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In
the early spring of 58AD, the Apostle Paul was directed by the Holy Spirit to
make his way from Greece to Jerusalem. He hoped to be in Jerusalem for the
Feast of Pentecost. Along the way Paul and his companions visited some of the
Churches he had started and met with Church leaders from various cities.
Every
place Paul went the Holy Spirit would testify that chains and tribulations
awaited him in Jerusalem. Although many of his friends encouraged Paul to not
go, none of these things moved him and he continued his journey with grace,
willing to suffer and even to die for the testimony of Jesus.
God
had a plan for Paul’s life to make him most productive for the cause of Christ.
God didn’t tell Paul everything upfront but rather, like He does with us, led
Paul on a journey of faith, step by step, always supplying the grace to endure
each tribulation. Chapters 20 and 21 of the book of Acts supply us with a
fairly detailed account of what happened along the way and once Paul arrived at
the feast in Jerusalem. There is so much to be gleaned by the student of the
Bible from these particular passages. Each verse should be read carefully and
reflected upon in light of the truths and wisdom the Holy Spirit is still
revealing to the Church.
We
have been so fortunate to have these accounts preserved and available in such
measure as we enjoy today. It can be a harsh reminder to remember that none of
the players in those days had a New Testament
containing accounts of how God leads a Born-Again, Spirit-Filled son or
daughter of His. They were learning it as they went.
Acts 21 NKJV
30 And all the city was
disturbed; and the people ran together, seized Paul, and dragged him out of the
temple; and immediately the doors were shut.
31 Now as they were
seeking to kill him, news came to the commander of the garrison that all
Jerusalem was in an uproar.
32 He immediately took
soldiers and centurions, and ran down to them. And when they saw the commander
and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.
33 Then the commander
came near and took him, and commanded him to be bound with two chains;
and he asked who he was and what he had done.
By
the time we get to Acts 22, our chapter for this week, a riot had broken out at
the Temple in Jerusalem and the mob had violently beaten the Apostle Paul that
the Roman guards had to step in to restore order. The Roman commander of the
garrison arrested Paul and bound him with two chains and began questioning him.
The
angry mob of religious zealots were hurling accusations and determined to do
violence to Paul, like all religious zealots do, when the Roman commander
decided it best to remove Paul from the streets and into the barracks.
It
was at this point that Paul must have regained some measure of strength and saw
his opportunity to be a witness both to the Roman soldiers and to the angry mob
of religious zealot Jews. Paul used one of his many natural, God-given gifts,
the ability to speak multiple languages, to get the attention of the Roman
commander. The commander was surprised to hear Paul speaking to him in Greek
and Paul used this moment to secure an opportunity to testify to the mob.
With
the permission of the commander, Paul began speaking to the mob in the Hebrew
language and started sharing his personal testimony. We are going to read a
portion of Paul’s early testimony and see what the Holy Spirit may be speaking
to us this evening from the life of this dedicated servant of God.
As
Paul is giving his testimony, he establishes that he is a Jew, educated at the
feet of one of the most well-known and respected teachers of the Law in
Jerusalem, Gamaliel. This got the crowd’s attention. He also testified how he
had persecuted those who believed Jesus of Nazareth to be the Messiah and did
them much harm. Furthermore Paul connected himself as an officer of the Jewish
Religious High Court and personal emissary of the High Priest, which Paul said,
you can verify now by asking those well-known religious leaders among you
today. Paul also admitted to having held the coats of those who committed the
first mob incited public execution of a Believer in Christ, Stephen, and was
wholly consenting to his death. Now he had everyone’s full attention.
After
establishing his credentials, Paul began to share what happened to him 23 years
earlier while he was on his way to Damascus to arrest and imprison any Jew who
believed Jesus was the Messiah.
Acts 22 NKJV
6 “Now it happened, as I
journeyed and came near Damascus at about noon, suddenly a great light from
heaven shone around me.
7 “And I fell to the ground
and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’
8 “So I answered, ‘Who are
You, Lord?’ And He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are
persecuting.’
9 “And those who were with me
indeed saw the light and were afraid, but they did not hear the voice of Him
who spoke to me.
10 “So I said, ‘What shall I
do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Arise and go into Damascus, and there you
will be told all things which are appointed for you to do.’
12 “Then a certain Ananias, a
devout man according to the law, having a good testimony with all the Jews who
dwelt there,
13 “came to me; and he stood
and said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ And at that same hour I
looked up at him.
This
evening we are going to put our focus on a couple of verses in the middle of
Paul’s personal testimony to find what the Holy Spirit is saying to us.
Acts 22 NKJV
14 “Then he said, ‘The God of
our fathers has chosen you that you should know His will, and see the Just One,
and hear the voice of His mouth.
15 ‘For you will be His
witness to all men of what you have seen and heard.
16 ‘And now why are you
waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of
the Lord.
1.
God
is still choosing to:
a. Know His will
b. See His Son
c. Hear His Word
2.
God
wants us to be witnesses
a. The Great Commission
of Matthew 28:18-20
b. The Acts Mandate of
Acts 1:8
3.
Why
are we waiting … Hurry up!
a. Get up
b. Get right with God
c. Call on the name of
the Lord for all you need.
The
Apostle Paul knew he would face difficult times but nonetheless he journeyed on
trusting God with each step. His impact is still felt every second of every day
since he first said yes to Jesus.
God
has a plan for each life. The New Testament accounts of the Acts of the Holy
Spirit in the lives of Believers is a snapshot of not only what the Lord did
but also of what He will do in and through every life given to Him.
At
this point in history I believe the message of the Gospel in more important and
more urgent than ever. So what the Holy Spirit said to Paul through Ananias I
now say to you … Why are you waiting? Arise …
