“An Irresistible Force”
(Acts 5:33-42)
Series: The Church on Fire!
Rev. Todd A. Linn, PhD
First Baptist Church Henderson, KY
(9-2-07) (AM)
- Take your Bibles and open to Acts, chapter 5.
God is leading us through a study of the Book of Acts and we find ourselves at the end of chapter 5. We have been reading about what is often called the early church or the first church. It is the church of 2,000 years ago, the church birthed at Pentecost and then spreading like wildfire from Jerusalem, to Judea and Samaria, and to the utter ends of the earth.
From chapter 3 forward the Bible tells us that the church was getting into trouble with the Jewish authorities because an obvious power was behind the movement. A man crippled from birth was healed in the name of Jesus Christ so the apostles were instructed to no longer teach in the name of Jesus. They continue teaching in His name and so they are arrested and brought before the Jewish Sanhedrin. They are threatened to teach in His name no more. But they continue teaching so they are arrested again and imprisoned. But at night an angel of the Lord unlocks the prison doors and tells the apostles to go back out to the temple and preach again. They do so and are brought before the Jewish council yet again. Peter and the apostles tell the Jewish authorities that they must obey God rather than men. God has given them a commission to be His witnesses, to tell others about the Lord Jesus Christ. Peter tells the Jewish authorities that they are guilty of killing the lovely Lord Jesus who has risen from the dead and in Whom is forgiveness of sins. Now we’re going to read what the Jews do after hearing Peter and the other’s testimony.
- Please stand for the reading of the word of God.
33 When they (the Jewish authorities) heard this, they were furious and plotted to kill them.
34 Then one in 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.
35 And he said to them: “Men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what you intend to do regarding these men.
36 “For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody. A number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was slain, and all who obeyed him were scattered and came to nothing.
37 “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.
38 “And 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;
39 “but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it — lest you even be found to fight against God.”
40 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.
41 So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.
42 And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.
- Pray.
Introduction:
I still remember well the time when I was small and my grandfather, my dad’s dad, introduced me to the classical philosophical paradox of the “irresistible force” and the “immovable object.” I remember he held his hands like this and he said, “Imagine an irresistible force moving in this direction. It has all power. Nothing can stop it. Now imagine over here an immovable object, like a wall. It too, has all power, and nothing can move it. No matter the force that comes against it, it will not move.” Then he said, “Now, what happens when this irresistible force meets the immovable object?”
Well, I had never considered anything like that before and I remember thinking through various scenarios and saying things like, “Well, the irresistible force would just go over the immovable object” and he would say, “No, they must meet in time. What happens when they touch?” And I would think through some other scenario and on and on it would go.
Of course, what I didn’t know then was that this thing had absolutely no solution. It is a logical impossibility. You might as well ask someone about a triangle with four sides. There just is no such thing. My grandfather, a brilliant chemist and inventor, loved logical puzzles and conundrums and was just trying to teach me how to think.
I remembered that paradox this week as I was studying this passage of Scripture because God is at once the Irresistible Force and the Immovable Object. He is the only one who is all-powerful. Nothing can stop Him and nothing can get by Him. There’s a guy in our story who understands that God is the unstoppable, Irresistible Force. Referring to the growing work of the church, Gamaliel says in verse 39, “If this work is of God, you cannot overthrow it—lest you be found to fight against God.”
According to the Bible God is the unstoppable, Irresistible Force. When we remember that about God, there are some implications that follow for those who are united with God, those who are His children. So what I want to do this morning is to think deeply about the unstoppable God and what affect His unstoppable nature has upon Christians. First, when we remember that God is unstoppable, we can be confident He’s in control.
I. Be Confident He’s in Control (33-39)
That stands to reason, doesn’t it? If God is all-powerful then He is in control of everything.
We see this truth surfacing from the text if we study it carefully. God is in control and guiding the events of this story. Let’s discover it as we read these verses again.
The apostles are standing before the powerful Jewish Council known as the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin is a combined group of both Pharisees and Sadducees. There were 70 altogether and they were led by the High Priest. So this is a very powerful group of people there in Jerusalem. Now they have just heard Peter and the other apostles tell them yet again about the Lord Jesus Christ and how they were guilty of crucifying the Messiah, the promised deliverer in whom is forgiveness of sin. Verse 33 says that their response is that of fury. “They were furious and plotted to kill them.”
If we had time this morning we could talk a good while about this response of the Sanhedrin. Their actions are the result of their hearing the preaching of the word. They have heard the gospel story and their response is that of anger. Very frequently you and I will share the gospel and people will respond with anger. The word of God is, as the writer of Hebrews says in Hebrews 4:12, a sword that cuts our heart. The word brings conviction of sin and that is precisely what we are reading about here in verse 33. The Jews are convicted of their sin. Rather than conforming to the word, however, they decide to kill the apostles.
Now God is in control here, not the Sanhedrin. So I want you to see how He controls what happens next. The Bible says in verse 34 that there is a guy there in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in respect by all the people, and he commanded them to put the apostles outside for a little while.
Now just stop for a moment and let’s talk about this guy. Gamaliel was one of the most revered teachers among the Jews. We learn later in Acts 22:3 that, before the Apostle Paul became a Christian, he was trained at the feet of Gamaliel. Most Jewish teachers were given the title, “Rabbi,” which means, “My teacher.” Gamaliel was given the title, “Rabban,” which means, “Our teacher.” The Mishnah, one of the books of Jewish writings and traditions, notes Gamaliel’s influence when it says in one place, “Since Rabban Gamaliel the elder died there has been no more reverence of the law; and purity and abstinence died out at the same time.” And then the text tells us in verse 34 that Gamaliel just stands up in the council and commands the council to put the apostles outside awhile. Well, we would expect orders like that to come only from the High Priest, but Gamaliel is a respected teacher. He gets up and orders folks around and people listen.
Then Gamaliel reminds the council of two different persons, one named Theudas and another named Judas of Galilee. He tells them that both of these guys rose up and had a certain following but eventually their movement died out. So he says in verses 38-39, “Just leave these Christians alone. If their work is of men it will come to nothing. If, however, their work is of God, you cannot overthrow it—lest you be found to fight against an Irresistible Force, against God Himself.” After hearing Gamaliel’s words, the Jewish Council decide to spare the lives of the apostles. They do not kill them.
Can you see God controlling all of this? The Bible says in Proverbs 21:1, “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD; He directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases.” There is the Jewish Council sitting there together, plotting to kill the apostles, but God isn’t through with the apostles. He’s just getting started! So God’s unseen hand reaches down from heaven and enters into the chest cavity of the most respected Jewish leader of that day. God takes hold of Gamaliel’s heart and, with the same precision He applies in guiding the course of the rivers He has created, God guides Gamaliel so that Gamaliel stands, speaks, and the apostles’ lives are spared and the work of the church continues. What I am saying is that God’s guiding Gamaliel is no less miraculous than God’s delivering the apostles from prison. He is in both because He is in all.
When you and I remember that God is unstoppable, we’ll be confident He’s in control. Perhaps no other doctrine of God is any more encouraging than the assurance that the Irresistible Force of God, the Unstoppable God, is supernaturally overseeing and managing all the affairs of His creation.
He says through the Prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 46:9-10, “I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure.’”
We are too quick to write off things as happening by mere chance or happenstance. We speak of coincidences as if God were nowhere around. But God is in control of everything, even the bad stuff. The Bible says in Romans 8:28-29 that God works all things together for good that we might be conformed to the image of His Son. So God has a reason for everything that happens. When the good stuff happens it’s easy to say, “Praise God, thank you, Lord!” But when the bad stuff happens, God is in control there, too. No, it doesn’t seem right at all to praise Him and thank Him when the bad stuff happens—but we must remember that He is in control of those things, too. This teaching is meant to liberate us, to free us, to give us rest at night, to know that God is always in control of your country, of your job, your school, your family, your marriage and your health.
When you and I remember that God is unstoppable, then we’ll be confident that He is in control. Secondly, remember that God is unstoppable and:
II. Be Courageous in Conflict (40-41)
Look at the courage of these apostles in the midst of conflict. The Bible says that the Jewish Council agrees with Gamaliel. They will not kill the apostles, but what will they do? Look at verses 40-41:
40 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.
41 So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.
Remember from last time our quotation of 2 Timothy 3:12: “All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” Don’t be surprised when you suffer persecution at work or school or in your family when you share your Christian faith. Conflict is inevitable. Remembering that you serve the unstoppable God, however, means that God will give you courage in the face of conflict.
How easy it is to read verse 40 too quickly. The apostles were beaten, told not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let go. Look again at that word “beaten.” It can also be translated “skinned.” Deuteronomy 25:1-3 tells us that the beating took the form of 40 blows with these straps of leather that literally cut and tore deeply into the flesh. Only 40 lashes were applied because any more than 40 would almost certainly result in death. The Jews, not wanting to break the law, typically administered 39 lashings to be sure they didn’t give too many. According to tradition, the person receiving the beating was strapped to a wooden beam, one hand strapped to one side of the beam, and the other hand strapped to the other side of the beam. His shirt was ripped off and men with these leather straps would then beat the person violently. One third of the lashings were applied to the chest and two thirds were applied to the back. Each of the apostles was literally beaten within inches of his life.
And yet we read in verse 41 that “they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.” 40 lashes with whips that cut into their flesh, blood pouring out all over the place, yet they depart rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for the name of Jesus Christ.
The apostles are not rejoicing that they were beaten. That’s not the point. They were not rejoicing because they were in pain. They would love to have avoided that. They were rejoicing, the Bible says, “that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.” That is, they counted it a privilege to be associated with the name of Jesus Christ no matter the circumstances. They gladly took the beating knowing that such a beating merely proved their love for the Lord Jesus and that their lives were unashamedly intertwined with His. And just as God is unstoppable so is their love unstoppable for Him. Nothing can break them, not even 40 lashes to the chest and back.
It’s embarrassing to start talking about how this applies to our lives, isn’t it? How many of you have endured such a beating for Christ? I mean, where is your breaking point, you know? 40 lashes and they depart rejoicing. Where’s your breaking point? One lash? Two? Here are a bunch of guys whose love for Jesus is so intertwined with Him that they count it a privilege to be associated with His name even if it means 40 lashes.
And today’s Christian says, “I can’t get up and go to church on Sundays. It’s my only day to sleep in. I just can’t get up early. I’m not a morning person.” We share our faith at school and someone laughs at us and we cower in the corner and cry like a baby. Where are God’s men and women today? Where are the true believers who are willing to take whatever hits are necessary, counting it a privilege just to be mentioned in the same breath as the Creator of the universe, our Lord Jesus Christ? How dare we talk about our pitiful problems when we’ve never even been tied to the whipping post.
Charles Spurgeon said, “Live bravely for Him who died lovingly for you.”
Remember God is unstoppable and be confident He is in control, be courageous in conflict, and:
III. Be Committed to the Commission (42)
Remember the commission? We often call it our Lord’s Great Commission. In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” In Acts 1:8, Jesus says, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Now the apostles have just been beaten, nearly to the point of death, and does their commitment to the Great Commission waver? No. Verse 42:
42 And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.
No matter the persecution, they remain committed to the commission. How many days a week did they worship? Every day. Daily. Doesn’t this passage shame us? Daily! They were involved in both big worship and little worship. Do you see that? They were daily in the “temple” and “in every house.” They were involved in corporate worship, like this, worshiping with the entire congregation, and they were involved in small-group worship, worship like in a Sunday school class. Both are essential to authentic public worship. We must be involved in both corporate worship in the sanctuary and small-group study in the Sunday school class. Both are essential.
That’s one of the reasons why we’re challenging every Sunday school class to fan the flame of the fires that burn in their class. Call people on your church roll every week. Contact folks who have not been in awhile. Visit prospects. Send cards. Make phone calls. Fan the flame of this church on fire so that we continue to burn hot in our corporate worship and in our Sunday school classes!
They “did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.” They remained committed to the commission and so must we. Our commission is to tell others about Jesus Christ until all the world has heard. Jesus said He would not return until everyone has heard. We’re not finished until everyone has heard. Fan the flame!
Isn’t it remarkable how verses 41 and 42 are connected? You have the apostles walking away from that beating with blood oozing out of their backs and chests. They walked away from the whipping post in pain and suffering and the answer to their pain and suffering is not to withdraw from others and go off alone somewhere and sulk. The answer to their pain and suffering is worship. Worship!
When you suffer, what is the answer? Worship. Say that, “worship.” When you suffer, what is the answer? Worship. When you’re persecuted, what is the answer? Worship. When you’re depressed, what is the answer? Worship. When you’re too “stressed-out,” whatever that is, what is the answer? Worship.
What is the answer to everything? Worship!
- Stand for prayer.
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