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

By Understanding God's Delays (9/13/09)

Sermon Series: Acts: Enlarging our Vision

Title: : ‘By Understanding God's Delays’     Text: Acts 24

Introduction: As a husband and a father of two daughters, I have spent a lot of my life...waiting. Waiting has become an accepted part of life for me.

·       We ‘wait’ for our wives/daughters hair to dry before we can go out.

·       We ‘wait’ in lines at the store.

·       We ‘wait’ in traffic jams.

·       We ‘wait’ in the doctor’s office’.

·       Some of you are waiting for this message to end.

Waiting has become an acceptable part of life

for all of us.

Have you ever thought about how much time we spend as Christians, ‘waiting’ on God? As I read through Scripture I see many examples of ‘people waiting on God.’

·       Abraham and Sarah waited for a promised son.

·       Joseph waited for the fulfillment of his dreams.

·       Moses waited 40 years to become the deliverer of Israel and waited  another 40 years wandering in the wilderness.

·       David waited to become king of Israel.

·       Israel waited for her Messiah to come.

·       The Christians in the early church waited for the Lord’s return.

·       And the Apostle Paul waited two years in prison in Caesarea for Felix, the governor, to make a decision on his case.

Waiting may be an acceptable inevitability...but that doesn’t mean we like it....even when it’s God we’re waiting for.

Transition: Open your Bibles to Acts 24:27 (pg. 853 in the Bibles under the chair in front of you.) For it’s there we’ll discover we enlarge our vision of God by understanding His delays.

I. Acts 24:27                God’s delay

Read: Acts 24:27

You may be wondering why I began at the end of the chapter instead of the beginning? Well, it’s to give us a perspective on Paul’s situation...in particular, to see the passage before us this morning, in light of Paul’s 2yr imprisonment.

Two years had passed since the Roman Commander brought Paul to Felix to try his case...and Paul was still in prison. Two years.

I can imagine that would have been a great source of irritation to us if we were in Paul’s sandals. Do you think Paul felt differently?

·       Paul was probably thinking about all the places he could be going...like Rome where God had said he would go.

·       Paul was probably thinking about all the work he could have been doing sharing the Good News of life in Jesus Christ to all who had never heard.

But, I believe Paul understood it was God who was delaying his departure from Caesarea. We don’t ready any where that he complained and he did write this to the Christians living in Philippi.

Read: Philippians 4:11-12 ‘...I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.’

I believe it was clear to Paul that God’s delay was part of God’s divine purpose and plan. Paul had to accept God’s delay, as part of the fulfillment of God’s plan for Paul to get to Rome.

Transition: While we may look at those two years as wasted time, Paul gives us a good example to follow as we, and Paul ‘wait’ on God.

II. Acts 24:1-9   The attack of the accuser  

Read: Acts 24:1-9

During God’s delays, when we have to wait for God to speak ...Satan is often speaking very loudly and often. You can expect attacks for Satan when you are waiting for God to speak. Paul understood that the hard way.

Paul was brought before Governor Felix because his accusers from Jerusalem had arrived...and they brought a lawyer, not something the Sanhedrin often did. But they wanted to be certain to make a strong case and get Paul back into their custody, so they could have him killed.

We’ve heard their argument before and we know it’s all lies. But that’s how Satan works...he is the ‘Father of all lies’ and the ‘Great Accuser.’ 

Notice that all the lies are not harsh...the lawyer actually uses flattery to get on Felix’s good side. You can be certain that Satan will do the same thing to you. He will appeal to your vanity and pride to get you to do what he wants you to do...which is always, to disobey God.

Translation: Felix hears enough and gives Paul the opportunity to defend himself against the charges. How does Paul respond?

III. Acts 24:10-21       The defense of the Truth

Read: Acts 24:10-21

Paul responds not with flattery or lies to defend himself, Paul responds with the truth... and he presents the truth...respectfully. He doesn’t get defensive or go on the attack here. He sticks to the issues and charges at hand, specifically his conduct in Jerusalem. And he doesn’t address the issues where no specific charges were made....like him being a ‘troublemaker’ and a ‘ring leader.’

Paul speaks from his heart and says that he worships the God of ‘our’ fathers. Notice Paul is once again identifying with the Jews. He states that he believes everything the Jews from Jerusalem believe...the whole Law and Prophets...but he sees them in light of Jesus, the promised Messiah. Paul was not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And he was not afraid to say it in the face of his accusers.

Paul may have been waiting for God to speak, to act on his behalf, but Paul spoke up for God when given the opportunity.

Transition: Felix interrupts Paul. Perhaps he thought Felix was going to make a ruling in his case. Let’s see.

IV. Acts 24:22-26 Opportunities to share the Truth

Read: Acts 24:22-26

We’re told that Felix ‘was well acquainted with the Way...’ This means he knew about Christianity and how it differed from the Jewish religion. The opposition to Paul over the content of his message that Jesus is the Messiah was something Felix had heard about before.

So this would have made Felix’s decision easier and perhaps even quicker. But it seems that Felix...wanted to delay his decision.

·       Perhaps he was hoping Paul or one of his friends would give him a bribe for a favorable decision...as the text tells us.

·       Or perhaps Felix was waiting for a bribe from the Jews...which we are not told about by Luke, but is a distinct possibility.

The text says that Felix kept calling for Paul and giving him opportunity to speak about Jesus, not because he was really interested, but because he was hoping he would finally get the bribe. But Paul, being a man of integrity and faith, would never stoop to bribery. He knew God would eventually intervene. But I don’t think Paul was unhappy with all his visits with Felix. After all, he had the opportunity to share Jesus with him.

I’m convinced that many good things happened while Paul was imprisoned in Caesarea that Luke fails to mention here. But he does tell us that Paul was active while he was waiting for God to answer his prayer to be released and go to Rome.

What did Paul do while he waited? He continued to serve God, to speak the truth of the Good News of life in Jesus Christ...to all who would hear...

·       specifically Felix and his wife Drusilla

·       and even though the text doesn’t say it, I believe he continued to speak to the Praetorian Guard who secured his confinement.

·       We also know that Felix allowed Paul’s friends to visit and minister to him. I am sure Paul spoke to them about God’s delay and Paul’s willingness to be faithful in the mist of waiting.

Since Paul had many opportunities to speak to Felix and Drusilla...what specifically did Paul talk about? Although I am sure there are more, Luke mentions three things:

·       Righteousness...right living

·       Self-Control...or obedience to God’s Word

·       and the Judgment to come...what will happen to those who believe and follow Jesus and to those who don’t.

And when Paul gets to the part about judgment Felix gets scared and stops the conversations for a while...because he knows he is in the ‘those who don’t’ category.

Friends, we all know that people don’t want to hear about the judgment to come for their sin...but we need to tell them. We can’t just tell them the Good News without telling them the bad news. We need to tell them what happens when they reject Jesus and die in their sin.  We owe them that, we owe them the truth, the whole truth....but remember Paul...we need to say it respectfully, with love and grace.

Waiting for God, living in the midst of God’s delay isn’t easy. And often we spin our wheels, tread water, or just sit down and sulk while we wait for God to answer.

But Paul would not have it. He chose to continue to serve God in the midst of the wait, in the midst of God’s delay. Because he was certain that God had not abandoned him. We need that same confidence.

When we wait on God’s timing, what we are doing is trusting in advance that He will answer, that He will act. And that’s the heart of a mature faith.

Truth is, we are impatient people who want everything to be worked out immediately. But God wants us to learn to wait for Him to develop His work in us...in His time, in His way.

Conclusion

ILL: In a 2004 Tom Hanks movie called ‘The Terminal,’ Viktor Navorski is a man from Eastern Europe, who arrives at New York City’s Kennedy Airport. Soon, after his arrival, he discovers that during his flight, his home government is overthrown. Because of the coup, the U.S. no longer recognizes his country, therefore voiding Viktor’s passport.  Navorski is denied entrance to the United States.  He also can’t be deported.

He is told by the Security Manager that he has to remain in the airport until his status can be fixed.  Victor is trapped in the airport terminal. His life is on hold. Victor, simply, makes the Terminal his home. As he waits, he learns a new language, he finds a job, he develops friendships. 

In the end Victor’s country is stabilized and his passport is accepted.  Victor is allowed to go home. (Keith Andrews)

There are times when we feel like Victor...our lives seem to be on hold and we don’t understand why God is delaying His answer, His intervention.

Read: Isaiah 30:18 ‘Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!’

God wants us to wait on Him. He wants us to place our trust in Him, even when we can’t see Him or hear his voice.  That’s mature faith. And when we do, God’s Word says He will be gracious and compassionate to us. That’s His promise to each of you.

·       While we are ‘on hold,’

·       while we are waiting,

·       while we are in the midst of God’s delay,

we must, like Paul, faithfully continue the work God has set before us.

We enlarge our vision of God by understanding His delays.