Acts 5:17-42- Pay the Price
Acts: God's Story Continued • Sermon • Submitted
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Context
Context
Since Launching on August 7th, we’ve been working our way through the Book of Acts, and I want to quickly recap that for us.
If you can remember all the way back to August 14th, I gave a sermon titled “The Thesis Statement” and made the point that the thesis of the entire book of Acts is summarized in Acts 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
And that is exactly what we’ve seen, week in and week out as we’ve gathered here. The apostles were filled with the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, and immediately began witnessing.
Now so far their witnessing has been contained to Jerusalem, and after we take a break for Advent, and move into the new year we will see God’s story continue to Judea/samaria and to the ends of the earth.
And we have chosen to study the book of Acts, because we know and believe that their thesis, is our thesis. We are to continue the story of Jesus.
To walk in the power of the Holy Spirit and dependency upon the holy spirit.
To witness for Jesus here in RH, in Midway, in Hinesville, in Georgetown. Eveywhere.
But one thing that we will begin to see pretty consistently throughout the book of Acts, beginning in our passage today, Continuing God’s Story comes at a price!
Always. Everywhere. In the 1st Century Jerusalem, and in the 21st century Coastal GA.
Everywhere the Gospel is faithfully lived and preached there
will be people who always praise God for it, receive the good news, and live the rest of their days in the hope of the Gospel.
Yet simultaneously there will always be those offended by the gospel demonstrated in their rejection of it…
some quietly because they fear the costs of joining
But many loudly. Passionately opposing it. Relentlessly working to discredit it, marginalizing the witnesses or in some cases destroying them.
Continuing God’s Story. Living as Spirit-empowered witnesses comes at a price.
This is what happens in our passage today. The apostles pay the price.
And CBC as much as we want to embody the
devotion, unity, generosity, and boldness of this first century church; all the things we’ve preached on the last several months.
we must now turn our attention to how they paid the price, and seek to emulate it as well.
So here’s the Roadmap for Today
We will see:
The Price is Persecution
They were Prepared by Prayer
They Prioritized Jesus
They Received the Prize
Let’s read our passage in its’ entireity, and then begin to dissect it together.
Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico. None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem. And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them. The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed.
But the high priest rose up, and all who were with him (that is, the party of the Sadducees), and filled with jealousy they arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison. But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, “Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life.” And when they heard this, they entered the temple at daybreak and began to teach.
Now when the high priest came, and those who were with him, they called together the council, all the senate of the people of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought. But when the officers came, they did not find them in the prison, so they returned and reported, “We found the prison securely locked and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them we found no one inside.” Now when the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them, wondering what this would come to. And someone came and told them, “Look! The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people.” Then the captain with the officers went and brought them, but not by force, for they were afraid of being stoned by the people.
And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”
When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them. But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in honor by all the people, stood up and gave orders to put the men outside for a little while. And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do with these men. For before these days Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. After him Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and drew away some of the people after him. He too perished, and all who followed him were scattered. So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!” So they took his advice, and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.
How they paid the price… That’s what we want to discover together this morning, but the first point is this:
The Price is Persecution
The Price was Persecution— Point #1
The Price was Persecution— Point #1
What began as threats in chapter 4, has intensified to imprisonment and beating in chapter 5. And without the intersession of one man, vs 33 says they may have been killed, but instead they received a severe beating.
They Paid the Price, and the Price is persecution.
Who were their Persecutors?
But the high priest rose up, and all who were with him (that is, the party of the Sadducees), and filled with jealousy
We have the high priest, and the Sanhedrin— the Jerusalem governing council, predmoninatnly made up of Sadducees.
These guys were religious fundamentalists
only accepting the first 5 books of the OT. Rejecting any notion of a resurrection, or even a Messiah.
They were also Buddy Buddy with Rome, and lived to kiss the the ring of Ceasar so that they could remain in power!
So they are jealous.
And as the apostles are filled with the Spirit, the Saducees are filled with jealousy!
They’re jealous of the apostles’ power and popularity.
Angered by the failure of their first assualt on the apostles through threats.
Acts 5:28 (ESV)
saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching,
They are dismayed to see that these uneducated, nobody’s had ignored their prohibition.
But look at the end of verse 28…
and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.”
They were enraged because the apotles were confronting them over their murder of Jesus!
And because the apostles now held the esteem of the masses, they feared the masses would kill them for that action!
So enraged with Jealousy they resolved to take further action and through them in prison, desiring to kill them, and instead beat them.
The Price is Persecution
I told you, everwhere there are witnesses, there are some who accept and some who reject. These were obviously the latter.
But what is baffling to me is not that there is a price. That there is persecution, but that we are surprised by it!
If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles.
Continuing God’s Story, always comes at a price.
But what encourages me first, is that the apostles were prepared for this price, by Prayer.
They were prepared with Prayer- Point #2
They were prepared with Prayer- Point #2
Before we see any price here, before they are arrested, tried, and beaten what I want us to see is that they were prepared to pay the price, with prayer. That’s point #2
What is happening in these opening verses is a direct answer to the prayer previously Prayed in Acts 4.
Turn back with me to Acts 4:29-30
And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
They were threatened. Told to shut up about Jesus, and upon their release they gather together and pray for 2 things!
Boldness to speak the Word
and that God would stretch out his hand to heal and perform signs and wonders.
And God answered their prayer!
They continued to speak the Word of Christ with, to the point where “more than ever believers were added to their number.” Vs. 14
And signs and wonders were being done!
But notice by who! “done regularly by the hands of the apostles” (vs.12)
Not all the people. Just the apostles. And I mentioned this in a prior sermon, but I’ll quickly share it again. Signs, wonders, and miracles were given to the apostles in order to validate their authority as spokesmen for God.
How were the people to know that these men spoke on behalf of God? Many could claim that! Well, their credibility was validated by the signs, wonders, and miracles.
As Paul writes in 2 Corinthians…
The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works.
And they must have been high volume and wow-factor, because people were flocking to Jerusalem from the surrounding towns and villages just to fall in the shadow of Peter!
Before they are arrested and imprisoned, before they are severely beaten, they prepared to pay the price with Prayer.
Are you?
Are you preparing now in your prayer life? Are you praying for boldness? For courage? For opportunities to witness, and testify to Christ?
I fear we’ve convinced ourselves that the Christian life is intended to be comfortable, instead of a life lived in dependence on the Comforter!
So here’s a litmus test: simply assess your prayer life…
Are your prayers big, dangerous, only able to be accomplished by a mighty move of God!?
Or, are they predominantly about your own comforts?
Assess your prayer life… not with condemnation, but with honesty.
We need to pray as if Christ promised us a price was coming.
The Apostles were prepared to pay the price with prayer.
But the price came… filled with jealousy the authorities arrest them and throw them into prison
and as we read about God’s divine intervention I want us to notice a couple of things. First, notice the Divine Directive.
Notice the Divine Directive (vs. 19)
Notice the Divine Directive (vs. 19)
Its 2 fold.
Go to the temple
Speak of this Life.
The Temple!
The Temple… really?! Don’t you want us to go home? Lay low for a while? Get a dodge!? No, they were to go right back to the place they were just arrested.
And they didn’t object, or question, because when the King speaks his subjects obey.
Seemingly unconcerned with their safety, fully prepared with prayer to pay the price, they return to the very place they were arrested.
and to do what?
Speak of this Life
To testify of Jesus, is to really just speak of LIFE.
For John 1:4
In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
He is the way, the truth, and the life, and he has come that you may have life, abundant life.
A full life. An eternal life. A purposeful life.
But notice also...
The Derision of the Authorities.
The Derision of the Authorities.
While they are sipping their lattes, probably Pumpkin Spice, on the way to convene the council, the apostles are in the Temple teaching.
And the officers go, but can’t find them. They find the prison locked securely. The guards are still in their place, but the apostles are gone!
And then the intern comes rushing in… “mhm excuse me high priest sir… I found them. Look over there. They’re back in the Temple teaching the people again!
So the Captain of the Officers goes this time and arrests them again, but not by force. They politely and earnestly begged the apostles to come with them, because they were afraid of being stoned by the masses.
So they are re-arrested and brought in for a trial… the price is persecution. But the main emphasis for us this morning, is how they responded to the price. How did they pay the price?
They paid it while prioritizing Jesus
Pay it while Prioritizing Jesus- Point #3
Pay it while Prioritizing Jesus- Point #3
Commanded to be witnesses. Filled with the Holy Spirit to be witnesses. Even in the face of persecution, they witness. They pay the price of persecution while prioritizing Jesus.
So how did they, and how do we Prioritize Jesus even in the midst of persecution.
Obey Him.
vs. 29. “We must obey God rather than men.”
The council told them to shut up. They strictly charged them, but instead of obeying the authorities they went on and filled Jerusalem with their teaching. A real testimony to the success of their spirit-empowered witness.
So here we find a principle of civil disobedience.
Christians are called by God to be conscientious citizens and generally speaking to submit to human authorities. To pray for them. To seek their good. To be a blessing in how we serve and live.
Romans 13:1 (ESV)
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities.
Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work,
Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme,
Christians… you should be the best citizens in our nation, state, and local districts. Drive the speed limit. Pick up trash. Serve the poor. Pray for your leaders. Serve on boards. PTO’s. Coach rec. We are commanded to.
However; if the authority concerned misuses its God-Given power to command what HE forbids, or to forbid what HE commands, then the Christian’s duty is to disobey the human authority in order to obey God.
We must obey God rather than men.
But ya’ll just some extra advice: We don’t have to do it in a way that actually contradicts the Character of Jesus. You can follow this principle, and unfortunately do it in a way that is hateful, prideful, full of anger, full of arrogrance, full of slander and gossip, etc. etc.
The apostles, prioritized Jesus by obeying God not man, but
they went quietly when arrested for the second time.
They didn’t stir up a coalition.
If the Apostles were primarily concerned with being vindicated, or winning an argument, and being found RIGHT they could have stirred up the people against the captain.
I mean They held the esteem of all the people!
But they didn’t do that, because they weren’t concerned with “being right.” Their goal wasn’t JUSTIFICATION IN THE EYES OF THE WORLD, just driven by the priority of proclaiming JESUS.
Obeying God rather than men, but in the Spirit of Christ.
Preaching.
The second way they prioritized Jesus, while paying the price, is in preaching!
Far from trying to get the High Priest, and Sanhedrin killed by the mob… far from intending to bring Jesus’ blood upon their heads… they instead want them to experience THIS LIFE. The Life found in the shed blood of Jesus not because of them, but FOR THEM.
The apostles begin to testify to the resurrection of Jesus, and how he is now exalted at God’s right hand as
Leader— which simply means Chief Prince. Ultimate Authority.
And Savior
And he will give repentance to YOU AND HE CAN FORGIVE YOUR SINS.
Even in the face of persecution, they paid the price by prioritizing Jesus in Preaching.
Ya’ll this is remarkable. They seemingly had no concern for their own safety, just Magnifying Jesus.
As I was preparing this reminded me of Richard Wurmbrand and his book Tortured for Christ. Many of you may recognize his name as the founder of “Voice of the Martyrs” a non-profit organization that serves persecuted Christians around the world.
Wurmbrand was a Lutheran Priest in Communist Romania, and constantly priortized Jesus as he paid the price of persecution.
He was arrested for his preaching and rescuing of Jews in 1948 and was severely tortured for his faith. Listen to this quote about his time in prison.
“It was strictly forbidden to preach to other prisoners. It was understood that whoever was caught doing this received a severe beating. A number us decided to PAY THE PRICE for the privelege of preaching, so we accepted their terms. It was a deal. We preached and they beat us. We were happy preaching, They were happy beating us, so everyone was happy.”
How do we Pay the Price…
By Obeying God rather than Men.
By Preaching in the face of persecution.
Happy… wurmbrand says everyone was happy.
Well not in our text.
And this leads to our fourth and final point… Pay the Price for the Prize.
Pay it for the Prize- Point #4
Pay it for the Prize- Point #4
The apostles preached… but their audience was not happy, but ENRAGED. (vs. 33)
But insteps an intercessor a man named Gamaliel.
Ya’ll, Gamaliel was a good dude. Held in honor by all. When he spoke, people listened.
He was a Pharisee, so a political minority on the Sanhedrien, surrounded by Saduduccees.
He was respected. Renowned.
But to Christians he is best known for his star pupil… Saul of Tarsus.
So Gamaliel stands up, and convenes a private pow wow and laid forth a very reasonable argument.
He reminds them of two similar cases.
Theudas and Judas the Galilean.
Each rose up and started a movement that stole away some of the masses, but ultimately upon the death of the leaders the movement fizzled and faded.
So likewise, Jesus is dead. We killed him. And this too will fade if it is of man.
So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!” So they took his advice,
Did Gamaliel believe in Jesus? Did he believe that this was a move of God? Or was he confident that this movement would fizzle too… we don’t know. But knowing what we know about Paul, and we’ll get into his life next year, I have to believe Paul at least went back to Gamaliel to convince him.
But alas, we don’t know… all we know is that his intercession rescued the apostles. But before they let them go they beat them and charged them again not to speak in the name of Jesus!
This beating was most likely 39 lashes. This was no easy beating.
Many died from this form of punishment, and all 12 apostles received it.
They paid the price… but they received the Prize.
“left rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name, and everyday did not cease taeching that the Christ is Jesus.”
WHAT!?
This is another sermon, and I think we’ll get there, but oh the fellowship in Christ when we suffer for him.
And that’s the last point. The paid the price, to receive the prize… they were counted worthy.
There is a joy, a comfort, a reward in suffering for Jesus.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.
Time fails me to unpact how this is possible, but needless to say it very much is.
There is a great eternal, and temporal prize for those who pay the price of persecution.
Let me close again with another quote from Wurmbrand,
“I have seen Christians in prisons with fifty pounds of chains on their feet, tortured with red-hot iron pokers, in whose throats spoonfuls of salt had been forced— and all the while praying with fervor for their persecutors.
Often after a secret service, Christians would be caught and sent to prison. But there I saw Christians wear chains with the gladness with which a bride wears a precious jewel. This is humanly inexplicable! It is the love of Christ, which is poured out in our hearts.”
Truly there is a prize, for paying the price.
Conclusion
Conclusion
The Apostles Paid the price of persecution, but as we saw:
They were prepared with prayer.
They prioritized Jesus by obeying and preaching, and
They received the prize.
I trust the Holy Spirit to speak to your heart through their example this morning, and may we be a people that Pay’s the Price as well.