He’s Got You Covered
Acts 23:12-35
Intro: One of the things we start hearing a lot about around election time is health coverage. Some say that the government should guarantee health coverage for every citizen. Others say that every employer should be required to provide health coverage for all employees. There are several solutions offered as to how to come up with this money, none of which I care to go into today. If we were to take a poll today as to how well we are covered by health insurance, we’d probably get several different stories. There are many different kinds of coverage plans, and there are many different kinds of premiums to pay – most of them seem much higher than they ought to be.
-But no matter what kind of insurance you get (health, life, accident, home, auto, or whatever), you can’t really find protection from the future. Yes, you might get enough coverage to pay the bills if something bad happens, but insurance can never prevent those bad things from happening.
-Now for those who know and trust the Lord, you know what kind of guarantee He gives to those who are on His family plan. He says, “I’ll always be with you. Nothing can get to you without going through Me first. I’ve got you covered! Just put your trust in Me!”
-Here is the main thought I’d like to talk about today:
Prop: No matter how hard our enemy fights against us, God will take care of us if we will trust in Him.
Interrogative: How can we be sure that God has us covered?
TS: Let’s look at 3 realities that expose our enemy and assure us of God’s care.
I. Somebody Is Out to Get You! (Acts 23:12-15)
12 The next morning the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. 13 More than forty men were involved in this plot. 14 They went to the chief priests and elders and said, "We have taken a solemn oath not to eat anything until we have killed Paul. 15 Now then, you and the Sanhedrin petition the commander to bring him before you on the pretext of wanting more accurate information about his case. We are ready to kill him before he gets here."
-There are a few interesting things to note about this section of verses. The obvious question that comes up is what happened to these 40 plus men who made vows not to eat or drink anything until they had killed Paul? Well, one might think that they either broke their vow or died from dehydration. However, Jewish Law had an allowance for broken oaths – even though God had told them not to make them if they couldn’t keep them. If someone’s oath was considered too difficult too fulfill, they simply brought an atonement offering to the temple and were released from fulfilling it.
-The main problem, of course, is that the motivation of the vow was completely wrong. No doubt many of them thought they were being pious and defending the honor of the God of Israel. Just like Paul himself thought he had been defending God’s honor by persecuting Christians. But James wrote that the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. James 1:20 “For man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.” There is such a thing as righteous indignation, but please do not confuse your temper with God’s righteousness. It is not the anger of God that motivates us, but the love of Christ that compels us.
-Obviously, Paul’s opponents did not understand this. They thought they could take matters into their own hands and put a stop to anyone who appeared to threaten the Jewish religion and traditions. So, Paul became public enemy #1 to many of the Jews. There were many Jewish revolutionaries during this time called Zealots, who thought they were justified in using force to accomplish what they thought was God’s will. It was some of these people who apparently approached the high priest and the elders with their plot against Paul. The high priest and his Sadducee groupies were more than happy to go along with such a plan.
-Well, as we discussed a few weeks ago, we also have an enemy who wants to take us out. He wants to do more than just give us a bad day, he wants to kill us. That enemy is Satan and all of his minions. If he had the power, he would wipe out the entire human race – just to strike a blow at our Creator- the one who made us and loves us far more than we deserve!
-Please understand today that nobody is exempt. We all have the same enemy who is out to get us. Am I trying to make us paranoid? No. I’m trying to make us aware that we are at war, whether we want to be or not. You have an enemy who is trying to attack your mind, your body, soul and spirit. He will try to confuse you, distract you, discourage you, and even make you angry at God for the things that happen to you. He knows that if he can get your eyes off of the Lord, or at least make you angry at God, then he will have a greater opportunity to take you out. If he can isolate you from other believers, he knows he can get to you whenever he wants.
-What can we possibly do to stand against this ancient intimidating foe? The answer to that is so vast that we could spend the next several months preaching and teaching about it. More books are written about spiritual warfare and overcoming the enemy than you could possibly read in a lifetime, and many of them are not worth reading. Martin Luther wrote a song, A Mighty Fortress Is our God. One verse in the song says, “And still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe; his craft and power are great, and armed with cruel hate. On earth is not his equal.” But listen to the last verse of that song: “The prince of darkness grim, We tremble not for him, His rage we can endure, For lo his doom is sure, One little word shall fell him.”
-Because of Jesus and what He did for us on the cross, we can overcome this enemy who is out to get us. That leads us to our 2nd point.
II. We Can Be Bold Enough to Resist the Enemy (Acts 23:16-22)
16 But when the son of Paul’s sister heard of this plot, he went into the barracks and told Paul. 17 Then Paul called one of the centurions and said, "Take this young man to the commander; he has something to tell him." 18 So he took him to the commander. The centurion said, "Paul, the prisoner, sent for me and asked me to bring this young man to you because he has something to tell you." 19 The commander took the young man by the hand, drew him aside and asked, "What is it you want to tell me?" 20 He said: "The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul before the Sanhedrin tomorrow on the pretext of wanting more accurate information about him. 21 Don’t give in to them, because more than forty of them are waiting in ambush for him. They have taken an oath not to eat or drink until they have killed him. They are ready now, waiting for your consent to their request." 22 The commander dismissed the young man and cautioned him, "Don’t tell anyone that you have reported this to me."
-God often uses the weak or foolish things of this world to confound the wise. In this case, God uses Paul’s nephew, who may not even have been a teenager yet. Otherwise, v.19 would make little sense, when the commander took him by the hand. Only children would need to be led by the hand, not teens or adults.
-God used this boy to bring about Paul’s deliverance from certain death. If God can use a child to stop the plan of the enemy, can He not use us? There was probably nothing spectacular about this boy. He just cared enough about his Uncle Paul to try and do something to help. There is nothing spectacular about us – at least not when it comes to fighting an unseen enemy. However, if we care enough to let God use us, He will.
-By the way, fear is not the proper response to Satan. Jesus said, in Luke 12:4-5 "I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. 5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.” Romans 8:15 15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." (Abba only used by one’s own children, not slaves.)
-God can give us boldness when we face attacks from our enemy, Satan and his forces. James 4:7 says, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” 1 Peter 5:8-9 says, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.”
-In the OT (2 Kings 6:15-17), the prophet Elisha and his servant woke up one morning to find themselves completely surrounded by an army of soldiers with horses and chariots. The servant was terrified and said, “What shall we do?" 16 "Don’t be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." 17 And Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes so he may see." Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha”.
-Ultimately, we can never win against such a powerful enemy as Satan by ourselves. We need help from above, and the good news is that help is available to us. The battle is the Lord’s, not ours. However, He will ask us to stand up and do what He tells us to do. Our part is to trust and obey the Lord and resist the enemy. His part is to defeat the enemy, giving us the victory.
-TS: Paul’s life reaffirms this truth. We can be bold enough to resist the enemy, because God has us covered. He will take care of us if we trust in Him. Let’s look at it in the final verses of the chapter.
III. The Lord Takes Care of Those Who Trust in Him (Acts 23:23-35)
23 Then he called two of his centurions and ordered them, "Get ready a detachment of two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to go to Caesarea at nine tonight. 24 Provide mounts for Paul so that he may be taken safely to Governor Felix." 25 He wrote a letter as follows: 26 Claudius Lysias, To His Excellency, Governor Felix: Greetings. 27 This man was seized by the Jews and they were about to kill him, but I came with my troops and rescued him, for I had learned that he is a Roman citizen. 28 I wanted to know why they were accusing him, so I brought him to their Sanhedrin. 29 I found that the accusation had to do with questions about their law, but there was no charge against him that deserved death or imprisonment. 30 When I was informed of a plot to be carried out against the man, I sent him to you at once. I also ordered his accusers to present to you their case against him. 31 So the soldiers, carrying out their orders, took Paul with them during the night and brought him as far as Antipatris. 32 The next day they let the cavalry go on with him, while they returned to the barracks. 33 When the cavalry arrived in Caesarea, they delivered the letter to the governor and handed Paul over to him. 34 The governor read the letter and asked what province he was from. Learning that he was from Cilicia, 35 he said, "I will hear your case when your accusers get here." Then he ordered that Paul be kept under guard in Herod’s palace.
-Paul had heard from the Lord in v.11, and knew that one way or another, he would be going to Rome. So he knew that the Lord would take care of him in this situation. He was able to be bold and confident as God worked out the details of his rescue. In fact, in the last 24 verses of this chapter, all we hear from Paul is a one-liner in v.17. He is not worrying or fretting or trying to talk his way out of his problems. He is trusting in the One who is able to protect him and keep him from harm.
-As we walk with the Lord, we can gain that same sense of peace and trust. The Lord can and will lead us in such a way that we will not need to worry or fret. When we have a sense of what He is up to, we can trust that He will see us through to accomplish His will in and through our lives. I’m not talking about being careless. I’m talking about being able to lay aside the worry and fear and allow God to take care of those things over which we have no control. If we need rescued, God will do it. If we need to go through some difficult times, God will be with us and help us make it through.
-Our God can be trusted, so don’t allow yourself to get high blood pressure, heart problems, or ulcers from worrying about the future. God is as good as His word, and His word says, “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, whose thoughts are fixed on you!” (Isaiah 26:3).
Conclusion: As we close our time today, how is it with you? Do you ever have a sense that somebody is fighting against you? Do you feel like somebody has been trying to beat you down, and take the joy out of your life? If so, at least you’re in touch with reality. Even a paranoid schizophrenic has it partly right- somebody is out to get them. And if it wasn’t for God’s grace, we’d all be toast. But instead of being fearful, we can be bold enough to stand against the enemy. We don’t need to try and hide, nor should we ever just give in to the enemy. Why? Because if God is for us, the enemy doesn’t stand a chance against us. If we are trusting in the Lord, He will give us His peace, and take care of us, no matter what the enemy tries to bring against us.
-If you are trusting in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, I hope that you are also trusting Him for protection, safety, and deliverance.
-Maybe there is someone here today who has not yet put their trust in Jesus to forgive them. If you have not heard the good news about Jesus, please let me tell you about Him. He is the Son of the One true God who created us. He came to this earth as a man and lived among us for 30-some years. He gave up His own life as a substitute for our lives – His perfect life in exchange for our messed up lives. He said that whoever puts their trust in Him will be forgiven of their sins and live a new life that comes from Him and lasts forever. I can tell you truthfully today – Jesus loves you! If you’ve never received His love, please do it today. I’ll pray with you and explain His plan to you the best way I can. Please come talk to me soon if you are ready to make this decision.
-I hope we all realize today that He has us covered. We belong to Him and He takes care of His own. Let’s commit ourselves fully to Him and learn to trust Him w/ our lives.
