Bread of His Presence

Lechem Panim #200 “God’s Unseen Armies” (Acts 18:9-17) Pastor Cameron Ury

Hello and welcome to Lechem Panim. In our study of Acts chapter 18 we have been taking a look at Paul’s ministry in Corinth. And it has been a tough season for Paul. Paul has been facing a lot of rejection, particularly from his own people. And so he no doubt was going through a time of deep discouragement. But God  came to Paul in that season and gave a promise. It says in…

Acts 18:9-10 (NKJV)— 9 Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; 10 for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city.”

Promised Fruit— And so we see that Paul is encouraged by God's promise to be with him. But he is also encouraged by the fact that he will be safe because he is not alone there in Corinth. God has many people in this city.

SATAN WANTS YOU TO FEEL ALONE— Now I have found that one of Satan’s chief strategies that he works upon Christians is the feeling that we are alone. Because out of that feeling he can get us feeling depressed and can suppress our desire to push forward. What Satan doesn't want us to figure out is that there are other people just like us going through similar things; people who can be an encouragement and a strength to us. One of Satan's greatest strategies is to divide and conquer. And he does that first by driving apart people who are already in a relationship with one another, but he also does that by keeping people apart who might be able to pour grace and love and encouragement into one another's lives. And that is what he no doubt wants to do here with Paul. He wants Paul to feel alone, afraid, and therefore to go into protection mode. But God, defending Paul against that temptation, quickly stomps that snake and says “Don’t be afraid. First of all, I’m with you, which is enough in itself. But also you are surrounded by unknown friends you haven’t met yet who fear my name (or will soon, through your ministry) and who are going to be a source of protection for you.” And so instead of clamming up or leaving, Paul continues his ministry. It says in…

Acts 18:11 (NKJV)—11 And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

Converts in Corinth— And Paul’s ministry bore tremendous fruit. He established a church there in Corinth. And just a few of those [who became Christians in Corinth were Phoebe (Romans 16:1—Cenchrea was the port city of Corinth), Tertius (Romans 16:22), Erastus (Romans 16:23), Quartus (Romans 16:23), Chloe (1 Corinthians 1:11), Gaius (1 Corinthians 1:14), Stephanas and his household (1 Corinthians 16:15), Fortunatus (1 Corinthians 16:17), and Achaicus (1 Corinthians 16:17).] Now the church in Corinth was not full of mighty and noble people (1 Cor. 1:26–31), but rather with sinners whose lives were transformed by the grace of God (1 Cor. 6:9–11). And not only was Paul’s local ministry fruitful, but also his ministry of writing was as well, as during this time he also [wrote two letters to the believers in Thessalonica (the books of 1 and 2 Thessalonians).]

The Unseen Hand— Now I would love to see the many ways that God protected Paul during this time. But you know, Paul probably knew very few of them. He probably didn’t realize until he got to heaven the many ways God had His hand over his life. And the same is true of us. We don’t get to see all the things we have been spared from; or the “could have been” disasters. And therefore Luke (the great historian) shares only one example of God’s protection over Paul that he could clearly see and communicate; and it is one that is enormously significant, for reason’s we will see in a few moments.

A New Proconsul: Gallio— But first, the “governor” (proconsul) of Achaia (modern Greece) was a Roman senator by the name of Gallio. He served from A.D. 51-52 and was the brother of Seneca the philosopher. And when he comes into power during this time, the unbelieving Jews see this as an opportunity to try to manipulate Rome into declaring this new “Christian sect” illegal. And so they break the law [by attacking Paul and forcing him to go to court.] It says in…

Acts 18:12-13 (NKJV)—12 When Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him to the judgment seat, 13 saying, “This fellow persuades men to worship God contrary to the law.”

The Best Speech Never Given— And what they were really charging Paul with was his [promoting a religion not approved by Roman Law.] And you have to understand that if you are going to understand the miracle of what will soon take place. They want to make Paul (and Christianity) the enemy of Rome. And this seems to be their go-to strategy, because [This was not the first time that fanatical Jews had tried to prove that Paul was breaking the Roman law.] They had tried similar tactics also in Philippi (Acts 16:19-24) and then in Thessalonica (Acts 17:6–7). But Paul knew his rights as a Roman citizen and was more than ready to defend himself. And he opens his mouth to deliver the best speech never given. That’s right, Paul never had a chance to deliver it; because while God had commanded Paul to speak in verse 9, here He seems to step in and basically says, “Paul, I got this one.” And we see this in that instead of Paul making his defense, Gallio (the ROMAN PROCONSUL) makes his defense!!! It says…

Acts 18:14-16 (NKJV)— 14 And when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of wrongdoing or wicked crimes, O Jews, there would be reason why I should bear with you. 15 But if it is a question of words and names and your own law, look to it yourselves; for I do not want to be a judge of such matters.” 16 And he drove them from the judgment seat.

An Unexpected Advocate— And so Gallio was not the fool these Jews took him to be and [immediately saw that the real issue was not the application of the Roman law but the interpretation of the Jewish religion, so he refused to try the case!] And so while [The Jews tried to force the Roman proconsul to declare the Christian faith illegal, …Gallio ended up doing just the opposite. {Because} By refusing to try the case, Gallio made it clear that Rome would not get involved in cases involving Jewish religious disputes. As far as he was concerned, Paul and his disciples had as much right as the Jews to practice their religion and share it with others.] Now it may come as a surprise, but that kind of response is very typical of the relationship between the Roman and Christian Church here in the book of Acts. Yes, the apostles were forbidden to preach (Acts 4:17-21; 5:40), but that was by the Jewish council, not a Roman one. In fact there is no evidence in the book of Acts that Rome ever did this. Actually, the opposite seems to have been the case. We see [in Philippi (Acts 16:35-40), Corinth, and Ephesus (Acts 19:31), the Roman officials were not only tolerant but almost cooperative.] And this was partially because of Paul. He [knew how to use his Roman citizenship wisely so that the government worked for him and not against him, and he was careful not to accuse the government or try to escape its authority (Acts 25:10-12).] Now this was not the end of the matter. It says in…

Acts 18:17 (NKJV)— 17 Then all the Greeks took Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat. But Gallio took no notice of these things.

Sosthenes Beaten & Redeemed— Now what in the world is this all about? And who is this guy Sosthenes? What happened to Crispus, who is described as the synagogue ruler in the beginning of the passage. Well, remember Crispus had been converted to Christianity by Paul. And you can imagine how outraged many of the Jews were. What seems to have happened is that Crispus was removed from his position and replaced by a new synagogue ruler, a man by the name of Sosthenes. And it is this man who is attacked by the Greeks, who beat the tar out of him right in front of the proconsul, who simply looks the other way. Now we don’t know exactly who was doing the beating. [The mob could have been Greeks venting their feelings against the Jews for causing turmoil, or the crowd may have included some Jews. In any case, they beat Sosthenes for losing the case and leaving the synagogue worse off than before.] Now the irony here is that [If this is the same Sosthenes mentioned by Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:1, then {apparently he too got converted, and the Jews had to find {yet} another ruler for their synagogue!] I would love to know how that all came about. Maybe somebody was there that day to pick Sosthenes up off the ground; maybe a Christian. Maybe it was Paul himself or Crispus who helped to wash his wounds, using it as an opportunity to share the love of Christ.
    But whatever the case, what this shows us is that no matter how much Satan opposes us, because God is with us, those oppositions simply become God’s opportunities to do something great. And so the central thrust of this passage is that God is both with us and is protecting us sometimes in seen but most often in unseen ways. And knowing that can give us the courage to “Fear not!” and speak boldly the name of Jesus.

John Paton’s Unseen Army— [John Paton was a missionary in the New Hebrides Islands. One night hostile natives surrounded the mission station, intent on burning out the Patons and killing them. Paton and his wife prayed during that terror-filled night that God would deliver them. When daylight came they were amazed to see their attackers leave. A year later, the chief of the tribe was converted to Christ. Remembering what had happened, Paton asked the chief what had kept him from burning down the house and killing them. The chief replied in surprise, "Who were all those men with you there?" Paton knew no men were present--but the chief said he was afraid to attack because he had seen hundreds of big men in shining garments with drawn swords circling the mission station.]

Never Alone— Now you and I may feel alone when we live out Christ’s call to be a light in the world. But what scripture always reminds us of is the “fact” that God is with us. And though He won’t always shield us from pain and death, we can rest assured that His perfect plan for our lives will come to fruition if we (like Paul) remain obedient to speak out. And many people will be forever changed by your commitment to Christ.

Psalm 121:7-8 (NKJV)
7 The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul.
8 The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore.

Let us therefore trust in the Lord this week. Amen.

Lechem Panim #199 “God’s Greatest Promise” (Acts 18:9-10) Pastor Cameron Ury

Hello and welcome to Lechem Panim. Today we will be continuing our study of Acts chapter 18. So if you have your Bible, go ahead and turn with me there. You will remember that Paul has (most recently) entered into the city of Corinth, the political and commercial center of Greece. And it is here that he works as a tentmaker alongside a Jewish man and woman (Aquila and Priscilla) who themselves have been driven out (as all the Jews were) from Rome. And so during the week they make leather tents (and perhaps other leather items as well) and sell them. But on the Sabbath Paul would reason in the synagogue with the Jews and Gentiles who had gathered there to worship and persuaded some of them of the truth of the Gospel. Now Silas and Timothy eventually arrive. And 2 Corinthians 11:9 tells us that they do so bringing financial aid. And this allowed Paul to be more freed to devote himself fully to preaching the Gospel. But enemies had set themselves against Paul; and Paul had faced the rejection of many of his own people, most recently here in Corinth. And so it is a time of discouragement. And he may be wondering how he is ever going to do what God has called him to do. But God gave Paul an amazing promise that extends to you and me as well. And today I would like to take a look at that promise.

Remembering 9/11— You know, most of you (myself included) remember right where you were when you heard the news that terrorists had hit the World Trade Center buildings on 9/11. It’s a day we will never forget. But recently I read (I think for the first time, though I had seen part of it before) the 911 call from United Airlines Flight 93, where a very terrified passenger by the name of Todd Beamer was frantically telling the dispatcher about the hijacking of their plane. And the dispatcher confirmed for him what he had already heard, that hijackers had crashed two planes into the World Trade Center and that both towers were gone. “Oh God —help us!” he said. She told him that a third plane was taken over by terrorists, who crashed it into the pentagon; and his plane may also be part of their plan. Then Todd, in shock, asked the dispatcher (whose name was Lisa) to call his pregnant wife (whose name, surprisingly, was also Lisa) and their two boys, tell them what happened, and tell her that he loves her and will always love her; and to tell his boys that their daddy loves them and that he is so proud of them. Later in the call another dispatcher joins in the conversation.

Goodwin: Hello Todd. This is Agent Goodwin with the FBI. We have been monitoring your flight. Your plane is on a course for Washington, DC. These terrorists sent two planes into the World Trade Center and one plane into the Pentagon. Our best guess is that they plan to fly your plane into either the White House or the United States Capital Building.
Todd: I understand…hold on……I’ll…….I’ll be back..
Lisa: Mr. Goodwin, how much time do they have before they get to Washington?
Goodwin: Not long ma’am. They changed course over Cleveland; they’re approaching Pittsburgh now. Washington may be twenty minutes away.
Todd: (breathing a little heavier) The plane seems to be changing directions just a little. It’s getting pretty rough up here. The plane is flying real erratic….We’re not going to make it out of here. Listen to me….I want you to hear this….I have talked with the others….we have decided we would not be pawns in these hijackers suicidal plot.
Lisa: Todd, what are you going to do?
Todd: We’ve hatched a plan. Four of us are going to rush the hijacker with the bomb. After we take him out, we’ll break into the cockpit. A stewardess is getting some boiling water to throw on the hijackers at the controls. We’ll get them….and we’ll take them out. Lisa, …..will you do one last thing for me?
Lisa: Yes…What is it?
Todd: Would you pray with me?
They pray: Our father which art in Heaven
Hallowed be thy name,
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
And forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive our trespassers,
And lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from evil
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory
Forever…..Amen

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want…
He makes me to lie down in green pastures
He leads me beside the still waters
He restores my soul
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for His name’s sake
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
I will fear no evil, for thou art with me…..

Todd: (softer) God help me…Jesus help me….(clears throat and louder)
Are you guys ready?……..
Let’s Roll……………………

Thou Art With Me— And of course we know that Todd and the other passengers succeeded. They (at the cost of their own lives) were able to overcome the terrorists and crash the plane, saving God knows how many lives in what is no doubt one of the greatest acts of heroism in American history. Now I cannot imagine how afraid Todd and those passengers must have been. Yet they were somehow able to rise above that fear and take action. And the secret to that courage might be found in the last words Todd prayed from Psalm 23: for thou art with me. I don’t know if there are any more encouraging words in scripture than those; to know that in the midst of whatever we face, God is with us. Perhaps that is why God has seen fit to interweave this promise throughout all of scripture. He says in…

Genesis 28:15 ESV— Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

Joshua 1:9— "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

Isaiah 41:10— "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Isaiah 43:2 ESV— When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.

Deuteronomy 31:6— "Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”

Zephaniah 3:17— "The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.”

Matthew 28:20— "Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

A Promise That Carries Us— It is this promise of God to be with us no matter what that can help us to carry on His work in the face of the most intense trials and persecutions. And it is no surprise that it is this promise that God gives to Paul as he is no doubt discouraged from his having faced rejection and adversity in just about every place he has been ministering in, most recently from his Jewish brothers there in Corinth. And so God comes to him by night and appears to him in a vision. It says in…

Acts 18:9-10 (NKJV)— 9 Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; 10 for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city.”

A Dark Situation— Now the reason that God said this was because remember that recently Crispus, the synagogue ruler, converted to faith in Christ in and through the ministry of Paul. And that was great, because it opened up more opportunities for Paul to evangelize. But it also brought more opposition from the enemy. The unbelieving Jews in Corinth were furious at Paul's success and set themselves against him and his ministry with the aim to silence and get rid of him. Now Luke does not give us much detail on this, but it seems that between verses 8 and 9 the situation has become especially difficult and dangerous for Paul; so dangerous that Paul may have even been thinking about leaving Corinth altogether, as he had been forced to do from some of the other cities he had ministered in. But, as we have been talking about, God always provides encouragement when we need it most. And that encouragement can come through His Word, through the ministry of other people, or even directly from God through prayer. But no matter how He does it, God speaks to us when we need Him most. And God tells Paul that because He is with him, he doesn’t need to be afraid, but can speak freely without feeling like he needs to keep silent in order to be safe.

Fear Not— Now there have probably been times in your life when you have heard God speaking a soft and tender “Fear not!” into your life to quiet your heart and give you peace amidst the storms of life. “Fear not!” [is the way He assured Abraham (Gen. 15:1), Isaac (Gen. 26:24), and Jacob (Gen. 46:3), as well as Jehoshaphat (2 Chron. 20:15–17), Daniel (Dan. 10:12, 19), Mary (Luke 1:30), and Peter (Luke 5:10).] And that is how God assures us as well.

“it is a fact!”— [British preacher G. Campbell Morgan used to read the Bible each week to two elderly women. One evening, when he finished reading the closing words of Matthew 28, Morgan said to the women, “Isn’t that a wonderful promise!” and one of them replied, “Young man, that is not a promise—it is a fact!”]

Paul Experiences “Immanuel”— And that was definitely a fact for Paul. [Jesus had already appeared to Paul on the Damascus road (Acts 9:1–6; 26:12–18) and also in the temple (Acts 22:17–18). Paul would be encouraged by Him again when he was imprisoned in Jerusalem (Acts 23:11) and later in Rome (2 Tim. 4:16–17). Our Lord’s angel would also appear to Paul in the midst of the storm and give him a word of assurance for the passengers and crew (Acts 27:23–25).] And this really shows that the title we call Jesus by (especially during Christmas time), “Immanuel—God with us” (Matt. 1:23) is a name that our Savior really lives up to.

And I want to tell you today that Jesus is with you. And therefore you can take courage. One hymn speak this Word of God into our lives like no other:

“Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,
For I am thy God, and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.”

“When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of sorrow shall not overflow;
For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.”

Know this week that Christ is with you in whatever you are facing; and that, if you abide in Him, He will do His work through you. Amen.

Lechem Panim #198 “God Shifts Paul’s Ministry” (Acts 18:7-8) Pastor Cameron Ury

Hello and welcome to Lechem Panim. So good to have you with us today as we study the Word of God together. You know, one of the men who has had one of the most tremendous impacts on history was a man by the name of John Wesley; not only for the content of his teaching, but also for his absolute persistence in the midst of some of the most intense rejection, persecution, and trials.

Wesley’s Journal— Not long ago I was reading an excerpt from John Wesley’s diary. In it he writes...
Sunday, A.M., May 5    Preached in St. Anne's. Was asked not to come back anymore.
Sunday, P.M., May 5     Preached in St. John's. Deacons said "Get out and stay out."
Sunday, A.M., May 12    Preached in St. Jude's. Can't go back there, either.
Sunday, A.M., May 19    Preached in St. Somebody Else's. Deacons called special meeting and said I couldn't return.
Sunday, P.M., May 19    Preached on street. Kicked off street.
Sunday, A.M., May 26    Preached in meadow. Chased out of meadow as bull was turned loose during service.
Sunday, A.M., June 2    Preached out at the edge of town. Kicked off the highway.
Sunday, P.M., June 2    Afternoon, preached in a pasture. Ten thousand people came out to hear me.

The Big Picture— You know, some of the greatest people in all of history; the people that God was able to use the most, were those who never gave up in the face of trials. People who didn’t let persecution make them bitter, but just said, “Jesus, I don’t know why this is happening to me, but I know that you are in control and will work this out for your glory.” John Wesley didn’t see the big picture of where those rejections he had encountered would lead. He didn’t need to see the big picture. All he needed was to say to God as Jesus did, “Thy will be done” and trust Him with the rest.

Steadfast Biblical Heroes— As you and I go through scripture, we find that some of God’s greatest heroes were men and women who (at least at first) had no grasp of the big picture. All they could do was trust God in the moment. I think of Abraham called to sacrifice his son. I think of Job; about the purpose of his suffering; Joseph, sold by his brothers into slavery, then into prison because of a false accusation; but he ends up being used by God to save Egypt and the surrounding countries from famine. I think of Daniel, brought into captivity never knowing God was going to use him mightily; even young everyday couples like Mary and Joseph (Jesus’ parents); Mary undergoing rejection from of her community from a pregnancy she couldn’t explain; Joseph feeling cheated by Mary (at first), choosing to believe and obey God, and then sharing with Mary in that same persecution. Few of these men and women ever saw the big picture. But they didn’t need to. Each and every one of them were able to trust that God is good, He is in control, and He is working through their suffering to fulfill His plan. Now those men and women modeled a steadfastness, a patience, and wisdom that may at times seem unreachable to us. But these weren’t spiritual giants; they were men and women (like you and me) who simply said Lord I will trust you; I will do what you have asked me to do in the moment. And the only reason that you and I are believers today is because of men and women in the past like John Wesley who chose to remain steadfast under some of the most intense persecution, trusting in God.

Our Trust— Do we have that kind of trust in the Lord? That is the kind of faith James wants all Christians to have. He wants them to be a people who, through obedience and trust, are overcomers. And God wants to make us overcomers as well. James writes in...

James 1:12 (ESV)— 12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

2 Images of Judgment— Now I say all of this because here in our passage today we find Paul facing the same kind of rejection and trials that are typical of any true follower of God. But he recognizes how God is using those trials to change his direction/focus. And that is why we see here in Acts chapter 18 a dramatic shift in the ministry of Paul. It says that after these Jews opposed him and blasphemed, he shook his garments and said to them, “Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” And here we have two very interesting Old Testament images. The first (the shaking of his garments) [was an act of judgment that said, “You have had your opportunity, but now it’s over!” Today we might say that we were washing our hands of a situation.] Now this didn’t mean that Paul would stop witnessing to the Jews, but [his primary calling was to evangelize the Gentiles (Acts 13:46-48; 28:28).]             Now the second image (the proclamation that their blood be upon their own heads) was also a proclamation of judgment. [To have blood on your hands means that you bear the responsibility for another’s death because you were not faithful to warn him. The image comes from the watchman on the city walls whose task it was to stay alert and warn of coming danger (see Ezek. 3:17–21; 33:1–9). But to have blood on your head means that you are to blame for your own judgment. You had the opportunity to be saved, but you turned it down (see Josh. 2:19). Paul’s hands were clean (Acts 20:26) because he had been faithful to declare the message of the gospel. The Jews had their own blood on their own heads because they rejected God’s truth.] And Paul is deeply pained about this (which he relays in great detail in Romans 9). And no doubt he is feeling discouraged again. But remember the key point of our passage last week: God sends encouragement when we need it most. And here we see that once again (just at the right time) God brings somebody into Paul’s life to be a friend and a support to him, a God-fearing Gentile name Titus Justus, whose full name may have been Gaius Titus Justus, very likely making him the “Gaius, my host” Paul refers to in Romans 16:23. And here we see that Justus opens his home for Paul to stay in and use as his preaching station, which was located in the perfect spot. It says in…

Acts 18:7 (NKJV)— 7 And he departed from there and entered the house of a certain man named Justus, one who worshiped God, whose house was next door to the synagogue.

Connection With The Synagogue— Now this was awesome because it gave Paul [continued contact with the Jews and Gentile proselytes], with whom Paul continues to share the Gospel. Now in that synagogue there was a man by the name of Crispus. And Crispus was in fact the ruler of the synagogue, which meant that it was his [job to see to it that the synagogue building was cared for and that the services were held in a regular and orderly manner.] And look at what happens after he hears the Gospel. It says…

Acts 18:8 (NKJV)— 8 Then Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his household. And many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed and were baptized.

Another Household— And so once again, just as with Cornelius and his household in Acts 10, Lydia and her household and the Philippian Jailer and his household in Acts 16, we have yet another person and their whole household coming to faith in Christ. And this no doubt stirred the Jewish population in Corinth in a BIG way!

Pessimists, Optimists, & Realists— But once again, this reinforces the truth we have been talking about; and that is that where Satan brings opposition, God creates opportunity. Now some people are pessimists. They are the ones who only see the problems. Other people are optimists. They are those who only see the positive. Now neither of those extremes is the right one. We are not called to be pessimists; nor are we called to be optimists. We are called to be realists. Now what is a realist? A lot of people who say they are realists are merely pessimists in disguise. But the true realist is one who sees the potential in the problems. And Paul was a realist. He wasn’t blind to the dangers and difficulties of the situation in Corinth. But he saw in those problems God’s great opportunities. And so one of the things you I must always remember is to not focus on what you can’t do, but what you can.

What We Can Do— Now one of the things I love about our Church, Renton Park Chapel, (and this was really highlighted for me when Covid hit), because when our leadership met to re-group and seek the Lord as to how we were (and are) going to get through this, I loved how our team didn’t focus on what we couldn’t do. No, our team focused on what we could do; and what opportunities might arise through this pandemic that perhaps were not available (or recognized) before. And because of that our reach grew wider, not smaller. People’s giving of their time and resources went up, not down.

Be Realists— But in thinking about this passage (and this truth in particular) God’s greatest heroes were not people with great resources or abilities. They were simply realists who were willing to seek God’s opportunities in the midst of the world’s problems. And so I want to encourage you today, let us be realists who are seeking for those opportunities. Satan may try to kick you and beat you down. He may try to fill your life with discouragement, trying to get you to quit. But when he does, remember that God sends encouragement when we need it. Remember also that where Satan brings opposition, God brings opportunity. And lastly, don’t focus on what you can’t do, but what you can do. Let’s remember those three things today. Amen.

Lechem Panim #197 “Paul Comes To Corinth” (Acts 18:1-6) Pastor Cameron Ury

Hello and welcome to Lechem Panim. So glad you could join us today as we continue to study the book of Acts together. I’d like to start off today by sharing with you a brief story I came across involving a very interesting spacecraft.

The Little Satellite That Could— Back [In 1972, NASA launched the exploratory space probe Pioneer 10. {Some of you may remember Pioneer 10; others of you it may be a bit before you time (as it was mine). But} According to Leon Jaroff in Time, the {Pioneer 10} satellite’s primary mission was to reach Jupiter, photograph the planet and its moons, and beam data to earth about Jupiter's magnetic field, radiation belts, and atmosphere. Scientists regarded this as a bold plan, for at that time no earth satellite had ever gone beyond Mars, and they feared the asteroid belt would destroy the satellite before it could reach its target. But Pioneer 10 accomplished its mission and much, much more. Swinging past the giant planet in November 1973, Jupiter's immense gravity hurled Pioneer 10 at a higher rate of speed toward the edge of the solar system. At one billion miles from the sun, Pioneer 10 passed Saturn. At some two billion miles, it hurtled past Uranus; Neptune at nearly three billion miles; Pluto at almost four billion miles. By 1997, twenty-five years after its launch, Pioneer 10 was more than six billion miles from the sun. And despite that immense distance, Pioneer 10 continued to beam back radio signals to scientists on Earth. "Perhaps most remarkable," writes Jaroff, "those signals emanate from an 8-watt transmitter, which radiates about as much power as a bedroom night light, and takes more than nine hours to reach Earth.” The Little Satellite That Could was not qualified to do what it did. Engineers designed Pioneer 10 with a useful life of just three years. But it kept going and going. By simple longevity, its tiny 8-watt transmitter radio accomplished more than anyone thought possible. So it is when we offer ourselves to serve the Lord. God can work even through someone with 8-watt abilities. God cannot work, however, through someone who quits.]

Paul Wouldn’t Quit— Well, Paul was not a quitter. It didn’t matter what difficulties, persecutions, imprisonments, or beatings he faced. He (just like Pioneer 10) just kept plugging away. And through him seeds were being planted that would eventually result in the world becoming turned upside down (or I should say right-side-up) with the good news of the Gospel. It says in…

Acts 18:1 (NKJV)— 1 After these things Paul departed from Athens and went to Corinth.

Corinth— So we see that Paul has come to Corinth.  And he would need all his resilience and grit to start a church here in this place. A city of 200,000 people, [Corinth was the political and commercial center of Greece, surpassing Athens in importance. {But what would make it such a challenge was that} It had a reputation for great wickedness and immorality] that [was known all over the Roman Empire. (Rom. 1:18–32 was written in Corinth!)] And this immorality was largely due to the fact that on a large hill behind the city there was a temple to Aphrodite, goddess of love and war. And the way to show your devotion to her was by giving money to her temple and engaging in illicit sexual acts with male and female temple prostitutes. And that would make Corinth a real challenge for Paul because although there was great opportunity for ministry in Corinth, the church that would be founded there would always be tempted by the immorality that surrounded them on a daily basis. And that is why Paul wrote a series of letters to the Corinthians that dealt in part with the problems of immorality. [First and Second Corinthians are two of those letters.]
    Now I don't know about you, but whenever I look around me at the darkness of the world, I am often tempted to get discouraged. The news doesn't help. But, I have found that my time in the Word does. Because it reminds us that the darkness we feel is nothing new. The world has been dark since the fall. And while we are in the midst of the darkness, God has done great things; and He will continue to do great things. No matter how dark things get, God can still use His little Pioneer 10’s to change the world. And as we persevere, God will bring people into our lives who will help encourage us along the way. And that is the first point I want you to remember today. God sends encouragement when we need it most. Paul had come to Corinth alone. And yet it says in…

Acts 18:2 (NKJV)— 2 And he found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla (because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome); and he came to them.

Jews Expelled— And this is just another illustration of how God can used a very dark circumstance to work about His plan and purpose; because during this time Emperor Claudius had expelled all the Jews from Rome. And the Roman historian Suetonius wrote (mind you, 70 years later) that Claudius did this because they “were indulging in constant riots at the instigation of Chrestus”. Now Chrestus was a common misspelling of Christus (the Latin for “Christ”; and so [it is commonly assumed that Suetonius refers to disturbances in the Jewish community sparked by the preaching of Christ. Writing seventy years after the fact, he wrongly assumed Chrestus (Christ) to have been in Rome instigating the riots.] However, we know it was really particular Jews who had set themselves against this new movement of Christianity. But out of this expulsion God brought Aquila and Priscilla to Corinth. And because of that they would become for Paul some of his dearest friends; friends who we read in Romans 16:3-4 would even be willing to risk their lives for him.

Different From The Philosophers— And the way they came together was also important; because remember that Paul had just finished ministering to the philosophers in Athens. But there were many philosophers and itinerant preachers in Corinth as well. And these philosophers and teachers preyed on ignorant and superstitious citizens there. And so it would have been very easy for Paul and his ministry to be lumped in with them and therefore misunderstood. And so it was important for Paul to demonstrate to people that he was different. And one of the ways he did this was by supporting himself as a tentmaker. And that was one of the things that made he and Aquila such a good fit. It says in…

Acts 18:3 (NKJV)— 3 So, because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and worked; for by occupation they were tentmakers.

A Tentmaker— Now in Jewish culture, Rabbis [did not accept money from their students but earned their way by practicing a trade. All Jewish boys were expected to learn a trade, no matter what profession they might enter.] The Rabbis used to say, “He who does not teach his son to work, teaches him to steal!” And so every boy would learn a trade that would allow him to earn a living. And Paul and Aquila were no exception. Both had been trained to be tentmakers, which is a rendering of the Greek word skēnopoios. Another possible rending of that word is “leather workers”, which is [a trade that included the making of tents, which were often made out of leather.] And in this time and place [Tents were used to house soldiers, so these tents may have been sold to the Roman army.] But this was an occupation that was well suited to Paul and his ministry because (since he was always traveling) he had to have a business that he could just pick up and move from place to place; and that is what he was able to do as a tentmaker. Now when he wasn’t making tents, Paul was sharing the Gospel. Where? The synagogue. It says in…

Acts 18:4 (NKJV)— 4 And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks.

Financial Aid Comes— And we know that that was really his main reason and purpose for being there in Corinth to begin with. Now sometime during this time Silas and Timothy re-join him from Macedonia. And 2 Corinthians 11:9 tells us that they did so bringing financial aid. And this freed Paul to devote himself more fully to the preaching of the Gospel. It says in…

Acts 18:5-6 (NKJV)— 5 When Silas and Timothy had come from Macedonia, Paul was compelled by the Spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ. 6 But when they opposed him and blasphemed, he shook his garments and said to them, “Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”

When Satan Kicks— Now this brings us to point number 2, which is this: Where Satan brings opposition, God creates opportunity. Now the opposition that Satan created came through unbelieving Jews. Unbelieving Jews had been Paul’s adversaries in Thessalonica and Berea (Acts 17:5-13) and were now (in Corinth) demonstrating the same rejection of the Gospel, beginning to once again stir up trouble for Paul and his friends (see 1 Thessalonians 2:14-16). Now this kind of [opposition is usually proof that God is at work, and this ought to encourage us. Spurgeon used to say that “the Devil never kicks a dead horse!”] And here we find Satan kicking because he sees the awesome power of what is happening. Wherever Christianity is going, culture is changing. People are being freed from slavery to sin and fear. They are experiencing restoration into a relationship with God and being freed from his clutches. And so Satan is trying to counteract that. And he’s no doubt hoping that Paul will get discouraged and quit; that his 8 watt strength will finally give out. But Paul remains undaunted. While this kind of opposition had forced him to leave Thessalonica and Berea, we find that here in Corinth he is determined to stay. And next week we will see his response to that opposition.

God’s Word of Encouragement to Paul— But in your own life today, maybe you feel like Pioneer 10; like your 8 watts of energy could give out at any moment. Maybe you feel the attacks of Satan against your life and against your ministry. If so let me encourage you with what Paul said God revealed to him in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10. Paul says the Lord said to him…

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (ESV)— …“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore {(Paul says)} I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Let Christ be your strength this week and use whatever you offer Him to produce great fruit for His kingdom. Amen.

Lechem Panim #196 “The Unknown God Made Known” (Acts 17:22-34) Pastor Cameron Ury

Hello and welcome to Lechem Panim. If you were with us last week, you’ll know that in our study of Acts chapter 17 we began taking a look at how Paul has been forced to flee from Berea to the city Athens, where he is awaiting Silas and Timothy to join him. And while there he has an opportunity to share the Gospel with the people there and so he is brought to the Areopagus (the council) which [met on a low hill in Athens near the Acropolis.] And it says…

Acts 17:22-23 (NKJV)— 22 Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; 23 for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you:

The Unknown God— Now this is powerful evangelism right here. Notice how Paul does exactly what we have been observing him doing frequently in his evangelism; and that is finding that common ground, that point of entry where you can meet someone where they are at, build on what they know or believe, and then lead them into what they do not yet know. These [Athenians had built an idol to the unknown god for fear of missing blessings or receiving punishment.] And so Paul begins his witness by saying that he is proclaiming the God they do not know. Now he wasn’t endorsing whoever this god was (at least in their minds), but simply used it as a stepping stone into talking about the One true God. And he begins with that bit of Judeo-Christian theology which has (since earliest times) set Judaism and Christianity apart from every other world religion; and that is that God is not a part of creation (being conceived by and born into nature), and therefore enslaved to it just as we are. No, He is the maker of heaven and earth; and because He is the maker of all things (heaven and earth) is the Lord of all things. That is where any good Jew would begin. It’s the reality the Psalmists always pointed back to. In a world where people looked to the high places (where pagan worship was carried out in their feeble attempts to try to manipulate gods who were bound to this world), a different theology was produced by God in Israel (and it could have only come from God; it is too big for us).

Psalm 121:1-2 (NIV) A song of ascents.— 1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? {Now we always get this wrong, because we think the Psalmist is finding hope from the mountain. But no, he’s looking to the mountain (the high place where all his pagan neighbors look to) and he’s saying “my help doesn’t come from there and that whole pagan system. No,…} 2 My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. {That is what set Yahweh apart from all other in the mind of the Jew, which is why Paul (a Jew to the core) responds the way he does…}

Acts 17:24-28 (NKJV)— 24 God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25 Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. 26 And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27 so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28 for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’

Closely Involved— So God has created the world and everything in it (v.24) and also is closely involved with His creation. While He is not trapped within His creation (because He is transcendent) nevertheless he is close to each and every one of us. And He (Paul says) is the source of our life, an is in absolute control of our lives. It is in Him that we live, being dependent on Him; He is not dependent on us (as the pagans believed all gods were). No, we need Him. And Paul quotes from one of their own poets who talked about how all man is the offspring of a god. So, once again, another touching point.

The Media Medium— Now when we watch a secular movie or listen to a secular song that sheds light on a particular issue, it gives us (like it did here with Paul) a place to start in the conversation. Now I’m not advocating you watch every secular movie or listen to every secular song. Many (if not most) we need to say no to. But nevertheless we need to be aware of what those movies are saying because that is how this generation expresses their philosophy. And we need to know what it is they are saying so we can reflect back those things they are saying that is true, with the aim of helping them to grow in their understanding. And that is what Paul has just done here with his first point: God is sovereign because He is the Maker of heaven and earth. Now for point 2:

Acts 17:29-31 (NKJV)— 29 Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising. {So, in other words, “the gods you are worshipping are false gods that do not accurately represent the divine. That’s his second point. And his third is…} 30 Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, 31 because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”

Judgment Day— So point 3 is that they are in need of repentance because a day of judgment is coming, a day where Jesus Himself will judge the earth as God’s ordained judge. Now this was important for these Athenians to hear because obviously [Most of them preferred worshipping many gods instead of just one,] but Paul is saying they need to repent of this because judgment from the one and only Sovereign God is coming. Now [The Greeks had no concept of judgment.] And it would take a very big piece of evidence to make them believe that they needed to forsake all the other gods they worshipped and prepare themselves for some kind of future judgment day from a one and only God. And so Paul gives them that necessary piece of evidence. He says of God: He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”

The Heart of The Message— Now to the Greeks [the concept of resurrection was unbelievable and offensive]. But it is what Paul (and all the Christians) pointed back to because it happened not in some ethereal realm, but in space and time; in their very midst. And because of that (and what it meant in terms of our having the potential of a restored relationship with God) it was always the focal point of their message. Now that may be offensive to some people (as much of the Gospel is), but though Paul often [changed his approach to fit his audience,…he never changed his basic message.] He never compromised his beliefs. He kept proclaiming the resurrection, not only because he had met with many eyewitnesses to it, but because he himself had seen the resurrected Lord. However, some of the Greeks were so repulsed by this teaching (so close-minded) they were not even willing to ask further questions about this; to ask what evidence there was to support their claims that such an event had taken place (which there was much). Instead it says…

Acts 17:32-33 (NKJV)— 32 And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, {However, while some mocked, it does say…} while others said, “We will hear you again on this matter.”  {So there were those who (like we said before) were intellectually courageous and honest enough to examine their own belief in light of new evidence. And so it says…} 33 So Paul departed from among them. 34 However, some men joined him and believed, among them Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

Bringing Truth— Now here in this passage we have seen how Paul went about bringing truth to lost people. He began with what they knew, he used illustrations they were aware of, and boldly proclaimed God’s Sovereignty, our need to repent of all idolatry in preparation for the coming day of judgment, and how our belief in that coming day of judgment is supported by the truth of the resurrection. Now if we are to be like Paul in this passage, then you and I need to recognize that we are to be bringers of these truths to our culture; because (as Paul said) time is running out. Christ is coming back and He is coming back soon. And if we are truly in Christ, then we will be moved into action as Paul was. If we really love our neighbor, we will seek to meet them where they are spiritually and help them; because we recognize that they are either going to spend an eternity with Jesus or an eternity without Jesus. Just recently I re-read one of my favorite quotes, which I have talked about in recent days. It’s from C.S. Lewis’ Weight of Glory. Listen to what he writes. He says…

The weight of glory— [The load, or weight, or burden of my neighbor’s glory should be laid on my back, a load so heavy that only humility can carry it, and the backs of the proud will be broken. It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you can talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations,—these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit—immortal horrors or everlasting splendors. This does not mean that we are to be perpetually solemn. We must play. But our merriment must be of that kind (and it is, in fact, the merriest kind) which exists between people who have, from the outset, taken each other seriously—no flippancy, no superiority, no presumption. And our charity must be real and costly love, with deep feeling for the sins in spite of which we love the sinner—no mere tolerance, or indulgence which parodies love as flippancy parodies merriment. Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbor is the holiest object presented to your senses. If he is your Christian neighbour, he is holy in almost the same way, for in him also Christ veer latitat—the glorifier and the glorified, Glory Himself, is truly hidden.]

A CHALLENGE— This morning I want us to get really practical; because a lot of times it is easy to say that we are going to try harder to be better witness for Christ in the world. And that’s good, but I don’t think that that is specific enough to be practical. How can you and I better engage the world for Christ? What are some specific ways you can think of where you can bear testimony of the hope that is in you? This week, I want to give each of you a mission. Your mission is to witness to at the very least one unsaved person. I want you to: (1) Ask what they believe about the divine/god, (2) What they think about Jesus, and (3) Build on what they know, perhaps even sharing some of your own personal testimony. Who knows what God might be able to do. And so let’s do so. Amen.

Lechem Panim #195 “Reasoning With The Athenians” (Acts 17:16-21) Pastor Cameron Ury

Hello and welcome to Lechem Panim. As you know, it has been a very challenging time for Paul and his missionary team here in the book of Acts. Paul and Silas have recently been released from prison, have continued ministry in both Thessalonica and Berea, and are facing fierce opposition from the Jewish leaders in Thessalonica who then come to Berea as well to try to inhibit their ministry. And Paul has therefore been forced to flee to Athens, where he is awaiting Silas and Timothy to join him. And so that is where the story of our passage today takes place; in Athens. It says in…

Acts 17:16 (NKJV)— 16 Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols.

Deeply Disturbed— Now the word translated as “provoked” here [is the Greek word “paroxysm,” meaning “sudden, violent emotion.”] Paul looked at the spiritual lostness of these people who had been deceived and blinded by Satan and who are trapped within a pagan culture and system that was without hope and without salvation and was filled with a combination of both righteous anger and grief, which ought to erupt from the heart of any believer when they see either physical or spiritual slavery.

Futile Idolatry— I remember having that feeling at times during my visits to countries like China, Singapore, Malaysia, or the Asian supermarket down the street (which they said I don’t need my passport to get into). But honestly, here in the Seattle area there is a lot of it, as people have come here from all over the world and have brought their idols with them. I mean it’s a very sad thing to see. My family and I sometimes go out to Asian restaurants and see those little golden cats waving at us; they sometimes have their little shrines set up; and there’s often a statue of Buddha to greet us as we walk in and out. I feel sad because I know that many of these people trust in these things to save them when they really have no power to save.

Impotent gods— Some time ago I read a story of how [Hideyoshi, a Japanese warlord who ruled over Japan in the late 1500s, commissioned a colossal statue of Buddha for a shrine in Kyoto. It took 50,000 men five years to build, but the work had scarcely been completed when the earthquake of 1596 brought the roof of the shrine crashing down and wrecked the statue. In a rage Hideyoshi shot an arrow at the fallen colossus. "I put you here at great expense," he shouted, "and you can't even look after your own temple.”] But you know, that is how useless idols are. And you and are grieved when we see people living in worship of those false gods.

Compassion That Moves Us— And here I think Paul feels this similar overwhelming compassion when he sees the idolatry so prevalent there in Athens, where people are worshiping things rather than the Creator; things that have no power to save. And note how he is not just feeling sorry for lost people. No, he is demonstrating Biblical compassion, which is always something that moves you into action. If you and I feel concern for our lost loved ones (or anybody else we know who doesn’t know Jesus), but never take action; never witness; never take the time to enter into their world to bring them the light of Christ, then we don’t really have compassion on them. Compassion (in the Biblical sense) is a movement in your soul that translates into a movement of your body. And that is what Paul is demonstrating. He’s being compelled into action, it says in…

Acts 17:17 (NKJV)— 17 Therefore he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshipers, and in the marketplace daily with those who happened to be there.

A Balanced Ministry— Now I’d like to point out that here you have a demonstration of a healthy balance in ministry. You preach the Word in Church, but then you also carry that Word out into the marketplace; the world. Paul was no doubt at home in the synagogue. But in the marketplace with lost pagans? That was probably outside his comfort zone. But that is where the need was and so that is where he went. And sometimes when it comes to us and our ministry, God may call us out of our comfort zone. He may even call us to another country; another culture. And though we might feel intimidated by that, as with Paul we can see great things happen if we are just willing to step out and obey that calling. Now as Paul is engaging with people in the marketplace, it says in…

Acts 17:18a (NKJV)— 18 Then certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him.

The Epicureans & Stoics— Now [The Epicureans and Stoics were the dominant philosophers in Greek culture. The Epicureans believed that seeking happiness or pleasure was the primary goal of life. By contrast, the Stoics placed thinking above feeling and tried to live in harmony with nature and reason, suppressing their desire for pleasure. Thus, they were very disciplined.] So you have two very polar opposite philosophical groups. And it says…

Acts 17:18b (NKJV)— And some said, “What does this babbler want to say?”

“Babbler”— Now I find it funny that the word they use to mock Paul is “babbler”. Where does the word “babbler” come from? Babel; the place where mankind rebelled against God and God drove them apart by confusing their languages. And early in our study of the book of Acts we talked about how (in many ways) Pentecost (where every person heard the Gospel in their own native tongue) was a picture of mankind’s reunification with God in and through the atoning work of Christ, resulting in the outpouring of the presence of God in the person of the Holy Spirit. How ironic it was then that they called the man who brought to them this good news “babbler”, which was actually the complete opposite of what he was really doing. Let me tell you, people may call you a bigot, intolerant, or any plethora of other things, when in fact you are the complete opposite. You are bringing the good news of perfect love, not hate; of salvation and freedom; not anger and condemnation. So, as my mentor Roman Miller used to say, “Have a thick hide and a warm heart.” And Paul obviously does. Now while some called him “babbler”, it says…

Acts 17:18c-21 (NKJV)— Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods,” because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection.
19 And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new doctrine is of which you speak? 20 For you are bringing some strange things to our ears. Therefore we want to know what these things mean.” 21 For all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing.

“some new thing”— Now that last part of the description is not a compliment. These are not people who are just curious about new ideas and who want to grow their understanding. No, these are people who are enslaved to novelty. They are very much like us in our day and age; a people who always think the new is better than the old. The new generation in our day and age, for example, thinks the old is foolish or (even worse) evil, which is why our founding fathers have come under such strong attack. And our progressive schools are getting more and more bold in their helping to shape their students to think ill of their ancestors and their “foolish”/“evil” beliefs. Because, after all, they weren’t as scientifically sophisticated as we are in our day and age. And so what Satan has done is he’s driven between us and our history a wedge of pride and arrogance that makes us incapable of fully understanding both who we are and who we are meant to be. That is what it means to be enslaved to novelty. And the way you break out of that mindset is through committing yourself to humbly examine all the facts and weigh your beliefs against them. You need to reason through your beliefs. And that is what Paul helps them (and all he comes into contact with) to do. It says “he reasoned with” them.

Reasoning With Them— Now this is so important for us to grasp because Paul is not just preaching at them with passion and conviction. No, if you are going to convince thinking non-believers, you need more than just passion and conviction. You need to show how the evidence supports what you are saying. And this is what made Paul God’s perfect choice for this ministry because these men of Athens were (despite their slavery to novelty) very intelligent, thinking people. Athens was not just a city of magnificent buildings and a plethora of gods; no, it was [a center for Greek culture, philosophy, and education.] And so Paul is the perfect one to bring these men the Good News of Jesus Christ because he himself was from a city that was considered an educational center: Tarsus. He was a rabbi who had trained under a great rabbi, Gamaliel (the finest scholar of his day), and had therefore spent much of his life thinking and reasoning through the scriptures. But not only did he receive training and knowledge in Jewish philosophy and in the Hebrew Scriptures, but he was (as we will see) also deeply familiar with Gentile works, poets, and philosophers as well. And so he was the perfect one to help Gentile pagans understand and connect with a Jewish Messiah. And next week we will see how he does that.

Preparing Ourselves— But what we need to glean from our passage today is the reminder that you and I also need to prepare ourselves to be strong witnesses for Christ. You and I need to know our stuff and be ready to give an answer. Because [The more we know about the Bible, what it means, and how to apply it to life, the more convincing our words will be.] Now does that mean that we should wait until we feel we know a lot before witnessing? Of course not. We ought to start immediately with what we already know and understand, but at the same time seeking always to grow our understanding so that our witness will become more and more effective as we are able to answer more and more of people’s questions and arguments. It’s like it says in…

1 Peter 3:15 (NIV)— 15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,

Let us ready and prepare ourselves this week. Amen.

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Lechem Panim #194 “When God’s Word Explodes” (Acts 17:10-15) Pastor Cameron Ury

Hello and welcome to Lechem Panim. In our study of Acts 17 last week, we found Paul and Silas sharing the Gospel in the city of Thessalonica. For three Sabbaths Paul reasoned in the synagogue with all who would listen. And there is a very positive response, as it says…

Acts 17:4-10a (NKJV)— 4 And some of them were persuaded; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Paul and Silas. 5 But the Jews who were not persuaded, becoming envious, took some of the evil men from the marketplace, and gathering a mob, set all the city in an uproar and attacked the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. 6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too. 7 Jason has harbored them, and these are all acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king—Jesus.” 8 And they troubled the crowd and the rulers of the city when they heard these things. 9 So when they had taken security from Jason and the rest, they let them go. 10 Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea.

Berea— Now Berea was a town located about fifty miles from Thessalonica. It was much less important city than Thessalonica. In fact [the Roman writer Cicero described it as “off the beaten track.”] And yet though it may have been a less important city (at least by the world’s standards) the atmosphere there was very different and lended itself better to hearing the Gospel and responding appropriately. It says in…

Acts 17:10b-11 (NKJV)— When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11 These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.

Examining The Evidence— And the word “searched” or “examined” depending on what translation you are reading is from the Greek word [anakrinō, a word sometimes used of a judicial investigation.] You see, they were carefully sifting all the evidence to see if these things were true and (because they had an open mind, without the prejudices of the Thessalonians) they came to the conclusion that Jesus truly was the Messiah prophesied about in the Old Testament. And that is the conclusion anybody who is willing to be intellectually honest will inevitably come to; because the evidence truly is undeniable.

Modern Security— You know, I am amazed with some of technology available nowadays on computers and phones, particularly in the area of identity protection. They come equipped now not only with multiple layers of password protection, but many even have fingerprint readers on their buttons and facial recognition in their cameras that scan you to make sure its you before allowing access to your device.

Identity Verification— Sometimes it may seem a little over the top, but identity verification is very important; because before you trust somebody, you need to make sure they are who they claim to be and that their identity is not in fact stolen. And never is this more true than when we come to the person of Jesus. Is Jesus the Son of God or was He an impostor? And if He is the Son of God, how can we know for certain? Well, there are a number of ways that we can know for certain. And one of these is fulfilled prophecy; does the identity of Jesus in the New Testament match the prophecies given to us of the Messiah in the Old Testament. And the answer is, of course, it does.

Matthew’s Overview of Fulfilled Prophecies— [Isaiah said the the coming King would give sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf (Isa. 29:18-19; Matt. 5:3; 11:5). Jeremiah said that the coming King would be from the lineage of King David (Jer. 23:5-6). Ezekiel declared that the King would be a tree planted by God (Ezekiel 17:22-24; Matt. 13:31-32). Hosea said that He would take flight to Egypt (Hos. 11:1; Matt. 2:15). Amos said that the sun would go dark when He died (Amos 8:9; Matt. 24:29). Micah stated that He would be born in Bethlehem (Mic 5:1-5); Matt. 2:1). Zechariah said that He would make a triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Zech. 9:9-10; Matt. 21:4-5). In total, there are over 456 prophecies stating specific things that the King would do, and Jesus fulfilled them all right down to the smallest details. In addition to all the prophecies that foretold of Jesus’ coming, Matthew records nineteen of the twenty-nine prophecies that Jesus fulfilled just in the last twenty-four hours of His life.] And so once again I want to reiterate that how Jesus fulfills prophecy is one of the greatest evidences we have of the truth of His claims.

Not Contrived or Accidental— Now some have argued that Jesus tried to fulfill these prophecies in order to deceive us. But that is not plausible because many of those prophecies He fulfilled during (and even prior to) the time He was born, while He was a young child, and prior, during, and following his execution on the cross (all of which if He were a mere man, He could have had no say over. Others suggest that He fulfilled these prophecies by accident; that it is just a coincidence.

Texas Silver Dollars— But [In his book, Science Speaks, Peter Stoner applies the modern science of probability to just eight prophecies regarding Christ. He says, "The chance that any man might have ...fulfilled all eight prophecies is one in 10 to the 17th. That would be 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000." (one hundred quadrillion) {And just to give us a picture of these odds} Stoner suggests that "we take 10 to the 17th silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas. They will cover all of the state 2 feet deep. Now mark one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly... Blindfold a man and tell him he can travel as far as he wishes, but he must pick up [that one marked silver dollar.] What chance would he have of getting the right one?" Stoner concludes, "Just the same chance that the prophets would have had of writing those eight prophecies and having them all come true in any one man,...providing they wrote them in their own wisdom.”] And Stoner’s research has been examined thoroughly and found to be accurate. Now keep in mind that that is JUST 8 PROPHECIES being fulfilled by Jesus. And yet we now know that there are over 456 prophecies that have been fulfilled by Jesus. And so it is important for us to study and know these scriptures because if we know them we can prove that Jesus is who He says He was.

Jesus Points To The O.T.— And that is what Jesus Himself implores people to do. [In John 5:39, Jesus said to the Jewish leaders, “You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that bear witness of Me.” In verse 46 He added, “For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote of Me.” In John 7:17 Jesus called for a willing heart when He said, “If any man is willing to do His will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it is of God, or whether I speak from Myself.” In Luke 24:25–27 Jesus Himself used the Old Testament Scripture to convince the disciples: And He said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?” And beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.]

Despite The Evidence— Now what Jesus is saying is that those who reject the Gospel do so despite the evidence, not because of a lack of it. In fact, most people who reject the Gospel actually have very little knowledge of what the Word of God actually says and reveals. [The primary duty in evangelism, then, must be to demonstrate the truth of Christianity from the Scriptures.] And you and I need to be like the Bereans. We need to make sure that whenever we hear someone making radical claims, we need to weigh those claims against what the Word of God says. And that will always result in two things. The first is that it will help keep us doctrinally sound; believing rightly. But it will also do something else. Because God has placed seeds of change deeply in His Word, there can be in every generation amongst those who expose themselves to His Word the potential to bring great revival and change.

The Next Awakening— I am currently reading a book by Dr. Dennis Kinlaw, in which he shares a powerful personal story of what happened one day when he was sitting in an Old Testament theology class taught by Otto Piper. He tells of how another student asked Otto Piper a question: “Dr. Piper, many of us are going to be graduating in a few weeks. We will be going out into the ministry. Is there a list of ‘must’ books for every pastor? Is there a list of books that every pastor should have read?” Well, I became rather interested at that point and looked up. Dr. Piper looked away and then looked back with that unmoving face of his and said, “I know of only one ‘must’ book.” I caught my breath. Otto Piper was, in my estimation, the greatest scholar I ever sat under. He was a brilliant man. But not only was he a brilliant man, he was also a humble man and incredibly broadly educated. And he looked at bunch of us and said, “I know of only one ‘must’ book.” And then he waited a moment and said, “You know, we make a mistake. Somehow in our Reformed tradition we think that Luther and Calvin produced the Reformation. It wasn’t Luther or Calvin who produced the Reformation. What produced the Reformation was that Luther studied the Word of God. And as he studied, it began to explode inside him. And when it began to explode inside him, he didn’t know any better than to turn it loose on Germany. And it was the Word of God that transformed Germany. “Now,” he said, “the same thing was true of Calvin. You knew what Calvin was going to preach on next Sunday. He would start with the verse after the one where he had stopped on the last Sunday, and he preached his way right through the Bible. Now, the tragedy of the Reformation was that when Luther and Calvin died, Melancthon and Beza edited their work. And so all the Lutherans began to read the Bible to find Luther and all the Calvinists began to read the Bible to find Calvin. And,” he said, “the great corruption was on its way.” He said, “Do you know there is enough undiscovered truth in the Scripture to produce a Reformation and an evangelical awakening in every generation if we would simply expose ourselves to it until it explodes within us and then we turn it loose?”

The Berean Explosion— Now this is what happened with the many of the early Christians; and is what happened here to the Bereans. They looked at the Old Testament, saw the truth of what Paul and Silas were telling them about Jesus, and the truth exploded inside them. And because of their faithfulness to examine the scriptures, it says in…

Acts 17:12 (NKJV)— 12 Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men.

Opposition From Outside— So we see that there is a response in Berea like that of many of the people in Thessalonica. They believe. But (also like in Thessalonica) an opposition forms; though this time the the opposition starts from outside the city rather than inside it. It says in…

Acts 17:13-15 (NKJV)— 13 But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was preached by Paul at Berea, they came there also and stirred up the crowds. 14 Then immediately the brethren sent Paul away, to go to the sea; but both Silas and Timothy remained there {(no doubt to continue to minister to the Church there)}. 15 So those who conducted Paul brought him to Athens; and receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him with all speed, they departed.

Our Mission— Now what we learn from this passage is two-fold. First, we learn that the greatest potential for change in our culture lies in the Word of God; particularly in what it reveals about Jesus. And secondly, though the darkness may at times hate the light, there are countless people out there (like many of the Thessalonians; and many of the Bereans as well) who are waiting for men and women like you and me to step up and (having the Word of God exploding inside us) bring them the Good news of God’s message of salvation. And so this week, I want to challenge you to do two things. First, commit yourself to a deeper love and study of the Word of God. And second, find somebody who needs to hear the Good News and begin the process of sharing it with them. It doesn’t have to be elaborate or deeply theological. Like we said last week, begin with what they know (find that common ground) and then move into what they don’t know. When you do that, God will be with you and will use you to bring about fruit for His Kingdom. Let’s do so. Amen.

Lechem Panim #193 “Witnessing at Thessalonica” (Acts 17:4-10) Pastor Cameron Ury

Hello and welcome to Lechem Panim. If you have been following the show, you’ll know that we have come to chapter 17 of our study of the book of Acts; a chapter in which we find Paul and Silas coming to the city of Thessalonica to share the good news of Jesus Christ with the people there. And Paul begins, as was his custom, in the synagogue. And it says in verse 2 and following…

Acts 17:2b-3 (NKJV)— and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.”

Don’t Skip Out— And so right away we see that Paul begins to witness to a large crowd of unbelievers. Now I am going to be painfully honest with you today. Even as a pastor, I still find witnessing to be difficult. I don’t have a problem sharing the Gospel with believers (which I do every week) but every time I have had to preach before an unbelieving crowd (which of course I had to do when I was involved in prison ministry), I was always (and I mean ALWAYS) reluctant to do it. In fact one week I remember I decided to skip the ministry that week; and the leader of our group called me and said “Where are you?” And I told him I wasn’t going to make it that week. And he told me I needed to come. And, somewhat embarrassed, I went. And from then on out I didn’t dare to skip. Now what I learned from that (and am still learning) is that regardless of how hard it is, you and I need to be faithful to share the Gospel; because Jesus doesn’t ask us to. No, He commands us to. If you claim to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, then His Great Commission applies to you. It is amazing to me how often we talk about sins we need to avoid committing but we often fail to talk about sins of omission; things we should have done, but didn’t. And witnessing (I think) is one of those things for me.

Our Greatest Fear— Now what are you and I worried about? Why is it so hard? Well, it’s intimidating for one thing. Statistics say that the number one fear (even more than the fear of death) is the fear of public speaking. Jerry Seinfeld made the hilarious observation that what that actually means is that at a funeral you and I would rather be the person in the casket than the person giving the eulogy. And maybe sometimes that’s the case. But you know I also think that we are (more than just being afraid of crowds) we are also afraid (and we see this even in individual evangelism) that we will somehow do a bad job and make people’s spiritual conditions somehow worse. And so we say, “Better leave it to the experts.” But you know, God doesn’t ask us to do it well. Now He often does want us to prepare for it as best we can. But He doesn’t say, “You have to do it right or don’t do it at all.” No, what does he say? Jesus says in Mark 13:11 “do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.”

Salvation on The Prison Floor— And let me tell you, EVERY time I have been willing to step out and be that voice for God, God has shown up and has spoken through me. I remember one week we showed up at that prison and I preached (probably pathetically) and none of the prisoners seemed to be listening. All of them were involved in other things. But as I turned to leave (feeling the pangs of discouragement), one of the guards beckoned me to a prisoner I had not even seen (didn’t even know was listening) who was still locked up in his cell. He was asking for me. And I came over and he stuck his fingers out through the bottom of the door and wanted me to hold them and pray with him to receive Christ. And so I prostrated myself on the floor and held his hand. And there and then he gave his life to Christ. What if I had not showed up that night? What if I had said to Jesus, “I’m sorry, I just don’t feel equipped enough.” A soul may have been lost for the kingdom.

Where To Start— Now sometimes you and I simply don’t know where to start. Well, Paul (in his sermon here in this synagogue in Thessalonica) offers us a clue. Because the first thing we see him do is he tells his listeners (very simply) what the Word of God says. And that is the secret of all great preaching by the way; not eloquence or speaking ability, but being willing to simply get out of the way and let the Word of God be spoken by God to people through you. That is what Paul always did.

Anchored in Scripture— Notice how he anchors his arguments in what God has revealed in and through His Word; the very Word these Jews revered. He began with what they knew, which is where we also need to start when we minister to others. It is always a good idea to begin with whatever truth somebody does know (finding that common ground) and then move into what they don’t know. Paul knew they were expecting the Messiah/the Christ to come, though they were expecting Him to be this great military figure who would come and deliver them from all physical oppression (particularly Rome). And eventually Rome would fall, but God knew that that would not solve their primary issue, which wasn’t external bondage, but internal bondage. And that is why Paul moves from what they know about the Messiah to what they don’t know, explaining to them (using the scriptures) how before the Messiah could deliver them physically, he had to first deliver them spiritually. He had to first suffer, die, and be raised again in order to deal with the root of their true problem, which was the problem of sin. Now Luke doesn’t tell us what scriptures he used, though he no doubt referenced the foreshadowing of Christ’s death in the sacrificial system of Israel. He probably referenced passages like Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53 to prove how the Messiah had to die, and to passages like Psalm 16 that showed that the Messiah would rise from the dead. But whatever scriptures he used, he pulled them all together to show them that without a doubt Jesus is the Christ so clearly prophesied about in the Old Testament. Now it says in…

Acts 17:4-5 (NKJV)— 4 And some of them were persuaded; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Paul and Silas. 5 But the Jews who were not persuaded, becoming envious, took some of the evil men from the marketplace, and gathering a mob, set all the city in an uproar {(ironically, the very thing they were accusing the missionaries of doing, which is how it usually is)} and attacked the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people.

Jealous Motivation— By the way, it’s interesting; notice how they never try to refute Paul and Silas’ theology. They don’t respond with logical counterarguments. And that’s because they were jealous of Paul and Silas; and that jealousy was what was motivating them; not a desire to keep doctrinal purity. And that is what we also will find when we share the Gospel; sometimes people will scoff at us and might even begin maligning us, not because they disagree with us, but because they are jealous or threatened by the truth of what you are saying. And that is what we see was driving this mob. And here we see they begin searching for Paul and Silas in the house of a man by the name of Jason. Now we don’t know that much about Jason. He is one of the un-sung heroes of scripture. “Jason” was common name for Jewish men living in the diaspora; and Paul and Silas were apparently staying in his home, as that is where the mob comes looking for them. And Jason takes the heat for Paul and Silas. It says…

Acts 17:6-7 (NKJV)— 6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too. 7 Jason has harbored them, and these are all acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king—Jesus.”

Accused of Treason— And the reason they say this is because they knew the Romans would not care about any theological disagreement between them and these preachers. However, they would care about treason, which was a very serious crime in the Roman Empire. And so that is what they are accused of, as their allegiance to Jesus (whom they claimed was a King, though we know He was a very different kind of King) would sound suspicious. And that is what people will do to us as well. They will skew the truth in whatever way suits their fancy in order to make us look bad. For the rest of time, Christians like you and me are going to get labeled with words like “biggot”, “intolerant”, “anti-progress”, “narrow-minded”, (or even worse) “close-minded”. And we just need to recognize that that is par for the course. If we follow Jesus (who was wrongfully accused Himself with the same accusation we see here being leveled against Paul and Silas), we ought not to expect anything less. Now these accusations serve to poison many against Paul and Silas, as it says in…

Acts 17:8-9 (NKJV)— 8 And they troubled the crowd and the rulers of the city when they heard these things. 9 So when they had taken security {(or bond)} from Jason and the rest, they let them go.

Fleeing Thessalonica— So [Jason posted bond—putting up cash for freedom. By doing so, he promised that the trouble would cease or his own property and possibly his own life would be taken.] But [since that bond would be forfeited if there was any more trouble, Paul and his companions had no choice but to leave.] So they flee from Thessalonica because of Jewish opposition. However, don’t think for a minute that the ministry in Thessalonica was dead. No, the church there was actually thriving and growing. [Two of its members, Aristarchus and Secundus, joined Paul in his evangelistic work (Acts 20:4). Paul commended all the church members in 1 Thessalonians 1:8, because “the word of the Lord [had] sounded forth from [them], not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place [their] faith toward God [had] gone forth.” The Thessalonians used their strategic location on the Egnatian Way to spread the gospel far beyond their own city.] Nevertheless, because of opposition, Paul and Silas had to flee the city. And it says in…

Acts 17:10a (NKJV)— 10 Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea.

Let’s Step Out— And next week we will see what God does through Paul and Silas while there in Berea. But this week I want to encourage you to get out there and begin sharing your faith. Start conversations, find out what truths the people you speak to already believe and then build on that and eventually connect them with Jesus Christ. Don’t worry about how well equipped you are. God Himself will equip you as you step out in faith and trust in Him. Let’s do so this week. Amen.

Lechem Panim #192 “Challenging Wonderland” (Acts 17:1-3) Pastor Cameron Ury

An Upside Down World— Hello and welcome to the show today. Before we dive into our study of Acts 17 today, I’d just like to say how fascinating it is that today in our increasingly god-less society (where belief in the Christian God is being systematically attacked) at the same time you have an ever-increasing awareness that there is a deep brokenness in our world. It doesn't matter who you are talking to or what positions they hold to; what their world-views even are. There is not a person alive who looks at our world today and says "this is exactly how it is supposed to be.” Even those who claim there is no god and who's worldview claims that everything has come about out of chaos, is naturally uncomfortable with that chaos. They crave order; a higher standard. And one might argue that the fact that they are craving for something greater than what we experience in this world is evidence that there is a standard outside of ourselves to which all things were designed to conform to. But many people don't make that logical deduction. Now Christians understand this better than most because the Bible reveals to us that the world was in fact created by a benevolent God; and it was created perfect. However, because of the fall of mankind, the world fell under a curse. And that curse has twisted everything around, turning the world upside down to where we find ourselves trapped in a world system that is hostile to God.

Where People Walk Upside Down— In the classic children’s novel Alice in Wonderland, Alice follows a white rabbit into a hole and suddenly falls down towards a world of chaos (wonderland). And she is falling and falling for a long time. And while falling, she says “What if I should fall right through the center of the earth... oh, and come out the other side, where people walk upside down.” Now to us that is silly. But when she eventually comes to Wonderland, she does discover a land filled with people who are upside down; not physically, but mentally. Nothing makes sense in Wonderland. Nothing is logical. And that (sadly) is what our world seems to be becoming more like every single day. And Christians, who carry the Gospel to people into our world find that their light is hated by the darkness (John 3:20). People who are living in Wonderland are committed to the ways they are living their lives and are deeply threatened by anybody who challenges them, even though Christians are not (as claimed in this passage) trying to turn the world upside down, but rather are trying to turn the world right side up. But when we do that; when we upset the system and disturb the comfort of sinners, we are going to meet resistance; sometimes violent resistance. And this has been the case stretching all the way back to the Old Testament.

Elijah— In the book of 1 Kings you remember that king Ahab, who was more wicked than all of his predecessors, was sitting on the throne of Israel. And to make matters worse, he was married to Jezebel, who was the wicked daughter of the pagan king of Sidon and incredibly wicked herself. And she incited Ahab and caused him to lead Israel into idolatry. Now God sent a man by the name of Elijah (a man whose name literally means "Yahweh is God”) to confront Ahab. And Elijah declares that there will be a drought that will strike Israel. And when Ahab and Elijah eventually meet face to face, the exasperated Ahab exclaims, “Is that you, O troubler of Israel?” (1 Kings 18:17). In other words, it is not his fault but Elijah’s!

Jeremiah— Another King that we read about in the book of Jeremiah is the last king of Judah, Zedekiah. Jerusalem had been besieged by Babylon, but now the Babylonian army has withdrawn temporarily to deal with the threat of Pharaoh’s forces (Jer. 37:11). But despite this, Jeremiah insisted that Judah would fall and anybody remaining in the city would be killed either by the sword, by famine, or by pestilence. And a group of court officials were infuriated at Jeremiah and dragged him before King Zedekiah, beseeching the King, saying “Please, let this man be put to death, for thus he weakens the hands of the men of war who remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, by speaking such words to them. For this man does not seek the welfare of this people, but their harm.” (Jer. 38:4) And so we see that because Jeremiah was willing to proclaim God’s message to His people, because they had an upside-down perspective, they accused him (basically) of treason.

Amos— During the period of the divided kingdom there was a prophet of God by the name of Amos, who was a native of the southern kingdom of Judah. However, God sent him to the northern kingdom of Israel with a message of doom. But it says in…

Amos 7:10-12 (NKJV)— 10 Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, “Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel. The land is not able to bear all his words. 11 For thus Amos has said: ‘Jeroboam shall die by the sword, And Israel shall surely be led away captive From their own land.’ ” 12 Then Amaziah said to Amos: “Go, you seer! Flee to the land of Judah. There eat bread, And there prophesy.

A Recurring Pattern— You see, Amos was turning Amaziah’s world upside down, and Amaziah wouldn’t have it. Now these are just a few examples. But you can see this pattern all over. Joseph is thrown into pit and prison for dreaming. Daniel is thrown into the lion’s den for praying. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are thrown into the fiery furnace for refusing to bow down to Nebuchadnezzar’s golden image. Wherever we look in scripture and find men and women proclaiming God’s message, we most often find them suffering because of their message. And Jesus tells us why this is in…

John 15:18-21 (NKJV)— 18 “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. 21 But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me.

Disturbers of The Peace— And we definitely see that here in the book of Acts as  Christians (like Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke) face that same enmity from the world, as in every city they minister in, there is often first a positive response to their message followed by a subsequent disturbance from those who do not want to face the truth and turn away from their sin to Jesus Christ. And this missionary team has most recently left Philippi (where their ministry upset the pagan Greeks) and now they are moving on to the next city, where they will encounter similar resistance. It says in…

Acts 17:1 (NKJV)— 1 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews.

From Philippi to Thessalonica— Now note the shift back to the third person, which seems to signify that Luke stayed behind in Philippi to minister to the Church there. As a Gentile, he would have been less of a target and therefore a good man to choose to do that. It is also possible that Timothy (a half-Jew) remained behind as well. But the rest of the team moves on. And so [Leaving Philippi, the missionaries traveled southwest along the important Roman highway known as the Egnatian Way, through Amphipolis and Apollonia]. Now they don’t seem to have ministered in Amphipolis and Apollonia, likely because there were no synagogues in those cities and Paul no doubt expected the Philippian Christians to carry the message to them. [It was Paul’s policy to minister in the larger cities and make them centers for evangelizing a whole district (see Acts 19:10, 26; 1 Thess. 1:8).] And so they move on to Thessalonica. And these places were somewhat far apart from each other. [Amphipolis was about thirty miles from Philippi, Apollonia about thirty miles from Amphipolis, and Thessalonica just under forty miles from Apollonia. The narrative implies that they made the journey from Philippi to Thessalonica in three days, stopping for the night at Amphipolis and again at Apollonia. If so, they covered about thirty miles a day, leading some commentators to speculate that they traveled on horses (perhaps supplied through the generosity of the Philippian church). {And that is because} It is difficult to imagine that Paul and Silas, weakened by their beating at Philippi, could have walked nearly one hundred miles in three days.] But whatever the case, they arrive at Thessalonica.

Thessalonica— Now Thessalonica was the capital and most important city of Macedonia and had a population of about 200,000 people. It [was a major port and an important commercial center.] And it has remained a significant city in Greece even up to the present day. And when they arrive there, Paul does what he always does when possible; he goes to the local synagogue and begins to courageously proclaim the Gospel. It says in…

Acts 17:2-3 (NKJV)—  2 Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.”

A Dialogue— Now that word “Reasoned” [is from {the Greek word} dialegomai, from which the English word dialogue derives.] And so Paul is not standing up and delivering a long lecture, with his listeners just sitting and listening. No, this was a discussion; a dialogue. Paul is fielding questions, which was (by the way) how teaching was done in Jewish culture, and how Paul typically ministered in synagogues (cf. Acts 18:4,19; 19:8–9). And that is why, if we are going to be effective witnesses for Christ, we need to be able to answer people’s questions about our faith.

Coffee & Questions— Some time ago I had the opportunity to witness to a young man in a coffee shop. He used to be a Christian (even a youth pastor) but eventually left the faith because he had questions that Christians he knew wouldn’t answer and actually looked down on him for having. And so I talked with him for a few hours and did my best to shed light on those issues for him. I didn’t ridicule his views, but simply offered insight where I could in a way that made him feel heard. And he said that he never had anyone talk with him like that. But the conversation ended by his saying he was going to start going back to church. All because of one conversation! And that has always reminded me of 1 Peter 3:15, which says…

1 Peter 3:15 (NKJV)— 15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;

Prepare to Answer— And so let us be men and women who are prepared to engage with people, answer their questions, and present the reasons for our faith. Who knows? Some may just choose to follow Jesus because of you. Let’s be faithful witnesses this week. Amen.

Lechem Panim #191 “Paul And Silas Delivered” (Acts 16:25-40) Pastor Cameron Ury

Hello and welcome to the show today. As you may know, we have been in the book of Acts; and if you were with us last week, you will remember that we saw that Paul and Silas have just been thrown into prison because of their having driven a demon out of a girl who (with the aid of that demon/a python spirit, as the actual Greek text says) was able to tell the future. With the hope of making profit off her now gone, her handlers/owners (who didn’t care one whit about her, by the way) stir up the crowds and have Paul and Silas severely beaten and thrown into a maximum security prison.

They Couldn’t Sleep— Now I don’t know how you would feel after having all this happen to you. Paul and Silas obviously didn’t feel good. They are in pain from their having been severely beaten; they have been humiliated and are now sitting in a filthy dungeon. On top of that [Their feet were fastened in stocks designed to induce painful cramping by spreading their legs as wide as possible.] And so they obviously cannot sleep. But instead of moaning and groaning; instead of complaining; instead of cursing the ones who did this to them (as any of the other prisoners might have; and maybe some of them were) it says in…

Acts 16:25 (ESV)— 25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them,

How Christians Suffer— And let me tell you, there is nothing more powerful to a non-believer than observing the way that Christians suffer; because there is no other way to explain it than by the Spirit of God. It is the Spirit who can transform us and empower us to show love and hope in the direst of circumstances, focusing our attention on the eternal reward rather than the temporal suffering. Paul himself writes in…

2 Corinthians 4:16-17 (ESV)— 16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,

Yielding Themselves— So Paul and Silas are not losing heart, but focusing instead on the eternal; and maybe even more so on the invisible presence of Jesus right there in that prison with them. And as they are yielding themselves into the will of God and focusing themselves on the presence of Jesus with them, they are experiencing joy and peace; so much so that they can even pray and sing hymns. Now it is when we place our faith and trust in God like that that then the unthinkable can happen and God is willing to move most powerfully. And we see this here, as it says in…

Acts 16:26-27 (ESV)— 26 and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's bonds were unfastened. {Now the jailer’s house was probably located next to the prison, and so the earthquake no doubt rocked his house as well, waking him up. And it says…} 27 When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped.

An Almost Suicide— [He knew all too well that a Roman soldier who allowed a prisoner to escape, no matter what the cause, paid with his own life (cf. Acts 12:19; 27:42). {And so} Rather than anticipate facing the humiliating and painful execution that would surely follow, the jailer chose to kill himself immediately.] But a voice calling out of the darkness stops him. It says…

Acts 16:28 (ESV)— 28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.”

All Remained— And interestingly, this included all the prisoners (who were probably in the same dungeon). None of them had attempted to escape. Why? We don’t know. Maybe they were afraid of the consequences should they be re-captured. Maybe they were afraid of aftershocks. Or maybe their respect for Paul and Silas caused them to want to stay. We don’t know. I’m also interested in why Paul and Silas didn’t choose to try to escape, especially when they would have recognized this as a mighty moving of the hand of God. But for some reason, they and the others choose to remain. Perhaps Paul and Silas sensed God wanting them to remain. Whatever the reason, the jailer is amazed. It says in…

Acts 16:29-34 (ESV)— 29 And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. {And obviously seeing this earthquake as being divine confirmation of their message, it says…} 30 Then he brought them out {(no doubt after re-securing the prisoners)} and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. {And this, even if it was not done out in the open, would have quickly gotten around because no doubt a lot of people had gathered in that area because of the earthquake. Now furthermore it says…} 34 Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them {(showing hospitality, just as Lydia had done)}. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.

His Life Given Back— And you can really sense his joy. Moments before he had been facing death. And now his life has been given back to him. And he (recognizing that this was a gift of God) does what each and every one of us who knows of Jesus’ salvation ought to do; he gives his life right back to God. And in so doing he obtains eternal life, which makes him rejoice all the more.

Celebrate— Do you rejoice daily in your salvation? You should. There is nothing better than experiencing in your own life the redemption of Christ Jesus. Because of that empty tomb and our being received into the family of God, every day ought to be a celebration; because (no matter what we are facing) we have become inheritors of a great and glorious Kingdom and are one day going to walk the those streets of gold hand in hand with God. And so let us remember to celebrate. Now it says in…

Acts 16:35 (ESV)— 35 But when it was day, the magistrates sent the police, saying, “Let those men go.”

Not Gonna Go Quietly— And they were no doubt hoping that Paul and Silas would, having learned their lesson, limp quietly out of town. But it says in…

Acts 16:36-37 (ESV)— 36 And the jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, “The magistrates have sent to let you go. Therefore come out now and go in peace.” 37 But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us publicly, uncondemned, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and do they now throw us out secretly? No! Let them come themselves and take us out.”

Paul’s Stand— And so we see that Paul kind of has a Clint Eastwood moment and decides he's not going to go quietly. But contrary to how this might first appear, this is not because he wants to exact some kind of revenge. Keep in mind that he has just become the shepherd of the church there in Philippi. And if he were to leave quietly after having been treated so wrongly (and illegally), it would have set a dangerous precedent for how future missionaries would be treated; not to mention the potential mistreatment of the church there in Philippi by those same magistrates. And he knew full well that [To inflict corporal punishment on a citizen was a grave violation of Roman law, all the more so since it had been done without trial. The consequences, both for the magistrates and for the city, were potentially very serious. The magistrates could have been removed from office, and the emperor could have rescinded Philippi’s privileges as a Roman colony.] And so he takes a stand for justice and demands that they at least escort them out, showing them the respect due to Roman citizens.

Standing for Justice— And you know, often we get into our minds that being a Christian means we have to let people walk all over us; that we need to always take abuse with a smile. And we have been led to mean that that is what Jesus meant by “turn the other cheek” or “if anybody takes your cloak”; that kind of thing. But God is a God of justice just as much as He is a God of love. And if we only remain passive and don’t stand against injustice, then we are not just allowing abuse on ourselves, but are also allowing a behavior to continue that might spill onto somebody else. And Paul recognized that, which is why he chose to take a stand. And it proves very effective.

Acts 16:38-40 (ESV)— 38 The police reported these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Roman citizens. 39 So they came and apologized to them. And they took them out and asked them to leave the city. 40 So they went out of the prison and visited Lydia. And when they had seen the brothers, they encouraged them and departed.

Satan Thwarted Again— And so once again we see how Satan’s plans to infiltrate and persecute the church in Philippi only resulted in another family being added to it and it’s gaining the protection of the city rulers.

God’s Can Use The Bad— And so this morning I want to leave you with the message that God is with you in every situation you face. And though Satan might try to infiltrate your heart; and when that fails persecute you from every other direction, if you remain faithful to God, God will make all the bad merely the seed for some of His greatest blessings. But we have to trust in Him; and rejoice even in the midst of the darkest circumstances, knowing that He truly is working all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Let’s trust in Him. Amen.