Enduring Adversity In The Christian Life

ENDURING ADVERSITY IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE

Acts 5:17-23

(Antioch Baptist Church: Wednesday, November 5th, 2025)

Have you ever experienced relief from a circumstance or situation and then weeks, months, or years later you find yourself back in the same familiar and uncomfortable situation? Some of you have conquered cancer and experienced remission for a time and then you received the dreaded report that it has returned. Others have seen their marriages restored after a time of separation and then things took a turn and it ended in divorce. Some reached a place of financial freedom in the past but now you find yourself back in debt. Some have battled alcoholism or drug addiction and then one foolish decision led to relapse.

There are many other scenarios that I could mention, but suffice it to say that most of us have certain battles that we have had to fight on more than one occasion. When we are faced with a familiar struggle it seems to add to our discouragement and frustration. Very often these issues come as a result of our own foolish, rebellious and sinful decisions. But there are other times when God has providentially placed us in these situations so that He can use us for His glory.

Perhaps you are currently faced with a certain battle that you have already fought and conquered in the past. Though this may be discouraging, our selected text shows us that we can endure such a battle with great hope. If fact, these verses not only show us that we can endure adversity with hope, they show us how to do so. I would like for us to examine the imprisonment and miraculous release of the Lord’s Apostles and consider the thought “Enduring Adversity In The Christian Life”

Adversity is defined as “a state or instance of serious or continued difficulty”. The Apostles lives were marked by great adversity. In chapter 4, Peter and John were arrested and summoned to appear before the Sanhedrin. The Jewish religious leaders commanded them to cease preaching in the name of Jesus. The Apostles boldly declared that they were “unable to stop speaking about what (they had) seen and heard.” (Acts 4:20)

What we read in Acts 5:17-23 is almost an exact repeat of what happened on that previous occasion. Once again, the religious elite are furious that the Apostles are spreading the good news of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem. Contributing to their fury was the fact that multitudes of people were coming to faith in Christ and following the Apostle’s doctrine. Verse 12 says that “Many signs and wonders were being done among the people through the hands of the apostles...” then Luke goes on to say that “Believers were added to the Lord in increasing numbers — multitudes of both men and women” (v14).

As a result of this mighty move of God, the Lord’s Apostles were again arrested and placed in custody. “Then the high priest rose up. He and all who were with him, who belonged to the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. So they arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail” (v17-18). The High Priest and the Sadducees were “filled with indignation”; they were jealous because the work of the Apostles threatened their power and influence among the people.

There were some amazing things happening in the early Church. Miracles were being performed, lives were being changed and multitudes were coming to faith in Christ. Church history shows us that when these things happen persecution is inevitable. The opposition experienced by the Church did not come from heathens; it came from those who considered themselves to be most religious. The High Priest and the sect of the Sadducees sought to put an end to the preaching of the Gospel. They imprisoned the Apostles and soon their desire would be to destroy them.

They kept them in custody overnight with the intention of summoning them to appear before the Sanhedrin (the Jewish high court) the following morning. But before daybreak, something amazing happened. As they were gathered together in the jail, “an angel of the Lord” appeared and “opened the prison doors and brought them out.” He instructed the Apostles to return to the temple and “speak to the people all the words of this life”.

God is faithful to open doors for His people to share the Gospel. On this occasion, He opened the prison doors and instructed His men as to what they should do next. An Angel appeared and released the Apostles from prison. On the surface this seems like a wonderful act of deliverance for God’s servants, but if you continue reading you will see that rather than experiencing freedom, these men would face violent persecution. Verse 40 tells us that the Apostles were beaten and commanded to cease preaching in Jesus’ name.