Acts 18:1-22
Notes
Transcript
Immorality Abounds, Christ Sustains
Immorality Abounds, Christ Sustains
Intro
Paul was about to start ministering in Corinth.
Corinth was the last major stop on Paul’s second Missionary Journey.
The journey as recorded by Luke started in 15:40 and will come to an end in 18:22.
Corinth was an interesting place, but before we look at Corinth I want us to take a quick glimpse back at the journey so far.
Paul began this journey by revisiting some previously planted churches.
He picked up one of his travel companions from this trip, Timothy.
As he traveled he wanted to visit Asia to preach the gospel, but he was providentially hindered from gospel proclamation there.
So God instructed him to go to Macedonia.
He spent some time in Philippi and since there was no synagogue there he ministered to some God-Fearing women.
Out of this ministry, Lydia’s heart was opened and she came to know Jesus as Savior.
Out of her transformation she became generous and would support Paul in many of his missionary endeavors.
In Philippi, Paul, through the HS, was able to deliver a demon possessed girl from her bondage and as a result he was cast into prison.
He was freed from prison after a dramatic earthquake and preaching of the gospel to the Jailer.
But he was driven away from Philippi even though he was falsely imprisoned and accused.
He then went on to Thessalonica.
There he reasoned with the Jewish people about the Jesus being the Christ.
Some believed. Some stirred up a mob and chased him off.
He made his way to Berea.
Where he entered into the synagogue and these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica.
They asked questions.
They searched the Scriptures.
They believed what Paul preached.
But Paul was chased away from Berea as well by opposition.
He made his way to Athens.
A city built upon idolatry.
His heart was provoked by the wickedness he saw.
He was enraged by the sin of the city.
So he proclaimed the message of Jesus and His resurrection from the dead.
He debated, reasoned, and proclaimed their need for a Savior.
He showed them that all these idols were useless and vain.
He called them to repentance.
But most of them rejected the message of the Cross and Jesus’ resurrection.
So now Paul is entering into Corinth.
Corinth was a busy and thriving city, but it had been destroyed.
However, Julius Caesar had revived the City so when Paul arrives, no building in the city was more than 100 years old.
So it was young, thriving, and vibrant city of industry.
One theologian put it this way.
Athens was like Boston a city of intellect and thought.
Ephesus was like Los Angeles a center of popular culture and the occult.
Rome was like Washington DC the political center.
Corinth was like New York City, a center of commerce.
The Corinthian people were known for some magnificent feats.
If you remember back in Acts 3, Peter heals a lame man outside the temple gates.
The temple gate was called the Beautiful Gate.
This gate was constructed and fashioned out of Corinthian Bronze.
The Corinthians were skilled bronze workers.
(Picture) They were also renowned for their architecture.
They are best known for their Corinthian Columns.
They were also big into sports.
They held what were called the Isthmus Games.
These were like our modern day Olympics.
But above all these things. All the beauty, all the workmanship, and all the celebration the Corinthians were still fallen man.
In fact, the Corinthians were known worldwide as immoral.
If people wanted to insult you or to call you a person of ill repute they would say you are acting like a Corinthian.
If they wanted to insult a woman they would say that she lives like a Corinthian.
Why?
Corinth was popular and populated area.
It had what any bustling city of commerce would want…Location, location, location.
Take a look at this map (Picture)
Now the picture shows a canal there.
That canal wasn’t always there and it wouldn’t have been there during Paul’s Visit.
So if you were on one side of the isthmus and wanted to get to the other side you had to travel around the whole of Greece to get there.
That’s some 200+ miles of dangerous sailing.
Until someone came up with the bright idea to travel across the isthmus.
The journey is only about 3.5 miles.
So they would unload the ship, have slaves transport the cargo, and load up the ship on rollers and roll it across the land to the other side.
What happens when your in the middle of all this intense and hard work.
You become very popular.
Business Booms.
The city becomes a destination to visit.
Acrocorinth (Picture)
This is a very large hill that housed the temple to Aphrodite.
In Greek Mythology, Aphrodite was the goddess of love.
The temple was served by around 1,000 temple priestess who all practiced ritual prostitution.
So these tired and weary sailors would do what tired and weary sailors did to pass the time.
If an actor wanted to portray a Corinthian he would always play the part as a drunkard.
Needless to say the city was a city of immorality.
The People were a people entrenched in immorality.
Paul was going to be surrounded by immorality.
Paul was going to preach the gospel and have these people turn from their immorality.
In his first letter to the Corinthians after the missionary journey hear what he writes:
9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,
10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
Paul is going to see some converts during his ministry.
He’s going to spend more time in Corinth than he has in any other city up til now.
His mission in Corinth is going to come with it’s own set of hardships.
But it will also contain its own personal encouragement from the Lord.
Let’s take a look at the beginning of Paul’s ministry in Corinth.
1 After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.
2 And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. And he went to see them,
3 and because he was of the same trade he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade.
4 And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks.
Working For God’s Glory
Paul enters into the city and he meets a couple Aquila and Priscilla.
Aquila and Priscilla are Expelled from Rome because they are Jewish.
The Emperor Claudius had expelled all the Jewish People from Rome b/c there started to be some trouble stirred up there.
Ancient Roman Historian Suetonius records the expelling of Jews by Claudius.
He writes that it is because they were “indulging in constant riots at the instigation of Chrestus.”
The problem is this is the only mention of a man named Chrestus.
Most Scholars believe that this is just a poor transliteration.
That the name that was causing the riots was Christos the Greek identifier of Jesus.
This means that there were factions and riots happening in Rome b/c there was a preaching and teaching of Jesus.
This also means that it is in all likelihood that Aquila and Priscilla were already believers when they had made their way to Corinth.
We see that Aquila and Priscilla have the same occupation as Paul.
Paul did not always have funding for his trips so he worked as a tentmaker.
Tent-making funded his trips when he was unable to receive support from the churches.
So he would work his normal Job and then go out an proclaim the good news of JC.
Not only that but presumably P&A would accompany him.
He does call them coworkers in the gospel
3 Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus,
4 who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks but all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks as well.
This is important for us to understand that we are missionaries for Jesus wherever we are.
Just b/c you may have a Full time Job does not mean that you get to shirk on your responsibility to be a witness for Christ.
Where God has planted us that is where we need to Grow.
Not all are called to be in full time ministry.
I am grateful and privileged to be able to be a minister for the Gospel and be fully funded by you.
Yet most of the pastors in our association and in our nation are Bi-vocational.
Meaning they work their normal 9-5 and Pastor a church.
This is what Paul is doing while he isn’t being funded for the mission.
He has a profitable skill and he is using it to fund his calling.
He is hustling. He is grinding. But he doesn’t stop preaching.
So it’s not okay to make the excuse that you don’t have the time to preach the gospel, love your neighbors, or serve the church.
It’s about priorities.
What is important to you.
Is Jesus more important than entertainment, recreation, or relaxation.
I know you all work hard.
I know that you have families.
I know that time is our most precious resources.
But we do have to be good stewards of what God has given us.
How God has commanded us.
We all have a part to play in the life of the Church and as we follow Christ.
It will take stewardship to make the most of the calling set before us.
Not only that, but as we work.
As we hustle.
As we grind in our normal job we should be asking the question:
How can I do this work for Jesus?
How can I be the best student for Jesus?
How can God be glorified by the work I do?
Simply do your best. Work hard.
Don’t slack. Don’t procrastinated.
Don’t do like you see your coworkers do.
Work as if Jesus is watching you.
Are you being efficient?
Are you being thorough?
Are you truly doing the best that you can with how God has gifted you?
Are you kind, compassionate, and loving toward customers, clients, coworkers, and your boss? Your classmates, teachers, coaches, and administration?
Are you being like Jesus in your workplace?
At your school?
everywhere you Go?
How are you doing?
Now we do see a shift in Paul’s focus when he has Silas and Timothy arrive in Corinth.
5 When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus.
6 And when they opposed and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”
7 And he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. His house was next door to the synagogue.
8 Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized.
Blessings and Frustration
Silas and Timothy show up and we see a shift in Paul’s focus.
We see that after Timothy and Silas arrive that Paul “was occupied with the word.”
The shift happens now b/c no longer is Paul only preaching, teaching, testifying, and proclaiming the word on the Sabbath, but he is now absorbed in ministry.
It seems that Silas and Timothy brought with them a financial blessing so that Paul would no longer have to make tents, but he could be occupied and absorbed into Full time ministry.
He is now dedicated to telling this to the Jews with every fiber of his being all the time.
This is truly a blessing b/c Paul is passionate about proclaiming Salvation in Jesus.
He is gifted in preaching the word of God.
He is passionate in reaching his Jewish brothers and sisters with the message of the messiah.
So what was Paul Preaching?
1 And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom.
2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
What does a world inundated with immorality and idolatry need to hear.
They need to hear about the crucifixion of Christ. They need to hear of his resurrection.
They need to hear of his grace and mercy toward repentant sinners.
They need to hear that your idolatry and immorality costs something.
That your sin is so wicked. Your sin is so vile. Your sin is so offensive.
That the God of the universe had to condescend to earth to rescue your from enduring his wrath.
That God not only had to come to dwell with us, but he had to die to save you.
That there are consequences for sin. There are consequences for idolatry. There are consequences for immorality.
And either you will endure those consequences and feel the wrath of God when you die or you will trust that those consequences were take upon Jesus’ shoulders.
Those consequences were rendered moot when Jesus died for you.
That is what a culture immersed in immorality needs to hear.
That is what a country surrounded by idolatry needs to recognize.
That is not just what the Corinthians needed then. That’s what we need now.
And yet in his proclamation, reasoning, preaching, testifying, there are still those that reject the message.
There are still those who oppose him.
There are still those that revile him.
His passion for the gospel doesn’t stop when he hits opposition.
How ever it does change direction.
Paul gets fed up with the Jewish peoples anger and hatred toward him.
He gets frustrated.
So he proclaims to them that it is no longer his responsibility.
They have heard the good news.
He has reasoned and proved that Jesus is the Christ.
He has done all that he can and now their blood is on their own hands.
He is now going to go and preach to the gentiles.
And in a baller move, Paul shakes off his garment as a symbol that he doesn’t want to take the evil of the synagogue with him as he leaves.
Then he goes next door to Titius’ home.
Titius was a gentile worshipper of God.
One who would be considered a “God-Fearer”
He had not commited fully to the life of a Jew, but he loved and worshipped God.
So, Paul goes to his home and proclaims the good news.
We also read that the ruler of the synagogue trust in the Lord and abandoned his place of status, rule, and influence to follow Jesus.
Many other Corinthians come to believe and be baptized as well...
Things seem to be going well for Paul and his ministry, but something isn’t quite right.
Paul is struggling.
Paul needs reassurance.
Paul is tired.
But Paul isn’t alone.
9 And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent,
10 for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.”
Comfort from the Lord
If you remember what was said when we began this sermon, you will remember that up til this point Paul had been through the wringer.
Beatings, imprisonment, chased out of towns, mocked and laughed at for his beliefs.
He was hated by a majority of his own people.
Here’s the reality sometimes even the godliest of people can be weakened by circumstances.
We don’t know what Paul’s issue was that prompted the Lord to visit him.
Maybe he was overwhelmed with the sinfulness and idolatry in the city.
Maybe he was experiencing burn out.
Maybe he was experiencing depression.
Maybe he was simply tired, angry, frustrated, or discussed.
We don’t know exactly what was going on with him, but Jesus saw fit to visit him.
But we do know that these are all real experiences of real people.
Paul was a real person so he was probably feeling one of these if not all of them.
But Paul does give us a glimpse into his thoughts and feelings.
3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling,
4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
5 so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
He was fearful, trembling.
Speaking not in worldly wisdom but in the Spirit.
Corinth, like most major cities in the ancient world, would have visiting orators.
These men would go around proclaiming their message with flowery words and sophisticated language.
They appealed to the intellectual and were envied by the common folk.
They were esteemed b/c of their ideas, their eloquence, their ability.
But Paul said that the message he brought was a message of Godly wisdom not earthly wisdom.
A message empowered by the Holy Spirit.
A message that would sound foolish to a dying world.
He relied not on himself, but on the power of God to transform, to convert, and to rescue his people.
Yet even in the power of God, Paul was still Fearful. Paul was still trembling. Paul was still overwhelmed. Burned out. Depressed.
So, What does Jesus say to Paul?
Don’t be afraid.
Paul was making many enemies everywhere he went.
People were constantly chasing him out of town, threatening him with beatings, imprisonment, and even death.
He had much to fear when it came to the proclamation of Jesus.
He had much to worry about when it came to the preservation of his life.
He had much to fear, but the Lord gently commands and rebukes him to not be afraid.
He doesn’t just tell Paul to not be afraid he encourages him to continue in the ministry.
Jesus tells him to go on speaking don’t be silent.
Keep proclaiming the message.
Keep telling people how they can be set free.
Keep showing them their need for a savior.
Don’t Stop. Keep Going.
I love this b/c what it shows us is that when we are overwhelmed.
When we are distressed.
When we are burned out.
Where do we need to turn?
We need to turn to Jesus.
This is a special revelation to Paul that demonstrates the truth to all.
Don’t try to fix it yourself.
Don’t try to overcome it yourself.
Don’t try to fake it til you make it.
Don’t trust in your own ability.
Trust Jesus.
Run to Jesus.
It’s okay to not be okay.
Run to the one who can make you better.
Run to the one who comforts the afflicted.
Run to the one who eases burdens.
He is with you.
He won’t leave you.
He won’t Forsake you.
He is right next to you.
Jesus also promises Paul that no one in this city will harm him.
This isn’t a blanket promise from Jesus.
This is a respite for Paul.
An opportunity for Paul to enjoy ministry without imprisonment and beatings.
This is Special only to the Corinthian mission.
Paul will continue to endure trials and tribulation, but Jesus is allowing him a time to restoration.
Now why does Jesus show all this to Paul.
Why does Jesus appear to Paul and tell him to continue.
Some of the most Beautiful words are spoken by Jesus when it comes to Paul’s mission in Corinth.
“For I have many in this city who are my people.”
God isn’t finished in Corinth.
Jesus still has those to call his own in Corinth.
But they have to hear the message to turn from their wickedness to Jesus.
They are there. Jesus is drawing them, but Paul needs to proclaim the message.
I heard one preacher say it this way, “These are Christians in the making.”
They are almost there.
They are searching for something more.
They are wanting to know the truth and reality.
Do you know why God is allowing this church to continue to exist?
Because there are still many in this city who are his people.
A Church dies when they stop reaching the lost.
Our Job. Our Calling. Our Privilege is to tell others about the goodness of Christ.
There are always going to be those that don’t know him that need to hear about him.
And as his people we have to tell him.
We have to continue.
We have to persist.
We have to be bold.
We have to proclaim.
Why?
B/C there are people who need to hear.
There are people who will respond.
There are people who don’t belong to God…yet.
But they are his people.
We are his witnesses.
We are his heralds.
We have to tell.
Just like Paul we turn toward Jesus.
We proclaim. We reason. We preach. We teach.
Because if we don’t, God will allow these doors to close.
God will allow our influence to wain.
God will allow our ministry to dwindle and disappear.
It may not happen overnight, but it will happen.
We don’t want to be a church on life support.
We want to living in the light of the Lord.
We want to be vibrant.
We want to be alive.
We want to be walking in step with God.
But it isn’t just about people coming to Christ we also need to be discipling them.
11 And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.
12 But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him before the tribunal,
13 saying, “This man is persuading people to worship God contrary to the law.”
14 But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of wrongdoing or vicious crime, O Jews, I would have reason to accept your complaint.
15 But since it is a matter of questions about words and names and your own law, see to it yourselves. I refuse to be a judge of these things.”
16 And he drove them from the tribunal.
17 And they all seized Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the tribunal. But Gallio paid no attention to any of this.
Discipleship and Deliverance
Luke tells us that Paul stays with the Corinthians for 18 months.
He stays and teaches.
He stays and preaches.
He stays to train others in the Word of God.
Why does he stay so long?
Probably to help strengthen them b/c of the immorality in the city.
Because of the immorality of the culture.
Because he knows that they are going to endure some hardships from the world and from the Jewish People.
He wants them to be trained and equipped to endure.
To stay strong.
Because the Church in Corinth is a church most would be afraid to attend.
When you talk about dysfunctional churches, Corinth was at the top of the list.
Paul has to write at least 2 letters to the church.
There is one man who is sleeping with his stepmom.
They are having people get drunk at the Lord’s Supper.
Racial Tension, Socio-economic problems.
Incest.
You name it and it was probably happening in the Corinthian church.
And this was after Paul spent 1.5 years with them.
imagine if he would have done one of his quick church plants.
The problems would have been worse.
The reality is that America isn’t much different than Corinth.
Sexual immorality, Idolatry, and divisiveness rule the day.
So when we call people to Christ and they submit to him.
That isn’t the end of the journey. It is merely the beginning.
WE have to train. We have to lead. We have to show them what it means like to live a godly life.
We have to equip them to face the world with a biblical worldview.
So we don’t accomplish anything when we call someone to Jesus, they respond, and then we leave the hanging.
They are going to face difficulties in this world where sin abounds and satan like a lion seeks those to devour.
So we have to prepare them. By teaching them the word of God.
By showing them how to think rightly about the sinfulness of the world.
If you’re a parent this starts with you in your home.
You can’t think that the time they spend here is enough for them to have the strength to follow Jesus.
During his ministry, there were those who still attempted to harm Paul.
They took him to Gallio and presented him as an enemy of the state.
But God used Gallio to fulfill the promise that He made to Paul that no one would harm him.
Regardless of how hard they tried. They were unable to harm Paul b/c God was protecting him.
18 After this, Paul stayed many days longer and then took leave of the brothers and set sail for Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae he had cut his hair, for he was under a vow.
19 And they came to Ephesus, and he left them there, but he himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews.
20 When they asked him to stay for a longer period, he declined.
21 But on taking leave of them he said, “I will return to you if God wills,” and he set sail from Ephesus.
22 When he had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church, and then went down to Antioch.
Return to Antioch
Paul’s time in Corinth is wrapping up.
He spends some more time training, preaching, and teaching.
But it’s time for him to leave.
He Goes with Priscilla and Aquila to Syria.
He then makes his way to Ephesus.
Where P&A stay.
He goes into the Synagogue as was his custom and reasons with the Jews there about Jesus.
And they are eating it up.
They are enjoying hearing what Paul has to say, so they ask him to stay, but Paul is in a hurry to get back home for some restoration and relaxation.
He tells them that he will be back “if the Lord wills”
Which we know he does.
Paul will eventually spend 3 years in Ephesus, his longest stint in any one place, but as for now he needs to make it Jerusalem and back to Antioch.
And So he does, He goes back to Antioch spends some time there.
What can we learn from Paul in Corinth.
Work is good.
All Work. Your Job, Career, or Calling are all important to God.
God designed us to work.
To create.
We work so that we can glorify God.
All work secular or sacred can be glorifying to God.
Preaching and tent-making.
Whatever we do do for God’s Glory.
We also see that human feelings of burn out, despair, or being overwhelmed are all a reality no matter how “spiritual you are”
And when you reach those moments of hopelessness, fear, and trembling don’t turn to yourself. Turn to Jesus.
Lean on Jesus. Trust in Jesus.
Turn to the bible and toward God’s people.
He gives both to strengthen us.
We also see that we need to disciple people as they turn to Christ.
No one comes to Jesus knowing all they need to know.
It’s a process. If you ever come across someone who says they have the whole Christianity thing figured out.
RUN AWAY!
No matter how long you have belonged to Christ there is always room for growth, improvement, and discipleship.
If you are a follower of Jesus, you have the duty, privilege, and calling to tell others about him.
How are you doing?
How are reaching out and impacting a lost world?
How are those in this town hearing you proclaim him?
This isn’t meant to shame you, but allow you a time to reflect on your calling.
Are you living up to the calling that has been set before you?
If you don’t know Jesus, This is a time for you to submit to him.
You may have said a prayer when you were younger.
You may have even been baptised as a kid.
You may have had family that were ministers.
But are YOU following Christ.
Is there fruit in you life that someone can look at and say yes that person belongs to Jesus.
If not, it doesn’t matter the prayer you prayed, the water you were dunked in, or the family you come from you don’t Know Jesus.
And if you don’t repent. You will spend eternity separated from the living God.
So cry out to him in your sinfulness and wickedness and ask for forgiveness.
To turn from your sin and into the arms of the savior.
He is calling out to you are going to respond.
Pray.