This is the next-to-last sermon in the summer preaching series, "People Like Us," but it is my last sermon since our Associate Pastor will be preaching next week. I chose to do a first-person sermon, complete with costume our Associate Pastor found for me in the Christian Education's collection of costumes! The upside to a first-person sermon is it offers a change of pace to the normal sermon and allows the listeners to hear the story from a very personal perspective. The downside is that it is hard to incorporate current events in the sermon and the point being made is more implicit. I enjoyed preaching the sermon.
The text below was what was written, but I preached with no notes, so what was actually spoken probably differed quite a bit!
“Call Me Gammy” August 30, 2020, SAPC, Denton; Acts 5: 27-40; Exodus 3: 1-15; Dr. Richard B. Culp
Acts 5: 27-40
When they had brought them, they had them stand before the council. The high priest questioned them, 28 saying, “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,[c] yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you are determined to bring this man’s blood on us.” 29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than any human authority.[d] 30 The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. 31 God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior that he might give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.”
33 When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them. 34 But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, respected by all the people, stood up and ordered the men to be put outside for a short time. 35 Then he said to them, “Fellow Israelites,[e] consider carefully what you propose to do to these men. 36 For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him; but he was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and disappeared. 37 After him Judas the Galilean rose up at the time of the census and got people to follow him; he also perished, and all who followed him were scattered. 38 So in the present case, I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone; because if this plan or this undertaking is of human origin, it will fail; 39 but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them—in that case you may even be found fighting against God!”
They were convinced by him, 40 and when they had called in the apostles, they had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41 As they left the council, they rejoiced that they were considered worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name. 42 And every day in the temple and at home[f] they did not cease to teach and proclaim Jesus as the Messiah.[
Exodus 3: 1-15Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. 3 Then Moses said, “I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.” 4 When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then he said, “Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6 He said further, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
7 Then the Lord said, “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, 8 and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 9 The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. 10 So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.” 11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” 12 He said, “I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain.”
13 But Moses said to God, “If I come to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.”[a] He said further, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘I am has sent me to you.’” 15 God also said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord,[b] the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you’:
This is my name forever,
and this my title for all generations.
Introduction:
Move 1: Hello, it is good to meet you this morning. My name is Gamaliel, but my friends call me Gammy.
To tell you the truth, I think lots of the younger priests and Pharisees call me Gammy as well, just not to my face!
Do I seem so serious a fella to you? I suppose my position on the council causes
People respect me -
on the one hand, maybe I deserve their respect. Not just because I am the third generation of leaders for my people, not just because I am the grandson of Hillel the Elder, the great Jewish teacher, but because I have done a few things myself.
You may have heard how I have interpreted laws related to marriage and community welfare.
Or perhaps you have heard that kings and queens ask for my consultation. Who am I to give advice to royalty, but if they ask, I answer.
And, you undoubtedly have heard that when I speak, others on the council listen. I like to think they listen because through the years I have given them good advice, advice in keeping with what God would approve.
On the other hand, who am I? I am just a humble servant of God, trying my best to use my gifts of knowledge to serve my Maker.
Move 2: I suppose you have heard we are dealing with some controversy these days.
No doubt you have been told the cause of the controversy is these men who proclaim the resurrection of Jesus Christ and claim he was (I guess I should say is, if he has in fact been resurrected) the Son of God.
but as I think about this situation, it seems to me this momentary controversy is just a symptom of a bigger issue - But, the real “how do we know when something is of God.”
Some days I wish I lived in the time of Moses. No doubt Moses was not thrilled to hear God’s calling to him from a bush. No doubt Moses would have preferred to stay with the sheep instead of heading back to Egypt. No doubt Moses thought God’s name, “I am who I am” was too ambiguous and hard to understand.
But at least he heard the voice of God. he could perhaps choose not to do what God asked of him, but he could not say he did not know with certainty what God was asking him to do.
We hear these men make claims about resurrection and who the Messiah is, and then we have to decide if their stories are of God, or if they are just stories told by crazy men.
The people look to me for guidance, and I find myself wishing for a burning bush with the voice of God to direct. But I find no bush. I hear no voice. And still, I must find a way to determine what is of God and what is not.
If only I had a burning bush.
But who am I to be worthy of hearing the voice of God in a burning bush?
Move 3: What are we to do with these men creating such a ruckus now.
They proclaim not only this man Jesus was the Messiah. I, for one, did not expect the Messiah to be so, well so human, nor did I expect him to be crucified, but then, who am I to say? I just study the word and pray to God.
They also say this man was raised from the dead. Buried in a tomb, and then alive three days later.
I am not opposed to resurrection in theory. Unlike my Sadducee friends who cannot conceive of resurrection, I, along with other of my Pharisees, understand and believe in the doctrine of bodily resurrection in theory.
But, to claim resurrection has really happened, that this man Jesus was resurrected, well that is another matter indeed.
what do they offer as proof of his resurrection? an empty tomb. No body in the tomb. People saying they saw Jesus walking around.
Rumor has it that the dead body was stolen. I have no reason to believe anyone stole the body, but that’s what the Roman centurions say happened.
Who am I to say whether someone moved the stone and stole the body or whether God moved the stone and raised the body from the dead.
Could God do that? Of course. Did God do that? Who am I to say?
But my Sadducee friends have lots to say. They demand the men shut up.
They gathered the council and put them in prison. Somehow, the prison could not hold them. The next morning the men were back at the Temple preaching about resurrection.
The temple police went to the ail and all the guards were still there. The doors were still locked. But clearly, the men were not inside because they were preaching in the Temple. they dared to tell the
Did some followers of Jesus bribe the guards into letting them go free in the night?
or did the Holy Spirit lead them out of jail in the night so they could continue preaching about the resurrection of Jesus?
Who am I to say?
Move 4: So you heard about the council meeting when they wanted to put the men to death.
some of the council members were really upset. These men refuse to quit preaching and proclaiming the resurrection.
Death was the only way some of the council could see to end all the claims these men were making, the only way to stop people from believing them and choosing to follow this man Jesus, the one reputed to have been resurrected.
They look to me for my blessing of their desire to put them to death.
Who am I to say whether the men speak the truth about God or not?
Who am I say if they should be killed for professing their beliefs?
Besides, their idea of killing off these men has a major downside to it.
What if the men really are telling the truth? What if Jesus really was or is the Messiah? what if he really was resurrected?
If God can do all that, do you think God will let the death of a couple of followers stop what God is doing?
No, of course not. If God is the one who sent Jesus, then God will find a way for the message to continue to be shared, for people to still find hope in the resurrection. If we kill the men and they really are speaking the truth about who God is and what God has done, then we have turned against God.
What happens if what these men are saying is not true? then it will go away. That’s what always happens with these people who come along claiming to be the Messiah or calling for revolution. they have momentary success, but then they just fade away.
so I told the council that the wise move to make was to let the men keep on preaching, let them keep on making claims about resurrection. If those are false claims, they will go away. If they are somehow telling the truth, then it is better not to have gone against what God has put into place.
I do not think all the men on the council agreed with me, but they all went along. they still punished the men.
I did not see any reason to punish them. But they flogged them. and what happened? it only seemed to invigorate the men. All those lashes, and still they go out and preach to the people about resurrection and Jesus as the Messiah. And the people, now the people are even more amazed that these men are willing to risk punishment, maybe even death to preach about Jesus.
Conclusion: You hear the stories; you hear the rumors; you have heard my wisdom on the subject.
What do you think? Is Jesus the Messiah? Has he been resurrected?
I suppose you will prove my point.
If you believe Jesus is the Messiah.
If you go out and follow him.
If your actions reveal that Jesus is risen, then it does not matter what I say because all the world will proclaim Jesus as Messiah.
Who am I to say? I am just Gamaliel, a Pharisee trying to hear God’s voice in the world.
Perhaps more importantly, who are you to say?
Yes, who do you say this man Jesus is?
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