The Enemies of God

The Enemies of God

Acts 5:12-42

The Kingdom of God is about God helping people. It is about God saving people, God
healing people, God restoring people to Himself.
It says that sick people get healed. We believe that God is the same yesterday, today,
and forever. He has healed, he will heal, and he is healing. We believe that in the kingdom of
God, no one will be sick. We believe that sickness has entered the world because of sin, and
occasionally the kingdom of God breaks into this world and healing comes to reveal Jesus as
our Great Physician.
I hope you’re OK with me reading a lot of Bible. If not, I am going to read it anyway.

Acts 5:12-42

Context/Story

Remember the rule of persecution. As God moves and His kingdom advances.
Opposition will arise to attack it. For every action, there’s a reaction. For every convert, there is
a critic. For every salvation, there is a condemnation by those who are critical of the work of
God. There is no rest for the wicked. So this morning we are going to focus our time around
studying and understanding the Enemies of God. There are three in the text, and one that must
be mentioned that is not directly in the text, but is manipulating and controlling all the others.
Let’s start with the big guy and go from there.
Satan
● Some people don’t like to hear about Satan, he seems too mystical, to ethereal, and
superstitious. Why would we believe in some evil red guy who carries a pitchfork and
has a wicked mustache? Well we probably shouldn’t believe that he is red, or has a
pitchfork or has a mustache. But we should definitely believe that he is real because the
Bible tells us He is real.
● Prove
○ 2nd Corinthians 11 – He is the Serpent who deceived Adam and Eve, and that he
masquerades as an angel of light.
○ John 8 – He is a Murder and Liar
○ 1st Peter 5 – Roaring Lion who is looking to devour you
○ Luke 22 – He can enter into people (scary)
○ Ephesians 2 – He is the prince of this evil world we live in
○ James 4 – He can be resisted
○ Romans 16 – Jesus will crush him under His feet.
● Apply
○ His goal is your destruction, and the halting of the kingdom of God. He wants to
silence your witness and he uses all sorts of manipulative schemes to make it
happen.
■ Sometimes he uses Sinful footholds in your life
● Pornography, Greed, Pride, Lust, Fear

■ Sometimes he uses self-righteousness to make you think you are not too
bad of a sinner.
● “Others need help, but not me, I am good, save that Jesus stuff for
someone who actually needs it”

■ Perhaps giving you an easy life of contentment and complacency.
● Ultimately useless for the kingdom.
■ Perhaps giving you a hard life so all you ever do is wallow in self pity.
● Making excuses instead of making a difference.

○ Regardless, he is the puppet master of the world. Him and his capitalistic, self
indulgent American culture has caused so many to fall into His trap.
○ Make no mistake, He is powerful, but He does not compare with God.
■ Not a Yin-Yang situation. Satan has some power. God is all powerful.
Satan knows some things, God knows ALL things.
● A day is coming – Lake of fire.

The Religious Leaders
● People are getting saved, People are getting delivered, People are getting healed, and
then come in the opposition.
○ Vs 17-18 – But the high priest rose up, and all who were with him (that is, the
party of the Sadducees), and filled with jealousy they arrested the apostles and
put them in the public prison.

■ This needs to stop, more people need to be sick” Here comes the pro-
sickness parade. “We don’t want deliverance here, we don’t like salvation.”
● What are they opposing? The fact that it isn’t them. They don’t
have the power, they don’t have the control.

● Jealousy
○ Why is God using them and not me? Why can’t we do what they are doing? I
want to be the leader, I want to be the most important person, I want God to
bless me, Not them!
○ God wanted them in the Temple. The Religious Leaders put them in prison, But
God put them back in the temple
■ Under a lot of sins is jealousy. Under coveting, jealousy. Under gossip,
jealousy. Sometimes under lying, jealousy. Sometimes under adultery,
jealousy. Sometimes under thievery, jealousy. You have it, I want it.
● Do you covet what others have? Do you compare yourself to
others? Do you always want more? Do you struggle with
contentment? Are you unable to rejoice when God is blessing
somebody else, because you’re jealous of them?

■ God anoints whomever he wants to anoint, and just because he anointed
that person doesn’t mean they are more godly, or more gifted, or more
capable, or more special. Sometimes God likes glory, so he picks the
loser and lets him do amazing things by his power.

● Confusion

○ Tell the story (imprisoned, Punished, Angel shows up and let’s them loose, “go do
what you were doing before”, The guards come to get them, but they are gone.
Oh no…)
■ Everyone is assembled… The doors were locked… the guards were
there… There was no one inside. Can you imagine being the guy who
had to report this? You had one job!

○ Vs 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.
○ How could this be happening? We had it under control. We were clearly winning.
What happened? Our plans were foolproof! But now we are losing.
■ This whole section is filled with irony. The apostles were freed by an
angel which the Sadducees didn’t believe existed. The council was
supposed to be known for their incredible wisdom. Are totally confused
as to what happened to the apostles. God can turn the greatest powers
in the world into bumbling fools who fear the very people they rule.

● Fear
○ Tell the story (they go arrest them again, But they don’t do it forcefully because
they were afraid of the people.)
○ In The Old testament, There were two different types of Jewish Leaders.
■ The Leaders with God’s authority (priests, Prophets, Some political
leaders like Moses and David)
■ The Leaders without God’s authority (most of the kings, many religious
leaders as well)
● And what would happen is that the Leaders without God’s
authority would persecute and attack and kill the leaders with
God’s authority in an attempt to keep their power.
● And the only way they did that was through force and
manipulation.
○ Only one person in the history of the world has been born
with authority. Jesus Christ. Everyone else must have it
given to them. And for those who do not have the
authority of God behind them they have to gain in by force
and manipulation. They make others afraid to stay in
power.
■ This is their strategy. They are like a 1 trick pony.
Let’s threaten them, let’s attack them. Let’s silence
them. If we can make them fear us, they won’t
dare rise up against our authority.
■ When their one trick fell flat, the people (who had given them their
authority) and whom they had taught to fear them. We’re now following a
new leader and they grew afraid.

● Rage

○ Tell the story – Peter speaks up, Places the blame for Jesus crucifixion on their
shoulders (again)
○ Vs 33 When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them.
God Sovereignly Intervened AGAIN to keep them from doing what they wanted.

❖ Application
➢ Human authority means nothing to God or his chosen people. You cant silence
God. You can’t stop God. you cant exert your authority over God. He reigns
supreme.
➢ Are you operating out of these emotions?
■ Jealousy, Confusion, Fear, Rage
■ If you are, you are not likely in a close relationship with God. You are not
living as a Christian.
● Galatians 5:22-23 – But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

■ Draw near to God. Repent of your sins, and seek to follow Him more
closely. Don’t let yourself be consumed with these sinful emotions. Don’t
live jealous, don’t live afraid, don’t live angry.
● The Pharisees lived by these emotions and it caused them to do
the exact opposite of what God wanted. They tried to be a
stumbling block for the Lord!

The Soldiers
● Evil Job
○ They were killing and oppressing God’s people. They were the villains of the
story. The storm trooper before there were storm troopers. Blindly following the
orders of their superiors.
■ Looking for the Easy Road – The path of least resistance.
○ Garage door job – Take advantage of others.
○ Blind Obedience
■ No questioning of what they are doing. No wondering whether or not they
are on the wrong side of history. (have you ever wondered that?)
● When people remember you, will you be remembered fondly? Or
as a villain? Will your kids see you as a good father or mother?
Or are you on the wrong side of history?
○ Threatened them, Tried to Silence Them, Beat them
■ But the disciples rejoiced. Can you imagine leaving the supreme court
having just been beaten and threatened by the most important people in
the nation and you are rejoicing? “Get the cake! Post some photos on
social media! We just got beaten and threatened and suffered like Jesus
did!”

● Prove
○ The Bible has a lot to say about what kind of jobs you should have. And a lot to
say about ethical business practices

■ Psalm 24:4-5 – He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not
lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. He will
receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his
salvation.
■ Jeremiah 17:11 – Like the partridge that gathers a brood that she did not
hatch, so is he who gets riches but not by justice; in the midst of his days
they will leave him, and at his end he will be a fool.
■ Romans 14:12 – So then each of us will give an account of himself to
God.

❖ Apply
➢ What account will you give to the Lord? Will it be filled with excuses? My boss
told me to? My manager wanted to line his pockets? I needed that bonus to buy
some new golf clubs?

The Wise (Conclusion)
● Case study of Gamaliel
○ Perhaps we should leave them alone. Perhaps we should not try to destroy
them. If it is not of God, it will die on its own. If it is from God. we better not be
caught on the wrong side.
■ Christianity has endured for over 2000 years. In the face of Persecution
and hatred and death. No religion in the world is more hated by the
world. None
● Even in our own culture, more so than at any point in the history of
our nation. Christianity is hated. You no longer get any rewards for
saying you follow Jesus. Or that you believe the whole Bible. You
are called ignorant. You are called a bigot by those who claim to
be tolerant. But even so, Christianity has endured. Just as
Gamaliel predicted it would if it was from God.

● Maybe you are here, and you don’t know Jesus. It would be unwise of you to dismiss
Jesus Christ without doing your homework. Christianity is the largest religion in the
world, wisdom would dictate that this deserves further study. You don’t have to be on
the wrong side of history. Seek the truth. Seek the Lord, Seek forgiveness and
salvation. I would invite you this morning to give yourself to Jesus. Despite the
enemies. Give your sin to Jesus. Give your soul to Jesus. Don’t fear what people might
think of you, don’t allow the criticism of others to damn you to Hell. It’s much better to
face their wrath than his. The passage says that many were saved, and they rejoiced. If
you don’t know Him, you need to. You can be saved, you can rejoice today.