Latest / A Chapter a Day Bible Reading / September 22 - Acts 23

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September 22 - Acts 23 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

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  Hello friends, it's Sean here. It's Monday, it's the 22nd of
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  September, and I'm so glad you have tapped on play and invited
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  me into your day, your evening, your morning, wherever you are,
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  wherever this finds you. Great to have your company as we
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  continue reading through the book of Acts.
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  This is our last full week reading through Acts and then
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  the last couple of chapters we'll finish off next week
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  before we dive into the next book, Romans.
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  But before we get there, we are entering into this final phase
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  of the book of Acts, which has taken us on a long journey,
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  friends, hasn't it? It started off with Jesus
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  ascending from his disciples, went through the Holy Spirit
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  coming and the church beginning, and then this incredible man by
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  the name of Paul going around preaching, building up these
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  churches and now realising that his mission is to Jerusalem and
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  then to Rome. And it's from Rome that this
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  message will spread across the known world.
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  So after building up churches around that part of the world,
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  he is now entering the time where he will now be speaking
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  before the Jewish leaders, the Gentiles and the Roman
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  authorities to start to spread the word there.
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  So fantastic. Let's dive in and enjoy this
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  last phase of the book of Acts as we read today, Acts Chapter
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  23. Gazing intently at the high
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  council, Paul began Brothers, I have always lived before God
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  with a clear conscience instantly and a nice The high
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  priest commanded those close to Paul to slap him on the mouth.
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  But Paul said to him, God will slap you, you corrupt hypocrite.
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  What kind of a judge are you to break the law yourself by
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  ordering me struck like that though standing near, Paul said
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  to him, Do you dare to insult God's high priest?
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  I'm sorry brothers, I didn't realise he was the high priest,
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  Paul replied, For the scriptures say you must not speak evil of
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  any of your rulers. Paul realised that some members
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  of the high council were Sadducees and some were
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  Pharisees. So he shouted, Brothers, I'm a
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  Pharisee, as were my ancestors, and I am on trial because my
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  hope is in the resurrection of the dead.
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  This divided the council, the Pharisees against the Sadducees,
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  for the Sadducees say there is no resurrection or angels or
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  spirits, but the Pharisees believe in all of these.
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  So there was a great uproar. Some of the teachers of
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  religious law who were Pharisees jumped up and began to argue
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  forcefully. We see nothing wrong with him,
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  they shouted. Perhaps a spirit or an Angel
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  spoke to him. As the conflict grew more
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  violent, the commander was afraid they would tear Paul
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  apart, so he ordered his soldiers to go and rescue him by
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  force and take him back to the fortress.
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  That night the Lord appeared to Paul and said, Be encouraged,
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  Paul, just as you have been a witness to me here in Jerusalem,
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  you must preach the good news in Rome as well.
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  The next morning a group of Jews got together and bound
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  themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had
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  killed Paul. There were more than 40 of them
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  in the conspiracy. They went to the leading priests
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  and elders and told them We have bound ourselves with an oath to
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  eat nothing until we have killed Paul.
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  So you and the high council should ask the commander to
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  bring Paul back to the council again.
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  Pretend you want to examine his case more fully.
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  We will kill him on the way. But Paul's nephew, his sister's
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  son, heard of their plan and went to the fortress and told
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  Paul. Paul called for one of the Roman
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  officers and said, Take this young man to the commander.
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  He has something important to tell him.
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  So the officer did, explaining Paul, the prisoner called me
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  over and asked me to bring this young man to you because he has
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  something to tell you. The commander took his hand, led
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  him aside and asked. What is it you want to tell me?
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  Paul's nephew told him. Some Jews are going to ask you
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  to bring Paul before the High Council tomorrow, pretending
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  they want to get some more information.
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  But but don't do it. There are more than 40 men
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  hiding along the way, ready to ambush him.
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  They have vowed not to eat or drink anything until they've
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  killed him. They are ready now, just waiting
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  for your consent. Don't let anyone know you have
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  told me this, the commander warned the young man.
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  Then the commander called two of his officers and ordered.
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  Get 200 soldiers ready to leave for say Syria at 9:00 tonight.
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  Also take 200 Spearman and 70 mounted troops.
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  Provide horses for Paul to ride and get him safely to Governor
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  Felix. Then he wrote this letter to the
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  governor from Claudius Lyceus to His Excellency Governor Felix.
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  Greetings. This man was seized by some Jews
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  and they were about to kill him when I arrived with the troops.
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  When I learned that he was a Roman citizen, I removed him to
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  safety. Then I took him to their high
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  council to try to learn the basis of the accusations against
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  him. I soon discovered the charge was
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  something regarding their religious law.
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  Certainly nothing worthy of imprisonment or death.
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  But when I was informed of a plot to kill him, I immediately
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  sent him on to you. I have told his accusers to
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  bring their charges before you. So that night, as ordered, the
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  soldiers took Paul as far as Auntie Patras.
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  They returned to the fortress the next morning while the
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  mounted troops took him on to Say Syria.
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  When they arrived in say, Syria, they presented Paul and the
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  letter to Governor Felix. He read it and then asked Paul
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  what province he was from. Sicilia, Paul answered.
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  I will hear your case myself when your accusers arrive, the
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  governor told him. Then the governor ordered him
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  kept in the prison at Herod's headquarters.
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  Our Jesus, we hear the story of Paul being in the world of
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  danger, but you continuing to care for him and keeping him
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  safe. And Lord, overtly you say words
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  to him telling him to go on to Rome.
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  That is where you want your message shared.
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  Lord, we know that wasn't a safe or comfortable journey or
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  destination for Paul, but still, that's where you need in him.
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  Our Lord, I pray that you would use us in the same way that you
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  would call us into the places where you need us to be.
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  They may not be safe. They may not be comfortable.
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  They may not be our first choice.
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  But Lord, if that's where your Kingdom needs US, and the
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  particular set of talents and possibilities that you have
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  built into us, our Lord, we are your servants.
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  So use us just the way you need us.
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  We offer ourselves to you as a living sacrifice, ready to do
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  your work wherever you would call us.
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  We love you, and we offer ourselves up to you.
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  And we pray all of this in your name, Jesus, Amen.