SERMON OUTLINE:
• Paul and the Council (vs 1-11).
• Paul and the Conspirators (vs 12-22).
• Paul and the Captain (vs 23-35).
SERMON BODY:
Ill:
• Some time ago, there was a zoo in North Yorkshire,
• Today it has been turned into Flamingo Land.
• But when it was a zoo they had a problem,
• The problem was the monkeys’ stealing items from the tourists.
• What puzzled the officials at the zoo was the favourite item the animals snatched:
• Spectacles (Eyeglasses).
• And an investigation revealed the reason.
• The monkeys grabbed the glasses,
• When visitors leaned over to read a small sign on the wall of the cage.
• The sign said: "Beware! These monkeys steal spectacles."
Ill:
• A more series version comes from Glenn Cunningham in Reader's Digest
• He writes that Africa's Victoria Falls produces a cloud of mist,
• This mist is often heavy enough to impair visibility.
• While he was walking the path that skirts the gorge into which the Zambezi River tumbles,
• He noticed a sign on the rim but could not make it out.
• Not wanting to miss whatever it might be noting,
• He slithered and slid through the mud out to the very brink only to read the message:
• "Danger! Crumbling Edge."
• TRANSITION:
• Most of us would not willingly choose to put ourselves in a dangerous situation,
• Some people do, they like dangerous sports,
• e.g., Base Jumping.
• Some people do not jump out of a plane but rather throw themselves off buildings or mountains.
• e.g., Boxing where you put your health at risk.
• As you get hit in the head by a 16 stone (220 pounds) heavyweight boxing athlete!
• e.g., Racing - it does not matter if it’s a race car or a superbike,
• Anything that can go around racetracks with 200+ mph is surely life-threatening!
• TRANSITION:
• Most of us would not willingly choose to put ourselves in a dangerous situation,
• Yet, some people do.
• Many Christians who alive today have no choice,
• The moment they publicly declare their faith in Jesus,
• They know that they are putting themselves in danger!
• Quote: Open Doors.
• “11 Christians killed every day for their decision to follow Jesus”
• More Christians are suffering for their faith than any other time in history.
• Millions of believers live in places where they are oppressed, imprisoned,
• Discriminated against and even violently attacked—all because they believe in Jesus.
Ill:
• Even in this country.
• At Speakers Corner, Hyde Park, London,
• A few weeks ago, a 20ish year old Somali man (he may be there this afternoon).
• He came and told us he had become a Christian that week.
• And he asked for prayer saying,
• “He is scared to tell his parents because they will ship him back to Somali”
• And for him that spells trouble and danger with a capitol ‘T & D.’
• TRANSITION:
• The apostle Paul at times went from danger to danger in sharing the gospel,
• We see that illustrated in today’s Bible passage.
Now the key theme towards the end of the book of Acts is Jerusalem to Rome.
• In many ways no major doctrines are taught or discussed in this passage,
• It is very much narrative.
• Paul defending himself again and again by sharing his story, his testimony.
• And God is behind the scenes, moving guiding and preparing the way,
• For the apostle Paul to get from Jerusalem to Rome.
Ill:
• A bit of movie trivia,
• Alfred Hitchcock made over 50 films.
• He is regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema.
• But not a lot of people know,
• This the famous director always appeared in each one of his films,
• Normally it was just for a few seconds or a minute - a cameo role.
• e.g., crossing a road in the background of a street scene.
• TRANSITION: Now although no major doctrines are taught or discussed,
• Like Hitchcock tey are there in the background if you look hard enough.
• e.g., The resurrection of the dead (vs 6).
• e.g., The providence (leading & guiding) of God (vs 11-35).
(1). Paul and the Council (vs 1-11).
Ill:
• A newspaper editor fed up with local, government bureaucracy,
• Decided to get his own back by printing the following headline,
• "Half the city council are crooks."
• It caused uproar in the city hall,
• And the councillors demanded a retraction in the next edition of the paper,
• Or they would face a legal action.
• So, the next day, the headline read, "Half the city council aren't crooks."
• TRANSITION: The council mentioned here is not Civil (political) but religious.
• The council mentioned here is the Jewish Sanhedrin.
• The Sanhedrin was an organized Jewish Council of 70 men,
• These men formed the Supreme Court of ancient Israel.
• And was located in Jerusalem
• The Romans left the council intact,
• But they limited their powers of jurisdiction.
• But these were very powerful people, the religious mafia of their day.
Note four things happen in this section:
• I will tell you what they are,
• And then we will quickly go through them.
• FIRST: The apostle Paul is punched in the mouth. (vs 2).
• SECOND: The apostle Paul did not recognise Ananias as High Priest (vs 4).
• THIRD: The Sanhedrin was divided (vs 6-10).
• FOURTH: The Lord spoke to Paul (vs11).
FIRST: The High Priest Ananias commanded that Paul be hit in the mouth (vs 2).
“Ananias ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth.”
• The apostle Paul was hit for saying something,
• The offence words are recorded in verse 1.
• That he had lived in "all good conscience before God."
• Note: This reaction by Ananias tells you a lot about his style of ruling,
• Forget whether a man is innocent or not,
• Assault them, hit them first and let them know who is in charge.
Ananias was not a man to be messed with:
• e.g., The ancient Jewish historian Josephus,
• Tells of how Ananias stole for himself the tithes that belonged to the common priests.
• e.g., According to Bible Scholar F.F. Bruce:
• “Ananias also had no problem using violence and assassination to further his interests.”
SECOND: The apostle Paul did not recognise Ananias as High Priest (vs 4).
“Those who were standing near Paul said, “How dare you insult God’s high priest!”
• One reason Paul may not have realised who Ananias was,
• Could be due to his failing eyesight,
• We have mentions of that in the New Testament.
• (Galatians chapter 4 verse 15 & chapter 6 verse 11,
• Possibly: 2 Corinthians chapter 12 verse 7.)
• It may be that Paul expected the actions of the High Priest,
• To be different to that of an official or a bully.
• The High Priest actions in these verses were against the law of Moses.
• In other words, he did not act as the High Priest should have conducted himself.
• e.g., Deuteronomy chapter 25 verses 1-2 says,
• Only a man found guilty can be beaten, and Paul had not yet been found guilty of anything.
Paul replied, “Brothers, I did not realize that he was the high priest; for it is written: ‘Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.””
• The apostle Paul may not have liked the man, but he recognised the office of authority,
• He apologised (vs 5).
“Brothers, I did not realize that he was the high priest; for it is written: ‘Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.’
• THIRD:
• The Sanhedrin was divided (vs 6-10).
• The apostle Paul is wise, very wise, he weighs up the situation and, in a few words,
• He is able to divide the court and turn the court members of the Sanhedrin on themselves.
Ill:
• The court was made of two groups.
• The Sadducees and the Pharisees.
• The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of the dead.
• But the Pharisees did.
• So, the apostle Paul splits the court by saying (vs 6),
“I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee”
(maybe half of the Sanhedrin would be surprised to find out the apostle Paul was one of them!)
“I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee”; concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged!””
(He is saying I am on trial for what you Pharisees believe!)
That is why his words caused a split in the Jewish court (vs 7-9).
• The Pharisees then spoke up for Paul, saying they found, “nothing wrong with this man.”
• But the Sadducees wanted to condemn Paul.
• As a result,
• The Roman commander became afraid that harm would come to Paul.
• And the commander ordered the soldiers to take Paul back to the barracks
• FOURTH:
• The Lord spoke to Paul (vs11).
Ill:
• In all my time as a Christian, I have never heard the audible voice of God.
• And I am not expecting to!
• God does speak today, and I have had God speak to me in a variety of ways.
• e.g., Very clearly through his Word the Bible (suggest that is the #1 way!),
• e.g., He speaks through his people, Christians & through preachers/teachers.
• e.g., He speaks to us through circumstances and through our conscience.
• Paul heard the audible voice of God, but…
• But remember he was an apostle,
• Remember the book of Acts was a transition book (no New Testament yet).
• Remember the apostle Paul was soon to be martyred, killed for his faith.
• TRANSITION: So, these are unusual circumstances.
• And dangerous and extreme times.
• And God meets with Paul in an unusual and timely way.
“The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.””
• The Lord appeared and spoke to Paul the following night
• Paul was to be the Lord's witness at Rome,
• And God spoke to Paul to encourage him and help him overcome his fears.
Quote: Nelson Mandela
“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.2
(2). Paul and the Conspirators (vs 12-22).
Note three things happen in this section:
• I will tell you what they are,
• And then we will quickly go through them.
• FIRST: The Jews planned to kill Paul (vs 12-15).
• SECOND: The plot was discovered (vs 16-22)
FIRST: The Jews planned to kill Paul (vs 12-15).
Ill:
• How many of you recognise the name Francis Tresham?
• He was part of the gang of traitors led by Guy Fawkes.
• Who still today is considered to be Britain's most notorious traitor?
• But on November 5th, 1605,
• Thirteen young men planned to blow up the Houses of Parliament.
• They rented a house next to Parliament, dug a tunnel,
• And into the tunnel they placed 36 barrels (1.5 tonnes) of gunpowder.
• One of the group members, a man called Francis Tresham,
• Panicked and he sent an anonymous letter warning his brother-in-law, Lord Monteagle.
• The letter told him not to attend Parliament on November 5th.
• As a result, Guy Fawkes and some of his companions were captured,
• And the plot foiled and eventually they were tried and hanged.
• We still in the UK celebrate that failed attempt to blow up parliament,
• Every November 5th with fireworks and bonfires.
• TRANSITION: No terrorist or traitor likes to be found out.
• But in these verses that is exactly what happens.
• Verse 12-14 tells us,
• That more than forty Jews have banded together, and they have taken an oath to kill Paul.
• And they are serious,
• They have even taken a vow not to eat or drink anything until they succeeded.
What makes the plan even worse is (vs 14-15)?
• These scheming Jews went to the chief priests and elders to present their plan,
• And to involve them in it as well!
• These were men who should have stood up for the truth,
• These were men who should have made sure justice was being done!
• But sadly, they too go along with this evil plan.
• The chief priests and elders were to contact the Roman commander,
• Ask that Paul to be called once again before the council for further inquiry
• And forty Jews would ambush him and kill him as he is escorted to the courtroom.
SECOND: The plot was discovered (vs 16-22)
Ill:
• My wife Penny is always shouting at me,
• “YOU’RE NOT EVEN LISTENING TO ME, ARE YOU!!???”
• I think to myself, “What a strange way to start a conversation!”
• TRANSITION: In these verses we have someone who was good at listening
• He was the nephew of the apostle Paul.
• A side note:
• We learn more about the apostle Paul’s family in these verses,
• Then anywhere else in the New Testament.
• e.g., Paul had a sister and a nephew (vs 16).
• e.g., Paul’s father was also a Pharisee (vs 6).
Back to the narrative:
• His nephew heard of the ambush plot
• He went to Paul in the barracks and told him what he had heard.
• Paul had his nephew taken to the commander,
• Remember as a Roman Citizen Paul had rights that non-Roman would not have had.
• The commander listened to the nephew and heard about the plot.
• The commander told the young man to tell no one that they had spoken about the plot
• Paul's nephew departed from the commander
(3). Paul and the Captain (vs 23-35).
• I will tell you what they are,
• And then we will quickly go through them.
Note two things happen in this section:
• FIRST: The commander had two centurions prepare to take Paul (vs 23-24)
• SECOND: The commander wrote a letter to Felix (vs 25-30)
• THIRD: Paul was taken to Caesarea and presented to Felix (vs 31-35).
FIRST: The commander had two centurions prepare to take Paul (vs 23-24)
• A lot of preparation was involved (vs 23-24).
• 200 soldiers, 70 horsemen, and 200 spearmen were prepared.
• They were to take Paul to Caesarea at the third hour of the night
• And on arrival Paul was to go before Governor Felix
SECOND: The commander wrote a letter to Felix (vs 25-30)
• The letter summarized the situation with Paul.
• Felix inquired where Paul was from and understood that he was from Cilicia.
.
• He agreed to hear Paul when his accusers arrived
• He had Paul held in Herod's Praetorium.
And finally…
• This chapter shows how God is working his purposes out.
• The very fact that Paul was a Roman Citizen gave him the protection of Roman law,
• That none of the other apostles had.
Inn this chapter we see again God’s providence.
• The word providence comes from Latin providential:
• “Pro” means “before.”
• “Video” means “to see” (some of you owned a video machine!)
• Providence means “to see before”
• This means that God sees before and plans accordingly.
• Providence, is the sovereignty, superintendence,
• Or agency of God over events in people's lives and throughout history
• In other words, for the Christian; “My times are in his hand!”
• And that means when circumstances are bad as well as good!
Ill:
• Amy Carmichael was born in 1867 and grew up in Ireland.
• When Amy was a little girl, she had begged God to give her blue eyes.
• When she kept looking in the mirror and seeing brown eyes – she prayed for blue!
• But when God didn't answer her prayer and change their colour
• She was so disappointed!
• When she was aged 16 Amy and became a Christian.
• When she was 28 (In 1895) she went to India as a missionary.
• In India she was heartbroken to see ‘temple children,’
• Being ‘married to the Hindu Gods’ and the girls were forced into prostitution.
• Amy saw “the beautiful Indian children as jewels of the King of kings”.
• And was determined to help them.
• It was then she realised why God did not answer her prayer regarding blue eyes.
• God knew there were other children with brown eyes who needed help.
• Because of her brown eyes Amy could darken her skin colour.
• Put on a Sari and dress like an Indian woman,
• And enter the temples to rescue the ‘temple children’ without being spotted!
• Her blue eyes would have given her away!
• Amy learned that God always answers prayer, but sometimes not the way we want him to!
• But He always does what it best.
• She founded a mission in Dohnavur, in the southernmost point of India,
• She also started an orphanage where she rescued young girls.
• More than 1000 children were rescued from neglect and abuse during Amy’s lifetime.
• To them she was known as “Amma,” which means mother in the Tamil language
• She served in India for 55 years without furlough.
• And wrote many books about the missionary work there
• In her book ‘Candles in the Dark’, she wrote:
“Life can be difficult, sometimes the enemy comes in like a flood.
But then is the time to prove our faith and live our songs”.
• TRANSITION:
• In this chapter God wants us like Amy & the apostle Paul.
• To prove our faith and to live his songs.
• God wants to develop our faith.
• But for that to happen.
• Sometimes God must allow us to go through difficult times.
SERMON AUDIO:
https://surf.pxwave.com/wl/?id=Xe7ADWWY61umxVddDGPjrmmoiNBFDBt4
SERMON VIDEO:
https://youtu.be/3Y-rVrm3br8
