Well, good morning. Welcome to Sunday School. Let me begin with a word of prayer. Lord, we thank You for another day, another Lord's Day. Lord, we remember that You have promised to bless this day. We pray, God, that You will bless us through it. Lord, help us to keep this day holy today. We pray that as we dig into Your Word this morning and in morning worship service that You would open our eyes to it. Lord, give us insight into Your Word. We pray that You would use it to conform us and mold us into Christ's image. We pray, Lord, that You would glorify Yourself. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Alright, so we're going to be in Acts chapter 5 today, going through the book of Acts. Let me read through this first portion of Acts and then we'll discuss it. And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women. So they brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow of Peter passing by might fall on some of them. Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits. And they were all healed." In the first sentence, what are the Apostles doing? What's the striking thing the Apostles are doing here? Right. They're continuing the signs and wonders. And these are obviously the first signs and wonders in the Book of Acts. We just got finished the last lesson talking about what was a kind of sign and wonder with Ananias and Sapphira when they were, you know, killed or basically judged for lying to the Holy Spirit. We might not normally think of that as a sign and wonder because it was a sign of judgment. And most of the signs are signs of healing, things like that. But now we're getting back into those more common signs and wonders of the New Testament, the signs of healing. And where were the people gathering, the Christians, where were they gathering? Right, Solomon's Porch, which is a part of the temple or the outside of the temple right there. Why do you think this is where they were gathering? There's probably several reasons. Yeah. Nobody would wonder where that is. They'd all know. Good. Yeah. And so some other reasons it's already part of the temple. People are used to going there for worship. So that makes sense. There's a part called the Gentile Court. And I don't know if... No? They may have been able to physically hear because I don't remember if it was solid walls that went around. Yeah, but I think some other reasons, Solomon's Porch would have been a large area, so it would have contained a lot of people. And obviously, a lot of non-Christians would be there. So they would have, you know, the ability to interact with or draw people who were not yet believers. So I think all those are reasons that they were meeting at Solomon's Porch. In this chapter, we see four reactions of four different types of people. We see the Christian, we see the unconverted, We see the sort of theological liberals we'll get into later, and then we see the moderates. And so in this particular passage here, we see the Christians and the non-Christian people. So what is the reaction of the non-Christians to these signs and wonders and to this growing church? There's two reactions they have. Right. I believe that refers to basically the Jewish people who weren't part of the church, didn't identify with themselves as Christians. Basically the people. I think yet none of the rest is the same as the people in that sentence. So what were the two reactions of the people here? Right, so they had some esteem for them. So they didn't think lowly of them. perhaps because they were seeing the signs and wonders that were amazing. And these people were, you know, living their profession of faith. So there was much to esteem in this new church. But why would they have not dared to join them? Why would they have been afraid to join the church? The authorities, right. Right. So the authorities are against the church. And there's a good chance that whoever joins the church is going to be, you know, booted from the synagogue and they're going to lose their livelihood, maybe even lose connection to their family. Those who became Christians here, they had to give up much, very much to pursue Christ. That's what was keeping them back. Some of what was keeping them back. And so we've talked about the signs and wonders. What's the purpose, the main purpose of signs and wonders in scripture? Right, and so when you say pointing to the truth, pointing to the men that God had set apart to, right. It was a way of God attesting to who his apostles were, who his spokesmen were, who had the message and the words of life. That was the main purpose of Signs and Wonders. Dr. Shaw, you look like you had a thought. No? Well, I mean, just to, yeah, the purpose of the signs was to confirm that these people were indeed God's spokesmen. And so you should listen to them. Yeah. We might can see here sort of a secondary effect, another effect of these signs and wonders. And it's not the signs and wonders doing it themselves, but here it says, and believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women. So we see also that, I mean, it's not like just signs and wonders being done. They're also preaching the word, preaching the gospel, the good news. And of course, the signs and wonders alone doesn't convert, right? Many people saw signs and wonders and didn't believe. Scriptures talk about how there were some who saw the Lord Jesus Christ risen from the dead and they doubted. So these things alone aren't enough, but I think there's a connection here, at least in this passage, These signs and wonders were being done, and people were believing the message of the Apostles, and they were coming to the Lord in faith. And then the end part of this passage that we're looking at at the moment goes into detail about what those particular signs and wonders were, and what were these signs and wonders that Peter and the Apostles were doing. Yeah. Right, healing the sick and casting out demons, and we sort of see what's an example of how really striking these signs and wonders are. Even just the shadow of Peter passing by. Now, maybe it wasn't his shadow, actually. Maybe people just thought that they had so much power that his shadow would, you know, his mere shadow passing by would heal them. Or, I don't know, maybe it was happening. It seems to be, we see there at the very last verse here that, and they were all healed. That, you know, it doesn't appear that they were doing much distinguishing, you know, between one person and the next. They seem to be healing everybody who came. Maybe it seemed like Peter walked into the room and people were healed. It seemed like his shadow alone was doing it. But yeah, it's really the signs and wonders were pretty amazing and the people were awestruck by it. So we've talked in previous lessons a lot about the signs and wonders here in the New Testament versus what about nowadays. And I think we've pretty much given that question enough attention. So I'm not going to bring it up here. So let's continue on. All right. So here a new actor, a new group of people is introduced. So who's upset with what the apostles are doing? Mm hmm. And which sector do these powers that be predominantly come from? Which religious sect? Right, the Sadducees. And what distinguishes the Sadducees from other religious elements among the Jews? Okay. Really, they both had traditions. You're right. The Sadducees upheld a lot of the traditions, but so did the Pharisees. They all were traditionalists, as far as I can tell. Right. They didn't believe in the supernatural. They didn't believe in the resurrection and a whole host of other things. So for them, the Jewish religion was just that. It was just a bunch of ceremonies. And perhaps for them, it was a means to power. They could use religion to hold some power over the people. But there was nothing, you know, there was no supernatural to it. And so the word here, it says they were filled with indignation. And the commentator we're using to study this one, he mentioned that in the original, the word is similar to our word zeal, which means to boil. So it was like a boiling anger or steaming mad. Jealousy. Certainly, no doubt, that was a part of what they were feeling, right? Up until now, they've had sway over the Jewish people. in a lot of religious matters. But now all these people are going and we're going to see, you know, later part of what's making them mad is that, you know, they're, the apostles are blaming them for, you know, putting Jesus to death. That adds to it. So yeah, they're stealing their glory, you know, right? Stealing their power and they don't like it. So what do they do to the apostles? Uh huh. Yep. No. They grab them and throw them in prison. So we see here some persecution breaking out. It's not the first persecution. Persecution is continuing. But what happened? Now they've been thrown in jail. What did God do? Did God let them languish there? Yeah, He broke them out. That's right. Jailbreak. And He tells them to go stand in the temple and speak to the people. This is an angel speaking to them, but an angel of the Lord. the words of this life. So they obeyed. They go. In the morning, they're there. They're teaching. And then the high priests, they go, you know, tell them, the jailer, bring those guys that we arrested yesterday so we could talk to them. I'll read Acts 5, 22 through 26 for us. When the officers came and did not find them in the prison, they were turned and reported saying, Indeed, we found the prison shut securely, and the guards standing outside before the doors. But when we opened them, we found no one inside. Now when the high priest, the captain of the temple, and the chief priest heard these things, they wondered what the outcome would be. So one came and told them, saying, Look, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people. Then the captain went with the officers and brought them without violence, for they feared the people, lest they should be stoned." mm-hmm that's right mm-hmm that's right yeah and I think it's noteworthy this is the exact same reaction they had to Jesus they saw all of Jesus miracles too and instead of believing you know they tried to undermine it you know these dudes, the apostles were able to do miracles and they're not. I mean, they're very lively, but their entire world was challenged by this guy. I mean, it's as if you, when somebody here today who had a nice home or a nice car, and you said, I know something that will completely ruin everything you own, it will stop your paycheck, it will make your property worthless, it will empty your bank account, it will make you meaningless, all that you work for. And would you like me to publish it in a big old journal? And what are they going to say? So they were like the modern Klepon dollars. That's a possibility. I mean, I'm not sympathetic to this attitude, but I'm just saying I think that to really understand this, I think we've got to appreciate what the apostles were presenting here. was challenging the Sadducees of the era before. I think the Sadducees were essentially the party of the high priesthood. And in the period between the Old Testament and the New Testament, that party had become essentially a political party. And so Judah, or Judea being a province of an empire, first the Persian Empire, and then the Greeks, then the Seleucids, and then finally the Romans, the empirical powers dealt with the Jews through the party of the Sadducees. And so what we see, for example, in John, the concern that the Sadducees express is we're afraid that this is going to turn into a rebellion that's going to bring the Romans down on our heads. It's a concern out of political expediency. In one sense, it's a good concern. They have a concern for the continuation of the nation, but it's a concern out of political expediency and not out of a concern for governments. So the Sadducees were represented to the Jewish people? Yeah. So they find them, that they're not there, and then a report comes, hey, they're out in the temple, and they're teaching the people. So they went there, and they brought them, and the first time they brought them, they laid hands on them. How does that contrast this time? Right, without violence. And I think there's several things we can take from this. I mean, obviously, it's out of fear. They fear the people. They fear the people will stone them, because the people highly esteem the Christians, even though a lot of them aren't willing to join them, they esteem them. And so they had a fear of the people. So we see there, again, that the esteem of the people for the church. But we also see the obedience of the apostles to the powers that be. For them to bring them without violence, that means they had to say, hey, please come with us. And then the apostles freely walked with them. Right? The apostles were obedient up to a point. Right? They recognized the authority. So they had the authority to call them into question. They believed that. They knew that. They had the authority to call them and question them. But they didn't have the authority to tell them not to preach in Jesus' name. And they were able to distinguish, you know, they understood that God's authority was higher. But that these people, at least at the time, they were, you know, authority figures. They were established by God. In God's wisdom, he'd established them. and given them some authority. And one of the authority, apparently they believed, is to call them and to question them, so they go freely. All right, so let me read for us the next section. When they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest asked them, saying, Do we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine and intend to bring this man's blood on us. But Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you murdered by hanging on a tree. Him God has exalted to his right hand to be prince and savior. to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are his witnesses to these things. And so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him." So we see that the Sadducees continue to react in really the same vein, right? They see even another miracle, right? That these guys are thrown in jail, but the next morning, inexplicably they're out and preaching. They don't even know how it happened. But they're not focused on that. They're not focused on any of the miracles. They're just focused on how these guys are, one, not obeying them, and two, intending to bring Jesus' blood on the Sadducees. And then we see that Peter gives them a short answer. Let me go through Gordon Keddy, who's the gentleman who wrote the commentary. He gave a very interesting synopsis of Peter's response here. And so Peter begins by saying that we ought to obey God, right? So his first begins by talking about obedience, right? And then he talks about the God of our fathers raised up Jesus. So next he talks about Jesus' resurrection. And then he says, God has exalted to the right hand Jesus to be Prince and Savior. He talks about Jesus as Savior. And then to give repentance, forgiveness of sins is salvation, right? And we are witnesses to these things. Chiefly, they are witnesses to the resurrection of Christ, right? That's the thing that they've been attesting to over and over. as the resurrection of Christ. And so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him. So do you see sort of, in this passage, it's a little bit forced, I think, maybe, but this is what I think Dr. Shaw in Hebrew would be called a chiasma, is that right? It's very common in Hebrew scriptures, and sometimes it's very long. And the purpose of it is to show what's the central idea. Usually this part right here, the part, the pinnacle, or where, you know, the point, that's the central idea, the most important thing. you know, really supposed to focus your attention on that part of the passage. And so we see that here in this passage. And I think it may have been sort of a rhetorical technique of the time to structure your argument in this way, if you were able to. But there's definitely three things, right? Obedience, the resurrection of Christ, and Christ is Savior. This passage is really flashing that in front of us. This is what characterized Peter's message, certainly to the Sadducees, but probably to everyone. That was what he was generally preaching. And so this can teach us as well what our message should be about, what we should be teaching day in and day out. We should be talking about obedience to God. We should be talking about the resurrection of Christ. And certainly we should be talking about salvation and Christ as our Savior. These are things that we should be regularly talking about in church, whether from the pulpit you know, between Christian friends or to those outside the church. These are the kind of things that we should be talking about. Some of these are not well-received in our modern day, even amongst some Christians. Some Christians are resistant to talk about obedience. They equate that to legalism. that any talk of obedience negates grace. But we see Peter talking about it, and we understand from Scripture that grace and obedience are not opposites. They're not mutually exclusive. What the Scripture teaches us is that when we receive grace and that change of heart, it should produce in us obedience. Faith without works is dead, but a living faith produces good works. And so talking about obedience, that alone is not legalism. But of course, certainly the heart of man has a tendency to take obedience and make it into a legalism to trust it over, you know, the Savior. And we have to be careful that we don't do that in our own hearts and careful that we don't do it in our teaching either. And so there's things we can take away from our fellow Christians who are sensitive to legalism, but their point of just, we're not going to talk about it at all, that's not right. And of course, then the resurrection, right? So the Christians who are upset about obedience as legalism are not, they're fine with the resurrection, but the resurrection would be more like the mainline Christians, what we call liberal Christians of today, who are much like the Sadducees in that they deny the supernatural. They see the world naturalistic. They see religion, Christian religion even, in naturalistic ways. And so they would have a problem with his doctrine of resurrection. But these are things that we as a church and as individuals ought to be teaching and preaching and talking about regularly. All right, let me read this for us. When they heard this, they were furious and plotted to kill them. Then one of the council stood up, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in respect by all the people, and commanded them to put the apostles outside for a little while. And he said to them, Men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what you intend to do regarding these men. For some time ago, Thutias rose up claiming to be somebody. A number of men, about 400, joined him. He was slain, and all who obeyed him were scattered and came to nothing. After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census and drew away many people after him. He also perished, and all who obeyed him were dispersed. Now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing. But if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it, lest you even be found to fight against God.' And they agreed with him. And when they had called for the apostles and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus and let them go. So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. And daily in the temple and in every house they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ." All right, so from which group does Gamaliel come? He's a Pharisee. And so one of the big differences between the Pharisees and the Sadducees is the Pharisees believed in the supernatural. They believed in the resurrection. So we see that Gamaliel could have some ulterior motives for this speech that he gives. What do you think? Was Gamaliel's counsel wise and true? Okay. Yeah. I wouldn't say wise, because if he, if Gamaliel had been paying attention to the scriptures, he would have said, look, these men are doing miracles. They're proclaiming the God of Israel that has come in this man Jesus. we got to believe them. Instead, he takes this sort of pragmatic approach and says, look, just back off, wait for a while, and see what happens. Yes. That was much to this point that our commentator made, was that he was being noncommittal. He wasn't saying that these guys were wrong, but he certainly wasn't ready to say that they were right. And so, yes. Right. And the commentator makes this point also, that what he said is actually not true, that evil can persist for a long time. You know, take, you know, should we accept Islam? Because Islam's been around a really long time, right? He's saying that if something's not from God, it'll be done with quickly. But there are plenty of movements in the world that are not of God, that are not done with quickly, that, you know, have a measure of success. Certainly in our day, we could look at Islam or, you know, really any major world religion that's been around a long time and see that. So what he said actually isn't true either. If something's not of God, it won't persist forever, but it can persist a long time and have a measure of success, certainly by worldly standards. So could we consider... It seems to me that this is another instance just as in God intervening and using those who are not necessarily his believers in the process. Absolutely. That's right. Why was Gamaliel in there? Why did he say God's name? That's right. We learn here that God not only can but does use even the enemies of the church to accomplish his purposes and his plans. That sometimes the world works against itself and that's all according to God's plan and he's out there God is the one superintending all things and He's the one protecting the church. And He does use agents sometimes. They know they're being used, sometimes they don't, but God is sovereign and He watches over us. And we can't always guess how He's going to do it. We sometimes want to know, okay God, how are you going to protect me here? Well, you don't know. You just have to trust that God will do it in his way. And if he doesn't, then, you know, you get to go to heaven. But I mean, that was Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, right? They said, you know, our God can save us. But even if he doesn't, you know, we're ready to die for him. There's no promise that we're not going to die for the faith. But, you know, the promise is that God is good, that he accomplishes his good and perfect plan through us, whether it's through our martyrdom or through our you know, existing to, you know, or living to fight another day, so to speak, or, you know, to preach another day. Either way, God's plan is perfect. That's true. Well, up to a point. Obviously, we can die, but spiritually, we can't die. That's what should give us great courage, is this freedom from the fear of death. So we see that they got a beating or a flogging, depending on your translation, And of course, the Sadducees told her, I guess it's really probably the Sanhedrin, since there's Pharisees there, too. They told him to stop preaching in Jesus' name. And how did the apostles respond, both to their beating and to this command? Yeah. They rejoiced. They were counted worthy to suffer shame. So they rejoiced in the persecution. That's the first thing. And then did they obey the Sadducees? No. They did not obey them. They obeyed Christ. And so, what virtues does this display? What virtues do we see here in the apostles that we should emulate? They were in the presence of God. They had seen the resurrection of Christ. They knew that Mark Luther was standing before them. He was afraid to be killed. He was going against God. He was doing what the man said. He was going against God. Right. Courage. Yeah, that's what I was looking for. Certainly, one of the things we see here is courage. Courage of the convictions. Courage in Christ. That's something that we should emulate as well. Courage. Yes? Own persons. Yep. Yep. Their own safety. Their own interests. That's right. Alright, well that brings us to the end of this lesson. Let me close us in prayer. Lord, we thank you again for this Lord's Day. And Lord, we look expectantly to you to work wondrously in our midst. Lord, we pray for this morning's worship service, that you would bless it. Lord, we pray for Dr. Shaw as he comes to bring your word, that you would fill him with the Holy Spirit and cause him to preach your word with power. Lord, we pray that you would work in our hearts by the power of your Spirit as we attend your worship. And Lord, mold us into Christ's image. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.