2024-01-04Sunday School- Paul is Imprisoned

The speaker starts by expressing gratitude for feeling better physically, but mentions that they still have some lingering health issues. They talk about feeling a "brain fog" and having difficulty focusing and understanding things. They mention having some recent episodes and express their reliance on God for healing. They then mention studying for a Sunday School message and feeling a connection to the topic of Paul in prison. They talk about the importance of maintaining compassion and not becoming discouraged when others reject the gospel. They share personal experiences of trying to reach out to loved ones and feeling both progress and setbacks. They emphasize the need for consistency in their own life and the importance of being supportive of others. The speaker then begins discussing the specific Bible verses they will be focusing on, including a prophecy about Paul's future suffering. They talk about Paul's determination to continue on despite the persecution he knew he would f Good morning, everybody. Good morning. Good to be in the house of the Lord. It's been a couple of weeks for me, seems like a couple of years. I'm thankful that we can have a little talk with Jesus. I'm thankful for how good I'm feeling today. All the respiratory stuff has gone away, Brother Tim. I'm thankful for that. There's things still hanging on that I'm asking the Lord to help me with. I just don't feel 100%, haven't felt 100% for a couple of weeks, and it's just kind of a... The only way I can describe it is maybe like a brain fog. It seemed like I can read something or somebody could tell me something, it just doesn't click, which my wife would tell you that that's gone on for quite some time, but it's odd to me. I know it sounds weird. I can't hardly put my finger on it, and then having some type of... Some other episodes, I had one, maybe just a half hour before church here. But the Lord can help, and I'm thankful that I know the healer. I know he can heal me 100%, and I'm looking for him to help us this morning. I've been studying about this Sunday School message all week, and it was not any different than anything else. It took me a little while to get a hold of it, but I kept going to Lord in prayer, especially yesterday, and it seemed like every time I'd get down, I'd be reading my Sunday School message, and it just seemed like I wasn't really getting a hold of anything. I'd get down and pray, and I'd say, Lord, I'm coming to you again. I'm just going to keep coming to you until you help me here. And I feel like you did help me through that, and I feel like I've got something here for you. We're going to be in the Holiness Heritage. I'm thankful for that this morning, to give me some direction, Lesson 6, and then also in Acts 21 and 17, but if you open to Lesson 6 in the Holiness Heritage, and then open your Bibles to Acts 21, just bear with me this morning. The topic this morning is Paul is in prison. Our theme says, if you're there, men sometimes refuse the gospel and become a storm of rebellion. Paul was calm in a hurricane of fury and continued to try to reach the lost. I'm thankful for the life of Paul this morning, the example he set, and I want to live by that example. The golden text is, for I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, and that's in Romans 9 and 3. We'll go ahead and read that introduction this morning. It says, we are tempted to become callous to the fact that men and women are heading to a Christless eternity. One reason may be the apparent unsuccessful attempt to win souls for the Lord. After these so-called failures, we become less enthusiastic to try. They have trampled upon our compassion, and the rejection has insulted our God. Paul is an excellent example of keeping a burden for people who have been stubborn against the gospel message. This lesson ought to inspire us to keep our compassion, even when others don't appreciate our love. That introduction, sometimes I'm kind of wondering, I know Matthew Vance does a really good job, but sometimes I feel like it maybe doesn't resonate with me so much as other times, but I definitely can feel that, and when I read it, it resonates with me. There's people in my life, Sister Andrea, that I try to reach for, and it seemed like making some progress, and then a week later, it seemed like they've taken two steps back, and it's discouraging, and I almost take offense to it. If I don't watch it, I get mad, and I'll invite somebody to church, or sometimes some of my loved ones will come to me and tell me, hey, I just wanted you to know, I'm thinking about going to church this Sunday, out of the blue. I don't even come to them at some points, and then they'll come to me, and I feel really good about it, and I'll go to Lord in prayer, and then all of a sudden, come around Sunday morning, or maybe even Saturday night, there's just a feeling there, and the way things are worded that I know that something's going to keep them out once again, and it does get very discouraging. It's hard, but people were long-suffering with me, and I'm thankful for that, and I love my family, and I want to see them in here, and I don't want to push them away, and I don't want God to lead me in that witnessing there, but most of all, I want to live a life of consistency myself, and I want them to see the Lord in me, and the way I act, and how I depend on the Lord. If I'm not dependent upon the Lord, if one week I'm dependent upon the Lord and talking good about Him, and the next week I'm down in the dumps and don't know where my help comes from and don't know what I'm going to do, and we're all human, but we need to be careful how we react to situations that come our way. But that definitely resonates with me this morning. Acts 21 and 17, we'll go ahead and start in our text. Acts 21, 17 says, And when we were come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly. And the day following, Paul went in with us, and to James, and all the elders were present. Paul has been on his journey back to Jerusalem for quite some time. We've been reading about it. I was out last week, and I listened to the Sunday School message that Brother Anthony brought, and it wasn't out of this, but it was terrific, and then we talked a little bit about kind of the Christmas, something Christmas-based, the Sunday before that. So we've been out of the Holiness Heritage for a little bit, a little bit out of Acts, but now we're back where Paul has been on his journey back to Jerusalem. He's been wanting to come back to Jerusalem for quite some time. The last time we talked about Paul, he was on his way back, and he wanted to stop in Ephesus, but he really didn't have time, Brother Tim, and so he gets to Miletus, which is a little bit further down between Ephesus and Jerusalem, and he has the elders, calls the elders to come to him, and he has a meeting with those elders, and says some great things there. But now he's finally made it back to Jerusalem, and he loves Jerusalem. He loves these people down here. A lot of them don't care too much for him or the way he's been preaching the gospel, but he has a love for Jerusalem and for God's country, and this was against the advice of his brethren, some of his brethren, to go back to Jerusalem, but Paul would not be dissuaded. The Bible tells us just a few verses before in 21 and 10, if you'll turn back to 21 and 10, it says, and as we tarried there many days, there came down from Judea a certain prophet named Agabus, and when he was come unto us, he took Paul's girdle and bound his own hands and feet and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles. And when we heard these things, both we and they of that place besought him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, What mean you to weep and to break mine heart? For I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. So we have a prophet named Agabus here from Judea, and in kind of like Old Testament fashion, he acts out this prophecy to Paul, and it was a stern warning to Paul, what would happen to him if he travels on to Jerusalem. Webster's Dictionary states that this girdle was a belt that had been wrapped around him. Most of you have seen pictures of the girdle and the tunics and things that they wore back in that day. The belt that wrapped around Paul's waist, he takes it, and Agabus takes his belt and ties his own hands and feet to paint this picture to tell the people and Paul that the Jews in Jerusalem will bind Paul likewise. This is not a prophecy that any one of us would be excited to hear. A lesser man would have found a reason to change course, but this was not God telling Paul not to go, but just a warning of what was going to happen when he did go. Paul already knows there's going to be persecution along the way. The Lord tells Ananias concerning Paul in Acts 9 and 16, For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake. God held true to this promise. Acts 14 and 19, if you want to turn there, I'll read a couple of verses there, just back just a little bit. Acts 14 and 19 says, And there came to there certain Jews from Antioch and Icanium who persuaded the people and having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead. How be it as the disciples stood around about him, rose up and came into the city, and the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe. He was stoned and left for dead, the Bible says. He rose up and came into the city, but that didn't stop him. We can't look over the part where the Bible tells us, however, as the disciples stood around about him, he rose up. I think that's crucial, Brother Quentin, that as the disciples stood around about him, he rose up. I'm a big believer in the saints of God standing around about someone that's hurting. We need each other. There's strength in numbers. It doesn't have to be a lot of numbers. There's not a lot of numbers here this morning, but give me a church with a handful of fearing, God-fearing Bible-believing prayer warriors over a mega church full of people that don't even know who I am or much less who my needs are. I've said before that I'm thankful that I have a pastor that knows the name Mimossissi much less would pray for Mimossissi. I mean, people go to these mega churches, and I'm thankful that there's a lot of people that want to serve the Lord if they're doing it right, and I hope this church grows. But I'll take a small group of people that believe in prayer and the true word of God over anything else. Brother and Sister Marine called me yesterday, and they're not here this morning, as I was trying to prepare for this lesson. I was telling you that I was having some trouble, and they were just letting me know that they're behind me and praying for me, and they really helped me. They helped me move my Sunday school along, and I don't mind telling you that I've been having some sicknesses and things, but I've been praying and studying every day for this lesson. It just seems like times I couldn't really get a hold of anything, and I was leaning on the Lord, and like I said, I'd get down and pray, and I'd get back into it, but Brother Ronnie called me, and I thought, well, who's this? My mom's usually, and I love my mom, I don't think she'll hear this, but she depends on me quite heavily. She's moving to a new house, and different people do, and I was just like, I wonder what this is going to be. But it was Brother Ronnie encouraging me, telling me he's been praying for me, and it helped me a whole lot. It seemed like he was just standing about me, but it just helped to hear the words. I'm praying for you. You've been on my mind a lot lately. Just as God looks for us to communicate with him, it's encouraging to hear from one another. I don't have a doubt that some of you, if not all of you, have been calling my name out to the Lord, but still there's just something about saying it to one another. I really appreciate that. So the Bible says, as the disciples stood round about him, he rose up. I know I've talked a lot about, I've mentioned my cat, Pickles, quite a bit, and I know Brother Tim don't give a lot of thought into animals, but Pickles means a lot to me, all my animals do, but I'm amazed with him sometimes. He's aggravating, but he has so much life in him, Sister Annie, and if you'd seen where he had came from, it would be amazing to you. He's into everything, but at some point throughout the day, he'll just come and lay on me and just kind of stare at me and just look at me like an amazement. I like to pretend that he's thankful for what I've done for him, but I'm sure he's just hoping I'd open a can of tuna or something, and then he just goes about his way tearing something else up of mine, but he's the busiest cat we have by far, but when I scooped down and picked him up out of the road after he got hit, he was resigned to the fact that he was going to die. I could see it in him. He wouldn't lift himself up. He was totally limp, just laying there right in the middle of the road, and I picked him up and I gave him to Christy, and Christy put him in his lap, and it seemed like with every rub, he perked up just a bit more. He looked around and didn't see the blood pouring out of his head, Brother Quentin. He didn't feel the hot pavement. He didn't see the unforgiving traffic, the next car that was coming along, but he looked up and he was surrounded by people that cared about him, and I think that we're a lot like that, and I take lessons from things like that. There are many times that I was down and out and resigned to give up and throw in the towel, but when I had to hit rock bottom, I had just enough strength to look up and I was surrounded by people that loved me, by text, by the prayers of people, by people saying, you can make it a little bit more. They encouraged me to get back up and try again. I wonder if there's anybody here this morning that's been knocked down again. Are you thinking of just lying there? If you come to the altar, you'd be surprised how many people would stand about you. I think everybody would. Another time in Acts 16 and 16, Paul and Silas were beaten and thrown in prison for casting a demon out of a girl that had made her master's money through fortune-telling. Paul was no stranger to persecution. We know that by now, so when the prophet Agabus told Paul and the other disciples what would become of him, the others responded much like we might have in Acts 21 and 12. I'm going to switch back to 21 and 12 there. He says, and when we heard these things, both we and they of that place besought him not to go up to Jerusalem. They were saying, hey, Paul, maybe we should think about this. There's plenty of work to be done right here. We could go somewhere else. We could go witness to these people. There's still people lost right here where we're at, because, you see, these men were also involved in this deal. Paul's decision didn't just affect himself. They was following along with him. They were traveling with Paul. I think their input was a little bit, was valid. As leaders of our families, men, our decisions not only affect us, but our families as well. And that goes for everybody here. If you choose to leave a church or do something else, make sure that God is in it, because someone might follow you down the wrong road. No man listens to himself. If God tells you to do something, that's one thing, and just because you run into hardship, it doesn't mean it wasn't the Lord either. And just make sure that he is leading you. But finally, we get to Paul's response in Acts 21 and 13. Then Paul answered, what mean you to weep and to break mine heart, for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. Paul was ready to go, no matter the consequence. He was ready to die for the Lord. Turn with me to Romans 5 and 1. Paul paints a picture of how we might be feeling here in Acts 21 and 13, but if we turn to Romans 5 and 1, it says, Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also, glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation worketh patience, and patience experience, and experience hope. And hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die, yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Paul says he glories in tribulation, because tribulation works patience, and patience then turns into experience, and that experience produces hope, and hope makes us not ashamed. So when Agabus ties himself up and says to Paul, you see what I'm doing here? This is exactly what's waiting for you in Jerusalem. Why didn't it scare Paul? Why wasn't he worried about that? Because Paul had his eyes on the prize that he talks about later on. Not the race, not the blood, not the sweat and tears, not the pain. Tribulation to patience, to experience, to hope. Paul says they're going to abound me for the gospel's sake, praise God, I've got to get down there. There's hope for me down there. That's going to turn into some hope for me. Paul tells the Romans in 8 and 24, we are saved by hope. There's a lesson in this for us. If we stay in God's word, prayed up, when trials and tribulations come our way, and they will, we won't feel bound by all these things. We're going to be bound in hope. You know, Brother Ronnie called me, told you yesterday, and he has a foot surgery coming up, and I think he said that he was going to be out for about three months, is that right? But then he quickly told me my son's taking me to have the surgery, and then he said that Holly's coming down from California, which we know he's been praying for that forever. She's coming to spend the week with him to do some cooking for him and different things. So what do you see? Laid up for three months, and there'll be some of that, there'll be some pain, there'll be some struggles, but why was he so quick to tell me that his kids were coming and helping him? This surgery is bringing his kids around. I think he's looking at the hope and the trial up ahead. There's opportunities in this. Romans 8 and 28 says, and we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose. We may look at Paul's decisions to go to Jerusalem and how the prophecy came true that he was bound in prison for many years and think, well, maybe he shouldn't have gone. We can tell that Paul's heart was in the ministry and taking the gospel as far as he could. He managed to do that, bound in prison, far more than he could if he was traveling by foot or boat. But the scripture, all things work together for the good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose. It was in prison where Paul wrote to these churches in Colossia, Ephesus, Philippi, and Philomene. These letters are used today to reach souls some 2,000 years later. God worked it out for the good. Bound in prison, he's encouraging men today. No matter what your situation you find yourself today, if God has led you there, he will use you there. If it's laid up in a recliner with a foot surgery and your youngest daughter is bringing you a plate of food and you get the opportunity to pray over that meal with her, God can use that. God will use that. He knows what he's doing. God might unexpectedly change your career path, Brother Tim. It might just be that he's waiting to use you to reach a man at that new job. We just need to follow him and don't lose hope. How many still believe God led us to Clarkson for a reason? I still believe it. I still believe it. I'm looking for it. Turn with me back to Acts 21 and 19. And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry. So Paul gets to Jerusalem and goes straight to the church where James is the pastor and there were some elders there also. The Bible tells us that they were glad to receive them as Paul gave a glad report of the things that God had done for the Gentiles along his journey. And verse 20 says, and when they had heard it, when they heard it, they glorified the Lord and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe, and they are all zealous of the law, and they are informed of thee that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs. As Paul testified of all the great things God had done through his ministry on this last missionary trip, they all thanked God. But they were also concerned about the message that the Apostle Paul had been spreading. These Christians, and maybe I'll use it a little bit loosely, but these Christians in Jerusalem had a strong Jewish background and were zealous of the law. They still believed in the traditions and customs of the law. There was probably some great men that still believed that way. Verse 22 says, What is it therefore the multitude must need to come together, for they will hear that thou art come? Do therefore this, that we say to thee, We have four men which have a vow on them. Let them take and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads, and all may know that those things whereof they were informed concern thee or nothing, but that thou thyself also walkest orderly and keepest the law. As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded that they observe no such thing, save only that they keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication. Then Paul took the men, and the next day purified himself with them entered into the temple to signify the accomplishment of the days of purification, until that an offering should be offered for every one of them. These men had a plan to keep peace among the brethren, Brother Quentin. They had four men that had taken this Nazarite vow and wanted Paul to take part in it also. As for the converted Gentiles, they were not to partake in the traditions, but to refrain from things such as idol worship and like the non-kosher foods, and Paul agrees to take part. This may seem a little odd, but it was a transition period between the old covenant and the new, and Paul was all about unity between the Jew and the Gentile, and he was exercising wisdom here I believe. Matthew Vance explains why he supposes Paul did this, and I think he did a pretty good job, so I'll read that to you. I don't think you have this part in your reading. But it says, he writes, some customs of the law had been held over among Jewish believers because of the transition from the old covenant to the new. Therefore some believers would perform vows that had their origin in the Old Testament. It is thought that these men had been Nazarites. Numbers 6 and 1 through 21 tells us of the laws for them and when they were to shave their heads. I offer these reasons why churches do not have this kind of vow now. Number one, he says, this was an instance of the transition from the law of ceremonies to the grace of the New Testament. They also engaged in the ceremonial cleansing, but no one ever encouraged others to do this. Number two, he says, the original intent of this vow was for the benefit of dedicated Israelites that wanted to separate themselves to God, but were not in the priestly or royal family. New Testament believers are kings and priests without being born in a certain earthly family. Therefore we have no instance where this vow was encouraged in other churches. This is true especially of the Gentile believers. Number three, he says, when the temple was destroyed in 70 A.D., it removed the possibility of fulfilling the vow completely. They were to bring sacrifices to the temple when they were cleansed. This was impossible with the destruction of the temple. Lastly, he says, number four, his fourth point, Paul told the Corinthians that it was a shame for a man to have long hair. It was something against God's natural design for him. Consequently, also the vow is not an acceptable practice. Note that the Nazarites could make short vows which would last a few days. This may have been how the early church kept these vows without breaking the natural laws of God. I thought he'd done a good job explaining that. We'll go to verse 27, it says, and when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews which were of Asia, when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the people and laid hands on him. Crying out, men of Israel, help. This is the man that teaches all men everywhere against the people and the law in this place and further brought Greeks also into the temple and hath polluted this holy place. For they had seen before with him in the city Trophimus and Ephesians whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple. Unfortunately, even though Paul's most valiant efforts, he does not get the response that he had hoped for. The Pharisees had a hard time understanding that salvation was for whosoever will. Jesus tried to explain this to the people himself and the people still had a hard time from him understanding. If we're not careful, we will still miss out on this message today, thinking that the gospel is just for a select few. We will look at a way a man lives his life, Sister Andrea, the things he says, how he dresses or he might look a little rough, tattoos all over him that he's accumulated, and we'll move on to someone else without even trying to witness to a man like that. We may even twist the gospel to fit a message to someone that might be easier to reach. I'll point to Luke 15, if you want to turn with me to Luke 15 and 11 to show my point here. This is a very familiar scripture here, a parable from Jesus, Luke 15 and 11 says, and he said, a certain man had two sons and the younger them said to his father, father, give me the portion of goods that fall to me. And he divided them to them, his living, and not many days after the younger son gathered all together and took his journey into a far country and there wasted his substance with the right of living. When he had spent all there arose a mighty famine in the land and that land, and he began to be in want, and he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine, and he would fain have filled his belly with the husk that the swine did eat, and no man gave unto him. And when he came to himself, he said, how many hard servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger. I will arise and go to my father and will say unto him, father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. Make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose and came to his father, but when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said unto him, father, I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, bring forth the best robe and put it on him and put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet and bring hither the fatted calf and kill it and let us eat and be merry. For this my son was dead and is alive again. He was lost and is found, and they began to be merry. And now his elder son was in the field, and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing, and he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said unto him, thy brother is come, and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. And he was angry and would not go in, therefore came his father out and entreated him. And he answering said to his father, lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment, and yet thou never gavest me a kid that I might make merry with my friends. But as soon as this, thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, that hath killed him for the fatted calf. And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry and be glad, for this thy brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found. We've read this parable quite often. It's been preached numerous times. I'm sure it will be preached or mentioned in a thousand or more messages this morning across the country. We love the story of a man that sins against his father and goes out and squanders his inheritance, sin taking him farther than he ever wanted to go. He gets in such a mess, Sister Andrea, that he's jealous of the pig's food, and then jealous, and then Jesus tells us that he comes to himself. He has an epiphany. There are servants at my father's house that has it better than this. I think I'll go back home and be one of his servants. And then our favorite part in verse 20, and he arose and came to his father, but when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. A lot of times that's where preachers might even stop. It's a wonderful story because we can all relate to that. I know I can. We've all been that lost sheep that strayed away, and in mercy, the good shepherd led us back to his fold. And God has used many a man to share that story to reach the center of the backslider, and it's wonderful every time. But is that the moral of the story? Is the wayward son the target audience? What prompted this parable here? If we look back to Luke and 15, one through three, what started it says, then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him and the Pharisees and scribes murdered, murmured, saying, this man receive a sinner's and eateth with him. And he spake this parable unto them, saying, and then Jesus goes on to give three parables, this being the last one. So you see, it's not wrong to use this story to reach a backslider. The target audience is those that are acting like that older son, that Pharisee that doesn't like the whosoever will message. Those Christians that are spreading the gospel with a hateful spirit. The Christians that have no time or patience for men or women that don't see it exactly like they do. I'm not saying that we should excuse sin in any way, shape, or form, but let's not be too quick to judge. Let's seek for unity and try to help a brother or sister that might not see it exactly the way we do. Just because the lady gets saved and gives her heart to the Lord on Sunday morning and we go to town and go to the grocery store on a Monday evening and her hair is not all the way down to her ankles already, it doesn't mean that she's not been saved. There's a process there and we need to be long suffering. We need to be merciful. First Corinthians three and one. I've heard it as of a month ago. Somebody had gotten saved and it was a great thing. One of our brothers or sisters, it don't matter who it is, and then somebody had came to my house and said, well, they they wasn't dressed right. I'd seen them, so they didn't really, they didn't really get it. And I don't want that in my house. I don't want to entertain conversations like that, and I'm not going to encourage stuff like that in my home. I'm very thankful for this person. They may not have it exactly right yet, but we're homeless people. We believe in salvation, sanctification, and the Holy Ghost. Sometimes it happens all at once and it's great when it does, but sometimes it don't happen right away and we need to be patient with these type of people. Paul was patient with me. We can't forget the patience and the long suffering that's been afforded to us. First Corinthians three and one. And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk and not with meat. For hitherto you were not able to bear it, neither yet now are you able. Paul gets the reputation sometimes as a hard Christian, but I see a lot of long suffering in his teachings, and I'm thankful for that, and I want to be that way. I don't want to excuse sin, don't get me wrong, but I want to be long suffering. We're all here for the same purpose. We all want to see someone saved, and we all have family that don't live exactly the way we do, and we know there's a ... They come in dressed a certain way, and we shouldn't expect them to dress exactly like we do. We just need to be careful with those type of situations. I think the holiest church sometimes gets a bad name for things like that. We need to be ... We just need to be careful. I don't really know how to say it, but Jesus tells the disciples in Matthew 10 and 16, Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves. Be ye therefore wise as serpents, but harmless as doves. We need to have wisdom while witnessing for the Lord, knowing the word, but also knowing that it's sharper than any two-edged sword. We should be harmless. If we're doing it right, we're not out to hurt anyone, even if we get hurt in the process, and sometimes we will. Being ever mindful that God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. That's our goal, not to get people to live exactly like we do, but that the world through Jesus Christ might be saved. There's too many people scared to talk about the love of God because they may sound like a worldly church, but eager to bust a hole in the standard. There's a place for both, but if we get it out of place, our church and the lost will suffer the consequences. Sometimes it comes across to me as kind of a misery loves company attitude, Brother Tim. Almost like if I can't do that and get to heaven, you can't either. And sometimes it just feels like it comes across that way. If you're doing something for the Lord or not doing something for the Lord, it may be difficult at first, but if it's done right, you will quickly love that decision you made. Physically giving something up for the Lord, but spiritually hadn't had it really settled before, and that will make you a miserable person, and it will soon take control of you and you will start hating everything about serving the Lord. And I'm speaking from experience. If you have something like that in your life today, come to the altar and get it settled. It doesn't matter how long you've been saved. Nobody will fault you for it. It's between you and God. You don't even have to tell anyone what it is that you're dealing with. You can share the word with someone and you can throw it at someone. Let's be careful which one we do. Look at Acts 21 and 30. Acts 21 and 30 says, And all the city was moved, and the people ran together, and they took Paul and drew him out of the temple, and forthwith the doors were shut. They claimed that Paul was against Israel, the law, and the temple, but that wasn't necessarily true. He just didn't put his faith in these alone, but his faith was founded in Jesus Christ and him crucified. Paul was basically being blamed for the same thing that Stephen was before he was stoned where we first met Paul, and he was Saul at that time. It was near the feast of the Pentecost, so most likely there was quite the crowd there, Brother Tim, and they took Paul out of the temple and shut the doors. Acts 21 and 31 says, And as they went about to kill him, tidings came unto the chief captain of the band that all Jerusalem was in an uproar, who immediately took soldiers and centurions and ran down unto them. And when they saw the chief captain and the soldiers, they left beating of Paul. Then the chief captain came near and took him and commanded him to be bound with two chains and demanded who he was and what he had done. And some cried one thing, some another among the multitude. And when he could not know the certainty for the tumult, he commanded him to be carried into the castle. And when he came upon the stairs, so it was that he was born of the soldiers for the violence of the people, for the multitude of the people followed after, crying away with him. So the Jews commenced to beating Paul until a chief captain grabbed some men and went down to the commotion and it stopped the beating. They arrested Paul and bound him with two chains, partly for Paul's sake and partly for the, uh, the crowd there just to kind of calm the disturbance. And this had to remind Paul of Agabus's prophecy of being bound. He was nothing. Uh, the, the captain asked who he was. He, the captain asked who he was, but the crowd was so angry that they all just shouted different things. It resulted in them carrying him to the army barracks, which the Bible calls a castle. That's what the castle is there. Uh, the mob followed behind yelling away with him. They wanted Paul dead much like Jesus years before. These were unmovable people and it's okay to be unmovable. We should be, but we should be as long as we are grounded in the truth. Acts 21 and 37 reads on. And as Paul was to be led into the castle, he said unto the chief captain, may I speak unto thee who said, can't, can't stop speak Greek art now that that Egyptian, which before these days made us an uproar and let us out into the wilderness, wilderness, 4,000 men that were murderers. But Paul said, I'm a man which image you of Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city. And I beseech thee suffer me to speak into the people. So as Paul's being led away, he asked politely, may I speak under thee? And they're surprised. They thought he was an Egyptian. The chief is surprised that he can speak Greek, but grants him permission. Acts 21 and 40 says, and when they had given him license, Paul stood on the stairs and beckoned with that, with the hand unto the people. And when there was made a great silence, he spake unto them in the Hebrew tongue saying, men, brethren and fathers, here you, my defense, which I make now unto you, Paul shows great respect here under these people, just the opposite of what he's been shown. Proverbs 25 and 21 says, if thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat. And if he'd be thirsty, give him water to drink for thou shall heap coals of fire upon his head and the Lord shall reward thee. The Bible has much to say about how to treat your enemies. Luke six and 27 says, but I say unto you, which here love your enemies, do good to them, which hate you, bless them that curse you and pray for them, which despitefully use you. This reminds me of Brother Nathaniel's testimony the other day about the people who didn't like him at Culver's. And unto him that smitheth thee on one cheek, offer also the other. And him that taketh away thy cloak, forbid not to take thy coat also. Give to every man that asketh of thee, and of him that taketh away thy goods, ask them not again. And as you would that men should do to you, do you also to them likewise. That gets misquoted a lot. For if you love them which love you, what thank have you? For sinners also love those that love them. And if you do good to them which do good to you, what thank have you? For sinners also do you even the same. And if you lend to them of whom you hope to receive, what thank have you? For sinners also lend to sinners to receive as much gain. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again, and your reward shall be great, and you shall be the children of the highest, the freest kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful." Paul was shown great mercy, and he never forgot that. We were shown great mercy this morning. Let us never forget the mercy that was shown to us. Acts 22 and 2, Acts 22 and 2 says, and when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence. And he says, I am barely a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in the city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God as ye all are this day. And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering unto prisons both men and women. As also the high priest doth bear me witness in all this day to the elders, from whom also I received letters unto the brethren, and went to Damascus to bring them, which were the bound unto Jerusalem, for to be punished. And it came to pass that as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me. And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest. And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid, but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me. And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus. There shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do. And when I could not see for the glory of that light being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus. And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there, came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And in the same hour I looked up upon him, and he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that just one, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth. For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard. And now, while I tarryest thou, arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the Lord. I came past it when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance, and saw him saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem, for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me. And I said, Lord, they know that I am prisoned and beat in every synagogue, them that believed on thee. And when the blood of the martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and considering unto his death, he kept the ram that slew him, he said unto me, Depart, for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles. I know that was a lot of reading, but did y'all catch what he did there? He could have told them the story of the crucifixion. That's never a bad thing to talk about. But they knew that. A lot of those Jews was probably at the crucifixion. They didn't believe in Jesus. He could have told them how he was preaching until midnight, and a boy fell to his death from three stories, and he went down and raised him from the dead. He could have talked about how he cast a demon out of a young girl. He could have talked about the time he was in prison with Silas, and they started singing until the walls began to shake and the chains fell off, Sister Andrea. He could have talked about a great many of things, but what he chose to do in this crucial moment is give his personal testimony. I think that has given us the best lesson that we can learn this morning. There's power in our personal testimony. When is the last time that you shared your testimony in church? What God has done for you? If it's been a while, can I encourage you to tell it? Proverbs 12 and 11 says, and they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto death. We should tell our testimony often. When you die, they might write a wonderful obituary on your behalf, Brother Nathaniel, but nothing beats a good testimony on how the Lord saved you. Brother Don, my fellow, you should tell his testimony often. I don't guess I'll ever forget it because he told it so much, and I enjoy it. I still like to think about it. You can always look back and see your birth date, but unless you tell about your salvation date, no one will ever know. I want my kids to remember it much more than they remember my birth date or my coming death date. Your personal testimony can resonate with people. You can help other people be overcomers by your testimony. Don't ever discount it. Share it with your lost loved ones. They see the change in you, but you need to tell them how that change came about. The greatest conversation starter you can make is asking, can I tell you what the Lord has done for me? We are often hesitant about sharing it because we think, well, it's not the Word of God, you know, I don't think I have anything big to say. Psalms 107 and 1 says, O give thanks unto the Lord for he is good, for his mercy endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy. God wants us to share what he has done for us. Jesus was passing by once and saw a man that was blind from birth. His disciples asked the Lord a question, did this man sin or did his parents that made him to be born blind? People back then thought that sicknesses or illness or ailments was a direct correlation to some type of sinful lifestyle. Jesus says, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents, but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. Then he sped on the ground and made some clay and rubbed it in the man's eyes and told him to go wash in the pool of Siloam. He did as he was told and came back seen. This caused much confusion because the whole town knew this blind man and some said it was him. Some said it looked like him, but it wasn't. The blind man said, I am he. He told them a man named Jesus did it. They got the Pharisees involved and of course they was mad because he did it on the Sabbath. That's what they was concerned with. I'm glad Jesus can heal on the Sabbath. I'd like to see him do some healing this morning. They asked his parents and his parents didn't want to get kicked out of the synagogue, so they said, well, let the man speak for himself. He's old enough to tell you what happened. I feel like that's a sorry attitude. If my child needed a healing and he got it, I would tell everybody about it. So the Pharisees pressed him one more time and said, give God the praise. We know this man is a sinner. And I love the man's response. John 9 and 25 says, he answered and said, whether he be a sinner or no, I know not. One thing I know that where I was blind, now I see. That's pretty plain and simple, isn't it? I'd say that is probably the worst testimony I've ever heard. I mean, I don't know if Jesus is a sinner. I don't know if he's a sinner or not. I was blind, but now I see. But now if you read on, Jesus ends up saving this man. They become further acquainted, but all this man could testify as to what he knew, and he wasn't afraid to say it. He didn't know a whole lot about Jesus. He just knew that Jesus may change his life, but he testified about what he did know. And to this day, great songs like I Saw the Light, I mean, have been born from this terrible testimony. I'm not trying to talk bad about the word of God here, but I mean, I don't know if Jesus is a sinner or no. I just know I couldn't see, and now I can. You may not feel like you have a lot to say, but your testimony is very important. Sometimes it's crucial. Sometimes it's the key to the service. And you might feel like you're the lowest person here or the weakest person here. I never feel like I have anything good to say. If I got it in my own head, I would never say a single thing ever again. But I read enough Bible to know that God uses weak things like me, and somebody might be helped by your testimony. Somebody will be helped by your testimony. Just say what you know. It may not seem like a whole lot, but it is. If you get praise for what you have, there will be more Jesus around the corner. If you're not ashamed of what he's given you already, he will be sure to give you more. I truly believe that. I'll close with this first Psalm 66 and 16. Come and hear, all you that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for myself.