God Honoring Witness
Notes
Transcript
God Honoring Witness
God Honoring Witness
Intro
.Acts 21:17-22:21
On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther confronted the Catholic Church by nailing his 95 theses to the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany.
These theses were a list of problems that he saw within the teaching of the Catholic Church.
Including-
Indulgences are evil and exploitative.
Salvation through grace alone by faith alone
Scripture as the Final Authority
Righteousness given by God Alone.
Here’s one of the things that people don’t regularly recognize.
Luther wasn’t trying to break away from Catholicism.
He wasn’t trying to start his own religion.
He was trying to reform Catholic teaching and thought.
But there were those within the Catholic Church that only saw his challenges as heresy against the church.
So in 1521, he was called to defend his beliefs.
This is what is called the Diet of Worms.
He was required by both the Pope and the Emperor to attend.
He was asked by Emperor Charles V if he would recant all of his teachings.
He then gave a speech that will go down in history.
He gave the speech in German first.
Then he was asked to repeat it in Latin.
After he hesitated. He did so.
Then he was asked not for a soliloquy but for a simple answer to the question.
Will you recant or not:
Here is how he responded.
Since your most serene majesty and your lordships require of me a simple, clear and direct answer, I will give one, and it is this: Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures and by clear reason (for I do not trust in the pope or councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted. My conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not retract anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise. God help me. Amen.
Luther is convicted by the Scriptures to stand against some of the teachings of the Catholic Church.
He will not abandon his teachings.
He will not abandon his convictions.
He will not abandon the Scriptures.
He will not abandon Jesus.
So he is excommunicated from the church.
He is sent into exile.
He is labeled a Heretic.
His works and teachings are banned.
He was sent to live in Isolation.
There were consequences for standing up for the truth.
Much like Paul before him, Luther was resolute to stand for what God had revealed through the Scriptures and in the Person and Work of Jesus Christ.
Heres the truth, you will have to make a stand when it comes to following Jesus.
Today we are going to look at Paul doing just that.
He gives us a model to follow while following Jesus and facing Persecution.
People will lie, cheat, steal, and falsely accuse Christians of many things, but we have to stand firm.
We stand firm b/c we know the Jesus we Serve.
We stand firm b/c we know the truth.
We stand firm b/c in the end Jesus wins.
We stand firm b/c Jesus is worth it.
We stand firm b/c of the love, grace, and mercy we have recieved.
Let’s pray.
17 When we had come to Jerusalem, the brothers received us gladly.
18 On the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present.
19 After greeting them, he related one by one the things that God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.
20 And when they heard it, they glorified God. And they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed. They are all zealous for the law,
21 and they have been told about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or walk according to our customs.
22 What then is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come.
23 Do therefore what we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow;
24 take these men and purify yourself along with them and pay their expenses, so that they may shave their heads. Thus all will know that there is nothing in what they have been told about you, but that you yourself also live in observance of the law.
25 But as for the Gentiles who have believed, we have sent a letter with our judgment that they should abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality.”
26 Then Paul took the men, and the next day he purified himself along with them and went into the temple, giving notice when the days of purification would be fulfilled and the offering presented for each one of them.
God-Honoring Compromise
Do you remember why they had gone back to Jerusalem?
To bring the offering collected by all the gentile churches.
So Paul and his traveling companions make their way to visit all the elders/pastors of the church.
During this visit with them, he tells them about his adventures in preaching the gospel.
Notice what he tells them. v. 19
“he related one by one the things that God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.”
He gives all the glory to God.
He related to them the healing in Lystra.
Conversion of Lydia.
Slave girl released from bondage of an evil spirit.
The defense of Jesus in Athens.
The personal encouragement he recieved from Jesus to keep preaching.
The 3 years he spent discipling those in Ephesus.
The riot that broke out as Jesus was radically changing the hearts of the Ephesians.
Eutychus being brought back to life from death.
All the while recognizing that it wasn’t in his own strength or by his own power that these things were happening.
They happened b/c of God’s good grace and mercy.
He rejoiced in the goodness of God.
And they rejoiced alongside him.
Because they could see that God was on the move.
God was transforming the hearts of people.
All people. Jews and Gentiles.
Coming to a saving faith in Jesus Christ.
But there were some issues in Jerusalem.
There were those that didn’t like the gospel that Paul was preaching.
They didn’t like the fact that he didn’t require Gentiles to go through the Jewish rites to come to Jesus.
They accused him of abandoning the Law.
They accused him of making it too easy to follow Jesus.
These weren’t Jewish unbelievers.
These were the Jews that Confessed Jesus as Lord.
There was trouble in the camp.
They had false information about Paul.
Paul was preaching about grace.
He was preaching about the need to follow Jesus not the law.
He was preaching that you don’t have to go through the law to get to Jesus.
You can come to Jesus just as you are.
Jew or Gentile.
Now if someone wanted to abide by the law he wouldn’t stop them, but it wasn’t a requirement.
So James and the elders suggested Paul appease the Jewish believers by participating in a ritual cleansing and helping some men complete their vow to God.
Now Paul could have absolutely refused.
He could have said that based on Jesus’ sacrifice and the gospel message he didn’t have to do these things.
But out of humility and love he agreed.
This ritual was something that a Jewish man would do after he had spent some time in Gentile countries.
He would cleanse himself of the “dirt” of the gentile so that he could enter into the temple.
It was a 7 day ritual that required two washings in the temple.
Paul was also asked to help those who had taken a vow.
These men most likely took what is called a Nazarite Vow.
They abstained from all grape products (wines, juices, and grapes)
They couldn’t touch any dead carcass people or animal
And they couldn’t cut their hair for the duration of the vow.
Scripture is not super clear as to why this vow was taken, but it appears that it was either in thankfulness to an answered prayer or out of petition for a prayer to be answered.
At the end of the vow period, generally 30 days but could be longer, the participant would shave their head and bring an offering to the temple.
The offering and the hair would be burned together to signify the end of the vow.
What is Paul doing when he agrees to this vow?
He is showing compromise.
Compromise so that the gospel can continue to spread.
Compromise so that God would be glorified over all.
In Christ, he knows that he is free from the law, but for the sake of the brotherhood he wants to show unity and peacefulness.
Hear what he said in:
19 For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.
20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law.
21 To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law.
22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.
Why does he do this, because the gospel is more important than his preferences.
We have to understand that sometimes to live the Christian life and to worship together, there are going to be things that are uncomfortable or different than we are used to them happening.
As God continues to bless this church we are going to see people from all walks of life come through those doors to worship Jesus.
This means that to reach them and minister to them we might have to change the way we do worship service.
At the same time, we have to honor those who have been here and keep somethings the same.
Though we may compromise on the non-essentials we must never compromise on the gospel.
So regardless of the order of worship, song selection, or anything else we will stand true in the gospel.
We will not hesitate to compromise on the non-essentials to reach more people.
So just know that my preference and your preference should be for more people to hear the good news of Jesus regardless of how uncomfortable it may make us feel.
However, even though Paul was trying to do what was thought to right to reach his people, they still found a reason to come after him.
27 When the seven days were almost completed, the Jews from Asia, seeing him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd and laid hands on him,
28 crying out, “Men of Israel, help! This is the man who is teaching everyone everywhere against the people and the law and this place. Moreover, he even brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.”
29 For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple.
30 Then all the city was stirred up, and the people ran together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple, and at once the gates were shut.
God-Honoring Suffering
There were three charges brought against Paul in the temple.
The first two were similar to the charges against Stephen in Acts 6 which eventually lead to his death.
The first was that Paul spoke against the law.
Which is ironic b/c Paul was literally there to fulfil the law when it came to cleansing oneself to enter the temple.
The second was that he spoke against the temple too.
These alone could have been put him to death like it did for Stephen, but they had a greater charge to level against him.
Those gathered said that Paul had defiled the temple by allowing a gentile to enter into the holy place.
The men who levied this charge against him were Jews from Asia.
Most likely they were from Ephesus.
Where Paul spent 3 years ministering.
They would have known Paul.
They would have known his followers.
So they accused Paul of bringing the gentile Trophimus into the temple courts b/c they had been seen together throughout the city.
This is a completely false accusation, but they knew that it would stir up the crowd.
So why is this a big deal.
Well there are 3 courts in the Jewish Temple area.
There was the largest court was called the court of the gentiles.
This is the only place that non-Jewish people were allowed in the temple area.
There was also the court of Israel where all Jewish People male and female were allowed.
Then there was the court of the priests.
This was reserved for the priests and Jewish males.
These rules were taken so seriously that there were plaques out side the walls of the temple that read:
The Message of Acts a. Paul Is Assaulted by the Jews (21:27–32)
“No foreigner may enter within the barricade which surrounds the temple and enclosure. Anyone who is caught doing so will have himself to blame for his ensuing death.”
This warning was written in Greek and Latin so anyone could read and understand the danger of disobedience.
These courts were seen as holy and did not need to be defiled by anyone who wasn’t Jewish.
Not even the Roman authorities were allowed to enter into the temple inner temple courts.
So just the accusation that Paul brought a gentile into the inner courts of the temple was enough to drive the crowd wild.
They seized Paul and dragged him away from the temple with murder in their eyes and on their hearts.
As they drug him away the temple doors slammed shut almost as a witness to the Israelites hearts being shut off to the truth of Jesus.
They were cutting themselves off to the message of the cross and the messiah they had longed for.
Acts (2) The Riot in the Temple Area (21:27–36)
This is the last scene at the temple in Acts. The gates were closed. Is this symbolic that with this final refusal of God’s messenger the temple was forever closed to God’s purposes?
The Jews wanted to kill Paul, but God Steps in and saves him through an unlikely source.
31 And as they were seeking to kill him, word came to the tribune of the cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion.
32 He at once took soldiers and centurions and ran down to them. And when they saw the tribune and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.
33 Then the tribune came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains. He inquired who he was and what he had done.
34 Some in the crowd were shouting one thing, some another. And as he could not learn the facts because of the uproar, he ordered him to be brought into the barracks.
35 And when he came to the steps, he was actually carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the crowd,
36 for the mob of the people followed, crying out, “Away with him!”
37 As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he said to the tribune, “May I say something to you?” And he said, “Do you know Greek?
38 Are you not the Egyptian, then, who recently stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand men of the Assassins out into the wilderness?”
39 Paul replied, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no obscure city. I beg you, permit me to speak to the people.”
40 And when he had given him permission, Paul, standing on the steps, motioned with his hand to the people. And when there was a great hush, he addressed them in the Hebrew language, saying:
God-Honoring Suffering
They beat Paul. Fiercely.
Wishing to kill him.
But God wasn’t through with him...
Paul was rescued by a Roman Commander, his name is Claudius Lysias.
As a commander he was in charge of 1,000 soldiers
760 infantry and 240 cavalry.
He was a man of great power and influence.
And he is used by God to rescue Paul.
The commander takes with him at least a couple hundred troops with him to help disperse the crowd and get the riot under control.
He arrests Paul.
Binds him with 2 chains
Side-note—Paul will never be a free man again.
He is going to be in bondage and arrested for the rest of his life
Claudius tries to find out what Paul had done to cause such a ruckus, but due to the noise and confusion he is unable to decipher the problem.
The mob cries out to Claudius to remove Paul from them.
In fact they cry out “Away with him!” v. 36
This is the same cry when Jesus stood on trial.
In John 19:15 they cried out “Away with him, Away with him” to Jesus.
Paul is walking in the footsteps of the Savior.
Rejected by the crowd in Jerusalem.
Rejected by his own.
Rejected b/c of the truth.
Paul asks Claudius if he can speak to the crowd.
This confuses Claudius a little bit b/c he just assumes that Paul is an Egyptian that had caused problems before.
But Paul assures him that he is a Jew from a prominent Roman city and is well educated.
Paul is about to address the city.
He is going to talk to his people about Jesus.
He is going to give his testimony and preach the gospel.
1 “Brothers and fathers, hear the defense that I now make before you.”
2 And when they heard that he was addressing them in the Hebrew language, they became even more quiet. And he said:
3 “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God as all of you are this day.
4 I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women,
5 as the high priest and the whole council of elders can bear me witness. From them I received letters to the brothers, and I journeyed toward Damascus to take those also who were there and bring them in bonds to Jerusalem to be punished.
God-Honoring Testimony
Paul quiets the crowd when he starts to speak.
He is speaking to them in Aramaic, the Hebrew language, and they started to listen to what he has to say.
3 times in the book of Acts we read about Paul’s conversion.
First, in Acts 9
Secondly, Here in Acts 22
Thirdly, in Acts 26
Each one of these testimonies have a different flare.
They are each serving a different purpose.
This testimony specifically speaks to the Jewish people.
Paul is standing before them a bloody mess.
He has just been beaten.
He is handcuffed in chains.
Yet he speaks with power and conviction.
Paul wants his “Brothers and Fathers” to hear his heart for their salvation.
He is witnessing to them about the Change that Jesus did in his life.
He was a Jew of the Jews.
He strictly obeyed the law.
He was zealous for God.
He stood against all that would oppose God.
He made sure that he was surrounded by people who upheld the Law.
He had no dealings with the enemies of God whether gentile or Jew.
He was trained by Gamaliel.
A highly respected rabbi.
His resume is very similar to what he wrote in Philippians
Philippians 3:4–6 (ESV)
4 ... If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more:
5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee;
6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.
He did all that he was supposed to do as a Jew.
He was blameless in the sight of the Law.
The people gathered had no doubt heard about Paul’s exploits before he met Jesus.
They knew that he was a persecutor of Christ Followers “The Way”
He was taking everyone, men and women, binding them in chains and sending them off to prison.
Paul was missing something.
He was off.
But Then he met Jesus on the Road to Damascus.
6 “As I was on my way and drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone around me.
7 And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’
8 And I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And he said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’
9 Now those who were with me saw the light but did not understand the voice of the one who was speaking to me.
10 And I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Rise, and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that is appointed for you to do.’
11 And since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me, and came into Damascus.
God-Honoring Testimony
A light Shone about Jesus as he revealed himself to Jesus.
The light blinded Paul.
Paul was physically and spiritually blind to the truth about God until he met Jesus.
Paul then tells us that after meeting Jesus he was helpless.
He needed assistance traveling the rest of the way to Damascus.
He then tells of Ananias coming to heal him.
12 “And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there,
13 came to me, and standing by me said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ And at that very hour I received my sight and saw him.
14 And he said, ‘The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from his mouth;
15 for you will be a witness for him to everyone of what you have seen and heard.
16 And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’
God-Honoring Testimony
In the recounting of the story later in Chapter 26 he leaves out Ananias.
So why does he mention him here?
B/c Ananias was a devout Jew.
This adds another level of trust in what he says being true.
Another devout Jew came to heal Paul.
And from Ananias mouth he says
14 And he said, ‘The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from his mouth;
15 for you will be a witness for him to everyone of what you have seen and heard.
The God of our Fathers.
This imagery is straight out of the OT.
Jesus is not divorced from the God of the OT, rather he is the Righteous one.
The one come to restore his people.
The one come to bring life.
And Paul is the one that is to bring this message to others.
And get this Paul needed to repent of his sins and be baptized.
Even though Paul was blameless in the law, educated about the law, and zealous for God he was still in sin.
His sin was that he was doing all these “good things” in vain to try and make his way to God.
He was not righteous or holy based on his own works.
He was made righteous and holy based on Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.
17 “When I had returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance
18 and saw him saying to me, ‘Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’
19 And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that in one synagogue after another I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you.
20 And when the blood of Stephen your witness was being shed, I myself was standing by and approving and watching over the garments of those who killed him.’
21 And he said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’ ”
God-Honoring Testimony
A few years after his conversion, he makes his way into the temple. v. 17
In the temple he has a vision of Jesus.
This parallels the vision Isaiah receives in the temple as well. Isaiah 6.
Jesus tells him to leave Jerusalem.
But Paul protests.
Paul is sure that the change that he has been through will convince the Jews to follow Jesus.
He wants the message of Jesus to go to the Jews, but Jesus assures him that they are going to deny this message.
He persecuted the church.
He watched people kill Stephen.
He was zealous for his religion, and now he is zealous for Jesus.
Surely they will listen to him.
Surely they will see the change in him.
Surely they will repent and follow Jesus...
But Jesus knows that they won’t so he is going to send Paul to the gentiles.
So what can we do with this information?
How does Paul’s adventure in Jerusalem show us how to live a God honoring life?
First, We need to be willing to be all things to all people.
That means we need to be willing to meet people where they are.
We have to be willing to go to the broken.
Go to the hopeless.
Go to the sinner and tell them about Jesus.
We need to lay aside our own comfort. So that we can reach those who don’t know Jesus.
Secondly, We need to realize that being called to Jesus means that we will face hardships.
Life following Jesus is not easy.
Living your life sacrificially for Jesus is going to cause others to hate you.
They will call you names.
They will avoid you.
They will speak ill about you.
But we must have fortitude.
We must make sure that even when faced with these realities that we stand firm.
Too many people who claim to be Christians practice what is called easy believism.
Meaning that when push comes to shove they won’t stand for Jesus.
They think that following Jesus is meant for Sunday Morning, not their whole life.
But when Jesus called you. He didn’t just call some of you. He called all of you.
Your mind, body, heart, and soul.
We can’t relegate Jesus to just part of our lives.
He is Lord of it all.
That is going to intimidate people.
That is going to anger people.
That is going to cause some people to speak against you in wicked an vile ways.
But remain firm.
Trust that Jesus is right.
Trust that Jesus is the way.
Trust that Jesus is who he said he is.
Finally, your testimony is strong.
Use it.
Tell others how God has changed your heart.
Tell others how God has called you from your addictions, sins, and selfishness into a glorious relationship with him.
But also know that your sole job is to tell them.
How they respond to your testimony is between them and God.
If Jesus has changed you. That is the greatest news in the universe.
Why aren’t you telling people.
Don’t be scared.
What’s the absolute worst that can happen...
To honor God we have to stand on his truth.
Martin Luther was cast into exile after standing on the truth of Scripture.
Do you know what he did while in Exile.
He translated the NT into the German language.
He was able to bring the word of God to his people while he was being punished for standing up for what he believed.
After about a year in exile, he came back to his countrymen and was able to spread the good news of Jesus.
All because he wanted to honor God with his life.
So we need to stand with God.
We need to stand like Luther and say I love Jesus.
Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise. God help me. Amen.
If you don’t know this Jesus we proclaim.
If you haven’t given your life to him.
I offer for you today an opportunity to stand up and answer his call.
We are all born wicked and sinful.
We are born separated from God.
But through his grace.
Through his mercy
Through his love for people
He sent Jesus to live the perfect life.
Suffer and die for your sins and rise again on the third day.
I would love to speak with you if you have any questions about what it means to follow Jesus.
But I want you know that he isn’t offering you a Get out of hell free card.
This is a call to live this life for him.
This is a call to deny yourself and live for Jesus.
This is a call to forsake your desires and follow him.
But nevertheless this is the call.
He is calling out to you…Will you answer him?