1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:03,528 Hello and welcome to the Middletown Baptist Church Podcast, 2 00:00:03,624 --> 00:00:06,552 where we are proclaiming the truth to the world. 3 00:00:06,656 --> 00:00:09,672 My name is Pastor Josh, and I want to thank you for listening to 4 00:00:09,696 --> 00:00:10,728 this podcast. 5 00:00:10,904 --> 00:00:14,616 I hope that this podcast can be a blessing to you and strengthen 6 00:00:14,648 --> 00:00:16,300 you in the word of God. 7 00:00:16,720 --> 00:00:20,072 Now, come along, let's look into the Bible and see what God has 8 00:00:20,096 --> 00:00:21,700 for us here today. 9 00:00:23,520 --> 00:00:26,370 And we're going to go ahead and get into the word here this evening. 10 00:00:26,480 --> 00:00:29,370 You have your Bibles turned to Acts 21. 11 00:00:30,630 --> 00:00:34,462 Has anybody told you, again, I always have to preface this with 12 00:00:34,486 --> 00:00:35,758 don't raise your hand because I don't want any. 13 00:00:35,814 --> 00:00:36,382 Call anyone out. 14 00:00:36,406 --> 00:00:38,958 But has anyone ever told you that what you're doing for the Lord 15 00:00:38,974 --> 00:00:40,370 is a bad idea? 16 00:00:41,590 --> 00:00:42,382 I can say that. 17 00:00:42,406 --> 00:00:46,094 I have had people say, what you're doing is a bad idea, and I 18 00:00:46,102 --> 00:00:47,582 won't tell you specifically what it was. 19 00:00:47,606 --> 00:00:50,558 But there have been times in my life where people said, I know 20 00:00:50,614 --> 00:00:53,230 that you feel like God is calling you to do this, but this 21 00:00:53,270 --> 00:00:54,536 doesn't seem right. 22 00:00:54,718 --> 00:00:57,316 And so what do we do in those times? 23 00:00:57,388 --> 00:00:59,108 Well, we're going to look at Paul here. 24 00:00:59,164 --> 00:01:03,240 Paul is being called by God. 25 00:01:03,660 --> 00:01:06,772 We're going to look at how the phrase says, bound in the Spirit 26 00:01:06,836 --> 00:01:08,360 to go to Jerusalem. 27 00:01:08,780 --> 00:01:12,564 Paul knows that he is being called by God to go to Jerusalem, 28 00:01:12,692 --> 00:01:15,940 but there are people that come in his path that say, hey, God has 29 00:01:15,980 --> 00:01:19,572 told us that there's going to be danger, so don't go. 30 00:01:19,676 --> 00:01:20,866 You shouldn't go, Paul. 31 00:01:20,988 --> 00:01:22,210 You should stay away. 32 00:01:22,750 --> 00:01:26,278 And even God spoke to Paul earlier on and told him, there's 33 00:01:26,294 --> 00:01:28,214 going to be some issues when you go to Jerusalem. 34 00:01:28,262 --> 00:01:29,878 So Paul could say, you know what? 35 00:01:29,934 --> 00:01:31,670 I don't want to face these dangers. 36 00:01:31,830 --> 00:01:34,214 Other people are telling me not to go to Jerusalem. 37 00:01:34,262 --> 00:01:34,742 So you know what? 38 00:01:34,766 --> 00:01:36,690 It makes sense for me not to go. 39 00:01:37,150 --> 00:01:39,814 But I want you to see, going back to Acts chapter 20, we're going 40 00:01:39,822 --> 00:01:41,350 to be in Acts chapter 21 tonight. 41 00:01:41,430 --> 00:01:47,670 But in Acts chapter 20, if you look at verse number 22, Paul is 42 00:01:47,710 --> 00:01:51,478 explaining about this call that he has to go to Jerusalem. 43 00:01:51,654 --> 00:01:56,342 And in chapter 20, verse 22, it says, and now behold, I go bound 44 00:01:56,406 --> 00:01:58,006 in the Spirit unto Jerusalem. 45 00:01:58,038 --> 00:02:00,742 And I like that phrase, bound to the Spirit, meaning the Spirit 46 00:02:00,806 --> 00:02:02,262 has a hold of his heart. 47 00:02:02,446 --> 00:02:05,862 And if the Spirit has a hold of our hearts, the Spirit has a hold 48 00:02:05,886 --> 00:02:07,302 of everything else in our lives. 49 00:02:07,486 --> 00:02:10,070 And so what the Bible says here is, he says, the Spirit has 50 00:02:10,110 --> 00:02:10,886 convicted me. 51 00:02:10,958 --> 00:02:12,390 The Spirit has guided me. 52 00:02:12,430 --> 00:02:15,886 The Spirit has taught me to go to Jerusalem. 53 00:02:15,998 --> 00:02:19,374 But then he says here, not knowing the things that shall befall 54 00:02:19,422 --> 00:02:20,126 me there. 55 00:02:20,278 --> 00:02:22,686 So there's uncertainty in Paul going to Jerusalem. 56 00:02:22,718 --> 00:02:24,462 He says, I don't know what this is going to be like. 57 00:02:24,486 --> 00:02:27,678 I, I, I might have a, you know, a smooth time there in Jerusalem. 58 00:02:27,694 --> 00:02:30,046 But most likely, as we're going to see here in a few moments, 59 00:02:30,158 --> 00:02:32,094 he says, most likely it's going to be difficult. 60 00:02:32,222 --> 00:02:34,702 But I'm bound in the Spirit, he Sundays. 61 00:02:34,726 --> 00:02:37,518 In verse 23, he says, Save that the Holy Ghost witnesses in 62 00:02:37,574 --> 00:02:40,942 every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. 63 00:02:40,966 --> 00:02:44,180 He says, I have been told by the Holy Spirit everywhere I go, 64 00:02:44,220 --> 00:02:47,160 that I'm going to be facing some difficulties when I go to Jerusalem. 65 00:02:47,580 --> 00:02:49,412 He says that there's going to be bonds there. 66 00:02:49,516 --> 00:02:52,372 There's going to be a time when I'm taken into captivity. 67 00:02:52,516 --> 00:02:54,724 I mean, it says here that there's going to be afflictions. 68 00:02:54,772 --> 00:02:57,960 I'm going to be persecuted for my preaching. 69 00:02:58,380 --> 00:03:01,572 But verse 24, he says this, this is his testimony. 70 00:03:01,716 --> 00:03:05,492 He says, but none of these things move me. 71 00:03:05,676 --> 00:03:07,460 None of these things can shake me. 72 00:03:07,580 --> 00:03:10,052 None of these things can deviate me from what the will of 73 00:03:10,076 --> 00:03:11,588 God has for me in my life. 74 00:03:11,644 --> 00:03:13,124 How is the Spirit leading me? 75 00:03:13,212 --> 00:03:15,220 The Spirit is leading me to Jerusalem. 76 00:03:15,380 --> 00:03:17,460 And so he says, there nothing can move me. 77 00:03:17,500 --> 00:03:21,460 Neither count I my life dear unto myself, meaning life's not about 78 00:03:21,500 --> 00:03:21,844 me. 79 00:03:21,932 --> 00:03:23,860 Life's about the will of God. 80 00:03:24,020 --> 00:03:25,012 Life's not about me. 81 00:03:25,036 --> 00:03:26,680 Life's about the way of God. 82 00:03:27,100 --> 00:03:30,036 So he says here so that I might finish my course with joy. 83 00:03:30,068 --> 00:03:33,796 He says, even if I go to Jerusalem and they kill me, I'll 84 00:03:33,828 --> 00:03:34,840 still have joy. 85 00:03:35,180 --> 00:03:37,684 Because why, he says, I'm doing the ministry. 86 00:03:37,732 --> 00:03:40,756 He says, I'm going to finish my course with joy and the ministry 87 00:03:40,788 --> 00:03:44,484 which I have received of the Lord Jesus to testify the Gospel 88 00:03:44,532 --> 00:03:45,476 of the grace of God. 89 00:03:45,508 --> 00:03:47,700 He goes, I don't care what it takes. 90 00:03:47,860 --> 00:03:50,084 I am called to testify. 91 00:03:50,212 --> 00:03:53,364 I am called to proclaim the message of the gospel, the message 92 00:03:53,412 --> 00:03:54,948 of the grace of God. 93 00:03:55,124 --> 00:03:58,308 And so think of that in mind when we get to chapter 21. 94 00:03:58,364 --> 00:04:02,412 Because Paul is looking at the situation and he says, I'm not sure 95 00:04:02,436 --> 00:04:03,996 what's going to happen when I go to Jerusalem. 96 00:04:04,028 --> 00:04:05,132 There's uncertainty. 97 00:04:05,276 --> 00:04:09,564 There's going to be other people that tell him, Paul, we have 98 00:04:09,572 --> 00:04:12,364 been told by God that there's going to be some danger for you when 99 00:04:12,372 --> 00:04:13,580 you go to Jerusalem. 100 00:04:13,740 --> 00:04:17,280 And so the truth is, is that Paul is going to face difficulty. 101 00:04:17,620 --> 00:04:19,852 And really the truth is, is that all of us are going to face 102 00:04:19,876 --> 00:04:21,868 difficulty if we follow the will of God. 103 00:04:21,884 --> 00:04:22,444 In our lives. 104 00:04:22,532 --> 00:04:25,068 There's going to be times in our life when the Holy Spirit leads 105 00:04:25,084 --> 00:04:26,694 us to a place of uncertainty. 106 00:04:26,852 --> 00:04:29,186 There might even be times in our life when the Holy Spirit leads 107 00:04:29,218 --> 00:04:33,218 us to a place of what people would call danger or difficulty. 108 00:04:33,394 --> 00:04:37,378 And so Paul goes with that testimony of, hey, nothing that's 109 00:04:37,394 --> 00:04:40,210 going to happen is going to shake me from what God has called 110 00:04:40,250 --> 00:04:40,866 me to do. 111 00:04:40,938 --> 00:04:44,354 He's certain in that he's confident in that he's convicted 112 00:04:44,402 --> 00:04:46,498 in the leading of the Holy Spirit. 113 00:04:46,674 --> 00:04:49,634 And so when the Holy Spirit reveals something to us in His Word 114 00:04:49,682 --> 00:04:53,572 and through way of circumstance in our life, really 115 00:04:53,596 --> 00:04:56,532 the truth is that nothing, no one should be able to talk us out 116 00:04:56,556 --> 00:04:58,852 of what the Holy Spirit has convicted us to do. 117 00:04:59,036 --> 00:05:02,180 There's been times in my life where I have felt so convicted about 118 00:05:02,220 --> 00:05:04,692 something, but someone has talked me out of that conviction. 119 00:05:04,836 --> 00:05:05,348 You know what? 120 00:05:05,404 --> 00:05:07,204 I really don't think I should be doing that. 121 00:05:07,292 --> 00:05:08,580 Oh, come on, we all do that. 122 00:05:08,620 --> 00:05:10,692 Come on, that's not a big deal. 123 00:05:10,876 --> 00:05:13,716 And the truth is that we can allow that conviction of the Holy 124 00:05:13,748 --> 00:05:14,244 Spirit. 125 00:05:14,372 --> 00:05:17,684 And the Bible speaks of having a seared conscience to basically 126 00:05:17,812 --> 00:05:21,312 reject the Holy Spirit's conviction because of other circumstances. 127 00:05:21,476 --> 00:05:23,992 And so very easily Paul could have said, you know what? 128 00:05:24,096 --> 00:05:26,792 After all of this, I've got some really good friends that are 129 00:05:26,816 --> 00:05:28,056 telling me not to go to Jerusalem. 130 00:05:28,088 --> 00:05:31,432 Therefore, hey, there's wisdom in a multitude of counselors. 131 00:05:31,496 --> 00:05:33,096 So therefore, I need to follow that. 132 00:05:33,248 --> 00:05:37,320 But if the Bible lays out very clearly for us the truth of God and 133 00:05:37,360 --> 00:05:40,600 we are convicted by the Holy Spirit, we cannot let anybody, whether 134 00:05:40,640 --> 00:05:43,640 they're Christians or not, talk us out of what God has called 135 00:05:43,680 --> 00:05:44,312 us to do. 136 00:05:44,416 --> 00:05:47,620 And so that's what we're going to see here in chapter 21. 137 00:05:47,970 --> 00:05:50,666 So Paul, remember, is leaving the Ephesian elders. 138 00:05:50,698 --> 00:05:53,674 He goes and he ministers to them and they minister to him. 139 00:05:53,682 --> 00:05:56,554 And they're sad because Paul basically says, this is probably 140 00:05:56,602 --> 00:05:58,090 the last time I'm gonna see you. 141 00:05:58,210 --> 00:05:58,442 And. 142 00:05:58,466 --> 00:06:01,498 And they're weeping and they're taking some time to pray 143 00:06:01,514 --> 00:06:02,250 with each other. 144 00:06:02,370 --> 00:06:05,130 And then it says in verse one of chapter 21, and it came to pass 145 00:06:05,170 --> 00:06:08,906 that after we were gotten from them, so they left the Ephesian elders 146 00:06:09,018 --> 00:06:09,962 and had launch. 147 00:06:10,066 --> 00:06:11,018 So they launch out. 148 00:06:11,074 --> 00:06:15,604 We came with a straight course on unto Coos and the day following 149 00:06:15,692 --> 00:06:18,644 unto Rhodes and from thence unto Pataro. 150 00:06:18,692 --> 00:06:19,444 So you said, what's. 151 00:06:19,492 --> 00:06:20,500 What's that talking about? 152 00:06:20,540 --> 00:06:23,120 It's just essentially talking about their path that they're taking. 153 00:06:23,820 --> 00:06:24,180 They. 154 00:06:24,220 --> 00:06:26,500 They separated themselves from the Ephesian elders. 155 00:06:26,580 --> 00:06:28,084 And this is not an easy parting. 156 00:06:28,132 --> 00:06:29,720 Sometimes partying is difficult. 157 00:06:30,140 --> 00:06:33,316 But Paul poured his life into those Ephesians, and now he knows 158 00:06:33,348 --> 00:06:34,068 that God. 159 00:06:34,164 --> 00:06:35,556 He commended them over to God. 160 00:06:35,588 --> 00:06:37,124 God's got it under control for them. 161 00:06:37,212 --> 00:06:39,718 So now Paul is taking the next step of ministry. 162 00:06:39,884 --> 00:06:43,346 And so he's passing through these different cities, verse 2, 163 00:06:43,418 --> 00:06:46,850 and finding a ship sailing over unto Phoenicia. 164 00:06:46,930 --> 00:06:48,754 We went aboard and set forth. 165 00:06:48,802 --> 00:06:51,010 And so they're just touching these different cities. 166 00:06:51,090 --> 00:06:53,474 And then we get to verse number three, and Paul is going to 167 00:06:53,482 --> 00:06:57,750 be warned here in the city of Tyre not to go to Jerusalem. 168 00:06:58,330 --> 00:07:02,050 Now, when we had discovered Cyprus, we left it on the left hand 169 00:07:02,090 --> 00:07:04,722 and sailed into Syria and landed at Tyre. 170 00:07:04,866 --> 00:07:09,752 For there the ship was to unlade her burden and finding disciples. 171 00:07:09,816 --> 00:07:11,992 And so they come to this place of Tyre. 172 00:07:12,056 --> 00:07:14,264 And we don't know much about the history of the church there at 173 00:07:14,272 --> 00:07:15,784 Tyre, but there were disciples there. 174 00:07:15,872 --> 00:07:19,528 And this speaks to the growing number of Christians in this region 175 00:07:19,584 --> 00:07:20,376 of the world. 176 00:07:20,528 --> 00:07:22,808 And we know the power of God was spreading the Word. 177 00:07:22,904 --> 00:07:24,776 So they come across some disciples here. 178 00:07:24,848 --> 00:07:27,272 And when it says disciples, it's not specifically Talking about 179 00:07:27,296 --> 00:07:29,912 the 12 that were around Jesus. 180 00:07:30,056 --> 00:07:32,248 This is just talking about committed followers of Christ. 181 00:07:32,384 --> 00:07:33,784 Verse 4, and finding disciples. 182 00:07:33,832 --> 00:07:35,506 We tarried there seven days. 183 00:07:35,688 --> 00:07:38,206 So they spent some time there with the disciples. 184 00:07:38,398 --> 00:07:42,190 They wanted to encourage them and be encouraged by them. 185 00:07:42,310 --> 00:07:43,454 And then it says this. 186 00:07:43,542 --> 00:07:48,366 Who said to Paul through the Spirit that he should not go up to 187 00:07:48,438 --> 00:07:49,390 Jerusalem? 188 00:07:49,550 --> 00:07:52,414 Now, some of you might read that and say, wait, I thought the 189 00:07:52,422 --> 00:07:55,246 Holy Spirit led Paul to go to Jerusalem. 190 00:07:55,278 --> 00:07:58,702 And now they're saying that the Spirit told them not to go, for 191 00:07:58,726 --> 00:07:59,934 Paul, not to go to Jerusalem. 192 00:07:59,982 --> 00:08:05,324 Well, sometimes commentators will debate about this, but I believe 193 00:08:05,492 --> 00:08:08,332 that what's happening here is the Holy Spirit is revealing to these 194 00:08:08,356 --> 00:08:11,196 individuals what is going to happen to Paul. 195 00:08:11,388 --> 00:08:14,252 And they're putting their human interpretation upon that to 196 00:08:14,276 --> 00:08:15,292 say, don't go. 197 00:08:15,476 --> 00:08:16,796 And so they're being. 198 00:08:16,948 --> 00:08:20,316 We know that in the book of Acts, God is working in supernatural 199 00:08:20,348 --> 00:08:23,500 ways and revealing things to different people for different reasons. 200 00:08:23,580 --> 00:08:27,740 And I believe that the truth of Paul's persecution is being told 201 00:08:27,780 --> 00:08:28,684 to these individuals. 202 00:08:28,732 --> 00:08:32,324 But yet they're taking it upon themselves to say, paul, you shouldn't 203 00:08:32,372 --> 00:08:32,676 go. 204 00:08:32,748 --> 00:08:33,220 Why? 205 00:08:33,340 --> 00:08:34,916 Because there's gonna be persecution. 206 00:08:35,028 --> 00:08:36,964 And sometimes that's what can happen in our own lives. 207 00:08:37,052 --> 00:08:40,292 We can see what the Holy Spirit is telling us to do, but we 208 00:08:40,316 --> 00:08:42,084 can interpret it a wrong way. 209 00:08:42,252 --> 00:08:45,412 So, for example, if I came up to you and said, okay, you know, 210 00:08:45,436 --> 00:08:47,252 you're gonna serve in this ministry, but there's Gonna be some 211 00:08:47,276 --> 00:08:48,020 difficulties. 212 00:08:48,100 --> 00:08:50,116 That doesn't mean that we shouldn't serve in that ministry. 213 00:08:50,148 --> 00:08:52,084 It just means be ready for those difficulties. 214 00:08:52,212 --> 00:08:55,060 And so what's happening here is that Paul is being told by these 215 00:08:55,100 --> 00:08:56,180 disciples not to go. 216 00:08:56,220 --> 00:08:59,734 They said, the Spirit is leading us to tell you this, verse 217 00:08:59,782 --> 00:08:59,990 5. 218 00:09:00,030 --> 00:09:02,870 And when he had accomplished those days, we departed and went 219 00:09:02,910 --> 00:09:03,190 our way. 220 00:09:03,230 --> 00:09:05,970 Paul does not heed their warning to stop. 221 00:09:06,910 --> 00:09:12,198 And so we would know that it would be difficult for Paul to hear 222 00:09:12,254 --> 00:09:14,870 from the Holy Spirit to go to Jerusalem and then hear from someone 223 00:09:14,910 --> 00:09:15,894 else, hey, you know what? 224 00:09:15,902 --> 00:09:16,886 You shouldn't go to Jerusalem. 225 00:09:16,918 --> 00:09:18,614 And the Holy Spirit is telling us this. 226 00:09:18,782 --> 00:09:21,318 And I don't believe that Paul is in direct rebellion to the Holy 227 00:09:21,334 --> 00:09:22,070 Spirit here. 228 00:09:22,190 --> 00:09:24,934 I believe Paul is so convinced about what God has called him to 229 00:09:24,942 --> 00:09:28,226 do that whatever human interpretation comes about the truth 230 00:09:28,258 --> 00:09:30,018 of his persecution, it doesn't matter. 231 00:09:30,074 --> 00:09:31,390 He's going to move forward. 232 00:09:31,690 --> 00:09:34,482 Now, some commentators would say that Paul is in rebellion, that 233 00:09:34,506 --> 00:09:36,978 Paul says, I don't care what God says, I'm going to Jerusalem. 234 00:09:37,074 --> 00:09:38,850 I don't really see the spirit of that with. 235 00:09:38,890 --> 00:09:40,642 With Paul's actions here. 236 00:09:40,666 --> 00:09:43,362 But nonetheless, there's different interpretations here. 237 00:09:43,386 --> 00:09:46,930 But my interpretation would be that these individuals, they saw 238 00:09:46,970 --> 00:09:48,546 that Paul was going to face persecution. 239 00:09:48,578 --> 00:09:51,602 And trying to save Paul from pain and suffering, they said, you 240 00:09:51,626 --> 00:09:52,430 shouldn't go. 241 00:09:53,090 --> 00:09:54,522 So let's look at verse five. 242 00:09:54,546 --> 00:09:55,386 He departs. 243 00:09:55,498 --> 00:09:58,010 And when he accomplished those days, we departed and went our way. 244 00:09:58,050 --> 00:10:02,266 And they all brought us on our way with wives and children till 245 00:10:02,298 --> 00:10:03,130 we were out of the city. 246 00:10:03,170 --> 00:10:05,082 This was actually a common practice of the day. 247 00:10:05,186 --> 00:10:09,322 Anytime there was a traveler leaving, all the families would go 248 00:10:09,346 --> 00:10:11,530 with those travelers to reach the end of the city. 249 00:10:11,570 --> 00:10:13,050 And they would basically send them off. 250 00:10:13,090 --> 00:10:16,058 It was kind of how my grandma used to come outside every time we'd 251 00:10:16,074 --> 00:10:16,522 leave her house. 252 00:10:16,546 --> 00:10:19,190 She'd walk out onto her front porch and she would wave to us all 253 00:10:19,230 --> 00:10:21,126 the way down the road till we lost sight of her. 254 00:10:21,198 --> 00:10:22,550 It's just a way to send people off. 255 00:10:22,590 --> 00:10:26,278 And so they did that there with Paul in his company there. 256 00:10:26,414 --> 00:10:27,830 And actually it goes further. 257 00:10:27,870 --> 00:10:30,342 It says, until they were out of the city and we kneeled down on 258 00:10:30,366 --> 00:10:31,254 the shore and prayed. 259 00:10:31,302 --> 00:10:34,342 So we see that not only did they wish them farewell, but they 260 00:10:34,366 --> 00:10:35,974 also prayed with them as they left. 261 00:10:36,062 --> 00:10:39,302 And then verse six, it says, and when we had taken our leave one 262 00:10:39,326 --> 00:10:41,686 of another, we took ship and they returned home again. 263 00:10:41,758 --> 00:10:44,982 So there's not a lot of theology in that verse other than 264 00:10:45,006 --> 00:10:47,254 the fact that there were some individuals that told Paul not to 265 00:10:47,262 --> 00:10:48,966 go and he didn't listen to them. 266 00:10:49,038 --> 00:10:51,654 He felt like he was bound by the Holy Spirit to go to Jerusalem, 267 00:10:51,702 --> 00:10:53,046 and they sent him away. 268 00:10:53,198 --> 00:10:55,462 So we get to verse number seven, and he's going to get to this 269 00:10:55,486 --> 00:10:58,966 place called Ptolemies, and there's going to be an interesting 270 00:10:58,998 --> 00:10:59,750 thing happen here. 271 00:10:59,790 --> 00:11:00,690 Verse 7. 272 00:11:01,230 --> 00:11:04,614 And when we had finished our course from Tyre, we came to Ptolemy 273 00:11:04,742 --> 00:11:07,654 and saluted the brethren and abode with them one day. 274 00:11:07,822 --> 00:11:10,902 And the next day we were of Paul's company, departed and came 275 00:11:10,926 --> 00:11:16,134 unto Caesarea, and we entered into the house of Philip the Evangelist. 276 00:11:16,182 --> 00:11:20,120 Now, some of you that have been tracking the Book of Acts, you 277 00:11:20,160 --> 00:11:22,648 are familiar with that name, Philip the Evangelist. 278 00:11:22,744 --> 00:11:26,440 If you go back to Acts, chapter 8, verse 40, this was Philip 279 00:11:26,520 --> 00:11:29,208 talking to the Ethiopian eunuch. 280 00:11:29,384 --> 00:11:32,936 And it tells us that whole story of him leading that individual 281 00:11:32,968 --> 00:11:33,448 to Christ. 282 00:11:33,504 --> 00:11:36,776 And so I love how he's called here in, in. 283 00:11:36,928 --> 00:11:40,712 In verse number eight, Philip the Evangelist, that describes his 284 00:11:40,736 --> 00:11:41,096 character. 285 00:11:41,128 --> 00:11:43,790 His character was someone who wanted to lead people to Christ. 286 00:11:43,960 --> 00:11:47,250 And so Philip was known for being that person who would lead 287 00:11:47,290 --> 00:11:47,858 people to Christ. 288 00:11:47,914 --> 00:11:52,370 And we see that he stays there in Caesarea, and so that's where 289 00:11:52,410 --> 00:11:56,514 he left when he got done leading the Ethiopian eunuch to the 290 00:11:56,522 --> 00:11:56,754 Lord. 291 00:11:56,802 --> 00:11:59,394 And we know that many years later, he's still there in Caesarea, 292 00:11:59,442 --> 00:12:01,458 ministering, leading people to Christ. 293 00:12:01,594 --> 00:12:04,594 And so we see him meet Philip the Evangelist, which was one of 294 00:12:04,602 --> 00:12:06,546 the seven, and abode with him. 295 00:12:06,698 --> 00:12:10,594 And so we can see here in this case, that he is staying faithful. 296 00:12:10,642 --> 00:12:13,846 Philip the Evangelist is staying faithful, and he's presenting 297 00:12:13,878 --> 00:12:14,950 the good news of Jesus Christ. 298 00:12:14,990 --> 00:12:16,342 That's what an evangelist does. 299 00:12:16,446 --> 00:12:19,958 An evangelist is gifted in leading people to Christ. 300 00:12:20,014 --> 00:12:23,670 Now, we all are called to be evangelists of some sort, but some 301 00:12:23,710 --> 00:12:26,166 are gifted in other ways than others. 302 00:12:26,238 --> 00:12:29,254 And so someone who is gifted in the gift of evangelism is going 303 00:12:29,262 --> 00:12:32,966 to be gifted in clearly presenting the Gospel and leading 304 00:12:32,998 --> 00:12:34,038 people to Christ. 305 00:12:34,094 --> 00:12:36,550 And so we see him here, and then verse nine. 306 00:12:36,590 --> 00:12:40,192 And the same man had four daughters, virgins which did prophesy. 307 00:12:40,256 --> 00:12:43,744 And so we see that there's these four young girls who are. 308 00:12:43,832 --> 00:12:46,608 And essentially prophesying just means speaking forth the truth. 309 00:12:46,704 --> 00:12:48,624 So they're speaking forth the truth of God. 310 00:12:48,752 --> 00:12:50,224 And what do they say? 311 00:12:50,312 --> 00:12:50,880 Verse 10. 312 00:12:50,920 --> 00:12:54,304 And as we tarry there many days there came down from Judea a 313 00:12:54,312 --> 00:12:56,288 certain prophet named Agabus. 314 00:12:56,464 --> 00:12:59,008 And when he was come to us, he took Paul's girdle. 315 00:12:59,104 --> 00:13:02,336 And so we can take through context that these. 316 00:13:02,408 --> 00:13:04,640 These people are all prophesying the same thing, because 317 00:13:04,680 --> 00:13:05,728 it all culminates here. 318 00:13:05,784 --> 00:13:05,958 With. 319 00:13:05,984 --> 00:13:07,482 With this guy named Agabus. 320 00:13:07,626 --> 00:13:10,906 And so they wait, and this guy who's a prophet is named Agabus. 321 00:13:10,938 --> 00:13:15,034 He comes and it says that he's going to do something visual to explain 322 00:13:15,082 --> 00:13:16,682 what God is telling him. 323 00:13:16,866 --> 00:13:17,498 Verse 11. 324 00:13:17,554 --> 00:13:21,050 And when he was come unto us, he took Paul's girdle or his belt 325 00:13:21,130 --> 00:13:24,266 and bound his own hands and feet and said, thus saith the Holy 326 00:13:24,298 --> 00:13:29,114 Ghost, so shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth 327 00:13:29,162 --> 00:13:32,778 this girdle and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles. 328 00:13:32,794 --> 00:13:36,976 And so he says, God is telling me that whoever owns this girdle, 329 00:13:37,008 --> 00:13:40,192 whoever owns this belt is going to be bound in Jerusalem and 330 00:13:40,216 --> 00:13:41,780 given over to the Gentiles. 331 00:13:42,120 --> 00:13:47,536 And so all of these people are prophesying to Paul, don't go, don't 332 00:13:47,568 --> 00:13:47,808 go. 333 00:13:47,864 --> 00:13:49,248 There's going to be danger here. 334 00:13:49,384 --> 00:13:53,456 And so we know that ultimately Paul is going to make a decision, 335 00:13:53,528 --> 00:13:55,936 and it's the decision to follow what the Holy Spirit originally 336 00:13:55,968 --> 00:13:56,700 told him. 337 00:13:57,560 --> 00:14:00,384 So he says, hey, be careful, verse number 11. 338 00:14:00,552 --> 00:14:02,912 And I find this interesting because it's in the spirit of the 339 00:14:02,936 --> 00:14:05,968 Old Testament, because a lot of the Old Testament prophets would 340 00:14:06,024 --> 00:14:08,576 have a visual in their prophecy. 341 00:14:08,608 --> 00:14:09,392 And so that's what he's doing. 342 00:14:09,416 --> 00:14:11,024 He's doing a visual here. 343 00:14:11,192 --> 00:14:13,536 And so the prophecy of Agabus was true. 344 00:14:13,568 --> 00:14:15,060 He's not a false prophet. 345 00:14:16,200 --> 00:14:20,464 And I believe it was genuinely from the Holy Spirit, but to the 346 00:14:20,472 --> 00:14:25,632 true word of God is this, yes, you're going to face persecution. 347 00:14:25,696 --> 00:14:28,704 I don't think it was the word of God to try to stop Paul from going. 348 00:14:28,872 --> 00:14:29,888 And so verse 13. 349 00:14:29,944 --> 00:14:33,580 And Paul answered, what mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? 350 00:14:34,600 --> 00:14:35,552 What is he talking about? 351 00:14:35,576 --> 00:14:36,560 Well, in verse 12. 352 00:14:36,680 --> 00:14:39,520 And when he had heard these things, both we and they of that 353 00:14:39,560 --> 00:14:39,952 place. 354 00:14:40,056 --> 00:14:44,880 So Agabus, the virgins who were prophesying, all those people 355 00:14:44,920 --> 00:14:48,160 at that place, besought him not to go up to Jerusalem. 356 00:14:48,320 --> 00:14:50,480 So again, you see how it's a secondary thing. 357 00:14:50,600 --> 00:14:53,296 They said, hey, Paul, we know that you're going to have persecution 358 00:14:53,328 --> 00:14:53,568 there. 359 00:14:53,624 --> 00:14:56,888 And even this guy Agabus comes out and does this awesome visual. 360 00:14:57,024 --> 00:15:00,072 You know, whoever's belt this is is going to be bound in Jerusalem. 361 00:15:00,136 --> 00:15:02,312 But then they take it a step further and they say, because of 362 00:15:02,336 --> 00:15:05,300 this persecution, don't go, please don't go. 363 00:15:05,600 --> 00:15:06,696 What is Paul's answer? 364 00:15:06,728 --> 00:15:12,392 He says, what mean ye to weep and to break mine heart, for I am 365 00:15:12,416 --> 00:15:15,560 ready not to be bound only this is a man. 366 00:15:15,600 --> 00:15:19,272 I read this a lot this week and I even today I read this about 367 00:15:19,296 --> 00:15:19,768 10 times. 368 00:15:19,824 --> 00:15:22,878 Because what he's about to say is so impactful. 369 00:15:23,024 --> 00:15:25,394 Because they're like, Paul, you're going to go to Jerusalem and 370 00:15:25,402 --> 00:15:27,746 they're going to bind you up, they're going to take you into captivity, 371 00:15:27,778 --> 00:15:28,898 they're going to put you in jail. 372 00:15:28,994 --> 00:15:30,082 What does Paul say? 373 00:15:30,186 --> 00:15:32,110 He says, why are you crying over me? 374 00:15:32,650 --> 00:15:36,306 Why is there this broken heart goes, I am ready. 375 00:15:36,418 --> 00:15:38,610 You see how God ordains this, right? 376 00:15:38,650 --> 00:15:41,634 I wasn't sitting around this week going, okay, I want two sermons 377 00:15:41,682 --> 00:15:43,138 to say, are you ready? 378 00:15:43,314 --> 00:15:46,194 And it just so happened that in Romans 1, Are you ready? 379 00:15:46,322 --> 00:15:50,338 And Acts, chapter 21, Paul says, I am ready. 380 00:15:50,434 --> 00:15:51,346 It's Paul's theme. 381 00:15:51,378 --> 00:15:52,790 Paul's like, I'm ready. 382 00:15:53,130 --> 00:15:53,986 I'm so ready. 383 00:15:54,018 --> 00:15:56,082 And that's the ordination of God that he brings us all together. 384 00:15:56,106 --> 00:15:58,850 When we started Romans and Acts, we're in chapter 21. 385 00:15:58,890 --> 00:16:01,890 If I plan that out, I'm a lot smarter than I actually think I am. 386 00:16:01,930 --> 00:16:02,370 Okay? 387 00:16:02,450 --> 00:16:06,322 But the truth is that he says, I am ready not to be bound. 388 00:16:06,386 --> 00:16:07,714 Only he goes, I'm ready to be bound. 389 00:16:07,762 --> 00:16:13,970 But more than that, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name 390 00:16:14,010 --> 00:16:15,110 of the Lord Jesus. 391 00:16:15,660 --> 00:16:18,004 That's how serious Paul is about what he is doing. 392 00:16:18,092 --> 00:16:20,404 He says, the Holy Spirit has called me to do it. 393 00:16:20,492 --> 00:16:21,940 I don't care about going to jail. 394 00:16:22,020 --> 00:16:23,252 I don't care about persecution. 395 00:16:23,316 --> 00:16:24,452 I don't even care about dying. 396 00:16:24,516 --> 00:16:24,932 Why? 397 00:16:25,036 --> 00:16:26,836 Because it's in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. 398 00:16:26,908 --> 00:16:29,508 In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I will do anything. 399 00:16:29,684 --> 00:16:32,164 And that's the kind of conviction we as Christians are supposed 400 00:16:32,212 --> 00:16:32,820 to have. 401 00:16:32,940 --> 00:16:37,604 It's hard because we live in a society today that tells us self 402 00:16:37,652 --> 00:16:39,280 preservation is the best thing. 403 00:16:39,660 --> 00:16:40,808 It's all about you. 404 00:16:40,924 --> 00:16:42,112 It's all about you surviving. 405 00:16:42,176 --> 00:16:43,776 It's all about you keeping face. 406 00:16:43,928 --> 00:16:48,064 I mean, and there's even people that preach a different teaching 407 00:16:48,112 --> 00:16:50,304 than the Bible that says basically this. 408 00:16:50,392 --> 00:16:52,300 The ends justifies the means. 409 00:16:53,000 --> 00:16:55,904 So for you to survive, you can lie, you can cheat, you can steal, 410 00:16:55,952 --> 00:16:57,392 you can do whatever you want to do. 411 00:16:57,496 --> 00:16:58,352 Well, Paul says this. 412 00:16:58,376 --> 00:17:01,824 No, remember what he said in chapter 20 says, I'm not living. 413 00:17:01,872 --> 00:17:05,744 For me, it's not about me, it's about the Lord. 414 00:17:05,872 --> 00:17:08,067 So he says, I don't care what happens to me. 415 00:17:08,183 --> 00:17:09,259 I'm going to do what's right. 416 00:17:09,299 --> 00:17:12,587 And so when we go back to that idea of conviction of the Holy Spirit, 417 00:17:12,683 --> 00:17:16,479 how can these martyrs go to the stake to be burned? 418 00:17:17,059 --> 00:17:19,787 How could Peter be crucified upside down? 419 00:17:19,843 --> 00:17:23,083 How could all of these people go and do things that are beyond 420 00:17:23,131 --> 00:17:26,363 our comprehension because they were so convicted by the Holy Spirit 421 00:17:26,411 --> 00:17:29,019 that that is what God had them to do, that they were living for 422 00:17:29,059 --> 00:17:30,399 him and not for themselves. 423 00:17:30,979 --> 00:17:34,443 I'm going to tell you, even today, it's not talked about in the 424 00:17:34,451 --> 00:17:37,451 news very frequently, but there are people in this world that 425 00:17:37,475 --> 00:17:41,396 are going to die and are continuing to die for their faith 426 00:17:41,428 --> 00:17:42,708 in these foreign countries. 427 00:17:42,844 --> 00:17:44,900 It's not happening in the US Right now. 428 00:17:45,020 --> 00:17:47,108 But the truth is that that's true conviction. 429 00:17:47,204 --> 00:17:50,324 There's a while back there was these individuals that I don't know 430 00:17:50,332 --> 00:17:52,756 if you guys remember that video, and I'm going to be tasteful 431 00:17:52,788 --> 00:17:55,716 when I do this, but they marched out these guys onto the beach 432 00:17:55,748 --> 00:17:58,116 and basically said, hey, recant your faith. 433 00:17:58,308 --> 00:17:59,780 Say something against Jesus Christ. 434 00:17:59,820 --> 00:18:00,564 And they said, we won't. 435 00:18:00,612 --> 00:18:03,988 And eventually on video to the families, they sent out the video 436 00:18:04,044 --> 00:18:05,440 of them being put to death. 437 00:18:05,870 --> 00:18:08,566 But they were willing to go to the end. 438 00:18:08,638 --> 00:18:11,510 As Paul says, I'm willing to die for my faith. 439 00:18:11,670 --> 00:18:14,278 Now, let's not talk that we talk about in American Christianity, 440 00:18:14,374 --> 00:18:16,646 because the American gospel is not about dying for your faith. 441 00:18:16,678 --> 00:18:19,174 The American gospel is I'm going to get persecuted. 442 00:18:19,222 --> 00:18:21,190 Someone's going to cut me off on traffic, right? 443 00:18:21,310 --> 00:18:23,958 And that's our big area of persecution for the day. 444 00:18:24,094 --> 00:18:26,678 I mean, some of the worst persecution I've ever faced is someone 445 00:18:26,734 --> 00:18:29,414 just telling me that, hey, get out of my face and I want to hear 446 00:18:29,422 --> 00:18:30,170 the gospel. 447 00:18:30,510 --> 00:18:33,616 And, and, and so, folks, I, I, I'm not here to make us feel guilty. 448 00:18:33,648 --> 00:18:36,480 I'm not here to put you on a guilt trip to say you should have 449 00:18:36,520 --> 00:18:37,216 more persecution. 450 00:18:37,248 --> 00:18:39,760 We should be thankful that we don't have that type of persecution. 451 00:18:39,920 --> 00:18:44,640 But the truth is, is that how many of us as believers here in 2025 452 00:18:44,760 --> 00:18:48,192 would be willing to say that if it went to this, I'm gonna still 453 00:18:48,216 --> 00:18:49,360 stand for my faith. 454 00:18:49,520 --> 00:18:52,220 I'm still gonna do what the Holy Spirit had called me to do. 455 00:18:52,680 --> 00:18:54,064 I think about that a lot. 456 00:18:54,152 --> 00:18:56,302 I think about all the time. 457 00:18:56,416 --> 00:18:58,418 If the government came in and said, hey, you know what? 458 00:18:58,474 --> 00:19:00,770 Churches cannot preach these truths anymore. 459 00:19:00,930 --> 00:19:02,994 I want to say that I would get up and say, you know what? 460 00:19:03,002 --> 00:19:03,362 I don't care. 461 00:19:03,386 --> 00:19:06,190 I'm preaching the gospel, but what if the stakes got higher? 462 00:19:06,810 --> 00:19:08,962 You know what the truth is, is that we all have to come to a place 463 00:19:08,986 --> 00:19:12,146 in our life, like Paul, to say, you guys are worried that I'm 464 00:19:12,178 --> 00:19:12,834 going to be bound. 465 00:19:12,882 --> 00:19:13,794 I don't care if I'm bound. 466 00:19:13,842 --> 00:19:15,330 I'm willing to go to my death. 467 00:19:15,370 --> 00:19:18,670 And so that's A beautiful testimony in Paul's life. 468 00:19:19,130 --> 00:19:20,274 He says, I'm willing. 469 00:19:20,322 --> 00:19:21,430 I am ready. 470 00:19:21,770 --> 00:19:27,332 Verse 13 of Acts chapter 21, he says, I am ready not to be bound 471 00:19:27,396 --> 00:19:30,820 only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord. 472 00:19:30,900 --> 00:19:32,772 And I think that's important to understand here. 473 00:19:32,876 --> 00:19:35,460 He says, I'm not just doing this for a wasteful cause. 474 00:19:35,620 --> 00:19:38,468 I'm not doing this just to go down in the books of history. 475 00:19:38,604 --> 00:19:42,360 I'm doing this for the name of the Lord Jesus. 476 00:19:42,700 --> 00:19:48,132 And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased saying, the 477 00:19:48,156 --> 00:19:49,396 will of the Lord be done. 478 00:19:49,468 --> 00:19:50,930 And I love this here. 479 00:19:51,060 --> 00:19:54,330 And if you don't catch this, you might miss exactly what's happening. 480 00:19:54,750 --> 00:19:59,030 So remember, there was people there at Tyre, the disciples at Tyre. 481 00:19:59,110 --> 00:20:02,262 Then you get to a place where there's Philip the Evangelist and 482 00:20:02,286 --> 00:20:04,486 his four daughters who are prophesying the truth. 483 00:20:04,518 --> 00:20:06,598 And then we have a guy named Abacus. 484 00:20:06,774 --> 00:20:07,890 And then you have. 485 00:20:08,430 --> 00:20:11,862 And it even says in verse 14, it says, and when he would not be 486 00:20:11,886 --> 00:20:13,690 persuaded, we ceased. 487 00:20:14,110 --> 00:20:16,970 Now who's the human author of Acts? 488 00:20:17,540 --> 00:20:18,300 Luke. 489 00:20:18,460 --> 00:20:21,320 Luke is there with Paul on his team. 490 00:20:22,100 --> 00:20:24,636 And so what we can tell through context here is that Paul's 491 00:20:24,668 --> 00:20:27,436 team, the guys who are with him every day that were traveling 492 00:20:27,468 --> 00:20:29,388 with him, were like, paul, maybe we shouldn't go. 493 00:20:29,524 --> 00:20:31,240 We're trying to talk you out of this. 494 00:20:31,940 --> 00:20:33,036 And they said, okay. 495 00:20:33,068 --> 00:20:35,340 When we saw that he was not going to be persuaded from. 496 00:20:35,380 --> 00:20:40,240 From all these people trying to stop him, Luke says, we ceased 497 00:20:40,980 --> 00:20:43,080 saying, the will of the Lord be done. 498 00:20:43,790 --> 00:20:46,854 And really that's the culmination of everything that we 499 00:20:46,862 --> 00:20:47,302 have in our life. 500 00:20:47,326 --> 00:20:48,550 The will of the Lord be done. 501 00:20:48,670 --> 00:20:51,462 Remember Jesus, nevertheless, thy will be done. 502 00:20:51,646 --> 00:20:53,942 And at the end of the day, I think that's how we should end all 503 00:20:53,966 --> 00:20:55,526 of our things here. 504 00:20:55,598 --> 00:20:56,870 Agabus has stopped. 505 00:20:56,950 --> 00:20:59,206 All these people are saying, stop. 506 00:20:59,358 --> 00:21:01,702 Even Paul's team says, hey, stop. 507 00:21:01,886 --> 00:21:04,486 He says, no, I'm going to push forward. 508 00:21:04,638 --> 00:21:07,206 And what they realize is that Paul is following the will of God. 509 00:21:07,238 --> 00:21:09,286 So the will of the Lord be done, whatever the will of the Lord 510 00:21:09,318 --> 00:21:09,890 is. 511 00:21:10,670 --> 00:21:14,966 And so it even shows that Luke, Paul's traveling companion, 512 00:21:15,078 --> 00:21:17,490 tried to persuade him, but that was not enough. 513 00:21:19,150 --> 00:21:23,862 Paul had received many, many people telling him to stop, but he 514 00:21:23,886 --> 00:21:27,014 knew that it was the will of God for him to go. 515 00:21:27,182 --> 00:21:31,690 And so Paul's insistence on going to Jerusalem, despite the dangers 516 00:21:33,470 --> 00:21:36,250 was an obedient response to the Holy Spirit. 517 00:21:36,580 --> 00:21:40,240 I'm bound in the Spirit, obedient to the Spirit. 518 00:21:41,380 --> 00:21:44,956 And I know that sometimes within our Christian circles, especially 519 00:21:45,028 --> 00:21:48,636 within Baptist churches, we're nervous to talk about the guidance 520 00:21:48,668 --> 00:21:49,292 of the Spirit. 521 00:21:49,356 --> 00:21:49,960 Why? 522 00:21:50,260 --> 00:21:53,452 Because we're afraid that we're going to leave scripture and 523 00:21:53,476 --> 00:21:56,348 go into more of a charismatic pool. 524 00:21:56,524 --> 00:22:00,920 But what I will say is that there is nothing more valuable than 525 00:22:01,300 --> 00:22:04,684 the call of the Spirit in our life, the leading of the Spirit. 526 00:22:04,732 --> 00:22:07,400 Now, the Spirit will never contradict what the Word of God says. 527 00:22:07,920 --> 00:22:11,576 So you might hear someone say, well, I believe the Holy Spirit's 528 00:22:11,608 --> 00:22:12,360 leading me to do this. 529 00:22:12,400 --> 00:22:14,456 But then if it contradicts with scripture, it's not the Holy 530 00:22:14,488 --> 00:22:14,936 Spirit. 531 00:22:15,048 --> 00:22:18,120 Okay, the Holy Spirit will never contradict the Word of God. 532 00:22:18,280 --> 00:22:21,592 But what I will say is that, you know, sometimes people ask me 533 00:22:21,616 --> 00:22:23,912 questions as a pastor, and they might ask you the same questions. 534 00:22:23,976 --> 00:22:26,312 How do I know this is the right decision for me? 535 00:22:26,496 --> 00:22:29,048 Well, the very first thing I say is check the Word. 536 00:22:29,144 --> 00:22:30,776 Does the word of God say anything about this? 537 00:22:30,848 --> 00:22:33,964 No, it's whether or not I move to this city or this city. 538 00:22:34,112 --> 00:22:36,708 Okay, well, there's really nothing in the Bible that says, thou 539 00:22:36,724 --> 00:22:38,004 shalt live in Middletown, Delaware. 540 00:22:38,052 --> 00:22:40,036 Thou shalt live in Odessa, Delaware. 541 00:22:40,068 --> 00:22:41,172 It doesn't really say that. 542 00:22:41,276 --> 00:22:42,372 So what do we do then? 543 00:22:42,476 --> 00:22:45,652 Well, we say, well, if there's not anything moral about this, now 544 00:22:45,676 --> 00:22:47,364 we need to go with the leading of the Spirit. 545 00:22:47,412 --> 00:22:51,428 Am I walking in obedience to the Lord? 546 00:22:51,604 --> 00:22:53,476 So someone comes up to me and says, well, I don't see anything 547 00:22:53,508 --> 00:22:56,868 in Scripture, and I've been living the life that I want to live, 548 00:22:56,924 --> 00:22:58,772 and I'm not really fellowshipping with God and I'm not 549 00:22:58,796 --> 00:23:01,264 really obeying God, but I really feel like God's speaking to 550 00:23:01,272 --> 00:23:02,220 me in this area. 551 00:23:02,680 --> 00:23:04,224 Do you see the contradiction there? 552 00:23:04,312 --> 00:23:07,008 If I'm not walking with God, if I'm not fellowshipping with him, 553 00:23:07,064 --> 00:23:10,288 if I'm not communicating with him, most likely what I'm making 554 00:23:10,344 --> 00:23:13,776 this decision in is my own flesh, my own desire. 555 00:23:13,888 --> 00:23:16,208 So what we have to do is we have to take some checks when we 556 00:23:16,264 --> 00:23:18,352 are thinking about the guidance of the Holy Spirit. 557 00:23:18,496 --> 00:23:20,432 Number one, what does the Bible say? 558 00:23:20,616 --> 00:23:22,400 What does the word of God say about this? 559 00:23:22,520 --> 00:23:24,496 Number two, where am I at in my life? 560 00:23:24,568 --> 00:23:26,496 Where do I stand in my fellowship with him? 561 00:23:26,568 --> 00:23:30,496 And am I obedient to him with everything that I am so that I'm 562 00:23:30,528 --> 00:23:33,968 able to perceive and discern the leading of the Spirit, the conviction 563 00:23:33,984 --> 00:23:36,080 of the Spirit, the comfort of the Spirit? 564 00:23:36,240 --> 00:23:37,888 God works in many different ways. 565 00:23:37,984 --> 00:23:40,800 And so for me, some of the decisions that I have made have been 566 00:23:40,840 --> 00:23:44,064 because I've had great comfort in the Lord knowing that I've sought 567 00:23:44,112 --> 00:23:47,696 him in prayer, that I've fasted that I've talked to godly 568 00:23:47,728 --> 00:23:50,620 counsel and that I have comfort in making this decision. 569 00:23:50,920 --> 00:23:54,828 But other times, the Holy Spirit leads in conviction. 570 00:23:54,924 --> 00:23:57,324 There's some times in my life that I've had to make a decision 571 00:23:57,412 --> 00:23:59,320 because I've been convicted about an area. 572 00:23:59,940 --> 00:24:04,780 There's other times where I've realized that it sometimes, even 573 00:24:04,820 --> 00:24:08,828 though the Holy Spirit is the comforter in the conviction, he brings 574 00:24:08,844 --> 00:24:10,920 me to a place of discomfort in my life. 575 00:24:11,300 --> 00:24:11,708 Why? 576 00:24:11,764 --> 00:24:16,732 Because the sin that I'm harboring does not align with the 577 00:24:16,756 --> 00:24:17,772 Holy Spirit's guidance. 578 00:24:17,836 --> 00:24:20,042 Therefore, I'm either going to be uncomfortable or. 579 00:24:20,076 --> 00:24:21,742 Or I'm gonna get it right with him. 580 00:24:21,926 --> 00:24:24,302 And so these are all decisions that we have to make when we come 581 00:24:24,326 --> 00:24:26,942 to a sense where people might say, well, why are you going to that 582 00:24:26,966 --> 00:24:30,830 church Sunday morning and Sunday night and Wednesday night? 583 00:24:30,950 --> 00:24:32,846 Why are you giving money to that church? 584 00:24:32,878 --> 00:24:34,718 Why are you serving in those capacities? 585 00:24:34,814 --> 00:24:36,270 There's so much more you could do, right? 586 00:24:36,310 --> 00:24:38,330 You've heard people maybe even say that to you. 587 00:24:38,630 --> 00:24:40,046 Why are you doing this ministry? 588 00:24:40,078 --> 00:24:41,850 No one's even noticing what you're doing. 589 00:24:42,230 --> 00:24:45,246 You know, the enemy will speak to us in many different angles. 590 00:24:45,278 --> 00:24:46,608 It could come from different people. 591 00:24:46,734 --> 00:24:48,156 It can come from our own minds. 592 00:24:48,188 --> 00:24:50,076 It can come from circumstances. 593 00:24:50,188 --> 00:24:53,644 And so no doubt, Paul probably wrestled at first with this idea 594 00:24:53,692 --> 00:24:56,028 of, well, it doesn't really make sense for me to go to Jerusalem 595 00:24:56,044 --> 00:24:57,836 if I know that this is what I'm going to face. 596 00:24:57,908 --> 00:25:00,800 But then he had to come to a point where he said, I am convicted. 597 00:25:01,220 --> 00:25:04,732 Nothing can change what's going on in my life because I know 598 00:25:04,756 --> 00:25:06,760 that the Holy Spirit has me here. 599 00:25:07,060 --> 00:25:08,680 It was told to me this way. 600 00:25:09,140 --> 00:25:12,320 The safest place to be is in the will of God. 601 00:25:13,230 --> 00:25:14,646 I think about those guys. 602 00:25:14,758 --> 00:25:18,262 If you've ever heard the story of Nate Saint and Jim Elliot, if 603 00:25:18,286 --> 00:25:20,610 you haven't heard that story, you should look it up. 604 00:25:20,990 --> 00:25:24,230 I'm trying to remember the name of the book, but you can look. 605 00:25:24,270 --> 00:25:24,806 You can just search. 606 00:25:24,838 --> 00:25:25,414 Nate St. 607 00:25:25,462 --> 00:25:26,086 Jim Elliot. 608 00:25:26,118 --> 00:25:30,470 Okay, These were missionary guys that went down to South America, 609 00:25:30,630 --> 00:25:33,830 and they went down to South America to minister to these individuals 610 00:25:33,990 --> 00:25:37,174 that were, you know, totally what we would call uncivilized. 611 00:25:37,222 --> 00:25:40,212 They did not have, you know, anything. 612 00:25:40,276 --> 00:25:42,100 They basically were living off of the land. 613 00:25:42,140 --> 00:25:43,668 They had been uncontacted. 614 00:25:43,764 --> 00:25:45,732 And they go and they try to preach the gospel to them. 615 00:25:45,756 --> 00:25:49,172 And through a course of different events, essentially the 616 00:25:49,196 --> 00:25:52,772 Indians killed him, killed both of them, killed all them that 617 00:25:52,796 --> 00:25:53,572 were in the party. 618 00:25:53,676 --> 00:25:56,292 And you know what I think about people like that? 619 00:25:56,316 --> 00:26:01,428 I think about, like, how in the face of danger, can they continue 620 00:26:01,484 --> 00:26:03,188 on just pressing forward the gospel, then? 621 00:26:03,244 --> 00:26:08,758 Believe it or not, Jim Elliot's wife went back to that same 622 00:26:08,814 --> 00:26:13,398 tribe and won the people to Christ that actually killed her husband. 623 00:26:13,494 --> 00:26:14,850 And they came to Christ. 624 00:26:15,150 --> 00:26:17,158 And just how can that be? 625 00:26:17,214 --> 00:26:18,582 How can we do that kind of stuff? 626 00:26:18,646 --> 00:26:20,918 Well, you have to be convicted in the Spirit. 627 00:26:21,094 --> 00:26:24,326 You gotta believe that what you're doing is worth it. 628 00:26:24,478 --> 00:26:26,166 It has to be real to you. 629 00:26:26,318 --> 00:26:27,190 It has to be real. 630 00:26:27,230 --> 00:26:29,270 And so for Paul, it was real. 631 00:26:29,390 --> 00:26:31,126 The call of the Spirit was a real thing. 632 00:26:31,198 --> 00:26:33,366 So the warnings from the Holy Spirit were. 633 00:26:33,518 --> 00:26:35,990 I don't think we're there to stop Paul. 634 00:26:36,150 --> 00:26:38,806 I think the warnings of the Holy Spirit were there to prepare 635 00:26:38,838 --> 00:26:40,450 Paul for what he was about to face. 636 00:26:40,910 --> 00:26:44,086 And there's been some times in my life where I have felt a sense 637 00:26:44,118 --> 00:26:46,982 of warning, whether it be through godly counsel or through 638 00:26:47,006 --> 00:26:49,670 the conviction of the Spirit, or the guidance of the Spirit, open 639 00:26:49,710 --> 00:26:50,598 or closed doors. 640 00:26:50,694 --> 00:26:52,358 And it's not about stopping sometimes. 641 00:26:52,374 --> 00:26:54,930 It's about just preparing me for what I'm about to go through. 642 00:26:55,470 --> 00:26:58,838 There was a pastor that was preaching at our Christian school 643 00:26:58,894 --> 00:27:01,950 years ago, and it stuck out to me when he. 644 00:27:01,990 --> 00:27:04,670 When he preached this, because I was really wrestling with, do I 645 00:27:04,710 --> 00:27:08,542 really want to make this thing called Christianity and faith my 646 00:27:08,566 --> 00:27:11,582 life, or do I want to just kind of do my own thing? 647 00:27:11,686 --> 00:27:15,790 And he got up and he preached and he said, life's all about trials. 648 00:27:15,870 --> 00:27:16,766 And I'm like, trials? 649 00:27:16,798 --> 00:27:17,950 That doesn't sound very fun. 650 00:27:18,070 --> 00:27:21,278 He says, you're either in a trial, you're going into a trial, 651 00:27:21,374 --> 00:27:22,958 or you're just coming out of a trial. 652 00:27:23,054 --> 00:27:25,118 And I'm like, that sounds like a terrible life. 653 00:27:25,174 --> 00:27:26,480 I don't want to be doing that. 654 00:27:26,590 --> 00:27:29,004 And it got to a point in my life where I had to realize that 655 00:27:29,092 --> 00:27:33,548 regardless of me being a Christian or not a Christian, that's 656 00:27:33,564 --> 00:27:34,108 the truth. 657 00:27:34,204 --> 00:27:34,556 Okay? 658 00:27:34,588 --> 00:27:36,780 Even if I'm an unsaved person, trials are going to come. 659 00:27:36,900 --> 00:27:38,860 And that's just reality. 660 00:27:39,020 --> 00:27:43,372 The truth is, do I want to face the trials with someone, the 661 00:27:43,396 --> 00:27:45,612 Creator of the universe, guiding me, or do I want to face 662 00:27:45,636 --> 00:27:46,780 those trials on my own? 663 00:27:46,900 --> 00:27:49,068 Well, we see what the world does when they face those trials 664 00:27:49,084 --> 00:27:49,868 on their own. 665 00:27:50,004 --> 00:27:52,214 They turn to everything else outside of the truth. 666 00:27:52,372 --> 00:27:55,186 But when we have Jesus Christ and we go into these trials, we understand 667 00:27:55,258 --> 00:27:58,130 that no matter what might be the cost, we're going to go forward. 668 00:27:58,170 --> 00:28:00,270 And so God prepares our hearts for this. 669 00:28:01,530 --> 00:28:06,226 And so to suffer doesn't necessarily mean that there's something 670 00:28:06,298 --> 00:28:06,950 wrong. 671 00:28:07,770 --> 00:28:11,954 To weep over a hardship does not mean that there's something wrong, 672 00:28:12,082 --> 00:28:15,202 to go through a difficulty in our life, to go into loss, to go 673 00:28:15,226 --> 00:28:17,410 through a loss in our life and to feel that pain. 674 00:28:17,490 --> 00:28:19,680 And it doesn't mean that we're doing something wrong. 675 00:28:21,940 --> 00:28:26,540 I would venture to say that no healthy believer ever chooses suffering. 676 00:28:26,700 --> 00:28:27,580 I don't think so. 677 00:28:27,620 --> 00:28:29,804 I think that there might be some people that are messed up in 678 00:28:29,812 --> 00:28:31,340 their minds and they're looking for suffering. 679 00:28:31,420 --> 00:28:34,604 But the truth is, is I don't think any Christian that's healthy 680 00:28:34,652 --> 00:28:38,572 in their thinking like wakes up in the morning going, what kind 681 00:28:38,596 --> 00:28:40,076 of suffering can I face today? 682 00:28:40,148 --> 00:28:45,340 But a healthy Christian does choose the will of God, which might 683 00:28:45,380 --> 00:28:47,684 lead us to a place of difficulty. 684 00:28:47,852 --> 00:28:50,356 But regardless, we have Jesus with us. 685 00:28:50,508 --> 00:28:52,020 And so what does Paul say? 686 00:28:52,140 --> 00:28:53,796 He thinks about his Savior. 687 00:28:53,988 --> 00:28:56,292 And when he thinks about his Savior and what his Savior has done 688 00:28:56,316 --> 00:28:58,564 for him, he says this, he says, it's worth it. 689 00:28:58,652 --> 00:28:59,940 He paid the price for me. 690 00:28:59,980 --> 00:29:01,600 I'm willing to give him everything. 691 00:29:02,300 --> 00:29:08,132 And so he thinks about the motivation behind it, the motivation 692 00:29:08,196 --> 00:29:09,044 behind the message. 693 00:29:09,092 --> 00:29:12,084 And so Paul's companions realized that it was the will of 694 00:29:12,092 --> 00:29:12,680 God. 695 00:29:14,150 --> 00:29:17,934 And so these warnings of danger came from the Holy Spirit. 696 00:29:17,982 --> 00:29:22,490 But again, they were there to prepare him, not to turn him away. 697 00:29:23,430 --> 00:29:25,742 It is an easy thing to do though. 698 00:29:25,926 --> 00:29:32,210 And sometimes a source of our weakness when we add interpretation 699 00:29:34,070 --> 00:29:38,142 or even what we would say is like application to what has been 700 00:29:38,166 --> 00:29:42,126 given to us from the word of God or through a source of the conviction 701 00:29:42,158 --> 00:29:43,090 of the Spirit. 702 00:29:43,750 --> 00:29:46,530 What we do is basically we try to self justify. 703 00:29:47,110 --> 00:29:50,078 And so if the Bible very clearly tells us to do something 704 00:29:50,214 --> 00:29:53,758 and we look at that and we study it and we say, yeah, but. 705 00:29:53,814 --> 00:29:56,330 And then we try to make our own interpretation on top of that. 706 00:29:57,270 --> 00:29:59,150 God doesn't say this. 707 00:29:59,190 --> 00:30:00,490 Maybe you've heard this before. 708 00:30:02,950 --> 00:30:05,070 God doesn't say to have joy in tribulation. 709 00:30:05,150 --> 00:30:07,974 He just says having joy in the outcome of the tribulation. 710 00:30:08,142 --> 00:30:10,246 I've heard people say that that's not true. 711 00:30:10,358 --> 00:30:12,730 The Bible says, have joy in the tribulation. 712 00:30:13,630 --> 00:30:14,038 Why? 713 00:30:14,094 --> 00:30:16,262 Because you know that tribulation is working patience and 714 00:30:16,286 --> 00:30:18,370 patience, experience and experience hope. 715 00:30:18,910 --> 00:30:23,558 And so a lot of times people will try to humanize the message 716 00:30:23,574 --> 00:30:26,662 of God and try to make it more palatable for our people today to 717 00:30:26,686 --> 00:30:27,250 understand. 718 00:30:28,510 --> 00:30:32,118 God does work all things together for good, for our good, 719 00:30:32,254 --> 00:30:33,030 say, no, no, no. 720 00:30:33,070 --> 00:30:34,678 He works together things for his good. 721 00:30:34,734 --> 00:30:36,070 And he doesn't really care about us. 722 00:30:36,110 --> 00:30:37,570 No, he cares about his children. 723 00:30:37,920 --> 00:30:42,392 Now how does that reconcile with my pain and my suffering? 724 00:30:42,456 --> 00:30:43,672 I don't have the answer for that. 725 00:30:43,696 --> 00:30:47,112 But what I can say is that God is a good God and cares for us. 726 00:30:47,136 --> 00:30:49,112 And so Paul says, I'm going to go. 727 00:30:49,216 --> 00:30:49,960 Verse 15. 728 00:30:50,080 --> 00:30:54,216 And after those days, we took up our carriages and went to Jerusalem. 729 00:30:54,328 --> 00:30:55,380 I like that. 730 00:30:55,680 --> 00:31:02,328 So even Paul's resolve, even Paul's decision affects others around 731 00:31:02,384 --> 00:31:03,474 him, right? 732 00:31:03,562 --> 00:31:05,954 Because Paul's not going alone to Jerusalem. 733 00:31:06,082 --> 00:31:06,418 So. 734 00:31:06,474 --> 00:31:10,162 So his stance in the will of God affected those other guys who 735 00:31:10,186 --> 00:31:10,978 were trying to talk him. 736 00:31:11,034 --> 00:31:12,322 Hey, Paul, let's just stay here. 737 00:31:12,346 --> 00:31:12,898 Let's not go. 738 00:31:12,954 --> 00:31:14,226 Let's not go to Jerusalem. 739 00:31:14,338 --> 00:31:15,426 Paul says, no, we're going. 740 00:31:15,498 --> 00:31:17,618 And he led these other guys there with him. 741 00:31:17,754 --> 00:31:18,770 And so there was. 742 00:31:18,810 --> 00:31:21,698 There was risk there, but they followed. 743 00:31:21,794 --> 00:31:22,610 And so they. 744 00:31:22,650 --> 00:31:25,270 They took up their carriages and went up to Jerusalem. 745 00:31:25,610 --> 00:31:29,350 There went with us also certain of the disciples of Caesarea, 746 00:31:30,190 --> 00:31:35,462 and brought with them one Manson of Cyprus, an old disciple 747 00:31:35,606 --> 00:31:37,830 with whom we should lodge. 748 00:31:37,910 --> 00:31:38,838 You say, what? 749 00:31:38,974 --> 00:31:39,750 What's that all about? 750 00:31:39,790 --> 00:31:43,542 That's all about just the impact that Paul had on those that 751 00:31:43,566 --> 00:31:44,614 were around him. 752 00:31:44,782 --> 00:31:46,230 What an amazing truth that is. 753 00:31:46,270 --> 00:31:47,798 Paul's resolve affected others. 754 00:31:47,854 --> 00:31:51,462 And our resolve, our conviction for the Holy Spirit, our 755 00:31:51,486 --> 00:31:54,198 conviction for the Gospel will affect others around us. 756 00:31:54,254 --> 00:31:55,450 People will notice. 757 00:31:56,180 --> 00:31:57,640 Not everyone will understand. 758 00:31:58,100 --> 00:32:00,200 Not everyone will support. 759 00:32:02,180 --> 00:32:08,252 I can tell you there was a time in my own life when I knew, 760 00:32:08,396 --> 00:32:09,756 without a shadow of a doubt. 761 00:32:09,868 --> 00:32:12,972 I don't know how to explain it, other than just a certainty that 762 00:32:12,996 --> 00:32:15,036 God had me to move to Delaware. 763 00:32:15,228 --> 00:32:20,012 I remember not every single situation that God works out is so 764 00:32:20,036 --> 00:32:26,152 clear, but I remember the time in the place when God opened that 765 00:32:26,176 --> 00:32:28,392 door in my heart to say, this is where I want you to be. 766 00:32:28,416 --> 00:32:33,400 I remember that time, and I remember telling people around me 767 00:32:33,440 --> 00:32:35,272 that that was the decision that I was going to make. 768 00:32:35,296 --> 00:32:37,320 And it was a tough decision, I can tell you. 769 00:32:37,440 --> 00:32:41,816 Not that Delaware is a bad place, but it was away from my family. 770 00:32:41,968 --> 00:32:43,740 It was away from what we knew. 771 00:32:44,080 --> 00:32:47,640 It was away from everything that was familiar to us. 772 00:32:47,680 --> 00:32:50,592 And there were people that said, hey, you can serve God here 773 00:32:50,736 --> 00:32:51,952 in Florida. 774 00:32:52,096 --> 00:32:54,784 I said, I know I could serve God anywhere I want, but I want to 775 00:32:54,792 --> 00:32:56,496 be where God has me to serve. 776 00:32:56,688 --> 00:33:02,880 And even some people that I felt really close to and loved, and 777 00:33:02,920 --> 00:33:06,000 I think they had good intentions, and I love them to death 778 00:33:06,040 --> 00:33:06,512 to this day. 779 00:33:06,536 --> 00:33:10,240 And I will go to my grave protecting them. 780 00:33:10,360 --> 00:33:12,480 But they were like, I don't know if you're ready. 781 00:33:12,640 --> 00:33:13,940 I don't think you're ready. 782 00:33:14,360 --> 00:33:15,712 It was probably true. 783 00:33:15,856 --> 00:33:16,640 Probably true. 784 00:33:16,720 --> 00:33:17,408 I wasn't ready. 785 00:33:17,424 --> 00:33:18,678 And I'm still not ready for. 786 00:33:18,704 --> 00:33:20,490 For what God has for what in front of us. 787 00:33:20,530 --> 00:33:22,186 But what I will say is this. 788 00:33:22,338 --> 00:33:24,506 There were well intending people who were trying to understand 789 00:33:24,578 --> 00:33:26,314 it through their lens and say I just. 790 00:33:26,402 --> 00:33:28,070 Because the call wasn't for them. 791 00:33:28,530 --> 00:33:32,870 And so at the end of the day, I had one dear person who I love 792 00:33:33,250 --> 00:33:35,050 a lot tell me, you know what? 793 00:33:35,090 --> 00:33:38,550 I don't understand why you'd want to go. 794 00:33:40,450 --> 00:33:41,770 And I don't want you to go. 795 00:33:41,810 --> 00:33:44,612 But I'm not going to get in the way of you going because I know 796 00:33:44,636 --> 00:33:46,980 that's the will of God and that's the best place to be. 797 00:33:47,100 --> 00:33:49,172 And that was really good confirmation in my heart to say, 798 00:33:49,196 --> 00:33:52,532 okay, this is something that I know is the right thing to do. 799 00:33:52,636 --> 00:33:58,132 Now I say all that to say it would be a beautiful story if I just 800 00:33:58,156 --> 00:34:02,120 said in every single moment from that point on, I never doubted 801 00:34:02,780 --> 00:34:03,860 any second of the day. 802 00:34:03,900 --> 00:34:06,036 But I will tell you that there have been times where I did doubt 803 00:34:06,068 --> 00:34:06,596 that. 804 00:34:06,748 --> 00:34:07,840 What am I doing? 805 00:34:08,300 --> 00:34:09,460 I made a big mistake. 806 00:34:09,540 --> 00:34:09,738 I. 807 00:34:09,764 --> 00:34:10,302 I messed up. 808 00:34:10,326 --> 00:34:11,006 It's overwhelming. 809 00:34:11,038 --> 00:34:11,902 This is too much. 810 00:34:12,006 --> 00:34:13,102 And then what do I have to do? 811 00:34:13,126 --> 00:34:15,886 I don't go back to that circumstance that I'm facing. 812 00:34:15,918 --> 00:34:17,486 I go back to that call. 813 00:34:17,638 --> 00:34:19,294 I go back to my Savior. 814 00:34:19,422 --> 00:34:22,222 I go back to what he has called me to do in my life and to 815 00:34:22,246 --> 00:34:24,462 know that there is an open door, therefore, I'm gonna walk through 816 00:34:24,486 --> 00:34:24,670 it. 817 00:34:24,710 --> 00:34:27,614 And that is the story of following God. 818 00:34:27,662 --> 00:34:29,614 That is the story of obeying his will. 819 00:34:29,702 --> 00:34:33,726 For some of you, it's not about moving to a distant land or 820 00:34:33,798 --> 00:34:35,873 changing your location. 821 00:34:36,061 --> 00:34:39,289 For some of us, that's just changing direction within our own 822 00:34:39,329 --> 00:34:39,909 life. 823 00:34:40,209 --> 00:34:41,929 Maybe it's changing a pattern. 824 00:34:42,009 --> 00:34:44,777 Maybe it's doing something, not doing something. 825 00:34:44,913 --> 00:34:50,189 God, if he's calling you and there's all these really witty phrases 826 00:34:50,849 --> 00:34:55,097 where he guides, he provides, where he leads, he feeds. 827 00:34:55,273 --> 00:34:56,777 You know, there's all those, right? 828 00:34:56,833 --> 00:34:59,145 And it's interesting though, because it is true. 829 00:34:59,177 --> 00:35:00,969 Where he's going to lead you, he's going to provide. 830 00:35:01,089 --> 00:35:03,660 He's going to give you the strength. 831 00:35:04,320 --> 00:35:07,592 There's a passage of scripture that often gets misquoted. 832 00:35:07,736 --> 00:35:08,728 Philippians 4:13. 833 00:35:08,784 --> 00:35:11,688 I can do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth me. 834 00:35:11,744 --> 00:35:14,180 That doesn't mean I can do whatever I want to do. 835 00:35:14,720 --> 00:35:17,064 So, like, I wake up tomorrow morning and I say, okay, you know 836 00:35:17,072 --> 00:35:17,192 what? 837 00:35:17,216 --> 00:35:18,296 I just feel like it's. 838 00:35:18,408 --> 00:35:21,192 I want to be a professional basketball player. 839 00:35:21,296 --> 00:35:23,944 So I'm gonna wake up tomorrow and I love God enough, He'll make 840 00:35:23,952 --> 00:35:25,080 me a professional basketball player. 841 00:35:25,120 --> 00:35:25,592 That's not what. 842 00:35:25,616 --> 00:35:28,732 That's, that's, that's a misunderstanding of that verse, what 843 00:35:28,756 --> 00:35:29,660 that verse is talking about. 844 00:35:29,700 --> 00:35:32,252 If you read the whole context of Philippians, chapter four, it 845 00:35:32,276 --> 00:35:32,940 says this. 846 00:35:33,060 --> 00:35:35,420 Basically, you're going to go through ups and downs in your life, 847 00:35:35,460 --> 00:35:37,452 but if God has called you to do it, he's going to give you the 848 00:35:37,476 --> 00:35:38,684 strength to get through it. 849 00:35:38,852 --> 00:35:42,892 He's going to allow for the gift of grace to be put upon your 850 00:35:42,916 --> 00:35:46,012 life, to give you the wisdom and the strength and the patience 851 00:35:46,076 --> 00:35:48,156 to go through the trials that you have. 852 00:35:48,228 --> 00:35:49,980 And it might not be the same for you. 853 00:35:50,020 --> 00:35:51,420 It might not be the same for me. 854 00:35:51,540 --> 00:35:53,900 I'll look at people all the time and go, I don't know. 855 00:35:53,940 --> 00:35:54,860 And maybe you've said this. 856 00:35:54,900 --> 00:35:59,040 I don't, I don't know how that person can go through that and still 857 00:35:59,080 --> 00:35:59,568 love Christ. 858 00:35:59,624 --> 00:36:00,512 I don't know how they're. 859 00:36:00,576 --> 00:36:03,456 And the truth is, is that we, we don't understand because we haven't 860 00:36:03,568 --> 00:36:06,608 experienced that specific grace for that specific moment. 861 00:36:06,704 --> 00:36:08,608 God is gifting them in that area. 862 00:36:08,744 --> 00:36:11,696 And we won't understand until we go through that next trial. 863 00:36:11,888 --> 00:36:15,040 And so Paul says, okay, we're going. 864 00:36:15,160 --> 00:36:16,576 And people go with him. 865 00:36:16,728 --> 00:36:18,912 So Paul comes to Jerusalem. 866 00:36:19,056 --> 00:36:20,032 Let's, let's look at it here. 867 00:36:20,056 --> 00:36:20,940 We're going to. 868 00:36:21,580 --> 00:36:22,916 I wish I could tell you, Paul goes. 869 00:36:22,948 --> 00:36:25,492 And God says, paul, by the way, I was just testing you. 870 00:36:25,676 --> 00:36:26,836 This was all a test. 871 00:36:26,908 --> 00:36:28,196 Everything's gonna be okay. 872 00:36:28,308 --> 00:36:29,940 But that's not what he says here. 873 00:36:29,980 --> 00:36:30,820 That's not what happens. 874 00:36:30,900 --> 00:36:31,556 Verse 17. 875 00:36:31,628 --> 00:36:35,076 And when we were come to Jerusalem, the brethren received 876 00:36:35,148 --> 00:36:35,716 us gladly. 877 00:36:35,748 --> 00:36:38,868 You might say, well, wait, I just thought you said, well, it's 878 00:36:38,884 --> 00:36:39,108 coming. 879 00:36:39,164 --> 00:36:40,436 Okay, the trial is coming. 880 00:36:40,508 --> 00:36:44,468 But initially everyone receives Paul and his company with 881 00:36:44,604 --> 00:36:45,480 gladness. 882 00:36:46,300 --> 00:36:49,140 And so they arrive there in Jerusalem, Paul meets the leaders 883 00:36:49,180 --> 00:36:50,040 of the church. 884 00:36:50,370 --> 00:36:53,018 And we're going to see that when he gets there, everything seems 885 00:36:53,034 --> 00:36:53,802 to be okay. 886 00:36:53,866 --> 00:36:54,698 Verse 18. 887 00:36:54,834 --> 00:36:58,442 And the day following, Paul went in with us into James. 888 00:36:58,506 --> 00:37:02,490 And James was the leader there at the church at Jerusalem. 889 00:37:02,650 --> 00:37:05,706 And so Paul goes in with all the leaders there, and all the elders 890 00:37:05,738 --> 00:37:06,426 were present. 891 00:37:06,578 --> 00:37:07,178 Verse 19. 892 00:37:07,234 --> 00:37:11,018 And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly, what things 893 00:37:11,074 --> 00:37:14,830 God hath wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry. 894 00:37:15,250 --> 00:37:16,786 And so what does he do here? 895 00:37:16,898 --> 00:37:19,330 He essentially gives them a report, a missionary report. 896 00:37:19,370 --> 00:37:21,314 We have this happen within our own churches. 897 00:37:21,442 --> 00:37:23,762 You know, we send people out, they come back, they say, hey, this 898 00:37:23,786 --> 00:37:25,794 is what's happening out there in the mission field. 899 00:37:25,962 --> 00:37:27,746 They didn't have technology back then. 900 00:37:27,818 --> 00:37:30,082 Well, they had technology, but not digital technology where they 901 00:37:30,106 --> 00:37:32,002 could send messages across the water. 902 00:37:32,186 --> 00:37:36,226 So these people were totally in the dark until Paul got back to 903 00:37:36,298 --> 00:37:37,506 know what was happening. 904 00:37:37,618 --> 00:37:40,082 And so essentially what happens here is he's reporting all 905 00:37:40,106 --> 00:37:41,378 the different things that's happening. 906 00:37:41,474 --> 00:37:46,060 And he tells them, as it says there in, in great detail, it says 907 00:37:46,100 --> 00:37:49,596 he declared particularly that that just means he detailed out everything 908 00:37:49,668 --> 00:37:50,476 that that happened. 909 00:37:50,508 --> 00:37:52,220 He recounted every little thing. 910 00:37:52,340 --> 00:37:56,572 And so Paul told the people there in Jerusalem what, what was 911 00:37:56,596 --> 00:38:00,284 going on in his missionary efforts and what's the result of 912 00:38:00,292 --> 00:38:01,644 this verse 20. 913 00:38:01,732 --> 00:38:04,316 And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord and said unto 914 00:38:04,348 --> 00:38:09,438 him, thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are 915 00:38:09,564 --> 00:38:10,602 which believe. 916 00:38:10,786 --> 00:38:13,562 And they are all zealous of the law. 917 00:38:13,746 --> 00:38:16,650 So we're going to see that they're all excited that Paul is 918 00:38:16,690 --> 00:38:18,990 reporting that there are people that are being saved. 919 00:38:21,330 --> 00:38:25,546 But the elders of Jerusalem were happy for what God was doing 920 00:38:25,618 --> 00:38:27,430 among the Gentiles as well. 921 00:38:28,370 --> 00:38:33,738 But yet in Jerusalem, the Christian community was almost completely 922 00:38:33,834 --> 00:38:38,030 Jewish founded, having Jewish backgrounds, Jewish traditions. 923 00:38:38,840 --> 00:38:44,400 And so the Christians there in Jerusalem were almost to the point 924 00:38:44,440 --> 00:38:49,460 where someone had to become a Christian, but also a Jewish Christian. 925 00:38:49,800 --> 00:38:53,100 So add that phrase there, zealous of the law. 926 00:38:53,880 --> 00:38:57,520 And so the idea was that, hey, Paul, hopefully that you're making 927 00:38:57,560 --> 00:39:02,320 these people more like us in this case in verse 21. 928 00:39:02,360 --> 00:39:05,932 And they were informed of thee that thou teachest all the Jews which 929 00:39:05,956 --> 00:39:08,720 are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses. 930 00:39:10,340 --> 00:39:15,292 So you might not catch what's happening here, but they're basically 931 00:39:15,356 --> 00:39:17,596 accusing Paul of doing something. 932 00:39:17,748 --> 00:39:19,292 What are they accusing him of? 933 00:39:19,396 --> 00:39:22,876 That they, that he's teaching all the Jews. 934 00:39:22,988 --> 00:39:27,116 So these are Jewish converts which are among the Gentiles. 935 00:39:27,148 --> 00:39:29,564 So they're living with the Gentiles in these various cities 936 00:39:29,692 --> 00:39:31,820 to forsake Moses, to forsake the law. 937 00:39:31,860 --> 00:39:32,172 They said. 938 00:39:32,196 --> 00:39:36,166 So we've heard you're going in and preaching Jesus, but you're telling 939 00:39:36,198 --> 00:39:39,382 them to forget the law of Moses, just totally wipe it away. 940 00:39:39,566 --> 00:39:41,254 And by the way, that's not what Paul is doing. 941 00:39:41,342 --> 00:39:46,182 By the way, Paul is essentially very much still encouraging 942 00:39:46,246 --> 00:39:49,158 people to stay in the law if that's what they need to stay in. 943 00:39:49,214 --> 00:39:50,358 But that's not what saves them. 944 00:39:50,414 --> 00:39:52,550 Paul's not going to tell them that that's what saves them. 945 00:39:52,670 --> 00:39:56,006 But what they're saying is that, hey, it's a classic misunderstanding. 946 00:39:56,038 --> 00:39:58,374 Essentially what they're saying is since you're preaching 947 00:39:58,422 --> 00:40:01,850 Jesus only, you must be preaching against the law of Moses, 948 00:40:03,090 --> 00:40:06,554 saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither 949 00:40:06,602 --> 00:40:08,490 to walk after the customs. 950 00:40:08,650 --> 00:40:11,178 So they said, paul, we're glad all These people are getting saved. 951 00:40:11,274 --> 00:40:15,498 But we heard this rumor that you're telling people not to do what's 952 00:40:15,514 --> 00:40:16,362 important to us, I. 953 00:40:16,386 --> 00:40:16,522 E. 954 00:40:16,546 --> 00:40:17,274 The circumcision. 955 00:40:17,322 --> 00:40:18,590 That is the traditions. 956 00:40:19,330 --> 00:40:20,790 And that is not the case. 957 00:40:21,330 --> 00:40:25,594 So the Christians there in Jerusalem heard rumors about Paul. 958 00:40:25,642 --> 00:40:26,506 They're false rumors. 959 00:40:26,538 --> 00:40:30,148 And this is showing us how dangerous gossip is and how dangerous 960 00:40:30,164 --> 00:40:32,532 it is not to get the full story. 961 00:40:32,716 --> 00:40:37,396 They heard that he was basically an anti Jew, okay? 962 00:40:37,428 --> 00:40:40,692 He was against their Jewish culture, he was against their Jewish 963 00:40:40,756 --> 00:40:44,772 customs, that he basically is now telling Jewish Christians that 964 00:40:44,796 --> 00:40:48,520 it was wrong for them to continue on in any of their customs. 965 00:40:48,860 --> 00:40:50,724 And he's not saying that now. 966 00:40:50,732 --> 00:40:53,636 He's telling the Gentiles that they don't have to become Jewish 967 00:40:53,668 --> 00:40:54,972 people to be saved. 968 00:40:55,156 --> 00:40:57,500 But he's not telling the Jewish people to just throw out all 969 00:40:57,540 --> 00:40:58,348 their customs. 970 00:40:58,444 --> 00:40:59,676 All right, you know, don't. 971 00:40:59,708 --> 00:41:00,840 You don't have to. 972 00:41:01,300 --> 00:41:02,060 That's not what. 973 00:41:02,100 --> 00:41:03,468 What Paul was saying. 974 00:41:03,524 --> 00:41:10,140 And based on Romans chapter 14, and we'll get there in our Sunday 975 00:41:10,180 --> 00:41:11,560 morning services. 976 00:41:11,860 --> 00:41:15,148 But according to Romans chapter 14, Paul did not have a problem 977 00:41:15,204 --> 00:41:18,172 with Jewish Christians who wanted to continue observing the 978 00:41:18,196 --> 00:41:20,162 old law and the old customs. 979 00:41:20,356 --> 00:41:23,222 And it even seems like in some ways Paul even joined in, in many 980 00:41:23,246 --> 00:41:27,254 of those things and even spoke to certain individuals who were saved 981 00:41:27,302 --> 00:41:30,070 and became Christians, that they would actually need to follow 982 00:41:30,110 --> 00:41:33,654 those things to reach the community for the gospel of Jesus 983 00:41:33,702 --> 00:41:34,342 Christ. 984 00:41:34,526 --> 00:41:38,022 And so what happens here is they're going to spread this lie 985 00:41:38,166 --> 00:41:39,290 about Paul. 986 00:41:40,270 --> 00:41:41,942 And so verse 22, what is it? 987 00:41:41,966 --> 00:41:46,406 Therefore the multitude must needs come together, for they will 988 00:41:46,478 --> 00:41:48,530 hear that thou art come. 989 00:41:49,280 --> 00:41:55,928 So in King James English, it's basically saying this, Paul, you've 990 00:41:55,944 --> 00:41:57,980 been a very controversial figure. 991 00:41:58,720 --> 00:42:00,120 The people want to hear about it. 992 00:42:00,160 --> 00:42:01,480 We need to get this all figured out. 993 00:42:01,520 --> 00:42:03,032 You need to speak your case. 994 00:42:03,216 --> 00:42:04,536 Essentially what they're saying here. 995 00:42:04,608 --> 00:42:08,860 And this is where we will leave off here tonight. 996 00:42:09,200 --> 00:42:15,176 We're going to talk next week about how this eventually turns south, 997 00:42:15,248 --> 00:42:18,414 so to speak, and how the prophecies are fulfilled were Paul 998 00:42:18,462 --> 00:42:20,238 is taken into captivity. 999 00:42:20,414 --> 00:42:25,262 And Paul is going to give a testimony of what God is doing in 1000 00:42:25,286 --> 00:42:26,046 his life. 1001 00:42:26,198 --> 00:42:27,838 And so after all of that, after. 1002 00:42:27,894 --> 00:42:31,262 After Paul comes in and commits himself to the will of God 1003 00:42:31,326 --> 00:42:32,970 and says, lord, I trust you. 1004 00:42:34,230 --> 00:42:37,022 The people are going to turn on Paul, specifically one group of 1005 00:42:37,046 --> 00:42:37,230 people. 1006 00:42:37,270 --> 00:42:38,926 And then there's an uproar. 1007 00:42:39,118 --> 00:42:44,030 And so the leaders of Jerusalem make a recommendation to 1008 00:42:44,070 --> 00:42:44,690 Paul. 1009 00:42:46,120 --> 00:42:49,408 Paul then is going to accept this. 1010 00:42:49,464 --> 00:42:52,864 It's basically, can you help out these guys who are part of the 1011 00:42:52,872 --> 00:42:54,704 Jewish purification rituals? 1012 00:42:54,832 --> 00:42:58,752 And Paul says, okay, but then there's some Jews from Asia who are 1013 00:42:58,776 --> 00:43:00,688 going to stir up a mob against Paul. 1014 00:43:00,864 --> 00:43:04,100 So Paul is going to be betrayed here in Jerusalem. 1015 00:43:04,440 --> 00:43:08,016 And I don't look at this and say, well, all the people in Jerusalem 1016 00:43:08,048 --> 00:43:09,536 must have been bad people and hated Paul. 1017 00:43:09,568 --> 00:43:11,384 I just think it was a misunderstanding. 1018 00:43:11,552 --> 00:43:14,776 But we know how a small misunderstanding can eventually become 1019 00:43:14,848 --> 00:43:18,424 something even greater and in many ways lose control. 1020 00:43:18,512 --> 00:43:21,272 And so God's going to have to do his work here, which we know he 1021 00:43:21,296 --> 00:43:22,104 always does. 1022 00:43:22,272 --> 00:43:23,544 And so that's. 1023 00:43:23,592 --> 00:43:26,328 I don't want to get ahead too far, but what can we learn from this? 1024 00:43:26,464 --> 00:43:26,856 Tonight? 1025 00:43:26,888 --> 00:43:27,656 It's this. 1026 00:43:27,808 --> 00:43:32,568 If God has called us to do something, and we know that we're 1027 00:43:32,584 --> 00:43:34,984 not contradicting the word of God, we're not contradicting the 1028 00:43:34,992 --> 00:43:37,554 will of God, we're not contradicting the guidance of the 1029 00:43:37,562 --> 00:43:39,970 Holy Spirit, we're living and walking in unity with Christ. 1030 00:43:40,090 --> 00:43:42,642 It really doesn't matter what other people say to us. 1031 00:43:42,746 --> 00:43:44,962 And I know that sounds bad because that kind of sounds like, 1032 00:43:44,986 --> 00:43:46,482 hey, I'm a rogue agent for Christ. 1033 00:43:46,586 --> 00:43:49,378 I'm not saying we should avoid godly counsel. 1034 00:43:49,474 --> 00:43:51,458 Godly counsel is a wise thing. 1035 00:43:51,594 --> 00:43:53,990 The Bible actually talks all about godly counsel. 1036 00:43:54,810 --> 00:43:58,562 But godly counsel is only limited to individuals and their 1037 00:43:58,586 --> 00:43:59,746 opinions and their perception. 1038 00:43:59,778 --> 00:44:01,430 They're not walking in your shoes. 1039 00:44:01,930 --> 00:44:06,018 One day when we stand before our Savior, we can't say, well, someone 1040 00:44:06,074 --> 00:44:07,922 else gave me this advice and I followed it. 1041 00:44:07,946 --> 00:44:11,842 And, you know, at the end of the day, we are responsible for our 1042 00:44:11,866 --> 00:44:13,190 decisions for the Lord. 1043 00:44:13,690 --> 00:44:16,630 And so, yes, get godly counsel. 1044 00:44:17,210 --> 00:44:20,242 But again, make sure where that godly counsel is coming from. 1045 00:44:20,346 --> 00:44:22,722 You know, when I was again going back to when I was a young 1046 00:44:22,746 --> 00:44:26,034 person in high school, if I wanted to get advice, you know who 1047 00:44:26,042 --> 00:44:27,122 I would go to for advice? 1048 00:44:27,186 --> 00:44:28,630 I should have went to my parents. 1049 00:44:28,970 --> 00:44:30,656 I should have went to my pastor. 1050 00:44:30,778 --> 00:44:32,468 I would go to my friends in my class. 1051 00:44:32,604 --> 00:44:34,356 What do you think I should do about this situation? 1052 00:44:34,468 --> 00:44:36,740 Like they had any better advice for me. 1053 00:44:36,780 --> 00:44:38,852 They were going to just lead me astray because they was like the 1054 00:44:38,876 --> 00:44:39,764 blind leading the blind. 1055 00:44:39,812 --> 00:44:40,308 Right? 1056 00:44:40,444 --> 00:44:43,412 And that's sometimes what we do instead of going to someone when 1057 00:44:43,436 --> 00:44:44,484 we go for godly counsel. 1058 00:44:44,532 --> 00:44:46,740 We need to be very careful on where we're getting that godly counsel 1059 00:44:46,820 --> 00:44:47,440 from. 1060 00:44:47,900 --> 00:44:50,820 I will tell you that today in our society, many people are getting 1061 00:44:50,860 --> 00:44:52,920 godly counsel from the Internet. 1062 00:44:53,420 --> 00:44:57,156 They're going to type in a box on their phone or on their laptop 1063 00:44:57,188 --> 00:44:58,134 or their computer. 1064 00:44:58,252 --> 00:45:01,590 What does the Bible say about blank? 1065 00:45:01,930 --> 00:45:03,234 What should I do about blank? 1066 00:45:03,282 --> 00:45:05,234 And I'M not saying that the Internet's a bad thing, but what 1067 00:45:05,242 --> 00:45:07,938 I'm saying is that that should not be your godly counsel. 1068 00:45:08,114 --> 00:45:10,802 Your godly counsel should come from people who are grounded in the 1069 00:45:10,826 --> 00:45:13,234 truth of God, who are trustworthy, who have a testimony 1070 00:45:13,282 --> 00:45:14,818 of obedience to God. 1071 00:45:14,994 --> 00:45:18,146 But again, at the end of the day, godly counsel isn't the final 1072 00:45:18,218 --> 00:45:18,818 authority. 1073 00:45:18,914 --> 00:45:21,314 The final authority is the leading of the Holy Spirit and the 1074 00:45:21,322 --> 00:45:22,150 Word of God. 1075 00:45:22,890 --> 00:45:24,818 And so what I would say to you is this. 1076 00:45:24,954 --> 00:45:28,242 If God has you to do something and believe something and you can 1077 00:45:28,266 --> 00:45:31,458 match it up to Scripture, and God is leading you in that, stand 1078 00:45:31,514 --> 00:45:35,442 strong in that, no matter what might be the case, and it might be 1079 00:45:35,466 --> 00:45:36,530 someone trying to take care of you. 1080 00:45:36,570 --> 00:45:36,882 You know what? 1081 00:45:36,906 --> 00:45:38,978 I just don't know if you want to go through that right now. 1082 00:45:39,114 --> 00:45:40,482 Well, none of us want to go through suffering. 1083 00:45:40,546 --> 00:45:43,042 But the truth of the matter is that sometimes God's will takes us 1084 00:45:43,066 --> 00:45:47,218 right down the lane of suffering, suffering central. 1085 00:45:47,354 --> 00:45:49,954 And we don't want to exalt that, and we don't want to praise 1086 00:45:50,002 --> 00:45:50,514 that suffering. 1087 00:45:50,562 --> 00:45:52,248 But what we do want to say is, you know what? 1088 00:45:52,354 --> 00:45:57,756 Like Paul said, I'm ready not just to be bound, but to die at Jerusalem 1089 00:45:57,788 --> 00:45:59,280 for the name of the Lord Jesus. 1090 00:45:59,780 --> 00:46:01,996 And so we're going to talk more about this next week. 1091 00:46:02,148 --> 00:46:04,732 We're going to talk more about that confusion. 1092 00:46:04,876 --> 00:46:07,788 And by the way, just for the sake of understanding, and we'll 1093 00:46:07,804 --> 00:46:09,340 get more into this next week. 1094 00:46:09,460 --> 00:46:13,468 Paul did not expect Jews to just throw away their culture. 1095 00:46:13,644 --> 00:46:16,560 He had no problem with them keeping the dietary laws. 1096 00:46:16,900 --> 00:46:21,320 Paul had no problem with them following the Jewish customs and 1097 00:46:21,360 --> 00:46:24,472 traditions and even, you know, reading the Torah and following the 1098 00:46:24,496 --> 00:46:25,016 law. 1099 00:46:25,168 --> 00:46:27,544 What the problem was, and you can read all about in the book of 1100 00:46:27,552 --> 00:46:30,152 Galatians, the problem was is that people thought that that made 1101 00:46:30,176 --> 00:46:34,760 them more spiritual, that made them more of God's people. 1102 00:46:34,880 --> 00:46:37,384 And what the Bible speaks of very clearly is that you don't have 1103 00:46:37,392 --> 00:46:39,576 to follow those things to become Christians. 1104 00:46:39,768 --> 00:46:40,120 But. 1105 00:46:40,160 --> 00:46:42,808 But Paul was never throwing the baby out with the bathwater. 1106 00:46:42,904 --> 00:46:45,752 But all it was was that Gentiles don't have to follow this 1107 00:46:45,776 --> 00:46:46,240 path. 1108 00:46:46,360 --> 00:46:47,860 And people got upset. 1109 00:46:48,360 --> 00:46:51,568 And we might have a hard time likening that today because none 1110 00:46:51,584 --> 00:46:54,576 of us probably are struggling with the Jewish laws in here tonight. 1111 00:46:54,608 --> 00:46:54,896 Okay? 1112 00:46:54,928 --> 00:47:00,128 None of us are offended by that, but we are in some ways held 1113 00:47:00,184 --> 00:47:03,888 up with other traditions that we're so used to that we think must 1114 00:47:03,944 --> 00:47:06,620 be done to be. 1115 00:47:07,800 --> 00:47:09,824 They must be done for church to be happening. 1116 00:47:09,872 --> 00:47:11,910 They must be done for a Christian to be Growing. 1117 00:47:12,040 --> 00:47:13,626 And that's the idea of legalism. 1118 00:47:13,738 --> 00:47:18,298 Legalism isn't always, you got to do this to be saved. 1119 00:47:18,474 --> 00:47:19,994 That's how sometimes it's framed. 1120 00:47:20,042 --> 00:47:23,146 Like, we don't believe that you have to work your way to heaven, 1121 00:47:23,338 --> 00:47:26,442 but we believe that after you're saved, you got to work for 1122 00:47:26,466 --> 00:47:27,434 your spiritual growth. 1123 00:47:27,522 --> 00:47:29,642 You got to do all these things, you got to look this way, 1124 00:47:29,666 --> 00:47:30,746 you got to do this thing. 1125 00:47:30,818 --> 00:47:33,482 And the truth is, is that at the end of the day, yes, there will 1126 00:47:33,506 --> 00:47:36,550 be an outward change that happens in our spiritual growth. 1127 00:47:36,850 --> 00:47:40,972 But that spiritual growth does not come from following a list of 1128 00:47:40,996 --> 00:47:41,600 rules. 1129 00:47:42,020 --> 00:47:45,260 The change comes from a changed heart that eventually does 1130 00:47:45,300 --> 00:47:47,564 align with the will of God and the word of God. 1131 00:47:47,692 --> 00:47:49,644 But what we've tried to do over the years, and we're going to 1132 00:47:49,652 --> 00:47:52,780 talk about this next week, is we've tried to look out there and 1133 00:47:52,820 --> 00:47:57,324 we try to look at the outcome of spiritual growth, and we've tried 1134 00:47:57,372 --> 00:48:01,932 to basically fabricate that in people's lives by putting rules out 1135 00:48:01,956 --> 00:48:04,300 there to make them look like Christians. 1136 00:48:04,460 --> 00:48:07,912 The problem is, is that if I tried to say, hey, you know what, 1137 00:48:08,036 --> 00:48:11,072 if you just talk this way, dress this way, go here, don't go 1138 00:48:11,096 --> 00:48:14,480 here, do this, don't do that, you'll be a great Christian. 1139 00:48:14,560 --> 00:48:18,528 But if there's zero connection with the Holy Spirit, it's all done 1140 00:48:18,584 --> 00:48:19,744 just through a list of rules. 1141 00:48:19,792 --> 00:48:23,552 It's just the same as the law of Moses that could not save. 1142 00:48:23,696 --> 00:48:26,864 And so what we have to do is we have to talk about that true interchange 1143 00:48:26,912 --> 00:48:29,648 that's happening, and we'll get to that more next week. 1144 00:48:29,704 --> 00:48:32,592 So let's go ahead and close with a word of prayer, and then we 1145 00:48:32,616 --> 00:48:35,272 will have a few announcements, and then we'll be dismissed. 1146 00:48:35,376 --> 00:48:36,984 Lord, I thank you for this time that you've given us. 1147 00:48:36,992 --> 00:48:39,032 I thank you for this opportunity here this evening to 1148 00:48:39,056 --> 00:48:43,704 look into your word, to study this heavy topic of conviction of 1149 00:48:43,712 --> 00:48:48,808 the Spirit, guidance of the Spirit, comfort of the Spirit, conviction 1150 00:48:48,824 --> 00:48:49,304 of the Spirit. 1151 00:48:49,352 --> 00:48:52,248 Lord, we know that the Holy Spirit had bound Paul to this. 1152 00:48:52,304 --> 00:48:56,488 And though there were individuals like Agabus and others 1153 00:48:56,544 --> 00:49:00,296 that tried to talk Paul away from what you'd have him to do, Lord, 1154 00:49:00,328 --> 00:49:04,590 we know that you led him into that truth and even into that difficulty 1155 00:49:04,750 --> 00:49:06,558 for your gospel, for your glory. 1156 00:49:06,654 --> 00:49:08,702 So, Lord, I pray that you be with us this week. 1157 00:49:08,726 --> 00:49:13,134 Lord, help us to understand what it means to follow you, obey 1158 00:49:13,182 --> 00:49:13,630 you. 1159 00:49:13,750 --> 00:49:16,782 Lord, I pray that you can protect us this week as we profess 1160 00:49:16,886 --> 00:49:18,590 your word to the world. 1161 00:49:18,710 --> 00:49:19,918 So we thank you and we love you. 1162 00:49:19,974 --> 00:49:21,646 We ask all these things in Jesus name. 1163 00:49:21,718 --> 00:49:22,450 Amen. 1164 00:49:23,270 --> 00:49:25,902 Thank you again for listening to the Middletown Baptist Church 1165 00:49:25,966 --> 00:49:26,702 podcast. 1166 00:49:26,846 --> 00:49:29,552 I hope that this sermon has been a blessing for for you. 1167 00:49:29,736 --> 00:49:32,016 If you would like to find out more information about our church 1168 00:49:32,048 --> 00:49:35,712 or this sermon, you can find us at middletownbaptistchurch.org 1169 00:49:35,856 --> 00:49:38,660 or find us on Facebook or YouTube. 1170 00:49:39,080 --> 00:49:44,384 You can also email me directly at Josh Massaro Middletown BaptistChurch.com 1171 00:49:44,552 --> 00:49:48,048 if you've enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe and follow 1172 00:49:48,104 --> 00:49:51,140 along for future podcast and updates. 1173 00:49:51,480 --> 00:49:52,640 Thank you so much. 1174 00:49:52,760 --> 00:49:53,584 God Bless. 1175 00:49:53,712 --> 00:49:54,760 Have a wonderful day.