Jesus - Leader and Savior

"A Leader and Savior to Give Repentance to Israel"

(Acts 5:27-33, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, June 19, 2011)

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.

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.”

Though Israel lived under the authority of the Roman empire in the days of Jesus, the Romans allowed a ruling council of the Jews to exercise some authority. This council, the Sanhedrin, was involved in the condemnation of Jesus. They also attempted to suppress the progress of the church. Their power was considerable, especially in the temple precincts in Jerusalem. They tried to use the weight of their authority to restrict the preaching of Jesus among the Jews.

The preaching of Jesus is the proclamation of the fullness of life. This life comes to us through Christ alone, which may be offensive to some. This gospel also contains an understanding of the the bad standing of mankind as a result of the fall, and an expectation of a coming judgment of all men. Without these important truths the cross of Christ makes no sense. Furthermore, the present way of life that Christianity teaches seems blatantly weak and foolish to the natural man. In any age, these essentials of the faith make the word of life a message that is not only offensive, but even something that should not be tolerated.

In addition, the unacceptable aspects of the Christian proclamation are not just far-off, abstract ideas. They are are very practical and personal. The Lord calls us to surrender to God, to admit our guilt concerning the death of Jesus, and to allow our pride to be crucified. This is all essential if we want to embrace the way of life that Jesus has for us. As a body of men, the Sanhedrin set themselves up as powerful enemies of Christ and this movement. That is why they arrested the apostles. But God miraculously released Peter and the rest from prison, and He sent them back into the temple to do what the Sanhedrin had strictly forbidden. This was humiliating to the Sanhedrin, insubordination... even insurrection. They told the apostles, “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.”

Peter's answer was respectful but uncompromising: “We must obey God rather than men.” The church needs to know what God has clearly said. There was no question for the apostles about the Christian message and of the necessity of proclaiming and teaching it to others. This was a must from God, and no human authority had the right to overrule God.

The content of the message in verses 30-32 was nothing new. We heard the same points in the earlier summaries of core Christian truths in Acts 2, 3, and 4, and we will hear the very same statements again, not only from Peter, but also from Philip, Paul, and Luke, the author of Acts. This is the Jesus message. If anyone brings you a different message than this one and calls it the Jesus message or the new way for the church, they cannot be safely followed.

1. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob raised Jesus of Nazareth from the dead.

2. You killed Jesus by hanging him on a tree. This despite the fact that none of these leaders were the ones whose hands did the actual work. You killed Jesus. He died for your sin. You must own this crime if you are to own the power of the cross for your eternal well-being.

3. God exalted Jesus to the position of high authority in heaven at His right hand. He was the Leader above the Sanhedrin. He is the Savior who has rescued you.

4. From that position of highest rule, Jesus was giving repentance to Israel. Not every Jew had repented but many have. Paul said in Romans that a partial hardening had come upon the Jews, that is true, but it was not a total hardening. Thousands of Jews in Jerusalem and Jewish visitors from many other lands had repented of their sins.

5. From that position of highest rule, Jesus was giving forgiveness of sins to Israel. All who would repent and believe were finding the fullness of divine forgiveness.

6. The apostles were witnesses to these things and they were unwilling to stop being witnesses.

7. The Holy Spirit of God was also a witness of these things, whom God had given to those who obeyed him. That was why there were great signs and wonders being performed, and that was why there was boldness and joy among the church in the face of powerful opposition.

33 When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them.

This was a great message of grace and good news for Israel. But the leaders did not receive it as a good word to them from God. They did not repent and believe. Instead, they were enraged and wanted to kill these men.

What a mistake! You cannot change the fact that a judgment of God is coming upon the wicked by killing the ones who bring you the message. Don't let anything get in the way of receiving the gift of life that God has for you today. Do you hate Christ? Most people would say, “No.” Do you hate the church? Do you hate Christians? Do you know people who identify themselves as Christians who have been hateful? Have you fallen into the trap of hating the hateful? Have you decided to just marginalize Christ and His church in your heart as a result of what you disapprove of in the church? Jesus is sticking with His people despite their faults. Do you really want to be outside that family? Don't you want the gifts of repentance and forgiveness?

For the church: Let's not make it easy for people to hate the message of grace because we live it out so skimpily. Let your righteousness be the righteousness of your blameless Savior, and live the love of the cross blamelessly. Be lavish with the grace that God has given you. Respect those who are in authority, even when they decide that the message you love is hateful. But submit to God rather than man whenever men blatantly force you to make the choice. As a church, we must insist that we continue to preach and teach in the name of Jesus.

Finally, pray for the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob who have not yet received Jesus of Nazareth as Leader and Savior of Israel. Be a blessing to them in any way that you can. Can there be any doubt that the apostle Paul would want you to care for them? See Romans 9:1-5. Can there be any doubt that Peter would want you to love the Jews? Surely this is something Jesus wants you to pray for and to seek.

1. What was the council's charge against the apostles and what was their concern?

2. When do Christians need to make a choice between obedience to God and obedience to men?

3. What truths does Peter proclaim in verses 30-32?

4. How could the council have missed Peter's message of grace to Israel?

OT Passage: Isaiah 1:1-20