Acts 5:12-42 Suffering

If you've not been with us, you're visiting with us, we've been walking through Acts.

And I've enjoyed it and I've been thrilled by it.

And I'm reminded as I walk through Acts, everything that's in there that you're like, is that really in the Bible?

And if you weren't here last week, it was incredible because we read about two people that lied to God and then died.

That was super fun.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

It was a great time.

And um, but we discovered last week that the heart of the church was incredible because everybody that was coming to Jesus and seeing signs, wonders, and miracles, they they realized that what they owned was not their own.

And so their life was just in mission to serve God in whatever capacity.

They were so eternally minded that what's going on in life wasn't the major, it was the minor.

It was the process, right?

And we see incredible things happening in the church.

And we last week we read about Barnabas who sold a property, gave all the money to the apostles so that they could help people that were in need, because we recognized we talked about persecutions happening in the church, not just people saying bad words about you, but serious persecutions going on.

And so everybody's like, man, Barnabas, that's incredible.

And then we read about Ananias and Sapphira who said, Hey, we're gonna sell a property and we're gonna give part of the money, and we're gonna say that we gave all of it.

And remember when they walked in and an eyes, like, hey, here's all the money.

And the Holy Spirit speaks to Peter and says, That's not it, he's lying.

And it wasn't about the issue of him giving all of it or not giving any of it.

It wasn't the issue at all.

It was the issue that he lied about it, that he was being a hypocrite to the Holy Spirit.

And so he died right there.

Remember, he gets carried out and buried.

Crazy, right?

Everybody's excited.

If you weren't here, you're like, oh my gosh, you need to unpack this more.

And then his wife, three hours later, comes in.

Word had not gotten to her yet, which is crazy, right?

A day without cell phones is what it's like.

And so she walks in.

Peter's like, is this really all the money?

And yeah, that's all of it.

And she had an opportunity to say, No, that wasn't it.

We had a plan, we were nervous about our finances.

She had an opportunity to come clean.

She lies to the Holy Spirit and boom, dies on the spot.

What do you think happens?

Everybody's in fear.

Oh my gosh, this is legit.

God is serious about his holiness, he's serious about his church.

And so if you're in this place today and you're about to lie, don't do it.

No, I'm just kidding, that'd be crazy.

That'd be so crazy.

Okay.

Somebody asks you how your week was, and you're like, it's good.

No, let me rewind.

So we see the power of God moving in an incredible way.

People are getting healed.

Like tens of thousands of people are coming to Jesus.

And it's costing them everything.

It's not just like, oh, I got to give up an hour and a half on a Sunday morning once a week.

It's like for many of them, their families are not going to speak to them anymore.

Their businesses might get shut down because nobody wants to follow them because they're breaking out of what has been, right?

The religious system that had been going on.

So here we are.

We're going to be in chapter five.

We're going to be in verse 12.

It says, the apostles were performing many miraculous signs and wonders among the people.

And all the believers were meeting regularly at the temple in the area known as Solomon's Colonnade.

But no one else, check this out, but no one else dared to join them, even though all the people had high regard for them.

Yet more and more people believed and were brought to the Lord, crowds, both men of both men and women.

Can we stop right there really quick?

Now, if you're visiting and you know me, I have a hard time making it through an entire passage.

And so this is one of these moments I had to stop at.

It seems weird to read a line, it says, but no one else dared to join them, verse 13, even though all the people had high regard for them.

And then it says verse 14, yet more and more people believed and were brought to the Lord.

Does that sound weird?

Like nobody's like, I don't want to go to church there.

You might die, right?

Like it's serious, they are serious over there.

And so people are nervous about it, but listen, do they held them in high regard?

What has happened in the body of Christ that the church is no longer held in high regard in the communities that we're a part of?

Because I think that we got our eyes off of the main thing and on other things.

But when your life is fully submitted to God and you're fully surrendered to Him and fully obedient to Him, there's something that happens in the midst of that where God's glory gets revealed, and everybody at least has to acknowledge, even if they don't agree with it, like, man, it's different over there.

There's something special happening there.

I can't put my finger on it.

And even those that are fearful, like, man, they are serious over there.

I think there's people that say, man, you look at that, that church that's going on in Acts, they're not playing games.

God's not playing games.

But you know, I think there's people in life that's like, I don't feel like playing games anymore.

I don't feel like being fake.

I don't feel like just going through the motions.

I don't want to, I don't want to be casual about this.

If this God is as real as he says and everything points to his realness, everything points to Jesus being the Messiah, then I want to be as real as they are about it.

And so you see people saying, I if it's if it costs me everything, but it also gives me everything that I could never get.

Right?

They're like, I'll I'll be, I want to step into that.

You don't see the church in acts being like car salesman.

Like, come to the Christian faith and everything's gonna get easier now.

Come into a Christian life and your finances are immediately gonna be better, and your car is gonna run forever, right?

Like, no, we people get trying to get sold, this like version of like everything's instantly all better.

That's not it.

The reality is when you come to Christ, you will never, ever, ever, ever, ever be alone for the rest of eternity.

In your worst days, he's there with you.

On your best days, he's there with you.

And understanding this, that even in the moments when you're imperfect, he still sees you and loves you.

You don't have to have it all figured out.

You don't have to have it right.

We are the righteousness of God through Christ Jesus.

What that means is when you come to Jesus and say, I believe that you are the Son of God and that you died for me and paid the price for my sins, come and be my Savior.

What that means is God sees you now through the lens of the sacrifice of Jesus made pure.

He looks at you and you see you in a regular mirror.

You're like, I've got so many flaws, so many mistakes, there's so many imperfections in me.

I remember tripping out one time, I was in this like the small, uh and I was in, it was like the the lady Ashley was searching for something, and it was like the cosmetic section where they have chairs where you can recline or something.

I always feel like if you're the person they ask you to sit down, you got trouble, right?

Like, man, you might want to take a seat for this, right?

Like they got all the all the makeups, but they had this thing where you stuck your face in it and it turned on this light, and you could see yourself under this light and every blemish on your skin.

It was frightening.

I was horrified.

I was like, buddy, you got a lot of work that needs to be done, right?

This is a long way from perfection.

I think we see ourselves and we see it under that light.

Man, I can see all the wrong in me.

But my life submitted to God, he looks at me through the lens of Jesus.

He says, No, I see you through the price Jesus paid.

I see you as right.

Come have a relationship with me.

There's not shame in it, there's not guilt in it.

Come honest to me.

You see the church and you see the community they're in here in Acts.

No one else dared to join them, even though all the people had high regard for them, yet more and more people believed.

It's like a paradox, right?

Like nobody wants to have a part, but everybody's like so compelled.

Like, this is so legit, so real.

How could I not take part in this?

How can I not join?

I see what God is doing for these people.

I see lame people that couldn't walk for 40 years, and now they're jumping around and doing stretches.

Right?

If you weren't here for that week, there was lame Larry, lame for 40 years.

He gets healed.

He's in the background doing lunges, right?

This is like everybody's like, oh my gosh, he's been there forever, and now he's walking around.

We see the power of God moving.

Man, can you picture someone on the outside looking in?

I would wonder, man, is there anybody that's on the outside looking in at Hope City?

And like, man, they're not playing games there.

They're not affronting that they got it all together because I met the pastor.

That's not the case.

But there's something, there's something different going on there.

I feel something different there.

I don't want to play games.

You're gonna talk about hard stuff.

A life that's consecrated, completely laid down to God.

I'm not just giving you my Sunday mornings, I'm giving you my whole life.

I'm not just giving you the pretty parts of me, I'm giving you the ugly parts of me.

I'm giving it all to you.

And I wonder if there's anybody that's on the outskirts looking in, like, man, I'm nervous to step into that because they really they fear God because like they're not they're not playing games, but I see freedom there too.

I see hope there too.

Man, maybe maybe we'd be a church that somebody could be on the outside looking in, and why there might be an uh a reverence of what's happening, there would be an invitation to join into what's going on.

Yeah, man, it blows my mind that non-believers reverenced the work that God was doing in the church, even though they didn't believe in it themselves yet.

Yet.

Okay.

I'm gonna try to make it through a big portion of this.

Go along for the ride.

Sheila, you cannot laugh anymore at me.

I heard it out loud.

The whole first three rows heard you laugh when I said I'm gonna make it through all of this.

Okay, here we go.

Verse 15 As a result of the apostles' work, sick people were brought into the streets on beds and mats, so Peter's shadow might fall across some of them.

This is wild.

As he went by, crowds from the villages around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those possessed by evil spirits, and they were all healed.

They were all healed.

Verse 17 The high priest and his officials, who were Sadducees, were filled with jealousy.

They arrested the apostles and put them in public jail.

But an angel of the Lord came at night, opened the gates of the jail, and brought them out.

Then he told them, Go to the temple and give the people this message of life.

So at daybreak the apostles entered the temple as they were told, and immediately began teaching.

When the high priest and his officials arrived, they convened the high council, the full assembly of the elders of Israel.

They sent for the apostles to be brought from the jail for trial.

But when the temple guards went to the jail, the men were gone.

So they returned to the council and reported the jail was securely locked, with the guards standing outside.

But when we opened the gates, no one was there.

When the captain of the temple guard and the leading priest heard this, they were perplexed, wondering, where could it all end or where would it all end?

Then some someone arrived with startling news.

The men you put in jail are standing in the temple, teaching the people.

And the captain went with his temple guards and arrested the apostles, but without violence, for they were afraid of the people would stone them.

Verse 27, then they brought the apostles before the high council where the priests confronted them.

We gave you strict orders never again to teach in this man's name, he said.

Instead, you have filled all Jerusalem with your teaching about him, and you want to make us responsible for his death.

But Peter and the apostles replied, We must obey God rather than any human authority.

The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead after you killed him by hanging him on a cross.

Then God put him in the place of honor at his right hand as prince and savior.

He did this so the people of Israel would repent of their sins and be forgiven.

We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, who is given by God to those who obey him.

When they heard this, the high council was furious and decided to kill them.

But one member, a Pharisee named Gamalil, who was an expert in religious law and respected by all the people, stood up and ordered that the men be sent out the council chamber for a while.

Then he said to his colleagues, Men of Israel, take care what you are planning to do to these men.

Some time ago there was a fellow, I don't know how you say Thhutius, Thutic, bless his heart, who pretended to be someone great.

About 400 others joined him, but he was killed, and all his followers went their various ways.

The whole movement came to nothing.

After him, at the time of the census, there was Judas of Galilee.

He got people to follow him, but was killed too, and all his followers scattered.

So my advice is leave these men alone.

Let them go.

If they are planning, if they are planning and doing these things merely on their own, it will soon be overthrown.

But if it is from God, you will not be able to overthrow them.

You may even find yourselves fighting against God.

The others accepted his advice.

They called in the apostles and had them flogged.

Then they ordered them never again to speak in the name of Jesus, and they let them go.

The apostles left the high council, rejoicing that God had counted them worthy to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus.

And every day the temple, excuse me, and every day in the temple and from house to house, they continued to teach and preach this message.

Jesus is the Messiah.

Okay.

That was a miracle in itself that I made it through that.

Okay.

I want to jump all the way back to verse 15.

As a result of the apostles' work, sick people were brought out into the streets on beds, mats, so that Peter's shadow might fall across some of them as he went by.

Anyone find that like wild?

The power of God's moving so strong that as a shadow is cast and it passes over somebody, they're getting healed.

I want to say something.

This is a narrative that we're reading.

This is not a prescription.

So we're not gonna, after service, walk outside and have anybody sick, lay in the grass, and then the pastors walk in front of the sun and cast a shadow.

Like we're not we're not trying to replicate that, but we're seeing something that's incredible.

We're seeing the power of God so engaged with his people and moving through his people that are being obedient to him, that even in this regard, people are getting healed.

Now, if you remember all the way back in Luke, we uh if you're visiting with us, we went through Luke for a few minutes as a church.

And we went through Luke, we read about this woman who had had an issue of blood.

She had been bleeding for 12 years, and not any doctor could stop it.

And she hears about what Jesus is doing and how he's healing, and she pushes through the crowd, and she just thinks, if I can just touch the hem of his garment, I'll be healed.

And so she does that, touches the hem of his garment, and what happens?

It says, power goes out from him and heals her, and the bleeding stops.

We read that there, right?

We also read Jesus telling his disciples, greater things will you do than what I've done.

That is the wildest, one of the wildest statements in all of scripture for me.

Because when can Jesus lie?

Okay, I gave you a softball on that one.

That's a no.

Okay, looking at everybody, I don't know, maybe.

So Jesus can't lie.

Greater things will you do than what I've done.

And the power of God moving through Jesus through the extension of his robe healed that woman.

I would say this: don't be so focused on Peter and his shadow.

Recognize that just as a robe was an extension of Jesus, Peter and the shadow was an extension of Jesus.

Don't get wrapped up on the shadow, get wrapped up on Jesus and his power and how it can move through the people that serve him.

Because you need to recognize as much as the robe was an extension of Jesus, and as much as the shadow of Peter was an extension of Jesus, you are an extension of Jesus.

And he is not done working through those that are connected to him.

You with me on that?

So you don't have to have pastor in your title to be an extension of Jesus.

You don't have to have a specialized degree in your title to be an extension of Jesus.

You just need to be a servant of Jesus to be an extension of Jesus.

You're like, well, Joey, I get so many things wrong.

Have you read about Peter?

Like he was having some wins there in Acts, but he also had a lot of L's back in the book of Luke.

And so at the end of the day, remember, we are made perfect not by our works, but by the work of Jesus Christ, and we are seen through the lens of what Jesus has done.

So stop discounting what you are capable of and just believe that you're the righteousness of God through Christ Jesus and you are an extension of Jesus in this world.

Right?

That should change how you live on your daily life.

Not just your Sunday morning.

Here's my thought.

What if Sunday was the overflow of our week, not the fountain of our week?

What if, because sometimes it's like I just got to get to Sunday morning so I can just drink from the river and I have enough energy to make it to next week.

Or you think of it like this let me just get as deep a breath of God as I can on Sunday and try to hold it all week long until I almost pass out the next Sunday.

Jesus says, abide in me.

Sometimes I wrestle with jokes in my head.

I'm not sure.

He is not a bong.

You don't take a rip and then hope that high carries you.

I say that because some of you that that that made more sense to you than what the metaphor I was using before.

Right?

Amen.

Thank you.

There's somebody that's like, that was me.

I got that.

The bong reference.

However, no, I'm with you now.

We're on now, now we're now as a body, we're on the same page.

So I'm not getting so tied up in Peter's shadow, but I'm recognizing when I read through Acts, you know, you'll you'll see it.

We have a screen that says this is the Acts of the Apostles, and this is what it's recognized as.

Deeper, this is the Acts of Jesus, because Jesus never stopped working on earth, but who he's working through shifts.

He's working through you and he's working through me.

Yeah.

Peter's shadow fell across some of them as he went by, crowds from villages around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those possessed by evil spirits, and they were all healed.

Um I think it's important to recognize that um healing for sickness and um being freed of evil spirits doesn't always have to be connected.

Let me put it to you like this your sickness is not always caused by an evil spirit.

Sometimes you just be sick.

Right?

However, we do see that there are evil spirits in scripture, and over and over again, people have to get freedom from that.

We see that there are times when there's a little boy and he's possessed by an evil spirit, and he will throw him, toss himself into a fire.

Right?

We see that there's a man that's possessed by many demons.

And if you remember what we talked about possession, because this gets people really scared, it it is influence.

How much, how much of the door have I opened my life allowed the enemy to come in and now influence?

And I just say this as a side note.

We're about to come into uh um October, and I listen, I got no problem with pumpkin spice anything, or or a kid that wants to go out and and and trick or treat.

Like I'm praying over my neighbors as I'm walking with my kids.

I'm meeting my neighbors as I'm walking with my kids.

I'm not putting walnuts out front of our house that here, have a walnut.

Happy Halloween, right?

Like it's we've got Candy out there, and I don't believe that that's that God would look and say, Joey, you're worse.

That's not good.

I'm trying to, this is going on in my community, and why can I not redeem that time?

Why would I ever say the enemy gets to win that whole entire day?

I will say this though.

You need to watch out what doors you open in your life, especially in this season, because there's a lot of doors that get knocked on from the enemy.

It says, hey, watch this movie.

Hey, go visit this house that's haunted.

Hey, hey, hey, go try try to talk to some ghosts.

Listen, I want to tell you right now, there's doors you can open up that will the enemy will say, I will take that entrance if you allow it.

Now you might still be saved, but you've given the enemy influence in your life.

Can we talk about these things?

Because, yeah, all right.

So like sometimes we're like, yeah, Jesus rose from the grave, he defeated death, and you're like, that's awesome.

And then you start talking about demons, you're like, I don't like this conversation anymore.

But the enemy wants to ruin you.

He wants to kill, steal, and destroy is what scripture says.

Why would I want to give him opportunity to kill, steal, and destroy?

Even if you're listening to me, just try this.

Even if you're unsure, you're like, man, I'm trying to figure out this faith thing.

And even if you're unsure, why would you risk it?

Even you don't even have to, at this moment in this church, you don't even have to believe in Jesus.

But what I would just say is, if you're unsure, why risk it?

Don't open doors just because you're in a group of people that say, hey, let's go and do this and try to talk to a ghost in that house.

I only bring it up because I'm seeing it talked about more and more.

Okay.

That wasn't anything to do that had anything to do with the sermon.

All right.

Verse 17.

I'm so stoked about this passage.

The high priest and his officials, who were Sadducees, were filled with jealousy.

What are they jealous over?

The church is growing, the power of God is moving, people are getting healed, people are getting freed.

There's not need within that community.

And if there is a need, somebody's selling something and getting money to say, hey, here, it's not mine, anyways.

We're going to meet the needs of the community.

We're going to keep serving and loving Jesus together.

So they're filled with jealousy.

They arrest the apostles and put them in public jail.

But an angel of the Lord came at night, opened the gates of the jail.

This is wild.

Right?

Does anybody read this?

And you're like, was this real life?

This is an account of what went on in the lives of these people.

Imagine you get arrested, not for the bong thing.

All right.

Imagine you get arrested and you've only been loving people and you've only been serving people, and you're sitting in prison, and it's nighttime, you're like, man, what's going to go on tomorrow?

Because remember, we've talked about this before.

What happened to Jesus before he was crucified?

He was thrown into prison.

His disciples are not dumb.

They remember this.

The apostles are sitting in prison.

Who knows what they're talking about?

And boom, an angel just shows up.

This is I would read this over and over.

I'm like, Lord, don't ever let your scripture become regular to me.

This is extraordinary.

Angel shows up, opens the gate of the gates of the jail.

You know what I love about this is that when they come back the next morning, the jail was securely locked.

It's like the angel's like, I'm gonna tidy up behind myself.

He could have just kicked the door open, done how right?

They walk back, and it's like he he locked the door behind himself, right?

Like, man, what a great angel.

All right.

He opens the gates, brought them out, then he told them, check this out, verse 20, go to the temple and give the people this message of life.

Highlight that, underline that in your Bible.

This message of life, that word there, uh Zoe.

It's like it is the antithesis of death.

It is every it's it's the abiding in everything that's opposite of death.

You're in the grip of life, right?

Go and teach them, go and talk to them.

It's a perfect abiding in life, it's a perfect abiding in the antithesis of death.

The angel's command to proclaim this life directly confronts the reason why they were arrested, right?

They're like, don't talk about Jesus no more.

And the angel's like, hey, I'm gonna let you guys out, go talk about Jesus some more.

Well, we are kind of in here because he's like, Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know.

But go back to the same spot you were arrested, don't hide, and preach about him some more.

I wonder when I read this, who was it at daybreak that needed that jailbreak so that they could hear that there is hope and that his name is Jesus and there is salvation, that his name is Jesus, and there is life, and that his name is Jesus.

Why would the angel show up, unlock the door, let them out, lock it back, and say, now go back and preach this message of life.

Why would he why would he do that unless there was somebody specifically in my heart?

Man, who was it showed up that morning that was like giving up on life?

I feel hopeless, I feel lost, I feel less than, nothing I'm doing's working out, and they're just walking, they're like, Man, I'm gonna give this one more shot.

And they show up there, I'm gonna give this one more chance, and then then an apostle looks at them in the eye and says, Hey, can I tell you about life?

Can I tell you about the author of life?

His name's Jesus.

He was crucified a few weeks ago, but don't worry because in three days he rose from the dead and he paid the price for every time I've got it wrong, for every time you've got it wrong.

The whole Old Testament prophesies about this Messiah.

We've all been waiting on him, and he has come, and he has come to give you life and life abundantly.

Who needed to hear that that morning?

And even this morning, as I woke up early before the sun rose and I was praying over you, I felt like somebody was coming in this church today, and I felt like the same unction of that angel that said, Man, go preach about life.

And I felt like there was somebody walking in.

You're like, I'm on my last rope.

I am so exhausted, I am so spent, I'm so, I'm just overwhelmed with it all.

And I'm here to tell you this morning that the author of life sees you and that he hears you, and his eyes are on you, and he is for you, and he's not against you, and he's calling you home.

There's not a bottle that's gonna be able to meet that need in your life, there's not a drug gonna be able to meet that need in your life, there's not a person gonna be able to meet that need in your life.

And you could never earn the love.

But he died for you, anyways.

And he died for me.

Man, who needed to hear it that morning?

I wonder who needs to hear it this morning.

To me, it's not a coincidence that you're here and that you're hearing about Zoe, the opposite of death.

So at daybreak, verse 21.

The apostles entered the temple as they were told and immediately begin teaching.

When the high priest and his officials arrived, they convened the high council.

So we know they all joined together and say, okay, it's time for the trial.

Let's everybody get on the same page.

We we are wanting to make these guys know that they're wrong, we're right, we're gonna put them in their place.

Tell the guard, go get the guys.

Can you imagine the guard goes and looks in?

All right, fellas.

He's like looking in.

These guys are sleeping in or something, right?

Like, what was that like?

You look and you're like, listen, if you fail as a guard, it doesn't go over well in your job description.

Ever, let alone then.

Can you imagine having to walk back?

So uh you're not gonna believe this.

The door that we locked is still locked, but the people on the other side of the door that we locked, they're not there.

But the guards that are on the outside of the door, they're still there.

But the people, you remember them that we locked, they're not there.

And everybody, what does it say?

This is a phenomenal line.

I love Luke's writing.

They were perplexed, wondering where it would all end.

I don't even like somebody's like, I don't even know what's gonna happen today.

Like, this is crazy.

Then another guy runs in.

Hey guys, you remember the the guys we were gonna put on trial today?

Did y'all let them out?

Because they're in, they're over there right now where we arrested them yesterday.

They're over there right now and they're doing the thing that we arrested them for.

They're not even hiding.

Peter's got a megaphone.

Right?

Like this, they're they're loud about it.

They're not being sneaky.

They're not, they're not even, they're not even like camp, they don't even have their hoods up.

They're little Jedi hoods, they don't even have that up.

They're like they're you can see everybody's faces.

They're like, well, go get them.

And the apostles are like, okay, let's go.

Peter has been on a generational run in Acts.

His sermons are like hitting.

They said, we gave you strict orders.

This is verse 28.

Never again teach in this man's name.

Instead, you have filled all Jerusalem with your teaching about him.

And you want to make us responsible for his death.

The lack of self-awareness is crazy.

Well, in fact, you are the ones that came up with the plan to kill him, right?

I want to stop, look at this phrase real quick.

You have filled all Jerusalem with your teaching about him.

They don't even say the name Jesus.

May this phrase be applied to our church.

May this be said of us that all of Roanoke has been filled with the teaching of Jesus.

You guys have not shut up.

You can't stop talking about him.

The whole city knows about him because you won't be quiet about him.

And we told you to be quiet about him.

But you can't stop talking about him.

And you want to make us responsible?

But Peter and the apostles replied, we must obey God rather than any human authority.

We've been over this the other week, right?

He's saying the same thing.

The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead.

Check this out after who killed him?

After you killed him.

I mean, eye contact and everything.

You killed him and you killed him.

It's like Oprah, but with bad things.

And you killed that guy and you killed that guy.

Everybody killed that guy.

Maybe some of you don't remember Oprah.

She had a book club or something.

It was cool.

You killed him by hanging him on a cross, and then God put him in the place of honor at his right hand.

Remember, what you rejected, God accepted.

Verse 32 we are witnesses of these things.

I love that.

We are witnesses.

Don't just don't just believe us because we're making up.

We've seen it happen.

And you can talk to other people that have seen it happen.

In fact, Jesus, remember, He He displayed Himself after the resurrection, after He was killed, to over 500 people.

Right?

So it wasn't like mass hallucination.

All these people see him alive.

And it says, We are witnesses to this.

And so is the Holy Spirit, who was given by God to those who obey him.

We've been obeying him, and so we have the Holy Spirit.

You know what's amazing is when you obey God, the Holy Spirit will start moving in a more pronounced way in your life.

Why?

Because your ear is turned towards the person of the Holy Spirit.

He's not some kind of ethereal like force from Star Wars.

He's a person.

He wants you to ask him what he's thinking.

Yeah?

Okay.

But Peter and his apostles replied, We must obey God rather than any human authority.

The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead, and you killed him by hanging him on the cross.

Now, check this out.

Verse 33.

When they heard this, the council was furious and decided to kill them.

Now, uh, Gamalia or Gameleel, however you want to say it, I've always called him Gamalia.

He comes up with a lot of wisdom.

He serves up a lot of wisdom.

He's like, hey, if these guys are just doing their own thing, everybody that's done their own thing has died and their people have scattered.

But if this is really God orchestrating this, you can't stop them.

Not only can you not stop them, but just heads up, if this is God orchestrating this, you're about to pick a fight with God.

The most wisdom in that group comes in that moment.

Everybody's like, oh, I've never considered that.

I don't want to be on the wrong side of God.

I don't want to pick a fight, I don't agree with them, but I don't want to pick a fight with God.

So they so they back off the killing thing.

They're like, okay, we're not going to kill them.

He says, my advice, verse 38, is to leave these men alone and let them go.

Let's jump down to verse 40.

The others accepted his advice.

They called in the apostles and had them flogged.

What does that mean?

It means they had them laid out on the ground, chest exposed, back exposed, and they took these leather whips, these leather cords, and they began striking them.

Right?

So we don't get a count of how many, but history will tell us that they would have gotten 13 to the chest and 26 to the back, one shy of 40.

Because I believe it's in Deuteronomy that says, any more than that, and you'll despise the man.

I'm like, I feel like you despise him already.

Boom.

Somebody just you're laying there and you're listening pain is a desired aspect of the flogging, but humiliation is the greatest desire of those who are pronouncing the flogging to happen.

What they want to do is want to discredit the people that are being flogged.

We are showing that you were wrong, that we are right, and we're going to beat you to prove it, and this is disgrace upon your life.

And so that when you leave this place, everybody's going to see you walking and hurting.

Can you imagine?

You can't get away from it.

How are you going to get away from it?

You've been hit 13 times across your chest, 26 across your back.

You can't get escape the pain.

If you lean forward, this hurts.

If you lean back, that hurts.

You can't, you're going to walk different.

You're going to move different.

And so they get beat, and the desire is may you feel the pain, but may you even more feel disgraced.

May you even more feel shame.

Verse 31.

The apostles left the high council.

Get out your markers.

Get out your pen.

Get ready to underline.

The apostles left the high council, rejoicing that God had counted them worthy to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus.

Can I just be real with you about me?

I want to be identified with Jesus.

I want to see the miracles.

I do.

I want to see, I want to see people that are on death's doorstep be brought back to life.

I want to see people that have died be brought back to life.

I want to see people with addictions get radically free.

I want to see people in wheelchairs stand back up, people that are blind get their sight back.

I contend for that for our church because I believe the power of God affirms the word of God.

I want to be identified with God in the miracles and in the wonderworking power, but not so much in the suffering.

Do you remember all the way back when the apostles first get sent out?

Mika, would you come up for me?

You can keep taking your note if you need to.

They come back, and they're like, Jesus.

Even the demons had to listen to us.

He's like, Yeah, yeah, yeah.

But don't get excited that the demons listen to you.

Get excited that your name's written in the Lamb's book of life.

Get excited that the Father knows who you are.

Get excited that there's a relationship here.

Get excited.

Don't get excited about all this stuff.

And it's interesting because as you get into Acts, you see these incredible miracles happening.

But this line, they're rejoicing that God had counted them worthy.

You don't see that in other places where God were rejoicing because you counted us worthy to pray for a sick person that got healed.

Or you counted me worthy to use my shadow to heal somebody.

You counted me worthy to suffer.

You counted me worthy to be shamed.

Here's how they're looking at it.

They're looking at it as it was the grace of God that they were disgraced.

Because the disgrace was an identifier that they are marked with Jesus.

They wanted to whip them and give them stripes, but what they gave them was a badge, and it was a badge of honor to say, look at this.

We're leaving it.

We're like, guys, our Savior was whipped, and we we didn't even get cut up.

We just got leather with like what praise God that we're counted worthy to be so identified with Jesus we would be beat like him.

And sometimes we wonder in the church in America, like, where are the signs?

Where are the wonders?

Where's the miracles?

Well, here's the thing: we have a flat out opposition to suffering.

I want to do anything but suffer.

I don't want to ever have to suffer.

And we so have lowered the bar of suffering that's like, well, God, you haven't answered my prayer in the last two months.

I'm suffering.

Why are you making me suffer?

You, you, like, my cars, both cars are broke down at the same time.

Why am I suffering?

I'm trying to serve you.

Listen, these are conversations I've had with God.

God, I'm showing up in your church.

I'm loving on your people.

Could a car work?

Why, why am I in like there are people that are losing their lives for the name of Jesus?

There are people that are getting beat.

There are people that are getting tortured for the name of Jesus.

It's like, yeah, I want to be known with you, but I don't know.

I want to be known with you like that.

What does scripture say?

Let's let I'm gonna just run through a couple scriptures, verses with you, and we'll close.

2 Corinthians 1.5, 2 Corinthians 1.5.

It won't be on your screen.

2 Corinthians 1 5.

For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with comfort through Christ.

Romans 8 17.

Romans 8.17.

And since we are his children, we are his heirs.

In fact, together with Christ, we are heirs of God's glory.

We love that, right?

But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.

Philippians chapter 3, verse 10.

Philippians 3:10

I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead.

That's me.

I feel like that's all of us.

We want to know Christ and experience the mighty power of the raised him from the dead.

I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead.

Let me ask you this.

What if you knew this life was so temporary that whatever pain you endured for the name of Jesus became cause for rejoicing because you are so in the grips of his grace and Zoe?

You're so in the grips of like, man, my eternity is sealed.

And when pain comes, and when hurt, like, can I ask you?

Maybe you haven't gotten beat with a whip, but is there anybody that's beaten you with their words?

Is there anybody that's been speaking about you, talking about you, tearing you down, stabbing you in the back?

Is there anybody that's been like lying about you?

Is there anybody that's been rejecting you?

Like, listen, there's things in our life that hurt more than just the physical.

And so I don't want to denounce that.

I believe specifically for the apostles, we're talking about here in this moment, a physical.

Beating, but it had emotional implications to disgrace them in front of everybody.

How is the enemy of your soul trying to disgrace you right now?

Because you're so listen, Satan doesn't care about you if you're not following Jesus.

Because he's already got it what he wants.

Your destination is hell.

He's going to leave you alone.

He's not going to pick a fight with you.

But the moment you say, no, I'm going to serve him, I'm going to be obedient to him, I'm going to realize that what I own is not my own.

I'm going to give everything to God.

I'm going to serve him.

I want to ask what he wants out of my life, what he wants out of my day.

Then hell does not like that.

And then you become a target.

But what I would ask you is this when's the last time somebody lied about you?

God, I thank you that I can be counted as one who could suffer in your name.

I don't think like that.

But I've been reading this and I've just been convicted.

I'm like, God, I feel like there's so many days when I've complained about stuff that should have been a worship service.

Man, can I just keep it realizing there's been days where I'm like, God, why are you not doing this?

Why are you not doing that?

Instead of saying, God, I'm just to be counted worthy to know what a hard time is in your name.

I thank you.

May I join in this the song that the apostles must have been singing?

And the rejoicing that they had.

It's like, man, yeah, we felt disgrace.

Yes, we felt the hurt.

None of that, none of that was fake.

That was all real, but God thank you.

Francis Chan.

Maybe you've heard of, maybe not, but I remember reading one of his books, and he was telling about a story of back in 2007 where 23 South Korean Christians were captured by Taliban, and they found out that they were gonna be killed.

And all of a sudden, a couple of the guys started like fighting over who gets to die first.

One guy's like, guys, I'm here to tell you, it's gonna be me.

I'm going first.

Y'all gonna have to wait.

Another guy speaks up and he's like, What are you talking about?

I'm your elder.

What are you talking about?

I get I get to go first.

I'm dying first.

They both eventually are put to death.

And they're put to death fighting over who gets to go first.

They would be counted that worthy.

Verse 42 says, and every day in the temple and from house to house, they continue to teach and preach this message.

Jesus is the Messiah.

How do we leave this place today?

May we leave with a message to carry.

Jesus is the Messiah.

There's not another way, there's not another path, there's not another option.

Jesus is the Messiah.

That's not mean, that's not exclusive.

Everybody can come to the cross.

Everybody's allowed to come.

It's not exclusive that only a few get to do it.

He died for everybody.

But the way to get to the Father is exclusive, and there's only one way.

And it's not unloving to share that one way.

And our society has tried to make you sound uncaring and unloving to say, listen, not every way is going to get you there.

There is one way.

And listen, you can be a good person.

The average lifespan is 80 years, be a good person for 80 years, die and go to hell.

Satan does not care.

There's one way.

His name is Jesus.

He's the Messiah.

That's what where do we go from here?

We go with that message.

And if you have pain in your life right now, may you go with a song.

Can I tell you something?

You don't get to sing the same kind of song in heaven that you get to sing here because there's not pain there like there is here.

Things not going the way you want, God, I thank you that even in the middle of this storm, I'm going to praise you because you're above it.

And life is not always going to be like it is right now.

You're struggling with your friends, God, thank you.

That wherever you want me to go, whatever you want me to do, Lord, that you sit closer than a brother.

And then if nothing else ever happens in my life, I'm full because of you.

People lying about you, God, I thank you.

I thank you that you give me wisdom in all things.

But Lord, before that, of how to deal with it, I know that you know the truth and that you see me.

You're a good God.

You're dealing with sickness?

You haven't seen the healing yet, God.

I praise you.

Because no matter what I see, I know you're the healer.

No matter what the report tells me, you're the healer.

You're the great physician.

I trust you.

May we leave today with a song, and may we leave with a message.

Amen.

Let me pray over you real quick.

Let me ask.

I don't know everybody in here.

If you do not have a relationship with Jesus, and you heard today that He is He is the Zoe.

He is the one that brings everything that's opposite of death.

You don't know what hope is, you don't know what it looks like, you don't know what it feels like.

I want to tell you today there is hope for you.

His name is Jesus.

And he loves you so much that even before you could say yes to him, he died for you and he paid a price for every mistake that you have ever made and will ever make.

And that those that would believe with their heart and confess with their mouth, they'll be saved.

And you begin a journey of walking into all that he's got for you.

And you get to give him everything the good, the bad, the pretty, the ugly.

And he's not just the one who saves you, but he is the king of your life.

There's freedom in that when you submit to it.

So I'm asking today, if you've not submitted to the King, if you've not received the forgiveness of the Savior, and you want to do that and you want to have a relationship with Him and come into right standing with God the Father, I just want you to raise your hand.

I don't want you to be shy about it, but I'd like you to be bold about it.

So yeah, that's me.

I want to just respond right now.

I've debated over the last week whether to do this, but to ask if you need to return home.

If you've been playing games, you're like, oh, he's not playing games.

God's been a part of your life, but not your life.

I want to tell you, if he's been a part but not your life, then he's not a part of your life.

But if you're like, I want to get serious in this, I want to be fully submitted to him.

I want to be consecrated before him.

It means I want to lay it down, everything before him, and say, God, you're in control.

And if you want to make that return, I want to pray over you today.

I just want you to raise your hand and say, Yeah, that's me.

I'm going to put down all the mess, all the junk.

I'm going to respond in that.

Awesome.

Okay.

Lord, I thank you for your sons and your daughters.

I thank you, God, for a people that love you and that are seen by you and they're heard by you.

God, I thank you right now, Father, that people in this room, they are an extension of you.

And may we this week, even as your robe was an extension, even as Peter in this shadow was an extension, Lord, I thank you that you would move in and through us to minister to this community, that you would move in and through us to minister to our school, to our workplaces, to our family members.

God, that you would work in and through us, that your kingdom would expand and hell would decrease.

God, that hope would be heard, the salvation would be heard and responded to, the disciples would be made.

God, I pray right now, Lord, over these, your sons and daughters, that as we walk out, we walk out on mission, we walk out on purpose, we walk out with a message, and we walk out with a song.

That persecution comes our way, it will snot, it will not stop our praise.

Lord, and we will not stop sharing the word that the message of you would invade this entire city.

Thank you, Lord, for your goodness and for your grace.

Lord, and I just want to pray right now.

Lord, I know I just in my heart I know there's somebody that's in this place, and they're just like completely fully tapped out.

Exhausted.

You just you walked in and you're completely emotionally just spent.

And you've been trying to hold it together with glue.

You've been trying to wear the brave face.

And right now, I just hear the Lord saying, cast your cares on me because I care about you.

Every worry that you have, every concern that you have right now.

I just sense the Father saying, just know they're not bigger than me.

I hear the Father saying, cast your cares on me.

Just choose with your will.

It's not an emotional thing.

So, God, I choose to trust you with my life.

I choose to trust you with my worries.

I choose to trust you with my circumstances.

So I'm just going to cast these upon you right now.

Because you care about me.

And even as you do that, I believe the peace of God just rests on your shoulders.

You don't even have all the answers that you need yet, but right now you're just experiencing the Holy Spirit just fall upon you right now in the name of Jesus.

Some of you have been walking on empty.

Holy Spirit, just come, refill, refresh right now in Jesus' name.

In Jesus' name.

I thank you, God.

Hope come alive.

Thank you, Lord.

Thank you, Lord.

May your face shine upon these, your sons and daughters.

Bless them in their coming, they're going, they're lying down, they're rising up.

Be their front and their rear guard.

Give them the mind of Christ and wisdom of God.

I pray everything their hands touch that would prosper.

Lord, I pray for divine appointments for everybody in this room this week to share your love, to share your hope, to share your mercy.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.

Love you guys.

I honor you.

Join us next week.

We're going to keep pushing into this.

Be proactive and inviting people into it.

But you need to know something that you can minister to somebody wherever you find them.

They don't have to get here for ministry to happen.

We're happy when they come in the house and we're going to love on them.

But you are the hands and the feet of Jesus wherever you go.

Let's act like that.

Let's live like that.

Let's do it on purpose.

Amen.

Let's give God a praise for what He's done today.

Be blessed.