Sermon Idea: God works through faithful Christian witnesses to advance his kingdom and build his church.
Introduction: It is hard to find a better description of Christian discipleship than that given to us by Jesus himself in both word and deed. To be a follower of Jesus is to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow him.
23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. 25 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? 26 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. (Lk 9:23–26)
This is a description of undivided loyalty, an exclusive allegiance, so that our very lives are submitted to the will of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This is the call to discipleship that shaped men like Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who in his classic book, The Cost of Discipleship, famously said, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.”
This is the vision of the Christian life that led Jim Elliot and his four friends to take the gospel to the Huaorani tribe in Ecuador, an effort that cost them their lives. But as Jim Elliot famously said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”
To be a faithful Christian witness, one must daily die to themselves, pick up their cross, and follow Jesus, and do so unashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
What we see from the disciples in Acts 5:12-42 is them acting as faithful Christian witnesses in less-than-ideal circumstances. As they face opposition and persecution, they continue to take up their cross and faithfully bear witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ unashamed.
For context, recall that we are still in Jerusalem, and the temple authorities continue to take issue with the disciples’ ministry. What Acts teaches us is that the Old Covenant has passed away and the New Covenant has come into effect through Jesus Christ. It is not the Jewish leaders and Temple authorities who mediate God’s presence, but the Holy Spirit has been poured out on all who’ve believed in Jesus Christ. It is the church that is the new temple of God. That’s the big picture of how Acts 5 further develops the book.
This morning, we will focus on the example of the disciples, who serve as faithful witnesses to Jesus Christ and His gospel. God works through faithful Christian witnesses to advance his kingdom and build his church.
I want to do this by noting three ways these disciples serve as faithful witnesses to Jesus Christ: faithful Christian witnesses obey God rather than man, faithful Christian witnesses are unashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and faithful Christian witnesses rejoice in suffering for Christ.
There is a benefit to highlighting these three truths. You most likely will not find yourself arrested for preaching the gospel, but God has called you to take up your cross and follow him in the life you do have. In every area of life, you can strive to obey God rather than man. You can cultivate an unashamed posture toward the gospel of Jesus Christ. You can and should have a theology of suffering that helps you rejoice when you walk in the very footsteps of Jesus and suffer, no matter how small, because of the name of Jesus Christ.
I.) Faithful Christian witnesses obey God rather than man (Acts 5:12-29)
As we have seen before, a conflict regarding the apostles’ ministry leads to their arrest and questioning. Verses 12-16 provide a summary of the apostle’s ministry, serving as the background for the conflict in verses 17-42. We won’t spend a lot of time here, but it is worth noting a couple of key points.
- The signs and wonders are the work of God through the hands of the apostles. The healings and miracles are not gifts distributed to every believer with the indwelling of the Spirit. They are works of God to validate the apostles as God’s messengers and to signal that the new covenant has come.
12 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. 13 None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem. (Ac 5:12–13)
2. God is advancing his kingdom and building his church through these faithful witnesses.
14 And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, 15 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. 16 The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed. (Ac 5:14–16)
Given the oddity of verse 15, I want to comment on it briefly. You’ll notice that the text does not say that Peter’s shadow possessed God’s healing power, nor does it say Peter believed that, but rather that the crowds believed his shadow would be sufficient. Whether it did or not goes unsaid, but it is at least interesting to remember that Jesus healed a woman who merely touched the fringe of his garment (Matthew 9:20-22, Mark 5:24-34, and Luke 8:43-48).
Given all that is happening, you would think that Jewish leaders would be grateful. People are being healed, and demons are being cast out. God should be praised. But their hard hearts will not allow them to rejoice over what they see.
17 But the high priest rose up, and all who were with him (that is, the party of the Sadducees), and filled with jealousy 18 they arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison. (Ac 5:17–18)
If you’re paying attention, you can hear again an essential distinction between the apostles and the Jewish leaders. The apostles are filled with the Spirit, and the Jewish leaders are filled with jealousy.
They dislike the attention the apostles are receiving more than they value the good work God is doing through them. What a warning for us! The heart filled with jealousy may oppose the very good things God is accomplishing through the lives and ministries of others.
The attempt to imprison the apostles proves futile becasue God sends an angel of the Lord to release them for the purpose of proclaiming the gospel.
19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, 20 “Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life.” 21 And when they heard this, they entered the temple at daybreak and began to teach. (Ac 5:19–21)
This divine deliverance is made clear enough by the presence of the angel, but what is crucial for us is why they were delivered. They were freed to go to the temple and “speak to the people all the words of this life.”
That is an interesting way to describe the gospel, but it is also very apt. It was Peter who, in response to Jesus, said that he had the words of eternal life.
67 So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, 69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” (Jn 6:67–69)
It was Jesus who taught us that He has life in Himself, as the Father has life in Himself (John 5:26), and that He is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).
The message that we proclaim is the message of life, because Jesus Christ is life, and to believe in his name is to inherit eternal life in him. What good news is this! The Bible tells us two terrifying truths: 1. The wages of sin is death, and 2. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is a message of life, eternal life in his name. The penalty of death for our sin has been paid through the death of Christ in our place. The one who is life in himself tasted death for us, so that those who were dead can be made alive in him.
As you can imagine, all of this leaves the Jewish leaders dumbfounded and confused. The scene has a humorous aspect to it, as these authoritative men struggle to find prisoners they have locked up in public.
In fact, a random person has to tell them what has happened, which adds to the humor.
25 And someone came and told them, “Look! The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people.” 26 Then the captain with the officers went and brought them, but not by force, for they were afraid of being stoned by the people. (Ac 5:25–26)
Once they find the apostles, they reiterate that they prohibit preaching in the name of Jesus. As for the apostle, they reiterate that they are to obey God, not man.
27 And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, 28 saying, “We strictly charged 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.” 29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. (Ac 5:27–29)
The way to cultivate this type of conviction. The way to become a faithful witness in this way is to have a thorough knowledge of God’s Word and treasuring all it teaches. The apostles know that they were commanded to preach Christ crucified and risen. It was taught to them by Jesus and communicated by the angel. They understood that the Old Testament Scriptures were all about Jesus, and so they preached the law, the prophets, and the writings in light of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
We will only become faithful witnesses in obeying God and not man if our minds are captivated by the Word of God.
15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. (1 Pe 3:15)
14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast to the word of life (Php 2:14–16)
This clear conviction reminds me of Martin Luther before the Diet of Worms, when he was asked to recant his writings against the Pope and the practice of indulgences.
“Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures and by clear reason (for I do not trust in the pope or councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted. My conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not retract anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise. God help me. Amen.”
Faithful witnesses obey God rather than man, and the path to obedience is paved with Holy Scripture.
II.) Faithful Christian witnesses are unashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ (Acts 5:30-32, 42)
As Peter responds boldly to the Jewish leaders, take note of how smoothly he transitions to the gospel.
30 The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. 31 God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.” (Ac 5:30–32)
After being recently imprisoned and facing a hostile crowd, the apostles preach the gospel with boldness and unapologetic conviction.
They exemplify Romans 1:16, 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. (Ro 1:16)
How unshamed are they? They preach the gospel in a way that would prick at the hearts of those listening.
The Sadducees are present & they don’t believe in the resurrection from the dead. What is the first thing Peter says? “ The God of our fathers raised Jesus…”
Since Peter is preaching to Jews, it is interesting that he doesn’t say Jesus was hung on the cross, but on a tree. In the law, hanging on a tree is a curse. That is why Paul says in Galatians 3
13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— (Ga 3:13)
As bold and unashamed as it is, notice the free offer he gives. He isn’t preaching to the Jewish leaders; he is preaching for their salvation.
31 God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”
Friends, if we are going to be faithful Christian witnesses in Massac County, we need to be a people who are unashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. What specific aspects of the gospel may need to be stressed if we are going to cultivate this unashamed posture?
- God’s moral law is good, just, and holy. It is the standard of righteousness by which all human beings will be measured.
- Humanity has broken God’s good, just, holy law and deserves judgment and condemnation for it.
- God has exclusively made a way to be right with him through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. If we are to be saved, it comes through the work of Christ and never through our own efforts. It is all of grace.
- The necessity to repent and believe in Jesus Christ.
- The amazing benefits of being in Christ: forgiveness of sin, reconciliation to God, the indwelling of the Spirit, adoption into God’s family, and eternal life in the New Heavens & New Earth.
Faithful Christian witnesses are unashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
This is not only true for us as individuals, but also for the church. Listen to this excellent reflection by Jared Wilson.
“You can’t wear it out. You can’t outperform it. You can’t find anything more interesting, more powerful, or more relevant than the gospel. The real foolishness is not centering on it. The gospel will hold and sustain your church in a way that all the relevant programming, applicational teaching, and worship experiences never will.” – Jared Wilson
III.) Faithful Christian witnesses rejoice in suffering for Christ (Acts 5:33-42)
As the apostles preach the forgiveness of sins and life in Christ, the Jewish leaders are plotting to kill them. How about that for irony?
33 When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them. (Ac 5:33)
Now, I will summarize verses 34-40, as we want to focus on verses 41-42 as we close. A wise Pharisee named Gamaliel, who would later become Paul’s teacher, advises them to wait and uses two historical examples to support his point. Here is the beauty of it. You don’t have to know the history to understand what he is saying.
Movements come and go, but if they are not of God, they will die out. But if it is not, they will be guilty of opposing God himself.
The Jewish leaders take his advice, but beat them nonetheless and charged them not to preach in the name of Jesus.
41 Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. 42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus. (Ac 5:41–42)
I find it challenging to process these verses without deep conviction and brokenness over my own soul. How comfortable are we, friends? How light do we take the things of God? How little do we suffer for the name of Christ?
In all of our freedom and comfort, should we not be as zealous as these men? Do we not have the same Holy Spirit indwelling us, and are our circumstances less perilous?
Here is a question worth asking. How do the apostles have this perspective? What is it that they know and believe that results in this? We know they have the indwelling of the Spirit, but what truths are they being led to remember? What is anchoring them in this difficult moment? We should at least identify three things from as we consider the rest of Scripture. They remembered the example of Jesus, the promises of Jesus, and the hope that is in Jesus.
1. The example of Jesus.
20 For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. 21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. (1 Pe 2:20–23)
2. The promises of Jesus.
22 “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man!
3. The hope that is in Jesus.
23 Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets. (Lk 6:22–23)
What we see from the disciples in Acts 5:12-42 is them acting as faithful Christian witnesses in less-than-ideal circumstances. As they face opposition and persecution, they continue to take up their cross and faithfully bear witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ unashamed.
Will we strive to be faithful Christian witnesses in Massac County? If so, we need to obey God rather than man, be unashamed of the gospel, and rejoice in whatever we suffer for the name of Christ.
Nathaniel R. Martin 