The Apostles Arrested and Freed

And good morning, everyone. It's good to be with you.

And for those of us new here or following along,

we've been preaching through the book of Acts.

Acts is about the beginning of the church,

the history of the early church, that Jesus died and rose from the dead.

And that's the spark that set fire to the early church.

And we see in Acts how this fire spreads

until we're here 2,000 years later in Hong Kong worshiping Jesus.

And we heard in the last several weeks

that the church got off to a strong start.

The Holy Spirit came at Pentecost.

Peter preached the first sermon.

And 3,000 people believed.

We also saw the first healing,

where a crippled man in Jesus' name started to walk.

The church was new and exciting.

And there were so many great firsts.

But then it took a turn.

Last week, we heard about the first sin and the first death.

And Ananias and Sapphira, they conspired to lie,

and God struck them down, dead,

to preserve the integrity of the church.

We learn there that God is gracious, and he is also holy.

He is jealous for the purity of the church,

that we are holy like he is holy.

So that's the first sin and the first death.

Mainly, I want to turn our attention back to the week before that,

to Acts 4, where we see another first.

The first persecution.

Peter and John heal a crippled man.

There was this man that was handicapped.

He couldn't walk for decades.

That's amazing, right?

But what reward did the apostles get?

Did they get a medal?

Did they get a community service award?

No.

Instead, they faced persecution.

Instead, the authorities arrest them,

throw them in jail for a night,

and drag them to court.

And they warn them, stop talking about Jesus.

We know you healed this guy,

but you can't talk about Jesus.

But do you think Peter and John stopped preaching?

Of course not.

And they tell them,

whether it is right in the sight of God

to listen to you rather than men,

you must judge.

But we can't stop speaking of what we heard and seen.

And so they meet back up with the friends,

and they pray.

They pray.

It's interesting because they don't pray.

They don't pray,

God, stop the persecution.

They don't pray for that.

But instead, they say,

Sovereign Lord, give us boldness.

Look upon their threats,

and give us boldness.

And as they prayed for boldness,

we heard,

The room shook.

That's how God answered their prayers.

Boldness against opposition.

We see the same thing happen again in Acts 5.

The same thing repeats.

The apostles are arrested,

but God delivers them.

And that's what we're going to focus on today.

How can we have boldness to proclaim Christ

when facing opposition?

But you shouldn't care what I have to say

unless it's what God has to say.

So let's stand as we read God's word.

We're gathered to be devoted to God's word,

not mine.

So let's stand out of reverence

as we read God's word today in Acts 5.

I'm going to invite Gabs to read for us.

Acts chapter 5, verses 12 to 42.

Acts 5:12–42

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 into 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

or 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 who 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 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.

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,

Thudias rose up,

claiming to be somebody

and a number of men,

about 400 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 those 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 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 his name.

And every day

in the temple,

and from house to house,

they did not cease

teaching and preaching

that the Christ

is Jesus.

This is the word

of the Lord.

Thanks.

You can take a seat.

And let's pray.

Lord, we look to you.

You are a God

who is powerful,

who can't be stopped,

who is on our side.

We may be chained,

but the word of God

can't be chained.

So speak to us

by your spirit.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.

Okay, so,

the lens we'll look

through this today

is how can we be

bold witnesses

for Christ

when facing opposition?

That's our focus.

So two weeks ago,

Acts 4 again,

we saw the first persecution.

And now,

as we read

in Acts chapter 5,

Acts 5 · chapter mention

it's deja vu of that.

The same thing

almost happens again.

There's persecution again.

The apostles

are arrested again.

And they're freed again.

Now, Jesus says,

if we're truly followers

of him,

we'll all face

some sort of persecution.

The gospel is offensive.

Jesus says in John chapter 15,

John 15 · chapter mention

if they persecuted me,

they will also persecute you.

And we said before,

if we're not offensive

in some way,

we're not going out of a way

trying to be mean,

but if the gospel

is offensive

and if we are not

being offensive

in some way

in the way we live

or the gospel we preach,

if that is palatable

to everyone,

that should make us consider

whether that is really

the gospel

or just cheap grace.

Now, at the same time,

life's actually pretty good

in Hong Kong.

We're gathered here today

freely

without any fear

of persecution.

We're not really scared

someone's going to come

and arrest us right now.

I doubt many of us

have been arrested

because of our faith.

And I'm pretty sure

that none of us

have been killed

for our faith.

That's not the same experience

for Christians

in many places

around the world

or even in the early church

in Acts.

But if persecution

sounds a bit dramatic

for you as a word,

if persecution

is a bit dramatic,

how about the word opposition?

As followers of Christ,

all of us face opposition.

Opposition could be

big or small,

ranging from severe persecution,

being killed for your faith

when there's a threat

on your life

to small things

like fear of being awkward,

being the odd one out,

being rejected,

being the weird Christian.

We're probably not

being arrested

like the apostles today.

Maybe some of us will be,

but we still need boldness

to be witnesses for Christ

and facing opposition.

I remember early

when I was working

at my previous job

in finance,

I needed boldness sometimes

when my coworkers,

they would just make

small talk,

easy, simple things,

and ask,

hey,

any plans this weekend?

And I'd be like,

yeah,

I'm going for a hike,

I'm going rock climbing,

I'll read a book,

I'll go to the gym,

play guitar.

I'm happy telling them

all of that stuff.

Normal people things,

but I'd conveniently

skip the fact that

I gathered with the church

to worship my Lord

and Savior,

Jesus Christ,

out of fear,

to avoid being awkward,

to avoid being,

just feeling nervous.

I lack boldness.

Can you guys relate to that?

And so the question

we'll address today

is how can we be bold witnesses

when faced with fear

of opposition?

Acts 4,

at the end of the chapter,

that taught us

to pray for boldness.

And today in Acts 5,

we see a few more ways.

We see a few more ways

to be bold

as God works

on behalf of his church.

First,

we can be bold

by doing what's good.

We can be bold

to face opposition

by carrying with us

a clean conscience.

We read in Acts 5

that the apostles

got arrested again.

But what was the crime

that got them arrested?

What were they arrested for?

They must have done

something really bad

to be wanted criminals.

Let's read from verse 12.

It says,

Now many signs and wonders

were regularly done

among the people

by the hands of the apostles.

They were doing signs and wonders

and because of these signs

they gained a reputation.

Verse 13 says,

The people held them

in high esteem.

They had a good reputation

because they were healing people.

The healing of that crippled man

in Acts 3

wasn't just a one-off.

They kept performing miracles

in Jesus' name

and people started taking notice.

Verse 15 says,

They even carried out

the sick into the streets

and laid them on cots

and mats

that as Peter came by

at least a shadow

might fall on some of them.

People also gathered

from the towns

around Jerusalem

bringing the sick

and those afflicted

with unclean spirits.

And they were all healed.

The apostles

were doing good.

They were healing people.

And the result

in verse 14

is that more than ever

believers were added

to the Lord.

Multitudes of both

men and women.

The apostles,

they were doing

what Jesus did.

Proclaiming the kingdom

of God.

Preaching the gospel.

Preaching that Jesus

is Lord.

And demonstrating that

through their actions.

And in this case

healing people.

And as a result

people believed.

Multitudes believed.

And yet we read

in verse 17.

But the high priest

rose up

and all who were with him

that is the party

of the Sadducees

they were filled

with jealousy

and they arrested

the apostles

and put them

in the public prison.

And they were arrested

but what was their crime?

Their only crime

was making the blind see

the deaf hear

the lame walk.

Their only crime

was preaching good news

that there's forgiveness

of sins

and eternal life

only in the name of Jesus.

The apostles

were simply obeying God

but the rulers

were filled with jealousy.

They were in power

and they wanted

to keep it.

They did the same thing

in chapter 4.

They're jealous again

and so they arrest

the apostles again.

It's deja vu.

And it's all because

the only crime

the apostles committed

was pointing people

to Jesus.

They would not stop

talking about him

and acting like it.

Jesus promised us

if they persecute me

they will also persecute you.

And so we can

we know

we will face opposition.

But when that happens

when persecution comes

when people oppose it

let it be for doing good

not because we're going

out of our way

and being mean.

Let it be for doing good

like the apostles.

A few decades later

the apostle Paul

wrote a letter

in the book of 1 Peter.

In it he says

be holy

as God is holy.

Be holy

since God is holy

and so that

you may have

a good conscience.

When people oppose you

you may have

a good conscience.

so that when you're

slandered

those who revile

your good behavior

in Jesus Christ

may be put to shame.

For it is better

to suffer for doing evil

if that should be

God's will

than for doing good.

Give people nothing

to criticize

our lives about

except for good conduct.

Let our only crime

be obeying God

and talking about him.

That's what Peter did

and he wrote later

in 1 Peter

from experience.

The apostles

they had nothing to fear

because they knew

they were obeying God

they were doing

what's right.

Their only crime

was obeying God

and they were

persecuted for it.

Now the question

for us is

do we have

that same boldness

also?

Are we bold

to preach Christ

with a good conscience

or are we nervous

because of how

we live our lives

and how we act

because of our conduct?

Have you ever felt

I'm a terrible Christian

I'm a bad witness

I can't share

the gospel

right?

James likes to say

I don't want my teaching

to outrun my living

and sometimes

but what happens

is when your teaching

does outrun your living

when the way we act

doesn't match up

with what we say

the result then

is we want to stop

talking

we want to stop

preaching

right?

You might think

I'm such a bad example

I can't let people

know I'm a Christian

let alone

tell them about the gospel

and I get it

right?

We don't want

to be hypocrites

because if you just

cussed out your co-worker

it's awkward to say

hey screw you

want to come to church

on Sunday?

That doesn't work

it's hard to preach

the gospel

when you know

they'll ask

if Jesus is so good

then why did you

cheat on your wife?

Why'd you do that?

How is he Lord?

we spoke last week

about having integrity

and God showed us

in Acts 5

that his people

must be holy

so absolutely

let us not be hypocrites

saying one thing

and doing another

are we held back

in our scattering

because of the way

we live our lives?

But what should we do

when we think

I'm not good enough

to preach the gospel

what should we do?

Remember the gospel

isn't just good news

for others

but for ourselves

as well

if you don't feel like

you can be Peter

remember we've talked

about this also

remember where Peter started

Peter told Jesus

I'll never deny you

but what happened?

Jesus was arrested

and Peter was scared

of this little girl

he was scared

to admit to a little girl

a servant girl

that he knew Jesus

and after denying

nine Jesus three times

the rooster crowed

and Peter wept bitterly

because he considered himself

an unworthy follower

and witness of Christ

before Peter was a bold witness

he was a witness

like that crippled man

in Acts chapter 3

Acts 3 · chapter mention

someone who was sick

but who Jesus healed

and we're the same

when we follow Christ

the spirit transforms us

and people will see

our lives changed

we have new life

the spirit of God

is in us

and he empowers us

he changes us

to do good

so that we can be bold witnesses

with a clean conscience

let's aim to do good

be holy as God is holy

that's how we can face opposition

with boldness firstly

number two

when we face opposition

we can be bold

because we know

that God is in control

we can face opposition

because God is in control

again in verse 17

the religious rulers

the high priests

the Sadducees

these guys

because they were jealous

and they arrested the apostles

and put them in prison

in verse 19

it says

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

see

the rulers arrested

the apostles

to stop them from preaching

but God

he sends an angel

to bust them out of jail

the apostles

the rulers

trying to stop them

but God can't be stopped

God sends this angel

to bring them out of jail

and he commands them

the thing that they arrested you to do

just go and do it again

go into the temple

go back to the temple

and keep preaching

the gospel that brings life

keep preaching

the words of life

so the apostles obey

and they do it

meanwhile

those who arrested the apostles

went home

they probably had no clue

what happened

they had a good night's sleep

they were probably smug

about catching these apostles again

licking their lips

about what to do with them

right

but the next morning

they reconvened to figure out

what's going on

what to do with them

and you know

at the gathering

we love God's word

that's why we stand

as a small gesture

out of reverence

for God's word

we have reverence

but sometimes the Bible

is pretty funny

sometimes God's pretty funny

and if I made a list

I think this passage

would be up there

on that goofy list

of some of the funniest

passages in the Bible

it doesn't beat John 20

where John slips in

hey I'm faster

I outran Peter

or Acts 20

where Paul preaches

a sermon so boring

that someone falls out

the window and dies

he bores someone to death

hope that doesn't happen today

but this passage

is kind of up there

on the goofy list

right

the book of Acts

is accurate history

but that doesn't mean

it's boring

Luke had some fun with it

to show what happens

to those who oppose

the sovereign God

right

verse 21 says

the ruling council

sent to have the apostles

brought from prison

but when the officers came

they did not find them

in 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 to them

and said

look the men

whom you put in prison

are standing in the temple

and teaching the people

now as I was reading

all this earlier

preparing for this

I just wish there was

some cartoon sound effects

because this is

it's like a chase scene

straight out of Tom and Jerry

right

it's some Looney Tunes nonsense

where Wally Coyote

he springs a trap

and then he catches

the road runner

but then you blink

and next thing you know

the apostles

they're like

meep meep

right in the temple

right

the rulers

they're all smug

scheming at their senate meeting

what they'll do

with the apostles

but the apostles

they put them on skates

the rulers are like

what

what do you mean

the prison's empty

where are they

who's got eyes on them

these are the priests

the Sadducees

the people who've studied

God's word

but they were puzzled

they were marveling

they're wondering

how could this happen

does anyone know someone

who sets captives free

and breaks every chain

who could have done this

I don't know

I'm puzzled

and then someone runs in

and says

hey you know the guys

that you arrested

and told them not

to preach about Jesus

and then arrested again

because they kept

preaching about Jesus

well you won't believe it

they're preaching about Jesus

oh no they're not hiding

you know that public place

that you're responsible for

as the high priest

the temple that you're

meant to be watching

well they're right there

out in the open

right

while you're scheming

against them

it's all a clown show

right

these guys

they're responsible

for the temple

but they're oblivious

to what's going on

they're scratching

their heads

right

while the apostles

are right under

their noses

they're like looking

for their sunglasses

on top of their heads

that's how goofy

they are

right

and that's a clear

picture of what happens

when people oppose God

God is absolutely

and indisputably

in control

it's not a fair fight

between the rulers

and the apostles

God simply wins

there's no contest

Psalm 37 says

the wicked plot

against the righteous

but the Lord laughs

at the wicked

for he sees

his day is coming

it's not a fair fight

you might have seen

after service

the kids like to run around

and play on the bean bags

like to play and wrestle

and I like to play around

with them

but it's not a fight

right

if Sam

seriously thought

he could pin me down

he could wrestle me

to the ground

I had to laugh

it's not a fight

it's no contest

we're just playing

when we follow Christ

we will face opposition

but we can have confidence

knowing that God

is sovereign

he always wins

we sang earlier

who can stop

the Lord Almighty

who can oppose him

who can stop

the Lord Almighty

that's what we mean

when we say

that God is sovereign

nobody can stop our God

he's in control

over everything

every situation

every detail

of your life

even in opposition

he's in control

and no one

can stop him

what would it change

for us to know

that God's in control

he's in control

and watching over

and guiding us

in our life

and he cares for us

that even when we face

opposition

no one can stop him

it's the same idea

if we read on

to verse 28

the rulers

grab the apostles

from the temple

and they say

we strictly charge you

not to teach

in this name

yet here

you have filled

Jerusalem

with your teaching

and I wish

I could say

we have filled

Hong Kong

with teaching

but then the apostles

reply

we must obey God

rather than men

we must obey God

rather than men

rather than you guys

it's easy to say

we follow Jesus

when we don't have

any skin in the game

but the real test

is what will we do

when we face opposition

and obeying God

will cost us

are there areas

in our life

where you need to

obey God

rather than men

or do we need

to obey God

rather than our hearts

our own hearts

our fears

our insecurities

our comforts

rather than the fear

rather than

obey God

rather than

trying to fit in

or feeling comfortable

and more specifically

here

God commanded

the apostles

to go preach

the gospel

that's what they're

meant to obey

that's what it says

in verse 20

the angels

free them

and told them

to go into the temple

and preach

we don't get arrested

on a daily basis

like the apostles

but the most common

opposition we face

today perhaps

is fear

and rejection

we think to ourselves

oh that person

is probably not

interested in God

they're not interested

in the gospel

they don't care about God

they're maybe hostile

to God

so they'll laugh at me

they'll be hostile to me

they'll reject me

how does it change

to know that

we serve

an unstoppable God

who breaks every chain

and sets the captives free

that they might reject us

but God won't stop

to chase down

all his lost sheep

he knows his sheep

and they hear his voice

he's in control

over our hearts

over their hearts

and the spirit of God

is with us as witnesses

that's what it says

in verse 34

verse 32

it may be impossible

on our own

to change hearts

but we're not

on our own

God himself

goes before us

the spirit of God

is witnesses

along with us

and so we must

obey God

speak the message

of life

rather than

obeying our fears

our insecurities

and our small view

of God

is there someone

that you think

that person will never

believe in God

that person's too far gone

right

that person will definitely

say no

could be a friend

a grumpy relative

a world leader perhaps

remember

God

God

is unstoppable

even if we don't

obey him

these rocks will cry out

he's a God

that is in control

in control

over every heart

what's God calling

to do

is there someone

that you think

it's the least likely

for them to

believe in God

wouldn't you want

to see God

work

wouldn't you want

to see God

change that least likely

person's heart

because God's able

to do it

is there someone

on your heart

let's carry on

so the apostles

they must obey God

because the gospel

is good news

and that good news

must be shared

and again

the gospel is simple

we've been saying that

in the last few weeks

there's two parts to it

sin and savior

and we see the same thing

again in verse 30

the apostles say

you sinned

by crucifying Jesus

on the cross

but God raised him

from the dead

and exalted him

to glory and power

at his right hand

as leader and savior

right

the gospel is that

we've all sinned

and deserve death

but Jesus is our savior

who died and rose

that God exalted

so that we may be

forgiven of our sins

and given new life

that's the gospel

and then in verse 33

when the rulers

heard this

they were enraged

and wanted to kill

the apostles

and I said before

the gospel is offensive

it was offensive

here to the point

that the rulers

want to kill them

but God is in control

yet again

he reigns

God uses a Pharisee

a guy named Gamaliel

to argue for their release

and this Pharisee Gamaliel

he says

his argument goes

like this

let's be careful

let's wait and see

let's wait and see

what happens

because this isn't

the first time

a cult sprang up

this isn't the first time

someone started

a movement

it happened twice

right

there's a guy

named Thutis

he got 400 followers

but then he died

and that was the end

of that

there was another guy

Judas the Galilean

he had a following

but then he died

and that was the end

of that

that all fell apart

and then Gamaliel says

in verse 38

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

Gamaliel

he's saying

the founder of all

these movements

they died

and that was the end

of that

that's how it ends

let's see if this movement

this thing also fizzles out

Gamaliel

didn't believe in Jesus

yet he still knew

you can't oppose God

he knew

he only saw the beginning

of this movement

yet he knew

that if this undertaking

is of God

it will surely secede

and if even Gamaliel

believed that

how much more

should we have conviction

that our God

can't be stopped

that our God

will win

he will finish

the good work

he started

he will make sure

every knee will bow

at the name of Jesus

because unlike Gamaliel

we know the rest

of the story

those two other

movements fizzled out

but when Jesus died

that was not the end

remember when people

oppose us

we're not the only ones

who were persecuted

they arrested the apostles

and they arrested

Jesus too

the rulers

they tried opposing God

by killing Jesus

but God put them

to shame

triumphing over them

by the blood

of his cross

they killed Jesus

but God raised him

from the dead

and exalted him

at his right hand

as leader and savior

and now in the year 2025

we can look back

on 2000 years

of history

showing that God

was faithful to his church

Jesus said

on this rock

I will build my church

and the gates of hell

will not prevail against it

he was faithful then

and he will be faithful now

and I love how

me he and the team

led us in worship

singing

I sought the Lord

and he heard

and he answered

I sought the Lord

and he heard

and he answered

can we think of times

when we were in trouble

when we sought God

he heard

and he answered

when we were far from him

when we were in

in trouble

when we were feeling depressed

when we were anxious

about our jobs

when we were anxious

about relationships

and I sought the Lord

and he heard

and he answered

he answered those situations

and he drew me to him

and I love how me

he led us to sing

I will again

I sought him in the past

and now I will again

seek the Lord

and I believe

that he will answer again

I sought him before

and I will seek him again

because he was faithful then

he will be faithful now

that's what I believe

God is in control

he can't be stopped

and that gives us boldness

to face opposition

and lastly

we see here also

in this passage

that we can be bold

against opposition

when we rejoice in Christ

when we love Christ

and rejoice in Christ

and rejoice in suffering

with Christ

that gives us boldness

to face opposition

let's read on

so Gamaliel

he made his argument

he said

we can't oppose God

everyone believes him

verse 39 says

he convinced them all

they took his advice

they accepted his argument

and they followed

Gamaliel's advice

right so great

God can't be stopped

so that means

the apostles are off the hook

right God's in control

and the apostles

are going to get

away scot free right

but no

we read in verse 40

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

they beat the apostles

that means they likely

flogged them

39 times with the whip

they beat them

right

and I find this

so strange

because Gamaliel

he sounded like

a pretty reasonable guy

he was saying

pretty reasonable things

presenting a pretty

rational argument

but up until now

it was so far so good

but what happens next

makes no sense

right

there's no logic

in saying

we can't oppose God

but let's

let's just beat

these guys up anyway

right

it goes to show

it wasn't Gamaliel

that saved them

it was all God

and yet God

allowed them

to suffer

there's something else

that's strange

verse 41 says

that

then the apostles

left the presence

of the council

after they were beat

they left

rejoicing

that they were

counted worthy

to suffer dishonor

for the name

after they were beat up

they left rejoicing

that they were

counted worthy

right

if you got punched

in the face

you got kicked in the shin

how many of you

would just throw

a party after that

well that's what

the apostles did

they were beaten

black and blue

but they didn't

complain

they didn't

strike back

rather they

rejoiced

this is weird

they rejoiced

not because

they're beating up

no one likes that

no one likes to get hit

they rejoiced

because

it says

they were counted

worthy

to suffer

dishonor

for the name

they were counted

worthy

and they rejoiced

because they suffered

for Christ

they suffered

for him

and yet

remained faithful

and again

Peter

the apostle

who was beat up

here

he writes

later in

in 1st Peter

chapter 4

he writes saying

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

Peter is saying

rejoice when you

suffer

when you face

opposition

because that's

because

when we suffer

and endure

that shows

that we are

united with Christ

that we really

are followers

of Christ

and that the spirit

the holy spirit

is within us

and is there

anything better

than that

to know

that we're

in Christ

and to have

the spirit

of God

in us

the holy God

that Moses

was scared

to approach

in the burning

bush

he lives

in us

what's better

than that

James

reminded us

previously

that when we

scatter

we serve

let's not do it

out of the goodness

of our hearts

let's not do it

because we want

to do something

good for God

serve out of the

goodness of our hearts

and he says

let's scatter

instead because

we love Jesus

that's the most

important thing

to love Jesus

and want him

more than

anything

and in the same

way

we can try

all we want

to be bold

but we can't

have boldness

to obey

just by trusting

in God's sovereignty

and trust

in trying to be

holy and doing good

we have boldness

when we have

this surpassing

love for Christ

when we think

to live is Christ

and to die is gain

that's what the

apostles had

that's what gives

them boldness

when they rejoice

in suffering

to be bold

to obey

even when facing

opposition

to be bold

when we love

Jesus

and our hearts

want nothing more

than to be found

in him

to be united

with him

to be identified

with him

even suffer

for him

now it might

seem like a tall

task for us

to suffer for Christ

maybe you think

we're not there yet

I don't even know

if people were

arresting me

maybe I tap out

if they beat me

I might just

yeah I don't think

I could do it

and I definitely

couldn't rejoice

in someone doing that

maybe

rejoicing in suffering

that seems like

a stretch

but if we can't

rejoice in suffering

maybe as a first step

if we can't rejoice

in suffering

with Christ

how about let's try

to rejoice

in being seen

with Christ

if we can't rejoice

in suffering

with him

let's rejoice

in being seen

with him

being identified

with him

let's be proud

of being

followers of Christ

I was talking

to some people

recently

about sharing

the gospel

at work

or at school

sometimes it's hard

because everyone's

busy working

and you can't

really at your

all staff meeting

in the morning

start reading

from Acts

or reading

just preaching

the gospel

that's not

quite the environment

and sometimes

it's weird to talk

about religion

at work

there's a cultural

stigma against it

because no one

does that

we're meant

to be professionals

and I get that

I've been there

where I want

to share the gospel

at work

but I don't

quite know how

there's no

it seems to be

no opportunity

I don't know

how to make it

natural

but while we can't

share the full gospel

with everyone

at our staff meeting

with everyone

we meet

we can at least

take every opportunity

we can

to be seen

with Christ

to identify

with him

to rejoice

at being seen

with Christ

to share that

we're Christians

and we're proud

of it

it's not something

that we're ashamed

of

that we're shoving

in the corner

but I am proud

to be a follower

of Christ

and those opportunities

come up pretty naturally

I said earlier

what did you do

this weekend

you can say a list

of other things

but how about

yeah

I went to church

and I worshipped

to worship Jesus

and that's actually

a highlight of my week

I love my brothers

and sisters

and I love worshipping

my God

if Jesus is Lord

if he's so important

we can be proud

to be seen with him

to be identified

with him

and not to do it

nervously

but to say it

with a smile

make it clear

that he is Lord

not someone

we're ashamed of

before rejoicing

in suffering

with Christ

let us rejoice

in being seen

with Christ

even where

we can't share

the gospel

in depth

you can show

in your life

you can show

by the things

you talk about

that Jesus

is everything

that he is your joy

that he is your treasure

and that he is a God

worth following

and the more

our lives

are centered

around him

the more naturally

we have opportunities

to talk about him

for example

I love my wife

and my life

is so intertwined

with hers

so when I'm talking

when we're in conversation

even now

it just comes up naturally

it doesn't take you long

for you guys

to know that I'm married

because she's a big part

of my life

and I'll just

talk about her

naturally

and so it is

with Christ

the more

we love him

the more our lives

revolve around him

the more we find

opportunities

to share

about him

the more we rejoice

in being seen

with Christ

the more that we are

we love Christ

the more opportunities

there will be

to share about him

and perhaps

even rejoice

to suffer

for him

let's be proud

to identify

with Jesus

rejoice to be seen

with him

rejoice to suffer

for him

and we'll finish off

by reading verse 42

it says this

and every day

in the temple

and from house

to house

they did not cease

teaching and preaching

that the Christ

is Jesus

they didn't cease

teaching and preaching

that the Christ

is Jesus

now as I was reading

this to prepare

by the time I got

to verse 42

I was thinking

man Luke

almost didn't need

to write this verse

he almost didn't need

to write this verse

because it's so obvious

it's so obvious

what they were going

to do

right

the apostles

they arrested

for healing the sick

and preaching the gospel

the authorities

arrested them

for doing what's good

but God couldn't be stopped

God's in control

God busted them

out of jail

and told them

keep preaching

the gospel

and the apostles say

we must obey God

rather than men

we must keep preaching

and they're almost

killed for that

but God saves them again

they're not killed

but they're beaten up instead

they're beaten half to death

but rather than

complaining about it

they rejoice

they rejoice

that they were worthy

to suffer for Christ

that they're worthy

to be seen with him

and suffer for him

right

and after all that

after all that

what do you think

the apostles did

that they go home

and hide

of course not

of course they get preaching

of course every day

everywhere

in homes

and in the temples

they did not cease

teaching and preaching

that Jesus is the Christ

of course they did

God can't be stopped

and neither can these guys

they won't stop

preaching the gospel

and may that be true

for us

may it be true

for us as well

that when we rejoice

in Christ

when he is our treasure

and when we trust

that God's in control

that he can't be stopped

and he is on our side

when we have a clean conscience

knowing that we're obeying God

we're doing what's right

right

that's when we'll be bold witnesses

that's when we'll be bold

to obey God

despite opposition

and persecution

let it be true for us

that when people look

at our lives

when they really get to know us

they'll say

man of course this guy