Acts 5:17-42 | The God Who Can't Be Stopped

And I want to pick up again on that Exodus theme because we’re going to see some common themes from Exodus in Acts and specifically in this passage because we are going to see God’s people oppressed, punished. We will see the angel of the Lord bringing about deliverance, and we will see God getting more and more glory as the nation’s leaders oppose God Himself.

Let’s stand together in honor of God’s Word as we read Acts 5:17-42

17 But the high priest rose up, and all who were with him (that is, the party of the Sadducees), and filled with jealousy 18 they arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison. 19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, 20 “Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life.” 21 And when they heard this, they entered the temple at daybreak and began to teach. Now when the high priest came, and those who were with him, they called together the council, all the senate of the people of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought. 22 But when the officers came, they did not find them in the prison, so they returned and reported, 23 “We found the prison securely locked and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them we found no one inside.” 24 Now when the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them, wondering what this would come to. 25 And someone came and told them, “Look! The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people.” 26 Then the captain with the officers went and brought them, but not by force, for they were afraid of being stoned by the people. 27 And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, 28 saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” 29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. 30 The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. 31 God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.” 33 When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them. 34 But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in honor by all the people, stood up and gave orders to put the men outside for a little while. 35 And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do with these men. 36 For before these days Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. 37 After him Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and drew away some of the people after him. He too perished, and all who followed him were scattered. 38 So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; 39 but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!” So they took his advice, 40 and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41 Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. 42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.

The passage begins with the high priest standing up along with his cronies because they were jealous. Why were they jealous? It’s because people were going after the Gospel. They were drawn by God and attracted to the message of Jesus Christ and they hated it! In John 12 at the triumphal entry, the Pharisees were so jealous

19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.”

It was because they were losing control that they wanted to kill Jesus. Contrast this with John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus,

26 And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him.”

What was John’s response?

30 He must increase, but I must decrease.”

Man, there is nothing that exposes a counterfeit like the real thing is there? These men were opposed to God’s work because they weren’t of God. And opposition to God’s work is motivated by sinful desires and it comes from all sorts of places because Satan and our flesh naturally opposes God’s work.

But notice how things escalate. Sin always leads to more sin. And the opposition to God’s Gospel doesn’t end with jealous feelings, but continues with imprisonment. Also, it’s not just Peter and John that are placed in prison like back in chapter 4, but all the apostles are imprisoned. This is the most danger the early church is in because the apostolic ministry is completely under guard. But God will not be stopped. His Gospel will not be contained. But along with growth and holiness in the church comes Satanic opposition.

Look at what happens, in verse 18,

19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said,

Another Exodus parallel here, an angel of the Lord brings them out. The word here is exagagōn which is the word used to describe God leading Israel out of Egypt. This is twelve men, being led out of captivity and into freedom to declare the Good News of God’s Kingdom. What does the angel tell them to do with this freedom? Run? Hide? Get out of Jerusalem? No!

20 “Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life.”

Get back out there and preach. Patrick Schreiner writes in his commentary, “Safety is not the inheritance of Jesus’ disciples, only witness.” You see, the disciples were saved for mission, they were delivered for mission. And so are we. We are saved for one primary purpose: the glory of God. Not for comfort, or ease, or for personal gain. We are saved for the glory of God.

If you’re taking notes the first point I want to make is

God's People Cannot Be Contained

So these twelve men go back to preaching and they are preaching and teaching while the religious leaders gather and plan to interrogate these men. But they’re already out and preaching. God doesn’t just save His people, but He makes His enemies look like fools while doing it.

You can imagine that the High Priest and the Sadducees are all gathered, they have their accusers and false witnesses organized. “Go and get them from the public prison.”

Picture being that officer. You checked the locks yourself. The guards never left their post. And now you have to walk back and tell the high priest the prisoners just aren't there. Are you kidding me? How do you lose twelve guys?! It’s so amazing that when everyone heard this they were “greatly perplexed” which is the Greek word diēporoun which literally means baffled. Flabbergasted. What’s crazy to me, is that these men were so shocked that they didn’t even realize that right outside the Twelve men they were looking for were right there preaching.

25 And someone came and told them, “Look! The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people.”

Apparently, if they had just looked out of a window or something, they would have seen their escaped prisoners and the captain who was baffled goes down with officers to go and get the men. Notice that they were afraid of being stoned by the people if they were to take the men by force. Look at verse 27

27 And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, 28 saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.”

“This name”. Isn’t that disgusting? Schnabel points out that this is almost a confession because Jesus isn’t just some man to be dismissed. He’s the exalted Lord that the high priest and Sanhedrin can’t bring themselves to say His name out loud. And they said that the apostles wanted to bring “this man’s blood upon us”!

But wait, they cried out for Jesus’ blood!

25 And all the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!”

They incited the people. They performed the sham of a trial. They brought Christ before Pilate. They cried out crucify Him. If Jesus was really a blasphemer then why are they so defensive of His crucifixion? Guilty men don’t flinch at lies, they flinch at the truth and especially a truth they can’t escape or deny.

Why do you keep preaching and teaching in this name? Why? Peter answers it simply:

29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.

This is about Gospel witness, not civil disobedience. This is saying is about Jesus Christ and His identity. How many times have you been tempted to obey man rather than God? Paul wrote in

10 For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

The Christian posture is not about the safety of Christians or the Jewish council’s authority or breaking a rule. It’s about Jesus’ identity. He is the resurrected Lord. Truly, He is! So when He speaks, His authority is the only authority that matters and everything else is secondary to what He says.

Point 2:

God's People Must Obey God Rather Than Men

When Jesus said

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

This means we obey what Jesus said. Everything else in our life is second to this priority. But what if you don’t believe that Jesus is who He said He is? That’s a doctrinal issue. Doctrine matters. If you believe doctrine doesn’t matter, then you believe Christ doesn’t matter and neither does God. The apostles knew and believed that doctrine matters. Who Jesus is and what He said drove their behavior and they weren’t going to back down from the doctrine that got them arrested in the first place. So Peter just doubles down here in front of the entire council.

30 The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. 31 God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

Verse 28 they say, “You’re trying to bring this man’s blood on us.” And Peter just says, “You kill him by hanging him on a tree.” They tried dodging it and Peter puts it right back on them, showing their guilt. But Peter continues by stating that Jesus is both archēgos and sōtēr.

Archēgos means Leader, Pioneer, the one who breaks the trail nobody else could walk. Sōtēr is Savior, the one who rescues. And Luke pairs them with a purpose and says as Leader, He gives repentance and as Savior, He gives forgiveness.

You cannot split those two in half. You cannot have Jesus as your Savior while refusing Him as your Leader, and you cannot follow Him as Leader while denying you need Him as Savior. Charles Spurgeon preached an entire sermon on this very verse, and his challenge is just as sharp today as it was then. To accept Christ as Prince but reject Him as Savior isn't mere disagreement. It's treason of the deepest kind. The reverse is just as true. To want His forgiveness while refusing His rule over your life isn't faith. It's just wanting half a Christ, and there is no such thing.

But they go back to the calling found in Acts 1:8

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

They are witnesses and so is God’s Holy Spirit and the gift of the Spirit is given to those who obey. Now… listen, this doesn’t mean that we earn the Holy Spirit. Obedience comes from the Holy Spirit’s work in our life. Right? It’s not the price of admission because none of us obeyed our way into the Kingdom. But just to clarify obedience to the Gospel is required and what does that mean? Simple: repent of your sins and believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That’s what it means.

Can you imagine how the men in this room felt? Luke tells us that they wanted to kill the apostles. They moved from jealousy, to imprisonment, to baffled, to enraged and the disciples are innocent in all this. But then an unlikely voice speaks up and his name is Gamaliel. Gamaliel was Paul’s teacher in the Law and was well respected and asks for the Twelve to be removed because if he leaves them in there, there is no way he will have everyone’s attention. He’s about to share some truth.

Let’s look at his entire address to the group

35 And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do with these men. 36 For before these days Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. 37 After him Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and drew away some of the people after him. He too perished, and all who followed him were scattered. 38 So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; 39 but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!” So they took his advice,

Gamaliel reminds the Sanhedrin of two failed leaders, Theudas and Judas of Galilee, men who gathered followers, died, and their movements fell apart. Then he lays out his thoughts: "if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail, but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them."

If we look closely at the Greek here, the word for "fail" in verse 38 and the word for "overthrow" in verse 39 come from the very same root, kataluō. Gamaliel is saying either this movement collapses under its own weight or it cannot be stopped at all. Last point:

God's Plan Cannot Be Overthrown

He adds "you might even be found opposing God." Theomachoi. A God-fighter. And here's what should stop you cold: that's not a new accusation. It's the oldest one in the book. Pharaoh wore that title first.

Now, is Gamaliel totally right? No, only half right. False religions can go on for a long time. Centuries even. Islam has been around for a thousand years, but just because it’s been around for a long time doesn’t mean its from God. Scripture determines the standard of truth, not an idea sticking around.

But what is true is if it is of God, no one can stop it. That part isn't a principle we get to test on a calendar. It's simply a fact, and the rest of Acts is going to prove it chapter after chapter.

Now, here's where I want to ask you something, because I think most of us have done this without ever admitting it. How many of us have made decisions using Gamaliel's exact logic?

If it works out, it must have been God's will. If the job offer came through, God opened the door. If the relationship survived, God was in it. This sounds like faith, but its just the opposite of faith.

Gamaliel never responded to Jesus from what we know. He watched, he waited, and as far as history tells us, he died still waiting. That isn't wisdom. It’s not faith. That's just refusing to choose while calling it patience. The Gospel of Christ doesn't ask you to wait and see if it succeeds before you commit to it. The Gospel tells you to commit to Jesus now, on the authority of who Christ is, not on the outcome of how things turn out for you later.

In verse 40 we see that the Sanhedrin takes Gamaliel’s advice and beat them with rods, threatened them, and let them go. Notice verse 41

41 Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.

Isn’t that a weird sentence? They rejoiced because of their suffering for Christ. It’s not that they rejoiced because of suffering in general but because they suffered for Jesus. John Calvin said, “they weren’t so hardened that they didn’t feel the sting of shame, but when they considered what they were suffering for, joy got the upper hand.” Pain genuinely felt but losing to joy found in Christ.

And what happened next? They kept going from house to house preaching and teaching that Jesus is the Christ. Nothing was going to stop them not because they were awesome men, but because the God they knew was worth it all. No threat, no bars, no beatings would stop the apostles from sharing about Jesus Christ.

Notice what is happening over and over again: God’s Gospel is spreading rapidly and sinful men are opposing it. Guess what? It doesn’t matter! God has delivered these men. God sent an angel to command the men. Jesus has been raised and exalted to the right hand of the Father. Jesus gives repentance and forgiveness. The Holy Spirit bears witness. God’s purposes cannot be overthrown and what do the apostles do? They obey.

God acts. God’s people obey. God’s gospel advances.

Now, this was a long passage and I want you and I to see everything from a bird’s eye view. Exodus doesn't end with plagues, or a sea splitting, or an army drowning. It ends with a nation standing on the far shore, singing and rejoicing because God had done what no army, or strategy, or human effort ever could.

And then the story goes to the tabernacle. God's own presence filling the place where His people gathered, the very passage we looked at last week.

Acts 5 tells the exact same story. Verse 41, rejoicing, after a beating, not despite it. Verse 42, the temple and homes throughout the city, filled every single day with the same Gospel that had just survived a prison cell, a trial, and a flogging. Same pattern. Same God. He didn't just deliver twelve men from a jail cell two thousand years ago. He is still doing exactly this, right down to the details, wherever His people are willing to open their mouths.

So here's the question that I have to wrestle with this week, If God's plan can't be stopped by prison bars, by the highest court in the land, or by a terrible beating, then what's actually stopping us? Because I promise you, nobody in this room is staring down the Sanhedrin this week. No one's going to flog you for inviting your neighbor to church.

So what is it? Maybe it's the fear of an awkward conversation, or of being "that guy" at work who always brings up Jesus. Maybe, if we're honest, you're doing exactly what Gamaliel did. Waiting to see how it goes. Waiting until you feel ready. Waiting until the moment feels right, and calling that patience when it's really just avoidance.

The apostles didn't wait for the right moment. They preached the same day they got out of prison, and they preached the same day they got beaten. So ask yourself honestly, back in verse 26, fear of man kept armed officers from laying a hand on the apostles. In verse 29, fear of God freed those same apostles to speak boldly in front of the men who could kill them. Which fear is leading you right now?

Head: God wants you to know His gospel cannot be stopped.

Men, rulers, councils, and religions have opposed God’s work for millennia. But the Gospel has continued to grow all over the world. Yes, there have been seasons of scarcity, but God is the one in control and no one can stand against the Lord.

Heart: God wants you to believe Jesus is worthy of greater fear and allegiance than anyone else.

When we fear the Lord and see Him for Who He is it impacts everything that we do and we will be willing to spend ourselves for His sake.

Hand: God wants you to obey Him and proclaim Christ, regardless of the cost.