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