Latest / Bible in a Year with Jack Graham / Paul Beaten in Jerusalem - The Book of Acts
Transcript
- 0:00Speaker 1: Let us pray. And as they bound him with thongs,
- 0:05Speaker 1: Paul said unto the centurion that stood by, Is it
- 0:09Speaker 1: lawful for you to scourge a man that is a
- 0:11Speaker 1: Roman and uncondemned? Acts 22.25 Dear Jesus, because you have
- 0:20Speaker 1: called me to be an effective leader, teach me through
- 0:23Speaker 1: your Holy Spirit not only what to say, but how
- 0:27Speaker 1: to say it. in order to most powerfully impact my listeners.
- 0:33Speaker 1: When I speak, help me to take into account impact
- 0:38Speaker 1: and not image. Help me to evaluate my audience and
- 0:43Speaker 1: communicate in a way that best connects to my listeners.
- 0:49Speaker 1: As I do so, help me give them practical applications
- 0:53Speaker 1: to the message they're receiving from me and how to
- 0:56Speaker 1: execute your words of truth. and impact in their lives.
- 1:02Speaker 1: By your grace, Jesus, and through your power, I declare
- 1:07Speaker 1: that I am a master communicator and that I am
- 1:11Speaker 1: equipped to deliver with impact and empathy the message placed
- 1:15Speaker 1: in my heart. In Jesus' name.
- 1:21Speaker 2: Amen.
- 1:23Speaker 1: Thank you for praying with us today. Continue your time
- 1:26Speaker 1: with God.
- 1:42Speaker 3: Paul Beaten in Jerusalem In our last story, Paul said
- 1:47Speaker 3: goodbye to the Ephesian church. He knew that danger awaited
- 1:51Speaker 3: him in Jerusalem. The threat of danger and death was present.
- 1:55Speaker 3: But Paul was determined to preach the gospel to his kin.
- 1:59Speaker 3: So with great tears, Paul left Ephesus to Jerusalem. Now
- 2:04Speaker 3: we see Paul taken up by an angry mob of Jews.
- 2:07Speaker 3: He is beaten and nearly killed, but saved ultimately by
- 2:11Speaker 3: his Roman citizenship, inspired by the book of Acts.
- 2:18Speaker 4: Hello, this is Jack Graham once again with the Bible
- 2:21Speaker 4: in a Year podcast. In our last episode, we heard
- 2:25Speaker 4: how Paul brought a young man back to life after
- 2:28Speaker 4: the youth fell from a third-story window. God continued to
- 2:31Speaker 4: work through this great man in both his words and
- 2:34Speaker 4: the signs he performed in the power of the Holy Spirit.
- 2:37Speaker 4: We also heard Paul's farewell to the church at Ephesus,
- 2:41Speaker 4: which he dearly loved. Today, we'll find Paul in Jerusalem,
- 2:46Speaker 4: together with the church there, led by Jesus' own brother, James,
- 2:50Speaker 4: who gives wise counsel to Paul. Despite his best efforts
- 2:54Speaker 4: to make peace, the Jewish religious establishment in Asia will
- 2:57Speaker 4: stir up hatred towards this godly man, nearly killing the
- 3:01Speaker 4: Apostle Paul. So, let's listen now to this reading from
- 3:05Speaker 4: the book of Acts.
- 3:07Speaker 3: Paul went into Jerusalem under the cover of night. He
- 3:10Speaker 3: and Luke wandered in through the city gates, hoods over
- 3:13Speaker 3: their faces and torches snuffed. It was Passover, and the
- 3:17Speaker 3: city was still filled with activity. Paul and Luke weaved
- 3:21Speaker 3: through groups of people, avoiding fires and torches. Paul looked
- 3:25Speaker 3: around the city. It had been a very long time
- 3:28Speaker 3: since he had been in Jerusalem. The sweet spring air
- 3:31Speaker 3: blew through the city, and Paul caught a glimpse of
- 3:34Speaker 3: the large temple looming in the distance. The temple, God's
- 3:38Speaker 3: holy dwelling. Paul smiled. He was thankful that now, thanks
- 3:43Speaker 3: to Jesus, God dwelled in the hearts of men and
- 3:46Speaker 3: women who believed. Luke and Paul made their way to
- 3:49Speaker 3: the home of James, Jesus' brother. He greeted them warmly,
- 3:54Speaker 3: and the three of them shared a meal with the elders.
- 3:57Speaker 3: The church in Jerusalem was thriving under the leadership of James. However,
- 4:01Speaker 3: the Jews were becoming increasingly more angry.
- 4:03Speaker 2: By the day.
- 4:04Speaker 3: They are all zealous for the law,' James said.
- 4:07Speaker 4: And they.
- 4:09Speaker 3: Speak about you quite often, Paul. Even I have heard
- 4:12Speaker 3: stories from them. They say you tell them not to
- 4:15Speaker 3: circumcise their children and to forsake Moses.' James took a
- 4:19Speaker 3: sip from his cup. There was clear concern on his
- 4:22Speaker 3: face for keeping Paul safe. To the Jews, Paul was
- 4:26Speaker 3: more than a threat. He was the best among them,
- 4:29Speaker 3: and he turned to Jesus. If Paul, a Pharisee of Pharisees,
- 4:33Speaker 3: could convert, then anyone could. So Paul represented vulnerability. They
- 4:39Speaker 3: will hear that you have come, James said. You must
- 4:42Speaker 3: do as I say if you want to stay alive.
- 4:45Speaker 3: You will go to the temple and cleanse yourself. You
- 4:47Speaker 3: will take part in the ceremonies so that they can
- 4:50Speaker 3: clearly see you are not a menace to them. It
- 4:53Speaker 3: was the best plan they had. If Paul remained hidden
- 4:56Speaker 3: in the city for too long, it would only make
- 4:59Speaker 3: him seem more guilty. So the next day Paul went
- 5:02Speaker 3: into the temple for the ceremony of purification. For seven
- 5:06Speaker 3: days he went through the old Jewish customs and attended
- 5:09Speaker 3: the teachings of the synagogues. To Paul it was a
- 5:12Speaker 3: refreshing reminder of how much Jesus had done for him.
- 5:16Speaker 3: Every ceremonial law written in the Law of Moses pointed
- 5:19Speaker 3: towards the greater cleansing of Christ. So Paul went through
- 5:23Speaker 3: the ceremonies joyfully, for they pointed towards a greater truth.
- 5:28Speaker 3: Seven days passed and Paul was nearly completed paying homage
- 5:32Speaker 3: to the Jewish traditions. That was until the Jews from
- 5:36Speaker 3: Asia came to Jerusalem. The group of Asian Jews had
- 5:39Speaker 3: come to Jerusalem for the Passover. However, when they saw Paul,
- 5:44Speaker 3: all they could think about was murder. Paul silently sat
- 5:47Speaker 3: in the courtyard watching the birds glide over the temple.
- 5:51Speaker 3: All was peaceful until Paul received a swift blow to
- 5:55Speaker 3: the back of his head. Paul fell forward into a fountain.
- 5:58Speaker 3: Before he could get up, a strong hand held the
- 6:01Speaker 3: back of his head down into the water. Paul flailed
- 6:04Speaker 3: his arms trying to break free. The men threw him
- 6:07Speaker 3: out of the water and grabbed him by the hair.
- 6:09Speaker 3: They dragged him into the middle of the courtyard. At
- 6:12Speaker 3: this point, many people stopped to watch what was happening.
- 6:16Speaker 3: Men of Israel, the men said. This is the man
- 6:19Speaker 3: who has been teaching people to abandon our law in
- 6:22Speaker 3: this temple. Gasps and chuckles filled the air. The Jews
- 6:27Speaker 3: from Asia stirred up the crowd and formed a mob
- 6:30Speaker 3: that stormed out of the temple with Paul being drugged
- 6:33Speaker 3: by his hair. Once the gates closed behind them, they
- 6:36Speaker 3: kicked him into a wall.
- 6:38Speaker 4: Paul was surrounded.
- 6:40Speaker 3: His back was against the wall and a sea of
- 6:42Speaker 3: angry glares were before him. They looked at Paul like
- 6:46Speaker 3: hungry wolves ready to grab the throat. Paul knew that
- 6:49Speaker 3: death was a possibility coming to Jerusalem, so he breathed
- 6:53Speaker 3: deeply and chose to accept whatever the Lord had for him.
- 6:58Speaker 3: The chief judge of Jerusalem got word that there was
- 7:00Speaker 3: an angry mob forming outside the temple. He wasted no
- 7:04Speaker 3: time and had centurions sent down at once. The soldiers
- 7:08Speaker 3: ran down to where Paul was backed into a corner
- 7:11Speaker 3: being beaten to death. The mob was shouting out accusations
- 7:14Speaker 3: towards Paul, so no centurion could get a good idea
- 7:17Speaker 3: of what he was in trouble for. They acted quickly,
- 7:21Speaker 3: for Paul was receiving the fury of over a hundred men.
- 7:24Speaker 3: The soldiers broke up the angry mob and dispersed them.
- 7:27Speaker 3: Then they bound Paul and took him to the judge.
- 7:30Speaker 3: The crowd followed, shouting lies and spinning deceit. The courtroom
- 7:35Speaker 3: doors swung open and the judge was surprised by a
- 7:38Speaker 3: half-dead man in chains, followed by a hundred angry Jews.
- 7:42Speaker 3: They all shouted and spat in Paul's direction. However, Paul
- 7:45Speaker 3: kept his head down. What has this man done? the
- 7:49Speaker 3: judge asked. However, he could not get a good answer,
- 7:53Speaker 3: for all of them were speaking at once. Some said
- 7:55Speaker 3: he was a sorcerer. Others said he corrupted their children.
- 7:59Speaker 3: Others said he had violated the law of God and
- 8:02Speaker 3: the law of the land. None of these were true,
- 8:05Speaker 3: but the judge had no way of knowing. The soldiers
- 8:08Speaker 3: were guarding Paul to make sure he was not killed
- 8:10Speaker 3: by the mob behind them. The judge was growing flustered
- 8:13Speaker 3: and ordered for Paul to be taken to the barracks.
- 8:16Speaker 3: As Paul was being taken away, he whispered calmly to
- 8:19Speaker 3: the judge, May I say something to you? The judge
- 8:23Speaker 3: was perplexed. You can speak Greek? I thought you were
- 8:26Speaker 3: the Egyptian assassin everyone has been talking about.
- 8:29Speaker 2: Who are you?
- 8:31Speaker 3: I am a Jew from Tarsus, Paul replied. I beg you,
- 8:35Speaker 3: please permit me to speak with the people. The judge
- 8:38Speaker 3: nodded and motioned him forward to the podium. Paul leaned
- 8:42Speaker 3: against the large piece of wood. Someone had shattered his
- 8:45Speaker 3: right knee. He was in excruciating pain, but he must speak.
- 8:49Speaker 3: There was a great hush among the crowd, and Paul
- 8:51Speaker 3: began to speak in the Hebrew language to his brothers
- 8:54Speaker 3: and sisters. He told them about his upbringing and time
- 8:57Speaker 3: as a Pharisee. He told them about his zeal for
- 9:00Speaker 3: persecuting the church. He even told them about the Lord
- 9:04Speaker 3: meeting him on the road to Damascus. Paul gave a
- 9:07Speaker 3: heartfelt plea to the people before him. a plea to
- 9:10Speaker 3: understand the love God has for them, a plea to
- 9:14Speaker 3: consider the sacrifice of Jesus. I held the robes while
- 9:19Speaker 3: people stoned Stephen, Paul said. I know the zeal you hold.
- 9:23Speaker 3: It is why I left Jerusalem. Before Paul could speak again,
- 9:27Speaker 3: they raised their voices and called for his death. They
- 9:31Speaker 3: shouted and threw off their cloaks to attack him. They
- 9:34Speaker 3: flung rocks and dust in the air. The judge did
- 9:37Speaker 3: not understand Hebrew. Therefore, He did not understand what Paul
- 9:40Speaker 3: was speaking about. So the judge assumed Paul must be
- 9:44Speaker 3: guilty to rile up a crowd to such rage. He
- 9:47Speaker 3: ordered for Paul to be flogged. So Paul was stripped
- 9:50Speaker 3: naked and tied.
- 9:51Speaker 2: To a post.
- 9:53Speaker 3: Paul could hear the whips being tested behind him. He
- 9:56Speaker 3: tensed his whole body and prepared himself for what was
- 9:59Speaker 3: about to happen. take place. Then Paul remembered something. Paul
- 10:04Speaker 3: was born in Tarsus. He was a Roman citizen by birth.
- 10:08Speaker 3: Paul turned his head to the centurion and asked, Is
- 10:11Speaker 3: it lawful to flog a Roman citizen without a hearing?
- 10:14Speaker 3: The soldier stopped in his tracks and Paul was immediately
- 10:18Speaker 3: released from his chains. Yet the trial was not over.
- 10:21Speaker 3: Paul would have to sit before a Roman court. Paul
- 10:25Speaker 3: would with the Pharisees. If that didn't go well, he
- 10:29Speaker 3: may even have to be before Caesar himself.
- 10:35Speaker 4: As we hear God's word today, we find Paul and
- 10:38Speaker 4: Luke back in Jerusalem. This place had been Paul's home
- 10:41Speaker 4: for years, and now after a long journey, he was home.
- 10:45Speaker 4: But things were different now. He was no longer a
- 10:48Speaker 4: part of the religious elite. He was a man changed
- 10:51Speaker 4: by Christ, by the power of the gospel working in
- 10:54Speaker 4: his life. Paul was welcomed into the home of James, Jesus'
- 10:58Speaker 4: own brother. He too, like Paul, had once rejected Jesus,
- 11:02Speaker 4: but now because of the resurrection, Jesus' brother, his half-brother actually,
- 11:08Speaker 4: is leader of the church in Jerusalem. He told Paul
- 11:11Speaker 4: of the many Jews who had come to faith in Christ.
- 11:14Speaker 4: These Jewish Christians were certainly grateful to have Paul with them.
- 11:18Speaker 4: not least of all because he brought with him an
- 11:20Speaker 4: offering for the church in Jerusalem that he had gathered
- 11:23Speaker 4: from Gentile churches. At the same time, these Jewish Christians
- 11:28Speaker 4: were a bit suspicious of Paul. They still observed all
- 11:32Speaker 4: the Jewish laws, but word had come to them that
- 11:34Speaker 4: Paul was telling Gentiles, non-Jews, and Jews alike to abandon
- 11:39Speaker 4: Jewish traditions, including circumcision. This was only a half-truth. Paul
- 11:45Speaker 4: did not call Gentiles to adhere to Jewish customs because
- 11:49Speaker 4: they had a new identity in Christ. They are now
- 11:53Speaker 4: a part of God's eternal family. But he certainly wasn't
- 11:56Speaker 4: calling on Jewish believers to abandon their Jewish customs. This
- 12:01Speaker 4: was surely a tactic of the enemy to sow division
- 12:03Speaker 4: and disunity in the church. And now Paul had an
- 12:06Speaker 4: opportunity to eliminate these rumors and show his unity with
- 12:11Speaker 4: Jewish believers. With this in mind, James wisely counseled Paul
- 12:16Speaker 4: to join four Jewish men who were going to fulfill
- 12:20Speaker 4: a vow in a ceremony of purification. Paul would not
- 12:23Speaker 4: only take part in the ceremony, but he would help
- 12:26Speaker 4: cover their expenses for the process. Paul did just exactly
- 12:30Speaker 4: as James advised and participated in the rites of Jewish purification.
- 12:36Speaker 4: The ceremony actually pointed people to Christ and what Christ
- 12:41Speaker 4: had already accomplished. Religious rites and traditions do not cleanse
- 12:46Speaker 4: from sin. Only Christ can do that. And Paul knew this.
- 12:50Speaker 4: Paul understood that there was nothing inherently wrong with the customs,
- 12:54Speaker 4: but they certainly did not save or even help to save.
- 12:58Speaker 4: Paul then joins with these Jewish believers as an alignment
- 13:02Speaker 4: of their faith and Christian fellowship. He was practicing what
- 13:06Speaker 4: he had always preached. Words he wrote to the believers
- 13:09Speaker 4: in Rome, reminding them not to be a stumbling block
- 13:12Speaker 4: to other believers. but to do what leads to peace
- 13:15Speaker 4: and mutual edification, that is, building up. Paul's biggest problem
- 13:21Speaker 4: was not with Jewish Christians, but with unbelievers, both Jews
- 13:25Speaker 4: and Gentiles, but in particular, unbelieving Jews who came from
- 13:30Speaker 4: Asia and seeing Paul in the temple began to shout
- 13:33Speaker 4: accusations at him and stir up the crowds against him.
- 13:37Speaker 4: We're told that the whole city turned against Paul, and
- 13:40Speaker 4: he was dragged out of the temple into the streets
- 13:42Speaker 4: where the mob began to beat him. Paul certainly must
- 13:46Speaker 4: have thought this was the end of his life. But
- 13:48Speaker 4: the chief judge in Jerusalem sent soldiers and centurions to
- 13:52Speaker 4: break up the fight, to break up the mob. Paul
- 13:55Speaker 4: was rescued just in time. I imagine he had never
- 13:59Speaker 4: been so glad to have been arrested. At least now
- 14:01Speaker 4: he would be in safe hands for a while and
- 14:04Speaker 4: he would get his day in court. Before he could
- 14:07Speaker 4: be taken away to a cell, Paul managed to speak
- 14:10Speaker 4: to the judge who was surprised that Paul spoke Greek.
- 14:13Speaker 4: He asked for permission to speak to the crowd and
- 14:16Speaker 4: the judge allowed it. Then in the Hebrew language, Paul
- 14:19Speaker 4: began to give his own testimony to the Jews. He
- 14:23Speaker 4: told them of how he once persecuted the followers of Jesus,
- 14:26Speaker 4: but how the Lord had appeared to him on the
- 14:28Speaker 4: road to Damascus and saved him. He knew how zealous
- 14:32Speaker 4: that these people were and he knew that His witness
- 14:35Speaker 4: could lead to his own death, but that did not
- 14:38Speaker 4: stop the Apostle Paul. Because of Christ, he was unstoppable.
- 14:43Speaker 4: He continued to bear witness to what God had done
- 14:45Speaker 4: in his life and how he called him to leave
- 14:48Speaker 4: Jerusalem and go to the Gentiles, to go to the
- 14:50Speaker 4: nations to share the good news. What is remarkable about
- 14:55Speaker 4: this is that Paul had been rescued from danger, but
- 14:58Speaker 4: for the sake of the gospel, he stepped right back
- 15:02Speaker 4: into the fight. telling his story of salvation in Christ.
- 15:06Speaker 4: Some might call him a freak or a fool, but
- 15:09Speaker 4: he was a fool for Christ's sake. He would never
- 15:11Speaker 4: stop telling the wonderful things that Christ had done in
- 15:14Speaker 4: his life. The crowd grew angry once again upon hearing
- 15:18Speaker 4: his words, and we read in Acts 22, 22 these words.
- 15:23Speaker 4: Then they raised their voices and said, Away with such
- 15:26Speaker 4: a fellow from the earth, for he should not be
- 15:28Speaker 4: allowed to live. Their shouts are reminiscent of what the
- 15:32Speaker 4: crowd said at the trial of Jesus when they said,
- 15:35Speaker 4: crucify him, crucify him. Paul was certainly identified with Christ,
- 15:41Speaker 4: not only in life but in suffering and rejection by
- 15:45Speaker 4: his own people. The judge, who could not understand Paul's
- 15:49Speaker 4: words and saw the crowd's reaction, ordered that he be flogged.
- 15:53Speaker 4: But Paul, knowing his rights as a citizen of Rome
- 15:56Speaker 4: since he was born in Tarsus, appealed on the basis
- 15:59Speaker 4: of his Roman citizenship for a just, fair hearing. This
- 16:04Speaker 4: wise action by Paul meant that he would stand before
- 16:07Speaker 4: a court and will hear about his trial before the
- 16:10Speaker 4: council of Jewish leaders the next time. Dear God, we
- 16:13Speaker 4: thank you for the example of Paul's courage and faithfulness.
- 16:18Speaker 4: May we also be courageous, bold, and brave as we
- 16:21Speaker 4: share our faith. May we never allow the circumstances or
- 16:25Speaker 4: consequences of our actions for Christ to stop us from
- 16:29Speaker 4: being bold witnesses for him. God, fill us with your
- 16:33Speaker 4: spirit that we may speak of your love and your
- 16:36Speaker 4: grace in our lives and never stop until you come
- 16:39Speaker 4: for us. In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you for listening
- 16:45Speaker 4: once again to today's Bible in a Year podcast. It's
- 16:48Speaker 4: been such an incredible adventure walking through the word of
- 16:51Speaker 4: God with you. I'm Pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas.
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- 17:36Speaker 4: can tap into God's power for your life, then be
- 17:39Speaker 4: sure to go to my website, which is JackGraham.org. Again,
- 17:44Speaker 4: that's JackGraham.org, and you will find plenty of resources as
- 17:48Speaker 4: to how you can know Christ, how you can grow
- 17:51Speaker 4: in your faith, and how you can share the love
- 17:53Speaker 4: of Christ with others. God bless you and have a
- 17:56Speaker 4: wonderful day. This episode is sponsored by MediShare, an innovative
- 18:05Speaker 4: healthcare solution for Christians to save money without sacrificing quality. Hello,
- 18:14Speaker 4: I'm Dr.
- 18:14Speaker 2: Tony Evans, and I'm excited to have you join me
- 18:18Speaker 2: on this new podcast, Heroes in the Bible. Come to me, boy.
- 18:22Speaker 3: You and your God will crumble beneath my feet.
- 18:27Speaker 1: He beckoned the giant and said.
- 18:29Speaker 3: I come to you in the name of the Lord
- 18:31Speaker 3: of hosts and creator of the stars.
- 18:34Speaker 2: You know, we all have giants that we face in
- 18:37Speaker 2: our life. And when you understand that the greatness of
- 18:40Speaker 2: God affects our ability to handle the giants of life,
- 18:45Speaker 2: it will encourage, inspire us, and challenge all of us
- 18:49Speaker 2: to our faith in God and our growth in Jesus Christ.
- 18:53Speaker 4: Look past his height and appearance, Samuel, for man sees
- 18:57Speaker 4: the outward appearance.
- 18:59Speaker 1: They see the strength of the man's arms, but the Lord.
- 19:03Speaker 2: Looks into the heart. Listen to Heroes in the Bible
- 19:06Speaker 2: with Dr. Tony Evans on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,
- 19:12Speaker 2: or wherever you get your podcasts.