Latest / Journey Elgin / Journey Through Scripture- Acts 9-12
Transcript
- Phillip Thomas: It's good to see you today. My name is Philip Thomas, Pastor of Journey here in Elgin, Texas. This is our Journey Through Scripture podcast. We are continuing our chronological move through Scripture. We are in Acts. Today we will be looking at Acts chapters 9 through 12. Acts 9 through 12. All right, so we when we left off, ⁓ we saw the martyr of Stephen that ⁓ Saul was part of. And then we had ⁓ the gospel message starts to get spread throughout Samaria ⁓ and into the Philip preaches to Samaria and the Ethiopian. ⁓ now in ⁓ chapter nine we see Saul again and kind of picks up where it left off of how he was wreaking havoc ⁓ on the church. And now he wants to go and he wants to continue wreaking havoc because that the the martyr of Stephen ⁓ dispersed. the church. And so it started going into different areas. It made it all the way up to Syria into Damascus. And so in ⁓ chapter nine, verse one, then Saul still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, asked for letters for him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were there of the way, ⁓ the way of Christ, ⁓ whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. So so this is This is not just someone who is kind of upset about this new group that is beginning to teach. ⁓ he is passionate. ⁓ he is zealous, and we see him talk about that ⁓ later. ⁓ but he is he is on fire for the God that he believes he is defending. ⁓ right? He is not doing this out of duty or anything like that. He is 100% committed. ⁓ this is something that he believes deeply in. And I I say all that. ⁓ somebody that like Saul does not change their beliefs easily. ⁓ not not that I I don't I I'm not persecuting people, but what would it take for me, or maybe for you, ⁓ what would it take for me to renounce my faith and to start following, say, Islam? Right. Like, I can't even fathom it. It would take something like this, right? That's that's the kind of the type of guy that that Saul is. ⁓ he wasn't going to be won over ⁓ by eloquent preaching. ⁓ now, not everyone is like that. In fact, most people are not. ⁓ but but Saul was. He was going to have to have an encounter with the Lord, and that is what. We we see here in Acts chapter 9. As he was walking on the road to Damascus, ⁓ there was a a great light shone from him from heaven. He fell to the ground, heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, while you persecuting me, says, Who are you, Lord? Then the Lord said, I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. ⁓ it is hard for you to kick against the goads. Now what is that talking about? It's it's like with whenever you would have an ox, you would have a goad to to poke them, to prod them, to get them to go where you wanted to them to go. Sometimes they would kick at that. ⁓ right, it's kind of like a y you know, ⁓ you you can use that today with p showing pigs and things like that. You're guiding them. ⁓ but if they kick at that it can actually hurt themselves. And so it's interesting ⁓ some in some ⁓ variations this ⁓ sentence is left out in some translations ⁓ we see this again later in Acts. ⁓ but basically it's God saying, ⁓ Saul, I I am moving you in a different direction. Quit kicking against me. Right? And and he says, This is Jesus who I whom you are persecuting. So Saul, trembling and astonished, said, Lord, what do you want me to do? The Lord said, Arise, go to the city, you will be told what to do. ⁓ many of the others ⁓ heard a voice, but they did not see ⁓ anyone. And when Saul arose he could not see. So now he goes. He is spending time fasting. ⁓ God comes to Ananias and says, Hey, I want you to go speak to this guy named Saul. Well Ananias who s knew who Saul was. ⁓ is like, ⁓ are you you sure you have the right ⁓ person, God? And it says, No, I'm going to use ⁓ Saul to do great things. And so Ananias ⁓ goes and ministers to Paul, says ⁓ verse thirteen, this whole Ananias answers, Lord, I have heard many things about this man, how much harm he has done, and he's he he wants to do more harm. Verse fifteen. So God says, Go, for he is a chosen vessel of mine to bear his my name before the Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel, for I will show him how many things he must suffer for my name's sake. So Ananias went, and ⁓ Paul ⁓ accepted and scales fell from his eyes so he was able to see again. ⁓ and then immediately Paul begins preaching ⁓ in the synagogues ⁓ and he starts causing trouble very quickly because again they thought he was coming, the people in the synagogue thought he was coming to ⁓ arrest Christians and now he is sitting here telling them that they should follow Christ. ⁓ I love in verse twenty two it says, But Saul increased all the more in strength and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the cr ⁓ is the Christ. ⁓ but he had to leave because they threatened to to kill him. How quickly the tables turn against Saul. ⁓ he's was the one doing the persecuting. Now he is being persecuted. ⁓ he goes to Jerusalem. Says when Saul had come to Jerusalem, this verse twenty-six, he tried to join the disciples, but they were afraid. And then it took Barnabas to say, No, he he he has experienced I I know that he has experienced something ⁓ new on the road to Damascus. ⁓ and so in verse twenty nine he spoke boldly in the name of the Lord and disputed against the Hellenists, but they attempted to kill him. When the brethren found out, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him out to Tarsus. So, you know, this is again, these are normal human people. God is doing amazing things, but they were very cautious about Saul. ⁓ but but but Barnabas stepped up, they support Saul, but you know, maybe they sent him away to Caesarea Tarsus to kind of see, okay, where is this going? What what is happening here? ⁓ well we see that the church continues to s to prosper through Judea, Galilee, Samaria, verse thirty one. And peace had peace and were edified and walking in the fear of the Lord and the comfort of the Holy Spirit, ⁓ and they were multiplied. So now things start to to continue to grow. The church is spreading, ⁓ it's it's not experiencing mass persecution at this time, and and things are moving forward and God is continuing to worse work. Now the ⁓ the narrative here in Acts kind of shifts to Peter. puts emphasis on Peter. ⁓ Peter had gone kind of to Caesarea and to Joppa. So he's he's now left Jerusalem and is kind of sharing and checking on ⁓ things that have ⁓ how the church is spreading. ⁓ he kills Aeneas. ⁓ then you have Tabitha who his name is translated to Dorcas. What an unfortunate translation that is I think I would stick with Tabitha But she was ⁓ full of good works and charitable deeds. ⁓ but then she became sick and died, and the ⁓ those who who loved her wanted Peter to come and to to pray for her, and Peter ⁓ sends them out. Again, he's using the example that Jesus ⁓ gave and he says, ⁓ Tabitha arise. And when she opened her eyes, she saw that Peter was there and she set up. ⁓ then he gave her his hand, lifted her up. ⁓ when they had called the saints and w ⁓ widows, he presented her alive. ⁓ right so so Peter is ⁓ God is using him to do some a amazing things. ⁓ so you see see ⁓ Peter ⁓ continuing to go throughout ⁓ Judea and Samaria. ⁓ Acts chapter ten you have another character, ⁓ Cornelius, he is a ⁓ centurion. ⁓ he was he would have been in charge of a regiment, so that'd have been eighty to a hundred people. and he was ⁓ a devout man who kind of believed in the God of the Old Testament, right? He's not Jewish, ⁓ but he was not a full convert, but someone who believed ⁓ in God, ⁓ but ⁓ but obviously not in Jesus. And so ⁓ he has a vision. and he says ⁓ a vision of the Lord, and the Lord says to send ⁓ to men to Joppa ⁓ to bring Peter. ⁓ so you know he he is faithful, and so he sends people down to Joppa. At the same time, Peter is having a vision, and that vision ⁓ you can read there in Acts chapter ⁓ ten, ⁓ starting in verse nine. ⁓ he ⁓ has a vision and S he sees the ⁓ a great sheet ⁓ bound at four corners, descending to him, let down to the earth. In it were all kinds of four footed creatures, ⁓ wild beasts, creeping things, birds of the air. Rise, Peter, kill and eat. So basically these were the things that they were not supposed to eat ⁓ for ritual reasons. ⁓ but Peter said, No, for I've not eaten anything common un or unclean. And a voice said to him the second time, What God has cleansed you must not call common. So this has happened three times. So God is is kind of saying, okay, there are some things that were ritual that that that are not necessary to continue. That people can have different rituals and still believe in me. And then that is preparing Peter for the knock at the door. And in fact God lets Peter know there's going to be some men coming and ⁓ they're here. Listen to them. So they come and they say, hey, I'm ⁓ we represent Cornelius. ⁓ he's a Roman centurion. Normally, I'm sure Peter would have said, you know, that's that's great, but ⁓ I don't think I'm gonna just follow you blindly. ⁓ but God had prepared Peter. And so then Peter meets ⁓ Cornelius, ⁓ verse 28, said to him, You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation, but God has shown me that. That I should not call any man common or unclean. Therefore I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. I asked them for what reason have you sent for me? ⁓ and so ⁓ the they tell the story and Peter ⁓ begins t ⁓ teaching and sharing about Christ. Verse thirty-four. Then Peter opened his mouth and said, In truth I perceive that God sh shows no partiality, but in every nation whoever fears him and works righteousness is accepted by him. The word which God sent to his children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ, He is Lord of all. That that word that you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached. And so then he continues, ⁓ and he says, verse forty three, to him all the prophets and witness that through his name whoever believes in him will receive remission of sin. Right, so you you can start seeing this transition no longer and and God is being very specific ⁓ of saying okay there's some ritual things that you you can certainly continue but is not required ⁓ as as this message is designed to go to the Gentiles to nations everywhere and and so we see this and of course this is also laying the groundwork God is also calling Saul who is going to specifically go to the Gentiles. ⁓ Peter it mainly is going to stay in the Jerusalem area. ⁓ but Peter, ⁓ but ⁓ excuse me, ⁓ Saul or we call him Paul, ⁓ it he is going to be mainly to the Gentiles. So you see God setting all of this up in in very powerful ways it so that they know this is from God. ⁓ and then you ⁓ continue to Read, the Holy Spirit is comes upon the Gentiles. So verse forty four, while Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those ⁓ who believed ⁓ who heard the word, and those of the circumcision, so that would be the Jews, right? ⁓ who believed were astonished, as many came with Peter because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also, for they heard them speaking in tongues and magnify God. See they They were still kind of under the the belief that, you know, you need to you need to be Jewish, right? And follow our rituals. But the Holy Spirit is poured out on those who were uncircumcised, who had not ⁓ become Jewish. So it's pretty pretty interesting. Says then Peter answered, Can anyone forbid ⁓ water ⁓ that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they ask him to stay a few days. So I Peter ⁓ continues and to ⁓ to teach, says, Now the apostles and brethren who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had received the word of God, and when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those of the circumcision contended with him, saying, You went into uncircumcised men and ate with them. Right? These are we have those same ⁓ arguments and disagreements, right? Well should we ⁓ how should we treat this group of people or that group of people? Again, that's a human simpleness. God is overcoming all of that. And so now Peter has to defend himself and he he tells the whole story. ⁓ in a verse sixteen, then I remembered the word of the Lord how he said, ⁓ this is ver ⁓ chapter eleven, verse sixteen, ⁓ how he said, John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit If therefore God gave them the same gifts as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I can withstand God? When I heard these things, they became silent and they glorified God, saying, Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life. Now give credit to these to the people, to the disciples, to the Jews there in Jerusalem. ⁓ They ⁓ allowed God to change. Their misunderstanding. What they were desiring was not ⁓ bad or evil in itself. It was more tradition and ritual, which can be very hard to change your mind on, but they were open to what God was doing, just as we need to be open. ⁓ You also have ⁓ Barnabas and Saul. ⁓ Barnabas spends time with Saul. They go to Antioch, which Antioch is going to turn into the hub of Other than Jerusalem, it's going to be the hub in which Paul's missionary journeys ⁓ go from. ⁓ verse twenty five, then ⁓ Barnas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul, and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people, and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. So you see Paul is begin is is being taught is being is teaching but is also being taught and prepared ⁓ and preparing to go on the missionary journeys. Chapter 12 ⁓ it just ⁓ talks about Herod ⁓ again same in that line ⁓ how he persecute he ⁓ arrests Peter ⁓ you have a miraculous ⁓ freeing of Peter ⁓ I love that you you can read there in chapter twelve ⁓ ⁓ Herod also killed James, the brother of John, with the sword. So one of the disciples is now dead because of Herod. Peter's taken into custody, but the the ⁓ God sends an angel to release ⁓ Peter. I I love the end of that story. So the the angel brings Peter out of ⁓ prison ⁓ and then Peter goes to the house of Mary, the mother of John, whose surname was Mark. probably the author of the Gospel of Mark, who was a close associate of Peter Peter. The Gospel of Mark is basically Peter's gospel. And ⁓ they were gathered together praying. Peter knocked at the door, a girl named Rhoda, another wonderful name, ⁓ came to answer when she recognized Peter's voice because of her gladness. she did not open the gate. So she's just so excited ⁓ but she just runs back in and says hey Peter's ⁓ here ⁓ and they didn't believe him. They thought it was an angel because they thought Peter probably was dead. So they're like, okay, maybe it's his angel, but it's certainly not Peter. But he continues to to knock and then they finally go and ⁓ and Peter tells them the story and then he continues to to move on ⁓ to stay away from Herod. Now then you have Herod's death. Basically he ⁓ people start kind of there are a few people who heard him ⁓ speak, who you know, were sucking up and saying, ⁓ you were just like God. ⁓ well, Herod, I'm sure, loved that. And then he ⁓ became ⁓ violently ill and died and worms ⁓ ate him. That's one way to go. It ends in verse 24, but the word of God grew and multiplied ⁓ in spite of Herod, in spite of this persecution, the word of God is continuing to grow. And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their ministry, and they also took with them John, whose surname was Mark. So again, you're starting to see preparation for ⁓ the ⁓ the journeys of of Paul. So we're gonna stop there. ⁓ we're gonna read chapters thirteen through fifteen of Acts. So Acts chapters thirteen through fifteen. ⁓ this will be Paul's first missionary journey. Hope we will see you on