Lord's Will Be Done Series

LORD’S WILL BE DONE

Text: Acts 21;1-14

Introduction

1. "God’s will done in God’s way will not lack God’s support." - Hudson Taylor

2. The question is not if God’s will is going to come to pass but are we willing to do whatever it takes to be a part of it.

3. Sometimes being in line with God’s will is not easy, and it requires us being willing to sacrifice our will for His.

4. Read Acts 21:1-14

Transition: Doing the will of God is going to require…

I. A Little Help from Our Friends (1-6).

A. Found the Local Believers

1. After saying his farewell to the Ephesian elders at Miletus, Paul continued on his way to Jerusalem.

2. In vv. 1-3 we read, “After saying farewell to the Ephesian elders, we sailed straight to the island of Cos. The next day we reached Rhodes and then went to Patara. 2 There we boarded a ship sailing for Phoenicia. 3 We sighted the island of Cyprus, passed it on our left, and landed at the harbor of Tyre, in Syria, where the ship was to unload its cargo.”

a. It was an emotional goodbye to his friends in Ephesus.

b. The word that is translated “saying farewell,” carries with it the idea of “tearing away,” showing that Paul literally had to tear himself away from them and from the hugs of his dear friends.

c. However, it was time for him to move on to Jerusalem.

d. The journey itself must have been an emotional one, as in v. 3, it says he sighted Cyprus as they passed by it.

e. Surely this must have brought to mind memories of his first journey with Barnabas.

f. Speaking from personal experience, it is often difficult for a Pastor to tear himself away from the ones he has served.

g. While there are difficult moments, like Paul had, and even difficult people, there are also precious souls that will forever be etched in a Pastor’s memories.

3. Once they arrived in Tyre, as v. 4 tells us, “We went ashore, found the local believers, and stayed with them a week. These believers prophesied through the Holy Spirit that Paul should not go on to Jerusalem.”

a. Paul and his friends went ashore and started looking for local believers.

b. The word “found” means “to find after searching.” So, they, like many people today, went looking for a good church!

c. In that church, there were several believers who had the gift of prophecy through the Holy Spirit.

d. The fact that they prophesied through the Holy Spirit is key. They weren’t just some local crack pots or wannabes looking to get attention. No, these were people filled and anointed by the Holy Spirit to deliver message from God to His people.

e. The message that they gave was a warning to Paul about not to go to Jerusalem.

f. So, was Paul wrong in wanting to go to Jerusalem? Was he being disobedient in going to Jerusalem?

g. Obviously not. More likely this was a warning to Paul of the suffering he would face once he got to Jerusalem.

h. As we will see in the rest of the chapter, the results outweighed the danger. Paul was convinced he was supposed to go to Rome, and going to Jerusalem was the way to get there.

i. Unfortunately, it wasn’t going to be a pleasant journey. Sometimes God has to take us through difficult circumstances to get us to where He needs us to be.

j. Although the journey may be difficult, the destination is always worth it.

4. As the story continues in vv. 5-6, it says, “When we returned to the ship at the end of the week, the entire congregation, including women and children, left the city and came down to the shore with us. There we knelt, prayed, 6 and said our farewells. Then we went aboard, and they returned home.”

a. Once the week came to an end, all of the believers, men, women, and children alike, came down to the ship to bid Paul and his companion’s farewell.

b. It was another tender goodbye filled with prayer and love for each other.

c. We need the prayers and fellowship of other believers. If no one is praying for you, it’s kind of your own fault.

d. Though God is all knowing, His children are not. A little bird does not come and tap us on the shoulder and say, “so in so needs your prayers.” By the way, this goes for your Pastor too!

e. One of the best ways to insure that people are praying for you is showing up for church on a consistent basis.

f. This is a part of the reason that Hebrews 11:25 tells us, “And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.”