Wisdom from the Unwise
-- adapted from notes by Tony Mauck
Introduction:
A. Acts 5:33-42 Gamaliel intercedes for the apostles giving counsel to the Sanhedrin which was intent on punishing Jesus' followers.
1. Gamaliel was possibly the son of Sim, recorded in Luke 2 and the grandson of Hillel, founder of one of the great bodies of Pharisees among the Jews.
2. Paul mentions him in Acts 22:3: "brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel." President of the Sanhedrin and the first of seven rabbis called "Rabban."
3. NO evidence that he ever obeyed the Gospel. Died in the early 50's, 18 years before the destruction of Jerusalem at the hands of the Romans.
B. God used this counsel to prolong the lives of the apostles, most of whom gave their lives for Christ later after completing their work and purpose as the 12 apostles of Christ.
C. Gamaliel shows us four things:
1. God's power is invincible. 2. God's messengers can be silenced but not His messages. 3. God is a terrible enemy. 4. Although Gamaliel warned about the danger of opposing God, he personally opposed God by never obeying the Gospel.
I. Power of God is INVINCIBLE.
A. Invincible: undefeatable, unconquerable, insuperable, unshakable, indomitable, unassailable, indestructible... Choose whichever word you want; they all apply.
1. Triumphal entry: Luke 19:28-36 colt secured; v. 37-39 enters to the acclaim of the masses, and the rebuke of the Pharisees.
2. Jesus' reply is startling, v. 40 "I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out."
B. Could the stones really cry out?
1. God caused a donkey to rebuke Balaam, Numbers 22.
2. God caused water to gush forth from a rock, twice! Exodus 17; Numbers 20.
3. The angel assured Mary not only of her own conception as a virgin but also of Elizabeth conceiving a son in her old age, saying: "For with God nothing will be impossible."
4. Can God cause a 90 year old Sarah to conceive and give birth to Isaac whose name means laughter? Of course He can and He did. Thus the Jewish race was begun and continues to this day.
5. Can God create the heavens and the earth in seven days? Yes He can... including this incredible planet, its amazing animal and plant life, and man.
6. Can God part the waters of the Red Sea and cause the Israel to walk across on dry land, then collapse the waters on the most powerful army of the ancient world destroying it completely.
7. Can God send fire from heaven at own good pleasure?
a. to punish Nadab and Abihu,
b. to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboim,
c. to consume the sacrifice, the water in the mote around it and the very altar itself set up by Elijah on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18),
d. to consume the groups of fifty soldiers that Ahaziah sent out to arrest Ëlijah (2 Kings 1), e. to destroy the world at the end of time (2 Peter 3).
8. Can God save sinners who have no means of saving themselves? Yes He can!
9. Can God preserve His word from corruption, though His enemies massively outnumber His friends? (1 Peter 1:24-25)
10: Can God deliver the godly out of temptations and reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment? 2 Peter 2:9 Yes He can.
C. Gamaliel understood and appreciated the power they could well be opposing.
1. Do you?
2. Do you stand in awe of Him? Psalm 147:3-6 "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name. Great is our Lord, and mighty in power His understanding is infinite. The Lord lifts up the humble; He casts the wicked down to the ground."
3. Psalm 1:1-3 "his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night."
II. God's Message cannot be hushed (although God's messengers may be silenced)
A. Killing every messenger (apostle, elder, preacher, Christian) would not change the message.
1. God will not permit such. Remember times that the dragon came close to thwarting God plans for the Messiah?
a. 2 Chronicles 22:10-12, Athaliah tried to destroy all the descendants of David
b. Esther 7:3-6; 8:11, 16, 17, Haman tried to destroy the whole race of the Jews
c. Matthew 2:1-8, 12-18, Herod the Great tried to destroy Jesus by killing all the babies of Bethlehem.
d. The Jews crucified Jesus, stoned Stephen, beheaded James, beat Paul with 40 stripes save one, stoned him and left him for dead. The word "witness" in Greek came to mean "martyr" in the next two hundred years of persecution and death. Bibles were burned
e. More recently we have the Inquisition when the protestant movement began.
f. In the last century, communist humanism tried to eradicate all belief in the God of the Bible and all vestiges of Christianity. Church meeting places destroyed or abandoned. Message lives.
2. But there are other ways to silence the message.
a. Tune it out. Act like the message doesn't matter, no revelance.
b. Change it into something it is not. Believe false charges that are waged against it.
c. Quit attending the worship assemblies where the Truth is preached.
d. Make up your own religion and let it satisfy your longings and make you feel good regardless of what it says.
e. Convince yourself the Bible is a myth, the events never happened,there is no heaven, no hell, "imagine no religion too" Nothing to live or die for.
3. King Jehoiakim cut out the pages and burned them on a winter's day, Jeremiah 36:2-6, 20-24. God answered telling Jeremiah, "Write it down again!" v. 27-32.
4. Matthew 5:18 "For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled." Not even the smallest letter of his will is altered!
B. Heaven and earth shall pass away but My Words shall not pass away, Matthew 24:35
1. The power of the Word of God is greater than the pages on which they are written.
2. Power is in the effect on our lives:
a. Hebrews 4:12 penetrates the heart, discerns the thoughts, judges us and correct and transforms us.
b. 1Thessalonians 2:12; Philippians 2:12, 13
c. Isaiah 55:6-13
C. We will give an account: Acts 17:31; 2 Corinthians 5:10
1. We can fight it, belittle it, ridicule, wish it away, but nothing is changed.
2. Gamaliel understood. His counsel was wise. The will of God cannot be defeated.
III. God is a Terrible Enemy.
A. Imagine being a Philistine and watching David take down Goliath. 1 Samuel 17
B. Hebrews 10:31: It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of a living God.
C. Egypt fell into God's hands and suffered 10 terrible and devastating plagues. Exodus 7-12 (water to blood, frogs, lice, flies, death of cattle, boils, hail mingled with fire, locusts, darkness, death of the firstborn)
D. Herod died eaten of worms, Acts 12:23, struck by an angel of God.
E. Gamaliel was wise enough to see this.
1. He counseled the Sanhedrin not to kill the apostles, lest they be found fighting against God.
2. So they just whipped them with 40 stripes each, holding back one just to be safely righteous, and hoped the apostles would stop repeating the message of God that called on them to repent.
3. God does not forget the innocent blood shed: Luke 11:45-52
4. They were kicking against the goads, as Jesus explained to Paul, Acts 26:24. They were hurting God people.
F. You can be God's enemy with overtly persecuting righteousness children of God.
1. Philippians 3:18, 19 enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame.
2. James 4:3, 4 friendship with the world is enmity against God.
IV. Wisdom can fail to make a personal application.
A. Despite Gamaliel's wise counsel not to oppose the messengers of God, he personally was condemned if he never obey the Gospel. Personally opposed Christ.
1. Matthew 12:30 not with Me is against Me, gathers not with Me scatters abroad
2. For all his wisdom, Gamaliel was not wise.
3. Many defend the Truth but never obey it. Still lost.
4. Remember Agrippa. Paul said, "Do you believe the Prophets? I know that you do!" Acts 26:27, Paul wanted him to be not almost, but exactly like himself, 1 Corinthians 11:1 imitating Christ, (1 Corinthians 4:14-17; Philippians 3:17; 4:9)
B. It is not enough to be WITH the right people and ADVOCATING the right message. You personally must obey and live it. Ephesians 5:1-21
Conclusion
A. Gamaliel was wise, but not wise enough if he never obeyed the Gospel.
B. How wise are you?