Sermon Tone Analysis

“God and the Circumstances of Life ”

Acts 23:12-35

*Ó**Copyright 2004 by Rev. Bruce Goettsche, February 8, 2004*

If you have lived for any length of time you have discovered that life can take a sharp turn at any moment.

Things may be going great and then suddenly something horrible happens.

Someone you love dies or is struck down with illness; the market changes and you lose more money than you can afford to lose; an unexpected bill overwhelms you; your job is suddenly terminated; or your spouse tells you they don’t want to be married any longer.

These times are like a punch in the stomach.

You are overwhelmed with the question, “Why me?”

In fairness, it is also true that you may be in the midst of a great struggle when suddenly everything changes.

The person you thought would not recover, suddenly makes dramatic progress; the closed door now opens; the pregnancy you had given up on happens; you get an unexpected check in the mail; or a new job brings you an undreamed of opportunity and joy.

These are times of great joy.

This morning we turn our attention to Acts 23:12-35.

In this passage we witness the changing circumstances in the life of the Apostle Paul.

From this passage we are reminded about the wonderful hand of God’s Providence.

*The Plot*

When we last saw Paul he was still in jail, but the Lord had assured him he would proclaim the message of salvation through Christ in the city of Rome.

After such an assurance, Paul was strengthened and confident about his future.

What Paul didn’t know was that over 40 terrorists were vowing and plotting to assassinate him.

“Why did these men want to kill Paul?”

The text does not give an explanation.

It could be that Paul was viewed as a traitor for deserting the Jewish faith.

Paul was not only a follower of Jesus; he was reaching out to the Gentiles!

Perhaps these men believed the stories of Paul bringing a Gentile into the temple area.

Maybe they were frustrated by what they perceived as a lack of justice.

If the Roman government would not punish Paul, they would take matters into their own hands like some Muslim extremists today.

The text tells us these men “took an oath”.

Literally they anathematized themselves.

They said in essence, “Let us be cursed if we do not fulfill our vow”.

They vowed that they would not eat until they had accomplished their goal.

(Hmmm, as we’ll see, they must have become very hungry.)

The plot was simple and similar to what happened with Lee Harvey Oswald.

Oswald had been arrested for the assassination of President Kennedy.

When they went to move Oswald to his arraignment, Jack Ruby stepped out of the crowd and killed Oswald.

This plan was very similar.

The Sanhedrin would ask for another meeting with Paul and when he was being transported to the meeting, he would be killed.

It was an unlikely alliance: the terrorists and the Sanhedrin.

Hatred, sin and fear cause people to do things that at one time no one dreamt was possible.

*An Example of God’s Providence*

At this point the story get very interesting.

We are told,

But when the son of Paul’s sister heard of this plot, he went into the barracks and told Paul.

17 Then Paul called one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the commander; he has something to tell him.”

18 So he took him to the commander.

The centurion said, “Paul, the prisoner, sent for me and asked me to bring this young man to you because he has something to tell you.”

19 The commander took the young man by the hand, drew him aside and asked, “What is it you want to tell me?” 20 He said: “The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul before the Sanhedrin tomorrow on the pretext of wanting more accurate information about him.

21 Don’t give in to them, because more than forty of them are waiting in ambush for him.

They have taken an oath not to eat or drink until they have killed him.

They are ready now, waiting for your consent to their request.”

22 The commander dismissed the young man and cautioned him, “Don’t tell anyone that you have reported this to me.”

This is the only place in the Bible we hear anything about Paul’s family.

We didn’t know he had a sister or a nephew.

There are many questions we would like to have answered.

Were some of Paul’s family believers or were they hostile to Paul’s new faith?

(Most people believe Paul was disowned and his family ties severed when he followed Christ, but this is an argument from silence.)

How did his nephew learn about the plot?

How did he get in to the barracks to see Paul?  How long had it been since they had seen each other?

Why did the Centurion believe Paul’s nephew?

Our answers to these questions have to be purely speculative.

It is possible that this young man (he must have been fairly young since the Centurian “took him by the hand”) was getting his education from the chief rabbi’s just as Paul had done earlier in his life.

If this was the case he could have easily overheard conversations about the plans against Paul.

This nephew obviously still cared about his uncle.

The Centurion, Claudius Lysias, having listened to the boy, took action.

Paul was moved out of the area that very night!

An escort of 470 Roman soldiers accompanied him to Caesarea!

The terrorists would not be able to get to Paul.

Some people might say Paul was lucky.

This is not Biblical thinking.

All throughout Scripture we are told that God is in control of the circumstances of life.

The Bible teaches that there is no such thing as “luck”.

God is in charge.

In Proverbs 16:9 we are told, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines His steps.”

In Lamentations 3:37 we read, “Who can speak and have it happen if the Lord has not decreed it?”

The message is simple: God oversees the circumstances of life.

Don’t take my word for this, let’s look at some of the host of verses that say this quite clearly.

Psalm 33:10-11 The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.

But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.

James 4:13-15  Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.”

Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.

What is your life?

You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”

Isaiah 45:7  I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things.

Daniel 4:35  All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing.

He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth.

No one can hold back his hand or say to him: “What have you done?”

Ephesians 1:11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,

Romans 8:28 And we know that in all (not “some”) things God is working for the good of those whom love God and are called according to his purpose.

What these verses teach us is that Paul’s nephew was in just the right place at just the right time because God placed him there.

This was no accident.

This was God working to protect His servant, Paul.

We see examples of the Providence of God throughout the Bible.

The best example was that of Joseph.

Consider these “coincidences” or “lucky breaks” in Joseph’s story.

·        The cistern he was thrown into by his brothers was dried up.

·        The Midianite Caravan passed by at just the right moment so Joseph was not killed, but sold.

·        Joseph was sold to the captain of Pharaoh’s guard a man named Potipher.

·        Joseph was thrown into jail where it just so happened the Baker and Cupbearer for Pharaoh were being held.

·        The Baker and Cupbearer both happened to have dreams that Joseph was able to interpret.

·        Pharaoh had a dream and Joseph was the only one who could interpret that dream and Joseph was given the number 2 job in the Empire.

Was Joseph “lucky”?  No.