THE SPIRIT OF COMPROMISE

Acts 5:33-42

By David J. Riggs


Intro.
   A. Jesus said, "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who
      does not gather with Me scatters abroad." Matt. 12:30 
      1. At the outbreak of the Civil War, a certain individual could
         not decide which cause to support, the North or the South.
         He had friends on both sides; thus, he decided to be        
         neutral. He wore a gray jacket and blue trousers, thereby   
         dressing for both the Confederacy and the Union. 
      2. One day the neutral man was caught in the middle of a
         skirmish between the two armies. He stood up and shouted
         that he was neutral in this fight and expected to be allowed
         to leave the field before the battle closed in on him.
         However, Union sharpshooters, seeing the gray jacket,
         riddled it with bullets. And, Confederate marksmen, seeing
         the blue pants, filled them with lead.
      3. We have no way of knowing if the above story is true or not;
         however, the point is well taken. In important issues one
         cannot be neutral. He must make his stand, one way or the
         other.
   B. In this lesson we want to consider the words of Gamaliel in    
      Acts 5:33-40.

I. THINGS WHICH TRANSPIRED BEFORE GAMALIEL'S ADVICE.
   A. Peter and John healed the lame man at the beautiful gate of the
      temple in Acts 3:1-10.
   B. When a crowd gathered, Peter preached another sermon similar to
      the first one. This is recorded in Acts 3:11-26.
   C. In Acts 4, as Peter and John were teaching the people, they    
      were arrested, kept in prison over night, and when set before  
      the council, they were asked - Acts 4:7.
   D. Peter boldly gives answer. Acts 4:8-12
   E. They marveled at the boldness of Peter and John. Acts 4:13
   F. The rulers give charge for them not to speak or preach in the
      name of Jesus. Acts 4:17-18
   G. Peter gives a strong answer. Acts 4:19
   H. They return to the others, who in turn make a strong prayer to
      God as shown in the latter part of the chapter.
   I. In the first part of chapter 5, we have the episode of Ananias 
      and Sapphira.
   J. The Jewish rulers again lay hands on the apostles and put them 
      in prison. Acts 5:17-18
      1. They are miraculously released by an angel of the Lord. Acts
         5:19
      2. One tells the rulers that the apostles are teaching in the
         temple. Acts 5:25-26
   K. They bring the apostles before the council.
      1. They, again, give a strong reply. Acts 5:26-29
      2. The men of the council are enraged and decide to kill the
         apostles. Acts 5:33
      3. Gamaliel gives his advice to the council. Acts 5:34-39

II. THE MAN GAMALIEL.
   A. Gamaliel was a teacher of the law and highly respected among   
      all the people. Acts 5:34
      1. He was probably one of the greatest scholars of his day.    
         Acts 22:3
   B. Were Gamaliel's actions good or bad?
      1. In a sense they were good. His advice stopped those evil
         Jews from killing the apostles.
      2. However, in another sense his actions were not good.
         a. He was not like Nicodemus who acknowledged that
            Jesus had come from God. John 3:1-2
            (1) He was not like Joseph of Arimathea who did not
                consent to the death of Jesus. Luke 23:50-53
         b. Gamaliel would have known the O.T. prophecies better
            than most, but he was not able to make application
            when the Messiah came.
         c. Gamaliel was of those who could not deny the miracles
            which had been worked, both by Jesus and the apostles.
            John 11:47; Acts 4:16
            (1) Though he was a great teacher and scholar, he was
                not able to conclude what those miracles implied.
                John 20:30-31
   C. Actually, Gamaliel had the spirit of compromise.
      1. His advice was that of a compromising spirit.
      2. One cannot remain neutral on important issues.
      3. As the apostles were trying to show, the all-important issue
         for everyone to consider was, "Is Jesus the Christ or not?"
      4. Gamaliel's advice was, "If this plan or work is of men it   
         will come to nothing, but if it is of God, you cannot       
         overthrow it, lest you even be found to fight against God."
         a. He should have said, regarding the second part, "If this
            plan or work is of God, you dare not fight it, but accept
            it."
         b. The evil Jews did not fully follow his advice, because
            they beat the apostles and commanded them again to not
            speak in the name of Jesus. Acts 5:40

III. THE SPIRIT OF COMPROMISE IN MORE RECENT TIMES.
   A. J.W. McGarvey did not take a stand against instrumental music  
      in worship even though he believed it should not be used.
      1. He later confessed that his unwillingness to take a stand   
         was wrong.
      2. He said that of all the young men wanting to be preachers
         who had studied under him, he did not know of a single one
         who was taking a stand against instrumental music.
      3. Thus, McGarvey's neutral stand, influenced his students to
         be neutral.
   B. Here are some quotes showing that we have the same problem
      today.
      1. "The alien, not being under Christ's covenant, is not judged
         by its laws, but is judged by the universal law under which 
         he lives." (The Divorced and Remarried Who Would Come to
         God, by Homer Hailey, p. 24-25)
         a. Hailey took the position that baptism would wash away all
            prior marriages because alien sinners are not under the  
            law of Christ.
      2. Hailey's teaching cannot be right because:
         a. The gospel applies to all. Matt. 28:19; Mark 16:15; 2
            Thess. 1:7-9
         b. All men everywhere are now commanded to repent.
            Acts 17:30-31
         c. Every soul must hear the one final Great Prophet or be
            destroyed. Acts 3:22-23
   C. Consider these quotes from Ed Harrell:
      1. "A false teacher is surely one whose dishonest motives
         and/or ignorance distinguish him from the sincere brother
         who has reached an erroneous conclusion." (Ed Harrell,
         "Homer Hailey: False Teacher?," Christianity Magazine,
         Nov., 1988, p. 9)
      2. "I do not regard Homer Hailey as a false teacher...because I
         am persuaded by his conduct & his arguments that he
         honestly believes that he is faithful to God's teaching on  
         the subject." ("Divorce & Fellowship," Ed Harrell, written
         speech at FC Open Forum, Feb., 1991)
   D. So we are told that a person is a false teacher only when: (1) 
      He is dishonest; e.g., he teaches error with a conscious effort
      to deceive. (2) He teaches in ignorance.
      1. If this be true, we could not say that Oral Roberts, Billy
         Graham, or thousands of others are false teachers.
         a. No doubt they are sincere; yet, they are ignorant of what
            truly must be taught.
      2. We should not judge men's hearts to determine honest or
         dishonesty, but we should examine their teaching. 1 John
         4:1; Acts 17:11
   E. Some have been known to say, "We should not call a person a
      false teacher if he is wrong only on one point."
      1. Of course, it depends on what that one point is.
      2. If one were wrong in some matter of personal conviction,
         such as those mentioned in Rom. 14, he should not be called
         a false teacher.
      3. However, if he teaches that those who are living in adultery
         do not need to repent of their adultery, it is a different  
         story.

Concl.
   A. Though on the surface it may appear that Gamaliel gave good
      advice and therefore he was a good man.
   B. However, what did his advice do so far as his soul was
      concerned?
   C. In reality, Gamaliel had the spirit of compromise, which might 
      be good in the common affairs of men, but with Jesus it is not 
      good.
      1. Jesus said, "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he
         who does not gather with Me scatters abroad." Matt. 12:30