Moving Before the Door Opens

Sunday, September 29, 2024

Start with Application Testimony

[Give people an opportunity to share how they applied what we learned last week]

Last week’s question: What person, or groups of people, do you need to open your heart to this week? What will be your first step?

INTRO

Paul is back in Jerusalem after completing his third missionary journey

God had been warning Paul that suffering and imprisonment awaited him in Jerusalem, but Paul still knew God was sending him there

While in the Temple grounds, unbelieving Jews accused Paul of bringing a Gentile man onto the Temple Grounds and they tried to kill him for it

Roman guards stepped in to keep the peace, then gave Paul an opportunity to speak to the crowd

Paul used this opportunity to tell the crowd that God was now inviting the Gentiles because the Jews of Jerusalem had rejected Him

That obviously did not go over well with the crowd, which is where we are picking up in today’s passage...

READ

Question to consider as we read:

When does God open doors?

Acts 22:23–23:35 CSB

23 As they were yelling and flinging aside their garments and throwing dust into the air, 24 the commander ordered him to be brought into the barracks, directing that he be interrogated with the scourge to discover the reason they were shouting against him like this. 25 As they stretched him out for the lash, Paul said to the centurion standing by, “Is it legal for you to scourge a man who is a Roman citizen and is uncondemned?” 26 When the centurion heard this, he went and reported to the commander, saying, “What are you going to do? For this man is a Roman citizen.” 27 The commander came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” “Yes,” he said. 28 The commander replied, “I bought this citizenship for a large amount of money.” “But I was born a citizen,” Paul said. 29 So those who were about to examine him withdrew from him immediately. The commander too was alarmed when he realized Paul was a Roman citizen and he had bound him. 30 The next day, since he wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews, he released him and instructed the chief priests and all the Sanhedrin to convene. He brought Paul down and placed him before them. 1 Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, “Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience to this day.” 2 The high priest Ananias ordered those who were standing next to him to strike him on the mouth. 3 Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! You are sitting there judging me according to the law, and yet in violation of the law are you ordering me to be struck?” 4 Those standing nearby said, “Do you dare revile God’s high priest?” 5 “I did not know, brothers, that he was the high priest,” replied Paul. “For it is written, You must not speak evil of a ruler of your people.” 6 When Paul realized that one part of them were Sadducees and the other part were Pharisees, he cried out in the Sanhedrin, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. I am being judged because of the hope of the resurrection of the dead!” 7 When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 8 For the Sadducees say there is no resurrection, and neither angel nor spirit, but the Pharisees affirm them all. 9 The shouting grew loud, and some of the scribes of the Pharisees’ party got up and argued vehemently, “We find nothing evil in this man. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?” 10 When the dispute became violent, the commander feared that Paul might be torn apart by them and ordered the troops to go down, take him away from them, and bring him into the barracks. 11 The following night, the Lord stood by him and said, “Have courage! For as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so it is necessary for you to testify in Rome.” 12 When it was morning, the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves under a curse not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. 13 There were more than forty who had formed this plot. 14 These men went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have bound ourselves under a solemn curse that we won’t eat anything until we have killed Paul. 15 So now you, along with the Sanhedrin, make a request to the commander that he bring him down to you as if you were going to investigate his case more thoroughly. But, before he gets near, we are ready to kill him.” 16 But the son of Paul’s sister, hearing about their ambush, came and entered the barracks and reported it to Paul. 17 Paul called one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the commander, because he has something to report to him.” 18 So he took him, brought him to the commander, and said, “The prisoner Paul called me and asked me to bring this young man to you, because he has something to tell you.” 19 The commander took him by the hand, led him aside, and inquired privately, “What is it you have to report to me?” 20 “The Jews,” he said, “have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the Sanhedrin tomorrow, as though they are going to hold a somewhat more careful inquiry about him. 21 Don’t let them persuade you, because there are more than forty of them lying in ambush—men who have bound themselves under a curse not to eat or drink until they have killed him. Now they are ready, waiting for your consent.” 22 So the commander dismissed the young man and instructed him, “Don’t tell anyone that you have informed me about this.” 23 He summoned two of his centurions and said, “Get two hundred soldiers ready with seventy cavalry and two hundred spearmen to go to Caesarea at nine tonight. 24 Also provide mounts to ride so that Paul may be brought safely to Felix the governor.” 25 He wrote the following letter: 26 Claudius Lysias, To the most excellent governor Felix: Greetings. 27 When this man had been seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them, I arrived with my troops and rescued him because I learned that he is a Roman citizen. 28 Wanting to know the charge they were accusing him of, I brought him down before their Sanhedrin. 29 I found out that the accusations were concerning questions of their law, and that there was no charge that merited death or imprisonment. 30 When I was informed that there was a plot against the man, I sent him to you right away. I also ordered his accusers to state their case against him in your presence. 31 So the soldiers took Paul during the night and brought him to Antipatris as they were ordered. 32 The next day, they returned to the barracks, allowing the cavalry to go on with him. 33 When these men entered Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they also presented Paul to him. 34 After he read it, he asked what province he was from. When he learned he was from Cilicia, 35 he said, “I will give you a hearing whenever your accusers also get here.” He ordered that he be kept under guard in Herod’s palace.

EXAMINE

What are the key points in this passage?

#1 | God opened doors at just the right moment, which He had setup ahead of time

Paul is saved by his Roman citizenship (1)

Acts 22:29 So those who were about to examine him withdrew from him immediately. The commander too was alarmed when he realized Paul was a Roman citizen and he had bound him.

Paul’s Roman citizenship was not something he had worked to acquire - he was born into a Roman family

So God was using something that He had prepared, before Paul was even born

Paul escapes the Sanhedrin using his insider knowledge (2)

Acts 23:6 When Paul realized that one part of them were Sadducees and the other part were Pharisees, he cried out in the Sanhedrin, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. I am being judged because of the hope of the resurrection of the dead!”

Remember that Paul had been a Pharisee who was connected in the Sanhedrin (Acts 9:1-2) and he understood their arguments and divisions

Once again, God uses assets He had setup earlier in Paul’s life to protect him now

Paul’s nephew hears of the plot to kill him (3)

Acts 23:12 When it was morning, the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves under a curse not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. Acts 23:16 But the son of Paul’s sister, hearing about their ambush, came and entered the barracks and reported it to Paul.

We aren’t told about Paul’s relationship with his extended family or how his nephew happened to hear of the murder plot - but somehow he was there and knew how to find Paul and warn him

Once again, we see God orchestrating things ahead of time so that everything would be in just the right place

#2 | Paul moved forward, not knowing what doors would open next

God never gave Paul an advance action plan

God only told him troubles were coming, but did not tell him exactly what to expect or how to handle each situation ahead of time (Acts 20:22-23)

So Paul was walking through doors right as they were opening

Paul was following the leading of the Holy Spirit and paying attention

In Luke 12:11–12, Jesus had told his disciples: “Whenever they bring you before synagogues and rulers and authorities, don’t worry about how you should defend yourselves or what you should say. 12 For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that very hour what must be said.”

In each situation, Paul took advantage of opportunities that God had “teed up” for him in the moment

If Paul had been too focused on his fears, or tried to control the situation, he would have missed the doors that God was opening

God opens doors as we move forward

Consider Abraham. In Romans 4:13-16, Paul calls Abraham the “father of us all” who live by faith in God

And this is what it says about him in Hebrews 11:8: By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed and set out for a place that he was going to receive as an inheritance. He went out, even though he did not know where he was going.

APPLY

Explore and apply the passage with these questions:

[Allow the conversation to go where people take it - we want people to feel the liberty to explore the topics of the passage that stand out to them. Select the questions from below that you think are right for the conversation, or add your own. Questions should be focused, yet open-ended. Wherever the conversation goes, help your group “land the plane” on the core idea of the lesson when you wrap up.]

What stood out to you in this story? - Put yourself in Paul’s shoes

Some people rush ahead of God, and others wait for step-by-step instructions. Which one do you tend to be and why?

How can we move forward, without running ahead of God?

Where we want to “land the plane”

God wants to teach us to rely on Him and trust Him, and He does this by leading us in away that prevents us from running ahead of Him. When we move forward and rely on Him, doors will open just when we need them to. But we will never make progress if we wait for all the doors to open first, or try to find our own path through.

Application question for the Week

[Encourage people to provide an answer now, if they are able - to provide an opportunity for accountability and praise reports the following week.]

How do you need to move forward this week, towards a door that isn’t open yet?

REFLECT

Prayer Points for Today

Ask the Lord to give us courage and faith in equal measure.

FOOTNOTES

Paul’s Roman Citizenship. By law a Roman citizen not proven guilty of a crime could not be flogged. Paul called the centurion’s attention to this fact by a question. When this was reported to the commander he was incredulous that Paul in his circumstances, the object of such hatred by the Jews, could be a Roman citizen. During the reign of Emperor Claudius (A.D. 41–54) it was possible to purchase Roman citizenship. Those in government who sold this privilege could feather their nests with the bribery money. In contrast with the commander … Paul was born a citizen because his parents were citizens. The commander, knowing he had put Paul … in chains, was fearful that Rome would learn he had violated Roman law. The chains probably were those that would hold him for flogging. Paul as a citizen was in chains at a later time (26:29). Could not anyone avoid flogging by simply claiming to be a Roman citizen? Perhaps; but if a person falsely claimed to be a citizen, he was liable to the death penalty. Stanley D. Toussaint, “Acts,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 419.

Paul’s statement, Brothers, I did not realize that he was the high priest, presents a problem. This could hardly be because of poor eyesight because Paul had “looked straight (atenisas, lit., ‘looked intently’) at the Sanhedrin” (Acts 23:1). Paul’s words could be irony in which he was saying he could not recognize such a violent man as priest. However, the word “brothers” (v. 5) renders this interpretation improbable. Possibly there was such confusion the high priest was not identifiable. Certainly he was not wearing his priestly garments. It is also probable Paul did not know Ananias personally because the apostle had not had contact with the Sanhedrin for many years. The high priesthood changed hands frequently (see the chart on Annas’ family at 4:5–6). At any rate, Paul recognized the position of the high priest even if he did not respect the priest as a person. Stanley D. Toussaint, “Acts,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 419.

Who was Paul’s nephew, who received such prompt news of the plot? How did he get to know of it so promptly? It is unlikely that he was present when it was hatched, although it would be possible to construe the Greek text in this sense (this would imply that the conspirators assumed that Paul’s relatives were his bitterest opponents). When Paul says in Phil. 3:8 that for Christ’s sake he has “suffered the loss of all things,” it is usually inferred (and very reasonably so) that he was disinherited for his acceptance and proclamation of Jesus as Messiah. His father, a citizen of Tarsus and a Roman citizen also, would certainly be a wealthy man. But it may be that the mother of this young man retained some sisterly affection for Paul, and something of that affection had been passed on to her son. We do not know if she lived in Jerusalem; perhaps she did, but perhaps she lived in Tarsus, and her son had come to Jerusalem for his education, as his uncle Paul had done in years gone by. We may wish we knew more, but we do not. F. F. Bruce, The Book of the Acts, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1988), 432.

After Felix learned Paul was from Cilicia he determined to hear the case. Evidently a case could be tried in the province of the accused or in the province in which his alleged crime took place. The question actually involved “what sort of (poias) province” Paul was from. At this time Cilicia was not a full province but was under the legate of Syria, for whom Felix was a deputy. The legate would not want to be bothered with such a small case as this. Furthermore, Felix would not want to incur the Jews’ wrath by forcing them to present their case against Paul in his hometown Tarsus, a city so far away. Felix could make only one decision and that was to hear the case. But witnesses against Paul would have to be present (cf. Acts 23:30). Stanley D. Toussaint, “Acts,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 421.