THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF FIGHTING AGAINST GOD
Acts 5:12-42
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR: The Devil Provided
1. There was a poor woman who lived next door to an atheist. He often mocked her faith and derided her “imaginary friend.” One day he overheard her praying for some groceries. He went out and bought a couple of sacks of groceries and put them on her porch first thing in the morning, and stood nearby.
2. She opened the door, saw the groceries, and exclaimed, “Praise God, He’s answered my prayers!” He stepped out and said smugly, “It wasn’t God that overheard you and bought those groceries, it was me that did that! Ha!”
3. She said, “Then I praise God even more!” “What for?” he said. “Because not only did He provide me groceries but that He made the devil pay for them!”
B. TEXT
12 The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people....14 more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. 15 As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. 16 Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed. 17 Then the high priest and all his associates...were filled with jealousy. 18 They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. 19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out....27 The high priest [said] 28 “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name, yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.” 29 Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings! 30 The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—whom you killed by hanging him on a cross. 31 God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins. 32 We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.” 33 When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death. 34 But...Gamaliel, a teacher of the law...stood up in the Sanhedrin...35 [and said] “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. 36 Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody....He was killed... and it all came to nothing. 37 After him, Judas the Galilean appeared ....He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. 38 Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. 39 But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” 40 His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged.... 41 The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. 42 Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah. Acts 5:12-42
C. THESIS
1. Church, we’re on the winning side! Who can stop what God’s doing?
2. Today we’re looking at how God used an enemy to save the life of the apostles and reveal a great truth about how God’s work cannot fail.
3. The title of this message is “The Impossibility of Fighting Against God.”
I. SUCCESS OF THE EARLY CHURCH
A. THE APOSTLES SUCCESS, ARREST, DELIVERANCE
1. The apostles were out speaking the truth and it was having a result; the church was growing like crazy. People were being healed, demons were driven out. Multitudes began thronging Jerusalem, hoping Peter’s shadow might fall on a sick relative.
2. But all this attention & crowds made the Jewish leaders jealous! They wanted to be the center of attention. So they arrested the apostles & put them in jail. An angel let them out & they preached again. They were rearrested.
B. THEIR TRIAL, DANGER, & REPRIEVE
1. When confronted, the apostles had the audacity not to be afraid of the Jewish leaders. They said God was on their side. The Jewish Council had killed the Messiah, but God had raised Him from the dead. And God had given Jesus’ disciples the power of the Holy Spirit because they were obeying Him.
2. The NIV says the Council became furious. The KJV says they were “cut to the heart.” We’d say “cut to the bone.” They were wounded by Holy Spirit conviction. But instead of repenting, it turned into anger. The Bible says they were ready to put the apostles to death. A miracle was needed. Into this moment stepped an unlikely ally named Gamaliel.
3. The Jewish Talmud describes Gamaliel as a Doctor of the Law, a “Nasi” (prince) and “Rabban” (master) – designations for the president of the Sanhedrin. The Mishnah says he had the reputation of being one of the greatest teachers in all the history of Judaism [Wikipedia].
4. Whether he knew it or not, the Holy Spirit inspired him to save the apostles from being killed. He had a wonderful argument
II. THE ARGUMENTS OF GAMALIEL
A. GAMALIEL’S FUALTY COMPARISON
1. First, Gamaliel made a faulty comparison of the coming of Jesus to Theudas and Judas. They were “Messiah-wannabe’s.” They were like David Koresh… remember the wacko from Waco? Theudas and Judas were just the same -- revolutionaries, a flash in the pan! Gamaliel compared Jesus to a couple of rabble-rousers!
2. JESUS IS THE GREATEST MAN IN HISTORY
a. Jesus Christ is not just another good man who walked across the pages of history, He’s THE Man who is controlling the very course of history! Col. 1:16, “all things were created by Him, and for Him.” 1 Tim. 2:5, “For there’s one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus…” Jesus was born uniquely, the only baby ever born that was older than His mother and just as old as His Father! Gamaliel makes a huge mistake when He compares Jesus to a couple of wannabe’s.
b. You CAN MAKE COMPARISONS of many great persons in history:
* Writers—Shakespeare’s great, but Longfellow can stand beside him.
* Generals—Patton was great/ so was MacArthur.
* Great Conquerors—Alexander the Great/Napoleon
* Great Preachers –Spurgeon/Moody/Sunday/ Edwards /Gaston…well, maybe not!
3. You can always find someone who’s comparable -- but when you’re talking about Jesus Christ, there’s nobody that compares! He’s the Alpha and Omega, bright and Morning Star, rose of Sharon, lily of the Valley, Name above every name, and at the Name of Jesus every knee shall bow, every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord!
4. It was a faulty comparison, for Jesus didn’t come to die at the end of a Roman sword but on a Roman Cross; He didn’t come to deliver mankind from the iron grasp of the Roman Empire, but from the iron grasp of sin, death, hell, and the grave! It was a faulty comparison. NEXT...
B. HE USED A FAULTY CRITERION - SUCCESS
1. Gamaliel said that if something was visibly a success, then it was from God. Obviously that’s not true. Many cults have a large number of constituents, but they’re not from God. Nor are many causes supported by multitudes today.
2. To the contrary, God’s people have often been only a “remnant.” Many times it seems like God’s work has been snuffed out, only to see it emerge in another place. So Gamaliel’s attempts to caricature the genuineness of the work of Jesus fail because of his limited views.
C. ILLUSTRATION
1. Years ago, in England, there was an art gallery filled with masterpieces which had stood the test of time. One man in a group considered himself an expert and would find something to criticize in every piece -- its shade, color, or dimensions, etc.
2. Finally, a worker approached him and said, “Please, Sir! These are masterpieces, they are no longer on trial! If anything is on trial here today - you are!”
3. Folks, Jesus Christ is no longer on trial; YOU ARE! For 2,000 years He’s been saving souls & changing lives. The real question here today is, “What will you do with Jesus?” It’s time to quit riding the fence; choose this day whom you will serve! With God it’s all or nothing!
D. GAMALIEL’S 2 GOOD ARGUMENTS
1. The first revolutionary thing Gamaliel implied was the possibility that the apostles' work and message might be divinely inspired. He hinted that what they’re saying & doing might be from God!
2. The second statement was, that if their work was from God, it couldn’t be stopped; in fact, the Sanhedrin might find themselves fighting against God! The Greek has a single word for this, “God-fighting” (theomachos); one who habitually opposes God. We don’t want to be one of those!
3. But this passage teaches some great truths!
III. THE CHURCH/GOSPEL CAN’T BE STOPPED
A. JESUS' CHURCH WILL BE VICTORIOUS!
Gamaliel said, “But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop them. You may even find yourselves fighting against God." Acts 5:39
1. Here are wonderful words of assurance! We are working with God; as long as we’re doing the will of God, the work will not fail! Opposition or discouragements may come but we need not fear for God will see His work through!
2. This is part of a broader biblical theme that ‘God's purposes cannot be thwarted by human efforts.’ Isaiah 14:27 says, “For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him?” God says, “My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please” Isa. 46:10. Prov. 21:30 says, “There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord!” Hallelujah!
3. Joseph’s brothers tried to wreck his dreams from God, but God used their actions to fulfill them. “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” Gen. 50:20.
4. Aren’t you glad Jesus said, “I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH & THE GATES OF HELL SHALL NOT PREVAIL AGAINST IT!” Matt. 16:18. THE CHURCH IS NO SIDESHOW, BUT THE MAIN PROGRAM OF GOD FOR THE AGES. The Church is so important that Jesus “purchased it with His own blood” (Acts 20:28). The Church is called “Ecclesia” – the ‘called out ones;’ the “Body” of Christ, of which He is the head; the “Household of faith”; “God’s Building”; the “Bride of Christ”; “Army/Soldiers.”
5. How does Jesus picture His Church in Mt. 16:18?
a. A Church… trying to “hold on” until He Comes?
b. A Church… which is intimidated?
c. A Church… struggling to overcome worldliness?
d. A Church… struggling to stay alive? NO! Rather, a Victorious Conquering Church!
6. NO WEAPON FORMED AGAINST US SHALL PROSPER! The devil may assail, but he cannot prevail! Jesus said, “Behold I give unto you power to tread upon serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt you” Lk. 10:19. Oftentimes the people of God look weak, but they’re really not, because the Lord has an invisible army around us!
7. GOD CAN’T BE STOPPED! “No one can control God, constrain Him, contain Him, or confine Him. No one’s going to detain Him, deter Him, delay Him, or derail Him. No one’s going to bar Him, bridle Him, baffle Him, or blockade Him. He won’t be stumped, stopped, stymied, suppressed, or stifled. He won’t be hindered, haltered, hampered, or held back. You can’t obstruct Him, impede Him, interfere with Him, encumber, frustrate, muzzle Him, limit Him, restrict, repress, or reduce His power! HE IS ALMIGHTY! He’s out of your league!”
B. GOD CAN SAVE BY MANY OR BY FEW
1. It doesn’t matter if we’re OUTNUMBERED. One man and God is a majority! “One shall put a 1,000 to flight, and 2 put 10,000 to flight!” “They’ll come at you one way but will flee seven ways!”
2. It doesn’t matter if we have FEW RESOURCES. God fed 2-3 million Israelites in a bone-dry desert each day for 40 YEARS – EACH DAY with 1,500 tons of food, 4,000 tons of wood, and 11 million gallons of water – requiring 3 freight trains a mile long, and the water, a train 1,800 miles long! Nobody but God can do that!
3. It doesn’t matter how IMPOSSIBLE THE CIRCUMSTANCES. “The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong” Eccles. 9:11. BUT PROMOTION COMES FROM THE LORD! Ps. 75:6-7. “[God] holds victory in store for the upright” Prov. 2:7, NIV1984.
4. “There’s no restraint to the Lord to save by many or by few” (14:6). Can you say, Praise the Lord?
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION: THE LOCK THAT WOULDN’T OPEN
1. Many middle-Eastern Christians have faced detention, torture, or execution at the hands of Muslim radicals. One Christian family was fleeing from Afghanistan to neighboring Pakistan.
2. Christians, Abdul and his wife Zahra, packed their only Bible into one of their suitcases and secured with a small lock. If the Bible were found, they’d go to prison. At the Afghan border, Abdul and some of their children stood in one line, while Zahra and the rest of the children stood in another line.
3. Without warning police pulled Zahra and her children out of the line and demanded that she open her suitcase carrying the Bible. Frightened for her family, Zahra handed over the key and began praying silently for God’s protection. The policeman grew frustrated. The key wouldn’t open the lock. He turned to Zahra and angrily demanded why. She replied honestly; the key should work. The policeman called a colleague; he couldn’t make the key work either.
4. Suddenly a high-ranking officer appeared, demanding to know what was going on. The policemen said he couldn’t get the lock open and the superior began shouting at the officers. “Why have you detained a lonely woman with her children?”
5. Then he turned to Zahra, “You’re free to cross the border!” When she and Abdul were reunited, she told him what had happened. Dumbstruck, he took the key and pushed it into the lock, turned it and it opened instantly!
6. God works in mysterious ways to protect His people and save us out of the hands of our enemies! [Gary Wilkerson Newsletter, Jan. or Feb. 2025] THIS GOSPEL SHALL BE PREACHED! Can you say ‘God is good!’
B. THE CALL
1. Are you standing in the way of what God is doing? Are you opposing anything a servant of God is trying to do?
2. Are you joining in the work of the people of God? Jesus is coming back. Have you surrendered your life to Him? Today may be your last chance! PRAYER.
[ Section 2 contains thoughts from Jerry Shirley.]
