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Gifts from the God of Encouragement
We will be leaving Acts after chapter 18, verse 17. My plan is to take the New Testament chronologically. We have in chapter 18, Paul going to Corinth. But while he’s in Corinth, he writes a letter back to the church in Thessalonica. So, after verse 17, we will be studying 1st and 2nd Thessalonians. It is kind of exciting because we are also starting our Sunday evening Zoom Bible study about the end times. And a major theme of the letters to the Thessalonians is the end times, the return of Christ.
So, maybe the Spirit of God would have us considering these end-times topics for a reason. So, let’s read our text for today out of Acts 18, verses 1 to 17.
After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth. 2 He found a certain Jew named Aquila, a man of Pontus by race, who had recently come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome. He came to them, 3 and because he practiced the same trade, he lived with them and worked, for by trade they were tent makers. 4 He reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath and persuaded Jews and Greeks. 5 But when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul was compelled by the Spirit, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. 6 When they opposed him and blasphemed, he shook out his clothing and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am clean. From now on, I will go to the Gentiles!”
7 He departed there, and went into the house of a certain man named Justus, one who worshiped God, whose house was next door to the synagogue. 8 Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord with all his house. Many of the Corinthians, when they heard, believed and were baptized. 9 The Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, “Don’t be afraid, but speak and don’t be silent; 10 for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many people in this city.”
11 He lived there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. 12 But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him before the judgment seat, 13 saying, “This man persuades men to worship God contrary to the law.”
14 But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If indeed it were a matter of wrong or of wicked crime, you Jews, it would be reasonable that I should bear with you; 15 but if they are questions about words and names and your own law, look to it yourselves. For I don’t want to be a judge of these matters.” 16 So he drove them from the judgment seat.
17 Then all the Greeks seized Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat. Gallio didn’t care about any of these things.
I titled the message today, “Overcoming Discouragement.”
Have you ever been discouraged, as a Christian? I know you have. I can just look out over each of your faces today, or think of others of our congregation who aren’t here, and I could recite back to you a number of reasons you have been discouraged in the past.
Your kids, your health, illness, pain, employment, money, stressful relationships, worry over the future, or even sin, can dampen and destroy the joy in the heart of a believer.
I know I’ve told this story before, but sometimes I feel like…
Former heavy-weight boxer James (Quick) Tillis is a cowboy from Oklahoma who fought out of Chicago in the early 1980s. He still remembers his first day in the Windy City after his arrival from Tulsa. "I got off the bus with two cardboard suitcases under by arms in downtown Chicago and stopped in front of the Sears Tower. I put my suitcases down, and I looked up at the Tower and I said to myself, 'I'm going to conquer Chicago.' "When I looked down, the suitcases were gone."
Today in the Word, September 10, 1992.
Another article in Today in the Word said this about discouragement…
Discouragement is dissatisfaction with the past, distaste for the present, and distrust of the future. It is ingratitude for the blessings of yesterday, indifference to the opportunities of today, and insecurity regarding strength for tomorrow. It is unawareness of the presence of beauty, unconcern for the needs of our fellowman, and unbelief in the promises of old. It is impatience with time, immaturity of thought, and impoliteness to God. William Ward.
Today in the Word, April, 1989, p. 18.
“This hill, though high, I covet to ascend;
The difficulty will not me offend.
For I perceive the way to life lies here.
Come, pluck up, heart; let's neither faint nor
fear.
Better, though difficult, the right way to go,
Than wrong, though easy, where the end is woe.”
― John Bunyan, The
Pilgrim's Progress
Their description of discouragement really captures the emotions behind it. So what? That’s our question. Okay, so discouragement is all that. So what? What can I do about it? Well that’s where we come to our Scripture passage for today.
The reason I chose the theme “Gifts frm the God of Encouragement” with this Scripture, is because I get the sense that Paul was discouraged as he entered this new town of Corinth.
Why do I think he was discouraged? Well, for a couple of reasons; if you read what has just happened to him, he has been traveling extensively, carrying the gospel message across the Roman Empire. He Barnabus and John Mark leave an established church in Antioch, commissioned to take the gospel to the Gentiles. He’s going to take the message of Jesus to places where they’ve never heard of Jesus.
And there’s something exciting about that. A new mission. A new fervor. A grand goal.
But what happened? Well here’s the short list;
Chapter 13
Sailing to new ports; in other words, seasickness and unsanitary conditions
Long and arduous land travel.
Preaching in Jewish synagogues at Salamis
Active opposition to the message from a false prophet, and he is miraculously struck blind at Pauls’ word.
The proconsul at Salamis believes.
John Mark can’t handle the hardship, so he goes home to Jerusalem.
Back on a ship
They arrive in Antioch of Pisidia and preach the gospel at the synagogue there.
Many Gentiles believe, but because of jealousy, the Jews get them thrown out of town.
So, they move on to Iconium but ended up fleeing that town because they heard of a threat to stone them to death.
In Lystra, after healing a lame man, the people try to worship Paul and Barnabus as gods. They barely prevent them from doing that, then some Hostile Jews who followed them from Iconium work up the crowd, and Paul is stoned, and appearing to be dead, they drag his body out of town to dump it.
But, miraculously, Paul isn’t dead. He goes back into town, gets a night’s sleep, and the next day goes to Derbe.
They return to cities where they’ve started work, and find that some Judaizers have been following them teaching the Gentiles that they have to be circumcised and follow the law of Moses to be saved. That is eventually settled at the Council in Jerusalem.
They return to their missionary journey, heading west. But now it seems that God’s Spirit will not allow them to continue work in the same areas where they have been, they eventually receive the “Macedonian call,” and get on a ship to go to Greece.
They have two converted families in Philippi, but they are beaten and imprisoned in the process. The go to Thessalonica and gain some converts but have to sneak out of town under threat of violence. They go to Berea and gain some converts, but the trouble from Thessalonica follows them and they have to leave town.
Then Paul goes on to Athens, where he has minimal success. He’s in a city that is full of idols and indifferent to the gospel. They mock him and his teaching.
So he leaves Athens, and goes on to Corinth.
There’s some indication that he may have been sick and tired and discouraged at this time. Also, the discouragement of not knowing the state of the churches he had already founded. Will they survive?
You say, “Where do you get that?”
1 Corinthians 2:3 When I came to you, brothers, I didn’t come with excellence of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.
Paul wrote letters to the church in Thessalonica while he was in Corinth, he was alone again, like he was when he arrived in Athens, and we get some sense of his mood in those letters.
1 Thessalonians 3: Therefore when we couldn’t stand it any longer, we thought it good to be left behind at Athens alone, 2 and sent Timothy, our brother and God’s servant in the Good News of Christ, to establish you, and to comfort you concerning your faith, 3 that no one would be moved by these afflictions. For you know that we are appointed to this task. 4 For most certainly, when we were with you, we told you beforehand that we are to suffer affliction, even as it happened, and you know. 5 For this cause I also, when I couldn’t stand it any longer, sent that I might know your faith, for fear that by any means the tempter had tempted you, and our labor would have been in vain.
7 for this cause, brothers, we were comforted over you in all our distress and affliction through your faith.
Listen to this one verse, 2 Thessalonians 3
Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be glorified, even as also with you, 2 and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and evil men; for not all have faith.
13 But you, brothers, don’t be weary in doing what is right.
I imagine, as Paul was in Corinth that those words were for himself, as much as they were for the Corinthians. “Don’t be weary in well-doing?”
What was Corinth like?
Well, if we were to compare it to Athens, Athens was an intellectual center in Greece, but Corinth was sin city. Athens was where people went to get be among the egg-heads, Corinth was where they went to be among the debauched. Corinth had a reputation as being the most debased city of that day.
Why was it that way? Well let me show you a map. Here’s a map of Greece. Here’s Athens where Paul was, and here’s Corinth. It’s about 65 miles south of Athens. Now, the one thing you might notice about Corinth is that it is sitting at the entry to this narrow stretch of land that connects the north part of the land to this southern region. This narrow isthmus is about 4 miles wide.
You might also note that on each side of this narrow strip is a gulf. The Corinthian and Saronic gulf.
So, here’s the long and short of it. Corinth was planted smack dab in the middle of trade by both land and sea. If you were going to travel or trade by land, going south to north or vice versa, you had to go through Corinth. If your ship docked in either of these gulfs, you will most likely disembark in Corinth.
In fact, because sea travel was so treacherous, it became customary for ships to be put on rollers, and moved across land, from gulf to gulf, rather than sail around the land mass. The emperor Nero actually started building a canal across the narrow land. It wasn’t finished until 1893.
So, Corinth was the haven for who? Travelers, tradesmen, and sailors. So, it developed as a place that accommodated those kinds of people. It was famous, in particular, for prostitution. You know the Greeks were famous for their plays and theater. If a play was written that included a drunk, or immoral person, or a prostitute, they would be a Corinthian in the script. In fact, if you wanted to insult someone, if you wanted to call a man immoral, or call a woman a prostitute, you called her a Corinthian. To Corinthianize meant to go a-whoring.
And there was a second major reason why Corinth had this reputation. Athens had its many gods, among other things Corinth had a massive temple built on this big hill called the Acropolis dedicated to the goddess Aphrodite-the goddess of sexual activity. And every evening 1000 priestesses, descended from the temple of Aphrodite to ply their trade on behalf of the goddess.
Well, Corinth was also the kind of County seat for the area, which plays a part in our story later.
But can you see how Paul might walk into this city after all he’d been through, see what kind of place it was, and become discouraged? He may have been speaking a word to himself when he wrote to the church at Thessalonica saying, “Don’t become weary in well-doing.”
Well, these verses not only describe what Paul did in Corinth, they also give us a glimpse into the unseen hand of God. We have a God of encouragement with us. And he gave Paul certain gifts during this time, to bear him up. What are those gifts?
Work, Friends, converts, separation, words, and quiet
I believe God gives the same gifts to us, especially for our times of discouragement.
Before we jump in, let’s go to the Lord in prayer.
As Paul entered Corinth, I think he was discouraged. But the first gift of encouragement he got was work.
I. Work
There’s work to do Paul. No time for pity-parties. No time for “oh woe is me.” And God gave him plenty to do. First there was the spiritual work to do.
4 He reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath and persuaded Jews and Greeks.
Despite the spiritual condition of the city, there was still a synagogue to go to on Saturday. There was enough of a Jewish population to begin sharing that Jesus was the promised crucified and resurrected Messiah. So, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath and got to work.
There’s something about work that pulls you out of despair, isn’t there? I know personally, that when I get down, one of the first things that I do is to make a list of things that need to be done. Then I get busy on that list. And often, after I’ve made the list, I’ll highlight the list. I’ll start with the jobs that will take five minutes or less. Why do I do that? Because it lifts my spirits to start scratching things off my list.
And I think Paul may have been despondent, but only for a little while. Then he thought, “hey, I can’t control a lot of things around me, but there’s work to do.” So he got after it. And the Bible tells us that he was not only given spiritual work to do, but physical work as well.
Later on Paul would write back to the church he established at Corinth and say this;
! Corinthians 9: 6 Or have only Barnabas and I no right to not work? 7 What soldier ever serves at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard, and doesn’t eat of its fruit? Or who feeds a flock, and doesn’t drink from the flock’s milk?
11 If we sowed to you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we reap your fleshly things? 12 If others partake of this right over you, don’t we yet more? Nevertheless we didn’t use this right, but we bear all things, that we may cause no hindrance to the Good News of Christ.
18 What is my reward then? That when I preach the gospel, I may present the gospel of Christ without charge, that I may not abuse my authority in the gospel.
2 Corinthians 11: 7 Did I commit sin in [b]humbling myself that you might be exalted, because I preached the gospel of God to you free of charge? 8 I robbed other churches, taking wages from them to minister to you.
When Paul arrives in Corinth, it seems that he not only needs to get to work preaching, but he also has to take up his old secular job of leather-working in order to take care of his daily needs.
So, on the Sabbath day he is going to the synagogue preaching Christ, and during the week he is working at his secular job.
Work is a blessing isn’t it? And Paul worked hard.
1 Thessalonians 2:9 9 For you remember, brethren, our labor and toil; for laboring night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, we preached to you the gospel of God.
2 Thessalonians 3:8 8 nor did we eat anyone’s bread [a]free of charge, but worked with labor and toil night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you,
And I think that was a gift from God. So, work is also a gift to you from God. If you are discouraged, get up and do something. Think about the spiritual work you could do, the physical work you could do. And busy yourself doing whatever you can busy yourself doing.
As Paul started his work in Corinth, God was about the work of shoring up Paul. And the first thing that buoyed his spirits was something I think we sometimes take for granted; Christian friends. Sometimes the best salve for the soul is having a good Christian friend come on the scene. You remember that God said about Adam, “It is not good for man to be…alone.”
II. Friends
A. New friends
After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth. 2 He found a certain Jew named Aquila, a man of Pontus by race, who had recently come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla,
Paul meets a couple of Christians in Corinth. Where did he meet them? Well there is some evidence to indicate that people sat in synagogue meetings according to profession. You know, all the carpenters sat together, all the fabric workers etc. Well Paul was a leather worker, a tent-maker. And this passage tells us that Aquila and Priscilla were also leather workers. So, he may have met them when he went to the synagogue, as he always did upon arriving at a new city.
And they had much in common. They were tent-makers. Tents were made with goats hide. The leather was tanned and the goat hair extracted and woven into cord. Their faith, they were Christians. You say, “where does it say they were Christians?” Well, it doesn’t, but we know they hosted a church in their home later on. And we know that they are not listed as new converts in this narrative. If they came to faith under Paul’s preaching, it would be usual for them to be listed that way.
They had the same profession. They became beloved friends to Paul throughout the rest of his life. They are mentioned three other places in the New Testament; Romans 16:3, 1 Cor. 16:19, and 2 Timothy 4:19. And they were also newly arrived in Corinth.
What else did they have in common?
So, they are from Italy, how did they end up here?
who had recently come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome.
They had been kicked out of Rome. All the Jews had been kicked out of Rome by the emperor Claudius. When did that happen? It happened in 49 A.D.
There’s an interesting quote that comes from the work of an historian named Suetonius. He’s recording Roman history for Rome, and he makes note that in we come to know as 49 A.D. Claudius banished all Jews from the capital city, Rome.
Why did he do that? Well this is what Suetonius said, “As the Jews were indulging in constant riots, at the instigation of Chrestus, Claudius banished them from Rome.” Somebody named Chrestus was instigating riots and unrest among the Jewish population. So Claudius got tired of it, and kicked all the Jews out of Rome.
So, Aquila and Priscilla were kicked out of Rome along with all other Jews. Now here is an interesting question. Who was this Chrestus who was instigating the riots among the Jews? Well you can search far and wide in history, and you won’t find another reference to such an individual.
So, many Bible scholars think that the Romans who banished the Jews may have misspelled the name of the person who was blamed for these riots. Instead of “Chrestus,” they believe it should have been Christus, or Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ. And it wasn’t that Jesus was causing riots among the Jews, but that many Jews, like Paul, came to believe that Jesus was the crucified and resurrected Christ. And just like Paul, they went to their Jewish brothers and sisters in the streets and synagogues, and tried to convince them of this truth. And, just as happened to Paul, many rejected Christ, and tried to hurt or stone those who were preaching Jesus. Just like with Paul, it began with preaching, and ended in a riot.
So, Claudius tires of this Jewish infighting, and kicks them all out of Rome.
This is astounding. Paul goes to Corinth in his discouragement, and God brings him a couple friends by way of rioting. It is so wonderful how many times God steps in to our despair with friends.
And not only did God supply Paul with new friends, he brought back some old friends.
B. Old friends
5 But when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul was compelled by the Spirit, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ.
I said earlier that Paul was alone when he came to Corinth.
I think it was a happy day when they came to him in Corinth. Let me lay out the story for you.
When Paul first went to Athens, he had left Timothy and Silas back near Thessalonica and Berea. Well, did they ever get to Athens? Yes, how do I know?
1 Thessalonians 3:1-2 Therefore when we couldn’t stand it any longer, we thought it good to be left behind at Athens alone, 2 and sent Timothy, our brother and God’s servant in the Good News of Christ, to establish you, and to comfort you concerning your faith,
So, Paul is alone in Athens. Timothy and Silas show up. But Paul is concerned about the new Christians in Thessalonica. Remember, he was driven out of town there, and some of the believers had had a run-in with the rioting mobs.
Acts 17: 6 When they didn’t find them, they dragged Jason and certain brothers[b] before the rulers of the city, crying, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here also, 7 whom Jason has received. These all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus!” 8 The multitude and the rulers of the city were troubled when they heard these things. 9 When they had taken security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.
So Paul is concerned for these new believers in Thessalonica, and sends Timothy back to them.
Well, what about Silas, he’s still with Paul. Well Paul sends Silas back to Philippi for much the same reason. To encourage and strengthen that church.
Philippians chapter 4 and verse 15. Now he’s writing to the Philippians, “Now you Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the Gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me as concerning giving and receiving, but you only.”
Now wait a minute; stop right there. The Philippians church sent him money, didn’t they? “No church supported me but you Philippians.” How did that money get to them? Go to 2 Corinthians 11:9. This is exciting; watch this. He says, “And when I was present with you, and lacked, I was chargeable to no man. For that which was lacking to me, the brethren who came from Macedonia supplied. And in all things I have kept myself from being burdensome.” The brethren who came from Macedonia brought him this. Now, apparently, Silas and Timothy, verse 5 of Acts 18, “And when Silas and Timothy were come from Macedonia” – there, friends, you have some brethren from Macedonia.
So, Silas had gone to Philippi, and the Philippian church had taken a love offering, and he brought that, and Timothy brought news that the Thessalonians were moving out and growing.
When Timothy and Silas get back they have great news for Paul.
In 1 Thessalonians 3:6 – listen to this; now watch; I’ll give you some more historical notes. As soon as Timothy arrived, Timothy says, “Paul, the gang in Thessalonians is growing, and they’re comforted, and they’re strong.” And he was so excited, Paul sat right down and took out his little whatever he wrote with, and he wrote 1 Thessalonians; 1 Thessalonians was written right there in verse 5 of Acts 18:5 when Timothy and Silas arrived. Paul wrote 1 Thessalonians. You know what he says to them? Listen to this, 1 Thessalonians 3:6, “But now when Timothy came from you unto us, and brought us good tidings of your faith and love, and that you have good remembrance of us always, desiring greatly to see us, as we also to see you, therefore, brethren, we were comforted over you in all our affliction and distress” – see, he was hurting, but the comfort came when he heard Timothy’s words about the Thessalonian Christians. And I love verse 8, he says, “For now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord.” Do you know the man’s very life was the growth of his children? He actually said, “Life is your growth. I live if you stand fast.”
“For what thanks can we render to God again for you” – watch – “for all the” – what? – “joy with which we joy for your sakes before our God.” Now you know it was a joyous union, don’t you? Timothy arrived. He was so blessed, Paul was, when he heard they were growing. And then, listen, he was double blessed because Silas came in with money. He said, “Paul, I have news for you. You are finished as a tentmaker.”
Now go back to Acts 18:5 and look, “And when Silas and Timothy were come to Macedonia” – now watch this – “Paul” - it says in the King James – “was pressed in the spirit.” The oldest manuscripts say this, “Paul” – and this is important – “began devoting himself completely to the Word.” That’s the New American Standard, and that’s correct. What it means is that when Timothy came with all the joy, Silas came with a love offering, he quit making tents and completely devoted himself to the Word.
Now you see how God comforts a disheartened saint with companionship?
III. Converts
The next gift of encouragement that Paul is given is converts. It is the fruit of his spiritual labor.
4 He reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath and persuaded Jews and Greeks.
8 Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord with all his house. Many of the Corinthians, when they heard, believed and were baptized.
Paul had people respond positively to the message. Boy, you can hardly ask for more encouragement than that.
At work, at the school, it can be very discouraging. And not just regarding my attempts to educate. It’s disheartening because of the restrictions that I am under in regard to sharing Christianity. But nothing encourages my heart more than when I get to have a spiritual conversation. This week I had three. Two with fellow teachers, and one with a student whom I’ve never even seen.
The conversations with teachers happened because I ended up alone on two occasions with a teacher, and the conversation moved to spiritual things. And it was really nothing dramatic. Nobody fell down before me saying, “What must I do to be saved?” But what it did was offer a glimmer of hope that there was a mission field before me. The other happened with a student, and this is how it started. A student, in one of my online classes, that I’ve never even seen, sent me this email.
“Hey, mister hays i just wanted to say since we aren't going to be able to talk and do the stuff we used to cause I'm going to high school I just wanted to say you are one of the best teachers on the planet your super funny and you have some of the corniest jokes ever you still are one of the best teachers and i just want to say no weird stuff but i love you as a teacher you are one of my best friends my heart hurts cause i know that I won't be able to speak to you like that anymore but Ie mean HEY I had 3 years so yea i'll be going to high school so yea bye mister.”
That warms the cockles of my heart.
And I know that Paul’s heart had to be encouraged by these converts.
2 Corinthians 4: 8 We are pressed on every side, yet not crushed; perplexed, yet not to despair; 9 pursued, yet not forsaken; struck down, yet not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the putting to death of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11 For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus may be revealed in our mortal flesh. 12 So then death works in us, but life in you. 13 But having the same spirit of faith, according to that which is written, “I believed, and therefore I spoke.”Psalm 116:10 We also believe, and therefore we also speak; 14 knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus, and will present us with you. 15 For all things are for your sakes, that the grace, being multiplied through the many, may cause the thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God.
Now comes Paul’s fourth encouragement; separation
IV. Separation
5 But when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul was compelled by the Spirit, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. 6 When they opposed him and blasphemed, he shook out his clothing and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am clean. From now on, I will go to the Gentiles!”
7 He departed there, and went into the house of a certain man named Justus, one who worshiped God, whose house was next door to the synagogue.
Now, I was trying to think of a word for this, and separation was all I could come up with. I was going to call it righteous indignation, or maybe righteous separation.
And this is what I mean. Sometimes our discouragement comes because we are wasting our energy on defiant people. We are wringing our hands and scurrying around trying to appease or even save people who refuse God.
Is this not true? You can spend years of your life in worry and effort over someone you love. You can talk to and argue with a coworker. They can make your life miserable. You can have family members who bring you misery, and you keep bending over backwards in hope that they will change.
Until one day, through nothing you did, they decide that they’ve had enough of you, and they cut the ties.
Marriages can go like that. That’s why Paul advised wives to live for Christ in front of their unbelieving husbands in hopes that they will believe. But if that husband decides that he is done, “if they will depart, let them depart, then you are free.”
And I kind of think there were moments like this in every town that Paul went to. The moment when he presented Christ for the umpteenth time to certain Jews, and they rejected and threw it back in his face. Here it says that the Jews,
Opposed him and blasphemed. What does it mean that they blasphemed? They spoke against Christ. Blasphemy against Christ can come in many forms. When Jesus was alive, some claimed that His miracle power came from Satan. That’s blasphemy. When He was on the cross they spoke against Him saying, “Let Him come down from the cross, if He is the Son of God.”
So, their venom turns from Paul to the Christ whom he preaches. They start saying things against Christ. And Paul can’t stand it anymore. Because their blasphemous words openly display the blackness of their hearts. They will not hear, they will not believe. They are filled with hate. So Paul shakes out the dust from his cloak and says,
“your blood be on your own heads!” I’m done with you. That phrase, “your blood be on your own heads” was used in the conversation with Rachab before the battle of Jericho. She asked for protection from the war and invasion of Israel, and the two spies told her to hang a red garment in the window as a sign that the house was to be unharmed. But they said, “You’d better instruct your family to stay in the house. Because if they are caught out of the house during the invasion, they will be killed, and their blood will be on they’re own heads.” In other words, the invaders won’t be guilty of breaking a covenant, the person who dies is guilty because they didn’t heed the warning they were given.
Paul says, “I’ve given you fair warning. I’m done with you. Now I will take my message to the Gentiles.”
You might ask, “Is it right to cut people off like that?” Yes. But that doesn’t mean that they are outside of the reach of grace. Any of these Jews could still choose to believe and be forgiven. In fact, look at where it said that Paul went.
7 He departed there, and went into the house of a certain man named Justus, one who worshiped God, whose house was next door to the synagogue.
It’s like Paul said, “I’m done with you people,” and stormed out of the synagogue, and then…went right next door to the house of Justus. He told them he was done, but his door was still open for them to come to him.
Do you know, sometimes our hearts can be encouraged by that kind of separation? We can gain a certain degree of peace in our hearts, when everything is finally laid on the table, and somebody rejects Christ and you, and walks out of your life. Because now you know that they are in God’s hands. There’s little else that you can do. You continue to pray. And you maintain some token of communication that lets them know that the door is open on your end. But, in a sense, now you are free to spend your efforts on fruitful relationships.
Does that mean that there was no hope for this group of Jews? On the contrary, look at the next verse.
7 He departed there, and went into the house of a certain man named Justus, one who worshiped God, whose house was next door to the synagogue. 8 Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord with all his house. Many of the Corinthians, when they heard, believed and were baptized.
Who believed? Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue. He was the man who was in charge of the synagogue where Paul had this final confrontation.
And then God gives a fifth encouragement; Words—more specifically a personal Word from God.
V. Words
9 The Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, “Don’t be afraid, but speak and don’t be silent; 10 for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many people in this city.”
God spoke personally to Paul on a number of occasions.
Now this has to be the greatest encouragement of all. This was a personal word of encouragement from God. Can you imagine getting a personal word of encouragement from God? You might say, “Boy, I wouldn’t be so discouraged if God would just kind of lean down, and let me know He’s there. That He’s in control. Can you imagine if God did that for you? I hope you can, because you know what? He did. He gave you many words of encouragement. Right here in the Bible.
And we need those don’t we? I want to give you some right now.
·
But those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:31hopestrengthpromises
·
When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
· The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.
Deuteronomy 31:8followingfearsadness
· Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4sufferingworshipcomforter
· Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
· Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
1 Corinthians 15:58obediencerewardwork
·
I lift up my eyes to the
mountains—
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
Psalm 121:1-2creationdependence
You say, “yes, but why can’t I have a personal word of encouragement like Paul?” I don’t know, maybe God will give you one. But, as I think about Paul, I think of a man on whom God put a responsibility and burden far greater than any I’ve ever borne. Paul’s suffering for the gospel ranks up there, second only to Christ Himself. And I think, “Be careful what you ask for.” To whom much is given, much will be required. But God encouraged him. Listen to what God told Paul,
9 The Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, “Don’t be afraid, but speak and don’t be silent; 10 for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many people in this city.”
Don’t stop, don’t give up, don’t be afraid, don’t be silent. Now here’s the encouragement;
1. For I am with you
This is written in the Greek, and can be translated, “I myself am with thee personally.” It’s not just a general promise of God’s universal presence in the world. It is God telling Paul, “Don’t give up, I’m right by your side.”
Isaiah 41:10 10 Don’t you be afraid, for I am with you.
Don’t be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you.
Yes, I will help you.
Yes, I will uphold you with the right hand of my
righteousness.
Do you know who else God said that to? You
Matthew 28 Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
2. No man will set on thee to hurt thee
He was telling Paul, these people can’t hurt you. He says the same to everyone who belongs to God.
Isaiah 54:17 17 No
weapon that is formed against you will prevail;
and you will condemn every tongue that rises against
you in judgment.
This is the heritage of
Yahweh’s servants,
and their righteousness is of me,” says Yahweh.
But you say, “Hold on, they did end up hurting Paul. He was beaten, imprisoned, and eventually put to death.”
This is not a promise to Paul, or us, that we will be invincible. It’s a promise that even though there will be weapons that the enemy uses to try and cut us down, those enemies have no authority to take our lives, or harm us, outside of God’s will for our lives.
Jesus said something similar to Pilate. He said, “You have no authority at all (to crucify me) except what has been given to you from above.”
And that is what God is saying to Paul. “Paul, don’t worry about these enemies, don’t think that I’m not watching over you, that something will happen that will catch me by surprise.” Nobody is going to touch you outside of my will.
3. I have many people in this city.
Paul, you may think that this city is hopeless. You may see its moral bankruptcy, and be crushed in your spirit. But I have many people in this city.
What does this mean? It means that God knows those who will believe. Scripture tells us that those who are Christians were chosen before the foundation of the world. And God could look over Corinth and see exactly who in that city would believe. He is encouraging Paul by telling him, there will be fruit here. There will be much fruit here. There will be a church here. And we know that there was because Paul wrote two letters to that church later.
The final gift of encouragement that God gave to Paul was quiet.
VI. Quiet
7 He departed there, and went into the house of a certain man named Justus, one who worshiped God, whose house was next door to the synagogue. 8 Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord with all his house. Many of the Corinthians, when they heard, believed and were baptized. 9 The Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, “Don’t be afraid, but speak and don’t be silent; 10 for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many people in this city.”
11 He lived there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.
He stayed there a year and six months. Wonderful. Encouraging. It had to have been so great to not be driven out of town on a rail, or be imprisoned or stoned. For a year and a half he gets to teach and minister to new believers, and see new converts, and baptize people. For a year and a half, Paul’s life almost took on a feel of the ordinary and peaceful.
God gives us those times doesn’t He? We don’t know how long they will last. But we have “times of refreshing.” I hope our church is a place of refreshing for you. We’ve had tumultuous times. But God has also given us times of peace. Let’s enjoy it while we have it. And let’s share it with those who may not have that peace right now.
Paul had it for a season, but then verse 12.
12 But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him before the judgment seat,
Who is Gallio? He was actually a relatively famous man. He was the elder brother of the famous philosopher; Seneca. Seneca was a tutor to Nero when he was a child. He was the uncle of a famous poet, Lucan. He came from a famous and connected family. And he was a proconsul or governor in Corinth by the authority of the Roman Emperor.
Seneca said about Gallio that he was a very kind man.
“No man is as sweet to one as Gallio is to everyone.”
So, why are the Jews taking Paul to this Roman governor?
Well, just as they did with Jesus, they hope to have Rome do they’re work for them. They couldn’t get Paul to shut up. He was gaining converts. And they didn’t have the authority or clout to just kill him, as they might have done back in Israel. So what they hope, is that they can charge him in a Roman court, and that Roman courts decision will set a precedent, which can then be used to shut Paul up across the entire Roman empire. If they had been successful, this would have changed Paul’s work for the next 10 or so years. If he continued to preach against the mandate of this court, he would have been defying Rome itself, and it could have led to his sooner execution.
But, that wasn’t in God’s timing. Do you remember how God encouraged Paul with a personal word? He said,
“Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; 10 for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city.”
No one will attack you or hurt you. I’m giving you a time of peace. Look at what happened,
12 But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him before the judgment seat,
13 saying, “This man persuades men to worship God contrary to the law.”
This is what they are accusing Paul of. Roman law said that any religion practiced in Rome had to be approved by Rome. They were called “religio licita.” Permitted religions
The Jewish faith was a permitted faith under Roman law. But then along came Christianity. Well, at first Rome viewed Christianity as just another sect of Judaism like the Pharisees, or Sadducees. But the Jews in Corinth were taking Paul to a Roman court, wanting Gallio to move Christianity from the religio licita column, to the religio illicita, not permitted column. If they could do that, then any town in the entire Roman empire that Paul went to, they could take him to court, and show the judge that Paul was preaching an religion that Rome did not approve.
But I want to show you the power of our encouraging God.
14 But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If indeed it were a matter of wrong or of wicked crime, you Jews, it would be reasonable that I should bear with you; 15 but if they are questions about words and names and your own law, look to it yourselves. For I don’t want to be a judge of these matters.”
Gallio looked at the evidence. He was likely very familiar with Judaism. And he had a year and a half to hear about Christianity. For all he could see was that Christianity was a sect of Judaism. They both believed the Scriptures. They both believed in a coming Messiah. They just disagreed about who it was.
He left Christianity as a permitted religion. And then apparently, they didn’t like his decision, and kept arguing, so
16 So he drove them from the judgment seat.
17 Then all the Greeks seized Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat. Gallio didn’t care about any of these things.
There’s some disagreement about who beat up Sosthenes, but it seems that this judgment really didn’t go the Jews way.
Do you know what verse 18 says?
18 So Paul still remained [e]a good while.
I think this was a great time of encouragement for Paul. God surrounded him in his time of distress with friends, new converts, work to do, resolve, and quiet. It was in Corinth that Paul wrote 1st and second Thessalonians, and later Romans. And of course, we have two letters to the Corinthian church in our Scripture. It truly was a rich time for him, and for us.
We will be departing from our narrative in Acts next week, to look at 1st Thessalonians, the letter he wrote back to the Thessalonian church when Timothy brought back a good report, and some questions for Paul.