When Faith Meets Force

SUNDAY MORNING WORSHIP SERVICE, 7 December 2025
Sermon Series: “The Acts of the Apostles” (#9)
Sermon Text: Acts 5:17-42
Main Points:
Introduction
I. Pressed to cease
II. Delivered to the Life
III. Pressed to comply
IV. Delighting to preach Christ
Conclusion

What happens when faith meets force? If ‘force’ means violence, Jesus makes it clear that we’re not to repay violence with violence. He tells us to turn the other cheek. Jesus warns that those who rely on the sword will perish by the sword. Instead, we’re called to love our enemies, pray for those who persecute us, and do good to those who hate us.

But if this is how Christians are called to respond to force – whether physical violence or emotional hostility – what hope is left for us to enjoy peaceful and tranquil lives? Where do we find comfort? If the only response we’re allowed is gentleness and mercy, then, wouldn’t we be the most miserable people when force rises against us?

The passage we’ve just read gives us an answer from above – an answer from the Lord Himself. When Christians face force, when believers find themselves in situations that are harsh, hostile, or unbearable, God directs us to remember His truth and to meet that force with faith.

So, what is the divine answer? In one sentence: we’re in the hand of God. If I expand that a little: ‘We are in the mighty hand of God who cares for us and leads us according to His gracious purposes.’

If this is God’s answer when our faith meets force, then our focus must not remain on the severity of violence or the intensity of the hostility. Our eyes must be lifted to God’s purposes in allowing us to face such moments.

So, let us follow the Holy Spirit and listen to Him as He teaches this truth through the story of our fellow believers in the early church in Jerusalem – the first generation of Christians who lived out their faith in the face of force.

I. Pressed to Cease

The second half of Acts 5 opens with an alarming development: the Sanhedrin moves decisively to shut the church down. All the apostles are arrested. The entire leadership of the young church is removed in one blow. What began in Acts 4 as an early attempt to intimidate believers now escalated into full-scale persecution. It looks as though the church is being pushed to extinction while every earthly power and authority stands on the side of the Sanhedrin.

What would the members of that early church have thought in that moment? Who would lead them in worship? Who would preach the Word? Who would guide them in prayer, in discipleship, in the daily decisions of faith?

The situation described in v. 18 is far more than a simple historical note. Behind that verse lie the fear, confusion, and deep anxiety felt by the early Christians. Their ministers – their shepherds – were suddenly taken away. It wasn’t only that their worship life was interrupted. It wasn’t only that their spiritual rhythms were broken. The very foundation of that young church was shaken. Their church was being forced to shut its doors.

Imagine the deepest layer of their confusion – I mean, the Holy Spirit had just descended upon them in power. God had confirmed His presence among them. Yet, their leaders were arrested and removed. What were they to make of that?

In fact, they were not the only Christians to face such harsh circumstances. The believers in the 17th century Scotland faced a similar situation. During the reigns of Charles II and James VII, the faithful Scottish Presbyterians – also known as ‘Covenanters’ – was left almost entirely without their ministers. Many were imprisoned. Others were in hiding. Some were killed. From the 1660s to the 1680s, a period church historians call the ‘Killing Times,’ public worship according to the Presbyterian conviction was outlawed. To attend or organise such a service was a capital crime.

The truth is that Christ’s Church has often faced such hostility from the days of Acts 5 onward. The early church in Jerusalem faced this kind of crisis for the first time in NT history. They were pressed to cease. Pressed to abandon their gatherings. Pressed to silence their witness.

II. Delivered to the Life

But as the story unfolds, it becomes clear that God was not absent but fully present. Their leaders were taken – but God Himself was present. The church’s future seemed threatened – yet, the believers were not chained, never beyond God’s reach.

In v. 19, we’re told that God sent His angel and released His servants from prison. This is remarkable. It is remarkable not simply because an angel miraculously opened prison doors, but that the rescue itself reveals God’s sovereign purpose for His people. The apostles’ escape was more than a display of divine power; it was a declaration that their lives were held in God’s hand for the defence and advance of the gospel.

In other words, this event shows that their imprisonment was not a random misfortune but part of God’s plan to strengthen the apostles, to teach them, and to advance His Word. The Jewish authorities might have believed the apostles were under their control, but the escape proved otherwise. Their lives were governed not by earthly power but by the sovereign care of God. Do you see the point?

Notice the pattern: God allowed them to be imprisoned. Then, He brought them out in a way that all people would recognise as a miracle. That was to strengthen their confidence. Later, He allowed them to be jailed again and even beaten, so that they might rejoice all the more in their high calling to bear witness to Christ! Is this not like a blacksmith using the heat of the forge to purify and strengthen the iron?

I see here that the apostles were delivered to ‘the Life.’ The angel commanded them in v. 20 to “go and speak … all the words of this Life.” They were imprisoned – and then delivered – so that ‘this Life’ might be proclaimed to all people on earth! Through this deliverance, their hearts were filled with unshakable confidence. It was a living confidence that made their hearts beat with the very ‘Life’ of Jesus Christ. This is the true meaning of their escape: God brought them out of prison not simply to release them, but to bring them more deeply into the Life they were appointed to proclaim.

And so, we are reminded that the Christian hope is not that God will always spare us from death, illness, or hardship. The greater hope is this: our lives rest securely in the mighty hand of God, and He keeps us always in His good and gracious purposes for us!

III. Pressed to Comply

Freed from prison, the apostles went straight into the temple at daybreak and began teaching the people. Their message was simple and bold that Jesus has risen, and Jesus is Lord. Meanwhile, the Jewish authorities had no idea what was happening. When the news finally reached them, they were – as v. 24 says – utterly perplexed, completely at a loss.

Once they discovered where the apostles were, they sent the temple guards to bring them back to the Sanhedrin. And there, standing before the council again, the high priest confronted them. In v. 28, he accuses them of two things – first, disobeying the authorities, and second, spreading teaching that placed blame on the Sanhedrin for Jesus’ death.

The first accusation is straightforward. The second, however, needs a closer look. When the high priest said, “You intend to bring this Man’s blood upon us,” he meant: ‘Your preaching about Jesus’ resurrection makes us look guilty – guilty of condemning an innocent man, guilty of crucifying the One who is now proven to be the Son of God.’ In other words, the apostles’ message was, to their ears, a public declaration of their guilt and a warning of divine judgment.

But the apostles’ reply to the high priest was not what either he or the council expected. It must have sounded almost like defiance – even scorn. In v. 29, they said, “We must obey God rather than men.” In saying this, Peter and the apostles were referring not only to the general commands of Scripture, but also to the angel’s command given just hours earlier – that is, “Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life.”

Their meaning is unmistakable: they meant, ‘Don’t you see? We cannot stay silent, locked up in prison. God has commanded us to proclaim Jesus and His salvation.’ To the Jewish leaders, this was once again a direct, unmistakable accusation: in effect, ‘You killed the Son of God, the Saviour of the world.’

So, v. 33 tells us, they were enraged. At this point, there was no turning back. The authorities wanted to stamp out this new movement – this ‘Way,’ as Acts 9 later calls it. And their attitude was essentially, ‘Comply or die.’

This is not a new demand in the history of God’s people. Let me revisit the story of the 17th century Scottish Covenanters. They faced the very same ultimatum. The British monarchy demanded that they acknowledge the king as head of the church. Covenanters refused, confessing that Christ alone is Head of the Church. So, the demand became this – ‘Comply or die; swear the oath that the king is head of the church, or face execution.’ The 20th century confessing church in Nazi Germany was also asked to ‘swear loyalty to Hitler or face prison or death. Preach the state’s message, or suffer.’

These demands on God’s people did not start in Scotland or Germany; they began right here in Acts 5, with the first Christians in Jerusalem. When faith meets force, removal of church’s leadership is not the final aim. The final demand is, ‘Comply, or die.’

IV. Delighting to Preach Christ

The threat was real. The entire Sanhedrin rose against the apostles, threatening their very lives. But, we find no hint that they were intimidated or afraid. The final outcome was brutal: the apostles were beaten and charged not to speak in the name of Jesus. According to historical records, this lashing could’ve been as many as 40 lashes – a terrible punishment, just short of execution.

Then, comes something remarkable: upon their release, all the apostles rejoiced! How could they possibly rejoice in such a situation? They were not fully free. Their charges had not been dropped; they were on a kind of conditional release. One wrong move, and they could face the full weight of punishment – or worse. To remain free, they would’ve had to watch their every word and action.

Yet, v. 42 tells us that even greater danger awaited them: they continued publicly teaching in the temple, boldly proclaiming that Christ is Jesus. They did not stop. They did not cease rejoicing in what they were doing. How could this be?

The answer is simple: they were confident that their lives were in the mighty hand of God! They were fully aware that the gracious God had a divine purpose for each of them! They had glimpsed that purpose even in the midst of suffering because of the name of the Lord Jesus. As v. 41 says, they were “counted worthy to suffer dishonour for” Jesus Christ!

We must know that the eyes and hearts of the apostles were fixed, not on the hollow threats of earthly authorities, but on the power of the Lord Jesus. They saw in their suffering a divine purpose, a calling far greater than personal comfort or safety. That is the sole reason for their joy. That is why they were not afraid of the Sanhedrin’s threats, nor even the pain of beating. The scars on their backs, the blood stains from cruel lashes – those were not signs of defeat, but signs of faithful obedience to the only King and Lord of the world! In their hearts, these marks testified that they were following the Lord Jesus! In that truth, they found joy that no earthly power could steal!

Conclusion

So, the lesson for us is clear – our lives are firmly in the hand of the mighty God, who cares for us and leads us according to His gracious purposes. Our hearts – and our very lives – are filled with true and lasting joy when we embrace this truth and stand confident in the power and plan of our God and of Christ Jesus! ***