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When you think of a Biblical preacher that preaches a call to repentance, which Biblical preacher comes to mind? we think of John the Baptist preaching, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near!” In our Gospel lesson, the week after Easter, Jesus is doing the same thing John did, calling Thomas to repentance. The message of the Resurrected Savior is also a call to repentance. This morning as we look at Acts, see how the Holy Spirit does indeed back the messengers of the Resurrection. The Resurrections call to repentance continues to be proclaimed.
Acts 5:12,17-32 12 The apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade. 17 Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. 18 They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. 19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. 20 “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people the full message of this new life.” 21 At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people. When the high priest and his associates arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin—the full assembly of the elders of Israel—and sent to the jail for the apostles. 22 But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there. So they went back and reported, 23 “We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside.” 24 On hearing this report, the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests were puzzled, wondering what would come of this. 25 Then someone came and said, “Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people.” 26 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. 27 Having brought the apostles, they made them appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. 28 “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.” 29 Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than men! 30 The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead—whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. 31 God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. 32 We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”
The Holy Spirit's power was poured out on this fledgling church. They were able to perform many miracles in the name of Jesus. Everyone gathered up the sick and those possessed by evil spirits, and ALL were healed. If there ever was a more critical time that the message be understood to be from God, it was that time. The Holy Spirit used miraculous signs and wonders to back the message of the resurrection. But those who care not for the message will not find any use for the signs either. The High priest and his associates didn't care for it. They were members of the Sadducees, the smaller religious sect that didn't believe in angels or the resurrection. They saw how the awe and respect the people had for the apostles, and they were jealous. Do we have to figure out why they are jealous? No we don't. Sin doesn't make sense. To look at the words or wonders and acts of God with contempt is a reaction that only sin produces. If they were this way towards Jesus, they would be this way toward anyone who follows Him. In their zeal against Jesus, they made a public arrest. Remember when the Duke Lacrosse players were arrested? Their faces were plastered all over the news. Put enough pictures and shots on the news and match them to a crime, and people will make an assumption that they are guilty. How many of us though that the Duke boys were guilty when the story first broke? The Sadducees knew how to control the people as well, they made sure it was a public arrest in a public jail, so that all those who were wowed by the message or the signs that backed up the message would think, “?” The Holy Spirit backs the messengers of the resurrection. He would not have his messengers be thought of as criminals. God was in control of this situation, from beginning to end, not the High Priest, not the Sadducees. That night, an angel opens the door to the jail and lets the apostles out and then tells him a message from God, “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people the full message of this new life.” Though the high priests and the Sanhedrin want to shut you down, go stuff in their faces. Tell the people the FULL message. Don't hold anything back. Tell them of the new life in Christ.” The next morning the disciples did as the angels had said. Unbeknownest to them, God was about to strike a blow to the Sadducees. They were intent on getting all of Israel behind them to shut down this new life. They assembled the Sanhedrin, the ruling body of the Israelites. They made sure all the elders of Israel were present. Imagine the commotion. Imagine the airs that were put on. This is the governing body of Israel assembled for action. After they were assembled, they sent to the jail for the apostles. Surprise. The doors are locked, the guards have been standing at the doors, and no one was inside. They can't have a trial if there are no defendants! Imagine what that would have been like. All the commotion, whispers and talk going back and forth. The embarrassment. Then someone came rushing in with this announcement, ““Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people.” How did they get there? What nerve they have to not fear the Sanhedrin and continue to do what they were doing before they were arrested. This was a situation that was getting out of control. The Temple guard goes again to arrest the apostles, but there is no Duke arrest here. The tables had been turned. They asked the apostles to appear. The apostles, showing respect for governing authority that was established by God, go with them. Once in a while, I like to make a meal at our house. My wife knows that when I'm cooking, she stays out of the kitchen. "Just go watch the kids," I'll say to her, "sit on the couch and watch TV like I do when you make supper and let me do this. Your job is to watch the kids, my job is to make supper.” The Holy Spirit has given us a job to do. We are to “Go and tell the people the full message of this new life.” Be faithful to the Word. God will do the rest. But we don't want to just do our job and be happy with that, we want to meddle and help the Holy Spirit along. Christianity wouldn't be anywhere if it wasn't for us. This church wouldn't be here if it wasn't for all the effort we put in. We want to be somebody in the church, someone without whom, the church wouldn't be here. Thomas was a person who let his own selfishness trump over the Word of God. Unless I see, unless I touch, I will not believe it. The Sanhedrin put their own pride in their institution over the Word of God. Unless it comes from us, it doesn't carry any weight. We aren't anybody. God says the somebodies are those who Love the Lord with all their being, and when we save some of that love for our ego and pride, we are nobody to God. Jesus has made us a kingdom and priests to serve God, he has not made a kingdom that serves us. Jesus spoke the word of God to Thomas. The Apostles spoke the Word of God to the Sanhedrin. Our Lord speaks to us in His Word. Your selfishness killed the Lord of life, but God raised him up again for you. Your sin is dead to God now. You have a new life in Christ. God calls us to be faithful to the message of the resurrection, and He'll take care of the rest. God will work on the hearts and minds of our friends and family members. God calls you to be faithful to His Word, to be ready to use all of that Word. The Holy Spirit has got your back. The Holy Spirit had the back of the Apostle's as they entered the chamber of the Sanhedrin. As they looked around and saw all the mucky-mucks in Israel gathered to hear their case. The case began with an accusation of 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.” The High Priest accused them of not being submissive to authority. Of course they were submissive to authority, the authority of God. And they were submissive the authority of the Sanhedrin, as they were obedient to their summons. Peter responds to this by saying that God's authority trumps mans. Many like this phrase, obeying God rather than men, but they don't want to obey God either. The Holy Spirit was knocking on the door of the High Priest. His sin was held out before him, he was guilty of slaying Jesus. This was done before Peter even got there. But like many when confronted with their sin, he sought to push it off on the apostles. He thought, “I'm not really guilty, it's there fault for trying to make me a guilty one.” It is this built that Peter addresses. He proclaims the word of God, it's call to repentance to the High Priest and the Sanhedrin. 0 The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead—whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. 31 God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. 32 We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.” Peter goes right to the point. He assumes a common belief in the God of the Old Testament. He verifies the statement of the High Priest, yes they were guilty of killing Jesus. Not only that, but putting him on a tree, they cursed him, as it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree (Deut 21:23). But look, the person you cursed is now in a position of authority at the right hand of God. Watch out! If you want to turn from your sin, he is the source of your repentance. He gives you this time to turn from sin. He gives you forgiveness for putting him on a tree. Peter is a wonderful witness to the repentance and forgiveness he talks about. He was the one who denied his Lord three times. He was the one who experienced God's forgiveness as Jesus said to him, “Peace to you!” and as Jesus reinstates him by he shores of Galilee. He was speaking from personal experience, wasn't he? The Holy Spirit had the back of the Apostles. As He worked in them the ability to faithfully proclaim his word, he also worked behind the scenes so that the Word would accomplish what God desired. It was God's Will that Peter and the apostles were given an audience to all of Israel. It was God's message that Peter proclaimed. It was the power of God that made these apostle's strong in their convictions that they were willing to die for the Word of God. If you think Peter is a wonderful witness to God's message of repentance and forgiveness, how about you? We've experienced God's Call to repentance. He opens our hearts and honestly and without any care if we're offended or not, tells us what's inside. We know how terrible our sin is, and how we cursed Jesus on the cross. We sent him to hell with our sin. But God raised him from the dead. Jesus is the source of our forgiveness. Your forgiveness is real because Jesus did not stay dead. Not one of your sins kept him in the grave. He rose from the dead, and cannot die again. Through the Word and water, he resurrected us from the our spiritual death,. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed that Jesus is our Lord and our God! Amen.
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