Acts 5:12-21

Well, good morning. Good morning. Welcome to Coffee and Devotions. It's so good to have you here this morning. We are at Acts chapter 5 and we are continuing with Peter and the Apostles as they are in the temple. And let's go ahead and have some coffee. We'll pray and we'll see what God's Word has for us today. It's a pretty fun story.
Let's pray. Father, we thank you so much for the time now that you've given us to be in your Word. Father, we pray that as we read your Word, that you indeed would teach us. We pray that we would follow after you, that we would love your ways. We pray that you would care for us today. In Jesus' name, Amen. Here we go, we're at Acts chapter 5, verses 12 through 21. Maybe not the best place to break off this section, but that's okay. We'll go ahead and go there. I'm going to minimize a couple screens here. And here we go. Acts chapter 5, verses 17 through 20, or 12 through 21.
And through the hands of the apostles, many signs and wonders were done among the people, and they were all with one accord in Solomon's porch. Yet none of the rest dared to join them, but the people esteemed them highly. And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, so that 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 surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed. Then the high priest rose up and all who were with him, which is the sect of the Sadducees, And they were filled with indignation and laid their hands on the apostles and put them in the common prison.
But at night, an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out and said, go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life. And when they heard that, they entered the temple early in the morning and taught. But the high priest and those with him came and called the council together with all the elders of the children of Israel and sent to the prison to have them brought."
Well, what a kind of cliffhanger that is to end there this morning. But we need to ask ourselves, A, what is this about? B, what's the best verse to summarize this? And C, what are we called to do in response to these words? So, A, what is this about?
Well, They go about doing what they're doing. They go to the temple, they're praising God, and they are preaching about Jesus Christ. They're letting people know that the Messiah has come. Even though the high priests have told them not to teach or to do these things in Jesus' name, and they say, whoa, go kick rocks, buddy. The problem is we got to obey God rather than man, and so this is what they do.
They're at Solomon's portico, and people are from all over the place are bringing their sick people to them. They're bringing people to them who need healing. So they have such faith that they think even if Peter's shadow would just pass over them somehow, maybe their loved ones will be healed. And it says, this is what I have underlined in my Bible, is what I think is the best verse getting at the heart of this is, Notice right before that, though, that the text told us, Those who were in power, Those who had something to lose, those who knew that this would mean giving up their reputation and giving up their positions and things like that, they wouldn't come.
But the people did. See, the story of Christianity is that it is a grassroots, up-from-the-ground movement. It is God, from the power of His Holy Spirit, working faith in these people's hearts and them believing. It's the people who believe, despite the religious authorities.
And the high priest is not happy about this. The high priest and those with him, this is a sect of the Sadducees. When you heard Jesus talk about the Sadducees before, those were the priestly class. Those were the people that the Romans had put as the priests over the temple. And so the priests and the Sadducees, they're not happy about this and so they arrest the apostles.
They'd already threatened them. right now they've arrested them and they put them in prison but what happens when they get in prison i love this part of the story i absolutely love it but at night an angel of the lord opened the prison doors and brought them out and said go stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life they The high priest thinks that he can throw these apostles, these ones who have been sent and commissioned by Jesus Christ to share the good news in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. He thinks if he throws them into prison that somehow it will stop them. But what he doesn't realize is that the power of God is behind them.
And that an angel of the Lord comes and he opens it up and he says, go back and do it again. Go back to the temple and teach again. And that's what they do. That's what they do in verse 27. And when they heard that, they entered the temple early in the morning and taught. They go right back to Solomon's portico or Solomon's porch. They go right back to that area of the temple that they had just been at early in the morning, and they're still preaching. And the next verse, I love it.
The high priest, he's getting the council together. He's getting the elders together. It's like they're, you know, slow moving in the morning, but what they don't realize is that Peter and the apostles are there and they're already teaching. The people are already listening to them. They're worried about going to the end of the temple and getting together and having the Sanhedrin meet and Nope. The apostles are already back at it. They're already working. They send to go get them out of prison, and we're going to find out what their response is to that.
But it's this remarkable story of the gospel is not chained. You might try to throw the apostles in prison, but you will not stop the good news of Jesus Christ going to the ends of the earth. So, A, what is this about? Well, this is the apostles being thrown into prison for teaching Jesus Christ, and an angel even releasing them out of prison and charging them, reminding them of their charge to go back and teach again, and they obey. Best verse, B, best verse. In my Bible, I have verse 14 underlined as well as verse 19 and 20. What would you underline in your Bible?
Feel free to shoot me an email, a text, or write in the comments if you're on Facebook or YouTube. But lastly, seek calling. What are we called to do? Well, one of you reminded me of something. One of you said, you know, this really reminds me of Zechariah 4, verse 6, where it says, We can't do anything apart from the Spirit of God. It's a calling.
You know, Have you gone out with the good news of Jesus? Maybe you've been relying too much on your own willpower or your own courage rather than just simple faith. Just doing it. And the Lord giving you the words. You just going out and telling others about Jesus Christ. So what if they ridicule you? They ridicule Jesus. So what if they throw you in prison? They did it to the apostles.
So what if they torture us or kill us, right? For me to live is Christ, but to die is gain, right? Oh well, it'll be all right. Do you live your life in confidence? Will you do the insane thing? Get thrown in prison, get out of prison, and go straight back to doing what you did before, telling others about the good news of Jesus? Why would the apostles do this if they didn't believe it? If they hadn't truly witnessed the resurrection? Let's go ahead and pray.
Father, we thank you so much for this day, and we thank you that your gospel cannot be chained, that the good news of Jesus Christ will go out, is going out to the furthest reaches of the globe. Father, we thank you that you have promised to be with us always, even until the end of the age. Lord, we pray that you would continue to send out evangelists and preachers and teachers to go and to share the good news with others. Please, Lord, make us those people. I pray that you would make us those who would have divine appointments this week and that we would have the courage in the Spirit to speak of Christ. In Jesus' name, Amen. Well, may God bless you today. May you walk in confidence and courage. May your heart be overwhelmed by the peace of Christ that surpasses all understanding. And I'll see you tomorrow. Bye.