesus Christ of something worse would happen to them.
When people refuse to deal with disagreements on the basis of principle they often resort to verbal or physical violence, and sometimes both.
The sad thing is that this violence often masquerades as patriotism or as religious zeal. When understanding fails, violence fills the vacuum and people’s emotions start to take over. Then people start to destroy each other in the name of their nation or their God. It is tragic that even the history of religion is punctuated with accounts of persecutions and “holy wars.”
William Temple said that Christians are “Called to the hardest of all tasks: to fight without hated, to resist without bitterness, and in the end, if God so grants, to triumph without vindictiveness.”
The more we used the means and methods that we have the more will our ability and our opportunities be increased. We must live for souls and for eternity; we must want to win souls for Christ.
After their beating they left the council rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name, the name of Christ. Now what is this about? This is about the same thing James teaches.
, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.’
This is about what Paul is was teaching,
, “But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you.” This is about what Peter taught later in his own epistle.
, Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”
It is about suffering for the name of Jesus, if they hated me they will hate you, if they will follow my Word that will follow your Word.
The text goes on to say, “… that everyday in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.” After all for several years, the church was looked upon as another “sect” of the Jewish faith, and both the temple and the many synagogues were open to believers. In his missionary journeys, Paul always went first to the local synagogue or Jewish place of prayer, and he witnessed there until he was thrown out. The early Christians also witnessed “in every house.” Unlike congregations today, these people had no buildings that were set aside for worship and fellowship. Believers would meet in different homes, worshipping the Lord, listening to teaching, and seeking to win the lost. Paul referred to a number of the homes as “house fellowships” when he greeted the saints in Rome. The early church took the Word right into their homes, and we should follow that example. This does not mean that we should no have a building but it means we should experience the Word of God in both places. It means that we must take the ministry of the Church outside of the church building. It means that we must take the gospel of Jesus Christ to the streets. The apostle’s ministry went on without ceasing. The authors had told them to stop witnessing, but they only witnessed all the more! As the Jewish authorities were opposing God, the apostles were obedient to God all the more. The Jewish opposition only helped to fan the flames of the gospel’s fire. Their motive was not defiance to the law but rather obedience to the Lord. It was not something the apostles could turn on and off that were called by God to preach His message in whatever situation. Their call was the same as Timothy’s “ I charge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.
For the time is coming when people will not endue sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn always from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” ().
The witness of the church includes both teaching and preaching to keep a good balance. The word translated “preach” gives us our English word “evangelize”, and thesis the first of fifteen times it is used in Acts. It simply means, “ to preach the Gospel, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.” What is that Good News? The elements of the gospel are clearly stated in , a key passage concerning the good news of God: “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living.” Notice, first, that Paul “received” the gospel and then “passed it on”; this is a divine message, not a man-made invention. Second, the gospel is “of first importance.” Everywhere the apostles went, they preached the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. Third, the message of the gospel is accompanied by proofs: Christ died for our sins (proved by His burial), and He rose again the third day (proved by the eyewitnesses). Fourth, all this was done “according to the Scriptures”; the theme of the whole Bible is the salvation of mankind through Christ. The Bible is the gospel. Believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile” (). The gospel is a bold message, and we are not ashamed of proclaiming it. It is a powerful message, because it is God’s good news. It is a saving message, the only thing that can truly reform the human heart. It is a universal message, for Jews and Gentiles both. And the gospel is received by faith; salvation is the gift of God (). The gospel is the good news that God loves the world enough to give His only Son to die for our sin (). The gospel is good news because our salvation and eternal life and home in heaven are guaranteed through Christ (). “He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you” ().The gospel is good news when we understand that we do not (and cannot) earn our salvation; the work of redemption and justification is complete, having been finished on the crossJohn 19:30). Jesus is the propitiation for our sins (). The gospel is the good news that we, who were once enemies of God, have been reconciled by the blood of Christ and adopted into the family of God (; ). “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (). The gospel is the good news that “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” ().To reject the gospel is to embrace the bad news. Condemnation before God is the result of a lack of faith in the Son of God, God’s only provision for salvation. “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son” (). God has given a doomed world good news: the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
Preaching must be balance with instruction so that sinners know what to believe and the new converts understand why they believed. The message cannot produce fruit unless the person understands. And when people truly understand the gospel they will understand that those opposing God really help the growth of the gospel.