The passage this message was preached from, in full, with every other passage it reached for.
Acts 21the passage being preached through, picking up where the series left off
1 When we had departed from them and had set sail, we came with a straight course to Cos, and the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara.
2 Having found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, we went aboard, and set sail.
3 When we had come in sight of Cyprus, leaving it on the left hand, we sailed to Syria, and landed at Tyre, for there the ship was to unload her cargo.
4 Having found disciples, we stayed there seven days. These said to Paul through the Spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem.
5 When those days were over, we departed and went on our journey. They all, with wives and children, brought us on our way until we were out of the city. Kneeling down on the beach, we prayed.
6 After saying goodbye to each other, we went on board the ship, and they returned home again.
7 When we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais. We greeted the brothers, and stayed with them one day.
8 On the next day, we, who were Paul’s companions, departed, and came to Caesarea. We entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him.
9 Now this man had four virgin daughters who prophesied.
10 As we stayed there some days, a certain prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.
11 Coming to us, and taking Paul’s belt, he bound his own feet and hands, and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit: ‘So will the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt, and will deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’”
12 When we heard these things, both we and they of that place begged him not to go up to Jerusalem.
13 Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”
14 When he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, “The Lord’s will be done.”
15 After these days we took up our baggage and went up to Jerusalem.
16 Some of the disciples from Caesarea also went with us, bringing one Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we would stay.
17 When we had come to Jerusalem, the brothers received us gladly.
18 The day following, Paul went in with us to James; and all the elders were present.
19 When he had greeted them, he reported one by one the things which God had worked among the Gentiles through his ministry.
20 They, when they heard it, glorified God. They said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law.
21 They have been informed about you, that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children neither to walk after the customs.
22 What then? The assembly must certainly meet, for they will hear that you have come.
23 Therefore do what we tell you. We have four men who have taken a vow.
24 Take them, and purify yourself with them, and pay their expenses for them, that they may shave their heads. Then all will know that there is no truth in the things that they have been informed about you, but that you yourself also walk keeping the law.
25 But concerning the Gentiles who believe, we have written our decision that they should observe no such thing, except that they should keep themselves from food offered to idols, from blood, from strangled things, and from sexual immorality.”
26 Then Paul took the men, and the next day, purified himself and went with them into the temple, declaring the fulfillment of the days of purification, until the offering was offered for every one of them.
27 When the seven days were almost completed, the Jews from Asia, when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the multitude and laid hands on him,
28 crying out, “Men of Israel, help! This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against the people, and the law, and this place. Moreover, he also brought Greeks into the temple, and has defiled this holy place!”
29 For they had seen Trophimus, the Ephesian, with him in the city, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple.
30 All the city was moved, and the people ran together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple. Immediately the doors were shut.
31 As they were trying to kill him, news came up to the commanding officer of the regiment that all Jerusalem was in an uproar.
32 Immediately he took soldiers and centurions, and ran down to them. They, when they saw the chief captain and the soldiers, stopped beating Paul.
33 Then the commanding officer came near, arrested him, commanded him to be bound with two chains, and inquired who he was and what he had done.
34 Some shouted one thing, and some another, among the crowd. When he couldn’t find out the truth because of the noise, he commanded him to be brought into the barracks.
35 When he came to the stairs, he was carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the crowd;
36 for the multitude of the people followed after, crying out, “Away with him!”
37 As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he asked the commanding officer, “May I speak to you?” He said, “Do you know Greek?
38 Aren’t you then the Egyptian, who before these days stirred up to sedition and led out into the wilderness the four thousand men of the Assassins?”
39 But Paul said, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no insignificant city. I beg you, allow me to speak to the people.”
40 When he had given him permission, Paul, standing on the stairs, beckoned with his hand to the people. When there was a great silence, he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, saying,
Paul's farewell to the Ephesian elders on the beach at Miletus, referenced as the prior stopping point
1 After the uproar had ceased, Paul sent for the disciples, took leave of them, and departed to go into Macedonia.
2 When he had gone through those parts, and had encouraged them with many words, he came into Greece.
3 When he had spent three months there, and a plot was made against him by Jews as he was about to set sail for Syria, he determined to return through Macedonia.
4 These accompanied him as far as Asia: Sopater of Beroea; Aristarchus and Secundus of the Thessalonians; Gaius of Derbe; Timothy; and Tychicus and Trophimus of Asia.
5 But these had gone ahead, and were waiting for us at Troas.
6 We sailed away from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread, and came to them at Troas in five days, where we stayed seven days.
7 On the first day of the week, when the disciples were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and continued his speech until midnight.
8 There were many lights in the upper room where we were gathered together.
9 A certain young man named Eutychus sat in the window, weighed down with deep sleep. As Paul spoke still longer, being weighed down by his sleep, he fell down from the third floor, and was taken up dead.
10 Paul went down, and fell upon him, and embracing him said, “Don’t be troubled, for his life is in him.”
11 When he had gone up, and had broken bread, and eaten, and had talked with them a long while, even until break of day, he departed.
12 They brought the boy in alive, and were greatly comforted.
13 But we, going ahead to the ship, set sail for Assos, intending to take Paul aboard there; for he had so arranged, intending himself to go by land.
14 When he met us at Assos, we took him aboard, and came to Mitylene.
15 Sailing from there, we came the following day opposite Chios. The next day we touched at Samos and stayed at Trogyllium, and the day after we came to Miletus.
16 For Paul had determined to sail past Ephesus, that he might not have to spend time in Asia; for he was hastening, if it were possible for him, to be in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost.
17 From Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called to himself the elders of the assembly.
18 When they had come to him, he said to them, “You yourselves know, from the first day that I set foot in Asia, how I was with you all the time,
19 serving the Lord with all humility, with many tears, and with trials which happened to me by the plots of the Jews;
20 how I didn’t shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, teaching you publicly and from house to house,
21 testifying both to Jews and to Greeks repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus.
22 Now, behold, I go bound by the Spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there;
23 except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions wait for me.
24 But these things don’t count; nor do I hold my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to fully testify to the Good News of the grace of God.
25 “Now, behold, I know that you all, among whom I went about preaching God’s Kingdom, will see my face no more.
26 Therefore I testify to you today that I am clean from the blood of all men,
27 for I didn’t shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.
28 Take heed, therefore, to yourselves, and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the assembly of the Lord and God which he purchased with his own blood.
29 For I know that after my departure, vicious wolves will enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
30 Men will arise from among your own selves, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.
31 Therefore watch, remembering that for a period of three years I didn’t cease to admonish everyone night and day with tears.
32 Now, brothers, I entrust you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build up, and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
33 I coveted no one’s silver, or gold, or clothing.
34 You yourselves know that these hands served my necessities, and those who were with me.
35 In all things I gave you an example, that so laboring you ought to help the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
36 When he had spoken these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all.
37 They all wept a lot, and fell on Paul’s neck and kissed him,
38 sorrowing most of all because of the word which he had spoken, that they should see his face no more. And they accompanied him to the ship.
the Syrophoenician woman at Tyre and Sidon, used as background history for the city of Tyre
21 Jesus went out from there, and withdrew into the region of Tyre and Sidon.
22 Behold, a Canaanite woman came out from those borders, and cried, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, you son of David! My daughter is severely possessed by a demon!”
23 But he answered her not a word. His disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away; for she cries after us.”
24 But he answered, “I wasn’t sent to anyone but the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
25 But she came and worshiped him, saying, “Lord, help me.”
26 But he answered, “It is not appropriate to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”
27 But she said, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.”
28 Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Be it done to you even as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that hour.
Paul says he is bound by the spirit to go to Jerusalem and does not count his life dear to himself
22 Now, behold, I go bound by the Spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there;
23 except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions wait for me.
24 But these things don’t count; nor do I hold my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to fully testify to the Good News of the grace of God.
The message in order, in a few minutes of reading.
The August 3 message came from Acts 21, following Paul's journey toward Jerusalem as the third missionary journey drew to a close. The theme running through the text was what the preacher called the vicissitudes of life, the unwelcome changes and hard turns that come even when a believer is doing exactly what God has called them to do. A pastoral transition here at First B gave the passage an immediate local weight.
What was said
the pastor opened by placing the congregation back in the story: Paul had just been pulled away from the Ephesian elders on the beach at Miletus, a parting the text describes with a word that means something closer to being ripped away than simply leaving. From Miletus the ship made its way along the coast, stopping at Cos, Rhodes, and Patara, then crossing four hundred miles of open water to Phoenicia. None of those legs carried any particular difficulty. The hard thing was still ahead.
At Tyre, disciples there told Paul through the Spirit not to go to Jerusalem. The problem is that back in chapter 20, Paul had said plainly that the Spirit had bound him to go. Travis sat with that tension honestly rather than resolving it too quickly. Were these disciples speaking a direct word from God, or were they taking what they knew about the danger in Jerusalem and drawing their own conclusion? Either way, the warning was real, and the disagreement between Paul and the people around him was real.
At Caesarea, the prophet Agabus arrived from Judea, took Paul's belt, bound his own hands and feet with it, and said: "In this way the Jews in Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and hand him over to the Gentiles." The people there, along with Luke and the rest of the traveling party, began begging Paul not to go. Paul's response was that they were beating him up, breaking his heart, because he was ready not only to be bound but to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. He said he did not consider his life dear to himself, that what mattered was finishing the course and the ministry he had received.
Travis drew a straight line from Paul setting his face toward Jerusalem to Luke 9:51, where Jesus set his face toward Jerusalem knowing what was waiting for him there. The parallel was not incidental. Jesus walked toward the cross in submission to the Father. Paul walked toward chains and affliction in submission to the Spirit. In both cases, the people closest to them were pulling in the opposite direction.
Eventually those around Paul went quiet and said, "The will of the Lord be done." The preacher described that as a statement of humility, a choice to trust God with what they could not control. He named people in the room: missionaries heading back to the field, counselors, chaplains, people working with other people's hearts every day. He pointed to the congregation's own moment of transition, searching for a successor to a pastor they loved, and said that in any process like that, the urging of one person toward another needs to be the Spirit's urging and not just personal opinion dressed up as discernment.
The sermon closed at the Lord's table. Travis prayed that the congregation would be like Paul in not fearing the road ahead, and unlike Paul's companions in not confusing their own preferences with what God has said. The communion elements were distributed, and the service ended with the congregation standing to sing the doxology before heading out to the First B BBQ.
Doing a Bible study?
Here is a guide we have prepared for you: the passages
in order, questions for the group, and room to write.
Pastor Mark described the disciples in Tyre telling Paul through the Spirit not to go to Jerusalem, while Paul was convinced the Spirit had told him to go. Have you ever felt that kind of tension between what you believed God was calling you to do and what the people around you were urging? How did you work through it?
Pastor Mark pointed to Jesus and the Syrophoenician woman in Matthew 15 as a teaching moment about the disciples' own attitude toward outsiders. What does that passage stir up in you, and where do you see that same attitude showing up today?
Speaker 2Good morning, church. Will you please stand up and let's worship the Lord? Enter his gates with thanksgiving. Go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name.
Amen? Amen. Let's make this hour special. Let's worship the Lord and feel his presence in our hearts and mind and here in this place. Amen?
Amen. Amen.
Speaker 1Amen. Y'all can have a seat. I've got a few announcements for us this morning and here they are. If you would like to have a seat, you're standing in the back and you'd like to have a seat, there are plenty actually today up front. That's just the way it is.
I don't know why it is, I just know that it is. So plenty of space up here. I'll try not to be so scary. But there are overflow seats down the hall if you'd ever want to do that. Seeking truth in your twenties is a kind of a gathering Bible study, if you wanna call that.
It's a gathering for college age folks. You don't have to be in college twenties. From your graduated high school up through your twenties, at Seeking Truth in your twenties, out in the shadow of the Teton, Sunday night, 06:30 at the McCooey's place off of Zenith. Free entry. Good conversation.
Great food. Wonderful time. Music. Timothy has been playing for that and it's it's awesome. It's really really good, well attended and make it even more well attended.
Go see it. If you're in your twenties, seeking truth in your twenties. Engine room is a Sunday morning prayer group that is down downstairs at 08:30 in the middle room, purple room, youth room, however you call it. The one downstairs in the middle is where they meet this morning, and that is a great place to get together, pray about the Sunday services and all that will happen here today, but also going on from here. So that's in the basement every Sunday, eight to 08:30 is when they start gathering and they're there until just before worship starts.
Jackson Hole Men's Alliance. So August is the first Wednesday of this month. And on the first Wednesday of the month, the alliance means it's not just First B, it's bigger than just First B's men's group. It's for folks from other churches and everybody's invited guys, 06:30AM, first be the guest speaker this week is Scottie Schneider. Scottie Schneider in the room?
He gets here and makes a coffee in the mornings and he has an incredibly interesting story. You will want to be here to see that. So breakfast will be provided 06:30. Scottie Schneider will be the guy. The community Bible study is starting up September 10 and it'll run through October 29.
It's gonna be at the Press Church this time around, so 10AM to noon. Sometimes it's here, sometimes it's at Gateway, sometimes at the Press Church and right. This next time starting September 10 from 10AM to noon, they're gonna cover the book of Genesis at PCJH. There'll be childcare provided and that's the jacksonholewomensbiblestudy.com. That's the place to sign up if you wanna do that ahead of time.
Oh, yeah. And it's giving season. Old Bills, Old Bills given... Do you all know what this is? Old Bills Fun Run?
Yeah. Most of you who live around here know what it is. But it's kind of a way to amplify giving to help those in need. We have here at first be a benevolence fund. So if somebody's broken down or they get here thinking that they had a job and when they get here, it turns out they don't have a job and they need some help to just make it through.
We can help by, know, every once in a while, I'll replace an alternator for somebody or starter or work on their car. But we use this fund to be able to help with hotel rooms and all that sort of stuff. If you wanna know more about it, ask Nick about it. It's an amazing thing. If you give through old bills or the Community Foundation of Jackson Hole, usually a dollar in comes out the other side a dollar and 0.5 for us.
So it's a pretty good way to amplify giving. Giving season is August 15 through September 12, so that's that's upon us. It's coming fast. And today, you walk past the tables and chairs out here. First b b q is happening.
This is gonna happen one more time in September, but today's the day. So between services, game, food, fun, fellowship, breakfast is provided out there too. And so what a wonderful weather day we have had each of these this time around this summer. So that's happening. Is there anything else?
If there is anything else, it's on the church website. Did I forget anybody or anything? Good. This is my favorite part of the sermon, Sunday morning. Would you stand up, greet one another, and we'll bring it back together with a quick song.
We love you.
Speaker 2Let's worship the Lord. Amen?
Speaker 1Amen.
Speaker 2Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise. Hallelujah. Praise Jesus. Hallelujah. Thank you Jesus for giving us the privilege to be here.
It's great to worship you and feel your presence in this place. Lord, I'm asking by the power of Jesus, please speak to us. Touch our hearts in such a way that we will understand more and more of your will. That's why we gather here, so we can worship you and also so we can be trained to do your will in our everyday life. In your precious name I pray, amen.
Amen. Amen. Oh, I love this song. I like it because it's fast. And then I just get losing the worship.
Amen. And feel free to move if you want. Hands up. Do do it for the Lord. Amen?
Oh, praise the Lord. Hallelujah. The the church sounds great. It's good to be here. Amen?
So when I chose the songs, in my mind is like this. First, let's gather into worship. Praise his name. Right? Then we go into a time of...
How do say? When we wanna hear his voice in our in our hearts. And then is the closing song with... Which is gonna give us the strength and power to continue. Amen?
Amen. You give life.
Speaker 1Always
Speaker 2by the fourth songs, I need some more.
Speaker 1Y'all can have a seat. I'll invite the ushers, elders, ushers to come forward. This is the worship through giving time, the operatory time and if you would pray silently there where you sit as I pray aloud. Lord, thank you for the gathering this morning. Thank you for the freedom to gather.
Thank you for the beauty of the day. Thank you for all that you have done for us, Lord. May we be cognizant of it and maybe be constantly appraising you with the breath that you have placed in our lungs. I pray Lord that you would show us your will individually and collectively lord and there's a tension there sometimes as the sermon will show. I pray lord that you will show us what it is that you would have us to do individually to walk it out.
Lord, in this time where we are giving back a portion of what you've given to us, I pray that we'd be cognizant of what it is that you have gifted us with, Lord. What is it that you've given us that we specifically are responsible for? Lord, would you allow us to use our words to glorify your name, to use our talents, to glorify your name, to use our resources, resources, Lord, financial if that be to glorify your name. Show us in the way we walk and the way we work, and Lord would you point out all of the opportunities around us that are specifically the steps you want us to walk in. It's it's a it's a humble prayer asking for you to do your will through us, Lord, in your way.
In Jesus name, all of us. Amen.
Speaker 2I saw the and he answered Hallelujah. Praise the Lord.
Speaker 1Hallelujah. Amen. We have children's church happening right now. So that happens for the summer. It's been happening just on the times where we have first b b q, but it is starting back up.
So starting back up today, I believe. So that's happening. Oh. Are you all nervous? I told you all that every time I do anything different and I'm away from here, I get nervous again.
And so last week we had church at the fair and I was really nervous before that, but God carried us through and here we are together. And we're back to the scripture right where we left off last time we were in this room is acts 21. We made it up through 20 and Paul saying goodbye to the Ephesian elders on the beach at Miletus. That's where we were. And that's tough, especially tough for folks who live in a town where people move all the time.
And you get to have friends that you've gotten a deep and abiding relationship with, and then they move and it's hard. So that was expressed the last time. It's going to be expressed again this time, spoiler alert. The vicissitudes of life. The vicissitudes, specifically vicissitudes just means the changes of life.
But typically, it's taken in an unpleasant or negative sense. So when you're passing through the vicissitudes of life, it's not always pleasant. It's not always easy. And it comes with motivation since we're believers gathered in his name, most of us here are believers gathered in his name. And we know that we have the spirit of God dwelling in us, that directs us, that empowers us, but sometimes when he gives direction and sometimes when he gives the nod of where we need to go and what we need to do next, the people around us are not in agreement with us.
And that becomes a very difficult vicissitude. Right? So here we go. We'll just let the text speak for itself, but I I wanna look at it in that sense. This section, if you start from where we're going, the rest of the book of Acts is a swirling that is just like, wow, it's a maelstrom.
It just keeps going faster and faster. So much so, that the last time that I presented the book of Acts thirteen years ago, twelve years ago, whatever it was, I did four chapters in one Sunday. I don't wanna do that again. I don't think you want me to do that again either. So we're just going to go through actually 14 verses today, and so the vicissitudes of life continue.
Now, when we had parted from them, and the verb here for when we had parted is basically, when we had been ripped away from them. It was a very difficult exodus away from the Ephesians elders and militants because he had spent three years in Ephesus. He knew these people really really well, so much so that he didn't even want to stop in Ephesus because he knew it would be hard to get away from there. So he stops 30 miles away in Miletus and he says, okay, send for them. And the ones that show up, the junkies for Jesus, how many of y'all are on vacation this morning and you came to church anyway?
Yeah. That's the way it is. They... Those folks made the trip down, and then he's crying with the the men of the elders and with their families. And when we had been extricated from them, ripped away from them, and had set sail, we ran a straight course to cost.
Now, my maps are not nearly as good this morning as they usually are because... Just because. Kas is the uppermost little pin in the Google Earth map there. The uppermost. They ran a straight course for Kas from Miletus and that one seemed to be fairly easy and it says, and then on the next day, we made it to Rhodes where the Colossus Of Rhodes was in ancient times.
Right? Right there, it's the tip of this island of Rhodes. It's the very tip is Rhodes right there. And then from there, went to Patara, and Patara is just another... It looks like a pretty easy journey from there.
And it it was. He he doesn't say anything about the vicissitudes of cost to roads to Patara. It's a fairly decent shipping alley. And having found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, this sounds like it wasn't like they got on the Google machine. They didn't get on and look through what are the flights, what are the...
What's it look like? We found a ship that was crossing over to Phoenicia, and we went aboard and we set sail. So Phoenicia is this area. Now, this is Israel as we know it right here, the Sea Of Galilee. This is up above there is Phoenicia.
It's the coastal part of Syria. This is Cyprus. So from Petara, it's 400 miles across to Phoenicia. That's a long ways. Now when we came inside of Cyprus, we were leaving it on the left.
The weather was favorable. They didn't have to go through the narrow alley. It's springtime most likely. And so they left Cyprus on the left and they went straight across over here to Phoenicia. We kept sailing to Syria.
Phoenicia is the coastal portion of Syria. Okay. So it is it is right there. And we kept on sailing towards Syria leaving Cyprus behind. They've been to Cyprus multiple times.
Barnabas was from Cyprus, they spent time there. Sergius Paulus was there. When they see... When Paul sees this stuff, he's got a mind full of all the places that he's been and all the people that he knows and they're sailing across. I drove to Georgia after church last week and I flew back.
And for me, seeing all of this rolling and tumbling that they're doing and how difficult it is. I drove there, which is not difficult for me, I love it, and hauled some stuff to Carl and Krista, dropped it off, said howdy to my friends, cried on the beach as I left. They're not on the beach. I'm just joking. I didn't really cry this time.
So... But dropped off some stuff, went, took some stuff that Pascal needed for school, and left a vehicle down there, and I flew back. So on this, seeing their trips and going 400 miles on the ship across from Ptah to Phoenicia and 1,975 miles to my folks front door, it feels it feels like it matters. You know what I'm saying? That the distances and all that sort of stuff.
So forgive me for the maps if that's not your thing. We're getting to getting to the point. They landed at Tyre. Tyre. Tyre and Sidon, you would remember from the gospels.
They landed at Tyre for the ship was to unload its cargo there. So Tyre is over here, the little orange dot. It's north of the Sea Of Galilee. It's North of the general stomping grounds of Jesus and the disciples, but not completely. They did go up to Tyre together.
Do you remember the Syrophoenician woman in Matthew 15? Jesus takes a moment to do a little instruction for his disciples. I think he was doing it about racism or at least xenophobia. Right? Jesus went away from there, which was their normal stomping ground and he withdrew.
He had been around the Pharisees, he'd been around them, and then he withdrew from the place where they normally spent most of their time, and it was out of the ordinary, but they went up into the region of Tyre and Sidon, Matthew fifteen twenty one. And a Canaanite or some versions will say Syrophoenician because Phoenicia is the coastal portion of Syria, Tyre is right on the sea. Canaanite woman from that region came out and began to cry out saying, have mercy on me Lord, son of David. My daughter is severely demon possessed, but he didn't answer her, not even with a word. That doesn't sound like Jesus does it.
I think it's a teaching moment for his disciples. His disciples came up and nourished him saying, send her away. She keeps on shouting at us. But he answered and said, well, of course, I was only sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Right?
That's the folks I came for. That's what you all think. You're you're saying to send somebody away because they're not like you. But she came, he answered, he answered her I think and them at the same time, I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Wink wink.
But she came and and she began to bow down before him. Now, she's already called him Lord. She's already called him the son of David. She's already recognized who he is. And then, she bows down before him and saying, Lord, help me.
Yet he answered and said, it's not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs. Dogs was a common racial slur epithet for anybody outside of the Jewish family. Right? So the Gentiles were the dogs. And Jesus is using this, I guarantee he's using as a teachable moment.
It sounds like, what is Jesus doing here? He answers, oh, it's not good to take the children's bread. It's just... This... The blessings are all just for this little family right here, just for the family of the of Israel, the house of Israel.
And she answered and said, yes Lord, but please help for even the dogs feet on the crumbs that fall from their master's table. She recognizes that he's the master. And Jesus said to her, oh woman, your faith is great. I'm just messing with you. It shall be done for you just as you desire, and her daughter was healed at once.
Jesus was showing them their attitude in his response. After looking up at this... Here we are back in Acts. Okay. After looking up the disciples, now that's the history that I have of Tyre and Sidon before getting to Tyre on this ship with them.
After looking up the disciples who were there in Tyre, that's amazing that there are disciples there entire. Well, who do you think the little witness was? That woman said, this Jesus, he's the one who healed my daughter. Perhaps, we'd seen him bounce through there before, but the word of the Lord is spreading. Wherever there's a Jewish community, there is a is a group of people who knows about the Old Testament and there are some of those folks that recognize Jesus.
And so at Tyre, we stayed there for seven days and we stayed there with disciples, true people. So where was it at Tyre? Right there, topmost little pin that I didn't put a big star on this time because I can't remember to hit save. And they kept on telling Paul through the spirit not to set foot in Jerusalem. Now, is a difficult thing.
In chapter 20, we've seen that Paul says, I am bound by the spirit to go to Jerusalem. I don't know what awaits me there. Everywhere I go, they tell me that chains and imprisonment and difficulty awaits me there, but I only know that I'm supposed to go. And he said that very resolutely in chapter 20. He told the elders on the beach at Miletus about that, and he knows that he is bound for Jerusalem.
And yet, when he gets to Tyre, which is not that far away from Jerusalem, it's walking distance, well everything's walking distance at the time. Depends on who you are, but through the spirit not to set foot in Jerusalem. The debate is this, were they telling him a warning from the spirit of God that the spirit was saying, Paul, don't go to Jerusalem, when Paul knew that the spirit had told him to go to Jerusalem. Or were they taking chains away Paul in Jerusalem and then thinking about it and going, don't go there. Avoid it.
Now, both of those things, it's attention. There's attention there. So the spirit of God is communicating what seems very very clearly to Paul. You're gonna stand before governors and kings. And here he is in Tyre, not a not a hotbed of activity.
Jerusalem is the hotbed of activity. Jerusalem is the place. He left Jerusalem because how how difficult it was, perhaps. He went up to Antioch with Barnabas and started and that was home base for him. This is the end of his missionary journey, the third missionary journey.
The others have been going back to home base which was Antioch, but this one's gonna end in Jerusalem and he knows it and he's bound for it. So the debate is whether or not these folks were saying don't go by the spirit or don't go by their thinking about what the spirit says that there's difficulty there. The consensus is there's difficulty there. Okay. There is hard stuff awaiting you in Jerusalem.
So should you go or should you not go? Has anybody in the room ever had that decision? Right? It's gonna be hard, but it is what God has said to do. Right?
Anybody in here ever been on the mission field at all? Yeah. Guarantee you had difficulty in the the decision making and everything else because all we wanna do, and I say it every time during the operatory prayer especially because that's the first time I get to pray in the mornings here. We wanna do your will, Lord, in your way. And it's a statement of humility to go, we don't know exactly what that is.
So would you help us collectively to understand what it is that you want for us to do? And would you help us understand individually what it is you want for us to do? So in general, we like to protect our missionaries in general, but we recognize we're sending them into the danger. And so... Okay.
Here we're back to Tyre. When our days were there ended in Tyre, we left and we started on our journey, and while they all, with wives and children, everybody escorted us until we were out of the city. So they were walking them down saying goodbye, waving, bye bye. It doesn't talk about falling on their neck like it did with the Ephesians elders they knew so well. But they did all kneel down on the beach and pray, and we all said farewell to one another as they get back on the ship.
Then we boarded the ship and they returned back to their homes, but there's something just like Jesus in, and I mentioned this last time we were here in this building together, that in Luke nine fifty one it said, and Jesus set his face for Jerusalem. He set it like flint. He was going to Jerusalem. He knew what awaited him there was great difficulty. He went anyway.
And so we see that those folks got to go back to their homes and Paul got to go into the fray. So when we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais. Now Ptolemais is the second one of these little pins. Tyre to Ptolemais is not even this short, it's not far. Days journey, no no big deal.
So they went to Ptolemais next, and after greeting the brothers and sisters because there are brothers and sisters there that Christianity has spread by this point. It's been about twenty two years since the day of Pentecost when the spirit came down and sent people out. And we have seen in the book of acts that they were his witnesses in Jerusalem, and in Judea, and in Samaria, and even to the uttermost parts, they crossed over into Europe. Right? And on the next day, it says, we stay with those folks in Ptolemais for a day, and on the next day, we came to Caesarea.
Now, if you know anything, if you ever been on a tour of Israel, Caesarea Maritima or the seaside Caesar's Place, not Caesar's Palace, but it was typically, it was a Caesar's Palace actually. Not the Vegas version, but it was Caesar's Palace and it was... There was a garrison of like 5,000 Roman soldiers there. It was a great place to be on the Eastern Coast Of Mediterranean, and it's one of the most well preserved historic towns. So if you've ever been on a tour of Israel, almost guaranteed that you were at Caesarea, Maritima.
But that place is where they landed the next day. It's going be very important. It's mentioned like 15 times in the book of Acts. It's mentioned all over the place. It will be mentioned from this place forward in some of his vicissitudes.
Okay? On the next day, we left and we came to Caesarea and we entered the house of Philip. You remember Philip? The evangelist. Now he's called the evangelist because he is spreading the gospel so frequently.
He was one of the seven, if you go back to Acts when the Greek widows were being left out of the distribution, and there were some question about the disciples and what they should do, and the disciples or the apostles, capital a apostles got together and said, should we be doing all of this stuff ourselves or should we be ministering the word? And they said, think we need to minister the word. They're trying to discern the spirit, what he says, he says, you minister the word and you trust seven faithful men from among you, the ones who were complaining. And they're all Greek names to take care of the Greek widows, and Philip was one of those names. He was one of the seven and they stayed with him.
That's a cool comeback, you know, to call back as comedians say, to come back to that. Now, this man had four young virgin daughters who were prophetesses. They were also people who prophesied. Now, everywhere that Paul has gone, he said in chapter 20, everyone has prophesied that he was going to have chains in Jerusalem. He...
They stay with Philip, the evangelist, and he's got four daughters that I'm sure are saying exactly the same thing, but it's not them that are mentioned, but Agabus as they were staying there for some days. There was a prophet named Agabus that came down from Judea. Now, he is living close to Jerusalem. He knows what's going on these days. Paul has not been there in a while.
He knows what it's like. And Agabus comes down from Judea, stops at Caesarea Maritima, and he came to us. Luke is there with him. He's an eyewitness. He came to us.
We were together in Caesarea at Philip's place and Agabus comes down. He takes Paul's belt, which you know goes around his waist. It's a long thing that wraps several times around a tie and he takes Paul's belt and he binds his own hands and his own feet and he says, this is what the Holy Spirit says, thus saith the Lord. In this way, the Jews in Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and hand him over to the Gentiles. That's what's awaiting you.
That's a that's a clearer picture of what's awaiting him. And when they had heard this, when we had heard this, Luke says, we had heard this, we as well as all the local residents began begging him not to go up to Jerusalem. Paul, come on man. It's crazy. What you're doing is nuts.
Did you hear the prophecy? Is that what you want? Now, we know from Paul's ministry, the virtually the whole time we know that he's had times where he was lowered down over a wall, he was run out of town a couple of different times, he was beaten with rods, he's had all of these different adversities where sometimes it says, and knowing what they were going to do to him, discovering a plot. He did not go to Syria when he was going to because... Now, what's the difference here?
The spirit. The spirit is saying, Paul, this is what you're to do. And everybody else is saying, really? Okay. Let's wait on that one.
So vicissitudes of life. Here we are at this church, and we've had a guy move away that we all love, and we're seeking to replace the guy that we all love. And we're not calling a replacement, we're calling him a successor. Okay. Nobody's gonna replace him, and we know that.
But we want for the next guy to succeed, and so we have a we have a choice before us. We have committees forming. We have things that are going on, and we all want the will of God. Every single one of us in the room wants the will of God. And there may be some of us that disagree with the others during this process.
Individually, we should be listening to what the spirit says. And it might come out, maybe. It might come out that this is going to be a difficult thing, and we still need to do it. That's just the way it is. And I'm looking around the room and I'm seeing counselor, counselor, counselor, counselor.
And I'm seeing missionary, missionary, missionary, pastor visiting people coming in like I said, they're junkies for Jesus. There's a guy biking across the country, spent the night here last night, and we all are collectively assembled seeking the will of God individually and collectively. And so, urging one another, be sure when you're urging one another that it is you are saying what the spirit is saying and not what you are thinking. Our opinions about what the spirit is saying are the vicissitudes. They're the unpleasantness of the change.
Right? Because we don't know. And this is Paul saying, what are you doing people? You're weeping and you're breaking my heart. The breaking right there, breaking my heart is the way we say it.
It says, you're taking my heart like you do dirty clothes and you're slamming them against the rocks. You're beating me up here. What are you doing people? You all crying and breaking my heart? For I'm ready.
I'm ready for this. I I take your warnings. I take what it is that you're telling me. I'm ready not only to be bound, but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. Now, that's interesting that he says that he says, if necessary, I'm willing to die in Jerusalem because what he has said in chapter 20 is, I'm going to Jerusalem and after that I'm going to Rome.
I don't know how it's gonna happen, but I know that that's what the spirit has said. The intimacy with the spirit that Paul has is staggering and delightful. Now, he's gone through incredible difficulty to get to hear the voice of the Lord in that way, you know. I'm ready not only to be bound, but even to die in Jerusalem if I need to for the name of the Lord. I think I'm supposed to go to Rome.
That's still echoing, lingering, you know, in the back. This is chapter twenty twenty two says this, and now behold, bound by the spirit. I'm already tied. I'm already tied to what the spirit has said. I'm on my way to Jerusalem not knowing what will happen to me there except that the Holy Spirit somnily testifies to me in every city.
He trusted the people as speaking for the Holy Spirit. That chains and afflictions await me there. But listen, I don't consider my life of any account as dear to myself. What am I doing if I'm protecting it just for myself? I'm willing to risk it so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus to testify solemnly of the gospel of God's grace.
In Romans, he says, that if it were possible, I would give my life. I would face hell basically is what he's saying. I would take the I would take it on for my countrymen so that the Jews of Jerusalem would know, so that the Jews of this world would know. If I could, but Paul knew his blood was not sufficient for that. He had sin in his own life.
He was not the perfect lamb of God. What he wants to keep on pointing to testify solemnly to is the gospel of God's grace which is available in one place and one place only and that is the blood of Christ on the cross of Calvary. So he's going to keep on doing this no matter what comes. And since he would not be persuaded, since Carl would not be persuaded, no, since Paul would not be persuaded, we became quiet. Remarking, the will of the Lord be done.
That's a statement of humility. It's a statement that I trust God to do what it is that God's gonna do. I see a guy who's heading back to Kosovo as a missionary this week. I see some folks who've served a whole career as missionaries in Latin America. I see folks who are counseling, and they're chaplains, and they're working with people's hearts every day.
They're working to share not only the salvation message of the gospel, but the sanctifying grace of God that's available during the vicissitudes of life. During the hard times is when God reaches out in the most severe way and the most intimate way. And so here we are, remarking the will of the Lord be done. What is it that we know he wants from us? We know that he wants us to be grateful.
We know that he wants for us to trust him. We know that he wants for us to listen to him individually and collectively, and he wants for us to bear with one another during the process. He wants for us to be forgiven one another. He does not want to split the church. Right?
He wants for us to draw together in unity. So I could stop right there, will of Lord be done, maybe we'll come back to that. But this third missionary journey is gonna end in Jerusalem in two verses. And we'll cover these next time, but after these days, after saying, alright, we're surrendered to your will Lord. We got ready, we started on our way to Jerusalem, some of the disciples from Caesarea also came with us, taking us up to Manasseh of Cyprus, a disciple of long standing with whom we were to stay.
He had a place there, we're gonna stay with him. But this is where the third missionary journey ends, and I'm gonna take it back just to that. The will of the Lord be done. We have right here, the Lord's table and we're gonna go into a time of communion. I'll ask the elders to come forward for the distribution, ask Florine to play something pretty.
I'm guessing a minor key, I don't really know. Would you all pray with me? Lord, may your will be done. When we wake up in the morning, Lord, I pray that the first breath that we're cognizant of comes out with, Lord, show me your way and I will walk in it. I pray, that like Paul, we would not fear the dangers ahead, but Lord, that we wouldn't be stubborn about things of our own opinion.
May we be conscious of our bias, may we be conscious of the way that you're working on our lives. May we be conscious of of the risk and still be willing to take them. May we be there for people. In Jesus name, I ask you to use us, Lord, however you would. So your will done in your way, Lord.
And we ask that you'd supply us with the knowledge and direction and the resources to be able to do what it is that you've called us to do. Ask a blessing on every minister and missionary that is here this morning and every saint that is in fact a minister and a missionary. The priesthood of the believer, Lord allows us to come directly to Jesus and by Jesus to reach you. The will of the father is incredibly difficult to discern, but it is available by your spirit, Lord. So would you show us your way?
I ask your blessing on this distribution, Lord, of this little cracker representative of the body of Christ. For every soul in the room that would partake, Lord, I pray that you would be very very present with them in a special way right now that they would sense your presence greater now than ever and that they would receive the clear direction following after the one who laid down his body for our sins. In Jesus name, I ask your blessing on this. Amen. Okay.
On the same evening that Jesus was betrayed, he took bread after supper and he said to his disciples there, this is my body which is given for you. Take this and take it in, eat of it and do so as often as you will in remembrance of me. Thank you Jesus for walking out in complete submission to the spirit, even walking towards Jerusalem in a certain difficult trial and death on the cross. Thank you for walking it out. Thank you for walking it out for your entire earthly life such that you had a perfect record which could be given in exchange for the imperfect records of anyone who would trust in you.
Lord, it is by your innocent blood that was voluntarily and sacrificially shed that we have access to God, to the kingdom of God. In Jesus, we find that. Thank you, Jesus. Lord God almighty. Father God, your will is out there for us.
Sometimes, it seems very hard to distinguish but your spirit is in here inside of us. So Lord, I pray that you would show us the next steps. Right now, as we distribute this little plastic cup of grape juice in this open table for anyone who would accept. Lord, I pray for everyone who is a believer that they would be able to take this with a clear conscience, having surrendered and everything to you, having agreed with you about our sin, Lord. I pray that they'd be able to take this and it would be great joy.
I also pray Lord for anybody who lets it pass because they just don't believe that you would be working on their hearts through the people seated next to them and that they would come to know the peace that is available. Peace that says, you can keep walking forward into the difficulty. In Jesus name, we ask your blessing on this little representation of blood of Christ. Amen. In manner that he had taken the bread, he also took the cup after supper and he said to them there that this is the new covenant in my blood.
Old covenant, boy, there were some conditions in that old covenant. It was on you. God would be God, but you needed to do your part. Look forward to the new covenant. Looking forward to the new covenant was your part, and they had been looking forward to it a long time.
This is the new covenant, Jesus says. In my blood, I fulfilled the law. I've done what was necessary. This is the new covenant. Take this, take it in, drink of it, do it as often as you will in remembrance of me.
Paul says, as often as we do this, we proclaim his death which is salvation and sanctification until he comes again. I'm gonna ask you if you would stand. We're gonna close with the doxology. Yep. Thank you, sir.
If Florine could give me a G. What? I'm gonna... Yeah. What what do you want it to be in?
So we're just gonna close with the doxology. So there you go. From whom all blessings flow. Praise him all creatures here below. Praise him above, ye heavenly host.
Praise father, son, and holy ghost. Amen. Amen. And Lord, please bless the food. Amen.
