We're spending much time on the early days of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ purchased with his blood. And we're finding some very wise advice that we can use in our everyday life. We'll begin this morning in the fifth chapter of Acts, Apostles have been in prison, and the angel of God has let them out, and the Temple Mount rulers, and I have found a name for them that I wish you would listen to. These were the ungodly men that were in control of the holy mountain of almighty God. And they, a word that will help you to understand how evil they were, they were demagogues. Demagogues. And I wrote the dictionary definition down so that I wouldn't miss a word. What is a demagogue? A leader. who makes use of prejudices and false claims and promises that if you will follow them, you will gain great power. I repeat, a demagogue is a leader who makes use of prejudices and false claims. and promises in order that by following him you'll gain great power. So these were the people in charge of the Temple Mount and they have put God's apostles in prison and they have been allowed miraculously to leave the prison with all of the prisoners that were with them, and they are now on the temple mount preaching Jesus Christ that they had been forbidden and put in prison for preaching. Verse 25 of this chapter. Then came one and told them, told the demagogues, saying, behold, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people. What a sin to stand in the temple of God and teach people the truth. Then the captain of the officers, you see these demagogues could not rule the Temple Mount unless they had a police force. The police force to enforce what they demanded, not what God demanded, but what they demanded. And when the captains with the officers brought them without violence, now they would like to have treated these men harshly, but the fact that the people were listening to them and learning and growing in the nurture and the admonition of the Lord, They didn't dare do anything because they were afraid of the people. Oh God grant the day when the church of the living God and the government of the United States will be so well treated that the demagogues will be afraid to harm you because the fact they know that you know the truth and the truth has set you free. Then went the captains with the officers and brought them without violence, for they feared the people, lest they should have been stoned." They were ready to stone these demigods to death because of how they have polluted the truth about almighty God and his precious salvation. And when they had brought them, that is the apostles, They set them before the council and the high priest asked them. Now the high priest started out with Aaron, Moses' brother, a great man of God, a spokesman for God. But now the Roman Empire has taken over the world and the Roman Empire now appoints the chief priest of Israel. They have lost the right to govern. That can happen when people turn to the wrong leaders. And when they brought them, they set them before the council and the high priest asked them, Did you not, did we not straightly command you that you should not teach in that name? And behold, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, with the teachings that Jesus came when he first started preaching the Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes and on and on until he preached his last Sermon on the Mount of Olives just before he ascended into heaven. And what a sermon that was. He said, it's not for you to know the times or seasons. This is what I want you to do. Jesus said that just before he ascended. I want you to go tell everybody about how much I love them. and how that I want to make their lives rich and full of that which is of God and not of hell like these demagogues saying, we straightly commanded you that you should not teach in the name and behold, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine. And you intend, here's why you're doing it. They were wrong. They were doing it because they love Jesus. But these demagogues said, the reason you're doing this is you want to bring that man, Jesus, you want to bring his blood upon us. How short are the memories of demagogues? Because not long before that, when Jesus was on trial, these words were said. By them, let his blood be upon us and our children. This is not pleasant, what I'm going to say. It's so sad what's happening in Israel today. It's the beginning, believe me. I was just told about a great rabbi in the 17th century who made the great prediction. This was our Jewish rabbi. When Russia takes over Crimea, the steps of the Messiah will be right behind. And Russia is going to come down upon Israel just as will the European Union, just as will the kings of the South, which are the Islam, just where the kings of the East, China is taking over the entire Eastern part of the world and they will come. And this man's blood, then Peter, oh, what a different man he is now. After he has experienced the Pentecostal falling of the Holy Spirit, then Peter and the other apostles answered this high priest and said, and here's one of the first great principles taught in the early church. Listen to it. We ought to obey God rather than men. That's a great principle. Obeying God may get you in trouble with men, but obeying men will get you in trouble with God. The God of our fathers, this is Peter preaching, raised up Jesus, whom you slew and hanged on a tree. Moses wrote, they should have known this. Moses who they claim to follow. Moses wrote in the book of Deuteronomy, cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree. And last week I read to you from the book of Galatians, I'll not turn there today, that Jesus became a curse for us. What? Would you listen, please? Would you leave here taking this with you for time and eternity? If there's been any curse put on you for anyone, Jesus took that. There's no need for you to carry it around. He took the curse for you. And He did it right and He pleased God. There is no curse on you. And it's a lie of hell if you believe it and the guilt of it you have to carry around. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a prince and a savior to forgive and to give repentance to Israel. The day Israel accepts Jesus as the Messiah is the day peace will come to this earth. And we are his witnesses, Peter said, of these things. So it is also the Holy Ghost, the Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost. whom God giveth to them that obey him. I cannot have any more of the power of the Holy Spirit except that which I will use to glorify the precious Son of God who paid for all sin on the cross and arose to prove that his sanctification was authentic 100%. And when they heard that, that is these demigods, when they heard that, they were cut to the heart and took counsel to slay them, we'll kill these men. Then we get some more good advice from a very different source. Listen to it carefully. It's good advice. Then stood up one of the council of Pharisee named Gamaliel. Now Gamaliel was the most well-known rabboni, not just rabbi, but rabboni in all Israel. and he has some advice for these demagogues. His grandfather was Hillel, one of the great rabbis of the past. And I believe, you remember the beautiful story when Jesus was 12 years old and he came to the Temple Mount and he debated the great doctors of the law there on the Temple Mount, you remember that? Well, in fact, the mother and father thought they'd lost him, and when they did find him, they said, how come you, where have you been? He said, I've been about my father's business. I believe Gamaliel was there when 12-year-old Jesus, and I believe eventually, and this is just my belief, and I don't want to go into a long explanation, but I believe The Gamaliel accepted Jesus as the Messiah. These are great. Now, what was his advice to these demagogues? It's good advice. They stood there up one of the council of Pharisees, Gamaliel. By the way, Paul, before he became the apostle Paul, was taught sitting at the feet of Gamaliel. And when they stood up, one of the council of the Pharisees in Gamaliel, a doctor of law, had a reputation among all the people and commanded, put those apostles back in another room. I'm gonna give you demagogues some advice. Verse 35, and he said to them, ye men of Israel, Take heed to yourselves. Think about what is going on in your life. Judge yourselves what you intend to do touching these men. You had better come to a screeching halt. for before these days, and then he gives about three examples of people who claim to be the Messiah who ended up with dying and being forgotten. He reminded them that their Messiahship came to nothing. I'll let you read that. I'll go back down to verse 38 now. And now I say to you, this is Gamaliel, refrain from these men. and let them alone. For if this council or this work that they're doing be of men, it will come to nothing. But if it be of God, you cannot overthrow it. lest happily ye be found even to be fighting against God. Every demagogue is fighting against almighty God. And to him, they agreed. At least they pretended to. And when they had called the apostles, they had to do something. They just couldn't let them go pure and holy And you know what that bunch of demagogues did to those apostles? And they called the apostles and they beat them. They commanded they should not speak in the name of Jesus and let them go. And if you read the book of Deuteronomy, you know that if a person was accused and at least pretend to be proven to blaspheme, They had the right to give them 40 stripes minus one. And that's what they did. They took the law of Moses and beat the apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ before they let them go. How did these apostles respond to that? It's beautiful. It's one, it'll inspire you if you can be inspired. And they departed, that is the beaten apostles. They departed from the presence of the council rejoicing. Hallelujah, praise God that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. And daily in the temple and in every house they cease not to preach and to teach Jesus Christ. That's what I've tried to do for you and for all mankind today. And I thank you that you're going to leave here knowing that you have access to the great high priest. Listen carefully. You are your own priest, and Christ is your high priest, and no human being is your priest. God has made Jesus one mediator between God and man. Who? The man, Christ Jesus, as we stand to sing. Let's all offer up, he is Lord, he is Lord, he is risen from the dead. If you have any need, come forward, please. He is Lord. He has risen from the dead, and He is Lord. Every knee shall bow, every tongue confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord.