Turning The World Upside Down: Presuming on God's Will: Acts 21:1-16

I. Paul’s Friends Pressure Him vs. 1-12

A. Paul’s journey has a weeklong lay over, so he meets up with some Christians and they spend a great week together.

B. The Holy Spirit revealed to them what was going to happen to Paul. This didn’t mean he shouldn’t go, but they naturally didn’t want him to go and be hurt. All too often God’s will doesn’t make sense to others. “No one is suppose to understand your calling. It wasn’t a conference call”- Harold Vaughan.

C. They presumed to know God’s will, for someone else. We do this far too often, ourselves.

D. This keeps happening by more and more people, until they beg Paul to disobey God because of their presumption. Even trusty, Dr. Luke is among them.

II. Paul Stays the Course vs. 13-16

A. Paul doesn’t give in, because he is staying true to his calling. Acts 9:15-16

Acts 9:15–16 NASB95

But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.”

B. His friends give, up either in frustration, shame, or both.

C. Then they go to await a certain fate in Jerusalem.