1 00:00:16,730 --> 00:00:19,360 David McCullagh: Well, we're returning to this series, The Life of the Church, 2 00:00:19,619 --> 00:00:24,219 and in the weeks that have gone by, I've been reading more and enjoying 3 00:00:24,219 --> 00:00:28,830 more, and tonight's a little bit different, but, um, I'm hoping it'll 4 00:00:28,840 --> 00:00:34,750 be something that'll help us maybe more in our personal lives to recall 5 00:00:34,750 --> 00:00:37,050 of how good the Lord has been to us. 6 00:00:37,820 --> 00:00:39,840 And it's part four. 7 00:00:39,889 --> 00:00:42,770 It's entitled Caesarea by the Sea. 8 00:00:43,550 --> 00:00:47,049 It is a place that we're familiar with in Scripture. 9 00:00:47,510 --> 00:00:51,870 Um, but really I wonder do we understand fully its significance. 10 00:00:52,230 --> 00:00:55,400 And really the theme for tonight is about places that are important 11 00:00:55,400 --> 00:00:57,610 or about a place that is important. 12 00:00:57,610 --> 00:01:01,230 And without yet flicking to the other side of page three, don't do that 13 00:01:01,230 --> 00:01:02,859 yet, you'll come to your questions. 14 00:01:02,859 --> 00:01:06,430 But one of the questions for tonight is, where, what or where is a 15 00:01:06,430 --> 00:01:08,250 place that is significant for you? 16 00:01:08,930 --> 00:01:12,110 Whenever it comes to faith and matters of faith, where is a 17 00:01:12,140 --> 00:01:13,609 place that is significant for you? 18 00:01:13,609 --> 00:01:18,835 Because whenever we look at Caesarea, Uh, we will discover that it is 19 00:01:18,835 --> 00:01:20,345 a place of great significance. 20 00:01:20,875 --> 00:01:24,695 And again, it's all about God doing His work in a particular 21 00:01:24,695 --> 00:01:27,035 place at a particular time. 22 00:01:27,525 --> 00:01:28,834 That's the significance. 23 00:01:28,844 --> 00:01:34,325 It could have been anywhere, but it's in a place that God chose to do His work. 24 00:01:35,485 --> 00:01:39,305 And so when we have that study of church history, there will be people, and 25 00:01:39,315 --> 00:01:42,765 we've already looked at some of those people, and if you have missed any of 26 00:01:42,765 --> 00:01:45,775 the handouts of the first three nights, they're up here on the stage for you. 27 00:01:46,055 --> 00:01:49,204 You can take them, they're all there on the church website as well, that you can 28 00:01:49,205 --> 00:01:51,425 look at them at home and see them there. 29 00:01:52,354 --> 00:01:56,975 But there's people, there's events, and there are places, all significant. 30 00:01:57,005 --> 00:02:01,745 Sometimes all three come together in one, and at other times they're separate. 31 00:02:02,310 --> 00:02:06,130 There might be specific people who will have a key moment, or there might be 32 00:02:06,130 --> 00:02:09,990 a key event where it's, it's not just one person, but a group of people or a 33 00:02:09,990 --> 00:02:11,859 movement of God at a particular moment. 34 00:02:12,300 --> 00:02:16,250 Or as we'll see tonight, a particular place that has a long heritage 35 00:02:16,630 --> 00:02:19,250 of being involved in Scripture. 36 00:02:19,899 --> 00:02:22,210 And we've seen that in recent church history. 37 00:02:22,210 --> 00:02:25,570 Whenever you think of the Reformation, the, the two places that. 38 00:02:26,350 --> 00:02:30,549 Where things happened, where Wittenberg and, and Geneva, two places where 39 00:02:30,549 --> 00:02:36,870 God used, not just in a moment, but in the ensuing years, where study 40 00:02:37,450 --> 00:02:41,549 would grow, where theology would develop, where, where really what it 41 00:02:41,559 --> 00:02:45,940 meant to be reformed was, was teased out and worked out and lived out. 42 00:02:47,140 --> 00:02:50,160 But it's nothing new because we've seen it in Scripture again and again. 43 00:02:50,160 --> 00:02:57,160 You've places like Bethel, Gilead, Bethlehem, Jerusalem, all places that 44 00:02:57,160 --> 00:03:02,850 at certain times play different parts in the great story of salvation. 45 00:03:03,889 --> 00:03:08,580 And as we come to Caesarea, although it may not be the most familiar in 46 00:03:08,589 --> 00:03:14,710 scripture, it does play a significant part for as we look at how the church 47 00:03:14,720 --> 00:03:17,920 came to be and its significance for today. 48 00:03:18,500 --> 00:03:22,010 Um, and so we begin by thinking about the significance. 49 00:03:24,345 --> 00:03:28,055 And so there's a place for you, uh, on your, on your handout. 50 00:03:28,105 --> 00:03:29,475 It's also on the screen. 51 00:03:29,895 --> 00:03:34,325 It's, it's now a national park in, uh, Israel. 52 00:03:34,353 --> 00:03:35,795 You can go and you have your holiday. 53 00:03:35,805 --> 00:03:38,954 If you look north there, that's the holiday resort of Caesarea today. 54 00:03:39,375 --> 00:03:43,454 But in that center part where it just looks like brown earth or, or, or 55 00:03:43,454 --> 00:03:46,355 desert, that's the original Caesarea. 56 00:03:46,355 --> 00:03:50,435 And if you actually look, you can see some Roman fixtures, the amphitheater. 57 00:03:50,660 --> 00:03:56,300 Or a great, um, athletic track, or baths, Roman baths. 58 00:03:56,310 --> 00:03:58,180 So this was a true Roman city. 59 00:03:58,180 --> 00:03:59,260 It was a port city. 60 00:03:59,769 --> 00:04:02,180 And it was a city of great significance. 61 00:04:02,230 --> 00:04:06,009 Not just for us in the church, but also for Rome itself. 62 00:04:06,730 --> 00:04:11,130 Because it was here that the Roman rulers had their palace. 63 00:04:13,370 --> 00:04:16,740 Remember, Pilate came to Jerusalem. 64 00:04:16,750 --> 00:04:18,050 Well, where did he come from? 65 00:04:18,970 --> 00:04:20,300 He didn't come from Rome. 66 00:04:20,918 --> 00:04:22,520 He came from his headquarters. 67 00:04:23,125 --> 00:04:27,835 in Caesarea Maritimi, which is its official name. 68 00:04:28,235 --> 00:04:31,045 He was the fifth of the Roman rulers. 69 00:04:31,584 --> 00:04:36,865 Um, basically Caesar had got fed up with the Herodian family. 70 00:04:36,925 --> 00:04:39,194 They were puppets now, very much more so. 71 00:04:39,433 --> 00:04:42,965 And it was more these Roman bureaucrats who would come in, 72 00:04:42,985 --> 00:04:44,805 Pilate being the most famous of them. 73 00:04:44,805 --> 00:04:47,645 And he does have a significant place in it. 74 00:04:48,510 --> 00:04:51,720 And what they did was they settled themselves in Herod's Palace there. 75 00:04:51,720 --> 00:04:56,020 They'd get rid of maybe some of the royal trappings, give them a small apartment, 76 00:04:56,020 --> 00:05:00,549 but for the real seat of power in Herod's Palace, the Roman officials would be. 77 00:05:00,550 --> 00:05:02,079 And that's where Pilate was. 78 00:05:02,079 --> 00:05:03,100 That's where he would go. 79 00:05:03,490 --> 00:05:08,440 And it would be where other Roman rulers, as we'll see, would take their seat. 80 00:05:10,155 --> 00:05:14,725 If you're not familiar with what it looks like, there's a map over on page two. 81 00:05:15,155 --> 00:05:17,114 Can't go by too quickly without getting a map. 82 00:05:17,465 --> 00:05:21,975 But, just to show you, whenever you see it on a map, there's really only two 83 00:05:22,015 --> 00:05:25,874 ports in Biblical Palestine that are used. 84 00:05:25,874 --> 00:05:30,085 It's Joppa, which is down at the south, where the A of Jerusalem is. 85 00:05:30,490 --> 00:05:32,150 or at Caesarea. 86 00:05:32,159 --> 00:05:33,659 Most went through Caesarea. 87 00:05:33,659 --> 00:05:35,010 It was the bigger of the ports. 88 00:05:35,020 --> 00:05:39,010 It was the established Roman city or, and Roman port. 89 00:05:39,010 --> 00:05:40,849 And so all trade went from there. 90 00:05:41,040 --> 00:05:43,750 And by the way, this is This is Paul's journey to Rome. 91 00:05:43,750 --> 00:05:47,180 It's his third missionary journey, and then his journey to Rome. 92 00:05:47,180 --> 00:05:50,810 So you can see that it, it was close to where the known world 93 00:05:50,810 --> 00:05:58,590 was, and so it was a center of trade, of busyness, of Roman life. 94 00:05:58,830 --> 00:06:04,699 You couldn't get more Roman in Palestine than Caesarea Maritima. 95 00:06:05,980 --> 00:06:09,230 And so this is a place that was significant in its day, 96 00:06:09,360 --> 00:06:14,130 in its own right, but as we'll get to see, it is significant. 97 00:06:14,530 --> 00:06:19,330 For us as we understand ourselves as the church today and to do that we're 98 00:06:19,330 --> 00:06:28,519 going to begin by reading 1st Timothy chapter 6 and verses 11 to 21 we're 99 00:06:28,519 --> 00:06:33,159 going to read two passages this evening This is the first of them, because 100 00:06:33,159 --> 00:06:39,110 the significance actually is of, at a particular moment, a person who was there. 101 00:06:40,169 --> 00:06:45,669 And so here we have for us in Scripture, in 1 Timothy 6, verse 11 through to 102 00:06:45,669 --> 00:06:51,260 verse 21, where Paul says, But as for you, O man of God, flee these things, 103 00:06:51,650 --> 00:06:56,770 pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. 104 00:06:58,295 --> 00:07:02,955 Fight the good fight of the faith, take hold of the eternal life to 105 00:07:02,955 --> 00:07:06,555 which you were called and about which you made the good confession 106 00:07:06,824 --> 00:07:08,955 in the presence of many witnesses. 107 00:07:09,635 --> 00:07:13,514 I charge you in the presence of God who gives life to all things and of 108 00:07:13,514 --> 00:07:18,735 Christ Jesus who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession. 109 00:07:19,195 --> 00:07:24,385 To keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing 110 00:07:24,385 --> 00:07:29,085 of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will display at the proper time. 111 00:07:29,465 --> 00:07:35,165 He who is blessed and only sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 112 00:07:35,395 --> 00:07:40,215 who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no 113 00:07:40,245 --> 00:07:45,705 one has ever seen or can see, to him be honour and eternal dominion. 114 00:07:46,195 --> 00:07:46,855 Amen. 115 00:07:47,725 --> 00:07:51,645 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor 116 00:07:51,645 --> 00:07:56,183 to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God who richly 117 00:07:56,183 --> 00:07:58,895 provides us with everything to enjoy. 118 00:08:00,115 --> 00:08:05,985 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready 119 00:08:05,985 --> 00:08:10,555 to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation 120 00:08:10,805 --> 00:08:15,615 for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life. 121 00:08:16,224 --> 00:08:17,104 Old Timothy. 122 00:08:17,605 --> 00:08:19,995 Guard the deposit entrusted to you. 123 00:08:20,505 --> 00:08:24,445 Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely 124 00:08:24,445 --> 00:08:29,165 called knowledge, for by professing it, some have swerved from the faith. 125 00:08:29,625 --> 00:08:31,415 Grace be with you. 126 00:08:32,135 --> 00:08:32,655 Amen. 127 00:08:34,594 --> 00:08:36,735 So why read a passage like this? 128 00:08:38,105 --> 00:08:43,125 Well, at the center of it, there is a name that we would think shouldn't be there, 129 00:08:44,005 --> 00:08:46,504 and it's the name of Pontius Pilate. 130 00:08:48,245 --> 00:08:50,365 This is a significant moment. 131 00:08:51,285 --> 00:08:57,644 In the canon of scripture, the man who washed his hands of Jesus gets quoted. 132 00:08:57,915 --> 00:09:01,055 And actually, whenever you look at it, he gets quoted in a good way. 133 00:09:02,094 --> 00:09:05,724 Because if it hadn't been for Jesus before Pilate, then the whole 134 00:09:05,724 --> 00:09:09,824 events of Jesus giving the good testimony would not have happened. 135 00:09:10,665 --> 00:09:13,644 And of course, in the great and grand providence of God, 136 00:09:14,064 --> 00:09:15,734 it had to happen that way. 137 00:09:16,724 --> 00:09:21,444 But it's very significant that this person, Pontius Pilate, is 138 00:09:21,444 --> 00:09:24,035 mentioned here in 1st Timothy. 139 00:09:24,395 --> 00:09:29,944 And gathered around him is the example of Jesus as he spoke to this Roman leader 140 00:09:30,135 --> 00:09:34,669 about the things that must be heard, that the church must continue to hear. 141 00:09:35,479 --> 00:09:41,140 And so, this Gentile first hand received the gospel from Jesus Christ 142 00:09:41,150 --> 00:09:45,769 as close as anyone could from that great salvation moment of death on the 143 00:09:45,769 --> 00:09:47,619 cross and resurrection from the grave. 144 00:09:48,329 --> 00:09:51,629 And Pilate was sympathetic, that's why he washed his hands. 145 00:09:51,879 --> 00:09:56,300 If he was unsympathetic, he would have sent Jesus to the Jews, without 146 00:09:56,300 --> 00:09:58,740 issue, done what they wanted him to do. 147 00:09:59,660 --> 00:10:02,099 But he washed his hands, saying I've nothing more to do with it. 148 00:10:02,675 --> 00:10:05,515 And of course, trying to get himself out of it, he said, well, who do you want? 149 00:10:05,725 --> 00:10:11,755 Barabbas, who was known to be a thief and a murderer, or Jesus, the man who 150 00:10:11,755 --> 00:10:13,644 really we can't find anything wrong with? 151 00:10:14,425 --> 00:10:17,045 He was putting them to the test, but it failed. 152 00:10:17,375 --> 00:10:18,495 But of course, it had to. 153 00:10:19,614 --> 00:10:22,935 It had to fail, because Jesus had to go to the cross. 154 00:10:25,325 --> 00:10:30,544 If you don't think that Pilate is significant in the story of the 155 00:10:30,544 --> 00:10:32,435 crucifixion, then read it again. 156 00:10:33,444 --> 00:10:38,314 Because not only does Paul mention him here in 1st Timothy, but he gets 157 00:10:38,314 --> 00:10:40,045 a mention in the Apostles Creed. 158 00:10:41,035 --> 00:10:43,944 Suffered under Pontius Pilate. 159 00:10:46,994 --> 00:10:53,145 The only Gentile to get mentioned in the Apostles Creed. 160 00:10:54,334 --> 00:10:59,935 And so there's great significance of what Pilate, or who Pilate is and what he does. 161 00:11:00,615 --> 00:11:05,095 But the reason why we're attracted to Pilate this evening is because of what's 162 00:11:05,095 --> 00:11:06,925 there at the bottom left of your picture. 163 00:11:06,925 --> 00:11:08,985 It's called the Pilate Stone. 164 00:11:10,064 --> 00:11:12,314 And this is how God works. 165 00:11:12,735 --> 00:11:17,935 In 1961, this stone was found as excavation was being 166 00:11:17,935 --> 00:11:19,744 done in Caesarea Maritimi. 167 00:11:20,925 --> 00:11:26,155 Now, from the Enlightenment onwards, that's the late 1700s, when science 168 00:11:26,165 --> 00:11:33,255 overtook the belief of, uh, of people rather than faith, um, the Enlightenment 169 00:11:33,265 --> 00:11:37,735 said, well, nothing in the Bible is true because it can't be proved. 170 00:11:38,755 --> 00:11:40,295 Did David exist? 171 00:11:40,445 --> 00:11:44,025 The Enlightenment says no, there's no record of a King 172 00:11:44,035 --> 00:11:45,595 David outside of Scripture. 173 00:11:46,504 --> 00:11:48,025 And there wasn't at that time. 174 00:11:48,435 --> 00:11:53,435 And so in 1961, whenever they discovered the Pilate stone, anyone 175 00:11:53,435 --> 00:11:58,165 who questioned the, the account of Scripture and the crucifixion of 176 00:11:58,165 --> 00:12:00,124 Jesus had to take a second look at it. 177 00:12:00,675 --> 00:12:06,555 Because on this inscription, which, if anybody can read it, let me know, um, 178 00:12:06,635 --> 00:12:09,145 but here you basically have his name. 179 00:12:10,025 --> 00:12:12,255 And governor of Judea. 180 00:12:13,315 --> 00:12:21,515 You have a man named in stone, found in a place where he should have been, and 181 00:12:21,515 --> 00:12:24,865 it completely agrees with Scripture. 182 00:12:26,655 --> 00:12:36,635 A place is significant, even 2, 000 years later, to prove the gospel 183 00:12:37,665 --> 00:12:41,775 and to prove the truth of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 184 00:12:43,205 --> 00:12:45,045 God doesn't make mistakes. 185 00:12:45,850 --> 00:12:49,760 God doesn't make things happen by accident. 186 00:12:50,540 --> 00:12:56,709 Time and place are important, because what they do in human 187 00:12:56,709 --> 00:13:01,930 history is keep a continuity of the grand plan of redemption. 188 00:13:03,239 --> 00:13:07,290 So, this Pilate's stone. 189 00:13:07,740 --> 00:13:12,010 That Pilate is mentioned not only here in the scripture passage, but 190 00:13:12,020 --> 00:13:19,920 also, as archaeology discovers him and can verify his true existence today. 191 00:13:21,260 --> 00:13:25,930 So that's Pontius Pilate, who we perhaps don't think an ally of the 192 00:13:25,939 --> 00:13:31,850 faith, but yet God would use this man to prove the faith through history, and 193 00:13:31,850 --> 00:13:34,540 indeed, as professed, a real person. 194 00:13:35,025 --> 00:13:38,765 At a real time, when Jesus would die and rise again, not only as Paul 195 00:13:38,765 --> 00:13:42,825 writes, but also in the creed that is recited by Christians around the world. 196 00:13:43,405 --> 00:13:47,775 But the next thing we want to think about this place is, it was the place of Paul. 197 00:13:49,390 --> 00:13:54,620 If you were to go to the maps that show the first and second missionary journeys 198 00:13:54,620 --> 00:13:59,669 of Paul, Caesarea is there because it was a good point for Paul to either launch or 199 00:13:59,690 --> 00:14:01,519 come back from his missionary journeys. 200 00:14:01,669 --> 00:14:03,949 It was the main port through which to travel. 201 00:14:04,130 --> 00:14:08,119 It was a microcosm of the known world at that time. 202 00:14:08,370 --> 00:14:10,829 It was a center trading post. 203 00:14:11,234 --> 00:14:15,564 It was if you wanted to get your goods by sea from what was the old Babylonia in 204 00:14:15,564 --> 00:14:20,114 the east you had to come across and either you'd go by land which was risky because 205 00:14:20,114 --> 00:14:26,935 of attacks or you'd you'd go by sea and so everything would come to Caesarea 206 00:14:26,935 --> 00:14:31,725 Maritimae and from there head on with most likely a final destination in Rome. 207 00:14:31,745 --> 00:14:34,655 Of course, that's That's what happened with Paul. 208 00:14:35,644 --> 00:14:38,935 But this is a place that was good for Paul. 209 00:14:39,474 --> 00:14:42,984 It was a place that served in many ways. 210 00:14:43,395 --> 00:14:48,624 He spent two years there as a pioneer in mission, uh, sorry, a prisoner in 211 00:14:48,624 --> 00:14:50,864 mission in Acts 24 verses 22 to 27. 212 00:14:52,064 --> 00:14:53,594 He was a prisoner for the faith. 213 00:14:54,155 --> 00:14:57,255 He had to stay there because they couldn't seal as they'd wanted to. 214 00:14:57,949 --> 00:15:03,470 He came to know that city very well, he knew its people, he would baptize, he 215 00:15:03,470 --> 00:15:06,260 would see converts, he would see a church. 216 00:15:07,160 --> 00:15:12,429 But it's to Acts chapter 9 and verses 26 to 31 that I want us to turn for 217 00:15:12,430 --> 00:15:13,990 our second reading for this evening. 218 00:15:15,340 --> 00:15:20,189 Because in Acts 9 we learn that actually Caesarea became a place of refuge. 219 00:15:20,520 --> 00:15:23,710 Not when he was imprisoned, but when he had to flee. 220 00:15:25,400 --> 00:15:29,680 So if we read there in Acts 9 and verses 26 to 31. 221 00:15:30,420 --> 00:15:33,719 We're told, and when he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted 222 00:15:33,719 --> 00:15:35,000 to join the disciples. 223 00:15:35,270 --> 00:15:40,329 And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. 224 00:15:41,309 --> 00:15:45,359 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how 225 00:15:45,399 --> 00:15:49,879 on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had 226 00:15:49,879 --> 00:15:51,899 preached boldly in the name of Jesus. 227 00:15:52,259 --> 00:15:55,160 So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching 228 00:15:55,180 --> 00:15:57,190 boldly in the name of the Lord. 229 00:15:57,660 --> 00:15:59,949 And he spoke and disputed against the Hellenists. 230 00:16:00,835 --> 00:16:02,525 But they were seeking to kill him. 231 00:16:03,095 --> 00:16:05,075 And when the brothers learned this, they brought him down to 232 00:16:05,075 --> 00:16:09,125 Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus. 233 00:16:11,524 --> 00:16:16,174 So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace, and 234 00:16:16,174 --> 00:16:20,554 was being built up, and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort 235 00:16:20,825 --> 00:16:23,175 of the Holy Spirit it multiplied. 236 00:16:25,815 --> 00:16:27,815 Caesarea becomes a place of refuge. 237 00:16:28,635 --> 00:16:32,325 It's not a place where Paul simply goes and gets on the ferry and off he goes. 238 00:16:32,325 --> 00:16:33,765 It didn't happen that quickly. 239 00:16:34,510 --> 00:16:38,430 He was sent there first to get away from the pressures of what would 240 00:16:38,439 --> 00:16:41,459 happen, of what potentially could have happened to him in Jerusalem. 241 00:16:41,839 --> 00:16:44,150 He was annoying the Hellenists, the Greeks. 242 00:16:44,660 --> 00:16:48,240 He was challenging them about their pantheon of gods rather 243 00:16:48,240 --> 00:16:49,719 than worshipping the one true God. 244 00:16:50,329 --> 00:16:52,920 And they were getting really worked up about it. 245 00:16:53,480 --> 00:16:56,650 And so he had to be sent away and he would eventually make it to Tarsus, 246 00:16:56,650 --> 00:17:00,740 his hometown, but before that he would spend a little time in Caesarea. 247 00:17:01,480 --> 00:17:03,579 There it was a safe haven for him. 248 00:17:04,160 --> 00:17:10,380 There it would preserve him when years later he would be found and 249 00:17:10,380 --> 00:17:13,329 brought back to begin the ministry. 250 00:17:15,010 --> 00:17:18,980 See, not only was it a launch pad for the missionary work, 251 00:17:19,640 --> 00:17:21,979 Caesarea became a safe place. 252 00:17:22,460 --> 00:17:25,750 It became a place where Paul could be preserved for the work 253 00:17:26,040 --> 00:17:27,750 that God would have for him. 254 00:17:29,260 --> 00:17:33,750 And again, a place plays a significant role in one person's life. 255 00:17:34,625 --> 00:17:41,054 As they flee, a significant place that God would use so that they would come back and 256 00:17:41,054 --> 00:17:47,184 we then could see the mighty work through whom God would use to build the church. 257 00:17:48,425 --> 00:17:50,874 It's not only a place of Paul, it was also a place of Peter. 258 00:17:51,024 --> 00:17:54,915 He knew the city because he baptized the Roman Saturnian Cornelius at Caesarea 259 00:17:55,175 --> 00:17:57,464 and we have that in Acts 10 in verse 1. 260 00:17:57,465 --> 00:17:59,764 And so the gospel in Caesarea grew. 261 00:17:59,995 --> 00:18:01,754 Influential people came to faith. 262 00:18:02,715 --> 00:18:05,864 And it was a place where the gospel would grow. 263 00:18:06,545 --> 00:18:12,275 And so much so that whenever we come to, uh, our church history in 260 through to 264 00:18:12,275 --> 00:18:16,475 200, uh, or sorry, um, I have 260, 265. 265 00:18:16,480 --> 00:18:17,105 That's not quite right. 266 00:18:17,105 --> 00:18:19,715 It's 160 to 265. 267 00:18:19,955 --> 00:18:26,135 We have this gentleman called CBS and Eusebius is the father of church history. 268 00:18:28,210 --> 00:18:29,900 Church history is what we're looking at. 269 00:18:30,150 --> 00:18:31,080 But how do we get here? 270 00:18:31,090 --> 00:18:32,150 Someone had to write it down. 271 00:18:32,150 --> 00:18:35,280 And Eusebius was the most concise of the early church. 272 00:18:35,590 --> 00:18:37,590 But he was born in Caesarea. 273 00:18:38,520 --> 00:18:43,499 And in his book, The History of the Church, Eusebius records really 274 00:18:43,499 --> 00:18:45,370 what happens in that Roman city. 275 00:18:45,950 --> 00:18:48,720 And it's through him that we learn of great persecution. 276 00:18:49,350 --> 00:18:53,790 And in that persecution, we understand that it happened by Diocletian. 277 00:18:54,240 --> 00:18:56,389 Diocletian was the ruler of the time. 278 00:18:56,825 --> 00:19:00,265 And what had grown up in Caesarea Maritima was a great library. 279 00:19:00,625 --> 00:19:04,705 And so housed in that library was a great, the great works of the church. 280 00:19:04,945 --> 00:19:08,935 So that they would be kept, that they would grow, and that they would continue. 281 00:19:09,115 --> 00:19:12,565 And they indeed would spread so that we have the faith in which we stand today. 282 00:19:12,695 --> 00:19:17,675 It was a repository for the faith with many manuscripts there. 283 00:19:18,574 --> 00:19:23,615 And it was to the one who'd gathered all of these, Pamphilius, 284 00:19:24,414 --> 00:19:26,425 that Diocletian persecuted. 285 00:19:27,905 --> 00:19:31,415 And because of that persecution, it went far and wide throughout 286 00:19:31,415 --> 00:19:32,975 the church of what was here. 287 00:19:33,435 --> 00:19:37,935 And so many would come, they would learn, they would spend time, indeed, 288 00:19:37,935 --> 00:19:41,555 Jerome, who would come a few centuries later, who would translate the 289 00:19:41,555 --> 00:19:45,954 Vulgate, which is the Latin version of the Bible, of which many, uh, texts 290 00:19:45,995 --> 00:19:48,124 take their translation today still. 291 00:19:50,025 --> 00:19:52,515 He would spend time there to ensure that there was an 292 00:19:52,525 --> 00:19:54,875 accurate recording of scripture. 293 00:19:55,345 --> 00:20:00,275 Other significant figures, Gregory and Basil the Great, spent time there. 294 00:20:00,455 --> 00:20:04,135 So that they would grow, and other aspects of our theology would develop. 295 00:20:04,135 --> 00:20:08,845 Theology that we still believe today, that has remained unchallenged from those days. 296 00:20:09,355 --> 00:20:13,254 And so Caesarea Maritimi became a shining light, almost like 297 00:20:13,254 --> 00:20:15,745 that lighthouse on the coast. 298 00:20:16,054 --> 00:20:21,574 Shining out into the world, because God would use that place to proclaim his 299 00:20:21,574 --> 00:20:24,804 truth, and keep it for the generations. 300 00:20:25,250 --> 00:20:28,110 The generation of us today who still benefit from it. 301 00:20:28,990 --> 00:20:32,500 And we shouldn't be surprised that he does this, because in Galatians chapter 302 00:20:32,510 --> 00:20:37,560 4, verses 4 5, again speaking of Christ, but taking these words which I absolutely 303 00:20:37,560 --> 00:20:41,260 love, this is why we think of these things, because in the fullness of time, 304 00:20:41,430 --> 00:20:47,150 at just the right time, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 305 00:20:47,200 --> 00:20:51,570 to redeem those who are under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 306 00:20:52,645 --> 00:20:58,774 God works in a place, in a time, to make sure that the gospel of Jesus Christ 307 00:20:58,814 --> 00:21:01,044 continues so that we will know it today. 308 00:21:01,044 --> 00:21:05,504 Our church history benefits us to look back and see this place, once 309 00:21:05,504 --> 00:21:10,224 a bustling city, now in ruins, but yet at a time served the church 310 00:21:10,235 --> 00:21:15,215 and served it well so that we can remain faithful to the word that was 311 00:21:15,225 --> 00:21:17,844 stored there for us and kept for us. 312 00:21:18,905 --> 00:21:22,875 And you see, the gospel does need to be set in a particular place. 313 00:21:23,364 --> 00:21:28,344 at a particular time because the gospel is grounded in history so that 314 00:21:28,344 --> 00:21:32,455 as we've heard it from those who've gone before so we can pass it on and 315 00:21:32,455 --> 00:21:37,725 that's what we must do because today this place plays a significant role. 316 00:21:39,254 --> 00:21:44,714 You see we have to be attentive to how God is leading us here and now for the good 317 00:21:44,794 --> 00:21:47,014 of his gospel and the good of his kingdom. 318 00:21:47,634 --> 00:21:53,305 We may not get our name in a creed like Pontius Pilate who ruled from 319 00:21:53,324 --> 00:21:59,085 Caesarea Maritima But we are each to get involved in Kingdom work because our 320 00:21:59,085 --> 00:22:03,575 faithful living for Christ and serving Him will bring blessing in this age, 321 00:22:03,605 --> 00:22:07,265 in this place, and in eternity to come. 322 00:22:08,344 --> 00:22:11,134 So what does Caesarea by the Sea teach us? 323 00:22:11,824 --> 00:22:15,114 It teaches us that every place is important in its time. 324 00:22:15,115 --> 00:22:21,294 Be it that place 2, 000 years ago, be it on Calvary's cross 2, 000 325 00:22:21,294 --> 00:22:23,824 years ago, or be it here and now. 326 00:22:24,794 --> 00:22:29,764 This is a significant moment for the continued proclamation of the Gospel. 327 00:22:30,965 --> 00:22:34,124 And that's what our questions are going to take us to this evening. 328 00:22:34,734 --> 00:22:37,594 To talk about, well, what has been a significant place that has 329 00:22:37,594 --> 00:22:39,225 shaped your faith in Jesus Christ? 330 00:22:39,425 --> 00:22:41,744 Where is part of your testimony? 331 00:22:42,764 --> 00:22:46,764 Where's the one place that you recall with fondness where you grew, or 332 00:22:47,034 --> 00:22:49,965 perhaps you heard the Gospel for the first time, or where you came 333 00:22:49,965 --> 00:22:53,944 to faith, where you remember it as a significant place that God used? 334 00:22:55,875 --> 00:22:59,935 Secondly, how do we see where we are now as an opportunity to be the 335 00:22:59,935 --> 00:23:02,155 blessing in this age and in eternity? 336 00:23:02,845 --> 00:23:05,415 And then thirdly, in what ways can we shape this place? 337 00:23:05,415 --> 00:23:09,645 And I don't necessarily mean this building or this church, 338 00:23:09,645 --> 00:23:13,354 but it might be, but simply the place in which we find ourselves. 339 00:23:13,884 --> 00:23:16,855 How can we shape that place to be significant for the 340 00:23:16,855 --> 00:23:18,935 gospel in the years to come? 341 00:23:19,575 --> 00:23:25,320 So some things to get us thinking, some things to really get our minds into. 342 00:23:25,629 --> 00:23:29,230 So let me pray for us as we begin to talk about this. 343 00:23:29,899 --> 00:23:33,240 Our Father God, we do thank you that place plays an important part 344 00:23:33,590 --> 00:23:35,179 in the great story of the gospel. 345 00:23:35,600 --> 00:23:40,409 So we would ask that as we know ourselves to be here and how important 346 00:23:40,439 --> 00:23:44,290 places have been throughout our church history, may we know the significance 347 00:23:44,290 --> 00:23:45,510 of this time and this place. 348 00:23:45,990 --> 00:23:50,780 That we may faithfully serve you as those who have gone before us did so well. 349 00:23:51,320 --> 00:23:54,740 So be with us in our discussions and help us to think these things 350 00:23:54,740 --> 00:23:58,760 through as we desire to live them out well for you in Jesus name. 351 00:23:59,710 --> 00:23:59,970 Amen.