LORD’S WILL BE DONE
Text: Acts 21;1-14
Introduction
1. "God’s will done in God’s way will not lack God’s support." - Hudson Taylor
2. The question is not if God’s will is going to come to pass but are we willing to do whatever it takes to be a part of it.
3. Sometimes being in line with God’s will is not easy, and it requires us being willing to sacrifice our will for His.
4. Read Acts 21:1-14
Transition: Doing the will of God is going to require…
I. A Little Help from Our Friends (1-6).
A. Found the Local Believers
1. After saying his farewell to the Ephesian elders at Miletus, Paul continued on his way to Jerusalem.
2. In vv. 1-3 we read, “After saying farewell to the Ephesian elders, we sailed straight to the island of Cos. The next day we reached Rhodes and then went to Patara. 2 There we boarded a ship sailing for Phoenicia. 3 We sighted the island of Cyprus, passed it on our left, and landed at the harbor of Tyre, in Syria, where the ship was to unload its cargo.”
a. It was an emotional goodbye to his friends in Ephesus.
b. The word that is translated “saying farewell,” carries with it the idea of “tearing away,” showing that Paul literally had to tear himself away from them and from the hugs of his dear friends.
c. However, it was time for him to move on to Jerusalem.
d. The journey itself must have been an emotional one, as in v. 3, it says he sighted Cyprus as they passed by it.
e. Surely this must have brought to mind memories of his first journey with Barnabas.
f. Speaking from personal experience, it is often difficult for a Pastor to tear himself away from the ones he has served.
g. While there are difficult moments, like Paul had, and even difficult people, there are also precious souls that will forever be etched in a Pastor’s memories.
3. Once they arrived in Tyre, as v. 4 tells us, “We went ashore, found the local believers, and stayed with them a week. These believers prophesied through the Holy Spirit that Paul should not go on to Jerusalem.”
a. Paul and his friends went ashore and started looking for local believers.
b. The word “found” means “to find after searching.” So, they, like many people today, went looking for a good church!
c. In that church, there were several believers who had the gift of prophecy through the Holy Spirit.
d. The fact that they prophesied through the Holy Spirit is key. They weren’t just some local crack pots or wannabes looking to get attention. No, these were people filled and anointed by the Holy Spirit to deliver message from God to His people.
e. The message that they gave was a warning to Paul about not to go to Jerusalem.
f. So, was Paul wrong in wanting to go to Jerusalem? Was he being disobedient in going to Jerusalem?
g. Obviously not. More likely this was a warning to Paul of the suffering he would face once he got to Jerusalem.
h. As we will see in the rest of the chapter, the results outweighed the danger. Paul was convinced he was supposed to go to Rome, and going to Jerusalem was the way to get there.
i. Unfortunately, it wasn’t going to be a pleasant journey. Sometimes God has to take us through difficult circumstances to get us to where He needs us to be.
j. Although the journey may be difficult, the destination is always worth it.
4. As the story continues in vv. 5-6, it says, “When we returned to the ship at the end of the week, the entire congregation, including women and children, left the city and came down to the shore with us. There we knelt, prayed, 6 and said our farewells. Then we went aboard, and they returned home.”
a. Once the week came to an end, all of the believers, men, women, and children alike, came down to the ship to bid Paul and his companion’s farewell.
b. It was another tender goodbye filled with prayer and love for each other.
c. We need the prayers and fellowship of other believers. If no one is praying for you, it’s kind of your own fault.
d. Though God is all knowing, His children are not. A little bird does not come and tap us on the shoulder and say, “so in so needs your prayers.” By the way, this goes for your Pastor too!
e. One of the best ways to insure that people are praying for you is showing up for church on a consistent basis.
f. This is a part of the reason that Hebrews 11:25 tells us, “And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.”
g. We need each other, and we were meant for community.
B. Household of Faith
1. "Encouragement is perhaps one of the greatest gifts friends can ever give. An encouraging friend is a lifeline to steady a floundering heart, to bring sunshine to a cloudy day, and to deliver a blessing just looking for a place to land." (Unknown).
2. We need the support of our Christian brothers and sisters when things get tough and staying in the will of God is not easy.
a. “Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.” (Gal. 6:10).
b. Look at the ways that Paul’s friends helped him
1) Hugged him
2) Escorted him through life
3) Looked out for him
4) Prayed for him
c. As we go through life, and especially as we try and stay in the will of God.
d. We need to let people come beside us and hug us when things get difficult.
e. We need to let people escort us through life and allow them to journey with us.
f. We need to let people look out for us.
g. We need to let people pray for us.
h. Did you notice anything about those last few statements I just made? You have to let them!
i. Stop trying to do life on your own! Let people in. Let them love you. Let them pray for you. Let them journey with you.
j. That’s what community is all about.
Transition: The next thing we need to do is be…
II. Determined to Do God’s Will (7-14).
A. Lord’s Will Be Done
1. The journey continues in vv. 7-9 where it says, “The next stop after leaving Tyre was Ptolemais, where we greeted the brothers and sisters and stayed for one day. 8 The next day we went on to Caesarea and stayed at the home of Philip the Evangelist, one of the seven men who had been chosen to distribute food. 9 He had four unmarried daughters who had the gift of prophecy.”
a. Their next stop was at a port city called Ptolemais, where they stayed one day, but still spent time with the believers there.
b. From there they went to Caesarea and stayed at the home of Phillip.
c. You may recall Phillip from back in chapter 8, who was one of those chosen to oversee the distribution of food, and then went to Samaria and led people there to Christ.
d. Luke makes mention of the fact that he had four unmarried daughters, literally virgins, “who had the gift of prophecy.”
e. Again, we see this mention of the gift of prophecy. However, what may be surprising, although it shouldn’t, is that the prophets in this case are female.
f. There is a long list of female prophets in the OT, and several in the NT.
g. Not to mention, back in chapter 2, we are told that “your sons and daughters will prophesy.”
h. God uses men and women to do His work.
2. Now, we see prophecy mentioned a third time in our text in vv. 10-12. It says, “Several days later a man named Agabus, who also had the gift of prophecy, arrived from Judea. 11 He came over, took Paul’s belt, and bound his own feet and hands with it. Then he said, “The Holy Spirit declares, ‘So shall the owner of this belt be bound by the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem and turned over to the Gentiles.’ ” 12 When we heard this, we and the local believers all begged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem.”
a. Luke says that after several days, another prophet named Agabus, arrived from Judea.
b. He grabs Paul’s belt, binds his hands and feet with it, then tells Paul that this is what is waiting for you in Jerusalem.
c. He also tells him that the Jewish leaders are going to turn him over to the Gentiles (meaning the Romans).
d. This is yet another warning to Paul about what suffering awaits him.
e. Once they heard this, all of the believers, including Luke and the others with Paul, begged him not to go to Jerusalem.
f. You might recall another person who was persuaded to stay away from Jerusalem. His name is Jesus. But, like Jesus, Paul is determined to do the will of God.
3. Then in vv. 13-14, Paul responds to their pleading. “But he said, “Why all this weeping? You are breaking my heart! I am ready not only to be jailed at Jerusalem but even to die for the sake of the Lord Jesus.” 14 When it was clear that we couldn’t persuade him, we gave up and said, “The Lord’s will be done.”
a. Paul tells them, “Oh, stop all your fussing!” He also tells them they are breaking his heart!
b. But he makes it clear to them that this is God’s will for his life. That he understands that this is going to be a difficult and painful trip, but that it’s something he must do.
c. Paul could be a very stubborn and determined person, and once he set his mind to do something he was not going to change his mind.
d. So, finally they gave up trying to persuade him not to go, and realized this was God’s will.
B. Remain Faithful
1. Illustration: In case you didn’t know, Tina and I are members at a local gym called Orange Theory Fitness. One of the things that they stress at the gym is being consistent. It’s not as important how fast you run or how much you can lift, as it is to keep coming and making the attempt.
2. Like Paul, we must be determined to stay faithful to God’s will and keep moving forward.
a. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. 8 And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.” (2 Tim. 4:7-8).
b. Sometimes being in the will of God means going through the wilderness.
c. If we look at the great people of faith in the Bible, they all had to go through a wilderness experience. Everyone from Abraham to Paul faced difficulty,
d. But the important thing about all these people is they kept moving forward.
e. They didn’t give up and quit. They kept going in the direction God was telling them to go.
f. It wasn’t easy, but they kept going. They remained faithful!
g. Keep fighting the good fight. Keep running the race. Keep remaining faithful.
Conclusion
1. In staying in the will of God…
a. We need a little help from our friends.
b. We need to be determined to do God’s will and not give up.
2. What’s the point preacher? Being in the will of God is not always easy, but the prize in the end makes it all worth it.
