Price of faith
Acts 5:30-42; 5/7/2023; BCBC/IOUC; Rev. Paul Wang
Introduction
The easiest life of faith is that the years are quiet and good, no price is paid, there is no persecution, everything goes smoothly, everyone is happy, and everything goes well. Agree? Who would have thought that after finally believing in Jesus Christ, there would be a sudden change, as if everything had changed! Crosses were torn down, churches were destroyed, pastors were arrested, and it became difficult to earn money and support a family. Is there really a price to pay for believing in Jesus Christ? Let’s look at the first point:
Declare the ending of victory
When a Christian declares the victory of Christ, it means simultaneously declaring the defeat of the Antichrist. In a battlefield, there is only one victor, and that is Jesus Christ! First, death is no longer bondage. Death is both fair and unfair. How to explain this? Everyone dies once, and after death there is judgment. This is fair, no one can escape the end of death. However, when a person has authority in his hand, there is an injustice that requires you to die first. This is the reason why those in power can threaten you. There is no way, who told you to be afraid of death, right? The high priests killed Jesus, thinking that the matter would be over. They never thought that there are people who are not afraid of death threats, and even preach the truth of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection. How embarrassing is this for a person who holds authority in his hands! If they are not even afraid of death, how can I maintain my dictatorship? Even I, the high priest, am afraid of death, but you, the untouchables are not, what should I do?
Second, what God has appointed is a king. When the Antichrist regime cannot threaten God’s people with death, their hearts become panicked. What to do? Death is no longer a weapon in my hands, and the residents are openly clamoring that they are the last generation. What can I do? These Christians even honor Jesus Christ as King, so what? Christ is King, who am I, Herod? Who am I Caesar? Who is our king? In fact, this may be more important to us Christians, right? The high priests hung Jesus on a pole and reaped the benefits of fools, the fools. They thought it fulfilled Deuteronomy 21:23 “because anyone who is hung on a pole is under God’s curse. (Deuteronomy 21:23)” then they can lie to the world, deceive the upper and lower, and even occupy the commanding heights of religion and continue to confuse people’s hearts. Little did they know that God had made Christ king!
Finally, the scene of the killing. When the throne is threatened, so must the killing. What did Pilate charge Jesus with? Perhaps everyone has not noticed, John records, saying: “ “Here is your king,” Pilate said to the Jews. (John 19:14)” Actually Pilate wanted to release Jesus, but “We have no king but Caesar,” the chief priests answered. (John 19:15)” Thus, an ironic scene appeared. It was a group of fake kings who killed the real King of Kings despite the disapproval of the world. The devil and his followers, who hide behind, rejoice with Satan. Thinking that they were victorious, even victorious over God. How did the antichrists know that Christ’s death for the sheep is an integral part of the plan of salvation. Now that Christ is resurrected from the dead, Antichrist still chooses to continue to be ignorant and hostile to God. They killed Christ, and they will continue to kill Christ’s followers. Let’s look at the second point:
The “two sides of one body” of letting go
Apparently, the disciples angered the Sanhedrin by spreading the truth about the resurrection of Christ. The Bible says, “they were furious and wanted to put them to death.” We find that God raised up a man at this time to do something. First of all, a honored teacher of the laws. The Bible mentions a rabbi named Gamaliel, who was a highly respected figure among the Jews. The apostle Paul was taught under him and had a decisive influence in the Jewish Sanhedrin. Faced with the anger of the Jewish Sanhedrin, Gamaliel chose to deal with it coldly, so as not to let his emotions lead him into the wrong rhythm. He ordered the apostles to be taken outside for a while, and then he spoke to those in the Sanhedrin to express his views. He seems to be speaking to each of us, that is, when people are emotional, they usually make wrong decisions. Without the apostles present, it was easier for the people in the Sanhedrin to calm down. It is easy to kill, but the consequences are serious. In history, most of those who kill are devoured by killing. Just as Putin killed so many innocent people in Ukraine, the sword will never leave his home, and the pursuit of Cain will follow behind.
Second, take history as a mirror and easily explain. Gamaliel was a wise man who was familiar with history books. He said: “Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. (Acts 5:36)” All the wisdom of Gamaliel are limited to the dimension of humanism, without the brightness of God’s revelation. He took a historical gangster named Theudas as an example to explain a truth, that is, don’t kill people easily. Having authority in your hands doesn’t mean you can disregard human life. He meant figuratively the disciples of Jesus who were faced by the Jewish Sanhedrin. He suggested: You don’t have to deal with them, maybe it’s nothing. If the basketball is not shot, it won’t even bounce. Conversely, the more you shoot, the higher the ball bounces.
Finally, honor the Lord and let go of the law. Of course, Gamaliel was no ordinary person. He was familiar with the Bible and extremely wise. He said: “Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. (Acts 5:38)” The Greek word for “letting go” is αφιεμι（Aphiemi）. The basic meaning is to hand it over and ignore it. What he means is, if it comes from human will, why should we bother, God is the one in power, and He will take care of it. But if it is from God, Gamaliel said, “you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” (Acts 5:39)” If you look at it from the perspective of God, letting go is God’s greatest punishment to man. Why? Because God has been let go of your sins, indifferent, and no longer speaks, until you are judged before the great white throne and enter into eternal death. Let’s look at the third point:
Regardless in season or out of season
When the apostles paid the price for the sake of their faith, the original core values were impacted, and they completely took the heart of Jesus Christ as their heart. First, be scourged for the Lord’s sake. Maybe we will not think about the value of being whipped, but try to escape. After all, no one will look for being scourged for no reason, right? But at the same time, being beaten and humiliated is an extremely common thing in life. It is common for self-employed entrepreneurs who set up stalls in the city to be beaten up by urban management. Farmers raise chickens and grow vegetables at will, and the agricultural management committee will come to intervene. If there is a disagreement, they will inevitably be beaten. This kind of scourging, God will do justice, but is of little value, unless we are beaten for the Lord’s sake. Thank the Lord, for the sake of the Lord last year at the summer camp, God gave me the grace to stop a rogue from slapping a brother more than twenty times, and I was slapped by this rogue.
Second, it counts as worthy to be dishonored for the name. The bible says, “The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. (Acts 5:41)” Only when people’s core values are fully converted to the Lord, will they have a mind that is different from the world. The apostles were beaten, but their hearts rejoiced. Gentiles will think that these people must be crazy, how can they still have joy after being beaten? In fact, it’s not hard to understand when you think about it. We have tribulations in this world. This is what the Lord said. We suffer for the Lord on earth, but what kind of rich reward will the Lord reserve for us in heaven? How will the Lord deal with those who persecute and scourge us? Isaiah said: “All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish. (Isaiah 41:11)”
Finally, preach that Jesus is the Christ daily. The Lord we believe in is a holy, righteous, merciful and loving God who deserves all the great glory! The immediate fruit of the apostles is: “Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah. (Acts 5:42)” This is the fruit of the gospel and the fruit of the mission, and the key point is to live it out. It is not difficult to preach the gospel once, but it is difficult every day. Going back to church, everyone preaching together, not alone, fun, and not difficult. The difficult thing is that there is no one to accompany, no one knows, and the effect is not great. This is difficult. What’s more difficult is at home, it’s hard to share verbally! Because preaching the gospel to family members requires not only methods, but also life. The most difficult thing is to persevere, to keep preaching, and to spread the gospel of Jesus as the Christ. Jesus being Christ has two meanings, one is grace and the other is obedience. Because He is the Savior, I should be grateful. Likewise, because He is the Lord, we should obey even more!
Conclusion
Well, thank the Lord, this is the end of today’s sermon. I believe that faith that pays no price is not true faith! Why? Because our Lord paid a very heavy price of life for us, imitating the Lord is what our life dictates!
Let us pray……
Acts 5:30-42
30 The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—whom you killed by hanging him on a cross.
31 God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins.
32 We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”
33 When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death.
34 But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while.
35 Then he addressed the Sanhedrin: “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men.
36 Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing.
37 After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered.
38 Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail.
39 But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”
40 His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.
41 The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.
42 Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.