Will you turn with me back to
Acts chapter 5? Acts chapter 5. The book of Acts covers a period
of about 30 to 35 years. It's the record of the history
of the early church. And just in these verses that
we read earlier from chapter 5, you find that their message,
what the apostles preached, publicly, in the temple, and from house
to house, never changed. It never varied. They preached
Jesus Christ all the time, brother Lowe, all the time. Christ as
the risen and exalted Lord. Look again at their answer to
the Sanhedrin and the Senate. at verse 30, well, verse 29 too. Then Peter and the other apostles,
they're united in this. There's no disagreement about
this. Then 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 ye slew and hanged on a tree, him. Him hath God
exalted high and lifted up with his right hand. to that place
of dominion and power, to be a prince and a savior, for to
give repentance to Israel and the forgiveness of sins. Oh,
what a prince he is. What royalty there is in the
person of Christ. There's none else like him. And
a Savior, singular, singular. There's not another. There's
not another Savior. Never has been and never will
be. And notice it speaks of the gifts
from his gracious bounty. From the storehouse of grace,
our prince and savior who sits upon his throne of majesty dispenses
forgiveness of sins, repentance and forgiveness of sins. What gifts of grace. What gifts
of grace. It matters not. what I may possess
or what I may lack in this life, if I'm a possessor of these royal
gifts from His gracious hand, repentance and forgiveness of
sins, I have everything I need. Oh, just to know Him. He reigns
now, Peter says. He reigns now in life to save
all those He purchased, all those He redeemed by His death. By Him we have now received atonement,
Paul wrote in Romans 5, the benefits of it. He reigns in glory to
bestow all the blessings that he procured by his life and death
upon all those that he did so for. And this is what the book
of Acts is all about, what Christ did and is still doing through
his church. And I need not tell you, I'm
sure, but it will not do any harm to be reminded the story
of our risen Savior, the message of the cross, the gospel, what
our exalted Lord is doing, has done, and is yet doing. It's
a success story. It's a success story. He shall
not fail, the prophet says, concerning our Lord Jesus Christ. He shall
not fail. He'll not even be discouraged. Oh, it's a success story. Peter
and John, had been arrested before. Look, if you will, for a moment
back in chapter 4. After the healing of the lame
man at the beautiful gate of the temple, they took that occasion,
when the crowd ran together to see what was happening, they
took that opportunity to preach the gospel unto them. And then
the powers that be came upon them and arrested them, just
Peter and John. In chapter 4, verse 1, as they
spake unto the people, the priest and the captain of the temple
and the Sadducees came upon them, being grieved that they taught
the people and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the
dead. and they laid hands on them and
put them in hold until the next day for it was now even tide. And just as they did in chapter
5, they threatened them. We command you, don't preach
anymore in this name. And Peter gave the same answer.
We ought to obey God rather than men. And being let go, we're
told they went to their own company. In chapter 4, look at verse 23. And being let go, being released
by the authorities, they went to their own company and reported
all that the chief priest and elders had said unto them. Their
own company. Isn't that a sweet expression?
They went to those other believers. They went to them, told them
all that had taken place, and then beginning at verse 24, down
through verse 30, were told what they did. They prayed. They prayed. They prayed that
the work would go on, and they knew that it could only continue,
that it could only go on in the same manner in the way that it
began. by their grace and power of God.
Look at verse 29. Included in their prayer is this,
And now, Lord, behold their threatenings, and grant unto thy servants that
with all boldness they may speak thy word. by stretching forth
thine hand to heal, and that signs and wonders might be done
by the name of thy holy child Jesus." They prayed. The early
church knew, as Christ had said, without me, you can do nothing
at all. They prayed that the Word of
God might be preached with boldness. This is what the... of their
salvation commanded them to do, is it not? Go into all the world
and preach the gospel to every creature. They didn't tell their
own company, now let's march on the Sanhedrin. Let's demand
our rights. They didn't hire them a lawyer
and file a suit against them. No, they prayed. They prayed,
God grant us boldness. Look at verse 31 of chapter 4. And when they had prayed, the
place was shaken where they were assembled together
and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and they spake
the word of God with boldness. You see, God who has ordained
The salvation of sinners, who has purposed it, has also ordained the means. How shall they hear, Paul said
in Romans 10, without a preacher? How shall he preach except he
be sent? Sent by God. And God who ordained
those things also ordained prayer. ordained prayer. Call upon me,
God says, and I will answer thee and show thee great and mighty
thing that you looked not for. Verse 33 of Acts 4. They receive exactly what they
needed. They receive exactly what they
prayed for. And with great power gave the
apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great
grace was upon them all." Great power and great grace. Now let's look back in chapter
5. Again in chapter 5. As we said
during the reading, they're arrested, they're threatened, they're beaten. Don't you dare preach in this
name again. but they give the same answer.
We ought to obey God rather than men. We can't help but preach
the things that we've seen and heard. We're simply obeying the
command of the captain of our salvation who told us to go into
all the world and start right here. Start right here where
he was crucified. Start right here where they shouted,
we'll not have this man rule over us. We're preaching the
exalted risen and reigning Lord. We just can't help it. I have
a book at home entitled Lectures to My Students. It was written
by Mr. Spurgeon. It contains lessons,
if you will, to young men who had applied to him for instruction
and help who felt they were called to preach the gospel of God's
grace. Spurgeon has a chapter in the
book, it's pretty humorous, some of the reasons young men would
give for believing they were called by God to preach. One
said, I failed at everything else. I can't do nothing else,
so I want to be a preacher. Mr. Spurgeon said even, often
rather, he would say to those who approached him, don't do
it if you can help it. Don't do it, Joe, if you can
help it. That's pretty good advice. Peter said, we can't help it.
We can't help it. Jeremiah said, I determined I
wouldn't speak any more in his name to this rebellious and hard-hearted
and stiff-necked people. But, he said, his word was like
a fire in my bones and I couldn't help it. This was Peter's answer. And now look, if you will, at
verses 38 and 39 in chapter 5. These are the words of Gamaliel
concerning what they should do. The title of my message is Of
Men or Of God. His words are another example
that even the enemies of our Lord and his gospel often say
much more than they intended to say. He did here, didn't he? He said, if this work, if what
we're seeing, if what's taking place is of men, and he gave
examples of two others, it won't amount to anything. It'll soon
fizzle out. So, don't do anything. But if
it be of God, if it be of God, and he didn't believe it. He
didn't believe it, but what he said was so. He didn't understand
it, but yet what he said was so. If it be of God, you cannot,
you cannot overthrow it. The child of God isn't that encouraging. It's the work in me. The work of God's grace cannot
be overthrown. His glorious gospel cannot be
defeated. God's work, God's purpose cannot
be overthrown. Not by anyone, not at any time. He's accomplishing all of his
will and all of his purpose. Isn't that encouraging? And these
words were spoken by one of the Lord's enemies. This happened on other occasions.
I mean by that, men saying much more than what they intended
to say. The chief priests, the elders and the scribes, stood
on Mount Calvary that day, looking up at that one. on the middle
cross suffering. And mockingly, just as a matter
of pure mockery, that's all they meant by it, but they said the
very words of prophecy. He saved others, himself he cannot
save. And they were exactly right.
Peter, put up your sword. The cup which my father giveth
me, should I not drink it? Put your sword away." I could
right now call a legion of angels, but then how would God's Word
be fulfilled? That thus it must be. And they spoke exactly the truth.
He saved others, He Himself. He cannot say because in saving
Himself, that corn of wheat, that he spoke of in John 12,
must fall into the ground and die. We spoke about that two
weeks ago. And if it dies, it bringeth forth
much fruit. If it does not, it abides alone.
But if it dies, what happens? What happens? If the Son of God
dies, what happens? If the Son of God is made sin,
what happens? What's the result? What's the
fruit? What's the outcome? What's the
purpose? What's it all about? If He's
made sin for us, We're made the righteousness of God in him. If he enters into the holy place,
what happens? He obtains eternal redemption
for us. When he cries, it is finished,
what happened? He took away all the sins of
all of his people forever, glory to his name, and even his enemies,
though they realized it not, spoke the very words of truth. Pilate likewise did the same
thing, didn't he? After our Lord bowed his head,
saying, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit, and dies. What a mystery. That one who
stood before the tomb of Lazarus, who had just told Martha, I'm
the resurrection and the life, and said, Lazarus, come forth,
and his very words sent forth the life. back into the heart
and soul of Lazarus. And that man who had been dead
four days stumbled out of the tomb. That one who said, in me
is life, life, bows his head and dies. His body is hurriedly prepared
for the tomb because the Sabbath drew on. And the enemies of our
Lord came to Pilate and said, they remembered the enemies what
his disciples forgot. His words, after three days,
I'll rise again. Now this is probably what will
happen. His disciples will come and steal his body. And then
they'll go around saying he rose from the dead. And everything
we've done will be for nothing. Therefore seal the tomb and set
it watch. Give us guards. to stand before
that tomb. You remember what Pilate said?
Again, much more than he realized. He said, go your way. You have
your guard. Go your way. You have a watch. Make it as sure as you can. Make it as sure as you can. And
they did. And they did. Oh, but the captain
of our salvation, in three days arose with healing in his wings,
exalted as a prince and a savior, and now, now, he yet gives repentance
and forgiveness of sins to every needy sinner that comes to him. This work that Gamaliel spoke
of, though he realized it not, What was taking place was the
salvation of sinners by the risen Lord. He said, you cannot overthrow
it. You cannot overthrow it. Look, if you will, back in Acts
4. Did we not command you not to preach in this man's name?
And they put them into prison. But look at verse 4. Verse 3,
again it says, and they laid hands on them and put them in
hold until the next day, for now it was evening time. Howbeit, many of them which heard
the word of God believed. If this be of God, you cannot
overthrow it. Howbeit, many of them which heard
the word of God believed, and the number of the men was about
five thousand. Paul wrote to Timothy, his beloved
son in the faith, and he said in 2 Timothy 2, wherein I suffer
trouble as an evildoer, even unto bonds, but the word of God
is not bound. God's word is not bound. What did the Lord say? My word
shall not return unto me, boy. That is empty, futile. It'll
accomplish. It'll accomplish that whereunto
I send it. Paul said, I'm bound. I'm in
prison. But God's word is not. It's not
bound. So what, Paul? So what? If God's
word is not bound, what will you do? Sit still and do nothing? No, no. He said, therefore, therefore
I endure all things, all things for the elect's sake that they
may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with
eternal joy. Now, I'm sure you've experienced
people one day have an idea that it kind of slips out that you
believe God's sovereign mercy. That you believe that which is
considered a cuss word in most churches today, that doctrine
of election. And they look at you like you're
from Mars and say, well, if I believe that, I do nothing. The very opposite
is true, isn't it? The very opposite is true. Because
Our faith in God as sovereign, and our belief that Christ is
able to save to the uttermost, rather than being a damper to
witnessing, Rather than being a deterrent to preaching the
gospel, it's the very stimulus, it's the very motive to know
that he shall not fail. To hear that it's pleased God
through preaching to save those that believe is all the reason
to preach the gospel to every creature. It shall not fail. The gospel, Paul said, is the
power of God unto salvation. Now look at verse 38. Acts chapter
5 again. Salvation be of man or God. If it be of man, it will come
to naught. It will come to naught. The hope
of every man here, every one of us, every individual here, If salvation be by works, it
will come to naught. This is why they hated the apostles'
message of salvation. They weren't doing anything evil.
They weren't trying to overthrow the government. They were healing
people. They were preaching the gospel.
Why did the Sanhedrin, why did these religious authorities hate
them so? The message of salvation by grace
alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Why did they hate
that? Because it destroyed their foundation. It destroyed what they were building
on. Their work, their hope, was man-made. It was of men. It was their own
doing. The message of grace said you're
saved by pure unmerited favor. God in free, full, gracious pardon
forgives all the sins of his people, and it's free. The message
of grace is offensive to religious lost men. It offends their pride. How dare you tell me that all
I've done, all I've done, All this store of works that I have,
you're telling me they're worth nothing? Even more than that,
how dare you tell me they're filthy rags? I've labored all
my life. I've weaved with my own hands
a robe, a robe made by my own works. Surely, surely it will
present me before God accepted. And God says it's filthy rags.
The message of a grace offends religious lost men. It offends
their pride, their dignity, their self-worth. It's offensive to
everybody. except those who are saved by
it. It doesn't offend them, does it? Did it offend you? Lester, were you upset? Were
you upset when God had brought you down, gave you just a glimpse,
an inkling of your nothingness? When God got you lost, And you heard the message of
full, free, gracious salvation? You heard the blessed promise,
look unto me? Don't look to self. Don't look to the preacher. Don't
look to the church. Don't look to the priest. Look
to me. Look only to me. And be ye saved. Did you not find that the best
news you ever heard in your life? Saved to the uttermost. Man's
attempts to gain salvation by his own works will come to naught. Every time. They will never succeed. Ask that rich young ruler. You
remember him, don't you? How impressive he looks. He came to the Lord. He sought
the Lord. Found him. And when he came to
him, he bowed down before him. Not many people were doing that.
He bowed down before him and called him Lord. And he was a
rich man. Someone said most churches would
have took him right in, made him a member, made him the treasurer.
He bowed down and said, What must I do to inherit eternal
life? How can I earn eternal life? Our Lord spoke the commandments
to him. And he said, Oh, I've done all
that. That's not a problem. I've done it all. And our Lord
put his finger on the sore spot to prove that he had done it
all. Have you really loved your neighbor
as yourself? Then sell everything you've got and give it to your
neighbor. Give it to the poor and come follow me. And you remember,
the young man went away sorrowful. Sorrowful. He found out, just what we read
in our text, all of his works. amount to nothing, zero. He walks
away. That's that Pharisee that our
Lord spoke about in Luke 18. He said, Lord, so glad I'm not
like other men. So glad. I fast and I tithe. I'm not like
the common riff-raff. I'm sure not like that publican
down there. My soul how that he wishes he was like that publican
now. If he's left up his eyes in hell,
oh, how often he's thought, oh, that I'd been like that poor
publican who cried for mercy and went home from the temple
that day justified. All the religious works of all
religious men of all time equal, you know what it all comes to?
Naught. Nothing. God will not accept
any man's works except one. Except one. There's one. A real man. A real man. God accepts his works. The God-man. The Lord of glory looked from
heaven and said concerning him something he said of none other.
I'm well pleased in him. Everything he does, everything he does, every thought
he's ever had, every word he's ever spoken, every motive in
his heart, from the time he entered this world in that stable in
Bethlehem. Until he expired upon the cross,
everything he's ever done pleases me. He's perfect God and perfect
man. Now, where do you want to be
found? Where do you want to be found? in yourself or in him. God accepts him and accepts all
those that are in him. Now look, if you will, at verse
39 of Acts 5. The other half of the text is
this. But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it. All such
good news to this sinner. To this sinner. Paul wrote in
Ephesians 2, for by grace are you saved through faith, and
it's not of yourselves, it's the gift of God. So far, being
that salvation is not the result of your work, Paul said, you
are the work. We are His workmanship. We are His creation. The believer
is a product of his grace. He's a miracle of God's mercy. In Romans 8 he wrote, we know
that all things work together for good to them who love God,
to them who are called according to his purpose. How do we know
Paul? Paul went on to say because it's
his work. It's His work. Whom He did for know, He predestinated,
and He called and justified and glorified. It's all His work
from beginning to end. And Paul asked you and me, what
shall we say to that? What use shall we make of that?
What shall we say to these things? And Paul says this, if God be
for us, if God be for us, who can be against us? If God be
for us, in the way of all those blessed truths, then it must
be, bless God, it must be well with my soul. Why wouldn't it
be? Why wouldn't it be well with
my soul? If I'm in the hand of my omnipotent God, it must be
well with my soul. Paul said, he that hath begun
a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. God's work, God's salvation cannot
be overthrown. It can't be defeated. Gamaliel
would find out soon after this. that these words would come very
close to home. We read in verse 34 that he was
a doctor of the law. He was a teacher, instructor,
held in high esteem. He had a prize pupil that he
taught the law to, the traditions of the fathers. And his prize
pupil would not too long after this, become a follower of the
Lord Jesus Christ. That pupil was Saul of Tarsus.
Turn, if you will, to chapter 22. Chapter 22. Paul tells us this. Verse 3 of
Acts 22. Paul has come to Jerusalem. He's
no sooner there, hardly, than he's arrested. But here he's
speaking to the multitude. And he says in verse 3 of chapter
22, I verily am a man which am a Jew born in Tarsus, a city
of Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel,
and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers,
and was zealous toward God as ye are all this day. And I persecuted
this way unto death, binding and delivering into prisons both
men and women. That was Gamaliel's prized pupil. Can't you just picture that young
man sitting at the feet of his esteemed teacher, just like a
sponge, soaking in everything he said. I was zealous toward
God. And afterward, he would write,
I can identify with those people who are going about ignorantly
to establish their own righteousness. They have a zeal for God, but
not according to knowledge. Paul said, I was the exact same
way. Remember what his teacher said?
If this work be of God, you cannot overthrow it. You cannot overthrow
it. Paul rides out to Damascus Gate
that day with his band of temple police around him, with a saddlebag
full of warrants to arrest every Christian that he finds in Damascus,
to drive them back, that they might stand trial, that he might
give his voice against them. They deserve to die. Oh, how
proud. How proud, how religious, sincere
and zealous, but how lost. And that day, that day, oh, he
who was exalted to be a prince and a savior appeared to Saul
of Tarsus. And that sinner fell down before
King Jesus. What will you have me to do? Oh, listen to your prized people
now, Gamaliel. I am what I am by the grace of
God. Listen to him now. When it pleased
God, who separated me from my mother's womb and called me by
his grace, Saul became a trophy of that one exalted to be a prince
and a savior. Yes, God's work cannot be overthrown. Did he not say that himself,
child of God? Upon this rock I'll build my
church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."
You're built upon the foundation of the prophets and prophets,
or rather the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the
chief cornerstone. What a foundation. The wise man
said, I know that whatsoever God doeth, it shall be forever.
Nothing can be put to it nor anything taken from it. And God
doeth it that men should fear before him. If I'm a product
of my own making, the result of a religious spasm, it will
come to naught. But if I'm only a sinner saved
by grace, if that's all I can lay claim to, then I have a good
hope. One hymn writer put it this way.
On Christ's salvation rests secure the rock of ages must endure.
Nor can that faith be overthrown which rests upon the living stone.
No other hopes will intervene. To Him we look, on Him we lean.
Other foundations we disown and build on Christ the living stone. In him it is ordained to raise
a temple to Jehovah's praise, composed of all his saints who
own no savior but the living stone. Jesus Christ himself being
the chief cornerstone. Let me wrap this up. Child of God, Let us remind ourselves that
God's purpose in this place, this place, cannot be overthrown. cannot be overthrown. God will
promote his own cause. God will provide the needs of
this church, and God will preserve and protect us till our work
is done. Remember, the weapons of our
warfare are not carnal, but spiritual. Spiritual warfare, spiritual
worship. Pray that our great God and Savior
will grant us what they prayed for and received, great grace
and great prayer. If it be of men, It will come
to naught but of God. It cannot be overthrown. Let
me ask you, before we're dismissed, before we're dismissed, I wonder
often when I stand here, before we're dismissed, when I look
down and see you, will I see you next Lord's Day? Will you
see me? Or will we be called out into
eternity? In view of that, of that certainty,
I ask you, do you trust God's work or your own? Right now, right now. Are you trusting your righteousness
or Christ's righteousness? Will you be found in Him? Or will you stand before God
Almighty alone with no mediator between you
and God? We will be found, O God. Grant that in that day we'll
be found in Him. clothed in the perfect righteousness
of the Lord Jesus Christ. May God grant that. Amen.