The Word Podcast

ACTS 27:25 Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.

Here we find Paul in a life threatening storm.  And even in the mist of the storm we find Paul ministering to others.  He was witnessing of his faith.  Paul said "I believe God". 

And Paul's witnessing during the storm had an effect.

ACTS 27:36 Then were they all of good cheer, and they also took some meat.

The storm was still raging.  The ship was still in danger.  Yet these men were all of good cheer. 

Paul knew how to behave himself in the storms of life.  He kept witnessing for God and it did make a difference. 

Too many Christians have some storm come their way and then they start complaining.  What they should do is keep in good cheer and witness for God.  People will see God working in your life during the storm if you carry yourself the way God would have you to.

People have been trying to explain away the resurrection for centuries.  But it cannot be explained away. 

Some adhere to the swoon theory.  They say that Jesus only fainted and then the coolness of the tomb awakened Him.

This theory has no merit.  Christ was pierced in the side with a spear and water and blood came out.  The soldier was on the ground and Christ was lifted up on the cross.  So the angle of the spear would have been upward.  It would have been at an angle that would have pierced the heart.  The heart has a sack of water surrounding it.  This sack works as a shock absorber for the heart.  This sack is were the water came from that came out of the wound with the blood.  No one has a spear tear thru this sack of water and the heart and recover.

Christ really did die.  He literally died.  He had the blood drained from His heart.

He rose again three days later.  Referring to this Paul asks a question.  Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead?

Paul is trying to get this man to understand that it is nothing for God to raise the dead. 

The God that created all things out of nothing.  The God that brought life into existence in the first place can raise the dead with only a thought.  It is no effort for Him at all.

There is no reason to try to explain away the resurrection, and the resurrection cannot be explained away. 

ACTS 25:3 And desired favour against him, that he would send for him to Jerusalem, laying wait in the way to kill him.

Here we go again.  Someone who believes in works salvation trying to kill someone who believes salvation is a free gift (which is what the Bible teaches).

This has been taking place since Cain killed Abel.

We see this not only in the Bible but also in history.  The Catholics (who believe in works salvation) killed millions and millions of people who believed in salvation by grace.  They were called by many different names and lived in many different countries but they were all murdered by the Catholics for the same reason.  They refused a false works based salvation. 

This went on for hundreds and hundreds of years. 

This brutality alone should be enough to convince you which system is right, works or grace.  You will never see in History grace believers murdering works believers.

And that is your only two choices.  All religions can be placed in either the camp of works or the camp of grace. 

And often in history we see the works crowd persecuting the people of grace.  And it is not going to stop until Jesus comes back.

Oh, I know that the Catholics have stopped it recently. 

But it is just picked up by others.  Most commonly today it is the Muslims. 

It has been this way since Cain and it will keep happening until Jesus comes back.

Now before you misunderstand me.  I know that not every one that believes in works kills those that believe in grace. 

The point that I am making is that the works system does breed those that kill true believers, whereas the grace system NEVER does.

Why?

The answer is simple.  Satan is the inventor and propagator of the work your way to heaven false religious systems.  The Bible says that Satan was a murder from the beginning.

Satan hates God, and Satan hates God's born again saved by grace Christians.  So it should be no surprise that some that are in Satan's work your way to heaven religious systems would take on Satan's murderous attitude.

ACTS 24:25 And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.

God clearly blessed Paul's preaching here and brought great conviction to Felix.  Felix was trembling. 

Then comes one of the saddest sayings in the Bible.  Felix says, "Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee."

That season never came.  Felix never called Paul again and God never called Felix again like He was at this time.  Felix was all so close.  But close does not count.  You have to repent and call upon Jesus.

Luk 13:3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

You need to change your mind about your sin, realize that you are on your way to hell, believe in Jesus, and call upon Him to save you.  And you have His promise that He will.  Salvation really is that simple. 

If God is speaking to you about getting saved, do not make the same mistake that Felix did.

God might never give you another chance. 

2Co 6:2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now [is] the accepted time; behold, now [is] the day of salvation.)

If you are not saved, will you not trust Him now?

ACTS 23:3 Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, thou whited wall: for sittest thou to judge me after the law, and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law?

ACTS 23:4 And they that stood by said, Revilest thou God's high priest?

ACTS 23:5 Then said Paul, I wist not, brethren, that he was the high priest: for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people.

Here is a principal that most Christians have forgotten or just ignore.

Rulers are ordained by God.  Yes both good rulers and bad rulers.  Saul was a bad ruler set up by God as a punishment for Israel's rebellion.  And even thou Saul tried to kill David, David was still respectful.

The principal before us is that, "Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people."

All rulers, even bad ones, have been set up by God and thus deserve respectful treatment. 

Rom 13:1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.

Instead of bashing our presidents we are to pray for them. 

1Ti 2:1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, [and] giving of thanks, be made for all men;

1Ti 2:2 For kings, and [for] all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.

It does not matter if we agree with them or not, or if we like them or not.  We are instructed to pray for all that are in authority.

No matter who the next president is; as Christians we need to respect his position and pray for him. 

Paul then gets to preach to them.  There is one main important difference in this sermon from Paul.  You do not find anyone getting saved.

Many other times Paul's preaching met with harsh persecution, but you will read about someone who believed.  Not here.  Not even one. 

Why?  The reason is that Paul got out of the will of God.  He was told not to go to Jerusalem twice but went anyway. 

We see a important principal here.  Preachers just say the words.  It is God that brings conviction in the hearts of men.  It is God that speaks to hearts.  It is only by His Power and His blessing that preaching will have an effect. 

Without God working, preaching will accomplish nothing. 

We need more real God empowered preaching today and then we need to give all the glory were glory is due, and that is to God.

Paul was told twice not to go to Jerusalem.  Once in verse 4 and once in verse 11.

ACTS 21:4 And finding disciples, we tarried there seven days: who said to Paul through the Spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem.

Verse 4 makes it clear that it was the Holy Spirit that was telling Paul not to go.

Paul refused to listen so in verse 11 God sends a prophet to tell him again what will happen if he goes to Jerusalem.  Here is displayed the grace of God trying to keep Paul from going the wrong way. 

Paul still refuses to listen and goes anyway.  Even men of God can get stubborn and fail to listen.  We are all sinners saved by grace and we all can and do make mistakes.  Paul is making one here. 

You go ahead and mark it down.  Nothing good comes from disobeying God. 

No sooner is Paul out of the will of God by going to Jerusalem that we find him engaging in a ritual that Paul had no business being involved in.

The veil of the Temple had been rent and the age of grace ushered in.  They were to worship in Spirit and in truth and no longer in rituals.  What the rituals pointed to (which is Jesus) has been fulfilled.  So the rituals are no longer needed.  We now have the substance so the shadow is no longer needed. 

They asked Paul to go to the Temple and be involved in a ritual to show that Paul was for the law and kept the law.

Paul should have been preaching Jesus and salvation by grace, but we find him in the temple to show his support for rituals and the law. 

We are to worship God in Spirit and in Truth.  Not in rituals.

We are to tell people who are trusting in rituals and works that they are wrong.  We are to tell them how to be saved.  We are not to go worship with them like Paul is doing here.  When you worship with them you are saying with your actions that what they believe in and are doing is right.

Instead of bringing conviction to their hearts so they might forsake the lie that they are trusting in and be saved, worshiping with them gives them even more confidence that what they are doing is right.  Worshiping with people who are trusting in works to save them, is only helping them go to hell. 

This is one of the things that is wrong with movements like promise keepers.

Instead of telling the Catholic men in promise keepers that their trust in works and Mary will send them to hell, they are giving them even more confidence in their false faith.

Christians need to take a stand against false work based religious systems, and any group or movement that accepts and supports those false work based systems.

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ACTS 20:8 And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together.

I want to quickly point out a few things today from these two verses.

1. They were gathered together to break bread (the Lord's Supper).  The Lord's Supper is do be done when believers are assembled.  It is not to be done alone in a hospital.

2.  They were gathered together on the first day of the week.  The first day of the week is Sunday.  Worship changed from Saturday to Sunday!  The reason is that Christ rose from the dead on Sunday.  The Sabbath represents the law.  We do not worship the law we worship Christ.  We celebrate His resurrection every single Sunday.  That is why you are to go to church on Sunday.

3.  In verse 7 we see that they were also gathered for preaching! and not a side show.  We live in the day of itching ears and the un biblical side shows of TV "Christianity"  So I have to keep bringing it up from time to time.  They gathered for real preaching.

4.  Paul continued preaching until Midnight in verse 7, and then later in verse 11 we find that Paul preached until the morning.  These Christians loved  preaching!  They did NOT LOVE entertainment.   They stayed all night for preaching.  How many people today start looking at their watch if the preacher goes 5 min. over?  The people of God should Love the preaching of God's Holy Perfect Preserved Word!

Paul runs into some religious men.  Instead of just accepting whatever they believe, Paul asks them a very important question.

ACTS 19:2 He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.

Paul asks them a doctrinal question.  He asked if they have received the Holy Ghost.  Now to be able to understand what is really going on here, you must know when does a Christian receive the Holy Ghost.

Eph 1:13 In whom ye also [trusted], after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

The order is you hear the gospel, you believe, then the Holy Spirit seals you.  This all happens at salvation.

You get the Holy Spirit at salvation.

Rom 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

If you do not have the Holy Spirit, then you are not His. 

You receive the Holy Spirit at salvation so if you have not received the Holy Spirit, then you are not saved.  The teaching that you get saved and then get the Spirit later is not Biblical. 

And just so you do not miss understand me.  I am not talking about this unbiblical flopping on the floor junk.

So Paul in a round about way is asking them if they are saved.  Paul now knowing that they are not Christians asks them about their baptism.  Paul wants information about what they believe so he can witness appropriately to them.

ACTS 19:3 And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism.

They tell Paul that they were baptized unto John's baptism.  Paul now knows how to work with them.

ACTS 19:4 Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.

Paul then explains what John's baptism was really about.  Paul exposed their error.  He taught them the truth.  He told them that they needed to believe on Christ Jesus.   And then look at what happens next. 

ACTS 19:5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

They got baptized again.  Baptism is for saved people.  Their first baptism did not count because they were lost when they got baptized the first time.  One of the things that baptism is for is to show forth and identify with the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.

Now that they are saved they can now follow the Lord in believers baptism. 

In Acts Chapter 19 we have an example of re-baptizing someone who was not properly baptized the first time.

To have scriptural baptism you must be saved, be baptized with the right method, and with the right authority. 

The only correct method is to go under the water and then back out of the water.  This is the only method that shows the death, burial, and resurrection.  You cannot show death, burial, and resurrection with sprinkling or pouring.

The only correct authority is a scriptural Bible believing New Testament church.

If you were baptized before you were saved, then you need to follow the Bible's teaching and get baptized again. 

Paul preached to them Jesus.  (More preaching in the book of acts).  They rejected Paul.  But Paul did not quit.

ACTS 18:7 And he departed thence, and entered into a certain man's house, named Justus, one that worshipped God, whose house joined hard to the synagogue.

Joined hard to the synagogue means that they were attached.  A duplex would be a good example.

Paul was rejected so he just went next door.

Verse 11 tells us that Paul stayed there a year and six months.  Paul preached next door to the people who rejected him for a long time.

Use your imagination just for a moment.  Can you imagine the looks and the nasty things that were said from the people next door.  Every time Paul went in and out of that building to preach he endured the hostility.  His love for the people that were listening and his love for God was greater than the persecution.

ACTS 18:8 And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized.

Paul's boldness and his faithfulness to witness under hostile conditions made a difference.  In verse 8 we see that many of the Corinthians heard, believed, and were baptized.

We all need to ask ourselves from time to time: How bold is our witness for Christ?