THE COMMAND TO CHEER UP
Acts 23:6-11
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR
1. Dear Abby: One of the toughest tasks a church faces is choosing a good minister. A member of an official board had watched the pastor search committee reject applicant after applicant for some fault, alleged or otherwise. It was time for a bit of soul-searching on the part of the committee. So he stood up and read a letter purporting to be from another applicant.
2. “Gentlemen: Understanding your pulpit is vacant, I should like to apply for the position. I have many qualifications. I‘ve been a preacher with much success and also have had some success as a writer. Some say I’m a good organizer. I’ve been a leader most places I’ve been.”
3. “I’m over 50 years of age. I have never preached in one place for more than three years. I’ve had to leave some places after my work caused riots and disturbances. I must admit I have been in jail three or four times, but not because of any real wrongdoing.”
4. “My health is not too good, though I still get a great deal done. I’m not too good at keeping records. I have been known to forget whom I baptized. However, if you can use me, I shall do my best for you.”
5. The board member looked at the Search Committee. “Well, what do you think? Shall we call him?”
6. Members of the Search Committee were aghast. Call an unhealthy, trouble-making, absentminded ex-jailbird? Was the board member crazy? Who signed that application? Who has such colossal nerve?
7. The board member eyed them all keenly before he answered, “It’s signed, ‘The Apostle Paul.’” [12/8/92]
B. TEXT
6 But when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, “Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee; concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged!” 7 And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees; and the assembly was divided. 8 For Sadducees say that there is no resurrection—and no angel or spirit; but the Pharisees confess both. 9 Then there arose a loud outcry. And the scribes of the Pharisees’ party arose and protested, saying, “We find no evil in this man; but if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him, let us not fight against God.” 10 Now when there arose a great dissension, the commander, fearing lest Paul might be pulled to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them, and bring him into the barracks. 11 But the following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome.” NKJV [The WEB says “Cheer Up!”]
C. THESIS
1. In this passage, we find the Apostle Paul, as we often do, starting another riot.
2. But we’re going to see that – just because you’re having troubles and difficulties – it doesn’t mean you’re out of the will of God.
3. We’re also going to hear an unusual command from the voice of Jesus, which is tonight’s title, “The Command to ‘Cheer Up.’”
I. PAUL’S DIFFICULTY Vs. 9
A. IN THE CUSTODY OF THE ROMANS
1. This had started when he was arrested at the Temple. The Jews were trying to kill him. He had to be carried on the shoulders of the soldiers.
2. When they took him into the fortress, it wasn’t for a tea party. They stretched him out on a torture rack to be tortured! Being in Roman custody was a terrifying thing!
3. “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth them out of them all!” Ps. 34:19. Paul said He has delivered us and will deliver us (2 Cor. 1:10).
B. THE CAUSE OF THE RIOT
1. THE PARTICIPANTS
a. The enemies of Christ.
*This is the same group who voted to put Christ to death. It must have been a weird feeling to stand before the same Body for the same Cause.
*He remembered when he himself had stood in that Body on the opposite side from Christians.
b. The witness of Christ
2. THE OUTCOME
a. Paul divided the Council.
*He knew they would be united against him as a Christian and would not receive his witness of Christ.
*It’s ok to use all lawful means to prevent needless suffering on the part of the Christian. Paul earlier used his Roman citizenship & here used his Pharisaic status as means of delivering himself from danger.
* The Pharisees were sticklers for the Law, yet hypocritical, as Christ pointed out. The Sadducees didn’t believe the Scriptures & were antisupernaturalists. They didn’t believe in an afterlife or hell. Like liberals today.
b. Paul was assaulted. Paul’s identification as a Pharisee caused half of the Sanhedrin to come to his defense & fight to save him from the Sadducees.
c. The Commander intervened. With ½ the mob trying to kill him and ½ trying to rescue him, Paul was in danger of being pulled in two. He was taken into the “castle,” meaning the Tower of Antonio, so they could protect him until they could decide what to do about his case.
3. ILLUSTRATION: POWER OF DISCOURAGEMENT
a. In December 1940, Major General Richard O'Connor attacked the Italian army stationed in Egypt. What made this so extraordinary was that the British had comparatively few troops whereas the Italians had 250,000 men there.
b. O'Connor attacked anyway and had fewer than 2,000 casualties. In the process they destroyed 10 Italian divisions, took 170,000 prisoners and captured 400 tanks and 850 guns - one of the most remarkable feats of arms in history.
c. The decisive factor in the Italian loss was their low morale - because they weren't happy with the alliance with Germany, and they certainly weren't prepared to die for Mussolini.
d. Our enemy knows that discouragement can be a key to your and my defeat. We MUST rise above it! We must walk in victory or we risk defeat.
II. PAUL’S DISCOURAGEMENT Vs. 11
A.HIS REFLECTION ON THE DAY
1. He stood alone. It’s tough to be “one against the world.” He may have been intimidated or fearful.
2. He had a limited witness. Instead of his characteristic boldness of confronting the Sanhedrin with their sins and bearing witness to Jesus being the Messiah, Paul had just sought a way of dividing the group and protecting himself.
3. Third, he was physically assaulted. Fresh from the previous day’s assault, he was probably hurt again. Pain usually depresses our spirits.
B. HIS PROSPECTS FOR THE FUTURE
1. Not many people are universally hated by his countrymen, but Paul was. He was as popular in Israel as Edward Snowden is in the USA.
2. Where does Paul find himself? Holiday Inn? NO. In a Roman prison. Dirty, stinky stone walls, bars, locked doors. Dark. Rats. Sorry excuse for food, if any.
3. Despite Jerusalem being inhabited with the apostles and many Christians, none had stood with him. None had come to be with him at the Sanhedrin. None came to visit him at the Tower of Antonio. No visitors. He was lonely and depressed.
III. DIVINE ENCOURAGEMENT
A. THE LORD STOOD BY HIM
1. Paul had no earthly visitor, but he did have a heavenly visitor. “The Lord stood beside him.” Beside his bed of straw. In his cold, dank cell, Jesus appeared to him!
2. “Be encouraged Paul!” “Cheer up, Paul!” “Don’t lose your courage!” “It’s going to be all right!” are some of the translations of what Jesus said to Paul.
3. How wonderful it is that our Savior visits his servants who are discouraged. He said He’d never leave us or forsake us. Thank God.
4. It’s God’s will that His servants be cheerful. In this passage, it’s actually a command to “Cheer Up!”
B. THE LORD’S ENCOURAGEMENT:
IT WAS STRANGE, BUT IT INDICATED:
1. PAUL HAD DONE A GOOD JOB WITNESSING. Jesus had been there and approved of his conduct. Paul could breathe easy.
2. HIS WORK WAS NOT YET FINISHED. Paul may have feared, like us, that his usefulness to the Lord was passed and that he would be laid aside from further service. But the Lord confirmed there were still more things planned for him.
3. HE HAD A GOD-DIRECTED FUTURE
a. All the way to Jerusalem, there were dire prophecies that his life would be threatened and he himself said he was ready to die for the name of Jesus (Acts 21:10-13). He now found he had a reprieve.
b. Earlier, Paul had expressed the dream of going to Rome someday (Acts 19:21). His imprisonment might have made him fear he would never go to Rome. But the Lord told him Rome was his destination.
b. Paul would continue to witness there for Christ.
4. ILLUSTRATION: WHEN YOUR HUT IS ON FIRE
a. The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for GOD to rescue him. Every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect himself from the elements, and to store his few possessions.
b. One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, with smoke rolling up to the sky. He felt the worst had happened, and everything was lost. He was stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger. He cried out, "GOD! How could you do this to me?"
c. Early the next day, he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching the island! It had come to rescue him! "How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers. "We saw your smoke signal," they replied.
d. The Moral of This Story: It's easy to get discouraged when things are going bad, but we shouldn't lose heart, because GOD is at work in our lives, even in the midst of our pain and suffering. [Stephen Knapp]
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION: What is the value of a kind word?
1. In January, 1986 Scott Adams was flipping through TV channels and saw a PBS show called "Funny Business," a show about cartooning.
2. He had always wanted to be a cartoonist but never knew how to go about it. He wrote to the host of the show, cartoonist Jack Cassady, and asked his advice on entering the profession.
3. A few weeks later he got an encouraging handwritten letter from Jack answering his specific questions, warning him of the likelihood of being rejected at first, advising me not to get discouraged if that happened.
4. Scott got very excited and submitted his best cartoons to a couple of big magazines who rejected him with cold little photocopied form letter.
5. Discouraged, Scott put his art supplies in the closet and decided to forget about cartooning. A year later -- out of the blue -- he got a second letter from cartoonist Jack Cassady.
6. Cassady expressed his hope he had followed through on his cartoons and encouraged him to keep going.
7. Scott was profoundly touched by his letter. He dragged his art supplies out of storage and inked the sample strips that eventually became Dilbert.
8. Now, seven hundred newspapers and six books later, things are going pretty well in Dilbertville.
9. Scott says, “I feel certain that I wouldn't have tried cartooning again if Jack hadn't sent the second letter. With a kind word and a postage stamp, he started a chain of [wonderful] events…I expect at least a million people to read this newsletter.”
10. “Each of you knows somebody who would benefit from a kind word. I'm encouraging you to act on it before the end of the year.”
B. THE CALL
1. Maybe some here have experienced, like Paul, difficulty and discouragement. I remind you, Jesus is standing with You!
2. He is saying, “Cheer Up! You’re doing a good job. You can’t see it yet, but I have a bright future for you! Just be faithful, keep going and you’ll reach the goal!”
