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with me in your Bibles to the 
book of Acts, the Acts of the Apostles. We find ourselves in 
Acts chapter 5. Acts chapter 5. I'll read beginning in verse 
17, and then our focus this morning will be on verses 27 to 32. But beginning in Acts 5 at verse 
17, then the high priest rose up and all those who were with 
him, which is the sect of the Sadducees, and they were filled 
with indignation and laid their hands on the apostles and put 
them in the common prison. But at night, an angel of the 
Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out and said, 
Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of 
this life. And when they heard that, they 
entered the temple early in the morning and taught. The high 
priest and those with him came and called the council together 
with all the elders of the children of Israel and sent to the prison 
to have them brought. When the officers came and did 
not find them in the prison, they returned and reported, saying, 
Indeed, we found the prison shut securely and the guards standing 
outside before the doors, but when we opened them, we found 
no one inside. And when the high priest, the 
captain of the temple, and the chief priest heard these things, 
they wondered what the outcome would be. So one came and told 
them, saying, Look, the men whom you put in prison are standing 
in the temple and teaching the people. Then the captain went 
with the officers and brought them without violence, for they 
feared the people, lest they should be stoned. And when they 
had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high 
priest asked them, saying, Did we not strictly command you not 
to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem 
with your doctrine and intend to bring this man's blood on 
us. But Peter and the other apostles answered and said, we ought to 
obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised 
up Jesus, whom you murdered by hanging on a tree. Him God has 
exalted to his right hand to be prince and savior, to give 
repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are his witnesses 
to these things. And so also is the Holy Spirit 
whom God has given to those who obey him. When they heard this, 
they were furious and plotted to kill them. Then one in the 
council stood up, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of 
the law held in respect by all the people, and commanded them 
to put the apostles outside for a little while. And he said to 
them, men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what you intend 
to do regarding these men. For some time ago, Thutis rose 
up claiming to be somebody. A number of men, about 400, joined 
him. He was slain and all who obeyed 
him were scattered and came to nothing. After this man, Judas 
of Galilee rose up in the days of the census and drew away many 
people after him. He also perished, and all who 
obeyed him were dispersed. And now I say to you, keep away 
from these men and let them alone. For if this plan or this work 
is of men, it will come to nothing. But if it is of God, you cannot 
overthrow it, lest you even be found to fight against God.' 
And they agreed with him. And when they had called for 
the apostles and beaten them, they commanded that they should 
not speak in the name of Jesus and let them go. So they departed 
from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted 
worthy to suffer shame for his name. And daily in the temple 
and in every house they did not cease teaching and preaching 
Jesus as the Christ. Amen. Let us pray. Father, thank 
you for the written word. We believe in the presence and 
the power of the Holy Spirit and ask now that he would be 
at work in our hearts and minds. We pray, Father, as well, that 
you would forgive and cleanse us from all sin and its darkening 
influence over the mind. As Jesus says, men who love darkness 
don't come to the light. So cleanse us, forgive us, wash 
us, and purify us, and again, cause the Spirit to guide us 
and lead us into all truth. And we ask in Jesus' holy name. 
Amen. Well, we have seen, or we saw 
last time we were in the book of Acts, the similarities between 
Acts chapter 5 and Acts chapters 3 and 4. Remember, in Acts chapters 
3 and 4, the apostles had been arrested, specifically Peter 
and John, and then they had been called upon to defend themselves 
before the council, before the Sanhedrin. And there, in Acts 
chapter 4, the Sanhedrin or council had given them strict orders 
not to teach or preach in the name of Jesus. Well, here in 
Acts chapter 5, the disciples and the apostles continue to 
preach, they continue to shine the light upon the Lord Jesus 
Christ, and the high priest and the council make plans to re-arrest 
them. And that is precisely what happens. Notice in verses 17 to 21. The apostles are imprisoned, 
not just Peter and John this time, but all 12 of the apostles. But they are freed, they are 
released by this angel of the Lord in verse 19. And remember 
the beautiful contrast there. The council or Sanhedrin, both 
terms are synonymous. It was the religious slash political 
council of Israel at that particular time. It was made up of 71 persons. The high priest obviously presided 
over them. They were charged with decisions 
affecting Israel in both politics and in religious matters. But 
remember that the bulk of them, or at least a majority of them, 
were Sadducees. And the Sadducees denied the 
presence of angels. The Sadducees denied the doctrine 
of the resurrection from death. And Luke tells us in verse 19 
that it was an angel of the Lord that broke them out of prison. 
Whether the Sadducees believe in the angels of the Lord or 
not, the angel of the Lord breaks free these apostles from their 
prison. And then we see that the apostles 
are brought now to the Sanhedrin or to the council, once again 
to answer for their alleged crimes. And I want to look first at the 
council's charge in verses 27 and 28, and then secondly, the 
apostles' defense in verses 29 to 32. But note in the first 
place, with reference to the high priest, look at verse 27. And when they had brought them, 
they set them before the council. Note that the apostles do not 
resist arrest. They do not engage in any sort 
of assault upon the officers. They comply. They are brought. back to the Sanhedrin. They are 
brought back to that place where they are being interrogated or 
investigated. Nay, I would say they are being 
intimidated by the High Priest of the Religious Council. And 
that's what we see there in verse 28. It says, did we not strictly 
command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled 
Jerusalem with your doctrine and intend to bring this man's 
blood on us. The obvious omission should be 
observed here in the first place. If you were part of this religious 
council, wouldn't you have wondered how they broke out of prison? Wouldn't that have been sort 
of a natural question? How'd you guys manage the escape, 
especially in light of verse 23? Notice what it says in verse 
23. The officers return and report, 
indeed we found the prison shut securely and the guards standing 
outside before the doors, but when we opened them, we found 
no one inside. No one came by with a tank and 
blasted the door down. There were no tunnels that they, 
you know, whittled out of a spoon and shimmied their way out of 
the prison. That would be a natural question, wouldn't it? How did 
you break out of this prison? How could it be the case that 
the doors were intact, guards were intact, and yet you were 
not present? I think it's because they were 
embarrassed They didn't want to visit this. They didn't want 
to know. Some part of their heart of hearts 
realized that perhaps God was on their side, and they didn't 
want to ask the question for fear of the particular response. And as well, if it was not a 
divine intervention that broke them out of the prison, in other 
words, if it was the apostles and the apostles alone who had 
managed that jailbreak, why in the world would they have gone 
back to the temple and preached in that public spot? Everything 
here tilts in the direction of God's divine intervention. We 
are told specifically in verse 19, and everything in the context 
highlights that. So then the high priest now reminds 
them of their threats. Did we not strictly command you 
not to teach in this name? Go back to Acts chapter 4. Acts 
chapter 4, again, this is where they were arrested the first 
time, specifically Peter and John. And in verse 17, but so 
that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten 
them that from now on they speak to no man in this name. Verse 
18, so they called them and commanded them not to teach at all, nor 
teach speak at all or teach in the name of Jesus, and then in 
verse 21. So when they had further threatened 
them, they let them go, finding no way of punishing them. So 
back here in Acts chapter 5, he asks them this to highlight 
or exacerbate that their actions were a direct contrast to what 
they had been told. In other words, it wasn't ignorance. 
It was, from the perspective of the high priest, malice. What 
they were engaged in was maliciousness, treason, really, treachery, taking 
a lawful command issued by the religious council and disregarding 
it. In fact, Matthew Poole highlights 
this. Hence, they aggravated the apostles' 
crime as done out of malice and not out of ignorance. And I would 
suggest the question is designed to intimidate the apostles. How 
dare you do what we told you not to do? I think there's a 
lot of similarities between the tactics of these political officials 
and politicians in our own day and age. I think the Sanhedrin 
feared men. They didn't want to seize the 
apostles in some public display because they feared the people. 
The people might stone them because the apostles were looked at favorably 
by the mass of humanity at that time in Jerusalem. They feared 
the people. They loved their power. They 
perceived Jesus in the first place, and then these apostles 
as a threat to their power and to their stronghold. And as well, 
they attempted to silence their opposition. I would suggest there's 
no new thing under the political sun. That's the way politicians 
aggravated in their rage against God today. They function in the 
same way. They hate Christ. They love power. They fear man. They want to do 
that which they think will secure their place in politics forever. 
And they ultimately want to silence the opposition. The high priest 
here is intimidating the apostles. And this is absolutely abhorrent, 
and thankfully God is on their side. And then he moves from 
this reminder of the threat to this actual rebuke of the apostles. Look at the end of verse 28. 
And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine and intend 
to bring this man's blood on us. Beautiful, isn't it? They're 
fearful. You intend to bring this man's 
blood on us. A far cry different than in Matthew 
chapter 27. Remember what they say before 
Pilate? They say, let his blood be upon us and upon our children. Why the change in heart? Why 
is it at this particular point? Now they're concerned about them 
being looked at as responsible for the death of our Lord Jesus 
Christ. Because they've had a change of mind? Because they've got 
guilty consciences? No, probably because they fear 
men. If men as a whole see them as a murderous mob, then men 
as a whole might take up stones to throw at them. And the Sanhedrin 
is paralyzed by that thought. Now, just look at this double 
charge. You fill Jerusalem with your 
doctrine and you have sought to impinge upon us the responsibility 
for his death. That's what's in view at the 
end of verse 28. It's an intent to bring this 
man's blood on us. In other words, that we will 
be held liable, that we will be seen as responsible, that 
we will be culpable for this. Now, I just want to jump to the 
to the end here in one sense and say, look at what Peter does. 
Peter speaks for the apostles. I don't think all the apostles, 
all 12, say the exact same thing. Peter's speaking on behalf of 
the apostles. You fill Jerusalem with your doctrine and you intend 
to bring responsibility for this man's death upon us. What does 
Peter do? He does those two things. He 
continues to fill Jerusalem with his doctrine and he continues 
to charge them with particular responsibility for Jesus' death. One of the points of application 
as we close the sermon this morning is going to be to pray for men 
like these men. Men that do not shrink back, 
men that do not kowtow, and men that don't say, well, we really 
didn't try to fill Jerusalem with our doctrine, and we really, 
really aren't trying to make people think that you're responsible, 
but rather to speak the truth. against all comers, foe or friend 
alike. That's what the church desperately 
needs. Not men that are going to kowtow, not men that are going 
to lie down, not men that are going to say, well, I know that 
homosexuality is a hot topic, so I'm not going to address it. 
Or men that say, well, I know abortion is a hot topic, and 
I'm not going to address it. I know that euthanasia is a hot 
topic, and I'm not going to address it. No, the word of God speaks 
to all matters of faith and practice, and faithful, courageous, bold 
preachers of the word will speak those things. Brethren, Jesus 
told us the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Pray 
the Lord of the harvest to raise up laborers. We'll pray that 
he raises up men that will be men. That's what the pulpit desperately 
needs. Not preachers in skirts, but 
men who will testify to the truth of God's holy word. That's what 
we find here with Peter. He fills Jerusalem continually 
with the doctrine and he continues to show these men that they are 
culpable and responsible for the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let's look at their defense. I want to look at two things 
in particular here. The declaration of their allegiance 
and the proclamation of their gospel. Note the declaration 
of allegiance in verse 29, that Peter and the other apostles 
answered and said, we ought to obey God rather than men. I don't 
know what the high priest was fishing for here. Peter already 
told him this in Acts chapter 4, didn't he? In fact, you can 
turn there in Acts 4. Acts chapter 4, verse 18. So 
they called them and commanded them not to speak at all, nor 
teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter, And John answered 
and said to them, whether it is right in the sight of God 
to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot 
but speak the things which we have seen and heard." So what 
did he think? The high priest was going to 
ask Peter this? Well, you know, we've changed our principles, 
we've changed our views? No! We've got to obey God rather 
than men. We have to obey God when men 
try to usurp the authority and the role of God. In fact, Peter 
lays down a principle that abides for the church of Jesus Christ, 
our Lord. He'd already told them this position 
in chapter four. They've already demonstrated 
their position by continuing to preach in the temple. And 
the fundamental principle in biblical law is this. God is 
the final authority. And when men command that which 
is contrary to God's law, man is always bound to God. Please 
accept this, please appropriate this, please understand this, 
and please abide in this. Man may command. God has given fathers and mothers 
that responsibility in the home. Man may command. God has given 
magistrates that responsibility in society. And insofar as those 
commands are consistent with the law of God, then by all means, 
we're duty-bound to obey. But the moment that the father 
or mother or that the husband with reference to a husband-and-wife 
relationship, or church officers, or civil officers usurp the authority 
of God, this is the principle. This is what we are determined 
by. This is what we must obey. We must obey God rather than 
men. And the word is must. It's not 
an ought, sort of like the best possible option. It's a divine 
necessity. We must obey God rather than 
men. Listen to John Calvin. He says, 
we must obey God's ministers and officers if we will obey 
Him. But so soon as rulers do lead us away from the obedience 
of God, because they strive against God with sacrilegious boldness, 
their pride must be abated, that God may be above all in authority. That's the marching orders. That's 
the principle. That's what we are determined 
to do. So if the government says you 
can no longer preach against, say, this sin, we don't say, 
OK, government, we're going to do what you say. No, God says 
you need to preach against sin. God doesn't say, well, you know, 
kowtow to the government if they don't like what it is that you 
have to say. No, we say what the Word of God says. We don't 
try to purposefully be offensive. We don't purposely, well, I mean, 
I guess we do. If anybody watched MacArthur 
on Shapiro, he says, yeah, my job is to offend everybody. I 
think there's a sense where that's accurate and that's right. The 
sense of telling people your breath smells, that's not the 
offense. It's that you're a sinner before 
God. Because Jesus Christ came to call not the righteous, but 
sinners to repentance. But brethren, we are to hold 
fast to obedience to God's law. And then note the contrast. We 
saw that in chapter four as well. Now, if this Sanhedrin or this 
religious council is made up of the best and the brightest, 
and these men's jobs are to sort of adjudicate things concerning 
politics and ethics and religion, then these men are no doubt skilled 
in the word of God. These men are no doubt the skilled 
interpreters of the law of God, and yet Peter puts them on opposite 
poles. Peter says we must obey God rather 
than men. In this context, the men are 
the Sanhedrin. This is a blow. This is a shock. 
This is something that would have no doubt offended them. 
Remember, they love power. They love to be seen as the interpreters 
of God's law. They love to be seen as the doctors 
and the reverends and the lawyers and the ones who have what God's 
mind is. And Peter says, no, we're not 
going to obey you. We're going to obey God. So what, 
by implication, is Peter saying? He is saying, you don't speak 
for God, the apostles speak for God. C.K. Barrett made this observation. He says, the principle of the 
supreme authority of God is one highly characteristic of Judaism 
itself. This is a principle they too 
would subscribe to, wouldn't they? If they were in exile in 
Babylon and the Babylonians commanded them to bow to Baal or bow to 
Asherah or bow to whatever god that the Babylonians had at that 
particular time, Baal or Marduk, they would have said, no, we 
need to obey God rather than men. They would have imbibed this 
principle. He goes on, it is one highly characteristic of 
Judaism itself in which it had been established at a high cost 
and suffering. Peter's application of it in 
its context is new and shocking because it sets over against 
each other God and those men who were best qualified to expound 
God's command as expressed in his law. You need to see that 
and appreciate that, that Peter is doing that. Because see why 
the high priest and the council is upset. I'm not justifying 
it, but if you look at the gospel records and you look at Matthew, 
Mark, Luke, and John, and you see the sorts of things that 
Jesus said, you can understand from a humanistic and a godless 
perspective why he irritated the religious leaders of his 
time. When he says, before Abraham was, I am, I mean, it's not perplexing 
why they pick up stones to throw at him. Again, I'm not justifying 
it, I'm not suggesting it's right, but these are godless, carnal 
men, and Jesus irritated them with his words. Well, the apostles 
are doing the very same thing here. We must obey God rather 
than men. We must continue to preach the 
gospel in obedience to God rather than to be silent in obedience 
to you. They are pitting God against 
these particular men, and these men understand the implications, 
and they know this, and it's irritating them, and it's frustrating 
them. That's why as we end the close of this particular chapter, 
they beat them. They actually lay the whip to 
these men's back. They hurt them. These men suffered 
for what they believed, and they didn't suffer in some sort of 
a way where they laid on the couch and said, honey, bring 
me ice. I just got my back ripped open 
by the Sanhedrin. No, they rejoiced that they were 
counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. They rejoiced that 
they had borne in their own body the brand marks of Jesus. They 
rejoiced that they were going through these particular things. 
Why? Because God had commanded them, and they were able to testify 
concerning faith in Jesus Christ. Now note the proclamation of 
their gospel, verses 30 to 32. It doesn't stop. He says, well, 
I know this kind of offends these guys, so I'm just going to keep 
silent here. I know they don't like this story about Jesus, 
so I'm just going to be silent. I'm not going to cause further 
waves. I don't want them to be right 
in their accusation that I'm filling Jerusalem with doctrine, 
and I'm actually heaping upon them culpability or responsibility 
for the actual murder of Jesus Christ. I don't want to do that. 
No, he continues to do that. It's like Paul's logic in 2 Timothy 
chapter 4 with Timothy. He says, preach the word. Be 
ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort with 
all longsuffering and teaching. If Timothy were to ask the question, 
why Paul? Paul will tell him. For the time 
will come when they will not endure sound doctrine. You see, 
if I got that, or you got that, or somebody today got that, we'd 
say, well, I don't know, Paul, maybe you didn't understand my 
problem. The problem is they don't want 
what I've got. It doesn't matter what they want, 
it matters what God says. See, this is what's really offensive 
about bad preaching. I don't mean homiletically bad, 
not three points, or not two points, or, you know, structurally 
difficult to follow. Bad preaching, non-good doctrinal 
preaching. It's a betrayal of the very task. 
You only had one job. Preach the word. Not stories, 
not anecdotes, not how to make people feel good. That's offensive. Preach the word, be ready in 
season and out of season, and don't do it in some limp-wristed, 
skirt-wearing way. Convince, rebuke, exhort. But remember, with all long-suffering, 
because the people of God need patient men. with all teaching. Why? Because the time will come 
when they will not endure sound doctrine. I have this picture 
in my mind of Timothy getting this letter from Paul and walking 
into his congregation, and they've got hands over their ears, and 
he keeps preaching to them. That's Paul's point. That's what 
Paul emphasizes as his last official charge to the corporate church. 
Preach the word. Isn't that beautiful? That's 
what defines us. That's what describes us. That's 
what we're about. So I say, you only had one job, 
take this Bible, open it and preach it. That's it. You don't have to be a fortune 
500, you know, manager CEO type. You don't have to be the cheerleader. 
You don't have to be the man with all the charisma. You don't 
have to be the man with all the answers. You just have to be 
the man that opens his mouth and speaks the truth of God's 
word. You got to be a Jeremiah man. You got to be an Isaiah 
man. You got to be a Paul man. You've got to be a Peter man. 
And when Peter is brought to charge or brought on charges 
of filling Jerusalem with your doctrine and intending to bring 
this man's blood on us, he continues to emphasize those things. Look at his proclamation of the 
gospel. In the first place, he highlights 
the appointment of Jesus by God. Verse 30, the God of our fathers 
raised up Jesus, whom you murdered by hanging on a tree. Now, the 
raised up Jesus there is oftentimes language utilized for the resurrection. I don't think that's what's in 
view at this particular point. I think the raising up of Jesus 
is the incarnation. I think it's the sending of Jesus 
to function as the mediator of the new covenant. It's the sending 
of Jesus to engage in the redemptive activity of calling God's people 
unto himself. His life, his death, his resurrection. Not that resurrection is absent 
from the passage, it's included in the reference to the exaltation. 
But the raising up Jesus highlights, notice, the God of our fathers. Again, Peter's done this before 
Jerusalem sinners in Acts chapter 3. Peter's point here is that 
Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament. It's not the Sanhedrin's 
interpretation which excludes Jesus. It's not the Sanhedrin's 
interpretation that says Jesus wasn't who he claimed to be. 
In fact, notice the Sanhedrin doesn't even refer to Jesus. 
They say, this man, they say this doctrine. They don't even 
want to form his name on their lips. There's no reverence involved. It shows how much they despise 
and disdain Jesus. And so Peter says, the God of 
our fathers did this. In other words, the apostles 
are the ones that are right in their understanding of who Jesus 
is in light of the Old Testament. The Sanhedrins missed it. The 
council is wrong. They are interpreting the Bible 
incorrectly, and they are in a position of authority, and 
they are calculating to do bad to the nation of Israel. This, 
or the God of our fathers raised this Jesus. Peter's theology 
is the fulfillment of the Old Testament. As I said, this is 
probably not a reference to the resurrection, but his incarnation 
as the mediator sent by the father. Then notice the crucifixion. 
Go back for just a moment in verse 28, and intend to bring 
this man's blood on us. Verse 30, the God of our fathers 
raised up Jesus, whom you murdered by hanging on a tree. I gotta tell you, brethren, that 
takes guts. We just read through it, well, 
that's nice. These guys are complaining. You're 
making it sound like we're responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus. 
And Peter says, that's absolutely positively what we're saying. 
You have understood correctly. Now I'm not suggesting they're 
the only ones responsible. Jerusalem as a whole said, away 
with him, away with him, crucify him. But brethren, it was the 
religious leaders. I read recently where the ADL, 
the Anti-Defamation League, wants to encourage Bible publishers 
to put a qualification at the beginning of the Bible that it 
contains anti-Semitism. Some have observed the gospel 
records are anti-Semitic or they suggest they're anti-Semitic 
because it puts the Jews in a negative light. I'm not picking on the 
Jews. I think any group of Gentiles 
would have done the very same thing. Any group of men committed 
to darkness rather than light would have wanted to crucify 
the Lord of Glory. But we're not supposed to redefine. We're not supposed to try and 
requalify. We're simply supposed to highlight 
what is the case. And Peter says it does fall upon 
the religious leaders to a certain degree. They bear culpability. They bear responsibility. Now, 
again, that doesn't mean that we Christians in a 21st century 
context blame every Jew for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. 
God brought judgment to bear upon the Jewish nation for that 
particular crime in 8070. At 8070, the Jews entered the 
rank and file of other nations. They need the gospel. They need 
to hear about Jesus and Him crucified and resurrected. They need to 
believe that gospel by God's grace so they can come into the 
church and know the blessings of being found in Him. Brethren, 
we do no favors to anybody by changing the narrative or by 
trying to hide the fact that certain people did certain things. 
Peter was a Jew! The apostles were Jews. It wasn't 
an ethnic issue. It was an ethical issue. It was 
them that were the ringleaders. It was them that were the instigators. 
It was them that convened that kangaroo court and found false 
witnesses to testify against Jesus Christ. And Peter's not 
going to let them off the hook for that. And neither should 
we. Again, we don't lambast every Jew for the death of Jesus Christ. 
We lambast sinners for sin so that they'll go to Christ for 
that forgiveness that he promises and that we sang of in 580. Notice the repeated declaration 
of their responsibility. Bach says Peter accepts the charge 
that he blames the leadership for Jesus' death, noting that 
Jesus is the one whom you kill. He does this in Acts chapter 
2. He does it in Acts chapter 3. He does it in Acts chapter 
4. He's going to keep doing it. Why? Because Jesus didn't come 
to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. We tell people 
their sin with the hope and the prayer and the desire that they 
flee to Jesus. In other words, they've been 
bit by that fiery serpent. So we direct them to that brazen 
serpent so that they'll look and live. Brethren, we can't 
play games with sinners. Men love darkness rather than 
light. They hate the light. They don't 
want to come to the light, lest their evil deeds are exposed. 
We don't do them any favors by redefining their darkness. We 
don't do them any favors by redefining their malady, by redefining their 
sin, by saying, well, you know, it's not your fault, or you didn't 
mean it, or you didn't know what you were doing. No, you're a 
wretch. But good news is, God saves wretches. Look at me. My brethren, look 
at us. We're not going to heaven this 
morning because we're good. We're going to heaven this morning 
because of verses 31 and 32. Notice, you crucified him. And I think that Peter's language, 
it's utilized elsewhere by Peter, but as well by Paul. It's utilized 
by Peter in Acts 10. It's utilized by Paul, Acts 13. Utilized by Peter in 1 Peter 
2. But it's utilized by Paul in 
Galatians chapter 3. This language of hanging him 
on a tree. Now, you should have your Deuteronomy 
hats on, because you ought to think Deuteronomy 21, 22, and 
23. If a man has committed a sin 
deserving of death, and he is put to death, and you hang him 
on a tree, his body shall not remain overnight on the tree. 
But you shall surely bury him that day, so that you do not 
defile the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an 
inheritance, for he who is hanged is accursed of God. Paul develops 
this, at least in some detail, in Galatians 3. Christ was made 
a curse. Christ became a curse for us, 
that the blessing of God may fall upon Gentiles. But I think 
Peter's point here is this. You hanging him on that tree 
was meant or intended by you to be a curse. God overruled 
it. God blessed it. Not only was 
it not a curse, or it did function that way theologically in terms 
of imputation and substitution, but that's a whole nother sermon. 
It was meant by God as the means by which he would exalt the Son. 
And that's what Peter goes on to say in verse 31. Notice the exaltation of Jesus. And Peter does this all throughout 
his preaching, both here and in Acts 2, Acts 3. He sets this 
contrast up between what men did to Jesus and what God does 
for Jesus. It's a huge contrast. Men crucified 
him, God raised him. Men wanted shame and curse for 
him. God wanted exaltation for him. And that's what he highlights 
here. He says in verse 31, him God has exalted to his right 
hand to be prince and savior, to give repentance to Israel 
and forgiveness of sins. He functions as a prince and 
savior. She'll love that title of our 
Lord, obviously Savior. We're very well versed in, we 
often refer to the Lord Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior. He is the Savior for sinners. 
In this context, I think I've said before that the emperor, 
the Roman emperor was known as the Savior. He was the Lord and 
the Savior, at least in the empire. We'll see that develop further 
on in the book of Acts when they come into conflict with the civil 
authority that is outside of Jerusalem. But to say Lord and 
Savior in the Roman empire at that particular time meant Caesar. 
To say Lord and Savior with reference to the Christians meant Jesus, 
obviously. He's also called Prince. The 
origin, the chief, the head, the main one. He is the Prince. And notice the function that 
this Prince and Savior has. He gives repentance and he gives 
forgiveness. And I want you to notice here 
something that is very consistent with what we saw in the Scripture 
reading in John 3. You can't make yourself be born 
again. You cannot concoct repentance. Repentance is a gift. And again, 
for any and all who would say, well, this will diminish man's 
hope. God loves to give good gifts. 
Didn't we just read that in John 3, 16? God so loved the world 
that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in 
him should not perish, but have everlasting life. You see, faith 
and repentance are graces. Faith and repentance are gifts. 
If you're a believer here this morning, it's not owing to your 
wisdom, it's not owing to your ingenuity, it's not owing to 
your intellect, but it's owing to the grace of God. If you have 
repented of your sins, and repentance in the first place is a change 
of mind. Never forget that. Somebody who 
stops smoking crack doesn't necessarily repent. Now, there are fruits 
associated with repentance, such that if somebody believes the 
gospel, they will stop smoking crack. That's a fruit of repentance. That change of mind affects them 
in a particular way. But not everybody who engages 
in a bit of moral reform is repentant. Somebody who quits smoking or 
drinking or somebody who quits having illicit sex or engaging 
in promiscuity or whatever it might be, they're not necessarily 
repentant. Repentance is first in the mind. 
It's in the heart. It's coupled with the grace of 
faith. We believe the gospel, we repent 
from our sins, and now there's going to be fruit that is consistent 
with that repentance. And it may not come overnight. 
I mean, sometimes those fruits of repentance take a little while. 
That thought, that change in terms of what we think about 
sin, it matures and it grows and all that sort of thing. But 
in this particular instance, realize it's God who gives the 
grace of repentance. I think this is a humbling thing 
for people, isn't it? We didn't repent because we're 
good. We repented because God's good. We didn't repent and believe 
because we've achieved something. We were intellectually superior 
to the person sitting next to us. No, it's because God in his 
grace and in his mercy chose us in him before the foundation 
of the world. Because that sovereign spirit 
that the Lord Jesus speaks of in John chapter 3, he's like 
the wind. You don't know where it comes from, and you don't 
know where it goes, but boy, you sure know the effects, don't 
you? You don't know where the wind originates, you don't know 
where the wind is going, but you know when the wind blows 
your laundry down. You see those effects, don't 
you? Well, this is Jesus' point, the sovereignty of the Holy Spirit 
in John chapter 3. This is Peter's point, the sovereignty 
of Almighty God in giving the gift of repentance. I think J. A. Alexander hits the nail on 
the head when he writes, to give repentance is not merely to give 
time for it or to give place for it, but to give the grace 
of repentance, i.e., power and disposition to repent. Turn to 
Acts chapter 11 for just a moment. Acts chapter 11 to see this thought 
continue. Acts 11, Peter is defining, or 
defending rather, the grace of God given in the gospel in terms 
of the salvation of the household of Cornelius, who was a Gentile. 
And in 1118, it says, when they heard these things, they became 
silent and they glorified God, saying, then God has also granted 
to the Gentiles repentance to life. So it was God who granted 
this repentance to Cornelius and his household. And then turn 
over to 2 Timothy chapter 2. Again, the point is not to highlight 
the graciousness or the grace character of faith and repentance 
to discourage people, but rather to encourage because God gives 
those graces and he gives them to the likes of us. And if he 
gives them to the likes of us, he'll give them to the likes 
of you as well. It's very encouraging to understand. 
Something you're unable to do, God can enable you to do, and 
God is in the business of actually doing it. Notice in 2 Timothy 
2.24, and a servant of the Lord must not quarrel, but be gentle 
to all, able to teach, patient. In humility, correcting those 
who are in opposition, if God perhaps, notice, will grant them 
repentance so that they may know the truth and that they may come 
to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been 
taken captive by him. to do His will. So back to Acts 
chapter 5, the God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you murdered 
by hanging on a tree. Him, God has exalted to His right 
hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance. And then 
He says to Israel, who's Israel? Who is Israel? Well, it might 
just be a reference to the priority involved, as he uses it in Acts 
chapter 4, you know, to the Jew first and also to the great Shem, 
and then Japheth finds Save Harbor and the tents of Shem. That's a Genesis 9 reference 
for those of you who are not at the Wednesday night Bible 
studies. You should be there. If you're not there, you're a 
terrible person. Just kidding. Just absolutely, just making 
sure everybody's awake here. But Noah gives a prophecy that 
is programmatic concerning the salvation of Shem and Japheth. 
And in the context, Japheth is Gentiles. So that might be Peter's 
point, to give repentance to Israel, to the Jew first, and 
also to the Greek. It might as well be a reference 
to the spiritual Israel, all the elect of God. He gives repentance 
to Israel. We're Israel. You understand 
that. The theology of the New Testament 
teaches us this, that a Jewish person, Jewish ethnicity, that 
does not believe the gospel is a Gentile. Gentiles who believe 
the gospel are Jews. Now that everybody is sufficiently 
confused, back to the text. It could highlight as well what 
Peter's been known to do in Acts 2 specifically, is to highlight 
that there's forgiveness even for Jerusalem's sinners. to give 
repentance to Israel. The sin that you've committed, 
hanging the Son of God on a tree, is absolutely, positively horrific. It's enormous, it's bad, it's 
putrid, it's gross. But God's grace is enormous. 
God's grace is amazing. God's grace is such that this 
Prince and Savior grants repentance to the likes of you, and that 
then brings this forgiveness that we just sang of. My sin, 
Oh, the bliss of this glorious thought. My sin, not in part, 
but the whole is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more. 
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord. This is what Peter says. He's 
exalted him to his right hand to be prince and savior, to give 
repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And then finally, the 
apostle highlights the apostles function with reference to Jesus. He says in verse 31, and we are 
his witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit 
whom God has given to those who obey him. The testimony of the 
apostles, this was their job according to Jesus in Acts chapter 
one. You will be witnesses to me first 
in Jerusalem, then Judea, Samaria, and then to the outermost parts 
of the earth. They highlight this particular function throughout 
Acts one, two, three, four, and now five. We are witnesses to 
these things. Again, that's what gospel preachers 
are supposed to be, witnesses to the gospel, testify to Jesus, 
not try to entertain the masses, not try to, you know, eschatize 
the masses, not try to, you know, make everybody feel good, but 
rather to declare the truth as it is in Jesus. But it's not 
only the apostles, it's the Holy Spirit. And notice Trinitarian 
theology right here in Peter's brief sermon. Father exalts the 
Son, and the Spirit testifies to these things? It's not one 
isolated passage. Persons, oftentimes, they hear 
this doctrine of the Trinity, and he gets in Matthew 28, baptizing 
them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy 
Spirit. But beyond that, I really don't know of any other passages. 
Read with your eyes open. You'll see that the Trinity is 
everywhere in the New Testament. And Peter highlights that very 
specifically. The Father exalts the Son, whom 
you crucified, and the Spirit's function and role is to testify 
with us in this. And this fulfills what Jesus 
says in the upper room in John 15, 26, and 27. But when the 
Helper comes, the Helper there, Pericle, that's the Holy Spirit, 
whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth 
who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of me. And you 
also will bear witness because you have been with me from the 
beginning." It's a beautiful thing. And notice Peter's word 
here. And so also is the Holy Spirit 
whom God has given to those who obey Him. Now there's a general 
sense that that's absolutely true. We obey God, and what does 
God do? He gives us the Holy Spirit. But in a particular sense, 
it's the apostles. It's the apostles who've obeyed 
God and not men. It's the apostles who've taken 
a stand against the council. It's the apostles. In the fulfillment 
of Jesus' language, you will be brought before the council. 
You will be scourged. You will be called to testify, 
but do not fear. My Spirit will give you utterance. 
This is being played out specifically in Acts chapter 5. It is obedience 
to the Spirit that yields this practical fruit of their being 
able to testify concerning Jesus before these godless men who 
want to do them harm. It's the Spirit of the living 
God testifying to the Son of God who had been sent by the 
Father. It's a beautiful description 
or a beautiful testimony or affirmation of the Trinitarian theology that 
is replete throughout Scripture. Well, I want to conclude with 
a few thoughts. First, we ought to be reminded of the persecution 
of the Church. the persecution of the church. 
This ain't going away. This is still happening. These 
sorts of things. It might not be the religious 
council in Jerusalem or in Israel at this particular time, but 
it's Islam, it's Roman Catholicism, it's atheism, it's secularism, 
it's humanism. This kind of persecution is going 
on. And if you trace the persecution 
up to this particular point, you will see that it gets increasingly 
escalated and increasingly hotter. They start by threatening them. 
They then arrest them. They then intimidate them. They'll 
ultimately, in this passage, beat them. We know it doesn't 
stop there either. History tells us that Peter was 
crucified for his master. Now, the history says that he 
opted to be crucified upside down because he wasn't worthy 
to be crucified in the same way that his master was. See, brethren, 
it's simply a fiction to think that we'll always be unmolested 
by the civil state or by contrary religions. We need to be ready 
for persecution. I'm not saying find bunkers and, 
you know, get your oats and barley and, you know, get your guns 
and all that. I'm not suggesting that necessarily. But I am suggesting 
that the liberties that we hold dear to now may not always be 
there. And I'm convinced, brethren, 
if we're weak-kneed, passive, non-faithful Christians, when 
we have it this good, what's it going to be like when there's 
actually persecution? When there's actually trouble 
for being a believer? When we could actually go to 
jail or get our heads chopped off? Are we going to stand up 
and testify for Jesus then? If we're not standing up and 
testifying for Jesus now, we're probably not standing up and 
testifying for Jesus then. If we're afraid to bow our heads 
into Tim Hortons and ask a blessing from the God who gave us that 
donut, then we're not going to do it when guys standing there 
with machine guns are threatening to shoot us if we do such an 
activity. We need to plan for persecution. 
All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. And you know, in the history 
of the church, it's persecution that oftentimes advance the church. Doesn't Paul say that in Philippians 
chapter 1? His chains, his chains in Christ had actually promoted 
in the people of God an earnestness and a desire to further the truth 
of the gospel. A whiff of persecution can at 
times do good in the church. I'm not suggesting we go out 
and court persecution. Please, take our religious liberties 
away from us so we can really get hold of... I'm not saying 
that. Don't write to Prime Minister Trudeau and say, we don't want 
to have our religious liberties anymore. Take them away. But 
if things go the way they have gone in the past, and we are 
continually inundated by politicians that are like these men of the 
Sanhedrin who love power, who fear men, not men in the sense 
of godly men, but they fear the voting masses, and they hate 
God, and they want to silence the opposition, We need to be 
ready. We need to understand that this 
is a reality. And I think we need to really 
bless God for the freedoms that we have. There's countries in 
the world right now where you couldn't do what we're doing. 
You couldn't gather together and have a guy preach the gospel. Just wouldn't happen. Do we thank 
the Lord for that? Do we count that as one of the 
benefits that he loads us with daily? Do we say, God, praise 
you that we can confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, that 
we can have Christian education, that we can have churches, that 
we can have preachers? Is that something that makes 
its way into our Psalm 103 moments when we bless the Lord and we 
thank him for all of his good providence to us? Secondly, we 
ought to appreciate the perseverance of the church. Go back for just 
a moment to Acts 4. Acts chapter 4. Remember that 
apostolic prayer meeting? Acts 4, verse 27, For truly against 
your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and 
Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were 
gathered together to do whatever your hand and your purpose determined 
before to be done. There's God's decree, God had 
purposed it, God had determined it, but it doesn't mitigate against 
contingency or second causes. Pilate and Herod were involved 
in all of this. Now notice in verse 29, now, 
Lord, look on their threats and grant to your servants. Remember 
when we looked at this, they didn't say grant to your servants 
that we may be unmolested by the government. Grant to your 
servants that the council will leave us alone. Grant to your 
servants a respite. Grant to your servants an island 
where we can sort of go to and not have to deal with all this 
rabble. No, they don't do that. Look 
on their threats and grant to your servants that with all boldness, 
they may speak your word. They don't ask for the removal 
of persecution. They don't ask for an easier 
life. They ask for the strength and the grace to do what they're 
supposed to do, whatever the circumstances are. I would suggest 
according to Acts 5, God answers prayer. He grants his servants 
boldness. He grants his servant the ability 
to look at the high priest, the highest man in Israel at that 
particular time and say, well, as a matter of fact, you are 
guilty for the murder of the Lord Jesus Christ. As a matter 
of fact, we will continue to fill Jerusalem with our doctrine. 
As a matter of fact, we will obey God and not you. Brethren, 
that takes boldness and it takes courage. It takes something that 
are not native, stuff that's not native in the heart of man. 
That's why the apostles pray, God grant this so that we can 
do this. The perseverance of the church 
is evidenced here. Thirdly, we ought to appreciate 
the proclamation of the church. The proclamation of the Church 
hasn't changed. Acts 2, Acts 3, Acts 4, Acts 
5, all the way to the book of Revelation, and should be continuing 
today. We preach the true humanity of 
Jesus Christ. We preach the reality that God 
raised Him up as the covenant mediator, as the prophet, priest, 
and king, that He sent Him into this world to obey the law of 
God perfectly. He sent him into this world to 
die as a substitute on the cross at Calvary. He sent him into 
this world to be a sacrifice that would atone for the sins 
of his people. He sent him into this world that 
not only having been crucified, he'd be raised the third day, 
that he would be exalted to the right hand of the Father, that 
he would be called Prince and Savior, that he would give repentance 
to Israel, that he would give the forgiveness of sins. You 
see, that message is the message of the church. That message must 
define the church, and that message must always be presented by the 
church. What we find here in the book 
of Acts is normative in terms of our calling as the people 
of God. And then finally, the profession 
of the church is simply this. We believe this. We believe the 
truth as it is in Jesus. In fact, look back for just a 
moment in the previous section. In verse 19, they were in jail. And in verse 19, we read, at 
night, an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought 
them out and said, go stand in the temple and speak to the people 
all the words of this life. John 6, 68, Jesus asks his disciples, 
do you also want to go away from me? Do you also want to stop 
following me? Do you also not want to go forward? And what does Simon Peter say? 
Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal 
life. Here's my question to each and every one of you. Have you 
believed? Not is my father and mother a 
saved man or woman. Not is my brother a believer. 
Not is my friend a believer. Have I believed the gospel? Have 
I believed these words of life? Have I believed this message 
concerning Jesus? Have I believed that he lived, 
that he died, that he was raised the third day, and that all those 
who by God's grace look to him in faith will have everlasting 
life? Can you confess with the Apostles' Creed, I believe in 
the forgiveness of sins. I believe in the Holy Spirit. 
Can you confess with 1 John 1.9 that if we confess our sins, 
He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all 
unrighteousness? Now, I suspect it's because I'm 
a great sinner, but one of the favorite things for me about 
the Christian gospel is forgiveness. That's a boon. That's a blessing 
to me. That's the chief jewel and the crown of salvation. The 
fact that my sin, not in part, but the whole, is nailed to the 
cross and I bear it no more. Praise the Lord, praise the Lord. 
I'm of the mind of John Newton. He said, I'm a great sinner, 
but Christ is a great savior. You may find yourself in that 
place here today. You may have engaged in things 
that are very ungodly, very unrighteous, very contrary to the law of God. 
But notice, if Jesus, or rather Peter, held out forgiveness of 
sins through Jesus Christ to these men, then there is forgiveness 
for men, women, boys, and girls like us. Believe on him and you 
will be saved. Let us pray. Father, thank you 
for your word. Thank you for this testimony 
concerning Jesus Christ. Thank you that he is the son 
of your love, the one you sent into this world sinners to save. 
And God, thank you for including us in that blessed, blessed promise 
and plan. I pray that this word would go 
forth, that many would hear, many would understand, many would 
believe. And in this place, Lord God, 
may today be the day of salvation for sinners. May they look and 
may they live. And we ask that you would go 
with us now, help us to sanctify the day, help us to enjoy the 
day, help us to call it a delight. And we pray through Jesus Christ, 
our Lord. Amen. We'll turn in your Trinity hymnal 
to hymn number seven. Hymn number seven will stand 
as we sing this praise to God.