Great joy (Acts 5:17-42)

What is the most amazing thing that has ever happened in your life? Do you have a story you’ve told strangers on the bus or little kids at family reunions - about that time when an unbelievably awesome event happened in your life?

Maybe it was a life-threatening situation? Or the day you met the love of your life?

All of us have that life-changing, life-altering moment we will never forget. What is yours?

But my next question is: Do you ever think about why it happened? Was there a reason it happened to you and not someone else?

Today’s passage is about about an amazing miracle that took place in the apostles’ lives. They would have told their kids and their grandkids about the time an angel broke them out of prison in the middle of the night. But when they did, they would have been sure to tell them why God did that miracle in their lives.

Maybe, just maybe, by reading this account in the bible you might learn something about how God is working in your own life. Because more important than the miracle itself is the God behind the miracle, the God to whom the miracle is pointing to.

We will see this under three headings: A great escape, a great defence and a great joy.

A great escape

The first thing we see is a great escape.

Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy.They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people the full message of this new life.”

At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people.

Acts 5:17-21

This is not the first time the apostles have gotten into trouble and this is not the first time they have ticked off the high priest and his friends. Back in Chapter 4, Peter and John were thrown in the lock-up for the night after healing the crippled man in the temple.

This time, though, it wasn’t just Peter and John who got into trouble but all of the apostles. In case we missed it, verse 17 tells us that the reason for this was jealousy. Jealousy. Verse 17: “The high priest and all his associates... were filled with jealousy.”

Why were they jealous? Back in verse 15, we learn that the church was getting a lot of attention all around the country. People were coming and bringing their sick relatives and verse 16 ends with these words, “all of them were healed.”

The high priest saw this growth, this attention and he got jealous. Not just angry, but jealous. Of their popularity. Of their attention. Of their success.

Just to show them who is boss, the high priest had the apostles arrested and put in the public jail. Verse 18, could also be translated, “they put them in jail publicly,” that is, they wanted to make a public show of their arrest. The high priest wanted to remind everyone: He was still in charge. Without just cause or prior notice, he could have the leaders of the church locked up in prison. Let me say that this still happens in some parts of the world today and one reason it still happens today - aside from abuse of power, aside from hatred - one reason this still happens today is jealousy. When a movement becomes too successful, people might take one look at that success and get jealous. They might get vindictive and they take it out on the movement’s leaders.

As I say that, I wonder if we, too, ought to take this warning to heart. That when we see someone else doing very well - another church, another bible study group - that we be careful not to let jealousy get the better of us. The high priest and his friends were religious leaders and sometimes even as leaders, we can look at another leader and say, “Why are so many people going to his church and not mine?”

But during the night an angel of the Lord opens the jail doors and he helps the apostles to escape, which is amazing and miraculous and totally unexpected. And yet the truly amazing thing about this miracle is, the story doesn’t end here!

Notice that: It’s the beginning of the story. God sends an angel to break the apostles out of our prison. He helps them to escape but then, what does he tell them to do? Go back to the scene of the crime! Verse 20: “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people the full message of this new life.”

Go back to the scene of the crime! Why would God tell them to do that? Because, friends, that’s the reason why God let them out of prison in the first place. It wasn’t so that they would run away and be safe from the religious leaders. In fact, in just a few moments, the apostles are re-arrested and are beaten up.

The reason why God did this miracle to free them from jail was to show that the gospel cannot be locked up. He freed them so that they would continue to talk about Jesus and the resurrection from the dead. That’s why he get them out of trouble.

Some of us pray for miracles to get ourselves out of trouble. We say to God, “If you get me out of this mess, if you heal me, if you give me this blessing, I will praise you and give my life to you.” In effect, we put conditions on God. If you do this, then I’ll do that. Even when God has been faithful to his word, and he blesses us, we often forget that promise. He heals us and we keep silent. He blesses us and we try to claim the credit. Has that ever happened to you, I wonder?

Here in Acts we see a miracle (In fact, we see all kinds of miracles; just last week we saw how Peter’s shadow would fall on someone and that guy would be healed. Now that’s a miracle!) But here in the miracle of the great escape, we see the reason behind the miracle. It’s so that people will know about Jesus.

Jesus called the miracles that he did signs. Signs are things that point somewhere. There’s a big arrow that says, “Look over here!” If we miss that sign, we’ve missed the point of the miracle. God is pointing us to Jesus.

That’s what he does here in the Great Escape. He tells the apostles, “Go to the temple. Point to Jesus.”

Some of you guys have told me amazing things that have happened in your life. And you might have heard me respond with these words, “So what do you think God is saying to you about that incident?” He’s pointing you to Jesus, do you see that? In verse 20, the angel says, “tell the people the full message of this new life.” I like how the ESV has the word Life with a capital, “L”. We’re not talking about an incident in every day life or random chance or luck. Following Jesus is Life with a capital “L” and it’s a life that makes sense. It’s a life that comes from God. It’s a life that comes through Jesus’ death for our sins.

If you are a Christian, you need to understand that when God does something amazing in your Life, it’s not just for your benefit. It’s so that you will tell others about the Author of Life. It’s so that you will go, stand in the temple (or your workplace, or your school) and tell people about Jesus. Meaning, the real question for us today is not: “Will I experience such a miracle?” or “Will God get me out of trouble every time I preach the gospel?“ but rather, “Do I actually know the gospel?” and “Will I keep on preaching the gospel?”

Because that’s what the apostles did after their Great Escape. And that’s what the apostles did in their Great Defence, our second point.

A great defence

Then someone came and said, “Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people.” At that, the captain went with his officers and brought the apostles. They did not use force, because they feared that the people would stone them.

Having brought the apostles, they made them appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.”

Acts 5:25-26

Almost immediately, we find the apostles back under arrest, facing the whole Sanhedrin (which was a courtroom of seventy elders and religious leaders) with a very angry and annoyed high priest charging them with disobedience and misconduct. “We gave you strict orders!” “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching!”

The amazing thing is, in response to this charge, we have not one but two levels of defence. One is from Peter but the other is from Gamaliel, a respected member of the Sanhedrin. We get two Great Defences to gospel - one from a Christian and another from a non-Christian perspective.

First, let’s look at Peter. Notice how Peter brings God into the picture in his Great Defence. What is he doing? Peter is saying that they are setting themselves up to God’s actions, not theirs.

Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than men! The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead - whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Saviour that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. We are witnesses of these things, as so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

Acts 5:29-32

Let me just say that if you ever find yourself in a courtroom scenario, standing up and saying, “God made me do it,” rarely goes down well with the judge. In fact, if you look down to the next verse, we see the result in verse 31, “When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death.”

What is Peter doing? You’ve heard me use this expression again and again in Acts: He is preaching to the choir. He is telling the gospel to people who think they know the gospel, to people who think they are experts in the gospel, but who, in reality, have ignored the gospel again and again.

Our temptation is to ignore the choir, to ignore the Sunday School teachers, to ignore the leaders and to focus our evangelism on the non-Christians. The truth is, the bible is saying to us that you can have a room full of religious, pious, influential leaders, who have PhD’s in theology and have memorised the bible in Hebrew and Greek but who don’t know the gospel and have never repented of their sins through message of the gospel.

And the bible is telling us: You can tell who they are because these are the people who get angry when you tell them the gospel. Why? Because the gospel reminds them that they are sinners, that’s why. “You are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood,” the high priest says in verse 28.

If you are here today as a non-Christian, I hope you see that the gospel message is not some kind of marketing tool to draw people in from outside the church. If you’ve been with us for any length of time, I hope you see that we apply the gospel right here in the Chinese Church every time we open up the bible. All of us, whether Christian or not, whether you’re a new believer or you’ve been a Christian for decades, all of us need to be confronted with the reality of our sin and our need for a Saviour. Sometimes, it’s those of us who think we don’t need to hear the gospel anymore, who get tired of hearing the same message about Jesus over and over again, who actually need to hear the gospel much more than others.

If you are not a Christian, you need to see that you don’t become a Christian by being good but firstly by confessing how bad you really are. When Peter says, “You killed him by hanging him on a tree,” (verse 30) he wasn’t simply saying that the religious leaders were directly responsible for Jesus’ death sentence, though they were. He was quoting an Old Testament passage in Deuteronomy which read, “Cursed is every man who is hung on a tree,” (hence, the curious description of the cross as a “tree”) and saying that Jesus’ death was a fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy of the curse that God lays on our sin. Jesus didn’t die for his own sins, no, he died for ours. And his death on the cross was God’s means of pouring down his judgement - pouring down his curse - on someone else instead of us.

If we trust in Jesus, we are saying that Jesus has taken our curse of death for our sin on our behalf. His resurrection was a confirmation that our sin really has been dealt with, a result of which is verse 30, “that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.” He gives us our repentance. Even our faith and trust in Jesus is something he gives to us. Our repentance is something the resurrection has enabled us to do by the Holy Spirit.

That is Peter’s Great Defence. It’s the gospel. It’s not a defence of Peter’s actions or the apostle’s actions. It is a defence of God’s actions in raising Jesus from the dead as proof of our sin and proof of the effectiveness of his solution to our sin in Jesus Christ.

But next we see a second defence, this time from Gamaliel.

When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death. But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honoured by all the people stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while.

Then he addressed them: “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. 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. 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.”

Acts 5:33-37

Gamaliel brings in two test cases for the council to consider and what he says sounds perfectly reasonable. “Two guys tried to do the same thing in the past. One was Theudas, the other, Judas the Galilean. Both these guys thought they were somebody. They got the people all stirred up. But in the end, both of them got killed and nobody is talking about them anymore.”

So, what’s Gamaliel trying to say? Verse 38, “Therefore in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go!” Now listen carefully to his reason. “For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”

And we have see that his defence goes down pretty well. Verse 40, “His speech persuaded them.” Of the two defences - Peter’s defence of the gospel and Gamaliel’s defence through reason - it looks like Gamaliel’s was the greater defence. I mean, the Sanhedrin were about to kill the apostles but thanks to the advice of Uncle Gamaliel, cooler heads prevailed.

I’m not so sure, it did. I appreciate how reasonable Gamaliel’s arguments are, don’t get me wrong. I think we need more Gamaliels in our parliaments and governments as a counter-balance to big personalities and hot-heads like the High Priest.

But we need to be careful of using Gamaliel’s reasoning here in the church when dealing with a dispute, for example, or when making a decision about the church’s mission, because we need to remember that Gamaliel is arguing from a perspective of a non-believer. When he talks about the two rebels, Theudas and Judas, who rise up to cause trouble, I don’t think he is drawing a comparison with the apostles. He’s actually comparing these rebels to Jesus. And what Gamaliel is implying is that, in the same way that these two rebel leaders died and their causes died with them, the same would eventually happen with Jesus and his following. That’s why he says, “Leave these men alone.” He’s saying, “Jesus is already dead. It’s just a matter of time before this new movement fizzles out all on its own.”

Of course, Gamaliel adds that last bit about God in the end, doesn’t he? “But if it from God,” he says. That, too, is a very dangerous statement. What’s he saying? He’s saying, if God is behind this, then God will prove it by making their movement successful. You won’t be able to fight it because God will always help them win. Friends, this is a deceptively dangerous way of measuring God’s will because it is, in effect, a veiled form of the prosperity gospel. It’s saying that the way you know that something is of God is if it always prospers, it always grows, it always wins. If it doesn’t, it’s not from God.

No, the way of determining God’s approval or will on something is always through God’s word. Is this something God has said he will do? That’s what Peter did in his defence. He pointed to Jesus as the fulfilment of God’s promises in the bible. He pointed to the truth as an eyewitness of the truth.

And it’s vitally important that when we argue for God’s approval or will in a matter to be decided here in the church, we be able to tell the difference between a gospel defence and a Gamaliel form of defence. Gamaliel’s reasoning is commendable if you don’t actually believe that Jesus is the Messiah. The gospel’s reasoning is based on God’s revelation in the Scriptures concerning Jesus. And if Act’s is saying anything, it’s saying that the gospel form of reasoning won’t necessarily win you votes. It may cause more disagreement. People may want to kill you for using the gospel as a means for defending your cause.

But the gospel is our greatest defence because it’s God’s defence of his own actions, not ours. He has revealed Jesus as the Christ. He has given us repentance and forgiveness of sin. He calls us to proclaim the full message of this new life.

By putting the gospel at the centre of our witness, what we are saying to the world is, God is the ultimate judge over our lives. At the end of the day, it’s his verdict over our lives that really matters. and it is his judgement that we need to be aware of.

A great joy

Finally, what we see in the last couple of verses is great joy.

The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. 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 Christ.

Acts 5:41-42

Why is this great joy? Because it is joy that comes from suffering for Jesus.

Look back to verse 40. It does not say there in verse 40, “They let them go and the apostles left the Sanhedrin rejoicing that God had let them out of prison and out of trouble.” It doesn’t.

It says that they were beaten up. And then they were warned about why they were beaten up: for speaking about Jesus. That’s why they rejoiced, in verse 41. And that’s why they continued speaking about Jesus, verse 42, “in the temple courts and from house to house.”

Philippians 1:29 - “For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him.”

Acts 14:22 - “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.”

James 1:2-3 - “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverence.”

1 Peter 2:19-21 - “For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.”

Romans 8:17 - “Now if we are children, then we are heirs - heirs of God and co-heirs of Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may share in his glory.”

Paul says in 2 Timothy 3:12, “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”

Suffering is part of the Christian life. Following Jesus means taking up your cross. Following Jesus means suffering for Jesus. Jesus said, “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:11-12)

It’s not that Christians have a warped sense of suffering, as if we like to suffer. Suffering is awful. If you like pain, there is something psychologically and profoundly wrong with you. But Jesus was absolutely clear about what it meant to follow him. It meant dying to ourselves. It meant dying to our sin. It means suffering.

So much so, that if you are not suffering for Jesus, you may not actually be a Christian. That’s a pretty strong statement, I know. But Romans 8:17 says, “if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may share in his glory.” I think that’s what’s going on here in Acts.

You see, the apostles had lots of reasons to rejoice. They had planted the first ever megachurch. They had power beyond imagination - the ability to heal sickness and disease and cast out evil spirits. Man, even the high priest and the Sanhedrin didn’t know what to do with these guys. They tried locking them up but God let them out!

But it was only as they left the Sanhedrin, after being beaten up, after being threatened with their lives, it is only here for the first time in Acts that we see these twelve followers of Jesus rejoicing. Why? I think they were relieved. I think they left knowing for sure, they were the real thing.

Have you ever wondered that about yourself? “Am I really a Christian?” Now, let me be clear, we trust in Jesus alone. Our faith rests on what he did, not what we could ever do.

And yet, we need to remember, that Jesus did a whole lot of stuff through these twelve men. The Holy Spirit was poured out on them. Thousands were being saved through their ministry. Everything they did turned to success. My question is: How did it not go to their heads? What kept them from being proud and arrogant?

It was this: Jesus’ words to them that they would suffer for his sake. This scenario of appearing before the Sanhedrin and the council to face false accusations by men was all foretold by Jesus back in Matthew Chapter 10. “They will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their synagogues.” (Matthew 10:17) Wasn’t that what just happened?

And when it did, I think the apostles left with a sigh of relief. I know it’s strange to think that way, but I suspect the reason they rejoiced was because they finally knew that they were the real thing. God had counted them worthy to suffer disgrace for the Name. Everything that had happened so far - the growth of their ministry, the courage of their witness, the salvation of men and women in the church - was not their doing. It was God’s.

What does this mean for us? Last week, I mentioned that Chapter 5 of Acts is actually about revival. It’s actually a passage about how God brings life back into the church, turns things around and grows his church in such a way that it’s totally unexpected, totally spectacular and totally supernatural. He does this through the gospel and he does this by his Spirit.

And some of us might find ourselves praying for revival in some form or other here in the Chinese Church. “God, please send us a pastor who will make our church flourish in the city.” “God, would you bless Rock Fellowship and our upcoming retreat and bring many, many people to our gatherings.”

But friends, how do you that it’s God who has done this thing? How can you tell if this blessing is really from God? I think it’s this: It’s when God grants you blessing and growth, and you rejoice; and when God grants you suffering and loss, and you still rejoice in him. Blessing makes sense because God is a good and gracious God. But suffering makes sense, too, because this world is not our home. Because we follow a God who suffered on the cross. And because when he allows us to suffer, it teaches us perseverance, humility and faith, and when we then talk about Jesus, and people see us rejoicing in him in the midst of our suffering, they listen. And God gets the glory.

The bible says, Jesus, “for the joy set before him, endured the cross.” (Hebrews 12:2)  Jesus is the only God who makes sense of our suffering. Of course, Jesus makes sense of our joy and blessing, too. But Jesus is the only God who makes sense of all the suffering, pain, even the death you will experience in life. Because he is the only God to have ever suffered for our sins and died in our place. Moreover, he is the only God who enables us to rejoice - yes, to rejoice - in our suffering, if it’s for him.

We’ve seen three things today. A great escape: which was not an escape from prison in order to run away from pain, but a command to preach the gospel and to bear witness to Jesus even at the risk of more pain. A great defence: which was a defence of God’s actions, not ours. God has raised Jesus from the dead and God has given us repentance and forgiveness through his resurrection. Finally, we saw great joy: in the midst of persecution, in the midst of rejection, the apostles rejoiced because they knew in God’s eyes, his acceptance and approval. They were counted worthy to suffer disgrace for the name.

Stand by me (Acts 4:1-31)

In much trembling

There is a Chinese wedding tradition called Chip San Leong, which means “fetching the bride,” where the groom arrives at the home of the bride only to be stopped at the entrance with a series of tests to prove his love for his future wife. Typically, he is made to eat wasabi or do a hundred push-ups, something silly like that. It’s a game, of course, designed by the Ah Yees, the bridesmaids, as a bit of fun to test the groom’s patience and resolve.

I mention that because I was reminded of the tradition this week in the installation of the new Archbishop of Canterbury. Justin Welby, became the 105th leader of the Anglican Church in a ceremony attended by the Queen, the Prince of Wales, even the Prime Minister, in an event broadcast live on the BBC.

According to tradition, the ceremony began with the new Archbishop standing outside the cathedral with the doors closed, knocking on it three times with a shepherd’s staff. As the doors open, a young girl confronts him with a series of questions, “Who are you? Why have you come here?” She doesn’t make him do push-ups or anything like that yet these questions are there to test his confidence and his resolve.

“How do you come among us?” she asks, “And with what confidence?”

The Archbishop replies with these words, “‘I come knowing nothing except Jesus Christ and him crucified, and in weakness and fear and in much trembling,” (echoing the words of the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians Chapter 2).

Confidence. That is the theme of today’s passage under three points:

1. The confidence to speak

2. The confidence to lead

3. The confidence to pray

The confidence to speak

First, the confidence to speak. Look with me to verse 1.

The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people.

Acts 4:1

If you are new, today’s message is a continuation from last week study when we met Peter and John going into the temple. They are on their way to pray at the temple when they are stopped by a beggar. This man has been begging at the temple all his life. He is crippled, he is poor and he asks them for money. Peter says to the man, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Immediately and miraculously, the man is healed. He jumps to his feet and follows Peter and John into the temple, praising God and drawing the attention of everyone at the temple that day.

And here in Chapter 4 we see that this gets Peter and John into trouble with the temple police - the priests, the captain of the guard and the Sadducees. These officials cut through the crowd - weaving through thousands of people gathering in the temple - in order to arrest the apostles and to put them in prison. But not because of the miracle. Notice that. It is not because they healed the man but because Peter and John were talking about Jesus.

Look at verse 2:

They were greatly disturbed (or as the ESV puts it, they were “greatly annoyed”) because the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus, the resurrection of the dead. They seized Peter and John, and because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. But many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand.

Acts 4:2-4

Our first point is the apostles’ confidence in speaking. That is, first and foremost, this is a confidence - a boldness - that is tied to the gospel, that comes from the gospel. This is a courage that goes hand in hand with the gospel message. That is what gets Peter and John into trouble with the authorities - their boldness in speaking about Jesus; their boldness in speaking to the crowd.

The reason why they are put in prison is not the miracle. Verse 2: “They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people.” In order to put a stop to their teaching, the manager of the temple locked them up in the storeroom cupboard for the night. They didn’t have a problem with the miracle. I mean, they thought it was annoying that Peter and John had done this miracle but we soon see that the focus of the religious leaders’ frustration was not what they did but what they said. Peter and John was talking about the resurrection from the dead.

The next day, the rulers, elders and teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. Annas the high priest was there, and so was Caiaphas, John, Alexander and the other men of the high priest’s family. They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them, “By what power or what name did you do this?”

Acts 4:5-7

We have a long list of people here - the rulers, elders and teachers of the law. It’s like saying the masters of all the colleges and the heads of every department including the theology professors from the Divinity School decided to meet in one location to debate over one important issue. Every decision-makers and every VIP turns up for this one big meeting.

But also, in verse 6, we have the most important of VIPs: the high priest. And not just the high priest, mind you, but three generations of high priests - Annas, Caiaphas and John - presiding over the meeting. So this was a big deal.

The name of this council, we are told later in verse 15, is the Sanhedrin, which according to tradition, was made up of seventy individuals. Think of the Sanhedrin as the board of directors.

So picture this: Seventy guys. All of them important, every one of them respected in the community, walking into the room and taking their seats at the conference table. And standing there to face this council, two lone fisherman. Two young troublemakers who had just spent the night in the temple lock-up. Peter and John.

            “By what power or what name did you do this?”

What they meant, of course, was, “Who do you think you are? What gives you the right?” It wasn’t so much a question as it was a form of intimidation. “You are in serious trouble - we just need to decide how much!”

No, the religious leaders weren’t looking for an answer. What they wanted an apology. What they got instead was the gospel.

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.

Acts 4:8-10

The expression I used last week to describe what was going on was “preaching to the choir.” The preacher is supposed to preach to the congregation. But someone who is preaching to choir is preaching to the converted, saying, “Don’t think that just because you are serving on the music team, you don’t need to hear about Jesus.”

The religious leaders, elders and high priest - they were sitting there in judgement over Peter and John, to decide what punishment they would face. Peter stands up and tells them, “Guys, you stand before God as Judge for what you did to Jesus.” Notice how Peter keeps saying, “You did this.” Verse 10: Know this, you and all the people of Israel... you crucified him but God raised him from the dead.

He does it again in verse 11 - “Jesus is the stone you rejected.”

He is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone.’
Acts 4:11

What kind of preaching is this? Courageous preaching. Bold preaching. Actually, what it is, I think, is consistent preaching. Look back to Chapter 3, verse 14 onwards, where Peter says, “You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead.”

Meaning, it was the same message Peter spoke in front of the crowds. “It’s you who needs to repent. Not your friend. Not the guy you’ve been trying to invite to church. You.” He said this to the crowds. He said the exact same thing to the high priest.

Meaning, courageous preaching is faithful preaching. It is sticking to the same simple message about Jesus whether you are talking to a friend or a family member. Whether its to a stranger at the bus-stop or your boss at coffee time. It is the courage to be clear about God, about sin and about Jesus when someone asks you, “So what is it that you Christians believe about salvation, heaven and eternal life?”

It is to respond with the words of verse 12:

Salvation is found in no-one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.

Acts 4:12

I would imagine at this point Peter probably raised his voice in order make his point, “Salvation is found in no-one else! Listen up!”

Yet friends, you can try saying these words as quietly and gently as possible and still be thought of as arrogant and intolerant. Courage is nothing to do with the tone of our voice, it has everything to do with the truth of the gospel.

The question at the end of the day is: Do you really believe the gospel? Do you believe that Jesus is the only way, the only name, the only Saviour?

If you do, then you need this courage in order to speak this truth. I am not talking about overcoming your fear of public speaking. I am talking about the courage to speak plainly about Jesus even here among friends in the Chinese Church. Your knees could be knocking, your voice might be trembling, there could be beads of sweat on trickling down your brow, but if you telling people the truth about Jesus, that’s a courageous to do. That’s faithful preaching of the gospel.

Conversely, you might have the gift of the gab, you feel at ease speaking to crowds of hundreds and thousands but if you never actually get to the cross and tell people about Jesus’ death for their sin; if you never actually call for your hearers to repent of their sin and trust in God’s forgiveness through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross - you haven’t yet preached the gospel.

Maybe you don’t know the gospel, that’s why. Or maybe - just maybe - you are ashamed of the gospel. Either way, courage to speak about Jesus is not a personality trait, it is itself a gift of the gospel.

Look at verse 8, where Peter is described as being “filled with the Holy Spirit.” His courage was not natural, it was supernatural. In last week’s passage, Peter says to the crowd, “Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?” (Acts 3:12) “The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus.” What is Peter doing? He is being courageous in admitting his weakness and in pointing to God’s grace. That’s courage. It is speaking the gospel fully aware of your shortcomings, your inadequacies, your fears - being fully aware of your sinfulness - yet speaking the gospel fully confident in Jesus’ power to save, to forgive and to call people to repentance through the message of the gospel.

Put it another way: It is confidence in the message you’re speaking not your ability to speak the message. So, that’s the first thing we see: Confidence to speak this message of truth about Jesus.

The confidence to lead

The second thing we see is the confidence to lead.

What this is, is the confidence to inspire that same boldness in the people around you. That same confidence in Jesus.

Picking up from verse 13:

When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realised that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.

Acts 4:13

In an Asian context, we are meant to respect our leaders. Leaders are often our elders and our superiors.At least, that’s how businesses are run back home. The CEO is the guy who with the white hair wearing the suit. He sits at the head of the table as the other executives arrange themselves around the conference table according to their rank, their age, their experience.

So if you are the young hireling, the new kid on the block, you sit at the end of the table. The CEO speaks, the VP is next, and everyone waits their turn to voice their ideas. Until it gets to you, the new guy. All they expect from you to say is, “Yes, boss! That’s a great idea!”

Like I said, businesses back home are run that way. Some churches back home are run that way. The pastor sets the agenda. He “casts the vision,” so to speak. The elders and deacons jobs are to get it done. My dad who was in the army once defined leadership by example as “Doing what I tell you do, not what I do.” In the army, you never questioned an order. You obeyed it.

Here in Acts 4, Peter and John were up against what was essentially the political and spiritual leadership of the nation - the Sanhedrin were leaders of God’s people, Israel - and it is important to understand that what Peter and John were doing was not simply rebelling against leadership, rebelling against authority. No, they were establishing what true leadership ought to look like. They were speaking with an authority derived from God’s word.

You see, the religious leaders had forgotten that. Such that when they saw the real thing - when they encountered authentic, apostolic authority - it really surprised them.

I mean, we look at Peter and John and we see a couple of rebels. We think they are going up against “the man.” In reality, the Sanhedrin looked at these two young, uneducated fisherman and saw what true leaders of God’s people are meant to be and to do. They are meant to speak the gospel. They are meant to call God’s people to obedience to God’s word.

That’s what surprised them. Verse 13 says they looked at Peter and John and “realised that they were unschooled, ordinary men.” These guys didn’t go to Cambridge. They didn’t train in some well-known church under some well-known rabbi. These were nobodies. And yet, what does the end of verse 13 say? “They took note that these men had been with Jesus.” These nobodies had been hanging out with somebody. They were had been with Jesus!

Isn’t that crazy? I mean, in an awesome way? For someone to look at you and have no possible explanation for who you are, for what you are able to do except to say that you’ve probably been spending a lot of time with Jesus. It’s not because of your degree. It’s not because of your gifts. They can’t figure you out! All they can say is, “This guy sounds a lot like Jesus. That’s the only possible explanation for his behaviour: He really knows Jesus.”

What did the religious leaders see? The real thing. Apostolic authority. Boldness. What they saw was Jesus. And how did they react to this? With fear and intimidation.

But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. “What are we going to do with these men?” they asked. Everybody living in Jerusalem knows they have done an outstanding miracle, and we cannot deny it. But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn these men to speak no longer to anyone in this name.

Acts 4:14-17

They said to Peter and John, “Get out, we need to talk about something important.” And what did these seventy old men talk about? How to cover their backsides.

“Everyone living in Jerusalem knows they have done an outstanding miracle, and we cannot deny it.” Meaning what? The issue was not whether the miracle was real but how many people knew that the miracle was real. If only a few people knew, why, they could deny it and cover it up. But haiiya! People already know!

So what was left for them to do? They abused their power. They tried intimidating Peter and John with threats and warnings.

I want us to pause and think about this for a moment: Why would this have worked? It didn’t, of course, and you should have guessed that from Peter’s response earlier. But why did the religious teachers think that by threatening Peter and John and warning them that this ought to have worked?

Because this is the way the world works. The big guy puts pressure on the little guy. Jesus once said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.” (Matthew 20:25) It’s pecking order. It’s how you get things done in the business world, in the political world. It might even be the way to get things done in the religious world.

But you see, people who think this way, forget that there is a greater authority above every authority. The biggest Tai Lo has an even bigger Tai Lo to answer to: God. And tragically, what we see here is a roomful of religious men who have forgotten that there is a God they are answerable to.

Then they called them again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

Acts 4:18-20

What we see here are two forms of leadership - one from man, one from God. We see two kinds of leaders - one that that’s fearful of man and one that is fearful of God.

The tragic thing is: these religious leaders were afraid. That’s why they resorted to bullying tactics. They were afraid of the people, of what they would think. They were even afraid of Peter and John, and had to put them out of the room while they discussed what to do with them. Inspite of all this, there was one person they forgot to be afraid of and that was God.

That’s tragic isn’t it? But when it happens - and it does - it’s because we think that leadership is something we earn and deserve and achieve, rather than something that God has given us to steward, to receive with humility, to exercise with love.

After further threats they let them go. They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened. For the man who was miraculously healed was over forty years old.

Acts 4:21-22

Confidence to lead. That’s the second thing we see in this passage, but it’s not the confidence of the religious leaders. Those guys were cowards. Those guys were bullies. No, we see this confidence in Peter and John who had led 2000 people to believe in Jesus (in verse 4) by being bold enough to tell them the gospel. It is a confidence and mandate that comes from the gospel itself, “We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard” (verse 20).

In the New Testament, the leaders of the church are the teachers of the church. That’s why faithfulness to God’s word is such an important quality in choosing our bible study leaders, our Sunday School teachers and our pastors. Gifts are important, but if we put gifts over the gospel, we end up with religious teachers.

If we want true authentic, God-ordained leadership, we want men who know Jesus, who love Jesus, who keep talking non-stop about Jesus. The world might look at them and go, “Those guys didn’t go to the right school. They don’t have the right credentials. But you know what? They act and sound a whole lot like Jesus.” We want those guys to be leading men and women in Jesus.

Confidence to pray

So far, we’ve seen the confidence to speak and the confidence to lead. Finally we see the confidence to pray, and that’s verse 23. And as I read this passage - this prayer - I want you ask the question, “What did they ask God for?”

Verse 23:

On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father, David:

“‘Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth take their stand
and the rulers gather together
against the Lord
and against his Anointed One.’

Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

Acts 4:23-30

The church met together for a prayer meeting. Peter and John spent the night in prison. They were threatened by the high priest and religious police - “Don’t speak to anyone any longer about Jesus.”

What did they ask God to do? They asked God for boldness. Verse 29, “Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.” It is the same word as in verse 13 - courage, boldness, confidence. It’s what they ask God to fill them with - boldness to speak his word.

They didn’t pray, “Lord, stop those evil men,” did they?

They knew that God was in charge - he is the Sovereign Lord who made heaven, earth and sea (verse 24). And yet they also knew, from the bible - specifically, from the Old Testament scriptures - that God had already decided to allow his enemies to gang up against him. Opening up the Psalms, written 1000 years ago by King David, they took what the Holy Spirit said through the mouth of David, and applied it directly to Jesus.

“Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand.” It is a picture of a great big battle - armies assembling for war, gathering to make their last stand - against the Lord and his Anointed One.

You read this and think Armageddon. Or you think. the final scene from the Avengers (“Hulk smash!”). It’s end of the world stuff, destruction on an epic, global scale. But according to this prayer, this war happened two thousand years ago in the city of Jerusalem. On the cross of Jesus Christ.

Verse 27, “Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed.” The greatest rebellion against God happened at the cross. The greatest insult against God happened at the cross. What is this prayer saying? God planned for all this to happen!

“They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.”

Friends, this prayer means Peter and John and their friends, they were actually afraid. They knew that the danger they faced from the Sanhedrin was real. It wasn’t all empty threats. And what they needed, more than anything else, was the courage to be faithful to God’s word in the face of this danger.

God help me to be bold in speaking your word.

Some of you, I know, feel terribly inadequate when it comes to opening your mouth and speaking the gospel. That’s actually a good thing. You should feel inadequate because none of us are up to the task. All of us are sinful. All of us would rather not have to take up our cross and die.

And yet, an amazing thing happens when we trust in Jesus and look to the cross. He fills us with his Spirit. He makes us stand and he helps us to withstand - opposition, temptation, persecution - He helps us to stand by his grace. It is a supernatural thing for someone to be a Christian and to remain a Christian.

By the way, that’s what the last line about miracles is all about. They pray, “Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs...” It is an acknowledgement that God is able to so much more than we could ever imagine - he can raise the dead, he can perform miracles and show the world, Jesus is the Christ.

And yet what God chooses to do to make Jesus known is to use us as his witnesses. He makes us disciples. He makes us fishers of men.

After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

Acts 4:31

If this whole room were to shake, right now, some of us would probably freak out. If God were to heal some of us the way he healed the man crippled from birth, we would say, “Whoa! That’s incredible!”

Do you know what verse 31 is saying? For you to say to turn to the person next to you right now and tell them the gospel, to look them in the eye and say with every ounce of conviction, “Jesus Christ died for my sin. He rose from the dead. He will come again to judge and restore all of creation and I will see my Saviour face to face one day, and worship him in the presence of God and his angels.” That’s a miracle on the same level as that healing, that earthquake that would make you go, “Whoa! God did this!”

In verse 31, we see God answering their prayer. The place was shaken. The gospel was proclaimed. Both are miracles of God, the shaking as well as the speaking. Can God shake the foundations of the Chinese Church today? Of course he can, and one day he will. On that day, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess Jesus Christ as Lord.

But what does God do today. But what is the kind of prayer does God love to answer today?

“God glorify your son Jesus
and enable me, your servant,
to speak your gospel with boldness.”

This week at Rock, we were looking at the importance of being obstreperous. It’s a word that means “noisy,” and what it means is: Christians need to speak out about the cross of Jesus Christ. We can’t be quiet about it.

And at the end of the study I prayed this prayer, “Lord, you have a great sense of humour. These guys are the most gentle, quiet, peace-loving people I know and yet you gather us here today to remind us the importance of speaking out for Jesus. I know that that’s a scary thing for some of us here today.

Thank you that boldness isn’t something that’s natural to my brothers and sisters here today. It’s supernatural. We are not supposed to be confident in ourselves. We are supposed to trust in Jesus as the only way, the only name under heaven given to men by which we might be saved. Make us bold, I pray. By your Spirit. Through your gospel. Help us to proclaim Jesus with boldness as we should.

In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

My hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus blood and righteousness
No merit of my own I claim
But wholly lean on Jesus name
On Christ the Solid Rock I stand
All other ground is sinking sand
All other ground is sinking sand

Under pressure (Revelation 2:8-17)

Spiritual crisis

“It is impossible to say how many Christians there are in China today, but no-one denies the numbers are exploding.

The government says 25 million. Independent estimates all agree this is a vast underestimate. A conservative figure is 60 million. There are already more Chinese at church on a Sunday than in the whole of Europe.”

The BBC News article, “Christians in China”, was published on Monday, with a subheading which asks the question, “Is the country in spiritual crisis?”

While Europe and the United States struggle to face an ever burgeoning economic crisis; while countries in the Middle East are grappling with war and political upheaval; isn’t it remarkable that one of the chief concerns in Communist China - from the man on the street to Premier Wen Jiao Bao, who has commented publicly on this issue - isn’t it remarkable that their concern is spiritual in nature?

Is China in spiritual crisis? Many think it is.

In the same report, Professor He Guanghu, one of China's most eminent philosophers of religion at Renmin University in Beijing says, "The worship of Mammon… has become many people's life purpose.” He therefore concludes, “I think it is very natural that many … will not be satisfied. (They) will seek some meaning for their lives so that when Christianity falls into their lives, they will seize it very tightly.”

With all due respect to Professor He, the bible agrees, but also disagrees with his assessment. Many look at China and express surprise that the Christianity was not extinguished in back 1949, when all foreign missionaries were expelled from the country. Or during the Cultural Revolution in the 1960’s, when Mao described religion as “poison” and attempted to wipe out the church altogether. Professor He says, rather, it is change in economic circumstances - wealth - that has driven many to trust in Jesus, in their search for meaning in their lives. He is even quoting Jesus when he speaks of the worship of Mammon.

The bible says both persecution and temptation place pressure on the church. Both pain and pleasure are used by Satan to threaten and undermine the growth of the church. But today’s passage teaches us that Satan gets more Christians through pleasure than through pain.

I know your pain; I know your poverty

To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. I know your afflictions and your poverty - yet you are rich!

Revelation 2:8-9

“I know your afflictions and your poverty,” Jesus says. Every time you have felt alone. When pain and circumstances isolate you from everyone else in the world. When you stand at the ATM and the bank balance says there isn’t enough to pay the gas bill.

All your anxiety; All your fear: Jesus sees; Jesus knows. But more than that, Jesus has been there.

“These are the words of him… who died and came to life again.” There is a reason why he identifies himself as the one who died. On the cross, Jesus, the Lord of history - the First and the Last - laid down his life. We worship a God who has faced death, depression and despair. And Jesus says to the church in Smyrna undergoing the same kind of rejection and persecution, “I know your situation; I am in control of your situation”. These words of Jesus are that of comfort and reassurance.

I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.

Revelation 2:9-10

“You will be tested.” That is the reality behind these words. “Some of you will be thrown into prison,” Jesus says, “and you will suffer persecution for ten days.”

The ten days may be literal. That is, God is forewarning them of a specific period of persecution: Ten days. More likely, it is a reference to Daniel Chapter 1, where Daniel and his friends ask for ten days; ten days to be separate from the rest king’s court; ten days when they would not touch the king’s food or wine but eat only vegetables; ten days when Daniel and his friends would be tested.

Jesus is saying, “Be faithful during these ten days of testing, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life”.

And yet we should not miss the obvious: Satan is responsible for these attacks. The devil is behind this wave of persecution. Moreover he uses men zealous for God’s name, to carry out his work of destroying the church. Elsewhere, John records these words of Jesus:

"All this I have told you so that you will not go astray. They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me."

John 16:1-4

It all sounds rather twisted: They will kill you and think they are “offering a service to God”. So here in Revelation, there are those who claim to be Jews - identifying themselves with the people of God. Yet what Jesus hears from their lips is slander - the word can also be translated “blaspheme” - meaning their very profession of faith in God, is insulting to God. It is twisted because here is Satan using religion and religious people to attack the church. In fact, that is precisely what happened to Jesus. He was murdered and betrayed by his own people; by religious leaders who thought they were doing a favour for God by nailing him to the cross. These are not the people of God, says Jesus. They are a synagogue of Satan.

Live once, die twice. Die once...

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.

Revelation 2:11

There is a second death. Meaning: The suffering and death of this world is but a pale shadow of a second death and a final judgement. Either we die once and receive the promise of resurrection everlasting life from Jesus. Or we reject Jesus and die twice, facing death in this life and a second time in the life to come.

One the disciples of John was a man named Polycarp who eventually became the bishop of Smyrna, during a period of intense persecution under the Roman government. At eighty-six years of age, Polycarp was imprisoned because of his faith. It is said that he took comfort reading these words from Revelation addressed to his church. When forced to deny Jesus or face death, he responded by saying:

For eighty and six years have I been his servant, and he has done me no wrong, and how can I blaspheme my King who saved me?

Most of us here today are nowhere near eighty-six. Few here, if any, have ever been faced with the decision to choose Jesus or lose our lives. What would it take for us seriously consider the words of Jesus Christ, “Be faithful, even to the point of death, and i will give you the crown of life”?

Yet the reality is: Many who name the name of Christ have died for that name. We should not be surprised. The blood of martyrs are the seed of the church. That’s why the church grew in Communist China in 1949, in 1960; and it continues to grow today - despite every attempt at oppressing the church and restricting the gospel. That’s why Revelation continues to be keenly read and taken seriously in the Chinese Church. Because Jesus says of them, “I know you affliction. I know your poverty. Yet, you are rich!”

No, the real question for us today, is not what Jesus would say to the church in China; rather: What would Jesus say to the church in Cambridge?

Where Satan lives

To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. I know where you live - where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city - where Satan lives.

Revelation 2:12-13

Pergamum is introduced to us as a faithful church. Like Smyrna, Jesus says to them, “I know”. This is Satan’s throne. This is where Satan lives. And because of this, the church has been oppressed and pressured to deny to Jesus. But, Jesus says to them, “You remain true to my name.” He even singles out Antipas, “my faithful witness” - the Greek word for “witness” is “martyr” - who was put to death in the city. Antipas was faithful to the point of death. Wasn’t that what Jesus said to the church in Smyrna?

So, in many respects, the church in Pergamum ought to have surpassed expectations. They were faithful witnesses. They held on to Jesus. They had a track record of withstanding physical and spiritual persecution from Satan himself.

However, Jesus does have a few things to say against this faithful church in Pergamum.

Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality. Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

Revelation 2:14-16

Not persecution, not pain, but pleasure. Satan has two weapons at his disposal; and only two. He uses pain but he gets more through pleasure. The Christians in Pergamum though faithful in the first test, had succumbed to the second.

And Jesus is saying, “This has happened before,” when he mentions “the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin”. The story is recorded in the book of Numbers Chapters 22 to 25, when the Israelites were wandering in the desert under the leadership of Moses. Balak was a king of Moab, who saw this huge mass of Israelites approaching his country and feared that they would attack them. So he hired a prophet, a man named Balaam, to pronounce a curse on the Israelites as they passed by.

However, God steps in and stops Balaam from saying anything against Israel. Balaam ends up blessing them instead. Three times, Balak tries to bribe Balaam with money, three times he gets important and impressive people to win him over, three times he sets up altars to sacrifice to God to try and win God over; but three times Balaam opens his mouth and blesses the people of God instead. He says, “Must I not speak what the LORD puts in my mouth?” (Numbers 23:12)

Now Balaam is not a good man. Though he is a prophet of God, and though God uses him to bless Israel, Balaam was a man greedy for money (2 Peter 2:15). So when he says to King Balak, “I can only say what God gives me,” he’s actually giving an excuse: God was preventing him from cursing the Israelites. God is to blame.

So what Balaam does instead, is to teach Balak how to get around God’s word. It is bad enough that Balaam uses his position for gain; to try to get rich. But what he does next is so immensely wicked and evil. He teaches Balak how to entice the Israelites to sin against God (Numbers 31:15).

In Numbers 25, we read:

When Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with Moabite women, who invited them to the sacrifices of their gods. The people ate and bowed down before these gods. So Israel joined in worshipping the Baal of Peor. And the Lord’s anger burned against them.

Numbers 25:1-3

Balaam knew, the only way to destroy these people of God, was to tempt them to sin against God and to incur his wrath and jealousy. That is what Balaam taught Balak, and it worked.

Jesus is saying, This is what happened then. This is what is happening today. Verse 15: “Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.” “Nicolaitan” and “Balaam” mean the same thing; one is Greek, the other is Hebrew. They both can be translated to mean “conquer people”. In other words: This is how you destroy people. This is how you influence and trap them. You tempt them to sin against God.

Now notice: Jesus is not simply condemning their sinfulness, or their practice of sinning through sexual immorality and idolatry. Rather, for three times, Jesus draws attention to those who teach others how to sin against God; those who teach the people of God that it is OK to sin against God.

Verse 14: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam

Verse 14: Who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin

Verse 15: Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans

In Romans 1, Paul does not simply condemn those who practice sin - “such things deserve death” - but reserves the severest condemnation for those who “approve of those who practice them” (Romans 1:32). In 1 Corinthians 5, he confronts sexual immorality in the church, but more seriously those who condone such practices, and are even proud of such high-handed sinfulness (“And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have been filled with grief?” - 1 Corinthians 5:2).

Meaning: Jesus is not simply addressing an attitude to sin that is seen in our homes (“what we watch on our television screens”), our workplaces (“an illicit relationship with the secretary”) and our personal lives (“how we conduct ourselves in our relationship with our boyfriends or girlfriends or spouses”). But the reason why the church in Pergamum is succumbing to temptation - of sexual sin and of idolatry - is because these very practices are being taught and approved of within the church itself. In other words, it is what is going on up front - here from the pulpit, here amongst the leadership - each week as hear the bible being read and taught.

Some might say: How can that be? How can it be that Christians are being taught to worship idols and commit sins of a sexual nature? And the answer is: by taking their eyes off this book.

The moment we take our eyes off this book; the moment we lose sight of the singular purpose of God’s word in every the gathering of God’s people - be it prayer meetings on Mondays, Rock on Wednesdays or Paul Group on Fridays; the moment we say to ourselves, “Ah, let’s take a break from hearing the bible, after all, it’s just an academic thing to read this ancient book. It has no relevance to my life today” - that is the moment we start to replace God’s voice with ours. We no longer listen to the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword!

Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

Revelation 2:16

Why is it that Christ identifies himself as the one who hold the double-edged sword? He is giving the remedy to the teaching of the Nicolaitans and the temptations of Balaam. The sword is the word of judgement. The Christians in Pergamum needed to hear that God will judge their sin of immorality and idolatry, according to his word of truth; according to the words of Jesus Christ.

You see, one of the reasons why the government in China is, in a sense intrigued by the growth of the church, is because they, too can see that the country has a growing social problem - of greed, crime, sexual misconduct, depression, suicide, broken marriages, rising divorce rates, teenage pregnancies, and the like - and they look at the church and see active, positive, effective efforts in dealing with these issues. There have been interest in Christian marriage preparation courses. Christian businessmen have a growing reputation for being honest in their dealings.

Yet when I asked a missionary what was the greatest need in the church in China today - the answer I got surprised me. They did not say, “More bibles” (they could print their own). It wasn’t better marriage counselling (even though divorce and incidences of marital unfaithfulness was rising even amongst Christians). It wasn’t even greater freedom in gathering as believers and evangelising non-Christians, even though the majority of house churches still meet underground in secret and in fear of being raided at any time.

No, the greatest need was clear biblical teaching. To counteract false teaching and heresy. But also to address these very problems with sexual misconduct, greed and oppression. Only the gospel can transform hearts and bring a nation out of darkness into light.

What we need is fresh, clear, bold preaching of Jesus Christ; his death on the cross as the payment for our sins and his free and gracious offer of forgiveness to sinners to enter the presence of Almighty God and his children, reborn through the Spirit of God.

What we need is the gospel - the transforming word of Jesus Christ.

He who has an ear, let him hear

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will gives some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.

Revelation 2:17

Jesus addresses seven churches in Revelation. He speaks to the heavenly realms (“To the angel of the church of Smyrna; to the angel of the church of Pergamum”); He addresses the earthly gathering of God’s people (“Hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”).

But Jesus always ends by addressing each of us, individually.

“He who has an ear.” Meaning, “Are you listening?”

You need to overcome. I need to overcome. Jesus calls each of us to account for our own personal faithfulness in the face of suffering; our own steadfastness in the face of temptation. In the same way, he offers each of us the promise of reward and eternal life.

There are various interpretations of the hidden manna and the white stone. I say because this is one bit I am not all 100% clear about as to it’s true meaning, aside from the fact that Jesus is obviously talking about eternal life.

The one I lean most towards picks up from the imagery of the High Priest. Hebrews 9:4 tells us how a gold jar of manna is placed in the ark of the covenant, situated in the Most Holy Place, accessible only by the High Priest once a year. Also, the stone with the name written on it, reminds us of the two stones on the shoulder of the ephod, worn by the High Priest. On these black stones were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. When the High Priest entered God’s presence once a year in the Most Holy Place, offering sacrifices on behalf of the whole nation, he was reminded by these stones that he was representing all of Israel. It was as if Israel was entering God’s presence. (Click here for a previous write-up on Exodus 28)

Together, the hidden manna and the stone with the hidden name paint a picture of entering God’s presence in an exclusive yet accessibly way. Jesus is promising us clear and open access to God.

It is a promise to him who overcomes. It is a promise to those who hear the words of Jesus Christ; what the Spirit says to the churches.

The spiritual crisis in China is one that is affecting a nation. The church is China has drawn the attention of the world. You can be sure, it has drawn the attention of the evil one. But in the midst of changing circumstances, the word of God stands eternal. Jesus Christ will build his church. And He speaks today through his word, to his church, by his Spirit. The question is: Are you listening?

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.