A Visit In The Night
Acts 22:30-23:35
Let me ask you a question: Have you ever blown it; I mean really blown it? Have you ever done something or said something that negatively affected your Christian witness? I think all of us would admit that we have.
I've shared my personal testimony with you before, how God radically saved me in the summer between my 7th and 8th grade year of junior high school. I've shared how when I stepped onto my school campus the first day of school in 8th grade I was a completely different and transformed person from the punk, disrespectful, potty-mouthed kid that left that campus the last day of 7th grade. I determined when I showed up, first day of school with my big, black, KJV Bible in hand, I was going to drive a stake down and make a clear declaration of my commitment to Christ. I became known as the preacher.
So from 8th gr. on thru high school I was that guy - The outspoken Christian. Then comes my senior year. Long story short, I had sunken into an apathetic, indifferent season in my walk with Christ. I had clearly marked myself off as a Christian to those who knew me, but I was making choices and allowing myself into situations that challenged those convictions. It culminated into the most regrettable act of my young Christian life. My parents had planned a weekend out of town. On the Monday before that weekend I made the mistake of telling one of my wrestling teammates that I would have the house to myself all weekend. His response, "Let's have a party!" I told him no way, but he persisted. I acquiesced and said, "Ok, but only guys from our team. I don't want a lot of people over."
The next day at school I discovered my friend was distributing a flier across the school of 2000 students. As Saturday night arrived I'm anxiously waiting, looking down the road to see if anyone was actually going to show up; hoping they would forget about it. No such luck. A steady stream of cars began arriving at our family farm. Each car filled with teenagers and all of them getting out with cases and cases of beer. It turned into the biggest drunken party of the year. In my yearbook, many signed it thanking me for the best party ever. Was this going to be my lasting legacy at EBHS?
The next Monday at school, all my Christian friends that had looked up to me with such confidence and respect as a faithful follower of Christ just shook their heads in both disappointment and disbelief when I passed them in the hall.
I was immediately so overwhelmed with grief and guilt, I went to the front office, checked myself out of school, and drove to my church to go talk to my pastor. That evening I confessed everything to my parents.
What about you? Have you ever blown it? Have you ever polluted your profession or tarnished your testimony? If so, join the club. And here's what we'll see in the text today - the apostle Paul is a charter member of that club. But here's what I know from experience and from the truth of God's word: as you wallow in the mire of guilt and regret; as you begin to succumb to the darkness of night that seems to envelop your soul, there is One who will come and stand beside you; there is one who will come and give you a visit in the night. And in his coming, he offers forgiveness, encouragement, and purpose that you might move forward in faithfulness to Him.
When we left the apostle Paul last week he was standing on the steps of Fort Antonia in Jerusalem, having just been delivered by the Roman soldiers from a terrible beating at the hands of a mob just outside the temple. Bleeding and broken as the soldiers carried him up the steps, he asks the Roman Tribune, the commander of the occupying force in Jerusalem, if he might have the privilege of speaking to the mob. He was given that privilege and he spoke. What a man, what love that he would want to speak the life-transforming gospel to a people that moments earlier were seeking to beat the life out of him.
The sad result of Paul speaking to the people is another riot had ensued, the people threw off their cloaks, tossed clods of dirt in the air and cried out the words, "Away with such a fellow from the earth, for he should not be allowed to live." Acts 22:22 Paul was then scurried away by the Roman commander and his soldiers.
Next he almost fell prey to the violence of the Romans instead of the Jews because when they had taken him into the barracks they stretched his body across the stocks to prepare him for a Roman flogging. Why? Because the Roman tribune decided he would beat the truth out of Paul. Most scholars think he was laid bare for that flogging at the very spot where some 25 years earlier Jesus was flogged before his crucifixion. As he is about to be beaten, Paul reveals that he is a Roman citizen by birth and he escapes the flagellum. Had he undergone that it might have killed him, or at the very least maimed and crippled him for life.
So now, in our text this morning, in a final attempt for the Roman Tribune to get to the bottom of the matter, he arranges a quick meeting with the Sanhedrin, that is the ruling council of Israel, something like their Supreme Court. He brings Paul in before them. We see that in the last verse of chapter 22: 22:30 But on the next day, desiring to know the real reason why he was being accused by the Jews, he unbound him and commanded the chief priests and all the council to meet, and he brought Paul down and set him before them.
There's no doubt in my mind that as Paul stands before the Sanhedrin, he has great hopes. Hopes that he might present his case before the rulers of his countrymen and his Jewish peers. Many on the high council certainly knew Paul well when he was Saul the Pharisee. No doubt they were familiar with his impressive Jewish credentials. And Paul stands before them with great hopes, with great anticipation at what might result from his testimony of faith and profession of Jesus Christ before them.
Perhaps some, perhaps all would be convinced when they get to hear his case for faith in Jesus as the Messiah. From his testimony there might be a foothold gained into the leadership of Israel which might lead to the mass evangelization of his people. So he's standing on the precipice of a tremendous opportunity.
But the potential impact of this great opportunity would not be realized because as we'll see, Paul made two significant mistakes that negatively effected his testimony before them. Look in your Bibles at 23:1
23:1And looking intently at the council, Paul said, “Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to this day.”
Now that's a true statement. Even before meeting Christ, he lived his life according to the dictates of his conscience. And after meeting Christ, it was the same way. He was a man of integrity. So his address begins with an honest address to many who would be considered his peers.
But for whatever reason, the high priest was offended by that statement: 2And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth. Now Paul was unaware that it was the high priest who ordered him to be punched in the mouth, and notice how he responds to it in verse 3:
3Then 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?” That was an angry, impulsive response. You see the Jews painted their tombs white as a warning so that people would not go up and touch them, otherwise they would be considered unclean and defiled.
So all through Jerusalem you had brightly painted walls which housed dead bodies and rotting corpses. This phrase "white washed wall" was essentially a declaration of hypocrisy. You're nice and shiny, clean on the outside, but rotting on the inside. In case you didn't know it, that is not the way you endear yourself to someone you're trying to witness to.
Paul had momentarily lost control and impulsively said things he wished he could take back - I don't know if any of you can identify with that or not. He was far different than the Lord Jesus who when he was reviled did not revile in return. As I've said before, this type of account gives tremendous credence to the validity of the Bible because the Bible presents both the failures and the successes of God's choice servants.
4Those who stood by said, “Would you revile God's high priest?” 5And 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.’”
Realizing his error, he immediately admitted his failure. Which I think is a monument to Paul's integrity. When he found out he was wrong, he admitted it quickly. What an example to us.
Some have suggested that Paul responded to Ananias like this because of his poor eyesight; or it may be that the High Priest was not wearing his identifying robes because this was such a hastily called meeting. Whatever the reason, this was a very poor way to begin your testimony; this is not the way you start out to win your brothers. And it only gets worse.
Verse 6: 6Now when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out [that verb is in the imperfect tense which means he continued crying 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.”
In an apparent attempt to deflect the pressure off of him, Paul makes an even bigger mistake. He keeps on crying out that the whole problem is the fact that he proclaims a hope in the resurrection. Now you may say, "Well that doesn't sound so bad." Notice how Luke sets that up, when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he kept on crying out
You see, there was a natural animosity between the Sadducees and the Pharisees. The Sadducees were something like the theological liberals of the day. They didn't believe in the supernatural, they didn't believe in angels or demons, they didn't believe in the resurrection from the dead. It's obvious that Paul purposefully brings up the subject of the resurrection, knowing it would stir up debate and arguments among those who were on the council. It's clearly an attempt at deflecting criticism from himself and upon each other. And the result was completely predictable: 7And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 8For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all. 9Then 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?”
You can see what the Pharisees on the council were doing, they're saying, "He's one of us!" While the Sadducees are turning their noses up at the mental midgets in the room that might believe in such far-fetched fairytales. Paul's ploy accomplished it's immediate objective. The attention and focus had gone away from him onto other things. But tragically, he had forever destroyed the possibility of getting a hearing from his peers. He admits it was a mistake when he recounts the event to the Governor Felix in chapter 24: 20"Let these men themselves say what wrongdoing they found when I stood before the council, 21other than this one thing that I cried out while standing among them: ‘It is with respect to the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you this day.’” Acts 24:20-21
He recognized it was a mistake to bring up that subject, knowing it would cause the heated argument that eventually ensued.
Now the immediate outcome of all of this was disastrous to his further witness among the council: 10And 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.
Think of poor Claudius, the Roman Tribune here. He has to be wondering, "What did I get myself into?" He already rescued Paul once when he was getting beat up outside the temple; then after he give Paul permission to speak to the mob, Paul doesn't finish his speech before the mob starts yelling, "Away with the man, kill him." He then strings him up to beat the truth out of him, and almost has a stroke when he finds out he's a Roman citizen. Now after bringing Paul before the Jewish council to get to the bottom of things, he has to rescue him again! Poor Claudius, he doesn't know what's going on!
But consider for a moment not the Roman Tribune's state of mind, but Paul's state of mind as he's taken back to the barracks. For years Paul had been anticipating a journey to Jerusalem. Surely he had thought through all the ways he might profess Jesus among his own people. Things have not gone well at all.
In my sanctified imagination, I imagine what his state of mind was like as he's taken back to the barracks in Fort Antonia, and locked up in his cell. After having a whirlwind day, he may have crashed as soon as his head hit the pillow, as it were. But then, maybe around 2AM, he's wide awake. And perhaps like maybe you've experienced and I know I've experienced, my mind can't shake the thoughts of how I absolutely blew it the previous day.
And Paul's thoughts go back to his time in front of the Sanhedrin. And he sits up in the bed, and rubs his hand across his swollen lip. "You know this sting from the right hook I took in the mouth is nothing compared to the sting I feel in my conscience. Why did I have to speak so quickly; why did I respond so impulsively; why the knee-jerk reaction? I know better than that. Why did I blurt out, 'God will strike you, you whitewashed wall!' What an awful way to begin my testimony before them, accusing the high priest of being a corrupt hypocrite."
And then as he reflects on the animosity that broke out among the Sadducees and Pharisees, in his mind he starts to examine his motives behind introducing the idea of the resurrection. "That was an act of self-preservation. Because I knew that it would set them at odds with one another and get the monkey off my back. Suddenly I was able, skillfully, strategically, to deflect the attention off of me. Through my impetuous and impulsive actions I cut off any hearing of the gospel among my peers."
And then perhaps he thought about the Roman commander, and the troops under his charge that had been listening to all this. "What about their souls?" He must have thought, "How was the gospel of Jesus commended to those unbelieving Gentiles?" And after he had been mulling the day over for some time, the mistakes and the blunders and the failures, perhaps he grabs his journal and starts to jot a few things down. 19For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 24Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Romans 7:15, 18-19, 24
Then perhaps he thought about his opening remark to the Sanhedrin, “Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to this day.”
Ok, up to this day, but what about this day. Perhaps he jotted these words down: Let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. 1 Corinthians 10:12
Then perhaps he begins to pray, and cry out to the Lord. "Lord Jesus, today has not been a very good day. I feel like a failure; I feel like I've blown it. I ruined perhaps the one opportunity I had to speak the truth about you to the leaders of my countrymen." He's all alone, tired, discouraged, and utterly humiliated.
Can you relate to that feeling? I think all of us can. But Jesus knows all about our struggles. Let's see what Jesus does. 11The 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.”
From this one verse, verse 11, I want us to see how Christ provided three things to Paul in that visit in the night. And I believe these promises are for you, and these promises are for me after we've blown it. I believe Christ will provide these things for us as well. First, Jesus Christ provides
I. His PRESENCE After My FAILURE
The following night the Lord stood by him…
Jesus stood by him! That makes all the difference in the world, knowing that the Lord Jesus stands by you even when, and especially when you fail; when you've blown it. Jesus Christ stood in that cell with Paul!
Who's standing beside you makes all the difference in the world. If Roger Federer stood beside me on the tennis court, we'd probably win a few doubles matches. If Peyton Manning stood beside me in a backyard football game, we'd probably make a few touchdowns. If Stephen Curry stood beside me in a 3-on-3 basketball game, we'd probably make a few buckets. Who's standing beside you makes all the difference in the world.
You remember the story of Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednego? They said to Nebuchadnezzar, "Let it be known to you, we're not going to bow down." So they cranked up the fiery furnace to 7 times hotter than it was before, and they tossed the three Hebrews in. Then it was Nebuchadnezzar who cried out, “I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.” Daniel 3:25
Who's standing beside you makes all the difference in the world. So here's the application for us. It is true, for every believer in Jesus, what Hebrews 13:5 says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you." Hebrews 13:5
If you've been in church for any period of time, no doubt you've heard that verse quoted many, many times. But there's one word I want to key in on.
Forsake. It means to totally abandon; to desert or to leave helpless to fend for yourself. Jesus promises his presence. And I would submit to you that it is immediately after those failures in your attempts to serve him; it is in those moments when you cry out, "O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of death?" It's in those moments that his presence is all the more real to you; almost palpable.
Could you imagine what it must have been like for Paul to know the Lord was standing with him? It must have revived and rejuvenated his entire walk. So listen, Jesus gives a good gift to us when we've blown it. He gives me his PRESENCE after my FAILURE. Secondly, he gives...
II. His PROMISE In My FEAR
Notice the promise Jesus spoke over Paul in that prison cell: “Take courage…”
It's two words here in the ESV; it's four words in the KJV, "Be of good cheer." It's just one word in the Greek - tharseo. It's the verb form of the noun, "courage." Now this was a common word. But here's something I found interesting about the NT usage of this word as I studied this week. Jesus is the only person to speak this verb to other men. This word, in the NT, is uniquely a word from Jesus to his followers.
In Matthew 9:2, when some men carried a bed-ridden paralytic to Jesus, seeing their faith Jesus said to the paralytic, "Take courage, your sins are forgiven."
Later on in that chapter when the woman who was hemorrhaging blood touches the hem of his garment, Jesus turns to her and says, “Take courage, daughter; your faith has made you well.” Matthew 9:22
In Matthew 14 when the disciples are in the wave tossed boat, thinking they'll be sunk, Jesus comes to them walking on the water, at the height of their fears and says, “Take courage; it is I. Do not be afraid." Matthew 14:27
In John 16 as Jesus is plainly explaining to his disciples that shortly he will be leaving them, and they will experience tribulation. In the midst of their fear and trepidation about the future Jesus says to them, "In the world you will have tribulation. But take courage; I have overcome the world." John 16:33
My point is, in the NT, the exhortation to take courage is uniquely a word from Christ; and as believers it is uniquely a word for us from the mouth of the Lord himself; no matter how feebly we serve. At the very point of fear, Jesus speaks the word - Take Courage! Paul no doubt was fearful about the future; he had blown it that day in multiple ways, how was he going to move forward from this? And Jesus comes and gives him the promise, take courage. And Paul obeyed that word for the rest of his ministry - his ministry was marked by tremendous courage.
But here's the final thing Jesus provides when we've blown it...
III. His PURPOSE For My FUTURE
Jesus tells Paul, …for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.” God had a specific purpose for Paul; he had a specific mission he was to accomplish. And there was absolutely nothing that was going to thwart that plan. Not the threats of the Jews; not the imprisonment of the Romans; and not even Paul's own failures.
Illustration: In 1926, a young missionary to Ecuador in his mid-20's, Raymond Edman, fell ill from typhus fever in a mountain village. So grave and serious was his illness that he was carried by train and stretcher from the remote village to the port city of Guayaquil. Soon after his wife joined him in he hospital. The attending American physician told Mrs. Edman that her husbands feet were already cold, and the indication was that he would soon die. A fellow missionary ordered a black, cloth covered coffin for his burial. Because Mrs. Edman had no black dress she could wear to her husbands funeral, she took her wedding dress and had it died black. They even set the time and date for the funeral, 3:00 pm, July 4.
41 years later in 1967, the same Raymond Edman was addressing the student body at Wheaton College where he served as the schools fourth president. Right in the middle of his sermon to the students, Dr. Edman collapsed and immediately passed away right there on the stage. And at that moment he was in the presence of the King of kings! Dr. Edman had known 41 years of fruitful service to Jesus since those dark days in Ecuador. I love the way Bible commentator Kent Hughes put it: “God's servants are immortal until their work is done. No servant of God dies a premature death.” Kent Hughes
God had a purpose for Paul's future, and no one or no thing was going to thwart God's purpose for his life. In fact, we can see that in the rest of the chapter. Let's read the rest of the chapter to see the Lord's sustaining purpose: 12When it was day, the Jews made a plot and bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. 13There were more than forty who made this conspiracy. 14They 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. 15Now 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.”
16Now the son of Paul's sister heard of their ambush, so he went and entered the barracks and told Paul. 17Paul called one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the tribune, for he has something to tell him.” 18So 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.” 19The tribune took him by the hand, and going aside asked him privately, “What is it that you have to tell me?”
20And 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. 21But 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.” 22So the tribune dismissed the young man, charging him, “Tell no one that you have informed me of these things.”
Think about this, we didn't even know up until this point that Paul even had a sister, much less a nephew. And here Paul's nephew somehow happens to be in the right place at the right time to here about the conspiracy to assassinate Paul. And then, somehow this young man is given a hearing by the Roman Commander, who then believes the plot to kill Paul is legitimate. Again, God's servants are immortal until their work is done.
23Then 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. 24Also provide mounts for Paul to ride and bring him safely to Felix the governor.” 25And he wrote a letter to this effect:
26“Claudius Lysias, to his Excellency the governor Felix, greetings. 27This 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. 28And desiring to know the charge for which they were accusing him, I brought him down to their council. 29I found that he was being accused about questions of their law, but charged with nothing deserving death or imprisonment. 30And 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.”
31So the soldiers, according to their instructions, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris. 32And on the next day they returned to the barracks, letting the horsemen go on with him. 33When they had come to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they presented Paul also before him. 34On reading the letter, he asked what province he was from. And when he learned that he was from Cilicia, 35he said, “I will give you a hearing when your accusers arrive.” And he commanded him to be guarded in Herod's praetorium.
Think about this, the apostle Paul arrived in Jerusalem, and just days into his stay he's being beaten, arrested, and treated like a common criminal. Now he's leaving Jerusalem, on horseback, with an entourage of 470 soldiers by his side. He's being treated more like a king than a criminal. Jesus has a purpose for your future, and he will bring it to pass!
The master pianist, Paderewski, was scheduled to perform at a great concert hall in America. It was to be an evening to remember - a black tux, high society extravaganza. In the audience that evening was a mother and her fidgety 9-year old boy. She brought him to the concert in hopes he would be inspired to practice the piano once he heard the immortal Paderewski.
When his mother turned to talk with some friends, the impatient boy could stay seated no longer. He slipped away from her side and found himself strangely drawn to the ebony concert grand Steinway that was being flooded with brilliant lights. The boy sat down at the leather upholstered stool and put his little fingers in position to play the only tune he knew by heart - chopsticks!
The gaggle of noise that was present in the concert hall as people were conversing immediately ceased as hundreds of frowning faces of the high society crowd turned in his direction. They began to shout at the youngster, calling for someone to remove the boy from the stage.
Backstage, the master overheard the sounds from the concert hall and reacted quickly. He put on his coat, rushed to the stage and stood behind the boy playing a magnificent counter melody to the boys simple tune. As the two of them played together, Paderewski kept whispering in the boy's ear, "Keep going, don't quit, keep on playing, do not stop." What a gracious genius!
All of us have been called to play a spiritual tune for Christ. Though I'm certain we've all wanted to do our best, we have occasionally said the wrong thing to the wrong person at the wrong time. Perhaps our best service is something like Chopsticks. Some may attempt to shout us off the stage of service.
At those times, the Master stands behind us. His presence is unmistakable, his promise is what encourages us and his purpose is what sustains us. He whispers to us, after our biggest failures and in our deepest fears, "Don't quit, keep on playing, don't give up, keep moving forward." All the while playing a beautiful counter-melody to our feeble attempts, resulting in something that is both beautiful and ultimately glorifying to him.
Last Thought: Your FAILURE is not FINAL; God has a FUTURE for you!
Paul received a visit in the night, the Lord Jesus himself stood by him. A very tangible presence with Paul. Today we can say, the Lord is with us through his Word, and by his Spirit. But is there any tangible way we can know the presence of Jesus; is there a tangible way in which he expresses himself to us? Yes there is - through his meal of remembrance. This bread, and this cup is a tangible, touchable, tasteable, means the Lord has given us to know him, to know his presence.
When you take these elements of communion, what should you think; what should you believe? The bread is just bread, the juice is just juice. But because Jesus has instructed us to take them in remembrance of Him; and because you who take them humbly believe in him, therefore, that simple bread, that small cup of grape juice, speaks straight from him to you. They are like the very sound of his voice saying - "I did this for you; I redeemed you for myself; you will be used to display my glory to the world." He says, "As surely as you touch and taste this bread and juice, so surely you who believe in me are one with me."
So as we close, we're going to prepare our hearts to meet with Jesus in a very real and tangible way - through his meal of remembrance. And so I encourage you to spend the next few moments in confession. Confess to him, agree with him about your failures. But come to him knowing,
There’s not a friend like the lowly Jesus,
No, not one! No, not one!
None else could heal all our soul’s diseases,
No, not one! No, not one!
Jesus knows all about our struggles,
He will guide till the day is done;
There’s not a friend like the lowly Jesus,
No, not one! No, not one!
Then once you have prepared your heart, we invite you who are baptized followers of Jesus to come forward and receive the elements, the bread and the cup, from our elders and deacons who will be positioned down front to serve you. You can then take those elements right there, or back to your seat, or to this altar here and celebrate the meal of his tangible presence with you this morning.
