The Jesus Revolution

Well folks, wonderful to be with you this morning. Hope you're well. Hope those who are joining us online are doing okay as well.

Let's come back to God's holy word, shall we? Acts chapter 5 is where we are today. Why don't you turn there and we're back in our series of Acts.

Acts 5 · chapter mention

We're joining this group, remember, of about 5,000 people who have decided to follow Jesus and who collectively together make up this early church.

And one of the central figures to our passage today is this guy called Gamaliel.

Gamaliel is one of the respected religious leaders of the day.

And what we get in this passage is his take on this whole Jesus of Nazareth business.

So let me try and get us to the kind of heart of what he makes of it.

Here are three famous faces from history on the screen.

And I want you to think about the word which connects them.

So we have Shea Guevara, we've got Joan of Arc, and we've got William Wallace.

I thought I'd put Mel Gibson up there because I know some of you love the historical accuracy of that film.

Okay, so there are three people. What's the word that connects them?

Revolutionaries, not freedom. Revolutionaries.

Revolutionaries, right?

So somebody who goes against the establishment, somebody who rallies against the cultural norms,

somebody who's not accepting of the status quo.

Right? Revolutionaries.

And that's Gamaliel's take on this whole Jesus of Nazareth movement.

If you come with me to the text, you'll see that he puts

Jesus in the same category as two local guys who've just led many revolts.

Right? Come with me.

Verse 36.

Here's our two guys.

Verse 36.

Thedas, number one.

And Judas the Galilean, verse 37.

Two guys who've led many revolts in recent history.

And what connects these two men is that they both rolled up in Jerusalem claiming to be somebodies.

Right? Do you see that?

Claimed to be somebodies.

Had a cause.

Had a mob.

But in the end, time proved.

With hindsight, we can look back and see that these somebodies were in fact nabodies.

And Gamaliel reckons that the same thing may well end up happening with this little Jesus revolution.

Do you see how he thinks it's only going to go one of two ways?

Right?

It's either going to be like a sparkler that you have in fireworks night.

Do you remember those when you were young?

Sparkling fireworks night.

You would write your name, take a couple of cool photos, wave it around.

Looked really impressive for a while.

And then after a couple of minutes, the thing completely fizzled out.

Or it will be like a spreading forest fire that you cannot hope to contain.

Remember having that experience?

Alex and I were in Sicily in a place called Agrigento.

And it's the only time in my life where I've witnessed a forest fire.

Have you ever seen one of these things?

Right?

Devastating.

What started as a kind of just a few trees fizzling away.

After only 10 or so minutes, you saw the thing with the wind taking it, engulfing a whole farm.

Fire engines coming, one by one lining up, trying to hose water onto the thing.

Realized after a while there was not a chance to be putting this out.

So, this Jesus revolution is either going to be sparkler or it's going to be forest fire.

Sparkler or forest fire.

And the reader reading on in this, we're supposed to ask the question, which is it going to be?

And here's what that means.

That means if you're here today and you follow Jesus of Nazareth,

Gamaliel has just called you a revolutionary.

Cool.

Kind of edgy, isn't it, to be called a revolutionary?

But that's what he's just labeled you if you follow Jesus of Nazareth.

A revolutionary.

And let's be honest.

You live your life as a Christian today.

And it doesn't take you long to realize that you feel like a revolutionary living in our culture, does it?

I mean, I'll just give you...

Here's a couple of things I noticed this week.

Just perception.

Just seeing what's round about.

Going up into the Royal Mile this week and there's a big statue of who at the top?

David Hume.

Right?

Leader of the Scottish Enlightenment back in the day.

Very simply, a man, I'm putting this really simply,

a man who stood for the fact that science and reason have done away with any need for a belief in God.

Right?

And there he is, slap bang in the middle of our city.

You walk past him and you think to yourself, I feel like a revolutionary.

Okay?

One of our local high schools.

Just over the road there.

Big sign.

Straight outside.

That says, some people are trans.

Get over it.

Okay?

So that anybody looking on from our Christian persuasion or from our friends from other faith groups

or our secular friends who might want to ask a question or two,

enter into a respectful and a loving conversation about these things,

is told in no uncertain terms that that isn't happening.

Right?

You feel like a revolutionary, don't you?

Capital letters.

Revolutionary.

But the thing is, I think, that if the book of Acts has taught us anything,

it's that the people of the world are not the opposition.

Right?

We're not interested in fighting a culture war.

That's not what Christ has called us to do.

The people of the world are the mission field.

We long to see our friends come to know Jesus and have life with him.

And to quote Don Carson,

What is evangelism?

What is witnessing?

If it's not one beggar telling another beggar where they can find bread.

Okay?

And that's why I think this passage today,

if you feel like that in your life,

if you feel like a revolutionary,

if you know what that means,

this should greatly strengthen us today.

Right?

It greatly strengthen us and I hope encourage us to keep living and speaking for Jesus wherever he has put us

and loving the people of our city.

Because what it's telling us,

and this is backed up with thousands of calendars worth of church history,

what this is telling us is that the gospel is forest fire rather than sparkler.

Okay?

Because despite the persecution hotting up,

and we see it today moving from the threatening to the imprisoning stage,

the unstoppable purposes of God continue to be ramping up.

So let's allow the text then, I think,

to give us three reasons why we should keep witnessing.

And by way of kind of an accessible sermon outline,

here is an ABC of the text.

Okay?

ABC.

Here's your A.

God is always adding people.

Right?

He's always adding people.

So come with me.

Verse 12 of chapter 5.

Okay?

God is continuing to authenticate his apostles.

Rubber stamp them as his guys and their message in front of the eyes of the watching world.

Do you see how great signs and wonders are continuing to be done?

And if anything, they're kind of getting more incredible.

Do you see it?

The sick are being healed.

Evil spirits are being cast out.

People are being made whole.

Remember what we said a few weeks ago?

These wonderful little foretastes of the future as the kingdom of God smashes into the darkness.

What I want us to notice, friends,

is how people are responding to what's going on.

Right?

And how they're responding differently to the gospel message as it goes forward in word and deed.

Okay?

In the words of the late John Stott,

the presence of the living God will always be alarming to some and attractive to others.

Okay?

Alarming to some and attractive to others.

That's exactly what we see here.

Check out verse 13 and 14.

Right?

What is some watching this?

How do they react?

They find it hugely alarming.

Do you see?

And despite the fact that they hold the church in high esteem,

which I think is another little lesson for us there in terms of how the people of the world view us as a community.

Right?

Hold them in high esteem.

Despite that,

do you see none of the onlookers dare join this little Jesus of Nazareth group?

Do you see it?

Because I take it that they understood what siding with the Jesus revolutionaries would mean that they'd have to do,

what they'd have to give up,

and what it might lead to.

I remember I had a friend at uni called Karen.

I remember going out one night,

a few of us,

talking to her,

having an opportunity to speak about the things of Christianity.

And this was her phrase always to me.

Jesus,

just not yet.

Just not yet.

Because she saw what it would mean for her that she would have to give up,

what she'd have to do,

and so she kept saying that phrase to me,

just not yet.

And I don't know,

but I find those kind of responses incredibly hard.

Just long for people to come to know Jesus,

know who he is,

have life in his name.

Just not yet.

And yet see what else Luke is telling us was happening at the same time.

Verse 14.

More than ever,

believers were added to the Lord,

both men and women.

So do you see it?

Others are,

some are finding this alarming,

some are finding this attractive.

And I take it,

that as we live our lives today,

as we witness for Christ,

these two things will be happening

at exactly the same time.

Alarming,

attractive.

Let me just say,

we have no idea how the Lord is at work.

Our job is just to witness for Christ,

believe the results to him.

We've got no idea how he has worked,

particularly in this season.

But let me just encourage you with this.

I was listening to an interview recently with John Stevens.

John Stevens is the national director of the FIEC,

right?

Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches.

So churches just like us,

all up and down the UK.

And he was given just his overview

of kind of what he's seeing happening

in all these churches,

this network of churches that he's in charge of.

And he's talking about how the fact,

the fact that he has never before in his lifetime

heard about so many people

joining Christianity Explored courses

and Alpha courses

and becoming Christians.

Friends, the Lord is always adding people.

You know, and it might feel like

sometimes we speak about Jesus,

we feel what it's like for those to be alarmed.

But let's be encouraged that all over the world,

the Lord is always adding people.

He's always adding people.

Let's move from the A to the B, okay?

Here's the B that should encourage us this morning

from this text.

God is always bigger than the barriers.

He's always bigger than the barriers, okay?

Verse 17.

Do you see how the success

that the apostles were having,

it didn't go unnoticed by the religious leaders?

Do you see that?

What's their response to it?

Luke tells us they are jealous.

Sometimes the thing is that

when we see these things crop up in our lives,

these emotions, anger,

we'll see that in a few weeks' time, jealousy.

I was going to ask,

what's going on in the heart?

What is it revealing?

Well, these guys are jealous

because the only thing that they are interested in

is retaining their status and power.

And because of that,

do you see how the apostles

soon find themselves in prison?

Text makes it clear,

guards are at the door,

they're locked in,

okay,

and I take it they're to be released in the morning

so that they can appear before the religious court.

So the religious powers that be here

are flexing their muscles.

And at this point,

you'd be tempted to think,

wouldn't you?

It's like playing a PlayStation game

when you were young,

okay,

and you get defeated.

And what's those words that comes on the screen?

Game over.

Right?

Is this game over

for the early church?

Well, remember,

the whole point of this passage

is that God will not be stopped.

Okay?

And supernaturally,

verse 19,

the angel of the Lord appears

and takes them out

and tells them to go where?

Back to the temple.

Do you see it?

Back to the temple.

So not anywhere.

It's no coincidence

that these men are told

to keep going back to the temple.

I think theologically,

let me just say that's significant

because for a people

in this day

for whom the temple represents

God with us.

It is significant

the message of God

having saved us

and is now with us

in a new

and a far more significant way

by faith in the risen Christ.

It's hugely significant

that it's there

that it's being proclaimed.

But I love in the text

how we get the whole scene

as the religious leaders

try and figure out

what has happened.

Do you see how Luke

helps us see it?

Records the details for us.

They cannot figure out

how this has happened.

I mean these guys

are like relighting candles

on a birthday cake.

Right?

You ever had those things?

How annoying are those things?

You just cannot put them out.

You just cannot put them out.

These guys are like

relighting candles.

Again, do you see it?

God always wins.

God will have his people

where he wants his people.

I remember having the experience

of starting a new job

calling up the IT department

and saying

can you come and help me

kind of set up my computer?

Right?

The person on the phone

comes back and says

sure, do you mind

if I take over your screen?

You ever had an experience

like this?

Do you mind

if I take over your screen?

Never seen this before.

And all of a sudden

I'm looking at my screen

and I'm not in control anymore.

Right?

The cursor's moving around

and files are being moved.

Settings are being adjusted.

Icons are being moved

to the right places.

You're not in charge

of the screen anymore.

Right?

And that's exactly

what God is doing here.

It's almost like

he's pressed the override button

and he's declaring

to the world

no, I am sovereign

and I will have my people

where I want my people.

You think you can do this

to my apostles?

I will have them

where I want my people.

God's declaration to the world

that he is sovereign.

Okay?

And they say to the apostles

verse 28

we told you to stop speaking.

You filled Jerusalem

with your teaching.

I mean talk about

making an impact

on a city.

You filled Jerusalem

with your teaching

and notice the irony

of what they say next.

And I think the ESV

probably picks this up

slightly better.

Right?

Quite literally

you have filled Jerusalem

with your teaching

and

you intend

to bring this man's blood

on us.

Okay?

Remember we said

a few weeks ago

Luke's into irony

you intend to bring

this man's blood on us.

You can imagine them

thinking to themselves

yes that's exactly

what we're trying to do.

That's exactly

what we're trying to do.

Remember they're speaking

to a group of people

who are pursuing

a very different way

of trying to be right

with God.

Okay?

By their own works

by their own merit

by being

seen to be

living in a

right way.

You know they always say

that you can explain

the difference

between Christianity

and every other world

religion and philosophy

in two letters.

Right?

Letters N

and E.

Not do

but done.

Right?

Not what we do

makes us right with God

but what Jesus

has

done.

Okay?

It's the only way

to be right with God.

We friends,

we need his blood

on us.

We need the blood

of God's sacrificial lamb

shed in our place

on the cross

on us

to forgive us

for our sin

to be justified

before this

holy God.

So when they say

you're intent

on bringing this man's

blood on us

they think of themselves

of course we are.

Stop speaking.

No chance.

We've got to obey

God

rather than

man.

And let me just say

that that's what

we believe

as Christians

that God calls us

to be praying for

and submitting

to our government.

That's why we've done

things that we've done

them over the last

year and a half.

That's why we've been

praying for our leaders

consistently

over the last season.

That's what God

calls us to do

but if ever we are

told to stop

speaking about Christ

or to stop

living in the way

that he has called

us to live

then friends

that is maybe

where we differ.

Right?

And where our

primary loyalty

to King Jesus

kicks in.

What do they say?

They say we can't

stop speaking

about him.

Right?

We are witnesses

to these things

that God exalted

Christ

and he commands

people everywhere

to repent

and believe.

That is the message

that the world

needs to hear

of God's great love.

And sending

his son.

Listen friends

God is always

bigger than the

barriers.

He's always

bigger than the

barriers.

He's always

adding people.

He's always

bigger than the

barriers and

here's our

sea

that God is

always conforming

us to Christ.

Okay?

Have a look at

verse 41

and I think

this is probably

one of the

biggest impacts

that this text

made on me

this week.

Couldn't get my

head around

what's going on

at verse 41.

Right?

The religious

council.

They're convinced

Spigamelio's

advice.

Right?

They think

no that

sounds good.

Makes sense.

But even then

do you see

how it doesn't

stop them

giving the

disciples a

good flogging.

Right?

I take it

this is the

39 lashes.

Okay?

That's what the

Romans reckoned

was pretty much

enough to scare

a person without

killing them.

40 was supposed

to be the one

that killed them

so you give

them 39

you teach them

a lesson

but you don't

kill them.

Okay?

How did the

disciples react

to that

flogging?

Do you see

what he said?

Then they

left the

presence of

the council

rejoicing

that they

were counted

worthy

to suffer

dishonor

for

the name.

Now take

an inhale

of that

verse.

They what?

They rejoiced

at that?

It's not like

they got the

kicks out of

casualty or

something like

that, right?

They rejoiced

at that?

How do you

explain that?

Well do you

know what?

It's almost

as like God

is taking

the cookie

cutter,

the Christ

cookie cutter

and he

slapped it

on the

dough of

their lives

and their

lives at

this point

are beginning

to line up

with Christ's

beginning to

resemble heads.

You know

it reminded

me of the

you know

this is a

famous scene

in The Lion

King and

it's Mephasa

walking ahead

and he

plants a

big paw

print on

the ground

and then

little Simba

comes on

behind and

his little

paw goes

into the

big paw

and it's

I think he's

getting a

row at the

time but

it's this

scene where

it's almost

as if Simba

needs to

bring his

life in

line with

his dad.

You know

that scene

big paw

little paw?

It's almost

what the

disciples sense

at this point

I'd imagine

that their

lives are

beginning to

line up

with their

kings.

And despite

the bleeding

and the

lacerations

in this

moment the

pattern of

their lives

is becoming

cross-shaped

and I think

this is where

the text made

an impact on

me this

week.

That this is

where joy is

to be found.

You see?

This is where joy

is to be found

when our lives

begin to emulate

more and more

the shape of

our kings.

Just imagine

these locals

leaving Jerusalem

watching these

men as

they're leaving

the Sanhedrin.

Completely

baffled,

seeing them

bleeding.

Completely

baffled,

seeing what's

going on,

the joy

that's there

is thinking

how do you

explain that?

How do you

explain why

they are filled

with joy and

yet they're

covered in

bruises and

cuts?

How do you

explain what's

going on

there?

Sometimes it's

like when our

life's friends

conform to

Christ,

that is where

joy is to be

found.

In knowing

him,

in living for

him,

in witnessing

for him.

That's where

joy is to be

found.

Let me just

say our

world is full

of joy

pretenders.

You want to

know what

these are?

Just go into

W. Smith's

or something

like that.

Look what's

on the

magazine shelf.

What are

the magazines

all about?

What's the

world trying

to sell

us?

What are

they all

about?

Your body,

their all

about relationships

and sex,

their all

about your

finances,

their all

about your

perfect home,

their all

about sports.

Things that

the world

says will

give you

and we

look at

this and

we have

to say

that is

so

countercultural

from what

our world

is saying.

This is

where joy

is to be

found.

Let me just

say following

Christ will

always look

like death

and it will

always look

like foolishness

to the world

and yet this

text is telling

us this is

where it is.

This is

where it is.

You know it

probably won't

mean for us

I'd imagine

in our lives

that we will

be flogged

for following

Jesus but

let's remember

that for

countless

millions of

people around

the world

and different

parts of

our world

brothers and

sisters it

will mean

this.

But friends

are we

our lives

being shaped

to Christ

in a million

little decisions

that we make

every day?

Okay students

you're thinking

about the job

that you're

going to take

next you're

thinking about

what's coming

after this

is following

Christ top

of your

agenda.

Right picking

a job that

doesn't mean

you're going

to have to

sell your

soul.

Picking a

job in a

place where

you'll thrive

in a local

church.

you'll have

chances to

speak for

him.

Families what

are we

teaching our

kids about

what success

looks like?

Right?

The good in

their lives is

not grades.

The good in

their lives is

God.

This is where

joy will be

found.

Are we

shaping our

lives?

Are we

making

decisions

based on

this truth?

Retired

people, do

people in

your lives

know that

once you

finish that

the S

that's dominating

your life is

not sombrero in

Spain.

Right?

The S in

your life is

service to

the local

church.

Friends, if you

live on your

own, do

people know, do

they look in and

they see that

you're not

defined by your

relationship status?

You're defined by

the fact that you

know the most

fully human person

who ever lived.

Friends, it's our

joy found in

knowing Christ.

They rejoiced

because they

knew him and

their lives were

lining up with

his.

We're going to

see this even

more in a few

weeks time as

the persecution

hots up even

more.

That you look at

a man called

Stephen and you

think to yourself,

he is oozing

Christ.

Oozing him.

Friends, this is

where joy is to be

found.

The words of

Matt Chandler,

brilliant book

called Take

Heart.

If you want to

read it after

this, there's a

copy of my

office, brilliant

book.

When Satan says

he's taken

everything worth

having from you,

grace says he

can never take

what you most

need, Jesus

Christ.

And so day by

day in the

temple and from

house to house,

right, notice this

is not just a

public thing, this

is a neighbor's

thing, and this

is among the

believers as well.

What are they

doing?

They're preaching

that Jesus is the

Messiah.

And so friends,

as we close this

morning, do you

see it?

What is the

gospel?

What is this

message?

Is it sparkler?

Is it forest

fire?

Do you see that

it's forest fire?

And so do you

see then that the

advice that Gamaliel

gives at verse

39 is bang on

the money, right?

Whether he

intended it like

this or not, he's

bang on the

money, but if it

is of God, you

will not be able to

overthrow them.

And then what

does he say?

You might actually

be found to be

what?

Fighting against

God.

So think about

it, who's the

real revolutionary

according to

Gamaliel?

Okay?

Those who are

trying to fight

against God.

Which the proof

of the pudding

shows us is those

who remain defiant

in terms of bowing

the knee to King

Jesus.

If that's you

today, friends,

know that you

are going into

the boxing ring

against God,

right?

You going in

there is like a

raging two-year-old

fancying their

chances against a

physical peak

Mike Tyson.

You will not

hope to fight

God and win.

But the good

news of the

gospel, friends,

is that the God

who should be

rightly fighting us

because of our

sin offers us

what?

What's the

opposite of

fighting?

Peace.

He offers us

peace by the

blood of this

Jesus spilled

on the cross

on us.

On us.

Interestingly

enough, do you

know what I was

saying?

It was a guy

named Paul who

himself was a

pupil under this

guy, Gamaliel,

who we're going to

meet in a few

weeks' time, who

was spitting

feathers.

You heard that

phrase before?

Spitting feathers

at the church

because of what

they stood for

before encountering

Jesus and joining

him.

It was this Paul

under this Gamaliel

who would later

write in Ephesians

about Jesus

that he himself

is our

peace.

He is our

peace.

Purposes of

God, so the

opposition hots

up.

Friends, know

that the purposes

of God continue

to ramp up.

Stand up, stand

up for Jesus.

Stand in his

strength alone.

The arm of flesh

will fail you.

You dare not

trust your own.

Put on the

gospel armor.

Each piece put

on with prayer.

Where duty calls

or danger be

never wanting

there.

Stand up, stand

up for Jesus.

Friends, that's

the call this week

as we speak and

live for him in

our city.

Let's pray.

So, Heavenly

Father, we just

thank you so much,

Lord, for your

precious word.

And the words of

Psalm 38, that

salvation,

the salvation of

the righteous is

from the Lord.

He is their

refuge in times

of trouble.

And so, Lord, I

pray for us today,

Lord, as we

absorb your

word, Lord, that

your spirit would

encourage us.

Father, that he

would inspire us.

And, Father, that

you would help us

to be mindful of

the opportunities

that are ours this

week.

Father, we long

that our lives

would be more

like our kings.

And so, Father,

thank you for the

example of the

early church all

these years ago.

That we have your

word in our

language.

We can read this

and see what

people went

through and what

you were doing

in the gospel that

was bigger than

the barriers.

And so, Father,

we thank you for

this morning.

Lord, may this

encourage our

hearts, we pray,

in Jesus'

worthy name.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.