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Acts 5:12-42 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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First of all, thank you guys, because that was very powerful musical worship this morning.
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As always, I love that part of our morning when we get to sing together to the Lord.
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! It's a very comforting and a wonderful time.
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It's an honor and a privilege to be with you this morning.
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And I would ask for you to open up your Bibles, if you have them with you, to Acts chapter 5.
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Acts chapter 5.
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As I've been asked to preach from Acts chapter 5, verses 12 through 42,
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as we continue our verse-by-verse exposition of the book of Acts.
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Just by way of review, as we took a week off from the book of Acts,
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for those of you who have not been with us, guests, or if you've just missed some weekends,
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through the book of Acts, we have seen the start of the Christian church.
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We have seen the disciples go out as they start to preach the gospel, empowered by the Holy Spirit.
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And we also see beginning of persecution of the church.
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In chapter 4, we see, after the apostles heal a crippled man,
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that they are arrested as persecution starts,
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and they are put before the Sanhedrin, the Senate Council of Israel,
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and they are charged not to preach anymore in the name of Jesus.
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The week before last, we saw Ananias and Sapphira who lie to the Holy Spirit,
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and therefore God pronounces judgment upon them,
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and they are killed for their lying to the Holy Spirit.
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And that is where we pick up as news of this activity spreads throughout the nation of Israel,
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throughout the city of Jerusalem.
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And we pick up in verse 12 of chapter 5,
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and God's Word reads, beginning in verse 12,
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Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles,
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and they were all together in Solomon's portico.
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None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem.
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And more than ever, believers were added to the Lord,
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multitudes of both men and women,
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so that they even carried out the sick into the streets,
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and laid them on cots and mats,
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that as Peter came by, at least his shadow might fall on some of them.
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The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem,
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bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits,
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and they were all healed.
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But the high priest rose up, and all who were with him,
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that is, the party of the Sadducees,
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and filled with jealousy, they arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison.
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But during the night, an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors
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and brought them out and said,
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Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life.
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And when they heard this, they entered the temple at daybreak and began to teach.
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Now when the high priest came and those who were with him,
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they called together the council, all the senate of the people of Israel,
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and sent to the prison to have them brought.
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When the officers came, they did not find them in the prison,
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so they returned and reported,
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We found the prison securely locked and the guards standing at the doors,
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but when we opened them, we found no one inside.
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Now when the captain of the temple and the chief priest heard these words,
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they were greatly perplexed about them,
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wondering what this would come to,
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and someone came and told them,
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Look, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people.
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Then the captain with the officers went and brought them,
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but not by force, for they were afraid of being stoned by the people.
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And when they had brought them, they set them before the council,
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and the high priest questioned them, saying,
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We strictly charged you not to teach in this name.
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Yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching,
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and you intend to bring this man's blood upon us.
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But Peter and the apostles answered,
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We must obey God rather than men.
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The God of our fathers raised Jesus,
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whom you killed by hanging him on a tree.
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God exalted him at his right hand as leader and savior,
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to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sin.
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And we are witnesses to these things,
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and so is the Holy Spirit,
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whom God has given to those who obey him.
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When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them.
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But a Pharisee in the council,
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named Gamaliel,
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a teacher of the law held in honor by all the people,
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stood up and gave orders to put the man outside for a little while.
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And he said to the men,
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Men of Israel,
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take care what you are about to do with these men.
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For before these days Theodos rose up,
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claiming to be somebody,
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and a number of men, about 400, joined him.
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He was killed,
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and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing.
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After him Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census,
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and drew away some of the people after him.
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He too perished,
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and all who followed him were scattered.
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So in the present case I tell you,
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keep away from these men,
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and let them alone.
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For if this plan or this undertaking is of man,
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it will fail.
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But if it is of God,
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you will not be able to overthrow them.
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You might even be found opposing God.
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So they took his advice.
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And when they had called in the apostles,
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they beat them and charged them
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not to speak in the name of Jesus,
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and let them go.
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Then they left the presence of the council,
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rejoicing that they were counted worthy
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to suffer dishonor for the name.
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And every day in the temple,
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and from house to house,
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they did not cease teaching
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and preaching
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that Christ is Jesus.
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In his book entitled,
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Do Not Waste Your Life,
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Pastor John Piper writes,
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and I quote,
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If our single,
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all-embracing passion
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is to make much of Christ
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in this life and death,
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and if the life that magnifies him the most
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is the life of costly love,
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then life is risk,
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and risk is right.
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To run from it is to waste your life.
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He goes on,
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and he says,
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I define risk very simply
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as an action that exposes you
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to the possibility of loss or injury.
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If you take a risk,
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you can lose money,
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you can lose face,
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you can lose health,
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or even your life.
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And what's worse,
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if you take a risk,
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you may endanger other people,
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and not just yourself.
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Their lives may be at stake.
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Will a wise and loving person
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then ever take a risk?
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Is it wise to expose yourself to loss?
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Is it loving to endanger others?
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Is losing life the same as wasting it?
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He answers,
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It depends.
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Of course,
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you can throw your life away
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in a hundred sinful ways
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and die as a result.
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In that case,
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losing life and wasting it
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would be the same.
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But losing life
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is not always the same as wasting it.
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What if the circumstances are such
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that not taking a risk
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will result in loss and injury?
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It may not be wise to play it safe.
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And what if a successful risk
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would bring great benefit to many people?
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And its failure would bring harm
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only to yourself.
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It may not be loving to choose comfort
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or security when something great
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may be achieved for the cause of Christ
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and for the good of others.
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Close quote.
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And brothers and sisters,
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we are here this morning,
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many of us,
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if not all of us,
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having been born again
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by the Spirit of God
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and by the grace of God
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through the blessing
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of the fruits
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of the work,
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of the risk
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that many godly men and women
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have taken for the cause of Christ
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in the last 2,000 years.
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Men and women
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who fully embody
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the very essence of that quote
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by John Piper.
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Men and women
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who have risked everything
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and who have paid
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the ultimate price
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and have lost their lives
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at the hands of enemies
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of the gospel.
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All so that
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the message
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which was
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at first
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handed down to them
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would continue
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to spread
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so that wretched sinners
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in their generation
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and generations to come
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could know
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and come to understand
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the most prized,
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the most worthy,
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the most beautiful
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type of knowledge
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that any human being
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can ever possibly attain to
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in this life.
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That is,
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the knowledge of Christ
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and the truth
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and the very fountain of truth
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from which all truth
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and every good
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and perfect thing
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springs up from,
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including the truth
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and the only way
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that sinners
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can ever come
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to a point
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where they can have
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peace with God.
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The gospel,
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brothers and sisters,
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is and has been
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a message
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that has been
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passed down to us
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and has been
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entrusted to us
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and looking back
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it has been
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a road
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filled and stained
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with much blood,
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sweat and tears
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but make no mistake
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about it
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that that is exactly
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how it was meant
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to be.
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Tribulation
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and persecution
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comes as a result
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of living a godly life
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for it was the first
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born among many brethren,
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the Lord Jesus Christ himself,
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who promised his disciples
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that tribulation
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would come to them
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while in this world,
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John 16, 33.
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And also in John 15, 20,
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he tells them,
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if they persecuted me,
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they will also persecute you.
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And the apostle Paul
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also affirms this
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as he emphatically states
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in 2 Timothy 3, 12,
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and we've heard it before,
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indeed,
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all who desire
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to live a godly life
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in Christ Jesus
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will be persecuted.
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And so in our text
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this morning,
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we will be looking
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at some truths
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behind these
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foundational affirmations
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and extract some
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applications for ourselves
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for it is my prayer
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this morning
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that every one of us
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would come
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to live a life
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of risk
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in faith
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in order that
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we may live our lives
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without wasting them.
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So I have divided
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this text into
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four headings,
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but we are only
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going to cover
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two of them.
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But let me give you
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all four
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and you can go back
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and consider the last
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two throughout your week.
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The four headings
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are, number one,
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the obedience
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of the apostles.
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Number two,
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the root cause
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of persecution.
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Number three,
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the proper perspective
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on persecution.
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And number four,
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the root of Christian
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confidence.
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So for our first heading,
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notice the obedience
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of the apostles.
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Beginning in verse 12
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through verse 16,
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we read,
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Now many signs and wonders
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were regularly done
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among the people
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by the hands of the apostles,
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and they were all together
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in Solomon's portico.
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None of the rest
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dared join them,
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but the people
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held them in high esteem.
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And more than ever,
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believers were added
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to the Lord,
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multitudes of both men
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and women,
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so that they even
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carried out the sick
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into the streets
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and laid them
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on cots and mats
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that as Peter came by,
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at least his shadow
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might fall on some of them.
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The people also gathered
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from the towns
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around Jerusalem,
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bringing the sick
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and those afflicted
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with unclean spirits,
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and they were all healed.
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Here,
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we see the apostles
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obeying and fulfilling
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that command
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of our Lord
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in Matthew 28,
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verses 18 through 20,
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when standing before
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his disciples
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after the resurrection,
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he commands them,
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saying,
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All authority
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has been given
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unto me
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on heaven and on earth.
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Go therefore
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and make disciples
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of all nations,
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baptizing them
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in the name of the Father
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and of the Son
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and of the Holy Spirit,
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teaching them
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to observe
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all that I have commanded
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you.
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We see in verse 12
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that the apostles
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were together
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in Solomon's portico,
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which it was
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on the eastern side
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of the temple
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in Jerusalem,
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and we see many signs
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and wonders
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are regularly done
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by them.
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The sick are being healed,
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those who are demon-possessed
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are being cleansed,
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and the news
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of this activity
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spreads like wildfire.
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We see in verse 16
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that the people
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from towns
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all around Jerusalem
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were going to them
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and were also being healed.
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Some of these healings
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appear to have
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unusually miraculous
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types of healings.
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As we see in verse 15,
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it states that
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some of the sick people
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were laid on cots
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and mats on the street
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hoping that Peter's shadow
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might fall on them
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so they could be healed.
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Now, some commentators
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say here
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that this verse
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does not teach
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that people were actually healed
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by the falling
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of Peter's shadow
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upon them
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and try to make arguments
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to that end.
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However, I have no problem
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believing that people
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were healed
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in this manner,
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and I do believe
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that that is the very purpose
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of the very mentioning
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of that text
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in that chapter.
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Elsewhere in the book of Acts,
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we see other miraculous healings
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through interesting objects.
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For example,
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in Acts 19,
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we see people healed
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by handkerchiefs
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and aprons
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that had simply touched
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the skin of the Apostle Paul
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and then taken
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to heal the sick.
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However,
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I don't think
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it really matters
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whether or not
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people were actually healed
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by Peter's shadow,
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and I believe
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it is rather inconsequential
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for our main purpose
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in our text this morning.
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Although we are told
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that all these people
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were being healed,
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and many signs and wonders
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were done
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among the people.
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But the question
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that I believe
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we should be asking
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is to what end?
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For what purpose?
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What did these healings accomplish?
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And how do these healings
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align with the Apostles' mission?
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The Great Commission.
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I think that there is certainly
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an amazement factor
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for us 21st century Christians
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when we read about
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incredible miracles
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and supernatural works
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of God in our Bibles,
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and we certainly believe them
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if we believe that God is
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and that He is
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who He says He is.
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But let me ask you
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this question.
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How many of you,
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like me,
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often,
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when you read
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of these wonders,
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think to yourself,
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God,
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I wish I could witness
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something
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of this magnitude.
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Something of this
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type of miracle.
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This power of yours
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in person
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today.
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And while I certainly
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believe that God
15:25
is still doing miracles,
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I would agree
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with a cessationist
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point of view
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that miracles of this kind,
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ministries of healing
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of the kind
15:32
that we see
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with the Apostles,
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ceased with the last
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of the Apostles
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in the first century.
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However,
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my goal is not to teach
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on cessationism,
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but I want us to look
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at the big picture
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of this text.
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So,
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to look at what
15:45
the greater miracle
15:45
is in the text
15:46
that we still see
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to this day,
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but I think we often
15:50
overlook and perhaps
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even undervalue
15:53
that miracle
15:54
which we still see
15:55
to this day
15:56
which is greater
15:56
than healing miracles
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of the type.
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And so,
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like I said,
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sometimes I read
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this stuff
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and I think to myself,
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God,
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I would just love
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to see some miracles
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like this.
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To see such a display
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of your power.
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And I say that
16:13
without realizing
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that I have seen
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supernatural works
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of God,
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of this magnitude
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and power
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multiple times
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and have heard
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of many more
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even then.
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And what do I mean
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by that?
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I'll answer
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with this question.
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Again,
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to what end
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were these signs
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and wonders done?
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Salvation.
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Salvation by regeneration
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through the preaching
16:38
of the gospel.
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The purpose
16:40
of signs and wonders
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was to validate
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and authenticate
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the apostles
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as true ambassadors
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of God.
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who were preaching
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the true counsel
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of God,
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the gospel.
16:52
In Acts 2.22,
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Peter says,
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Men of Israel,
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hear these words.
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Jesus of Nazareth,
16:58
a man attested
16:59
to you
16:59
by God
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with mighty works
17:01
and wonders,
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signs that God
17:02
did through him
17:03
in your midst.
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Miracles
17:05
were done
17:06
to bear witness
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to God
17:08
to the end
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that people
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might believe
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and repent.
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In John 20,
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verses 30 and 31,
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John says,
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Now Jesus did
17:17
many other signs
17:18
in the presence
17:19
of the disciples,
17:20
which are not
17:21
written in this book,
17:21
but these are written
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so that you may believe
17:24
that Jesus is the Christ,
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the Son of God,
17:27
and that by believing
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you may have life
17:30
in his name.
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Christ did not commission
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the apostles
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to go and simply provide
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temporary pain relief,
17:39
to make a few fevers
17:40
go away
17:40
or to heal
17:41
some broken bones,
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but rather
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to preach the gospel
17:44
and make disciples
17:45
so that people
17:46
may have salvation,
17:48
peace with God.
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And to that end,
17:51
they were obedient
17:53
and preached
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as they were commanded.
17:55
And the fruit
17:56
of their labor
17:56
is seen in verse 14
17:58
of our text
17:58
where we read,
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And more than ever,
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believers
18:01
were added to the Lord,
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multitudes of both men
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and women.
18:06
And that,
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brothers and sisters,
18:08
is what I mean
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by the miraculous work
18:11
of God
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that we ought not to fail,
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ought not fail
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to see
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and stand
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in awe
18:18
and worship
18:19
if you truly
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understand
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the level
18:23
of your sin
18:24
and extent
18:25
of God's holiness
18:26
and that in regeneration
18:28
God takes you,
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his enemy,
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takes your heart
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of stone,
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gives your heart
18:34
of flesh,
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imputes Christ's
18:36
righteousness to you,
18:37
adopts you,
18:38
makes you
18:38
an heir
18:39
of Christ's
18:40
inheritance,
18:41
calls you a friend,
18:42
a son,
18:43
or daughter,
18:44
all by his grace
18:46
for his glory,
18:47
no amount
18:48
of miraculously
18:49
healed bones
18:50
could ever
18:51
outweigh
18:52
the miraculous
18:53
salvation
18:53
of one soul.
18:57
I love how
18:57
Paul Washer
18:58
puts it,
18:58
he says,
18:59
and I'm somewhat
18:59
paraphrasing,
19:01
but he says
19:02
that regeneration
19:02
is a greater display
19:04
of God's power
19:05
than his work
19:07
of creation
19:07
because
19:08
he created
19:09
the world
19:10
ex nihilo,
19:11
meaning out of
19:11
nothing,
19:12
but in regeneration
19:13
he makes something
19:14
holy out of a pile
19:15
of depraved,
19:16
sinful,
19:17
God-hating humanity.
19:19
So if these people
19:20
in our text
19:21
would have been healed
19:22
but not saved,
19:23
they would have
19:24
simply gone to hell
19:25
healthy.
19:27
So Christians,
19:29
be in awe
19:30
and give thanks
19:32
that you have
19:33
to look no further
19:34
than these walls
19:35
of this building
19:37
to see a miraculous,
19:39
powerful work of God.
19:41
No further
19:41
than these walls.
19:46
Now we see on down
19:48
in our text
19:48
that the apostles
19:49
are arrested
19:50
and put in jail
19:52
and in verses 19
19:53
through 21
19:54
we read,
19:54
but during the night
19:56
an angel of the Lord
19:57
opened the prison doors
19:58
and brought them out
19:59
and said,
20:00
go and stand
20:01
in the temple
20:02
and speak to the people
20:03
all the words
20:03
of this life.
20:04
And when they heard this
20:05
they entered the temple
20:06
at daybreak
20:07
and began to teach.
20:08
The angel tells them
20:09
to go and speak
20:12
all the words
20:13
of this life,
20:14
meaning go and preach
20:15
the gospel.
20:16
And they continue
20:17
in their obedience
20:18
by continuing
20:19
to preach.
20:21
And once again
20:22
we see that they are
20:23
detained and brought
20:23
before the Sanhedrin again.
20:25
Now the first time
20:26
that they were arrested
20:27
as I mentioned earlier
20:28
was in chapter 4.
20:31
And in chapter 4
20:33
verses 1 to 3
20:34
we read,
20:35
and as they were
20:36
speaking to the people
20:37
the priest
20:38
and the captains
20:38
of the temple
20:39
and the Sadducees
20:39
came upon them
20:41
greatly annoyed
20:41
because they were
20:42
teaching the people
20:43
and proclaiming
20:44
in Jesus
20:44
the resurrection
20:45
from the dead.
20:46
And they arrested them.
20:48
Did you hear that?
20:49
They were greatly
20:50
annoyed because
20:51
they were teaching
20:51
the people
20:52
and proclaiming
20:54
in Jesus
20:54
the resurrection
20:56
of the dead.
20:57
The Sanhedrin
20:58
was not annoyed
20:59
at them for healing.
21:02
They were fine
21:03
with the healing.
21:04
I can assure you
21:05
that they were okay
21:06
with no longer
21:08
having dirty
21:09
crippled beggars
21:11
being laid
21:11
at the temple gate
21:13
daily.
21:16
So in verse 18
21:18
of chapter 4
21:19
we read,
21:19
so they called
21:20
them and charged
21:21
them not to speak
21:21
or teach
21:22
at all
21:22
in the name
21:22
of Jesus.
21:24
They never
21:25
charged them
21:26
to stop healing.
21:27
So why the
21:28
hostility
21:29
and the opposition
21:30
to the apostles?
21:31
Let's examine
21:32
this in our
21:32
second point
21:33
which I've
21:33
entitled
21:34
The Root Cause
21:35
of Persecution.
21:37
The Root Cause
21:37
of Persecution
21:38
as we read
21:39
in verses 17
21:40
through 33
21:41
of our chapter,
21:42
chapter 5.
21:43
But the high
21:45
priest rose up
21:46
and all who
21:47
were with him
21:47
that is the party
21:48
of the Sadducees
21:49
and being filled
21:50
with jealousy
21:51
they arrested
21:52
the apostles
21:52
and put them
21:53
in the public
21:54
prison.
21:54
But during the
21:55
night an angel
21:56
of the Lord
21:56
opened the prison
21:57
doors and brought
21:58
them out and said
21:59
go and stand
22:00
in the temple
22:00
and speak to the
22:01
people all the
22:02
words of this life.
22:04
And when they
22:04
heard this
22:04
they entered
22:05
the temple
22:05
at daybreak
22:06
and began to
22:07
teach.
22:07
Now when the high
22:08
priest came
22:08
and those who
22:09
were with him
22:09
they called
22:10
together the
22:10
council,
22:11
all the
22:11
center of the
22:12
people of
22:12
Israel
22:13
and sent
22:13
to the
22:13
prison to
22:14
have them
22:14
brought.
22:15
But when the
22:15
officers came
22:16
they did not
22:17
find them in
22:17
the prison
22:17
so they
22:18
returned and
22:18
reported we
22:19
found the
22:20
prison securely
22:20
locked and the
22:21
guards standing
22:21
at the doors
22:22
but when we
22:23
opened them
22:23
we found no
22:24
one inside.
22:25
Now when the
22:25
captain of the
22:26
temple and the
22:26
chief priest heard
22:27
these words they
22:28
were greatly
22:28
perplexed about
22:29
them wondering
22:30
what this would
22:31
come to.
22:32
And someone
22:32
came and told
22:33
them look the
22:34
men whom you
22:34
put in prison
22:35
are standing in
22:36
the temple and
22:36
teaching the
22:37
people.
22:38
Then the
22:38
captain with the
22:39
officers went
22:41
but not by
22:42
force for they
22:43
were afraid of
22:44
being stoned by
22:44
the people.
22:46
And when they
22:46
had brought
22:47
them they set
22:48
them before the
22:48
council and the
22:49
high priest and
22:50
the high priest
22:51
questioned them
22:51
saying we
22:53
strictly charged
22:54
you not to
22:55
teach in this
22:56
name yet here
22:57
you have filled
22:58
Jerusalem with
22:59
your teaching and
23:00
you intend to
23:01
bring this man's
23:02
blood upon us.
23:04
But Peter and
23:04
the apostles
23:04
answered we must
23:05
obey God rather
23:06
than men.
23:07
The God of our
23:08
fathers raised
23:08
Jesus whom you
23:09
killed by hanging
23:10
him on a tree.
23:11
God exalted
23:11
him at his
23:12
right hand as
23:12
leader and
23:13
savior to give
23:13
repentance to
23:14
Israel and
23:15
forgiveness of
23:15
sins and we
23:16
are witnesses to
23:17
these things and
23:17
so is the Holy
23:18
Spirit whom God
23:19
has given to
23:20
those who
23:21
obey him.
23:22
When they
23:23
heard this they
23:24
were enraged and
23:27
wanted to kill
23:28
them.
23:30
Now I really want
23:30
to take some time
23:31
this morning to
23:32
examine with you the
23:33
root cause of
23:34
persecution and we
23:36
will do so first by
23:38
starting with a
23:39
general cause of
23:40
persecution specific
23:42
to our text and
23:43
then by digging
23:43
deeper into the
23:44
issue and looking
23:45
at a broader more
23:47
foundational cause of
23:48
persecution.
23:50
So where does
23:51
persecution come
23:52
from and why
23:53
should we Christians
23:54
in a church service
23:56
in beautiful and
23:57
peaceful quiet
23:57
Dahlonega expect
24:00
persecution in our
24:01
lives.
24:02
us.
24:03
Let's start by
24:03
looking at the
24:04
general cause of
24:05
persecution in our
24:06
text.
24:07
After the apostles
24:08
are brought before
24:09
the senate and
24:09
questioned by the
24:10
Sanhedrin Peter
24:12
preaches to them and
24:13
we read in verse
24:13
33 when they heard
24:15
this they were
24:16
enraged and wanted
24:17
to kill them.
24:18
But where does that
24:19
hatred and desire to
24:20
kill come from?
24:23
I think to better
24:23
understand this scene
24:25
it's beneficial for
24:26
us to have a broader
24:26
understanding of the
24:28
historical context
24:29
politically around
24:30
this time.
24:32
And so I also want
24:33
to take some time
24:34
this morning to
24:34
even navigate above
24:36
and away from our
24:38
text as we take
24:39
sort of if you would
24:40
in a bird's eye
24:41
view of some of the
24:43
history of the Jews.
24:45
So to start let us
24:46
understand first the
24:47
Sanhedrin.
24:49
You may remember
24:50
Nathan telling us
24:52
that they were like
24:53
the Supreme Court
24:54
of Israel.
24:54
It comprised of 70
24:55
members plus the
24:56
high priest.
24:58
The members were
24:58
mostly if not
24:59
completely made up of
25:00
the two major
25:01
parties.
25:02
Those being the
25:02
Pharisees and the
25:03
Sadducees.
25:04
The Pharisees were
25:05
the more conservative
25:06
of the two.
25:07
The Sadducees were
25:08
the liberals.
25:09
At this point in time
25:10
the high priest was
25:11
under Sadducean
25:12
control.
25:13
The Sadducees were
25:14
wealthy aristocrats.
25:16
They were the elite
25:17
class per se.
25:19
They also believed
25:20
only in the first
25:20
five books of the
25:21
Old Testament as
25:22
being authoritative.
25:23
They did not believe
25:24
in the resurrection
25:24
of the dead.
25:25
They did not believe
25:26
in angels.
25:27
They did not believe
25:28
in the sovereignty
25:29
of God or in his
25:30
providential work
25:31
in the world.
25:32
They stressed the
25:33
libertarian free will
25:34
of man.
25:35
They denied most
25:36
things supernatural.
25:37
And we could say
25:38
that they practiced
25:39
religion more so
25:40
as political
25:41
opportunists.
25:44
So understanding
25:45
them, we read
25:47
back in verse 17
25:49
of chapter 5,
25:51
But the high priest
25:52
rose up and all
25:53
who were with him,
25:55
that is the party
25:55
of the Sadducees,
25:56
and filled with
25:58
jealousy.
25:59
They were filled
26:00
with jealousy.
26:02
But why jealousy?
26:04
What were they
26:05
jealous about?
26:07
And how does this
26:08
emotion, this
26:09
jealousy, lead to
26:11
persecution and a
26:12
desire to kill?
26:14
Well, it's interesting
26:15
to note that jealousy
26:16
throughout the Bible,
26:17
when put in a list
26:19
of sinful practices,
26:22
is always paired up
26:23
with things like
26:24
strife, malice,
26:26
hate, hostility,
26:27
etc.
26:28
Always put together
26:29
side by side.
26:30
And we see this both
26:31
in narrative
26:32
illustrations throughout
26:33
the Bible and also
26:35
in epistolic
26:36
exhortations.
26:37
So, for example,
26:38
a narrative
26:38
illustration, we see
26:40
in Genesis 37
26:41
that Joseph, he is
26:44
given a robe of
26:45
many colors.
26:46
And in verse 4
26:47
of Genesis 37,
26:47
we read that his
26:48
brothers hated him
26:50
and could not even
26:51
speak to him
26:52
peacefully.
26:53
Then down in verse 11,
26:54
it says that they
26:55
were jealous of
26:56
Joseph, and we know
26:58
the result of that
26:59
jealousy.
27:00
In that case,
27:02
they sell their own
27:03
brother into slavery.
27:05
As far as
27:05
exhortative examples,
27:07
we see in the
27:08
epistles, here are a
27:09
few, and listen to
27:10
how they are grouped
27:11
in this list.
27:13
You do not have to
27:15
turn here.
27:15
I'm going to move
27:16
through this pretty
27:16
quick.
27:17
The first one,
27:18
Galatians 5, 19
27:19
through 21, it says,
27:21
Now the works of the
27:22
flesh are evident,
27:23
sexual immorality,
27:24
impurity, sensuality,
27:26
idolatry, sorcery,
27:28
enmity, strife,
27:30
jealousy, fits of
27:31
anger, rivalries,
27:33
dissensions, division,
27:35
envy, drunkenness,
27:37
orgies, and things
27:37
like these.
27:38
2 Corinthians 12, 20.
27:40
Perhaps there may be
27:41
quarreling, jealousy,
27:43
anger, hostility,
27:44
slander, gossip,
27:46
conceit, and disorder
27:48
among you.
27:49
Also Romans 13,
27:50
13 through 14,
27:52
and I'm going to
27:52
skip that one,
27:53
but James 3, 14
27:55
through 16.
27:55
If you would,
27:56
turn to that one
27:57
with me.
27:58
James 3, 14
28:00
through 16.
28:01
James 3, 14
28:02
through 16.
28:13
James 3, 14
28:17
13 through 16.
28:19
We read,
28:20
But if you have bitter jealousy
28:23
and selfish ambition in your hearts,
28:27
do not boast and be false to the truth.
28:30
This is not the wisdom that comes down from above,
28:32
but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.
28:35
For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist,
28:39
there will be disorder in every vile practice.
28:45
Did you hear that?
28:46
Every vile practice.
28:47
Jealousy and self-ambition.
28:49
This was the heart of the Sanhedrin.
28:52
And what were they jealous of?
28:55
Were they jealous that they were losing popularity to the apostles?
28:59
I don't think so.
29:01
This was the great Sanhedrin.
29:02
They were ambitious, power-hungry,
29:04
prideful men
29:05
who had the law on their side
29:08
and the power to judge and control.
29:11
They were not afraid or threatened by the apostles.
29:13
And how can I say that?
29:15
Two reasons.
29:16
The first one I would say is an educated guess.
29:18
What I mean by that is,
29:20
can you imagine how arrogant and prideful these men were?
29:24
Here stands before them,
29:26
the disciples of Jesus,
29:27
a man whom in their minds,
29:30
only days after he had been welcomed into the city of Jerusalem by the people,
29:35
as if he was a king,
29:38
they, the Sanhedrin,
29:39
managed to turn the entire nation against him.
29:42
Right?
29:43
To the point where those who were on Monday
29:46
screaming out,
29:48
Hosanna, blessed be the name of the Lord,
29:50
by Friday they had changed their chance to crucify him.
29:54
They, the Sanhedrin, were proud.
29:58
And I think that in their minds,
30:00
they took credit for all that.
30:02
They managed to change the people's minds in a matter of hours.
30:07
They were proud.
30:08
They felt strong.
30:09
And here before them stood mere followers of a leader that they had already done away with.
30:17
They were not scared of the apostles and they were not scared of the people.
30:20
Now we read in verse 26 that the captain of the police and his men were scared of the people,
30:27
but not the Sanhedrin.
30:28
They were not scared of the people or the apostles.
30:30
They were corrupt and smart politicians.
30:34
They knew how to play the people.
30:36
They knew how to get what they wanted.
30:38
Now my second reason is from scripture.
30:40
Because scripture tells me that they didn't even fear God.
30:44
And if they didn't fear God,
30:45
I don't think they feared his messengers.
30:47
But I do believe that their jealousy towards the apostles stemmed from fear.
30:54
Fear of the Roman Empire.
30:57
Now why do I say that?
31:01
This is where I want to navigate above and away from our text
31:05
and quickly brush over about 600 years worth of history, of Jewish history.
31:12
So bear with me.
31:14
But I'm doing this because I want you to get a better feel for what the apostles were standing up against
31:21
as they stood before that council of 71 politicians.
31:24
And I hope that this doesn't feel too out of the way from our text, from our context.
31:29
And I promise you that I believe it has its purpose well within our text this morning.
31:34
So the history of the Jews, and I'm going to try to move kind of quickly here.
31:39
So you may not want to write notes.
31:41
You may just want to sit and listen so you get a good picture.
31:44
But if you want to write notes, it's up to you.
31:47
So the history of the Jews is filled with a lot of war and violence.
31:50
And starting in about 589 B.C., which is a little over 600 years before Acts chapter 5,
31:59
where we find ourselves this morning,
32:01
the Babylonian Empire under King Nebuchadnezzar invaded Jerusalem,
32:05
destroyed the temple, killed many Jews, and took thousands captive.
32:09
We read about this in Jeremiah 52.
32:11
And this is the same King Nebuchadnezzar who we read of in the book of Daniel
32:15
who gets the dream of a great statue of a man who Daniel interprets for us as prophecy in the book of Daniel chapter 2.
32:23
The interpretation is given in Daniel chapter 2 that the statue represents five kingdoms.
32:32
The first one, Daniel says, to King Nebuchadnezzar represents him in the Babylonian Empire.
32:38
Now throughout the rest of the book of Daniel, the other kingdoms are described,
32:42
and Daniel lays out with such specific detail the course of events with world powers to come.
32:50
And it's just exciting to see the veracity of God's word through the course of history,
32:57
as prophesied in the Old Testament, hundreds of years before any of this came to pass.
33:03
Now, after being under Babylonian rule for some time,
33:06
the Jews came under Persian rule after Cyrus the Great defeated the Babylonian Empire.
33:11
And at the start of the intertestamental period,
33:14
we find the Jews under Persian rule, which is the second of the five kingdoms.
33:20
Now, in the intertestamental period, which is the 400 years between the closing of the Old Testament
33:27
and the beginning of the New Testament,
33:29
which is also referred to as the 400 years of silence,
33:32
because God no longer spoke to his people in those 400 years,
33:36
God continues, however, to sovereignly and providentially direct the course of history in the making.
33:45
And so in these 400 years, the rest of the remaining empires of the prophesied dream
33:53
from Daniel chapter 2 are described and identified except for the fifth one.
34:04
Now, for about 200 years, the Jews continued under Persian rule.
34:09
They were allowed to rebuild the temple and had religious freedom.
34:13
Around 330 BC, the Persian Empire fell to the Greek Empire,
34:18
which was the third of the five kingdoms under Alexander the Great.
34:22
After Alexander's death, his generals divided his empire into two,
34:26
and two dynasties came out of that, the Ptolemies and the Seleucids.
34:34
Judea first initially fell under Ptolemic rule for about 100 years.
34:40
The Jews were economically oppressed,
34:43
but had fairly good religious freedom under the Ptolemies.
34:50
The Jews at this time also were exposed to Hellenism.
34:57
Hellenism spread, which was Greek culture, but they still had religious freedom.
35:01
Then for the next 57 years, Judea came under Seleucid rule,
35:06
under Antiochus Epiphanes,
35:09
and that level of freedom drastically, drastically changed.
35:13
Antiochus placed the high priest of his choosing,
35:18
a man by the name of Jason, possibly a Greek,
35:22
not even a Jewish man, or at the least a Greek supporter.
35:26
He then issues a decree that all nations under his rule
35:29
should abandon their own customs and become one people.
35:32
He launched a fierce attack against the Jews,
35:35
plundered Jerusalem and set many buildings on fire,
35:38
had any copies of the Old Testament that he could find burned,
35:41
forced Jews to eat pork,
35:43
prevented them from observing the Sabbath,
35:45
prevented the circumcision of boys,
35:48
to the point that they would go around and check,
35:50
and if any boy was found to be circumcised,
35:52
the mother would be killed,
35:53
the child would be killed,
35:55
and the child would then be hung around the neck of the mother.
35:58
Pagan worship exploded in Jerusalem at this time.
36:05
Antiochus even had the title,
36:09
Theos Antiochus Theos Epiphanes,
36:12
inscribed on the currency,
36:14
which translates to Antiochus, God Manifest.
36:19
All this led to a 24-year war
36:22
led by a Jew named Judah Maccabee.
36:28
The war was called the Maccabean Revolt.
36:30
The Jews won and gained their freedom.
36:34
The Maccabees then established the Hasmonian dynasty in Israel.
36:39
The Jews had peace that lasted for a very short time,
36:42
and the Seleucid Empire once again attacked Jerusalem,
36:45
and this was around 129 B.C.
36:48
At this point,
36:49
leadership of the Hasmonian dynasty had changed
36:52
due to the first leader of the Hasmonian dynasty
36:55
being assassinated by his own son-in-law.
36:57
In a short period of time of about 37 years,
37:01
the Hasmonian dynasty had four different kings.
37:05
The fourth one, Alexander Gennas,
37:09
by that point,
37:12
Hellenism had spread deep into the Hasmonian kingdom,
37:15
which was the very thing that they fought against.
37:18
King Alexander Gennas took upon himself
37:20
both office of king and priest,
37:24
high priest,
37:25
and the conservative political party at the time,
37:28
the Pharisees,
37:29
demanded that he choose either or.
37:32
The king refused and sided with
37:34
and was supported by the Sadducees.
37:37
Shortly after,
37:38
a disagreement during the Feast of Tabernacles
37:40
led the king,
37:41
Alexander Gennas,
37:42
to have 6,000 Jews
37:44
massacred in the temple courtyard.
37:47
This event was a cause to the start
37:49
of a six-year civil war
37:51
in Jerusalem,
37:54
within Judea,
37:56
where 50,000 Judeans were killed.
38:00
And Josephus writes that this Sadduceean king,
38:04
Alexander,
38:05
had 800 Pharisees
38:08
arrested
38:09
and then had their wives and children's throats
38:12
cut in front of them
38:14
right before executing them as well.
38:18
After Alexander died,
38:19
his wife became queen of Judea.
38:22
After she died,
38:23
her son,
38:23
Heracanus,
38:25
became the rightful heir
38:26
of the Hasmonian kingdom.
38:27
And he was in favor of the Pharisees.
38:30
However,
38:30
his little brother,
38:32
Aristobulus,
38:33
who was more popular
38:34
and was in favor of the Sadducees,
38:37
rebelled against his big brother.
38:38
In yet another civil war,
38:41
Heracanus surrendered for the time being
38:43
and Aristobulus became king.
38:46
Now,
38:46
when we get to around 65 to 63 BC,
38:50
the fourth kingdom of Daniel's prophecy,
38:54
the one that is successor to the Greek Empire,
38:57
comes to the scene as the Roman Republic,
39:00
soon to become the Roman Empire.
39:03
So,
39:03
the Romans conquer the Greeks
39:05
and around this time,
39:06
Heracanus starts another,
39:08
another civil war,
39:09
to try to get his kingdom back
39:10
from his little brother.
39:12
Now,
39:12
there were so many moving pieces here
39:14
and true conspiracies
39:15
that led
39:16
to this continued civil war
39:18
between these Jewish brothers.
39:19
But for the sake of time,
39:20
I'm going to have to skip all those details.
39:22
However,
39:23
the two brothers
39:24
both ended up going to General Pompey,
39:27
a Roman military general
39:29
who just months earlier
39:30
had marched into Syria,
39:33
overpowered their kingdom
39:34
and made it into a Roman province.
39:37
Pompey originally sided with Aristobulus,
39:40
the younger brother,
39:41
which led to a crushing defeat
39:43
of Heracanus' allies' army.
39:46
But then,
39:47
Pompey changes his mind,
39:49
decides that he wants to take over Judea,
39:52
and thought that Heracanus,
39:55
the older brother,
39:56
would instead be easier to control
39:58
than Aristobulus.
39:59
So,
40:01
Pompey changes sides
40:03
and backs Heracanus now instead.
40:06
Pompey then fights against Aristobulus,
40:08
and Aristobulus surrenders to Pompey.
40:10
And in 63 BC,
40:12
Pompey marched into Jerusalem,
40:14
where he met more opposition
40:15
from the Sadducees.
40:17
And after a several-month siege,
40:20
which resulted in a good bit
40:21
of death and destruction,
40:23
and as Josephus puts it,
40:25
12,000 Jews were slaughtered,
40:27
with only a few Roman troops being killed.
40:32
The Jews lost their short-lived independence
40:34
and came under the rule
40:36
of the Roman Republic.
40:38
Pompey reinstalled Heracanus as high priest.
40:41
Now,
40:41
within the Roman Republic at this time,
40:44
there was also a lot of instability.
40:47
After his victory in Jerusalem,
40:49
Pompey returns to Rome,
40:50
and the first triumvirate
40:52
was established
40:54
by three men
40:55
who became
40:56
the most powerful men
40:58
in the Republic.
40:59
Pompey being one of them,
41:01
Marcus Crassus,
41:02
and Julius Caesar.
41:03
Not long after,
41:05
there was a civil war
41:06
which broke out
41:07
between Caesar and Pompey.
41:09
And the whole Heracanus
41:11
and Aristobulus thing
41:12
surfaced again
41:13
because Caesar
41:14
wanted to restore the kingdom
41:16
to Aristobulus,
41:17
the little brother.
41:19
Pompey's people,
41:20
knowing this,
41:21
then had Aristobulus
41:22
killed.
41:24
Heracanus and his closest ally,
41:27
Antipater,
41:28
were ready to fight
41:30
with Pompey
41:31
against Caesar.
41:32
However,
41:33
when Pompey was killed,
41:34
they switched sides
41:35
and helped Caesar.
41:38
Caesar then became
41:39
the sole dictator
41:40
of the Republic.
41:42
Caesar,
41:43
thankful for the help
41:44
of Heracanus and Antipater,
41:46
allowed Heracanus
41:47
to remain high priest
41:48
and gave Antipater
41:49
rule of Judea
41:50
by making him
41:51
procurator of Judea.
41:54
Now, one of Antipater's sons
41:56
is known to you
41:57
as King Herod,
41:58
who was later appointed
41:59
king of the Jews
42:00
by the Romans
42:01
and was the one
42:02
who had all the young boys
42:03
murdered at the time
42:04
of the birth of Jesus.
42:07
Now, Julius Caesar
42:08
is assassinated
42:09
and his adopted son
42:11
and heir,
42:12
Octavian,
42:13
joins forces
42:14
with Mark Antony
42:15
in what was called
42:16
the Second Triumvirate.
42:17
Now, not long after,
42:20
they turned
42:21
against one another
42:22
in yet another civil war.
42:27
Octavian won the war
42:28
and became Augustus,
42:30
the first emperor
42:31
and founder
42:32
of the Roman Empire.
42:35
Jesus was born
42:35
during the reign of Augustus.
42:37
So you can see
42:37
there was much war
42:39
surrounding
42:39
and even within Judea
42:42
up to this point
42:43
and even more
42:44
that I don't have time
42:45
to get into.
42:46
So why am I telling you
42:47
all this?
42:47
A few reasons.
42:48
First, history is important.
42:50
Also, I hope it gives you
42:52
a better picture,
42:53
but more importantly,
42:54
related to our text
42:55
this morning
42:56
to answer the question,
42:57
why were the Sanhedrin
42:58
afraid of the Roman Empire?
43:00
Now, here's where
43:01
I was going with all this.
43:02
In 63 BC,
43:04
the year that the Romans
43:05
took over Judea,
43:07
perhaps the most powerful
43:08
man in Rome
43:10
was a man
43:12
by the name of Cicero,
43:13
being that he was
43:14
the highest elected official
43:15
official of the Republic
43:17
along with one other guy.
43:19
The Romans had a law
43:20
that is referred to
43:21
as the Edict of Religio Licita,
43:26
which means the Edict
43:27
of Permitted Religion.
43:29
Listen to what Cicero writes
43:31
around this time
43:32
in his book entitled
43:33
On the Laws.
43:35
He writes,
43:36
and I quote,
43:36
Close quote.
44:01
Close quote.
44:01
Now, a few years later,
44:04
listen to what Gaius
44:05
Macenus,
44:07
Emperor Augustus' advisor,
44:10
said to Augustus,
44:12
probably within a few years
44:14
of Jesus' birth.
44:16
He tells him,
44:18
Honor the gods
44:19
in every way
44:20
according to the usage
44:22
of your ancestors
44:23
and compel others
44:25
to worship them.
44:27
Hate and punish
44:28
those who introduce
44:30
strange gods,
44:32
not only for the sake
44:33
of the gods,
44:34
but because those
44:35
who introduce
44:36
new gods
44:37
engage a multitude
44:38
of persons
44:39
in foreign laws
44:41
and customs.
44:42
From hence
44:43
arise unions
44:44
bound by oaths
44:46
and confederacies
44:47
and associations.
44:49
Things dangerous
44:51
to a monarchy.
44:53
Close quote.
44:55
Now, let me wrap up
44:56
this bird's eye view thing
44:57
and show you from Scripture
44:58
why I've said
44:59
what I've said.
45:00
Turn to John chapter 11
45:02
for me.
45:04
This is a text
45:04
that Pastor Vodibach
45:05
pointed out for me
45:06
and we'll show you
45:08
how all of this history
45:09
comes together
45:10
in our text
45:12
in Acts chapter 5
45:13
this morning.
45:17
John chapter 11.
45:18
This is right after
45:26
the raising of Lazarus
45:28
and look at
45:29
verse 45
45:31
verses 45
45:32
through 48.
45:34
So,
45:34
John chapter 11
45:35
starting in verse 45
45:36
we read
45:37
Many of the Jews
45:38
therefore
45:39
who had come
45:40
with Mary
45:40
and had seen
45:42
what he did
45:42
believed in him.
45:44
But some of them
45:45
went to the Pharisees
45:46
and told them
45:47
what Jesus had done.
45:49
So the chief priests
45:50
and the Pharisees
45:51
gathered the council
45:52
and said
45:53
what are we to do?
45:54
For this man
45:55
performs many signs.
45:57
If we let him
45:58
go on like this
45:59
everyone will believe
46:00
in him
46:00
and the Romans
46:02
will come
46:03
and take away
46:04
both our place
46:05
and our nation.
46:07
Do you see that?
46:09
Jesus
46:10
and then the apostles
46:11
were preaching
46:13
Christianity
46:14
a new religion
46:16
that was not
46:16
sanctioned
46:18
and officially
46:18
brought in
46:19
by Rome.
46:21
And because Rome
46:22
saw new religions
46:22
as the rise of unions
46:24
bound by oaths
46:25
and confederacies
46:26
and associations
46:27
things dangerous
46:28
to a monarchy
46:29
the great Sanhedrin
46:30
wealthy
46:31
and power hungry
46:33
was scared
46:34
that the preaching
46:35
of a new religion
46:36
would bring about
46:37
the wrath
46:37
not of God
46:38
but of the Roman Empire
46:40
and take their power
46:42
and wealth
46:43
away from them.
46:44
Brothers
46:44
the love of money
46:46
is a root
46:47
of all kinds
46:48
of evil
46:49
but the root
46:50
of all kinds
46:52
of evil
46:53
including the root
46:54
of persecution
46:54
is idolatry
46:56
a violation
46:58
of the first
46:59
and second commandments.
47:01
The apostles
47:01
here were preaching
47:02
against the Sanhedrin
47:04
sin
47:05
so you now have
47:07
I hope
47:07
you now have
47:08
a better picture
47:08
of what they were
47:09
standing up against.
47:11
They all knew
47:11
the Roman stance
47:12
on their religion
47:13
very well.
47:15
The apostles
47:15
likely knew
47:16
very well
47:16
that this was
47:17
what they were
47:17
standing up against.
47:20
They knew the risk.
47:21
These men
47:21
had crucified
47:22
their Lord
47:23
out of their own
47:23
greed and idolatry
47:24
and even so much
47:26
blood
47:26
had been spilled
47:27
in the very ground
47:28
upon which they
47:29
stood to be tried
47:30
yet they trusted
47:32
and were obedient
47:33
and they preached
47:35
the truth
47:36
in love
47:36
and they put
47:37
the mirror
47:38
of God's law
47:39
in front
47:40
of the court's
47:40
face
47:40
and called
47:41
them out
47:42
on their sin.
47:46
Peter says
47:47
Jesus
47:48
whom you killed
47:49
and the Sanhedrin
47:51
hiding their guilt
47:52
say
47:52
you intend
47:54
to bring
47:55
this man's
47:55
blood
47:56
upon us.
47:57
For those of you
47:58
who don't know
47:59
I used to be
47:59
a police
48:00
canine officer
48:01
I had an awesome
48:03
mean looking
48:04
beautiful
48:04
German shepherd
48:05
and when we
48:07
did bite training
48:08
we always
48:10
trained the dogs
48:11
that if the
48:12
handler was
48:13
attacked
48:13
they were to
48:15
attack back
48:15
and that without
48:17
even the need
48:18
of a command
48:19
to bite
48:20
that's how they
48:21
were trained
48:22
it was partly
48:23
out of instinct
48:24
if the dog
48:25
sees his master
48:26
attacked
48:26
he will attack
48:27
the attacker
48:28
and that's kind
48:29
of what we see
48:29
with persecution
48:30
because
48:34
unregenerate
48:35
people
48:36
are slaves
48:37
to their
48:38
sin
48:39
their sin
48:40
is their
48:41
master
48:42
and just
48:43
like if you
48:44
mess with a
48:45
dog's master
48:45
you are likely
48:46
to get bit
48:47
if you mess
48:48
with someone's
48:49
sin
48:49
you are likely
48:50
to be
48:51
persecuted
48:51
and so that
48:53
brothers and
48:54
sisters
48:54
is the root
48:55
cause
48:55
of persecution
48:56
and the apostles
48:58
were obedient
48:59
godliness
49:00
was manifested
49:02
in that obedience
49:02
and persecution
49:04
necessarily
49:05
followed
49:05
for persecution
49:07
was birthed
49:08
out of an
49:08
idolatrous
49:09
heart
49:10
enslaved to
49:11
sin
49:11
and nothing
49:12
has changed
49:13
almost 2,000
49:14
years later
49:15
if you preach
49:18
the gospel
49:19
people may still
49:20
want to kill you
49:21
and while they
49:22
don't have the fear
49:23
of losing everything
49:24
to the roman empire
49:25
they do fear the
49:26
police
49:26
and losing
49:27
everything
49:28
by going to
49:28
prison
49:29
but what has
49:32
changed
49:32
is in the
49:33
political realm
49:34
the lord has
49:35
made our
49:36
field
49:36
so much
49:38
easier
49:38
to labor
49:38
in
49:39
he has
49:39
provided
49:40
so much
49:41
protection
49:41
for his
49:43
workers
49:44
in the
49:44
institution
49:45
of our
49:45
government
49:46
we can't
49:47
be flogged
49:48
or killed
49:49
for preaching
49:49
according to
49:51
the law
49:51
and we even
49:52
have the law
49:53
on our side
49:53
when it comes
49:54
to preaching
49:54
in our
49:55
right to
49:55
freedom
49:56
of speech
49:56
so our
49:57
field is
49:58
easier to
49:59
labor in
50:00
yet the
50:00
lord's
50:01
words
50:01
still ring
50:02
true
50:02
that the
50:03
harvest is
50:04
plentiful
50:04
but the
50:05
laborers
50:06
are few
50:06
now
50:07
kind of
50:08
out of
50:08
time
50:08
out of
50:09
time
50:09
so i
50:09
will leave
50:10
you with
50:10
this
50:10
i urge
50:11
all of
50:12
you
50:12
to examine
50:13
your hearts
50:14
we should
50:15
be bold
50:16
in our
50:16
proclamation
50:17
of the gospel
50:17
for our
50:19
field to
50:20
labor in
50:20
it's not a
50:21
particularly
50:22
painstakingly
50:24
arduous one
50:24
to labor
50:25
in
50:25
i agree
50:26
with what
50:27
nathan
50:27
said that
50:28
at the
50:28
very least
50:29
we should
50:29
be experiencing
50:30
persecution
50:31
in the
50:31
form of
50:32
persecution
50:33
of our
50:33
ego
50:34
but i
50:36
think nathan
50:37
would also
50:37
agree with
50:38
me that
50:38
your ego
50:39
should not
50:40
be primarily
50:42
persecuted by
50:43
others but
50:44
should be
50:44
primarily first
50:46
and foremost
50:46
persecuted by
50:48
yourselves
50:49
as you renew
50:51
your minds
50:52
as you die
50:53
to yourself
50:53
as you pick
50:54
up your cross
50:55
daily to
50:56
follow him
50:57
every one of
50:59
us christians
50:59
is called
51:00
to live
51:01
godly
51:02
lives
51:02
and to
51:03
boldly
51:04
proclaim
51:05
that which
51:06
we which
51:07
we have
51:08
been entrusted
51:08
with and
51:10
made ambassadors
51:10
of and if
51:12
we are obedient
51:13
to this call
51:14
then persecution
51:15
will in some
51:17
way necessarily
51:17
follow but do
51:19
understand that
51:20
persecution is
51:21
not the goal it
51:22
is simply a
51:23
byproduct of
51:24
godliness
51:24
may we all
51:27
be found
51:28
worthy to
51:29
suffer for
51:31
him who
51:31
suffered all
51:32
on our
51:33
behalf and
51:34
may we all
51:35
live our
51:36
lives without
51:37
wasting them
51:38
that is my
51:39
prayer this
51:40
morning and
51:40
i close with
51:41
this quote
51:42
from john
51:43
jawit
51:44
a british
51:44
preacher from
51:45
the early
51:45
1900s
51:46
he says
51:47
it is
51:49
possible to
51:50
evade a
51:52
multitude of
51:53
sorrows by
51:54
the cultivation
51:55
of an
51:56
insignificant
51:56
life
51:57
indeed if
52:01
it be a
52:01
man's ambition
52:02
to avoid the
52:03
troubles of
52:04
life the
52:05
recipe is
52:06
perfectly
52:06
simple
52:07
let him
52:11
shed his
52:11
ambitions in
52:12
every direction
52:13
let him cut
52:14
the wings of
52:15
every soaring
52:17
purpose and
52:18
let him
52:19
assiduously
52:19
cultivate a
52:21
little life
52:22
with the
52:23
fewest
52:23
correspondences
52:24
and relations
52:26
by this means
52:28
a whole
52:28
continent of
52:30
afflictions will
52:31
be escaped and
52:32
will remain
52:33
unknown
52:34
but if we
52:36
follow the
52:37
way of
52:38
sacrificial life
52:39
and service
52:39
it may bring
52:41
us into a
52:42
fiery furnace
52:43
of suffering
52:43
but in the
52:45
midst of the
52:46
fire there
52:47
shall be one
52:48
like unto
52:49
the son of
52:50
God
52:51
let's pray