Opposition & Open Doors
Acts 14:1-28
November 11, 2012
As you know, we are still studying
The first missionary journey of the apostle Paul.
God had chosen Paul as His minister to the Gentiles
And that ministry is underway.
And we have seen God’s sovereign prerogative
To select the Gentiles for salvation.
As we have noted several times already,
Gentiles weren’t saved because the Jews so badly wanted it.
Gentiles were saved because God wanted it.
This is still evident tonight as we close out this first missionary journey.
We are going to look at the entire chapter,
Because through this chapter Luke is making two distinct points.
(VERSE 27) “When they had arrived and gathered the church together, they began to report all things that God had done with them and how He had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.”
1) HOW GOD USED US
2) HOW GOD OPENED A DOOR FOR US FOR THE GENTILES
By the way, both of those concepts emphasize the sovereignty of God.
And both of those concepts are very important to us.
First Paul wants them to know how God used them.
It is not how we used God…
It is not how God helped us fulfill our mission…
Paul and Barnabas wish to make it known
How God used them to fulfill His mission.
He is the One with the plan,
We are merely tools in His hands to accomplish His purposes.
We are also familiar with the concept of open doors.
Revelation 3:7 calls Jesus: “He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens,”
And in that regard, Jesus says to the church at Philadelphia
Revelation 3:8 “I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name.”
We understand the “open door” / “closed door” concept.
The idea is that there are insurmountable barriers to our mission.
There are WALLS we can’t climb, there are VALLEYS we can’t cross,
There are BURDENS we can’t move.
We understand that the work of missions and evangelism
Is a spiritual battle against an extremely crafty foe.
In fact Paul wrote:
2 Corinthians 4:3-4 “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
We also know that man is spiritually dead
And unable to come to Christ on his own.
I’ve always thought the best picture of this is the story of Lazarus.
Here was a dead man in a tomb, unable to hear the voices weeping for him.
But when the voice of Jesus told him to come out of the tomb,
He was able to immerge.
It takes the work of God to accomplish these things.
John 6:44 “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.”
And that is where we get our “open door / closed door” theology.
If God opens a door, we step through it and seize our opportunity.
If God does not open a door, we move on, recognizing our inability to force it open.
And this isn’t bad theology.
Paul actually said:
Colossians 4:2-3 “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned;”
Paul recognized that apart from the intervention of God,
His ministry was dead in the water.
It really links back to Jesus’ statement about being the vine
And we the branches, saying, “apart from Me, you can do nothing.”
We understand the necessity of God’s intervention
To open doors if men are to be saved.
In this chapter Luke wants you to know how God used Paul & Barnabas
And how God opened doors for them.
And so tonight as we study the end of this first journey,
I want us to walk through the text and see the hand of God at work.
5 things God supplied to Paul and Barnabas to enable them fulfill His mission.
#1 HE GAVE BOLDNESS IN ICONIUM
Acts 14:1-7
• You remember that this mission started out with Paul, Barnabas and Mark all sailing to Cyprus where Paul saw the salvation of the proconsul after silencing the false prophet Bar-Jesus.
• And from there they traveled up to Pisidian Antioch where we just heard Paul preach an inspiring message in the synagogue and saw many Gentiles be saved.
Now Paul and Barnabas have traveled to Iconium.
Iconium was about 80 miles SE of Pisidian Antioch and when they got there, “they entered the synagogue of the Jews together”
Paul had just revealed that he was turning to the Gentiles,
But as you can see he never completely gave up on the Jews.
And that is a good thing, for in Iconium they “spoke in such a manner that a large number of people believed, both of Jews and of Greeks.”
So, there were some Jews who were saved.
And then this is where the boldness comes in.
(2-3) “But the Jews who disbelieved stirred up the minds of the Gentiles and embittered them against the brethren. Therefore they spent a long time there speaking boldly with reliance upon the Lord, who was testifying to the word of His grace, granting that signs and wonders be done by their hands.”
While some Jews were saved, some remained militant.
They actually “embittered” the Gentiles against “the brethren”
“embittered” comes from a word that actually means “poisoned”
They completely turned the crowds against Paul and Barnabas.
But, notice their response.
“they spent a long time there speaking boldly with reliance upon the Lord”
Instead of retreating, instead of becoming timid,
Paul and Barnabas stepped up the plate and stood for the truth.
And this boldness came from who?
“the Lord”
2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.”
God gave this.
1 Thessalonians 2:2 “but after we had already suffered and been mistreated in Philippi, as you know, we had the boldness in our God to speak to you the gospel of God amid much opposition.”
Philippians 1:19-20 “for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.”
And this even explains why Paul told others
To pray that he would have boldness.
Ephesians 6:19-20 “and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”
He knew his boldness came from God.
God was also “granting that signs and wonders be done by their hands.”
This was certainly meant to give credence to their message.
But the main thing you see is that God wanted to use them to preach the gospel, and in order to do that He gave them boldness.
So they preached, and then the town became really rough:
(4-7) “But the people of the city were divided; and some sided with the Jews, and some with the apostles. And when an attempt was made by both the Gentiles and the Jews with their rulers, to mistreat and to stone them, they became aware of it and fled to the cities of Lycaonia, Lystra and Derbe, and the surrounding region; and there they continued to preach the gospel.”
They boldly preached and when an assassination attempt became known
They moved on to another region.
This, by the way, is not cowardice.
Matthew 10:22-23 “You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved. “But whenever they persecute you in one city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes.”
It wasn’t cowardice this is one of the ways in which God OPENS DOORS.
What was it that got the gospel out of Jerusalem to begin with?
Persecution
So already we see God using these men,
And God opening doors for them.
So God gave them boldness in Iconium.
#2 HE GAVE CONVICTION IN LYSTRA
Acts 14:8-18
So now Paul and Barnabas have moved on,
But they have not stopped preaching the gospel.
And here, they are met with another interesting catalyst.
(8-10) “At Lystra a man was sitting who had no strength in his feet, lame from his mother’s womb, who had never walked. This man was listening to Paul as he spoke, who, when he had fixed his gaze on him and had seen that he had faith to be made well, said with a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” And he leaped up and began to walk.”
This was nothing short of a miracle worked at the hands of Paul.
God had granted him the ability to perform the signs of an apostle
And that is what he did.
The reason Luke specifically includes this miracle
Is because of the confusion it produces.
(11-13) “When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they raised their voice, saying in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have become like men and have come down to us.” And they began calling Barnabas, Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds.”
So Paul works a miracle and the crowd completely misinterprets it.
They think Barnabas is Zeus and Paul is Hermes
And they are so convinced that they priest of the temple
Wants to actually come and sacrifice to them.
But once again, although not ideal, this is God opening a door.
You may not realize it, but the crowds misconception actually allows Paul the opportunity to preach the gospel as a correction to their behavior.
And as God opens the door, He also supplies Paul with conviction.
the conviction clearly seen in Paul is
• The conviction that God alone should be worshiped,
• That Jesus Christ alone can save,
Paul was so convinced of this, that he didn’t even let a flattering event like this change his message.
But God had supplied Paul with conviction
And he took the open door afforded by their ignorance
And once again stood to preach the gospel.
(14-15a) “But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their robes and rushed out into the crowd, crying out and saying, “Men, why are you doing these things? We are also men of the same nature as you,”
Paul adamantly opposed their gesture and made no bones about it.
He then preached.
Now, unlike at Iconium, here we actually know what Paul preached.
“and preach the gospel to you that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. In the generations gone by He permitted all the nations to go their own ways; and yet He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good and gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.”
Paul sermon is clear, convicting, and to the point.
1) ABANDON IDOLS
2) EMBRACE THE TRUE GOD
A. He is Creator
B. He is Sovereign
C. He is Gracious
God made everything and should be worshiped by you.
Now He hasn’t judged you yet for your willingness to give His glory to images,
But rest assured He isn’t ok with it either.
That is why He has continually left a witness for you,
By doing good for you and giving you rains and harvest.
God wants you to turn from idols and worship Him.
And again, it wasn’t a message that was completely received.
(18) “Even saying these things, with difficulty they restrained the crowds from offering sacrifice to them.”
But the point is that God had given Paul a conviction to preach to this pagan crowd, and even opened a door for him to do so.
It may not have been an ideal door, but it was an open door none the less.
He gave boldness in Iconium He gave conviction in Lystra
#3 HE GAVE ENDURANCE IN DERBE
Acts 14:19-20
Now this is without a doubt a difficult truth to swallow.
Paul has been faithful to preach God’s message without hesitation.
• He has confronted false prophets…
• He has confronted hateful Jews…
• He has confronted mindless pagans…
And now he is confronting tremendous hostility.
(19) “But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having won over the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead.”
I guess that helps us understand just what type of opposition
Paul was facing in Pisidian Antioch and in Iconium.
These weren’t people who apparently could agree to disagree.
These Jews came and somehow won the crowds
And succeeded in getting Paul stoned.
This is enormous hostility.
• Paul was just hit with rocks until they thought he was dead.
• He had to be tremendously broken and tremendously bruised and bloodied.
And then, out of complete disrespect
They just tossed his body outside of the city.
At this point, we would be awaiting our care-flight home.
But notice what God must have provided.
(20) “But while the disciples stood around him, he got up and entered the city. The next day he went away with Barnabas to Derbe.”
I have no difficulty in seeing a miracle here that Paul was able to get up.
I would almost have to think bones should have been broken,
And so to get up must have been a miracle.
But beyond that, look at what Paul did.
He “entered the city”
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
Paul was no quitter, he had endurance from God.
And then, “The next day he went away with Barnabas to Derbe.”
“The next day”!?
• Derbe was 40 miles.
Could you really be stoned on one day, left for dead,
And then make a 40 mile walk the very next day.
That is what we call ENDURANCE
Paul would later command Timothy:
2 Timothy 4:2 “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.”
And I think Paul certainly modeled it here.
He had endurance.
God undoubtedly supplied it.
And by the way, his endurance paid off.
Look at verse 21, “After they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples…”
God gave him the endurance he needed to continue on in the journey
And people were saved as a result.
He gave boldness in Iconium He gave conviction in Lystra
He gave endurance in Derbe
#4 HE GAVE COURAGE TO RETURN
Acts 14:21-23
This is another aspect of the story that I find tremendously fascinating.
• It is one thing to boldly confront Bar-Jesus when he is trying to deceive…
• It is one thing to debate Jews who are blaspheming in Antioch…
• It is one thing to preach to embittered crowds in Iconium…
• It is one thing to correct confused crowds in Lystra…
But you just got stoned.
It was Jews from Antioch and Jews from Iconium, and it happened in Lystra, and now you are going to return to all of those places?
That is exactly what they did.
You and I fully understand that this was courage,
And it could have only come from the hand of God.
God undoubtedly gave Paul and Barnabas the courage
To return to those places of hostility.
But beyond that I also want you to see the door that God opened.
Because we saw the aggression of the Jews from Antioch and Iconium,
We obviously know what it must have been like
To be a Christian in those towns.
It could not have been easy to be a new Christian convert in those areas.
These new churches had a tough row to hoe.
And so Paul comes to deliver them a message:
(21b-22) “they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”
He wanted to deliver a message encouraging them
To endure tribulation for the sake of the kingdom.
But I want you to understand, not just anyone can go into a persecuted area
And tell those who are suffering that endurance is necessary.
Why would they listen to Paul to endure tribulation?
God opened a door of opportunity.
WHAT DID THAT DOOR LOOK LIKE?
Stones in Lystra
That stoning must have been awful, but it did open a door
To be able to effectively encourage other believers.
God not only granted Paul courage to return,
But also granted him an opportunity
To encourage believers in a difficult region.
You will also notice that Paul did more than simply encourage them, he established them.
(23) “When they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.”
I know that our prior conversations about being elder led stirred up quite a bit of controversy around here, and rest assured I’m not doing anything right now.
But it is important that we all recognize what Scripture clearly says.
Every church had “elders”, and those “elders” were appointed.
(Actually appointed by God and revealed through prayer and fasting)
There was no pulpit committee
There was no majority vote
And this was the norm for the early church.
Titus 1:4-5 “To Titus, my true child in a common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior. For this reason I left you in Crete, that you would set in order what remains and appoint elders in every city as I directed you,”
But the point is that God gave courage to Paul
And at the same time gave him credibility and an open door through the stoning he endured.
He gave boldness in Iconium He gave conviction in Lystra
He gave endurance in Derbe He gave courage to return
#5 HE GAVE PERSPECTIVE IN ANTIOCH
Acts 14:24-28
The first mission trip is over.
Paul would preach in Perga on the way home
And then sail from Attalia back to Antioch which was their home church.
And verse 27 is the verse that really gives us understanding.
(27) “When they had arrived and gathered the church together, they began to report all things that God had done with them and how He had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.”
Now this is what we call perspective.
We know what occurred on this trip.
• Opposed by Bar-Jesus in Cyprus
• Argued with blaspheming Jews in Pisidian Antioch
• Confronted an embittered mob in Iconium
• Corrected confused pagans in Lystra
• Ultimately stoned in Lystra
And yet Paul and Barnabas come back and report
How God used them and what open doors they had.
WOULD YOU HAVE CALLED THOSE THINGS OPEN DOORS?
Would you have looked at all the opposition they faced and seen it as opportunities?
I’m not sure I would have.
(but they were)
• It was stubbornness in Antioch that first led Paul to push to the Gentiles.
• It was opposition in Iconium that gave Paul opportunity to publicly address them.
• It was confusion in Lystra that gave Paul opportunity to preach the gospel.
• It was the stoning in Lystra that gave Paul opportunity to encourage the brethren.
They saw all that happened as open doors.
That is tremendous perspective that God had given them.
It reminds me of Paul’s letter to the Philippians.
Paul is writing from prison.
Philippians 1:12-14 “Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else, and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear.”
Let me give you another example of an open door:
Galatians 4:12-14 “I beg of you, brethren, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You have done me no wrong; but you know that it was because of a bodily illness that I preached the gospel to you the first time; and that which was a trial to you in my bodily condition you did not despise or loathe, but you received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus Himself.”
Or how about the island of Malta?
• Paul arrived there after being shipwrecked.
• Paul received credibility after a snake bite failed to injure him.
Are those things really open doors?
Yes they are.
The point that we see at the end of this missionary journey is that God was working to bring about the salvation of the Gentiles.
And He did it by giving boldness and courage and conviction to preach.
He also did it by using opposition to open doors for more ministry.
And because Paul and Barnabas were interested in being used by God,
They were able to see that the struggles they faced
Were not indicators of divine displeasure,
But rather ways in which God was granting them opportunity
To speak to people they would not have otherwise been able to speak to.
• Do you suppose the Gentiles ever get word that they have been selected by God, if the Jews in Antioch don’t first resist?
• Do you suppose the priest of Zeus’s temple ever hears the sermon of Paul if the crowd does not first misidentify Paul and Barnabas?
• Do you suppose the believers in Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch would have been as apt to listen to Paul to tell them to endure tribulation if had traveled unscathed?
God was working.
He was using opposition to open doors,
So that He could use apostles to preach the gospel.
If nothing else tonight it helps us understand
That God may be opening more doors in our lives for ministry
Than we at first thought..
That is why after revealing that his imprisonment had actually furthered the kingdom, Paul gave this encouragement to the Philippians:
Philippians 1:27-30 “Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; in no way alarmed by your opponents — which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God. For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me.”
And so we hear his encouragement
And look for open doors in our ministry,
Even ones that we did not originally see as open doors.
