ACTS
Lessons in Courage
Dr. Tom Bartlett
October 13, 2019
Acts 23
OUTLINE
Coincidence or Providence?
COINCIDENCE: The chance happening of events that seem to have some connection
PROVIDENCE: The Hand of God in the glove of human events
The Providence of God Means . . .
I. God is active and present in confusing situations
And looking intently at the council, Paul said, “Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to this day.” And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth. Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Are you sitting to judge me according to the law, and yet contrary to the law you order me to be struck?” Those who stood by said, “Would you revile God’s high priest?” And Paul said, “I did not know, brothers, that he was the high priest, for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’ ” Now when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. It is with respect to the hope and the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial.” And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all. Then a great clamor arose, and some of the scribes of the Pharisees’ party stood up and contended sharply, “We find nothing wrong in this man. What if a spirit or an angel spoke to him?” And when the dissension became violent, the tribune, afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him away from among them by force and bring him into the barracks. Acts 23:1-10 (ESV)
The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.” Acts 23:11 (ESV)
The question: Will you take courage in doing what God has asked you to do?
II. God is presently aware of what I am oblivious to
When it was day, the Jews made a plot and bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. There were more than forty who made this conspiracy. They went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have strictly bound ourselves by an oath to taste no food till we have killed Paul. Now therefore you, along with the council, give notice to the tribune to bring him down to you, as though you were going to determine his case more exactly. And we are ready to kill him before he comes near.” Now the son of Paul’s sister heard of their ambush, so he went and entered the barracks and told Paul. Paul called one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the tribune, for he has something to tell him.” So he took him and brought him to the tribune and said, “Paul the prisoner called me and asked me to bring this young man to you, as he has something to say to you.” The tribune took him by the hand, and going aside asked him privately, “What is it that you have to tell me?” And he said, “The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though they were going to inquire somewhat more closely about him. But do not be persuaded by them, for more than forty of their men are lying in ambush for him, who have bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they have killed him. And now they are ready, waiting for your consent.” So the tribune dismissed the young man, charging him, “Tell no one that you have informed me of these things.” Acts 23:12-22 (ESV)
The question: Will I trust my unknown future to a well-known God?
III. God is using my current circumstances for a future purpose
Then he called two of the centurions and said, “Get ready two hundred soldiers, with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to go as far as Caesarea at the third hour of the night. Also provide mounts for Paul to ride and bring him safely to Felix the governor.” And he wrote a letter to this effect: “Claudius Lysias, to his Excellency the governor Felix, greetings. This man was seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them when I came upon them with the soldiers and rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman citizen. And desiring to know the charge for which they were accusing him, I brought him down to their council. I found that he was being accused about questions of their law, but charged with nothing deserving death or imprisonment. And when it was disclosed to me that there would be a plot against the man, I sent him to you at once, ordering his accusers also to state before you what they have against him.” Acts 23:23-30 (ESV)
The question: Will I enjoy the ride of life or fret every step of the way?
So the soldiers, according to their instructions, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris. And on the next day they returned to the barracks, letting the horsemen go on with him. When they had come to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they presented Paul also before him. On reading the letter, he asked what province he was from. And when he learned that he was from Cilicia, he said, “I will give you a hearing when your accusers arrive.” And he commanded him to be guarded in Herod’s praetorium. Acts 23:31-35 (ESV)
MANUSCRIPT
Coincidence or Providence?
Yesterday, many of us from this campus and others walked and prayed for the unborn, thank you!
Several years ago, I was flying from North Caroline to Florida to conduct my cousins wedding. My flight, believe it or not took me to Cincinnati first. As I sat in the Cincinnati airport by myself not knowing a soul in Ohio, I heard my name. Tom Bartlett, Tom Bartlett? Is that you? I turned and looked and there was a former music student of mine from several years earlier. A good friend and a very nice guy. He was on his way to audition for a professional music group and we sat for more than an hour and caught up on this. It was an important meeting for me because I needed some encouragement and after the long-term investment in this young man’s life, seeing his personal progress and reconnecting lifted me up.
PASTOR JEAN – Rwanda – Jeans story Part 1, loss and orphaned Hutu and Tutsi tribes
• All men 12 and under were stay in the city
• Jean’s father left to take wife and younger children to a safe location, he never returned.
• Jean made his way to DRC (congo)
• Refugee camp, truck, ride to Nairobi
Now, you might call that all coincidence, but I have such a high view of God that I don’t believe in coincidence. I believe all things happen for a reason. That reason may not be obvious at that moment or even in this life.
A coincidence is . . .
COINCIDENCE: The chance happening of events that seem to have some connection
Believers see God’s hand working in ways that we cannot fully understand or always recognize but we know it’s Him. We call this, the providence of God.
PROVIDENCE: The Hand of God in the glove of human events
Today, as we look at Paul’s journey, his life from an enemy of the Good News of Jesus, to its’ chief proclaimer, we see God’s hand governing, guiding, and working in unseen ways through-out Paul’s life. In Acts 23, Paul is now in the hands of the officials and facing the religious leaders in Jerusalem. He’s on trial for blasphemy, or saying something about God that they deemed untrue.
As Paul addresses these leaders, he encounters a confusing situation, an unknown to him plot for his life, a visit from Jesus, and a quick trip away from Jerusalem.
The Providence of God Means . . .
I. God is active and present in confusing situations
Paul is addressing these religious leaders, some of them agree with parts of what he says, and others completely reject his words. Paul will use what he knows about them to show that the can’t even agree on the big things, such as resurrection. But first he has an encounter with the high priest.
Acts 23:1-5 (ESV) And looking intently at the council, Paul said, “Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to this day.” And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth. Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Are you sitting to judge me according to the law, and yet contrary to the law you order me to be struck?” Those who stood by said, “Would you revile God’s high priest?” And Paul said, “I did not know, brothers, that he was the high priest, for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’ ”
The high priest unlawfully has someone strike Paul for words he deemed as inaccurate. Now, Paul was from Jerusalem and would have known the high priest but here he didn’t recognize him. Paul’s confusion could be for a few reasons. 1. Paul’s eyesight was never fully restored after an encounter with Christ in chapter 9 of Acts. 2. The High Priest and his group were there informally and he probably wasn’t wearing the priestly robes. In either case, Paul honors the position of the one who rejected his words.
Paul continues after surveying the room and understanding the people who stood before him, he appeals to those who he learned and studying and worked with and believed were part of the same Jewish sect, the Pharisees.
Acts 23:6-10 (ESV) Now when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. It is with respect to the hope and the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial.” And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all. Then a great clamor arose, and some of the scribes of the Pharisees’ party stood up and contended sharply, “We find nothing wrong in this man. What if a spirit or an angel spoke to him?” And when the dissension became violent, the tribune, afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him away from among them by force and bring him into the barracks.
Divide between Sadducees and the Pharisees – resurrection or no resurrection? Paul exposes their disunity and the Pharisees back Paul, for the moment.
Paul, needing encouragement in the midst of this confusion is visited by Jesus Himself. He gets that encouragement and a glimpse into the near future.
Acts 23:11 (ESV) The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.”
The question: Will you take courage in doing what God has asked you to do?
While Paul is being encouraged by Jesus Himself, there’s a rising plot going on to kill him. Nothing new, but serious. While Paul is resting, others are scheming and God is handling the situation.
So, the providence of God also means that. . .
II. God is presently aware of what I am oblivious to
Acts 23:12-22 (ESV) When it was day, the Jews made a plot and bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. There were more than forty who made this conspiracy. They went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have strictly bound ourselves by an oath to taste no food till we have killed Paul. Now therefore you, along with the council, give notice to the tribune to bring him down to you, as though you were going to determine his case more exactly. And we are ready to kill him before he comes near.” Now the son of Paul’s sister heard of their ambush, so he went and entered the barracks and told Paul. Paul called one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the tribune, for he has something to tell him.” So he took him and brought him to the tribune and said, “Paul the prisoner called me and asked me to bring this young man to you, as he has something to say to you.” The tribune took him by the hand, and going aside asked him privately, “What is it that you have to tell me?” And he said, “The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though they were going to inquire somewhat more closely about him. But do not be persuaded by them, for more than forty of their men are lying in ambush for him, who have bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they have killed him. And now they are ready, waiting for your consent.” So the tribune dismissed the young man, charging him, “Tell no one that you have informed me of these things.”
Now, Paul’s nephew, who is not from Jerusalem just happens to be in Jerusalem, for what human reason we know not. Still he is there by the providence of God.
You see while Paul has no clear clue to all the events that lay ahead of Him, God does.
The question: Will I trust my unknown future to my well-known God?
Finally, we see God using this plot on Paul’s life to get Paul to the final preaching destination for Paul, Rome. As Paul was being beaten, as they plotted against his life, all was being set up for Paul, this Roman citizen to stand before kings and world leaders.
III. God is using my current circumstances for a future purpose
When my family suffered a nearly fatal accident just 4 years ago, I could have spent a lot of time wondering why, but honestly, I didn’t. I already knew that “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purposes.”
As a matter of fact, I can look back now and know part of the reason that the accident happened. God wanted me in Charlotte, here. So, for that, I’m glad.
Acts 23:23-30 (ESV) Then he called two of the centurions and said, “Get ready two hundred soldiers, with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to go as far as Caesarea at the third hour of the night. Also provide mounts for Paul to ride and bring him safely to Felix the governor.” And he wrote a letter to this effect: “Claudius Lysias, to his Excellency the governor Felix, greetings. This man was seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them when I came upon them with the soldiers and rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman citizen. And desiring to know the charge for which they were accusing him, I brought him down to their council. I found that he was being accused about questions of their law, but charged with nothing deserving death or imprisonment. And when it was disclosed to me that there would be a plot against the man, I sent him to you at once, ordering his accusers also to state before you what they have against him.”
Providence and faith go together. Faith for a believer can be expressed in one of two ways; enjoyable or miserable. For example, two people take a cross country flight. One person is afraid to fly and the other is perfectly fine. The one who is afraid sweats and worries the whole way, no sleep. The other person falls asleep promptly. WHAT’S TRUE ABOUT THESE PEOPLE? They both made it to the destination, but only 1 of them enjoyed the journey.
The question: Will I enjoy the ride of life or fret every step of the way?
By the time we get Paul gets away from Jerusalem, he arrives at Caesarea where they house him in Herod’s quarters, a very comfortable place to stay.
Acts 23:31-35 (ESV) So the soldiers, according to their instructions, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris. And on the next day they returned to the barracks, letting the horsemen go on with him. When they had come to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they presented Paul also before him. On reading the letter, he asked what province he was from. And when he learned that he was from Cilicia, he said, “I will give you a hearing when your accusers arrive.” And he commanded him to be guarded in Herod’s praetorium. Acts 23:1-35 (ESV)
I started today by sharing Jean Bosco’s story of being orphaned. The rest of the story is quite remarkable. Jean found himself in a refugee camp at the age of 12 having left the city of Kigali. He’s now in the DRCongo. Immediately he’s rejected by those living in tents there. These people are fighting for resources and food and any additional people meant less for them. He finds his way to a building on the property as he’s fearing for his life. On the pavement of the building his feet or burned severely but he has no-where to go.
Before he left RWANDA, a family friend told him that if he could get to Nairobi Africa, his family would take him in. He had no way of getting there. As he looked around a he saw a vehicle that was from RWANDA and found out that it soon would be heading to of all places, Nairobi. He approached the driver and asked if he could ride along. Jean still in his school uniform, or what was left of it, with his name on the uniform. The driver remarkably tells him yes. They set out for their journey to Nairobi. Along the way the driver asked if Jean was truly a “Bosco”. He said yes he was. He said prove it. All Jean could do was to pull out his school idea.
The man saw it and told Jean, that his father was his boss and that he knew his mother and family and that they were very good to him. COINCIDENCE? He asked Jean what he hoped to find in the massive city of Nairobi. He told him that a family he knew lived there and said they would take him in if he could get there.
In the vehicle was another person and as the truck as they approached Nairobi there were two possible routes to enter the city, each one looping around the city in a different direction. The driver asked his co-worker, “which route should we take today?” The co-worker thought for a moment and made a decision and off they went that direction. As the came into the city, they stopped at the first intersection for a traffic light. As Jean looked out the window, right in front of him was a familiar face walking across the street. He couldn’t believe his eyes, but the person he saw was a member of the family that vowed to take him in. COINCIDENCE? I think not!
I know pastor Jean personally because he was my partner in leading the Kenyan church in Washington DC. He now lives and pastors that congregation.
TIME OF COMMITMENT
GIVING BACK TO GOD
