WEBVTT 00:00:01.319 --> 00:00:05.059 All right, well good well, hey, let's uh, let's 00:00:05.059 --> 00:00:06.860 grab our Bibles and let's turn to the book of 00:00:06.860 --> 00:00:11.179 Acts together We are in Acts chapter 23 this 00:00:11.179 --> 00:00:16.679 morning and Never want to take for granted what 00:00:16.679 --> 00:00:20.239 we get to do right now, which is to Study the 00:00:20.239 --> 00:00:23.879 Word of God together as a church family And we 00:00:23.879 --> 00:00:27.760 get to do this every week book by book chapter 00:00:27.760 --> 00:00:31.980 by chapter paragraph by paragraph, sentence by 00:00:31.980 --> 00:00:35.119 sentence, and there's always something in God's 00:00:35.119 --> 00:00:39.460 Word for us to learn. God has spoken to us through 00:00:39.460 --> 00:00:43.299 His Word, and we get to hear from Him this morning 00:00:43.299 --> 00:00:46.659 through the preaching of His Word, and working 00:00:46.659 --> 00:00:48.460 our way through the book of Acts, kind of feel 00:00:48.460 --> 00:00:52.310 like we've kind of... Hit the point where we're 00:00:52.310 --> 00:00:55.630 descending now a little bit down towards the 00:00:55.630 --> 00:00:58.090 end of the book And I don't want you to give 00:00:58.090 --> 00:01:00.570 up on the rest of the book here and wait till 00:01:00.570 --> 00:01:02.990 we get to the shipwreck at the end There are 00:01:02.990 --> 00:01:05.390 some fascinating things that happened to the 00:01:05.390 --> 00:01:09.810 Apostle Paul on his way to to Rome and I want 00:01:09.810 --> 00:01:12.650 to highlight those things for us and see what 00:01:12.650 --> 00:01:14.969 the Lord has for us and how he's going to speak 00:01:14.969 --> 00:01:18.209 to us into our hearts this morning, but Uh, we're 00:01:18.209 --> 00:01:22.030 gonna we're gonna look at chapter 23 And I want 00:01:22.030 --> 00:01:24.489 to read for us just verses 6 down to 11 just 00:01:24.489 --> 00:01:27.150 to get us into the text Um a little bit i'm gonna 00:01:27.150 --> 00:01:29.370 pray for us and then uh, let's see what the lord 00:01:29.370 --> 00:01:33.609 has uh in this chapter 23 verse 6 now when paul 00:01:33.609 --> 00:01:37.030 perceived At one part were Sadducees and the 00:01:37.030 --> 00:01:42.590 other Pharisees He cried out in the council Brothers, 00:01:42.590 --> 00:01:46.730 I am a Pharisee a son of a Pharisee It is with 00:01:46.730 --> 00:01:49.689 respect to the hope and the resurrection of the 00:01:49.689 --> 00:01:53.709 dead that I am on trial. When he had said this, 00:01:53.890 --> 00:01:55.769 the dissension arose between the Pharisees and 00:01:55.769 --> 00:01:58.930 the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 00:01:59.730 --> 00:02:03.189 For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, 00:02:03.450 --> 00:02:06.730 nor angel, nor spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge 00:02:06.730 --> 00:02:10.699 them all. Then a great clamor arose and some 00:02:10.699 --> 00:02:13.319 of the scribes and Pharisees' party stood up 00:02:13.319 --> 00:02:16.400 and contended sharply, We find nothing wrong 00:02:16.400 --> 00:02:20.400 in this man. What if a spirit or an angel spoke 00:02:20.400 --> 00:02:24.900 to him? When the dissension became violent, the 00:02:24.900 --> 00:02:28.860 tribune, afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces 00:02:28.860 --> 00:02:32.280 by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and 00:02:32.280 --> 00:02:34.819 to take him away from among them by force and 00:02:34.819 --> 00:02:39.689 bring him into the barracks. The following night 00:02:39.689 --> 00:02:48.310 the Lord stood by him and said take courage For 00:02:48.310 --> 00:02:50.870 as you have testified to the facts about me in 00:02:50.870 --> 00:02:57.669 Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome our 00:02:57.669 --> 00:03:03.250 Heavenly Father Right now we're sitting together 00:03:03.250 --> 00:03:07.460 with other believers in Christ with The Word 00:03:07.460 --> 00:03:11.599 of God just right there opened up on our laps 00:03:11.599 --> 00:03:16.599 What a privilege it is that we get to hear from 00:03:16.599 --> 00:03:20.379 the Almighty creator of the universe this morning 00:03:20.379 --> 00:03:26.840 and Every word that you have spoken is Profitable 00:03:26.840 --> 00:03:30.460 to us every story that's told in the Word of 00:03:30.460 --> 00:03:35.430 God is good for us every command that you Placed 00:03:35.430 --> 00:03:38.229 in front of us through your word is is helpful 00:03:38.229 --> 00:03:43.210 to us And this morning as we jump into Acts chapter 00:03:43.210 --> 00:03:47.569 23 to hear Again more of the life of Paul. Would 00:03:47.569 --> 00:03:52.129 you soften our hearts to receive the truth? Would 00:03:52.129 --> 00:03:55.870 you allow us to grow this morning to become more 00:03:55.870 --> 00:04:00.050 dependent upon you Would you help us this morning 00:04:00.050 --> 00:04:03.270 to cast our cares and our anxieties before you 00:04:04.240 --> 00:04:07.599 And would you just help us, Lord, to trust your 00:04:07.599 --> 00:04:13.599 sovereign plan for our lives? We pray these things 00:04:13.599 --> 00:04:18.839 in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, growing up, I was 00:04:18.839 --> 00:04:21.860 in a household when, in elementary school and 00:04:21.860 --> 00:04:23.939 junior high school and maybe even into high school, 00:04:24.259 --> 00:04:27.939 when you got sick on a school day, your parents 00:04:27.939 --> 00:04:31.879 would say to you, you're going to school. And 00:04:31.879 --> 00:04:35.100 I would go to school. even if I claimed to be 00:04:35.100 --> 00:04:38.800 sick or even if I really was sick and I would 00:04:38.800 --> 00:04:42.160 go to school if I was sick because my mom would 00:04:42.160 --> 00:04:44.500 not let me stay home and do nothing and so I 00:04:44.500 --> 00:04:46.579 would go and if I was actually sick then I would 00:04:46.579 --> 00:04:49.060 need to go to the nurse and take that giant leap 00:04:49.060 --> 00:04:51.420 to say I need to go see the nurse and then when 00:04:51.420 --> 00:04:53.639 I get to the nurse's office they would immediately 00:04:53.639 --> 00:04:56.459 send send me home if I was sick and on the rare 00:04:56.459 --> 00:05:00.019 days when I was home sick I would get to watch 00:05:00.019 --> 00:05:04.860 on TV at 10 o 'clock on Channel 47, KNBR in Fresno, 00:05:05.259 --> 00:05:07.519 The Price is Right. Because The Price is Right 00:05:07.519 --> 00:05:11.660 was the only thing that was on. You guys know 00:05:11.660 --> 00:05:13.800 this. You did the same thing I did. This is good. 00:05:14.079 --> 00:05:16.300 Chicken noodle soup. It was chicken noodle soup, 00:05:16.379 --> 00:05:19.149 me, and The Price is Right. When the Price is 00:05:19.149 --> 00:05:21.750 Right was over, this is going somewhere by the 00:05:21.750 --> 00:05:24.850 way, when the Price is Right is over, the next 00:05:24.850 --> 00:05:26.910 show would come on and the next show was Judge 00:05:26.910 --> 00:05:30.149 Wapner, The People's Court. And it was during 00:05:30.149 --> 00:05:32.389 that time where I would fall asleep and wake 00:05:32.389 --> 00:05:36.290 up and I would watch this ridiculous show called 00:05:36.290 --> 00:05:39.110 The People's Court with these people coming on 00:05:39.110 --> 00:05:41.790 trial for these... random things that they would 00:05:41.790 --> 00:05:44.990 do to their neighbor or whatnot and then it turned 00:05:44.990 --> 00:05:47.829 into Judge Judy after that which is maybe more 00:05:47.829 --> 00:05:50.350 of this younger generation knows what Judge Judy 00:05:50.350 --> 00:05:55.389 is and I just remember in my mind this this courtroom 00:05:55.389 --> 00:05:58.750 scene all the time of Judge Wapner Judge Judy 00:05:58.750 --> 00:06:02.129 putting these people on trial for something that 00:06:02.129 --> 00:06:04.790 they had done because somebody had committed 00:06:04.790 --> 00:06:07.769 some sort of crime or Allegedly there is a crime 00:06:07.769 --> 00:06:10.850 that was committed Well, in our text this morning, 00:06:11.269 --> 00:06:14.629 the apostle Paul has actually committed no crime 00:06:14.629 --> 00:06:18.110 at all. All he did was sail into Jerusalem and 00:06:18.110 --> 00:06:21.750 find a church. And immediately when he got there, 00:06:22.069 --> 00:06:24.670 having said almost nothing at all, the apostle 00:06:24.670 --> 00:06:30.029 Paul was already on trial. And here in chapter 00:06:30.029 --> 00:06:33.170 23, in our chapter this morning, he is on trial 00:06:33.170 --> 00:06:36.529 yet again, this time in front of the council, 00:06:36.689 --> 00:06:39.509 the Jewish council there, the Sanhedrin, which 00:06:39.509 --> 00:06:41.649 was the Pharisees and the Sadducees together. 00:06:43.349 --> 00:06:46.209 Later on in the chapter, he'll be sent in front 00:06:46.209 --> 00:06:49.310 of the governor of Felix or of Rome and yet in 00:06:49.310 --> 00:06:52.509 front of another trial. And then in chapter 24 00:06:52.509 --> 00:06:56.350 and chapter 25 and in chapter 26 yet we see Paul 00:06:56.350 --> 00:06:59.649 again on trial after trial after trial. There 00:06:59.649 --> 00:07:02.550 are, if you want to count, there are four different 00:07:02.550 --> 00:07:05.769 trial scenes that happen within the next three 00:07:05.769 --> 00:07:10.529 chapters of Acts. Just one trial after the next. 00:07:12.839 --> 00:07:17.379 And the thing is, it's not so much that the Apostle 00:07:17.379 --> 00:07:21.420 Paul is on trial. It's not so much that there 00:07:21.420 --> 00:07:25.319 is a man who has committed a crime that is on 00:07:25.319 --> 00:07:30.180 trial. Rather, it is the gospel of Jesus Christ 00:07:30.180 --> 00:07:36.879 and the truth that is on trial. It is the truth 00:07:36.879 --> 00:07:40.970 that Jesus Christ is... the Son of God and that 00:07:40.970 --> 00:07:43.810 He has risen from the grave. It is the truth 00:07:43.810 --> 00:07:47.290 that Jesus is the Messiah. That is what is on 00:07:47.290 --> 00:07:51.910 trial over the next three to four chapters. So 00:07:51.910 --> 00:07:54.930 how do you know that? Well, look at verse six 00:07:54.930 --> 00:07:59.449 of chapter 23. Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son 00:07:59.449 --> 00:08:02.589 of Pharisees. It is with respect to what? To 00:08:02.589 --> 00:08:05.209 the hope and the resurrection of the dead that 00:08:05.209 --> 00:08:08.970 I am on trial. It is because of the truth that 00:08:08.970 --> 00:08:13.069 I am on trial. Flip over to chapter 24 and verse 00:08:13.069 --> 00:08:21.750 21. He says this, other than this one thing that 00:08:21.750 --> 00:08:25.170 I cried out while standing among them, underline 00:08:25.170 --> 00:08:29.670 it, it is with respect to the resurrection of 00:08:29.670 --> 00:08:34.350 the dead that I am on trial before you this day. 00:08:35.600 --> 00:08:40.299 It is to the respect of the fact that Jesus Christ 00:08:40.299 --> 00:08:42.779 rose from the dead, and because Jesus Christ 00:08:42.779 --> 00:08:45.480 rose from the dead, all those who believe in 00:08:45.480 --> 00:08:50.019 Him will also rise from the dead and be given 00:08:50.019 --> 00:08:55.480 eternal life. Paul isn't on trial here. The gospel 00:08:55.480 --> 00:09:00.299 of Jesus Christ is on trial. The truth is on 00:09:00.299 --> 00:09:04.399 trial. And as I said last week, truth tellers 00:09:04.549 --> 00:09:10.389 are not wanted in a culture of liars." This was 00:09:10.389 --> 00:09:12.889 true when Jesus walked the earth and he spoke 00:09:12.889 --> 00:09:17.269 the truth. He was killed and murdered for speaking 00:09:17.269 --> 00:09:20.549 the truth, for even saying rightly that he is 00:09:20.549 --> 00:09:23.990 the truth. Peter and John were arrested for their 00:09:23.990 --> 00:09:27.190 faith, eventually killed for their faith. Stephen 00:09:27.190 --> 00:09:30.169 was the first martyr for speaking the truth. 00:09:31.370 --> 00:09:36.690 Philip, now Paul, Everyone who speaks the truth 00:09:36.690 --> 00:09:39.730 about Jesus Christ will come face to face with 00:09:39.730 --> 00:09:43.289 those who do not love and like the truth of the 00:09:43.289 --> 00:09:48.830 gospel of Jesus Christ You can follow this all 00:09:48.830 --> 00:09:50.850 throughout church history follow it all throughout 00:09:50.850 --> 00:09:53.450 the reformations the Scottish Reformation the 00:09:53.450 --> 00:09:57.009 English Reformation truth -tellers Were murdered 00:09:57.009 --> 00:09:59.870 missionaries even now in new territories as they 00:09:59.870 --> 00:10:02.210 go to new territories. They're not wanted there 00:10:04.610 --> 00:10:08.730 killed for their faith. Christianity is a message 00:10:08.730 --> 00:10:11.110 of hope. Christianity is a message of peace and 00:10:11.110 --> 00:10:14.509 forgiveness. Reconciliation with your creator 00:10:14.509 --> 00:10:17.590 yet is received all too much as a religion that 00:10:17.590 --> 00:10:21.149 divides, a religion that is unloving, a religion 00:10:21.149 --> 00:10:23.570 that doesn't let people do what they want to 00:10:23.570 --> 00:10:27.509 do and have autonomy over their own lives. And 00:10:27.509 --> 00:10:31.309 there is an attempt to silence this good gospel 00:10:31.309 --> 00:10:35.460 message. And that is nothing new. The gospel 00:10:35.460 --> 00:10:37.580 has been on trial and the gospel will always 00:10:37.580 --> 00:10:43.659 be on trial So here's Paul a Spokesman and an 00:10:43.659 --> 00:10:47.580 ambassador of Christ Doing what God had commissioned 00:10:47.580 --> 00:10:51.399 him to do to go and to speak the truth to the 00:10:51.399 --> 00:10:55.080 Jews first and then to the Gentiles he goes out 00:10:55.080 --> 00:10:57.279 he does that in these three missionary journeys 00:10:57.279 --> 00:11:01.299 and he comes back to Jerusalem and immediately 00:11:01.299 --> 00:11:07.759 A riot breaks out He is arrested for barely even 00:11:07.759 --> 00:11:10.019 speaking up. He has one time where he speaks 00:11:10.019 --> 00:11:13.059 up, and that was in chapter 22, where he simply 00:11:13.059 --> 00:11:16.500 shares what Christ has done in his life, a testimony 00:11:16.500 --> 00:11:19.460 of the gospel of Jesus Christ in his life, and 00:11:19.460 --> 00:11:23.279 he is arrested. Now, I don't want to spoil what 00:11:23.279 --> 00:11:27.720 happens, but I'm almost certain most of you already 00:11:27.720 --> 00:11:30.080 know what happens to the Apostle Paul in the 00:11:30.080 --> 00:11:32.870 next few The next few chapters here, but let 00:11:32.870 --> 00:11:35.190 me just give you the conclusion of these trials. 00:11:35.269 --> 00:11:37.269 Okay, there's four trials Let me just let me 00:11:37.269 --> 00:11:39.009 just kind of jump ahead and we'll work our way 00:11:39.009 --> 00:11:41.909 back here His first trial is in front of the 00:11:41.909 --> 00:11:45.350 sanhedrin and they're divided over it Right. 00:11:45.389 --> 00:11:47.649 We read about that. We'll look at it again. They're 00:11:47.649 --> 00:11:49.309 they're divided and they don't know what to do 00:11:49.309 --> 00:11:51.750 with him So they actually don't come to a verdict 00:11:51.750 --> 00:11:54.929 He goes before governor felix and he just takes 00:11:54.929 --> 00:11:57.919 a pass on it Gosh, I don't know what to do. So 00:11:57.919 --> 00:11:59.700 here's what we'll do We'll just put you in prison 00:11:59.700 --> 00:12:02.320 for two years And then then I'll run out of time 00:12:02.320 --> 00:12:04.039 here and somebody else will come in charge and 00:12:04.039 --> 00:12:06.779 and they'll figure out what to do with you Well, 00:12:06.779 --> 00:12:08.840 then after that he goes into governor Festus 00:12:08.840 --> 00:12:13.220 and and he simply says and in 26 24 that the 00:12:13.220 --> 00:12:16.159 Apostle Paul Here and he is out of his mind and 00:12:16.159 --> 00:12:18.159 the Apostle Paul's like I'm not out of my mind 00:12:18.159 --> 00:12:20.500 for this He doesn't know what to do with them 00:12:20.500 --> 00:12:25.320 So he leaves them in prison Then he gets to King 00:12:25.320 --> 00:12:27.600 Agrippa and King Agrippa comes to the end and 00:12:27.600 --> 00:12:30.019 says hey if you were in front of Caesar himself 00:12:30.019 --> 00:12:35.139 Well, he would let you go No, nobody actually 00:12:35.139 --> 00:12:37.279 comes to a conclusion on what to do with the 00:12:37.279 --> 00:12:40.120 Apostle Paul because he's done nothing wrong 00:12:40.120 --> 00:12:43.620 his message is that of hope and forgiveness and 00:12:43.620 --> 00:12:47.460 grace and Reconciliation and when he goes on 00:12:47.460 --> 00:12:50.039 trial people don't even know what to do with 00:12:50.039 --> 00:12:54.019 him Now remember this and I just alluded to this 00:12:54.019 --> 00:12:56.899 the Apostle Paul his heart has always been set 00:12:56.899 --> 00:13:01.960 on what city? Jerusalem Right even on his missionary 00:13:01.960 --> 00:13:05.299 journeys. He couldn't wait to get back to Jerusalem 00:13:05.299 --> 00:13:09.179 He'd go out and he'd he'd go all the way stretch 00:13:09.179 --> 00:13:12.340 all the way into Europe planting churches and 00:13:12.340 --> 00:13:14.960 strengthening churches, but in his heart he wanted 00:13:14.960 --> 00:13:21.039 to get back to Jerusalem and finally He makes 00:13:21.039 --> 00:13:23.179 his way back, even though people had said to 00:13:23.179 --> 00:13:25.320 him, hey, maybe you shouldn't go back to Jerusalem. 00:13:25.320 --> 00:13:28.000 He's like, no, in my heart, I know this is where 00:13:28.000 --> 00:13:30.960 I need to be. I need to be in Jerusalem. His 00:13:30.960 --> 00:13:34.519 heart is set to Jerusalem. He wants to be a witness 00:13:34.519 --> 00:13:37.500 for Jerusalem. So he shows up in Jerusalem after 00:13:37.500 --> 00:13:40.440 his his third missionary journey. He goes straight 00:13:40.440 --> 00:13:42.960 to the church and and there is James, the head 00:13:42.960 --> 00:13:45.519 of the elders. He's with the elders in the church 00:13:45.519 --> 00:13:47.500 and they come to him and say, hey, hey, Paul, 00:13:47.519 --> 00:13:52.340 I'm glad you're here. But. There's some people 00:13:52.340 --> 00:13:56.000 here some Jews here who have heard that you're 00:13:56.000 --> 00:13:59.259 not too fond of Judaism You're not too fond of 00:13:59.259 --> 00:14:02.100 the law anymore. In fact, you're teaching against 00:14:02.100 --> 00:14:04.460 the law. You're teaching against our festivals 00:14:04.460 --> 00:14:06.940 You're you're teaching against our feast. You're 00:14:06.940 --> 00:14:09.100 you're doing all these this teaching that is 00:14:09.100 --> 00:14:15.120 that that feels as though it's anti Judaism and 00:14:15.120 --> 00:14:17.279 It's true. The Apostle Paul did preach against 00:14:17.279 --> 00:14:21.220 the law In the sense that the law cannot save 00:14:21.220 --> 00:14:24.799 you Obedience to the law adherence to the law 00:14:24.799 --> 00:14:28.120 cannot save you, but he was not anti obedience 00:14:28.120 --> 00:14:31.539 to the law He was just anti obedience to the 00:14:31.539 --> 00:14:33.700 law if you think that's gonna save you and that's 00:14:33.700 --> 00:14:37.440 called legalism and so the Apostle Paul was anti 00:14:37.440 --> 00:14:40.820 these things but but The problem was is that 00:14:40.820 --> 00:14:43.279 there was such an uprising in Jerusalem of these 00:14:43.279 --> 00:14:45.820 Jews who had heard these these rumors and these 00:14:45.820 --> 00:14:48.519 stories about the Apostle Paul that seemed as 00:14:48.519 --> 00:14:51.159 though he was anti all of these things that they 00:14:51.159 --> 00:14:53.899 became against Paul without even confronting 00:14:53.899 --> 00:14:59.049 or asking him. So the Apostle Paul, the elder 00:14:59.049 --> 00:15:01.429 said, hey guys, why don't you take these four 00:15:01.429 --> 00:15:04.049 guys and put them underneath the Nazarite vial? 00:15:04.090 --> 00:15:06.049 Why don't you go ahead and pay for it for them 00:15:06.049 --> 00:15:08.950 and show the people that, hey, I'm not anti, 00:15:08.970 --> 00:15:11.909 you're not anti us. So Paul goes ahead and he 00:15:11.909 --> 00:15:13.590 does that thinking, hey, this will appease the 00:15:13.590 --> 00:15:15.570 crowd. Well, it doesn't appease the crowd. In 00:15:15.570 --> 00:15:18.330 fact, the opposite happens. They get even more 00:15:18.330 --> 00:15:20.990 upset and more upset. And because of that, there's 00:15:20.990 --> 00:15:23.929 this massive riot that happens in Jerusalem. 00:15:25.530 --> 00:15:28.690 All these people were stirred up against them 00:15:28.690 --> 00:15:32.070 and they want Paul thrown out of the city. No, 00:15:32.409 --> 00:15:38.669 they want Paul killed. Let's just kill him. Sounds 00:15:38.669 --> 00:15:41.590 a lot like another man who made his way into 00:15:41.590 --> 00:15:45.450 Jerusalem having done nothing wrong. Like another 00:15:45.450 --> 00:15:50.850 man that was once cared for and then they turned 00:15:50.850 --> 00:15:55.240 on him. Sounds a lot like the story of Jesus 00:15:55.240 --> 00:15:57.500 when he went in Jerusalem. Here's Paul with his 00:15:57.500 --> 00:16:00.440 heart set on Jerusalem. He gets there and it 00:16:00.440 --> 00:16:03.019 didn't take long and Acts chapter 21 and verse 00:16:03.019 --> 00:16:07.620 31 says that they were seeking to kill him. They're 00:16:07.620 --> 00:16:11.340 seeking to kill him. He's arrested and Paul says, 00:16:11.480 --> 00:16:13.539 can I have one word? He gives him a word. He 00:16:13.539 --> 00:16:15.440 tells him his testimony. He shares about that 00:16:15.440 --> 00:16:19.149 moment when he was with Christ. The light shone 00:16:19.149 --> 00:16:22.110 on him. He came to know Christ and in that moment 00:16:22.110 --> 00:16:25.129 he turned from being the great persecutor of 00:16:25.129 --> 00:16:27.190 the church, the one who would proclaim Christianity 00:16:27.190 --> 00:16:30.830 and be the greatest church planter and missionary 00:16:30.830 --> 00:16:34.669 of all time. You talk about that. He comes to 00:16:34.669 --> 00:16:37.750 the end of it. He says, hey, I'm a Roman citizen, 00:16:37.750 --> 00:16:39.129 by the way. And they're like, really? You're 00:16:39.129 --> 00:16:41.629 a Roman citizen? Are you sure? He's like, yes, 00:16:41.629 --> 00:16:43.909 I'm a Roman citizen. So they couldn't beat him 00:16:43.909 --> 00:16:46.029 for that. They couldn't scorch him for that. 00:16:46.139 --> 00:16:49.220 because he needed a fair trial. He comes to the 00:16:49.220 --> 00:16:51.120 end of that. Now you can look at chapter 22 and 00:16:51.120 --> 00:16:55.600 verse 29. They take him. They are about to examine 00:16:55.600 --> 00:16:57.919 him. They withdrew from him immediately. And 00:16:57.919 --> 00:17:01.019 the tribune also was afraid. They were afraid 00:17:01.019 --> 00:17:03.039 because he was a Roman citizen. They realized 00:17:03.039 --> 00:17:05.500 that Paul was a Roman citizen and that they had 00:17:05.500 --> 00:17:12.390 bound him. Verse 30, but on the next day. desiring 00:17:12.390 --> 00:17:14.750 to know the real reason why he is being accused 00:17:14.750 --> 00:17:17.349 by the Jews, right? Everybody's like, what did 00:17:17.349 --> 00:17:21.630 this man do? He unbound him and commanded the 00:17:21.630 --> 00:17:23.849 chief priests and the council to meet, and he 00:17:23.849 --> 00:17:29.430 brought Paul down and set them before him. So 00:17:29.430 --> 00:17:31.769 who is this council? What is this Jewish council? 00:17:31.829 --> 00:17:33.990 Let me just kind of open this up to you guys 00:17:33.990 --> 00:17:38.460 to see this, about what this council is. This 00:17:38.460 --> 00:17:41.240 Jewish council here is a group of people that 00:17:41.240 --> 00:17:43.819 come together that is filled with the Sadducees 00:17:43.819 --> 00:17:46.819 and the Pharisees and the High Priest and the 00:17:46.819 --> 00:17:50.740 High Priest at this time was Ananias. The Sadducees 00:17:50.740 --> 00:17:56.180 are the party of the rich. They're the high priestly 00:17:56.180 --> 00:17:58.720 families. They're the ones that were in charge 00:17:58.720 --> 00:18:03.279 of the temple and its services. They were the 00:18:03.279 --> 00:18:06.000 ones who were opposed to the oral law. They accepted 00:18:06.000 --> 00:18:07.799 the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old 00:18:07.799 --> 00:18:11.559 Testament, as the ultimate authority. The Sadducees 00:18:11.559 --> 00:18:14.480 were materialistic in their outlook. They did 00:18:14.480 --> 00:18:17.039 not believe in life after death or any reward 00:18:17.039 --> 00:18:20.740 or punishment beyond this life. They denied the 00:18:20.740 --> 00:18:25.460 existence of angels and demons. They did not 00:18:25.460 --> 00:18:29.319 believe that God was concerned with what people 00:18:29.319 --> 00:18:35.470 did. rather people were totally free. Okay, that's 00:18:35.470 --> 00:18:38.069 the Sadducees and there was a group of those 00:18:38.069 --> 00:18:41.849 Sadducees that were part of this council. There's 00:18:41.849 --> 00:18:43.970 also in that the Pharisees. Now the Pharisees 00:18:43.970 --> 00:18:47.170 constituted the most important group and the 00:18:47.170 --> 00:18:51.210 largest group in Judea. They appeared in the 00:18:51.210 --> 00:18:53.569 Gospels as the opponents of Jesus, right? And 00:18:53.569 --> 00:18:57.089 it's true. Paul claimed that he was a Pharisee 00:18:57.089 --> 00:18:59.619 before coming a Christian. They were the most 00:18:59.619 --> 00:19:01.579 numerous of the group, although Josephus stated 00:19:01.579 --> 00:19:05.660 that they were numbered only about 6 ,000. They 00:19:05.660 --> 00:19:09.059 controlled the synagogues. They exercised authority 00:19:09.059 --> 00:19:11.720 over the general population. They were developers 00:19:11.720 --> 00:19:15.480 of the oral tradition, teachers of the two -fold 00:19:15.480 --> 00:19:19.309 law written and oral. They saw the way of God 00:19:19.309 --> 00:19:21.730 as being through obedience to the law, right? 00:19:21.789 --> 00:19:23.789 That's what a Pharisee is. They obey and obey 00:19:23.789 --> 00:19:26.869 and obey and obey in hopes to gain righteousness 00:19:26.869 --> 00:19:29.329 before God. They were progressives of the day, 00:19:29.529 --> 00:19:33.069 willing to adopt new ideas and to adopt the law 00:19:33.069 --> 00:19:38.710 to new situations. Strongly monotheistic, they 00:19:38.710 --> 00:19:41.069 accepted all the Old Testament as authoritative, 00:19:41.230 --> 00:19:45.789 and they affirmed They affirmed the reality of 00:19:45.789 --> 00:19:51.029 angels and demons And they even affirmed life 00:19:51.029 --> 00:19:55.390 beyond the grave and a resurrection of the body 00:19:55.390 --> 00:19:59.769 Then in this group you have someone that's in 00:19:59.769 --> 00:20:01.849 charge of all of this and that would be the high 00:20:01.849 --> 00:20:06.730 priest Ananias the supreme religious leader in 00:20:06.730 --> 00:20:12.410 Jerusalem's temple He served primarily as a mediator 00:20:12.410 --> 00:20:16.630 between God and Israel, holds significant political 00:20:16.630 --> 00:20:21.410 power in the Sanhedrin. This is not the Ananias, 00:20:21.410 --> 00:20:23.930 if you're wondering, of that in the Gospels. 00:20:23.970 --> 00:20:25.670 If your mind went to, is this the same guy? It's 00:20:25.670 --> 00:20:30.349 not the same guy. Different guy. He is notorious 00:20:30.349 --> 00:20:33.890 as being one of the most wicked men of his day. 00:20:35.089 --> 00:20:39.069 He was a crook. He had enemies who would be assassinated 00:20:39.069 --> 00:20:41.609 at the drop of a hat. That's who this priest 00:20:41.609 --> 00:20:46.869 is and Paul goes in front of this group Okay, 00:20:46.950 --> 00:20:51.549 verse 23 or sorry chapter 23 verse 1 looking 00:20:51.549 --> 00:20:54.970 intently at the council Paul said brothers I 00:20:54.970 --> 00:20:58.390 have lived my life before God in all good conscience 00:20:58.390 --> 00:21:02.130 up to this day and the high priest Ananias commanded 00:21:02.130 --> 00:21:05.930 those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth 00:21:07.600 --> 00:21:10.180 Then Paul said to him God is going to strike 00:21:10.180 --> 00:21:15.259 you you whitewashed wall Are you sitting to judge 00:21:15.259 --> 00:21:17.660 me according to the law and yet contrary to the 00:21:17.660 --> 00:21:22.299 law you order me to be struck And those who stood 00:21:22.299 --> 00:21:27.079 by said would you revile God's high priest? And 00:21:27.079 --> 00:21:29.779 Paul said I did not know brothers that he was 00:21:29.779 --> 00:21:32.940 the high priest for it is written You shall not 00:21:32.940 --> 00:21:38.240 speak of a ruler of your people I mean Paul comes 00:21:38.240 --> 00:21:40.640 out he just says hey guys, I've got a clean conscience 00:21:40.640 --> 00:21:44.039 here Now that doesn't mean that that the Apostle 00:21:44.039 --> 00:21:46.779 Paul believes that everything that he ever did 00:21:46.779 --> 00:21:49.640 in his whole life was good and moral and right 00:21:49.640 --> 00:21:53.039 No, he's just saying hey in regards to this situation 00:21:53.039 --> 00:21:57.759 My conscience is clean In regard to what you 00:21:57.759 --> 00:22:00.900 you're putting me on the stand for my heart is 00:22:00.900 --> 00:22:03.759 settled. My heart is clean I I have done nothing 00:22:03.759 --> 00:22:09.509 wrong. It is it is steady in the matter And in 00:22:09.509 --> 00:22:12.230 that moment, Ananias, the high priest, he commands 00:22:12.230 --> 00:22:14.529 somebody that's sitting around him to go strike 00:22:14.529 --> 00:22:19.210 Paul in the mouth. Now, I don't know what kind 00:22:19.210 --> 00:22:22.589 of response you would have in a moment like that. 00:22:22.750 --> 00:22:24.829 Maybe you're like, OK, maybe I shouldn't say 00:22:24.829 --> 00:22:27.730 I have a good conscience. Maybe that offended 00:22:27.730 --> 00:22:31.329 somebody. But the apostle Paul wasn't known to 00:22:31.329 --> 00:22:35.650 back down. And he turns, after getting struck 00:22:35.650 --> 00:22:40.019 in the mouth, he says back to them God is going 00:22:40.019 --> 00:22:45.259 to strike you you whitewashed wall basically 00:22:45.259 --> 00:22:48.619 saying hey you may look good on the outside and 00:22:48.619 --> 00:22:51.119 you may look clean on the outside but on the 00:22:51.119 --> 00:22:59.460 inside you are dead you smell like death The 00:22:59.460 --> 00:23:01.319 same thing that Jesus said to the Pharisees in 00:23:01.319 --> 00:23:05.539 Matthew 23 27 pointing even out to the the tombs 00:23:05.539 --> 00:23:08.039 outside of Jerusalem that were that were beautiful 00:23:08.039 --> 00:23:10.940 and whitewashed but filled with death and decay 00:23:10.940 --> 00:23:16.980 on the inside You're gonna judge me according 00:23:16.980 --> 00:23:19.220 to the law yet contrary to the law you you have 00:23:19.220 --> 00:23:24.579 me struck me Paul is a smart man But those who 00:23:24.579 --> 00:23:26.940 stood by said will you revile God's high priest 00:23:26.940 --> 00:23:30.059 basically saying this hey That's the high priest. 00:23:31.839 --> 00:23:33.920 Paul said, I did not know brothers that this 00:23:33.920 --> 00:23:36.680 was the high priest. I don't know if Paul was 00:23:36.680 --> 00:23:39.700 speaking sarcastically there or it was a case 00:23:39.700 --> 00:23:41.519 where they got everybody together and it was 00:23:41.519 --> 00:23:43.680 so quickly that they grabbed everybody together 00:23:43.680 --> 00:23:46.279 that the high priest wasn't in his normal garb, 00:23:46.380 --> 00:23:48.079 his normal array that he would normally wear 00:23:48.079 --> 00:23:50.579 there. Maybe it was the bad eyesight of Paul 00:23:50.579 --> 00:23:52.180 where he was looking around. He didn't know that 00:23:52.180 --> 00:23:54.720 the high priest was even present. We don't know 00:23:54.720 --> 00:23:58.400 the case of what it is that Paul would say that, 00:23:58.480 --> 00:24:02.500 but we do know this, that the Apostle Paul was 00:24:02.500 --> 00:24:05.789 quick To repent when he was told that he was 00:24:05.789 --> 00:24:10.250 wrong Guys, you're right Hey, I want to I don't 00:24:10.250 --> 00:24:12.150 want to I don't want to tell you you have to 00:24:12.150 --> 00:24:15.009 obey the law when I myself just broke the law 00:24:15.009 --> 00:24:18.930 I don't want to say hey, you're the ones that 00:24:18.930 --> 00:24:20.529 you just said you just struck me when you're 00:24:20.529 --> 00:24:22.450 not allowed to do that yet Yeah, I just called 00:24:22.450 --> 00:24:24.170 out the high priest when i'm not allowed to do 00:24:24.170 --> 00:24:31.269 that He admits that he's wrong instantly repents 00:24:33.540 --> 00:24:35.920 And even in this there's a there's a principle 00:24:35.920 --> 00:24:37.839 here and it says that you shall not speak evil 00:24:37.839 --> 00:24:45.259 of a ruler of your people They weren't allowed 00:24:45.259 --> 00:24:49.680 to speak disrespectfully of the rulers even if 00:24:49.680 --> 00:24:54.299 they didn't agree with them That's convicting 00:24:58.539 --> 00:25:01.819 God put that ruler into a position of authority 00:25:01.819 --> 00:25:04.980 into a position of authority over you God put 00:25:04.980 --> 00:25:09.220 them in that position and Whether we agree with 00:25:09.220 --> 00:25:17.140 them or not We have no place to be disrespectful 00:25:17.140 --> 00:25:21.359 Goes on he says now when Paul perceived that 00:25:21.359 --> 00:25:23.900 one part were Sadducees and the others were Pharisees. 00:25:23.900 --> 00:25:28.369 It's all coming together now in this This council 00:25:28.369 --> 00:25:30.769 that he's in front of he says brothers I am a 00:25:30.769 --> 00:25:32.670 Pharisee a son of Pharisees It is with respect 00:25:32.670 --> 00:25:34.650 to the hope of the resurrection of the dead that 00:25:34.650 --> 00:25:36.609 I am on trial Paul gets to the heart of the matter 00:25:36.609 --> 00:25:38.529 I'm here you want to know the truth about why 00:25:38.529 --> 00:25:40.549 I'm here you want to understand why I'm here 00:25:40.549 --> 00:25:41.930 why I'm standing in front of you I'll tell you 00:25:41.930 --> 00:25:44.890 why it is because of the gospel of Jesus Christ 00:25:44.890 --> 00:25:49.430 That's why I'm here I'm here to tell you that 00:25:49.430 --> 00:25:52.809 the hope of Israel is found in the resurrection 00:25:52.809 --> 00:25:59.740 of Jesus Christ Paul knew this everything in 00:25:59.740 --> 00:26:03.339 Christianity hinges upon the resurrection if 00:26:03.339 --> 00:26:06.819 there is no resurrection of the dead Then we 00:26:06.819 --> 00:26:09.680 as Christians are to be the most pitied people 00:26:09.680 --> 00:26:15.400 on the face of the earth And if you deny the 00:26:15.400 --> 00:26:19.019 resurrection of Jesus you deny Christ and you 00:26:19.019 --> 00:26:24.000 deny eternal life with him and There's great 00:26:24.000 --> 00:26:28.900 hope in the resurrection This is why I'm here 00:26:28.900 --> 00:26:33.200 Well in saying that It's caused a great dispute 00:26:33.200 --> 00:26:36.440 and ascension that happened verse 7 He said these 00:26:36.440 --> 00:26:38.440 things and ascension arose between the Pharisees 00:26:38.440 --> 00:26:40.579 and the Sadducees Why I just right we just talked 00:26:40.579 --> 00:26:42.980 about this one believes that there is a resurrection 00:26:42.980 --> 00:26:45.819 of the dead and one doesn't believe that I See 00:26:45.819 --> 00:26:52.420 you have these two parties now Split up divided 00:26:52.640 --> 00:26:55.400 Verse 8, for the Sadducees say, what? There is 00:26:55.400 --> 00:26:57.660 no resurrection. There's not even angels or spirits. 00:26:58.140 --> 00:27:00.099 The Pharisees acknowledged them all, then a great 00:27:00.099 --> 00:27:03.039 clamor arose. Some of the scribes and the Pharisees 00:27:03.039 --> 00:27:05.720 of the party stood up and contended sharply. 00:27:06.019 --> 00:27:08.720 We find nothing wrong in this man. Does that 00:27:08.720 --> 00:27:13.279 sound familiar? We find nothing wrong in this 00:27:13.279 --> 00:27:17.019 man. What if a spirit or an angel spoke to him? 00:27:17.779 --> 00:27:21.400 And when the dissension became violent, the Tribune 00:27:21.660 --> 00:27:25.619 afraid of Paul. They're afraid that that Paul 00:27:25.619 --> 00:27:28.640 would be torn into pieces by them. I mean they 00:27:28.640 --> 00:27:32.059 are hot mad right now. I want to rip his head 00:27:32.059 --> 00:27:37.759 off. I want this man dead. Get away with him. 00:27:39.440 --> 00:27:41.460 Because of that what commanded the soldiers to 00:27:41.460 --> 00:27:44.400 go down and take him away from among them by 00:27:44.400 --> 00:27:50.680 force and bring him into the barracks. This group 00:27:50.680 --> 00:27:54.519 of people that were united around finding fault 00:27:54.519 --> 00:27:58.519 in the Apostle Paul were now divided sharply 00:27:58.519 --> 00:28:04.559 and they didn't know what to do But in this moment 00:28:04.559 --> 00:28:07.619 We think about the Apostle Paul and I want to 00:28:07.619 --> 00:28:10.400 think about the Apostle Paul in this moment here 00:28:10.400 --> 00:28:16.579 and point out some things this was not a Moment 00:28:16.579 --> 00:28:20.900 that the Apostle Paul was hoping for Remember 00:28:20.900 --> 00:28:23.539 the Apostle Paul came to Jerusalem to do what? 00:28:24.759 --> 00:28:28.279 To evangelize the lost to share the gospel of 00:28:28.279 --> 00:28:32.900 Jesus Christ The Apostle Paul came here in hopes 00:28:32.900 --> 00:28:36.640 that he would be a spokesman for Jesus Christ 00:28:36.640 --> 00:28:40.920 among the people Barely even had opportunity 00:28:40.920 --> 00:28:45.460 had one speech that he was able to give and now 00:28:45.460 --> 00:28:49.900 the opposite has happened The whole town is split 00:28:49.900 --> 00:28:56.059 up. The whole city is upset at him. All the hopes 00:28:56.059 --> 00:28:58.880 and all the dreams that the Apostle Paul had 00:28:58.880 --> 00:29:02.720 to be a light in a city that he loved, in a city 00:29:02.720 --> 00:29:06.619 that he desired to be in, all of that came crumbling 00:29:06.619 --> 00:29:10.480 down because he claimed the truth of Jesus Christ. 00:29:13.949 --> 00:29:17.750 All his hopes to help Israel all his his desires 00:29:17.750 --> 00:29:21.549 to share the gospel to these people Now now all 00:29:21.549 --> 00:29:30.210 of it was lost Have you ever had that moment 00:29:30.210 --> 00:29:36.609 in your life Where things didn't go as you expected 00:29:36.609 --> 00:29:40.789 them to go You ever had that moment in your life 00:29:40.789 --> 00:29:45.900 where those hopes and dreams That you had We're 00:29:45.900 --> 00:29:48.559 gonna go do this together and I I'm gonna go 00:29:48.559 --> 00:29:50.980 and I'm gonna do do this thing and I and we're 00:29:50.980 --> 00:29:53.099 gonna we're gonna we're gonna go and we're gonna 00:29:53.099 --> 00:29:55.759 we're gonna get that dream job and I'm gonna 00:29:55.759 --> 00:29:57.980 go for that dream job and that dream job is just 00:29:58.059 --> 00:30:00.039 Just ripped out from underneath here i'm gonna 00:30:00.039 --> 00:30:02.180 i'm gonna go my life is gonna look like this 00:30:02.180 --> 00:30:04.299 i'm gonna i'm gonna go to my favorite college 00:30:04.299 --> 00:30:06.240 and i'm gonna go i'm gonna go marry this person 00:30:06.240 --> 00:30:07.619 we're gonna have children and we're gonna have 00:30:07.619 --> 00:30:09.799 vacations and we're gonna we're gonna do all 00:30:09.799 --> 00:30:11.240 these things you're gonna live in this house 00:30:11.240 --> 00:30:14.259 in this city and and and all of a sudden It's 00:30:14.259 --> 00:30:23.599 not being fulfilled You've ever been there Where 00:30:23.599 --> 00:30:26.059 what you had hoped and dreamed for isn't becoming 00:30:26.059 --> 00:30:34.980 a reality in your life You're so excited So ready 00:30:34.980 --> 00:30:38.339 for for all these hopes and dreams that be realized 00:30:38.339 --> 00:30:43.259 in your life and then just like that You come 00:30:43.259 --> 00:30:51.740 to the realization that's not gonna happen Your 00:30:51.740 --> 00:30:59.599 dreams are crushed Or maybe it is You had been 00:30:59.599 --> 00:31:01.640 praying and praying and praying for years and 00:31:01.640 --> 00:31:03.380 years and years for an opportunity to share the 00:31:03.380 --> 00:31:06.500 gospel with someone And that moment arrives and 00:31:06.500 --> 00:31:07.839 you're like, okay, this is it. I'm gonna share 00:31:07.839 --> 00:31:10.480 the gospel is it I've got I'm juiced up with 00:31:10.480 --> 00:31:12.460 the courage and the knowledge and I'm gonna go 00:31:12.460 --> 00:31:14.380 before him and it and we're gonna have this gospel 00:31:14.380 --> 00:31:16.940 conversation and and you go in to have that gospel 00:31:16.940 --> 00:31:20.519 conversation and And you say something you wish 00:31:20.519 --> 00:31:24.819 you had never said in the conversation And you 00:31:24.819 --> 00:31:28.519 walk away from you go I am the biggest loser 00:31:29.200 --> 00:31:33.220 missionary there ever was. I had my opportunity 00:31:33.220 --> 00:31:36.660 and I lost it. I had my opportunity. I went ahead 00:31:36.660 --> 00:31:38.400 and said that thing I should have never said 00:31:38.400 --> 00:31:40.640 in the conversation at all. Have you ever been 00:31:40.640 --> 00:31:44.240 there? That high expectation and then it's just 00:31:44.240 --> 00:31:53.460 gone. Left you discouraged. Because life didn't 00:31:53.460 --> 00:32:00.180 go as you planned it out to go. I think we've 00:32:00.180 --> 00:32:06.279 all been there, overwhelmed by broken dreams, 00:32:07.799 --> 00:32:13.480 hopes, missed expectation. Well, this is where 00:32:13.480 --> 00:32:17.279 Paul was. Kent Hughes helps us with this. He 00:32:17.279 --> 00:32:19.400 says this, he says, this is one of the darkest 00:32:19.400 --> 00:32:22.819 nights of Paul's life. For years, he had hoped 00:32:22.819 --> 00:32:25.779 to give fruitful witness to Jerusalem. But when 00:32:25.779 --> 00:32:28.039 he arrived, he found a compromising church full 00:32:28.039 --> 00:32:30.779 of legalistic believers who held him suspect 00:32:30.779 --> 00:32:33.940 because of his contact with Gentiles. Now his 00:32:33.940 --> 00:32:37.119 hopes of convincing the leadership of his people 00:32:37.119 --> 00:32:40.920 had gone up in smoke as well. His dreams of effective 00:32:40.920 --> 00:32:43.519 testimony to the Jews lay in ashes at his feet, 00:32:43.680 --> 00:32:46.140 and his vision for successful witness in Rome 00:32:46.140 --> 00:32:49.720 began to fade too. Paul's heart ached. He was 00:32:49.720 --> 00:32:52.900 physically, emotionally, and spiritually tired. 00:32:56.830 --> 00:32:59.730 Ray Steadman says this he says out of friendship 00:32:59.730 --> 00:33:04.029 for Paul I Think Luke hides some of the painful 00:33:04.029 --> 00:33:09.970 details from us here Leaving them to our imaginations 00:33:09.970 --> 00:33:13.009 But you can imagine how Paul must have felt he 00:33:13.009 --> 00:33:15.690 had his chance and he blew it now He sits in 00:33:15.690 --> 00:33:19.650 a cell utterly humiliated dejected defeated deflated 00:33:19.650 --> 00:33:22.529 disenchanted all his dreams of testimony to the 00:33:22.529 --> 00:33:26.190 Jews are in ashes around his feet His hopes that 00:33:26.190 --> 00:33:28.210 that this were the time when the nation would 00:33:28.210 --> 00:33:31.769 turn back to God at last and recognize its Messiah 00:33:31.769 --> 00:33:34.970 Would enter that golden era of peace and prosperity 00:33:34.970 --> 00:33:37.609 when all of God's desires and plans for this 00:33:37.609 --> 00:33:41.009 amazing people would be Fulfilled as set forth 00:33:41.009 --> 00:33:45.529 by the prophets Are all dashed to the ground 00:33:45.529 --> 00:33:52.089 Paul is simply utterly discouraged Ready Now 00:33:52.089 --> 00:33:56.539 that is always God's hour God waits for a man 00:33:56.539 --> 00:34:01.519 to arrive at that place. This is the way He heals 00:34:01.519 --> 00:34:05.460 us. When we move forward in the self -sufficiency 00:34:05.460 --> 00:34:09.019 of the flesh, He always brings us to this place. 00:34:09.500 --> 00:34:13.159 He lets it all run its course until, broken and 00:34:13.159 --> 00:34:16.300 defeated and deflated and discouraged and dejected, 00:34:16.360 --> 00:34:20.920 we sit utterly bankrupt of any resource in ourselves. 00:34:21.260 --> 00:34:26.059 That is God's hour. When you don't have any resources 00:34:26.059 --> 00:34:30.559 left Do not have anything to count on when you 00:34:30.559 --> 00:34:33.300 have to when you have to come to the end of yourself 00:34:33.300 --> 00:34:35.920 You have spent it all you don't know what else 00:34:35.920 --> 00:34:39.699 to do. You say I can't make it I've tried I've 00:34:39.699 --> 00:34:42.920 done everything I know how I just can't make 00:34:42.920 --> 00:34:45.940 it and saying that the Lord is standing standing 00:34:45.940 --> 00:34:49.960 there saying great That's just where I wanted 00:34:49.960 --> 00:34:53.670 you to come Just what I've been waiting for, 00:34:53.889 --> 00:35:03.030 now it's my time. That is what's happened here. 00:35:04.690 --> 00:35:08.469 The Apostle Paul comes to his end. He's tried 00:35:08.469 --> 00:35:12.949 everything. His conscience is clean, remember? 00:35:13.250 --> 00:35:17.030 He's got all good conscience up to this day. 00:35:21.059 --> 00:35:25.420 But now he's in prison Not knowing how long he'll 00:35:25.420 --> 00:35:29.199 be there Let me give to you now through the rest 00:35:29.199 --> 00:35:31.320 of this chapter. I just want to give you four 00:35:31.320 --> 00:35:35.480 four things that the Lord does in the midst of 00:35:35.480 --> 00:35:39.239 broken hopes and dreams or in the midst of discouragement 00:35:39.239 --> 00:35:42.420 Let me show you what God does in the rest of 00:35:42.420 --> 00:35:48.219 this chapter Okay, watch with me how the Lord 00:35:48.219 --> 00:35:54.679 works here's Paul He's in the barracks. Verse 00:35:54.679 --> 00:36:01.400 11. The following night, the Lord stood by him. 00:36:03.039 --> 00:36:06.599 Number one, the Lord showed up. The Lord showed 00:36:06.599 --> 00:36:12.139 up. This could have been one of those moments 00:36:12.139 --> 00:36:16.820 thinking of the stories of Daniel and the lion's 00:36:16.820 --> 00:36:21.750 den. The Lord showing up. Here it is. This great 00:36:21.750 --> 00:36:24.110 moment of discouragement where Paul is just thinking 00:36:24.110 --> 00:36:26.730 wow, I don't know how I'm gonna get out of this 00:36:26.730 --> 00:36:28.710 I don't know what's gonna come next. My heart 00:36:28.710 --> 00:36:35.050 was set here to be in Jerusalem Now it's all 00:36:35.050 --> 00:36:38.889 been crushed And what does the Lord do the Lord 00:36:38.889 --> 00:36:43.289 the following night? He stood by him in our pain 00:36:43.289 --> 00:36:48.019 and in our hurting and our wonder In our dashed 00:36:48.019 --> 00:36:51.300 dreams, God shows up only to remind us that He 00:36:51.300 --> 00:36:56.780 has always been there. Let me just give you some 00:36:56.780 --> 00:36:59.079 verses here. I think this will be the most helpful 00:36:59.079 --> 00:37:02.360 to us in understanding this principle. In Genesis 00:37:02.360 --> 00:37:05.480 28, 15, it says, Behold, I am with you and will 00:37:05.480 --> 00:37:08.960 keep you wherever you go. In Exodus 34, 14, my 00:37:08.960 --> 00:37:11.039 presence will go with you and I will give you 00:37:11.039 --> 00:37:15.579 rest. Deuteronomy 31 6 be strong and courageous 00:37:15.579 --> 00:37:19.019 for the Lord your God goes with you. He will 00:37:19.019 --> 00:37:26.639 not leave you or forsake you In Joshua 1 9 It 00:37:26.639 --> 00:37:29.119 says do not be frightened do not be afraid for 00:37:29.119 --> 00:37:32.639 the Lord your God is with you Wherever you go 00:37:32.639 --> 00:37:35.599 and Isaiah 41 10 fear not for I'm with you. I 00:37:35.599 --> 00:37:38.460 will uphold you with my righteous right hand 00:37:39.829 --> 00:37:42.309 Isaiah 43 -2, when you pass through the waters, 00:37:42.369 --> 00:37:45.809 I will be with you. In Psalm 23 -4, I will fear 00:37:45.809 --> 00:37:49.269 no evil, for you are with me. Psalm 46 -1, God 00:37:49.269 --> 00:37:52.150 is our refuge and strength and very present help 00:37:52.150 --> 00:37:56.309 and trouble. Isaiah 7 -14, in Matthew 1 -23, 00:37:56.349 --> 00:37:59.110 they shall call his name Immanuel, which means 00:37:59.110 --> 00:38:07.949 God is with us. John 14 18. I will not leave 00:38:07.949 --> 00:38:11.170 you as orphans. I will come to you John 14 16 00:38:11.170 --> 00:38:13.889 and 17 He will give you another helper he who 00:38:13.889 --> 00:38:16.170 dwells with you and will be with you in Romans 00:38:16.170 --> 00:38:19.550 8 10 and 11 Christ is in you and the spirit of 00:38:19.550 --> 00:38:23.989 God dwells in you first Corinthians 3 16 you 00:38:23.989 --> 00:38:30.090 are God's temple and God's spirit dwells in you 00:38:30.480 --> 00:38:34.559 Matthew 28 20 and behold I am with you always 00:38:34.559 --> 00:38:38.139 to the end of the age Hebrews 13 5 I will never 00:38:38.139 --> 00:38:42.920 leave you nor forsake you Romans 8 38 39 nothing 00:38:42.920 --> 00:38:45.320 will be able to separate us from the love of 00:38:45.320 --> 00:38:49.300 God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord listen 00:38:49.300 --> 00:38:53.519 the presence of God is always with you and around 00:38:53.519 --> 00:38:56.300 you no matter what you're going through church 00:38:57.099 --> 00:39:00.760 He has not left you he has not abandoned you 00:39:00.760 --> 00:39:03.340 he will not leave you as orphans In fact, he 00:39:03.340 --> 00:39:06.480 has done the opposite of that. His presence is 00:39:06.480 --> 00:39:12.920 abiding within your very heart And he cannot 00:39:12.920 --> 00:39:19.239 take that away from you We need to remember that 00:39:19.239 --> 00:39:22.900 I think sometimes it's easy and what Satan wants 00:39:22.900 --> 00:39:25.489 us to do in the midst of of difficulty in the 00:39:25.489 --> 00:39:28.190 midst of hardship and in the midst of loneliness 00:39:28.190 --> 00:39:31.090 is Satan wants you to think that, hey, I'm alone 00:39:31.090 --> 00:39:34.030 in this and God doesn't want anything to do with 00:39:34.030 --> 00:39:39.929 my situation. Satan wants you to believe that 00:39:39.929 --> 00:39:42.190 God has abandoned you and that God doesn't have 00:39:42.190 --> 00:39:44.829 what's best for you and that that God has left 00:39:44.829 --> 00:39:47.550 you alone to figure things out for yourself. 00:39:47.590 --> 00:39:50.530 And the reality is the exact opposite of that 00:39:50.530 --> 00:39:54.949 lie from Satan. He is with you and he loves you 00:39:54.949 --> 00:39:58.530 and he cares for you and he wants what's best 00:39:58.530 --> 00:40:02.550 for you and he wants to help you and His spirit 00:40:02.550 --> 00:40:05.929 he has given to you to abide within you to lean 00:40:05.929 --> 00:40:09.429 on him to trust in him to know him to follow 00:40:09.429 --> 00:40:14.789 him And this is a great principle to remind us 00:40:14.789 --> 00:40:17.829 of and and we won't get what Paul got here where 00:40:17.829 --> 00:40:20.989 the the Lord is just Standing right next to him. 00:40:20.989 --> 00:40:25.119 I mean, can you imagine that? This there and 00:40:25.119 --> 00:40:31.699 he's like, oh, oh, oh, oh, okay. Hi Whoa Right 00:40:31.699 --> 00:40:39.019 there in prison The Lord is always with us secondly 00:40:39.019 --> 00:40:41.480 is this what did the Lord do number two the Lord 00:40:41.480 --> 00:40:45.739 spoke up? The Lord spoke up. What did he say? 00:40:46.679 --> 00:40:48.940 He's standing right next to me says take courage 00:40:49.710 --> 00:40:52.210 For as you have testified to the facts about 00:40:52.210 --> 00:40:55.809 me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in 00:40:55.809 --> 00:40:59.829 Rome He he says this word take courage in Matthew 00:40:59.829 --> 00:41:04.650 14 27 he Jesus said to his disciples take courage 00:41:04.650 --> 00:41:09.610 it is I Do not be afraid and mark 650 says again 00:41:09.610 --> 00:41:15.530 take courage. It is I do not be afraid In mark 00:41:15.530 --> 00:41:19.309 1049 he says take courage stand up He is calling 00:41:19.309 --> 00:41:24.809 for you. And this word here, it has to do with 00:41:24.809 --> 00:41:27.309 having an inner strength within the soul. It 00:41:27.309 --> 00:41:30.550 has the idea of being of good cheer. Don't be 00:41:30.550 --> 00:41:36.150 afraid. Be firm in your faith. And he says to 00:41:36.150 --> 00:41:40.530 Paul, hey, take courage. He speaks a word of 00:41:40.530 --> 00:41:45.690 encouragement to him. And he assures him that 00:41:45.690 --> 00:41:50.860 the work is not done. that the job's not done. 00:41:52.800 --> 00:41:55.340 F .F. Bruce says this, this assurance meant much 00:41:55.340 --> 00:41:57.679 to Paul during the delays and anxieties of the 00:41:57.679 --> 00:42:00.679 next two years and goes far to account for the 00:42:00.679 --> 00:42:04.559 calm and dignified bearing from which now on 00:42:04.559 --> 00:42:09.659 marks him out as a master of events rather than 00:42:09.659 --> 00:42:14.980 their victim. Paul, you're not the victim. You're 00:42:14.980 --> 00:42:20.139 not the victim. This is exactly the plan of God 00:42:20.139 --> 00:42:26.099 So often Satan wants us to think that we're the 00:42:26.099 --> 00:42:30.760 victim And to push aside the providence of God 00:42:30.760 --> 00:42:38.000 in our life Paul was there and the Lord knew 00:42:38.000 --> 00:42:41.019 that Satan was probably whispering and into Paul's 00:42:41.019 --> 00:42:45.449 ear you're a failure Paul You had your chance 00:42:45.449 --> 00:42:49.250 and you blew it and the Lord comes in and says 00:42:49.250 --> 00:42:53.449 to him take courage This is all going according 00:42:53.449 --> 00:43:03.449 to plan Now notice in here what God doesn't say 00:43:03.449 --> 00:43:06.849 to Paul, okay, what Paul doesn't say is this 00:43:06.849 --> 00:43:11.949 hey You're gonna be in here for a couple of years, 00:43:12.230 --> 00:43:16.619 okay About two. You got four more trials coming 00:43:16.619 --> 00:43:18.579 up, okay? Just want to throw that out there now. 00:43:18.599 --> 00:43:20.059 Let's just go ahead and get that out here now, 00:43:20.679 --> 00:43:24.159 okay? It's gonna be a while. It's gonna be a 00:43:24.159 --> 00:43:27.280 while. He doesn't say that, does he? He just 00:43:27.280 --> 00:43:31.440 says, hey, take courage, Paul. This is all going 00:43:31.440 --> 00:43:34.940 according to plan. Everything's gonna work out 00:43:34.940 --> 00:43:38.539 according to my time. He's basically saying this, 00:43:39.179 --> 00:43:43.309 hey, Paul, your ministry is not over. You still 00:43:43.309 --> 00:43:47.389 will take the gospel to Rome You'll still go 00:43:47.389 --> 00:43:50.530 there and you will be a witness for me in Rome 00:43:50.530 --> 00:43:53.929 He's confirming here that Paul will in fact see 00:43:53.929 --> 00:43:58.369 Rome He's saying to him no matter how dark the 00:43:58.369 --> 00:44:01.889 days may appear to be That Paul can still be 00:44:01.889 --> 00:44:04.289 certain that the work was not finished and that 00:44:04.289 --> 00:44:09.710 he will still be used by God Can I tell you this 00:44:09.710 --> 00:44:12.980 if you are a believer in Jesus Christ? And if 00:44:12.980 --> 00:44:16.800 you are alive, that's all of you. OK, you're 00:44:16.800 --> 00:44:25.099 all alive. You can still do ministry for God. 00:44:26.820 --> 00:44:32.219 No matter your past failures. No matter, no matter 00:44:32.219 --> 00:44:34.400 the times, whatever it is that you've done in 00:44:34.400 --> 00:44:36.559 your past, and Satan keeps pulling that up and 00:44:36.559 --> 00:44:40.119 thinking, hey. Remember what you did and you 00:44:40.119 --> 00:44:46.119 think you're gonna be useful for God? You still 00:44:46.119 --> 00:44:51.880 have a heartbeat. God has still left you on this 00:44:51.880 --> 00:44:54.820 earth and he's left you here because the work's 00:44:54.820 --> 00:44:58.380 not done in your life to be useful for the kingdom 00:44:58.380 --> 00:45:07.360 of God. Take courage. Sit up straight. Be proud 00:45:07.360 --> 00:45:10.659 that you're a Christian and go out and advance 00:45:10.659 --> 00:45:17.420 the gospel of Jesus Christ This was the encouragement 00:45:17.420 --> 00:45:22.280 that the Apostle Paul needed to hear Encouragement 00:45:22.280 --> 00:45:26.699 that we need to hear the works not done the jobs 00:45:26.699 --> 00:45:30.940 not over God has left you here. No matter what 00:45:30.940 --> 00:45:33.219 happens in the past or has happened yesterday 00:45:33.219 --> 00:45:36.480 or the day before, take courage, look forward. 00:45:36.719 --> 00:45:44.559 God has you here. Keep going. Trust in Him. Number 00:45:44.559 --> 00:45:48.420 three is this. What else does the Lord do? Number 00:45:48.420 --> 00:45:51.280 three, the Lord supplies away. Yeah, He's in 00:45:51.280 --> 00:45:55.739 prison. He's in prison here. They literally, 00:45:55.780 --> 00:46:01.369 as we were told, Want to tear him apart? Okay, 00:46:01.429 --> 00:46:04.610 well look what happens verse 12 when it was day 00:46:04.610 --> 00:46:07.869 the Jews made a plot and bound themselves to 00:46:07.869 --> 00:46:11.170 To an oath neither to eat nor drink till they 00:46:11.170 --> 00:46:13.789 had killed Paul Okay, are we clear on how bad 00:46:13.789 --> 00:46:16.349 they want to kill him? I think that's pretty 00:46:16.349 --> 00:46:19.750 clear. All right. I'm gonna take an oath I'm 00:46:19.750 --> 00:46:23.750 not gonna eat or drink till this man is dead 00:46:23.750 --> 00:46:28.960 Hi, I mean they're they're serious There are 00:46:28.960 --> 00:46:32.420 more than 40 who made this conspiracy They went 00:46:32.420 --> 00:46:34.079 to the chief priests and the elders and we have 00:46:34.079 --> 00:46:35.739 strictly bound ourselves by an oath to taste 00:46:35.739 --> 00:46:38.039 no food till we have killed Paul's to reiterate 00:46:38.039 --> 00:46:40.320 this is what we're doing verse 15 now therefore 00:46:40.320 --> 00:46:42.460 you along with the council give notice to the 00:46:42.460 --> 00:46:45.219 Tribune to bring him down to you and as though 00:46:45.219 --> 00:46:48.159 they're going to determine his case more exactly 00:46:48.159 --> 00:46:51.400 we got to get to the bottom of this and We are 00:46:51.400 --> 00:46:54.800 ready to kill him before he comes near now watch 00:46:54.800 --> 00:46:59.929 this. This is so good Now the son of Paul's sister 00:46:59.929 --> 00:47:06.630 heard their ambush So he went and entered the 00:47:06.630 --> 00:47:10.130 barracks and told Paul Paul called one of the 00:47:10.130 --> 00:47:12.170 centurions and said take this young man to the 00:47:12.170 --> 00:47:15.710 Tribune Tribune and for he has something to tell 00:47:15.710 --> 00:47:17.789 him So he took him and he brought him to the 00:47:17.789 --> 00:47:20.469 Tribune and said Paul the prisoner Called me 00:47:20.469 --> 00:47:23.250 and asked me to bring this young man to you as 00:47:23.250 --> 00:47:26.119 he has something to say to you The Tribune took 00:47:26.119 --> 00:47:29.039 him and by the hand and and going aside asked 00:47:29.039 --> 00:47:30.880 him privately What is it that you have to tell 00:47:30.880 --> 00:47:33.739 me and he said the Jews have agreed? To ask you 00:47:33.739 --> 00:47:36.659 to bring Paul down to the council tomorrow as 00:47:36.659 --> 00:47:38.900 though they were going to inquire somewhat more 00:47:38.900 --> 00:47:42.760 closely about him, but Do not be persuaded by 00:47:42.760 --> 00:47:45.360 them for there are more than 40 of their men 00:47:45.360 --> 00:47:49.539 are lying in ambush for him We have bound themselves 00:47:49.539 --> 00:47:52.719 by an oath neither to eat nor to drink until 00:47:52.719 --> 00:47:55.820 they have killed them And now they are they are 00:47:55.820 --> 00:48:00.400 ready waiting for your consent So the tribune 00:48:00.400 --> 00:48:03.199 tribune dismissed the young man charging him 00:48:03.199 --> 00:48:06.960 Tell no one that you have informed me of these 00:48:06.960 --> 00:48:09.099 things now these guys this is like I should have 00:48:09.099 --> 00:48:12.320 a movie Mean, I feel like Hollywood just came 00:48:12.320 --> 00:48:15.739 on the scene here Are you kidding me his nephew? 00:48:15.840 --> 00:48:19.539 We didn't even know he had a nephew And he goes 00:48:19.539 --> 00:48:21.519 and he and he sees Paul and how does that well 00:48:21.519 --> 00:48:24.559 because Paul's a Roman citizen He's allowed to 00:48:24.559 --> 00:48:27.900 see people Paul's sisters in town. They got a 00:48:27.900 --> 00:48:30.820 net. We don't know how old he is We have no idea 00:48:30.820 --> 00:48:33.400 his age. He comes in he's just kind of hanging 00:48:33.400 --> 00:48:37.260 out around the the horses there and around the 00:48:37.260 --> 00:48:41.840 these Roman Soldiers there and they hear this 00:48:41.840 --> 00:48:43.880 conspiracy that's that's going on. He's like, 00:48:43.960 --> 00:48:46.420 whoa, wait, they're talking about Uncle Paul. 00:48:47.880 --> 00:48:51.539 I got to go tell him. All right, I better get 00:48:51.539 --> 00:48:53.900 in there because they're going to kill my uncle. 00:48:56.920 --> 00:49:01.860 So he goes in. Hey, Uncle Paul. Yeah, I believe 00:49:01.860 --> 00:49:07.539 this. There's 40 guys out there. They took an 00:49:07.539 --> 00:49:14.349 oath. Not to eat or drink until you're dead Really 00:49:14.349 --> 00:49:18.710 that you serious nephew. Yeah Okay, here's what 00:49:18.710 --> 00:49:21.730 I need you to do. My life's on the line. I need 00:49:21.730 --> 00:49:24.429 you to go and report this Okay, I need you to 00:49:24.429 --> 00:49:29.489 go and report. I mean Does God not supply away 00:49:29.489 --> 00:49:35.610 or what? So that's what happens he goes and he 00:49:35.610 --> 00:49:40.539 tells them and Very dramatic -like, story -tale, 00:49:40.880 --> 00:49:46.280 Hollywood -like story, God finds a way to get 00:49:46.280 --> 00:49:50.360 Paul out and away from this threat upon his life. 00:49:51.320 --> 00:49:55.400 Church, let me ask you something. Is anything 00:49:55.400 --> 00:50:06.210 really too hard for God? Is your situation Too 00:50:06.210 --> 00:50:12.730 hard for God Can you just say to yourself right 00:50:12.730 --> 00:50:18.230 now God can do anything to help my situation 00:50:18.230 --> 00:50:22.969 that the entire world is at the disposal of God 00:50:22.969 --> 00:50:30.369 To help you and His ways are far more mysterious 00:50:30.369 --> 00:50:32.409 than the plan that you have in your mind to fix 00:50:32.409 --> 00:50:39.300 your situation You can be comforted. You can 00:50:39.300 --> 00:50:41.940 be counseled. You can be exhorted. You can be 00:50:41.940 --> 00:50:46.539 encouraged. Nothing is too hard for God God had 00:50:46.539 --> 00:50:49.739 this plan to go. Hey, I'm gonna have Paul's sister's 00:50:49.739 --> 00:50:54.260 son Hear this story go tell on them for this 00:50:54.260 --> 00:50:58.179 story and this will be the way in which God supplies 00:50:58.179 --> 00:51:01.480 for the very need of Paul to be rescued out of 00:51:01.480 --> 00:51:09.340 this threat It's fascinating This is what happens 00:51:09.340 --> 00:51:12.440 Let me remind you of a couple verses 2nd Corinthians 00:51:12.440 --> 00:51:18.739 9 8 God is able to make all grace abound to you 00:51:18.739 --> 00:51:21.780 so that having all sufficiency in all things 00:51:21.780 --> 00:51:26.360 and at all times in Philippians 4 19 my God will 00:51:26.360 --> 00:51:28.340 supply every need of yours according to his riches 00:51:28.340 --> 00:51:34.960 and the glory of Christ Jesus Trust the plan 00:51:34.960 --> 00:51:38.619 of God Trust the timing of God number four and 00:51:38.619 --> 00:51:40.860 we'll be done. Okay. Sorry. I got a little excited 00:51:40.860 --> 00:51:44.260 there ran out of time Number four the Lord protects 00:51:44.260 --> 00:51:46.199 his own you guys are like you do this every week 00:51:46.199 --> 00:51:48.739 Okay, okay number four the Lord protects his 00:51:48.739 --> 00:51:51.920 own. Okay, watch this How does he get transported 00:51:51.920 --> 00:51:55.199 verse 23? Then he called two centurions and said 00:51:55.199 --> 00:51:59.739 get ready 200 soldiers with 70 horsemen 200 spearsmen 00:51:59.739 --> 00:52:02.360 goes far as Caesarea to the third hour of the 00:52:02.360 --> 00:52:05.219 night Also provide mounts for Paul the ride and 00:52:05.219 --> 00:52:08.820 to bring him safely to Felix the governor Okay, 00:52:08.840 --> 00:52:11.739 how are we gonna get him out of prison? Oh God's 00:52:11.739 --> 00:52:16.820 like I've got a plan. I'll give you 400 to 600 00:52:16.820 --> 00:52:22.690 Roman soldiers to get Paul out That's amazing 00:52:22.690 --> 00:52:28.510 And that's how Paul gets out of Jerusalem With 00:52:28.510 --> 00:52:31.170 an entourage Paul's just like yay come after 00:52:31.170 --> 00:52:34.309 me. I Got 200 spearmen right here ready to take 00:52:34.309 --> 00:52:37.610 you. I got a cavalry here to get you This is 00:52:37.610 --> 00:52:41.250 what the Lord does This is how the Lord Lord 00:52:41.250 --> 00:52:46.429 Lord supplies This is how the Lord protects Paul 00:52:46.429 --> 00:52:50.750 would go protected some say up to 600 soldiers 00:52:50.750 --> 00:52:55.090 from from Jerusalem to Caesarea protected by 00:52:55.090 --> 00:52:57.630 the Lord and then eventually where would he stay 00:52:57.630 --> 00:53:00.489 the night in verse verse 35 tells us that he 00:53:00.489 --> 00:53:03.190 is commanded they commanded him to be guarded 00:53:03.190 --> 00:53:08.250 in Herod's Praetorium the most safest place in 00:53:08.250 --> 00:53:12.650 all of Israel for Paul to be protected by the 00:53:12.650 --> 00:53:21.539 Lord This is how God works The moment of greatest 00:53:21.539 --> 00:53:24.920 discouragement the Lord came through He showed 00:53:24.920 --> 00:53:30.260 up. He spoke up He supplied his need and he protected 00:53:30.260 --> 00:53:34.699 him all along the way Listen church if you're 00:53:34.699 --> 00:53:38.460 discouraged this morning be encouraged by this 00:53:38.460 --> 00:53:45.610 story God has not left you God has not forgotten 00:53:45.610 --> 00:53:50.349 you God is right there with you and he has a 00:53:50.349 --> 00:53:56.710 perfect plan If you would just trust him all 00:53:56.710 --> 00:54:03.170 along the way Let's pray Lord, thank you for 00:54:03.170 --> 00:54:07.710 our time. I Feel as though it goes by so fast. 00:54:07.710 --> 00:54:10.030 I'm not sure if that's true for everybody else 00:54:10.030 --> 00:54:15.369 here But Lord so many good truths for us to remember 00:54:15.369 --> 00:54:19.429 you're always with us Nothing's too hard for 00:54:19.429 --> 00:54:23.530 you You provide a way where there seems to be 00:54:23.530 --> 00:54:30.550 no way and you protect us all along the way Or 00:54:30.550 --> 00:54:33.210 remind us of these truths whatever hard things 00:54:33.210 --> 00:54:36.190 People are going through would you bring them 00:54:36.190 --> 00:54:39.949 comfort and encouragement today? Would you do 00:54:39.949 --> 00:54:43.530 so? with a peace that surpasses all understanding 00:54:43.530 --> 00:54:47.269 and that is found only in Christ Jesus our Lord. 00:54:47.809 --> 00:54:49.309 In His name we pray. Amen.