The Hardest Thing

Hard Things

The rocks in the ground here.

When you try to dig a garden, plant a tree, build a house, add on to your deck, etc.

Most men’s heads

OK, and women, too.

Losing weight.

Getting in shape.

Tennis fans, hard to win a point against Rafael Nadal; much less a game or a match.

Football fans, hard to tackle David Johnson or keep Larry Fitzgerald from catching a pass.

And, do you really think you can dance?

Or, sing. Just b/c you sound so good in the shower?

You could win The Voice if you really wanted to.

Hard to admit you’re not really as good as you think you are?

Speaking of...

Not just physical feats, hard conversations.

Admitting to your wife you were wrong.

Hard conversation w/ your son, or daughter, about their life choices.

All of these things are hard. However, there is one thing that is harder.

Hardest thing I’ve ever done. Forgive.

It’s natural to hang on to things; grudges. It’s like we think we’re in control when we hold something over someone’s head.

Get even, even if only in my head. Convince myself they will fail at something and I’ll be able to say, “Told you so.”

Everyone else will know it then, too, like I do.

In the table is set. Anger, hurt, public humiliation. Then, something happens.

Forgiveness may be the hardest thing you ever do. It’s nearly impossible, absolutely improbable. But, you can do it.

Here’s the set up.

New Places, New Faces

Acts 18:1–4 NIV

After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.

Acts 18:1-4

Corinth

A major Mediterranean Sea port.

A crossroads for east to west transportation.

Known for its prosperity and immorality.

The Las Vegas of its day.

Money spent, money lost, fortunes made, lives ruined.

A strategic location for a church.

Paul and his group meet a couple who will be great friends and partners in this venture.

Partnership

Aquila and Priscilla.

Tent-makers from Rome. Or, leather-workers.

This is how Paul had been supporting himself as he spent time in these cities on his journey so as not to be a burden on anyone.

Once a wealthy and powerful Pharisee.

Now, a hard-working, blue-collar missionary.

AD 49 Claudius passed a law expelling all Jews out of Rome.

Riots, civil unrest had become a major issue between the Jews and Christians as they debated Jesus.

Claudius saw them as members of the same family, but since the Jews were more established he named them specifically.

Besides, most Christians had been Jewish, anyway and got caught up in the new law.

There was a civil war brewing w/in Rome’s boundaries and Claudius sought to end it by Judaism, and everything related, illegal.

Aquila and Priscilla left Rome and came to Corinth. No mention why Corinth. Business? Family?

Either way, they connected w/ Paul as fellow tent-makers, former Jews, and Christians committed to the growth of the new movement.

To the synagogue first, as they always did. God’s priority was always here so Paul’s was, too.

And, as usual, he got a response.

Same Old Responses

Acts 18:5–8 NIV

When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. But when they opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent of it. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. Crispus, the synagogue leader, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard Paul believed and were baptized.

The rest of the group arrived so they could share responsibilities. Paul did what he did best, connect the Jews to Jesus.

This time, it didn’t go well. Most rejected all of it.

Rejection

There was a substantial and organized opposition here.

Much like Thessalonica, but not Berea.

He made his case for Jesus the same way he always had.

They accuse him of blasphemy.

Claiming someone is God who isn’t.

Don’t let the facts get in the way of a good, emotional argument.

This is one of the only emotional reactions by Paul that was written about.

He’s done w/ them.

You ever get so frustrated that people won’t see the obvious that you just want to give up and walk away?

This time, he did.

A symbolic gesture of shaking the dust off his clothes. He’s completely done w/ them. Which, of course, leads him to fulfill his calling to non-Jews.

Peter was known as the apostle to the Jews.

Not that either had no influence w/ the others. Just by calling and reputation. Peter to the Jews, Paul to the Gentiles.

Paul tried. Though called to the Gentiles, he knew he had responsibilities w/ Jews, too. He knew their positions well and had made the transition himself. He was an obvious choice to help them make the transition, too.

If only they would just pay attention to the facts. It frustrated him and angered him. Thus, the gesture.

I’m sure he knew he was only responsible for what God called him to do. He was not responsible for their reaction.

So, he fulfilled his responsibility before God.

Sometimes we think we know where we’re supposed to end up but God only tells us where to start.

Paul was faithful for sharing his experience. Their response was on them. They have answered to God for it.

For all the rejection, there was a lot of reception.

Reception

2 converts were named.

Titius Justus, who lived next door to the synagogue

Crispus, a synagogue ruler. His household came to faith, too.

Both, wealthy, powerful and influential in the Jewish community.

And, there were many more un-named converts. Some Jewish, mostly not.

These are alluded to in the next few verses.

But, b/c there was so much opposition from the synagogue and so many converts to the new movement you can imagine the conflict that’s beginning to simmer just beneath the surface.

Like the bulge you see in a volcano before it erupts. The ground moves, then boom!

The opposition moved, against Paul. It was about to go boom, on him.

Knowing what was coming, God spoke to him to reassure him.

Support System

Acts 18:9–11 NIV

One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” So Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.

God was with him

In a vision, a dream, God spoke to him.

No harm will come to Paul. It may get intense! The heat will get turned up on high. You will not even be singed.

Sovereign God, who determines when and where everyone lives, whether they believe in Him or not, has also determined no harm will come to Paul here.

The heat is about to get turned up and he won’t even get singed.

God has the power and authority to do what He says.

Stay. Keep preaching no matter what.

God will provide protection. Until God was done w/ Paul. And until Paul was done doing all that God had called him to do, He was safe.

He was tortured and imprisoned later. But, that was to be part of his testimony.

Here, not even that.

Be brave. Have the courage to trust God and do all that God has called you to do. Nothing will happen to you that is outside of God’s control.

It may be hard, but never impossible.

God’s promise to Paul had 3 parts:

“I will be with you.”

No man will harm you.

3. “I have many people in this city.

Not only was God w/ him, there was strong support from the people there.

Both

He would need a strong support system to rely on when the trouble started.

Many people, too

When we go thru hard times having people around us who care about us helps keep things more manageable.

Yes, God is w/ us, like Paul. But, sometimes we need someone w/ arms. A hug goes a long way to remind us we’re not alone.

A note. A visit. An encouraging word.

Feeling alone does not mean e are alone.

It’s important for the rest of us to reinforce that truth.

Paul had to go thru what only he could go thru. But the rest could help carry other burdens for him.

Right now, only Sara can have her surgery. If her thyroid definitely has cancer, that’s the one the needs t/b removed.

I appreciate any of you offering to have your thyroid removed instead. But, that won’t cure Sara.

But, there are other things many of you have offered to help w/. We will let you. Thank you.

W/ what’s about to happen to Paul, he was encouraged enough to stay a year and a half.

Which is saying something considering what happened next.

Ambushed

Acts 18:12–13 NIV

While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews of Corinth made a united attack on Paul and brought him to the place of judgment. “This man,” they charged, “is persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law.”

Organized opposition

Private meetings. United attack. Unexpected, except God told him to be ready and it had been tried before.

They drug him before Gallio. Similar to a civil suit, but the Jewish leadership wanted it t/b criminal.

Not just a fine, but jail time. Get him off the streets and out of their hair.

Gallio was known to be anti-semitic. But, a meticulous lawyer and took great care in considering the cases before him.

This would not be a knee-jerk ruling no matter how he felt about the Jews.

Against the law

Which law? Roman law? or Jewish law?

The charge is persuading people to worship in violation of the law. And they argue it’s criminal.

Rome has a king who is a god, Caesar. So, to worship another is a violation.

Irony, the Jews worshiped a different God. But, let’s not confuse things here. They were all after Paul.

They accused him of stirring up trouble.

New faith. New movement.

Remember, things simmering just under the surface.

They pleaded that if Gallio let him continue, he’d have the same trouble they were having in Rome. Riots. Civil war.

He didn’t want that. Rome didn’t care much about what was going on in the outlying areas. They did care that the peace was maintained.

So, the Jewish argument that Gallio needed to head this off immediately might have resonated w/ him.

Then again, maybe not.

Tables Turned

Acts 18:14-17

Acts 18:14–17 NIV

Just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to them, “If you Jews were making a complaint about some misdemeanor or serious crime, it would be reasonable for me to listen to you. But since it involves questions about words and names and your own law—settle the matter yourselves. I will not be a judge of such things.” So he drove them off. Then the crowd there turned on Sosthenes the synagogue leader and beat him in front of the proconsul; and Gallio showed no concern whatever.

Interrupted

Remember, God told Paul he had nothing to worry about.

So, what might Paul have been thinking while the Jewish leadership made their case.

Maybe, thinking about his rebuttal?

Before he even had the chance to defend himself, Gallio interrupted. And, he immediately rendered his verdict.

The Jews hadn’t made their case. Paul hadn’t violated Roman law, at all.

Maybe, Jewish law. So settle it yourself.

He threw the case out and threw them out.

Interesting side note, based on the precedence of Gallio’s ruling, Christianity is not a threat to Rome. This gave legitimacy to the movement.

That said, imagine now, the feelings of those who had brought the case against Paul.

They had met privately and were loaded for bear. Both barrels.

Anticipating a release of emotion when Paul would be convicted, they would have absolutely blown a gasket when he was acquitted.

Coo coo for cocoa puffs.

They were expecting to see Paul punished. When he wasn’t, they turned on their own leader whom they held responsible w/ all their pent up emotion.

Public humiliation

Sosthenes, the synagogue leader, who would have been responsible for the case against Paul.

He may have been the one who presented it to Gallio.

They believed it to be a slam dunk, no brainer. But, their emotions got the best of them and clouded their judgment.

Emotionally charged. No legitimate outlet. So they focused the energy of their wrath on Sosthenes.

They held him responsible for the failure of their case and Paul freedom.

Not thinking they actually had no case or even that God had intervened against them. j

Who wants to believe that?

This was vigilantism. They took the law into their own hands when they turned on Sosthenes.

This might be where Gallio’s anti-semitism showed itself. He looked on and did nothing.

Publicly beaten and humiliated. His own turned on him and now, completely disrespected him.

One of the most important things to a man is to feel respected.

This is part of my pre-marital counseling always. There is so much we don’t understand about each other that we just have to accept as fact and learn how to live with it.

Women need to be romanced, need for their husband to love the people they love, need honest communication.

Men don’t understand these things. Not that we lie regularly, but we certainly don’t share emotions frequently or easily.

Men need intimacy, need to play and compete, and men need to feel appreciated or respected.

To neglect these things in men and women, or worse, to abuse in these areas cuts deep.

Sosthenes was hurt, deeply. He was as emotionally charged as the mob, expecting to win. Then, when it didn’t go that way he was publicly abused.

And, the one who could have stopped it stood by and did nothing.

Hurt deeply by his synagogue colleagues. A deep division would have resulted. Anger, bitterness, hatred.

But, a special abhorrence for Paul would have developed.

He was the reason why. And, for more than just this recent episode. The synagogue itself was now struggling due to Paul and this new movement. Everything he cared about was hurt, especially his pride.

If ever you’ve been hurt by someone, or worse, someone you love was hurt. That’s a special kind of anger and hopeful ‘get-even’ that develops in your heart.

A sworn enemy. Never to hope anything for them accept for God’s wrath.

Okay, file that away for just a minute.

Eventually, Paul left Corinth and wrote several letters back to the fledgling church. Maybe 4, probably 3, we have 2 included in out NT.

One, for sure, that was not kept, was a scathing letter of indictment. God had His reasons for it to be excluded from our Bible.

1 Corinthians is still pretty harsh. Paul wrote this letter to answer some questions and address some issues that had arisen that were causing deep divisions in the church.

Things like; the role of women in leadership in the church, the charismatic gifts and their proper role in worship, divorce and remarriage, sex in marriage, church discipline, and eternal rewards.

One man was actually sleeping w/ his step-mother.

Any of these issues stir emotion in you? All of them?

The church was more divided than democrats and republicans. There was no middle ground. They stood firmly with the leader who represented their side on each issue.

“I’m with Apollos.” “I’m with Paul.” “I’m with Jesus.”

Not really, they just wanted to sound more spiritual than the rest!

Paul’s response was to remind them we are all parts of one body and Jesus is the head. The stomach can’t turn against the feet. And the hands can’t turn against the kidneys.

Unity. Unify under Jesus.

He wrote 1 Corinthians to exhort them to reconcile. Apologize. Forgive. Unify. Be, the church.

But, how could they? The issues were big and their emotions ran deep.

Who could possible forgive someone who hurt them so badly?

It seems impossible.

Improbable, not Impossible

1 Corinthians 1:1 NIV

Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,

What happened? What happened between the public humiliation of Sosthenes and the writing of this letter?

Paul would have been deeply hurt that his Jewish kindred turned on him, schemed his ambush, and accused him in court before Gallio.

Sosthenes would have been hurt worse by the abuse from his Jewish colleagues and the turn of events in Gallio’s court.

What happened? Who reached out to whom? Who forgave first?

Sosthenes became a brother in Christ. A resident of Corinth, at least for a while. And, now a companion of Paul writing back to the people who know him and his situation well.

What effect do you think it had that he co-authored w/ Paul to encourage the church members to forgive each other and unify again?

A situation that seemed impossible, was certainly improbable, just like Jesus’ actions to save us.

Jesus died for you and me while we were still rebellious.

And, for those who still refuse to believe, he died for them, too.

Once we believe, every sin we’ve ever committed and ever will commit is forgiven. Every one. We don’t have to worry about getting to heaven w/ an unconfessed sin on our record.

Forgiveness is unconditional. Not conditioned on any apology.

Reconciliation is conditional. Healthy boundaries are appropriate. We don’t have to submit ourselves to abusive people.

But, holding a grudge is like drinking poison expecting the other person to die.

Forgiveness is life-giving.

When the feelings of vengeance come, decide to forgive.

When the come back, and the will, many times, remind your heart that you have forgiven. Pray and ask God to help you w/ this.

He has plenty of experience.

Forgiveness is nearly impossible, absolutely improbable, but you can do it.

And, it may be the hardest thing you ever do in your life.

Applications

Who?

Who do you need to forgive?

Someone’s name just popped into your mind. Who is it?

Jesus didn’t wait for you to apologize to forgive you. You can’t wait for that person to apologize to forgive them.

It’s killing you. No. Literally, from the inside out.

Start by praying that God would bless them. Pray God’s best for them.

Pray for God’s help to forgive them. He knows how to do it b/c He’s done it for you.

Make the conscious choice to forgive.

When the feelings of vengeance come back, remind your heart that you’ve let those feelings go.

Eventually, they will go away for good.

Who is it?

What?

What is God calling you to do that you are resisting?

Paul could walk away from the synagogue that rejected him with a clear conscience.

He did everything God called him to do.

You may be resisting b/c you are assuming an outcome.

You are only responsible for what God has called you to do. he is responsible for the outcome.

No assumptions.

You have the courage, act on it. Do what God has called you to do.

Support System

God has provided us all w/ a support system for when we go thru times of trouble.

One problem, though. When we go thru hard times we tend to blame God and push Him away.

Then, we stop going to church, hanging out w/ our Christian friends, and either go it alone or find other friends.

We need each other.

Don’t wait till you’re at war to prepare for war. When in troubled times don’t stop worshiping, worship more. Don’t stop praying, pray more. Don’t stop spending time w/ your Christian friends, spend more time w/ them.

God has provided us w/ a very strong and effective support system. There are some things that we have to go thru, no one else can do it for us. But, God and those around us will walk w/ us and carry the part of our load that they can.

What do you need to do to lean into God and His people so you can get closer?

God would never command us to do the impossible. He regularly commands the improbable.

He will certainly give you more than you can handle so that you will ask for help.

Hopefully we all will ask before we implode.

Forgiveness is one of those things. It is nearly impossible, absolutely improbable. But, we can do it b/c Jesus did it first for us.

It may be the hardest thing you ever do. But, it may also save your life.

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