We'll take your Bibles and turn
with me to Acts chapter 5. Acts the 5th chapter. We'll be
looking at verses 12 through 18 this morning. Acts chapter
5, verses 12 through 18. The title of the lesson is, The
Mission of the Church. The Mission of the Church. After the Lord had killed Ananias
and Sapphira for lying to the Holy Spirit, we read last week
that great fear came upon all of the church. And we saw how
that this fear was a good fear. It was a reverential fear. It
was a fear to make our calling and election sure. It is necessary
because there are wheat and tares among God's church at all times. There are always going to be
wheat and tares until the time that Christ comes back. So it
is incumbent upon us to see whether we be in the faith or not. I know that at one time, Ananias
and Sapphira thought themselves to be safe, but they were not. They had a different heart, a
heart that was not from Christ. And we saw that they were killed
and it caused great fear. Well, this week we begin in verse
12. And reading verse 12 and verse 13, we're going to see
a different kind of fear. Let's look at this. And by the
hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among
the people. And they were all with one accord
on Solomon's porch, and the rest dared not, durst no man join
himself to them, but the people magnified them. This fear that is with outside
the church is not of the same character of the fear that is
in the church. The fear within a church is a
reverential fear for the Lord Jesus Christ that can only be
produced by the Spirit of God. But the fear that is without,
the fear that is outside the church, here in verses 12 and
13, is a superstitious fear. A superstitious fear. No doubt,
the outside of the church, they heard what had happened to these
two people. And they, out of superstition,
feared. And they dared not join themselves
among them, among those that were of the church. You see,
religious men, not out of reverence for Christ or faith in Christ,
but to satisfy their own conscience and their own fears, may talk
highly of God's church. You see, they dared not join
them, but they magnified them. They exalted that church out
of superstition. I know many people, I've encountered
a man I was talking to one time, He all of a sudden began to curse
just in his language. That was his natural speech. And when he found out what I
was, that I was a pastor, he, oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean
to curse in front of you. You see, he didn't do that because
he feared Christ. He didn't do that because his
conduct was not reverencing Christ. He did it because he was superstitious. He's superstitious. People do
this, not because they love Christ, but out of a vain superstition,
as though God would do something bad. You know, the world and
its religion believes like karma. You know, you do good and good
will happen to you. You do bad and bad will happen
to you. So they, out of superstition, will fear or reverence somebody
who claims to be a Christian. Well, that's just like those
people on Mars Hill. Remember when Paul was speaking
to those on Mars Hill? He saw that they had a God, a
statue for every God, and then he saw one that said, the unknown
God, just in case they forgot one. Just in case they missed
out on a God, they put up a statue for Him. And Paul said, let me
tell you about that God. I perceive you are too superstitious. This world is a very superstitious
place. Very superstitious. And that's
what happened in verse 13 when they didn't dare join them, but
magnified them. And although this religious age
pays lip service to the gospel of Christ, yet they will not
come near it. They will not join themselves
with us, even though they hold some kind of superstitious fear. They do not do this because they
don't have any joy for the things of Christ. What we do here is
not really good for them. They don't like what we do here.
They'll pay a little respect to it, a little lip service to
it, but as far as joining it, no way. No, they don't have any
love for the things of Christ. But I'll tell you this, believers
do. Believers in Jesus Christ, we gather together to hear the
gospel preached just like these people did. They said they were
with one accord on Solomon's porch while nobody else, they
didn't have any interest outside of that. But we do. We have an
interest in these things. All Christ's children, All of
His elect will come and worship Him no matter what this religious
age does. Look at verse 14. It says, And
the believers were the more added to the Lord. Multitudes both
of men and women. Regardless of how this religious
and superstitious age acts, no matter how much they pay lip
service, one thing is sure, God will bring His people. He will call His elect and they
will come. They will come. regardless of
what other men do. So don't be discouraged by what
these other people are doing. Don't be discouraged by that.
Because God says, I will gather them. He says, to the north,
keep not back. To the south, come, gather My
children from afar. God will gather His children
and He will add them to His church. Now look at verses 15 and 16. insomuch that they brought forth
the sick into the streets and laid them on the beds and couches,
that the least shadow of Peter passing might overshadow some
of them. There came also a multitude out
of the cities round about Jerusalem, bringing sick folks and them
which were vexed with unclean spirits, and they were healed
every one." You see, the people heard. They
heard that there was healing. They heard a message that there
was hope for the sick. And they came and they lined
these beds up in the streets so that Peter and the apostles
who were given the power of healing would heal them. Well, this,
my friends, is a picture of the mission of the church. To us,
this is a picture of what we as a church are to be about. Friends, the mission of the church
of Christ is this, the message of the gospel for sick folk. That's our message. That's our
mission, is to preach the gospel to sick folks, those who are
sick and lame and vexed with unclean spirits, to all who are
sick of sin. My friends, I am sick of sin. I am sick of sin. My flesh is
full of sin. My outer man is full of deadness." This message is for me. The mission
of the church is for me. And you that are sick with sin,
you that are lame and vexed with the devil, my friend, this is
our mission to preach the gospel to you. To those who are lame
from the fall of Adam and vexed with this natural man. These
are the ones that we are called to preach to, for these are the
ones that Jesus came to save. He said, I came not to save the
righteous, but call sinners to repentance. This is a faithful
saying and worthy of all acceptation that Jesus Christ came into the
world to save who? Sinners. Sinners. If you will, flip over real fast
to Mark chapter 2. Mark chapter 2. This was very offensive to the
Pharisees when Jesus did this. Mark chapter 2 and verse 16. Mark chapter 2 and verse 16,
it says, And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with
publicans and sinners, they said to his disciples, How is it that
your master eat with publicans and sinners? And Jesus heard
it, knowing his disciples couldn't answer it. They didn't have the
understanding to answer. He answered and he said, They
that are whole need not a physician, but they that are sick I came
not to call right the righteous, but sinners to repentance." See,
the Pharisees, when they saw the Lord Jesus mingling in with
those publicans and sinners, the worst and the dregs among
society, He came in and He dined with them and taught them the
Word of God. And when the religious folks
saw that, they were very upset. They said if this man was a prophet
of God, he wouldn't eat with those folks, he'd come eat with
us. We're good. We're holy. He would come and
eat with holy people like us. He would flock together with
good people. You see, the church is not here
for good people. The church is here for the dregs
and sinners. Sinners. The religious world
don't have anything to do with sinners. They don't mind paying
lip service to them as long as they stay out of their churches.
Sinners. But the church's mission is for
sinners. Jesus said, if you're whole,
you don't need a physician. Isn't that easy to understand?
Isn't that like a child can understand that? You don't go to the doctor
unless you're sick. And you won't come to Christ
unless you're sick of sin. You won't come to need His care,
His healing. And this is the message we preach
to sick sinners. Come. Come and hear the message
of hope. You see, this is the message
of the church. The message of hope for sinners. The message of hope for sinners.
Come and welcome sinners. Come, you are full of sin. For
Jesus came not to call good folks, but sinners to repentance." Isn't that a blissful thought
to you, sinner? Isn't that a blissful thought
that He came to save you? This is His purpose? This is
His mission? Oh, the joy of this truth that
Jesus did not come for holy folks. He wouldn't have come for me.
But hopeless, helpless, Depraved sinners. And this is our mission. And notice this. Notice that
the sick folks, notice their attitude. Look at this back in
our text. It says, they laid out on the
beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing
by. They were just hoping for a glimpse
of mercy. Just a shadow of mercy. Isn't that how we come to Christ?
Didn't we come begging for mercy? Didn't we come just saying, Lord,
be merciful and expecting just a little mercy? Hoping for a
little mercy? Is that what you receive though?
Did you receive just a little mercy? Just a shadow of mercy? No, my friends, we came for drops
of mercy, but when Christ came in, it was a flood of blessings,
wasn't it? It was a flood of love and mercy
to our souls. It was. It is today. It's a flood of mercy. And we
who were sick of sin were made every whit hole complete. Absolutely perfect in Christ. Is this not the testimony of
His church? Is that your testimony? Is that
our testimony? Is that our witness? Then this
should be our mission and our message to others like ourselves. To others like ourselves. This
is our mission. To tell others of the love of
Christ. To tell others of His mercy.
And notice at the end of the verse 16, it says, they were
healed every one. I like that. I like that. They were healed every one. There
wasn't one that came that wasn't healed. They came expecting a
shadow, just a little bit, maybe just a touch. But they got more
than they came for, didn't they? They were healed every one. Every one. Can you find in Scripture, in
your study of Scripture... I know in my study I haven't
found one yet. If you've found one, let me know.
There is not one occasion of the Lord Jesus Christ in which
He had determined to heal somebody or someone had came to Him for
healing that He cast them out. Not one. Not one. Everyone that
came was healed. Everyone. He didn't turn any
away. He never cast any out. And so
it is with all who come to Him, heavy laden with sin. In Mark
chapter 5, you remember that woman with the issue of blood?
Remember how she suffered many things of the doctors? And she
spent all she had. Remember that when Mark said
that? Mark chapter 5, I think it is. She spent all she had. She had nothing left. She had
nothing more to spend. And she heard of a message. She
heard that there was a man named Jesus that can heal her issue
of blood. And when she came and she said,
if I just but touch the hem of his garment, I'll be made whole. Religious folks spend much and receive nothing. They only grow worse. I remember
when I was in religion, I thought that my religion would save me,
but I grew none the better and I only grew worse. And it wasn't
until I spent all that I had, it wasn't until I spent all that
I had, until I had nothing, and when I had nothing, I came to
Christ with nothing. And I went away full. This is the message of the church.
Come empty. Come with nothing. And Christ
will send you away full. He will. He has me. He has you. Is this not our mission? Is this not our message? That
there's hope in Christ for sinners? In Matthew chapter 15, remember
that Gentile woman and her daughter vexed with the devil? And she
came to Jesus and begging His disciples. She didn't even think
she can get to Him. She went to the disciples and
started whining. They didn't want anything to
do with it. They couldn't do anything. And Jesus turned and He said to her,
is it meat to give the children's bread to dogs? Would you expect
such a harsh word from the Lord Jesus Christ? Yeah, but He knew. She was an example of us. She then said, truth, Lord, and
took her place as a dog before Him. And He said, oh, great is thy
faith. Go in peace. Go in peace. If a man comes and takes his
place as a worm, as a dog before Christ, my friends, he'll go
away a king. Go away a priest unto God. That's the message of the church.
This is the hope we have. If a man come with some goodness,
my friend, he'll go away empty. If you come to Christ with some
goodness that you have, this is also the message of the church,
you'll go away just like you came. You'll go away lost. Remember those two men that prayed.
The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, Lord, I thank
You I'm not like that fool over there. He went away to his house
the same as he came. But that man that bowed before
Christ and proclaimed himself, confessed himself to be the sinner,
and begged the Lord to be propitious, be merciful to him, he went away
to his house justified." And this is the message of the church.
Let this be our cry. Let this be our plea to men.
May we tell others of the grace of Christ's healing stream that
flows from Calvary's mountain. Let us tell and proclaim the
blood of Christ that reaches deeper than our stain has ever
gone. Oh, everyone that is sick, everyone
that is vexed, come to Christ and He will heal you. This is
the message of the church. Now, verse 17, this is the result
of when we say this, when we proclaim the message, this will
be the result of most religious folks. Look at verse 17. It says, "...then the high priest
rose up and all that were with him, which were of the sect of
the Sadducees, and they were filled with indignation and laid
their hands on the apostles and put them in common prison." Now,
there were two sects in this time. in the religion of the Jews.
The Pharisees and the Sadducees. The Pharisees were the restrictest
of sects. They were the ones that tried
to follow the traditions and the law, and they were very stringent
and tolerant of no one. If you weren't part of their
group, you didn't have any entrance in the Kingdom of Heaven. Now,
the Sadducees were a liberal group. They were the most liberal
of the two, and the main difference was the Sadducees did not believe
in the resurrection. They didn't believe in it. They
didn't believe there was a resurrection. And they were the tolerant of
the two. But because of their lack of
tolerance in this one issue, the resurrection, they would
tolerate even the Gentile pagans. But they wouldn't tolerate this,
to preach the resurrection of Jesus Christ. They wouldn't tolerate
that. They wouldn't tolerate it at all. And they had commanded,
and if we look back in Acts chapter 4, if you'll remember, they commanded
the apostles when they came the first time to them, they said,
don't speak anymore in that name. That's what they said. We don't
want you to speak in that name anymore. And what did the apostles
answer? They said, well, you answer me
this, is it better to obey you or God? And I think that was
a rhetorical question. That wasn't something that they
had to answer. That was rhetorical. That was something that you commonly
would know is better to obey God. And the apostles, when they
asked this question, they knew that they should obey
God. But these Pharisees, these Sadducees, they gathered together
them again, put them in front of that council, and they said,
hey, didn't we tell you not to speak in this name? And look
at verse 28. I love this. Look at verse 28.
and saying, Did we not straightly command you that you should not
teach in this name? And behold, you have filled Jerusalem
with your doctrine and intend to bring this man's blood upon
us. And Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to
obey God rather than men." I guess we had to answer that rhetorical
question. Didn't we tell you before that
we were going to obey God? Of course we are. We're going
to obey God rather than you. We're not going to listen to
you. You have no authority or power over us. These Sadducees,
you see, they'll tolerate anything but the truth. And that's the
same with religious folks. When you preach this message,
they'll tolerate anybody but you. They'll be tolerant to anybody
but you. Anything but the truth. People
don't mind Jesus in a manger. Do they? That poor little helpless
baby, they don't mind that. Oh, that's cute. Put him in a
little thing of hay and put some animals around him, and they'll
bow down and worship that one. They'll worship that Jesus. Why? Because he's helpless. They don't
mind Jesus on the cross. Big statue of Jesus with it hanging
there and it looks all skinny and sad and helpless. They don't
mind that, Jesus. And I'll tell you what, religious
folks don't even mind Jesus on the throne as long as He doesn't
interfere with their free will. They don't mind that, Jesus.
As long as He has no power over them, as long as He stands at
the door with no handle on the outside and can't get in, they
don't mind that, Jesus. They'll tolerate that one all
day long. But you tell them that Jesus Christ is the sovereign
Lord of all the heavens and the earth, and they will not tolerate
that. You tell them that He does whatsoever
He pleases among the armies of heaven and the inhabitants of
the earth, and they will have nothing to do with that Jesus.
You tell them that Jesus Christ saves whom He wills. And they don't want anything
to do with that. I do. I do. I bow to Him who is Lord
and Sovereign over all creation. Jesus Christ. This morning, people
around this world are talking about the resurrection, the ascension
of Christ. I tell you, they have no idea
who He is. He is the Sovereign Lord of all
the universe. And He does whatsoever He pleases. And right now, He is moving all
things according to the counsel of His own will. He is manipulating
men and getting them to do exactly what He wants them to do. And all this for the purpose
of saving you and me. Isn't that glorious? That's glorious. He is doing all things for His
people and for His own glory. And people like the Sadducees,
when they hear this witness, they will not tolerate it. But
my friends, don't you mind them whatsoever. They put them in
prison. They took them and put them in
the common prison. We see the angel of the Lord
came to them by night and opened the jail doors and walked them
out and said, go back to where you were and start preaching
again. God, our Savior, rules over all things. Don't mind the persecution of
this world. Don't pay it any mind. God will
take care of us. I pray the Lord will bless this
to our hearts to see that this is our mission. And let us not
be dissuaded in any way from preaching the gospel of Jesus
Christ to the sick, to the lost, and telling the world that Christ
is a successful Savior. A successful Savior. He is risen. Praise the Lord. We're dismissed.