The Mission Marches On: Acts 5:17-42

Turn in your Bibles this morning to Acts 5.

Before we get there, I want us to remember the verse we’ve said is the central theme of the entire book of Acts. Jesus tells His disciples in Acts 1:8 You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

That’s the mission Jesus gave His church—go be My witnesses. But to complete this mission, Jesus says, we’ll need power. So He promises power through the Holy Spirit.

Which raises an important question: Power for what? What does the Holy Spirit actually empower witnesses to do?

Acts 5 answers that question.

We’ve seen through this series that at every turn, the mission of God faces opposition. Whether from outside the church or inside the church, the enemy want’s to stop the mission of God.

And today in Acts 5, as the mission faces increasing opposition, Luke shows us 4 ways the Holy Spirit empowers His witnesses.

Let’s read it. Acts 5:17-21a.

Once again there’s opposition to the mission of God. The religious leaders, v17 says, are jealous. That word is stronger than just fear and resentment and possessiveness. In these times it was more intense. It was an urgency to enforce God’s will through violence.

The religious leaders were so ticked with people listening to these unschooled ordinary men talking crazy about some guy who resurrected from the dead, that they were boiling over with anger.

So they had the Apostles arrested…again. Haha, we’ll put an end to this!

But…God delivered His people. An angel brought them out of jail and told them to—watch this—Go, stand in the temple courts (ya know where you were just arrested) and tell the people all about this new life. [5:20]

I love that—that’s the message we have. New life. New forgiveness. New identity. New purpose. New hope. And that’s the mission—tell people about it—be witnesses.

Because everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. But, how can they call on the one they’ve not believed in? And how can they believe in the one they’ve not heard of? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? [Romans 10:13-15]

You and I—followers of Jesus—have been sent to preach all about this new life. The angel—broke the guys out of jail and sent them back on the Acts 1:8 mission. Go back to the temple courts and tell the people all about this new life.

Here’s the first reason we need the Holy Spirit’s power. We need POWER TO OBEY

The angel didn’t say, Go home and lay low for a while.

Take a few days off. Wait for things to cool down.

This was hard! This was scary! You gotta believe Peter and the others were over always having to fight and claw their way through everyday. The natural, flesh-driven tendency of human beings is to seek ease and comfort. And so—we need supernatural, Spirit-driven power to obey what God commands.

And watch this—v21 At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people.

No debate. No prayer about whether this was really God’s will. No “Lord, give us another sign.” They simply obey.

And this is how it usually goes: before we’re empowered to speak, we’re empowered to obey.

Think about it—most of us, if we’re honest, would have picked another location. Lord, thank You for getting us out. Maybe we’ll witness somewhere a little safer.

Instead, they return to the exact place that got them arrested. Why? Because obedience mattered more than their convenience. Did you hear that? This is living with a Kingdom mind—when obedience matters more than our convenience.

And this is where witnessing often begins for us. The Spirit’s first work in a witness isn’t filling our mouths—it’s directing our feet.

Sometimes witnessing doesn’t start a gospel presentation, it’s simply doing the next thing Jesus has already told us to do.

Call the friend. Invite the neighbor. Pray with your coworker. Speak the truth in love. Refuse to compromise your values.

You see, before God gives us words to say, He often gives us a step to take. And the Holy Spirit gives us the power to obey…even in the midst of fear or uncertainty.

Let’s keep reading—Acts 5:21b-24

Don’t you just love God’s sense of humor. The mighty Sanhedrin gathers together and then sends for the fisherman-preachers to be brought before them and stand trial. But they’re not where they left them!

The doors are locked. The guards are standing post. But no one’s home! And their at a loss— confused. This is a total head scratcher!

But then someone bursts in the room…v25

Can you imagine the frustration? The very thing they were trying to stop is already happening again.

v26-28

Alright you guys, don’t you remember, we gave you strict orders not to teach in this name. [they won’t even say Jesus]. And yet—I love this, this is Acts 1:8 in action again—you’ve filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood!

Oh how quickly they forget that they were the ones that told Pilate that the blood of Jesus was on them and their children [Matthew 25:27]. The Apostles weren’t saying anything that wasn’t true.

But—here it is—v29-32.

Peter shows us the second reason we need the Holy Spirit’s power. After we’re empowered to obey, we need the Holy Spirit’s POWER TO SPEAK.

And speak Peter does. He gives one of the greatest one-liners in all of Scripture: v30 “We must obey God rather than human beings!”

This isn’t rebellion for rebellion’s sake. Peter isn’t anti-government—he’s not looking for a fight.

Throughout Scripture, God’s people are told to respect and obey governing authorities. But there is a line. Whenever human authority commands what God forbids…or forbids what God commands… our highest allegiance belongs to the Lord.

Jesus commanded them: You will be My witnesses.

The Sanhedrin said, Stop talking about Jesus.

Peter says, We know who we’re obeying.

Then notice what Peter does. He doesn’t defend himself. He doesn’t argue about religious or complain persecution. He preaches. Again.

Even standing before the very men responsible for His death, Peter cannot stop talking about Jesus.

The Holy Spirit empowers Peter so speak. And look at his message. It is short, clear, and totally Jesus-centered.

* You killed Jesus.

* God raised Jesus.

* God exalted Jesus.

* Jesus offers repentance and forgiveness.

* We and the Holy Spirit Himself are witnesses of Jesus!

Everything points back to Jesus!

Ya know, sometimes we think witnessing means having all the answers. But the Apostles remind us that witnessing is simply telling the truth about Jesus.

Jesus told His disciples earlier about how this would all play out. In Luke 12 He told them, When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say. [Luke 12:11-12]

The Holy Spirit doesn’t promise to make us eloquent. He promises to give us the power to speak.

Most of us won’t stand before a supreme court. But…we’ll stand before coworkers and neighbors. Friends and family members, classmates.

And in those moments we’ll feel the temptation to stay quiet—staying quiet’s easy.

That’s why we need the Holy Spirit’s power. The same Spirit that empowered Peter so stand up and speak the good news of Jesus in Acts 2, 3, 4, & 5 is the same Spirit empowering you and I to stand up and speak the good news of Jesus today!

That’s another powerful thing—the Holy Spirit doesn’t give us a new message for every audience. He gives us power to keep proclaiming the same message to every audience.

Of course when we speak—there are any number of responses we might receive. So far in our text we’ve seen jealousy, confusion, frustration. And now we’ll see rage.

Look at v33—When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death.

I’m sure the Apostles were remembering Jesus’ words in John 15:18—If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.

But something interesting happens. A voice of reason speaks up from among the Sanhedrin’s number—a wise and respected teacher named Gamaliel. v34-39

This wise old sage speaks up and basically says, Guys—this has happened before, remember? Just leave these guys alone! If this is all a movement of man—it’ll fall apart and fail. But if this is a movement of God—it can’t be stopped!

I love that—I needed to hear that reminder this week, maybe you do to—a movement of God CAN NOT BE STOPPED. Hallelujah!

Now watch this, this is the third reason we need the Holy Spirit’s power. We need His POWER TO OBEY, TO SPEAK AND…we need His POWER TO SUFFER WITH JOY.

Look at v40.

After the wisdom of Gamaliel prevails, the Apostles are spared execution…but don’t mistake that for mercy.

v40 says they were flogged. We read that sentence too quickly.

Flogging wasn’t a slap on the wrist. It was brutal.

But that’s followed by one of the most shocking verses in Acts: v41 The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.

Can you picture Peter that evening? Every movement hurts. He’s wincing with every breath. Blood on his back. Bruises forming. Yet when someone asks, ‘How are you?’ He smiles. “We were counted worthy.”

That’s supernatural. That’s what the Holy Spirit empowers—joy in the suffering.

They didn’t rejoice because pain is enjoyable. They rejoiced because suffering meant they were identified with Jesus.

The same world that rejected Him was now rejecting them.

And instead of seeing suffering as evidence that God had abandoned them…they saw it as evidence that they belonged to Him. That’s a Spirit-empowered perspective.

You know, most of us pray, Lord, keep me from suffering. Get rid of my suffering. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Jesus prayed in Gethsemane that the cup might pass from Him.

But if suffering comes because we’re faithfully following Jesus…the Holy Spirit gives us strength not only to endure it…but to endure it with joy.

That’s why I love the Apostle Paul’s prayer in Philippians 3:10-11: He says, I want to know Christ —yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

The truth is, we are never more like Jesus than when we are suffering.

Which gives a whole new meaning to the joy of the Lord being our strength.

It doesn’t mean smiling through every hardship. It means knowing that nothing we endure for Jesus is ever wasted.

So whether it’s suffering in prison like the Apostles or it’s being the only believer in your office. Whether it’s losing friendships because of your convictions or being mocked in a college classroom or family members who think you’ve gone too far—standing for Jesus always costs something.

But the Holy Spirit gives us the ability to love Jesus and His gospel more than our comfort.

Anyone can follow Jesus when it costs nothing. The Holy Spirit gives us the power to follow Him when it costs everything.

Remember what Jesus promised: You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be My witnesses…

He didn’t promise witnessing would be easy. He promised we would have power. Power to obey. Power to speak. Power to count it all joy when we suffer.

But there’s one more reason we see in this text of why we need the Holy Spirit’s power. And I think this is the big one—catchall, umbrella that all the others fall under. And that’s the POWER TO BE FAITHFUL. Obeying and speaking and suffering all fall under the command to be faithful.

Most of us would expect the last verse—the one that follows the rejoicing over suffering to say something like:

After being arrested…they became more cautious. Or, They decided to lay low for a while…they found a safer way to do ministry.

But that’s not how the Holy Spirit-empowered-people-of-God roll. So instead v42 reads: Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.

That’s the miracle. Not the angel. Not the prison doors. Not even the courage before the Sanhedrin. The miracle is faithfulness through all of it!

Think about what has happened in this chapter: they’ve been arrested. Miraculously released. Arrested again. Threatened. Flogged. Publicly humiliated.

If there was ever a moment to quit…this was it.

And instead, Luke says, “Day after day…”

Those may be the three most encouraging words in the passage.

Not once. Not when it was exciting or when people were watching. Day after day… The Christian life isn’t built on occasional moments of courage—it’s built on everyday faithfulness.

And notice where they were faithful.

In the temple courts. That’s the public arena—a place of opposition…a place where everyone could see them.

And…from house to house. That’s the personal place—a place of relationships, around the dinner table and in the living room.

In other words, their witness wasn’t an event—it was a lifestyle—or better said, it was their identity. They proclaimed Jesus publicly and personally because they were witnesses—it’s who they were.

Then Luke says something remarkable: they never stopped.

Not because opposition stopped—it didn’t. The threats didn’t stop. The suffering didn’t stop. But neither did the gospel.

That’s the power of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit doesn’t simply help us start well—He provides the power to stay faithful—even to the point of death.

And this is where we live. We won’t stand before Sanhedrin. Most of us won’t be flogged for our faith.

But—every one of us will face the temptation to simply drift. To get distracted. To simply go through some religious motions and slowly stop talking about Jesus.

Faithfulness isn’t spectacular. It’s showing up tomorrow. It’s opening your Bible again. Praying again. Inviting your neighbor again. It’s serving again…Day after day.

That’s what the Holy Spirit gives us the power to do—be faithful. Ordinary people doing ordinary things that have extra-ordinary Kingdom impact.

CONCLUSION

Church, this is what Acts 5 teaches us about the mission we’re given in Acts 1:8. We need the Holy Spirit’s power.

* POWER TO OBEY when Jesus says, “Go.”

* POWER TO SPEAK when the world says, “Be quiet.”

* POWER TO SUFFER WITH JOY when following Jesus costs you. And… * POWER TO REMAIN FAITHFUL day after day until the mission is complete.

Maybe today you’ve noticed something. None of these things come naturally.

Obeying doesn’t. Speaking doesn’t. Suffering with joy certainly doesn’t. And neither does staying faithful over decades.

That’s why Jesus didn’t simply give His disciples a mission. He gave them His Spirit. He game them —He gave us—POWER.

When you and I are baptized into Christ—we are declaring it’s His way not ours, His will not ours… when it’s His desires and direction and decisions, not ours…WE RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT and THE POWER WE NEED.

So if you are a follower of Jesus today—remember, YOU HAVE POWER. Wherever God has planted you…

Take the next step.

Speak the next word.

Endure the next hardship.

Live the next day faithfully.

BY HIS POWER THAT IS AT WORK WITHIN YOU.

Because there will always be opposition, but the mission of Jesus still marches on…and His Spirit still empowers each one of us Jesus-followers, to carry it forward.

PRAY.

COMMUNION

This would be a perfect time to partake in the Lord’s Supper together.

And as we do, I want to draw your attention back to the last words of v42…they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.

The Apostles couldn’t stop talking about Jesus because they were convinced He is the promised Messiah—the Savior God had promised for generations.

And every week, we join in that same proclamation.

The Apostle Paul says about the Lord’s Supper in 1 Corinthians 11:26—For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Think about that. The Lord’s Supper isn’t just something we receive. It’s something we proclaim.

When we eat the bread, we declare that the Messiah gave His body for us. When we drink the cup, we declare that the Messiah shed His blood for the forgiveness of our sins.

And as we do, we look ahead with hope—knowing that the same Jesus who died and rose again is coming back.

So today, remember the cross with grateful hearts— proclaiming together that Jesus is the Messiah. Bread, Juice, Prayer.