Promoting the Purposes of God
Text: Acts 18:12-21
Intro: We believe God has called our church to fulfill 5 main purposes: Sharing the good news through evangelism, Building people’s faith through discipleship, helping people connect with God through worship, helping people connect with other believers through friendships and fellowship, and helping people discover and develop their God-given gifts and use them to help others.
-Why these 5? Well, in one form or another, they are all found in the book of Acts as important in the early church. Acts 2:42-47 gives a brief description of the early church, establishing a pattern for churches to follow. Now we cannot be a first century church, but we can be a Biblical church that is following God’s purposes in the 21st century.
-I’d like you to watch this video clip that shows the need to follow only God’s will. We cannot mix it with our will, but need to seek His purposes – otherwise, life turns sour.
-Today our main theme relates to these purposes of God.
Prop: As individual believers who belong to God’s family, we must make God’s will the most important pursuit of our lives.
Interrogative: How can we better align our lives with what God wants to do?
TS: Let’s look at 3 truths that will help us pursue God’s purposes.
I. God’s Purposes Are Sometimes Furthered by Unlikely People (Acts 18:12-17)
12 While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him into court. 13 "This man," they charged, "is persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law." 14 Just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to the Jews, "If you Jews were making a complaint about some misdemeanor or serious crime, it would be reasonable for me to listen to you. 15 But since it involves questions about words and names and your own law-- settle the matter yourselves. I will not be a judge of such things." 16 So he had them ejected from the court. 17 Then they all turned on Sosthenes the synagogue ruler and beat him in front of the court. But Gallio showed no concern whatever.
-Sometimes even people who do not know God unknowingly help in carrying out His will and purposes. Who was this man named Gallio? Well, he was born in Spain as Marcus Annaeus Novatus, but took on the last name Gallio when he came to Rome and was adopted by someone named Gallio. His brother’s name was Seneca, who was tutor and adviser to the wicked ruler Nero. Later, Nero in his insanity commanded Seneca to kill himself and he obeyed. Gallio asked to be spared, but Nero killed him anyway.
-Seneca wrote about his brother, Gallio, noting that he had health problems, but was very intelligent, hated flattery, and was blessed with a pleasant personality.
-Gallio was proconsul of Achaia from July of A.D. 51. until June of A.D. 52. So, it was sometime during this one year appointment that he dismissed Paul’s case.
-Now, the point I want to make here is that in v.10, God had told Paul not to be afraid to tell people the good news about Jesus because He had many people in Corinth. Gallio was one of those people – not in the sense of being a follower of Christ, but in the sense of being used by God to protect Paul from harm.
-Proverbs 21:1 says, “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases.” This may have been a reference to Godly kings who obeyed the Lord, but certainly the Lord is always in control and can put both good things and bad things in the hearts of rulers in accordance with their desire to do right or wrong. God will accomplish His purposes by using both Godly and ungodly people.
-Gallio was just doing his job, and refused to meddle in what to him was a religious matter. He basically told them to settle it amongst themselves in their own synagogue, and had them removed from the court. However, as Pilate, Herod, and so many other rulers did, Gallio could have tried to appease the Jews and had Paul arrested. But God had greater plans and put it in Gallio’s heart to just turn away from the matter.
-Now we don’t know much about Sosthenes, but according to the Western and Byzantine Greek manuscripts (which the KJV uses), all the Greeks grabbed him and beat him up. This would indicate that they were not happy with the Jews, and took it out on their synagogue ruler. In light of Gallio’s dismissal of the Jews’ case against Paul, and kicking them out of his court, perhaps these Greeks saw it as their chance to strike a blow against the Jews. Most other ancient manuscripts do not mention the Greeks as the ones who beat Sosthenes up. Other manuscripts simply say, “They all took hold of him and began to beat him....” It probably wasn’t the Jews who took hold of him – unless he had become a Christian (which is a possibility).
-The most likely scenario is that the Greeks did indeed beat up the Jewish ruler of the synagogue as a lesson to the rest of the Jews to stay in line and not meddle with the Roman legal system to further their own cause. Bottom line: God kept Paul safe for the time and furthered His own purposes through unlikely people like Gallio and a mob of Greek thugs.
-When we think about it, we are sometimes the unlikely means God wants to use to further His purposes. Most of us do not see ourselves as being anything great. However, Paul writes that “God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things-- and the things that are not-- to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him.” (1 Corinthians 1:27-29).
-So if you think that maybe you aren’t fit to be used by God, you’re right! However, realize that God purposely uses those who see themselves as small to accomplish something big by His mighty power!
-TS: Well, God promotes His purposes through some unlikely candidates, but when we are willing to let Him use us, there is another ingredient we need in our lives that will make us more effective in serving the Lord.
II. God’s Purposes Are Advanced through Personal Commitment (Acts 18:18)
18 Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchrea because of a vow he had taken.
-What kind of vow was this, and why would Paul make such a vow?
-This was a Nazarite Vow, a Jewish practice of showing gratitude to God. It is described in the OT in Numbers 6, although it may have changed a little by Paul’s time. Paul was likely doing it because he was a Jew who wanted to visibly thank God for blessing the ministry and giving protection in Corinth. He also wanted to make it very clear that He belonged to God and God alone. This was a vow of separation from anything unclean and to God. Among other things, a Nazarite Vow involved letting one’s hair grow for a pre-determined period of time. Paul was a Jew through and through, and the end of the vow required that he take his locks of hair to Jerusalem within 30 days to offer with a sacrifice.
-So where do vows fit today? Should Christians make vows to show God how much they love Him and how grateful they are to Him? I believe the answer is two-fold: First, yes, we need to be grateful to God for His loving care and provision in our lives. If we choose to make a vow to God to express our thankfulness, that is great – as long as we are prepared to fulfill what we promise. Don’t promise it and then bail out. Second, do not use a vow as a bargaining chip. There were people who did this in the Bible, but we never find it encouraged or promoted as the pattern for us. In a sense, our very lives should be a vow to the Lord. “Lord, I give You my heart, I give You my soul. I’ll live for You alone. Every breath that I take, every moment I’m awake, Lord have Your way in me.”
-So, the relevance of a vow is that we are making a commitment to God that we will give ourselves more fully to Him in every area. As we look at the purposes of the church, we might sense the Lord leading us into a deeper commitment to evangelism, discipleship, worship, fellowship, or ministry. We are to be about all 5 of these, but perhaps the Lord wants you to focus on one for a season and really invest yourself in it through prayer and training. Maybe God has gifted you in one of these areas more than in others. I say GO WITH YOUR GIFT! Use and develop the gifts God has given you. That doesn’t mean that you will only do what you are gifted for. God may sometimes ask you to move outside your natural giftedness and just trust Him for the results.
-What are some expressions of commitment that might help us become more available and prepared for fulfilling God’s purposes? Well, commit to regular times of prayer and reading God’s word. Commit to times of fasting, where you deny yourself the ordinary cravings of your appetite in order to hear God better. This is very Biblical, but is also a very neglected practice today, due to food and chemical addictions. Other expressions of commitment might include setting aside one day each week to give to the Lord. Don’t use it as a work day or personal project day or even a recreation day. Just rest and hang out with the Lord and your family. This might be Sunday for you or Saturday, or some other day. One expression of commitment might be to disconnect your cable or satellite for a month, or maybe even for the whole summer. Reinvest some of that TV time into prayer time or reading your Bible, or a good Christian book.
-These are just some ideas. You are the one who will choose what kind of commitment you need to make to get closer to God and allow Him to work through your life. So, ask the Lord to show you, and then be obedient. That leads us to our final point.
III. God’s Purposes Give Direction to True Christ-Followers (Acts 18:19-21)
19 They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. He himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. 20 When they asked him to spend more time with them, he declined. 21 But as he left, he promised, "I will come back if it is God’s will." Then he set sail from Ephesus.
-God’s will is the compass for those who follow Jesus. The Bible is our road map for life. Why? Because the Bible shows us what God wants us to do. Not only do we find general direction and guidelines to live by, but God often uses particular Scriptures to help confirm specifically what He wants us to do in a given situation.
-Why did Paul refuse to stay in Ephesus when they asked him to? Well, part of the reason was because he had to get to Jerusalem to fulfill the rest of his vow. He also wanted to visit several other churches along the way before arriving there in Acts 21. The other part of the equation is that Paul was following the will of the Lord for his life, and at present, he did not believe the Lord wanted him to stay in Ephesus. He was leaving Aquila and Priscilla there and knew that God would use them to spread the good news about Jesus and help build the church.
-I like what he says in v.21: "I will come back if it is God’s will." I know somebody else who likes to say that. James also talked about living that way. James 4:13-15 “Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that."
-Following God’s will is the one thing that will keep you on the right track. If we presumptuously make our own plans without acknowledging God, we will miss out on what He wants to do in and through us.
-Why else is it so important to do what God wants? Why should we concern ourselves so much with finding His will for our lives?
-Here is one of the best reasons I can think of: In Matthew 7:21 Jesus says, "Not everyone who says to me, ’Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” Knowing and obeying God’s will is of utmost importance for those who would follow Christ! Jesus says you won’t make heaven without it. Not only will neglecting God’s will cause you to wander aimlessly through this life, never making a positive difference, but it will leave you without hope in the next life. God’s will is that nobody would die or perish without Him. However, it is only through a relationship of love and obedience that we will one day see Him face to face.
Conclusion: As we close, how concerned are you with doing what God wants? Is His will important to you? A few weeks ago we read in Acts 17:30, that God now commands all men everywhere to repent and put their faith in Jesus. If you have not done that yet, then there is no question about what He wants you to do today. You can make things right with God before you leave this room – if you are willing. If you need a little direction in doing that, I would be delighted to help you.
-If you’ve already taken that step and have a right relationship with God through Jesus, then be sure you are following His will each and every day. It is helpful to recognize that God will accomplish His purposes – even through unlikely people like us! It is also helpful to recognize the value of deeper commitment. Be willing to commit yourself more fully to doing God’s will in each area of your life. Ask Him to show you areas where you’ve slacked off, and ask Him to help you realign your will with His will. Finally, it is helpful to recognize that knowing and following God’s purposes will get us where we need to go. God will lead us and give us direction – if we will follow.
-Are God’s purposes being fulfilled in your life? Evangelism… Discipleship… Fellowship… Worship… Ministry…. I urge you to commit yourself to doing His will from this day forward. Let’s pray.
