Essentials Of The Faith / Sunday Morning Sermon Series / Acts: Enlarging Our Vision

By Knowing God is present just when we need Him (Part 2)

Sermon Series: Acts: Enlarging our Vision

Title: : ‘By Knowing God is present just when we need Him (Pt2)’     Text: Acts 22:30-23:35

Introduction: Susie called a friend and asked how she was feeling. “Terrible,” came the reply. “My head’s splitting and my back and legs are killing me. The house is a mess, and the kids are driving me crazy.” Susie, full of compassion, said, “Listen, go and lie down, I’ll come over right away and cook lunch for you, clean up the house, and take care of the children while you get some rest. By the way, how is Sam?” “Sam? Who’s Sam?” “My heavens,” Susie exclaimed, “I must have dialed the wrong number.” “Well, said the woman on the other end of the phone...Are you still coming over?”

All of us grow weary from time to time and we just need someone to be near, to be close...to listen. Did you know that God can do that?

Read: Jeremiah 33:3 ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’

Encouraging....isn’t it?

Summary

Last week I said that the phrase ‘The invisible Hand’, although coined by economist Adam Smith, has an altogether different meaning for the Christian. We believe that ‘the invisible hand of God’ guides our lives. In theological terms this refers to God’s sovereignty, to His providential care in the lives of His children.

I also asked the question: ‘Have you ever wondered why God waits to send His encouragement to us, when situations appear to be at their worst?’ I said it’s because

·       God’s timing is always best,

·       His desires for us are always good,

·       His grace supplied to us is always sufficient

·       His forgiveness for our sin is always available

·       and His love for us is always unconditional.

This week we will continue to see God’s invisible hand at work in the Apostle Paul’s life and by way of example...in our lieves as well.

Transition: Open your Bibles to Acts 23:12 (pg. 852 in the Bibles under the chair in front of you.) For it’s there we’ll continue to find that we enlarge our vision of God by knowing God is present, just when you need Him.

III. Acts 23:12-22       In the simplest of ways

Read: Acts 23:12-22

Who knew Paul had a sister living in Jerusalem? Who knew his sister had a son? God did!

According to verse 16, a once unknown nephew of Paul just happens to be in the right place, at the right time, to overhear the details of this death squad. What a coincidence, what great luck for Paul. No!

·       Anyone see the invisible hand of God?

Think about this for a moment. God knew about the plans of this death squad. He could have given them leprosy or blindness or burned them to a crisp with a fireball from heaven. But he didn’t do anything that dramatic...in this case, God used a small boy to bring about His will.

We know this is a small child because the Commander takes him by the hand and talks to him privately. He wouldn’t hold hands with a grown man. What does this tell us?

·       Never believe that you are too old, too young, too busy, too unintelligent...never believe that you are too anything to be used by God.

·       God can and often uses the simplest of means, to bring about His will.

You may be in the midst of a ‘worst time.’ You may not see God anywhere around you in your difficult circumstances, but don’t believe for a second, that He’s not there, that He’s not waiting for just the right moment to intervene, and it just may be in a way you never thought possible.

Transition: God can use the simplest of means to affect His will...He can also use our rights as citizens.

IV. Acts 23:23-30       In the rights of citizens

Read: Acts 23:23-30

Do you remember when Paul was about to have him beaten, and he said that he was a Roman citizen and the Commander let him go? Paul called on his dual citizenship as a citizen of heaven and of Rome...We see God doing the very same thing here.

God uses the rights of Roman citizens to secure Paul’s safety. Let me step back for a moment.

·       40 Jews formed a death squad and vowed not to eat or drink until they have killed Paul.

·       They developed an elaborate plan to get the Roman Commander to bring Paul back to the Sanhedrin and along the way, they would ambush Paul and kill him.

·       Understand that this plan could not succeed without the knowledge and full cooperation of the Sanhedrin (with the possible exception of the Pharisees who at this point were kind of on Paul’s side)

·       A small boy overhears the plan and gets to tell the Commander who then does his job and makes his own plan to protect Paul, a Roman citizen from the Jews.

·       470 well armed and well trained soldiers protect one Christian, Paul, as they journey all night the 30 miles to Caesarea to take Paul to the Governor for a hearing.

·       And if that were not enough, the Commander sends a letter to Felix, the Governor, proclaiming Paul’s innocence.

No 40 member death squad of overly zealous Jews is going to go up against an army of 470 Roman soldiers.

·       Anyone see the invisible hand of God?

Folks, God can work through our rights as US citizens to bring about His will.

I don’t talk about this much, but as Christians, we need to vote, to write our representatives, to be a voice for God’s Truth to a town, state and country that isn’t listening much anymore. And when the truths we hold to like

·       The right to life for the unborn

·       Marriage between men and women

When these are taken away...we will be to blame by our silence and inactivity. Paul and God took advantage of the rights of citizens to bring about God’s will...we should too.

Transition: Paul is in good hands, even though we can’t see God’s hand we know He is intervening on Paul’s behalf. But God is not done yet.

V. Acts 23:31-35  In the face of your accusers

Read: Acts 23:31-35

Here’s something interesting...Felix was Pontius Pilate’s successor as Governor of Judea. He asks where Paul is from. He finds out it is Cilicia, a Roman province under imperial control. This means, that area is under the direct control of the emperor. The stage is set for Paul to go to Rome.

Felix reads about the death squads plot and the Commanders belief in Paul’s innocence, and decides to hear the case....but, he will also go to the extreme to protect Paul. How?

By placing him under the protection of the palace guard. Also known as the infamous Praetorian Guard, the special forces, part of the elite soldiers who guarded Caesar himself.

·       Anyone see the invisible hand of God?

Few Christians could hope to get that close, to those closest to Caesar...but God was making it possible for Paul.

Paul, writing to the Philippian church says:

Read: Philippians 4:22 ‘All the saints send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar’s household.’

Paul got the chance to witness not only to the Praetorian Guard, but also to those living in Caesars’ palace...and I am not talking about the casino in AC.

The next time you’re placed in circumstances that are not your first choice....look for a door of opportunity to be opened by God. He has a reason for everything:

·       your doctor’s appointment running an hour late,

·       your plane being delayed,

·       your job being phased out

·       or not getting a stent for your aneurysm!

God is in control, He is Sovereign and He has resources we know nothing about.

Conclusion

As I reflect back on this and last weeks passage, one word comes to mind...HOPE! These texts give me great hope because they demonstrate God’s sovereignty over the circumstances of my life.

God’s promises and purposes will be accomplished,

·       in the midst of chaos,

·       in the midst of confusion,

·       in the midst of conflict,

·       even in the midst of our bad choices.

God promises to finish the work that He began. Paul reminds us of that in his letter to the Philippians:

Read: Philippians 1:6 ‘For I am sure of this very thing, that the one who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.’

My confidence does not rest on my abilities, my circumstances or even my faithfulness. It’s God’s faithfulness that gives me confidence, that assures me that God will accomplish everything He has purposed and promised.

So, why lose hope, why quit, when we know that God’s purposes can not and will not fail?

Do you see it in our text? In God’s dealings with Paul? Have you experienced God’s invisible hand in your life?

What happened to Paul is God’s promise to you too. How can I be sure of that? God’s Word!

Read: Romans 15:4 ‘For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.’

Hope.

·       Whatever difficult occupational situation you may be encountering,

·       whatever marital distress you may be living in,

·       whatever financial problems you may have,

·       and whatever spiritual struggles you may be experiencing,

My God...He is able...to see you through it. Hope.

ILL: In 1926, Raymond lay dying of typhoid in the jungles of Ecuador, a twenty-something missionary who’d given his life to reach people in a mountain village. Transported to a hospital in Guayaquil, the doctor there noted that his feet were already cold, and that he was not long for this world.

Lacking a black dress for the funeral, his young bride had her wedding dress dyed black; another missionary friend picked out an appropriate coffin, and arrangements were made and a time set for Raymond’s funeral. 

41 years later, as he was addressing the student body of Wheaton College, college president V. Raymond Edman collapsed and passed into the presence of the Lord, proving the truth that though his doctor, wife, and close friends had given him up for dead, no servant of our sovereign God ever dies a premature death; God’s servants are immortal until their service for a sovereign God is done—because the invisible hand of our sovereign God is always working in and through His children to accomplish His purposes! (Byron Harvey)

We enlarge our vision of God by knowing God is present, just when you need Him.