April 7, 2013 The truth is the world does not know what to do with loved the world that he gave his one and only unique son Dr. Jeff Roberts Follow on Twitter @Jeff__Roberts followers of Jesus, who live by convictions, show courage Jesus Christ that who ever would believe in him would not and live with consistency. That is evident even in this perish but have everlasting life.” story. The Sanhedrin arrest Peter and John and warn them sternly. That does not work. Then they arrest them The verse that follows this one is so important. For God We Must Obey God and put them in prison. A little prison time will get their did not send Jesus into the world to condemn the world, attention. Not even the prison can silence them. They but to save it. In those two verses we hear the love arrest them again and threaten them with death, but that is and compassion of God. God loves the world already important than his life (see Luke 9:24 in the not a deterrent. They beat them physically and again warn condemned by sin, that includes us, and God sent Jesus Bible). “He is no fool who gives what he cannot Acts 5: 29-42 n 2005, the movie End of the them, but again they continue their ministry. to be like us and to live with us not to condemn us, but to I keep to gain that which he cannot loose.” save us from our sin. Spear told the story of Jim Elliot and his fellow missionaries in their attempt to evangelize the Consistency of our lives makes the difference in the We call this living by conviction. If you look up Ecuador Indian population. Elliot arrived in Kingdom of God. Here is why? The gospel wins out. As we live our lives with conviction, courage, and the word conviction you will find this definition: Gamaliel, the wise Pharisee, says if this is of God we consistency let us add compassion. Let us not spend our Ecuador on February 21, 1952, with the purpose of evangelizing Ecuador’s Quechua Indians. don’t want to be against God. If it is not of God then it lives thinking how we can be in conflict with others, but The act of finding a person guilty from compelling They first stayed in Quito, and then moved to the will go away as has these other movements and stories of rather how we can follow the example of Jesus who came evidence, thus bringing a conviction. The second jungle. They took up residence at the Shandia a messiah. Gamaliel unknowingly was making the case and lived among us. Jesus came along side us and showed definition is a deeply held belief or opinion. What mission station. On October 8, 1953, he for Jesus. The gospel wins out. us the love of the father. In every way we can let us come both definitions have in common is this sense of married fellow Wheaton alumna and missionary along side others and among them live with conviction, compelling evidence. It is that one has become Elisabeth Howard. The wedding was a simple I am not discouraged my friends when I read of Christians courage, consistency and compassion. convinced either of another’s guilt or innocence civil ceremony held in Quito. Ed and Marilou being persecuted for their faith. I am not discouraged when or of another belief someone might hold. I hear of the trends in America regarding Christianity and I love a tweet from Rick Warren this week that said: McCully were the witnesses. The couple then took a brief honeymoon to Panama and Costa belief. I am not discouraged when another who thinks Here in Acts we find words of conviction from the Rica, and then returned to Ecuador. Their only my faith in Jesus is archaic or uninformed dismisses me. Let God change YOU first, and then let him change YOUR Apostles. Their words or conviction are these: child, Valerie, was born February 27, 1955. Speaking of the resurrection Dostoyevsky in Crime and world. After that, you can focus on everyone else. We must obey God and not Man! We must obey While working with Quechua Indians, Elliot Punishment wrote, “ It was Life [had] replaced logic.” God and not man is where the Apostles stand as began preparing to reach the Waodani. This is where conviction begins. It begins not with they are living out the presence of Christ in their The gospel wins out. It has not lost its power. What we changing others, but it begins with God changing us. On lives. need is conviction, courage and consistency. this Sunday after Easter, lets determine that we are going Elliot and four other missionaries – Ed McCully, Roger Youderian, Pete Fleming, and their pilot, to let God change us. We are going to live the conviction We must obey God. There is an imperative in Nate Saint – made contact from their aero plane Let me add one more thought today. We need compassion. of the resurrection, the courage of sharing our faith, the this declaration. They have become convinced with the Waodani using a loudspeaker and a This is not really found in the story from Acts, but I consistency of living our actions and a compassion for by compelling evidence that not only is Jesus basket to pass down gifts. After several months, think it needs to be said. We need compassion for those those for who Jesus died. alive, He has sent them into the world with the the men decided to build a base a short distance around us. When we speak of conviction, courage and good news of the gospel. They are convinced from the Indian village, along the Curaray consistency and making statements like we must obey We must obey God. Jesus is counting on them to share the news of River. There they were approached one time by God and not man, we can quickly find ourselves in the His life, ministry, death and resurrection. They a small group of Waodani and even gave an aero position of conflict and see others as combatants. That are convinced that they have been entrusted with plane ride to one curious Waodani whom they is not the gospel. When we live with convictions we the ongoing story of Jesus and God’s salvation called “George” (his real name was Naenkiwi). many times think our lives have to be spent in the face through Jesus. The story has not ended on the TRINITY PULPIT Encouraged by these friendly encounters, of another in conflict. Yet here is where the gospel is so cross. The story has not ended with the empty they began plans to visit the Waodani, without different from any other conviction. The gospel does not tomb or in the upper room or even after the knowing that Naenkiwi had lied to the others put us in someone’s face in conflict, but rather places us ascension. The story continues and they are about the missionaries’ intentions. Their plans beside them with compassion. convinced and convicted that they must obey were preempted by the arrival of a larger group God and not man. John 3:16 proclaims the gospel message, “For God so of about 10 Waodani warriors, who killed Elliot and his four companions on January 8, 1956. What caused them to make such a statement? It Elliot’s body was found downstream, along was their imprisonment and harassment by the with those of the other men, except that of Ed Jewish authorities of their day the Sanhedrin. McCully, which was found further downstream. Trinity Baptist Church The Sanhedrin was found in every city of Israel. His journal entry for October 28, 1949, expresses 4815 Six Forks Rd * Raleigh, NC 27609 * (919) 787-3740 It was a lesser Sanhedrin made up of 23 judges. his belief that work dedicated to Jesus was more However, there was a great Sanhedrin and this group had 71 members and had the ability of power over about messiahs. They have come and gone. If this is of to get Jesus crucified and say God has raised Jesus from crucified has been raised to life by the power of our Father all Israel. We might call them the Supreme Court. The God we do not want to be against God, but if it is not of the dead. We must obey God and not man. and now has been exalted to be the savior of us all. At the High Priest served as the leader. They had the ability to God it will also go away. Let it be and let us see. So, the name of Jesus all will be saved. This is a conviction we arrest and try people. They had the power to punish. Sanhedrin had the Apostles flogged and beaten and again “I know the resurrection is a fact, and Watergate proved must not loose. told them to stop preaching and teaching in the name of it to me. How? Because 12 men testified they had seen The Apostles find themselves in conflict with the Jesus. Flogging is to systematically whip the body of Jesus raised from the dead, then they proclaimed that truth We must also have courage. The Apostles show incredible Sanhedrin. Just like Jesus was arrested and tried, the another with whips and instruments as to tear the flesh. for 40 years, never once denying it. Everyone was beaten, courage in the face of adversity. Peter and John have Apostles were also arrested and tired. Since the coming This was not a simple beating this was a very painful and tortured, stoned and put in prison. They would not have already been arrested and yet they keep preaching and of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost the Apostles and other terrible punishment and deterrent. endured that if it weren’t true. Watergate embroiled 12 teaching. Now the Apostles are all arrested twice in this believers have been preaching and teaching in the Temple of the most powerful men in the world-and they couldn’t short passage. They spend time in prison and are flogged Courts. In particular, they were gathering at Solomon’s Yet, we are told in the next verse the Apostles left rejoicing keep a lie for three weeks. You’re telling me 12 apostles and warned, yet they go away rejoicing that they could Colonnade and teaching the people daily about Jesus. because they had been counted worthy of suffering for the could keep a lie for 40 years? Absolutely impossible.” suffer and now they continue their preaching and teaching People were drawn to the Apostles for they were not only name of Jesus. Day after day they went to the Temple –Charles Colson ministry. The early church was filled with men and women teaching; they were also healing in Jesus’ name. The Courts and from house to house and never stopped teaching of courage. Sanhedrin had heard enough about this crucified Messiah and proclaiming the good news that is Jesus Christ. If Jesus rose from the dead, then you have to accept all that he said; if he It is not always easy to be a follower and chose to arrest the Apostles. Now for Peter and John “Following Jesus isn’t didn’t rise from the dead, then why of Jesus in our culture. We might not this would be their second arrest. They were arrested in My friends we call that conviction. The Apostles were something you can do worry about any of what he said? be beaten for our faith, but we can feel Chapter 4 of Acts as well, and after being questioned they compelled by the evidence of a risen Lord to obey God at night where no one The issue on which everything hangs beaten down. We might not be arrested, were told in strict terms to stop preaching about Jesus. and not man. We live in a time and really every culture notices. It’s a twenty-four- is not whether or not you like his but we might be ignored. We might not But of course the Apostles went from their hearing to the and time has been the time for the followers of Jesus to hour-a-day commitment teaching but whether or not he rose be told not to speak, but we might be temple to preach again. They would say in Chapter 4 you live with this type of conviction. that will interfere with from the dead.” –Timothy Keller told that silence is the best way. As it be the judge whether it is right to obey God, but we cannot your life. That’s not has been said it is not believing in Jesus help speak about what we have seen and heard. We need to share the Apostles conviction. There are the small print—that’s a We must become convinced with a that causes trouble. You can believe some convictions we must hold and never let go. There guarantee.” –Kyle Idleman Now here in Chapter 5 again there is an arrest. This is always place for learning, formation by the living Spirit deep conviction that Jesus lives. It what you want, just don’t share it. It is time they are put in prison and were to be held until they of God, but there are some convictions we must hold as will change our lives. the sharing of our faith that causes the Sanhedrin could meet and give them a hearing. However, followers of Jesus. uneasiness in the office, the school or in over night an angel of the Lord had opened the gates to the We must be convicted that Jesus is the way of salvation. our gathering of friends. prison and instructed them to go and share the message We need the conviction of the resurrection of Jesus. We When Peter an John are first arrested, they proclaim in of life in Jesus. So, the next day when it was time for have just finished the great celebration of Easter. We chapter 4 verse “salvation is found in no one else but Jesus “Following Jesus isn’t something you can do at night where their hearing the Apostles were not in their cell where gathered last week by the largest number we gather every for there is no other name given to men by which we must no one notices. It’s a twenty-four-hour-a-day commitment they had been held. They had already returned to the year and all around us thousands gathered in churches to be saved.” This is the word of God to us. This is not that will interfere with your life. That’s not the small temple preaching and teaching about Jesus. This angered proclaim that Jesus is alive. Yet, here we are only a week a Christian arrogance among other religious assertions; print—that’s a guarantee.” –Kyle Idleman the Sanhedrin, so they went and arrested the Apostles out and we always wonder where are those who make instead this is the love of God for all people through Christ. again. This time bringing them before the Sanhedrin for such a declaration a week ago. It is interesting that one Jesus came to save all. Jesus died for all and once for all. We need conviction and we need courage to proclaim the a hearing. of the common qualities of the early church was gathering Jesus is described as God’s unique son or only begotten gospel. together. The resurrection of the Lord not only sent them son. I understand how exclusive this sounds in our culture Did we not tell you to stop preaching and teaching in the into the streets, but also gathered them in homes and in the of everyone find their own way and every way leads to the We need consistency. I love the response of the Apostles name of Jesus, yet you have filled all of Jerusalem with temple for worship. same place, but that is not what the Bible teaches us. The to their severe beating and to the strict orders. They your teaching and you are determined to make us guilty Bible teaches us that the work of Jesus is unique and it is went away rejoicing that they had been worthy to suffer of his blood? However, instead of shrinking away Peter I have to wonder to myself if we really live life with necessary for salvation. This is true for those who have and they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the and the Apostles said, “We must obey God and not man!” the conviction that Jesus is alive. If you notice for the always heard and for those who have never heard. It is true good news that Jesus is the Christ. They never stopped. Instead of staying silent the Apostles repeat the good disciples this was what changed it all. The same ones that for the most innocent looking child to the most hardened Consistency. I think our culture desperately needs to see in news of God’s salvation through Jesus. The God of our would not journey to the cross and at first were hiding out, hearted person we know. Jesus is the way of salvation and our lives consistency. There are times when we hold tight Fathers has raised Jesus from the dead. You killed Him even when they knew the tomb was empty, are now in we must not loose this conviction. to our convictions and there might be times when we have by crucifixion, but God exalted Him that He might give us the streets and temple courts proclaiming the resurrection. courage, but what we sometimes lack is consistency. repentance and the forgiveness of sin. They had met the living Jesus and that had changed David Platt in his book Radical states: everything in their lives. These apostles would all die as a Consistency is important because first he reveals what is When the Sanhedrin heard this they wanted to put result of their love for the resurrected God. “Every saved person this side of heaven owes the gospel to real and not real in our lives. That which we consistently the Apostles to death, but a Pharisee named Gamaliel every lost person this side of hell.” do in our lives is normally that which is such a part of us intervened with reason. He simply said let it run its course. It was the resurrection that caused them to stand before that it reveals our hearts. Consistency is also important Others have come before making the bold statements the authority of their day the same one that had the power This is the good news for all people. Jesus who was because it convinces others.