Spirit Empowered Courage

Wasted Life

Ray Stedman told the story of a time when, after a Billy Graham crusade meeting, he slipped into a seat on a bus beside a young man who had gone forward in the meeting that night and given his heart to Christ. Pastor Stedman spoke to him of what his new life would mean, and mentioned that he could now be free from all fear of death. The young man turned and looked the older man in the eye and said, “I have never been much afraid of death. But I’ll tell you what I am afraid of—I’m afraid I’ll waste my life.”

In 2003, John Piper provoked my heart when he wrote a book called, “Don’t Waste Your Life.” The book is a must read by every teenager and 20 something in the church. Piper contends that a wasted life is one that is spent making yourself glad in, well, in yourself. Living a self-centered life is wasteful. Living try to invent or create a life to satisfy what you think your heart needs to be happy, is in Piper’s estimation, wasteful. You were made for so much more, and I agree with him.

John Piper contends that God created you to live your life to glorify Him by enjoying Him. That is what lies behind his famous axiom,

“God is most glorified in you when you are most satisfied in Him.” John Piper

That is the meaning of life. To not pursue this is to waste your life.

I had a lot of take-aways from his book, but one of the most profound insights I gleaned from him was to recognize what my heart fears, and how that fear keeps me from enjoying God. My fear, when it comes to the gospel, is typically rooted in some form of unbelief or a self-centered self-preservation. For example, when God gives me opportunities to glorify him by sharing the gospel with someone, I have to fight to not let the fear of rejection (self-centered) or persecution (self-preservation) stop me from testifying of Jesus’s worth. Piper taught me that my love for God and my satisfaction in Christ is sufficient to overcome my fear because Jesus is the most heart satisfying Being alive. His love, his care, his wisdom, his power, his beauty, his salvation, his sovereignty, his promises, are all heart satisfying and worthy of my testimony. And building my life on and around those truths, living by faith and not fear, God uses me to testify of Jesus’s worth. I’m living in the “purpose” that God created me to live, not wasting my life.

So, I came to the conclusion that

You waste your life when allow fear to keep you from enjoying God and being used by God to testify to the world the worth of Jesus.

Well, my heart has struggled with that commitment. Fear is real. My faith is weak. And my love for Jesus easily grows cold. Furthermore, have you seen the weather outside? Our society is freezing toward Christians. They do not want us to have any influence whatsoever in the community. We see an example of this in our own backyard.

Illinois Congress member Sean Casten (IL-6) signed a document presented to President Biden urging him to remove Christian influence from the nation's culture. The document says:

"We urge you to lead our nation on a path that revives the Founders’ vision of religious freedom in our government and promotes a unifying patriotic pluralism—not dogmatic religious chauvinism—in American society," states the Secular Democrats of America within a 28-page list of demands. "We believe that this is a moment not only to enact policies to advance constitutional secularism but to position the Democratic Party to take back the mantle of religious freedom and pluralism from the Republican Party."

It urges President Biden to:

Eliminate government support for all crisis pregnancy centers and all abstinence-only education programs in schools- why Christians teach/believe that sexual intimacy only belongs inside the covenant marriage.

Deny free speech and religious liberty to select Americans based on their religious beliefs- why? Because Christians preach Jesus is the only way to heaven, and we openly teach that God ordained marriage between two genders: man and woman.

Remove “In God We Trust” from U.S. currency. Why? Self-explanatory.

Repeal the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA)Rescind and replace the Trump DOJ’s federal protections for religious liberty.Appoint an attorney general who will support governors whose emergency COVID-19 executive orders restrict gatherings at houses of worship- Why? Because they know we gather t worship God an invite others to do so. Churches have a distinct role and influence int eh community.

Reverse the Trump administration policies that have allowed faith-based government-funded contractors to provide adoption and foster care services and work with Congress to pass the Every Child Deserves a Family Act.  Why? Because many Christians answer the call to adopt and foster children as an expression of God’s love and the gospel. They don’t want Christians influencing these broken children.

The document tells Biden: “We urge you to avoid invoking the phrase ‘Judeo-Christian values,’ as it has been weaponized by the religious right to advance an agenda that has the veneer of inclusivity but actually undermines religious freedom and tolerance and does not represent tens of millions of Americans implicitly excluded from its formulation.

Our political leaders and much of the major corporations are making it clear that Christ and His followers have no place, nor any legitimate voice, in their community. This is the culture God is calling everyone of us to testify of the worth of Jesus by sharing his gospel message. I can understand why fear rises in the hearts of God’s people.

What am I too do? I love Jesus. I love His kingdom, but I’m also prone to be fearful, like Gideon. I don’t want to waste my life by allowing fear to keep me from being used to testify to the world the worth of Jesus. Am I left to myself, or will God work on my behalf?

What you realize this morning, of your heart is like my heart, is that you need courage. You need Christ-loving, Father magnifying, Bible rooted, Spirit-empowered courage.

The Holy Spirit empowers you to have the courage to testify wisely the truth of Jesus in the face of adversity.

Paul expected adversity for being a Christian. God told him that he would suffer for the gospel sake (Acts 9). The Holy Spirit told him that he would experience affliction an imprisonment in Jerusalem. Later, toward the end of Paul’s life, he told Timothy to expect adversity for being a Christian.

2 Timothy 3:12 ESV

Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,

Paul does not say this in a vacuum. Paul is speaking from years of experience at this point. Following Jesus rightly will bring adversity in your life. In our text, Paul is suffering at the hands of angry Jews because of his Spirit-empowered testimony. Paul encountered Jesus and Jesus changed his life and gave him a heart for the Gentiles. Jews were not having any of that and wanted him killed. In the following verses, Paul’s circumstances with the Roman Tribune and the Sanhedrin show us three circumstances where God shows up gives you courage to testify wisely in the face of adversity.

The Spirit will give you courage to wisely testify the truth of Jesus in the face of violence (Acts 22:23-30).

In verse 23, the angry mob is shouting and throwing off their cloaks. Paul has struck at the heart of their Jewish nationalism by suggesting God wants to save Gentiles for His kingdom.

The crowd becomes so violent that the Roman tribune ordered Paul to be brought back to the barracks for questioning. To get to the bottom of a matter, the Romans did not play around.

It was legal for Roman soldiers to scourge slaves or aliens to get confessions or to determine who is telling the truth concerning a situation. That is why Paul is being strung up to be flogged in verses 24-25. The flagellum was a rod with leather throngs that had pieces of bone and metal woven into it. It did not take many lashings to kill a man, which is why it was illegal for the tribune to flog a Roman citizen who had not had a fair trial and sentence. So when Paul mentions that he was a legitimate Roman citizen in verse 26-27, the guards quickly unstrap him and move away.

Paul is cunning with his accusers. Notice in verse 25, that Paul waits until he is chained before he tells them he is a Roman citizen. He does that for the same reason why he forced the Roman guards in Acts 16:37 to apologize publically for beating them publically-he now had the legal upper hand to work against them. Furthermore, Paul reveals that he is a natural born citizen. He did not buy his citizenship as the Roman commander did. This gave Paul more leverage in the commander’s eyes.

I use the adverb “wisely” to modify the word “testify” because throughout this entire text, Paul exercises shrewd decision making and carefulness with his words. He is patient with his timing, and only says what needs to be said to bring peace and truth. When I watch Paul testify before the Jews and the Roman tribune, I am reminded of the promise Jesus gives to his disciples and to me, and to everyone of you,

Luke 12:11–12 ESV

And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

or

Matthew 10:18–19 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.

and

Mark 13:11 ESV

And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.

Couple this promise with another promise

Acts 1:8 ESV

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

If you are sitting there wondering how Paul is keeping his composure as he is being torn apart by the angry mob, or you are wondering how Paul is able to think on his feet and use such cunning as he is being strapped to a pole to be flogged, possibly to death, you see Jesus is Paul’s source of strength and confidence. It’s not Paul. It’s the Holy Spirit empowering Paul.

Jesus promised

Luke 21:15 ESV

for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict.

John Piper notes that Luke uses these words to describe Stephen’s speech

Acts 6:10 ESV

But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.

just before they stoned him to death. How did Stephen withstand such violence and still proclaim the gospel and die a good death, a martyr’s death? It was the power of the Holy Spirit.

Some of you may be skeptical. Fear has captured your imagination and you say, “I can never testify like that.” Or you are afraid that you will fold in your hour to stand.

Corrie ten Boom had such fears as she was helping Jews escape Nazi Germany. He dad sat her down and said, “Corrie, when you and I go to Amsterdam, when do I give you the ticket? She answered, “Why, just before we get on the train.” Exactly, her father replied. “and our wise Father in heaven knows when you are going to need things too. Don’t run ahead of him.

Fear rushes your heart ahead of the Father, believing he will not give you the courage you need to testify. Don’t run ahead of Him. Walk with Him, and testify of Jesus. If violence comes upon you for doing so, know that He was promised you that the Spirit of Christ will give you the courage to wisely testify in the face of violence.

The Spirit will give your courage to wisely testify the truth of Jesus in the face of hypocrisy (Acts 23:1-10).

Eventually Paul is brought before the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin was the highest religious court among the Jews. It was made up of both Pharisees and Sadducees. Pharisees were lovers of the law and believed in the resurrection. The Sanhedrin were more liberal and denied the resurrection. The Sadducee held the most power on the the court.

Paul opens chapter 23, by saying that he has lived his life with a good conscience until now. What he means by that is that even when he was persecuting Christians, he thought he was doing the right thing. He never knowingly opposed the truth. He was a law-abider, not a law breaker.

The High Priest was the chief priest among all other priests. He made the atonement sacrifice for the people. He stood as a mediator between God and Israel. His role was to be an example of holiness and godliness to Israel, drawing the people closer to Yahweh.

In the following four verses, Paul exposes the hypocrisy of the High Priest. Ananias, the High Priest, was a Roman vassal, which means he had a working relationship with the Romans. He was known for his greed and for stealing tithes that belonged to the poorer priests. By all means he was corrupt and exploited the people. He was eventually killed eight years after this hearing by Jewish Zealot revolutionaries.

After Paul is struck in the mouth for his comment, Paul calls Ananias what Jesus called the religious leaders of his day, a whitewashed wall. Whitewash was a veneer they put on walls to make them appear clean. Spiritually speaking, NT Theologian Craig Keener notes, “A “whitewashed wall” was one whose weakness or ugliness might be concealed—but not changed—by a veneer of whitewash.”

Paul recognizes the hypocrisy. When it is revealed to whom Paul is speaking too, he sarcastically quotes Exodus 22:28

Exodus 22:28 ESV

“You shall not revile God, nor curse a ruler of your people.

Paul is bringing to light Ananias's hypocrisy. You can see the irony. Ananias, the corrupt, thieving, Roman loving High priest, is accusing Paul the pious law abiding Christian of not knowing or obeying God. You have the wicked condemning the righteous. Utter hypocrisy.

Hypocrisy causes us to shake our heads. I read once of annual meeting of the American Heart Association in Atlanta in 1993. Three hundred thousand doctors, nurses, and researchers came together to discuss, among other things, the importance a low-fat diet plays in keeping our hearts healthy.

Yet during mealtimes, they consumed fast food, such as bacon cheeseburgers and fries. When one cardiologist was asked whether or not his partaking in high-fat meals set a bad example, he replied tongue in cheek, “Not me; I took my name tag off.” Wait…what?

In some ways Paul is shaking his head, just as you and I are when we read his account. Yet, we both know that hypocrisy is not limited to inside the church. Those outside the church are just as hypocritical as some inside the church. And when you preach he gospel, hypocrites will arrest you, indict you, imprison you, and even kill you for all kinds of reasons that have nothing to do with the truth about Jesus.

They will call the gospel hate speech. They will take your job as a teacher, prison guard, police officer, court clerk, because you speak for God ordained marriages and families. They will shut down church buildings who don’t have special permits for operating under state sanctioned rules in order to quiet the pulpit, all of in the name of tolerance, inclusivity, and love for mankind. utter hypocrisy.

There is something about being accused unjustly of something that boils the blood. When someone blatantly lies about you and gets away with it, and causes real damage to your reputation, your job, and your families well-being. Hypocrites can make your like miserable and difficult. How do you not retaliate? How do you not defend yourself? How do you not loose you gospel witness?

Because Paul knows who he is dealing with, he wisely uses the divide and conquer strategy. There is a lot of disagreement between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, but one of the most prevalent disagreements is their view of the resurrection.

Pharisees believed there was a resurrection of the dead. Sadducees rejected the idea of an embodiment in the after life. In verses 6, Paul says that he believes in the resurrection, like every other good pharisee. The wisdom here is two fold.

First, the hope of the resurrection was pivotal the Judaism. Think of the hall of the martyrs in Hebrews 11. Think of all the Old Testament saints who suffered and died looking forward to the messiah and his resurrection. Paul, like every other Pharisee upheld the resurrection. The difference is with Paul, he believed and taught that the resurrection was already inaugurated by Jesus. Paul had a better understanding of the resurrection.

Now the Pharisees did not understand Paul’s perspective of the resurrection. They contended that maybe an angel spoke to Paul. However, no good Pharisee would deny the resurrection.

Second, since the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection, the Pharisees concluded that no Sadducee would ever have eternal life. So, from the Pharisee perspective, the Sadducees just wanted Paul convicted based on his view of the resurrection.

Again, this is cunning by Paul. He used their hypocrisy and unbelief to divide his accusers in order to keep testifying of the gospel. But even more, the Spirit empowered Paul to be truthful and kind.

Think about

Romans 2:1–5 ESV

Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.

Paul does not pass judgement of Ananias’s hypocrisy. Even though I think he’s being sarcastic to some degree in verse 5, I also think Paul is trying to honor God’s appointed office, and the person holding that office. If you read Romans seven, Paul understand the heart of a hypocrite. He says things like, I do the things I don’t want to do, and I don’t do the things I ought to do. There is war inside of me fighting good verses evil. He shows humility and keeps his attention on the gospel, the resurrection.

Truth is the remedy to hypocrisy. God is a just God. He will deal with hypocrites. Paul does not need to take vengeance into his own hands. He does not need to go to name calling. He shows his resolve in the kindness and justice of God. That is the power of the Spirit inside of Paul-speaking truth in kindness in the face of hypocritical accusers.

In verse 10, they are so up in arms that the tribune has to once again rescue Paul.

The Spirit will give you encouragement to trust the Lord when he calls you to testify (Acts 23:11).

Paul is arrested and put in jail. Why? Because he testified of the worth of Jesus. Its night time for Paul. Night time is the hardest. It is when your thoughts can overwhelm you. Your imagination of what could happen, usually in the worst case scenario, plays like a movie in your head as you try to sleep.

It’s possible Paul could be feeling discouraged. It has been a long day, a long few days really. He is tired and alone. Jesus shows up to encourage Paul.

Acts 23:11 ESV

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.”

How precious are the words of Jesus to Paul. After Paul testifies to the Jews and the Romans and experiences the violence and hypocrisy, we see Jesus standing next to Paul telling Him to take courage.

There are a couple of things about this verb for “take courage.” First of all, this verb means to have confidence and firmness of purpose in the face of danger or testing [LN]. It means to be firm or resolute in the face adverse circumstances [BDAG]. Jesus is giving Paul and imperative to stand up, gird your loins, trust me, I’ve got this. Don’t let your heart be overcome with fear.

Secondly, the only other uses of the verb θαρσέω ‘take courage’ in the New Testament are in statements by Jesus. Jesus uses this word six other times in the gospels. Most notable is

John 16:33 HCSB

I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.”

Be courageous, I have conquered the world!

The Jesus who stood by Paul that night is the resurrected Jesus. The resurrected Jesus conquered death and Satan and the consequence of sin by dying on a cross and being raised to life three days later. That Jesus ascended into heaven siting at the right hand of the Father and is interceding for all his saints. That Jesus poured out his Spirit to empower every person who trusts Him for salvation. That Jesus is the resurrected Jesus who keeps His promise: “know I am always with you.”

The resurrected Jesus was with Paul in every synagogue, every prison, every beating, every stoning, every trial, and every angry mob and Roman tribunal. And in his discouragement, in his uncertainty, in his suffering for testifying of Jesus, Jesus meets him in prison and says, Take heart, Paul. Be encouraged. You are testifying well of Me.

In other words, “Paul you are not wasting your life by allowing the fear of man to keep you from being used by the Father to testify of My worth. You are living by faith and enjoying my presence.” And Paul is sustained in the fight, and is able to keep going. He has to keep going. Jesus says Rome is your final destination. Just as you testified the facts about me in Jerusalem, you must you do in Rome.

Paul must go to Rome to die. Rome is where he will be beheaded by Nero because of his testimony of Jesus worth. be courageous Paul, death will not consume you. Satan will not devour you. Your sin will not send you to hell. I have overcome the world.

Don’t Waste Your Life!

Paul’s courage was not rooted in his character or personality. He was empowered by the Spirit. He exercised courage by trusting the promises of Jesus:

I am always with you.

The Holy Spirit will speak through you.

Do not let fear stop you from being used by God to testify of the worth of Jesus to this world. You have been empowered by the Spirit to testify. He will give you the courage to testify wisely in the face of adversity.

You don’t want to stand before God and say to him, “ I wasted my life, the new life you gave me, I wasted it. I wasted it because I was afraid to tell the world of the worth of Jesus. I’m sorry God. I did not believe that joyfully advancing your kingdom by making much of Jesus was more satisfying to my heart than advancing my own kingdom by making much of my comfort. I avoided telling people your gospel message because I was afraid, and I did not believe you would give my heart the courage I need to get through the pain, suffering, and persecution that would come for making much of Jesus.” I want to hear from Jesus, well done my good and faithful servant. Your faith has made you well. Your joy in me has made you well. Come into my rest where you will never need courage again.