I. PRAYER
II. Introduction
a. On April 21st, in the year 1519, the Spanish explorer Hernando Cortez sailed into the harbor of Vera Cruz, Mexico. He brought with him only about 600 men, and yet over the next two years his vastly outnumbered forces were able to defeat Montezuma and all the warriors of the Aztec empire, making Cortez the conqueror of all Mexico.
b. How was this incredible feat accomplished, when two prior expeditions had failed even to establish a colony on Mexican soil? Here’s the secret. Cortez knew from the very beginning that he and his men faced incredible odds. He knew that the road before them would be dangerous and difficult.
c. He knew that his men would be tempted to abandon their quest and return to Spain. And so, as soon as Cortez and his men had come ashore and unloaded their provisions, he ordered their entire fleet of eleven ships destroyed. His men stood on the shore and watched as their only possibility of retreat burned and sank. And from that point on, they knew beyond any doubt there was no return, no turning back. Nothing lay behind them but empty ocean. Their only option was to go forward, to conquer or die.
d. In a similar kind of way, today, we are going to look at Paul’s fateful last trip to Jerusalem. Paul knew that bad things would happen to him while he was there, but he chose to go there anyway.
e. Paul wasn’t worried about the odds, because he was trusting God to pull him through. Paul knew that God had led him back to Jerusalem, and he was simply trusting God, and obeying him.
III. Background
a. Last, week, we saw as Paul drew closer to his destination of Jerusalem that several people were warning him about. Even though Paul did not know all of the particulars, he did know that he would be facing trials and tribulations when he got there.
b. We saw this last week, as the believers at Tyre urged Paul not to go to Jerusalem, for fear that he would be killed there, and also last week we saw where Agabus came down from Jerusalem to Caesarea, where Paul was staying with Philip, and delivered a prophetic message to Paul concerning his eventual imprisonment.
c. But, the eventual outcome was that Paul would not be persuaded away from Jerusalem. He told the disciples that he was not only ready to be imprisoned, or bound at Jerusalem, but ready to be killed for his faith at Jerusalem.
d. So, the motives were right on the part of the people of Tyre, and Paul’s companions, but the simple fact of the matter was that Paul was called to go to Jerusalem, and he would do it.
e. When we left Paul last week, he was journeying with his companions and a believer named Mnason. They were headed to Jerusalem, and it was the intention of Paul and his party to stay at Mnason’s house while they were in Jerusalem.
f. We pick up from this point, as Paul and his party are arriving at Jerusalem. This would be Paul’s last visit to Jerusalem as recorded in scripture, and the fifth that we know about since Paul became a follower of Christ.
g. You can’t help but to compare Paul’s final trip to Jerusalem with the final trip that Jesus made. Both Paul and Jesus had people telling them not to go, but both went anyway, because it was God’s will. Both will be seized at the instigation of the Jews, and held by the Roman authorities.
h. We will look at this in depth today, as we finish out Acts chapter 21, in our continuous study through the book of the Acts. So, turn with me if you would to Acts chapter 21, and we will begin reading at verse 17. **If you need a Bible**
IV. Study
a. Intro
i. 17 And when we had come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly. 18 On the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present. 19 When he had greeted them, he told in detail those things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. 20 And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord. And they said to him, "You see, brother, how many myriads of Jews there are who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law; 21 but they have been informed about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the customs. 22 What then? The assembly must certainly meet, for they will hear that you have come. 23 Therefore do what we tell you: We have four men who have taken a vow. 24 Take them and be purified with them, and pay their expenses so that they may shave their heads, and that all may know that those things of which they were informed concerning you are nothing, but that you yourself also walk orderly and keep the law. 25 But concerning the Gentiles who believe, we have written and decided that they should observe no such thing, except that they should keep themselves from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality." 26 Then Paul took the men, and the next day, having been purified with them, entered the temple to announce the expiration of the days of purification, at which time an offering should be made for each one of them.
ii. 27 Now when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews from Asia, seeing him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd and laid hands on him, 28 crying out, "Men of Israel, help! This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against the people, the law, and this place; and furthermore he also brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place." 29 (For they had previously* seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.) 30 And all the city was disturbed; and the people ran together, seized Paul, and dragged him out of the temple; and immediately the doors were shut. 31 Now as they were seeking to kill him, news came to the commander of the garrison that all Jerusalem was in an uproar. 32 He immediately took soldiers and centurions, and ran down to them. And when they saw the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. 33 Then the commander came near and took him, and commanded him to be bound with two chains; and he asked who he was and what he had done. 34 And some among the multitude cried one thing and some another. So when he could not ascertain the truth because of the tumult, he commanded him to be taken into the barracks. 35 When he reached the stairs, he had to be carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the mob. 36 For the multitude of the people followed after, crying out, "Away with him!" 37 Then as Paul was about to be led into the barracks, he said to the commander, "May I speak to you?" He replied, "Can you speak Greek? 38 Are you not the Egyptian who some time ago stirred up a rebellion and led the four thousand assassins out into the wilderness?" 39 But Paul said, "I am a Jew from Tarsus, in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city; and I implore you, permit me to speak to the people." 40 So when he had given him permission, Paul stood on the stairs and motioned with his hand to the people. And when there was a great silence, he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, ** saying,
iii. For the sake of time today, we won’t get into Paul’s speech to the Jewish mob, but we will cover Paul’s arrival in Jerusalem, the City of David, and his interactions with the church that was there at Jerusalem.
iv. As we read this passage of scripture, I am reminded of the riot that took place while Paul was in Ephesus, only this time, the mob got to Paul.
v. In Acts chapter 17 we read the account of a riot in Thessalonica, and one of the accusers had this to say about the church - These who have turned the world upside down have come here too
vi. If you think about it, that’s really what Paul had set about to do in every city he had come to. He wanted to turn things around. He wanted to see people being restored and healed by the power of Jesus.
vii. Think about when you weren’t a believer, and how your life changed when you accepted Christ. That is what Paul was about doing, in Thessalonica, in Ephesus, wherever he went, he was sharing the good news with anyone that would listen.
viii. It is little wonder riotous mobs broke out wherever he went. People that didn’t understand got angry. The trade of the silversmith guild in Ephesus was hurt by a decline in their idol sales, which prompted a riot.
ix. What changes with Christianity is our way of life. It changes for the person being saved, their family, and their community around them. People tend to not like change, so they get angry.
x. This is precisely what’s going on in Jerusalem. Paul was going around the Roman Empire telling Jews that they were free from the Mosaic laws if they believed in Jesus. This changed their whole way of life. People who still stuck to the old principles, people that didn’t believe in Jesus, got angry, and we see this happening in Jerusalem in our passage today.
xi. I’ve broken down today’s message into six points to help us along the way. We are going to be looking ay The Summary, Schedule a Meeting, Submitting to Authority, Seven Days Later, Seized, and last – Saved as we study Acts chapter 21.
xii. We read in verse 17 this -
b. The Summary (Acts 21:17 – 20)
i. 17 And when we had come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly.
ii. No doubt that the brethren there in Jerusalem were glad, because Paul was bringing them an offering collected from the gentile churches for them.
iii. The church was no doubt excited not only to get the much needed relief, but also to hear from Paul and the gentile believers what had been going on. They had probably heard bits and pieces from people traveling back and forth, but now they had Paul there with them, and they wanted to hear from Paul, what was going on. We read on in verse 18 -
iv. 18 On the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present. 19 When he had greeted them, he told in detail those things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.
v. So, you get the picture here. All of the leaders of the church at Jerusalem have a meeting to hear what had been going on. Something interesting happens here.
vi. Paul doesn’t talk about generalities. He doesn’t say, “well, we went here, and shared, and then we went there.“ No, the scripture tells us here that Paul told them what had been happening on his third missionary journey in great detail.
vii. He gave them a blow-by-blow description of the ministry in Asia Minor. He told them about the great number of people that came to know the Lord in and around Ephesus.
viii. But I want us to notice this – He told them about the things that God had done through his ministry. It wasn’t Paul doing the work, it was God.
ix. In the past weeks, we have talked at length about ministry, and how really, ministry is simply sacrifice – putting the needs of others above those of ourselves.
x. But, if we do that in and of ourselves, we are just walking around doing godly things. But, the real ministry happens when we let God do the work through us to bless others, and it is more than we could ever hope for.
xi. Paul knew that he was just a vessel, and that the glory was for God. In Isaiah 42, verse 8, we read this - I am the Lord, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another
xii. So, God doesn’t want us to take the credit for something He does. He is very selfish with regard to His glory. We need to take heed, and recognize that it is God, not us working in the lives of others.
xiii. We read on, and see the results of Paul’s sharing in verse 20 -
xiv. 20 And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord. This is always what happens, when we don’t take the credit for what God has done – He gets all the glory. We read on in verse 20, and we see the situation of the church there in Jerusalem -
xv. And they said to him, "You see, brother, how many myriads of Jews there are who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law;
xvi. The church at Jerusalem had grown exponentially. There were literally thousands of believers there in Jerusalem. The elders called them myriads here. There was a great amount of ministry taking place in Jerusalem, and the church was large, but with any large movement, there were problems.
xvii. We are told here in verse 20 that they are all zealous for the law. So, they were joyous about what was happening in the gentile churches, that people were coming to Christ. But, we also see that they wanted to hold on to their Jewish customs and rituals. They were zealous for the law, when they should have been zealous for Christ, like Paul was.
xviii. This would spell trouble. Not only in our passage here today, but down the road as well. We see this division in the body of Christ, and God doesn’t like divisions.
xix. In about 12 or 13 years after this meeting, the Jewish Christians would be forced to mix with the gentile ones, when the Roman army comes in and destroys Jerusalem in 70 A.D. People like the Apostle John, who was here in Jerusalem would go on to pastor the church at Ephesus, when this happened.
xx. We read on in verse 21-
c. Schedule a Meeting (Acts 21:21 – 22 )
i. 21 but they have been informed about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the customs.
ii. The Christians at Jerusalem have been told that Paul was going around the empire telling all the Jews to forsake the Mosaic law, that they had no more need to circumcise their children, or to celebrate the Jewish feast days and rituals.
iii. Notice that Paul doesn’t refute this. It was true. Paul was teaching freedom from the Old Covenant through the New Covenant in Jesus Christ.
iv. You see, at this point in the church, you had people like Paul going out and evangelizing gentiles. But, then, after they had left you had these guys called Judiazers coming in and telling the new believers – “Hey! It’s great that you love Jesus and all, but you really need to become a Jew to get the whole package”, and this was wrong.
v. That wasn’t the case at all. We are saved by grace through faith, Ephesians 2:8, and not of works, lest anyone should boast. What was all of the being zealous for the law and Jewish rituals except works? Well, the elders feared an uproar in the church over this, we read on in verse 22 -
vi. 22 What then? The assembly must certainly meet, for they will hear that you have come.
vii. The assembly had to meet to try and diffuse this situation. We read on in verse 23
d. Submitting to Authority (Acts 21: 23 - 26 )
i. 23 Therefore do what we tell you:. We see that they start off their advice to Paul with the word therefore. It means “in light of”. So, in light of the fact that everyone will get in an uproar over all of this, we want you to do this – They say
ii. We have four men who have taken a vow. 24 Take them and be purified with them, and pay their expenses so that they may shave their heads, and that all may know that those things of which they were informed concerning you are nothing, but that you yourself also walk orderly and keep the law.
iii. So, they wanted Paul to go and pay the expenses of four men who had taken a Nazarite vow. We learn about the Nazarite vow in Numbers chapter 6.
iv. The vow itself means to be set apart, or consecrated unto the Lord. During this period of time that they had taken the vow, they would do nothing but service for the Lord. During this time they could not eat grapes or drink wine. They also could not touch a dead body among other things.
v. But at some point, these four had become ceremonially unclean. Maybe they touched a dead body, or maybe Paul himself made them unclean, because he had been living with these gentiles. We aren’t told here.
vi. But, it cost money to get them ritually clean. They had to be washed, and their heads had to be shaved. The church at Jerusalem was very poor, and these guys could not afford to do that for themselves.
vii. So, in order to show what a good guys Paul was, they wanted him to take these guys down, and get purified, and they wanted Paul to go along and get purified, too, as a proof to the church at Jerusalem that he was still a good Jew.
viii. Now, to be honest, I see why Paul does this – to be submissive to the authority of the church at Jerusalem, and Paul does it, with no argument.
ix. But, I also don’t see where these guys prayed about this, and asked the Lord if that’s what He wanted Paul to do. I see the church leadership here planning and meeting, rather than praying and seeking.
x. They wanted to be politically correct with the church there in Jerusalem. They wanted to build up the walls between them and the gentile believers, and we see this in verse 25 -
xi. 25 But concerning the Gentiles who believe, we have written and decided that they should observe no such thing, except that they should keep themselves from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality."
xii. They are basically saying this – there’s no need for the gentiles to do things like getting ritualistically purified. They just need to do the four thing we wrote to them – Don’t eat meat offered to idols, don’t eat blood or anything strangled, and stay away from sexual immorality.
xiii. These guys were walking the fuzzy line between legalism and grace, and I am afraid that the church at Jerusalem had fallen into legalism.
xiv. The writer to the Hebrews exhorts them in chapter 10, starting in verse 19 - 19 Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, 21 and having a High Priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.
xv. What the writer was saying here is that they did not need to approach God through rituals and ceremony anymore – the price had been paid. There was no more need for ritualistic cleanings, because it had been taken care of at the cross.
xvi. When I read that passage. I think about this scene in Acts, and personally, I believe that Paul wrote the letter to the Hebrews, to exhort them to turn away from the legalism that was all over the church there.
xvii. But, we see that Paul complies, and we read on in verse 26 -
xviii. 26 Then Paul took the men, and the next day, having been purified with them, entered the temple to announce the expiration of the days of purification, at which time an offering should be made for each one of them.
xix. So, Paul takes these four guys down to the temple to announce the end of their purification. These guys would have their heads shaved, and have their hair burnt on the altar, along with bringing other sacrifices, after worshipping in the temple for seven days.
xx. Paul wanted to be an effective minister of Christ, even in Jerusalem. So, as to not stumble the church at Jerusalem, Paul agrees to go down and get purified with them, and pay their expenses.
xxi. In 1st Corinthians chapter 9, verse 20, we read that Paul says he became as a Jew to win the Jews. So, he did it. He did what they wanted him to do.
e. Seven Days Later (Acts 21: 27 – 29)
i. 27 Now when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews from Asia, seeing him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd and laid hands on him,
ii. So, while Paul was in the temple worshipping with these four guys, some Jews from Asia Minor, probably Ephesus, see him. They stir up the crowd against Paul, and grab him. Their charge against Paul is in the next verse -
iii. 28 crying out, "Men of Israel, help! This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against the people, the law, and this place; and furthermore he also brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place."
iv. Anyone could go into the outer court of the temple. But, as you passed from the outer court into the court of the women, there was a sign that read – any gentile entering into here will be put to death.
v. The Romans were so sensitive to this that they authorized the Jews to execute anyone who offended in this way, even if the offender was a Roman citizen, which Paul was.
vi. So, they accused Paul of not only blasphemy, but also with defiling the temple, which according to Jewish custom, were both offenses punishable by death. We get a little more insight in 29 -
vii. 29 (For they had previously* seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.)
viii. So, if these Jews were from Ephesus, they probably knew Trophimus, and they knew that Trophimus was in Jerusalem with Paul at the time. They knew that Trophimus was a gentile, and they made the faulty assumption that Paul had brought Trophimus into the temple area. All the guys with Paul had shaved heads, so maybe they guessed that one of them was Trophimus, we aren’t told. We are told that this stirs up the whole city though as we read on in verse 30 -
f. Seized (Acts 21: 30 – 32 )
i. 30 And all the city was disturbed; and the people ran together, seized Paul, and dragged him out of the temple; They seize Paul, and drag him forcibly from the temple. You know, one thing that I notice is that wherever Paul goes, there is either a revival or a riot. In this case, it was a riot. We also read that immediately the doors were shut.
ii. This is talking about the temple doors, but the doors to the hearts of the people of Jerusalem were just as shut. They had shut them to Jesus, they had shut them to Stephen, and now, they were shutting them to Paul.
iii. 31 Now as they were seeking to kill him, news came to the commander of the garrison that all Jerusalem was in an uproar.
iv. On the northwest corner of the Temple Mount sat the Fortress Antonia from which Roman soldiers could look down upon the Temple to make sure nothing was out of order. When they saw the entire city running towards the Temple, they headed there as well, we read in verse 32 -
v. 32 He immediately took soldiers and centurions, and ran down to them. And when they saw the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.
vi. I thought about an episode of Cops, when I read this. The authorities show up, and everyone stops what they were doing. “I didn’t do anything wrong…” kind of thing.
vii. Here’s my question – Where was the church at Jerusalem? Paul had brought them an offering, he had done what they asked, and went through the purification rites, and now, when Paul really needed them, where were they?
viii. Nowhere. They weren’t around. That’s what happens when legalism sets in to a church or a person. Energy, zeal and conviction are replaced with traditions, rituals, and compromise.
ix. I pray that that never happens here. That we would be constantly adjusted as believers, and as a church. That we won’t get comfortable, but that we have to seek the Lord every time we turn around.
x. We will close today with Paul being saved by the means that God would use to save him – the gentiles. We read in verse 33 -
.
g. Saved (Acts 21: 33 – 40 )
i. 33 Then the commander came near and took him, and commanded him to be bound with two chains; and he asked who he was and what he had done. 34 And some among the multitude cried one thing and some another. So when he could not ascertain the truth because of the tumult, he commanded him to be taken into the barracks.
ii. So, Paul was bound with two chains, just like Agabus prophesied. The crowd was confused. They had no idea what they were doing, but they were just caught up in the moment.
iii. Paul was carried to the Roman garrison on the Northwest corner of the temple mount – the Fortress Antonia.
iv. 35 When he reached the stairs, he had to be carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the mob. 36 For the multitude of the people followed after, crying out, "Away with him!"
v. The mob tried to take Paul away from the soldiers! Wow that was some mob. They wanted Paul dead. The mob cried out – “Away with him!”
vi. Paul is in good company here. Some twenty seven years before, a similar mob standing in front of Pontius Pilate cried out the same thing against Jesus – Away with Him! He’s not fit to live!”
vii. Paul has something working in his favor though, as we see in verse 37 -
viii. 37 Then as Paul was about to be led into the barracks, he said to the commander, "May I speak to you?" He replied, "Can you speak Greek? 38 Are you not the Egyptian who some time ago stirred up a rebellion and led the four thousand assassins out into the wilderness?" 39 But Paul said, "I am a Jew from Tarsus, in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city; and I implore you, permit me to speak to the people."
ix. In the year AD 54, an Egyptian, whose name meant `dagger-bearer’, led men to the wilderness to launch a revolt against Rome. Here in Acts, the commander, thinking Paul was this same Egyptian terrorist, was taken aback when Paul started speaking Greek. `You speak Greek?’ he said. `I thought you were an Egyptian.’
x. When Paul identified himself to the Roman commander, it put him in an entirely different standing: he was a citizen of Tarsus, not a suspected terrorist. Paul the Roman citizen would address the crowd.
xi. 40 So when he had given him permission, Paul stood on the stairs and motioned with his hand to the people. And when there was a great silence, he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, ** saying,
xii. Why did the commander permit Paul to speak to the crowd? Well, for one thing, he had recognized that he had done wrong to Paul, a Roman citizen, when he bound him with chains. There were no formal charges against Paul at this point, and what the commander had done was illegal according to Roman law.
xiii. This was an opportunity Paul had waited a lifetime for; he had an incredible passion for the salvation of his fellow Jews. He probably thought of himself as uniquely qualified to effectively communicate the gospel to them - if he only had the right opportunity.
xiv. This was the opportunity that Paul had been waiting years for. Paul probably thought that his message would spark some revival, but as we will see next week, it wasn’t so well-received.
xv. In closing today, I’d like to leave us thinking about this – similarities between Paul’s arrival at Jerusalem with that of Jesus.
h. Conclusion
i. Like Jesus, Paul travelled to Jerusalem with a group of his disciples.
ii. Like Jesus, Paul was opposed by hostile Jews who plotted against his life.
iii. Like Jesus, Paul made or received three successive predictions of his coming sufferings in Jerusalem, including being handed over to the Gentiles.
iv. Like Jesus, Paul had followers who tried to discourage him from going to Jerusalem and the fate that awaited him there.
v. Like Jesus, Paul declared his readiness to lay down his life.
vi. Like Jesus, he was determined to complete his ministry and not be deflected from it.
vii. Like Jesus, Paul expressed his abandonment to the will of God.
viii. Like Jesus, Paul came to Jerusalem to give something.
ix. Like Jesus, Paul was unjustly arrested on the basis of a false accusation.
x. Like Jesus, Paul alone is arrested, none of the other followers of Jesus
xi. Like Jesus, Paul heard the mob crying out, Away with him!
xii. Like Jesus, the Roman officer handling Paul’s case did not know his true identity.
xiii. Like Jesus, Paul was associated with terrorists by Roman officials.
xiv. One major difference between Paul and Jesus would be the defense given by Paul to the Roman officials. Jesus did not offer one. We will look at this next week.
xv. If you’re here this morning, and you want to be more like Jesus… **evangelistic appeal**
i. Let’s Pray.
