Responding to Trouble
Acts 21:1-36
Introduction
We are called to have a common purpose in what we do
-- The purpose is to worship, to love, and to celebrate Christ and share Him always
-- That is our challenge, mission, and it is STILL where we find ourselves today
Most will agree that Paul was a unique man; one who stood apart from others
-- He was not swayed by public opinion nor worried about what others thought
Paul understood that Grace was the key to life; for it had been shown to him
-- Jesus is not to be ‘used’ or consulted only when we need something
-- APP: It’s not right to want the blessings without the relationship/commitment
LAST WEEK: We saw the importance of not worshipping false idols
We have to admit that have modern idols; things that take our focus off of Jesus
BIG APP: Your reason for going to church IS what you worship.
Make sure it’s not trusting in something that’s false!!
TODAY: Did trouble take Paul by surprise? If you think about it, it shouldn’t have
-- In Acts 9, right at his conversion, Jesus made it clear to then Saul what his future would be like. He told Ananias (Acts 9:15-16), who was sent to pray for Saul, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”
He’s been before the Gentiles and the Jews; suffering through riots and beatings
-- But, he hasn’t appeared before Kings like he is about too
Paul hasn’t really known what’s ahead of him in the various cities he’s been
-- This time, he gets the word over and over that Jerusalem spells danger
-- Most reasonable people would probably avoid the place, but not Paul
APP: His attitude teaches us when trouble comes in our lives, we can withstand it
Since we are going to tackle this entire chapter, let’s break this reading apart
IMP: If you stay with me, this will draw us to a deep application for all of us!
Read v1 – 4
It’s interesting that the people told him not to go but it was God’s will for him to go (Acts 20:22, “I am going to Jerusalem, constrained (“bound”) by the Spirit, not knowing what happen to me there.”). The people heard of Paul’s future trouble and concluded that God would not want him to experience it.
Read v5 – 6
This is such a tender moment; Luke notes how not just the elders but their entire families went with them to the ship, knelt on the beach and prayed, sending him off to who knows what! This is discipleship and support at its finest!
Read v7 – 9
Many think this is Philip who preached to the Ethiopian eunuch in chapter 8
-- This same man was one of the FIRST deacons of the church
Read v10 – 16
Agabus also predicted a famine in Jerusalem in chapter 11 & 15 years earlier
-- Agabus could only tell the truth, it was up to Paul to decide how to respond
-- Pastors can lead people to the truth but cannot constrain them to obey God
-- Interesting that Agabus used the same Greek word (dēsas) that Paul used when he said he was “bound” by the Spirit; it means he was constrained or tied to it
v14 – Luke too didn’t want Paul to go. Paul had walked away from other fights (like in Ephesus) but here he won’t. Paul was not suicidal … he was obedient!
Read v17 – 26
James is Jesus’ half -brother, not the disciple James, who was martyred
Josephus reports that this time (A.D. 56-57) was full of political upheaval
-- Lots of uprisings and Jewish nationalism, all put down by Governor Felix
-- Paul, with a mission to the Gentiles, would not be greeted warmly, even by Jewish believers, who were zealous for their countrymen.
There is no evidence that Paul told Jews not to do things like get circumcised
-- Remember, he had Timothy, who had a Jewish mother, get circumcised
-- But for Gentiles, he communicated no such practice (already given instructions)
Now, instead of being strong and denouncing the rumor mongers, the council wanted Paul to pay the expenses of some folks who’d taken a Nazirite vow.
So was Paul under the law or not?
-- No, but he bent to some non-essentials in order to win the Jews.
1 Corinthians 9:20-23, “To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.”
Paul had done more for the kingdom than any of these men
-- Yet he did not flaunt it but submitted humbly to their request.
Consider: I wonder if their request to have him go to the temple was what actually sparked the riot that gets him arrested! The seven days we’re going to see next were the 7 days of the completion of the Nazirite vow.
Read v27 – 36
Notice who is causing the uproar?
-- The same Jews who caused Paul problems in Asia Minor.
-- Claudius Lysias was the commander of the cohort (part of a Roman legion) that numbered perhaps 1,000 men.
-- They were quick to investigate any uproar in the city.
-- There were perhaps 200 soldiers that went to rescue Paul; saved his life!
APP: Their shouts of “away with him!” were almost identical to what the Jews cried out to Pontius Pilate about Jesus in Luke 23.
Now, with all this before us … what does this chapter mean to you and I
Big Ideas:
1. Can suffering be God’s will for us?
In Matthew 14:22-27, Jesus sent his disciples out onto the Sea of Galilee
-- He knew that a storm would come up and threaten their very lives
-- He told Saul that suffering was coming at his conversion in chapter 9
IMP: Jesus told us we would face difficulty! John 16:33, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Then there’s always the situation someone like Job faced, isn’t there?
-- Contrary to popular belief, suffering is an important part of life
-- We live in a FALLEN creation … even serving the King of Kings
-- God uses suffering in a whole variety of ways which we need to understand
-- It works patience in us (see James 1), it is used as a witness to others (see Job), it draws us closer to God (see Phil 3)
2. How should we act when we know suffering awaits us?
- Don’t try to avoid it (like Jonah did) but seek to glorify God in it
- Use the time as you wait to walk in the power of the Spirit and not the flesh
-- 1 Peter 4:1-2, “Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin.”
IMP: We must learn to look BEYOND the suffering to the glory; Paul did this!!
2 Timothy 4:6-8, “For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day - and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”
Hebrews 12:1-2, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
3. How should we act when we find that suffering awaits someone else?
Peter reacted badly when Jesus foretold of suffering in Mark 8:31-33
-- Peter concluded that suffering and rejection could not be in God’s plan
-- Jesus rebuked him saying that short-cutting God’s plan does the work of Satan!
So, what should we do?
-- Go with them (Paul was accompanied by caring people on his journey)
-- Draw near them (Genuine loving farewells connote close physical contact, don’t shy away from someone who is having a hard time)
-- Pray for them that they will endure trial with patience and that God will be glorified, not necessarily that they would be spared.
-- Provide comfort and assistance to them when needed (stayed with friends).
IMP: Is this not what the Lord does for us as well?
1. Go: “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5)
2. Draw near: “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8)
3. Pray: “The Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words (Romans 8:26)
4. Provide: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)
Are we serving others like these friends served Paul? To show Christ, we must!
Pray
