THE SECOND SUNDAY IN THE SEASON OF EASTER,
THE MESSAGE FOR SUNDAY THE 22ND OF APRIL, 2001
THE TEXT .....Acts 5:29-29
PRAYER...MAY THE WORDS OF GOD AND HIS MESSAGE SPOKEN THIS HOUR BE BOTH A WORD OF COMFORT AND CHALLENGE
WE PRAY THAT IT WILL CHALLENGE THOSE WHO ARE COMFORTABLE
AND COMFORT ALL THOSE WHO ARE BEING CHALLENGED THIS DAY.
(Acts 5:29) "Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men."
Introduction:
Acts 5:27-32 is part of a larger story that includes at least vv. 17-26.
The first part of the book of Acts, tells us of the arrest of the disciples for teaching and healing in the Temple and their miraculous escape with the aid of an angel.
This setting of the text, is of the disciples before the Jewish leaders.
As the exchange between the high priest and Peter indicates, this is the second such confrontation, with the first occurring in Acts 4. We gave you strict orders not to teach in Jesus name, didn’t we?
This first part of the statement recounts the earlier command in 4:18 that the apostles not speak in the name of Jesus.
WE TOLD YOU ABOUT THAT RELIGIOUS STUFF....
But in verse, 29 Peter explains why he and the other apostles have continued to preach in the name of Jesus by stating that they must obey God and not humans.
SO OUR focus TODAY IS on the apostles with their primary message is obedience TO GOD..VS TO MAN/WOMAN.
The demands of the Christian life are not optional, they are mandatory. Even love to God is legislated. Jesus commanded, "…you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.
For the believer, there are certain things that he/SHE ought to do. Failure to comply is sin, for the Scriptures insist that "…to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin" (James 4:17).
We read in our text,, the words, We ought to obey God rather than man."
I believe that this truth, if obeyed and practiced would turn the world upside down. BUT MOST OF US HAVE IT BACKWARDS WE RATHER OBEY, SISTER, MOTHERS, CHILDREN MEDIA, RICKY LAKE COACHES, THAN OBEY GOD...
And God gives us a Promise for our Obedience (Jer 7:23, 11:4)
Jeremiah 7:23) "But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you."
BUT GOD GIVES US A PROMISE FOR DISOBEDIENCE...
THE WORD/NAME..................... Ichabod...
1 SAMUEL 2:22..
HANNAH HAD A SON SAMUEL..SHE TAUGHT HIM TO LOVE AND OBEY THE LORD
THE PRIEST ELI HAD TWO SONS HOPNI AND PHINNEAS WHO CRUEL MEN..AND BECAUSE ELI DIDN’T TRAIN HIS SONE TO BE OBEDIENT TO GOD,,
BOTH SONS OF ELI DIED..
ELI BROKE HIS NECK
HIS DAUGHTER IN LAW DIED AT CHILDBIRTH
AND THE BABY WAS NAMED Ichabod...THE GLORY OF GOD HAS DEPARTED...
THE GLORY DEPARTED LONG BEFORE THIS ..
FAMILIES, TOTAL DYSFUNCTIONAL..ALL THE DAUGHTERS,,
LOST THERE IS NO PRESENCE OF GOD IN THE HOUSEHOLD..
THE PROMISE FOR OBEDIENCE..(Jeremiah 11:4), Obey my voice, and do according to all which I command you: so shall ye be my people, and I will be your God:"
When is it more important for us as Christians to obey God rather than any human authority? What does God require of us in a world of conflicting allegiances? When do we say "Yes" to God and "No" to the laws of this world?
How do we stay loyal and faithful to God in times of trouble and persecution? These and similar questions have been around ever since the birth of Christianity.
In our lesson today, the disciples had been persecuted and imprisoned by the council in Jerusalem because they were preaching and teaching in the name of Jesus.
When they were put on trial before the council again, for the same reason, the disciples answered with these words: "We must obey God rather than any human authority."
Historically, whenever Christianity has been forbidden, persecuted and oppressed; there have always been some Christians who remained faithful to God by resisting and disobeying the laws of this world.
In the early church, hundreds, even thousands, died a martyr’s death because they refused to worship and make sacrifices to the Roman emperor, who was considered to be a god.
The stories of these ancient Christian martyrs still have the power to inspire and instruct us today. One of the early Christian martyrs was Polycarp.
A disciple of John the Apostle, he became A bishop in Roman in the mid- 2nd century.
When ordered to denouce Christ, he answered: ‘For 86 years I have been a servant and he has never done me wrong; how can I blaspheme my Jesus who saved me? I am a Christian.’
For confessing he was a Christian, they shouted first for the lions and then for him to be burnt at the stake. He was bound; an official killed him with the sword; his body was then burnt.
Polycarp’s courage and his final words have strengthened and inspired the faith of many Christians down through the centuries.
Because Polycarp, like the disciples before him, had to obey God rather than any human authority.
Again, in our recent history, we have the voice of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who on one occasion said: If any earthly institution or custom conflicts with God’s will, it is your Christian duty to oppose it.
One of the authentic trademarks of a considerable number of Christian martyrs down through the ages is that they were not prone to worry about winning popularity contests!
Many of them could care less about public opinion polls or losing sleep over whether or not others approved of them and liked them.
They were prepared to stick to their principles of faith, keep their personal integrity, and live or die with a clear conscience.
On one occasion, someone once said, after receiving some flack over getting into trouble by sticking to his principles: "I like getting into hot water. It keeps me clean in the presence of Jesus...
The end of life is not to be happy…to achieve pleasure and avoid pain.
The end of life is to do the will of God, come what may.
When we find ourselves in situations that test our loyalty to God, like the disciples before the Jerusalem council; like Polycarp before a hostile crowd;
May we too be able to say with conviction, and willing to suffer the consequences that:
"We must obey God rather than any human authority."
In Acts 5:27-32 Peter and John have been arrested by the religious authorities for teaching and proclaiming that "in Jesus there is resurrection of the dead" (4:2). The Sanhedrin has ordered them "not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus" (4:18).
SOME TIMES OPPOSITION MAY COME FROM INSTITUTIONS NOT ONLY PEOPLE..
WE ALSO tend to forget that their greatest struggle is not with people, but against evil. CABLE TV, PSE&G, BIG BUSINESS...
IT MAY NOT BE THE GIRL BEHIND THE CASH REGISTER BUT THE STORE POLICY...
Paul ALSO made it clear that our chief battle is not between "Flesh and blood (physical opponents) but against
the powers,
against the master spirits who are the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the supernatural sphere."
Do not become intimidated, scared off or discouraged by what humans can do to you.
Trust the Lord to help you to move ahead by the authority of Gods word, His Spirit and His will.
Peter and apostles were men without social, political or religious standing in their communities, but they were on the right side of truth.
A.......Only as we Trust the Lord can we avoid backing down against fierce opposition.
B....Instead move forward with the full assurance of your moral, spiritual and Biblical authority.
Remember, you are more than a conqueror through Him who loves you.
C.....Ask the Lord to help you be determined that your moral authority in the Spirit is sufficient to help you to pass through any dark valley of challenge.
Gods truth is bound to shatter any political, social, or personal objection as nothing can stand against the truth.
Lets turn to John 21: 15-17..
After the denial, crucifixion and resurrection,, Jesus gets the chance to speak with Peter about wether Peters loves Him or not...
Scripture says that, "When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than
these?"
This might appear to be a simple question but we must have real love for Jesus is:
A. supreme love - loving him above anything and anyone else; A. suffering love - being prepared to accept the consequences of living faithfully to him; A submitting love - putting your whole life under his authority. This is a question of few words but great depth. Certainly a question for our day and our generation.
To PETER the apostle of God came a searching of the heart.
Peter was a disciple and an apostle.
He had walked on the sea with Jesus.
He had cast out devils and laid hands on the sick, yet still this question came to him.
This question Jesus asked Peter 3 times...
He didn’t ask Peter, "Will you keep my doctrines", or "
Do you believe my words". He didn’t ask Peter "Do you think the other disciples love me?"
He said, "LOVEST THOU ME?"
" The question was for Peter’s benefit.
Why is the question so important?
Because a heart that is in love with Jesus has little trouble letting go of things AND OBEYING HIM.
Some people love church, but don’t love Jesus. They give constant attention to religious ceremony, but love the ceremony more than Jesus.
Some CARRY A BIBLE UNDER THEIR ARM EVERY WHERE THEY GO and are very pious. BUT DON’T OBEY HIM..
SOME PEOPLE WILL KEEP THE LAWS OF THE Sabbath and forget the Lord of the Sabbath.
You may take up doctrine after doctrine. You may know theological propositions and understand homiletic and expound text after text, but without the love of Jesus your heart will grow as dry as the leaves
Some love the blessing, but not the Blesser.
Let each of us today give an ear as the Lord asks us,
"Lovest thou me?" "I haven’t heard from you in a while." "
Lovest thou me?" " You never mention me to your friends." "
Lovest thou me?" "You haven’t introduced me to your family."
CONCLUSION::::
But what is the secret to obeying? There are three levels of obedience:
1. We can obey God because we have to; this is the level of fear.
There is, of course, a proper fear of God that is holy and good. It is not the fear that a slave shows to a master, but the respect that a son shows to a father.
But fear is not the best motive for obedience.
Fear can rob us of the real joys that God wants us to experience because we obey Him.
2. We CAN obey because we HAVE A need to, because we get something out of it.
Children obey their parents because children are afraid of spankings. Teenagers obey because they have learned that obedience can purchase favors.
The young man who mows the lawn and cleans his room is going to have a better chance to get the keys to the car.
And the girl who has helped mother in the kitchen is going to have a better chance to go shopping for new clothes. Selfish? Yes, but it works!
Many Christians live on this "bargain basement" level. Their obedience is measured by what God gives them; and if they do not get what they want, they often turn against God.
3. BUT We CAN obey because we love Him. This is the very best way.
"If ye love me, keep my commandments." (John 14:15)
Why is love the highest motive for obedience?
1. Love centers on the giver not the gift. - Job 13:15
"Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him."
- Love establishes a personal relationship with God no matter what He gives or what He withholds.
** Where there is love, there can be no bargaining!
2. Love does not measure THE COST. - John 15:13
"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."-
Like the father that rushes into the burning house to save his child or the mother that plunges into the raging waters, we do not count the cost, but instead obey the loving impulses of the heart.
Love that calculates is not true love
- Our Lord proved His love for us by going to the cross for us. - He did not measure His sacrifice and give the least possible amount. He gave His all.
If we love God, we do not measure the cost of obeying his Word. We simply obey. .
3. Love is the highest motive for obedience because God is love.
- He gives His commandments because He loves us; and because we love Him, we obey His commandments.
- As we obey, we experience the love of God in our hearts in a deep and satisfying way.
4. Love is the DRIVES US TO OBEY GOD..
REAL love does not need a contract or a rule book in order to obey.
There are laws that require mothers and fathers to care for their children, but no loving parent ever thinks of those laws. Parents care for their children because they love them.
God wants obedience from the heart.
* What is Israel’s confession of faith? "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." (Deuteronomy 6:4-5)
* What does God require of His people? "And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul." (Deuteronomy 10:12)
- Moses makes it clear to Israel and to us that the secret of obeying is loving.
BELIEVE AND OBEY
John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." This particular verse has been quoted often and is generally well known.
You sometimes see it on banners at ball games or on T-shirts and bumper stickers. To many people it has become the central statement of their religious faith.
Unfortunately this verse has also come to be widely misunderstood. This is because when people hear it they do not consider along with it the rest of the teaching of the gospel.
BUT FOR some people have gotten the idea that the words "whoever believes" are referring only to the act of mentally acknowledging the Lordship of Jesus.
Actually, believing in Jesus and becoming a believer requires more than mental faith.
In the Bible the words "believe" and "believer" are used to summarize the complete act of following and submitting to someone.
To believe in Jesus means that you not only mentally accept Him, it also means that you obey His teaching.
If you do not obey the Son, then you don’t really believe in Him in the way you need to in order to be saved.
It is easy to see from John 3:16 that God loves us and wants us to be saved. He gave His own Son for us. It is also plain that we must believe in Jesus.
A... As a child, I remember ...
1. Godly parental instruction,
2. consequences of disobeying, Godly parental instruction
B... As I grew older, I recall ...
1. beginning to understand the "ways" of their "law" Godly parental instruction
2. realizing that their way was usually best, right and for my benefit (not theirs)
C. As time passed, I have found ...
1... obedience to God isn’t always applauded by others
2... I am growing more confident in obedience ...
D..Where I AM now, 2001
1... I am finding more and more peace with obedience
2.. Obeying is A choice.
3....The outcome of loving obedience is a blessing beyond measure.
It is a great deal easier to do that which God gives us to do, no matter how hard it is, than to face the responsibility of not doing it. Let’s desire, as well as determine to "Obey God rather than men."
AMEN..................AMEN....................AMEN
