2 And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth.

Transcription

1 1 Then Paul, looking earnestly at the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day. Earnestly - connecting with his eyes - eye to eye, face to face, heart to heart Paul goes on to call them men and brethren, and declared he had lived in all good conscience before God. Paul is trying to connect himself, relate, get an in-road. 2 And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth. Ananias took great offense that Paul would connect himself - put himself in the same camp as the rulers and leaders of Israel ( Holy Ones ) - had Paul punched in the kisser 3 Then Paul said to him, God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! For you sit to judge me according to the law, and do you command me to be struck contrary to the law? 4 And those who stood by said, Do you revile God s high priest? Paul goes confronts the high priest head on - Deuteronomy 25:1-2 says only a man found guilty can be beaten, and Paul had not yet been found guilty of anything. 5 Then Paul said, I did not know, brethren, that he was the high priest; for it is written, You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people. Paul instantly knew that he was wrong in his outburst. He agreed that it was wrong to speak evil of the ruler of your people (Exodus 22:28). 6 But when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee; concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged! Gospel presentation - no go - Paul throws a theological smoke bomb to get the attention of himself, and stir up a conflict with the leadership of the Jews. 7 And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees; and the assembly was divided. 8 For Sadducees say that there is no resurrection and no angel or spirit; but the Pharisees confess both. 9 Then there arose a loud outcry. And the scribes of the Pharisees party arose and protested, saying, We find no evil in this man; but if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him, let us not fight against God. Let us not fight against God: In saying this, the Pharisees recommended a return to advice of their great leader Gamaliel as recorded in Acts 5: Now when there arose a great dissension, the commander, fearing lest Paul might be pulled to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them, and bring him into the barracks. Total pandemonium, and Paul s life is in danger, it is so obvious that the commander jumps in and take Paul out by force. Paul had the opportunity to preach to the influential Jewish council, and it also ended in a fistfight. 1 of 6

2 Later. Paul seemed to suggest that this tactic of bringing up the resurrection controversy in the way that he did was not good. He suggests that it was wrongdoing on his part (Acts 24:20-21). 11 But the following night the Lord stood by him and said, Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome. This must have been a difficult night for Paul. - Imagine the lost opportunity he must have felt, and blamed himself for his railing against the high priest - and stirring up the Pharisee/Sadducee bad blood Jesus physical presence (as it seems was the case) with Paul was a unique manifestation. But Jesus promised every believer to always be with them (Matthew 28:20). You are NEVER out of the Lord s sight and care. Jesus is always near. Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble (KJV in time of need). Psalm 46:2-3 Therefore (because God Himself is our refuge because God Himself is a present help in time of need) we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam, Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; Paul had been miraculously delivered from jail cells before; but this time, the Lord met him right in the jail cell. We often demand that Jesus deliver us out of our circumstances, when He wants to meet us right in them. We sometimes think we are surrendering to Jesus when we are really only demanding an escape. Jesus basically compliments Paul - God job testifying in Jerusalem - it may appear fruitless - I see it as being faithful to the mission - Therefore I have more for you to do - It can be said to every child of God: There is more for you to do. More people to bring to Christ, more ways for you to glorify Him, more people to pray with, more humble ways to serve His people, more hungry to feed, more naked to clothe, more weary saints for you to encourage. The take-away for us is that in the face of chaotic, discouraging and disappointing events, Jesus is our hope! It is His presence and His Word that is source of our hope and peace. HOPE = JESUS. No Jesus = No Hope. Ephesians 2:12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ..having no hope and without God in the world. THE PRESENCE OF JESUS God is with you. He is standing by you in all of your circumstances. It doesn t matter if you feel like He s near. It is not enough to say we believe this. We have to live by faith LIVE as though it is true. Think of Joseph. If you add anything to Jesus as a requirement for your happiness, that's your hope and that s ultimately your real king. 2 of 6

3 THE PROMISES OF JESUS God wants to speak to you in a way that is timely. Are you in the place of hearing from Him? Do you have a time when you turn a listening ear towards Him? Sundays, Mondays? Morning Devotional? Community Groups? Fellowship and friendships? 2Co 1:20 For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. Isaiah 50:4 NLT The Sovereign LORD has given me his words of wisdom, so that I know what to say to all these weary ones. Morning by morning he wakens me and opens my understanding to his will. Jesus would not have said be of good cheer unless Paul needed to hear those words. Paul knew his situation was bad, but he didn t know the half of it! 12 And when it was day, some of the Jews banded together and bound themselves under an oath, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. 13 Now there were more than forty who had formed this conspiracy. 14 They came to the chief priests and elders, and said, We have bound ourselves under a great oath that we will eat nothing until we have killed Paul. 15 Now you, therefore, together with the council, suggest to the commander that he be brought down to you tomorrow, as though you were going to make further inquiries concerning him; but we are ready to kill him before he comes near. Jewish hitmen called dagger-men, carried concealed daggers and stabbed Roman soldiers as they walked by. It seems that these same kind of assassins now targeted Paul. Paul faced his enemies the next day with a smile, knowing that they were powerless against him, because God had more for him to do! God is still on His throne, and He still holds to His promise that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). Christians can be of good cheer when everything is rotten, knowing that God is mighty and wonderful no matter what the crisis of the moment. Jesus told His frightened disciples on the Sea of Galilee, Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid (Matthew 14:27) Jesus told His disciples the night before His crucifixion, In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world (John 16:33) 16 So when Paul s sister s son heard of their ambush, he went and entered the barracks and told Paul. 17 Then Paul called one of the centurions to him and said, Take this young man to the commander, for he has something to tell him. 18 So he took him and brought him to the commander and said, Paul the prisoner called me to him and asked me to bring this young man to you. He has something to say to you. This was no accident - God using a small miracle to change the course of history. Paul the prisoner: Paul had committed no crime; yet he was a prisoner. 3 of 6

4 19 Then the commander took him by the hand, went aside, and asked privately, What is it that you have to tell me? 20 And he said, The Jews have agreed to ask that you bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though they were going to inquire more fully about him. 21 But do not yield to them, for more than forty of them lie in wait for him, men who have bound themselves by an oath that they will neither eat nor drink till they have killed him; and now they are ready, waiting for the promise from you. 22 So the commander let the young man depart, and commanded him, Tell no one that you have revealed these things to me. Since the plot was thwarted, one wonders if the dagger men died of hunger and thirst! Rabbinic law, in the event a vow became impossible to fulfill, those under it were released from its terms 23 And he called for two centurions, saying, Prepare two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen to go to Caesarea at the third hour of the night; 24 and provide mounts to set Paul on, and bring him safely to Felix the governor. 470 trained Roman soldiers would escort Paul out of Jerusalem. God exaggerated His faithfulness to Paul, and showed him beyond any doubt that the promise was true. 25 He wrote a letter in the following manner: 26 Claudius Lysias, To the most excellent governor Felix: Greetings. 27 This man was seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them. Coming with the troops I rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman. 28 And when I wanted to know the reason they accused him, I brought him before their council. 29 I found out that he was accused concerning questions of their law, but had nothing charged against him deserving of death or chains. 30 And when it was told me that the Jews lay in wait for the man, I sent him immediately to you, and also commanded his accusers to state before you the charges against him. Farewell. Notice no mention of Paul being bound. Makes himself out to be the hero who rescued the innocent Roman citizen from death. Here, Luke showed that other Roman officials had judged Paul not guilty. 31 Then the soldiers, as they were commanded, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris. 32 The next day they left the horsemen to go on with him, and returned to the barracks. 33 When they came to Caesarea and had delivered the letter to the governor, they also presented Paul to him. 34 And when the governor had read it, he asked what province he was from. And when he understood that he was from Cilicia, 35 he said, I will hear you when your accusers also have come. And he commanded him to be kept in Herod s Praetorium. This began a two-year period of confinement for Paul in Caesarea. He will spend at least two years in Rome. With travel time, the next five years of Paul s life will be in Roman custody. Big change 3x mis Did anyone notice that verses verses contained zero mention of God, Jesus or the Gospel. Before Acts 23:12 it was all about God, all about Jesus, all about the Gospel. It is almost as if right after Jesus takes center stage - stand next to Paul - he exits stage left. Presence - Promise - Providence - not feelings - not circumstances - God is sovereign What do we mean when we say that God is sovereign? 4 of 6

5 J.I. Packer God s dominion is total: he wills as he chooses and carries out all that he wills, and none can stay his hand or thwart his plans. J.I. Packer That God s rational creatures, angelic and human, have free agency (power of personal decision as to what they shall do) is clear in Scripture throughout; we would not be moral beings, answerable to God the judge, were it not so, nor would it then be possible to distinguish, as Scripture does, between the bad purposes of human agents and the good purposes of God, who sovereignly overrules human action as a planned means to his own goals (Genesis 50:20; Acts 2:23; 13:26-39). What do we mean by the term Providence? Our English word PROVIDENCE comes from the Latin word provideo. The prefix, pro = before; the suffix, video = I see. Providence literally means, I see beforehand. to have foresight. Providence in its truest sense is Divine Foresight and the Divine Action which arises from it Divine pre-vision resulting in divine pro-vision). QUOTE Providence is The hand of God fit into the glove of human events. Without violating human free will, and without interrupting the normal procession of human affairs, God unsuspectingly and infallibly controls all things. The little book of Esther is 100% the record the sovereignty of God and the providential care of God. In that book there is zero reference to God and Theology. Israel was facing extinction, yet in the historical account of Esther we see The hand of God fit into the glove of human events. Without violating human free will, and without interrupting the normal procession of human affairs, God imperceptibly and perfectly controlled all things to preserve the nation of Israel so He might continue to move forward His plan of redemption through Jesus. Similarly - Paul s life is in danger. How will Paul ever testify in Rome, if he is daggered. In all of this there is zero outward evidence of the presence of Jesus, and the power of Jesus to rescue him! Though Jesus seems absent He is very present, ruling over it all, watching and working not by way of the miraculous but at work none-the-less, to accomplish His sovereign plans and purposes concerning Paul and the advance of the Gospel to the glory of Jesus. (nephew and roman leaders) Sometimes God does miraculously interfere, interrupt or intervene in human events. (Paul and Silas in Jail) But God doesn't always rock our world order to please people who happen to be in difficult circumstances; Instead of supernaturally breaking the laws of science - He often times works in supernaturally natural ways. Even though there is no mention of God in this amazing series of events God is present, God is at work and God s sovereign will is accomplished! When the chaotic events of our lives would seem to say that God is absent and not in control, God is never out of the picture and never not in control! Even when we don't sense His presence or hear His voice, we are to live as though God really does love us, God really is present and that God really is working all things according to the counsel of his will (Ephesians 1:11). 5 of 6

6 When broken people and a broken creation hurt us we cry foul! Suddenly sovereignty and providence are reduced to theological concepts that don't fit our reality. We actually think that God is not in control. Why? We think we ve earned something from God; that God owes us immunity from the fall out of life in a broken world. We are great with crediting the sovereignty of God and His providential care for our blessings and rescues. But when broken people and a broken creation hurt us, we cry foul! Another reason is that we see our physical comfort our material security and our reputation as the proof that God loves us. That is taking a worldy definition of life and imposing the responsibility of it on to God. Our comfort, security, and identity are all to be found in Jesus Christ - it is foolish to for a life source to be something that can be lost, stolen, or removed. Romans 8:38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 6 of 6