Keep Working

Praise and Prayer

This morning I want to look at some Scripture that God laid on my heart and spoke to me through this week.

This past summer my wife and I went to a conference down in Tampa, and like most conferences or meetings I go to, they gave some books to us, and one of the books was a daily devotional.

It is one of those year long ones, so I waited until the beginning of the year to start, but as I was reading Tuesday’s devotional, the Scripture was out of Acts 18:5-6, God really spoke to me.

After I read the devotion, I then went to my Bible and read on from verse 6, and God spoke to me about preaching this Sunday.

Now last week we looked at the true heart of worship and that we are to present our bodies as living sacrifices before God, that is to be fully and completely surrendered to God, that it is all about Jesus, not us.

Well as we look at our text this morning and see that we need to Keep Working, and that God tells us not to allow opposition, persecution or anything else to hinder us, or stop us, but to keep working for him.

Our main text is found in Acts 18:5-11

Acts 18:5–11 CSB

5 When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself to preaching the word and testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Messiah. 6 When they resisted and blasphemed, he shook out his clothes and told them, “Your blood is on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” 7 So he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God, whose house was next door to the synagogue. 8 Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, along with his whole household. Many of the Corinthians, when they heard, believed and were baptized. 9 The Lord said to Paul in a night vision, “Don’t be afraid, but keep on speaking and don’t be silent. 10 For I am with you, and no one will lay a hand on you to hurt you, because I have many people in this city.” 11 He stayed there a year and a half, teaching the word of God among them.

I. Devoted Help V. 5

Acts 18:5 CSB

5 When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself to preaching the word and testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Messiah.

First, we see that Silas and Timothy have arrived from Macedonia, this giving Paul some much needed help in the city of Corinth.

What was so important about Silas and Timothy arriving that Luke mentions it here, well there are a couple of things.

One, we know from that they brought some gifts to help in the support of the church plant there in Corinth, as Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 11:9

2 Corinthians 11:9 CSB

9 When I was present with you and in need, I did not burden anyone, since the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied my needs. I have kept myself, and will keep myself, from burdening you in any way.

Another thing was that Silas and Timothy brought encouragement with them, they would be able to encourage Paul.

They could also take some of the ministry load off of Paul, and as we see there in verse 5, it allowed Paul to focus and be devoted to exclusively preaching the Word of God.

Therefore, with the gift which we know was from the church in Philippi as Paul tells the Philippians in Philippians 4:15

Philippians 4:15 CSB

15 And you Philippians know that in the early days of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving except you alone.

With that gift that Silas and Timothy brought, Paul did not have to work at tent making so much to provided for the ministry, but again could be devoted to preaching the gospel message.

Therefore, we see where it is important to have devoted helpers, people that you can count on, people that you know have your back and support you in the ministry and will not turn on you.

We are to encourage each other, when we see someone leading a ministry, or helping in a ministry, yes they probably do not do it for a pat on the back, but they may just be having a bad day that day and a word of encouragement may be just what helps brighten their day.

Since Silas and Timothy had arrived Paul devoted himself to preaching the Word of God, the gospel message to the Jews, he was testifying to them that Jesus was the Messiah.

We must remember that the Jews, and even today, do not believe that Jesus is the Messiah, unless they are Messianic Jews.

Therefore, Paul was trying to reach these Jews for salvation, the Jews believed the Old Testament, they even believed that a Messiah was to come, but they did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah.

II. Opposition. Vs. 6-8

Acts 18:6–8 CSB

6 When they resisted and blasphemed, he shook out his clothes and told them, “Your blood is on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” 7 So he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God, whose house was next door to the synagogue. 8 Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, along with his whole household. Many of the Corinthians, when they heard, believed and were baptized.

The Jewish there in Corinth, resisted that is they did not want to hear what Paul was preaching, they were opposing Paul, they were going against him.

It says there in verse 6, that he shook out his clothes and told them, your blood is on your own heads! I am innocent.

We might think today, wow, that is not very Christian like, he should keep trying, he should keep witnessing to those people.

Well we must remember what Jesus said in Matthew 10:14-15

Matthew 10:14–15 CSB

14 If anyone does not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that house or town. 15 Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.

Jesus tells us if people are not going to listen, if they are going to reject us, they knock the dust off your feet and leave their house or their town.

He goes on to say, it is more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than those who reject the witness of believers.

We do remember what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah, God rained down Brim fire and hailstone, upon the cities, because they were so wicked.

But we must also understand that Paul did not just go in and witness one time, he did not just go in with a witnessing track and give it to a couple of people and they throw it down and him walk away.

Paul had a great burden to see the Jews come to salvation in Jesus Christ as we see in Romans 10:1

Romans 10:1 CSB

1 Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God concerning them is for their salvation.

Because the Jews would not listen, Paul still had a burden for people to come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, therefore, he turned to the Gentiles.

Whenever God is blessing a ministry, you can expect increased opposition as well as increased opportunities.

The enemy, which is Satan, gets angry when we invade his territory and liberate his slaves.

The unbelieving Jews who rejected the Word of God stirred up trouble for Paul and his friends.

The phrase your blood is on your own head, well, if blood was on your hands meant that you were responsible for another’s death because you were not faithful to warn them. This comes from the watchman on the city walls whose task it was to stay alert and warn of danger.

But to have blood on your head means you are to blame for your own judgment. You had the opportunity to be saved, but you turned it down.

Paul’s hands were clean because he had been faithful to declare the gospel message. The Jews now had their own blood on their heads because they had rejected the gospel message, God’s truth.

At just the right time, God brought another friend into Paul’s life a Gentile, God-fearing man named Titus Justus.

This may not of been someone who Paul was expecting to be one to help him in ministry, but it is who God place with him to help him.

Because of the opposition Paul left the synagogue and began using Titus Justus house as his preaching station, which was located right next door to the synagogue!

When opposition closes one door, God opens a better door. This was a great opportunity as Paul was able to preach to the Jews and the Gentiles, and as a result, even the chief ruler - Crispus - of the synagogue was converted!

Because of this new open door by God, it was not just the leader of the synagogue it was his whole family.

Paul could have fought the opposition, he could have stood on the synagogues steeps and preached, he could have kept going in and preaching to just be thrown out, but he followed the leading of God’s Holy Spirit.

When Paul followed what God was leading him to do, to go through this new open door, great things began to happen.

The leader of the synagogue and his family came to salvation, then we are told, many of the Corinthians, when they heard believed, and were baptized.

See we can bow to opposition and allow satan to win, or we can follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, and allow God to win.

So many times in today’s society we allow the squeaky wheel to get the grease when what needs to happen is we need to turn to God and find out what the true problem is.

Sometimes we think that the squeaky wheel is a large majority of people, when in reality it is just one or two people, and when God directs them away or changes their hearts, that squeaking stops.

We are to be here to work for Jesus, to serve Jesus, to be the hands and feet of Jesus, which all comes together as worshipping God, but if we allow opposition stand in the way of that, if we allow opposition to tell us how we need to do things, and how we need to serve, and how we are to worship, instead of listening to God, then we are not truly worshipping God.

III. Jesus’ Re-Assurance Vs. 9-11

Acts 18:9–11 CSB

9 The Lord said to Paul in a night vision, “Don’t be afraid, but keep on speaking and don’t be silent. 10 For I am with you, and no one will lay a hand on you to hurt you, because I have many people in this city.” 11 He stayed there a year and a half, teaching the word of God among them.

The conversion of Crispus the leader of the synagogue, opened up more opportunities for evangelism and brought more opposition from the enemy!

Paul was seeing some success, he was seeing people come to Christ, he was seeing people get baptized, but he was also still facing opposition very strongly.

See the Jews were doing everything they possible could to silence him and get rid of him, and even when you know what you are doing is right, and even when you can see that God is blessing it, when those attacks are hitting hard, it is hard to not want to just move on, and Paul was probable at this point.

Because of this Jesus comes to Paul it says in a night vision, possibly in a dream, but says to Paul Don’t be afraid, but keep on speaking and don’t be silent.

Another words, I know you are facing opposition, I know things are tough, but keep working, keep doing what I have called you too do.

I got your back, I am with you like I have always been, and keep working, don’t let the opposition silence you and don’t be afraid of the opposition, because it is like he has told us.

We are first told in Romans 8:31

Romans 8:31 CSB

31 What, then, are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us?

Then we are told in 1 John 4:4

1 John 4:4 CSB

4 You are from God, little children, and you have conquered them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

Jesus continues in his message to Paul in this night vision with, For I am with you, and no one will lay a hand on you to hurt you, because I have many people in this city.

Jesus knew Paul need a word of encouragement, and therefore, he came to him in a night vision to let him know, hey I got your back.

Don’t stop speaking, don’t be afraid, but keep working.

All this encouraged Paul and he stayed in Corinth for a year and a half preaching the Word, the gospel message.

Paul didn’t give up in the face of opposition, but he kept on working. Many times we are faced with opposition, weather it is people throwing opposition at us, or weather it is our health, or our financial situation, or job, or any other situation, and we allow it to stop us from working for the Lord.

But we must keep working for the Lord, there is work to be done, not just here inside these four walls, this is not were the work really is, the work, the mission field is outside these four walls. We need to go outside these four walls.

We need to keep working to reach the lost and that is until the day Jesus comes in the clouds or the day we take our last breath.

Those who belong to Jesus want to follow Jesus. We do not always stay on track all the time, but I have yet to meet a true lover of God who doesn’t care about His plan for his or her life.

Yet sometimes we face obstacles that threaten to stop us in our tracks and we just give up, but we need to keep working.

Before we can keep working for the Lord we have to have a relationship with Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior.

He wants to have a personal intimate relationship with you, where you have called upon him as Lord and Savior of your life, that you may have salvation and eternal life.

If you have never done that before, listen to what Romans 10:9-10

Romans 10:9–10 CSB

9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation.

And as we sing Come as you are, will you come, and allow me to talk with you more about salvation, and making Jesus the Lord and Savior of your life.

Because you do not have to get your life in a certain position, or clean or just right before coming to Jesus, see he will help you do what needs to be done after you come to him.

You just got to make that step out of the pew, allow the Holy Spirit to direct you, he is stirring in your heart now.

If you are a believer, do you need to get right with God, maybe you have allow opposition to stop you from working, maybe you need to ask God to help you get back to work.

The altar is open as we will sing Come as your are: