The Sufferer Lashes Out
Job 12-14 (13:1-19)
November 1, 2015

Last week we heard the brutal explanation of Zophar.
Job had crossed the line and started to accuse God of being unfair to him
And it was all Zophar could handle.

He basically told Job that there was three reasons for his suffering.
• He was Sinful – “know that God forgets a part of your iniquity”
• He was Stupid -“An idiot will become intelligent when the foal of a wild donkey is born a man.”
• He was Stubborn – “If you would direct your heart right…then you could lift up your face”

And we talked about how very disappointing such a response is.
• Zophar lacked compassion
• Zophar condemned without evidence
• Zophar misrepresented God

And all of these were exactly the opposite
Of what Job needed from his friends.

In fact, there is ample evidence that Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar
Contributed to Job’s accusations of God.

When Job first suffered his response was worship
And to not ascribe any unfairness or unseemliness to God.
We even remember him telling his wife, “shall we accept good from God and not adversity?”

But now Job has started to become aggravated at God.
Job has even started to accuse God of wronging him.

What pushed Job over the line?

Well, if you suffered, and you knew you were upright and a man of integrity but your friends continually told you that only sinners suffered like you are suffering.
Your only recourse would be to assume
That God had gotten in wrong in your case.

Job’s friends are partly responsible for Job’s attitude.
And that is the danger of being a poor counselor to those who suffer.

Well tonight Job is going to sound off again.
First he will answer his judgmental friends,
But ultimately Job will return to his interrogation of God.

In short, tonight we look at a man who has not only suffered,
But who has been burned in the midst of his suffering.
Sadly, too often we can identify.

TONIGHT as we listen to Job, THE GOAL WILL BE
To help those who suffer see the truth about God,
So that your faith can be encouraged.

I realize it’s a lot of text tonight, but it won’t take us that long to run through it.

Three Main Points
#1 JOB’S TWO-FOLD RESPONSE TO HIS FRIENDS
Job 12:1 – 13:19

As I said, Zophar just blasted Job for being sinful, stupid, and stubborn.

And it is his claim that Job is stupid that seems to have really cut Job the deepest for that is precisely what he addresses with Zophar and his friends.

(1-2) “Then Job responded, “Truly then you are the people, And with you wisdom will die!”

Job here picked up on Zophar’s arrogance
And sarcastically called him a man full of wisdom.

(3-5) “But I have intelligence as well as you; I am not inferior to you. And who does not know such things as these? “I am a joke to my friends, The one who called on God and He answered him; The just and blameless man is a joke. “He who is at ease holds calamity in contempt, As prepared for those whose feet slip.”

You can feel the animosity and the pain in Job’s response here.
He is saying, “I’m not stupid, I’m just misunderstood”

I’m suffering, and instead of being comforted by my friends,
I am actually mocked by them.

And then you see Job’s powerful proverb.
“He who is at ease holds calamity in contempt, As prepared for those whose feet slip.”

That is to say, it’s real easy to analyze why a person is suffering
When you are in a position of prosperity.

Job says, It’s not me that’s clueless, it’s you.
You sit there watching me suffer and think you have all the answers.

You think I’m suffering because I sinned.
You think prosperity and suffering are fool proof indicators
Of a person’s integrity.

But Job shoots that down rather quickly.
(6) “The tents of the destroyers prosper, And those who provoke God are secure, Whom God brings into their power.”

The statement “whom God brings into their power”
Can also be translated “He who brings god into his hand”
(speaking of idolatry)

Job is simply saying, that
Suffering and prosperity are not good indicators of a person’s integrity.
We see the wicked and rebellious prosper all the time.
You aren’t as smart as you say you are.

And this (the concept of the wicked prospering and the righteous suffering) is COMMON KNOWLEDGE.

In fact, listen to creation.
(READ 12:7-12)

Even creation knows that the good aren’t favored over the bad.
In creation it is the cruel reality that the strong are victorious.

Ever see a lion kill a baby zebra?
Ever see a leopard kill a baby cheetah?
It’s wrong, but it’s the world.

Job wants his friends to know that God is sovereign over all of it.
(READ 12:13-25)

Did you catch his point?
God reigns supreme.

• Sometimes good things happen, sometimes bad.
• Sometimes the good are blessed, sometimes they suffer.
• Sometimes the wicked are punished, sometimes they prosper.

But God is behind all of it.
He sits sovereign over the whole of creation.

Job’s point?
The prospect of suffering does not depend on the integrity of man
But on the prerogative of God.

He does what He wants, with whom He wants, whenever He wants.
You are blaming this on me, when you should be blaming it on God.

Now this is Job’s first response.
1) OPEN YOUR EYES (12:1-25)

He wants his friends to see the natural order of the world we live in.
• Sometimes the wicked prosper
• Sometimes the righteous suffer
• Sometimes kings rise and then fall
• Sometimes priests go barefoot
• Sometimes chiefs are deprived of intelligence
• Sometimes nations are grown and then destroyed
• Sometimes the trustworthy are silenced

It’s just the way it is, and God is sovereign over all of it.
Even creation knows this.
Open your eyes and see what you don’t know.

Open Your Eyes
2) CLOSE YOUR MOUTH (13:1-19)

That is to say, since you don’t know what you are talking about,
You’d be better off not to talk.

(1-3) “Behold, my eye has seen all this, My ear has heard and understood it. “What you know I also know; I am not inferior to you. “But I would speak to the Almighty, And I desire to argue with God.”

Job says, “I know what you know, so I really don’t have any need to talk to you.
I wish you’d be quiet so I can talk to God.”

And there are actually two reasons he’s tired of listening to them.
HE’S TIRED OF THEIR DECEPTION (4-12)
HE’S TIRED OF THEIR DISCOURAGEMENT (13-19)

LOOK AT THEIR DECEPTION.
(READ 13:4-12)

Did you catch Job’s point?

They are speaking what is not true on behalf of God.
(7) “Will you speak what is unjust for god, and speak what is deceitful for Him?”

You think the truth makes God look bad,
So you are saying things that aren’t true
In order to make God look good.

And we’ve seen this in our world.

I’ve heard preachers say that “the doctrine of election would make God look like a monster.”

I’ve heard preachers look at a tragedy and say, “That was not the will of God”

Some say “A loving God wouldn’t send people to hell”

Some say, “God created us gay and loves us being who He created”

They all redefine God
In order to make Him what they suppose looks good.

• Maybe His sovereignty is hard for you to swallow.
• Maybe it’s hard for you to grasp that God would allow the righteous to suffer or the wicked to prosper.
• Maybe it’s hard for you to grasp that God would allow tragedies on the innocent.
• Maybe it’s hard for you to grasp that God would “love Jacob” and “hate Esau”

Well, I’m sorry, but you still don’t get to misrepresent God
Just because you don’t like the way it sounds.

Job’s friends did it and Job says God will punish them for it.

(10) “He will surely reprove you if you secretly show partiality.”

Job says their doctrines are “proverbs of ashes” and “defense of clay” meaning they won’t hold up.

Job’s friends were misrepresenting God to make God look good.
And Job says God will judge you for that.

And that is Job’s point.
• Open your eyes and see that God is sovereign over all things.
• Shut your mouth and quit lying about him.

They should also shut their mouth to stop with all the DISCOURAGEMENT
(READ 13:13-19)

These verses are so wonderful.
We know Job is getting a little bent out of shape,
And at times even angry at God.

But NEVER let that confuse you into thinking that
Job has somehow lost the faith. He has not.

These verses clearly reveal the heart of Job’s doctrine.

Job believes that even if God should “slay” him,
He is still going to “hope in Him”

In short, “I’m not leaving God”
(18) “I know that I will be vindicated”

Job’s position is clear.
I may not know why God is doing this to me.
I may not feel like I deserve it.
But that doesn’t mean I’m leaving God, I’m not.
I’m sticking with God and I know He’ll vindicate me.
That is Job’s doctrine.

The problem is that Job’s friends have sought to discourage that doctrine every time they have opened their mouth.

Every time they speak, they seek to tell Job that God is not for him,
That God will not rescue him, and that he is in great danger.

No wonder Job says, “Be silent”
You’re discouraging words are not helping.

You would seek to turn me against God.

So you hear Job’s first response.
He tells his friends to open their eyes and close their mouths.
Enough with the deception and enough with the discouragement.

And we’d have to agree that he’s pretty right on there.

But he isn’t finished.
Job still wants to speak with God.

Job’s Two-Fold Response to His Friends
#2 JOB’S TWO-FOLD REQUEST OF GOD
Job 13:20-28

(20-22) “Only two things do not do to me, Then I will not hide from Your face: Remove Your hand from me, And let not the dread of You terrify me. “Then call, and I will answer; Or let me speak, then reply to me.”

Very simply Job says, “I’m only asking for two things”
1) Stop touching me (with wrath)
2) Stop terrifying me (with your words)

“Remove Your hand from me, and let not the dread of You terrify me.”

And the reason Job asks for this is because he is confused.

He doesn’t know what he did to anger God,
And so he doesn’t understand why God won’t let up on him.

(READ 13:23-28)

Do you see his point?
You are pursuing me like I am the worst of criminals.
“You write bitter things against me”
“You put my feet in the stocks”
“[You] watch all my paths”
“You set a limit for the soles of my feet”

God you won’t let up on me,
And You have still yet to tell me why You’re so angry at me.

(23) “How many are my iniquities and sins? Make know to me my rebellion and my sin.”

I don’t know what I did, and yet You continue to pound me.
So my request of you is simple.
STOP
Stop touching Me and Stop Terrifying Me

And again, anyone who has suffered or is suffering
Can most certainly identify with Job’s request here.

How many have suffered and instantly run to God and said, “What did I do?”
And sure, sometimes we find things.

The confusing part comes when we repent of those things
But the circumstances don’t change.

It’s prolonged suffering that really bothers us.

And that is Job.
Either tell me what I did, or just stop.

And here we are probably still ok with Job.
We certainly understand his outburst toward his friends and we even understand his request of God.

But then we come to chapter 14 and Job once again lashes out at God.
(It is chapters like this that will earn Job his rebuke from God a little later)

Job’s Two-Fold Response to His Friends
Job’s Two-Fold Request of God
#3 JOB’S FOUR-FOLD REBUKE OF GOD
Job 14:1-22

There are four bones that Job seems to want to pick with God.
(They may in fact be thoughts you’ve had in the midst of your suffering as well)

What we need to do is look at them
And then gain some genuine perspective.

1) YOU MAKE LIFE TOO DIFFICULT (1-6)

When you read those verses, Job likens himself
To a hired man who has a boss that can’t be pleased.

This boss is continually scrutinizing everything you do
“You also open Your eyes on him and bring him into judgment with Yourself.”

This boss has expectations that can’t be met
“Who can make the clean out of the unclean? No one!”

This boss puts you in situations that cause you to fail
“Since his days are determined, the number of his months is with You; and his limits You have set so that he cannot pass.”

In short, Job tells God that He has made life too difficult.
It’s just too hard.

You expect too much
You watch too close
You punish too quick
It’s just not fair

Job says that God should leave us alone so we can rest.

But look,
• It isn’t God who made life cruel, it is sin.
• It isn’t God who makes man fail, it is sin.
• It isn’t God who steals rest, it is sin.

In fact, God is the author of rest.
Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

God is the Savior and Redeemer
Who can give you rest in the middle of your hardship
Because He will do the work for you.

Don’t get angry at God because life is so difficult.
2) YOU MAKE LIFE TOO DELICATE (7-12)

Here Job talks about a tree and specifically that
A tree has the ability to regenerate even when cut down.

You can prune a tree way back and yet still, because of its roots,
It has the ability to sprout life again.

But Job says that we as humans aren’t like that.
We are like a dried up river or an evaporated sea.
(10) “But man dies and lies prostrate. Man expires, and where is he?”
(12) “So man lies down and does not rise. Until the heavens are no longer, He will not awake nor be aroused out of his sleep.”

Job is not there denying the resurrection.
In fact he knows it will occur when the heavens are no longer.

Rather Job is saying that unlike a tree
If you cut down a man, this life is over.
Man doesn’t regenerate.

In short, our life is too delicate to be so difficult.

So you afflict us So you harm us
That would be ok if we had the ability to bounce back, but we don’t.
In this life we often bear the scars forever.

I mean consider Job.
• Yes God is going to reward him in the end,
• But the servants that Job lost, they aren’t coming back.
• The children that Job lost, they aren’t coming back.

And that is Job’s point.
This life shouldn’t be so difficult, it’s too delicate for that.

However you should know that this is part of the point of trials.
It is to teach you this very thing.

Trials do a phenomenal job of
Causing you to hope for eternity over the temporal.

2 Corinthians 1:8-11 “For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead; who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us, you also joining in helping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the favor bestowed on us through the prayers of many.”

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

The pains and hardships of this life actually cause us
To long for the life that is to come.

And oddly enough, that life will be like that of a tree:
Isaiah 65:17-23 “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind. “But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; For behold, I create Jerusalem for rejoicing And her people for gladness. “I will also rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in My people; And there will no longer be heard in her The voice of weeping and the sound of crying. “No longer will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, Or an old man who does not live out his days; For the youth will die at the age of one hundred And the one who does not reach the age of one hundred Will be thought accursed. “They will build houses and inhabit them; They will also plant vineyards and eat their fruit. “They will not build and another inhabit, They will not plant and another eat; For as the lifetime of a tree, so will be the days of My people, And My chosen ones will wear out the work of their hands. “They will not labor in vain, Or bear children for calamity; For they are the offspring of those blessed by the LORD, And their descendants with them.”

Trust me, it’s a good thing that this life is so delicate.
Who really wants this one to last forever?

But you understand Job’s frustration.

You’ve made life too difficult
You’ve made life too delicate
3) YOU’VE MADE LIFE TOO DREADFUL (13-17)

This is actually kind of humorous because on one hand
Job says this life doesn’t last long enough,
And then in the next breath he says he wishes he could skip it.

“Oh that you would hide me in Sheol…”
Sheol was the place of the dead.
(It encompassed both Hades and Paradise)

Job says this life is so hard and so bad,
I wish You’d just let me die and skip it all.

Namely because Job knew there would be a resurrection to better things.
(14-15) “If a man dies, will he live again? All the days of my struggle I will wait Until my change comes. “You will call, and I will answer You; You will long for the work of Your hands.”

Job wanted to just die now because he knew there would a come a day
When God would call him to rise.

This life is too dreadful, just let me skip it in death.

Because right now God seems to watch me close
And keep His thumb on me.

(16-17) “For now You number my steps, You do not observe my sin. “My transgression is sealed up in a bag, And You wrap up my iniquity.”

Those verses are a little tough to decifer.
The NIV says “for then” sounding as though he is referring to the next life.

I looked up this verse in the Hebrew to try and make a little more sense of it.

It seems that what Job is saying is this:
I want to skip this life and move on to the next because right now You number my steps. Do you not observe my sin? In fact, you seal it up and wrap it up as if to preserve it.

The idea is that this life is too dreadful
And so Job just wants to skip it by going on to death.

It’s true that trials cause us to think on eternity and to set our hope there.
But there is a necessary tension here as well.

While we long for heaven we are also called to rejoice in today.

Psalms 118:24 “This is the day which the LORD has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!”

Furthermore, we are called to be thankful.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 “in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

See, the hardship of today is for the betterment of eternity.

If you want a truly glorious eternity,
Then thank God for the hardships of today
For God is using them to make your eternity perfect.

But again, if you’ve ever suffered, you understand Job’s complaint.

You’ve made life too difficult
You’ve made life to delicate
You’ve made life to dreadful
4) YOU’VE MADE LIFE TOO DISCOURAGING (18-22)

Here Job actually says God destroys “man’s hope”

That is to say, You just beat us down and beat us down
Until we give up and no longer even hope things will get better.

• We lose hope of the day ever getting better.
• We lose hope of ever seeing our children prosper.
• We lose hope of ever feeling better.

You just put man in this difficult, delicate, dreadful life and then squeeze on him until he gives up any and all hope of things ever getting better.

A little pessimistic wouldn’t you say?

And people legitimately feel this way when they suffer,
Especially when their suffering lingers.

But again let me remind you of what is true.
God doesn’t steal your hope, God is the source of hope.

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.”

Romans 8:28 “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

Job is frustrated because he doesn’t know why he is suffering.

But don’t let your confusion or your friend’s counsel
Cause you to misunderstand the goodness of God in your pain.

DON’T LET YOUR TRIALS TURN YOU BITTER.

 

Tonight we’re going to close by singing one of my all-time favorite hymns.
“How Firm a Foundation”

It is a song that reminds us that God is for us
Even when life seems like it is spiraling out of control.

“How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith in His excellent Word! What more can He say than to you He hath said, to you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?”

“Fear not, I am with thee; O be not dismayed, For I am thy God, and will still give the aid, I’ll strengthen the, help thee, and cause thee to stand, upheld by My righteous omnipotent hand.”

“When through fiery trials they pathway shall lie, My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply; the flame shall not hurt thee, I only design they dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.”

“The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose I will not, I will not desert to his foes; that soul, though all hell should endeaver to shake, I’ll never, no, never, no, never forsake!”

What Will You Do With Jesus? – part 1
Hebrews 10:19-31 (19-25)
November 1, 2015

Earlier in our book of Hebrews
The writer made a strong statement about the word of God.

Hebrews 4:12-13 “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.”

It is a remarkable and yet almost incomprehensible statement
The writer makes that this word is “living and active”

It will cut you deep even to the
Penetration of “soul and spirit, both joints and marrow”

And it will convict you down to the very core of your being
As it is “able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

In short, reading this book is not like reading just any other book.

You can read any other book and really just take it or leave it.
You have the option of just forgetting what you read
Agree or disagree, who cares, it’s just the opinion of some writer
YOU ACTUALLY GET TO BE THE JUDGE

But the Bible isn’t like that at all.
Somehow when you read this book
You find that you aren’t judging it, it is judging you.
• It penetrates the deepest secrets of your heart
• And then begins bring those things to the surface.
• It analyzes what you’ve done and what you’re doing.
• It passes judgment on the integrity and effectiveness of your life.
• And it demands that you give an account for who and what you’ve been.

I’m not gonna lie to you, personally I’m not a big fan of the public invitation at the end of a church service. By in large I do it because Baptists have always done it and that is not a hill on which to die for me.

• It seems to me that too often people are manipulated into emotional responses that many times don’t seem to last.
• In many places they are gimmicky (just a way to measure success)
• Beyond that, the front of a church while a congregation is singing is not the best place to listen and visit with a person who is confused.

However, make no mistake that
Whether a church has a public invitation or no invitation at all,
The Bible emphatically forces one upon you.
You can’t just read this book and go away neutral.
Every verse requires a response from your heart.

And the decision you make has eternal consequences.
Whether you are in church or just reading the Bible on your own,
It forces you to make a response.

You have to do something with it.

And we are now at that point in the book of Hebrews
Where the writer is going to ask for that response.

He’s spent 9 ½ chapters laying out for you the facts
About Jesus what He means to you.

And now he’s about to ask for you to do something with Him.
He’s going to ask you to respond to Jesus.

We are only going to get through half of his invitation here this morning
And there is a reason for that.

The writer lays out for you the only two possible responses you can have.
You can either respond positively to Jesus
Or you can respond negatively to Jesus

You can accept Him or you can reject Him.

This morning we look at the proper response.
• And that is simply to believe in Jesus;
• To come under the blood of His sacrifice;
• To be washed clean from your sin;
• And to enter a relationship with God.

Next week we’ll look at the improper response or the negative one.
• And that would be to choose your sin over Jesus.
• To understand what He did on the cross and choose not to believe it.
• To disregard His sacrifice and to trample it under your feet,
• To tellthe Holy Spirit you don’t want to hear any more about it.

THOSE ARE YOUR ONLY TWO OPTIONS

As Adrian Rogers used to say,
“You will either leave under the blood or on top of it”

Suffice to say, this is a deeply penetrating, convicting,
And serious portion of Scripture.

WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH JESUS?
This morning I want to show you
What Scripture says you should do with Him.
Now before we get into the specifics about what you should do,
The writer has a QUICK SUMMARY he wants to give you.

He wants to remind you of exactly what Jesus is offering.
In fact, the writer is about to sum up for you
9 ½ chapters of theology in 3 verses.

He just wants to remind you again of exactly what Jesus did.
(19-21) “Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God,”

The writer actually uses one word to help you clarify what he is getting at,
And he uses that word twice. It is the word “since”
It’s his way of reminding you of a truth he has already proven to you.

• “SINCE we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus…”
• “SINCE we have a great high priest over the house of God,”

Those are really the two main points to the book of Hebrews.
These are the two things that are true thus far.

1) SINCE JESUS CAN SAVE YOU
“since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh.”

By now you are familiar with the “holy place”
It is the place where God dwells.

And every Jew clearly understood that
A person must take blood if he is to enter that place.

The writer of Hebrews showed us that we enter with the blood of Jesus.
Hebrews 9:11-14 “But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”

Furthermore since the blood of goats is drastically insufficient to save,
We realize that only through the sacrifice of Jesus
Can anyone enter the real holy place where God actually dwells.

Now granted, entering God’s presence through the blood of Jesus
Was in fact different from what the Jews were used to.

It was “a new and living way which He inaugurated for us”

The priests have been doing it that old way for centuries.
But Jesus took His own blood and entered that veil for us.

And the writer says He entered “through the veil, that is, His flesh”

That is a little bit of a tricky concept.
Certainly the Jews understood the veil to have been that piece of fabric hanging in the temple that separated the holy place from the people.

The writer says it was “His flesh”

All the writer is saying here is that Jesus flesh was a sort of barrier.
(He is reminding you of the necessity of Jesus’ death)

Until His body was killed, (until the veil of His flesh was torn,)
You couldn’t get to God.

• He couldn’t come and teach enough to get you to God.
• He couldn’t come and heal enough to get you to God.
• He couldn’t come and encourage enough to get you to God.
• He had to die.
• His body had to be killed, His blood had to be shed.

If that didn’t happen you still don’t get to God.
In that sense His flesh was like a veil, it had to come down for you to enter

But He was killed.
His body was torn.
His blood was shed.
And He did make atonement before God.

In short, JESUS CAN SAVE YOU
And we’ve spent months seeing that.

2) SINCE JESUS CAN KEEP YOU SAVED
“and since we have a great high priest over the house of God”

Certainly you remember the first 7 chapters of this book.
Certainly you remember the writer’s thorough handling of Psalms 110:4

Psalms 110:4 “The LORD has sworn and will not change His mind, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.”

The writer went over, under, around, and through that verse.
He then came to this conclusion regarding Christ.
Hebrews 7:23-25 “The former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing, but Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently. Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”

Jesus can save you and save you forever.

That has really been the heart and soul of the book of Hebrews.
Those are the two undeniable truths the writer has proven to us.

Now the writer is about to ask you what you are going to do with them?
• Since Jesus can save you
• Since Jesus can save you forever
(two things you never received from Judaism)

What are you going to do with Jesus?

This morning let’s look at what a person should do.
There are three ways in which the writer hopes you will respond.

They are easy to spot in the text because they all begin the same way,
With the words “let us”
#1 SINCERE FAITH
Hebrews 10:22

Now do me a favor here and DON’T take your Jewish cap off just yet.
The writer has been writing to Jewish people and so it makes perfect sense
That even his invitation drips of Jewish tradition.

People read that part about being sprinkled clean and washed with pure water
And instantly want to run straight to the concept of water baptism.
(I’m not negating the importance of baptism,
But that is not what the writer is talking about here.)

Over the last couple of chapters
The writer has been engrossed in an Old Testament parable.

We’ve called it “The Parable of the Day of Atonement”
• We looked at that tent
• We looked at that sacrifice
• We looked at that priest going in and coming out
And we saw in it a picture of what Jesus did for us

Hopefully you rejoiced when you realized:
• Jesus finally took an acceptable sacrifice to God on your behalf.
• Through Jesus you have been totally forgiven.
• Christ has made you absolutely, 100% perfect in the sight of God.
BECAUSE what the writer is asking you to do now
Is absolutely absurd if you don’t believe those things.

He is talking to a Jewish man, standing outside the temple,
And he is telling that man, “Go ahead, walk through the veil”

ARE YOU KIDDING ME!
• If we go back there God will kill us!
• If we go back there He’ll strike us down!
• We’ll be like Aaron’s sons, incinerated before the Ark of the Covenant

And that would be true, IF you tried to enter that veil as an unholy sinner.
But Jesus forgave you and made you perfect.
So go ahead, walk on in.

That is precisely what the writer is saying
When he says that since Jesus saves us “let us draw near”

YOU CAN NOW GO BEHIND THE VEIL.
YOU CAN NOW WALK RIGHT INTO THE VERY PRESENCE OF GOD.

In fact the writer tells you to go in there “with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith”

That is not so different from what he told us earlier.
Hebrews 4:16 “Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Go on in, draw near to God, and be confident when you go.

BUT KNOW THIS
You can only go there because of what Jesus did.
Jesus cleansed you
Jesus made you holy
And that is why you can go.

That is why the writer says you can go “having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”

Now keep your Jewish perspective.
(He’s not talking about water baptism here)

No, he’s following the Jewish pattern of the high priest.
We’ve read about how Aaron would perform
The sacrifice on the Day of Atonement.

Let me read a portion of that again:
Leviticus 16:2-6 “The LORD said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron that he shall not enter at any time into the holy place inside the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark, or he will die; for I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat. “Aaron shall enter the holy place with this: with a bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. “He shall put on the holy linen tunic, and the linen undergarments shall be next to his body, and he shall be girded with the linen sash and attired with the linen turban (these are holy garments). Then he shall bathe his body in water and put them on. “He shall take from the congregation of the sons of Israel two male goats for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering. “Then Aaron shall offer the bull for the sin offering which is for himself, that he may make atonement for himself and for his household.”

Before Aaron could go before the Lord what did he have to do?
He had to bathe his body with water
And he had to offer the bull for a sin offering.

The writer just told these Jews, “It’s ok, you can go behind the veil! The sin offering has been given and you’ve been washed”

That’s why he used the word “having”
He didn’t say go get sprinkled and go get washed.

Jesus already did that for you and now you can feel free to enter.

Let me show you what I mean.
TURN TO: JOHN 13:6-11

It is the night before Jesus died and in that upper room
He is showing the disciples what He is accomplishing for them.

He’s going to perform two main symbolic acts.
• He’s going to wash their feet.
• He’s going to institute the Lord’s Supper

You will remember that during the foot washing Peter wanted no part of it.
(read 13:6-11)

That is the washing the writer of Hebrews is referring to.
Jesus sprinkled His blood to forgive us and cleanse our conscience,
He washed us with His word to make us clean.

Ephesians 5:25-26 “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,”

Jesus has made you acceptable, so go ahead and enter that veil!

Now I don’t have to tell you For a Jew it would take “a sincere heart”
And “full assurance of faith” to do that.

There’s no way they enter unless they really believe
Jesus has made them acceptable.

But that sincere faith is precisely what the writer says they should have.

SO… based on what Jesus has done for you
And His ability to save you and keep you saved.

You should respond with sincere faith.
You should believe in Him
And you should, through Him, draw near to God.

So let me ask you,
• Do you believe Jesus died?
• Do you believe His sacrifice is sufficient to satisfy God?
• Do you believe Jesus has forgiven you and made you perfect?
• Do you believe that enough to bank your life on it?
(That’s what a Jew was doing if he entered that veil, he was banking his life)

I hope you do because that is the proper response.

Sincere Faith
#2 UNWAVERING HOPE
Hebrews 10:22

Here is the second “let us” statement.
“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering”

Well, what is “our hope”?
• It is that in Jesus Christ we are forgiven.
• It is that in Jesus Christ we are made perfect.
• It is that in Jesus Christ we are secure.

“My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness, I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.”

But what does the writer want you to do with this hope of forgiveness and eternal life in Jesus?

He wants you to “hold fast” to your “confession” of it.
THAT MEANS NEVER STOP BELIEVING IT.

Listen, we talk a lot about God’s sovereignty and that even in regard to salvation.
That God elects and God chooses and God saves and God seals
But there is not an honest Bible student anywhere in the world that would say
That God will save you if you fail to believe or if you fail to endure.

It is that irreconcilable tension in Scripture.
God is sovereign and yet man is responsible

As my favorite preacher said, “I’m ok with a little ambiguity here. I know there is a great difference between what I can know and what God does know.”

Yes we do believe Jesus saves forever
And that His children cannot lose their salvation.
But that doesn’t change the fact that Scripture says
That child is still responsible to endure to the end.

In fact, a failure to endure, does not indicate salvation that is lost,
But rather it indicates salvation that was never real.

1 John 2:18-19 “Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.”

And that is what the writer is referring to here.

When you come to God, you have to come in real faith.
• And real faith never quits
• Real faith never lets go of hope

Jesus said:
Matthew 10:22 “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.”

And again:
John 8:31 “So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;”

The writer of Hebrews is asking for this kind of genuine faith.

BELIEVE
• Even when the Jews start to pressure you
• Even when trials come because of your faith
• Even when difficulties in life cause you to wonder what God is doing

What are you to keep believing?
“for He who promised is faithful;”

What is that promise He is referring to?
• Well, He took an oath in Psalms 110:4 that He send a priest who could save forever.
• He made another promise in Jeremiah 31 that He’d send a new covenant that would offer forgiveness and intimacy with God.

Do you believe God will keep those promises?
Do you believe Jesus will intercede for you?
Do you believe Jesus can and will save you forever?
Then “hold fast”

Don’t back up, don’t retreat, don’t give in.

In short, the proper response to Christ
Is to genuinely believe and to keep believing!
So Jesus can save you and save you forever,
What are you going to do with Him?

You should offer SINCERE FAITH and UNWAVERING HOPE
#3 EVIDENT LOVE
Hebrews 10:24-25

There’s your third “let us” statement.

Only this one (like the second) doesn’t so much speak of
How you initially respond to Jesus
As much as it does how you live after you respond.

See a relationship with Jesus should change your life.
If it doesn’t, then you don’t have a relationship with Jesus.

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”

This is one of the biggest obstacles the church has
In witnessing to a lost and dying world.

It is the fact that we have so many people
Who claim to be Christians
But their lives don’t validate their claim.

They claim to be Christians but they don’t have sincere faith
They claim to be Christians but they don’t have unwavering hope
They claim to be Christians but they don’t’ have evident love

Look, if the fruit of the Spirit are not evident in your life
Then it is evident that you don’t have the Holy Spirit.

And if you don’t have the Holy Spirit, you are not a Christian.
For God freely gives the Holy Spirit to all who genuinely believe.

The writer is talking to those who claim to be genuine believers
And now telling them to put their money where their mouth is.

“and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,”

“stimulate” is word in the Greek that literally means
“provocation” or “sharp disagreement”

The NIV says “spur one another on”

In other words do whatever it takes to make sure
Your brother doesn’t fall short of what God expects.

Do you see a brother who isn’t walking in love?
Do you see a brother who isn’t doing good deeds?
Do you see a brother who is falling away?
Then go be a true brother to him and spur him on to do it right.

This, by the way, is love.

If your toddler was playing with a loaded gun, would you take it away?
But they’ll cry if you take it away from them?
They’ll pout if you take it away?
Well, if you love them, you’d better.

And that is true of believers as well.
Love your brother enough to encourage him.

And to this end the writer gives some pretty practical advice.
(25) “not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”

I know, I’ve heard it.
“I don’t believe you have to go to church to be a Christian”

True, you can go to church your whole life and still not go to heaven.
But, it’s hard to claim to love your brother
And to be concerned about his spiritual well-being if you never go.

You might be able to prove to me that you love Jesus
Even if you never go to church.
(It’d be a tall order, but I’m not saying it’s impossible)

But I don’t know if you can prove to me
That you love your brother if you never go.

And that’s a problem.
1 John 3:13-16 “Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”

1 John 4:7 “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.”

1 John 4:20-21 “If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.”

And the writer of Hebrews is pretty clear that you can’t do that
If you are always skipping the time when your brothers assemble.
If you truly believe in Jesus
You ought to have a hope that endures
And a love for your brother
That will sacrifice for his spiritual well-being.

And of course you do understand that he is referring to more than just sitting silently beside your brother in a pew for 1 hour.
INVEST IN YOUR BROTHER’S LIFE

So do you want to sum up what the writer wants you to do with Jesus?

HE WANTS YOU TO TRUST HIM
• Trust Him so much that you’ll draw near to God through Him.
• Trust Him so much that you never quit, even when it’s hard.
• Trust Him so much that you never let your brother quit either.

That’s what you should do with Jesus.
Since He can save you and since He can save you forever.

I told you earlier I’m not necessarily a fan of invitations at the end of every service, but that doesn’t mean I’m not in favor of you making a decision.

You have to make a decision.

You have to decide what you will do with Jesus.
And today in your heart you will either decide yes, I believe Him,
Or no, I don’t want Him.

Now don’t be confused by what we do in church.
Sometimes people think that the way to accept Jesus
Is to walk an aisle and pray with the pastor.
No

You accept Jesus in your heart
You believe or you don’t believe right where you are in your heart

Then why the aisle walking?
• This time is for those who need to make their decision public.
• This time is for those who want the world to know what they’ve decided.

And if you’ve decided to believe in Jesus and to follow Him,
• The first thing you need to do is confess Him publicly.
• The second thing you need to do is be obedient in baptism as the Lord commanded.

That is what this time is for.
If you believe and you need to make it known.
So this morning we have our time of response.
• If throughout this study of Hebrews
• You have seen what an awesome and capable Savior Jesus is
• And you have decided to trust Him,

Then I would ask you to come forward
And make that decision known to the church.

I would ask you to come and say,
“I believe in Jesus and I need to be baptized.”

Now, others in here have been visiting with us for a while, and that’s ok.
I don’t want anyone to join a church where God has not led them.

But, being a member of local congregation is an important thing.
Making a commitment to those around you matters.

THAT IS ALSO WHAT THIS TIME IS FOR:
• If you believe in Jesus
• If you’ve already confessed Him
• If you’ve already been baptized
• But God is leading you to commit to this body of believers

Then the way people join this church
Is by coming forward and making that statement.

So we’ll have a time of response.
You follow the direction of the Lord.

Hebrews 10:22-25 “let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”

Paul in Rome
Acts 28:17-31
September 1, 2013

Well tonight we come to the conclusion of our study of the book of Acts.

Really we should say it is the conclusion of the study
Of the recorded book of Acts.

One of the most unique things about the book of Acts
Is that it never winds down, it just abruptly stops.

And the reason for that is because the story is still being written.
For reasons only God can fully know,
He determined to stop Luke’s account here in Rome.

And yet so much more has occurred over the centuries.

Had this letter continued, it quite possibly could have included:
• The eventual execution of Paul
• The exile of John to Patmos
• The continued ministry of Timothy
• On into some of the early church fathers
• I would think much of the reformation would have been included
• Possibly even some of the work of Southern Baptists

The point is, the only way to stop the book of Acts
Is just to stop writing because the church continues.

The Holy Spirit arrived,
And in reality this book cannot be stopped until He leaves.

• The gospels begin with the arrival of Jesus and conclude with His ascension.
• The book of Acts begins with the arrival of the Holy Spirit and since He is still
here, it cannot yet end.

I tell you that because I think it would be wonderful if believers today
Lived their lives like the book of Acts was still being recorded.

What if future generations could pick up the story somewhere around chapter 1 million
And read about your work for the kingdom of God?

You and are a very much a part of this very work.

But tonight, we conclude the revealed portion of this book.

And at the same time we come to the conclusion
Of the immediate event of Paul’s journey to Rome.

You and I know that preaching in Rome was long held desire of Paul.

Romans 1:9-13 “For God, whom I serve in my spirit in the preaching of the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how unceasingly I make mention of you, always in my prayers making request, if perhaps now at last by the will of God I may succeed in coming to you. For I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established; that is, that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other’s faith, both yours and mine. I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that often I have planned to come to you (and have been prevented so far) so that I may obtain some fruit among you also, even as among the rest of the Gentiles.”

Paul had an intense desire to come to Rome and preach the gospel there.
And finally that desire has come to full fruition.

Now we also remember the journey to get here.
• It started with a willingness to go to Jerusalem even though he was warned of danger.

• From there we saw a brutal arrest
• We saw three pathetic trials
• We saw an assassination attempt
• We saw a shipwreck
• We saw a snack bite
• And finally (about 3 years later) Paul made it to Rome.

He is here.

And before the book of Acts closes as far as Scripture is concerned,
We are allowed just a glimpse of Paul’s ministry in this city.

And I’m glad we get to see it.
Here is Paul on a mission field that he had long since desired to go to.

I think it is important that you and I see what he did,
And how he ministered.

There are four things about Paul here in Rome that I want you to see.
#1 HIS CAUSE
Acts 28:17-22

You will notice that Paul really wasted no time getting to work.

It took him three years to get here,
And I’m supposing he felt like enough time had been wasted.

So: “After three days Paul called together those who were the leading men of the Jews…”

When Paul wrote the letter to the Romans,
That was to the church of Rome.
But that isn’t who he greets first.
Furthermore it was the Jews who actually sent him here,
And yet that is who he immediately wants to talk to.

He calls the Jews.

In case you have yet to be convinced, Paul may be the apostle to the Gentiles,
But he loved his fellow brethren.

Romans 9:1-3 “I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh,”

Romans 10:1 “Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation.”

And those statements are supported with actions
Like he just revealed here in Rome.

Paul immediately calls the Jews to himself.
And the purpose is of course to make sure that they understand
WHO he is, WHY he is there, and WHY he is in chains.

(17-19) “After three days Paul called together those who were the leading men of the Jews, and when they came together, he began saying to them, ” Brethren, though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. “And when they had examined me, they were willing to release me because there was no ground for putting me to death. “But when the Jews objected, I was forced to appeal to Caesar, not that I had any accusation against my nation.”

You may remember that one of the first accusations against Paul
Was that he was anti-Semitic.

He was accused of defiling the temple, preaching against Moses,
And basically defiling Judaism all over the world.

Paul reiterates here that none of those charges were true at all.

And even now, with his appeal to Caesar,
That does not indicate a rejection of Israel,
But merely a necessary action since the Jews of Judea would not listen.

But then Paul reveals his cause:
(20) “For this reason, therefore, I requested to see you and to speak with you, for I am wearing this chain for the sake of the hope of Israel.”

And all of a sudden we see why Paul would call for the Jews.
All of a sudden we see why he would endure such hardship.
• Why would a man continue into synagogue after synagogue?
• Why would a man endure such hatred from his countrymen?
• Why would a man spend three years hated by Jews, and continue to reach out to them?

The answer is because Paul knew what Israel’s only hope was.

And he didn’t mind if it caused him to be chained…
He didn’t mind if it caused him to be imprisoned…
He didn’t mind if it caused him to be shipwrecked…

After all a man that says he could wish himself accursed for his brethren
Certainly wouldn’t mind enduring a chain.

And that is what Paul wants them to know.

I am here, and I have endured simply because I want you to know
“The hope of Israel.”

Can we all recognize here what sort of passion is required in missions?
Can we all recognize what sort of love for the lost that is needed?

Humanity is on a sinking ship, headed for certain doom,
And there is but one hope for survival.

What we wonder is if any care enough for those who are perishing
To endure a little hardship to give them a little hope.

Paul showed up and explained why he was there.

And you will notice that it obviously struck a chord.
(21-22) “They said to him, “We have neither received letters from Judea concerning you, nor have any of the brethren come here and reported or spoken anything bad about you. “But we desire to hear from you what your views are; for concerning this sect, it is known to us that it is spoken against everywhere.”

Their answer was, “We’ve not heard anything about you, but anyone who would come in chains to speak a word to us deserves to be heard.”

Now, let me tell you why that is incredible.

Look at what their impression of Christianity was:
“for concerning this sect, it is known to us that it is spoken against everywhere.”

All these people knew of Christianity was that everyone seemed to hate it.
And you can bet to some degree
They had already passed judgment on Christianity.
• They didn’t know the truth…
• They didn’t know about Christ…
• They just knew that the world hated this teaching…

SO WHY WOULD THEY BE WILLING TO LISTEN TO IT?

Because Paul was willing to endure chains to tell them about it.
His sacrifice bought him a platform.

We learn there.
• Let the world see your passion for Christ.
• Let the world see your desire for all men to know him.

Jesus said it like this:
Matthew 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

Let the world see your heart.

We live in a day where more and more I hear Christians say that
Their faith is a private affair.

Well if it is, don’t ever expect the opportunity to share it.

Paul’s passion and love were on full display.
He approached these Jews, even in his chains
And won the opportunity to share with them.

He didn’t let his circumstances stop him.
He could have said, “They’ll never listen to a man in chains”

Instead he explained that his chains were a result of his love for them,
And let them be used to open his door.

That is how we go on mission.
Paul had a cause. He explained his passion.

His Cause
#2 HIS CONVICTION
Acts 28:23

Now, getting an open door is certainly good, but it is also essential that
You take advantage of that door when it is opened.

Paul certainly did.

There are actually 4 things I would point out to you in this verse.
Because I think they give good insight into how we share.
1) PAUL’S DEMEANOR

“When they had set a day for Paul, they came to him at his lodging in large numbers; and he was explaining to them by solemnly testifying about the kingdom of God”

I don’t know why this stuck out to me so much this time,
But I think it is important to note that Paul
Was “solemnly testifying about the kingdom of God”

In other words, Paul was serious.

“solemnly testify” is one word in the Greek,
And in reality it is an intensified form of the word which means to testify.

The idea being here is that there is no fooling around.

Let me give you another example where
This intensified form of the word is used.

Luke 16:27-28 “And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, that you send him to my father’s house — for I have five brothers — in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’”

There the word is translated “warn them”
And it is from a man already in hell,
Wanting someone to go warn his five brothers not go come there.

Do you suppose that man was serious?

Well that is the type of seriousness Paul has.
And that is a good reminder.

The truths we share with the world are serious truths.
They are not for the purpose of entertainment,
Nor are they to be manipulated to make sure everyone has a good time.

This is serious stuff,
And Paul was serious as he talked about the kingdom.

2) PAUL’S DESIRE

“and trying to persuade them concerning Jesus”

Paul was a preacher of truth, serious truth,
But let’s not forget that he also had a goal in mind.

• He wanted men to trust in Jesus.
• He desired men to trust in Jesus.
• He begged men to trust in Jesus.
Just as you would seek to talk a potential suicide jumper down off the ledge,
Or would try to talk a drug user to put away the drugs.

Paul had a definite goal in mind.

2 Corinthians 5:20-21 “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Paul had a strong desire,
And when we take the gospel we can learn from that.

It is serious truth and we must desperately desire men to hear it.
• I promise you if we don’t take it serious, neither will they,
• And if we don’t care, they won’t either.

Paul’s Demeanor, Paul’s Desire
3) PAUL’S DOCUMENT

“from both the Law of Moses and from the Prophets”

We don’t have to spend much time here, because you understand this,
But we only have one authority and that is the word of God.

No one cares (nor should they) what you or I think about spiritual things.
What God thinks is all that matters.

We are not here to deliver our experiences or our logic.
We are here to deliver the truths that God has revealed for humanity.

In doing this, we allow God to direct the hearts of men.

Paul was a preacher, and he was a preacher of the book.

4) PAUL’S DEDICATION

“from morning until evening”

He was giving them the truth in all seriousness and with all desire.

We learned earlier when dealing with the lost
To put your passion on display. Let them see why you love Jesus.

Here we learn to be thorough with the truth.

Let them see your passion and then thoroughly give them the truth.

In one sense the gospel is simple, but in another sense it is extremely deep. Study to be an approved workman
And be ready to give men a solid explanation to the gospel.
Be thorough, be thorough, be thorough
• Let them know about the holiness of God
• Let them know about the sinfulness of man
• Let them know about the redemption of Christ
• Let them know about the requirement of faith

Thoroughly give people the word of God.

Paul’s Cause, Paul’s Conviction
#3 HIS CONFRONTATION
Acts 28:24-29

Now here we see again that regardless of how good the gospel is presented, there will always be men who reject it.

It’s not because you were not thorough or convincing enough,
Rather it is because men love their sin and desire to stay in it.

“Some were being persuaded by the things spoken, but others would not believe. And when they did not agree with one another, they began leaving after Paul had spoken one parting word…”

So you recognize that not everyone liked what Paul had to say,
And they even decided to leave.

They were rejecting Paul’s message.

However notice how Paul responded.
• He didn’t lower the standard…
• He didn’t tolerate their sin…
• He didn’t somehow try to reshape Christianity to look like what they already believed…

People do that today.

People reject the gospel and so we ask, “Well what do you believe?”

And they respond with some weird and often vague statement about God
And him being creator, and who knows what all.

And then we look for common ground, saying, “Well I believe all that, you aren’t far from being a Christian.”

And we see people who do that sort of thing and sort of blur the lines.

Paul did not here go on a search about all they had in common
And just seek to unify on those things.

Paul had laid forth the gospel and it was all or none.

And when they reject it and begin to leave
Paul has a parting word for them.

“The Holy Spirit rightly spoke through Isaiah the prophet to your fathers, saying, ‘GO TO THIS PEOPLE AND SAY, “YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING,BUT WILL NOT UNDERSTAND; AND YOU WILL KEEP ON SEEING, BUT WILL NOT PERCEIVE; FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL, AND WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR, AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES; OTHERWISE THEY MIGHT SEE WITH THEIR EYES, AND HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN, AND I WOULD HEAL THEM.”‘ “Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will also listen.” [When he had spoken these words, the Jews departed, having a great dispute among themselves.]”

Paul quotes there from Isaiah 6.
Incidentally, no Old Testament passage
Is quoted more in the New Testament than that one.

Paul isn’t tolerant at all.
He is direct, he is uncompromising.

They rejected the gospel…
They rejected Christ…
There was no unity or fellowship to be found here.

And when they left Paul did not try to sugar coat it.
• He did not try to leave things on a positive note.
• He told them the truth once again.

They were stubborn people who followed the path of other stubborn people and they were going to suffer as a result.

From here we learn from Paul that when you share,
“STAND YOUR GROUND”

The gospel is not flexible.
The gospel doesn’t yield.

The gospel is the most gracious offer humanity ever received,
But it still required repentance and faith from those who receive it.

If they won’t give that, they cannot be saved.

We are not offering up the gospel for men to evaluate it.
We are offering the gospel for men to believe it.

If they don’t believe it, we most certainly do not change it.

Furthermore we have to make sure that
When sinners reject the gospel
That they know they are rejecting the gospel.

It does no good for a sinner to reject the truth
And then us make them feel like the kind of accepted it.

That is called false assurance and we want no part of giving that out.

When men reject they need to know where they stand
And clearly Paul left no doubt as to where they stood.

They were men with dull hearts, deaf ears, and closed eyes.
They have not returned to the Lord and they are not spiritually healed.

Make no bones about it, stand your ground.

His Cause, His Conviction, His Confrontation
#4 HIS COMMITMENT
Acts 28:30-31

There is Paul, rejected by those he came to reach,
But he certainly didn’t hand up his spurs.

“two full years”
“welcoming all”
“preaching the kingdom”
“teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ”
“with all openness”
“unhindered”

He didn’t take no for an answer,
And he didn’t allow a little discouragement to end his ministry.

He was a preacher of truth to all who would hear it,
And as long as someone would hear it, he would preach it.
Never bashful
Never ashamed
Never distracted

And what a tremendous lesson for us as well.

When you purpose to reach the world around you

Explain your passion – let people see your love for Jesus and why you are here.
Be thorough – tell them seriously and thoroughly the truth of God’s gospel.
Stand your ground – the gospel gives a clear requirement, stick to it.
NEVER STOP

You may not realize this,
But the Bible actually does have a word for Christian retirement.
It’s called DEATH

But as long as we are in this life
We are called to continue to proclaim the truth.

I love what Peter said in his twilight years:

2 Peter 1:12-15 “Therefore, I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them, and have been established in the truth which is present with you. I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder, knowing that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent, as also our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will also be diligent that at any time after my departure you will be able to call these things to mind.”

In 2 Timothy 4 Paul reveals that “the time of his departure has come” and yet he is still writing to encourage Timothy and if Timothy comes Paul wants him in verse 13 to “bring the parchments”

Paul was not stopping until the Lord called him home.

And what a tremendous way to close our study of the book of Acts.
Don’t stop

The book of Acts just continues on,
And in heaven its pages are still be written.
Press on with the truth of the gospel, and don’t quit.

The Holy Spirit is here,
He is still working to equip and empower believers
To take the truth of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world.

• We have a mission
• We have a calling
• We are the church
And we must continue!

And so, this book ends for us right where it started:

Acts 1:8 “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

A Promise Fulfilled
Acts 28:1-16
August 18, 2013

We mentioned last week at the end of the sermon
Where the book of Acts is headed.

The book of Acts opens with the BIRTH OF THE CHURCH
We saw the arrival of the Holy Spirit and the church begin.

From there Luke showed us the GROWTH OF THE CHURCH
It seemed like on every page hundreds, if not thousands of people were added.

Then we saw the SPREAD OF THE CHURCH
This started under the persecution of Saul, and then continued through the missionary efforts of Paul from Antioch.

I suppose you could say that the last segment of the book of Acts Chronicles the ENDURANCE OF THE CHURCH

We are truly beginning to see that nothing can stop her.

The first time the church was ever mentioned in Scripture, Jesus said:

Matthew 16:18 “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.”

What Jesus was promising is that even though His church would be under constant attack, nothing could ultimately stop it.

And we have seen the attack of late.
• We’ve seen hostile Jews
• We’ve seen corrupt rulers
• We’ve seen foolish captains
• We’ve seen violent storms
• We’ve seen fearful soldiers (kill the prisoners)

All of these were a part of the enemy’s opposition to stop God’s plan.
And yet, God has just kept on with His perfect plan.

This reality will lead to the final verses of the book of Acts, which says:

Acts 28:30-31 “And he stayed two full years in his own rented quarters and was welcoming all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all openness, unhindered.”

Now, I do think it is only right to gain a full understanding of this reality.

What Luke says there does not mean
That the church will never face struggles.

In fact, there Luke says that Paul was “unhindered”,
But notice what Paul said to the Thessalonians:

1 Thessalonians 2:18 “For we wanted to come to you — I, Paul, more than once — and yet Satan hindered us.”

Paul may not have been hindered at the end of the book of Acts,
But he certainly was at other times in his ministry.

Furthermore, we could even take Paul’s desire to go to Rome
And see that it didn’t always go the way he wanted:

Romans 1:13 “I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that often I have planned to come to you (and have been prevented so far) so that I may obtain some fruit among you also, even as among the rest of the Gentiles.”

Romans 15:22 “For this reason I have often been prevented from coming to you;”

So it is obvious that even though the church at times is unhindered, at other times she seems to be.

What is the balance?

Well Jesus said, “the gates of Hades will not overpower it.”

Satan may indeed oppose, Satan may even hinder.
But he will not win.

He will not keep God from accomplishing His purpose
In and through the church.

And I think that has been very clearly seen ever since Paul was given the promise by God that he would testify in Rome.

Acts 23:11 “But on the night immediately following, the Lord stood at his side and said, “Take courage; for as you have solemnly witnessed to My cause at Jerusalem, so you must witness at Rome also.”

God made a promise that Paul was headed to Rome.
But let’s not pretend like Paul just caught a flight the next day.

• Immediately following that promise an assassination attempt was made and Paul had to be smuggled out of Jerusalem.

• The next day Felix told Paul he would grant a hearing after the accusers arrived and that took another 5 days.

• After the trial, Felix left Paul imprisoned hoping for money.
• Paul stayed in prison there for two years.

• He was left in prison until Festus took over.
• After Festus spent about 10 days in Jerusalem he came back and heard Paul’s case, but even he could not rule.

• Several days later Agrippa arrived and he could do nothing either.

• Paul then stayed in custody until time to sail to Italy, and after contrary winds delayed them for what Luke calls (considerable time) (Acts 27:9) they took off and ultimately spend two weeks in a storm.

My point is, that God was fulfilling His purpose.
But don’t think that means that it was all smooth sailing.

That promise God made to Paul was nearly 3 years old.
In between was a whole bunch of hindering and opposition.

But when God makes a promise, He keeps it.
He is faithful.

Tonight, after 3 years of struggling,
We finally get to see the fulfillment of God’s promise to Paul.

And this fulfillment is a tremendous reminder to each of us
That God keeps His promises.

• Is it always in our timing? No
• Does it sometimes take longer than expected? Yes
But He does keep His word.

If you find yourself in the middle of a belief struggle like that,
Let the fulfillment of this promise give you courage and lift up your head.

3 points.
#1 GOD’S FLAWLESS PROTECTION
Acts 28:1-6

Last week we saw the promise to Paul that
Not only would he survive the storm,
But that God was also going to grant him the lives of everyone with him.
And that was fulfilled that all 276 people made it safely to land.

But now there is a whole new set of dangers and threats
That await the passengers.

The most immediate danger would have been the natives.
It was certainly not uncommon in Paul’s day for island natives to be a little restless. These people certainly faced the threat of hostility.

Another very present danger would have been the danger of hypothermia.
They had already been soaked by the storm, and now soaked by the sea.

But, as you can see God was in control of both of those scenarios.

(1-2) “When they had been brought safely through, then we found out that the island was called Malta. The natives showed us extraordinary kindness; for because of the rain that had set in and because of the cold, they kindled a fire and received us all.”

So the first two threats the passengers faced
Appeared to be no threats at all.

The natives were friendly and even gracious.
They took care of the needs of the passengers.

“they kindled a fire and received us all.”

WHY WOULD THEY DO THAT?

This is what we would call a good act.
We see such acts around us occasionally.

Now some would wonder if these natives were Christians.
And the answer is, “No”, they aren’t.

We know that because in a moment when Paul survives the viper bite,
They start saying he is a god.

So why would they be so kind?
Why would they do good?

I want you to know that the answer is, GOD

How can that be?
Romans 2:14-16 “For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.”

There is a reason why even nonbelievers do good things.
The answer is because God has placed it in their heart.

Even though they do good for wrong reasons, they still know right and wrong.

• God is the one who put it into man that murder was instinctively wrong.
• God is the one who put it into man that theft was instinctively wrong.
• God is the one who put it into man that adultery was instinctively wrong.

Now, some men defile their conscience and do evil anyway.
But no man ever does anything good of his own accord.

If man does good, it is only because of God.
That doesn’t mean that sinful man is pleasing to God when he does good,
Because he is not.

But it does mean that God is still the only reason that he does good.

What that means is that God was still protecting Paul and his crew
There is no reason for these natives to show such hospitality
Except that God had put it in their hearts.

For some reason, these natives thought
Kindness was the appropriate response.

So the natives receive them and build a fire.
But the enemy is not finished trying to thwart God’s plan.

(3-4) “But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened itself on his hand. When the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they began saying to one another, “Undoubtedly this man is a murderer, and though he has been saved from the sea, justice has not allowed him to live.”

There was a certain type of viper that actually used stillness and camouflage as a type of protection. And that is what this snake was doing.

Paul actually picked it up in the pile of sticks.
However, when the heat hit the snake, the snake bit Paul.
That is an attack of the enemy.

And then we see the theology of the natives reveal itself.
“Undoubtedly this man is a murderer, and though he has been saved from the sea justice has not allowed him to live.”

So you see that they did have a sense of justice in their heart.
Only God could have put that there.

But their theology still wasn’t good.
However, I do want to examine it a little,
Because when you are in the middle of the storm
People with this kind of theology can really darken your day.

They had theology that was very MAN CENTERED.
(And we see this a lot today; indeed it has been around a long time)

It is a theology that puts man at the center of everything and not God.

Blessing and Suffering are not attributed to the working of sovereign God, but rather they are attributed to the behavior and merit of man.

Now that is not to say that at times our suffering
Is not directly linked to our bad behavior.

Sin always has consequences, as does righteousness.

It is a general rule that if you do wicked things, the consequences are bad.
We see billboards today that say, “Drink, Drive, Go to Jail”

The flip side is that when you do righteous things, according to God’s plan, the general result is good.

However, if you take that to the utter extreme and keep man at the center of it all, then all suffering is only the result of sin and all blessing is only the result of righteousness.

And believe it or not that thinking is very prevalent.

One of the first times we see it in Scripture was with Job’s friends.
See, Scripture makes sure we know that Job is righteous.

The Bible actually says that he was the most righteous of his time.

However, the second hardship came his way,
His friends instantly applied their man-centered theology to him
And said that the only reason he was suffering
Is because he must be secretly wicked.

Eliphaz
Job 4:7-8 “Remember now, who ever perished being innocent? Or where were the upright destroyed? “According to what I have seen, those who plow iniquity And those who sow trouble harvest it.”

Bildad
Job 8:1-7 “Then Bildad the Shuhite answered, “How long will you say these things, And the words of your mouth be a mighty wind? “Does God pervert justice? Or does the Almighty pervert what is right? “If your sons sinned against Him, Then He delivered them into the power of their transgression. “If you would seek God And implore the compassion of the Almighty, If you are pure and upright, Surely now He would rouse Himself for you And restore your righteous estate. “Though your beginning was insignificant, Yet your end will increase greatly.”

Zophar
Job 11:13-20 “If you would direct your heart right And spread out your hand to Him, If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away, And do not let wickedness dwell in your tents; “Then, indeed, you could lift up your face without moral defect, And you would be steadfast and not fear. “For you would forget your trouble, As waters that have passed by, you would remember it. “Your life would be brighter than noonday; Darkness would be like the morning. “Then you would trust, because there is hope; And you would look around and rest securely. “You would lie down and none would disturb you, And many would entreat your favor. “But the eyes of the wicked will fail, And there will be no escape for them; And their hope is to breathe their last.”

What is more, these men are sure that Job is a sinner.

Job 22:1-11 “Then Eliphaz the Temanite responded, “Can a vigorous man be of use to God, Or a wise man be useful to himself? “Is there any pleasure to the Almighty if you are righteous, Or profit if you make your ways perfect? “Is it because of your reverence that He reproves you, That He enters into judgment against you? “Is not your wickedness great, And your iniquities without end? “For you have taken pledges of your brothers without cause, And stripped men naked. “To the weary you have given no water to drink, And from the hungry you have withheld bread. “But the earth belongs to the mighty man, And the honorable man dwells in it. “You have sent widows away empty, And the strength of the orphans has been crushed. “Therefore snares surround you, And sudden dread terrifies you, Or darkness, so that you cannot see, And an abundance of water covers you.”

Now that was obviously the theology of the natives.
And it is the theology of many people in the world,
And sadly at times even in the church.

Something bad happens and instantly,
People go to wondering what they did wrong.

And I have to tell you, if you believe that in life
Then get ready for your faith to be blown into confusion.

Because one thing we have difficulty with in this life
Is when bad people prosper and good people suffer.

You may remember Psalm 73 when Asaph saw the prosperity of the wicked and actually figured he must have taken the wrong road.

What we have learned is that the righteous are indeed blessed,
And the wicked are indeed cursed.

However the consequences are not immediate.
Eternity will accurately tell the story, but today may not.

Today the righteous do suffer.
Today the wicked do prosper.

And if you ignore that fact then on the day you suffer
It is liable to wreck your faith.

Instead know that even as a righteous man suffering may come,
But at the same time know that God will fulfill His will
Even in spite of your suffering.

But you see that these natives have this immediate reward belief system.
To them it only made sense that Paul must be wicked,
Why else would he be bitten by this snake.

And yet, we know the truth.
Paul is righteous, but is under attack.
The beauty is that God would not allow Satan to thwart His plan for Paul.

• Did Paul get bit? Yes
• Did it hurt? I imagine so
• But no snake could stop what God was doing through Paul.

Paul was protected.
And that is a good encouragement for us.

• Your suffering…Your hardship…Your dilemma does not necessarily
indicate that you are wicked or that you did something wrong.
• Furthermore, when your friends or family members suffer it doesn’t
necessarily mean that they did something wrong.
• Don’t buy the theology of Job’s friends or the theology of these natives.
• Instead see that God causes all things to work together for good to
those who love Him.
• Some are preserved through the storm, some are miraculously
delivered from the viper.
• But regardless of the hardship, God’s people are under a protection.
• Nothing can thwart God’s plan for them.
• The only time death finds them is when Jesus finishes their dwelling
place.
• God’s plan is not thwarted.

Paul was flawlessly protected.
“he shook the creature off into the fire and suffered no harm. But they were expecting that he was about to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But after they had waited a long time and had seen nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and began to say that he was a god.”
Paul wasn’t a god, but his God was.

God’s Flawless Protection
#2 GOD’S FULL PROVISION
Acts 28:7-10

So, on one hand Paul and his passengers faced considerable dangers,
And yet God rescued them from all of them.

No storm, no sea, no natives, no snake could stop what God was doing.

But danger is really only part of the problem.
Let’s remember that they were just shipwrecked.

• Do you remember that they cut the ropes to the lifeboat?
• Do you remember that they threw all the wheat in the sea?
• Do you remember that the ship was broken to pieces by the waves?
Sure they made it safely to the island, but now they have nothing.
No food, no shelter, and no way to leave, for they don’t have a ship.

The immediate dangers have passed,
But there are still some very serious issues ahead of them.

And yet, God will take care of that too.

It all started with God using Paul to do some miraculous work.
(7-9) “Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the leading man of the island, named Publius, who welcomed us and entertained us courteously three days. And it happened that the father of Publius was lying in bed afflicted with recurrent fever and dysentery; and Paul went in to see him and after he had prayed, he laid his hands on him and healed him. After this had happened, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases were coming to him and getting cured.”

Here Paul is exercising his apostolic power.
God had granted him the ability to heal, and that is precisely what he does.

Luke doesn’t mention that Paul preached the gospel,
But I don’t think it is far-fetched to assume that he did.

And yet what is foremost on Luke’s mind is that
God used this power He put into Paul
To secure the provisions that Paul and his crew needed.

For notice what happened next.
(10) “They also honored us with many marks of respect; and when we were setting sail, they supplied us with all we needed.”

There you have.
Full provision.

• Now suppose God had not empowered Paul to heal?
• Suppose Paul and his 275 friends were nothing but an economic burden on the island all winter.

Could you imagine having to care for 276 survivors
With no home and no resources all winter?

After feeding and housing them for three months
These people still provided all they needed for the journey.

WHY?
Because they were grateful for what Paul had done for them.

And Paul was only able to serve them
Because of what God had placed inside of him.
God was providing.
God was meeting their needs.

Had they lost a lot? Yes
But God restored all they needed.

That is the blessing of God’s full provision.
Philippians 4:19 “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

The hardships they had faced may have put them in danger
And stripped them of all of their supplies,
But God was more than able to take care of all of that.

You see that despite the difficulties, God is still winning the day.

God’s Flawless Protection
God’s Full Provision
#3 GOD’S FULFILLED PROMISE
Acts 28:11-16

You read that account and verse 14 holds a beautiful phrase.
“and thus we came to Rome”

• I wonder if during his two years in jail Paul ever wondered if it would really happen?
• I wonder if day 13 on the sea, Paul wondered if it would really happen?

Well it did happen.
God said it would, and it did.

(15-16) “And the brethren, when they heard about us, came from there as far as the Market of Appius and Three Inns to meet us; and when Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage. When we entered Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier who was guarding him.”

I love the welcome party God planned for Paul.

Luke said believers came from as far as “the Market of Appius”.
That was a 43 mile walk.

And that, as well as being in Rome: Paul “thanked God and took courage.”

If you’re wondering what happened there in Paul’s heart –
Paul just stood on the mountain.

I’ve shared it with you before, but the story never gets old to me.

Exodus 3:11-12 “But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?” And He said, “Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain.”

We’ve talked about it before, but that isn’t much of a sign.
But can you imagine how Moses worshiped when he returned to that very mountain with all the freed slaves of Israel?

I don’t think words can express the type of worship that occurred.

That is the kind of worship that Paul had going on.
• The desire to come to Rome had long been a desire in Paul’s heart.
• The promise that he would see Rome was a promise three years in the
making.

How wonderful it must have been to finally stand on that earth.

All we can say at this moment is that this is the God we serve.

• He makes promises to us in His word.
Many times those promises are a direct fulfillment of the desires in our heart.

• But then those promises seem to be taking their dear sweet time.

• And if that wasn’t bad enough, then it seems that the whole world is against you and before long the dream becomes a distant memory.

But our God is faithful.
Maybe it’s taking longer than you thought.
Maybe the hardships you are facing have convinced you it can’t happen.

But don’t tell that to Paul.
He just saw his God fulfill a desire and a promise three years old.

God said it would happen.
• So what if Jews tried to kill him…
• So what if Governors refused to release him…
• So what if the captain of his ship is a daredevil…
• So what if they are in the storm of the century…
• So what if the natives are coming…
• So what if there is a viper in the fire wood…
• So what if you have no supplies…

None of those things can thwart the promise of God.

It brings to mind what Paul wrote to these very Romans in his letter:

Romans 8:35-39 “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, “FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.” But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

And that is the faithful God we serve.

1 Thessalonians 5:24 “Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.”

And this is a foundational truth to lean on.
• It doesn’t matter if you are Job at the funeral of your kids…
• It doesn’t matter if you are Abraham still in the tent…
• It doesn’t matter if you are Joseph in an Egyptian prison…
• It doesn’t matter if you are Moses, 40 years shepherding sheep…
• It doesn’t matter if you are David, anointed king, yet still on the run…
• It doesn’t matter if you are Simeon, waiting to see the Christ…
• It doesn’t matter if you are in your own issues wondering how long…

God is faithful.
He keeps His promises.
He fulfills His will.

And regardless of what the enemy throws at Him,
God can either change the situation or carry you through it.

Paul’s arrival in Rome reminds us of that.

The Anchor Holds
Acts 27:1-44
August 11, 2013

One of the names of the enemy we face is “Satan”
It is a Hebrew word that simply means “Adversary”

And that certainly depicts Satan’s main plan in life.
He simply opposes everything that God tries to do.

And it is important to understand the capability he has in this regard.

2 Corinthians 4:4 “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.”

1 John 5:19 “We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.”

So Satan is the god of this world, and the whole world lies in his power.

This transfer occurred back in the garden when
Satan usurped what God had given man dominion over.

Adam was given the right to rule all of creation,
But he lost his lofty position when he took the offer of the serpent.

The writer of Hebrews spells that out pretty clearly:
Hebrews 2:5-8 “For He did not subject to angels the world to come, concerning which we are speaking. But one has testified somewhere, saying, “WHAT IS MAN, THAT YOU REMEMBER HIM? OR THE SON OF MAN, THAT YOU ARE CONCERNED ABOUT HIM? “YOU HAVE MADE HIM FOR A LITTLE WHILE LOWER THAN THE ANGELS; YOU HAVE CROWNED HIM WITH GLORY AND HONOR, AND HAVE APPOINTED HIM OVER THE WORKS OF YOUR HANDS; YOU HAVE PUT ALL THINGS IN SUBJECTION UNDER HIS FEET.” For in subjecting all things to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him.”

The writer of Hebrews knew that God had subjected all things to man,
And yet that is not at all what we see today.

Creation is not subject to man – creation seeks to destroy man.
• Go to Oklahoma City, they know about the deadly force of nature.
• Go to Haiti you can still see the devastating effects of an earthquake.

This world does not do what man says.

It lies in the power of the evil one, and continually seeks
To oppose all that God would accomplish.

Now the beauty of this, is that even though Satan is the god of this world, Our God is the God of all, and He has authority even over fallen creation.

We remember the story:
Matthew 8:23-27 “When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered with the waves; but Jesus Himself was asleep. And they came to Him and woke Him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing!” He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm. The men were amazed, and said, “What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”

Now there we saw creation out of control
And then we saw the Son of God exercise His authority over that creation.

That event certainly confirmed His deity and blew the minds of those in the boat.

Well tonight we see a similar story, only from the opposite perspective.
We see creation out of control,
Except this time God didn’t call creation into subjection.

This time God accomplishes His perfect will
In the midst of creation’s attack.

And this is every bit as impressive.
Certainly we are amazed that Jesus can command the waves, but here we watch God let creation deal its worst, and God fulfills His plans anyway.

That is power.
That is why tonight we call this story “The Anchor Holds”

• It is not a story about how God stopped a storm.
• It is a story about how God accomplished His perfect will in the midst of the storm.

As you know we are nearing the end of the book of Acts,
And the Acts narrative comes to conclusion with the story surrounding Paul’s arrest, trial, and arrival in Jerusalem.

And as we have studied we have kept our focus on two main themes.

1) The Required Faithfulness of God’s Servants

Certainly Paul had this.
• Faithful to go to Jerusalem even amid warnings.
• Faithful to testify in Jerusalem instead of seeking release.
• Faithful to proclaim the truth to the rulers he stood before.

1 Peter 3:15-16 “but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame.”

2) The Divine Providence of God

And this has been seen in God’s ability to take even the worst
That the enemy could dish out and not only survive it,
But use it to further His own purposes.

• God used the arrest to grant Paul opportunity to speak to the Jews.
• God used the assassination plot to grant Paul opportunity to speak to Felix.
• God used the corruption of Felix to grant Paul opportunity to speak to Festus.
• God used the confusion of Festus to grant Paul opportunity to speak to Agrippa.

And now God is using the unbelief of all of those men
To grant Paul the opportunity to testify to Caesar.

After all, this is what God promised.

Acts 23:11 “But on the night immediately following, the Lord stood at his side and said, “Take courage; for as you have solemnly witnessed to My cause at Jerusalem, so you must witness at Rome also.”

The enemy is most certainly opposing God’s plan,
But he isn’t slowing it down in the least.
The Diving Providence of God continues to win the day.

And really no story emphasizes the providence of God
Like this leg of the journey.
Paul is literally headed to Jerusalem, “Come hell or high water”

And really the best thing we can do here is just work our way through the story,
For you will see the hand of God as we do.

We’re going to break our story up into 7 points tonight, just to help us understand it a little better.
#1 A FRUSTRATING START
Acts 27:1-8

We simply notice that the time has come for Paul to sail for Rome.

And Paul isn’t alone, there are many other prisoners who are also traveling with him.

And you will also notice that Paul has some traveling companions.
(2) “And embarking in an Adramyttian ship, which was about to sail to the regions along the coast of Asia, we put out to sea accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica.”

• The use of the word “we” there indicates that Luke has rejoined Paul and has decided to take the trip with him.

• We also notice “Aristarchus” has thrown in with him.
This is certainly a courageous thing to do,
And it may have even been a sacrificial thing.

Some commentators have noted that the only way Luke and Aristarchus would have been able to accompany Paul is if they had become his slaves.

But none the less, the journey is on.

We also readily notice that God’s hand of favor is distinctly upon Paul.
(3) “The next day we put in at Sidon; and Julius treated Paul with consideration and allowed him to go to his friends and receive care.”

This is really a generous consideration.
I can’t imagine that it was normal Roman protocol
To let prisoners in transport to go and visit friends.

But God had His favor on Paul and the centurion permitted it.

Then we begin to see the opposition to the trip start to mount.
And what we notice is that from the outset
This was a slow, difficult, and frustrating journey.

(4-8) “From there we put out to sea and sailed under the shelter of Cyprus because the winds were contrary. When we had sailed through the sea along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we landed at Myra in Lycia. There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy, and he put us aboard it. When we had sailed slowly for a good many days, and with difficulty had arrived off Cnidus, since the wind did not permit us to go farther, we sailed under the shelter of Crete, off Salmone; and with difficulty sailing past it we came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea.”

Everything there was with difficult.
• “the winds were contrary”
• “sailed slowly for a good many days”
• “with difficulty arrived of Cnidus”
• “the wind did not permit us to go farther”
• “with difficulty sailing past [Salmone]”

Nothing here was easy, and finally the boat came to rest in a place called “Fair Havens” which, as you will see, was not desirable.

This trip is facing frustration from day one.
It sounds like driving in rush hour traffic with a couple of major accidents.

It was certainly frustrating.
And you know what it’s like to face frustrating situations.
Very rarely do things in this life move as quickly as we would like.
However, just because things seem to be moving slowly,
Does not mean God is not at work.

A Frustrating Start
#2 A FOOLISH SUGGESTION
Acts 27:9-12

Now you immediately notice that this ship stayed in Fair Havens
Longer than anyone intended.

“When considerable time had passed and the voyage was now dangerous, since even the fast was already over”

Apparently the winds never really did turn around, and it was looking like this trip was going to be postponed even longer.

However, something must have tipped Paul off to the fact that
The captain was thinking about sailing anyway.

For Paul addresses the group.

(10) “Men, I perceive that the voyage will certainly be with damage and great loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.”

You could argue that Paul had divine insight here,
Or you could just argue that Paul had common sense.

Paul had spent his fair share of time on the sea
And had already been involved in two shipwrecks.

He knew the dangers of sailing this late in the year.

But Paul was ignored.
(after all, he was merely a prisoner)

(11-12) “But the centurion was more persuaded by the pilot and the captain of the ship than by what was being said by Paul. Because the harbor was not suitable for wintering, the majority reached a decision to put out to sea from there, if somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete, facing southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there.”

It is not surprising that the centurion
Took the advice of the captain and pilot over a prisoner.

The foolish decision is the reason for moving
And that is because “the harbor was not suitable for wintering”

That is another way of saying it wasn’t comfortable.
(a boat in the water is a boat in the water)
The captain, the pilot, the majority, and eventually the centurion all agreed
That if they could reach “Phoenix” their winter would be more enjoyable.

So they press on.
And, if they got the proper conditions, the trip from Fair Havens to Phoenix
Might only take about three hours.

You can see what they are shooting for.
But, the suggestion to risk danger for the sake of comfort
Would prove to be a dangerous one.

And I’m sure you can identify with this too.
Ever been put in a bad situation as a result of someone else’s foolishness.
(many of you already have a Dr.’s name come to mind)

It can sure be hard to move forward under those circumstances.

Well, rest assured that even when others are costly to you as a result of their mistakes, it does not thwart the plan of God.

A Frustrating Start
A Foolish Suggestion
#3 A FATAL STORM
Acts 27:13-20

Well, here we have a crew hoping for a more comfortable port, and when they get a slight wind they think they’ve got all they need.

BUT…
No sooner did they get out to sea, than the big one hit.

And just to read the account you can understand
What sort of trouble they were facing.

In verse 15, “we gave way to it and let ourselves be driven along”
In verse 16, “we were scarcely able to get the ship’s boat under control”

The ship’s boat was the lifeboat that was pulled behind.
In rough weather it was pulled on board, and here Luke says we could barely do that.

In verse 17, “they used supporting cables in undergirding the ship”
And “they let down the sea anchor” (hoping to stop before running aground)

In verse 18 “they began to jettison the cargo”
In verse 19 “they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands”

And finally since no sun or moon or stars appeared and it was impossible to navigate where they were, or where they were headed.

“all hope of our being saved was gradually abandoned.”
The sailor’s realized that soon the boat would sink
And everyone on board would drown.

It was just a brutal, brutal attack from nature.
• I mean nothing is going right.
• And now the boat is adrift in a storm somewhere in the Mediterranean sea,
• No clue where they are headed, and no hope of survival.

I’ve never been on a boat like that, but someone who has been in the middle of a storm on the water can certainly identify with the grief and despair that most were feeling.

What we can identify with is the storms of life that seem to be relentless.

We have all at one time or another felt victim to Murphy’s Law
(What can go wrong, will go wrong)

We have all been in situations were
Just when we thought it couldn’t get worse, it did.

It appears here like Satan is about to completely thwart God’s plan
Of having Paul solemnly testify in Rome.

Fallen creation is about to win the day.

A Frustrating Start A Foolish Suggestion A Fatal Storm
#4 A FITTING SERMON
Acts 27:21-26

What begins to happen here is really astounding.
John MacArthur even wrote an entire book on leadership
Using nothing but this story.

Here we have a prisoner arise to a position of leadership,
And before all is said in done, Paul is calling all the shots.

It begins with Paul reiterating that while everyone else thought sailing was a good idea, he had counseled against it.

(21) “Men, you ought to have followed my advice and not to have set sail from Crete and incurred damage and loss.”

I’m sure it had a tent of “I told you so” coming from the lips of Paul.

But Paul really isn’t trying to rub their noses in their mistake.
Rather, Paul is trying to regain credibility
So that they will listen to his plan of survival.

Giving someone an “I told you so” without a plan is only cruel and self-serving.
Paul only does it because he wants them to start listening to him now.

And here we find God intervening in this dark situation.
(22-26) “Yet now I urge you to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. “For this very night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood before me, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar; and behold, God has granted you all those who are sailing with you.’ “Therefore, keep up your courage, men, for I believe God that it will turn out exactly as I have been told. “But we must run aground on a certain island.”

Now, we need a little perspective here.
• God has spoken into Paul’s situation.
• An angel has assured him that Paul and everyone on board is safe.
• And the reason is reiterated that it is because God has planned for Paul to stand before Caesar.

But please understand, that while Paul is saying this,
• The storm is still raging.
• The boat is still rocking…
• The waves are still crashing…
• The sky is still hidden…

It is now a call for genuine faith in the middle of the storm.

And Paul has it.
“I believe God that it will turn out exactly as I have been told.”

Paul tells everyone to “keep up your courage”
God will intervene.

Now, also notice that God’s intervention
Runs right in line with a little human ingenuity.

“But we must run aground on a certain island.”

God could have stopped the storm dead in its tracks.
However, it was evident God was not doing that.

God was going to deliver,
Paul could only assume that God would deliver in a traditional way.

So the advice is to stay strong and trust God.
#5 FAITHLESS SAILORS
Acts 27:27-32

Well, up until now the journey has been more than difficult.
We already saw that people had lost hope.

And then Paul stood up and related his confidence.

He claimed an angel had spoken to him,
And that God had promised to deliver everyone on the ship.

And I honestly believe that at the moment people believed him.
People naturally gravitate towards hope.

BUT:
(27-29a) “But when the fourteenth night came, as we were being driven about the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors began to surmise that they were approaching some land. They took soundings and found it to be twenty fathoms; and a little farther on they took another sounding and found it to be fifteen fathoms. Fearing that we might run aground somewhere on the rocks, they cast four anchors from the stern and wished for daybreak.”

Everyone on that boat was trying to keep the faith.
Everyone on that boat was trying to have hope.

But those 2 ½ verses are full of reasons why their faith was deteriorating.

• “fourteenth night”

• “we were being driven about”

• “they were approaching some land”

• “fearing that we might run aground somewhere on the rocks”

I’m sure they were trying to believe Paul,
But the evidence was stacking up against them.

Two weeks is a long time to have a common cold,
But two weeks on a ship in the middle of a storm is like eternity.

And now it looks like their journey is about over,
Since they will soon be on the rocks, the boat will be broken up,
And they will all drown.

It really looks like the end is near.

And so, the sailors begin to lose faith.
(29b) “But as the sailors were trying to escape from the ship and had let down the ship’s boat into the sea, on the pretense of intending to lay out anchors from the bow…”

This was that boat that they were barely able to get on board
During the early hours of this storm.

Well now, the soldiers have dropped it back in the water,
And they are abandoning ship.

No one knew the danger like the sailors did,
And they are abandoning the situation.

HOWEVER:
(31) “Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, “Unless these men remain in the ship you yourselves cannot be saved.”

Now, this is an interesting statement for a number of reasons.

1) We have the prisoner calling the shots.
Paul has accepted full leadership on this sailing vessel.

2) Without the sailors death would occur.
While we know God was the Savior, Paul also knew that the crew couldn’t be
saved apart from the sailors. God’s plan obviously included using them to guide
boat for a longer period of time.

3) Paul’s life still wasn’t in jeopardy.
Notice Paul said, “you yourselves cannot be saved.”

It is as though Paul knew he was safe regardless,
But the lives of the rest on board depended on God using the sailors.

And so, all those on board have reached a real crisis point.

(32) “Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the ship’s boat and let it fall away.”

I’ll admit it sounds a bit drastic to just cut the ropes
And not pull the life boat back on board.
But, you can’t argue their faith at this point.

They just removed their only hope of escape from the ship.
Now it was up to God.

And I would suppose that more than one person
Has been in this same boat in their life before.

You face a dilemma and you literally do all that you can do.
Like a sailor in the boat you fight the storm with every ounce of knowledge, experience, and strength you have.

But the storm is still winning.
And you realize that unless God intervenes,
I don’t have enough of what it takes to defeat this storm.

At first, that can be a terrifying place, but what we are reminded of here
Is that it is not a bad place to be at all.

God is about to come through.
A Frustrating Start, A Foolish Suggestion, A Fatal Storm, A Fitting Sermon
Faithless Sailors
#6 FICKLE SOLDIERS
Acts 27:33-42

Well the entire boat has just realized that like it or not,
They are all now in God’s hands.

Even if they didn’t want to be, the life boat is now gone.
They have only one choice, and that is to trust Paul’s God.

And Paul knows the sentiment of the boat
And so instantly he steps up to reaffirm the trust
That he has in God.

(33-36) “Until the day was about to dawn, Paul was encouraging them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have been constantly watching and going without eating, having taken nothing. “Therefore I encourage you to take some food, for this is for your preservation, for not a hair from the head of any of you will perish.” Having said this, he took bread and gave thanks to God in the presence of all, and he broke it and began to eat. All of them were encouraged and they themselves also took food.”

Again divine faith meets human understanding.
Up until now the people hadn’t eaten anything.
• Partly because of stress
• Partly because of sea sickness
• Partly because of busyness and difficulty in eating

But Paul knew that part of their deliverance
Was also taking care of their physical needs, which was food.

Paul said, “Therefore I encourage you to take some food, for this is for your preservation, for not a hair from the head of any of you will perish.”

What a statement.
You need to eat so that you don’t starve to death.

Here is the beauty of that picture.
Because of God’s promise those on the boat
Were in greater danger of starvation than drowning.

God had promised they wouldn’t drown,
But if they didn’t eat they would starve.

Now, not a one would have answered that their greatest danger was starvation,
But from God’s perspective that was it.

And so everyone in the boat was encouraged, they all ate (276 of them) and then they threw the wheat into the sea.

And at daybreak they finally saw the land they had been hoping for.

(39-40) “When day came, they could not recognize the land; but they did observe a bay with a beach, and they resolved to drive the ship onto it if they could. And casting off the anchors, they left them in the sea while at the same time they were loosening the ropes of the rudders; and hoisting the foresail to the wind, they were heading for the beach.”

Now you and I know that the island they were seeing was Malta.
What is amazing here is that Malta is nothing but a speck
In the middle of the Mediterranean.

There is relatively no chance that boat just happens upon that island.
But God is in control, and so that is precisely where it is headed.

However, one more problem arises.
(Satan isn’t giving up that easy)
(41-42) “But striking a reef where two seas met, they ran the vessel aground; and the prow stuck fast and remained immovable, but the stern began to be broken up by the force of the waves. The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners, so that none of them would swim away and escape;”

Apparently the soldier’s faith wasn’t as strong as it had once seemed.
Their gratitude was certainly lacking.

And yet once again God will overcome the enemy’s opposition.

#7 A FAITHFUL SAVIOR
Acts 27:43-44

And of course at this point there is a massive sigh of relief.

God was also working in the heart of this centurion.
The same man who had allowed Paul
To go and stay with friends at the beginning of this trip.

This man stepped in and saved Paul’s life (as well as the other prisoners)

• And notice that those who could swim, used their ability and swam.
• Those who could not, found God’s providence in the form of debris.

But the great statement is:
“And so it happened that they all were brought safely to land.”

Had just one person died, God would have been a liar.
Had just one person been killed by a soldier, God would have been untrue.
But God did precisely as He said.
The anchor held, in spite of the storm.

Did God use human ingenuity and understanding?
Yes.

• We had sailors who knew how to sail…
• We had swimmers who knew how to swim…
• We had soldiers who knew how to keep control of a ship…

And God used all of that.
But none of those things could save anyone apart from God.
He had to be the deliverer.

And that is true in our storms.

YOU ALSO NEED TO KNOW LUKE’S MAIN PURPOSE IN THIS STORY.

And Luke is showing you all of this providential work of God
Because he is driving to his final point of the book of Acts.

We can take a quick look at it.

Acts 28:30-31 “And he stayed two full years in his own rented quarters and was welcoming all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all openness, unhindered.”

That is the point Luke is now making.
Come hell or high water, God’s church will not be stopped
From fulfilling the mission God has for her.

“The gates of hell will not prevail”

And that is highly encouraging.

On a personal note, we take comfort in the storms of life
And better learn how to face them.

As I studied this chapter I was reminded of:
Matthew 7:24-27 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. “The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell — and great was its fall.”

Now obviously this story is about salvation, but there are many parallels.

Both men built a house, and both men experienced the same storm.

But one man tied his house to the only thing
That would survive the storm, and that was the rock.

And again we are reminded “The Anchor Holds”
You have to trust in Christ, you have to trust in God,
He is the surest anchor we have ever had,
And the only true anchor we’ve ever had.

Psalms 107:23-32 “Those who go down to the sea in ships, Who do business on great waters; They have seen the works of the LORD, And His wonders in the deep. For He spoke and raised up a stormy wind, Which lifted up the waves of the sea. They rose up to the heavens, they went down to the depths; Their soul melted away in their misery. They reeled and staggered like a drunken man, And were at their wits’ end. Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, And He brought them out of their distresses. He caused the storm to be still, So that the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad because they were quiet, So He guided them to their desired haven. Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness, And for His wonders to the sons of men! Let them extol Him also in the congregation of the people, And praise Him at the seat of the elders.”