SERMON: FOLLOW THE LEADER (Acts 11:19-26; Acts 13)

 

Naylor Community Christian Church

Naylor, Georgia

 

I.  INTRODUCTION

            -- turn in Bibles to Acts 11:19-26

 

Acts 11:19 Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that broke out when Stephen was killed traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, spreading the word only among Jews. 20 Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. 21 The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.

 

22 News of this reached the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. 24 He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.

 

25 Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26 and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.

 

            -- One of the greatest scientists of all time was Albert Einstein – even though Einstein did most of his work in the early part of the Twentieth Century, he is still a household name today – recognized for his intelligence, wisdom, and ground-breaking scientific theories – and back in his day, he was a legend – everyone knew him and knew of him – and when he would go somewhere, people would instantly recognize him

-- after World War II, Einstein settled down to teach and do research at Princeton – the story is told about the time he left Princeton on a train for a speaking engagement at a city on the other side of the country

-- as the conductor made his way down the aisle checking tickets, he found Einstein totally engrossed in his work – he had papers spread out on the seat and was reading and completely focused on his research – the conductor stopped and asked for Einstein’s ticket so he could punch it

-- Looking up in shock, Einstein realized he didn’t know what he had done with his ticket – he started frantically searching his coat pockets and then his briefcase – gently, the conductor said, "We all know who you are, Dr. Einstein. I’m sure you bought a ticket. Don’t worry about it."

-- But as the conductor moved along, he looked back to see Einstein on his hands and knees searching under the seats for his ticket -- the conductor walked back -- "Dr. Einstein, please, don’t worry about it. I know who you are."

-- Exasperated, Einstein looked up and said, "I, too, know who I am. What I don’t know is where I’m going."¹

 

-- how true is that for us today? – there are a lot of us who don’t know where we’re going or where we’re supposed to be – whether that’s in this life or in the hereafter – but this should not be the case for Christians, because we have the Holy Spirit within us who leads us and points us to the place where Jesus wants us to go

 

            -- this morning, we are continuing in our sermon series in the Book of Acts – as I noted earlier, I have divided our study into four main sections – Part 1 was The Humble Beginning of the Church and covered Acts 1 through the first part of Chapter 8 – it was in this section that we learned of Christ’s mandate to the church in Acts 1:8 to carry the gospel to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth – and we saw how the coming of the Holy Spirit empowered the early Christians with a bold message, bold prayers, and bold hearts

            -- the Second Part was called, “Unexpected Gospel Growth,” which covered Acts 8 through 12 – in this second part, we learned that the term unexpected growth did not only apply to growth in numbers, as we saw the church begin to grow with more and more people coming to faith in Jesus -- but also that the growth in the early church was unexpected in terms of who responded to the gospel – it was in this section that we saw the first Gentiles come to a saving knowledge of Christ, to the astonishment of Peter and the other leaders of the church, who initially thought that salvation was only for the Jews

            -- this morning, we are starting on the third section of our study in the Book of Acts – and this will be the longest section in our series – it is called “The Mission Continues” – and covers Acts 13 through 21 – it is in this section that the focus of the Book of Acts shifts back to Paul and his missionary journeys throughout the Roman Empire, as he fulfills Jesus’ command to carry the gospel to the ends of the earth

 

            -- when you begin a journey – whether that’s a trip by train to the other side of the country like Einstein – or whether that’s to carry the gospel to the ends of the earth or to your neighbor or coworker – it is always good to have a plan – to know where you are going – to know who you are going to follow

            -- I read one time about a missionary who was traveling in the Middle East years ago – this is before they had roads and cars – and the only way to travel was by camel – he hired a guide to carry him out to this town where he was scheduled to speak

            -- the guide led him out to the edge of the desert – and he looked around – and there was nothing but sand and dunes as far as the eye could see – there were no landmarks – there was nothing but sun and sand

            -- unhesitatingly, the guide headed out across the sand in a straight line – the missionary wasn’t so sure about following – he called out, “Do you have a map so that we know where we’re going?” – the guide looked back and said, “I am your map” – and continued on

 

            -- this is what the Christian life should look like as we follow where the Spirit leads – our lives should look like that childhood game, “Follow the Leader” -- except rather than following a charismatic pastor or influential politician – rather than following the pattern of this world and imitating the way people live today -- we follow the Holy Spirit as He leads and guides us and the church to accomplish Christ’s mission on earth today

-- the big theme for today as we go through this passage together is “where the Holy Spirit leads, you should follow” – and that’s just what we will see as we look at the missionary journeys of Paul and his companions

 

II.  Scripture Lesson – Paul’s First Missionary Journey

            -- look back with me now at Acts 11:19 and we’ll begin there – I know we’re backing up some in the Book of Acts, but we need to look at this passage so that we will have the context and the background for the rest of the story of Paul’s first missionary journey

 

            -- Acts 11:19-21

 

Acts 11:19 Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that broke out when Stephen was killed traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, spreading the word only among Jews. 20 Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. 21 The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.

 

            -- so, as a reminder of how we got to this point, persecution broke out against the Christians when Stephen was stoned to death by the Jews for proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah – the Sanhedrin authorized people like Saul to go out and arrest Christians wherever they could find them and throw them into prison – so, a lot of the Christians scattered – fleeing Jerusalem into Judea and Samaria and other places

            -- if you remember, we talked about how God allows persecution and trials and troubles into our lives to move us from our comfort zones – from our comfortable lives and the comfortable communities where we live – to the place where He wants us to go

            -- sometimes, that is a spiritual move – as trials and troubles mature us in our faith and help us grow closer to Jesus in our relationship with Him – sometimes, as in the case of the Christians who were in Jerusalem at the time Stephen was martyred, it means a physical move

            -- but the main take-away from this is that the Spirit allowed the persecution to come at that time so that the gospel would be carried into the regions around Jerusalem – and that’s what we read here in these verses – that as they carried the word to both Jews and Gentiles in places like Cyprus and Cyrene and Antioch – the people were responsive to the message and many believed and turned to the Lord for salvation

 

            -- verse 22

 

Acts 11: 22 News of this reached the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.

 

            -- remember Barnabas, right? – he was the one the early Christians called the Son of Encouragement – he was one of the men that the Apostles selected to help with the food distribution to the widows in the church – and he was the one who sought out Saul after his conversion experience on the road to Damascus

            -- when Saul was in Jerusalem, Barnabas stood up for him before the leaders of the church and affirmed Saul’s faith – this is the same Barnabas – and since the church had such faith in him and in his maturity as a Christian, they sent Barnabas to Antioch to find out whether the reports of unexpected growth in the church there among both Jews and Gentiles was truly occurring

 

            -- verse 23-26

 

Acts 11:23 When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. 24 He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.

 

25 Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26 and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.

 

            -- so, Barnabas gets to Antioch and sees how the Spirit has been moving in both the Jews and the Gentiles – the church is growing and he encourages them in their faith – and then Barnabas does something that would change the world forever – Barnabas left Antioch and rather than going back to Jerusalem to report on what he has found, he headed to Tarsus, looking for Saul – why?

            -- this is one of those cases where we have to read between the lines – where we’re not told the answer in black-and-white – there is a reason why Barnabas decided to go to Tarsus

            -- this is a clear example of a godly man responding to the prompting of the Holy Spirit – I have no doubt that it was the Spirit who put Saul in Barnabas’ mind – and who convinced him to go to Tarsus and get Saul and bring him back

            -- we’ve all probably experienced something similar – how many times have you been going through your day, when all of a sudden – out of nowhere – you think about someone you haven’t thought about in years – and you feel like you need to pray for them – ever had that happen?

            -- that happens because the Spirit has put that person in your mind and on your heart – and that’s what happened with Barnabas and Saul – so, Barnabas left Antioch and went to Tarsus and found Saul, and brought him back to the church – where the two of them continued to teach and preach and help the fledgling church grow and mature in the faith

            -- while they were there, a prophecy came to the church and they felt like they needed to take up a donation for the believers in Jerusalem – once the money was collected, Barnabas and Saul went to Jerusalem to deliver the offering

 

            -- skip over to Acts 12:25

 

Acts 12:25 When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission, they returned from Jerusalem, taking with them John, also called Mark.

 

            -- so, Barnabas and Paul delivered the offering to the elders of the church in Jerusalem – and then they returned to Antioch along with John Mark – John Mark was Barnabas’ younger cousin – the author of the Gospel of Mark

           

            -- Acts 13:1-5

 

Acts13:1 Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.

 

4 The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus. 5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper.

 

            -- the important thing I want you to see from the events of Acts 11 and Acts 12 that we looked at and these verses here in Acts 13 is how the Holy Spirit was active in the early church

– not only did the Spirit reach out to these communities through His prevenient grace – leading the people to respond in faith and turn to Jesus for salvation – not only did the Spirit cause the church to grow both numerically and ethnically and in maturity – but the Spirit was always present as the leader of the church – guiding and pointing and directing the people in what they needed to do and where they needed to go

-- it was the Spirit that led people like Barnabas and Saul to go the places they needed to be – to find the people they needed with them in order to fulfill the mission of Christ – and this will be the pattern throughout the entire Book of Acts

 

            -- it was not happenstance that the elders of the church in Jerusalem sent Barnabas to Antioch – or that Barnabas felt led to go to Tarsus and search out Saul – or that the church in Antioch decided to send their offering to Jerusalem through their teachers

            -- nor was it happenstance that John Mark joined them and traveled back with Barnabas and Saul to Antioch – where their mission trip awaited

            -- no, this was all the act of the Spirit – moving and leading and guiding the Christians in fulfillment of the calling of Christ – this is an act of “Follow the Leader” – this is an act of being faithful to follow the prompting and direction of the Holy Spirit

 

-- sometimes, the Spirit spoke internally – as He impressed upon individuals to go from place to place or to find other people that He wanted to have help in the ministry – and sometimes the Spirit spoke externally through prophets or through situations – as when He led the church in Antioch to take up a donation for the believers in Jerusalem and then here in verse 2, where the Spirit spoke to the prophets and told them to set Barnabas and Saul apart for the work to which He had called them

-- and I want you to get this – I want you to know this – the Holy Spirit still works in the same way today – He speaks to us through our prayers – through the Word – through the church – and through events – the Holy Spirit still leads us and directs us down the paths He wants us to go -- the key, though, is being open and receptive to His word

-- we have to make sure that we are taking time to hear from Him in our lives today – that we are getting away from the cacophony of life – that we are getting away from the chaos and the distractions and the noise of the world around us – and that we are getting into a place where we can hear His small still voice and respond to His direction and His guidance when He speaks

 

-- this whole year, we’ve been progressing through what it means to be receptive to the Holy Spirit – we looked at the spiritual gifts and spiritual disciplines – and then we transitioned into this study in the Book of Acts, where we see the presence of the Spirit leading and guiding the early church and the early missionaries, such as Paul and Peter and Philip

-- that is what we should be seeing in our churches today – that is what we should be seeing in our lives today

-- this lack of spiritual presence – this spiritual malaise that we find ourselves in – is what caused John Wimber to ask the people in the church after he got saved, "When are we gonna do the stuff? – when are we going to do the stuff that I read about in the Bible?”

-- if you remember, I told you that Wimber had been reading about the miraculous conversions -- the healings and the deliverance from sin and the other miracles that took place in the early church as recorded in the book of Acts – the same passages that we’ve been looking at now for several weeks

-- but instead of seeing signs and wonders, Wimber saw no sign of life at all -- no sign of anything that would make him wonder -- that would leave him speechless -- that would draw people in from all walks of life

-- all he experienced in the church was the deadness of the ritual that he had just sat through -- and his heart broke to know just how much of God was missing

 

-- as we’re looking at these stories from the Book of Acts, we need to be asking ourselves why we aren’t seeing the stuff happen in our church and in our lives that we are reading about here in these pages

-- and we need to make a change in our lives so that we reach the place that the early church was at – where they were open to hearing the Spirit speak – both internally and externally – and where they moved in response to the Spirit – as He spoke – as He led – as He pointed them the direction He wanted them to go

-- that’s the whole purpose of this study – that’s the whole reason we are here – to fulfill the Great Commandment and the Great Commission and to be the hands and feet of Jesus in our community today

-- and that starts when we remember the Holy Spirit is our leader and we listen for and hear His voice and we follow Him where He leads

 

-- look at what happened here in these verses – the Spirit told the church to set Barnabas and Saul apart for the work He had called them to – and the church did just that – they laid their hands upon Barnabas and Saul – and they sent them off

-- immediately, the two of them were sent on their way by the Holy Spirit – they went down to Seleucia – which is a port city just outside of Antioch – and they got on a boat and they left, heading towards Cyprus

-- once again, this is an act of the Spirit leading and guiding Barnabas and Saul – for it was the Spirit that sent them across the Mediterranean Sea to Cyprus instead of another direction

-- and keep that in mind – as we look at the three missionary journeys of Saul/Paul – when the Bible tells us that Paul went to this city and then left and went to another city – that is not Paul deciding where to go – that is Paul responding to the call of the Spirit and following the lead of the Spirit to the next place of ministry

 

-- so, as the Spirit led and directed them, Barnabas and Saul left Antioch, got on a boat in Seleucia, sailed to Cyprus, where they taught and preached their way across the whole island – eventually, they made their way back to the mainland by sailing to Perga and then they traveled north to Pisidian Antioch – where they spoke in the synagogue at the invitation of the synagogue leader

-- skip down to verse 16 – I know we’re running short on time, so I’m going to run through this pretty quickly

 

-- verse 16-33a

 

Acts 13:16 Standing up, Paul motioned with his hand and said: “Fellow Israelites and you Gentiles who worship God, listen to me! 17 The God of the people of Israel chose our ancestors; he made the people prosper during their stay in Egypt; with mighty power he led them out of that country; 18 for about forty years he endured their conduct[a] in the wilderness; 19 and he overthrew seven nations in Canaan, giving their land to his people as their inheritance. 20 All this took about 450 years.

 

“After this, God gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet. 21 Then the people asked for a king, and he gave them Saul son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled forty years. 22 After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’

 

23 “From this man’s descendants God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as he promised. 24 Before the coming of Jesus, John preached repentance and baptism to all the people of Israel. 25 As John was completing his work, he said: ‘Who do you suppose I am? I am not the one you are looking for. But there is one coming after me whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.’

 

26 “Fellow children of Abraham and you God-fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent. 27 The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath. 28 Though they found no proper ground for a death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him executed. 29 When they had carried out all that was written about him, they took him down from the cross and laid him in a tomb. 30 But God raised him from the dead, 31 and for many days he was seen by those who had traveled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to our people.

 

32 “We tell you the good news: What God promised our ancestors 33a he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus.

 

-- skip down to verse 38-41

 

Acts 13:38 “Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. 39 Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses. 40 Take care that what the prophets have said does not happen to you:

 

41 “‘Look, you scoffers,

    wonder and perish,

for I am going to do something in your days

    that you would never believe,

    even if someone told you.’”

-- I know this was a long passage – but it’s here in this place in the Bible for a reason – and it’s for that reason that I read it all to you this morning

 

-- when Paul first visited a new city, the Spirit always led him to speak first at the synagogue to the Jews who gathered there every Sabbath for worship – it’s a reminder to us that the Jews are still God’s chosen people – it was through the Jews that God gave us the Law and His word – and it was through the Jews that the Messiah came to die for the sins of the world – God is not done with the Jews – and He still reaches out to them with the good news of salvation through Jesus

-- and this passage that we just read was the same message that Paul shared in all the synagogues when he had the opportunity to speak there – this is the only place where we’re going to see that in the Book of Acts – it was given to us at this point – at the start of Paul’s first missionary visit – so that we would know what message the Spirit gave Paul to share as he was led from place to place

-- so, keep these verses in the back of your mind – when you read in the Bible about Paul going to a city and speaking in the synagogue, this is the message he shared right here

 

-- as we read here, Paul stood up in the synagogue and began to speak, sharing with the Jews gathered there the history of the Jewish people and their relationship with God – this is something that all of them would have known – this was the foundation of their faith and their heritage – of their very way of life – so, why does he do this?

-- couple of reasons – first, he’s emphasizing that he is one of them – they stand on common ground – they have a shared heritage – he is a Jew, just like them – with the same background and faith that they all have

-- and second, he is building on that foundation of faith to show them that Jesus was the promised Messiah – and that Jesus had come to save the world by dying on the cross to set them free from every sin – to offer them a justification that they were not able to obtain under the law of Moses – Paul is saying here that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law – and that salvation is only through belief in Him

-- and finally, Paul is laying out before the Jews a map – he is showing them the direction that the Spirit wants them to go – he is calling on them to respond to the prompting of the Holy Spirit in their lives

-- they can choose to follow the path of their forefathers – the same path that led their forefathers to reject God and clamor for a king to lead them – the same path that led them to kill the prophets and reject God’s word throughout the Old Testament -- or they can follow the way of Jesus by responding to His word and turning to Him in repentance of their sins – trusting in Jesus for eternal life

 

-- what we see here in these verses is the same message and the same choice that Paul lays out before all the people that he will visit during his three missionary journeys

-- it is a message that the Spirit has given him – and it is in obedience to this message and the calling on his life that Paul follows the Spirit and goes where He leads him and tells everyone he meets the good news of salvation and eternal life through Jesus

-- this is what we are going to see throughout the Book of Acts as we continue on in our study and as we follow Paul along on his three missionary journeys – so, as we go through this, always keep in mind the Spirit’s presence in Paul’s life – leading him and guiding him and directing him down the paths that he is following – a reminder to us that where the Spirit leads, we must follow

 

-- before we close, I want to share with you one more truth about following the Spirit in our lives – anytime God moves in our lives – anytime we hear His voice and follow His path – we will always run into opposition because we have an enemy who seeks our downfall

-- Satan does not want us to follow God or to lead others to follow Him – and Satan will come against us and against our church to keep us from doing what God has called us to do

-- we see an example of this in Paul’s life here in Acts 14 – I don’t have time this morning to go in depth into this – so, let me encourage you to read this on your own later today – just let me summarize the two attacks that Satan employs here against Paul

 

-- first, when Paul and Barnabas make their way to Lystra, Paul heals a crippled man through the power of the Spirit – when the crowds saw the miracle, they thought that Paul and Barnabas were gods that had come down to earth in human form – they called Barnabas Zeus, and they called Paul Hermes, because he was the chief speaker

-- the priest of Zeus brought bulls and wreaths to the city gate to offer as sacrifices to them – and they began bowing down to Paul and Barnabas in praise and worship

            -- as Greg Laurie points out, this was an inward attack on them by Satan – Satan was trying to tempt Paul and Barnabas to accept the praise of the people

– popularity and a desire for recognition and honor can be more dangerous to a person’s soul than physical persecution – many have fallen for this temptation and become inflated with pride, to their downfall – remember the story of Herod from last week?

-- pride goeth before the fall – and just as Satan succeeded in having Herod’s pride result in his downfall, he tries the same thing here with Barnabas and Paul

-- but unlike Herod, Barnabas and Saul reject the praise and worship and rebuke the people for doing so, pointing them instead towards God and telling them to worship Him

 

-- the second attack from Satan came a short time later – this was an outward attack that came first in the form of slander and threats and ended up with actual physical harm

-- many of the Jews that Paul and Barnabas had preached to in Pisidium Antioch and Iconium rejected their message – and Paul and Barnabas had been led by the Spirit to other cities

-- the Jews from these two cities followed Paul and Barnabas to Lystra – and they spoke out against the missionaries and turned the crowd against them – they stoned Paul to the point of death and dragged his body outside the city

-- just as an aside, I think this is the moment when Paul was caught up to the third heaven in Paradise and was given spiritual visions, which he mentioned in 2 Corinthians 12 – he may have actually died or he may have just been severely wounded – we don’t know

-- but Luke tells us that the disciples gathered around his body that was dragged outside the walls of the city – and then Paul got up and went back into the city – so, he survived the stoning in some fashion – and continued to minister as the Spirit led

-- as Paul said in verse 22, “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God”

-- opposition to the gospel and to the ministers of the gospel will always come when we seek to follow the Spirit’s leading – so, be aware of that and don’t be surprised when it happens – our call is to remain faithful and to trust God and to do what He says, regardless of the cost

 

-- after his stoning, Paul and Barnabas left Lystra for Derbe, where they remained for a time – and then they retraced their journey – going back to Lystra, Iconium, and Pisidium Antioch and finally sailing back to Antioch

-- all along the way, they met with the Christians and the churches that they had founded – strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith

 

III.  CLOSING

-- in closing, I want to share with you an account I read from a pastor who went to Europe in 1982 as a missionary – it was his first time going out of the country to carry the gospel and minister to others, but he felt that this was where the Spirit was leading him

-- the church he attended threw a going away party for him the night before he was scheduled to leave – at the party, this girl showed up that no one in the church knew or had ever seen before – she was just there

-- she came up to this missionary and handed him a plaque that read, “Being filled and led by the Spirit may take you to places you never planned; but the will of God will never call you where the grace of God cannot keep you.”

-- the missionary received the plaque with gladness and carried it with him on his travels in Europe – he concluded his message by saying that neither he nor anyone else in that church ever saw that girl again – and he remains convinced that she was an angel sent by God to bear him a message from heaven

 

            -- those words on that plaque sum up our message for today – “Being filled and led by the Spirit may take you to places you never planned; but the will of God will never call you where the grace of God cannot keep you”

            -- the Spirit is calling us today – and if we want to be the men and women that He is calling us to be, then we have to be open to hearing His voice and responding to His call in faith

            -- Jesus said the Holy Spirit was to be our guide and our counselor – He would empower us to live out the faith that we proclaim – He would fill us with His very presence and manifest His power in us through spiritual gifts

            -- we must be open and willing to follow the Holy Spirit wherever He leads – doing so will lead us to places we’ve never dreamed of before – and some of them may be scary – our faith will certainly be challenged – but God’s grace will keep us safe – and we will experience the stuff that we read about here in the Book of Acts

 

            -- so, if you’re tired of just reading about the stuff here – if you’re tired of just coming to church and going home and doing nothing more – then spend some time today with the Lord – ask Him to speak to you – to guide you – to reveal to you the path He wants you and this church to take – and then get up and go

            -- we don’t know what road lays before us – we don’t know where our mission might be -- it might be next door – it might be the next town over – or it might be another country – we just don’t know – but one thing is certain -- until we are open and willing to do what He says, nothing will ever happen

            -- so, as we close, let us ask God to speak to our hearts – to open our eyes and our ears to the vision He has for us – so that we might make a difference for Him in this community as we follow where He leads

            -- let us pray

 

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1 Modified from illustration in sermon, “Led By The Holy Spirit,”by Bill Burress -- https://sermoncentral.com/sermons/led-by-the-holy-spirit-bill-burress-sermon-on-forgiveness-in-jesus-165066

2 Modified from sermon “As The Spirit Leads” by Mark Schaeufele

SERMON: A DIVINE DISTORTION (Acts 12:1-5, 19-23; Psalm 94:1-7, 21-23)

 

Naylor Community Christian Church

Naylor, Georgia

 

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Acts 12:1-5

 

Acts 12:1 It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. 2 He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. 3 When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread. 4 After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.

 

5 So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.

 

-- The epic film Quo Vadis – based on the book by the same name – graphically compares the decadent Roman Empire with the struggles of the early Christians living in Rome in 64 AD – the Roman Empire at this time was led by the Emperor Nero, who is known for burning down Rome so he could rebuild the city in honor of himself

-- when the citizens of Rome turn on him because of the destruction, Nero blames the fires on the members of a new religious sect that call themselves Christians – and to appease the crowds, Nero actively begins persecuting Christians, with many of them taken to the Roman Coliseum and thrown to the lions

-- in the movie, we are given a picture of just such an event – the crowd gathered in the Coliseum that day roars with approval as about 200 Christians are forced into the arena – Roman soldiers surround them – pushing them and urging them into the arena with whips

-- they huddle together in fear – clinging to one another as they face the jeers of the crowd and certain death -- one older woman holds a younger woman and prays, "Oh dear Lord Jesus, help me, help me."

– the lions that were held in cages in the basement of the Coliseum have been freed – and the only thing keeping them from attacking the Christians huddled in the center of the arena are iron bars that stand at the top of the concrete steps leading to the basement

-- as the Christians are pushed into the arena, we see several lions climb up and down the concrete steps and leap against the bars in anticipation of their release

 

            -- As Emperor Nero watches, his chief commander tells him he may give the signal to release the lions – but before he can do so, the apostle Peter enters the arena and in a loud booming voice proclaims to the audience: "Peace! Peace to the martyrs -- Peace to them -- Take thy children, Lord -- Numb their wounds -- Suffer their pains -- Give them strength, oh Savior”

-- Peter then addresses the small group of Christians before him – and with raised hands says, “Blessed are you, my children, who die in the name of Jesus -- I say to you, that this day you shall be with him in paradise -- Here where Nero rules today, Christ shall reign forever."

-- Three guards quickly seize Peter and take him away as the crowd shouts at him in anger -- Nero asks the commander, "Who is that man?"

            -- the commander replies, “I think he is their leader. A man called Peter. He escaped us before."

            -- Nero exclaims, "He said Christ would replace me! What sort of…"

– but Nero’s response is halted as the martyrs calmly begin to sing a hymn. – he listens in disbelief. -- "They're singing!" he says.

            -- The lions pace impatiently behind the iron bars -- The crowd looks on in anticipation

-- finally, Nero signals the trumpeters – the order is given -- the iron bars are slowly lifted and several dozen lions walk out onto the arena grounds to the cheers of the crowd.

 

-- that moment in the film dramatically shows the two paths that lay before all of us – the choice between following the world and following Christ – between living for self and living for God

-- as many leaders do, Nero sought fame and fortune above all – his pride demanded that people worship him – adore him – laud him – for who he was and what he had accomplished – it was all about self – the spectacle in the Coliseum that day was solely for the purpose of giving honor and glory to Nero – for having the people praise him

-- on the other hand, you have the Christians – and while they did not choose to enter the Coliseum of their own free will that day, they remained faithful to their Lord and Savior – with their very lives, they exalted Him and put Him above themselves – choosing to submit themselves to their fate in order to bring honor to God with their lives and their deaths

 

-- at the end of the day, while it may have seemed that Nero had won -- the truth of the matter is that Peter’s words rang true – that in the very place where Nero ruled, Jesus would reign forever

-- in fulfillment of Proverbs 16:18 -- “Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” -- Nero’s pride and self-aggrandizement would ultimately result in his eternal destruction

 

            -- such is always the case – for leaders and for all of us who live for self and who let pride exalt us and elevate us above Christ – who choose our own path and seek fame and fortune above all else

            -- as D.L. Moody wrote, “When a man thinks he has got a good deal of strength, and is self-confident, you may look for his downfall. It may be years before it comes to light, but it is already commenced.”

 

            -- this is the theme for today as we continue on in our sermon series in the Book of Acts -- we are closing out the second section of this series – Unexpected Gospel Growth -- by looking at the example of King Herod from Acts 12 – whose pride and self-aggrandizement led to his downfall before the God who will ultimately reign for all eternity

 

II.  The Pride of King Herod

            -- so, let’s look back again at Acts 12 and see what we can learn about pride and glory and living for self and the eventual fall that is sure to come

 

            -- verse 1

 

Acts 12:1 It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. 2 He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. 3 When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread. 4 After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.

 

5 So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.

 

            -- as we look at the story of King Herod, the first thing we do is have to identify him – there are a lot of Herods in the Bible – and it’s important for us to know which one is which as we read through the Scriptures – it would be helpful for you to make a note of this and stick it in your Bible so you can keep all these Herods straight as you read through the Scriptures

 

            -- this King Herod in Acts 12 is Herod Agrippa I -- he was the grandson of Herod the Great – Herod the Great is the one we read about in the Gospel of Luke – it was Herod the Great that the Magi visited when Jesus was born – he was the one who had all the babies killed in Bethlehem during the time of Jesus – so, Herod the Great was the start of all the kings named Herod

            -- they were not fully Jewish – they had Jewish heritage – but they were put into power by the Romans – who appointed them to different areas and who allowed them to reign and govern under Roman authority

 

-- Herod Agrippa I – this Herod we are reading about -- is the nephew of Herod Antipas – Herod Antipas was the king who had John the Baptist killed -- and, finally, he was the father of Herod Agrippa II, who we are going to read about later in the Book of Acts – Herod Agrippa II – the son of this Herod – served as the judge in a court case against the Apostle Paul

-- so, lots of Herods in the Bible that we read about in the gospels and in the Book of Acts

 

-- Romans 12 covers the events that occurred from about 43-44 AD – this would have been about 9 years after the persecution of Stephen by the Jews – and as we have studied, in the years since Stephen was martyred by the Jews, persecution has come against the church – forcing the Christians to flee Jerusalem for their safety – which had the benefit of leading them to share the gospel message throughout the rest of Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth – the Gentile nations

            -- Paul has been converted and brought to faith in Christ by this time – and he is continuing to preach in Damascus and Tarsus and in other areas in the Roman Empire – and then last week, we read the story of Peter being shown by God that the gospel was to also be carried to the Gentiles, as Cornelius and the people who were with him were brought to a saving knowledge of Jesus and filled with the Holy Spirit

            -- as Chapter 12 opens, Peter has returned to Jerusalem, where he continued to lead the church – but the persecution begun by the Jews has continued unabated – even though Paul has been converted and become a Christian, the Jews still persecuted the Christians where they found them – and now, we see that the Government gets involved, as well

 

            -- we read here that King Herod started arresting some members of the church, intending to persecute them – now, remember what I told you about him – he was not Jewish – he didn’t hold to the Jewish faith – he gave it lip service – he used it for political power – for political gain – for influence over those he ruled

            -- Herod was like so many politicians today who claim to be a Christian for political purposes – they may say they are a Christian – they may use Christian language – but when you look at their lives – at what they do – at the words they say – at the way they live – it is obvious that they are not truly Christians – they are using the faith for political power and to exalt their own positions, just like Herod is doing here

-- Herod saw the Jews opposed the Christians – he saw they were persecuting them – and he decided to join in because he thought that if he helped persecute the Christians, then the Jews would look on him favorably

 

-- Luke tells us that Herod set out to arrest members of the church, intending to persecute them -- KJV and other translations phrase this as Herod “laid his hands on them” or “stretched forth his hands” -- Herod stretching forth his hands now may indicate that he had been bound in some way up to this point -- restrained by God from fully pouring out his evil intent on the church -- but now God has allowed this to occur, in accordance with His will

-- contrast this with what Scripture tells us about the hands of Jesus -- when Jesus stretched forth His hands or laid His hands on others, it was to bring healing, restoration, and salvation

-- this turn of phrase here in Acts 12:1 reminds us that there are always hands reaching out to us, even today -- some stretch out their hands to bring good into our lives -- while others stretch out their hands like Herod, with designs for evil or with designs to only exalt themselves, regardless of the cost to us

 

-- so, as Herod stretched out his hands for evil to arrest the members of the church, one of those he managed to capture just happened to be James, the third highest leader in the church at that time

            -- this is James, the brother of John -- one of the original disciples of Jesus and one of the special group of disciples that Jesus continually singled out to be with Him on special occasions – when you read through the gospels, we are always reading about Jesus taking Peter, James, and John with Him -- this is that James

            -- Herod arrested him and persecuted him – in all likelihood, this means that he tortured him -- eventually killing him by beheading him with the sword

            -- and, since the Jews applauded this and praised him for arresting and killing James, Herod expanded his campaign against the Christians – he managed to capture the Apostle Peter and put him into prison with the intent of having him put to death, too, just like James

            -- since our focus this morning is on Herod, we’re not going to look at what happened to Peter after his arrest – we read here that he was kept in prison and the church was earnestly praying to God for him – and you can read the rest of Peter’s story here in Acts 12 for yourself

            -- spoiler alert – God freed Peter from prison and released him from Herod’s grasp

            -- but that is the future – what I want you to focus on right now is how things look for Herod – Herod is top dog – he has been very successful in his campaign against the Christians – he has captured two of their leaders – killing James and putting Peter in prison – he has been given applause from the Jews for his actions – everyone is singing his praise – and Herod is living life large – his poll numbers are good – all the people like him – he is on the top of his game

            -- but Herod has made the choice to promote himself above all else – to glorify himself and to seek honor and praise for him and what he has done – his pride is bursting out of the seams – and this will lead to his downfall – because God is not going to let another take His place for very long

 

            -- if you would, turn over to Psalm 94 with me and let’s look at a related passage there

 

            -- Psalm 94:1-7

 

Psalm 94

1 The Lord is a God who avenges.

    O God who avenges, shine forth.

2 Rise up, Judge of the earth;

    pay back to the proud what they deserve.

3 How long, Lord, will the wicked,

    how long will the wicked be jubilant?

 

4 They pour out arrogant words;

    all the evildoers are full of boasting.

5 They crush your people, Lord;

    they oppress your inheritance.

6 They slay the widow and the foreigner;

    they murder the fatherless.

7 They say, “The Lord does not see;

    the God of Jacob takes no notice.”

 

            -- throughout history, the same pattern always repeats – people and leaders set themselves up against God and the people of God – they seek to exalt themselves and to fulfill their desires and their wants and wishes without any regard of its effects on others – without any regard to God

            -- the author of Psalm 94 cries out to God for justice – he cries out to God for vengeance against the wicked – against the proud – against those who oppressed the people of God for their own gain

            -- he says in verse 4 that they pour out arrogant words – they are full of boasting – in other words, they are prideful – they are filled with themselves – when they speak, it is always about what they have done – the things they have accomplished – who they are and how great they are and how much better they are than those around them

            -- they stand on the heads of the people and crush them under their feet so that their own personal pride will be lifted – so that their own personal wealth will be made greater

 

            -- in verses 5-7, the psalmist says that these evildoers crush the people of God – they oppress the inheritance of the Lord – the chosen people that God calls His own

            -- they slay the widow and the foreigner – they murder the fatherless – they do what they want and take no heed of God or His commands – it seems like they can do anything with impunity – for God takes no action against them

– these wicked people say that God doesn’t see them and doesn’t notice – so they keep on oppressing and crushing and hurting the people, for no other reason than personal pride and glory

            -- but the psalmist goes on to affirm that God does see what they do – He hears what these evildoers are saying – He knows their hearts and sees their wickedness – and when the time is right, God disciplines them and His justice and righteousness are exacted on them

 

            -- look at verse 21-23

 

Psalm 94:21 The wicked band together against the righteous

    and condemn the innocent to death.

22 But the Lord has become my fortress,

    and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.

23 He will repay them for their sins

    and destroy them for their wickedness;

    the Lord our God will destroy them.

 

            -- while the wicked band together against the righteous – while they continue to condemn the innocent to death – while they exalt themselves and seek glory for their own name – the Lord sees

            -- He protects His people – He is a fortress and hedge of protection for them – the rock in which the people take refuge

            -- it is then that God moves – He repays them for their sins – He exacts justice from them – He destroys them for their wickedness and unrighteousness – the Lord destroys them all

 

            -- vengeance is mine, declares the Lord – and while it may look for a time like evil is triumphing – while it may look like the unrighteous and the wicked are prevailing – while it may look like they are amassing wealth and power and honor and glory through their prideful and selfish acts – there will come a time when the piper is paid – when God’s justice is exacted from them – when they pay the price for their sins and for taking the glory and honor that was due God’s holy name

            -- we see this promise in Scripture displayed for us in the life of Herod Agrippa I – just like God allowed Nero to continue his wickedness for a season – God allowed Herod to persecute the church and kill its leaders for a time

            -- this is grace in action – for we read in Romans 3:25-26 that God, in His forbearance, left the sins committed beforehand unpunished, so that His righteousness could be demonstrated at the right time – in other words, God gave the wicked and the unrighteous time to repent of their sins before pouring out His wrath and justice on them

            -- but at some point, God’s patience runs out – the clock stops – and the wicked are held accountable for their sins – that is when He moves in justice and righteousness and destroys the wicked for all that they have done

            -- this happened to Nero – and we see it happen to Herod Agrippa I here in Acts 12

 

            -- look back at Acts 12, starting in the second part of verse 19b-23

 

Acts 12:19b Then Herod went from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there. 20 He had been quarreling with the people of Tyre and Sidon; they now joined together and sought an audience with him. After securing the support of Blastus, a trusted personal servant of the king, they asked for peace, because they depended on the king’s country for their food supply.

 

21 On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. 22 They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man.” 23 Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.

 

            -- Herod had been in conflict with the people of Tyre and Sidon, and they sought an audience with him to make peace – Herod appeared before them and spoke to the crowd – and in response, they shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man”

            -- for someone as narcissistic as Herod, this was music to his ears – for someone who lived to be worshiped and glorified by others – to be lifted up above everyone else – to be applauded for who he was and what he had done – this was exactly what he desired

            -- but what Herod did by receiving this laud and honor from the crowd was to elevate himself about the Lord God Almighty – and this was the final straw

            -- God will not share His name, His throne, or His glory with another – especially, with someone like Herod Agrippa I – and when Herod refused to repent but received the worship and honor God deserved, God’s wrath and justice was poured out on him

            -- Herod was struck down – he was eaten by worms – and died

            -- as the psalmist said in Psalm 94, all who act in this way and try to usurp God’s glory will be destroyed

 

III.  Closing

            -- so, what can we take home from the sad and sordid tale of Herod Agrippa I?

 

            -- first, Herod’s story is a reminder to us that evil will never overcome good – that wickedness will never overcome God’s righteousness – that even though it may look like the wicked are winning from time to time – that they are succeeding and that everything always goes the way they want it to – this is a temporary situation

            -- for whatever reason, God is choosing to withhold His wrath and judgment on these people until the time is right – He is allowing them ample time to repent of their sins – to turn to Him – to turn away from their narcissism, their wickedness, their evil acts of unrighteousness

            -- but at some point, God will move – and if these people do not repent of their sins – they will suffer the consequences and will be destroyed

 

            -- second, we are reminded of the great truth that Rick Warren expressed in the opening line of his book, “The Purpose Driven Life”: “It’s not about us” – it’s not about us – as Jerry Bridges points out, “All of the abilities—physical, mental, personality, talents, and so on—that we do have were given to us by God. Paul’s words to the Corinthians apply to all of us: “For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive?” (1 Corinthians 4:7).

-- “All of us received whatever ability, learning, riches, station in life, rank, or influence we have from God to be used by us for His glory. Whether it is an ability or disability, let us learn to receive it from God, to give Him thanks, and to seek to use it for His glory.”

 

-- when I read this story of Herod, I can’t help but think of the classic country song by Mac Davis, that has this chorus:

 

Oh Lord it's hard to be humble

When you're perfect in every way

I can't wait to look in the mirror

Cause I get better looking each day

To know me is to love me

I must be a heck of a man.

Oh Lord It's hard to be humble,

But I'm doing the best that I can

 

            -- that was Herod – he thought he was top dog – the best of the best – even better than God Himself -- and it didn’t work out too well for him

– we must always guard against doing the same and having the same attitude in our own lives

-- when we try to take the glory that is due God, we follow the footsteps of Nero and Herod – when we try to exalt ourselves and put ourselves on the throne of our lives, we are taking the place of God

-- we need to remember that it’s not about us – it’s always about Him – and everything we say and do and think should all be done in such a way as to bring Him honor and glory

 

-- finally, we see that God always prevails and that His word always goes forth

-- Herod thought he had won the day by capturing Peter and putting him in prison – but God will not let His people or His word be chained – and God worked a miracle and had an angel free Peter so that the gospel could continue to go forth to the ends of the earth

-- when we are confronted with evil and wickedness, we can get depressed and feel like the psalmist in Psalm 94 – that evil has won and that nothing we do will ever change the situation

-- but the Bible tells us that God is always working on behalf of His people – He takes care of the widow and the orphan – the foreigner and the believer – and even though we may walk through times of trouble and persecution – God will deliver us when the time is right – in such a way, that He alone will get the glory

 

-- so, as we close, let us remember that there is a God and we are not Him – let us turn our attention to Him – let us fix our mind on Him – our eyes on Him – our hearts on Him

-- let us consider our ways and our actions – and let us strive to bring Him honor and glory in all that we do and all that we say – and let us continue to share His good news of salvation and the forgiveness of sins

-- with that, let us close in prayer