Title: Motivation?
Scripture: Acts 21:30-40, 22:1-30
Introduction:
What’s your motivation? What compels you to get out of bed in the morning? A desire not to be late, or a desire to get a head start on the day? What compels you to eat? Is it hunger, taste, or the price you paid for the meal? When you go to church, what compels you to go to church? Is it God, your spouse, your kids, or the need for social interaction or recognition (i.e. a ministry)? Or is it guilt?
Following Paul’s encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus, his whole motivation changed. He tells us in 1st Corinthians chapter 2, verse 2, that he did not desire to know anything outside of Jesus and Him crucified. That was his motivation. He desired nothing else. His actions and desires were transparent to those around him. When people looked at Paul they could readily see that only Jesus mattered. There was no hidden agenda. There were no hidden programs, there were no hidden interests. Only Jesus, and Him crucified.
Jesus tells us in scripture that no one lights a lamp and puts it in a jar, or under a bed, but puts it up where it will be the most benefit. The preaching of Jesus is transparent. There is no hidden agenda, no hidden program or interests.
As Christians, we, too, should be as transparent as we can be in order to bring more to Jesus. Our silent actions speak just as loud as our complaints. Our silent service speaks volumes not only to those that we are serving, but also to those that are standing on the side and watching.
Our motivation to serve God should be motivated by the love that He has spread abroad in our hearts. Any other motive, any other incentive, any other purpose, will defile the service. Any other motivation, however small and imperceptible, will blemish the gift and it will be deemed unacceptable.
Selfless motivation is an integral part of one’s testimony. For those looking on, for those that are watching you, your actions may become their testimony in the future. What you selflessly do today will go down into the heart of those watching. And what you did may very well become part of someone’s witness to an unbeliever in the future. Your actions may become a story that an evangelist will use in five or twenty years!
Your unselfish sacrifice may inspire or motivate someone to move forward into ministry, or, your selfish actions may cause them to move backward and authenticate their beliefs that the Christian life is no better than anything else.
A testimony based on Jesus and Him crucified is simple and it’s maintenance free and only concerns you and Jesus. A testimony based on anything else, such as lies and intrigue takes lots of work, lots of concern, lots of time, and lots of people.
What’s your motivation?
The motivation of the Jews
The motivation of the Crowd
The motivation of the Romans
The motivation of Jesus
The motivation of Paul
I. The motivation of the Jews
Our scripture text tells us that the whole city was aroused, however, the very fact that they pulled Paul from the temple indicates they were Jewish, since Gentiles were not allowed inside the gates of the temple.
So, what was the motivation of the Jews? Why were they so against someone that had formerly been an active part of the Sanhedrin?
There are many reasons, but there are two very good reasons that remain prevalent even in today’s society. Money and power.
Without animal sacrifice, the vendors around the temple made no money. Worshipping Jesus required no sacrifice, other than the self. Without the priests there would be no reason to make their fine clothes and all the stuff that goes with them, therefore stores would go out of business. You see, worshipping Jesus requires no fine clothes.
The motivation of the Jews was money and power. Power to make people do what you want them to do. It gives an evil satisfaction to some people to be in control of others. Worshipping Jesus, puts Him in control, it puts Him in power.
The Jews of that time would tell you that their motivation was to preserve the law that had been handed down over the ages, and that is why they wanted to get rid of Paul. They would tell you that their motivation was to ensure that God’s temple was not defiled and that His commandments were not broken. Yet, the root of their motivation was money and power.
The motivation of the Jews was rooted in the sin nature and manifested itself in dragging Paul out of the temple.
II. The motivation of the Crowd
What was the motivation of the crowd? Was it sincere or was it based in the motivation of the Jewish leaders? I would have to say a little of both. The crowd reacted to what the Jewish leaders told them. They told them that Paul was teaching against Moses, which is punishable by imprisonment or death. The crowd was told that Paul brought a Gentile into the temple area. Yet another reason to see him put into prison, or put to death.
The scripture tells us that the crowd came running from all directions, which indicates that there were some poor storeowners, shopkeepers, farmers and those that sold animals for animal sacrifices that wanted to see the leaders of the Christians put away. They stood to lose money, standing, prestige, position, and power if the Christian movement got any bigger. They wanted things to continue like they had for the last few thousand years.
The motivation of the crowd was mixed. For the most part, the crowd believed that Paul was breaking God’s law, therefore they wanted to see him put away or put to death.
III. The motivation of the Romans
What was the motivation of the Romans that were stationed in Jerusalem? What did they stand to gain or lose?
Well, to begin with, they knew that the people, the crowd, listened to the Jewish leaders. So they were motivated by that. Also, they knew that news of a riot would go up the ladder until it finally reached Rome and the leading officers of the Roman guard would lose their jobs if they didn’t handle it right.
With that motivation, they took Paul away from the crowd. But, what happened? Paul tells the Romans that he is a Roman citizen, which introduces an overriding motivation into the whole scenario.
The Romans were mixed in their motivations. They had the most to lose, and, they had the most with which to base their motivation on.
IV. The motivation of Jesus
We interject the motivation of Jesus in the sequence here, since Paul himself did just that. Paul tells us that his own previous, evil motivation put him on the road to Damascus, where he met Jesus Christ.
Paul tells us that Jesus’ motivation was one of love. A love for His church, which Paul was persecuting. Paul tells us that Jesus’ motivation was one of love. A love for His people, who Paul was killing and putting into prison. Paul tells us that Jesus’ motivation was one of love. A love for even Paul, which changed a violent man into a veritable saint for Jesus.
Jesus’ motivation never changes, it never is rooted in money or power, but is rooted in love. Love for you and the desire to see you saved and in heaven with Him one day.
V. The motivation of Paul
What was the motivation of Paul? We said earlier that the life motivation of Paul was Jesus and Him crucified. However, in these verses it seems like the motivation of Paul may have been something else. Paul was motivated to travel to Jerusalem by a burden to share with the brothers what God was doing among the Gentiles. When he arrived at Jerusalem, he did just that. Yet, the brothers in Jerusalem were motivated to compel Paul to go through a purification rite, saying the Jewish Christians and the Jewish leaders thought he was preaching against the law of Moses.
Did the initial motivation of Paul to share God’s success in the world with the brothers in Jerusalem change to something else? Did Paul’s motivation change to something akin to putting Christianity on trial so that he could defend it before the leaders of the ruling religions and principalities and powers? I don’t know. We can only fall back on that verse that we have shared throughout this message, Jesus and Him crucified. We have to assume that was Paul’s motivation to say what he said to stir up the crowd that was gathered.
Conclusion:
What is your motivation? Where do your interests lie? Do your interests lie, or, are they transparent? What is your motivation? Why do you do what you do? Is it for Jesus and Him crucified or is it to see your own self lifted on high?
What is your motivation?
