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.
There is no question that we are blessed when we obey God and walk with Him faithfully; however, blessing does not mean that we will live a life free of troubles, trials, opposition or persecution. Though they were released, the Apostles were not free to flee Jerusalem and to escape their persecutors; in fact they were commanded to do the opposite. They were to go back into the Temple (where they had been arrested in the first place) and to preach Jesus to the people. The Angel said "Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life" (v20). The “words of this life” is a reference to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
As we have already seen in Peter’s previous sermons, the Gospel is the message that Jesus Christ lived a perfect life, died as the sacrifice for the sins of the world, three days later victoriously rose from the grave, was seen by many witnesses, and in time ascended to Heaven where He is currently seated at the right hand of the Father until the day when He returns to establish His Kingdom.
The message that the Apostles shared is the exact same message that we should share with the lost today. This task is not an easy one; there will be persecution along the way, but it is imperative for us to be faithful to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ and to be His witnesses throughout the earth.
Immediately upon their release, the Apostles were faithful to obey the command that they had received. They went to the Temple and began to teach the people. (v21 And when they heard that, they entered the temple early in the morning and taught.)
As the people arrived at the Temple to pray and worship, the Apostles began to teach them “all the words of this life." At the same time, “the high priest and those with him” arrived and “called the council together” along with “all the elders of the Children of Israel”. They were certainly surprised to learn that the Apostles were not in their cells. Verses 21-23 says, “the high priest and those with him came and called the council together, with all the elders of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought. But when the officers came and did not find them in the prison, they returned and reported, 23 saying, "Indeed we found the prison shut securely, and the guards standing outside before the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside!"
Once it was discovered that the Apostles had returned to the Temple and that they were teaching the people, they were again seized and brought before the Council. Facing great opposition and the threats of the religious leaders, the Apostles stood firm in their resolve and refused to cease preaching in Jesus’ name.
- There is much that we can learn about enduring adversity from this period in the life of the Lord’s Apostles. First of all we see:
THE REALITY OF ADVERSITY IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE
The Apostles should not have been surprised when they encountered times of adversity. Jesus spent three years preparing them for the troubles that they would face after His ascension. He told them in John 15:18-20: “If the world hates you, understand that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of it, the world hates you. Remember the word I spoke to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.
The truths that Jesus taught His Apostles apply to us as well. Countless scriptures point to the fact that we will face great trouble in this life, especially if we live for the Lord. This leads us to:
THE REASON FOR ADVERSITY IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE
These verses reveal the consequences of the Apostles boldness, devotion and obedience to the call that God had placed on their lives. We will face adversity when we are faithful to the Lord commands and seek to accomplish His will for our lives. The world is against us, Satan and all of his evil forces are against us, and even our own flesh is constantly fighting against us. Therefore we must ensure that we spend time with God and walk in the Spirit so that when these times of trouble come, we can experience the victory that only He can provide.
- I would also like to consider:
THE RECURRENCE OF ADVERSITY IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE
As we stated in the introduction of this message, the events of this passage are almost identical to the troubles that the Apostles faced in chapter 4. The main difference is that this time the persecution and opposition intensified. Not only were they threatened, they were severely beaten.
If you are faithful to the Lord, you may find yourself facing a familiar foe or fighting a battle that you have already won in the past. In the words of Yogi Berra “it’s like Deja-vu all over again”!
Like the Apostles, the “second round” of your fight may be more intense and more painful than the first. Sometimes just the thought of having to face a certain struggle or situation again is enough to make you want to throw your hands up and quit. It is in these times that we must remember who we serve and rest in His great power and remember that He has a plan and a purpose for your pain.
- Let’s also examine:
OUR REFUGE IN THE MIDST OF TIMES OF ADVERSITY
When they had been threatened earlier, they returned to the church and spent time worshipping, praising and praying to the Lord. One of their requests was for boldness in the face of persecution. This passage shows us that that prayer was answered. These men used this time of adversity to preach the Gospel to the enemies of Christ. They also pointed out to these resurrection denying Sadducees that God had “raised up Jesus”. The Apostles had confidence that whether in life of death, they belonged to the Almighty God and they trusted that He was in control and His will would be done.
Likewise, we have a refuge in the midst of our troubles. We serve the same all-powerful God and we can trust that He is in control of our situation, no matter how difficult it may be. We can rest in Him and always remember that He will never leave us or forsake us.
Our God is in control, He has a plan for our lives and nothing can happen to us without His approval. If He allows adversity and even when He causes adversity to come into our lives, He has a divine purpose for it. Knowing these truths we have the ability to endure adversity in the Christian life. This leads us to:
OUR RESPONSE IN THE MIDST OF TIMES OF ADVERSITY
The natural response when facing adversity is to seek deliverance from it. However, the proper question for us to ask is, “why I we want to be delivered and what will I do if I am delivered from my troubles?”
You may be seeking relief concerning your physical health, your job or financial situation, marital struggles, or a host of other issues. If God were to grant the deliverance that you seek, what would you do? If God heals your physical malady will you use your newfound health to serve Him? If God gives you a new job or relieves your financial woes will you give to support His work in this world? If He restores your marriage will you do whatever is necessary to ensure that He is at the center of it moving forward? If God answers your prayer for deliverance will you respond by living in a way that brings Him glory?
Too often we seek relief from our circumstances for our comfort instead of focusing on God’s glory. The Apostles were not concerned with their freedom or protection; they were simply focused on honoring the Lord whether free or in chains. Again I refer you to their prayer after their last encounter with the Sanhedrin. They did not pray for peace or safety; they prayed that God would give them boldness and that He would work a great work in the name of Jesus. (“And now, Lord, consider their threats, and grant that your servants may speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand for healing, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” - Acts 4:29-30) God did His part, He answered this prayer, afterwards it was up to the Apostles and others to do theirs. It was imperative for them to persevere in the midst of great adversity.
There are ample scriptures and thousands of years’ worth of Church history that prove the REALITY that God’s people will indeed face times of extreme adversity. Always remember that there is a REASON for the troubles and difficulties that we face in this life. There may even be times when we must endure a RECCURANCE of a familiar struggle; some battles must be fought more than once. In such times we must never forget that we have a REFUGE! The same God who sustained the Saints in the early Church is with us and He has a purpose and a plan for us; He will protect us, provide for us, and give us the grace and ability to persevere. The proper RESPONSE to the adversity that we experience is for us to trust in the Lord, remain steadfast and faithful to Him, and ensure that all that we do is according to His will and for His glory. If you are in the midst of an exceedingly trying time, I encourage you to look to the Apostles and remember that you can “Endure Adversity In The Christian Life”.
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