Breaking with the past

I threw the challenge out to me to speak longer than the speaker. Last week. Did I heard he went over the normal, a lot of time and I'll try to be a little shorter this week, actually Janet told me my Michael turn off after so many minutes so. Maybe that was the plan all along, right? Brad. But so we're back into our Series in the book of Acts that we had been doing before we change to our summer. And you know, what were starting into? Now, we're in Acts chapter 18, kind of the last half of that chapter in into the first part of chapter 19. And, you know, all summer, we spent a lot of work talking about the atoning work of Christ and what it accomplished when Christ died on the cross and how that should change the way that we live as Christians, right. It should make us live differently from those around us and really that's where this jumps in.

1 commentary, I read had it titled Pino breaking with the past or, you know, the idea that came to my mind is changes heart. And even though we know the atoning work of Christ ushered in a New Covenant between God and His chosen. People not just the Israelites but now everybody. Was welcomed into the family of God. It was tough for people to make that transition. You know, if you think about it being Jewish is a lot more than just a religion. You know, it had become a completely different way of life. They had formed a lot of different rules or laws and traditions in order to help them keep God's law. The problem was they got more focused on their tradition than God's law. So over time it became more about just keeping their tradition. And that's where the problems came in and that's a lot of what Jesus was addressing when he talked to the scribes and the Pharisees telling them, you know, you know what God's law is. But you're more worried about tradition. Then what God is actually trying to tell you so the passage were in now will first. Look at how Paul struggled with this transition. You know, that sounds weird to say that Paul struggled with something, but, you know, Paul. Headband, you know, the Pharisee of Pharisees, right? He called himself. So he was raised in that tradition. But now Acts chapter 18 starting in verse 18. And through verse 23, we hear about it. Says, Paul State on corn corn, if for some time, then he left the brothers and sisters. And sailed for Syria accompanied by Priscilla, and Aquila before he sailed, he had his hair cut off. At 10 Cherry because of a vow, he had taken, they arrived at Ephesus where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila, he himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews, when they asked him to spend more time with them, he declined. But as he left he promised he says, I will come back. If it is God's will, then he set sail for Ephesus. When he landed and caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem and greeted the church and then went down to Antioch after spending some time in Antioch, Paul set out from there and traveled from place to place through the region of galatia and vigro strengthening all the disciples.

You know, you probably hear that you think okay, where's Paul's struggle in their? Well, the type of valve that he took was known as A.

Why I just lost my train of thought there? Brad, you distracted me. That beautiful smile, just took it away.

But the Val head taken was strictly a Jewish Val. Yeah, it was something that related back to the old Covenant, you know. So why would he do this? Why would he take this vow? Like I said, you have to remember, he was raised in that tradition, so when he was wanting to commit himself, to doing something, it kind of makes sense that he would Do a vowel in a way that he was used to doing it. And that involved cutting off his hair. A lot of times they would shave their head. So he had his head shaved and the valve was that he would return to the temple and do something. You know, it doesn't tell us exactly what his valve was so we don't know what it was that he vowed to do, but he vowed to return to the temple. That's why when they ask him in this passage, hey, stay with us. Teachers for a while longer. He's like no, I can't. Cuz he's committed to fulfilling his Val. He doesn't want to break that vow. He's very serious about it. He won't even stay, but he does leave Aquila and Priscilla with them to keep teaching the church there. Then he leaves to fulfill as well.

Yeah, the irony in this is that Paul's been traveling around teaching others. That. Christ is the Messiah. You know, he himself would come to realize that he couldn't save himself. It didn't matter how many of the rituals and traditions. He followed outdoor how legalistic he was as a Pharisee. None of those things were going to save. It didn't matter his sincerity level or how stringent he was with all the rules. He figured out that The only true righteousness that could save him was the righteousness of Jesus Christ and because of what Christ accomplished on the cross. But yet, when he came to make a vowel, He automatically defaulted back to his old ways.

You know, we see some of this struggle played out in other places where Paul wrote in Philippians chapter 3 verses 7 through 9 Paul Road. But whatever, we're gains to me, I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more? I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ. Jesus, my Lord, For whose sake, I have lost all things. I consider them garbage that I may gain Christ and be found in him not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ. The righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. You know what is a Pharisee? Paul new God's word inside and out. But he was still influenced by his Jewish Heritage. That still played a role in who he was. so it makes sense, like I said, that's when he did that that he did it and it typically Jewish what Yeah, the type of vowel he took it came back to my memory. Now, all at once was a Nazarite vow, you know, which was a special pledge of separation.

You know, they would do something that would separate them from everybody. That's the shaved head, you know, made it pretty clear to everyone that saw them that they were seeking to carry out this Val. and it was usually done because of gratitude that they had for some great blessing or deliverance from something else that God had given them and they wanted to show that to people so obviously that's what Paul's intentions were. and even though he was now a Christian living under the New Covenant with Christ, It was hard for him to break with his past traditions. The next person we read about In this passage in Acts that was struggling with the transition is Apollo's. Acts chapter 18 verses 24 through 28. Says, meanwhile a Jew named Apollo's, the native of Alexandria came to Ephesus. He was alerted man and a thorough with a thorough knowledge of the scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately though. He knew only the baptism of John, he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explain to him the way of God, more adequately nopales, wanted to go to a Kia, the brothers and sisters and cursed him and wrote to the disciples there, to welcome him. When he arrived, he was a great help to those who by Grace had believed for he vigorously. Refuted his Jewish opponents in public debate. Proving from the scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah.

So we kind of leave Paul and his transition and we shift to Ephesus to this new guy named Apollo's.

You know, were told that he was a highly educated men were told that he was very eloquent.

and, If you couple that with his Zeal, his energy with which he presented his argument, he was a very skilled debater.

and, you know, there was a rarity for those who could Understand the scriptures enough to be able to debate. With the Pharisees with the scribes, you know, Paul could cuz well, he was one of them so he could debate them on certain points and point the scriptures. But here's Apollo's, another man, who is allowed to do it, but as he sharing Priscilla and Aquila who had come with Paul to Ephesus realize. He's got it right but he doesn't know the whole story.

You know, it says that he just had the baptism of John. You know, if yes, John the Baptist was going around, baptizing people, but he was baptizing people to repent of their sins to be ready to receive Christ. That's all that Apollo's. New He didn't know that Christ had died on the cross for everyone sins that Christ had risen. And now you know people could be baptized in the Name of Christ and they could receive the Holy Spirit. You know, these were things, he didn't know, he didn't understand because the tradition he had been raised in hadn't taught him those things. Supercell and Aquila do the good thing. They don't confront him in public and say hey buddy, you're good but you're still missing it. No, they quietly pull him aside and add to what he knows. Say okay. What you got is good, but let us add a little bit more to make it more better, right? That's what they were seeking to do. They helped him to be able to argue even more effectively. Even more passionately, that Jesus was the Christ and sure enough. Once they armed him with this newfound, knowledge of the Gospel he was even more effective. he was able to share with more of the unsaved Jewish Community about how he was the Christ and how the old Covenant had now been replaced by something new. Something, I'm sure that people weren't always willing to welcome. But it is what had happened. And simply by Priscilla and Aquila coming alongside him. He was able to be used in a mighty Way by God to win others to Christ.

the last section of first, part of chapter 19, looks that really how

Mini of. The Saints of the church were dealing with this transition. It reads. Call Apollo's was at corner of Paul took the road through the interior in drived at Ephesus where he found some disciples and ask them. Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? They answered. No, we have not even heard that. There is a holy spirit so Paul last Then what baptism? Did you receive John's baptism? They replied. Paul said, John's baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him that is in Jesus, on hearing this. They were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. There were about twelve men and all

You know, Paul made good on his promise to return to Ephesus when he could after he had went and completed his vow, he did come back. So we made good on that. And when he did, he bumped into others who Claimed to be Christ followers, but just like Apollo's. They didn't have the whole story. They didn't understand everything about this new face that they were a part of about the Holy Spirit coming at Pentecost 8. They hadn't heard of these things. They didn't know about it so he shares it with them.

And Winnie, share sit the light of Truth Dawns upon their hearts and they accept his teaching and immediately, they asked him to baptize them and the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. In here, again, you have more people, one to Christ who are now, given this new fresh knowledge of the Gospel to go out and to share it with others.

Nino's. I think about these things.

I think, okay. Why did God put all this in Scripture? You know why was it important that the church would hear that people like Paul struggled to fully let go of the past and embrace the change? Why did? He put it out there that you know Apollos who might have been an effective debater for Christ beforehand because that was what he was doing became even more effective when he more fully understood what the gospel meant. Then why does he come back to you know, again more people who were Christians? not fully getting it but until they had, it explained to the more I think it's because God knew in every generation of the church. Change would still be hard. Change would still be something that we would resist because well we don't like it. You know, we like the way we've always done everything.

And like I've often laughed and most of your setting in the same fuse, you were 20 years ago. we don't like change, we would like to do things the same, but I think the reason the Holy Spirit Lead the gospel writers to put this in scripture was that we need to know. Things got to change every now and then, and it can be a good thing when things change, because when things change people can gain a bigger understanding of the gospel. And when people get a better clear picture of what the gospel truly means.

There's always new people one to Christ because they might hear that message in a different way that finally clicks for them.

And also we know that culture is always changing around us, which often means we have to find different ways to reach the culture around us to engage with it to serve it. But none of those things be possible if we weren't open to change. You essentially, that is what Jesus kept getting into arguments with the Pharisees about, Because nope, they had their Traditions, they had their way of doing things. This is the way God told him to do it. They weren't going to change. Yet, here's the Son of God telling them. You need to change. And I wouldn't listen to him. In fact, they were so opposed to the change that he was wanting them to make that they crucified him. That's going pretty far.

But that's how opposed they were. So for us, I think, as we move through the rest of this book of Acts we and you know, we're always so enamored by the church of Acts how fast it crew, how big it grew all these things. But as we continue through this story, we need to remember that only happened because they were willing to change.

Please bear with me in prayer.

Heavenly Father, we thank you for the many blessings that you give us.

Florida. We are often slow to change. We're often hesitant to change. Lord help us to truly embrace. The power of what Jesus accomplished on the cross, in to realize that.

if Jesus has defeated sin and death, if we have no reason to fear something like death itself,

we shouldn't be afraid of a little change. And Lord I pray that you will help us to always seek to learn more about your word, Lord, to understand the gospels a little more clearly to understand that it is something that we can never stop learning on. That there's always more to know.

Lord help us to be able to see things from the perspective of others and to understand that.

Their upbringing, their tradition might have been different than ours. That doesn't make it wrong, it just makes it different But Lord, we can have that common ground of the Gospel. Are we pray this all in your name? Amen.