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[Silence] [Music] Speak to our hearts, O God, in the strong and perfect name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

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Our scripture basis for this message is found in the Book of Acts, Chapter 5, verses 27 through 32. When they had brought them, they set them before the council. The high priest asked them, saying,

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did not we straightly command you that ye should not teach in this name? And behold, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine and intend to bring this man's blood upon us.

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Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, "We ought to obey God rather than men." The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew, and hanged to a tree.

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Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a prince and a savior, for to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses of these things.

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So is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him. The subject, trouble after Easter. Trouble after Easter.

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John Steinbeck's novel, The Pearl, the leading character desires to catch the most precious pearl in all the world. He thinks that if he gets this pearl, all his troubles will be over.

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He will have peace, prosperity, and happiness. And in the course of time, he succeeds in catching, getting this most precious pearl in all the world. But to his dismay, he discovers that after getting this pearl, that he confronts a sea

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of troubles. In desperation, he finally throws the pearl back into the sea. So doing, he finds that his life is less complicated. He now has fewer troubles than when he had the pearl.

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Here we are on the first Sunday after Easter, at a time when we considered the sermon topic, trouble after Easter. How strange. Easter is a time of triumphant shout, of victory.

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We sing, "Victory is mine, victory today is mine, I told Satan, get thee behind, victory today is mine." Victory is evident in the changes which occur among people. The apostles perform many wonders, many signs, a great deal of healing occurs, miraculous

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changes are evident. People who are sick are brought to the apostles, brought there just so Peter's shadow might fall on them. These positive things do not take place without the presence and power of negative forces being manifested. It's trouble after Easter.

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The enemies of Jesus did not die when the resurrection occurred. Friends of Jesus became more bold, more courageous, more powerful after the resurrection. The enemies of Jesus became more determined to crush the appearance of this new movement on the religious horizon.

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So there was trouble after Easter. To be sure, Mary Magdalene witnessed the resurrection and told the disciples about it, but they They were afraid. They were hidden behind locked doors when Jesus appeared and showed them his wounds.

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They were afraid of what the people might do to them, so they locked the doors. The most wonderful thing that can happen had occurred in their lives and they were possessed by the persuasive power of a new affection. They were filled with the spirit of God.

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Now Easter is not all prosperity without pain and gain without loss. Easter is not receiving crowns without bearing crosses. There is trouble after Easter. The disciples, after the Easter experience, learn how to deal with trouble in a new way.

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Now they go to the temple, the headquarters of the opposition, and right there at the headquarters of the opposition, they begin to teach people about Jesus. Now Peter and John had already been arrested and put in prison. That's trouble, to be arrested and put in prison.

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And when they were released, they were warned to stop teaching in the name of Jesus. The prison experience for the disciples came after Easter. Now before Easter, they escaped by being so fearful that when Jesus was arrested, that they ran away.

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They protected themselves by running away. Peter followed afar off, but even he denied him. But at the time of the crucifixion, the disciples are not to be found. After Easter, their actions provoke the authorities to cast them into prison.

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There is trouble after Easter. the most wonderful victory, they confront trouble. When we embrace the Easter faith, our troubles are not over. In fact, our troubles begin in a new way.

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When we face the temptations and we face the attitude and the power of the enemies of Jesus, It requires a great deal on our part in order to be able to deal with this new situation. After Easter, they confront trouble, but they confront it courageously in a way that they were so determined, they were so brave that their actions before this time could not begin

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to compare. It all happens after Easter. There's trouble after Easter. Victory, joy, peace, happiness, all that. That's Easter. But after Easter, there's trouble.

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I remember a friend of mine whose daughter young and vivacious, she married a young man. He was a minister. And it seemed that they were in the springtime of their lives.

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In the short time after the marriage, it was discovered that the young man had cancer. There was trouble after Easter. Sometimes the most crushing news that can come to us

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may come on the heels of a great victory. Trouble after Easter. And yet, this fact is inescapable in human experience. Life is like a situation described by the prophet Amos.

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A man fleeing from a lion encounters a bear. He makes it into a house and thinks that he's safe and he leans against the wall and is bitten by a poisonous serpent. no escape for trouble after Easter. Now the disciples encounter trouble because

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of prejudice. Now these enemies which the disciples face had already made their judgment regarding the Christian faith before they examine the evidence. The presence of the Apostles on the temple grounds was a threat to traditional religion. They were dead set on maintaining the status quo. They were

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prejudice and prejudice really means to prejudge. It's a way of shutting the mind and heart to the painful truth, prejudice. You know, we have a great deal of talk today about affirmative action programs, and they do need to be considered by their merit and what they do to help those who are denied justice in the workplace. All of us know, and maybe some who don't understand,

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But all of us who've been here in a period of time know how much these programs are needed. I remember I was sitting on a committee for model cities program when I was in Waco. And it so happened that our committee was the personnel committee. We were going to do the hiring for a director.

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And the best qualified person that we had on record for the position was black. But he had a master's degree. The next person happened to be white. And he just had a bachelor's degree and not as much experience.

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So as a member of the committee, I raised the question to the others. I said, "Would we be willing to hire for this position a black person if that black person were the best qualified person in the world?" And you should have seen how they squirmed.

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"Well, Marvin, I don't know." And I let them squirm for about a half an hour. And then I finally said, "Well, I will suggest that we make him the deputy director." And of course, I knew the person couldn't get their votes, so we made him the deputy

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director. And they were so happy to make him the deputy director because they certainly didn't want at that time to have him as director, not because of his qualifications,

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but just because he was black. And that's why we need it. That's why we need affirmative action. That's just one of the reasons we need it.

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Too often the issue of affirmative action is viewed with prejudice. People say my mind is made up. Don't bother me with the facts.

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So the Sanhedrin court is prejudiced. Oh, they go through the mockery of a trial, but they had already made the decision before the hearing. They treated the disciples the same way they treated Jesus.

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Prejudice is identified with trouble after Easter. This leads to a crisis between believers and unbelievers. And so we have some trouble. After all of our victories, we have some trouble.

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There's some people, you know, you haven't done anything to them, they've already prejudged you. Prejudice is terrible.

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It condemns people without giving them a fair trial. They are condemned by judges who do not know what they are doing. But these disciples, these apostles, are persistent.

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Not only do Peter and John persist in doing what they're doing, but the other apostles join them. And in doing what they should do,

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they encounter prohibitions. In other words, don't do this. They tell Peter and John, don't you teach anymore in his name. Don't you teach anymore in the name of Jesus.

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You see, prejudice leads to unnecessary prohibitions. So the court orders the apostles to not speak in the name of Jesus. What do we do when those in superior rank tell us not to do what we know in our hearts we ought to do?

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If we have the courage of our convictions, we do it anyhow. That's what the apostles did. They continued to speak, they continued to heal in the name of Jesus. There was more excitement, there were larger crowds gathered around the apostles in the

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streets than the priests had in the temple. And the next thing they encountered after prejudice and prohibition, they encountered persecution. They were placed in the common prison.

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These apostles faced persecution because of their faith, because of their commitment, because of their convictions. And so our religious beliefs are tested in daily life. That's where the rubber hits the road.

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Peter and John arrested, put in prison, and they appear in court because they do not follow the orders that the court has given.

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And then, not only Peter and John, but the other apostles are brought before the court. They said, "Didn't we tell you "not to teach any more in that name?"

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And they observed their boldness. These apostles that had been so timid, these apostles that had been so fearful, These apostles now have boldness, they have courage,

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they stand before the members of the Sanhedrin court and Peter says we ought to obey God rather than men. They accepted the Sanhedrin threats and they continued to do what God ordered.

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So that's the way to face persecution. And they not only encountered prejudice, they not only encountered prohibitions and persecutions, they not only endured prison experiences,

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but they remain faithful to God and continued to pray to God. That somehow when we face all of these troubles, when we face these situations where we find people

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making judgments against us without considering the facts, when we find people telling us in the face of opportunities that we ought to have saying, "No, you ought to do this." And when you find yourself put in prison after prison

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and persecuted for righteousness sake, then go to God. In fact, you can't do that, you can't go through all of it without going to him all the time. But you have prayer that enables you to commune with God. And they say, "Lord!" This is how they pray. The Bible records part of the prayer.

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They say, "Lord! Look on us and consider the threats that we have received and the And the fact that you have granted us power to speak with boldness and to perform your healing mercies They didn't ask God to remove the mountain They just asked God to give them strength to climb

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And God always somehow provides You know sometimes you say, "How in the world am I going to carry this burden?" "How am I going to go through this?" When you talk with God and ask Him to give you strength, when you face the obstacles

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and say, "Lord, provide me with the strength that I need to stand against these difficult circumstances, God will provide." We ought to obey God rather than man. So the things that we are facing,

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the things that we are facing in our church, what we should seek to do above all is to obey God. When Adam and Eve were placed in the Garden of Eden, the thing that they were to do was to obey God, obey God.

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Somehow, even though they were told all the things what to do? God somehow receives from them a determination, a word that I will not obey. Equal obedience. Different ones of us have different circumstances, different backgrounds, different opportunities, different talents, but to obey God, equal obedience is meaning

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whatever I have, I will obey God and use it in the way that God wants me to use it. So they say that our allegiance is unto God as revealed to us through Jesus Christ. And Jesus Christ, who gives us the strength to do what we are doing, is seated on the right hand of God the Father Almighty.

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He is the Prince. He rules. He is not only the Prince, but He is the Savior. He rules. So we're witnesses to these things. Every one of us can witness to some trouble after Easter. We're witnesses. Every one of us can witness to some circumstances

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where we've been prejudged. Judgment was declared before the facts were considered. Every one of us can somehow witness to some prohibitions in life that time and time again we've come to places where we found ourselves up against the wall saying you can't go here, you can't do this, some prohibitions in life. Every one of us has had some prison experiences. Sometimes

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Sometimes it's some circumstance on the job, or sometimes it's some experience in a hospital, or some ailment that has troubled us, we've had and kept us confined, shut in,

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we've had some prison experience. But every one of us knows somehow the blessed gift of prayer is that we can always talk to God.

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And when we talk with God, somehow hook up with that great reservoir of spiritual power that enables us to overcome no matter what may be the test of the hour. So don't worry.

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The disciples didn't worry. Those same disciples that had been so fearful and they now find them so brave, they say we are witnesses. We are witnesses of what God can do.

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We know in our hearts what God can do. Oh sure, we've had some troubles after Easter, but we know that God is with us. When you face a court that is stacked against you,

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God is a majority all by himself. Don't worry about the threats of the adversary. Don't worry about the prejudice and the bigotry. Don't worry about the prohibitions, the persecutions,

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prison experiences, just continue to be a pilgrim of the upward way because God will take care of us. That's the mystery as to how God breaks in and how he somehow takes care of us, how right in the midst of Jerusalem where all of the hostility is, that's where they worked and that's why they succeeded and

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thousands upon thousands became believers because they trusted in God. So God will provide. God will take care of us. Be not dismayed, whate'er betide, God God will take care of you. So as we sing the hymn of commitment,

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it's a hymn of decision. The decision to accept Jesus Christ, the decision to become more committed to walking in his way, we invite you to come.

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Jesus is a prayer, savior, pilot man. Jesus, Savior, pilot me. ♪ Over life's tempestuous sea ♪ We invite you to come.

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(gentle music) ♪ Jesus, Savior, pilot me ♪ ♪ Over life's tempestuous sea ♪ ♪ We shall see ♪

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♪ As the waves ♪ ♪ Before me roll ♪ ♪ At its bow ♪ ♪ And treacherous roll ♪

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♪ The passing of ♪ ♪ The storm from deep ♪ ♪ Jesus, Savior, my and me ♪ ♪ As the flood that seals the shore ♪

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♪ Now has washed the ocean blue ♪ ♪ Vicious waves of mankind near ♪ ♪ Filled the sands to lift the still ♪ ♪ The river of sorrow and all the sea ♪

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♪ 'Tis the sight of God that we see ♪ ♪ When at last I hear the shore ♪ ♪ Of His beautiful, precious shore ♪ ♪ To reach the other, how peaceful, fresh ♪

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♪ If I live in God the grace ♪ ♪ May I hear him say to me ♪ ♪ Here goes our new God, Lord Jesus ♪ ♪ Come, God, Lord, here ♪

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♪ Over us ♪ ♪ Tempests shall sweep ♪ ♪ On yon plains ♪ ♪ Before thee grow ♪

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♪ Hiding rocks ♪ ♪ And treacherous stones ♪ ♪ Child and Father ♪ ♪ Were sung from Thee ♪

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♪ Jesus, Savior, ♪ ♪ Piot, King ♪ - Amen. Amen.

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This is wonderful, those who have come here today in response to the invitation. [BLANK_AUDIO]