Why Are You Waiting — Acts 19-22

0:00 So I made this little map here and I tried to army proof it. I don't know if Joe's in here. Oh, there he is. I tried to army proof it for you. I don't know if you get that joke.

0:09 Do you get that joke? Alright. He's gonna learn the lingo. He's gonna learn the lingo. But...

0:14 So... Yeah. Like, I I would encourage you guys to take a picture of this. I think it it just helped me to go through where Paul started, where he ended, and what happened. I have it numbered according to the map.

0:26 So, here we see starting the Antioch and he went through the land of Galatia and Asia till he got to Ephesus. Now, he was in Ephesus for about two years ministering there and now, when he was in Ephesus, this is when reports from from the church of Corinth came about the issues of of sexual immorality specifically that they were having and so Paul writes one letter that was lost and you know, it was an an apostolic letter is written to the Corinthians but in the end, it wasn't for us as well. So, that letter is lost but the second letter which is first Corinthians was written to address that and so, he's in Ephesus for two years ministering and then, the riot happens. We see that in Acts chapter. I have it on note two there.

1:14 Acts 19. Yeah. Acts 19, Acts 20. The riot happens and that's when they send him. He goes away and goes into Macedonia, into Trojans, and Macedonia.

1:25 Now, in Macedonia, that's where he meets up with Titus. We see that in second Corinth second Corinthians that that Corinth, they repented and there were some issues before. We believe that second Corinthians is Paul's fourth letter actually. The third one being lost, but that he... They responded positively to the authority of Paul and the thing and the things that were going on there.

1:47 So that's when Paul, as we believe, writes second Corinthians to Corinth. So, then he goes down from Macedonia to the Greece, Achaea area and he probably spends, he spends three months there as it as it says in Acts and we believe it was probably in Corinth and at this time, this is when he wrote Romans. So, we see in Romans 15, it talks about Paul saying, I desire to come to you but but I need, he's being led by the spirit. I need to go to Jerusalem. His goal being there to be there for the day of Pentecost.

2:24 So, Paul, his goal previously was to go from Corinth, right? To go from the Ikea area and sail straight to Syria but there's a plot from the Jews there. The Jews, they're planning to kill him and it's the whatever the plot was, we don't know exactly but it was something about, you know, Paul sailing to Syria. They were going to do something with, you know, that that situation. So, Paul decided, okay, it's better to go back through the areas I was into and he goes from Macedonia.

2:53 He goes back up to Macedonia to Torres. Now, when he's traveling back through Torres, that's when Paul preaches all night long, kills a dude by it because the guy fell out the window, put him to sleep. Now, so if I go five minutes over today, relax. Okay? Let's be real.

3:13 Windowsill. Yeah. Yeah. Stay away from the windowsill. So he goes to Toraz then to Miletus where that's where he sends for the Ephesian elders.

3:23 He sends for the elders in Ephesus and he's in my latest because he's like, if I go, I'm going to be late to Jerusalem. I'm going be late for Pentecost because I want to be there at Pentecost. We all we all relate in terms of sometimes we say like, oh, I need to just like drive by hello because if I go in, I'm never coming out for like an hour. You know, so because sometimes you're in a rush but yeah, so it goes from Miletus to Pattara to eight is there. It actually says in Luke.

3:51 Luke is the greatest story and he says, we passed to the left of Cyprus which is just, you know, cool fun fact but and then two, Tyre, Caesarea, and finally, he arrives in Jerusalem. So, that's where we're at this morning. He arrives in Jerusalem. He gives report as mister G was going over last week. Gives report of what the lord has done and he's also delivering financial aid because at this time, when he's going through his third missionary journey here, he's also collecting from the local gatherings for the the impoverished saints in Jerusalem.

4:25 So, something you know, in this study of going through this, what stuck out to me is is the interconnectedness and care that local gatherings have for one another and and that's what the we talk about the universal body of believers, the universal church that, you know, the the spiritual body of believers who have been who have been united under the blood of Christ. They had a genuine care for one another And I think that's something that that I appreciate, you know, when we have conferences and things like that, we emulate that. But I want to further encourage that. You know, I think it's so easy in our in our American individualistic culture to create a hedge around ourselves, to create a hedge around our our family units, our our groups, our our local gathering and and but in terms of we want to be like the church that that god calls us to be and that's the caring caring for one another regardless of local gathering. So, going on, now we are in Acts chapter end of Acts 21.

6:04 For sake of time. But so this time, Paul in in '21, he's go, he's finishing the Nazarite vow. He did it with a couple other men and so he's in the temple now and And when he's in the temple, now keep in mind, right there, you know, time, it's like the day of Pentecost or or not exactly the day of Pentecost, sometime before or after. I don't know exactly. It's not the acts.

6:29 Luke isn't specific on that exactly but he goes, they go into the temple and there's Jews from Asia. Right now, this is our portion of 26 through 40 of Acts 21. I just wanna kinda talk through it because it it's a lot of reading. It's a lot of reading to go through that and the portion of Acts 22 that we'll be covering today because it's lot of storytelling. So, I'd rather, you know, talk about it and so, these Jews from Asia, they're like, they said, men of Israel, help.

7:01 This man is teaching. Let's see here. This man is teaching against the people, the law, and the temple and they also bring this accusation that Paul brought a Gentile into the temple which according to Ezekiel forty four nine, maybe that's where they got it biblically that the lord says, you shall not bring anyone into the temple of the lord. You shall not bring anyone uncircumcised in flesh or heart into his temple and so, you know, I would say that the those people, the people that were rejected of Paul had no no right to be in the temple either. So, the people, the law, and the temple, those were the three accusations.

7:45 So, what happens is a mob forms and they're just, they kick Paul out of the temple and they just start beating him up and and it's a mob of people. They're beating him up really bad. He almost, he pretty much, I would say, like, almost died. I, you know, if he wasn't rescued any any sooner or any, yeah, any sooner because a garrison was a garrison which is a commander of the guard. He was notified of it, sent soldiers, and that's when the fighting stopped.

8:14 So, they chained Paul and Paul was so beaten, so bloodied that he wasn't able to walk up the stairs. The the the soldiers had to carry him up the stairs and so this is where we are. This is where we are we're at in Acts 22. Now, Paul in in chapter twenty one thirty nine or 37, Paul says, may I speak to you? He says this to the soldier.

8:41 He replied, can you speak Greek? Are you not the Egyptian who some time ago stirred up a rebellion and led the 4,000 assassins out into the wilderness? He was way off like, you know, made no sense but Paul said, I'm a Jew from Tarsus and Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city and I implore you permit me to speak to the people. So he gives Paul permission. So Paul now is...

9:05 Let me switch my notes here. Paul now is... From this point on, he's imprisoned. He's no longer a free man. He's he's in captivity from this point until the end of his life and mister g was so well he spoke yesterday of the fact that that god is an overcomer of circumstance that you think Paul's ministry is over.

9:32 I can no longer like Paul, you know, and we in our our fleshly and disbelieving hearts can think I can no longer be used by god but obviously, god showed, you know, that he he overcomes and and the the devil's attacks on on ministry and things like that prove useless through the power of god and so Paul was able to to be a minister still but something that stuck out to me last week is the question of of who's next. Paul is no longer able to enter into the synagogues to to to reason with people, to convince people. He's no longer able to travel to these churches to to be a blessing, to minister to them, to to raise up elders, and so, who who's next? Like, who who comes then in place? Like, is that, does that just completely die out?

10:24 Is there now no longer anyone who's going to fulfill that role, right? And I I would say, I would argue no. We see that Paul was traveling with companions. He was, we we read especially in Timothy. Paul's desire in heart to disciple.

11:08 Yesterday, I was having a conversation with him and Mr. Doringer and he said he said, they were talking about their techniques to pick things up off the ground. And Mr. Hilton was like, I have my technique down. And he goes like this.

11:21 And it's like, man, you know, I know that's a silly example, but you know, because I can pick up, you know, probably like 40 pounds depending on what it is, like 40 pound, 50 pound dumbbell and I can just bend over, pick it up, no big deal. He can't do that anymore. And so there's things you're no longer able to do though. And what I'm getting at there is that in terms of in terms of for the body, in terms of spiritually, is that we need discipling. The older generation specifically, you guys have had more experience, more opportunity to see the goodness of God, to see his faithfulness, more experience in in parenting, in raising up children, and being husbands and wives, that I think discipling should happen not only, you know, when you're getting older but at each different season of life that you enter into.

12:11 That married couple, new married couples, myself included, gotta happen. That, you know, we should be discipled as we're entering into marriage and after marriage that we should be discipled in terms of when we have children of of okay, what mistakes did you guys make so we don't make the mistakes first of all but that we want to raise our children in the lord. We want to be godly husbands, godly parents, godly in our in singleness. And so a question, I think Titus two is a great example of that. Titus two says to specifically the older women and to men to exhort the young men to be in integrity, integrity and doctrine.

12:52 These things and for women to be be teachers of good things, to be good wives, to love their children, be discreet, all these things. And so, I guess a question and I want each of you individually to reflect on it is, am I living a Titus two life? Have I? Do I continue to? Am I seeking to disciple and raise up the next generation to be strong for the lord?

13:18 So, now begin to Acts 22, Paul's defense. So, he says here in verse one, brethren and fathers, hear my defense before you now and when they heard that he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, they kept all the more silent. Real quick, something there. It's just a quick tip, application tip of when it comes to evangelism or or discipling or anything like that is to meet people where they're at is to as as it says in scripture that Paul says, I become all things to all men for the sake of the gospel and we see Paul doing this right now that he knows Greek but he specifically spoke in Hebrew or probably in this sense of talking about Aramaic. He spoke in Aramaic knowing these people will identify with that.

14:09 The Jewish people he's speaking to will identify with that. I even experienced this personally last night. Mariah and I were able to to be at Edgewater and and I heard Hispanic family coming towards me and they're speaking Spanish and and I'm a gringo but I know, you know, I know a little bit of Spanish. I can get by and so, I just started talking to him in Spanish and and you know, giving him a gospel track and and the dad that was honestly like a father son moment. The dad just came up to me and hit my chest.

14:36 I was like, thank you. Like, just to identify with them. It it it softens hearts. It it really it really does. The lord works through those things

14:46 and so that's what Paul

14:47 did here. They were all the more silent. They were attentive because they're like, oh, this guy, this guy knows Hebrew. So, now, Paul's defense. He's addressing these accusations.

14:57 The people, the law, the temple. Now, an overarching view, addressing the people. Paul in his defense, he talks about a man named Ananias and he says, he's a devout man of the Jews. He's respected by the people in Damascus, alright? In terms of the law, he talks about his zeal for the law that not only was he also, he was doing the same thing that they were doing in terms of they try to kill him for their zeal for the law, their zeal for god but Paul says that and I would argue, Paul could've said, I do it even more than you.

15:31 You guys, the the opportunity was presented to you. I was in the temple and that's when you persecuted me and but he could say, I gave my life to this. I gave my life to persecuting and killing Christians but god completely changed my mission. So, in terms of the law, those that's the way he addresses that accusation. The temple, he and and we're going to read about it in a little bit but just want to give an overview so that we can piece it down once we get there.

15:59 The temple, he talks about that he receives a a revelation from the lord while in the temple and he received the the the revelation and much in a similar way of the prophets of the Old Testament that that he saw a vision of the lord and then finally, Paul brought a Gentile into the temple. This was just a false, a false accusation in the first place because there's a man named Trophimus, the Ephesian, who was with him in Jerusalem and so they just assumed, oh, they saw him. He must have been in the temple too. So, this man really you know, has no regard for Jewish people. Let's kill him and so now, we're in verse three of 22.

16:39 Paul says, I am indeed a Jew born in Tarsus Of Celicia, brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the strictness of our father's law, and was zealous toward god as you all are today. I persecuted this way to the death, binding and delivering in the prisons both men and women as also the high priest bears me witness and all the council of the elders from whom I also received letters to the brethren and went to Damascus to bring in chains even those who were there to Jerusalem to be punished. Going on. Now happened as I journeyed and came near Damascus at about noon. Suddenly a great light from heaven shown around me and I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?

17:28 So I answered, who are you, Lord? And he said to me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting. And those who are with me indeed saw the light and were afraid, but they did not hear the voice of him who spoke to me. Now, I want to stop here because this is a at face value when you look at it, a discrepancy in the Bible, a discrepancy of the testimony of Paul. Oh, I guess I missed that part of of why why the Jews continue to disbelieve, why they continue to reject, and because obviously, Paul in his in his letters, his letters at this point were being, you know, given around and and copied and and all these things and in them, we think about Romans, Galatians.

18:13 Paul says that I've died to the law, that we've died to the law. Yet, at the same time, he says that in Romans three specifically that when we put our faith in Christ, we actually establish the law but it's no surprise obviously that the Jews thought this because as we see in second Corinthians three, but their minds were blinded for until this day, speaking of of the nation of Israel, for until this day, the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament. Now the veil being the keeping them from understanding because the veil is taken away in Christ. But even to this day when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. Nevertheless, when one turns to the lord, the veil is taken away and so that veil today still remains over over the hearts of of of the Jewish people of the nation of Israel when they look to the law to as a as you know, them, their adherence to the law is their way of righteousness instead of the righteousness of god by faith in Christ.

19:39 So, Acts nine seven and the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one. Now, Acts twenty two nine, and those who are with me indeed saw the light and were afraid but they did not hear the voice of him who spoke to me. So, what's going on here? Acts nine seven, hearing a voice but seeing no one. Acts 22, they did not hear the voice of him who spoke to me.

20:04 Now, like what's what is going on? Like, it seems like both of those are are just in you know, strict contradiction to each other. So, a little little studying and stuff like that. I I did on this that first of all, I think a way to better understand it is Acts nine seven is right. Hearing a voice but seeing no one but they did see the light.

20:31 Only Paul saw Jesus but but these other men that were with Paul traveling to Damascus, they saw they saw a light. Now, hearing a voice but seeing no one but they did not and then Acts 22 says, they did not hear the voice of him who spoke to me. So, the word hearing can have multiple meanings and and in the sense that they heard a voice. Now I have bad hearing. Alright.

20:58 I'm I'm I'm sure you... A lot of you guys probably are aware of that. I'm probably talking too loud right now. But I can hear people's voice but I can't make out what they're saying. It's unintelligible to me.

21:11 A lot of the time. The amount of times my brothers they hate it, especially Colin. Colin, I will grow up at home, I'd say what? And Colin just gets so mad. He'd be like, I'm not I'm done.

21:20 I'm not telling you blah blah blah. And it was really a some strife in our relationship there. I think it's gotten better now but that's probably because I moved out. And but now here, they did not hear the voice of him who spoke to me. So, in Acts 22 specifically, he's talking about they they they heard unintelligible and unintelligible voice but they did not hear it in the sense of understanding it.

21:43 They did not they did not perceive it. They only heard the noises essentially and Paul was the only one who heard and understood the the words of Jesus when he was speaking to him on the road.

21:57 And so going on,

22:02 let's see here. Let me find my notes real quick to make sure we're good. Let's see. Okay. Yep.

22:11 So, let's continue reading in verse 10. So, we address that discrepancy there. Paul Paul saw the light as well and was blinded by the light. He saw Jesus and and he was the only one able to to hear and understand what what was being said. So, verse 10 said, so I said, what shall I do lord?

22:32 And the lord said to me, arise and go into Damascus and there you'll be told all things which are appointed for you to do. And since I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of those who are with me, I came into Damascus. Then a certain Ananias, right, this devout Jew, a devout man according to the law, having a good testimony with all the Jews who dwelt there, came to me and he stood and said to me, brother Saul, receive your sight. And in that same hour, I looked up at him. Then he said, the god of our fathers has chosen you, that you should know his will and see the just one and hear the voice of his mouth.

23:28 He chose Paul for these things, to know his will, to see the just one, to hear the voice of his mouth, and to be a witness to what you have seen and heard. Now, Paul's conversion and his his calling was a no doubt a special calling obviously. He was the lord by this. He was qualified as apostolic authority and so but the thing is is that we also have this calling, not not apostolic authority calling but we have this calling to know his will. Romans twelve two and do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of god.

24:13 Romans twelve two. Sometimes, we think that that you know, Paul Paul's level of of receptiveness and and zeal for the lord is something that is untouchable and we know and we see in Romans seven, Paul had the same struggles and same experiences that we go through in terms of desiring to do the things of the lord yet in our flesh, we continue to fail. Paul was simply surrender to the lord to see the just one. Obviously, we haven't seen the lord Jesus with our eyes. Jesus says himself, blessed are those who have not seen yet believe but in first Peter one eight nine, whom having not seen you love, though now you do not see him, yet believing you rejoice with joy, inexpressible, and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

25:04 John ten twenty seven, and when it comes to hearing the voice of his mouth, Jesus says this, my sheep, now, if we qualify as his sheep, correct? My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me. I'd like to go back to that at the end if we have time and then, to be a witness to what you have seen and heard but sanctify the lord god in your hearts and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is within you. That's first Peter three fifteen. I wanted to to read some statistics and these are are pretty chilling and and you know, god is is is obviously at work and and he but he's at work in and through us as he empowers us through his spirit but here's some stats from bible.org and gospelcoalition.org.

25:56 95% of Christians have never won a soul for Christ. 95%. 80% of Christians that attend church on a somewhat regular basis believe they have a personal responsibility to share their faith, yet 61 have not told another person how to become a Christian in the past six months. 20% of Christians say they never pray for the spiritual status of others. These are these are some some tough tough things to to think about in terms of our own our own our own fear, our own feeling of of lack of of qualification and things like that to be a witness and I think even just our own mindset of sometimes thinking like a Christian but living like an atheist by by not seeking the lord daily, daily, asking the lord for opportunities to share the gospel, asking him for boldness.

26:58 Paul in his letters said, pray for me that I may be bold. Paul himself had to pray for boldness and and I think that is something that is would be such a great blessing to all of us to do that. So, now, let's go to verse verse 17, I believe. We're at verse 17. Verse 17, now when it happened, now it happened when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple that I was in a trance and saw him saying to me, make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly for they will not receive your testimony concerning me.

28:24 Now, I'll leave that on a cliffhanger in terms of I think mister Holland can can take, you know, that that next part of what happens after he says these things but but Paul's essentially saying when he's because I I I first I was kind of confused by his response to to get out of here. The people will not receive your testimony concerning me and and Paul saying essentially in in modern terms, he's saying, but I'm that guy. I I like look what I've done. Like, how will they not receive my testimony? Like, I was killing, I was the strongest enemy against you, killing Christians, all these things but now they see that I'm I'm totally, you know, totally changed like, look at what you've done in my life.

29:10 How are they not going to accept me? But obviously, the lord knew. He knew what would happen and and was also prophesied as well. So, he says to me, depart for I will send you far from here to the Gentiles and and Paul went. He received this revelation in the temple.

29:31 It was actually two years after he got saved and and thankfully, we do have enough time here. I've got I've got a couple more minutes. So, that's nice. I'd rather, I'd like to go back and talk about John ten twenty seven and we just seen Paul and his and his experience that he had in his life. His transformation that that first of all, he was this was two years.

29:56 He received his revelation two years after he was saved and at this point in time, this is about, he's been saved for about twenty years and in ministry for about twenty years since the first his his conversion of the road to Damascus and you know, John ten twenty seven says, my sheep hear my voice, I know them and they follow me and I think in today's day and age of it's it's so loud. We're so distracted that the voice of the Lord gets gets drowned out. And I we look at I we look at Paul as an example as someone who first of all never got over his salvation. He never grew tired or or numb. I think about the how how easy it is for me to just become numb to numb to my sin, numb to like how much the lord has forgiven me but Paul was continually continually zealous in that way.

30:59 And so yeah, my sheep hear my voice. I know them and they follow me. I do want to read a portion I've been going through the Pursuit of God by AW Tozer and it's a tough read because he's a lot smarter than a lot of people and his grammar is pretty pretty complex but I do want to read a passage just in terms of experiencing the presence of god to hear his voice, to be receptive to his voice that Paul was in the temple waiting on the lord and praying to the lord and that's when he revealed himself to him and and I think in our our modern society, we in our phones and things like that, we've we have a spiritual ADHD and we think that we think that we need results right away that god needs to answer us right away and Paul was, you know, for two years, he was clearly given this mission, right? Clearly given his appointment as Ananias said and but two years later is when he was when god, you know, finally called him and put him in action and I think about waiting on the lord, about seeking the lord, about removing obstacles in our lives that are keeping us from hearing his voice.

32:14 In closing, I just want to read this last portion, this portion of AW Tozer and if you, I probably had to read it two times to, you know, to really get it but so if you don't get it the first try, you can you know, come and talk to me if you'd like. But this is what I want to read. With the veil removed by the rending of Jesus's flesh, with nothing on god's side to prevent us from entering, why do we tarry without? Why do we consent to abide all our days just outside the holy of holies and never enter at all to look upon god? We hear the bridegroom say, let me see thy countenance.

33:12 The answer usually given simply that we are cold will not explain all the facts. There is something more serious than coldness of heart. Something that may be back be back of that coldness and maybe the cause of its existence. What is it? What but the presence of a veil in our hearts?

33:30 A veil not taken away as the first veil was but which remains in there still shedding out the light and hiding the face of god from us. It is a veil of our fleshly fallen nature living on, unjudged within us uncrucified and unrepudiated. It is the closed woven veil of the self life which we have never truly acknowledged of which we have been secretly ashamed and which for these reasons we have never brought to the judgment of the cross. It is not too mysterious this opaque veil nor is it hard to identify. We have but to look into our own hearts and we shall see it there sewn and patched and repaired it may be but they're nevertheless an enemy to our lives and an effective block to our spiritual progress.

34:16 And so, to be willing to to remove things from our lives that that we know need to be removed. And so, in closing, to just reiterate the words of Ananias here, he says, and now, why are you waiting? Why are you waiting? Let's pray. Heavenly father, lord, thank you for this time that we've had, father.

35:02 You desire us to hear you. Lord, you desire to to use us to be a witness for your name. Lord, you deserve all the glory. You are so good and and faithful and patient towards us. Lord, I just pray that we would seek to surrender ourselves to you.

35:22 We thank you for your word. In Jesus name, amen.