“Persecution Intensifies – Power Increases”
Acts 5:29-42

I. Introduction
Do you have the courage of your convictions? Do I have the courage of my convictions? Do we, as a local assembly of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, have the courage of our convictions? I know how I would like to answer such a question. I would like to say, “Yes, absolutely! I have the courage of my convictions!” But before I, or anyone else, should answer that question we may want to take just a moment and define our terms. Just what is courage? What is a conviction?

What is courage? My dictionary says courage is “…the attitude of facing and dealing with anything recognized as dangerous, difficult, or painful, instead of withdrawing from it; the quality of being fearless or brave.” Eddie Rickenbacker was an American fighter pilot in World War 1. He was America’s leading ace with 26 victories in aerial combat. Rickenbac-ker knew something about courage. He defined it this way. He said, “Courage is doing what you’re afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you’re scared.”

What is a conviction? Cal Thomas is a Christian political commentator, syndicated colum-nist, and a strong advocate of Christian education. At a Faith Christian School banquet some years ago, Thomas was the featured speaker. He introduced himself by saying, “I’m coming to you from Washington, D.C. where the only politicians with convictions are behind bars.”

That’s certainly one definition of the word, but it’s not the one I want to speak of today. What follows is not a definition of the word conviction; it is an example of it.

Elijah Lovejoy was a Presbyterian pastor and Christian newspaper editor living in Alton, Illi-nois in 1837. After seeing the lynching of a black man, Lovejoy committed himself to the fight against slavery. Mobs continually attacked his business, but neither the destruction of his presses, nor personal threats, nor attempts on his life stopped him. He said, “If by com-promise is meant that I should cease from my duty, I cannot make it. I fear God more that I fear man. Crush me if you will, but I shall die at my post.” And he did, only four days later, at the hands of yet another mob. No one was arrested, indicted, or convicted for the murder. But Elijah Lovejoy was surely convicted, wasn’t he? And something of historical signifi-cance came from Lovejoy’s martyrdom: A young man who lived nearby was deeply moved by it. He had just been elected to the Illinois legislature. His name was Abraham Lincoln.

We are Christians, Bible believing Christians. That means we are convicted about the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ and His gospel. You will be pleased to know that such convictions are recognized by the Supreme Court of the United States. The following is a quote from David C. Gibbs at the Christian Law Association.
“(There is a) difference between a conviction and a preference…
A preference is a very strong belief, held with great strength. You can give your en-tire life in a full-time way to the service of the preference, and can also give your en-tire material wealth in the name of the belief. You can also energetically proselytize others to your preference. You can also want to teach this belief to your children, and the Supreme Court may still rule that it is a preference. A preference is a strong be-lief, but a belief that you will change under the right circumstances. Circumstances such as: 1) peer pressure. (If your beliefs are such that other people stand with you before you will stand, your beliefs are preferences, not convictions.) 2) family pressure, 3) lawsuits, 4) jail, 5) threat of death. Would you die for your beliefs? A conviction is a belief that you will not change. Why? A man believes that his God requires it of him. Pre-ferences aren’t protected by the Constitution of the United States. Convictions are. A conviction is not something that you discover; it is something that you purpose in your heart. Convictions on the inside will always show up on the outside, in a person’s life-style. To violate a conviction would be a sin.”

Let me repeat two of Gibbs’ points. “A preference is a strong belief, but a belief that you will change under the right circumstances. A conviction is a belief that you will not change. Why? A man believes that his God requires it of him.” Now with that firmly planted in our minds, let’s reintroduce ourselves to Peter, John, and the other ten apostles. But first…
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II. Review
In Acts 5:1-11 the dual sins of lying and hypocrisy had worked their way into the church in the persons of two believers, Ananias and his wife, Sapphira. The Bible makes it clear that God hates these sins wherever they are found, but He will not tolerate them when they are found in His church. The reason is that nothing will destroy the testimony of the church faster or more completely than liars or hypocrites who name the name of Christ. So God judged the sinning couple by taking their lives from them. The result was that, with the sins of Ananias and Sapphira removed, the church was purified.

In Acts 5:12-16 the power of the purified church was magnified. More and more people were coming to saving faith in Christ, and many miracles of both physical and spiritual heal-ing took place. But in v. 17 the Jewish religious leaders didn’t like it. They became jealous. In v. 18 they arrested Peter, John, and the other ten apostles and put them all in jail.

But in v. 20 an angel freed them and sent them back to the temple, telling them to, “Go your way, stand and speak to the people…the whole message of this Life.” This they did and, as expected, the twelve apostles were brought before the Sanhedrin where they were told that they had already been warned about preaching Christ. As we delve into this morning’s text, we will pick up the narrative with the Council’s second warning.
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III. Text
As we do so we’ll learn something about the courage of the apostles’ convictions, and we’ll see once again that as the world’s persecution intensifies the church’s power increases.
*Acts 5:27-28
27 And when they (the guards) had brought them (the apostles), they stood them before the Council. And the high priest questioned them,
28 saying, “We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and behold, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.”

The apostles are told that they’d already been warned not to teach “in this name.” But now they’ve ignored that warning. From the Council’s standpoint that was bad enough, but now these followers of Jesus have gone too far. Now His followers are saying that the Lord’s blood is on the Council.

The apostles have said that from the first day of the church. The Jews knew what they had said when Pilate tried to release Jesus and symbolically washed his hands of the Lord’s blood. They said, “(Let) His blood be on us and our children (Matthew 27:25).”

But now that it was no longer expedient, they claimed they didn’t want the responsibility for Jesus’ death. But it was too late. They were responsible for Jesus’ blood. And they were about to find out that persecuting these twelve men could not change that reality.

By the way, this is the second time Peter and John find themselves standing before the Coun-cil. (It’s the first time for the other ten apostles.) The first time was in Acts 4:18 when they were commanded “not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.” But Peter and John said they had to obey God, not men. How will they respond this time?
*Acts 5:29-42 (Please stand with me in honor of reading God’s Word.)
29 But Peter and the apostles answered and said, “We must obey God rather than men.
30 “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hang-ing Him on a cross.
31 “He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
32 “And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, who God has given to those who obey Him.”
33 But when they heard this, they were cut to the quick and were intending to slay them.
34 But a certain Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the Law, respected by all the people, stood up in the Council and gave orders to put the men (the apos-tles) outside for a short time.

35 And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you propose to do with
these men.
36 “For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody; and a group of about four hundred men joined up with him. And he was slain; and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing.
37 “After this man Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census, and drew away some people after him, he too perished, and all those who followed him were scattered.
38 “And so in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or action should be of men, it will be overthrown;
39 but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God.”
40 And they took his (Gamaliel’s) advice; and after calling the apostles in, they flogged them and ordered them to speak no more in the name of Jesus, and then released them.
41 So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name.
42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

“They kept right on!” The apostles had the courage of their convictions. They knew God’s truth because they knew God’s Son. They knew that God’s truth is universal, unchanging, and absolute. Opposition to the truth cannot change it. When the Gospel of Jesus Christ is simply and clearly proclaimed, unregenerate people are often enraged by it. And they often oppose the gospel in the only way they know how – with violence. Someone has said that those who do not respond to the gospel with repentance will respond to it with rebellion.

But we need to remember that the rebellion we face from God’s enemies is provoked and promoted by the devil and his angels. The rebellious people we face are not our enemies. The Apostle Paul made that point to the church at Ephesus. It’s why we need to…
Ephesians 6:11-12
11 Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Peter, John, and the other ten apostles aren’t going to take a firm stand against flesh and blood – the Jewish religious leaders in the Sanhedrin. On the contrary, they’re going to take a firm stand against the spiritual forces of wickedness. The people who oppose us and our gospel are not our enemies. Satan and his demons are our enemies. The apostles know this. So standing before the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the priests and the scribes will not be hard for them. They really aren’t the problem. Why would you fight the ventriloquist’s dummy?
Isn’t the ventriloquist the one in control? Remember, our struggle is not against flesh and blood. But in Acts 5:28 flesh and blood has told the apostles to stop teaching and preaching in the name of Jesus.
*Acts 5:29-32
29 But Peter and the apostles answered and said, “We must obey God rather than men.
30 “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hang-ing Him on a cross.
31 “He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
32 “And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, who God has given to those who obey Him.”

If the high priest and the Council think that Peter and the other apostles are intimidated by their threats and accusations, they must be more than a little frustrated. Peter and John de-fied their authority back in Acts 4:19-20 when they said, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking what we have seen and heard.”

In v. 30 the apostles accuse the Council by reminding them yet again that they are the ones who had Jesus murdered. Furthermore, this is at least the sixth time the apostles make this accusation. Listen…
Acts 2:23 “…you nailed (Him) to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.”
2:36 “God has made Him both Lord and Christ – this Jesus whom you crucified.”
3:13 “…the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus, the one whom you delivered up, and disowned in the presence of Pilate…”
3:15 “(You) put to death the Prince of life…”
4:10 “Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified…”

It almost makes you wonder who’s on trial here, doesn’t it? Now, in Acts 5:31-32, the apos-tles rub salt in the Council’s wounds by telling them again that Jesus wasn’t just a man. He was God’s own Son, the Prince of Peace, and the Savior of Israel. He had come to bring for-giveness for sins to all those who would humble themselves, repent, and obey God. But as we’ve studied both the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles we’ve come to know the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the priests, and the scribes quite well. And we know that neither humility nor repentant hearts are chief among their character traits.

In vv. 31-32 Peter connects three essentials of saving faith. They are repentance, forgive-ness, and obedience to God. These three things are inseparable.
You cannot say that you have repented and been forgiven, and then live a life of continual disobedience to God and His Word. Conversely, you cannot live a life of disobedience and claim to have repented and been forgiven.

Salvation is submitting and surrendering in obedience to the authority and Lordship of Jesus. When one does that, he or she receives the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is the indwelling Holy Spirit that enables us to obey Christ and His Word. John the Baptist made the connection between salvation and obedience when he said…
John 3:36
36 “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

Repentance, forgiveness, and obedience – these are the things Peter and the apostles told the Jewish religious leaders they would need to believe and embrace if they were to have any hope for salvation.

This is the gospel message of the church. This is the message we have for the world. Every-thing else is window dressing. When this message goes out into the world, it goes out with the power of God…and it will always accomplish God’s purpose.
Isaiah 55:11
11 “So shall My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.”

What is God’s purpose when it comes to the gospel? It is that some who hear it will come to saving faith. And – please don’t miss this – it is that some will not. Despite what the liberal theologians and preachers may teach, it has never been God’s purpose to save every human being who has ever walked this earth. If it were there would be no need for the doctrine of election because all would be elect. There would be no point in predestining some to salva-tion because all would be predestined to be saved. There would be no point in a sovereign God choosing anyone because all would be chosen.

And why would the Scriptures say…
Ephesians 1:4-5 (excerpts)
4 …He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world…
5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself…

In 2 Thessalonians 2:13 Paul tells the church that “…God has chosen you from the begin-ning for salvation…” In 1 Peter 1:1-2 he identifies the church as those “…who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father…” In Acts 13:48 Luke says that “…as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.” And so it goes. Again and again the NT makes it clear that some will be saved and some will not. And it is the gospel that separ-ates the saved from the lost. There are those who will receive it and those who will reject it.
Mercifully, only God knows whom He has elected; whom He has predestined; whom He has chosen; and whom He has appointed to eternal life. We may think we know, but we do not know. The day before you were saved, you didn’t know. (back to Acts 5:32)
Peter and the apostles have presented the message. How was that message received?
*Acts 5:33
33 But when they heard this, they were cut to the quick and were intending to slay them.

Why such a violent reaction from the Jewish leaders? Because the gospel only made their hard hearts harder still. The truth only raised their anger to new heights. As the evidence for the truth of Christ’s resurrection increased, so too did the intensity of the reaction against it.

Just as they had done with Jesus, they said the truth of God was blasphemy against God. You cannot get more wrong than these religious leaders. This is what Jesus said would hap-pen when the truth was preached. This is what He meant when He said He came to bring a sword. Referring to His first coming, He said…
Luke 12:51
51 “Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division.”
Matthew 10:34
34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.”
Hebrews 4:12 (that sword doesn’t unite – it divides)
12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intensions of the heart.

Such is the result of message of the gospel. Some are saved and some are not. And some who are not are so offended by the message that while they cannot kill the message, they can kill the messenger. In Acts 5:33 we’re told that’s precisely what the Council’s intended to do. But God intervened and, at least for a while, a man with a cooler head prevailed.
*Acts 5:34-40
34 But a certain Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the Law, respected by all the people, stood up in the Council and gave orders to put the men (the apos-tles) outside for a short time.
35 And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you propose to do with these men.
36 “For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody; and a group of about four hundred men joined up with him. And he was slain; and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing.
37 “After this man Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census, and drew away some people after him, he too perished, and all those who followed him
were scattered.
38 “And so in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or action should be of men, it will be overthrown;
39 but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God.”
40 And they took his (Gamaliel’s) advice; and after calling the apostles in, they flogged them and ordered them to speak no more in the name of Jesus, and then released them.

We’ve seen the cold hostility of the high priest Annas. Now we see the cool indifference of the teacher of the Law Gamaliel. Saying that Gamaliel was highly respected would be a gross understatement. History tells us that he was the most important and prominent rabbi of his day. He was honored with the title of “rabban” instead of the normal title for a teacher of the Law, “rabbi.” The Mishnah (Book of Jewish Traditions) says: “When Rabban Gamaliel the Elder died, the glory of the Law ceased and purity and abstinence died.” When Gama-liel spoke, people listened.

By the way, Gamaliel’s most famous student was a young Pharisee named Saul of Tarsus. God saved Saul and changed his name to Paul – the same Paul who wrote much of the NT. But that’s for another day.

In Acts 5:35-39 we learn quite a bit about Gamaliel. First, he was not a believer (at least not at this point in time). Second, he was a Pharisee. Unlike the Sadducees, the religious liberals of their day who didn’t believe in much of anything, the Pharisees were the religious conser-vatives. They believed in the resurrection of the dead, in miracles, and in the absolute sove-reignty of God. So even though Gamaliel did not believe Jesus was their Messiah, he did believe that God was in control of everything. And in that belief, you can see his logic.

Gamaliel reminds the Council that others had begun religious movements or political revolts that ultimately went nowhere. Theudas’ rebellion took place around 4 B.C. following the death of Herod the Great. Judas (a common name) of Galilee’s rebellion was around 7 A.D. Gamaliel says that both Theudas and Judas of Galilee died before their respective insurrec-tions could spread and have a lasting impact on the nation.

His drives his point home in vv. 38-39. His reasoning seems to be that executing these men would just stir up the multitudes for no good reason. To paraphrase his point – “Leave them alone. Given enough rope they will hang themselves.” But v. 39 is fascinating because his statement speaks eternal truth. Gamaliel says that if they are right, if this “Jesus of Nazareth thing” is real, if it is in fact true, “…if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them.”
Then he says what Peter and the apostles have already said.
“If it is of God, we will be found fighting against Him.”

In v. 40 the Council takes Gamaliel’s advice. The will not slay the apostles; they will only “flog” them. The word translated “flogged” is “dĕrō.” We get words like “epidermis,” and “dermatology” from it. It means to scourge or whip. So the apostles are once again warned not to speak in the name of Jesus, but before they’re sent on their way, they are whipped.

“That oughta put a stop to it!” Wouldn’t you think Gamaliel could have kept that from happening? But while he didn’t promote the violence against the apostles, neither did he stop it. Such is indifference.
*Acts 5:41-42
41 So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name.
42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

Think about v. 41 for just a moment. When was the last time you or I joyfully praised God for our suffering? These twelve men did. The Apostle Paul did as well. In Colossians 1:24 he said, “I rejoice in my sufferings…” How amazing is that? What kind of testimony is that? What can be proven by that? Thirty years after the apostles’ encounter with the Coun-cil, Peter wrote to tell us.
*1 Peter 4:12-14
12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes up-on you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you;
13 but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing; so that also at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exultation.
14 If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.

With that sure knowledge in their hearts, the apostles went out with their battle scars. They had the courage of their convictions and Acts 5:42 tells us what happened next. “…they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.”

I really can’t add anything of value to that except this: When persecution intensifies, God’s power increases. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

IV. Conclusion
Let me close with a question. It is for all of us, myself included. Is the gospel you and I pre-sent to the world clear enough, definitive enough, and truthful enough to make some people angry? If it isn’t, I wonder if it is convicting enough to bring anyone to saving faith. That’s something worth thinking about.
~ Pray ~