CONSISTENCY IN TIMES OF ADVERSITY
Acts 5:21-32
(Antioch Baptist Church: Wednesday, November 11th, 2025)
We love to hear stories about our persecuted brothers and sisters who stand firm in their faith even if it costs them their possessions, positions, power, or prosperity. We celebrate the resolve of those who remain faithful to the Lord even when facing physical persecution or death.
The Christian Church has endured times of adversity since its inception. Throughout Church history there have been untold millions who have given their lives for the cause of Christ. On the other hand, there have been countless “professing Christians” who have walked away from their service to the Lord for seemingly trivial reasons.
There is no question that a great many people who turned away never truly belonged to Jesus. But there are others who have truly experienced saving faith but they are not where the Lord would have them to be or doing what He would have them to do. The wonderful news is that there is hope for their restoration.
We find a great example of this sort of restoration in the life of John Mark. Mark traveled with Paul and Barnabas and was active in the Gospel ministry, but somewhere along the way he ceased his work for the Lord and abandoned his co-laborers in the ministry. Though he turned away for a time, he was eventually restored to the point that Paul declared that he was “profitable for the ministry”.
It is a sobering and a heartbreaking reality when I pause to consider how many men I have served with through the years who are no longer serving in ministry. Even worse, some of them are not even walking with the Lord. Such people did not just turn away from the work, they abandoned the faith.
Likewise, there are many who are members of this assembly who were once devoted servants of Christ who have turned away and are living lives of rebellion and sin. We must never be so arrogant as to think that this could not happen to us. If history is any indicator, there are some who are actively involved in the ministry of Antioch Baptist Church who will be inactive a year from now.
Our selected text tells the story of some men who faced circumstances far more severe than anything we have ever faced. However, they were firm in their resolve and faithful to the Lord. They show us that when times of adversity comes we respond appropriately and consistently. As we examine this passage, I would like for us to consider the importance of “Consistency In Times Of Adversity”.
Acts 5:21-32 shows us that during a time of great persecution, the Apostles trusted in God, they were obedient to Him, and their message about Him remained consistent. Their response to the opposition they faced shows use that:
OUR TRUST IN GOD MUST BE CONSISTENT IN TIMES OF ADVERSITY
After being arrested for continuing to preach the Gospel in Jerusalem, the Apostles were once again arrested and held until they could appear before the members of the Sanhedrin. Early the following morning the religious leaders called for the Apostles to be brought to where they were assembled. They were perplexed when they heard that the jail was secure, the doors were shut, “the guards were standing outside the doors”, and the Apostles were missing.
I am sure the first assumption of the Jewish leaders was that the Apostles had escaped the prison and fled the area. If this had been the case, then their problem would have been solved. Their goal was to silence the Apostles, stop the advancement of the Gospel, and suppress the growth of the Church.
Luke tells us that the leaders really didn’t know what to think at this point. Verse 24 says, “Now when the high priest, the captain of the temple, and the chief priests heard these things, they wondered what the outcome would be.” Imagine how surprised they were when a messenger arrived and informed them that the Apostles had not fled the area! Moreover, they were back in the temple preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. “one came and told them, saying, "Look, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people!" (v25).
The easiest thing that the Apostles could have done at this point would have been to give up the ministry and return to their former lives. But they knew that what is easy is rarely what is best. Moreover, they had been radically changed by the risen Savior and as Peter had already declared to the Sanhedrin, they were “unable to stop speaking about what (they had) seen and heard” (Acts 4:20).
The same is true for those of us who have been radically transformed by the Savior. There are many scriptures that point to that fact that devoted servants of Christ will face many hardships in this life. There will be times when the easy thing for us to do would be to remain silent and compromise our beliefs. But we have been saved and set apart for the work of Christ; there is a calling on our lives and we should have a passion to reach others with the Gospel.
The Apostles show us that we can continually trust our Lord when times of adversity come and even when they intensify! When the Temple police came to put them back into custody and take them to appear before the Sanhedrin, they did not resist, they complied with their demands.
v26 Then the captain went with the officers and brought them without violence, for they feared the people, lest they should be stoned.
The followers of Christ were held in high regard by many of the common people and certainly those who were members of the church. Therefore the officers knew that the crowds would not be pleased if the Apostles were physically harmed without cause. Moreover, I think that the Apostles were excited about the opportunity to stand before the Sanhedrin and defend their faith in Christ. Their trust in God was evident in their response to the persecution that they faced.
The bold resolve of the Apostles may not have impressed the religious leaders; in fact it is apparent that it infuriated them even more. But the boldness of the Apostles served to prove the authenticity of their faith. Their devotion to Christ would have an impact on many people who were witnesses of their faithfulness.
Like the Apostles, we must be willing to remain steadfast and continue to be witnesses of Christ, even in the face of great opposition. The only way this will be possible is if we trust in the Lord consistently.
- The second truth that I would like to examine is that:
OUR OBEDIENCE TO GOD SHOULD BE CONSISTENT IN TIMES OF ADVERSITY
Upon their arrival, the High priest began to question the servants of the Lord. Verse 27 says, “when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest asked them, 28 saying, "Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man's blood on us!"
The high priest reminded the Apostles of the previous edict to cease preaching in the name of Jesus. However it is interesting to note that he refrained from using the name of Jesus, perhaps out of spite. He said, “Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name?” He went on to point out that not only had they disobeyed the previous command, the result was that they had “filled Jerusalem with (their) doctrine”.
You can almost hear the sarcasm and frustration in his voice when he says, “your doctrine”. He concluded his statement with the proclamation that Christ’s Apostles “intend to bring this Man's blood on us!". The reality is that this was something the Jewish people had willfully done this themselves.
It is important for us to remember what the Jews said as Jesus stood before Pontius Pilate: Matthew 27:24-26 tells us that, “When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, "I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it." 25 And all the people answered and said, "His blood be on us and on our children." 26 Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.”
Faced with another threatening command to cease preaching in Jesus name, the Apostles again declared that they would not submit to the demands of the Sanhedrin. They would be faithful to the command that they had received from the Lord to be His witnesses in the world.
The servants of Christ are standing before the same religious body that was instrumental in the death of the Savior. Realizing this, they stood firm and obeyed the Lord’s command to preach the Gospel. The Apostles did not change the minds of the religious rulers, but they could not deny that something miraculous had transpired in their midst.
Likewise, we will not see the conversion of every person we minister to, but if we are obedient to the Great Commission, and if we live lives that honor Him, the lost world around us will not be able to deny that there is something different about us. They may not be converted by our testimony and evangelistic efforts, but they should at least be intrigued.
In times of adversity our trust in God and our obedience to God must be consistent. Furthermore, the actions of the Apostles also show us that:
OUR MESSAGE ABOUT GOD MUST BE CONSISTENT IN TIMES OF ADVERSITY
v29 But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: "We ought to obey God rather than men.
God expects us to respect those who are in authority over us. We submit to governmental authority because the One who instituted the authority is God Himself. When we submit to government, we are submitting to God. However, we are never to comply when someone in authority commands us to do something that goes against what God has commanded.
The High Priest and the members of the Sanhedrin possessed great authority in Jerusalem, but God was the ultimate authority. Jesus had commanded His followers to be His witnesses in Jerusalem. The High Court’s edict directly contradicted the command from their Lord. The Apostles didn’t even have to ponder the situation; they knew that they had to be obedient to the Lord. Therefore they boldly declared "We ought to obey God rather than men.”
When you are a faithful witness of Jesus Christ, you will face opposition and there are times when you will be tempted to compromise. Furthermore, when you stand firm in your faith, the opposition will likely intensify. It is in these times that we must remember that Jesus said, “Blessed are you when men hate you, And when they exclude you, And revile you, and cast out your name as evil, For the Son of Man's sake” (Luke 6:22).
The Apostles didn’t just declare that they would not cease preaching Jesus; they followed up their bold declaration by preaching Jesus to the very ones who were demanding that they stop preaching Jesus! Standing before the enemies of Christ, they boldly delivered a gospel message; they said: “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree. Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins” (v30-31).
Once again the Jewish leaders are indicted for their part in the death of Christ. The Apostles reminded them that they had “murdered Jesus by hanging Him on a tree”. This is a clear reference to the Crucifixion. Even though they executed Jesus, God had “raised Him up” and He has “exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.” Not only was Jesus “raised up” to be the Messiah, and “raised” from the dead, by this point Jesus has ascended to Heaven and been “exalted to the Father’s right hand.”
Through Jesus, Israel had the opportunity to salvation and the “forgiveness of sins”. This salvation would only be accessible through “repentance”. The Apostle’s preaching in the early chapters of Acts makes it abundantly clear that repentance is essential for salvation.
After sharing the Gospel message, the Apostles went on to declare that they, along with the “Holy Spirit” are “witnesses” of “these things”.
v32 And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him."
As a result of this courageous presentation of the Gospel, the members of the Sanhedrin were even more furious, so much so that they began to “plot to kill them”. Even so, the Apostles did not retreat, nor did they compromise their message.
This was certainly a time of great adversity for the Lord’s servants. In spite of such adversity and persecution, these men were steadfast in their trust of the Lord, obedience to Him, and message their message about Him. The gospel that they preached in the beginning was the Gospel that they would preach for the remainder of their lives; in spite of threats, violence, and even death. If you continue to read the New Testament you will see that they never turned away from the Gospel of Jesus Christ even in the face of ever intensifying persecution. In fact, these men lost their lives because of their refusal to cease preaching Christ to a lost world.
Christians in America have been blessed perhaps more than any other segment of believers in the history of the Church. We have religious liberty and opportunities that our brothers and sisters in the rest of the world cannot even fathom. Tragically, in many ways we have squandered this great privilege. My prayer is that we will seize the opportunities that we have while they still exist.
There are certainly many faithful Christians here and abroad who are persevering in the midst of extremely difficult circumstances. Yet, there are others who have compromised or even turned away as a result of much more trivial matters.
I am thankful that this assembly is made up of some very strong Christians. With that being said, we can be certain that times of adversity will come. It is important for us to be prepared when it does. I encourage you to look to the example of the Apostles, learn from their faithfulness, and resolve that no matter what comes your way, you will be consistent in your trust of God, consistent in your obedience to God. and consistent in your message about God. Peter, John, and the rest of the Apostles show us that it is possible to have “Consistency In Times Of Adversity”.
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