Abounding Grace

Guest (Male): Religion hates the gospel. That's next on Abounding Grace.

Guest (Male): We're glad you've joined us for Abounding Grace and our continuing study of Acts titled Be the Church. On today's program, we reach chapter four. Remember, Peter has just given a God-inspired evangelistic sermon to a group of people who have observed a miraculous healing of a lame man. 5,000 people ended up giving their heart to God. One might expect that joy would abound and everyone would be excited by this news, but that wasn't the case. There was a group of religious leaders who were greatly disturbed by this. As Pastor Ed Taylor explains in his message, religion hates the gospel.

Pastor Ed Taylor: Take your Bibles, open them to Acts chapter four as we start a new chapter today. Acts chapter four. We're going to look at the first 12 verses in a Bible study that I've entitled religion hates the gospel. Religion hates the gospel. And what I mean by religion is that man-made system, systems of rules and layers of complexity that hold people back from Jesus. And we'll see it played out for us in the text today of a group of people that have taken the simplicity of the gospel and actually have become enemies of the gospel. And religious systems and religious people truly are enemies of the simplicity of the gospel.

And it's important that we stay simple and allow the Holy Spirit to use us, especially in difficult times, because every thing is not good for the believer. Everything is not great. Everything is not perfect. I know that many of you already know that by your life's experience, but it's good to be reminded even for those of you experiencing very hard things today, very difficult things. And you stand there and you sit there and you think, you know, I've served the Lord and I've given him my life and I've dedicated myself and I've turned away from my past and you begin to process where you are in life and then you say, but I'm still suffering.

And you may, very wrongly, but you may begin to blame God. You begin to say, well, look what I deserve. Look at who I am. But everybody suffers, believers and unbelievers alike. Truly, believers have another layer of suffering. You could say it this way, believers suffer more because with even the normal, regular things, there is an add addition to those sufferings in the spiritual realm. Now that you followed Jesus, we call that spiritual warfare. Things get much harder. Even the simplest things can become very difficult because there's a battle going on for your mind, a battle going on for your your loyalty, a battle going on for your commitment in following Jesus.

You know, we do live in an incredible time in history. We live in a tremendous country with great freedoms, experiencing wonderful prosperity. We get to see the gospel go forth with power and effectiveness, but not everyone experiences the same thing. Not every country is experiencing the blessings of God. Not every country is experiencing prosperity. Not everyone. And just like we've seen so far in the book of Acts, it seems to be a truly open door for the gospel. Everything seems to be going exactly as you would expect and then chapter four, then spiritual warfare, then resistance.

As you see in verse one, now as they spoke to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came upon them being greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they laid hands on them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. However, many of those who heard the word believed and the number of the men came to be about 5,000. More and more people are getting saved. You remember the man that was sitting at the gate in the temple, he gets healed, a lot of attention is drawn to him.

Peter preaches the gospel. More people are coming and it's an amazing time for the gospel, except not everyone's happy. So you see in verse one, you you've got the priests, the captain of the temple, the Sadducees came upon them. And there's a progression here. Not only in verse one do they come upon them, but secondly in verse two, they're greatly disturbed. Then in verse three, they are they laid hands on them and then they put them in custody in verse three. They arrested them for the gospel. They took them away. The the religious leaders of the day were very unhappy with the preaching of the gospel.

The crowds are growing to the thousands. God is giving favor with his word and as Peter is preaching in the temple, there are those that are loving the message and there are also those that are hating it. And we do step back and are a little shocked and surprised at the animosity or where the animosity is coming from. It's from these religious people. If you don't if you don't know the depth of who they are, you would expect them to cooperate with everything that they're currently preaching, everything that they're doing. They're taking they're taking care of the temple.

They're giving spiritual direction to the people. They're making decisions for the religious health of Jerusalem, of Israel, and they're upset. Well, you could say that they're motivated by the devil himself. You you could see this on the spiritual realm where God is making progress and the devil wants to resist it at every turn. And so here the enemy, he's not pleased with what's happening. Why? Well, because there's a spiritual warfare going on for the souls of men. Just like the people you're praying for right now, the people you're sharing with, the progress you might be making, there is always resistance.

There's an open door and then there 's great resistance. You should expect it. It's it's funny, isn't it? When we do walk through a great open door, when we do step out in obedience, and then when we do face resistance, we are kind of shocked by it. Even though we've been told over and over again, there's a battle, there's warfare. It it seems like every single time we're still shocked and we're still surprised. We get to a place where we just think, you know, I've been doing this long enough. I should be able to skip out on the warfare.

The exact opposite is really true. The more progress you make, the more resistance you experience. The more open doors you walk through, the more battles you find yourself in. It would really do you well and me well to be hanging out with older saints. Now I don't necessarily mean only in age. However, in order to walk with older saints, you know, those that have been through a few battles, those that have survived a few difficult things, those that have been able maybe even been been beaten and battered, but got back up and stood by the grace of God.

We need men and women like that in our lives so that we don't become bitter in the difficulties in our current life. We need to hear hear stories of victory. We we need to hear testimonies of those that have been through things so that when we hear it and it sounds like something we're going through, we can have hope and encouragement that God was faithful then and God will be faithful now. So we need those men and women in our lives. We need to seek them out, develop new friendships so that we can hear the stories of God's victory.

Why? Because we overcome by the blood of the Lamb and what? The word of our testimony. And God is working a testimony out in your life right now. And someone once said, there are no testimonies without tests. It just doesn't come any other way. That's where they're at. Now Peter and John, they had all this accolade. Oh, you're great, you're great, but now they're thrown in jail, trial after trial. The devil just doesn't like progress. He doesn't like families changed. He doesn't like someone taking a stand for what's right, repenting of their sins, and forever changing.

He doesn't like that. And you'll see these same things in your life. Now notice again in verse one, we have the captain of the temple. We have the Sadducees. We have some of the priests, it says, came upon them. And I want to draw this out for you really briefly because the people you would expect to give spiritual direction unfortunately don't. And there were two primary groups to be concerned with. There were quite a few, the priests, the scribes. When they're met when they're mentioned together, they're kind of mentioned in the same group of being antichrist, of being, you know, very religious and not very spiritual at all.

But I want to explain two groups to you for some of you by way of review, but it's important to be reminded. The first group is known as the Pharisees. And you'll remember them. They were very active against the ministry of Jesus. They were the primary group that was coming against Jesus Christ. It's super surprising because the Pharisees started out very conservative and very loyal to the Scriptures. You could even say that our approach today to the word of God and our commitment to the word, our commitment to take it literally, to not add to it, take away from it, would be very similar to how the Pharisees started.

They were very committed to the Old Testament to retain the orthodoxy and preserving it. And yet they were the enemies of Jesus, unhappy about his teachings, not pleased with his followers. They despised the purity and the authority of Jesus. They're not mentioned much in the book of Acts because I think many of the Pharisees got saved and there was tension and difficulty and you'll see that as we study through the book of Acts. Now the group that came against the church was not the Pharisees, but here we see them, the Sadducees. The Sadducees. These were those that were responsible for the major persecutions against the church.

They were the rich, wealthy ruling class, dominant, highly influential religiously, and also a very strong political force in Israel. It was with the Sadducees and really this group of religious rulers that politics and religion were intertwined together. And so you never really knew if if it was a spiritual decision or a political decision or a combination of the two. They just left their simplicity. They they never received the Messiah to begin with. All of the high priests were of the Sadducees, wealthy landowners, loyal not to God, but to Rome, and wanted no disruption in their calm and comfortable lives.

But the main thing that really marked the Sadducees uh theologically was they didn't believe in the supernatural. So they didn't believe in miracles and angels. They didn't believe in the resurrection and that's what gets Peter and John in trouble here. What are they preaching? The resurrection of Jesus Christ. So it inflames this group and then when one group gets inflamed, they all get inflamed. Notice now in verse five, it came to pass on the next day that their rulers, elders, and scribes So again, you could just talk about the religious elite as well as Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, as many of were of the family of the high priests were gathered together in Jerusalem.

When they set them in the midst, they asked them by what power and what name have you done this? Let's pause here. Mentioning Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, and John, I think it was Chuck Swindoll that said, these were the power brokers of the unseen. The Sadducees were more visible. The those that ran the temple were more visible, but these political appointees they they had a spiritual office, but they had no spiritual life. They were like the ones that kind of pulled the strings behind the scenes. Uh I think Chuck Swindoll, he said that they were the mafia of the first century.

So here they are standing above with the outward religious leaders, the hidden religious leaders, you know, the those that were pulling the strings and they're asking them, you know, what power, what name? Who said you could do this? Or you could even translate it, who do you think you are? And coming against them, who do you think you are? Now remember back in verse two, they're greatly disturbed. Let's just ask the question, why? Why are they greatly disturbed? At least three reasons. There's at least three things they are upset about. Number one, they are disturbed or you could say offended theologically.

They're offended theologically. The truth of God's word has come against their religious teachings. And if you've ever shared with someone who's morally upright, very religious, and you begin to compare their beliefs with the Bible, you'll experience the same thing. They'll be upset with you. They they they'll say things like I was born this way. I was taught this way. This is what I grew up in. I was born this way. This way I'm going to die because they don't want to move theologically. They don't want to move on what allowing the Bible to dictate their life, but rather they'll allow a system or a person to dictate their life.

So they were upset theologically. Secondly, they were upset practically. There's a practical part to this. Seeing so many thousands get saved threatened their oppressive control. So practically they've got to do something about it. Their life is being disrupted. Their religion that they invented and they created to control the people is being undermined by the truth because that's always the way it 'll be. Truth will always decimate a man-made religious system, always. And it's sad. Now that they're seeing their influence erode, they rise up. And then thirdly, they're offended personally. They take they're taking this personally.

They're taking it personally because they're still probably reeling from the encounter they had with Jesus when he was rebuking them back in Matthew 22. And now they thought they took care of Jesus and his followers are doing the same thing. And they're enraged. And you know, as you look at these three things though, I think it important to realize that when you come to faith in Jesus Christ, when you're born again, when you repent and commit to follow Jesus, he takes care of all these things in your life, every single one of them. He he begins to minister to you on these levels so you won't be offended there anymore.

A personal relationship with Jesus living out the simple gospel, all these things are taken care of. For example, in Christ he gives you a true, bonafide theological foundation to live your life. You may not consider yourself very theological. You you may look at yourself and you go, I don't know much of the Bible, Ed, and I don't know much about God, but what you do know, God is laying a foundation for you. Every time you read the Bible, greater foundation. Every time you pray, greater foundation. And God helps you with that. Secondly, God will begin to clear up the practical things in your life, working from the inside out.

All of the activity, the drunkenness, the partying, the womanizing, all of those things are beginning are being taken care of from the inside out. What you think in your mind, how you deal with others, practically God begins to work in your life. And then thirdly, personally, he begins to restore relationships, brings reconciliation, brings a comfort, enables you to forgive others. Instead of being greatly disturbed, the born-again believer is greatly blessed. And you don't have to be upset with everyone all the time. You can live in the freedom that the Lord has given you. So they bring him there and you can consider this, the Supreme Court of Israel, the Supreme Court of Israel.

That's the the best combination or description I can think of is if you were brought you're out down at Southlands sharing the gospel. They people saw it. They got upset with you and they took you all the way to Washington, D.C. and stood you before the Supreme Court and your life your life is in their hands. That's where they're at. Then what are they answering for? They're answering for something very simple. They're preaching and teaching the gospel. That's what they're in trouble for. That's what got them in trouble. Now wouldn't that be a great testimony for you of all the things that have gotten us in trouble in life?

Would it be nice just to be in trouble for preaching the gospel? Let's just be in trouble for preaching the word of God, loving people into the kingdom. That's where Peter and John here. And their life is literally in their hands, which by the way is a good time to pause and remind you through the book of Acts, the primary ministry of the church, the primary ministry of the church. It's two things, preaching and teaching. That's it. That's what God has placed the church on the earth for today. Among the many other things we get to be a part of, all of the humanitarian help, all of the help with racial tensions, all of the difficulties with false teachings and all of the things that some would go into politics to help, all of those things must come from the essence and the primary function of the church, preaching and teaching.

Preaching and there's a difference between the two. Preaching is for unbelievers. Preaching is for unbelievers. That's why if you happen to be in a church that is primarily a preaching church, but you're a believer, you aren't built up very much. Like you keep hearing the same gospel message over and over. You need to get saved. You need you start to feel condemned like maybe I'm not saved. I'll get saved this week. Maybe I'm not saved. I'll get saved this week. And then if it 's not you and your salvation, then there'll be some message of why aren't you bringing any people to church so they can hear the message?

And it's just a very condemning thing when you have a ministry of preaching to believers. Why? Preaching is for unbelievers. Preaching is to share the hope and the love of Jesus Christ with a lost and dying world. But once a person is born again, what you and I need is teaching. That's the only way you'll grow. It's the only way you'll be edified. The only way you'll grow up in Christ is to be taught the word of God. You you and I must receive teaching so that we might grow in the grace of Jesus Christ.

We might become fully mature. Now sometimes teaching comes through the gift of pastor teacher like you're receiving it right now, but that's not the exclusive way of teaching. There are other godly men and women in the body of Christ that teach in various ways, various groups. But do you know, you don't even need a teacher because when you open up your Bible, you have you, the word of God, and the Holy Spirit is your teacher. The Holy Spirit will confirm to you as you yield yourself to him what the word of God says. So that when you do your devotions and you may not, you know, get up in the morning 7:00, okay, God, sit down.

You have an empty chair there. Be my teacher. Here I have my Bible. Go ahead. I know you just get up in the morning. You're really quick, but you want to do your devos. You open up your Bible. Let me tell you something. Let me show you. Turn over to second Timothy chapter three, would you? Second Timothy chapter three. Because when you open up the word, every single time you open up the Bible, this happens. Part of it happens, all of it happens, but every single time you open the word, this happens. Second Timothy chapter three verse 16, which makes sense why the mission of the church is to preach and teach.

It makes sense when you see the work of the Holy Spirit with his word. Verse 16, all Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness. Let's pause there. Four things. Four things you can expect when you open the word. Number one, doctrine. Or we would say right teaching. But another way of thinking of this is whenever you open up the Bible, the Bible will tell you what's right. That's why a lot of people don't open the Bible because they don't want to know what's right.

But the Bible is will teach you what's right. Secondly, it will also be for reproof. Now reproof means to be corrected or to be strongly told what's wrong. And that's another reason why people don't read the Bible because they don't want to be told they're wrong. But the Bible will teach you and me where we're wrong. So number one, it'll teach us what's right. Number two, it will teach us what's wrong. And then notice thirdly, it will be for correction. Now that's the grace and mercy of our Father who will not only tell us what's right and wrong, but if there isn't anything wrong, he'll tell us how to make it right.

That's what correction is. Correction is learning how to make wrong things right. Of course, the difficulty is it's usually very personal. It's in our lives and nobody wants to be told they're wrong. Nobody wants to be told, but man, we need it and then we need to be told how to make it right. And then finally, notice for instruction in righteousness. And that is how to stay right. Instruction in righteousness is how to continue to live rightly. So anytime you open the Bible, even now, anyone listening to this is receiving one, two, three, or all of these through this text.

Guest (Male): This is Abounding Grace and you're listening to a message from Pastor and Bible teacher Ed Taylor. You can catch a replay when you visit aboundinggraceradio.com or wherever you catch your podcasts and at oneplace.com. Here in the month of October, we picked out an excellent book written by Jim Simbala titled Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire. If your desire is to live at the center of God's will and purposes, this excellent book will point the way to spiritual vitality not only in the church, but in your own life. Now I know you'll be encouraged as you read of how God moves in life-changing ways.

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Guest (Male): This is Abounding Grace. This is unfailing love. That you would take my place. Then you would bear my cross. You laid down your life that I would be set free. Oh Jesus, I sing for all that you've done for me.

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