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Paul in Philippi: As the Apostle Paul ventures into Europe on his second missionary journey, he encounters three very different types of people — a wealthy woman of status named Lydia, a spiritually oppressed slaved girl, and a Roman jailer. All three experience the saving power of God in Jesus’ name, highlighting a simple lesson: Everybody needs Jesus. Recorded on May 28, 2023, on Acts 16:11-34 by Pastor David Parks.

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The Life of Paul is a new sermon series (mostly) from the book of Acts in the Bible. The Apostle Paul has a fantastic story. Born Saul of Tarsus, Paul was a brilliant young man who was a violent persecutor of Christians. But then he met Jesus, which changed everything. Eventually, Paul would become not only the preeminent Apostle to the Roman world but one of the most influential people who ever lived. Paul’s story offers a great case study of what it looks like to learn the way of Jesus.

Sermon Transcript

The theme of our preaching ministry this year (which runs through the end of June) has been Learning the way of Jesus. And today, we’re continuing a sermon series on the life of the Apostle Paul. And we’re using Paul’s story as a case study for learning the way of Jesus. Because Paul was born Saul of Tarsus, a brilliant young man who was a violent persecutor of Christians. But then, when he was about 25, Paul met Jesus, and he became a Christian, which set his life on a completely different path. By his early 40s, Paul had served for a time as a leader of the vibrant, growing church in Antioch before being sent out as a missionary with his coworker, Barnabas, and their young helper, John Mark. They had a successful trip to the island of Cyprus (with the exception that John Mark bailed and went back home), but Paul and Barnabas continued into modern-day Turkey before coming back to their home base of Antioch. We saw most of this first missionary journey last week in Acts 13, and just a reminder that if you’ve missed any of the sermons in this series, you can always go back and watch on the Church Center App or on YouTube. Well, today, we’re picking up the story of Paul’s second missionary journey. But for the next few weeks, we’ll consider his work in several notable cities, including Philippi (today), Athens (next week), and then, on his third journey, to Ephesus. But today, in Philippi, we’ll see Paul and his team have remarkable success but also cause such a disruption they get beaten up by a mob and thrown into prison. Now, in some ways, this is just normal life for Paul. But through it all, we see a remarkable poise; we see that Paul has this unusual ability to have joy (and literally keep singing!), even as life seems to be crumbling around him. This joy, regardless of his circumstances, is exactly the theme of his letter to the Philippians Paul would write later — when he was in prison once again. If you have a Bible/app, please take it and open it to Acts 16:11. We’ll put the Scripture up on the screens for you as well. But today, we’ll start with a little intro passage for context. And then we’ll encounter three people in Philippi who are saved by God: first a powerful woman named Lydia, then a slave girl, and then a Roman jailer. Let’s start with the intro:

Acts 16:11-12 (NIV), “11 From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day we went on to Neapolis. 12 From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days.” So again, this is the second missionary journey of the Apostle Paul. But one detail we haven’t mentioned yet is that when leaving for this journey, Paul and Barnabas had a serious problem. At the end of Acts 15, Luke writes, “They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord.” (Ac 15:39-40) Relationships are hard for everyone, even apostles. Perhaps it was Paul’s fiery temper that couldn’t handle John Mark bailing on them on the first trip. Or maybe Paul was being wise while Barnabas was foolishly being overly accommodating to his younger cousin. Or maybe something else happened. But sadly, they went their separate ways. Now, over the years, we know that Paul and John Mark reconciled and were close by the end of Paul’s life. But here, on his second journey, Paul traveled with Silas from Antioch north through Derbe and Lystra (where they added Timothy as a younger apprentice to their team). Eventually, they made it to Troas, where they picked up Luke, the author of Acts, which is why he starts saying, “we put out to sea,” “we traveled,” “we stayed,” and so forth. They sailed from Troas, stopping at the island of Samothrace before landing at Neopolis, the port of the Greek city of Philippi. Now Philippi was located on a major highway which meant it was vital for trade and likely fairly wealthy. Luke says was a Roman colony and a leading city of Macedonia. This was an important and strategic place for the gospel. Historically, we know that a number of the citizens were veterans of the Roman military. As such, there would have been a strong connection/allegiance to Rome and to the Emperor — potentially a dangerous place to preach that Jesus was the true King, deserving of our ultimate allegiance. So now the stage is set, let’s meet the first European convert to Christianity.

Acts 16:13–15 (NIV), “13 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. 14 One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. 15 When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.” Let’s pause here. So, there don’t appear to be enough Jewish people in Philippi to support a synagogue. But there are people who are meeting on the Sabbath to pray. These aren’t necessarily all Jewish people but are worshipers of the God of Israel — people who would have possibly been open to hearing the gospel. One of these was a woman named Lydia. We’re told she’s a dealer in purple cloth or purple dye, which was a highly sought-after commodity in their day. Purple clothing was a status symbol because it was expensive to make. So Lydia was likely very wealthy and influential as a business owner and the head of a household. Perhaps she was divorced or widowed, but all this meant she had more autonomy than most women of her day. But it was this woman who heard Paul’s message about Jesus, who died for sins and rose alive as the King of heaven and earth. And Luke says that “The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.” And this is a picture of both grace and faith. The Lord opened Lydia’s heart by his grace through the power of the Holy Spirit. And she responded by believing and trusting in Jesus by faith. This is what a relationship with God looks like; God does his part, and we do our part. And following Lydia, her whole household believed and were baptized. Immediately, this wealthy woman of high status/privilege starts serving, offering her home to Paul’s team and then later offering her home as the meeting place for the church there in Philippi. It’s worth pointing out that generosity/hospitality are often signs that someone understands the generosity/hospitality of God in the saving work of Christ. We give because he first gave. We welcome people in because he first welcomed us. Ok! We’re off to a good start in Europe. Let’s continue and meet the second person, a woman of a very different status.

Acts 16:16–24 (NIV), “16 Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. 17 She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” 18 She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her. 19 When her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. 20 They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar 21 by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.” 22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. 23 After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24 When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.” Let’s pause here. Now, this is such a funny but weird story to me. So Paul had already encountered forces of spiritual darkness during his first journey on the island of Cyprus. And here, there’s a young slave girl who has a “spirit by which she predicted the future.” But literally, Luke writes that she has a python spirit. In David Peterson’s commentary on Acts, he explains that, “Python was originally the name of the snake or dragon that inhabited Delphi (originally Pythia) and in Greek mythology was killed by Apollo. This snake became a symbol or representative of the underworld. Apollo was thought to be embodied in the snake and to inspire ‘pythonesses’ as his female mouthpieces. Plutarch…called such soothsayers ‘ventriloquists’ because they uttered words beyond their own control.” [David G. Peterson, The Acts of the Apostles, 2009).] The owners of this slave girl had made a great deal of money because they sold her oracles not for her benefit but to use her for their gain. But then, while Paul’s team was working in Philippi, this unnamed slave girl followed them for many days shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” Paul becomes so disturbed or annoyed by this that he turns to her and commands the evil spirit to leave her in Jesus’ name, and it does. She is set free from the evil spirit, but she is not yet free of her human owners. And what a contrast to Lydia! Lydia has a name, while this girl was unnamed. Lydia was the head of a household, while this girl was a slave. Lydia had a profitable business, while this girl was exploited by others for their profit. Lydia had options, while this girl had none. And yet they both needed to be saved, both needed to be set free from the power of sin and death, both needed Jesus, and both experienced the power of God. There’s much more I’d like to know about this girl. Did she follow Jesus after this encounter with his power? Did the church at Lydia’s house welcome her in? We don’t know because this incident caused a major disruption, and she seemed to be lost in the shuffle. When the owners realized that God’s power had disrupted their business, they whipped up a mob with the accusation that Paul, as a Jew, was advocating “customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.” Now, this is ironic because, in many other places, the Jews accused Paul of advocating customs unlawful for them in welcoming Gentiles into the church because of Jesus. But in Philippi, the Gentiles were upset because they were disrupting their profit off paganism with the true power of God. Paul can’t seem to win. As a result, Paul and Silas are publicly stripped and beaten before being thrown into prison. But the story doesn’t end there. We meet the third person to respond to the gospel, an unlikely convert, but certainly not the last to come to faith in Jesus through Paul in prison.

Acts 16:25–34 (NIV), “25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose. 27 The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!” 29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. 33 At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. 34 The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household.” What a crazy story, right? It’s funny to think that these are the people who made up the initial church plant in Philippi: a wealthy woman and her household, a slave girl, and a Roman jailer and his household. Probably not what I would be praying for in terms of a core team to start a church. But this is who God brought together. Praise God! But after the earthquake, the jailer was ready to kill himself either to punish his loss of honor for failing his duty (thinking all the prisoners had escaped) or he wanted to avoid the pain and suffering of being punished for his unintended failure. Paul seemed to know what he was thinking and intervened, reassuring him that he hadn’t failed his assignment. When the jailer realized what had happened and that Paul had Silas hadn’t run off, he asked the most important question anyone could ask. “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And Paul, still bloodied from being beaten and filthy from prison, responded with a message he had shared no doubt many times, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” And wouldn’t you know it, the jailer and his whole household believed and were baptized. And similar to Lydia, he immediately starts serving. He washes their wounds and brings them into his home, and they share a meal together. And Luke shares this last detail, that Paul’s joy, the joy that never died even when Paul and Silas were in prison, was now shared around the table. This unnamed Roman jailer was filled with joy because of his faith in the Most High God and in Jesus, his Son. The jailer had a new King who held his allegiance above even his allegiance to Caesar. And his new King didn’t rule him by force/power or by honor/shame, but by sacrificial love and grace and truth. This man of rank and authority needed Jesus just as much as Lydia or the slave girl. And he experienced the saving power of God to set him free, just as they had. So what does this mean for us today? How do we apply this to our lives?

I’d like to close by making the case that we need this same saving power of God today. Every one of us. Everybody needs Jesus. Whether we are people of wealth and status or power and privilege, people with a name — or whether we are people with nothing. Whether we are people blessed to have many options in life or we feel like we have basically no options. Whether we are young/old, rich/poor, liberal/conservative, whoever we are, wherever we come from, and whatever we have done or has been done to us, everybody needs Jesus. The way of salvation is clear: hear the gospel, the good news that Jesus died on the cross for the sins of the world and rose again from the dead. And believe in him. Trust in him. And learn to follow his way in life, and you will be saved. This good news is for you and all your household. It’s for everybody. And we are a church that is all about this good news. And we are a church that unites all sorts of people from all sorts of backgrounds for the glory of God. And this is what we long to see in the city of Appleton and beyond; men and women and even children experience the joy and the saving power of God, who sets us free and welcomes us to his table because of the person and work of Jesus Christ. Let us pray.

Paul the Apostle to the Gentiles: The spiritual awakening at Antioch produced two things: generosity toward the poor and a heart for the lost. As a result, Paul and Barnabas were sent out to bring the gospel to other people and places. They traveled to Cyprus and then to Pisidian Antioch and shared the word of God with a demonstration of spiritual power — and both Jews and Gentiles responded in faith. Paul was sent by the Spirit with power from the Spirit to all peoples. Recorded on May 21, 2023, on Acts 12:25 – 13:48 by Pastor David Parks. (Apologies for the loss of about 10 seconds of audio!!)

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The Life of Paul is a new sermon series (mostly) from the book of Acts in the Bible. The Apostle Paul has a fantastic story. Born Saul of Tarsus, Paul was a brilliant young man who was a violent persecutor of Christians. But then he met Jesus, which changed everything. Eventually, Paul would become not only the preeminent Apostle to the Roman world but one of the most influential people who ever lived. Paul’s story offers a great case study of what it looks like to learn the way of Jesus.

Sermon Transcript

The theme of our preaching ministry this past year has been Learning the way of Jesus. And today, we’re continuing a sermon series on the life of the Apostle Paul. Now, Paul’s story is fascinating, but for us today, it serves as a great case study for learning the way of Jesus. Because Paul was born Saul of Tarsus, a brilliant young man who was a violent persecutor of Christians. But then Paul met Jesus, which changed everything. He became a Christian and had to relearn everything in light of the way of Jesus. In our passage today, it’s about 15 years after Paul became a Christian. He’s in his early 40’s and has been serving the church in Antioch (about 450 miles north of Jerusalem) for a year with his friend, Barnabas, during a great period of spiritual renewal/awakening. We looked at this time last week, and we called it an unexpected outpouring of grace. For the first time, a large number of Jews and Gentiles had believed the gospel and started following Jesus. As we said, this doesn’t really mean anything to us, but in their day, this was a radical change. There was a wall of separation (social/cultural/ethnic/religious) between Jew and Gentile and now they saw themselves as brothers and sisters in the same church because of Jesus. Maybe the closest thing to this for us today would be hearing that there was a church where people on the extreme political left and right were actively loving each other and seeing themselves as brothers and sisters because of Jesus. That would be unusual, right? Maybe unusual enough to seem suspicious? I’m sure that’s how many people felt about Antioch. But that’s what God was doing. Well, today, we’ll see what happened next. And what happened next was that this gospel-centered, Jew and Gentile uniting, radically new thing that God was doing in Antioch — that started to spread. In fact, as it spread around the Roman Empire, the world would never be the same. If you have a Bible/app, please take it and open it to Acts 12:25. We’ll put the Scripture up on the screens for you as well. But today, we’ll work through this passage in three sections. First, sent by the Spirit. Second, sent with power from the Spirit. And third, sent to all peoples.

Acts 12:25-13:3 (NIV), “25 When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission, they returned from Jerusalem, taking with them John, also called Mark. 13 Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.”

Ok! Let’s pause here. So when Luke writes that Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission, he’s referring to their delivery of the financial gifts that the church in Antioch had sent to Jerusalem in response to a prophetic word about a coming famine. We saw this last week as one of the things that an unexpected outpouring of grace produces. God’s grace produces good works, particularly for those in need. So when Barnabas and Saul returned, they brought a man with them named John Mark, who was a cousin of Barnabas. And this young man would prove to be very helpful to the Apostles over the years. He grew up in Jerusalem, was likely well-educated, and his mother, Mary, hosted a Christian church in their home. John Mark served as an assistant and perhaps as a scribe to both the Apostles Paul and Peter and eventually produced what would be known as the gospel according to Mark in the Bible, which is thought to be largely based on the testimony of the Apostle Peter. But here, he joins his cousin and this fiery man named Saul on their way back to Antioch. 

Luke continues by saying that there were prophets and teachers serving as leaders in the church in Antioch, including Barnabas and Saul, of course, but also a few others, including Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch). A prophet is someone inspired by God to reveal God’s word (speaking/writing). A teacher is someone who helps explain and apply God’s word. And both roles were needed in this early church. Now, we don’t know much about these leaders in Antioch, but we have a few clues from this text about who they were. The fact that Simeon was called Niger, which means black in Latin, is taken by many to mean that he was dark in skin color, probably from somewhere in Africa. Lucius, another African, was from Cyrene, a Greek city in modern Libya. Finally, Manaen, raised with Herod the Tetrarch, the Roman governor of Galilee during the ministry of Jesus, would likely have been an older Jewish man. Herod was born in 25 BC, which meant that Manaen if he grew up with Herod, would have been in his mid-70s. Barnabas was a Jewish man from Jerusalem. And Paul was a Jewish man from the Greek city of Tarsus. I point these things out simply to show that from the beginning of the movement of Christianity; it was a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural movement. All kinds of people were coming to faith in Jesus and learning to follow his way. Praise God! But it was from this church context that one time, when they were worshipping with fasting and prayer, the Holy Spirit told them to “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” So the church placed their hands on these brothers and prayed for them and blessed them, and sent them out to do the work that God was calling them to do. My first observation today is this: 1. Paul was sent by the Spirit. The Apostle Paul was chosen by God the Father from before the creation of the world and received a revelation of Jesus Christ, the Son, on the road to Damascus, and here, maybe 15 years later, was sent out from Antioch by God the Holy Spirit, the very personal power and presence of God. Now, notice that Barnabas and Saul weren’t sent out after a strategic planning session for how to grow the church. They weren’t sent out by some missional mastermind in Antioch. They don’t appear to even be talking about the mission of God. They were worshipping/praying/fasting. They were experiencing this spiritual revival that we saw last week. But it was from out of the outpouring of grace that the Spirit made clear that Barnabas and Saul needed to be sent out. In one sense, they were sent by the church, but only after God made it clear that this was his will. I said last week that one thing a revival produces — either in one person’s heart/life or in a church or in a city like Antioch — is good works, and especially for those in need. But the other thing revival produces is a heart for the lost. True revival produces evangelists who share good news and missionaries who bring good news to other people/places. So Paul was sent by the Spirit, with a blessing from the church and with his friend and coworker Barnabas and John Mark, their helper. And this scene marks a shift in focus in the Book of Acts. For the rest of Acts, Luke will follow Paul’s missionary journeys as the Apostle to the Gentiles. Let’s continue with part two, sent with power from the Spirit.

Acts 13:4–12 (NIV), “4 The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus. 5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper. 6 They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, 7 who was an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith. 9 Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, 10 “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? 11 Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind for a time, not even able to see the light of the sun.” Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand. 12 When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.”

Let’s pause here. So first, let’s look at a map. There are a number of places mentioned in this passage, and it might be hard for us to picture what is happening. So we start in Antioch in the Roman province of Syria in the modern country of Turkey. They travel to the port at Seleucia and then sail to the island of Cyprus. They land at the city of Salamis and eventually make it to Paphos, where they encounter the sorcerer Bar-Jesus. And eventually, we’ll see that they’ll travel north through Perga to Pisidian Antioch. But isn’t this great? I love the boldness of the Apostle Paul. He isn’t arrogant here, but he is bold with the truth when he rightly discerns the dark and demonic influence of this sorcerer and false prophet, Elymas Bar-Jesus, against the message of the gospel. Perhaps Elymas realized that if Paul was right and Jesus was Lord, then he would lose his influence over Sergius Paulus, the powerful Roman governor of Cyprus. This would likely mean he would also lose his status as the spiritual advisor to a member of the elite. What happens is a reversal of a number of miracles that Jesus performed. In several places, Jesus opened the eyes of the blind as a picture of seeing the truth about God in him. Paul, in the power of the Holy Spirit, blinds Elymas as a picture of judgment against his deceptions about God. Nevertheless, Sergius Paulus was open to the Christian faith. He wanted to hear what Barnabas and Saul had to say. He wanted to hear the word of God. And this is so encouraging to me. Even in a dark and broken world, a world that is influenced by all kinds of spiritual forces of evil, there are still people who want to know God and who want to hear the truth about who God is and what he has done. The parable of the sower teaches us that not everyone is equally open to the gospel all the time, but some people are ready to hear the truth today. And Sergius Paulus was that day. So when he heard the gospel from Saul (and here is when Luke switches from using Saul, his Hebrew name, to Paul, his Greek name) and saw the evidence of the power of God over this false prophet, he believed. But Luke clarifies it wasn’t primarily the spiritual power that made him believe. That only testified to the truth of the claims of the gospel. He was amazed at the teaching about the Lord Jesus. The message of the gospel struck him like a thunderbolt. But this is just one example of what we will see over the next few weeks, of how God worked through Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles. On Cyprus, Paul started in the Jewish synagogue but also shared the gospel with Gentiles like Sergius Paulus. He experienced spiritual opposition from the forces of darkness but also saw evidence of God at work in people coming to faith in Jesus. My second observation of this passage is this: 2. Paul was sent with power from the Spirit. Paul had spiritual power from God to endure, to speak the truth in love, and to face the spiritual forces of darkness. In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul describes his ministry among them in this way. Listen to this. “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.” (1Co 2:2-5) We see this in action on the island of Cyprus, too. Paul was sent by the Spirit, so would the Spirit not provide what Paul would need? So when Paul faced opposition, not just from a rival advisor to the governor, but from forces of spiritual darkness, from a deceiver, from a false prophet who was leading people astray and blinding people to the true light of the world, the Spirit provided a demonstration of power. So the gospel wasn’t received as a testimony to the brilliance of Paul but as a testimony to the power of God and the truth of God’s word about Christ. Paul was sent by the Spirit with power from the Spirit. Let’s finish with part three.

Acts 13:13–16 (NIV), “13 From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem. 14 From Perga they went on to Pisidian Antioch. On the Sabbath they entered the synagogue and sat down. 15 After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the leaders of the synagogue sent word to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have a word of exhortation for the people, please speak.” 16 Standing up, Paul motioned with his hand and said: “Fellow Israelites and you Gentiles who worship God, listen to me!” Ok, I wish we had time to listen to Paul’s sermon here, but for the sake of time, we’re going to do what some of you wish you could do with me and just skip to the end. Let’s jump down to v. 42.

Acts 13:42–48 (NIV), “42 As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath. 43 When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God. 44 On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45 When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy. They began to contradict what Paul was saying and heaped abuse on him. 46 Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. 47 For this is what the Lord has commanded us: “‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’” 48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.” So Paul followed his pattern of ministry in Pisidian Antioch, sharing the gospel first with the Jews and then with the Gentiles or non-Jewish peoples. Paul was familiar with the Gentile culture, having grown up in Tarsus and having ministered in Antioch. But he also knew from when Jesus appeared to him on the road to Damascus that he had a unique calling to be the Apostle to the Gentiles, and we’ll see this same pattern of ministry in the weeks ahead as we consider his work in Philippi, Athen, and Ephesus. But my third observation is this: 3. Paul was sent to all peoples. About 700 years earlier, God had said through the prophet Isaiah that his Messiah, the Lord Jesus, would be a light for the Gentiles so that his salvation would reach to the ends of the earth. Here, Paul understands his ministry/mission as a fulfillment of this promise. The gospel of Jesus, the good news of Jesus, and the saving work of Jesus wasn’t just for the Jewish people. Even though he was the Jewish Messiah, Jesus was the Lord of all, he was the savior of all, and his message was for every nation, tribe, and tongue. The gospel is for rich/poor, male/female, young/old. Everybody needs Jesus. And this is how I’d like to close today. I’m not the Apostle Paul, and neither are you. But as Christians, we have been given the Holy Spirit. And every single one of us is under the Great Commission of Jesus to go and make disciples of all nations. And some of us, like Paul, might be sent to another people/place. And others of us, like the rest of the church in Antioch, might be sent not to another people/peace but to their own neighborhood and to their own city. But all are sent — this is part of our identity; this is who we are. And every Christian is sent how Paul was sent: sent by the Holy Spirit, sent with the power from the Holy Spirit, and sent to all peoples. God doesn’t show favoritism. Everybody needs Jesus. So today, do you know that you have been sent? Do you understand that you’re a vital part of a community/church/family that has been sent? Do you see the incredible meaning/purpose this gives us in life? Do you see that you have the word of God and the very power of God over the forces of darkness? Do you see that everyone matters to God (Jew and Gentile) and are united together as one new people in Christ? If so, then let’s go. Let’s live sent. And let’s join the work that God is already doing in the world for his glory and our joy and for the good of all people. Let us pray.

Paul and the Revival at Antioch: After Paul spent ten years in Tarsus, God was doing a new thing in the big city of Antioch — Jews and Gentiles (non-Jews) were becoming Christians. Barnabas was sent to investigate and brought in Paul to help lead this new, unexpected outpouring of grace. Have you ever wanted to see a spiritual revival? This message is for you. Recorded on May 14, 2023, on Acts 11:19-30 by Pastor David Parks.

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The Life of Paul is a new sermon series (mostly) from the book of Acts in the Bible. The Apostle Paul has a fantastic story. Born Saul of Tarsus, Paul was a brilliant young man who was a violent persecutor of Christians. But then he met Jesus, which changed everything. Eventually, Paul would become not only the preeminent Apostle to the Roman world but one of the most influential people who ever lived. Paul’s story offers a great case study of what it looks like to learn the way of Jesus.

Sermon Transcript

Since last July, we’ve been focusing on Learning the way of Jesus. We’ve had sermon series on the Sermon on the Mount, the Epistles of the NT, and the Ten Commandments, all focusing on the unique way of Jesus. And we’ve seen that this way isn’t simply a list of things to know/believe but a way of life to learn and follow that impacts and transforms everything. Today, we’re continuing our final series under this theme on the life of the Apostle Paul. Now, Paul’s story is fascinating, but it also serves as a great case study for learning the way of Jesus. Born Saul of Tarsus, Paul was a brilliant young man who was a violent persecutor of Christians at the very start of the Christian movement. But then, Paul met Jesus, which changed everything. So, Paul the persecutor became Paul the persecuted for his bold preaching about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God. He was initially met with fear and skepticism by the other Christians because of his past. But he had several faithful brothers who were willing to vouch for him, including Ananias and Barnabas. Three years after becoming a Christian, he had people who tried to kill him in Damascus, so he went back to Jerusalem. It wasn’t long before he had people trying to kill him there, too. So the believers put him on a boat and shipped him back home to Tarsus in Cilicia (modern Turkey). Paul disappeared from the Biblical narrative for about ten years as he lived and worked in Tarsus. But then, in Acts 11, he comes back into the story because of Barnabas, of course. A revival or spiritual awakening was happening in the city of Antioch, and no one was better suited to help than Paul. But in this chapter of his life, we learn some key principles about spiritual revival/awakening, or what I’ll call the unexpected outpouring of grace. If you’ve ever longed for revival, if you’ve ever mourned the brokenness/darkness of the world, or if you’ve ever wondered what it would look like for God to do a miraculous work, then this message is for you. If you have a Bible/app, please take it and open it to Acts 11:19. We’ll put the Scripture up on the screens for you as well. But today, we’ll read through this whole passage on Paul and the revival at Antioch and then go back and unpack it together.

Acts 11:19–30 (NIV), “19 Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that broke out when Stephen was killed traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, spreading the word only among Jews. 20 Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. 21 The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord. 22 News of this reached the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. 24 He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord. 25 Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26 and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch. 27 During this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 One of them, named Agabus, stood up and through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world. (This happened during the reign of Claudius.) 29 The disciples, as each one was able, decided to provide help for the brothers and sisters living in Judea. 30 This they did, sending their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.”

So just a reminder, the book of Acts was written by Luke, the physician, as the result of a careful investigation into the life and ministry of Jesus. Luke interviewed eyewitnesses and was present for at least some of the events of the Book of Acts. The book of Luke in the bible is all about Jesus, and the book of Acts is about what happened after his resurrection from the dead. Let’s start back at v. 19 to make sure we understand what this text means before we try and apply it to our lives today.

Acts 11:19–21 (NIV), “Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that broke out when Stephen was killed traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, spreading the word only among Jews. Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.” Let’s pause here. Three weeks ago, we considered the story of the death of Stephen and the persecution of the church led by none other than Saul of Tarsus. Saul was going from house to house, seeking to destroy the church. This resulted in almost everyone (except the Apostles) being scattered out from Jerusalem in Judea to Samaria and beyond. We saw back in Acts 8 that the believers preached the word wherever they went. Now, there are a lot of places mentioned in this passage. So let’s look at a map and see if we can get a little better picture of where these places are. The persecution started in Jerusalem, and the believers scattered as far as Phoenicia, north along the Mediterranean coast, to Cyprus, an island in the Mediterranean, and to Antioch, perhaps the third largest city in the Roman Empire at the time and located in modern Turkey. Luke writes that some men from Cyprus and Cyrene, a Greek City in northern Africa (modern Libya), came to Antioch and started sharing the gospel with people who spoke Greek and were culturally Greek. Initially, the Jewish disciples of Jesus spread the word among other Jews. For hundreds of years, because of the destruction of Israel under the Assyrian/Babylonian/Persian/Roman Empires, the Jewish people were already dispersed in many places beyond Judea. By the first century AD, there were pockets of Jewish people in every major city around the Roman Empire. So when the Jewish believers were scattered from Jerusalem, there were many Jewish communities, perhaps with friends or family members, to run to. And wherever they landed, they started telling people about Jesus. But v. 20 marks a major turning point (I would say) in the history of the world. The gospel of Jesus started to be shared not just with Jews but also with Gentiles or non-Jewish people groups. And maybe most surprisingly, Luke says that, “A great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.” Now, the reason this was such a shock was because, for centuries, the Jewish people had a number of beliefs/practices that set them apart from other people groups. They weren’t to marry each other, and they didn’t worship together or even eat together. It’s hard for us to really understand this today, but back then, there was a wall of separation between Jew and Gentile. So the fact that Greek people were coming to faith in Jesus, the Jewish Messiah and that apparently the Lord’s hand was with Gentiles, too, was a radical change to how many Jewish people saw the world at the time. Now, it shouldn’t have been such a surprise. God had promised that his Messiah would be a light to the Gentiles. But as is often the case, accepting outsiders is not easy. So what would people say? How would the Apostles respond? What impact would this have on the church?

Acts 11:22–26 (NIV), “News of this reached the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord. Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.” Ok! Let’s pause here. So God is up to something new. When the news that Gentiles were responding to the gospel in Antioch, the Apostles sent someone to investigate what in the world was happening there. And who better than a brother like Barnabas? As we saw last week, Barnabas’ real name was Joseph, who was a man from the island of Cyprus. And he earned the nickname Barnabas, which means “son of encouragement,” because of his character. He was an encouraging guy. Here, Luke says he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith. May that be said of us, too. But with a reputation like that, he was trusted to discern what was going on and what needed to be done in Antioch. But when Barnabas saw what the Lord was doing there, when he saw the unexpected grace of God among the Jews and the Gentiles, when he saw this spiritual revival/awakening, he was glad. He celebrated what God was doing; he wasn’t suspicious or critical of it. He wasn’t afraid of Gentiles coming to faith in Jesus. If this new thing was what God was doing, and it clearly was, then praise God! As Paul would write later in Romans 11, the Gentiles were like wild olive branches being grafted by the Holy Spirit into the tree of God’s people. And so the son of encouragement’s natural response was to encourage all the people, Jew and Gentile, to remain true, to remain faithful to the Lord with all their hearts. But with so many people coming to faith in Jesus, there was a ton of work that needed to be done in helping all those people grow in their faith in Jesus, in learning the way of Jesus. Some of you who’ve become Christians more recently or who have been going through a time of spiritual growth know how much work you’ve been through. As I said last week, you can come to faith in an instant, but to grow in your faith, to grow in your maturity and sanctification, is a process that takes the whole rest of your life. Barnabas knew he needed help. He knew that he needed someone to help teach/lead/counsel/equip these new believers. And he knew that, ideally, he needed someone who understood both Jewish culture and Greek culture. There was one man he knew like this. Barnabas knew he needed to go find his fiery friend, Saul. So he went to Tarsus and found him and brought him back to Antioch. And, Luke writes, for a whole year, Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. Some historians think Antioch is where Luke was from and worked as a doctor. We don’t know for sure, but as a Gentile himself from somewhere in this region, Luke would’ve deeply understood the social/cultural dynamic of life and ministry in a big city like Antioch. And what an exciting time/place to do ministry! Antioch was the first place where people were called Christians, which means “Christ people” or “Messiah people.” Before this, the Jewish disciples of Jesus were known as the Way because they followed the way of Jesus. But here, with the inclusion of Jew and Gentile peoples in the work that God was doing through the gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit, we see what would become the pattern of the Christian movement for the next two thousand years, which would utterly change the course of human history. Nothing would be the same after Antioch. God was calling all people, Jew and Gentile, to believe in Jesus as Lord and receive him as the Savior of their lives and to learn his way with his people by the power of his Spirit until his return. Barnabas saw it and was glad. Paul was brought in to help and was; I’m sure, glad as well. It’s an incredible honor to have a front-row seat to watch what God is doing in someone’s life. Let’s finish this passage.

Acts 11:27–30 (NIV), “During this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. One of them, named Agabus, stood up and through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world. (This happened during the reign of Claudius.) The disciples, as each one was able, decided to provide help for the brothers and sisters living in Judea. This they did, sending their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.” So here, we find a number of interesting things. First, the believers (now called Christians) in Antioch saw themselves as united to a universal Church that transcended not just ethnic barriers but time and space as well. They saw the Christians in Judea as their own brothers and sisters in Christ who needed their help in a time of famine. This unity was what Jesus prayed for on the night before his crucifixion. And this unity is what we have today, being united by faith with other Christians all over the world. Sometimes, sadly, there is a spirit of competition or even of disdain for Christians from another church or another place, but this is not how it should be. Jew and Gentile, male and female, young and old, rich and poor, all are one in Christ. Second, we see that this spiritual revival/awakening resulted in radical generosity to the needs of the poor and those in need. And we’ll come back to this point, but for now, just notice that faith in Jesus resulted in generosity and good works. As a result, the Christians in Antioch entrusted their financial gifts to Barnabas and Saul to bring to the elders or leaders in the church in Jerusalem.

For the remainder of our time today, I’d like to close by briefly observing three principles of spiritual revival/awakening that we see in this passage that I believe is still true for us today. Do you want to see a revival in your lifetime? Do you mourn for the brokenness/darkness of the world? Do you long for God to do a miraculous work in our day?

Regular believers shared the gospel, and people responded in faith according to God’s grace. Remember that when the believers were scattered back in Acts 8, Luke says that everyone scattered except the Apostles. So it wasn’t the preaching or planning of the apostles that led directly to what God was doing in Antioch. This unexpected outpouring of God’s grace was happening because regular Christians were sharing good news with other regular people in their regular lives. No doubt, this included friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers. Regular believers shared the gospel, and people responded in faith according to God’s grace. As Paul would later say, he planted God’s word, and Apollos watered, but it was God who brought the growth. We can plant seeds of God’s word. We can share the story of what God is doing in our life. We can help point people to what is true. We can bring people to church. We can pray for people. But the results are completely up to God. Sometimes the fruit seems to be few and far between. Other times, according to God’s wisdom and timing, he pours out an unexpected amount of grace, and many people respond within a short period of time. The results aren’t up to us, but we must be faithful in sharing the gospel and trust the Lord to do his saving work in his timing.

Leaders taught and led the church, giving Spirit-led order and direction to the movement. The bulk of the ministry of the church is done by the people of the church. This was true in Antioch, and it’s true for us today. But leadership is needed for any organization to flourish for the long run, even a supernatural movement of the Spirit. As people were coming to faith, they needed to grow in their knowledge of the truth, which required Biblical teaching. They needed structure and organization, which required someone to make decisions and offer wisdom. They needed counseling and someone to model what mature faith looked like, which required men and women to lovingly lead. Christ is the head of the church, but he provides leaders for his church to equip the saints/people for the works of ministry. In this way, speaking the truth in love, the whole body is built up in unity, love, and maturity. 

Vibrant, growing faith resulted in good works, particularly for those in need. Immediately after Luke describes this unexpected outpouring of grace, we have an example of radical generosity.

Paul the Persecuted: When Saul (Paul), a brilliant but violent persecutor of Christians, met Jesus on the road to Damascus — it changed everything in his life. His passion and direction in life were now running in the opposite direction: He wanted to tell everyone about Jesus! Of course, it wasn’t long before he started experiencing persecution himself. There is no in-between with Jesus. Recorded on May 7, 2023, on Acts 9:19-31 by Pastor David Parks.

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The Life of Paul is a new sermon series (mostly) from the book of Acts in the Bible. The Apostle Paul has a fantastic story. Born Saul of Tarsus, Paul was a brilliant young man who was a violent persecutor of Christians. But then he met Jesus, which changed everything. Eventually, Paul would become not only the preeminent Apostle to the Roman world but one of the most influential people who ever lived. Paul’s story offers a great case study of what it looks like to learn the way of Jesus.

Sermon Transcript

All year, we’re focusing on Learning the way of Jesus. And today, we’re continuing a sermon series on the life of the Apostle Paul. And Paul’s story is fascinating, but it also serves as a great case study for learning the way of Jesus. Born Saul of Tarsus, Paul was a brilliant young man who was a violent persecutor of Christians at the very start of the Christian movement. But then, Paul met Jesus, which changed everything. So, as we saw last week, Paul the persecutor became Paul the Christian after seeing the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus and being baptized by Ananias. What would happen next? How would this zealous persecutor of Christians explain his conversion to Christ? Would his peers, friends, and family accept him or reject him? What would happen when he goes back to Jerusalem? Would the Christians accept him after his intense persecution of them, or would they be hesitant like Ananias was initially? One thing is sure, after meeting Jesus, Paul’s life would never be the same. If you have a Bible/app, please take it and open it to Acts 9:19. We’ll put the Scripture up on the screens for you as well. But today, we’ll read through this passage and unpack it as we go, and I’ll close with just one takeaway from Paul the Persecuted.

Acts 9:19–22 (NIV), “Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. 20 At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. 21 All those who heard him were astonished and asked, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?” 22 Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah.” Ok, let’s pause here. So after his conversion and baptism, Saul stayed with his new Christian friends in Damascus. Given his incredible zeal and his education as a Pharisee, it shouldn’t surprise us too much to find that he immediately started preaching. But where did he start telling people that Jesus is the Son of God? At the synagogue. The synagogue was a congregation of Jews who gathered together to pray, read from the Hebrew Bible, sing songs of praise (usually from the Psalms), and live out their faith together. It would have been similar in many ways to our church today. But the synagogue was where Saul was most comfortable. Remember, he was raised by devoutly Jewish parents who traced their lineage to the ancient Israelite tribe of Benjamin and who sent him to school under the most respected rabbi in Jerusalem. But for Saul, becoming a Christian didn’t mean his Jewish faith no longer mattered. He saw Jesus as the fulfillment of his Jewish faith. Jesus was the Jewish Messiah. He was the one the whole Hebrew bible was about. He was the one in whom Yahweh God was accomplishing his saving and redemptive work. Jesus was the true Adam, ruling and reigning over creation; he was the true Noah, providing salvation from judgment against sin; he was the true Abraham, in whom God was forming a people for himself; he was the true Moses, leading God’s people out of captivity to sin and death; he was the true and ultimate prophet, priest, and king. And the more Saul preached this message, the more astonished people were. Luke says they were baffled. Wasn’t this the one who raised havoc in Jerusalem? And now he won’t stop talking about Jesus! The force of Paul’s personality comes out a little with the description that he was proving that Jesus was the Messiah. Let’s keep going with v. 23.

Acts 9:23–25 (NIV), “23 After many days had gone by, there was a conspiracy among the Jews to kill him, 24 but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him. 25 But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall.” Ok! The astonishment and bafflement eventually turns against him. Luke writes that after many days, but we know from Paul’s letters that it was about three years after he became a Christian that he had to flee Damascus for his life. He mentions this time period in several letters, but let me read you a section from his letter to the Galatians. “For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, my immediate response was not to consult any human being. I did not go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went into Arabia. Later I returned to Damascus. Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Cephas [Peter] and stayed with him fifteen days.” (Gal 1:13–18) So from that account, at some point during the many days Paul ministered in Damascus, he went into Arabia. We have no other information about that trip. But there are several theories for why he went into the desert wilderness. The most compelling to me is offered by N.T. Wright, in his biography of Paul. Wright thinks that Paul, influenced by Elijah’s trip to meet with God at Mount Sinai in 1 Kings 19, wanted to go meet with God himself. I think that’s possible, but we’ll have to wait until heaven to ask him ourselves. At any rate, Paul came back to Damascus and his new Christian friends before he had to escape in the dark of night. This wouldn’t be the last time he would face violent persecution. Paul’s ministry, just like Jesus’ ministry, would produce powerful enemies. v. 26

Acts 9:26–27 (NIV), “26 When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. 27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus.” Again, despite his zeal and powerful intellect and education and all that, the mighty Paul still needed help. Paul had needed Ananias, and now he needed Barnabas. So Barnabas was actually a man named Joseph, who was a Hellenistic Jew from the island of Cyprus. That meant he was ethnically Jewish but was culturally Greek. He got the nickname of Barnabas from the apostles, which means “son of encouragement,” and that says a lot about what type of man he was. There are really two options when it comes to nicknames with guys. Either Joseph was the least encouraging guy in the group, in which case his nickname was ironic (like a big guy called Tiny), or it was a truly earned name based on his character. Given his commitment over the years to the fiery Apostle Paul, I think Barnabas was the kind of guy you would want to have in your corner. Luke writes of him that “He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord” (Ac 11:24) through his ministry later in Antioch. But when Paul arrived in Jerusalem after having been a Christian for three years and having done ministry in Damascus, still, no one trusted him in Jerusalem, and I wouldn’t have either. Three years is a long time, but not long enough to forget that Paul was there when Stephen was killed. Or that Paul was the one who went house to house seeking to destroy the church. The Christians in Jerusalem thought this was some sort of evil trick. But just as the Lord provided Ananias to vouch for Paul in Damascus, so he provided Barnabas to vouch for him in Jerusalem. We all need a Barnabas. Let’s finish our passage starting with v. 28.

Acts 9:28–31 (NIV), “28 So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 He talked and debated with the Hellenistic Jews,  but they tried to kill him. 30 When the believers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus. Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.” Ok! So here, Paul is most likely in his late twenties. He’s been a Christian for a few years. And he’s back to Jerusalem, where he lived and received his education, and developed powerful connections with the Sanhedrin, including the chief priest. I could imagine that it might be tempting for him to just blend in, but that wasn’t Paul. Once he was accepted by the Christians in Jerusalem, Paul spoke boldly in the name of Jesus. Just as he sought to prove that Jesus was the Messiah in Damascus, he talked and debated with the Hellenistic Jews in Jerusalem. Paul was about as subtle as a hammer. Soon enough, he had people who wanted to kill him in Jerusalem. And so (and I just think this is funny), the other believers took him down to the port at Caesarea, put him on a boat, and shipped him back home to Tarsus in Cilicia or southeastern Turkey. And did Luke do this on purpose? His next statement is that once Paul was shipped off, the church enjoyed a time of peace and growth. (Get Paul out of here!) Of course, this is not the end of Paul’s story. But this is the start of a period of about ten years where Paul disappears from the Bible. He doesn’t come back into the story of the book of Acts until the revival at Antioch, which we’ll look at next week. And who should go get Paul but Barnabas, of course. After a decade in obscurity, living and working and maturing in his faith, when Paul reappears, he’s still bold (that never changes), but he’s much more humble. It’s clear the Lord has done a major work in his life. Paul will still cause a disruption in many places during his missionary journeys. But going forward, it’ll be because of his message and not as much because of the messenger. And praise God! People aren’t argued or debated, or forced into the kingdom of God. Paul learned this eventually, and once he did, he became the most fruitful missionary in all of history. So how do we apply this story to our lives today? I’ll leave you with just one takeaway.

There is no in-between with Jesus. Jesus is either alive or he’s not. He’s either the King of kings and the Lord of lords or he’s not. There’s no in-between. C.S. Lewis famously wrote that Jesus is either a lunatic, a liar, or he is the Lord of all. And Paul knew this. If Jesus was who he claimed to be and did what he said he would do, then he is the Messiah, he is the Son of God, and therefore, he deserves the whole of our lives. But if Jesus isn’t who he claimed to be or didn’t do what he said he would do, then he deserves nothing. There is no in-between. When Paul realized that Jesus had, in fact, risen from the dead and was the Lord of heaven and earth, he knew he had to go from persecutor to persecuted. He had to turn all the way around and be willing to give up everything and anything that held him back from total obedience to Christ. If there’s no in-between to who Jesus is, then there’s no in-between to following him. Sure, Paul would continue to wrestle, as we all do, with the temptations of the flesh. He would continue to make mistakes. He still had some rough edges to his personality. He wasn’t perfect yet. But he knew he couldn’t be a Christian on Sunday and forget about Jesus for the rest of the week. He knew he couldn’t just silently accept Jesus in his heart and keep it a secret. Of course, no thinking person wants to be persecuted, but if Jesus was Lord, then Paul had to tell others, even if it cost him relationships or opportunities or even his life. Now, there was a time in my life when I was pretty sure that Jesus was Lord, but I knew that if I really believed that, then a lot would need to change. I don’t know if you ever had a time like that, but I was hesitant to give over all of my life to him. His authority in my mind only extended to the places I was comfortable giving him. I was scared that I would lose control. I was scared about what it might cost me. I was scared I’d have to give up things I thought I needed. But I knew on some level that if Jesus was real, then he deserved all of my life. But as Paul would later write, whatever I thought were gains apart from Jesus were actually losses. Because nothing compares to knowing Jesus and being known by him. So today, what about you? Where are you in your heart in relation to Jesus? Maybe you don’t know what you think about Jesus but haven’t put much thought into it. I would say, if there’s even a chance that he is who he claimed to be, then isn’t it worth it to find out? Don’t be passive. Dig in and see what you think. If he’s real, you have everything to gain. Or maybe you’re thinking about becoming a Christian. Then you need to know what you’re getting into. It’s a whole-life commitment. Jesus called all people to follow him but was constantly telling them to count the cost. If you want to find your life, you’re going to have to lose it first. If you’re ready to pay this cost, if you’re ready to love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you, then you’re ready. Or maybe you are a young believer, like Paul in Damascus. Then maybe you need some time to learn and grow and mature in your faith. Don’t try and win arguments for Jesus. Arguing and debating aren’t helpful. Invite people into your life, love them, and let the whole church share good news with them. Be humble. Be a learner. “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” (1Pe 5:6) Or maybe you are a mature believer? Then maybe you need to be like Barnabas and come alongside a younger believer. Help them. Encourage them. Put them on a ship and send them back home if they need it. You can come to faith in an instant, but it takes many years to grow and mature in your faith. Devote yourselves to this task for others. No one matures on their own. Finally, you might still ask the Lord to reveal any area of your heart or mind, or life that is not given over to the Lordship of Christ. If he is Lord, then he is Lord of all. There is no in-between with Jesus. But when he becomes the Lord of all, when he increases, and we decrease, when his Spirit bears his good fruit in our lives, it’s the best. There is nothing better. There is no better way. There is no better life. So today, may we enjoy a time of peace and strengthening. May we live in the fear of the Lord and be encouraged by the Holy Spirit. And Lord, if it be your will, may we increase in numbers for your glory and our joy and the good of all people. Let us pray.

Paul the Christian: Paul’s conversion experience on the road to Damascus is one of the most awesome and best-known conversion experiences in the Bible. But after he spends three days praying, we see an act of great faith on behalf of a local Christ-follower. Ananias is called to go visit a man that he knows is a violent persecutor of the early Church. But through his faithful obedience, Ananias helps to kick off the most prolific missionary ministry of all time. Recorded on Apr 30, 2023, on Acts 9:1-19 by Kyle Wagner.

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The Life of Paul is a new sermon series (mostly) from the book of Acts in the Bible. The Apostle Paul has a fantastic story. Born Saul of Tarsus, Paul was a brilliant young man who was a violent persecutor of Christians. But then he met Jesus, which changed everything. Eventually, Paul would become not only the preeminent Apostle to the Roman world but one of the most influential people who ever lived. Paul’s story offers a great case study of what it looks like to learn the way of Jesus.

Paul the Persecutor: We’re introduced to the Apostle Paul in the Bible as Saul, a zealous young religious leader at the killing of Stephen, a deacon in the early church. After this, Saul went from house to house, seeking to destroy the church. In the face of this intense persecution, the church scattered. Despite all this, God did miraculous works as the gospel spread throughout Judea and Samaria. Recorded on Apr 23, 2023, on Acts 7:54-8:8 by Pastor David Parks.

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The Life of Paul is a new sermon series (mostly) from the book of Acts in the Bible. The Apostle Paul has a fantastic story. Born Saul of Tarsus, Paul was a brilliant young man who was a violent persecutor of Christians. But then he met Jesus, which changed everything. Eventually, Paul would become not only the preeminent Apostle to the Roman world but one of the most influential people who ever lived. Paul’s story offers a great case study of what it looks like to learn the way of Jesus.

Sermon Transcript

All year, we’re focusing on Learning the way of Jesus. And today, we’re continuing a sermon series we started last week on the life of the Apostle Paul. We were reminded last week that everyone has a story. You and I have a story just as Paul had a story. And God has the power and intention to take our stories and shape them and mold them in incredible ways for his glory and our joy, and the good of all people. Paul’s story is fascinating, but it also serves as a great case study for learning the way of Jesus. Born Saul of Tarsus, Paul was a brilliant young man who, as we’ll see today, was a violent persecutor of Christians at the very start of the Christian movement. But then, Paul met Jesus, which changed everything. So, Paul, the persecutor, became Paul the Christian, which we’ll see next week. Eventually, Paul would become not only the preeminent Apostle to the Roman world but one of the most influential people who has ever lived. Throughout this series, we’re going to continue to ask: How did all this happen? How did someone so diametrically opposed to the Christian faith become the greatest missionary for Christ? How do you explain this? Well, today, we’ll consider the darkest chapter of Paul’s story, when, as a young man zealous for the religion of his ancestors — angry, violent, blaspheming, ignorant, and unbelieving — Saul of Tarsus waged a personal vendetta to destroy the followers of Jesus. If you have a Bible/app, please take it and open to Acts 7:54. We’ll put the Scripture up on the screens for you as well. We’ll read through this whole passage, and then we’ll go back and unpack it together. And I hope you’ll see three things: 1. The Battle 2. The Believer 3. The Beauty of a God who saves by grace.

Acts 7:54-8:8 (NIV), “54 When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. 55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” 57 At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58 dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep. 8:1 And Saul approved of their killing him. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. 2 Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. 3 But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison. 4 Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. 5 Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. 6 When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7 For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city.“

So the book of Acts is actually the second of a two-part series that was written by a man named Luke. Luke was a physician who became a Christian, most likely through the ministry of the Apostle Paul. Luke did a careful investigation of Jesus, interviewing many of the eyewitnesses of the life and ministry of Jesus. The results of that investigation are the books of Luke and Acts in the bible. Now, the book of Acts basically asks the question, after the resurrection of Jesus, what happened next? But also, much of what we know of Paul’s story is found here in the book of Acts.

Acts 7:54-58a (NIV), “When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him.” Ok, let’s pause here. So I tried to figure out where to jump into this scene, but it starts all the way back in chapter 6. So we’re coming in at the end. But what has been happening is this: Stephen was a deacon in the early church, which meant he was a leader who helped the Apostles with the ministry of the church. As the church grew, the responsibilities and supporting structures, and leadership needed to grow as well. The Apostles couldn’t do everything everywhere; they needed the help of godly men and women. Stephen was one of the first deacons chosen because he was known to be a man who was full of the Spirit, faith, and wisdom. This brother was full of God’s grace and power. But at some point after becoming a deacon in the church, despite his impeccable character, there were men in Jerusalem who stirred up trouble and brought false accusations against him because he was a Christian. So he was brought before the Sanhedrin or the Jewish ruling council. In Acts 7, Stephen delivers an incredible speech where he goes back through the history of the Jewish people, culminating with the fact that they had killed Jesus, the Righteous One, sent by God to be the savior of the world. He might’ve also mentioned that the Sanhedrin was standing in the line of people who had persecuted and killed God’s prophets and were resisting the Holy Spirit, which I’m sure they loved to hear. Then, before the whole counsel, Stephen has a vision of Jesus, high and lifted up, standing at the right hand of God. The members of the Sanhedrin were furious and counted this as unquestionable blasphemy, saying that the man, Jesus of Nazareth, the one they had killed, was not only alive but was himself equal to God. Blasphemy was deserving of death under the Mosaic Law, so Stephen was dragged outside the city to be killed by stoning. What an injustice! Stephen was a good man who was telling the truth, and, like Jesus, he would pay with his life.

Acts 7:58b-8:1a (NIV), “Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep. And Saul approved of their killing him.” On this dark day, we’re introduced to Saul of Tarsus as an enemy of the church. We don’t know exactly how old he was, but Luke says he was a young man. If he had been born around 10 AD, Paul would’ve been about 25 years old at this point. As Stephen was martyred, Paul guarded the possessions of those who killed him and approved of all this. I truly wonder how often Paul thought of this day later in his life, after his vision of Jesus, high and lifted up on the road to Damascus, after he became a Christian. On this side of eternity, Paul couldn’t go back and apologize to Stephen; he just had to live with what he had done in light of the forgiveness of Jesus. But at this time, it only got worse for the followers of Jesus.

Acts 8:1b-3 (NIV), “On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.” Now, we’ve really never seen this level of persecution for our faith. Our culture has steadily become more secular for several generations now, but people aren’t being thrown in prison for being Christians. However, there are people around the world today who do face this level of persecution. And we should pray for them and help them if we can. But back then, after Stephen’s death, something changed in Jerusalem. And Luke writes that everyone except the Apostles were scattered throughout Judea (the region around Jerusalem) and Samaria (the region next door). Imagine knowing and loving Stephen as your brother, seeing him killed, and then having to flee with your family and just the possessions you could carry. Imagine the fear, uncertainty, and grief of that time. And Paul moved from a place of approval to a place of leadership against the men and women who followed the way of Jesus. Going from house to house, like the Nazis would do many years later looking for Jews, Paul hunted Christians, no doubt to find more blasphemers to put to death. Now at this point, if we ended our reading here, what would you predict would be the future of the Christian church? A brilliant young man in a position of power seeking to destroy the church. Not good, right? Pretty hopeless, it would seem. But it wasn’t hopeless. See what happened. See what happens when you scatter the people of God, full of the Spirit of God.

Acts 7:54-8:8 (NIV), “Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was great joy in that city.” This passage starts with one of my favorite verses in the book of Acts. “Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.” How incredible is that?? If we were scattered, would that be true for us? I pray it would be. But this whole situation wasn’t God losing control. After the resurrection, Jesus told his disciples that they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and they were to be his “witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Ac 1:8) But up until this point they had stayed in Jerusalem. When this terrible persecution started, and the believers scattered, they brought the gospel with them and told people about Jesus wherever they went. Saul and the enemies of God had tried to kill this early Christian movement, but God used their wicked attempts to make his story/message/mission go viral. This is the redeeming power of God. Later, Paul himself would become a man like this — one who would talk about Jesus wherever he went. But one of those faithful men and women who were scattered was a man named Philip. And Philip was a deacon just as Stephen had been. And in Samaria (and later elsewhere), Philip demonstrated the miraculous power of God as a sign which served to verify the authenticity of the gospel message. And despite the fact that Jews and Samaritans generally hated each other at this time, many Samaritans heard Philip’s message and experienced God’s healing power, and there was great joy in that city. Praise God! This is basically the whole book of Acts right here in this passage. Last week, we started The Life of Paul about twenty years after this time, when Paul could look back at his life before becoming a Christian and all the good things he had going for him and say all that was garbage compared to knowing Jesus. But here, we see that despite having the right family background and the right nationality, the best education, and being himself very smart and bold in his personality, he was lost. He was hopeless. He needed a savior. He needed Jesus. Could God save a man like that? The answer is yes. And the change was dramatic, as we’ll see in the weeks ahead. But for today, what lessons can we take from this chapter of Paul’s story? How might we apply this to our lives today? I have three brief thoughts. In this story, we see, first, the battle, second, the believer, and third, the beauty of a God who saves by grace.

1. The Battle: An important point to see here is that from the very beginning of the Christian faith, there is strong opposition. It wasn’t a neutral spiritual environment; it was a battlefield. This fits with what Jesus taught. You see, Jesus called men and women to follow him, but he constantly followed that calling with a warning to count the cost. If you follow me, you will need to lose your life to find it. If you follow me, the world will treat you as it treated me. If you follow me, you will experience pain and hardship; you will have trouble. But Jesus was clear, Christians shouldn’t lose their faith or hope when these hardships come. He would give us His Holy Spirit, we would have the truth of his word, we would have one another in the church, and he would be with us every step of the way. So not if, but when the battle comes, we should not be surprised or panic, but trust in him, stand up for the truth as Stephen so faithfully did, and leave the outcome up to our good Father in heaven. Now, I’m not talking about silly things like people saying happy holidays instead of Merry Christmas. I doubt that’s what was happening in the Book of Acts. I’m talking about real persecution, the type of persecution we see today in places like China or Egypt, or Nigeria, where followers of Jesus are imprisoned or killed. If you think that you’re following Jesus today in a neutral spiritual environment, you will be shocked when difficulties come. You shouldn’t be afraid because Jesus said, take heart, have courage, for he has overcome the world. But we should be prepared. We should be ready.
2. The Believer: In Stephen’s story and in Philip’s story, and in the stories of all the other men and women who were scattered during this time, we see what it looks like to be a believer in Jesus. It means that wherever you are and whoever you are with, you have been entrusted with the gospel. You have the word of God, which reveals who God is, what God has done, and what he is doing today through his Son and Spirit. You have the words of life which bring forgiveness for sin, reconciliation with God, the hope of eternal life and joy and peace, and so much more. Whether we live in relative peace and security or whether we, too, are scattered, we are responsible for sharing this good news with a world that is lost without Christ. And look at the power of God at work! Despite the battle, God is working powerfully among all peoples in bringing many people to faith in Jesus. Paul was not yet a believer, but he soon would be. And he, too, would join the work of the gospel. What we see in Acts is still happening today. In China, despite the fact that they are an atheistic state, if Christianity continues to grow at the rate of the last 50 years, there will soon be more Christians in China than people in the United States. God is still at work, and people are still being saved, and lives are still being transformed. This is how it was from the beginning and how it is today. 
3. The Beauty of a God who Saves by Grace: Later in life, Paul wrote to his younger friend Timothy saying, in 1 Timothy 1:12-14 (NIV), “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.” The story of the book of Acts and the story of Paul’s life is really a story about the grace and power of God. It’s a beautiful story. One where God is willing to rescue his enemies and make his enemies his own beloved children. One where he was willing to send his one and only son. One where Jesus the Son was willing to lay down his life for all. It’s a story worthy of all the glory, honor, and praise. It’s a story that will change everything about you if you let it. So today, we live on a battlefield as believers in Jesus. But we are people who have been wrecked in the best way possible by the beauty of a God who saves us by his grace. Let us never forget, let us never lose sight of this, let us never stop singing the praises of him who lived and died and is risen for us, his former enemies who are now his friends, and his brothers and sisters who will live forever in his kingdom. I can’t think of anything better. Let us pray.

Saul of Tarsus: Born Saul of Tarsus, the Apostle Paul was a brilliant young man, a rising star in the Jewish faith, who was a violent persecutor of Christians. But then he met Jesus, and it changed everything. Eventually, Paul would become not only the preeminent Apostle to the Roman world but one of the most influential people who has ever lived! If God changed Paul’s story in such a dramatic way, what might he do with our story? Recorded on Apr 16, 2023, on Philippians 3:1-14 by Pastor David Parks.

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The Life of Paul is a new sermon series (mostly) from the book of Acts in the Bible. The Apostle Paul has a fantastic story. Born Saul of Tarsus, Paul was a brilliant young man who was a violent persecutor of Christians. But then he met Jesus, which changed everything. Eventually, Paul would become not only the preeminent Apostle to the Roman world but one of the most influential people who ever lived. Paul’s story offers a great case study of what it looks like to learn the way of Jesus.

Sermon Transcript

All year, we’re focusing on Learning the way of Jesus. And today, we get to start a brand new sermon series on the life of the Apostle Paul. Now, Paul’s story is a fascinating story, but also, Paul’s story serves as a great case study for learning the way of Jesus. And the reason is that Paul wasn’t raised in a Christian home. Born Saul of Tarsus, Paul was a brilliant young man who was a violent persecutor of Christians at the very start of the Christian movement. But then, Paul met Jesus, which changed everything. So, Paul, the persecutor, became Paul the Christian, and one who was persecuted himself for Christ. Eventually, Paul would become not only the preeminent Apostle to the Roman world but one of the most influential people who has ever lived. Paul’s life and ministry have influenced billions of people for 2,000 years. How did all this happen? How did someone so diametrically opposed to the Christian faith become the greatest missionary for Christ? How did the one who sought to have Christians imprisoned or killed become one who gave all of his life and suffered many hardships for the work of advancing the gospel among all peoples? In our Easter service last week, we considered the plausibility of the resurrection of Jesus. Paul’s story is a compelling piece of evidence that Jesus is alive to this day as the King of all Creation. How else would you explain his conversion? But over the course of the next ten weeks, we’ll follow the story of his life, his conversion to Christianity, his suffering, his ministry, and more. We’ll be mostly in the book of Acts, but, as we’ll do today, we’ll draw on a few passages from his letters, as well. So today, we’ll begin the story of Saul of Tarsus, the mighty Apostle Paul, and our case study on learning the way of Jesus. If you have a Bible/app, please take it and open to Philippians 3:1. We’ll put the Scripture up on the screens for you as well. But we’re going to unpack this text as we work through it in four parts, and then I just have one takeaway for you at the end.

Philippians 3:1–3 (NIV), “Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. 2 Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh. 3 For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh—“ Let’s pause here. So we’re coming right into the middle of a letter, so it might feel a little random. But Paul is using really strong language here to warn his brothers and sisters in Christ about a dangerous way of thinking. We’ll get to what the threat was in a minute, but from the beginning of the letter, it’s clear that Paul is writing to Christians in the Greek city of Philippi. Now, Philippi was the first European city that Paul had visited because God had called him there in a dream. His visit took place during his second missionary journey in the early 50s AD when Paul was about my age. After arriving, he did his normal thing: he preached the gospel, made disciples, and planted a church that started meeting at an influential woman’s house named Lydia. Here, a few years later, perhaps in 55 or 56 AD, Paul is writing back to his friends in Philippi to address several issues and to encourage them in their faith. This was Paul’s regular practice, and several of his letters were recognized almost immediately as inspired by the Holy Spirit and therefore were widely shared among the churches around the Roman Empire and included in the canon of Scripture. But one of the issues he felt he needed to address in Philippi was an issue that was confusing for early Christians in many places. That is, were the Gentile converts to Christianity supposed to become like ethnic Jews? Did Gentile Christians need to follow the Mosaic law, including following certain dietary restrictions and getting circumcised? Because of their focus on the issue of circumcision, he calls his opponents “mutilators of the flesh.” I don’t think any of us would want to be an opponent of Paul. But the reason Paul uses such strong language here is that he sees this as a threat to a proper understanding of Christian salvation. You see, if Christians were supposed to obey the law which was given by God under the old covenant in order to be considered righteous, then the gift of God in providing his son Jesus and his death and resurrection to establish a new covenant by faith, was in Paul’s view, adding to the work of Jesus. And any attempt to add to or take away from the person and work of Jesus isn’t just a bad idea; it’s a corruption of the gospel, it’s a false gospel that is no gospel at all! Whenever salvation was at stake, Paul always used the strongest possible arguments that he could. There are many things in the Christian faith that are secondary matters, which mature, bible-believing Christians might disagree about, but salvation is not one of those issues. Paul says if Christians follow this false gospel, they will lessen their faith in Jesus and increase their faith in their own works, putting, as he says, “confidence in the flesh.” So with all that context, we can start to move a little quicker through this text. Let’s continue with v.4. 

Philippians 3:4-6 (NIV), “4 though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.” Let’s pause here. So this is where Paul references his own story. He says you want to talk about having confidence in your own flesh, in your own righteousness under the Law of Moses? I have you beat. It’s not arrogance, saying that he has more reasons for putting confidence in his own flesh. He does! Paul says that he was circumcised on the eighth day, which means his parents were obedient to the Law of Moses. He was raised to be obedient to the Law from birth. We don’t know exactly when Paul was born, but it was probably around 10 AD, which means he was just a little younger than Jesus. But we know he wasn’t a convert to Judaism; he was ethnically Jewish. He was of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin (one of the Twelve tribes of Israel), a Hebrew of the Hebrews. Saul was his Hebrew name, while Paul was his Roman name. But to his opponents, Paul could say, I’m not trying to be Jewish; I am Jewish. I have the right lineage and family background. But what about the Law? Was Paul a devout Jew or more of a cultural Jew only? In regard to the Law, Paul says he was trained to be a Pharisee. This meant that he had years of formal training in the Mosaic Law. This would be the modern equivalent to a law degree. But Paul wasn’t trained in some second-rate university but by one of the most well-known and well-respected Rabbis in Judea. Paul gives some additional information about this in Acts 22:2–3 (NIV), “Then Paul said: “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city [Jerusalem]. I studied under Gamaliel and was thoroughly trained in the law of our ancestors. I was just as zealous for God as any of you are today.” Now, from the Book of Acts, and other historical sources, we know that Gamaliel was a member of the Jewish ruling council called the Sanhedrin. Very few people in his day had more authority or influence in the Jewish faith than Gamaliel. As a result, though Paul was born in Tarsus, which made him a Roman citizen, with all the rights and privileges of being a citizen of the most powerful kingdom on earth at the time, he was raised and educated by the very best in Jerusalem. We know he learned the trade of tent-making, possibly from his family, but in Jerusalem, Paul was on the fast track to becoming incredibly powerful and influential as a religious leader himself. But Paul wasn’t just from the right family and had the right citizenry with the right educational background, he was also very zealous and, as he says, as for righteousness based on the law, faultless. Now this doesn’t mean that he was without sin, only that externally, by the measure of the Law, he was blameless, even though his heart was far from God. Externally, he had checked every box. He was brilliant and worked harder than everyone else to be seen and known as a good person. And so, he was a rising star in Judea. If he wasn’t already a member of the Sanhedrin by his late twenties or early thirties, he surely would be soon. This group advocating circumcision and other Jewish practices to the Philippians were little league compared to Paul. But let’s continue and see what Paul thought about all this.

Philippians 3:7-9 (NIV), “7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.” This is such a powerful set of statements. For the one who was a rising star in Judaism, from the right family and the right background, who checked all the right boxes, and one who was incredibly smart, hard-working, and zealous, now, perhaps some twenty years after becoming Christian, he could look back and say none of those things were worth anything to him. At the time, what seemed like gains for him were actually losses. And actually, now that he had lost all of those advantages because he became a Christian, he considers them to be garbage compared to knowing Christ and being found in him. As many people have experienced over the years, Saul of Tarsus met Jesus, and it changed everything. Because for Paul, in Christ, he finally found the righteousness he had always tried to achieve on his own. He found that the righteousness that comes from God is given by God’s grace on the basis of faith in Jesus. This is why the Christian gospel is so different than every other religion or philosophy in the world. Everyone else says that it is what you do that saves you. Paul believed this before he became a Christian. But the problem was, as he admits in Romans 7 and elsewhere, that he knew in his heart that sin was still at war within him. He still had a heart problem, even though he had tried so hard to be good on his own. As good as anyone can try to be, we all still fall short of the glory of God. But in the message of Jesus, it was found that it is not what you do that saves you, but what Jesus has already done. Jesus gave his life on the cross to pay the price for sin that we could never pay. But he rose again from the dead, breaking the power of sin and death forever for those who would believe in him and trust him for salvation. Therefore, the righteousness of Christ is given to us by faith. Now anyone, Jew or Gentile, can be forgiven for their sins, have a new relationship with God, and receive eternal life in his kingdom. So do you see why Paul would care so much about not confusing this message of salvation? If it’s not what you do that saves you, thinking you need to trust in Jesus but also get circumcised for your salvation is going right back to that flawed, anti-Christ way of thinking. Let’s finish this passage and hear Paul’s heart for his friends in Philippi. 

Philippians 3:10-14 (NIV), “10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Do you feel Paul’s passion? Do you hear his heart for God? He isn’t mildly convinced; he is utterly sold out for Jesus. The greatest aim for his life, the reason he is straining for what is ahead, the reason he is happy to lose everything and suffer many difficulties and hardships, and the reason he is running this race to win the prize is all because of Jesus. Jesus is worth it. For Paul, life with Christ is the best kind of life. Knowing Jesus and following Jesus, and helping other people come to faith and grow in their faith in Jesus is worth more to Paul than anything. If you cut that man, he would bleed Jesus! If you put him in chains, he would tell his prison guards about Jesus. If you killed Paul, then he knew he would be with Jesus, which was far better for him. But how did he get this way? What led up to all this? How did the twenty years between his conversion and the writing of this letter unfold? We’ll cover all that and more in the weeks ahead. But here, Paul uses his story against his opponents to reveal the false gospel they are preaching. If his opponents were right, then Paul would’ve already been righteous under the Law and wouldn’t have needed Jesus or the cross of Christ. But Paul knew he needed Jesus. And the logic of the gospel falls apart if you add anything or take anything away from Jesus. In many ways, this interaction is a perfect example of Paul’s ministry as an apostle, his heart for the church, his passion for Christ, and his refusal to accept a message of salvation based on anything other than the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ. But this also sheds a little light on Paul’s story. And that is where I’d like to focus as we close.

Everybody has a story. Paul had a story. I have a story. You have a story. And one of the things we learn from following Paul’s story is that God can not only use our stories; he can not only use our personalities, backgrounds, strengths/weaknesses, wisdom, wounds, and families — in other words, God can not only use all that we are — but he can redeem our stories and change our stories in new and unexpected ways. Paul never expected to become a Christian, much less to be one of the most effective and fruitful Christian missionaries of all time! Paul’s story proves that God has the power and authority to rewrite our stories. God can take us and transform us for his glory, for our joy, and for the good of all people. God is the author of life, including our lives, and no matter how our stories began, he can write a new ending for us in Christ. Did you know that? Do you believe that? Now our stories will not be the same as Paul’s story. But the same Jesus who appeared alive and in glory to Paul on the road to Damascus, the same Jesus who led and guided Paul all over the Roman Empire, the same Jesus who inspired and sustained and preserved his ministry is the same Jesus who we follow today. He’s the same Jesus who is the head of our church today. He’s the same Jesus who saves us by his grace today. He’s the same Jesus who is at work in transforming and rewriting the story of our lives even now. Everybody has a story. May we see our lives and our stories and our past/present/future the way Paul saw his: as being saved/empowered/guided/protected/redeemed in the goodness and the righteousness that is found in Christ Jesus our Lord. May we press on, as a church, toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called us heavenward in Christ Jesus. God only knows what might happen in our lives or in this church or in our community, or in our world if we, like Paul, learn to follow the way of Jesus. May it be, Lord. Let us pray.

Easter Sunday 2023: Everyone has things in their life they wish they could change, things that might be silly, embarrassing, or even shameful. The resurrection is the culmination of the work of Jesus. There was a conspiracy to cover it up, but hundreds of eyewitnesses supported the truth of this claim. But if Jesus is alive, then it changes everything! Recorded on Apr 9, 2023, on Matthew 28 by Pastor David Parks.

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Sermon Transcript

So all year, we’re focusing on Learning the way of Jesus. The big question we’ve been trying to answer is this: If the gospel is true, how then should we live? We just finished a series on the Ten Commandments, which, if you missed any of those sermons, you can always go back and watch online or listen to the podcast if you’d like. Next week we’ll start a brand new sermon series on the life of the Apostle Paul, which is a fascinating story, but also serves as a great case study on learning the way of Jesus. But for today, for Easter Sunday, we’re considering the claim that Christians have made from the very beginning, a claim that is at the heart of the gospel message: that Jesus Christ died on the cross for the sins of the world, was buried, but on the third day he rose again from the dead. And if that’s true, as Christians believe, if Jesus really is alive, then it changes everything. Everyone has things in their life they wish they could change. Everyone has silly/embarrassing/even shameful memories they wish they could erase. Everyone has things they said or did or that were done to them they wish they could forget or, if it were possible, somehow go back and undo. But if Jesus is alive, it changes everything! If Jesus was raised from the dead, then he truly is who he claimed to be, and every terrible detail of our lives becomes part of a new story of redemption/forgiveness/hope/life/glory. But for many people today, a resurrection, a person coming back from the dead after days in the grave, seems impossible. If that’s you today, I’d simply ask you to listen to the story and see what you think. Even Christians believe that this event wasn’t something happening all the time — it was unique to Jesus. See if the story seems plausible to you. Because if it isn’t true- if Jesus didn’t really rise from the dead- then nothing in the Christian faith is helpful at all. It’s just a made-up story, a delusion. But if there’s even a chance that it might be true, then it’s worth investigating, right? If it is true, then it changes everything. If you have a Bible/app, please take it and open it to Matthew 28:1. We’ll put the Scripture up on the screens for you as well. And we’ll read through this story in three parts; first, we’ll see the culmination; second, the conspiracy; and third, the commission. Let’s start with v. 1, this is the culmination.

Matthew 28:1-10 (NIV), “After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. 2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. 5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” 8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” Ok, let’s pause here. So this account of the resurrection comes to us from Matthew. Matthew was a Jewish man who was a friend and follower of Jesus. He was a tax collector before he was a Christian, but he gave up his career when Jesus called Matthew to follow him. And if we had started at the beginning, instead of the final chapter, everything in Matthew’s gospel has led up to this point. The birth and life, and ministry of Jesus, including his teaching and healing, and other miracles, all culminate with his death and his resurrection from the dead. On Good Friday, we read through all of Matthew 27 and saw how Jesus, the Son of Man, was betrayed, condemned, and abused, how he was crucified, died, and was buried. It was brutal. It was unjust. I’m sure it was shocking and disorienting for his friends and followers. But then…something unexpected happened that would forever change the course of human history. Chapter 28 starts with a very early morning on the first day of the week, which, for the Jewish people, would’ve been a Sunday. And just like in many Catholic families today, Mary was a common name for women back in first-century Judea. So Mary and Mary went to the tomb to dress the body of Jesus with spices and anointments that were used in that day as a way to honor their friend in his death. But notice that they still expected him to be in the tomb. Even though they didn’t have iPhones back then, people weren’t dumb. 2,000 years ago, people knew that the dead didn’t just come back to life. The stone at the entrance to the tomb was to keep people out, not to keep them in. But when these faithful women arrived, they were surprised and afraid at what they saw. Roman soldiers shaking with fear, an angel whose appearance was like lightning, oh, and the body of Jesus was gone. None of these things were what they were expecting. In that glorious and hopeful moment, they didn’t know what God was doing. But the angel told them not to be afraid because Jesus had risen from the dead, just as he said he would do. And that’s a funny detail of the resurrection story to me. Multiple times, Jesus had told his disciples that he would be delivered over to the religious and political leaders in Jerusalem, that he would suffer and die, but on the third day, he would rise again. But his disciples just couldn’t understand that he was speaking literally. In fact, until Jesus actually rose from the dead, no one expected him to rise from the dead! But here they were at the empty tomb, afraid yet filled with joy. So the women ran to tell the others what they had seen, when, and who should they meet, but Jesus himself. Their friend, their leader, their Messiah, their King, and God was alive. Jesus was alive. And they worshipped him. This is a key fact that speaks to what these first followers thought of who Jesus was. We just finished a series on the Ten Commandments. And what is commandment number one? “I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me.” (Ex 20:2-3). Jewish people were clearly forbidden to worship anyone/anything other than the one true God. For these women, and many others, to worship Jesus was a declaration of faith that Jesus was God. They weren’t guilty of breaking the first command; they were being faithful in worshipping the one true God! So first, we see the culmination of the work of Jesus in his death and resurrection. Second, we see a conspiracy to try and stop this movement.

Matthew 28:11-15 (NIV), “11 While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. 12 When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, 13 telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ 14 If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.” Let’s pause here. The plot thickens. We saw that the disciples of Jesus weren’t expecting a literal resurrection. And if this had only been a made-up claim, the religious leaders who had Jesus crucified could’ve simply produced his body as evidence that the claims of a resurrection were false. But there was no body. The tomb was empty. And no one was more surprised than the disciples. The soldiers told the religious leaders, but they refused to believe it. Like the Apostle Paul, before he became a Christian, they didn’t understand that Jesus was the fulfillment of everything they supposedly held dear. He was the fulfillment of all the promises of God in their Scriptures. He was the Messiah they were supposed to be waiting for. But instead, they hated Jesus. They had him killed. So they paid off the Roman soldiers and spread the rumor that this was all a plot of the disciples to fake a resurrection. But Jesus was alive. In Acts 1:3, Luke, the historian, records that, “After his suffering, he [Jesus] presented himself to them [the disciples] and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.” In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul writes that after the resurrection, “…he [Jesus] appeared to Cephas [Peter], and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.” This means there were hundreds of eyewitnesses to the resurrection of Jesus. If you wanted to, you could go talk to them. Christianity didn’t start as a new way to be a good person or even as the way to go to heaven when you die. Christianity started as the good news of something that God had done through the person and work of Jesus. Historically, it’s really difficult to see how Christianity could have started, much less spread if Jesus hadn’t appeared after his death. It would’ve been just another failed movement that ended when the leader was killed, which has happened many times throughout history. But the message of Jesus only continued to spread, even as many of the first followers gave their lives for their faith. The Apostles didn’t get rich and famous for being leaders of a cool new religion. They all, with the exception of the Apostle John, were killed for their message. Christianity didn’t spread because it was cool or there was some material benefit; it spread because it was credible, it was believable, it was true. So first, we see the culmination; second, we see the conspiracy; third, and finally, we see the commission.

Matthew 28:16-20 (NIV), “16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” This is God’s word. So this passage is commonly called the Great Commission. When Jesus commissioned or sent his disciples out to make disciples of all nations. This means learning to follow Jesus and helping others do the same. Which, by the way, is what we’re still doing as a church today. The two activities of this commission describe the whole of the Christian life. Baptism represents the start of hearing and believing the gospel and entering into a new and everlasting relationship with God. Baptism signifies our union with Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection (going down into the water and coming back up again) as well as our cleansing from sin. The second activity, learning to obey everything Jesus commanded, represents the whole rest of the journey. I can speak from experience that it takes a very long time to learn how to love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and how to fully love your neighbor as yourself. I can speak from experience that it takes a very long time to submit every aspect of heart, mind, and life in obedience to Christ. In fact, I have not yet fully attained these things. I still fail. I still have fears and doubts at times, even as a pastor, even though I’ve seen God at work. It takes the whole rest of our lives to learn and grow and be transformed into the men and women that God created us to be. But by God’s grace, we can make great progress, by the truth of his word and the power of his Spirit at work in our lives. Supported by our brothers and sisters in Christ, and our commitment to learning the way of Jesus, we can make great progress and help others do the same. 

But don’t you see? If Jesus is alive, as Christians believe that he is, with all the authority in heaven and earth, then it changes everything. For the one who believes in Jesus, it changes your spiritual condition from death to life. It changes your identity from a spiritual orphan to a beloved child of God. It changes your value and worth. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” If God was willing to give up his one and only Son for you, if Jesus was willing to lay down his life for you, then no matter what anyone else has told you, you are of infinite worth! It changes your mission and purpose in life. You, too, have been commissioned/sent out by Jesus to join the work that he is doing in the world. Some might be called into full-time work, but all are called to join in the work of the church in sharing the good news with a world that is lost without Jesus. If Jesus is alive, then it changes your past, present, and future. Every sin, great and small, is forgiven by God because the price was paid by Jesus Christ on the cross. Every challenge, every hardship, every difficulty of your present is faced with the presence of Christ himself. For he said, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Every fear, every potential threat of your future is nothing compared to the plans of God for you, plans to prosper you, not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. If Jesus is alive, then it changes everything! But maybe you’re thinking; you just don’t know me. You don’t know my life. So much would need to change. I would need a hundred lifetimes for God to make something good out of my life. But this just isn’t how change works. The Wright brothers made their historic first flight in a manned aircraft on Dec 17, 1903. No one had ever flown before. Their top speed was only 30 mph. But after that first flight, on July 20, 1969, not even 66 years later, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin of the Apollo 11 mission flew almost 240,000 miles to land and walk on the moon before returning safely back to Earth. 66 years is not even the normal life expectancy for people today. If human beings can see that much change, if human beings can make that much progress over the course of one life span, how much do you think God can change in the course of one life? He can change everything! Everyone has things in their life they wish they could change. Everyone wrestles with fears/doubts/guilt/shame. I know I do at times. But the claim of Christians from the very beginning is this: Jesus Christ is alive. And that changes everything. So today, would you put your faith and trust in Jesus? He is not dead; he is alive and has ascended into heaven, where he reigns and rules as the King of heaven and earth. Would you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead? If so, then you will be saved. And you will be made new. You will change by the grace of God. And your story will become a story of redemption/forgiveness/hope/life/glory. And if that is true, then “neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Ro 8:38-39) Let us pray.

Good Friday 2023: Why should people consider something as dark and terrible as the shame and violence of the cross of Christ? When Jesus was betrayed, condemned, abused, crucified, died, and buried. Because you can’t fully appreciate the majesty and the beauty and the power of the resurrection without first gazing upon the hill of Calvary. Recorded on Apr 7, 2023, on Matthew 27 by Pastor David Parks.l

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Sermon Transcript

Good evening, everyone, and welcome to our Good Friday service. I’m Pastor David, and whether you’re joining us in person or online today, I’d like to welcome you to Appleton Gospel Church. As a church, our mission is sharing good news, and I hope you experience that today, even as we consider something as dark and terrible as the shame and violence of the cross of Christ. But I don’t think we can fully appreciate the majesty and the beauty and the power of the resurrection without first gazing at the hill of Calvary and consider the atoning sacrifice of the Son of Man, offered on our behalf. The darkness of Good Friday makes the light of Easter Sunday shine all the brighter. I don’t have many announcements for you today other than to invite you all back for Easter. We have two services on Sunday, one at 9:00 am and one at 10:30 am. But for now, would you join me in prayer as we open God’s word? Let’s pray. If you have a Bible/app, please take it and open to Matthew 27. As we’ve done in years past, we’re going to read through the whole account of the suffering, death, and burial of Jesus on that first Good Friday. I would encourage you to follow along in your own Bible as we will not be putting so much scripture up on the screens. Or, if you’d like to just listen to the narrative, that would be fine, too. I’ll only make a few comments on each section as we go. So first, we see the Son of Man betrayed.

Betrayed: Matthew 27:1-10 (NIV), “Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people made their plans how to have Jesus executed. 2 So they bound him, led him away and handed him over to Pilate the governor. 3 When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. 4 “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.” “What is that to us?” they replied. “That’s your responsibility.” 5 So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself. 6 The chief priests picked up the coins and said, “It is against the law to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money.” 7 So they decided to use the money to buy the potter’s field as a burial place for foreigners. 8 That is why it has been called the Field of Blood to this day. 9 Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price set on him by the people of Israel, 10 and they used them to buy the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.” Jesus knew and had told his disciples on at least three different occasions before arriving in Jerusalem that he would be delivered over to the Jewish chief priests and teachers of the law (elders) who would condemn him to death and hand him over to the Gentile rulers to be killed. He knew this would happen, but he still came. This wasn’t an accident; the cross was central to the mission of Jesus. Part of the Roman occupation of Judea at this time meant that the Jewish people could not carry out capital punishments on their own. The chief priests and elders had condemned Jesus but they couldn’t put him to death. This is why Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor in Jerusalem, was involved. Jesus had also known that one of his closest followers, Judas Iscariot, was going to betray him. If you’ve ever been betrayed by someone close to you, you know how much that hurts. Judas had sold out Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, but then later changed his mind and couldn’t live with what he had done. What a tragedy. If only he had confessed his sin to Jesus, perhaps things could’ve been different. Second, we see the Son of Man condemned.

Condemned: Matthew 27:11-25 (NIV), “11 Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” “You have said so,” Jesus replied. 12 When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer. 13 Then Pilate asked him, “Don’t you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?” 14 But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge—to the great amazement of the governor. 15 Now it was the governor’s custom at the festival to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd. 16 At that time they had a well-known prisoner whose name was Jesus Barabbas. 17 So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you: Jesus Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” 18 For he knew it was out of self-interest that they had handed Jesus over to him. 19 While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him this message: “Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him.” 20 But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed. 21 “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor. “Barabbas,” they answered. 22 “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” Pilate asked. They all answered, “Crucify him!” 23 “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!” 24 When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility!” 25 All the people answered, “His blood is on us and on our children!” An innocent man condemned to die, a guilty man freed, religious leaders acting out of self-interest, a political leader acting out of fear, and a crowd close to riot. Pilate didn’t find that Jesus had committed any crime, much less one deserving of death. But in the end, Pilate did what every corrupt and cowardly leader does: he did what was easy, not what was right. He washed his hands of the blood of Jesus, when (if he only knew!) he needed the blood of Jesus to wash him. There’s a tradition that Pilate later became a Christian, but God only knows. The sad irony is that Jesus was, in fact, the King of the Jews. He was the Jewish Messiah, the anointed one sent from heaven to save God’s people. He deserved shouts of praise from the crowd, not angry shouts for his death. But look at Jesus, calm, not anxious, not fighting for his rights, not even arguing. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth (Isa 53:7). Why? Because the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. (Jn 10:11). Third, we see the Son of Man abused.

Abused: Matthew 27:26-31 (NIV), “26 Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified. 27 Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. 28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. 30 They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. 31 After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.” Before he even got to the cross, Jesus was betrayed, falsely accused, unjustly condemned, whipped, stripped, mocked, and beaten. He endured all manner of physical and emotional abuse. He was publicly humiliated. If you ever had to endure abuse, if you were ever physically or emotionally abused, Jesus knows what that feels like; he understands.  Fourth, we see the Son of Man crucified.

Crucified: Matthew 27:32-44 (NIV), “32 As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. 33 They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). 34 There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. 35 When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. 36 And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. 37 Above his head they placed the written charge against him: this is jesus, the king of the jews. 38 Two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. 39 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads 40 and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” 41 In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. 42 “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ” 44 In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.” Cyrene was a city on the coast of North Africa and Simon was probably in town for the Passover celebration. The reason Simon was forced to carry the cross isn’t stated but is presumably because Jesus was already whipped and beaten (which could’ve killed him on their own). Matthew doesn’t spend much time explaining crucifixion, probably because their original audience would’ve been familiar with the brutal practice. But to be crucified typically meant that you were nailed to a cross in the shape of a T or an X with nails through the wrist and ankle bones. The Romans were experts at this, knowing how to prolong the pain, sometimes for days. People were often crucified at eye level to increase their shame. Eventually, people couldn’t continue to push themselves up to breathe and would either die of heart failure or suffocation. It was so barbaric that the Romans only crucified foreigners, slaves, or traitors, not regular citizens. The fact that Jesus was willing to be crucified for anyone, much less for us, is astonishing. But even on the cross, people misunderstood and mocked him. Fifth, we see the Son of Man died.

Died: Matthew 27:45-56 (NIV), “45 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). 47 When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.” 48 Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. 49 The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.” 50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. 51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split 52 and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53 They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people. 54 When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!” 55 Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. 56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.” Many curious things happened when Jesus of Nazareth died. First, the curtain that separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple was torn in two. This barrier that represented the separation between God and mankind was no longer needed, because the death of Jesus made a way for people to be reconciled to God and be with him. It was torn from top to bottom because God did it. Second, there was an earthquake. This often happens when God shows up. But I can’t help but wonder if the earth itself knew that something incredible was happening to its creator. “The creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed.” (v. 19) The cross of Christ provided the way for people to become children of God. Did the earth know this? Third, the bodies of many of the saints were raised to life. I wish we had more information about this, don’t you? But life after death is one of the main consequences of the person and work of Jesus. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.” (Jn 11:25-26) The death of Jesus means we can have eternal life. Death and grave no longer have any hold. Fourth, a centurion, a Roman officer in charge of 100 soldiers, saw all that happened and made a confession of faith, “Surely he was the Son of God!” Finally, amidst all the mocking and lies, we find a true confession truly made. Surely Jesus, the Son of Man, was also the Son of God. He was constantly saying things that only God could say and doing things that only God could do. Surely he was the Son of God. Fifth, and finally, Matthew records that a company of women stayed until the bitter end. Jesus always had women in his group of disciples. He called them to follow him, he taught them, and some even funded his ministry. This is a curious fact because if all this was all made up later, as some people claim, you’d never make up a story where the male apostles are mostly missing while the female followers courageously stay with Jesus. It’s so historically strange that the only explanation is it must be what actually happened. Apostles like Matthew told the story this way because it was the truth. So many unexpected details in this story. But now, Jesus was dead. The one who had healed and had fed and taught so many people, the one who had even raised the dead himself, was dead. To the shock and dismay of his friends, family, and followers, he was dead. Some people had expected him to raise an army and drive the Roman oppressors out of Israel. Others had expected him to establish the Kingdom of God on the earth, a kingdom that would last forever. But no one expected him to actually, willingly die. They just didn’t understand…not yet. Sixth, we see the Son of Man buried.

Buried: Matthew 27:57-66 (NIV), “57 As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. 58 Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. 59 Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb. 62 The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. 63 “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ 64 So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.” 65 “Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.” The stage is now set for Easter Sunday. When you know what’s coming, you can’t help but feel hopeful. But on that first Good Friday, Jesus the Son of Man, the Son of God, was betrayed, condemned, abused, crucified, died, and was buried. Why? Well, because of God’s great love. Jesus died because of the grace and mercy of God for sinners. On the cross, Jesus made atonement for our sins, he paid the price we could never pay. He took our sin and gave us his righteousness. He took our shame and gave us his grace. He took our death and gave us his life. He took our abandonment and gave us his sonship and his inheritance. This is what the Son of Man accomplished. This is why the Son of God died: For you, and for me. May we join the angels and the saints in glory and look again with wonder upon the cross of Christ. Let us pray.

Guard Your Heart: The tenth command of the Ten Commandments is, “You shall not covet…anything that belongs to your neighbor.” Coveting means to desire something that is unhealthy, unhelpful, or unlawful. This command reminds us that all our problems are, first, heart problems. Obeying this command is especially difficult in an age of social media and expressive individualism. However, learning to guard your heart in Christ is the only way to find and enjoy true and lasting peace. Recorded on Apr 2, 2023, on Exodus 20:17 by Pastor David Parks. (Apologies, due to a technical issue, we lost the introduction to the sermon. However, it is included in the transcript below.)

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Ten Commandments: Learning the Law of Love is a sermon series on the most influential legal code in human history. Why should we learn about the Ten Commandments today? Because they reveal God’s will for how human beings ought to live: to love God with all our heart and love our neighbor as ourselves. Ultimately, the law of love points us directly to Jesus.

Sermon Transcript

All year, the theme of our preaching ministry is Learning the way of Jesus. And today, we’re finishing a sermon series on the Ten Commandments. I hope this series has been helpful to you. Throughout this series, I’ve personally been struck by the beauty of God’s vision for human society in the spirit of these commands. It’s hard to even imagine what life would be like if we all truly lived according to God’s will/way. What a joy it will be to find out in the new heaven and earth. But through this series, we’ve said that the Ten Commandments, as part of God’s moral law, reveal how God wants people to live. And ultimately, this way of life can be summed up as learning to love the Lord your God, heart, soul, mind, and strength; and to love your neighbor as yourself — God’s law is a law of love. In this law, we discover that there is only one God, who is worthy of our worship and deserving of our respect, and we must find our rest in him. As a result, we must honor our parents, honor life, honor marriage, honor other people’s property, honor the truth, and today, finally, we must guard our hearts. This is God’s will for our lives. Well, if you have a Bible/app, please open to Exodus 20:12. We’ll read through the second half of the Ten Commandments and then unpack the tenth together today, focusing on the wisdom/goodness of this command, how this command connects to the heart, and how we might learn to guard our hearts in Christ.

Exodus 20:12-17 (NIV), “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” As we’ve said, the book of Exodus was written about 4,300 years ago by Moses, the great prophet and leader of ancient Israel. And Exodus describes a key turning point in history when God rescued the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt and entered into a covenant relationship with them, which included giving them the Law. The first four commands are focused on how we are to love the Lord our God, while the remaining six are about how to love our neighbor as ourselves. Well, today, we’re focusing on the tenth command, which addresses the problem of coveting, which means to desire or lust after things that are unhealthy, unhelpful, or unlawful. So first, let’s consider the wisdom/goodness of this command. Why should we want to obey this command? There are probably many benefits to obeying this command, but the main benefit, in my view, is how it relates to our internal and external peace. The older I get, the more I value peace. Not simply the absence of conflict, although that is, of course, very good. But the feeling of wholeness and fulfillment you get when you are in a right relationship with God and the people around you. That is true peace. But one of the things that steals our peace, and leads to all sorts of problems, is when we desire what isn’t ours. Now, it’s important to see that this command doesn’t forbid all desire but only desiring what is unhealthy, unhelpful, or unlawful. There isn’t anything wrong with desiring your own spouse, for example. In fact, that’s a very good thing! It makes marriage much more enjoyable. But to covet your neighbor’s wife (or husband) is not good or right or helpful for anyone. The Hebrew word translated house in this command can mean house or household. So this applies to anything in your neighbor’s house or household: to their income, abilities, possessions, children, house, car, health, job, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor. So, how might this steal your peace? Well, it’s hard to have inner peace when you aren’t content with what you have. It’s hard to have inner peace when you aren’t thankful for what you have but instead are constantly looking at what you don’t have. And it’s easy to see how coveting could lead to all sorts of problems or even violence. This is what James observes in James 4:1–3 (NIV): “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” Coveting doesn’t help us love our neighbor. In fact, it might be the pretext for doing them great harm. In the classic mob movie Scarface, when Tony Montana (played by Al Pacino) is a small-time crook, a nobody really, there’s a scene where he’s driving home with his partner, Manny. They’re talking about their future, and Manny says, “I say, be happy with what you got.” But Tony says, “You be happy. Me, I want what’s coming to me.” Surprised, Manny says, “Well, what’s coming to you, Tony?” and Tony replies, “The world, Chico, and everything in it.” (“Scarface.” Universal, Columbia Tristar Home Video, 1983.) All the rest of the violence and evil that comes in the film starts with breaking the tenth command, just as James said. Now, obeying this command is especially difficult for us in the age of social media. Studies have shown that the more time you spend on social media, the more depressed you tend to be. And this is especially true for teen girls. Why? Because social media isn’t real life; it’s only the parts of life that people want to share. It’s a curated version of life that leaves out all the boring or bad bits. So when you scroll through your feed, you’re only seeing the part of other people’s lives they are willing to share. And this can be depressing if you aren’t aware of what’s happening. Because you’re comparing your seemingly boring life to everyone else’s, and everyone else seems to be doing so much better. Of course, they’re not actually doing better. Even if they’re doing something exciting at that moment, they have boring and difficult times, too. Everyone does. We just tend not to share those moments. Now, social media can be a good thing, but only when it enhances our real, face-to-face relationships. My fear is that most people consume social media without thinking about it all that much. And this directly leads to breaking the tenth command and stealing the joy and gratitude and contentment that comes with true and lasting peace. So the goodness and wisdom of God in the tenth command is that it leads to peace. 

Now, I said that this peace is both internal and external. Let’s drill down a level or two on the internal side and see how this command connects to the heart. First, we saw the wisdom/goodness of God in the tenth command, now second, how it connects to the heart. The tenth command is a very strange law when you think about it. Because there’s really no way for us to judge when someone is guilty of breaking it. We can tell if someone’s coveting leads, as James said, to quarreling and fighting. We can tell if coveting leads to breaking other commands, such as the commands against theft or adultery. But we really can’t tell what’s going on in someone else’s heart. Only God can know for sure. So this is a curious command because it would seem that it has no way of being enforced. If you can’t tell that someone is coveting, how could a judge find them innocent or guilty? So why did God include this in the Ten Commandments? Why is this the conclusion to the most famous legal code in human history? Because God doesn’t want superficial obedience. God doesn’t want people who honor him with their lips while their hearts are far from him. God doesn’t want people to love their neighbor in what they do but not in the thoughts and attitudes of their hearts. God wants all of our lives to be transformed into the likeness of Christ! And this must include our hearts. The tenth command forces us to examine our hearts and deal with the unhealthy, unhelpful, and unlawful desires that we might find there. Furthermore, it reinforces what we’ve emphasized throughout this series that underlying each negative prohibition of the Ten Commandments, there is a positive principle that is rooted in the character of God. For example, we shouldn’t murder (negative) because God deeply values human life (positive). So we can’t stop at the letter of the law; we must go deeper to understand and live out the spirit of the law, which has to come from the heart. In the Bible, the heart represents the whole inner person: mind, will, and emotions. And the Bible says (and any psychologist would say) that everything external, every word and deed, comes from the heart. Look at what Jesus says in Luke 6:43–45 (NIV), “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” What Jesus is saying here is that all our problems are, first, heart problems. Sometimes I hear people say, I know he said that or did that evil thing, but he has a good heart. False. Now, that doesn’t mean that one evil word or deed means that someone is entirely evil. Not at all. Our hearts are complex. We have competing desires and motivations. And it can be so difficult for us to even understand what’s going on in there even when we are trying to understand! There are a few things in my life that took years of careful thought and prayer, and discussion before I felt like I had even started to understand what was really going on in my heart. But if this is true, then if we fail to address the heart, either in our life, marriage, parenting, or our desire to learn the way of Jesus, we will ultimately miss the root of our issues. This is why Proverbs 4:23 (NIV) says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” 

So first, we saw the wisdom/goodness of God in the tenth command. Second, we saw how it connects to the heart. Third, how can we actually obey this command? As Christians, how can we guard our hearts in Christ? Well, first, incidentally, this teaching is similar in some ways to Buddhism. Buddhism also teaches that bad/corrupt desires are the root of our problems, the source of our sins. These desires are the root of all pain and injustice, all oppression and abuse in life. Our desire for pleasure or power or even for life itself is the root of all suffering. But the Buddhist solution is to detach yourself from the world so as not to experience these desires anymore. This enlightened state is a state without any desire, good or bad. There is no more sin because there is no more desire. But as we’ve seen, not every desire of the human heart is corrupt; some desires can be really good! The Christian solution isn’t to detach from the world but to repent and turn from your bad desires and learn new desires which no longer conform to the pattern of this world but are transformed by the renewing of our minds into the likeness of Christ. The Christian agrees with the Buddhist that the root of our problems is a heart problem. However, the Christian believes that, ultimately, we need a new heart! We need the regenerating work of God, the Holy Spirit, to take our hearts of stone, hearts hardened against God, and give us hearts of flesh, hearts that are open and willing to follow the will/way of God, hearts that love God and love our neighbors. This is what Jesus meant when he said, “…no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” (Jn 3:3). We receive the regenerating work of God in our hearts when we put our faith and trust in the person and work of Jesus — when we welcome Jesus into our hearts and lives as the redeeming king that he is. And this doesn’t just make a minor improvement to our lives. This conversion doesn’t just change our external behavior and make us better people. It’s as radical and as transformative a work as if we were born again. In fact, when you become a Christian, when you put your faith in Jesus, you go from being spiritually dead in your transgressions and sins to being made alive in Christ. And this spiritual renewal works itself out in life from the inside out, from our hearts out to every area of our lives. So how can we guard our hearts? How can we help guard the hearts of our kids or our loved ones? I’ll leave you with three thoughts. First, we can guard our hearts against coveting and all manner of evil by being born again and receiving a new heart from God: a new heart with new desires. This new heart is not one that is detached from reality, not ruled by our covetous desires, but one that is sensitive and controlled that can appropriately think and feel according to what is healthy, helpful, and true. All our problems are first heart problems, so we need a new heart. Second, we must be aware of the influence of our culture. We do not live in a neutral spiritual environment. We live on a battlefield, and the heart is a central focus. We already discussed the problem of social media. But we could also mention the power of marketing. It’s so hard to feel content and grateful for what we have; it’s so hard to find and enjoy true and lasting peace when every ad we see tells us we’ll never be satisfied until we buy their thing. Forbes magazine reported that in the age of digital advertising, people see an average of 4,000 to 10,000 ads per day. Is it any wonder that it’s hard for us to obey the tenth command? But the last thing I’ll mention about our culture is really the spirit of our age. It’s been described by sociologists and philosophers as expressive individualism. Expressive focuses on the emotional nature of people today, and individualism places the emphasis on the individual as opposed to the group or tribe, or family. So many people today are ruled and mastered by their emotions. We’re constantly told, “Just follow your heart!” as if the fact that we desire something/someone means we ought to have it/them. We’re even told that we are how we feel, that our identity is created by our emotions/desires/attractions, and any desire of our heart that is not fulfilled will prevent us from being our authentic selves. My friends, this is really not good. If the Bible is true, then these cultural beliefs are ultimately destructive. Why? Because, as we’ve seen, our hearts are a mixed bag of good and bad. Sometimes we desire what is right, but sometimes we desire what is wrong, and sometimes we can’t even really tell what’s going on in our hearts. How could that confused, jumbled mess coherently guide us, much less define us? So third, after receiving a new heart by the grace of God and faith in the person and work of Jesus, especially in his death and resurrection, and after seeing clearly the battle raging all around us, we must be committed to learning the way of Jesus. His way is the only way of ultimate and lasting safety, security, truth, beauty, goodness, justice, life, and, yes, peace. His way is the only way to truly guard our hearts and minds, and lives. So may we be people who are careful not to covet. And may we be people who are careful to guard our hearts, for everything we do flows from them. And may we be people who follow the way of Jesus in every area of our lives and so fulfill the law of God. A law of love. Let us pray.