The God Of Circumstances Series

Recently, someone posted a picture of me and my second-grade classmates. In case you’re wondering, I’m the burly and buff looking guy on the top left (next to the star). I noticed I’m not smiling which goes along with my thug-life, tough-guy image. This picture reminded me of an alarm system my sisters used when they had conflict on the playground. Whenever they were in trouble, all they had to do was yell, “Wuuh-Wit” and I’d come running to their rescue.

My favorite memory from this class picture is of Jack Wills. I put a red circle around him. He had the guts to make a goofy face which gave him immediate cred with all the guys. I’m sure his mom was not too impressed.

Last weekend Pastor Tim reminded us of all the conflicts the Apostle Paul had – the Jews in the temple wanted to get rid of him, the commander of the guard wanted to flog him, the high priest ordered him punched in the face, in turn, Paul called him a whitewashed wall, and we’ll see today some Jews were planning to ambush and assassinate him. Through it all, Paul kept a good conscience and was comforted by the Lord. We were reminded of this truth: In the turmoil of life, a clear conscience creates the basis for spiritual courage and comfort.

Before we get into the rest of Acts 23, let’s circle back to verse 11: “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.’” This is the fourth time in the Book of Acts that the Lord appears to Paul to encourage him. When Paul was struggling and feeling overwhelmed, the Lord Himself stood by him. This word means, “to place oneself near; to set over.” The Lord promises His presence to comfort us when we’re going through problems. Near the end of Paul’s life, he wrote these words from prison in 2 Timothy 4:17: “But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me…”

The phrase, “take courage” is a command which means, “to take heart; be of good cheer.” This reminds me of what God said to Joshua in Joshua 1:9: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Jesus spoke something similar to the disciples in John 16:33 when they were distressed and discouraged: “Take heart, I have overcome the world.”

The Lord of heaven and earth made a personal visit to Paul to encourage him to keep going. Paul was commended for testifying about the facts of Jesus in Jerusalem and was commissioned to do the same in Rome. I love how the word “facts” and not feelings, is used. It shows the Bible is verifiable truth.

“Must” refers to “a necessary and inevitable duty.” It’s often used by Luke to indicate “divine necessity.” It can be translated literally as, “must thou.” We also saw in Acts 19:21 how the Spirit made it clear Paul was to take the gospel to Rome: “Now after these events Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem, saying, ‘After I have been there, I must also see Rome.’”

These words of comfort, commendation, and commission gave Paul courage to press on. He would need to remember this because things were about to get dicey for him. The same is true for us. We need to focus on the facts of our faith, not on our fickle feelings, remembering God is always at work, even when we can’t see Him. When things are confusing and chaotic, allow His presence to give you comfort.

Beginning in verse 14, it appears as if Paul was outnumbered by his enemies and about to be assassinated. Even though he received a promise to testify about the gospel in Rome, it looked bleak. I imagine him shouting “Wuuh-wit,” but no one came to his rescue...at least not right away, nor in the way he expected.

Our text in Acts 23:12-35 is interesting because we see no commands or exhortations. The names of God the Father, Jesus or the Holy Spirit are not mentioned at all. We see no supernatural miracles, no message from the Lord, no believers praying, no explanation of salvation, and no exposition of biblical doctrine.

What we do see is an amazing illustration of the delightful doctrine of God’s providence. The easiest way to remember what God’s providence means is to focus on the root of the word, which is to “provide.” Providence is the preserving and governing of all things under the intentional sovereign rule of God. Got Questions offers this definition: “Divine providence is the governance of God by which He, with wisdom and love, cares for and directs all things in the universe.”