Serpent and Dove Witnesses

INTRODUCTION

In Matthew 10, Jesus gathers the twelve apostles and he is about to send them out for a mission.

They will go to the houses of the lost sheep of Israel saying, “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”

As Apostles, they will do works like Jesus—healing the sick, raising the dead, cleansing lepers and casting out demons.

They will not take money.

They will have no bag for their journey.

They will have no extra clothes.

They will depend on the people in the villages that they enter.

If they are not listened to, they will shake the dust from their feet and they will go to the next house or town.

Their mere exit will serve as a warning of judgment to that unrepentant town.

He tells them that they will be delivered over to courts. Flogged in synagogues. Dragged before governors and kings for His sake.

Their own families will turn on them.

They will be hated for His name’s sake.

And yet—in all of it, they are to maintain a certain sort of character in their actions and certain hallmark in their operations.

Matthew 10:16 ESV

“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.

They go out in the midst of wolves.

But they are to be shrewd as serpents and harmless as doves.

CONTEXT

Friends—though we are not Apostles this morning, we are servants of the same Jesus.

We are witnesses for Him in the same world.

And we are on a mission to walk in His footsteps, making disciples and baptizing them in the name of the Great Triune God over all.

We are not Apostles this morning, but we are sent.

Just as Paul is sent as a witness for Christ in Jerusalem in Acts 23.

This morning, we see Paul standing before the Sanhedrin—a council of Jewish authority.

And as he speaks before them, what we will see is a serpent and dove witness.

A sent man reflecting the character of the Savior who sent him.

And in Paul, as has been the case so often in the book of Acts, we catch sight of what we must be.

We are sent. We are witnesses.

The world does not welcome the message.

But what should be our character in the midst of them?

What should be the hallmark of how we operate in this world where we face opposition?

And when it seems wearisome to move forward on the mission, what sort of comfort is there for us as believers?

These are the questions we will be able to answer this morning.

I will read our text for us and then we give you our three teaching points for the day as we dive in.

TEXT

Acts 22:30–23:11 ESV

But on the next day, desiring to know the real reason why he was being accused by the Jews, he unbound him and commanded the chief priests and all the council to meet, and he brought Paul down and set him before them. And looking intently at the council, Paul said, “Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to this day.” And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth. Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Are you sitting to judge me according to the law, and yet contrary to the law you order me to be struck?” Those who stood by said, “Would you revile God’s high priest?” And Paul said, “I did not know, brothers, that he was the high priest, for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’ ” Now when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. It is with respect to the hope and the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial.” And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all. Then a great clamor arose, and some of the scribes of the Pharisees’ party stood up and contended sharply, “We find nothing wrong in this man. What if a spirit or an angel spoke to him?” And when the dissension became violent, the tribune, afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him away from among them by force and bring him into the barracks. The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.”

1. Faithful witnesses have the harmlessness of doves (v. 1-5).

2. Faithful witnesses have the shrewdness of serpents (v. 6-10).

3. Faithful witnesses have a Companion in Christ (v. 11).

HARMLESSNESS OF DOVES

We start with our first point this morning:

1. Faithful witnesses have the harmlessness of doves (v. 1, 4-5).

On the heels of nearly wrongfully beating on a Roman citizen, the tribune orders the chief priests and “all the council” to meet.

He wants to know exactly what is happening with the accusations against Paul.

This council is the Sanhedrin.

The Sanhedrin was the supreme judicial assembly of the Jewish world in the first century.

He is not handing Paul over to the council—he can’t do that since he is a Roman citizen.

Instead, he is investigating.

GOOD CONSCIENCE (23:1)

Paul is set down before them and he addresses them. In this address, we see the first example of how Paul is innocent as a dove.

When Jesus says, “innocent” as a dove in Matthew 10, harmless is what is means.

Doves do not hurt people.

This is why the dove is a symbol of peace all around the world.

This is what Christians should be. We should be harmless.

Innocent before God and man.

Seeking to hurt no one, but instead to love everyone.

And this sort of character is on display in Paul’s words.

He has lived his life before God in all good conscience up to this day.

The only way that a man can say this about himself is if he is sure he has been relentlessly seeking the good of everyone around him.

For all the opposition he has faced, it has not been his intent to harm others.

For all the persecution he has endured, he has left vengeance in the Lord’s hands.

For all the reviling that has come his way, he has not looked to win arguments for the sake of furthering his own cause.

All that he has done, he has done for the glory of Jesus.

All that he has done, he has done for the sake of the elect—the church.

Before he was saved, he was a man who breathed out murderous threats and sought to break bones.

But now, as a dove-like witness, he simply breathes out the peace-giving Gospel of Christ and he hasn’t even sought to break laws.

He has loved his Lord.

He has loved his fellow churchmen as Christ has loved him.

He has loved his neighbor as himself.

This is not to say that Paul was sinless.

That is not what a good conscience means.

But it does mean that he is a man who brings his sin before God, seeks to put it to death and then live a life of righteousness.

BOLDNESS AND GENTLENESS (v. 2-5)

Now, considering what we are about to see next, it might seem odd to say that Paul has not sought to do anyone harm.

In v. 2, the high priest, Ananias, commands those who are near Paul to punch his in his mouth for saying this.

In this man’s mind, Paul’s words are ridiculous and blasphemous.

He has been going around saying that Jesus Christ is God and risen from the dead.

For Ananias, this rules out the idea that Paul could have a clean conscience.

He deems his mouth to be filled with lies and he wants it to be struck.

In response, Paul has strong words, that might cause someone to say, “How can you call him a dove-like witness?”

Look at verse 3--

Acts 23:3 ESV

Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Are you sitting to judge me according to the law, and yet contrary to the law you order me to be struck?”

Is this the speech of a dove?

Well considering that the way he is talking falls right in line with the speech of Christ—who never put a word wrong—I think we can say that it is.

Paul is dealing with a room full of Pharisees and Sadducees who are united only in their hatred for the Christian movement.

What he says here is very reminiscent of the way that Jesus also spoke to the religious elite. Here is one of His 7 woes to the Pharisees and scribes in Matthew 23.

Matthew 23:27–28 ESV

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

He is saying that they are like tombs that look pretty on the outside, but inside are full of decaying bones.

They act godly enough to be considered as godly by others, but inside, they have dead hearts that are hardened toward God.

Similarly, Paul is saying that Ananias is like a wall that is painted to look new, but it is actually falling down.

It is not stable.

It’s like if you went to buy a house and it had a bunch of fresh paint, but your inspector comes and finds a bunch of rotting studs.

Maybe even more intense than this accusation is the prophetic word he speaks when he says, “God will strike you!”

Amazingly, Paul’s words end up coming true.

The historian Josephus’ records show that Ananias was assassinated by Jewish zealots during the war that led up to the destruction of the temple in 70 AD.

The reason for Paul’s strong words have to do with the hypocrisy of this man for accusing Paul of being a lawbreaker as he literally asks another to break the Law by striking him in this way.

At this point, Paul is told that he is reviling the high priest (v. 4).

Paul’s response in v. 5 is that he did not know this was the high priest.

He quotes from Exodus 22 to demonstrate that if he had known, he would have spoken differently.

Here we really see Paul’s dove-like gentleness on display.

His initial words are not sinful.

He has been away from Jerusalem for some time.

He does not know that this man is the high priest.

And can we really blame him? The man certainly isn’t acting like one.

In fact, as we have seen, His initial words are in the same vein as the speech of Christ, the most harmless Man who has ever lived.

But once he finds out the identity of the one he is talking to, he shows the position of high priest respect—even if the man who holds the position is not worthy of it.

There is certainly a level of shrewdness and wisdom being shown by Paul here, which we will get to in a moment, but he is also showing that he is a witness who is determined to keep his conscience clean.

He is a dove-like witness. He is faithful.

MAINTAINING OUR INTEGRITY

What we see here in Paul’s example is that if we are going to be dove-like in our own witness is that we must maintain our integrity on our mission field.

We must keep our conscience clean when it comes to the life that we live before God.

This is difficult because the nature of Christian witness in a lost world is one where we very well may be reviled and insulted because we proclaim Christ.

Remember what the Lord said as He called the apostles to be serpents and doves—He told them He was sending them out in the midst of wolves.

Wolves are not like doves.

Doves are harmless, but wolves are full of harm.

If you woke up with a dove in your bedroom, you would think it was weird, but you wouldn’t fear for your life.

But if you woke up with a wolf in your bedroom, you would be paralyzed with fear.

Because you know a wolf is a predator.

A wolf is quick. It has sharp teeth.

Jesus’ point is that He sends us out to herald the Word in a world of harm.

And whenever we are harmed, even when it is for righteousness’ sake, there is a great temptation to want to strike back with a vengeance.

There is a temptation to forget that God will settle accounts in the end and He will bring judgment against the enemies of His church.

And if we give into that temptation and we strike back for immediate gratification of winnings a war of words or fists, we will end up staining our conscience before God and losing our witness with man.

We have to remember what Paul told the Romans:

Romans 12:17–19 ESV

Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”

When I think of an example of this, I think of John Rogers, the English martyr who helped see the Bible translated into English and was thrown into jail for being a Protestant under the reign of Queen Mary.

As he was about to be burned at the stake, the sheriff who was executing him said, “I’ll never pray for you!”

Rogers responded and said, “But I’ll pray for you.”

This is the same sort of integrity we see from Paul in this passage.

The question is—how do we do this?

Because it’s not easy.

We are saved people who are still being sanctified.

We are being made progressively more righteous and we have sinful flesh that must be crucified.

We have egos that need to be put to death.

When we are reviled, how do we make sure that those fleshly egos do not rise up?

Well look at what Paul does in the passage.

He turns to the Word of God.

He quotes Exodus 22:28 and leans on it for the wisdom he needs to maintain his integrity in this situation.

He has no scroll in front of him.

He has no smart phone with a Bible app on it.

He quotes it from memory because the Word of God is hidden in his heart.

The key to maintaining our integrity when insults and injuries come our way, will be leaning on the revealed Word of God.

It will not do for us to lean on our own understanding.

Our own competency and moral fortitude will not hold up.

If we want to be dove-like witnesses, it is the Word that will guide us to faithfulness.

And that means that we cannot wait until the moment we are maligned to start being people of the Word.

We must prepare ourselves for the opposition by arming ourselves with the Word every day.

We must saturate our hearts with the Word morning by morning and evening by evening, so that when the time comes, we will be able to turn to the truth as our bedrock.

I know of no other single practice in the Christian life more rewarding, practically speaking, than memorizing Scripture.

John Stott

One of those great rewards is the wisdom that will be gained and then used when we face the world’s vitriol.

When people close to us or strangers hurl their insults, the Spirit within us will remind us of the treasures of the Word that we have deposited in our hearts.

He will call them to mind and they will guide our hands and feet.

And maybe even more importantly, our tongues.

WISE AS SERPENTS (v. 6-10)

Understanding these things, let’s go to our second teaching point this morning:

2. Faithful witnesses have the shrewdness of serpents (v. 6-10).

In Matthew 10, as Jesus sends the apostles out into a world of wolves, he doesn’t only tell them to be innocent as doves, but also, wise as serpents.

They should be shrewd as snakes who know when to hide themselves and when to strike.

I think we have already seen Paul show this sort of wisdom this morning, as well as last week.

Pastor Ben taught about how Paul invoked his Roman citizenship in order to avoid the flogging that he was about to receive at the end of chapter 22.

This was very wise. Very shrewd.

He also displayed wisdom when he spoke like his Savior and rebuked the high priest for ordering the men near Paul to strike him.

But you really see it highlighted in v. 6-10.

Luke says that Paul perceived that part of the Council are Sadducees and part of them are Pharisees.

Therefore, he cries out: Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. It is with respect to the hope and the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial.

Now here is why this is a shrewd move by Paul:

Pharisees and Sadducees don’t agree on much.

And they definitely don’t agree on the doctrine of resurrection.

We have already seen that the Pharisees found their way into the crosshairs of Jesus’ rebukes, but it must be said that wasn’t really for their doctrine.

It had more to do with the way they would insist on law-keeping without devotion to the God who gave the Law.

External right living, without internal love for the Lord.

Doctrinally, Jesus actually had a lot in common with the Pharisees.

They were more theologically conservative.

They believed all the books of the Old Testament were authoritative and from God.

And most importantly, they believed in the supernatural—angels, demons and a final resurrection from the dead at the end of the age.

The Sadducees could not have been more different.

They were secular Jews, very influenced by Greek culture and they were wealthy elites.

They only attested to the authority of the first five books of the Old Testament.

They cast off supernatural beliefs in things like angels and demons.

And most importantly for this scene in Acts 23—they did not believe in the final resurrection.

So then, what Paul has done in bringing up the resurrection in v. 6, is he has killed two birds with one stone.

On one hand, he is testifying to the end-times hope that all Christians have.

That because Jesus has been raised, one day, we will be raised.

But on the other hand, he has also lit a theological match and thrown it into the doctrinal powder keg that he saw in front of him in the Sanhedrin.

It wouldn’t take much for these men to start fighting and he was happy to ring the bell.

Verse 7 shows what happens next.

Dissension erupts and the council is divided.

The anti-supernatural Sadducees start fighting with the supernaturalists—the Pharisees, who believe in angels, demons and the resurrection (v. 8) and a great clamor arises.

The Greek word for clamor in v. 9 refers to a great vocal noise.

The men are shouting at each other.

The Pharisees stand up and actually start defending Paul on the grounds that maybe he has received a message from God from an angel.

Things become so violent (v. 10), that the tribune is fearful Paul will be killed in the midst of the bru-ha-ha.

He decides to get him out of there and take him back to the barracks.

WISDOM IN OUR WITNESS

If we are seeing the dove-like innocence of Paul as faithful witness in the first half of this passage, we are seeing serpent-like shrewdness in the back-half.

When Luke says Paul perceived that one part of the room were Sadducees and another part were Pharisees, he uses the Greek word ginosko.

It means to know or understand.

And I believe this is a perception that came from the Spirit of Wisdom.

Going back to Matthew 10, the same passage where the apostles are called to be serpent and dove witnesses, listen to what else Jesus says:

Matthew 10:18–20 ESV

and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

Paul’s perception is not a result of his own brilliance, but of the Spirit’s leading.

And Paul’s words about the resurrection are not just the result of the vibrations of his own vocal cords—the Spirit of the Lord is speaking through him.

There is a sense in which we can look at this passage and we can understand that we need to recognize the context we are in and speak to it strategically.

There is a practical application we could make that is pretty simple—know your audience.

And yet, we know from Jesus’ words that this is more than Paul simply knowing His audience.

The Spirit of wisdom is leading His servant.

APPLICATION

I think there can be this temptation in us to want shy away from sharing our faith or taking a stand for Christ, because we fear the “WHAT IF’S.”

What if they say this?

What if they ask this?

What if they get angry?

What if they call me names?

What if I don’t know what to say?

But Jesus’ words in Matthew 10 should protect us from having a case of the “What If’s.”

Do not be anxious...

Don’t try to react to the reactions of the lost world before they have even taken place.

Don’t try to face tomorrow’s reviling today.

Because if we do, what we are ultimately demonstrating is a lack of faith.

We know that Jesus has told us that the Spirit will tell us what to say, and yet, we are not trusting that.

In anxiously ringing our hands, we are essentially saying, “I’m not so sure the Spirit will give me the words tomorrow. I need to come up with them today.”

We must have more faith in the Lord than that.

Worry is meditation. Whatever we worry about, we fixate on. And when we fixate unduly on our fears, concerns, and cares, we fail to exercise our faith in who God is as our heavenly Father.

Jonny Ardavanis

We know it is sinful to worry about what we will wear or what we will eat.

But let’s not forget that it is also sinful to worry about what we will say.

In the same way that Jesus has said, “Do not be anxious about provision,” He is also telling us not to be anxious about phrases.

Maybe you are thinking, “Yeah—but isn’t this for when a Christian gets dragged into a council like Paul has been in this passage? Does this really have anything to do with me sharing the Gospel at Thanksgiving?”

Well, sure.

But if we would trust the Spirit of the Father to speak through us before magistrates and kings and councils, wouldn’t we trust Him to give us the words when speaking to Uncle Greg?

If He will be enough in the greater threatening situations, won’t He be enough in the seemingly lesser threatening situations?

Faithful witnesses are shrewd as serpents.

They let the Spirit lead them on when to speak and on what to say.

And be sure of this—His words coming through you will have more force than your words ever would have.

COMPANION IN CHRIST (v. 11)

So then, faithful witnesses have the harmlessness of doves and the shrewdness of serpents.

But let us end this morning with an encouraging teaching point from v. 11.

3. Faithful witnesses have a Companion in Christ (v. 11).

The night after all of this happens, Paul has a vision.

In it, the Lord stands by him and says:

English Standard Version Chapter 23

Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.”

There are three parts to what Jesus says to Paul.

First of all, He says, “Take courage.”

He is literally saying, “Continue in courage.”

This is essentially Jesus telling Paul to keep going.

Keep being bold.

Keep fearlessly proclaiming the name of Christ, no matter the cost.

Secondly, He says, “For as you have testified to the facts about Me in Jerusalem...”

What is implied in what Jesus is saying is that Paul has done a good job in Jerusalem.

In all that he has done since arriving at the house of Mnason in chapter 21, he has been faithful.

Innocent as a dove.

Wise as a serpent.

The facts about Christ as the facts of the crucifixion and the resurrection.

The facts of Him being Messiah.

The facts of repentance and faith.

The facts of forgiveness and eternal life found in Christ alone.

The facts of the Gospel.

And then thirdly, He says, “…so you must testify also in Rome.”

This is why he must take courage.

Jerusalem is not the last stop.

It was never going to be the last stop.

Acts 19:21 ESV

Now after these events Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.”

Jesus’ words here provide us with the narrative that we will follow the rest of Acts.

From this point forward, Paul is moving toward Rome in chains.

HE IS NOT ALONE

And yet, what is clear is that he is not alone.

Jesus’ presence makes it abundantly obvious that Christ is with Paul on his mission.

Paul has the greatest Co-Laborer that he could ever ask for.

And seeing and hearing Jesus in verse 11 is evidence that He is keeping the promise He made to the disciples in the Great Commission.

Matthew 28:18–20 ESV

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

I am with you always, to the end of the age.

Jesus promises to ride with us as we drive the road of faithfulness on the mission to make disciples.

He is by our side.

And that changes everything.

Just listen to the voices from the great cloud of witnesses:

John Calvin said the presence of Christ is the true comfort and strength of His followers.

Jonathan Edwards said Jesus’ abiding presence with His church is a testament to His faithfulness.

Charles Spurgeon said the promise of Christ’s presence is our greatest assurance.

Lottie Moon said “Only believe, don’t fear. Jesus always watches over us.”

I’ll illustrate it this way:

Imagine being a lighthouse keeper and it is your job to keep the light on and guide vessels to safety during storms.

One night, the storm is particularly bad and you fear for your safety. You think, “Maybe I should turn the light off and take cover. I fear this whole lighthouse might be about to collapse.”

Most of us would at least consider it.

Now imagine the scenario a bit differently. Imagine that you are the lighthouse keeper and the storm is bad, but you are not alone.

The one who made and designed the lighthouse is there with you.

They tell you not to be afraid.

They explain how the lighthouse is safe.

How it is made to endure the storm.

How you keeping your post and shining the light is actually the best place you could be.

The word of the Maker would encourage you to keep going as the Keeper.

Well in the Great Commission, we don’t just have the One who designed the lighthouse by our side. We have the One who also controls the weather.

We have the Creator of the Cosmos dwelling in our hearts and walking by our side as we carry out His commands.

No storm will come upon us that surprises Him.

He turns them all for His glory and providentially arranges them for His gain.

And no gate of Hell will prevail against Him.

And if that is true of Him, it is true of His church.

APPLICATION

So let us remember this...

As we pray over the Thanksgiving meal and invite unbelievers who are at our table to repent and trust in Christ—He is with us.

As we walk up to cars with candy canes and church invites at our Christmas Lights Show—He is with us.

As we do a give a Bible as a gift to our unbelieving co-worker or family member this Christmas—He is with us.

As Seaford Baptist Church fulfills her mission by making disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Triune God and teaching them to obey all that He has commanded—He is with us.

As we go out into the world of wolves...

...innocent as doves, maintaining our integrity—He is with us.

...shrewd as serpents, relying on the Spirit—He is with us.

Remember this as you head back into the mission field today...

He is with us…to the end of the age.