The Gospel’s Inevitable Conflict with the World.

In February of 1717 the Whydah Gally, a ship originally built as a slave vessell was captured in off the coastlands near Haiti, by the notorious pirate known as “Black Sam” Bellamy. Bellamy sailed the newly commandeered ship along with its treasure up the coast of the Americas where he overtook another ship the Mary Anne which was supposed to guide him through the treacherous waters off the coast of Massachusetts. The storm of a life time ripped through the area eventually running the Whydah aground in less than 16 feet of water. The waves were so high and so powerful that the ship stood no chance against the angry, agitated ocean. The ship was quickly torn apart bit by bit and eventually turned on its side where the more than 60 cannons ripped through the ships hull sending it and all but 2 of the 146 member crew to a watery grave.

The ocean can be a very unforgiving place as the ocean waves can easily destroy even the best ships. But it seems that the Temple can be an equally dangerous and unforgiving place in 1st century Jerusalem. The Jews from Asia, presumably Ephesus began stirring up the waters making waves that were meant to destroy Paul, and lead to his destruction.

Israel was time bomb with a very short fuse. The festivals were a ripe for chaos. Josephus tells us of the volatility of the time and how Rome would place at least 1000 soldier and a tribune in charge of them. We know him by the name Claudius Lysias, mentioned in 23:26. We are relatively certain that they would have been stationed at Antronia’s Fortress separated from the outer courts by a set of steps, which means that they could deploy a garrison of soldiers very quickly in the event of and uprising.

We have seen this pattern all throughout the book of Acts. This pattern of false accusation, stirring of the crowds, and false arrest, which is never substantiated or proven to be true. This is the pattern of Paul, this is the pattern that they followed with Christ. They arrested him on false charges and brought forth false witnesses who could not properly collaborate their story.

We ought to give head to ourselves to see that we are above reproach so that when others do come against us and our Christ , that they do not have reason to do so. Let our lives be the proof and they be the liars. Paul by his actions gave no credence to their claims but as we shall soon see that even the Romans just as in the case of Christ, could find nothing worthy of death.

23:29

Acts 26:31–32 ESV

And when they had withdrawn, they said to one another, “This man is doing nothing to deserve death or imprisonment.” And Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”

It is just this fact that is important and that Luke stresses in Acts that these accusations were unwarranted and shown to be false. Paul was above reproach.

Acts 20:26–27 ESV

Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.

A False Accusation (27-29)

A false Accusation

The false accusation was that Paul was against Moses and the law.

Where ever men wish to hold on to anything other than Christ, there will be inevitable conflict with Christ who claims exclusive right and authority over all things. For these men here in our story it was their traditions. We saw last week that it wasn't the actual law they were fighting against but their man made traditions. The word used in verse 21 is “custom”.

It wasn't the actual law that Paul was actually against but their man made traditions and seeking to bind others to the customs that the ceremonial law required, namely circumcision, certain foods, and the observing of festivals.

Christ himself was not against the Law but taught that He Himself was the fulfillment of the law, and so now they should look to Christ and not to the law.

John 5:46–47 ESV

For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”

Galatians 3:24–25 ESV

So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian,

A False Assumption

explain the court and walls

“No outsider shall enter the protective enclosure around the sanctuary. And whoever is caught will only have himself to blame for the ensuing death.” Ancient Jewish Inscriptions in Greek and Latin.

Tromiphius probably a delegate from Ephesus.

A City in Disarray (30-31; 34)

Ephesians 4:14 ESV

so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.

I look back at some of the chaos that we have seen on the streets in our cities over the past few years and I wonder how many of these people even realize what they are fighting for. Or how many of them have been just caught up in the excitement and chaos of the crowds.

Brothers and sisters I am not saying that there is not a time and a place to stand up and fight, I am just saying that we need to know when to fight, and we need to know what we are fighting for. Paul was fighting for the sake of the Gospel, they fought for their own traditions.

Interesting that Luke mentions the doors being shut. The Jews heritage shut them out of the gospel.

A False Arrest (32-36)

And stirred up the crowds who by the way shouted the same thing John 19:15 that they did here with Paul. “away with Him, Away with Him” Which means more than just take him away from here, but rather put him to death, and they would have succeeded in doing so themselves but for the intervention of the Roman Tribune.

Men who know that they do not have truth on their side will resort even to murderous ends in order to advance their cause. vs 31 tells us their intended purpose. What is very interesting is that the text indicates when it says “has defiled” that they considered the temple to remain defiled as long as the perpetrator lived. Hence in order to cleanse the temple and to make it holy once more Paul had to die, this of course is all without evidence in the first place since the merely assumed that Paul brought Trophimus into the temple.

Marcus Schroeder arrested in Watertown, Wisconsin while protesting a drag queen Event.

2 Timothy 3:12 ESV

Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,

Rescued by the Romans

Robbed of Retribution

The fact is, the most of us are vastly inferior to the early Christians, who, as I take it, were persecuted because they were thoroughly Christians, and we are not persecuted because we hardly are Christians at all. Spurgeon

People who would leap into the fire.