Sermon Title: ALWAYS WORTHY
Sermon Text: ACTS 5:12-42
Sermon Series: UNSTOPPABLE: A Sermon Series Through the Book of Acts. | Part 2: The Church Under Fire
By: PTR NESTOR SY
Acts 5:12-42 (ESV)
¹² Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico. ¹³ None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem. ¹⁴ And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, ¹⁵ so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them. ¹⁶ The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed.
¹⁷ But the high priest rose up, and all who were with him (that is, the party of the Sadducees), and filled with jealousy ¹⁸ they arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison. ¹⁹ But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, ²⁰ “Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life.” ²¹ And when they heard this, they entered the temple at daybreak and began to teach.
Now when the high priest came, and those who were with him, they called together the council, all the senate of the people of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought. ²² But when the officers came, they did not find them in the prison, so they returned and reported, ²³ “We found the prison securely locked and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them we found no one inside.” ²⁴ Now when the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them, wondering what this would come to. ²⁵ And someone came and told them, “Look! The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people.” ²⁶ Then the captain with the officers went and brought them, but not by force, for they were afraid of being stoned by the people.
²⁷ And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, ²⁸ saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” ²⁹ But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. ³⁰ The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. ³¹ God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. ³² And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”
³³ When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them. ³⁴ But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in honor by all the people, stood up and gave orders to put the men outside for a little while. ³⁵ And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do with these men. ³⁶ For before these days Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. ³⁷ After him Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and drew away some of the people after him. He too perished, and all who followed him were scattered. ³⁸ So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; ³⁹ but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!” So they took his advice, ⁴⁰ and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.
⁴¹ Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. ⁴² And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.
SERMON NOTES
I. THE DOOR GOD OPENS
God opened the prison doors, not simply to get the apostles out of trouble, but to send them back into the mission.
God does not simply open doors for our comfort; he opens doors for his purpose.
II. THE DUTY GOD COMMANDS
Conviction means knowing which authority deserves our obedience, even when obedience becomes inconvenient.
Your “no” might do the same. The day you say, “I must obey God,” may be the day someone next to you finally finds the courage to say it, too.
III. THE DISHONOR GOD CROWNS
“counted worthy” | kataxioó (καταξιόω) | “being deemed or considered worthy.”
“suffer dishonor” | atimazó (ἀτιμάζω) | “to treat shamefully, to despise, to dishonor.”
What we treasure changes the way we understand sacrifice.
Our faith does not ultimately rest on the strength of our courage. It rests on the worth of the Savior we follow.
If following Jesus stopped making our lives easier, would we still find him worth following?
The cost of following Jesus only makes sense when we see the worth of Jesus.
When Jesus is our greatest treasure, suffering may wound us, but it cannot rob us of our greatest joy.
You are not being asked to manufacture courage from within yourself. You are being invited to trust the One who is above you, beside you, ahead of you and in you.