Because God Said So

By Rev. Heidi L. Barham |  April 27, 2025

Click here to listen to the service 
 
Read Acts 5:27 – 32 (NIV)
 
This morning, the New Testament lesson that calls for our attention is one of the Lectionary texts suggested for this first Sunday following Easter and comes from the Book of Acts.  However, it is just a portion of a larger story that is found in the fifth chapter of the book of Acts.
 
If we were to look back at the verses preceding our text for today, we would read about the Apostles performing many miraculous signs and wonders among the people... and how that resulted in more and more men and women believing in the Lord... which led to people bringing their loved ones who were sick out into the streets... hoping that as Peter passed by, his shadow might fall on them and cause them to be healed. 
 
There were also crowds coming from all around Jerusalem who were bringing their sick as well as those who were being tormented by evil spirits... and according to the Scriptures, all of them were healed (Acts 5:12-16).
 
Clearly, something truly spectacular was going on…
 
So, perhaps it should come as no surprise that in the midst of all the miracles that were being performed... there were some folks who were not particularly happy about everything that was going on. 
 
After all, they had put Jesus to death for the exact purpose of putting a stop to everything that He had been doing among the people.
 
However, in spite of the Jewish religious leaders’ best efforts... even after Jesus’ death, the signs, miracles and wonders continued.  And that is likely the explanation for why Acts 5:17 says that the Sadducees were filled with jealousy. 
 
And that’s when the story gets even better…  let me read the next section of Acts 5 from the Message Paraphrase:

Provoked mightily by all this, the Chief Priest and those on his side, mainly the sect of Sadducees, went into action, arrested the apostles and put them in the town jail. But during the night an angel of God opened the jailhouse door and led them out. He said, “Go to the Temple and take your stand. Tell the people everything there is to say about this Life.”  Promptly obedient, they entered the Temple at daybreak and went on with their teaching. 
 
Meanwhile, the Chief Priest and his cronies convened the High Council, Israel’s senate, and sent to the jail to have the prisoners brought in. When the police got there, they couldn’t find them anywhere in the jail. They went back and reported, “We found the jail locked tight as a drum and the guards posted at the doors, but when we went inside we didn’t find a soul.”  The chief of the Temple police and the high priests were puzzled. “What’s going on here anyway?”  Just then someone showed up and said, “Did you know that the men you put in jail are back in the Temple teaching the people?” The chief and his police went and got them, but they handled them gently, fearful that the people would riot and turn on them.  (Acts 5:17-26)

And that brings us to our text for the morning... where we find the religious leaders admonishing the Apostles and reminding them that they had been ordered to stop preaching and teaching in the name of Jesus.
 
I need to pause here for a moment... there is something curious that stands out about this passage... notice that the Jewish leaders did not seem the least bit curious as to HOW the Apostles had gotten out of the jail and ended up back in the Temple. 
 
Apparently, they were so consumed with trying to stop the message of Christ that not even a supernatural jailbreak made them raise an eyebrow.
 
Now, I don’t know about you... but I think I would have at least been a little bit interested in knowing how an entire group of prisoners had gotten out of jail and gone right back to the Temple... all while the doors to the cells were still locked and the guards were still in place. 
 
Then again, maybe that’s just me... because as we see from the text... the Sanhedrin and the High Priest did not seem to be the least bit intrigued by the Apostles miraculous escape. 
 
Apparently, the High Priest was more intent on stopping the Apostles from spreading their message of repentance and forgiveness... while at the same time trying to preserve the reputation of the Sanhedrin. 
 
The High Priest even tried to say the Apostles were erroneously blaming the religious leaders for Jesus’ death… 
 
I can just about imagine Peter and the Apostles reaction to that one…
 
Um, just to let you know... our orders come from a much higher authority... the One who actually raised Jesus from the dead... whom, make no mistake, YOU all really did kill when you hung Him on a cross.
 
And so, as the Apostles stood there... they were not sharing second or third-hand information... they were eyewitnesses who were ready, willing and able to tell anybody who would listen... including the religious leaders... that Jesus had been exalted to the right hand of God as Prince and Savior in order to bring Israel to a place of repentance and forgive them of their sins. 
 
Now, because the Apostles had seen what had happened to Jesus, they were well aware of the extreme lengths to which these religious leaders were willing to go to stop the Good News from spreading... but they stood there... bold and unashamed of their faith in Jesus as they gave their testimony.  Why?   
 
BECAUSE GOD SAID SO!
 
The Apostles were not operating out of some sense of blind loyalty.  They were not ignorant of the consequences that would come as a result of following Jesus.  They knew full well what could happen to them as a result of sharing the message of salvation through Jesus the Christ... after all they had already been imprisoned for preaching the Good News about Jesus.
 
They had every expectation that there would be consequences for proclaiming the truth about Jesus... because before His crucifixion, Jesus had already warned His followers about what was sure to come.  
 
However, He also told them that they would be blessed... even through the hardships and challenges they would face as a result of their faith.
 
In Luke 6:22 we read, “Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.”
 
So, it seems safe to say that Peter and the Apostles were not all that surprised to find themselves facing jail time for preaching and teaching in the name of Jesus.
 
The reality is that even now, in this 21st century... when we give our own testimony on behalf of Christ, we may find ourselves facing hardships and challenges as well... even as some believers around the world are still facing persecution for the sake of the Gospel. 
 
But just like the Apostles, we need to keep sharing our stories anyhow.  We should never give up, even if it seems as though little or nothing, except perhaps trouble is likely to come as a result of our efforts.   
 
Why?  BECAUSE GOD SAID SO!
 
The Apostle Paul encouraged the Galatian church, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).  And that means we should not grow weary either.
 
We never know what seeds we may be planting simply by sharing our stories of faith and salvation with someone else. 
 
We may not realize that telling others how the Lord has brought us through the different storms in our own lives may help someone who feels like they are drowning and have no hope. 
 
And although we may never see the seeds we plant come to fruition... that is no excuse for us to keep silent.  If God has been good to us (and looking out at all of you, it seems to me that is the case) ...we should not be afraid to tell someone about it... We should never be ashamed of the Gospel. 
 
As Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile” (Romans 1:16).
 
Now, when I think about what it means to not be ashamed of the gospel, it makes me think of a man from Argentina named Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who passed away this past week at the age of 88. 
 
He was a man who believed in providing care to those who were considered outcasts... often going out to the fringes of society to minister to others with grace, mercy, and a spirit of humility.

Perhaps you have heard this man, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, referred to by a different, somewhat more recognizable, name... Pope Francis, the 266^th pope of the Catholic Church.
 
Although some people will tell you that Pope Francis was not perfect and made his share of missteps in the twelve years that he served... he will forever be remembered for his unmistakable commitment to living a life that reflected the teachings of Jesus.  His was a life of service to those that Jesus taught about in Matthew 25... those who have been marginalized and ostracized.
 
In a 2013 Jesuit journal interview, Pope Francis was quoted as saying, “I see clearly that the thing the church needs most today is the ability to heal wounds and to warm the hearts of the faithful.  I see the church as a field hospital after battle” (Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88 | AP News).
 
The church has been called to be a place of healing for those who are hurting... and not the source of pain and misery.  The church is the place where we should be welcoming and embracing one another, regardless of any differences that may exist between us. 
 
Why?  BECAUSE GOD SAID SO.
 
All we need to do is look at the Great Commission that Jesus gave to His disciples (and by extension to us):

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. (Matthew 28:19 – 20).

It was no accident that Jesus said, “all nations,” when issuing the command to go... He was reminding His followers that He gave His life for all of us... without exception. 
 
How can we know that with any certainty?  BECAUSE GOD SAID SO!
 
It’s right there in John 3:16 and 17:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

So, no matter how anyone tries to slice it and dice it and come up with something to the contrary... the Good News is for ALL of us, period, full stop.
 
Which is why it is incumbent upon us to share the Good News about Jesus and the gift of salvation that is open to all... so, no matter what may be happening in the world around us... we need to keep telling people the truth about Jesus.
 
As our text points out, they tried to stop the Apostles from preaching and teaching others about Jesus... but we can see what happened as a result.  Here we are roughly 2,000 years later and the Good News is still being shared... in spite of the misguided efforts of those who have tried to pervert the Gospel and use it for their own personal agenda.
 
It has been said that Jorge Mario Bergoglio chose the name Francis after St. Francis of Assisi... who was a 13^th century monk known for having chosen a life of personal simplicity and for caring for those society would consider to be “the last, the lost, and the least.” It was a life that Pope Francis chose to emulate.
 
Looking at the example that Pope Francis left for us, I am reminded of a quote that has often been attributed to St. Francis, although possibly incorrectly.  However, the sentiment found in the quote seems to exemplify the way that both St. Francis and Pope Francis lived their lives, “Preach the Gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words.”
 
It is a reminder that our actions really do speak louder than our words.  Or as we read in the Book of James (2:14 – 17, MSG):

Dear friends, do you think you’ll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, “Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!” and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?

So, let me ask... are we willing to put feet on our faith... caring for the hungry, the homeless, and the hurting as we demonstrate Christ’s love in action?
 
Are we willing to follow in the footsteps of the Apostles and take a bold stance like they did... sharing the Good News about a living Savior who is Christ the Lord? 
 
Are we willing to share our own stories of faith in the One who laid down His life for all of us? 
 
If your answer to any or all of those questions is yes, I want to invite you to stand and join in singing our Hymn of Discipleship: My Faith Looks Up to Thee #576.
 

Back