Twenty-fifth Sunday after Trinity

If you want to gain your life, you will lose it.

But if you lose your life for my sake and the Gospels, you will gain it.

So the words of Christ.

The growth of the church is a paradox.

For it grows as attempts are made to crush it throughout all of history,

throughout Acts as well, we'll see this morning.

But what is more paradoxical is the message of the Gospel.

For it is a message that beckons us to be humble,

so that we can be elevated, to lose our lives so that we can gain them.

At its center is a Savior who saved the world by dying,

and by doing so gives life.

By rising and disappearing into the heavens,

we are promised eternity with God.

It is a bit of a paradoxical message.

For those who have accepted the Gospel,

it is the life and life to the full.

But for those who don't,

the Gospel seems misguided and foolish,

and even be a source of condemnation upon them.

So consider these words from the Apostle Paul,

from his first letter to the church in Corinth.

1 Corinthians 1, 18 and following.

It says this,

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing,

but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

For it is written,

I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,

and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.

Where is the one who is wise?

Where is the scribe?

Where is the debater of this age?

Daniel parenthesis here.

Where are the influencers of this world?

Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

For since in the wisdom of God,

the world did not know God through wisdom,

it pleased God through the folly of what we preach

to save those who believe.

For Jews demand signs,

and Greeks seek wisdom.

But we preach Christ crucified,

a stumbling block to Jews,

and folly to Gentiles.

But to those who are called both Jews and Greeks,

Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

For the foolishness of God is wiser than men,

and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

The apostles stand before the Sanhedrin

in Acts chapter 5,

Acts 5 · chapter mention

in our section that we'll be going through this morning,

for the second time in as many chapters.

We're not sure how much time has elapsed

between these two confrontations,

but the narrative suggests

that not much time has elapsed.

It seems like they are tempting fate in a way

as they continue to preach Christ.

They've been warned to not do it,

to cease and desist or else.

And yet, we will see that they are

obeying God rather than man.

That's the second time we'll see this in Acts.

That they have prayed for boldness and strength

to continue to bear witness to the cross,

despite the growing and mounting opposition

that they are facing.

They will continue to disobey the authorities,

not because they are rebels,

but because they serve a higher authority,

Christ Jesus.

So, they continue to proclaim the gospel message,

pointing to the Messiah,

that Jesus alone can save,

and in doing so,

they are confounding and angering

the religious, the wise,

the scribes,

the influencers of their day.

And these people ought to be

the ones who are pointing people to God.

They should be the ones who,

being saturated in the scriptures,

should see that Jesus truly is the Christ,

that the scriptures testify to him.

But,

they are about other things.

They are not about

proclaiming life,

but instead are dealing in death.

Quite literally,

as they contemplate killing the apostles

in our section today.

So, we'll see throughout the text

that the paradox of the gospel

is that as we try to gain our life,

we will lose it.

But,

if we lose our life for Christ's sake,

we will gain it.

And we'll see this in three paradoxical ways

from our text.

The gospel is either

folly or life.

The gospel is either

condemnation or reconciliation.

And finally,

the gospel brings honor

through dishonor.

Remarkable.

So, let's jump right into it.

If you have a Bible

or one of these scripture journals,

turn to verse 17.

If you want to get up at any time

to grab one,

don't worry,

you will not interrupt me.

So, by all means,

do it.

So, folly or life.

Look with me.

Verses 17 and 18.

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 public prison.

The Sadducees now have been witness

to both the miraculous works

of the apostles

as well as the growth

of the church.

Something remarkable

had happened

that was based

not on a new religion

but the fulfillment

of their own.

They have,

if you remember,

this aversion

to holding up

the doctrine

of the resurrection,

they do not believe in it,

and yet,

there are

a growing group

of people

that have testified

to the resurrection

of the Christ

in a real,

literal way,

and yet,

they hold fast

to their own beliefs.

They have many opportunities

to get on board

with what the Lord

is doing,

however,

they are filled

with jealousy.

That word

that is used

is found

only twice in Acts,

and in both cases,

it describes

the zeal

and rage

that seeks

to maintain

the religious

status quo,

and it's only used

by the Jewish leaders

that oppose

Christ's church.

The Sadducees,

really the whole Sanhedrin,

they are jealous

of the power

and success

of the apostles.

Why?

Because it threatens

their ever-fleeting power

that they possess,

and at the same time,

they are envious

of the growing influence

and power

of the church.

They are losing

grip

on the things

that they hold dear.

They're jealous.

They're envious.

Even when the apostles

are mysteriously

released from prison,

they cannot bring themselves

to see

what is truly happening.

Instead,

they are even more

enraged.

Look with me now.

We'll jump into

verse 21.

And continue on.

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.

This is the 70-person

group that's called

the Sanhedrin

that would really

be the spiritual

and civic leaders

of the people of Israel.

They called together

the whole 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 priest

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.

Jealousy and envy

have the effect

of robbing people

of being thankful

for the blessings

that they have

and making it impossible

to be happy

for the blessings

that other people have.

Jealousy and envy

rob people of joy

and of life

and of any kind

of godliness

that they might have.

Envy and jelly

are insatiable.

They have insatiable appetites

for more,

sorry,

they have insatiable appetites

for more

and an incurable sorrow

for the success

of others.

In a very real way,

jealousy is a mutation

of good ambition.

Something that,

it morphs ambition

into something

that is ugly

and deceitful

and not something

that helps us

to achieve good

and godly things

in the service

of others,

but rather

it morphs

into malice.

it morphs itself

into deceit,

hatred,

and it's ugly

jealousy

and envy.

It does not

and it cannot lead

to wholeness

and happiness.

Jealousy

and envy

can only lead

to death.

A relational death.

A death

of one's joy.

Ultimately,

with

the Sanhedrin

today,

it might have

very well

led to

literal death.

If you try

to gain your life,

you will lose it.

But if you lose

your life

for Christ's sake,

you will gain it.

Let's look at

the apostles

starting in verse 19

and then

we'll continue on.

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,

that is the apostles,

they entered the temple

at daybreak

and began to teach.

The apostles,

friends,

have once again

risked their lives

to proclaim

the gospel of Christ,

to obey him,

even though

the authorities

are pushing

for the very opposite.

They obey

the messenger

of the Lord,

this angel,

proclaiming,

Go,

speak the words

of this life,

meaning,

Go,

continue to proclaim

the gospel of Christ,

that salvation

is through no one else

but Jesus.

So from a worldly

point of view,

this seems like folly.

Like the apostles

are throwing

their lives away.

They risk

throwing their influence

and budding

stardom away.

Why not

be a bit more nuanced

in front of the Sanhedrin?

Why not

play a little word game

or lean into

the gray area

to somehow

avoid the persecution?

And then when you're back,

you can start

proclaiming,

you know,

maybe a bit in secret

or tell people,

hey listen,

this is the gospel message,

embrace it,

but let's be quiet

when the authorities

walk around.

Why can't they be a bit more

in a sense winsome

using nuance?

But they don't.

They're obedient.

They're obedient

to the call of God

to continue

to proclaim.

So on one hand,

it looks like they're

potentially playing with fire.

They've been warned.

Again,

cease and desist

or else.

And yet,

if we consider

who are the true conduits

of wholeness,

healing and life,

it certainly is not

the Sanhedrin

and it would not be

the apostles

if they were to bend

and to give in to fear.

Their desire

is for others

to have eternal blessings,

to honor Christ

and Christ alone,

for the lost

to be found,

for orphans

to find an eternal home,

for guilt

to be remitted,

for the words

of this life

to take root,

grow and flourish.

This is what they are about.

They are about life.

And yet,

they're trying

in a sense

in obeying God

to lose their life.

And yet,

what is the result?

They are gaining

their life

and proclaiming life

everywhere

they go.

the apostles

are participating

in the very

mission of Christ,

suffering like Christ,

obeying their

Heavenly Father

like Christ,

laying down their lives

like Christ,

for Christ.

Even still,

how is this possible?

I mean,

it is easy to say

I will follow you

even to your death

like St. Peter.

And then a servant girl

in the courtyard

of the high priest

says,

hey,

you have an accent

kind of like Jesus.

You were with him,

weren't you?

And then,

like Peter,

we cowered.

So,

what animates

the apostles here

to have this kind

of boldness,

this courage

that will cling

to the words

of life,

the gospel,

even though

in doing so

they risk dying?

What animates

the disciples

to lose their lives

for the sake

of the gospel?

The apostles

have seen

and experienced

the message

of life

in their own hearts.

Their lives

are transformed.

They've been given

the Holy Spirit

and now have

boldness to obey.

In a very real way,

they have fed

on the gospel,

fed on Christ.

They have

seen him

as infinitely greater

than anything

that they could hope

to achieve

in this life

that would somehow

give them meaning

for the life to come.

They have embraced

Christ

by his Spirit.

Salvation has come

to these men.

It's not that they

don't have times

where they falter.

If you remember

a couple weeks ago

after the first

confrontation

with the Sanhedrin,

they gather together

and they pray

for boldness

because

it would imply

that they're afraid.

It's difficult,

but this is what

they do.

They're feeding

on Christ.

If you try

to gain your life,

you will lose it,

but if you lose

your life for Christ's

sake,

you will gain it.

You see,

the message

of salvation

leads to

another paradoxical

reality

for the same message

is either a source

of condemnation

or one of redemption.

There can't be

an in-between.

So we've seen

first that

the Sanhedrin

trying to gain

their lives

are losing it

and also

spreading death.

But the disciples,

what are they doing?

They're losing their lives

for the sake of Christ

and life

is going out

from them.

They are being used

by God

to proclaim

the gospel

and salvation.

And now

we'll see that

that gospel

is either

condemnation

or redemption.

So look with me

at verse 27.

Get a quick drink

first.

Verse 27

and 28.

And when they,

that is the Sanhedrin,

brought them,

that is the apostles,

they set them

before the council

and the high priest

questioned them

saying,

We strictly charge 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.

Can't even say Jesus.

Bring this man's blood

upon us.

If you remember,

during the passion

of Christ,

Pilate stood

before the Jewish leaders

and the Jewish crowds

and he said

he found no fault

in this man.

And they said,

Crucify him all the same.

And then Pilate,

he symbolically,

he washed his hands

symbolically declaring

his innocence

of killing Christ.

Now,

that didn't somehow

make him innocent of it

but that's what he did

in front of the crowd.

And he said

in verse 25

of Matthew chapter 27,

Matthew 27 · chapter mention

His blood,

that is Jesus' blood,

be on,

or this blood is on you

and then,

sorry,

and then the crowd,

the Jewish crowd

said in response,

His blood be on us

and on our children.

Then Pilate

released for them

Barabbas

and having scourged

Jesus,

delivered him

to be crucified.

They have short memories.

They said,

listen,

in verse 27 and 28

of chapter 5

in Acts,

You are intent

to bring this man's blood

upon our heads.

That's,

that's,

that's not our problem.

We're not guilty

of this man's death

and yet,

at the passion,

they said,

be upon our heads

and on our children's heads.

He is guilty

if,

if he is found

not guilty,

whatever,

we'll deal with it.

May his blood,

we are the cause

of this man

going to the cross.

And they,

they did,

they played a huge part

in the death of Jesus.

It might have been

Roman nails

going into his hands

and feet,

but surely,

surely,

it was

the,

the pressure

and the desire

of Christ's own people

that sent him

to the cross.

And really,

us as well.

But here,

the Sanhedrin,

they do have

blood on their heads.

They do have

dirty hands

in all of this.

They are condemned

for their sin.

So let's continue.

Verse 29.

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.

Peter does not mince words.

He gives them

the straight truth

of the gospel.

And he continues

his bold preaching

by emphasizing

three key aspects

of the gospel message.

The first,

this is not

a new religion.

This is the culmination

of the biblical message,

the reference to

our fathers.

It's Abraham,

Isaac,

and Jacob.

This is not a new religion

that just we conjured up

or we follow some guy

that twisted the Bible.

This is our faith.

The second is that

repentance and forgiveness

of sins

are extended

to all of Israel.

And this is

the wonderful thing

about it.

Even to them.

I mean,

it says right here

in verse 30,

verse 31,

God exalted him

at his right hand

as leader and savior

to give repentance

to Israel

and forgiveness

of sins.

Peter is saying,

this gospel

is so remarkable

that it extends

to you.

You with blood

upon your heads,

you who have

dirty hands,

it is for you.

And the third thing

that the Holy Spirit

who testifies

to the resurrection

is now given

as a gift

to all those

who live

a life of faith.

So in short,

the salvation

that is proclaimed

is extended

to the very people

who killed

Christ himself

because the grace

of God

is truly that big.

The sacrifice

of Christ

on the cross

was that complete.

He gives repentance

and forgiveness

of sins,

salvation

even to the Sanhedrin.

But what does it mean

for the Lord

to give repentance?

I mean,

normally we repent,

but what does it mean

for God

to give repentance?

Through Christ,

an opportunity

to be reconciled

is extended

that would otherwise

be impossible.

That is what it means

for God

to give repentance.

The gift of repentance

is an open door

for reconciliation.

I'll share a story.

Hopefully it illuminates

it a bit more.

I was 20.

I was hurt really bad

by someone close to me

and I decided

that I was done

talking to that person.

And six months

went by

and I didn't answer

phone calls

or I didn't text back

using QWERTY

on my flip phone.

A little throwback there.

I didn't even have

a Blackberry at the time.

I was not interested

at all in reconciliation.

I was,

I decided that

that was it

except six months later

and I felt convicted

that I needed to

extend,

in a sense,

an olive branch

for reconciliation.

Now,

I'm not somehow

lifting myself up

because six months

is far too long

and there's

another part of the story

that is

inconsequential

to this example.

But there would be

no opportunity

for reconciliation

if I did not

extend

an opportunity

for repentance.

Whether or not

that person

took the repentance,

okay,

it's one thing,

but I extended

repentance

so that

there would be

a possibility,

an open door

of reconciliation.

This is precisely

what Peter is saying here.

The God of our forefathers

who raised Christ

from the dead,

whom he sent to die

for your sins,

who is seated

at the right hand

of God the Father

has opened the door

for repentance

so that forgiveness

and reconciliation

can take place

for us to be united

to God

through Christ

so that his very spirit

comes to reside

in us.

That we

because of our sin

are alienated

from God

and there is no

amount of things

that we can do

to get him

to notice us

or to put him

in a situation

where he has to

forgive us

but instead

God

unilaterally

he gives repentance

an opportunity

for reconciliation.

this is the grace

of God

at work

and that's

precisely what

Peter is saying.

Friends,

this is the gospel message.

The invitation

for repentance

and forgiveness

if embraced

is in a sense

to bring this man

Jesus,

his blood

upon your head

but not for

condemnation

any longer

but for cleansing

for salvation.

It's interesting

how the blood

of Christ

for those

that are choosing

by God's spirit

to embrace

the gospel message

it cleanses

of sin.

It's a beautiful thing

but when

we try to

self-justify

and push

Christ away

that blood

becomes

condemnation

upon us

and it testifies

to us

that we

are not

forgiven

that our sins

are not

taken away

that reconciliation

is not ours.

The same

message

of the gospel

is condemnation

for those

who want to

pursue salvation

on their own terms

that is divorced

from a

reconciliation

with God.

It's a very

instructive text

for us.

There's no

middle ground

it would seem

for the gospel

message

is either

reconciliation

or not.

The blood

upon

our heads

are either

for cleansing

or condemnation.

So once again

if you try

to lose your life

if you try

to gain your life

you will lose it

but if you lose

your life

for Christ's sake

you will gain it.

So how do

the Jewish leaders

respond?

Verse 33

When they heard

this

they were

enraged

and wanted

to kill them.

Here friends

is the first

instance

of public

dishonor

and physical

persecution

in the church

and yet

we see the

apostles

not cower

but rejoice.

And this brings

us to our

third and final

example about

how the gospel

is paradoxical

for the gospel

brings honor

through dishonor.

Look at

verse 34

to 42.

I'm going to

jump around

a bit

here.

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

people

stood up

and gave

orders

to put

the men

outside

for a

little

while.

And he

said to

them

and I'm

not going

to read

this

section

but he

sums it

up here

in verse

38.

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.

We'll

continue.

So the

Sanhedrin

took his

advice and

when they

had called

in the

apostles

they beat

them and

that beating

them almost

certainly is

40 lashes

minus 1.

It wasn't

a few

slaps

around.

They

flayed

their

back.

They

beat

them and

charged

them not

to speak

in the

name of

Jesus and

let them

go.

Then

the

apostles

left the

presence of

the council

rejoicing

that they

were counted

worthy to

suffer dishonor

for the

name.

Excuse

me.

We're

going to

look a

bit more

deeply

at Gamaliel

when we

explore

St.

Paul's

conversion

in chapter

9 of

Acts.

But what

is interesting

here is

that a

Pharisee was

a voice of

reason and

moderation.

Especially

given what

we see in

the Gospels

of this

opposition to

Christ by

the Pharisees.

Gamaliel,

he highlights

the truth that

God's plan

has an

ultimate and

triumphant

telos or

end that

cannot be

thwarted.

God's

plans can't

be uprooted.

They can't

be squashed.

Even when

the evil

earthly and

cosmic powers

coalesced to

destroy the

Savior, it

resulted in

the complete

opposite.

So too

with the

church.

The church

is the

body of

Christ.

So the

destiny of

Christ the

head is

the destiny

of the

church which

is Christ's

body.

So it would

be incredibly

foolish in

a sense to

follow after

a murdered

leader risking

life and

limb unless

that leader

was fully

man and

fully God

rising from

the grave and

ascending into

heaven and

providing the

opportunity for

repentance and

reconciliation and

the promise that

it would happen to

them as well.

That this

Christ who

conquered death

even if they

were to die

on the spot

by the

Sanhedrin,

they too

would rise

again.

because Christ

rose again to

new life,

the apostles

had the same

confidence that

even if they

lost their

mortal lives

bearing witness

to the gospel,

their destiny

would be the

same as their

master.

They are

honored to

be dishonored.

They are

honored to

be connected

to Christ at

the cost of

being dishonored

by man.

They are

graced to

be disgraced.

How is this

such a,

I mean the

paradox,

it flies in the

face of

conventional

thinking and

yet this is

the beauty of

the gospel.

If you try to

gain your life,

you will lose

it.

But if you

lose your

life for

Christ's sake,

you will

gain it.

Just to wrap

things up,

what a paradox.

The persecution

of the church,

it results in the

spread of the

gospel to the

ends of the

earth.

We'll see

that after

the stoning

of Stephen

in Acts

Acts 7 · chapter mention

chapter 7

and into

Acts chapter

Acts 8 · chapter mention

8.

The second

century church

father,

Tertullian,

said the

blood of

the martyrs

is the

seed of

the church,

which is

to say

that you

can persecute

the church

as much

and as

heavy as

you want,

but it

will result

in the

opposite.

It will

spread the

gospel far

and wide.

And friends,

this is our

hope as

well.

that to

gain our

lives,

we must

lose them.

We must

lose our

lives,

our ambitions

that go too

far,

our desires,

our ambitious

desires that

turn into

jealousy and

envy,

because we

are bent

and broken

inside.

And we

cannot achieve

a salvation

that is

eternal and

forever in

the presence of

God by our

own strong

work or

good deeds.

So we

lose our

lives.

We die to

these selfish

ambitions,

these self-congratulations

and self-condemnations.

We die to what

seems like wisdom

in our world

so that in

our lives we

may live forever

united to Christ.

And friends,

to be a blessing

to those

around us,

to be a

fragrance

around decay,

life where

there's death.

This is the

paradox of

the gospel

and it is

good news

for us

this morning.

Let us pray.

Lord,

we thank you

for the

wonderful examples

of the

apostles.

apostles,

men,

men just

like us

today,

mortal,

frail,

given to

worry and

anxiety,

fears,

times where

we are not

courageous,

and yet by

your Holy

Spirit,

by your

power,

by the

grace that

you give,

that they

were able to

do wonderful

things.

And Lord,

that is our

destiny as

well,

to bear

witness to

the cross,

to not

cower,

but by

your strength

to obey.

Lord,

we pray that

we would

embrace that

wonderful,

beautiful,

paradoxical

gospel.

Lord,

that we

would be

people that

lose our

life for

your sake,

trusting that

the life that

you give us

when we lose

our life is

not just good

in the here

and now,

but eternal

and wonderful,

full of joy,

abounding

in glory.

So Lord,

we lift

these things

up to you.

We pray that

you would

help us

to obey

you,

help us

to trust

in you,

help us

to feed

on this

wonderful

message.

We pray

this in

Christ's

name.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.