Summary of 1 Timothy

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The final three summaries we will cover this week of Paul’s final three letters encompass what is termed “The Pastoral Epistles.”  Paul was imprisoned in Rome for about a two-year period and then released. Though the details of what followed are a bit sketchy, it is generally believed that Paul was relatively free to travel for about 4-5 years and visited a number of the established churches.

We wrote extensively and in great detail on the Pastoral Epistles previously here on our devotionals page. It was about a year ago that we preached a series on these two letters to Timothy and a single letter to Titus. The series was called “Nuts and Bolts” and can be searched under that title.

Timothy served in leadership in Ephesus, and Titus on the island of Crete, each being appointed by Paul to stay and help with the local church situation. Both had experiences in other places. We would not be entirely out of bounds to think of these young men that Paul had discipled as pastors in these churches, though the roles might be a bit different than what we think of as a pastor today.

Whether it be in 2017 or in about A.D. 66, leadership in a church is difficult. There is responsibility for a wide variety of personalities, all of whom are scattered across the sanctification spectrum from new believers, to longer-term disciples with more advanced knowledge of the Scriptures and Christian living. Every one of them remains a sinner, and though redeemed by grace they are all still housed in the flesh and blood container of a fallen creature in a fallen world. The church leader is one sheep called to be a shepherd of other sheep.

From the outside of a situation, leadership always looks easier than it actually is on the inside. I look at the Baltimore Orioles and wonder why in the world the management cannot see in players and strategies the wonderful things that I see so obviously!  If only they would let me manage the team, surely they would win more games!  And even though I actually do believe what I just wrote, I’ve known enough from my life experiences of leading many different entities that it is probably more difficult than it looks to me on the outside.

The same is true in a church. Pastors tend to be kind-hearted souls who want to bless others and make everyone happy. Rare is the pastor who does not hurt when any part of the flock is disappointed or critical about actions taken with 100% good and pure intentions. Being often gentle people, there is a tendency to not stand up strongly to those who let their fleshly exuberance and strong-willed opinions be expressed. Apparently Timothy was such a fellow as to shy away from intense interactions; and thus it is that Paul writes to encourage him toward strong and assertive leadership …

1 Timothy 4:11 – Command and teach these things. 12 Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. 13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. 14 Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you.

15 Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. 16 Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

Leaders are going to fail and make judgment mistakes from time to time. The issues faced are often very difficult, and a personal sense of reward or fulfillment is slow to realize. In the heat of confusion and crises in the lives of people, it is easy to “mellow down” like Timothy. That is why support and prayer is so helpful from all in the church family.

Summary of Philippians

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The well-known Dallas Theological Seminary professor and Promise Keepers speaker Howie Hendricks used to love to comment on the book of Philippians. He especially liked the passage in the first chapter that talked about “circumstances” (quoting today from the New American Standard Version – the text in most common use during Howie’s lifetime)…

Philippians 1:12 – Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, 13 so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else, 14 and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear.

Howie liked to imitate conversations when he preached, using a sort of sad, Eeyore-like, woe-is-me voice to mimic someone not exactly walking in the power of the Spirit and the joy of the Lord. He would say something like this, going into an altered voice … “So I said to this fellow, ‘How are you doing?’  And he looked back at me and said, ‘Well, not so bad I guess, under the circumstances.’  And I said to him, ‘Under the circumstances?  What are you doing down there?’”

I once did a sermon series on the book of Philippians that I entitled, “Living above the Circumstances.” Indeed, the book of Philippians has a theme throughout that comments upon what it means to live a joyful Christian life in spite of the inevitable sorrows and difficulties in a fallen world. It really coordinates well with our current series on all of Paul’s life.

Again, this is one of four letters (and likely the last of these) that we believe Paul wrote during his first Roman imprisonment. Recalling the passage in Acts that speaks of this …

Acts 28:30 – For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. 31 He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!

Under house arrest and guard by official Roman soldiers, Paul was able to receive visitors openly. Among them was a leader from the church in Philippi named Epaphroditus. Knowing of Paul’s situation, the church sent money to him in order to help facilitate better conditions in his life situation, sending it by this good and capable fellow. So the letter back to them is essentially an extended thank-you note with a great deal of additional thought and detail …

Philippians 4:14 – It was good of you to share in my troubles. 15 Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; 16 for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need. 17 Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account. 18 I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. 19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

The primary theme reverberating throughout Philippians is of Paul’s multiple comments about joy and rejoicing, even in spite of “the circumstances.”  Paul always saw God’s hand in everything that happened to him and around him. At times the circumstances would not seem to make sense, but ultimately he would come to see and understand the bigger picture. His life was about serving God, either by living or dying … either was good and in his mind a win-win situation …

Philippians 1:21 – For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. 23 But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; 24 yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.

I suppose all of us have circumstances we would like to see changed or reversed. We pray about it and hope for a change; and sometimes it happens, though other times the suffering continues. But in it all we can rest in a brighter and larger plan of God. We’re not abandoned by Him, even when events seem to be against us. We are not beyond being used by Him, even in the most morbid or awful situations and places of life.

It is when we get to a place where we can find joy even in the down circumstances of life that we can know we are actually running the Life Race well. So do you have any circumstances you need to crawl out from beneath today?

Summary of Ephesians

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As Diana and I were beginning our family and multiplying boy after boy in our household, this was the time that James Dobson was probably at his personal peak of ministry on the subject of the Christian family. I was always struck by how much he wrote and taught about the specific topic of dealing with sibling rivalry and conflict. My memory at the time was that though this might happen in other homes, our kids would always love one another and get along especially well.

Did I ever tell you the story about the hammer that went flying through the air? Or about the time one boy accidentally punched another at the dinner table, and then when he realized he drew blood from the older sibling, he ran? The wounded brother immediately took off after him with me in third place. Being younger at that time and before osteoarthritis was my residual reality, I was able to ankle tackle the older before he killed the younger.

Truthfully, our boys were probably less combative with one another than is the reality in most families, but there was enough to make me grow to understand why Dobson wrote so much about it. Now that they are grown, they often get together and do things with one another, truly caring deeply as brothers. And that always warms my heart.

As a parent, you love your kids – all of them deeply and all of them the same. And so it hurts to see them not love each other. Why wouldn’t they understand this and feel this, you think. God loves his kids – his chosen ones in the church family, and it grieves him to see them be less than fully loving and committed to each other.

And let me tell you of another entity that loves everyone and is grieved when people can’t get along and therefore get into scuffles large and small … and that is pastors and church leaders … people like the Apostle Paul, for example.

There is no major theme that is blatantly evident in the letter of Paul to the Ephesians. But when you read through it, you cannot help but see how much Paul draws their attention toward God’s love for them, and therefore of the love and commitment they should have for one another. Though the church at Ephesus had much about which to be commended, apparently there was yet some ground for them to cover in terms of deep relationships.

As a church, Tri-State has always been one that most often has excelled in loving relationships and interpersonal commitments. But we can do better; we can be better; we can yet grow more in this regard. And it is good to be reminded that intentionality in this matter is not inappropriate. So here are some passages that Paul wrote to remind his friends in Ephesus of this truth, and may the Spirit remind us again as well …

Ephesian 1:4 – For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

4:1 – As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

5:1 Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Summary of Colossians

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I know, I know, this is sorta shameful; but the favorite family movie for our boys at our house over the years was Dumb and Dumber. If you don’t understand that, well, it’s a guy thing I guess. There is a scene where Harry and Lloyd are driving across the country and getting near the Rockies. But one evening after a gas stop, Lloyd goes to drive back onto the Interstate and makes a wrong turn at a fork in the road, heading east rather than west. Many hours later when Harry wakes up and sees nothing but prairie around him, he says, “I expected the Rocky Mountains to be a little rockier than this.”

Taking the wrong fork in the road can make a big difference … in driving, or in theology. The Colossian church was being led by false teachers onto an errant fork in the road, and Paul determined he needed to address it in a letter.

The wayward teaching was an embryonic form of something that would later be known as Gnosticism. It was an odd mix of Jewish legalism, philosophically deep knowledge, exclusivism and elitism, and an emphasis upon angels as mediators between God and man. When it came to understanding who exactly Jesus was, this teaching saw him as some sort of phantom-like intermediary angelic thingamajig, certainly not the perfect son of God.

Of course, this is a problem … or another word we could use is “heresy.”  For Jesus to be the substitutionary sacrifice for sin, he must be human. And for him to be perfect, he must be divine. This is why the doctrine of the virgin birth is so significant. Jesus is the unique union of a 100% sinless human, while also being 100% God. This is called the “hypostatic union” … the joining two hypostases, which in Greek is the word for the substance or nature of something.

If you lose either the humanity or the deity of Christ, you lose everything. It is a fork in the road that takes you in the opposite direction of truth. This is the problem at the front door of varied cult groups as well as much of theological liberalism.

Paul, during this time of his two-year confinement in Rome, writes to the Colossians primarily to confront this errant teaching by affirming and detailing the truth. The result is some of the best writing in Scripture that defines the person of Christ.

Colossians 1:15 – The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

What a great paragraph! It essentially says, “When you see Jesus, you see God because he is the exact image of him. He was not created; he was the creator who has existed always both before and above all things, even holding everything together. Risen from the dead, he is supreme over everything as head of the church. And everything that was and is the essence of God is seen dwelling in Jesus in bodily form.”

Add to this chapter 2, verse 8 – For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form. Boom!

In Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians he spoke of the many difficulties and challenges he had to endure in the course of his life. And then he said, “Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.” (11:28)  This concern we will note much in our final studies about Paul, how even while imprisoned he had the regular worry about how the various churches were faring that he and others had established. And so he writes to them on different occasions to deal with issues and questions in these early years of seeing the Christian faith established.

These writings serve the purpose for us of not only learning about church history, but of also defining the central doctrines and teaching about our faith. This is incredibly valuable, and to not understand something that is as important as this is to be dumb (and dumber).

Summary of Philemon

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I often like a snow day where I’m stuck at home, though certainly not for the snow! I don’t ever need to see snow again, I’ve had quite enough for one lifetime. But while at home with no place to go or schedule to meet, I am able to sit for hours at a time and accomplish things through writing that I don’t generally have the opportunity to get done.

That is a bit what Paul’s life is like as he spends two years in Rome, under guard.

Acts 28:30 – For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. 31 He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!

During this time we know that Paul wrote a number of his letters to churches and individuals. Today we look at the single chapter and letter of Paul to Philemon.

Have you ever wanted someone to do something, all the while realizing that it is indeed going to cost them some money to make it happen? Perhaps it is a scenario where you know something is good for them, or perhaps it is simply the right thing to do – though you are not sure they will quite see it the same way as you do? You hope so, but you’re not quite sure how they will react when you present it to them. In that you have a high view of them, you expect that it will be well-received, but you can’t quite be positive. So, to make sure that the proper deed will be accomplished, while asking and challenging the person to be responsible and take the high ground position, even with its costs, you finish off your request by saying, “If you won’t pay for it, I will.”

That is what is happening in this personal letter from the Apostle Paul to a fellow named Philemon. This recipient of the letter – an apparently wealthy individual who lived in Colossae and was a part of the church of the Colossians – had a slave named Onesimus who had run away. In the course of God’s sovereignly-directed events, Onesimus comes into contact with Paul, is converted to the faith, and is now being sent back to his owner Philemon.

There is not time now to talk about the issue of slavery in the Roman Empire. Understand that it was not exactly like slavery in American history, and in fact more than half of the population were slaves. Owners and slaves were in the same church together, and Paul did not write to upset these conventions. Though we might picture it more like indentured servitude, it was a crime to do as Onesimus had done.

So Paul writes to implore Philemon to accept him back. Paul speaks of the great benefit he has received from Onesimus, and he tells the owner that he will now not only have a better worker, he will be welcoming back a brother in Christ.

I am especially fond of this letter because of verse 18 – If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me.  Paul is saying to Philemon that if it is a matter of not accepting him back because of financial loss, that the owner should charge the loss to Paul’s account and he would make good on the debt. This is an example of the theological doctrine of imputation – the placing of a debt to another’s account, and the consequent transfer of credit that frees the person from the pending execution if the debt is not paid.

Therefore, we have a new identity by being “in Christ” … we have Christ’s righteousness which gives us a standing as God’s children. The debt of our sin had been transferred previously for our account to that of Christ, who paid that debt with the shedding of blood on the cross.

Philemon 1 – Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our dear friend and fellow worker— 2 also to Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier—and to the church that meets in your home:

3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving and Prayer

4 I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, 5 because I hear about your love for all his holy people and your faith in the Lord Jesus. 6 I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ. 7 Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people.

Paul’s Plea for Onesimus

8 Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, 9 yet I prefer to appeal to you on the basis of love. It is as none other than Paul—an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus— 10 that I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains. 11 Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me.

12 I am sending him—who is my very heart—back to you. 13 I would have liked to keep him with me so that he could take your place in helping me while I am in chains for the gospel. 14 But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that any favor you do would not seem forced but would be voluntary. 15 Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back forever— 16 no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a fellow man and as a brother in the Lord.

17 So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. 18 If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me. 19 I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I will pay it back—not to mention that you owe me your very self. 20 I do wish, brother, that I may have some benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ. 21 Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask.

22 And one thing more: Prepare a guest room for me, because I hope to be restored to you in answer to your prayers.

23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you greetings. 24 And so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke, my fellow workers.

25 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

Outsiders Become Insiders (Acts 28:17-29)

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As a child growing up, my family’s home was on an elevated property just across a country road from the first fairway and hole of an exclusive country club. It was absolutely gorgeous. Sloping down into a valley through which a stream traversed, with another half of the layout ascending a mountain crested by an old-growth forest, the view from our front porch was spectacular.

But there was one big problem. I could never go there, play there, walk there, or anything else. My family did not have a membership; only an elite class of select people could be a part of it. Though totally beautiful, it was forbidden territory. I was an outsider. I could only look into it from beyond the “no trespassing” signs.

Then, during high school, I played on the school’s golf team. And by great fortune, this country club was secured by the school as our home course. I got to play there regularly. Though welcomed on the course and in the clubhouse at certain specific times, I was still not a true member.

Over the course of time, the property was sold and it became a public course that all were welcomed to come and play, and even to join in membership.

This illustration carries a sort of picture of the big idea of what the life ministry of Paul was all about in proclaiming the gospel. Prior to Christ, the way to God was only through the nation of Israel. One had to be a believing Jew who was faithful in trust and observance, or one could become a proselyte. Others were somewhat half in and half out, known as god-fearers. And finally, after the completed work of Christ, the path to a right relationship with God was fully opened to all Gentiles as well.

The story of the book of Acts is largely that of Luke relating how this process evolved, particularly through the specific efforts of the Apostle Paul. The big idea is in central focus in these final paragraphs. Paul meets with the Jewish community in Rome, sharing with them the big picture of the expansive work of God – pointing to Jesus as the fulfillment of Scripture and the hope not only of Israel, but of the world. Some believe, many more reject it.

The end result is that (as in verse 28) the gospel goes to the Gentiles, who will listen and respond to it with the growth of the church around the world over the next 2,000 years. Is it not a wonderful truth that God’s grace has made all of this possible! Without it, we would indeed all be lost.

This expansive grace of God’s expansive passion for the lost world will be much at the heart of our next sermon series (beginning on 9/17). The major application there will be for us to have a likewise expansive view of reaching intentionally beyond ourselves to people who are different from us, thereby living out God’s heart for all groups and peoples to come to grace and be one together as the church of Jesus Christ.

Until then, we’ll finish this series over the next two weeks and eight devotionals by looking at the letters that Paul wrote in the latter years of his life.

Paul Preaches at Rome Under Guard

Acts 28:17 – Three days later he called together the local Jewish leaders. When they had assembled, Paul said to them: “My brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or against the customs of our ancestors, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans. 18 They examined me and wanted to release me, because I was not guilty of any crime deserving death. 19 The Jews objected, so I was compelled to make an appeal to Caesar. I certainly did not intend to bring any charge against my own people. 20 For this reason I have asked to see you and talk with you. It is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain.”

21 They replied, “We have not received any letters from Judea concerning you, and none of our people who have come from there has reported or said anything bad about you. 22 But we want to hear what your views are, for we know that people everywhere are talking against this sect.”

23 They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the place where he was staying. He witnessed to them from morning till evening, explaining about the kingdom of God, and from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets he tried to persuade them about Jesus. 24 Some were convinced by what he said, but others would not believe. 25 They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement: “The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your ancestors when he said through Isaiah the prophet:

26 “‘Go to this people and say, “You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.” 27 For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’ [from Isaiah 6:9,10]

28 “Therefore I want you to know that God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!” [29 – Some manuscripts include here – After he said this, the Jews left, arguing vigorously among themselves.]

Blooming Where You are Planted (Acts 28:1-16)

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All of us who have lived a while and sought to use our lives to serve God as opportunities would arise can probably testify to times where unexpected circumstances changed our plans, the end result being a pleasant surprise we would ultimately credit to God’s sovereign work in our life.

When I was age 15 and having completed my first year of high school, my good church youth group friend and son of the pastor invited me to go with him to work for the summer at a camp in southern New Jersey. I recall not being entirely excited about this, but I had no better plan for my summer and agreed to join him. I was going to work with the grounds crew at a very cool camp that had three lakes with cabins and a host of rustic buildings.

When I arrived, I found out that I was targeted for an immediate change in plans. They were short on having a sufficient number of counselors for the campers, and my pastor (who was on the board of directors) told them he thought I could do it. They gave me a Bible test, and all of those years of filling out Sunday School lesson books (on Saturday nights under the threat of my parents’ discipline) paid off. A week later I was the counselor in a cabin with seven 10-year-old boys. One of the responsibilities was to deliver a devotional each night at bedtime, on any biblical topic of our choosing. It was a first time that I did such a thing, and a first time that I felt God’s gifting to speak through me in illustrative and creative ways to teach truths from the Word of God. I helped 10 children that summer trust in Christ. Looking back, that was a “step one” in all else that has followed in my life over the past 47 years of college, seminary, and three church ministries.

The Apostle Paul had many experiences where his presumed plans fell through, only to see himself in an unexpected set of circumstances that God had divinely orchestrated for him to preach the gospel. Today’s passage is another of these. Shipwrecked on an island, Paul presents Christ through miraculous powers and abilities, being set up for such by surviving a venomous snake bite. Ugh! My lifetime phobia is snakes. My favorite movie quote is from Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark: “Snakes. Why’d it have to be snakes? Anything but snakes!”

Paul learned the great truth that things happened to him, so that things could happen in him, so that things could happen through him. He knew that there were no accidents with God, that God orchestrated all the events of his life down to the finest of details. Paul lived out the language idiom of “blooming where you are planted.”  The apostle oft found himself planted in some strange soils with severe conditions for growth and fruit. But he trusted God to use him in those circumstances to live not under them, but above them.

Do you currently have some life circumstances you don’t like? Have you considered how even these have not come to you without having passed by God’s superintendence over your life? How might God use you even in those moments to live well for Him and testify of His grace in your life?

Paul Ashore on Malta

Acts 28:1 – Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta. 2 The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold. 3 Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. 4 When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, “This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live.” 5 But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. 6 The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead; but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.

7 There was an estate nearby that belonged to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us to his home and showed us generous hospitality for three days. 8 His father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him and, after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed him. 9 When this had happened, the rest of the sick on the island came and were cured. 10 They honored us in many ways; and when we were ready to sail, they furnished us with the supplies we needed.

Paul’s Arrival at Rome

11 – After three months we put out to sea in a ship that had wintered in the island—it was an Alexandrian ship with the figurehead of the twin gods Castor and Pollux. 12 We put in at Syracuse and stayed there three days. 13 From there we set sail and arrived at Rhegium. The next day the south wind came up, and on the following day we reached Puteoli. 14 There we found some brothers and sisters who invited us to spend a week with them. And so we came to Rome. 15 The brothers and sisters there had heard that we were coming, and they traveled as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns to meet us. At the sight of these people Paul thanked God and was encouraged. 16 When we got to Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with a soldier to guard him.

Safe Sailing with God (Acts 27:1-44)

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I well remember my parents talking about stories of their early marriage and God’s provision through the most perilous of times. They were married in 1929 just seven weeks before the economic crash and beginning of the Great Depression.

Diana and I did not face anything quite that deleterious, but there were some crazy times that I even marvel at when remembering certain events. Our first apartment cost $125 a month to rent. The first house we bought was $36,200, and we thought that was a total fortune at the time.

We were married in May of 1977 before my final year of college. I had applied to Dallas Theological Seminary earlier that spring, as the admission process was very selective and one had to apply about 18 months in advance of matriculation. I was not at all certain that I would be accepted, but coming home from our honeymoon we had a letter from Dallas saying I was welcomed to attend after the following year. This was a fork in the road moment for us, and we knew it even at the time.

Our move to Dallas the following year was an adventure, to say the least!  We shipped some of our things by a freight company, but we were so broke we moved a bunch of it ourselves. My father-in-law pulled a trailer behind his van, and we drove our packed-out 1968 Rambler Rebel station wagon. The trip was treacherous. The trailer broke loose at one point (in Winchester, VA) and actually passed the van while sliding down the road. It also had multiple hitch and tire problems. So many things went wrong in transit that, when we at last arrived in Dallas at our destination (briefly living with some family who were already there), I completely broke down into tears from the stress of it all.

But God got us there! Clearly it was where we were supposed to be. Life there involved some wild jobs at crazy hours. Diana was a Christian School teacher with a starting salary of $5,600 … whoohoo!  I worked for UPS and cleaned swimming pools. I have oft told the story and have surely written somewhere in these 1,000 devotionals about being rejected for a church music position – one for which the person hired was truly not qualified. There was a true injustice in it – and I recall driving home alone that evening after being told I did not win the position, hitting the steering wheel and YELLING at God. It was so unfair. But, three months later a much better and larger church called me out of the blue and gave me the music position there. It was the best experience of the Dallas years – even better than the seminary. And it all worked together to position me for everything else that has happened over the past four decades.

In it all, God knew what He was doing. The journey was sometimes treacherous and often very confusing (even today I wonder about God’s workings and plans with my life moving forward). But God always put me where He wanted me – in the right place at the right time, whether I realized it at that time or not.

As we turn today to Acts 27, we see the Apostle Paul on his actual trip to Rome. By this time in Paul’s life he had experienced so many unusual events and circumstances that he knew he could trust God to get him where he was supposed to go – doing it in ways that could appear confusing but that always served divine purposes. Paul knew God was sending him to Rome; the details would be revealed day by day.

This is a great chapter of the Scriptures. You have to laugh at how Paul is nothing but a prisoner on a ship, but in fact he is essentially in charge when everything around him goes awry with the foul weather conditions for sailing. Paul ends up giving the orders as to what everyone should do.

And though our journey through life might not have quite the drama as the Apostle Paul, we can be sure that we will sail through some storms and difficulties. But that does not mean God is not being faithful, and it does not mean he is displeased with us. He may be working to use us in unique circumstances, or perhaps he is preparing us to be used for some future time. He is faithful. He gets us where we need to go. And trusting him in every event is the best way to enjoy his pleasure and success in being used for his glory.

Paul Sails for Rome

Acts 27:1 – When it was decided that we would sail for Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius, who belonged to the Imperial Regiment. 2 We boarded a ship from Adramyttium about to sail for ports along the coast of the province of Asia, and we put out to sea. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was with us.

3 The next day we landed at Sidon; and Julius, in kindness to Paul, allowed him to go to his friends so they might provide for his needs. 4 From there we put out to sea again and passed to the lee of Cyprus because the winds were against us. 5 When we had sailed across the open sea off the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we landed at Myra in Lycia. 6 There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy and put us on board. 7 We made slow headway for many days and had difficulty arriving off Cnidus. When the wind did not allow us to hold our course, we sailed to the lee of Crete, opposite Salmone. 8 We moved along the coast with difficulty and came to a place called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea.

9 Much time had been lost, and sailing had already become dangerous because by now it was after the Day of Atonement.[in the Fall, as weather was becoming more difficult for sailing]  So Paul warned them, 10 “Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also.” 11 But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship. 12 Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided that we should sail on, hoping to reach Phoenix and winter there. This was a harbor in Crete, facing both southwest and northwest.

The Storm

13 When a gentle south wind began to blow, they saw their opportunity; so they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete. 14 Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the Northeaster, swept down from the island. 15 The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along. 16 As we passed to the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were hardly able to make the lifeboat secure, 17 so the men hoisted it aboard. Then they passed ropes under the ship itself to hold it together. Because they were afraid they would run aground on the sandbars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor and let the ship be driven along. 18 We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard. 19 On the third day, they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. 20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.

21 After they had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: “Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. 22 But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. 23 Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me 24 and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’ 25 So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. 26 Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island.”

The Shipwreck

27 On the fourteenth night we were still being driven across the Adriatic Sea, when about midnight the sailors sensed they were approaching land. 28 They took soundings and found that the water was a hundred and twenty feet deep. A short time later they took soundings again and found it was ninety feet deep. 29 Fearing that we would be dashed against the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight. 30 In an attempt to escape from the ship, the sailors let the lifeboat down into the sea, pretending they were going to lower some anchors from the bow. 31 Then Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved.” 32 So the soldiers cut the ropes that held the lifeboat and let it drift away.

33 Just before dawn Paul urged them all to eat. “For the last fourteen days,” he said, “you have been in constant suspense and have gone without food—you haven’t eaten anything. 34 Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head.” 35 After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat. 36 They were all encouraged and ate some food themselves. 37 Altogether there were 276 of us on board. 38 When they had eaten as much as they wanted, they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea.

39 When daylight came, they did not recognize the land, but they saw a bay with a sandy beach, where they decided to run the ship aground if they could. 40 Cutting loose the anchors, they left them in the sea and at the same time untied the ropes that held the rudders. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and made for the beach. 41 But the ship struck a sandbar and ran aground. The bow stuck fast and would not move, and the stern was broken to pieces by the pounding of the surf.

42 The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swimming away and escaping. 43 But the centurion wanted to spare Paul’s life and kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land. 44 The rest were to get there on planks or on other pieces of the ship. In this way everyone reached land safely.

Three Portraits on the Wall (Acts 25:23-27, Acts 26)

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It has been my opportunity to visit Europe a total of four times – three missions trips to England and Scotland, and a fourth occasion in 2013 that included six countries on the continent. Such tours inevitably take you through quite a variety of castles, palaces and other prominent structures. A typical feature of these grand places is the number of portraits and paintings on the walls in practically every room. The famous kings, princes, dukes, earls, queens and princesses are all memorialized on the walls.

When you take a tour through these castles, the guide will stop from room to room and direct your attention to important features within it – ranging from who has slept there in the past, or who was beheaded there in that room. Frequently, however, the guide will draw your attention to the portraits on the wall, identifying the persons and giving some information about their lives, beliefs and activities.

So today, let’s think of Acts chapters 25 and 26 as a room with three portraits – Festus, Agrippa, and Paul. We pick up the story in Acts 25:23 where Agrippa has come to meet and interview the prisoner of Festus – this alleged criminal and curious fellow named Paul of Tarsus…

Acts 25:23 – The next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and entered the audience room with the high-ranking military officers and the prominent men of the city. At the command of Festus, Paul was brought in. 24 Festus said: “King Agrippa, and all who are present with us, you see this man! The whole Jewish community has petitioned me about him in Jerusalem and here in Caesarea, shouting that he ought not to live any longer. 25 I found he had done nothing deserving of death, but because he made his appeal to the Emperor I decided to send him to Rome. 26 But I have nothing definite to write to His Majesty about him. Therefore I have brought him before all of you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that as a result of this investigation I may have something to write. 27 For I think it is unreasonable to send a prisoner on to Rome without specifying the charges against him.”

Do you get the feeling that Festus is really glad that Agrippa has come along and is there to shed some light on this confusing situation? Indeed, Festus is not versed in either Jewish background or of “the way” … this new entity we know as the church. We need to read through the chapter (look around the room) and then we will be able to talk about the three portraits on the wall …

Acts 26:1 – Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.”

So Paul motioned with his hand and began his defense: 2 “King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to stand before you today as I make my defense against all the accusations of the Jews, 3 and especially so because you are well acquainted with all the Jewish customs and controversies. Therefore, I beg you to listen to me patiently.

4 “The Jewish people all know the way I have lived ever since I was a child, from the beginning of my life in my own country, and also in Jerusalem. 5 They have known me for a long time and can testify, if they are willing, that I conformed to the strictest sect of our religion, living as a Pharisee. 6 And now it is because of my hope in what God has promised our ancestors that I am on trial today. 7 This is the promise our twelve tribes are hoping to see fulfilled as they earnestly serve God day and night. King Agrippa, it is because of this hope that these Jews are accusing me. 8 Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead?

9 “I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10 And that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the Lord’s people in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. 11 Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. I was so obsessed with persecuting them that I even hunted them down in foreign cities.

12 “On one of these journeys I was going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. 13 About noon, King Agrippa, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions. 14 We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’

15 “Then I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’

“ ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied. 16 ‘Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me. 17 I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them 18 to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

19 “So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven. 20 First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and then to the Gentiles, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds. 21 That is why some Jews seized me in the temple courts and tried to kill me. 22 But God has helped me to this very day; so I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen— 23 that the Messiah would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would bring the message of light to his own people and to the Gentiles.”

24 At this point Festus interrupted Paul’s defense. “You are out of your mind, Paul!” he shouted. “Your great learning is driving you insane.”

25 “I am not insane, most excellent Festus,” Paul replied. “What I am saying is true and reasonable. 26 The king is familiar with these things, and I can speak freely to him. I am convinced that none of this has escaped his notice, because it was not done in a corner. 27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do.”

28 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?”

29 Paul replied, “Short time or long—I pray to God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.”

30 The king rose, and with him the governor and Bernice and those sitting with them. 31 After they left the room, they began saying to one another, “This man is not doing anything that deserves death or imprisonment.”

32 Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”

So let me now serve as your tour guide to take you behind the burgundy-colored, velvet ropes and right up close to examine these three paintings and characters.

  1. FESTUS

As we said earlier – he is the newer Roman governor who took over from the vile Felix. This is a portrait of a fully secular man.

It is more likely that the learning of Festus made him mad rather than the learning of Paul. The thought of a man dying and rising from the dead did not fit well with reason. Such talk was craziness.

Festus was, no doubt, a heathen, ignorant of any religion except the idolatrous temple worship, which in the time of the Apostles overspread the civilized world.

From what we read of his comments in the previous chapter, he seems to have been profoundly ignorant both of Judaism and Christianity.

Like most Romans, he probably regarded most religions with contempt. Romans were too proud to be openly religious, regarding most religion as either equally false or equally true in some general way.

The idea of a Jew being, as Paul declared, “a light to the Gentiles” was totally ridiculous. This would be like a homeless person declaring himself to be an expert on international monetary theory, or making him the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

Is it not true that there are many in our world like Festus? A strong majority of folks! They are found in every rank and place of society from the richest to the poorest. We pass them on the streets and work with them on the job. They are frequently very good people with respectable lives.

But like Festus, they have no faith or religion, living as if having no eternal soul. They give little credence to matters of faith beyond some obligatory notice at special holidays, often to appease more spiritually-minded relatives.

They live as if there are no pressing matters of life and eternity rather than to care for the body, eat, sleep, work, get money, spend money … with no world to consider beyond that which may be perceived with the eyes.

Their greatest value is to let everyone alone in their beliefs, scoffing at the silly idea of religion as a sort of medication for the weak, scoffing also at the non-scientific and irrational idea of a miracle of resurrection from the dead and a spiritual world that is the true reality, or a creator God to whom one should be accountable.

Yes, the world is full of folks like Festus; he has a common face we see every day. But let’s move over to the next portrait …

  1. Agrippa

Agrippa is actually rather different than Festus, being of Jewish extraction and brought up as a Jew. And this accounts for Paul’s remarks that he knows he is familiar with the prophets and gives witness that he believes in them.

He was very much familiar with many ideas that Festus knew nothing about, so the concepts that Paul speaks of are not the ramblings of a lunatic to him.

Agrippa seems to have some sort of secret inner conviction that this man Paul had truth on his side. But that is about as deep as it goes. He saw … He heard … He felt … He was moved … He was at the door of the Kingdom, but he halted outside, not having the will to enter in.

Again, the world is full of a great many people like Agrippa, being found everywhere, even in our churches. Often these are people who have known the truth from their childhood, knowing the essential core teachings of the Scriptures. In their heart of hearts they know it is true, but that knowledge fails to break to the surface.

These folks are those that the Scripture says are among the ones who have not taken up their cross to follow Christ. They oft willingly confess their lives are not what they should be. Someday … sometime … they’re going to put it together. Meaning to and intending to, they live … and meaning to and intending to, they die. Kind, good, respectable people, not enemies, but not disciples and frequently not Christians.

So the portrait of Agrippa is a very familiar face as well … everywhere … even in the church.

But I think we’ll find the third portrait to be more compelling in every way.

  1. Paul

Looking closely at this third portrait, let me point out three distinct features …

  1. Great Boldness – to stand before high authorities and witness well for the Lord. Paul was always this guy that you don’t know what to do with, if you’re an authority who does not really like him. You can’t just persecute him – because he is happy to suffer for Christ … and you can’t just kill him – because he sees that as better yet.
  2. Great Confidence – in the meaning of the gospel he had come to experience in his own life. He is more than a man with boldness and nothing to say. The gospel message truly met the core need of mankind, being empowered by the work of the Spirit that goes along with the preaching of the truth. And we have this same message, yet we may tend to shirk from bold confidence in speaking it out … essentially demonstrating a lack of confidence in the source of this truth.
  3. Great Desire – to see all around him come to know the truth. Paul saw people in the light of eternity, as he wrote in 2 Corinthians 5 about the exercise of the Christian life … So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. … We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.

So we walk away from the three portraits, asking ourselves in which we see ourselves reflected …

Are you today a Festus? Skeptical of faith? Really, you want to hold onto the things of this world as the true reality?  I encourage you to run to Christ today.

Are you today like Agrippa? Standing at the door of commitment? An “almost Christian” … or a “just barely Christian?”  That is neither a safe or happy place to be. So come through the door, or come clearly forward in your faith as a top priority of life.

Are you today running the race like Paul?  Bold / Confident / Desirous to advance the gospel to others?  Then run on with encouragement; and don’t be knocked off stride by the opponents and critics that strew the course of the Life Race.

(These notes and the main idea come from a sermon I first preached 29 years ago, with the inspiration of the illustrative picture coming from the devotional writings of the great British cleric J.C. Ryle.)

Persecuted Paul – Just the Beginning (Acts 25:1-22)

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Let us ask some questions here about what you can imagine is the nature of Christian persecution around the world today.

About how many Christians are estimated to have lost their lives worldwide in 2016 because of their faith?  A. 4,000 / B. 18,000 / C. 41,000 / D. 90,000

About how many Christians around the world face governmental opposition that to some extent inhibits their full exercise of faith?  A. 140 million / B. 355 million / C. 490 million / D. 600 million.

The answer to both question is letter D – 90,000 killed and about 600,000,000 afflicted by authoritarian opposition (research done by The Center for New Religions). Christians are now the most persecuted religion in the world.

The trend of anti-Christian hostility is growing. Certain stories make the news prominently, like the killing of 44 Coptic Christians on Palm Sunday. But this is just the surface; it is happening in all corners of the earth. “There are many places on Earth where being a Christian is the most dangerous thing you can be,” Robert Nicholson of the Philos Project has said.

But this is actually nothing new, as hostility toward the gospel existed from the very beginning. Paul himself was of course an early persecutor. And he was an early victim as well.

Even after two years of imprisonment in Caesarea – 75 miles away from Jerusalem – the anger toward Paul had abated very little. In Acts 25 we read of the immediate raising of the issue of Paul the prisoner by the Jewish leadership as soon as a new governor (Festus) takes over power. There remains a plot to kill Paul. These are angry people. As Festus would like to please the Jews by getting Paul to Jerusalem, the Apostle knows that this would result in a loaded situation against him … besides the fact that he is fully innocent. So he asserts his rights to appeal to Caesar, where he will ultimately be sent.

By God’s grace we are not (yet) living under such a condition of hostility, though a gradual transition toward it is more imaginable than at any other time of my life. The trend is clear. A great many people hate the gospel message and the exclusive claim of Jesus Christ as the only way, truth and life.

Jesus said the world would hate us just as they hated him. The Scriptures teach in multiple places that opposition and persecution are to be expected as the normal condition of living the Christian life.  But none of this should ever cause us to be knocked off pace in running the Life Race. So keep running, just like Paul.

Paul’s Trial before Festus

Acts 25:1 – Three days after arriving in the province, Festus went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem, 2 where the chief priests and the Jewish leaders appeared before him and presented the charges against Paul. 3 They requested Festus, as a favor to them, to have Paul transferred to Jerusalem, for they were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way. 4 Festus answered, “Paul is being held at Caesarea, and I myself am going there soon. 5 Let some of your leaders come with me, and if the man has done anything wrong, they can press charges against him there.”

6 After spending eight or ten days with them, Festus went down to Caesarea. The next day he convened the court and ordered that Paul be brought before him. 7 When Paul came in, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him. They brought many serious charges against him, but they could not prove them.

8 Then Paul made his defense: “I have done nothing wrong against the Jewish law or against the temple or against Caesar.”

9 Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me there on these charges?”

10 Paul answered: “I am now standing before Caesar’s court, where I ought to be tried. I have not done any wrong to the Jews, as you yourself know very well. 11 If, however, I am guilty of doing anything deserving death, I do not refuse to die. But if the charges brought against me by these Jews are not true, no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!”

12 After Festus had conferred with his council, he declared: “You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go!”

Festus Consults King Agrippa

13 A few days later King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea to pay their respects to Festus. 14 Since they were spending many days there, Festus discussed Paul’s case with the king. He said: “There is a man here whom Felix left as a prisoner. 15 When I went to Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews brought charges against him and asked that he be condemned.

16 “I told them that it is not the Roman custom to hand over anyone before they have faced their accusers and have had an opportunity to defend themselves against the charges. 17 When they came here with me, I did not delay the case, but convened the court the next day and ordered the man to be brought in. 18 When his accusers got up to speak, they did not charge him with any of the crimes I had expected. 19 Instead, they had some points of dispute with him about their own religion and about a dead man named Jesus who Paul claimed was alive. 20 I was at a loss how to investigate such matters; so I asked if he would be willing to go to Jerusalem and stand trial there on these charges. 21 But when Paul made his appeal to be held over for the Emperor’s decision, I ordered him held until I could send him to Caesar.”

22 Then Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear this man myself.”

He replied, “Tomorrow you will hear him.”