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What is God doing during the detours of life? – Acts 27:1 – 28:10

Good morning church! Hope you’re well and glad you’ve joined us this morning. Here at the Gathering, we constantly remind ourselves that Sunday Gathering is not just another event or activity.

It’s actually a gift from God to feed our souls – and that primarily happens through God’s Word as it’s being sung, read and preached each week.

And especially now as we’re about to enter a dedicated time with the Word, I’d urge us all to engage with the Word prayerfully, attentively and expectantly.

As most of you might be aware, we are continuing this series from the book of Acts titled God of Power.

One theme that we’ve seen repeatedly week after week (almost like a broken tape recorder) – is that this book is not primarily telling us about extraordinary men and women who did great things for God. Rather this book points us to an extraordinary God who does great things through ordinary people like you and me.  

Right now we find ourselves nearing the end of the book of Acts – and this is so unlike the start of the book where we witnessed the excitement in seeing the church explode on the scene – multitudes of people following Jesus

But in contrast, the end of the book is quite somber and subdued. The story seems to be getting harder and worser for the apostle Paul. But before we jump into it, I’d love to pray for us.

(Pray)

Before the introduction of Google Maps, all that we had was “Roadside Stranger Maps” where when we were lost on the road, we were fully reliant on the experience and confidence of the roadside stranger.

And in those detour moments can cause alot of anxiety especially if your detour has landed you in the middle of nowhere.

And that’s true not just with detours on the road, the detours of life can seem more anxious and confusing to us. We feel like we’ve been doing everything that God wants us to do, we’ve been faithfully following Jesus and yet life doesn’t get any easier. Our situations don’t get any better.

And in those moments we often ask ourselves “what is God doing during these detours of my life”? If God could only shed some light on His purposes, then maybe I could make some sense of this detour.

And I think through a passage like the one we read today, God is trying to reveal what He is doing through these detours of life. God wants to lift the cover off so that we can see His purposes through a detour.    

So what is God doing during the detours of life?

  1. He’s revealing His Fame through us

God is revealing His fame and glory to a lost and dying world through us.  

Let’s do a quick recap of where we’re at. More than two long years had passed since Paul was imprisoned at Caesarea without a proper warrant.

And then in last week’s passage, we saw how Paul was made to defend his faith in front of the some of the most powerful people alive at the time – governor Festus (who wrote down minutes of the meeting which would be passed on to Caesar for his reference during Paul’s appeal) & Herod Agrippa (who was carefully scrutinizing every thing that Paul said and did).

After serious examination of Paul’s defense, Herod Agrippa’s the conclusion was that – Paul did nothing wrong deserving death or imprisonment. He could have been released had he not appealed to Caesar.

In other words, this was a vindication of Paul’s innocence and yet somehow he was made to undergo an unending, unnecessary, unjust trial.

Chapter 27 starts off by telling us that the date of the appeal in front of Caesar was finally decided, and was going to sail to Rome.

What follows during his journey to Rome is nothing short of eventful. In fact you could make a thrilling movie out of this story – there’s a brewing storm, there’s a shipwreck and there’s even a snake bite.

But let’s not miss the point God is trying to make through this unbelievable, thrilling events which took place in this passage. What God’s doing is that He is revealing His fame and glory / character qualities / attributes to a lost and dying world – and how He’s revealing? Through ordinary people like us!!

Let’s see what evidence do we see in this passage:

  • God’s wisdom:

9 Since much time had passed, and the voyage was now dangerous because even the Fast[a] was already over, Paul advised them, 10 saying, “Sirs, I perceive that the voyage will be with injury and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” 11 But the centurion paid more attention to the pilot and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said. 12 And because the harbor was not suitable to spend the winter in, the majority decided to put out to sea from there, on the chance that somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete, facing both southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there. (v9-12)

Paul wasn’t trying to show off his maritime knowledge and skills by giving this advice to the crew. He obviously didn’t have the training, knowledge or experience that the captain or his crew or the majority of those on the ship had.

In fact he was the only one on the ship sounding an alarm, he did that because the all knowing, all wise God revealed something to Paul which wasn’t readily available to the others. God was revealing His wisdom to the others through Paul.

  • God’s protection:

21 Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul stood up among them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and incurred this injury and loss. 22 Yet now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. 23 For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, 24 and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ (v21-24)

Despite the fact that the entire crew went against the counsel of God, but because Paul was on the ship and because God had ordained for him to stand and testify before mighty Caesar, God spared all of the other passengers on the ship. Through Paul, God was revealing His protection – He is the God who Protects us.

  • God’s sovereignty

25 So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. (V25)

Paul wasn’t just trying to build everyone’s morale. He wasn’t being overly optimistic. He fully trusted in what God said and what God would do. He knew that God doesn’t make false promises – He sticks to His word – and not just that God has the absolute authority to make it happen exactly the way He choses. And that’s what gave Paul the confidence to say that to dejected crew and passengers on the ship. Through Paul, God was revealing His sovereignty to the others on the ship.

  • God’s comfort

33 As day was about to dawn, Paul urged them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have continued in suspense and without food, having taken nothing. 34 Therefore I urge you to take some food. For it will give you strength,[f] for not a hair is to perish from the head of any of you.” 35 And when he had said these things, he took bread, and giving thanks to God in the presence of all he broke it and began to eat. 36 Then they all were encouraged and ate some food themselves. (V33-36)

Due to how bad the storm was and the duration of time that it went on for, you can imagine how everyone onboard lost all hope and stopped eating because they didn’t think they were going to survive. And in the midst of that, Paul reassures them by telling them that not a hair is going to perish from their heads (big bold statement). And by consuming food in front of them, he displayed his full trust that God would save all of them. And seeing that, everyone else on the ship followed suit and were encouraged and ate food. Through Paul, God’s and assurance was being revealed to the others on the ship!

  • God’s Power

3 When Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and put them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand. 4 When the native people saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer. Though he has escaped from the sea, Justice[b] has not allowed him to live.” 5 He, however, shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. 6 They were waiting for him to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw no misfortune come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god. (v3-6)

7 Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the chief man of the island, named Publius, who received us and entertained us hospitably for three days. 8 It happened that the father of Publius lay sick with fever and dysentery. And Paul visited him and prayed, and putting his hands on him, healed him. (V7-8)

God’s miraculous Power was being revealed to the residents of Malta & the passengers who were on the island.

Now imagine if you were one of the passengers on the ship or one of the residents at Malta witnessing these events in Chapter 27 and 28. You would come to the conclusion that the God Paul worships and serves is not like any of the other gods they worship. You would come to acknowledge that this God is perhaps the One True God who controls every single piece of the puzzle (even the detours) to ensure that His purposes advance.

How does this speak to the detours in our life? This passage should encourage us to know that despite the detour, God is revealing His fame and glory and character to a lost and dying world through us.

Trust me, a watching world is taking notice and wondering why are we different from the others despite the situations or people in our lives.

After all this is a restoration of what we were created to do in the first place. In Genesis, we see how God created man and woman in His own image – we were created to reflect who God is to the world around us – we were supposed to be mirrors of God’s character.

But sin entered the world, when we were saturated in sin, that image of God became distorted (we didn’t lose it but it got marred). Which meant that we were no longer perfectly reflecting and revealing God’s character as we should. All human beings since then have been carrying this distorted image.

Until Jesus Christ came into the world as man. Because as God’s Son, Jesus carried the perfect image of God and He was able to reveal the fame of God in everything He said and did perfectly.

And then He died on the cross to redeem us from the punishment for distorting the image of God – all of us our seriously guilty of tarnishing the image of God with our sin. Jesus paid the price, buried and on the third Day rose from the dead so that whoever would repent of their sins and put their faith in Jesus’ finished work would have that distorted image restored and renewed in the likeness of Christ.

10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Eph 2:10)

So it’s not something new that we’re called to do, it’s what we’ve always been created to do. And the detours of life provide a perfect platform to reveal that to a lost and dying world.

Why would a lost world take notice of us if we are being faithful to God in comfortable, pleasant circumstances? That’s what they will expect from people who are experiencing blessing after blessing. What makes them pause and wonder is when they see us respond differently in not so ideal, not so comfortable situations.

And God’s fame and glory and character is being visibly and clearly revealed in seasons like that.

14 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.  (2 Cor 2:14)

But not is God revealing His fame to a lost and dying world through us, He’s also

  • He’s revealing His Favor to us

God wants to show His Favor to us – His children.

V1 tells us that Paul was handed over to a Roman centurion named Julius who was of the Augustan Cohort – this was a special Roman unit. Paul was being treated as a high-profile prisoner who needed to be accompanied by Julius to get him to Rome.

And despite Julius being someone of such high authority who was tasked to escort a high profile prisoner Paul to Rome, we see him respond with unusual kindness throughout the passage.

Look with me at the following verses from Acts 27:

3 The next day we put in at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him leave to go to his friends and be cared for. (V3) – kindness was shown to Paul and special liberties were given to him to go and meet his friends and be cared for.

42 The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any should swim away and escape. 43 But the centurion, wishing to save Paul, kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and make for the land, 44 and the rest on planks or on pieces of the ship. And so it was that all were brought safely to land. (v42-44) – Not only was in giving special liberties to Paul, but the Roman centurion also wanted to protect Paul from any harm that could be caused by his own group of soldiers.

It’s pretty clear that this was God’s doing! God was using Julius (a Roman, unbelieving centurion) to reveal His fatherly favor to His child Paul. He wanted to reveal His presence and His care to Paul through this.

That’s a very important principle we need to grasp especially during life’s detours. God is our Father first, before being our Boss. 

Sometimes when we read passages like in Acts where we see that our God is an extraordinary God doing great things through ordinary people – we might wrongly assume God to be a taskmaster first whose main job is to ensure that we’re all put us to work.

Or we only see God as a commander of the army who gives us marching orders and supervises our work along the way. But the truth is that He is our Father first and desires to show His fatherly favor to us His children in all seasons – especially the detour seasons of life.

If we miss this principle Or confuse this truth of God being our Father first, then we’ll easily slip into seeing our relationship with God as transactional and conditional. Thinking that God will love and show favor on me because I’m faithfully serving Him.

But that couldn’t be further from the truth, because time and time again in Scripture we are reminded of God’s fatherly favor over us which is not dependent on how well or how badly we serve our duties and responsibilities.

‭‭1 John‬ ‭3:1‬ ‭ESV‬‬

[1] See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. 

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:15‬ ‭ESV‬‬

[15] For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 

And this is true in all the moments when we’re on the right road, and also when we are on a detour either because of our personal sin or because of God’s Sovereign plan. Irrespective of what might the cause, God will still reveal His favor to us because He’s our father and He cannot stop showing His favor on us.

He will correct us and discipline us if we are in, but will not turn His face away from us.

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The Power of a Salvation Story – Acts 26

Good morning church! Just wanted to welcome everyone who has joined us here at the hall and those who have joined us online. 

We’re glad that you’re with us this morning and we hope that you’re encouraged and refreshed through this time. 

If you’ve been tracking with us at the Gathering, you would know that we’re going through a series titled God of Power from the book of Acts. 

And it’s been a year-long exciting journey and sad to say that we’re almost nearing the end of this book. 

We’ve got another 2 more chapters to go after this one but we hope that even after the series ends, what remains with us is the truth that our God is a God of incredible and extraordinary Power – not just in the mountain top spiritual moments, but also in the low valley moments – 

which is what see play out in in chapter 26 where Paul finds himself not in a comfortable church service but in the middle of a hostile courtroom. I’d love to pray for us before we jump into this passage.

As we begin our time, I think it’ll be helpful for us to visualize what exactly was going down in this chapter. Paul was on put on trial and needed to defend his faith in front of some of the most powerful and feared authorities of that time. 

On one hand, you had King Agrippa who was the king of Judea (he was more like a proxy Jewish ruler who ruled on behalf of Caesar) but still carried authority and moreover he was well versed with Jewish law and customs. You can expect every single word that Paul uttered being scrutinized.

On the other hand, there was the governor of Caesarea – Porcius Festus who had arranged this session precisely so that he could take down reference notes which would be passed onto Caesar who would refer to these notes during Paul’s appeal at Rome. Whatever transpired in this courtroom could have serious implications for Paul’s future. This was serious! 

On top of that, the previous chapter tells us that military tribunes and prominent men of the city were also present. This trial garnered massive interest and attracted a lot of eyeballs. Everyone was watching this trial proceeding closely. The stakes couldn’t get any higher. 

And usually when people are cornered in situations like these, they usually respond by talking about themselves or by talking about opponents. So they are either using the opportunity to promote and project their accomplishments which can help sway people’s perceptions about them or they can get really nasty and bring out all the stuff that’s wrong about their opponents which can possibly discredit them. 

Paul had all these tools and options available to him, but yet isn’t it interesting that on the biggest platform which was presented to him, he didn’t choose to talk about himself, neither did he chose to talk about his opponents. Instead, he chose to talk about God.  And to talk about what God did to him and through him. He decided to share his salvation story. 

And that’s what we’re going to explore over the next few minutes – why is there power in a person’s salvation story? 

  1. We are saved despite who we were (v4-11)

I find it interesting that though Paul was defending himself before some of the most powerful men and women alive at that point, he’s willing to be brutally honest about the man he was before he met Jesus. He’s not brushing his controversial past under the carpet.  

In v4-5, he talks about how he was brought up as a Pharisee (it was the strictest sect among the Jews. They followed the Mosaic law to the tee and plus they added a lot of their own traditions which they imposed on themselves and others). 

So if you were a Pharisee in those days, you were like the front seat student of the spiritual class. That was the kind of person that Paul was. So far that was the good part of his resume. 

But then in v9, he starts uncovering his dark past. He was so zealous about what he believed that he fiercely opposed Jesus and anyone else associated with Him. 

He personally locked up followers of Jesus in prison and even signed off on them being stoned to death. 

V11 says that he punished believers in synagogues and even travelled to foreign cities to persecute them. So intense was the hatred that it made him travel miles to go and persecute them. 

And yet for some reason, Paul is not covering up his violent, abusive past. He’s boldly and honestly talking about it. But why is he doing that? 

It’s not making his resume look any better but he’s telling himself and everyone else how Jesus saved him despite who he was. 

Acknowledging his dark past, openly confessing his violence and abuse toward the church is like a humbling reminder to himself and others that he didn’t bring anything to the table of salvation. He had no part to play in his salvation. It was simply a gift of grace.  

And that’s why we can’t overlook or exclude the part about “how we were before we met Jesus” from our salvation stories. 

Because we won’t be able to appreciate all that Jesus has done for us unless we acknowledge how bad our story was. We have to accept that the story was really bad before it started getting better. 

To an extent this has to do with our view of the depth of our sin. When we think of how deep we were in our sin, do we imagine it to be like being stuck in a shallow pond? (Where we think that if we tried maybe we could have resolved our sin problem ourselves).

Or do we imagine the depth of our sin to be like an ocean in which were drowning and are desperately yelling for help? Because the person drowning is the one who needs to be saved. The one drowning needs rescue and so the person acknowledging is literally saying I couldn’t have saved myself. I didn’t bring anything to the table of salvation. 

That’s why it’s good for our hearts to acknowledge the depth of our sin, the dark, embarrassing past because it’s a sobering, humbling reminder that Jesus saved us despite who we were.

But not only does our Salvation Story tell us that we are saved despite who we were but it also tells us that

  1. We are saved because of who He is (v12-18)

In these verses, Paul is describing his life altering encounter with the Lord Jesus on the road to Damascus. Lets not forget that he was on a persecution mission, and enroute, Jesus decided to meet him. 

Jesus appeared to Paul in an extremely bright, radiant blinding light – in Paul’s words – brighter than the sun. The impact of the encounter was so great that Paul and his companions fell to the ground!

And then Paul heard a voice telling him in Hebrew “Saul, Saul why are you persecuting me?” 

“It is hard for you to kick against the goads” was a Greek proverb, but it was also familiar to the Jews and anyone who made a living in agriculture. 

An ox goad was a stick with a pointed piece of iron on its tip used to prod the oxen when plowing. 

The farmer would prick the animal to steer it in the right direction. Sometimes the animal would rebel by kicking out at the prick, and this would result in the prick being driven even further into its flesh. In essence, the more an ox rebelled, the more it suffered. 

And then person introduces himself in verses 15 as this “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting”. What Jesus meant was that by persecuting His’ followers, He was personally attacking Jesus himself. This was considered as a personal attack, and Jesus was not going to take this attack lying down. Jesus had to intervene.

So at this point, we can understand why Jesus decided to meet Paul. He had to intervene and stop this man from what he was trying to do. 

In fact we’re expecting Jesus to bring down fire and immediately judge Paul and his companions because of all the terrible atrocities that they’ve committed towards the church. 

Or at the very least where Jesus takes out a list of all the offences that Paul has committed and throws it on his face – shame him, guilt him, condemn him – put in his place. That’s how we would normally respond to someone who has treated us as an arch enemy. 

And yet that’s not how Jesus treats him in v16. We see grace and kindness in the way Jesus treats Paul – the fact that Paul didn’t die immediately was an indicator of God’s grace. 

But to then save him from his son and then him and enlist to go as an authorized servant and witness to tell others about Jesus! That doesn’t make sense to my human mind! 

I know that most of us are familiar with Paul’s conversion story, so it kind of loses the impact it should  but if you heard this Salvation Story for the first time, it would shock and amaze us because there is no worldly explanation as to why Jesus would select a persecutor to be His preferred preacher to the world! 

And yet it’s true because through this Jesus wanted to reveal that He is indeed a God of immense kindness and grace. 

And every believer in Christ can relate to this. If anyone were to come and ask us a believer “why did God decide / chose to save you? Was it your spiritual life? Was it your talents? Was it your looks? Was it your accomplishments?” 

And our response to that would be “Jesus didn’t save me because I had any great quality. In fact Jesus saved me despite who I was. In fact I don’t know why Jesus did chose to save someone like me. It was simply God showing His grace on a sinner like me”.

But not only does our Salvation Story tell us that we are saved despite who we were & we are saved because of who He is but it also tells us that

  1. We are saved to proclaim what He has done (v19-23)

In V19, Paul goes on to share “what changed in his life after meeting Jesus”. It’s no small minor change, it’s radical change! He starts preaching from the very place where he went on a persecution mission – but this time he’s on Jesus’ side. 

And then he proceeds to preach the same in Jerusalem and Judea and in all of the Roman known world about all that Jesus did for him and for them! 

So much so in v21, that Paul becomes a threat to the Jews because of the message that he’s preaching and the growing influence of the church. 

So the Jews now are responding to him with the same hatred and anger that he once had toward Jesus and his followers. 

And then in v22-23, he goes on to faithfully testify about Jesus’ death and resurrection in the middle of a courtroom where’s he’s on trial. 

God had it all planned out and had Paul in the middle of what He planned long ago. Paul was deeply aware of what was happening in the background. 

Somehow and in someway, that hostile courtroom was being converted into a holy church service as Paul was lifting the name and work of Jesus before some of the most powerful and feared people of the time.  

In that moment, God was using Paul’s words and his life to showcase how gracious He is to a lost and dying world. Grace wasn’t just a theory or a concept, Paul was able to show and tell with his own life. 

This is how he describes grace in 1 Tim 1:12-17:

12 I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, 13 though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. 16 But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. 17 To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever.[d] Amen.  (1 Tim 1:12-17)

And maybe that’s God’s calling for each and every one of us as well – not to give an eloquent, intellectual lecture on grace, not to release a thesis on grace but to show and tell about Grace through our lives. 

The perfect preachers and examples of grace are the ones who have firsthand experienced it themselves, and that’s why He has chosen us.  

Application:

  1. Question – Do you have a Salvation Story? If yes Reflect and Praise God for it daily / If no, it’s not too late today – God is eager to give you your own Salvation Story. 
  2. Persuade others by sharing your Salvation story (v26-28) – 

 26 For the king knows about these things, and to him I speak boldly. For I am persuaded that none of these things has escaped his notice, for this has not been done in a corner. 27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe.” 28 And Agrippa said to Paul, “In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?”

  1. Have a real burden for those who don’t have a Salvation Story (v29) : 

29 And Paul said, “Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am—except for these chains.”

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Our Purposeful God – Acts 25:1-27

Good morning church! A warm welcome in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to all who’ve joined us at the hall and online on Zoom today. Over the last month as our family has tried to settle down with our second child, it has been exciting and challenging at times.

And in different ways God has reminded us of how much we’ve missed and need fellowship and community life. We’ve been reminded how these are not just routine weekly spiritual activities, but God’s design to shepherd and care for our hearts.

And so we’re glad that we’re slowly getting back to our rhythms. This last Friday our whole family joined the Chandivali GC and it was great to not only introduce them to the newest member in our family but also resume gospel community life.

So that was a quick update from our family and now we’ll get straight into our text. As most of us might be aware, we have been going through a series titled God of Power from the book of Acts. And today we find ourselves in Acts 25 where the situation seems to be getting increasingly confusing and difficult for the apostle Paul. But before we go a

Imagine if all of us went to watch a play in one of the theaters in Mumbai (let’s say – Prithvi theater). While the play is going on, we are completely glued to the storyline because of how realistically the actors are playing their parts. In other words, it almost seems like the actors are solely responsible for running the show.

But what we don’t realize is in the background, behind the stage there is an extremely skilled director who is masterfully putting together all the pieces – sound, lights, script and even directing the actors on what expressions work best so that the storyline moves forward.

Similarly, what we see happening in Acts 25 on the surface seems like random events involving random people who are out to get Paul. But what we’ll look to discover today is how in the background there is our Sovereign God who is masterfully putting together all the pieces so that His redemptive purposes and His redemptive storyline moves forward. He is our Purposeful God. There is a divine purpose in all the mundane, insignificant details.

So how does this passage demonstrate that our God is Purposeful?

  1. By God’s Protection (v1-5)

[1] Now three days after Festus had arrived in the province, he went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea. [2] And the chief priests and the principal men of the Jews laid out their case against Paul, and they urged him, [3] asking as a favor against Paul that he summon him to Jerusalem—because they were planning an ambush to kill him on the way. [4] Festus replied that Paul was being kept at Caesarea and that he himself intended to go there shortly. [5] “So,” said he, “let the men of authority among you go down with me, and if there is anything wrong about the man, let them bring charges against him.”

In v1 we are introduced to a person by the name of Festus. Now who is he? He was appointed to replace Felix as the Roman governor of Caesarea. This was the place where Paul was kept under house arrest without any formal charges for two years because Felix (who was a corrupt governor) wanted to do the Jews a favor. So between Acts 24 and Acts 25, two years had already passed. And Paul’s case was transferred to the next governor who was Porcius Festus.

And we see Festus get into action right from the get go. Within three days of taking charge, he goes to Jerusalem to meet the Jewish leaders possibly to develop a better working relationship with them. The Jewish leaders immediately ask for Paul to be sent to them for trial while secretly planning to assassinate Paul on the way. But Festus denies their request and instead invites them to Caesarea to begin a fresh trial.

Now on the surface this might seem like a mundane, insignificant discussion between the Jewish leaders and governor Festus but in the background, behind the scenes – there is our Sovereign Lord who was using an unbelieving Roman governor to protect Paul from harm.

I know for some of us, we may hear  this and ask “this seems kind of like a stretch. How can we come to the conclusion that a random insignificant, mundane denial of a request equals to God protecting Paul? Does God really work like that?”

When we turn to Matt 10:28-31, this is how Jesus addresses the topic of God’s sovereignty in the context of persecution:

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭10:28‭-‬31‬ ‭ESV‬‬

[28] And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. [29] Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. [30] But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. [31] Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

It’s so interesting why Jesus would talk about sparrows because they were considered as the most insignificant among birds and yet none of them even fall to the ground apart from God’s will. And then Jesus says that the hairs on our head are numbered! What? If God cares for the most insignificant of birds, He definitely cares for and Sovereignly controls the lives of His people. Nothing is insignificant or mundane in the lives of His people. Not even a random conversation between Festus and the Jewish leaders.

2. By God’s Proclamation (v6-12)

[6] After he stayed among them not more than eight or ten days, he went down to Caesarea. And the next day he took his seat on the tribunal and ordered Paul to be brought. [7] When he had arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many and serious charges against him that they could not prove. [8] Paul argued in his defense, “Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar have I committed any offense.” [9] But Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, “Do you wish to go up to Jerusalem and there be tried on these charges before me?” [10] But Paul said, “I am standing before Caesar’s tribunal, where I ought to be tried. To the Jews I have done no wrong, as you yourself know very well. [11] If then I am a wrongdoer and have committed anything for which I deserve to die, I do not seek to escape death. But if there is nothing to their charges against me, no one can give me up to them. I appeal to Caesar.” [12] Then Festus, when he had conferred with his council, answered, “To Caesar you have appealed; to Caesar you shall go.”

When we look at a passage like this, what’s evident and plain to all is the political aspect – though Festus is the governor and has the last word in that place, he is still trying to appease the Jewish leaders by wishing to do them a favor with the hope of gaining some future benefits.

What’s also evident is the legal aspect – Jews come forward and make serious allegations without any proof. Paul makes his defense and when Festus indicates that he’s open to handing Paul over to the Jews to be tried in Jerusalem, Paul uses his legal recourse or right as a Roman citizen to appeal to Caesar. In our Indian system, it would be like appealing to Supreme Court.

So the political and legal aspects are pretty straight forward, but what if I told you that in the background, behind the scenes, in the backstage – our Sovereign Lord is masterfully using this situation to advance and push forward His storyline? Let’s look at a few passages from Acts to see if it helps us connect the dots:

‭‭Acts‬ ‭1:8‬ ‭ESV‬‬

[8] But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭9:15‭-‬16‬ ‭ESV‬‬

[15] But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. [16] For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”

‭‭Acts‬ ‭23:11‬ ‭ESV‬‬

[11]  The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.”

What if God was using all this to bring the Gospel and put it before people who wouldn’t have had an opportunity to hear it any other way?

His ministry in Philippi or Thessalonica or Berea or Ephesus or Lystra or Iconium was fruitful and fulfilling for sure, but that wouldn’t have given him access to those who were ruling the land. So in God’s Sovereignty and wisdom – He assigned him a different mission field (kings and highest authorities) and a different pulpit (prison) so that through Paul’s words and His life He could demonstrate the power and provision of God’s grace in Jesus.

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭1:12‭-‬13‬ ‭ESV‬‬

[12] I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, [13] so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ.

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:22‬ ‭ESV‬‬

[22] All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar’s household.

3. By God’s Presence

As I tried placing myself in Paul’s shoes, I tried to imagine the atmosphere of hostility, threat, intimidation, imprisonment and accusations that he was surrounded by. And in all of this – it seems like he was doing it all alone. Unlike the Jewish leaders who have a group of lawyers and representatives, Paul was tasked to defend himself.

Let’s remember that this wasn’t an instant trial – this got stretched into at least two years where he was under house arrest without any formal charge or arrest warrant. And despite Paul being mentally tough, even for someone like him this whole experience would have broken him down. This is immense pressure and I kept wondering as to what explains his resilience?

And I think it’s because in reality He wasn’t left alone. His Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was there with him every step of the way. When Jesus says in Matt 28:20 – I will be with you till the end of age – He means it literally.

After all the permanent presence of God was a result of the cross!

Jesus was forsaken and left alone on the cross when He bore our sins and our shame so that all who trusted Him would never experience being forsaken or left alone!

Which is why Paul could say this at the end of his life as he recounts the most lonely and anxious of moments that he went through:

‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭4:16‭-‬18‬ ‭ESV‬‬

[16] At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! [17] But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. [18] The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Brothers and sisters, as I close I just want to remind you that our God is a Purposeful God. Just like in Paul’s life, our Sovereign Lord has orchestrated and coordinated every single moment in our lives (many of which we actually assume to be mundane and insignificant).

Just for example think about your work context – I’m aware that many of us are dreading tomorrow which is Monday – just thinking about facing our boss or the pending task list is already giving you a headache. If you were given an option, you’d probably opt to run away and live on an island far away from your office.

And now I want us to remember that our God is a Purposeful God. There’s nothing mundane, ordinary and insignificant in our lives because God has given it a purpose. Now ask yourself these questions:

  • In my work context, what are some ways in which I’ve seen God’s protection? Physical or Spiritual or Mental or Professional?
  • In my work context, what are some ways in which I’ve seen God’s proclamation? How is He using me to bring the good news to people who wouldn’t otherwise ever get to hear about the Gospel?
  • In my work context, what are some ways in which I’ve experienced God’s presence? How has God’s presence been made real to me in my work life?

Similarly, think of other contexts of home, church and recreation. There is a purpose to all of that.

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Sermon

All Nation will be blessed through You. – Galatians 3:8-14

“All people Will Be Blessed Through You” Genesis 12:1-5

The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.  “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and All Peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

“All The Nation Will Be Blessed Through You” Galatians 3:8-14

Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham:

“All nations will be blessed through you.” So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” “Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified

“The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will live by them.”

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written:

“Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.”

He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

The Seed (offspring → Jesus)

Abraham – Nations.

“… between your (The Serpent) offspring (sin) and hers (seed); he (Jesus) will crush your head, and you will strike his heel [on the tree].” Genesis 3:15

Isaiah 62:1-3

For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, till her vindication to be shown in the right shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch. The nations will see your vindication, and all kings your glory; you will be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will bestow (to give).

You will be a crown of splendor in the Lord’s hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God.

Genesis 15:4-5

Then the word of the LORD came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.” He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars-if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring seed be.”

Genesis 17:3-5

Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations.  No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham [father of many), for I have made you a father of many nations.

Genesis 22:18

“and through your offspring(seed] all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”

Hebrews 11:8

By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.”

James 2:21-22

21 “Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?

22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.”

1. Unveiling God’s Promise: Galatians 3:8-9

1) The scope of the promise: God’s promise to Abraham was not limited to his descendants alone but included all nations.

2) Understanding Church’s role: As believers, we are partakers of this promise and called to be channels of blessing to the nations.

3) Church’s responsibility: Recognizing that God’s plan involves us and requires our active participation in spreading His love and blessings.

2. The Liberating Power of Faith: Galatians 3:10-12

1) The curse of the law: Exploring the futility of relying solely on works of the law for salvation and blessing.

2) The power of faith: Understanding that faith in Jesus Christ is the key to experiencing the blessings of God.

3) Breaking free from bondage: Encouraging your family to let go of trust in the liberating power of faith.

The Great Nations is Wise & Understanding People.

It comes from Father’s eternal blessing (love & grace) in Jesus.

Deuteronomy 4:6-8

Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.”, What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the LORD our God is near us whenever we pray to him? And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today?

Our Father desires to use His Church

as instruments of His blessings to impact all nations with the love and grace of Jesus Christ.

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God Of Power – Acts 23:1-11