Acts 7 Series

Acts 5:17-42

Acts # 07

I. The second wave of persecution begins. 5:17-25

A. The reason for the arrest. (The Sadducees were jealous.) 5:17

B. The arresting officials.

1. The High Priest.

2. People associated with the High Priest.

3. Members of the Sadducees.

NOTE: These were the same people that arrested Peter and John.

C. The place of Imprisonment. 5:18 (The public jail for only over night.)

D. All the Apostles were arrested.

NOTE: Most Bible Teachers believe that his was an arrest of all twelve.

E. The miraculous release of the Apostles. 5:19-20.

1. The Angel came at night.

a. He opened the doors

b. He led them out.

2. The instructions of the Angel. 5:20

a. Go to the temple courts.

b. Preach the message of this life.

G. The following of the instructions.

1. They started at day break.

2. They taught the people.

NOTE: The Apostles did what they were told to do. They did not run from trouble. They stood and preached the Gospel of Jesus.

H. The discovery of the missing Apostles. 5:21b-25.

1. The accusers gathered together.

2. They sent for the Apostles.

3. They discovered the apostles missing.

4. The report of the ones that were sent.

a. Jail was locked.

b. The guards were at doors

c. No one inside.

5. The confusion of the Priest.

NOTE: How did the Apostles get out of jail? What had happen to them (the Apostles)? I believe that they, The High priest, were hoping that they had fled the area.

6. The report that they were preaching again. 5:25

a. Standing in the temple courts.

b. Teaching the people.

II. The third arrest of the Apostles. 5:26-40

A. The arrest was not by force. 5:26

NOTE: The officials were afraid.

B. The comments of the council.

1. We told you not to preach in Jesus’ name.

2. They had to fill Jerusalem with their teachings.

3. You are trying to make us guilty of Jesus’ death.

NOTE: This refers to the statements that the Apostles had made that the Jews and their leaders had killed Jesus. In the eyes of the council, they were not allowed to carry out the death penalty. So in their eyes they did not kill Jesus.

C. The response of the Apostles.

1. That they must obey God. 5:29

2. The sermon of Peter. 5:30-32

NOTE: This is the same message that was always preached by Peter.

a. You killed him.

b. Jesus rose from the dead.

c. Exalted to the right hand of God.

d. Savior.

1) Repentance.

2) Forgiveness of sins.

NOTE: Here peer is offering the Leadership of the Jewish nation another chance to repent and they still did not. If the leaders would have repented the nation would have followed.

e. They were witnesses of these things.

f. The Holy Spirit is a witness.

D. The anger of the Sanhedrin. 5:33

E. The interruption of Gamaliel. 5:34-40

1. The identity of Gamaliel.

a. A Pharisee.

b. A teacher of the Law.

c. A person respected by all.

NOTE: Gamaliel was one of the most famous Jewish teachers of his time. He was the Head of the school of Hittel. Traditions say that when Gamaliel died, the Law died. He had several students of his own, one was a man named Saul, Later called Paul.

2. The advice of Gamaliel.

a. To be cautious of their actions.

b. The example of others that did the same thing.

c. There is a need to leave these men alone.

1) If it is human it will fail.

2) If it is of God it will not be stopped.

NOTE: Was this Good advice?

Warren Wiersbe writes this “Gamaliel then gave his counsel: Be neutral and find out whether God is in this movement or not. This appears to be wise counsel, but actually it is not. No one can be neutral about Christ. To wait in making a decision is to court disaster. God had given every evidence through signs and miracles that He was at work, and there was no reason to delay making a decision!”

F. The response of the council.

NOTE: They were persuaded.

H. The punishment of the Apostles.

1. Order not to teach.

2. They were flogged.

NOTE: This was forty lashes minus one.

III. The release of the Apostles. 5:41-42

A. They left rejoicing.

NOTE: It now was becoming an honor to suffer in the name of Jesus. Later on in the history of the church some said that a martyr could forgive sins.

B. They continued to preach.

1. Daily

2. They preached in the Temple.

3. They preached in houses.

4. They never stopped.

a. Teaching Jesus.

b. Proclaiming Jesus as Messiah.