Introduction: Grace be to you and peace, from God our Father, and from our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Our text is the First Reading from Acts 5. We begin with prayer.
Dear fellow disciples of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ:
- We follow a slightly different protocol after the resurrection of Jesus, than the people of the early church. Obviously, as we see in our Gospel reading, the disciples required a little time in actually embracing and integrating the reality of Christ’s resurrection into their thinking and their planning for the future. Once it all sank in, they were committed full bore to the work of building the church – as we see in our text.
- We on the other hand celebrate Christ’s resurrection in the midst of the flow of a whole year, and with many yearly cycles under our belts. Easter is more of a temporary diversion of our attention rather than a life-changing event. And our focus is more upon the arrival of Spring and the coming Summer months – the normal earthly things that we consider the grist of life.
- It is not that we are unconcerned about the church – most of us value it rather highly, as evidenced by the relative strength of our fellowship here at Eternal Savior. We are a somewhat small congregation, but powerful in what we do for others. This is commendable. However, there is always room for growth in wisdom, in our perceptions, and in our priorities. Our text shows us some of the aspects of Christian life that pertain to all of us – not just apostles, leaders, and pastors.
- First we observe that:
I. Life In Christ Is About Serving God, Speaking His Word To Others, And Suffering The Opposition And Persecution Of The Wicked
Text: “But Peter and the apostles answered, ‘We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised Jesus, Whom you killed by hanging Him on a tree. God exalted Him at His right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, Whom God has given to those who obey Him.’ When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them.”
Statement: We don’t think of Christianity as being dangerous like this. In fact, for those of us who are older, we can remember a time when being a Christian, and advocating for a Christian life was not only respectable, but encouraged. Much has changed culturally over the past 40 years. Now, even if we were to talk about God’s gracious forgiveness and mercy to the unbelieving, they would be offended and angered – since they are committed to justifying many of the evils of our time, not repenting and seeking forgiveness.
Application: But it is still true today, and true for each of us, that “LIFE IN CHRIST” requires that “we obey God rather than men.” And this means that our churchly commission to “make disciples of all nations” is going to suffer opposition and perhaps even bring persecution. The tide is still coming in against Christianity and the church. So we must consider all of this and weigh the cost of being a Christian today – and many have left the church, choosing to side with the world rather than with our Savior and Lord, our Leader!
Transition: And this is truly sad, and tragic for those who were once joined to Christ, for:
II. It Is Certain That Christ, And Life In Christ Is Going To Prevail – For God Is Certainly With Us; So We Pity Those Who Oppose God
Text: “God has exalted Christ at His right hand as Leader and Savior.”
Text: “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. And he said to them, ‘Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do with these men. 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. 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. 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; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found to be opposing God.’”
Statement: Wisdom is sometimes found in strange places. With this speech, Gamaliel reveals to us the circumstances of false prophets and false Christs arising in his lifetime. He also reveals the wisdom that it would be advisable to just leave Christians alone. And his wisdom was borne out; look at how Christianity has taken over the world, and how many have been blessed through the centuries to have “LIFE IN CHRIST.” And the good and blessedness this has brought to mankind is incalculable. This too is what we are called to participate in, and Christ is still building His church, and will do so until the Last Day.
Application: So, even though an evil and wicked wind has blown into our nation and culture, and put the church to the test in these latter years, there is no question that Christ will prevail, along with all who live in Him and to Him. We should not fear those who oppose God, but rather have great pity and compassion for them – for the end of Theudas and Judas, and of these Jewish leaders, also awaits all those who oppose the Lord Jesus Christ today. So let us take courage, for:
III. Life In Christ Is About Rejoicing In Christ And God, Even When Suffering For Christ – Embracing The Honor Of Suffering Dishonor And Abuse For His Name
Text: “So they took his advice, 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. Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the Name.”
Statement: Is that how you would respond to a beating – or some other form of persecution that came as a result of being a Christian? Now no one enjoys a beating, the beating itself, unless you are a masochist; but even a masochist might not enjoy the kind of punitive beating administered in those days. However, one who truly knows Jesus’ love, and what He suffered for us, and one who believes that Jesus is Lord, is willing to suffer with Him and for His Name, His honor. In fact, such honor – to suffer with Christ and for Him – is quite humbling. But this creates a tighter and closer bond with Christ, though unpleasant at the time.
Application: So “LIFE IN CHRIST” draws us ever more closely to Christ, and to commitment to Him no matter what the cost. At present it is not terrible – evil people pretty much leave us alone. It may get worse in the future, and so we must consider this more carefully and seriously – that we might grasp and understand this honor and the joy that it brings, if our hearts and minds are properly focused.
Transition: And lastly:
IV. The Joy And Center Of Life In Christ Is Continuing Constant In His Word And Worship
Text: “And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.”
Statement: They were preaching about Jesus, about repentance and forgiveness of sins, which are God’s gifts to us in Christ Jesus. This is the center of Christian faith and life, the precious Word of God and worship. This is not overly burdensome or difficult – although our sinful nature makes it seem such on Sunday mornings and at other times during the week, and then we justify this laziness and spiritual lethargy with myths about how we are still good Christians even though we do not cherish these gifts from God, and grow habitual in callous indifference to the Word of God and the fellowship of the church.
Application: This was certainly not the case with the early church – and we would do well to consider all things carefully, as they did, so that God might rekindle in us a real and fervent dedication to “LIFE IN CHRIST.” This would be different, but it would not be bad for us; it would rather be a great blessing. We can remain with limited devotion and a degree of indifference to the life of the church, “LIFE IN CHRIST,” if we wish – but we will only be the poorer for it, and regretful on the Last Day.
Conclusion: So there is much that we can learn about “LIFE IN CHRIST” from these descriptions of the early church. It takes time for things to sink in and to change us as well – but we should be changing in this direction, toward a greater commitment to “LIFE IN CHRIST,” not toward smug indifference. May God grant us the wisdom to seize “LIFE IN CHRIST” with our whole being, our undivided devotion! Amen.
Votum: And the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds in the true faith, which is in Christ Jesus, even unto life everlasting, Amen.