• After two attempts by Satan to stop this NT church from making progress the revivals keeps piling up one on top of the other.
1) Revival following Peter’s preaching at Pentecost(2)
2) Revival following Peter and John healing the man crippled from birth(4)
3) Revival following God’s judgment upon Ananias and Sapphira when they held back part of the money from the land sale(5)
• Satan has tried persecution and infiltration of the church and both led to more and more people getting saved.
• The Jewish leaders react again in frustration.
17 But the high priest rose up, along with all his associates (that is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with jealousy.
18 They laid hands on the apostles and put them in a public jail.
1. What would the charge be? Murder by threat? Association with Holy Spirit?
2. Not only Peter and John but all the apostles are put in jail this time.
3. Is there anybody who really did anything for Jesus that wasn’t in jail? How many jailbirds are in the Bible? Apostles, Paul, Daniel, Jeremiah, Samson, Silas, Moses a fugitive, David on the run from Saul, John the Baptist, Joseph?
19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the gates of the prison, and taking them out he said, 20 "Go, stand and speak to the people in the temple the whole message of this Life."
1. How many angels had the apostles seen?
2. What kind of message would an angel give to us today? Use your freedom to run? Go back to the TEMPLE and tell the WHOLE message!
21 Upon hearing this, they entered into the temple about daybreak and began to teach.
1. They were there at the earliest possible moment. ProcrastiNATION.
I read of one very wealthy inventor who said, “Without exception, after I have invented something and patented it, at least ten men come to me and say,
“I thought of that a long time ago.” But the difference between their poverty and my wealth is that they thought about it, and I did it.”
2. What happens next is almost comical.
Now when the high priest and his associates came, they called the Council together, even all the Senate of the sons of Israel, and sent orders to the prison house for them to be brought.
22 But the officers who came did not find them in the prison; and they returned and reported back, 23 saying, "We found the prison house locked quite securely and the guards standing at the doors; but when we had opened up, we found no one inside."
1. These Jewish leaders get up and start getting ready for their ‘trial’ while all the time the apostles are down at the Temple preaching about Jesus.
2. The officers are sent to the prison and find it empty of the apostles.
3. How did they describe the scene? Doors locked…guards standing at doors…no one inside What does this say to you about when angels do their thing? They leave little evidence of their being their other than upon the people they help. Guards standing there must have been _________
4. How do you think the Jewish leaders felt when this report came back?
24 Now when the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them as to what would come of this.
25 But someone came and reported to them, "The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people!"
1. You probably could have heard the sound of collective jaws dropping. This was even more problematic in that most of these on the council were Sadducees who denied that miracles even happened.
2. One of the most amazing aspects of the NT is the multitude of times that the Jewish leads had opportunities to turn their lives around. Pharaoh had 10 shots but these leaders/descendants of Moses had so many more.
26 Then the captain went along with the officers and proceeded to bring them back without violence (for they were afraid of the people, that they might be stoned ).
1. The one wise decision they made in all that happened was to not bring them back in a way that brought the wrath of the crowd upon them. This was exactly the problem they kept having with Jesus.
27 When they had brought them, they stood them before the Council. The high priest questioned them, 28 saying, "We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this man's blood upon us."
1. Trial #2: Same charges but with the added concern that the Council was now feeling like they were in danger.
2. Strict orders: Their response was to FILL JERUSALEM with the teaching. How close are we to FILLING HAWKINS or HOLLY LAKE AREA with teaching?
3. I love how now Peter and ALL THE APOSTLES answer.
29 But Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than men.
1. When was the last time you reminded yourself of that phrase/truth? What does it mean to you?
2. Peter gives a sermon on: The Gospel, Trinity, Judgment & our Calling
30 "The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross. 31 "He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince(‘pioneer’) and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. 32 "And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him."
1. Their defense: Don’t blame us for obeying God It is your fault anyway for what you did to Jesus We are outnumbered because God/Jesus/Holy Spirit are all involved in this crime as well. What else can we do?
2. How would you react to this if you were the Council?
33 But when they heard this, they were cut to the quick and intended to kill them.
1. This could have been one of those earth opening up moments if not for the counsel of one very wise man on the Council. Gamaliel.
34 But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the Law, respected by all the people, stood up in the Council and gave orders to put the men outside for a short time.
Jewish religious scholars of all time. In fact, prior to the death of Gamaliel, when a teacher taught, he sat, and his students stood, but when Gamaliel died, they said, “the glory of the law ceased, and purity and Pharisaism died”, and from that time, students no longer stood while being taught the law.
One of his most famous students was the apostle Paul (Acts 22:3)
35 And he said to them, "Men of Israel, take care what you propose to do with these men. 36 "For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a group of about four hundred men joined up with him.
But he was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. 37 "After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census and drew away some people after him; he too perished, and all those who followed him were scattered.
38 "So in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or action is of men, it will be overthrown; 39 but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God." POLICE CHASE handing back(Jewels motorcycle)
1. It took forever to get here but we have finally found an ounce of wisdom. Gamaliel mentions two prior situations that could have been handled better and that eventually, because they were not of God, worked themselves out. Everything the Council had tried to do up until now had just made things more and more worse.
Judas – His revolt (about A.D. 6) is described by the Jewish historian Josephus (“Antiquities of the Jews”, Book XVIII, 1:1); The followers of this Judas became the “Zealots.” Judas too was killed, his followers were scattered.
40 They took his advice; and after calling the apostles in, they flogged them and ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and then released them.
1. This time they were not only warned but flogged. How much less problems would we have as Christians if we just never mentioned the Name of Jesus?
41 So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name. 42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.
1. How much of an impact did this prison time and threats and beating have upon the apostles?
2. How much more could they do than what they continued to do?
Winston Churchill once defined a fanatic as someone who can’t change his mind and won’t change the subject.
