1 00:00:01,120 --> 00:00:04,520 Can we show our appreciation to the praise team for leading us? 2 00:00:04,520 --> 00:00:12,520 Thank you. If you were at our conference 3 00:00:12,520 --> 00:00:16,120 last year, then you would have hopefully remembered that we 4 00:00:16,120 --> 00:00:19,800 spent our time that weekend exploring the life and the 5 00:00:19,800 --> 00:00:23,640 ministry of the Apostle Paul. And you might have also 6 00:00:23,640 --> 00:00:26,120 remembered that by the end of that conference. 7 00:00:26,120 --> 00:00:30,560 I acknowledge that whatever we learned in those sessions just 8 00:00:30,560 --> 00:00:34,840 really scratched the surface of what this man's legacy has to 9 00:00:34,840 --> 00:00:37,320 offer us as followers of Jesus Christ. 10 00:00:38,680 --> 00:00:42,640 While that truth is something that I was reminded of in my 11 00:00:43,040 --> 00:00:47,320 personal time reading God's Word this week, as I've recently been 12 00:00:47,320 --> 00:00:52,920 in the book of Acts. And something stood out to me in 13 00:00:52,920 --> 00:00:56,480 a particular passage that moved me so deeply. 14 00:00:57,760 --> 00:01:04,160 It was instructive, reassuring, and convicting all at the same 15 00:01:04,160 --> 00:01:09,400 time. And it did such a work in my 16 00:01:09,400 --> 00:01:12,360 heart that I couldn't help but share it with my wife that same 17 00:01:12,360 --> 00:01:15,280 night before I went to bed. And when I woke up, it was still 18 00:01:15,280 --> 00:01:17,920 with me. So I was prompted to share it 19 00:01:17,920 --> 00:01:22,000 with others. And as I have been meditating 20 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:26,360 and praying on what to speak on today, I could not shake off 21 00:01:26,360 --> 00:01:31,600 that passage. So I decided to look more deeply 22 00:01:31,600 --> 00:01:34,040 into it. And when I did, I discovered 23 00:01:34,040 --> 00:01:36,920 that there was much more to learn from it than I initially 24 00:01:36,920 --> 00:01:38,400 thought. But before we look at these 25 00:01:38,400 --> 00:01:41,560 verses, I must give you the context of the passage. 26 00:01:43,560 --> 00:01:48,040 In the book of Acts, Paul's testimony is granted to us on 27 00:01:48,040 --> 00:01:51,760 three separate occasions. The first time it is narrated by 28 00:01:51,760 --> 00:01:56,880 Luke in Acts Chapter 9, and two other times Paul himself 29 00:01:57,240 --> 00:02:01,320 recounts his experience with the resurrected Lord, once in Acts 30 00:02:01,320 --> 00:02:05,600 chapter 22 and the other in Acts chapter 26. 31 00:02:06,240 --> 00:02:08,400 However, when you look at it more carefully, you'll realize 32 00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:12,080 that there are distinct details and that does not imply 33 00:02:12,080 --> 00:02:14,320 contradiction. Far from it. 34 00:02:15,080 --> 00:02:19,200 It just shows that Paul tailored his account, and when he sought 35 00:02:19,200 --> 00:02:23,000 to emphasize a certain thing, it was because he was dealing with 36 00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:26,760 a particular audience and so he would include some truths while 37 00:02:26,760 --> 00:02:30,320 omitting other events related to his conversion. 38 00:02:30,840 --> 00:02:34,800 He's very strategic in how he shared his story, and it's in 39 00:02:34,800 --> 00:02:41,280 the second account where we find something that Paul adds that 40 00:02:41,280 --> 00:02:46,560 you can't see in the other two. It's found in Acts chapter 22, 41 00:02:46,960 --> 00:02:48,440 and I would encourage you to turn there. 42 00:02:50,520 --> 00:02:53,720 And here's the background to why Paul is sharing his testimony in 43 00:02:53,720 --> 00:02:58,400 Acts chapter 22. The apostle arrived in Jerusalem 44 00:02:58,400 --> 00:03:02,400 in Acts chapter 21, and when he got there, he was sharing all 45 00:03:02,400 --> 00:03:04,920 that God had done with the leaders among the Gentiles. 46 00:03:04,920 --> 00:03:07,160 And they were so moved and they praised God for it. 47 00:03:08,600 --> 00:03:11,280 But the leaders were concerned because rumors were spreading 48 00:03:11,280 --> 00:03:13,960 about the apostle Paul. And here were the rumors. 49 00:03:14,160 --> 00:03:18,840 He is teaching others to reject, to to overlook, to almost 50 00:03:18,840 --> 00:03:23,640 despise the law of Moses. And so these leaders encouraged 51 00:03:23,640 --> 00:03:27,240 Paul in order to dispel these false, slanderous things. 52 00:03:27,560 --> 00:03:31,520 Paul, why don't you go to the temple, honor certain customs to 53 00:03:31,520 --> 00:03:36,560 show the Jews that this is not what you're about, that you're 54 00:03:36,560 --> 00:03:39,680 not against the law necessarily, that you're not against certain 55 00:03:39,680 --> 00:03:43,320 customs from the law. And so Paul agreed. 56 00:03:44,400 --> 00:03:48,320 But things did not go according to plan, because once he arrived 57 00:03:48,320 --> 00:03:52,760 at the temple, the Jews recognized him, and they stirred 58 00:03:52,760 --> 00:03:56,320 up the crowd to apprehend him, ultimately to have him killed, 59 00:03:56,320 --> 00:03:57,800 to get rid of him once and for all. 60 00:03:59,080 --> 00:04:01,760 And Paul is mauled by this crowd. 61 00:04:02,640 --> 00:04:06,320 And though beaten near to death, the Romans learn of it. 62 00:04:06,680 --> 00:04:10,880 They intervene and they rescue this man from this riot. 63 00:04:12,120 --> 00:04:14,560 And the Romans, they're, they're confused themselves. 64 00:04:14,560 --> 00:04:17,079 And So what do they do? They arrest Paul, and they are 65 00:04:17,079 --> 00:04:19,399 ready to put him into custody. And as they are about to enter 66 00:04:19,399 --> 00:04:23,480 into the barracks, Paul asks, may I say something to this 67 00:04:23,480 --> 00:04:26,960 crowd? And he is permitted to do so. 68 00:04:28,600 --> 00:04:32,960 And so Paul now is ready to make an opportunity out of this, and 69 00:04:32,960 --> 00:04:35,920 he's not looking to defend his innocence necessarily. 70 00:04:36,160 --> 00:04:39,760 More than that, he wants to share what Christ has done in 71 00:04:39,760 --> 00:04:44,440 his life, and he wants to show how his ministry is rooted in a 72 00:04:44,480 --> 00:04:48,040 heavenly call. And So what does he do? 73 00:04:48,520 --> 00:04:50,440 Well, he shares about what happened on the road to 74 00:04:50,440 --> 00:04:52,320 Damascus. And more than that, he talks 75 00:04:52,320 --> 00:04:55,000 about how Ananias was sent by the Lord to pray for him and to 76 00:04:55,000 --> 00:04:59,160 instruct him further of how he had to go to the Gentiles to 77 00:04:59,160 --> 00:05:02,640 preach this truth. And how is the God of our 78 00:05:02,640 --> 00:05:06,400 fathers who is the one who commissioned me? 79 00:05:08,200 --> 00:05:11,840 But Paul doesn't say much before this same crowd that erupted in 80 00:05:11,840 --> 00:05:14,520 fury at his sight would explode once again. 81 00:05:14,520 --> 00:05:16,000 And we'll get to that point later. 82 00:05:16,840 --> 00:05:20,360 But it's after he shares about his Damascus Rd. experience and 83 00:05:20,360 --> 00:05:23,200 after he talks about Ananias that we see something again that 84 00:05:23,200 --> 00:05:31,800 you don't see elsewhere. Acts 22, verse 17, Paul speaking 85 00:05:31,800 --> 00:05:36,600 to this crowd and he says, when I had returned to Jerusalem and 86 00:05:36,600 --> 00:05:41,760 was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance and saw him 87 00:05:41,760 --> 00:05:45,960 saying to me, make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, 88 00:05:46,280 --> 00:05:49,240 because they will not accept your testimony about me. 89 00:05:49,880 --> 00:05:52,640 And I said, Lord, they themselves know that in one 90 00:05:52,640 --> 00:05:55,880 synagogue after another, I imprisoned and beat those who 91 00:05:55,880 --> 00:05:58,680 believed in you. And when the blood of Stephen, 92 00:05:58,680 --> 00:06:02,560 your witness, was being shed, I myself was standing by and 93 00:06:02,560 --> 00:06:05,480 approving and watching over the garments of those who killed 94 00:06:05,480 --> 00:06:08,840 him. And he said to me, go, for I 95 00:06:08,840 --> 00:06:11,200 will send you far away to the Gentiles. 96 00:06:12,040 --> 00:06:15,800 Again. This snapshot is not found 97 00:06:15,800 --> 00:06:19,800 anywhere else, only here in Acts 22. 98 00:06:21,320 --> 00:06:24,960 Why? Well, it's because of the 99 00:06:24,960 --> 00:06:28,520 audience. And the main reason is that Paul 100 00:06:28,520 --> 00:06:34,000 is trying to convince this group when he retells his first visit 101 00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:35,840 to Jerusalem after his conversion. 102 00:06:35,840 --> 00:06:36,960 That's what he's talking about here. 103 00:06:37,520 --> 00:06:40,000 The first time he goes to Jerusalem, asked after he is 104 00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:43,800 saved by the Lord Jesus Christ, he wants to let him know I did 105 00:06:43,800 --> 00:06:49,360 not dishonor my Jewish heritage. I didn't spurn my roots, I 106 00:06:49,360 --> 00:06:51,680 didn't reject it. And and how does he convince him 107 00:06:51,680 --> 00:06:53,280 of that? We'll look again at verse 17. 108 00:06:53,400 --> 00:06:56,760 He says, when I returned to Jerusalem, I was praying where 109 00:06:57,200 --> 00:07:02,520 in the temple, in the temple. I honor this holy place from the 110 00:07:02,520 --> 00:07:06,720 beginning. And more than that, he he does 111 00:07:06,720 --> 00:07:08,480 this throughout his testimony in Acts 22. 112 00:07:08,480 --> 00:07:12,400 But more than that, he also wants to try to persuade them 113 00:07:13,200 --> 00:07:15,600 that his ministry to the Gentiles is something that came 114 00:07:15,600 --> 00:07:18,320 from God. Remember, the Jews didn't feel 115 00:07:18,320 --> 00:07:20,040 too great about the Gentiles, right? 116 00:07:20,720 --> 00:07:25,000 And so Paul mentions again here, look at verse 21 that the Lord 117 00:07:25,000 --> 00:07:27,880 sent him to the Gentiles. And before he could continue, 118 00:07:27,880 --> 00:07:31,440 before you can elaborate, they again interrupted him. 119 00:07:32,120 --> 00:07:34,600 And they would not tolerate this. 120 00:07:36,160 --> 00:07:40,520 Now, as helpful as this observation may be in 121 00:07:40,520 --> 00:07:45,160 solidifying the integrity of this man of God, the inspiration 122 00:07:45,160 --> 00:07:48,680 of this passage is beyond that. There's something that runs 123 00:07:48,680 --> 00:07:53,480 deeper here, and it deals with the conversation that Paul has 124 00:07:53,480 --> 00:07:57,680 with Jesus Christ. If you really look carefully, 125 00:07:57,680 --> 00:08:01,600 then this is what you're seeing. The essence of this exchange is 126 00:08:01,600 --> 00:08:05,960 Paul's ambition and desire is redirected by God's perfect 127 00:08:05,960 --> 00:08:07,840 will. Do you see that? 128 00:08:08,960 --> 00:08:14,080 Moreover, it reveals how even the apostle Paul initially 129 00:08:14,080 --> 00:08:19,920 struggled to grasp God's leading at this point in his life. 130 00:08:20,960 --> 00:08:23,920 That's what moved me so much. I have to read again. 131 00:08:23,920 --> 00:08:28,080 Is this really Paul objecting to what the Lord Jesus Christ is 132 00:08:28,080 --> 00:08:32,760 telling him to do? Is this Paul really hesitant to 133 00:08:32,760 --> 00:08:35,760 understand God's purposes in his life, at least in this chapter 134 00:08:35,760 --> 00:08:39,400 of his life? The answer is yes, but when you 135 00:08:39,400 --> 00:08:42,320 consider even more what this passage has to offer, you 136 00:08:42,320 --> 00:08:48,240 realize that the theme of God's will is so prevalent, but there 137 00:08:48,240 --> 00:08:50,360 are more truths attached to it for our benefit. 138 00:08:51,040 --> 00:08:54,960 In other words, I want to take this time, this afternoon to 139 00:08:54,960 --> 00:09:00,400 unfold for us 3 truths about God's unique will that's 140 00:09:00,400 --> 00:09:04,760 applicable to every believer in Jesus Christ. 3 truths about his 141 00:09:04,760 --> 00:09:06,760 will. Here's Paul who has this 142 00:09:06,760 --> 00:09:10,400 ambition, and here's God who has his will for his life. 143 00:09:11,280 --> 00:09:13,720 And Paul made a choice to go with what God said. 144 00:09:14,600 --> 00:09:16,800 So here's three things that I want us to take from this 145 00:09:16,800 --> 00:09:18,520 passage. The first thing is this. 146 00:09:19,120 --> 00:09:23,200 The will of God is illuminated when we are prayerful. 147 00:09:24,080 --> 00:09:26,520 The will of God is illuminated when we are prayerful. 148 00:09:26,960 --> 00:09:29,960 It's not by chance that the Lord's warning to Paul to flee 149 00:09:29,960 --> 00:09:33,000 from Jerusalem happened while he was in prayer. 150 00:09:33,160 --> 00:09:36,360 And he's very specific in his experience because what does he 151 00:09:36,360 --> 00:09:38,440 say? He says that he fell into a 152 00:09:38,440 --> 00:09:42,200 trance. Now the word trance is 153 00:09:42,200 --> 00:09:45,200 interesting. In the Greek, it's the word 154 00:09:45,320 --> 00:09:49,480 exorcist where we get the word what ecstasy from and it's used 155 00:09:49,480 --> 00:09:50,800 a few times in the New Testament. 156 00:09:50,800 --> 00:09:54,520 When you find it in the Gospels, it's generally used to describe 157 00:09:54,520 --> 00:09:58,320 the reaction of some of the people after they witnessed a 158 00:09:58,320 --> 00:10:01,600 miracle, a miracle that Jesus performed. 159 00:10:02,600 --> 00:10:06,240 It's almost as though they were outside of themselves while they 160 00:10:06,240 --> 00:10:08,640 were beholding this supernatural occurrence. 161 00:10:09,640 --> 00:10:13,000 So they're like in a state of mind of of great ecstasy. 162 00:10:14,040 --> 00:10:17,200 However, when you'd see it in the book of Acts, it's more so 163 00:10:17,200 --> 00:10:21,600 used to describe a personal supernatural experience, the 164 00:10:21,600 --> 00:10:26,320 depth of one's encounter of a different realm, and that's what 165 00:10:26,320 --> 00:10:29,440 we see here with Paul. Paul here is talking about a 166 00:10:29,440 --> 00:10:33,280 perception that seems to be transported elsewhere, though he 167 00:10:33,280 --> 00:10:38,320 is physically in one place. It's a state of mind that is 168 00:10:38,320 --> 00:10:43,120 surreal, but it's very real. And it didn't just happen to 169 00:10:43,120 --> 00:10:46,360 Paul as he's retelling his story of how Christ visits him while 170 00:10:46,360 --> 00:10:48,840 he's in the temple praying. It happened to another man named 171 00:10:48,840 --> 00:10:51,600 Peter. So go to Acts chapter 10, and I 172 00:10:51,600 --> 00:10:53,840 want you to see it with me because I'm going somewhere with 173 00:10:53,840 --> 00:11:01,920 this and Acts 10, verse 9. Here's how Luke tells us of 174 00:11:02,160 --> 00:11:06,960 Peters, a great turning point in his walk with the Lord says here 175 00:11:06,960 --> 00:11:09,920 in Acts 10-9. The next day as they were on 176 00:11:09,920 --> 00:11:12,280 their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the 177 00:11:12,280 --> 00:11:16,680 housetop about the 6th hour to pray, and he became hungry and 178 00:11:16,680 --> 00:11:19,840 wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he 179 00:11:19,840 --> 00:11:25,160 fell into a trance. Now he has this vision right of 180 00:11:25,160 --> 00:11:28,560 this blanket that's being dropped from heaven with all 181 00:11:28,560 --> 00:11:30,480 these creatures in it. We won't get into that. 182 00:11:30,480 --> 00:11:34,440 I want you to see what happens though at verse 13 while in a 183 00:11:34,440 --> 00:11:38,720 trance, verse 13 says, and there came a voice, them rise, Peter 184 00:11:38,960 --> 00:11:42,040 kill and eat. Peter said by no means Lord, for 185 00:11:42,040 --> 00:11:44,640 I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean. 186 00:11:45,000 --> 00:11:46,880 And the voice came to him again a second time. 187 00:11:47,040 --> 00:11:50,880 What God has made clean do not call common. 188 00:11:52,640 --> 00:11:56,040 It's interesting how Peter himself falls into this trance 189 00:11:56,040 --> 00:11:58,560 through which Lord Jesus gives him instructions that would 190 00:11:58,560 --> 00:12:01,560 revolutionize the church's gospel mission. 191 00:12:04,160 --> 00:12:08,280 Peter and Paul had this experience, and the main reason 192 00:12:08,280 --> 00:12:12,840 why I'm bringing this up is when these divine orders came to them 193 00:12:14,320 --> 00:12:17,360 while they were in prayer, what happened to Peter? 194 00:12:17,360 --> 00:12:20,960 He went up to the house, stop at the 6th hour to pray, and while 195 00:12:20,960 --> 00:12:23,160 he was praying, the Lord meets him in that place. 196 00:12:23,160 --> 00:12:27,840 Now, it would be very irresponsible for me to use 197 00:12:27,840 --> 00:12:32,600 Peter and Paul as examples to teach that if you pray, 198 00:12:32,600 --> 00:12:34,760 eventually you'll tap into trances. 199 00:12:36,040 --> 00:12:40,880 That'll be wrong. However, it's not wrong to say 200 00:12:40,880 --> 00:12:45,080 that Peter and Paul were granted guidance when they prayed, 201 00:12:46,520 --> 00:12:48,800 because that's something that you and I can expect as well. 202 00:12:50,200 --> 00:12:52,920 That's a truth that is woven throughout the Scriptures. 203 00:12:53,360 --> 00:12:58,000 Listen carefully. God honors a praying man. 204 00:12:59,400 --> 00:13:02,920 The Lord blesses a praying woman. 205 00:13:05,800 --> 00:13:09,680 God solves things When we come to Him in supplication. 206 00:13:09,680 --> 00:13:14,880 He intervenes when we intercede. He comes through when you take 207 00:13:14,880 --> 00:13:19,800 time to commune. And one of my favorite examples 208 00:13:19,800 --> 00:13:22,840 of this is in the life of David. Oh, there's so many places you 209 00:13:22,840 --> 00:13:25,760 go with David's prayer life, but there is one place that's often 210 00:13:25,760 --> 00:13:27,200 overlooked. We study this when we were 211 00:13:27,200 --> 00:13:31,040 looking at Second Samuel. It was when he was forced out of 212 00:13:31,320 --> 00:13:35,560 Jerusalem into the wilderness because his son Absalom raised 213 00:13:35,560 --> 00:13:39,400 up a rebellion against him. And while David is on foot with 214 00:13:39,400 --> 00:13:43,560 some of his loyal friends, he learns of even greater tragedy, 215 00:13:43,560 --> 00:13:46,000 that one of his greatest and most trusted advisors, 216 00:13:46,200 --> 00:13:49,160 Ahithophel, joined the rebellion against him. 217 00:13:50,080 --> 00:13:52,320 And I want you to turn to the Old Testament to see David's 218 00:13:52,320 --> 00:14:06,960 words with me in Second Samuel chapter 15 and verse 31, Second 219 00:14:06,960 --> 00:14:12,640 Samuel 1531. And it was told David Ahithophel 220 00:14:12,640 --> 00:14:14,760 is among the conspirators with Absalom. 221 00:14:15,360 --> 00:14:19,720 And David said, oh, Lord, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel 222 00:14:19,720 --> 00:14:24,040 into foolishness. That's all his prayer was. 223 00:14:24,560 --> 00:14:28,320 It was a sigh. It was brief. 224 00:14:30,560 --> 00:14:32,920 You know, people think that it's the length of our prayers that 225 00:14:32,920 --> 00:14:34,640 gets God's attention. It's not the length, it's the 226 00:14:34,640 --> 00:14:38,640 depth. And this man, from the anguish 227 00:14:38,640 --> 00:14:42,840 of his soul, from the depths of his being, says, Oh Lord, please 228 00:14:42,840 --> 00:14:45,880 turn this man's counsel into foolishness. 229 00:14:47,000 --> 00:14:50,560 How does God answer that prayer? Does he give David this vision 230 00:14:50,560 --> 00:15:13,560 of the future and step by Nothing of the sort. 231 00:15:14,880 --> 00:15:18,960 The answer to what the answer to David's prayer is is found in 232 00:15:18,960 --> 00:15:22,640 the very next verse. While David was coming to the 233 00:15:22,640 --> 00:15:26,320 summit where God was worshipped, Behold who shy? 234 00:15:26,320 --> 00:15:30,400 The archive came to meet him with his coat torn and dirt on 235 00:15:30,400 --> 00:15:33,760 his head. Where's the answer? 236 00:15:35,640 --> 00:15:37,160 Do you notice the word behold there? 237 00:15:37,800 --> 00:15:40,280 That's an important word because it highlights the significance 238 00:15:40,280 --> 00:15:42,000 of who Shy's entry into the scene. 239 00:15:43,640 --> 00:15:46,320 And more than that, the close secret of events suggests that 240 00:15:46,320 --> 00:15:50,480 the behold is meant to connect what David just prayed to what 241 00:15:50,480 --> 00:15:51,960 is happening right here, right now. 242 00:15:53,080 --> 00:15:58,320 I suggest to you that David's answer to his prayer is found in 243 00:15:58,320 --> 00:16:04,000 hoshai coming to him. And if there's any doubt about 244 00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:08,440 this, I want you to consider what the scripture says after 245 00:16:08,440 --> 00:16:10,880 David and hoshai. Yes, they meet and he sends him 246 00:16:10,880 --> 00:16:14,200 back as a spy. Go be a counselor in Absalom's 247 00:16:14,200 --> 00:16:19,520 court who Shy agrees. He makes his way back and in two 248 00:16:19,520 --> 00:16:24,000 chapters later the Holy Spirit gives us commentary of who shy's 249 00:16:24,000 --> 00:16:26,600 activity in the courts of Absalom. 250 00:16:26,600 --> 00:16:28,880 Look at second Samuel 17, verse 14. 251 00:16:30,280 --> 00:16:34,640 Absalom at this point is asking, are he thoughtful and really his 252 00:16:34,640 --> 00:16:37,160 advisors, advisors in general, What should we do at this point? 253 00:16:37,160 --> 00:16:40,000 Now we occupied the throne. What do we do with David? 254 00:16:40,000 --> 00:16:42,400 He's on the run. Ahithophel gives his piece of 255 00:16:42,400 --> 00:16:43,880 advice, and then who? Shy says something. 256 00:16:43,880 --> 00:16:47,120 And notice what's said here in verse 14 of chapter 17. 257 00:16:47,120 --> 00:16:50,080 And Absalom and all the men of Israel said the council of Who 258 00:16:50,080 --> 00:16:52,360 Shy? The archive is better than the 259 00:16:52,360 --> 00:16:56,720 council of Ahithophel. Here it is. 260 00:16:56,720 --> 00:16:59,960 For the Lord had ordained to defeat the good counsel of 261 00:16:59,960 --> 00:17:04,119 Ahithophel so that the Lord might bring harm upon Absalom. 262 00:17:05,160 --> 00:17:07,839 Do you see it? How did the Lord determine to 263 00:17:07,839 --> 00:17:14,640 foil Ahithophel's wisdom through Hushai, providing greater and 264 00:17:14,640 --> 00:17:18,880 more persuasive advice. Why do I bring that to your 265 00:17:18,880 --> 00:17:22,599 attention? To show how one God honors a 266 00:17:22,599 --> 00:17:25,800 praying man. He commends and blesses a 267 00:17:25,800 --> 00:17:30,040 praying woman, and His answers don't always look like how we 268 00:17:30,040 --> 00:17:34,000 think they should look. He can intervene supernaturally, 269 00:17:34,000 --> 00:17:35,680 but how does he intervene in this case? 270 00:17:36,760 --> 00:17:41,720 He uses the heart of a loyal friend to be the means, the 271 00:17:41,720 --> 00:17:45,040 instrument of seeing this problem solved. 272 00:17:46,200 --> 00:17:49,920 Just a small reminder that often times we overlook how 273 00:17:50,040 --> 00:17:53,000 friendships and relationships are God's answers to us. 274 00:17:53,960 --> 00:17:56,880 This is Hushai. He came through for this man 275 00:17:56,880 --> 00:18:01,040 because God came through for David in prayer, and it would be 276 00:18:02,040 --> 00:18:06,080 very irresponsible on our end to think that David only prayed in 277 00:18:06,080 --> 00:18:08,960 emergencies. You can't study that man's life 278 00:18:08,960 --> 00:18:10,760 carefully and come to that conclusion. 279 00:18:11,000 --> 00:18:15,280 He had a pattern of opening his heart before the Lord in the 280 00:18:15,280 --> 00:18:18,320 good and the bad. And if you go back to Peter and 281 00:18:18,320 --> 00:18:21,840 Paul's example, where the Lord spoke to them and provided the 282 00:18:21,840 --> 00:18:25,920 next step in an amazing way, they also share in David's 283 00:18:25,920 --> 00:18:28,320 pattern. It's hard to not see it. 284 00:18:29,880 --> 00:18:33,280 What was Peter doing when the Lord spoke to him? 285 00:18:33,440 --> 00:18:35,480 You say he prayed. Yeah, but how did he pray? 286 00:18:36,920 --> 00:18:40,200 They were preparing lunch. He separates himself from people 287 00:18:40,200 --> 00:18:43,640 and activity to be in solitude with the Lord. 288 00:18:45,000 --> 00:18:47,920 What did Paul do? He separates himself from 289 00:18:47,920 --> 00:18:50,280 ministry and busyness. And he goes to the temple. 290 00:18:50,280 --> 00:18:52,600 To do what? To pray. 291 00:18:53,960 --> 00:18:56,120 Yes, we're called to pray without ceasing. 292 00:18:56,480 --> 00:18:58,600 And yes, sometimes we're only left with the option to pray 293 00:18:58,600 --> 00:19:03,320 while on foot, but there is a special blessing that is 294 00:19:03,320 --> 00:19:07,520 reserved for those who take time to commune with God. 295 00:19:09,960 --> 00:19:14,400 There is, and we see it in this example in the New Testament. 296 00:19:15,600 --> 00:19:18,560 So I want to ask you this, if you are somebody who wants to 297 00:19:18,560 --> 00:19:21,360 know the will of God, I'm not. I'm not limiting that to knowing 298 00:19:21,360 --> 00:19:24,480 how to serve in the ministry, just the will of God for your 299 00:19:24,480 --> 00:19:28,560 life over all. Do you habitually pray? 300 00:19:30,200 --> 00:19:34,600 Do you seek Him? Does it regularly cross your 301 00:19:34,600 --> 00:19:41,280 mind with surprises or plans or events, tragedies, even rewards, 302 00:19:42,080 --> 00:19:44,280 Potential promotion? Whatever the case means, does it 303 00:19:44,280 --> 00:19:47,360 regularly cross your mind? I have to pray about this. 304 00:19:47,920 --> 00:19:51,000 I need to seek the Lord. Be honest. 305 00:19:51,280 --> 00:19:56,200 Be honest down deep inside. Do you really believe that 306 00:19:56,200 --> 00:20:00,120 prayer can change things? Do you really believe that if I 307 00:20:00,120 --> 00:20:02,680 bring this before the Lord it can alter things? 308 00:20:03,720 --> 00:20:08,160 Or is this idea of prayer, is the practice of prayer, even the 309 00:20:08,160 --> 00:20:10,160 thought of prayer, even the conviction to praise it, 310 00:20:10,160 --> 00:20:14,720 virtually non existent? And there might be some here 311 00:20:14,720 --> 00:20:19,360 saying I pray, but I'm not getting the answers that I'm 312 00:20:19,360 --> 00:20:23,240 looking for. In fact, it seems like the 313 00:20:23,240 --> 00:20:26,360 Lord's ignoring me or. Maybe you've had this 314 00:20:26,360 --> 00:20:27,560 experience. The more I pray about it, the 315 00:20:27,560 --> 00:20:29,520 more He seems to be putting me in the opposite direction. 316 00:20:30,920 --> 00:20:35,360 And if that's you, then be encouraged with the second point 317 00:20:35,360 --> 00:20:39,040 when we consider this passage and discerning the will of God, 318 00:20:39,040 --> 00:20:40,560 The 1st is that it's illuminated. 319 00:20:40,560 --> 00:20:43,200 When you pray, when you pause, when you seek Him, God will 320 00:20:43,200 --> 00:20:45,680 bless you. And his answers vary. 321 00:20:45,840 --> 00:20:49,400 He's not going to give you a trance, but he might send 322 00:20:49,400 --> 00:20:52,680 somebody, He might send a phone call. 323 00:20:53,440 --> 00:20:57,520 Things might just begin to move. Here's a second point. 324 00:20:58,040 --> 00:21:00,440 If you are somebody who is seeking, who regularly seeks, 325 00:21:00,440 --> 00:21:06,040 who is even frustrated because it's not working well, then 326 00:21:06,160 --> 00:21:09,320 consider this. The will of God #2 may not fully 327 00:21:09,320 --> 00:21:12,440 align with our righteous desires. 328 00:21:13,160 --> 00:21:15,440 Notice I didn't say selfish desires. 329 00:21:15,600 --> 00:21:20,200 Notice I didn't say fleshly desires, righteous desires. 330 00:21:21,800 --> 00:21:25,320 When Paul is telling this group in the temple about the past, 331 00:21:25,320 --> 00:21:29,120 how he was at Jerusalem at one point to pray, and it was in 332 00:21:29,120 --> 00:21:31,840 that place of prayer that God gave him this mission. 333 00:21:32,600 --> 00:21:34,800 Why was he in Jerusalem to begin with? 334 00:21:35,720 --> 00:21:38,680 To minister to the Jews? And you can't blame him. 335 00:21:38,680 --> 00:21:42,600 Can you think of a better place? This is the hub of the 336 00:21:42,600 --> 00:21:47,320 religionist of his day. Moreover, Jerusalem was the 337 00:21:47,320 --> 00:21:51,280 beginning point of his evil campaign against the Christian 338 00:21:51,280 --> 00:21:54,360 movement. So think about how Paul is 339 00:21:54,360 --> 00:21:59,360 thinking here. I just met this Jesus who who I 340 00:21:59,360 --> 00:22:03,360 was persecuting in his body. He saves me, transforms me. 341 00:22:03,920 --> 00:22:06,280 I'm going to go back to Jerusalem and I'm going to show 342 00:22:06,280 --> 00:22:08,960 everybody that I'm changed by this man. 343 00:22:09,280 --> 00:22:13,480 The very man that I fought and resisted rescued me and renewed 344 00:22:13,480 --> 00:22:15,880 me. What kind of impact would that 345 00:22:15,880 --> 00:22:20,920 make on his colleagues who who praised his zeal against the 346 00:22:20,920 --> 00:22:23,440 Christian movement? What would it do for the general 347 00:22:23,440 --> 00:22:27,160 population who knew of his incredible mind and devotion to 348 00:22:27,160 --> 00:22:31,680 the law to now find him, to find him now promoting the very 349 00:22:31,680 --> 00:22:36,840 message that got Stephen killed, the very message that he 350 00:22:36,840 --> 00:22:39,760 approved to disintegrate through his martyrdom? 351 00:22:42,680 --> 00:22:45,240 Paul is not thinking emotionally here. 352 00:22:45,240 --> 00:22:50,480 He's being very strategic. And so This is why he's in 353 00:22:50,480 --> 00:22:55,000 Jerusalem as he retells it. And this is precisely what Paul 354 00:22:55,000 --> 00:22:58,040 uses to protest Christ's initial command to leave Jerusalem. 355 00:22:59,040 --> 00:23:01,040 Paul, get out of here. They're not going to accept your 356 00:23:01,040 --> 00:23:03,520 testimony. And this is one of those moments 357 00:23:03,520 --> 00:23:06,240 in the Bible where we can truly identify with the humanity of 358 00:23:06,240 --> 00:23:09,520 these heroes of the faith. Can you see it? 359 00:23:11,200 --> 00:23:16,080 Paul is attempting to convince the Lord how his plan is the way 360 00:23:16,080 --> 00:23:20,800 to go. I I couldn't help but smile when 361 00:23:20,800 --> 00:23:25,360 I learned this about Paul. To think that he is trying to 362 00:23:25,360 --> 00:23:29,080 persuade the Lord of the effectiveness of his idea. 363 00:23:32,760 --> 00:23:35,840 You know why I smile? Because most, if not all 364 00:23:35,840 --> 00:23:37,360 Christians have done something similar. 365 00:23:38,920 --> 00:23:44,000 We give the Lord our proposal, and we try to pressure Him to 366 00:23:44,000 --> 00:23:51,240 buy it, to act on it, to sign off, and we give Him reasons 367 00:23:51,240 --> 00:23:51,960 too. Right. 368 00:23:53,480 --> 00:23:56,800 Again, I can't help but chuckle when I read Paul telling the 369 00:23:56,800 --> 00:24:00,600 Lord about his testimony and his history. 370 00:24:03,560 --> 00:24:06,400 And I want to share a few insights under the second point 371 00:24:06,400 --> 00:24:10,960 that can save you your breath and trying to object to God's 372 00:24:10,960 --> 00:24:15,000 leading in your life. Here's the obvious 1. 373 00:24:15,840 --> 00:24:19,120 He always knows better than you. Always. 374 00:24:20,400 --> 00:24:24,760 So Paul seems so certain that his testimony would win the Jews 375 00:24:24,760 --> 00:24:28,480 in Jerusalem. And he's not again being 376 00:24:28,480 --> 00:24:30,760 emotional. He's actually being rational. 377 00:24:30,760 --> 00:24:33,120 He's being logical. But like Paul, please pay 378 00:24:33,120 --> 00:24:36,480 attention to this point. But like Paul, be prepared for 379 00:24:36,480 --> 00:24:43,640 your rational, well thought out plans to be delayed or rerouted 380 00:24:43,640 --> 00:24:46,760 altogether. It seems good. 381 00:24:46,880 --> 00:24:49,040 In fact, you actually told other Christians about it and they're 382 00:24:49,040 --> 00:24:51,920 like, that's amazing. Then you bring it to the Lord 383 00:24:51,920 --> 00:24:54,160 and guess what? He doesn't think it's so 384 00:24:54,160 --> 00:24:57,400 amazing. Be prepared for that. 385 00:24:57,600 --> 00:24:59,560 We're dealing with a man. Why is he in Jerusalem? 386 00:25:00,440 --> 00:25:02,840 Is he looking for an estate? Is he looking for a vacation 387 00:25:02,840 --> 00:25:03,960 home? Nothing wrong with vacation 388 00:25:03,960 --> 00:25:05,720 homes. That's not why he's in 389 00:25:05,720 --> 00:25:07,080 Jerusalem. That's not why he's wrestling in 390 00:25:07,080 --> 00:25:09,280 prayer. He wants to win souls. 391 00:25:09,640 --> 00:25:13,640 What can be wrong with this? And yet the Lord says, no, not 392 00:25:13,640 --> 00:25:17,680 here. The Lord said, I don't want you 393 00:25:17,680 --> 00:25:20,520 to preach here. I don't want you to witness 394 00:25:20,520 --> 00:25:22,800 here. Now, if we heard the Lord saying 395 00:25:22,800 --> 00:25:24,320 that, we were thinking, was that really the Lord? 396 00:25:25,000 --> 00:25:26,040 Yeah, it's the Lord. Why? 397 00:25:26,040 --> 00:25:29,040 Because he knows better than you and he knows better than me. 398 00:25:31,920 --> 00:25:36,640 And see, this roadblock would not only be confirmed by this 399 00:25:36,640 --> 00:25:39,880 vision, Paul would experience it periodically whenever he tried 400 00:25:39,880 --> 00:25:42,640 to engage the Jews. You read throughout Acts, we 401 00:25:42,640 --> 00:25:43,960 touched on this at the conference. 402 00:25:44,840 --> 00:25:48,560 Paul had some success in winning the Jews over to the gospel, but 403 00:25:48,560 --> 00:25:52,680 more than that, he experienced persistent rejection and 404 00:25:52,680 --> 00:25:58,000 resistance from them. And in those providential 405 00:25:58,400 --> 00:26:01,160 nudges, he would always go back to the Gentiles and he would see 406 00:26:01,160 --> 00:26:02,280 greater fruit there. Why? 407 00:26:02,400 --> 00:26:04,800 Because he was primarily called to the Gentiles. 408 00:26:06,200 --> 00:26:08,080 And so it wasn't just in this vision. 409 00:26:08,360 --> 00:26:11,200 Paul had this burning passion for the Jews. 410 00:26:11,280 --> 00:26:13,600 He couldn't help it. So wherever he would go, he 411 00:26:13,600 --> 00:26:15,800 would find a synagogue. And yes, there was some some 412 00:26:15,800 --> 00:26:19,040 fruit in that, but then there would be enough rejection for 413 00:26:19,040 --> 00:26:20,840 him to say enough, I'm going to the Gentiles. 414 00:26:20,840 --> 00:26:24,920 So the Lord even used experience closed doors to say this is not 415 00:26:24,920 --> 00:26:28,680 my will for you. So again, another hint that the 416 00:26:28,680 --> 00:26:30,960 Lord doesn't have to give you a trance to lead you. 417 00:26:31,880 --> 00:26:34,240 He did it for this mighty man of God who would lay the foundation 418 00:26:34,240 --> 00:26:36,840 of the church. But even in this man's life, God 419 00:26:36,840 --> 00:26:41,960 would do it through Providence. The second thing I want to 420 00:26:41,960 --> 00:26:44,600 observe under the second point is that God's will for our lives 421 00:26:44,600 --> 00:26:47,480 will not unfold the same way as it does for others. 422 00:26:48,040 --> 00:26:50,600 You know, when you read Paul's experience here in the temple, 423 00:26:51,320 --> 00:26:54,680 it matches closely with another man of God's experience, not 424 00:26:54,680 --> 00:26:58,760 Peters. Isaiah's turn to Isaiah chapter 425 00:26:58,760 --> 00:27:02,320 6 in a very known passage, and I want you to see it with your own 426 00:27:02,320 --> 00:27:09,880 eyes. We'll begin in verse one. 427 00:27:16,540 --> 00:27:19,580 In the year that King Isaiah died, I saw the Lord sitting 428 00:27:19,580 --> 00:27:22,740 upon a throne high and lifted up, and the train of his robe 429 00:27:22,820 --> 00:27:25,380 filled the temple. Where did this happen? 430 00:27:26,660 --> 00:27:30,540 Where did this vision lead him to seeing the Lord in his 431 00:27:30,540 --> 00:27:33,240 temple? Skip over to verse 8. 432 00:27:34,480 --> 00:27:37,040 And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, Whom shall I send? 433 00:27:37,160 --> 00:27:40,400 Who, and who will go for us? Then I said, here I am, send me 434 00:27:41,720 --> 00:27:43,880 verse 9. And he said, go and say to this 435 00:27:43,880 --> 00:27:46,720 people, keep on hearing but do not understand. 436 00:27:46,920 --> 00:27:49,240 Keep on seeing but do not perceive. 437 00:27:50,200 --> 00:27:52,680 So when you compare Isaiah and Paul's experience, here's what 438 00:27:52,680 --> 00:27:55,560 you find. Both had a vision of the Lord in 439 00:27:55,560 --> 00:27:59,480 the temple. In that vision both receive a 440 00:27:59,480 --> 00:28:05,480 Commission from the Lord. And with that both were told and 441 00:28:05,480 --> 00:28:09,400 both were prepared to face a stubborn people who would oppose 442 00:28:09,400 --> 00:28:12,880 their message. So parallels. 443 00:28:13,560 --> 00:28:18,160 Here's the main difference. Isaiah was told to stay and 444 00:28:18,160 --> 00:28:22,360 preach to the stubborn people. Paul was called to leave. 445 00:28:24,960 --> 00:28:27,880 Now, I'm not suggesting that Paul is using Isaiah's ministry 446 00:28:27,880 --> 00:28:29,840 to protest God's strategy for his life. 447 00:28:30,280 --> 00:28:35,720 Here is what I am saying though. We often look at how God works 448 00:28:35,720 --> 00:28:38,680 with others and wonder why He can't do the same for us. 449 00:28:41,680 --> 00:28:46,160 Lord, I'm looking over there and I see how you provided for so 450 00:28:46,160 --> 00:28:49,080 and so. I'm in the same situation. 451 00:28:50,840 --> 00:28:52,560 Can you? Can You do the same here? 452 00:28:55,800 --> 00:29:00,160 God Almighty, I with my own eyes, my own ears, have 453 00:29:00,160 --> 00:29:03,360 experienced how You have healed this very same sickness. 454 00:29:04,640 --> 00:29:10,760 Can't you do it again? Lord, if you can use Brother so 455 00:29:10,760 --> 00:29:14,960 and so and open all these doors for the ministry, what am I 456 00:29:14,960 --> 00:29:18,520 going to do with all this pent up zeal and no outlet? 457 00:29:19,760 --> 00:29:22,520 In fact, I think I have something really to offer. 458 00:29:25,680 --> 00:29:29,120 Sometimes the reason for our protest in God's leading in our 459 00:29:29,120 --> 00:29:33,400 lives is when we compare and look over and see what He's 460 00:29:33,400 --> 00:29:43,520 doing for others, earlier, more bountifully, more obviously, And 461 00:29:43,520 --> 00:29:48,000 we think, why for them and not for me. 462 00:29:51,080 --> 00:29:52,240 Can I tell you at least one reason why? 463 00:29:52,240 --> 00:29:54,080 Because God is an amazing author. 464 00:29:56,280 --> 00:30:00,320 There are some amazing authors who have written many books, 465 00:30:00,520 --> 00:30:03,280 some up to 100. Some hymn writers have written 466 00:30:03,280 --> 00:30:07,680 thousands of hymns. God is writing billions of 467 00:30:07,680 --> 00:30:13,080 stories at the same time, and every single one is unique. 468 00:30:13,080 --> 00:30:15,000 Though there might be some comparisons to make. 469 00:30:17,920 --> 00:30:19,400 Which leads me to this final point. 470 00:30:19,400 --> 00:30:26,600 Under the second point, God does not owe us any explanation for 471 00:30:26,600 --> 00:30:31,760 why he leads the way he leads. There's a clear contrast between 472 00:30:31,800 --> 00:30:34,720 the words of Jesus and Paul in this regard. 473 00:30:35,040 --> 00:30:37,800 Paul was elaborate in his explanation, was he not? 474 00:30:39,080 --> 00:30:44,960 Jesus was very brief. So Paul is explaining things and 475 00:30:45,160 --> 00:30:47,560 the Lord doesn't go back and forth with him, does he? 476 00:30:48,160 --> 00:30:49,440 How does he end the conversation? 477 00:30:49,440 --> 00:30:53,120 He simply says, go, I'm sending you to the Gentiles and we can 478 00:30:53,120 --> 00:30:55,200 applaud Paul here. Do you know why we can applaud 479 00:30:55,200 --> 00:30:58,080 Paul here? Because he doesn't demand 480 00:30:58,080 --> 00:30:59,640 further clarification. He just submits. 481 00:30:59,640 --> 00:31:01,640 OK, you want me to go to the Gentiles? 482 00:31:01,640 --> 00:31:08,440 I will go to the Gentiles. Paul simply trusted in God's 483 00:31:08,440 --> 00:31:12,320 leading even though his bosom was burning to be in Jerusalem. 484 00:31:14,760 --> 00:31:18,560 These are righteous desires, but they were not God's will. 485 00:31:20,760 --> 00:31:24,200 And my question was how do I arrive at that level of faith? 486 00:31:25,120 --> 00:31:31,200 Or even though what I am seeking God for is good, sacrificial, 487 00:31:31,440 --> 00:31:36,240 holy, consecrated God glorifying, but He doesn't 488 00:31:36,240 --> 00:31:39,320 approve it, at least for the time being or at all. 489 00:31:40,360 --> 00:31:44,520 The way you can trust God in His leading in your life is to know 490 00:31:44,520 --> 00:31:47,120 God more. In other words, the more you 491 00:31:47,120 --> 00:31:50,240 know who God is, the less you will question why he does what 492 00:31:50,240 --> 00:31:53,960 he does. Because you know his nature. 493 00:31:55,240 --> 00:31:56,760 You're convinced of His goodness. 494 00:31:58,240 --> 00:32:00,800 You see that he is so attentive and personal. 495 00:32:01,920 --> 00:32:05,640 And so he's not ignoring you. He's not tricking you, He's not 496 00:32:05,640 --> 00:32:07,720 torturing you. He's good. 497 00:32:09,000 --> 00:32:11,040 And so I have. I have less questions. 498 00:32:11,240 --> 00:32:14,120 Questions are not sinful in themselves, but you can come to 499 00:32:14,120 --> 00:32:17,800 a place where your walk with a God is with God is more 500 00:32:17,800 --> 00:32:19,920 Worshipful than it is about interrogation. 501 00:32:19,920 --> 00:32:25,760 Let me bring you to the third and final point of God's will 502 00:32:25,760 --> 00:32:28,600 and discerning it. The first is that it's 503 00:32:28,600 --> 00:32:31,000 illuminated when we pray. The second is that it does not 504 00:32:31,000 --> 00:32:32,720 always align with our righteous desires. 505 00:32:32,720 --> 00:32:36,600 And lastly, the will of God will not always be understood or 506 00:32:36,600 --> 00:32:40,480 praised by others. The will of God will not always 507 00:32:40,480 --> 00:32:42,240 be understood or praised by others. 508 00:32:42,600 --> 00:32:46,200 The point here is not found in the one passage that we read, 509 00:32:46,200 --> 00:32:49,120 but it's in the following verse after verse 21. 510 00:32:49,560 --> 00:32:55,200 Look at verse 22 of Acts 22 and see how the Jews reacted to 511 00:32:55,200 --> 00:33:01,120 Paul's testimony. Up to this word they listened to 512 00:33:01,120 --> 00:33:03,520 him. Then they raised their voices 513 00:33:03,520 --> 00:33:06,840 and said away with such a fellow from the earth, for he should 514 00:33:06,840 --> 00:33:10,520 not be allowed to live up to what word? 515 00:33:11,280 --> 00:33:16,720 Gentiles moment. Paul brought up the Gentiles. 516 00:33:17,320 --> 00:33:21,200 That was it. These Jews could not fathom that 517 00:33:21,200 --> 00:33:23,600 the Gentiles would share in the same spiritual privileges. 518 00:33:23,880 --> 00:33:26,880 They could not eat. It was unthinkable that they 519 00:33:26,880 --> 00:33:30,920 could have good standing before God apart from the law. 520 00:33:31,680 --> 00:33:34,640 And here's this Paul saying that the God of our fathers 521 00:33:35,480 --> 00:33:39,080 commissioned him to go to these heathens. 522 00:33:40,120 --> 00:33:42,400 So all it took for this crowd to you want to talk about getting 523 00:33:42,400 --> 00:33:44,480 triggered? Gentiles triggered them. 524 00:33:46,360 --> 00:33:49,680 That's it. Sermons over, you're a dead man. 525 00:33:53,400 --> 00:33:57,880 Here's another illustration of how mankind utterly rejects 526 00:33:57,880 --> 00:34:00,520 God's good and perfect will for humanity. 527 00:34:01,480 --> 00:34:03,840 What are they objecting to? God saving more people. 528 00:34:06,640 --> 00:34:10,800 Goes to show how vile we can be, especially in our spiritual 529 00:34:10,800 --> 00:34:14,320 pride. But on a personal level, it also 530 00:34:14,320 --> 00:34:17,320 reminds us that serving God in the way that He has called us to 531 00:34:17,520 --> 00:34:22,639 will not always be understood, and more than that, can even be 532 00:34:22,639 --> 00:34:28,040 vehemently opposed. Paul's trying to tell him about 533 00:34:28,040 --> 00:34:31,320 his ministry. They want nothing to do with it. 534 00:34:33,040 --> 00:34:36,400 And it's not unique to Paul. My mind went to another man of 535 00:34:36,400 --> 00:34:41,000 God that is testified of in Acts Chapter 7. 536 00:34:41,000 --> 00:34:45,120 We're still in Acts. Scroll back to Chapter 7 and 537 00:34:45,120 --> 00:34:48,679 notice how Stephen recounts the life and ministry of Moses. 538 00:34:49,480 --> 00:34:51,960 And I want you to see something with me that's quite amazing. 539 00:34:54,480 --> 00:34:58,320 Most people think that Moses knew he was called when he was 540 00:34:58,320 --> 00:35:01,160 80. That's not what Acts 7/23 shows. 541 00:35:03,720 --> 00:35:08,200 When he was 40 years old it came into his heart to visit his 542 00:35:08,200 --> 00:35:12,520 brothers, the children of Israel, and seeing one of them 543 00:35:12,520 --> 00:35:15,480 being wronged, he defended the oppressed man and avenged them 544 00:35:15,480 --> 00:35:18,640 by striking down the Egyptian. Look at this. 545 00:35:18,760 --> 00:35:23,200 He supposed that his brothers would understand that God was 546 00:35:23,200 --> 00:35:27,720 giving them salvation by his hand, but they did not 547 00:35:27,800 --> 00:35:34,560 understand. So Moses at 40, mighty and word 548 00:35:34,560 --> 00:35:40,400 indeed, educated in the schools of Egypt, high up in government 549 00:35:40,400 --> 00:35:46,440 position, had it in his heart to visit his brothers because 550 00:35:46,440 --> 00:35:48,760 something happened there where it was revealed to him that 551 00:35:48,920 --> 00:35:52,480 maybe God brought me here and promoted me to this place so 552 00:35:52,480 --> 00:35:54,560 that I can deliver the Jewish people. 553 00:35:56,520 --> 00:36:02,160 And when he tries to rescue 1, he kills an Egyptian man. 554 00:36:03,640 --> 00:36:06,840 You read later on that they reject him, even the Jews. 555 00:36:09,600 --> 00:36:12,040 And I, I can't help but smile at this as well. 556 00:36:12,040 --> 00:36:15,120 You know why? Because you have Moses here who, 557 00:36:15,120 --> 00:36:18,040 who is in tune with the will of God, but he's trying to do it in 558 00:36:18,040 --> 00:36:22,200 his own timing, in his own way. It would take Moses a very long 559 00:36:22,200 --> 00:36:24,400 time to kill one Egyptian at a time, wouldn't it? 560 00:36:28,200 --> 00:36:32,080 How would God do it? He would just use the Red Sea. 561 00:36:33,240 --> 00:36:34,760 Timing is important in God's will. 562 00:36:36,080 --> 00:36:41,320 Timing is very important. So 40 he thinks, yes, this is 563 00:36:41,320 --> 00:36:42,880 it. I see it now. 564 00:36:43,400 --> 00:36:45,840 And Moses was a strong man. So he puts it all together. 565 00:36:45,960 --> 00:36:50,080 He attempts to bring about the salvation and it's rejected. 566 00:36:50,280 --> 00:36:52,400 What are we told? They did not understand. 567 00:36:53,160 --> 00:36:54,800 And listen, you're saying why is Steven bring this up? 568 00:36:54,800 --> 00:36:57,160 I need to mention this. Steven is bringing this up again 569 00:36:57,440 --> 00:36:59,360 to his persecutors. We're ready to kill him, the 570 00:36:59,360 --> 00:37:02,760 Jewish leaders, because he wants to remind the Jewish leaders 571 00:37:03,120 --> 00:37:06,280 that Jesus is not the only Redeemer that they have 572 00:37:06,280 --> 00:37:10,480 rejected, that they have a pattern in their history of 573 00:37:10,480 --> 00:37:15,000 overlooking and failing to see. God sent rescuers. 574 00:37:16,760 --> 00:37:18,680 So you rejected Christ. Let me tell you that this is 575 00:37:18,680 --> 00:37:21,320 deep in your bones. You did it with Moses. 576 00:37:21,920 --> 00:37:24,320 He came to deliver. You didn't see it then, and you 577 00:37:24,320 --> 00:37:30,480 can't see the greater Moses now. But let's put ourselves in Moses 578 00:37:30,480 --> 00:37:36,640 sandals when we realized that God has called us to something 579 00:37:36,640 --> 00:37:41,200 to serve Him, to love Him and people around us don't get it. 580 00:37:43,120 --> 00:37:47,640 Be prepared that if you seek God, that if you're going to 581 00:37:47,640 --> 00:37:52,600 comply with His wishes, that you would be misunderstood in that 582 00:37:52,600 --> 00:37:56,360 pursuit, both by unbelievers and fellow believers. 583 00:37:56,760 --> 00:37:59,560 And that misunderstanding should never discourage you from that 584 00:37:59,560 --> 00:38:01,280 path. Never. 585 00:38:02,880 --> 00:38:05,800 As long as you are in accordance with God's Word, as long as 586 00:38:05,800 --> 00:38:10,920 you've done your part to receive illumination in prayer, you are 587 00:38:10,920 --> 00:38:14,360 in the safest place. You are in the best place. 588 00:38:14,920 --> 00:38:18,200 I heard someone once say that the hardest thing about God's 589 00:38:18,200 --> 00:38:21,520 will is not knowing it. It's doing it when you know it. 590 00:38:22,920 --> 00:38:28,280 There's some truth to that. And for you and I to be reminded 591 00:38:28,280 --> 00:38:32,840 of this may provide a little bit more fuel to our faithfulness. 592 00:38:34,760 --> 00:38:36,440 That's true for all of us as believers. 593 00:38:36,640 --> 00:38:39,520 I'm sure most of us in here have paid some kind of a price for 594 00:38:39,520 --> 00:38:46,040 following Jesus Christ. But even within Christendom, to 595 00:38:46,040 --> 00:38:49,320 serve the Lord, the way He's called you to will not always be 596 00:38:49,320 --> 00:38:52,160 recognized and appreciated. But you do it for the Lord. 597 00:38:52,840 --> 00:38:55,720 You do it for the Lord. Imagine how much this must have 598 00:38:55,720 --> 00:38:59,480 hurt Paul to see the Jews reject God's purpose for his life, God 599 00:38:59,480 --> 00:39:02,000 using him to be the means to bring about the gospel, and they 600 00:39:02,000 --> 00:39:03,360 didn't want anything to do with it. 601 00:39:06,280 --> 00:39:09,960 Knowing God's will is one thing, doing it and stay doing it is 602 00:39:09,960 --> 00:39:15,040 another. And so this really covers many 603 00:39:15,040 --> 00:39:17,440 bases. One, if you're looking for God's 604 00:39:17,440 --> 00:39:20,280 will, you can't do it without seeking God's face. 605 00:39:21,240 --> 00:39:22,520 And be open to how he answers that. 606 00:39:22,520 --> 00:39:25,560 Be open to His timing, no matter what's in your heart. 607 00:39:25,560 --> 00:39:28,200 Like Paul, he had it for the Jews, but he was meant for the 608 00:39:28,200 --> 00:39:31,120 Gentiles. Moses had it at 40, but it was 609 00:39:31,120 --> 00:39:35,720 meant for another time. Be pliable to how God leads you. 610 00:39:35,720 --> 00:39:40,040 And so be ready that even your righteous wishes and and desires 611 00:39:40,040 --> 00:39:42,480 and dreams may not always come to fruition the way you thought, 612 00:39:42,480 --> 00:39:45,960 but it's always because God has something better and He's 613 00:39:45,960 --> 00:39:48,840 equipped you for a greater fruit, a greater harvest, a 614 00:39:48,840 --> 00:39:52,720 greater future. And lastly, when you're there, 615 00:39:52,840 --> 00:39:59,840 maybe you are there, keep going. Don't give in, don't listen to 616 00:39:59,840 --> 00:40:01,920 the lies. You know, there are people you'd 617 00:40:01,920 --> 00:40:05,480 be amazed who are even convinced or being convinced that it was 618 00:40:05,480 --> 00:40:07,960 better to just be in the world. It was better to be lukewarm. 619 00:40:07,960 --> 00:40:10,240 It's better to be nominal. It's better to do it your way. 620 00:40:11,120 --> 00:40:14,200 So all these things that would try to capture your 621 00:40:14,280 --> 00:40:17,880 consecration, cut it off and realize that these men of God, 622 00:40:17,880 --> 00:40:20,720 they knew temptation, they knew struggle, but oh, they stuck 623 00:40:20,720 --> 00:40:23,400 with it until the end, and they're not regretting it now. 624 00:40:24,400 --> 00:40:26,240 They're not regretting it now, though. 625 00:40:26,240 --> 00:40:30,040 We thank you for this word, a brief reminder of how we can 626 00:40:30,040 --> 00:40:34,720 discern your will. And solo, we think about what 627 00:40:35,120 --> 00:40:37,560 we've prayed about in years past. 628 00:40:40,120 --> 00:40:44,560 Help us believe that you honor a man, a woman of prayer, and help 629 00:40:44,560 --> 00:40:46,560 us wait if we don't get answers right away. 630 00:40:47,400 --> 00:40:50,160 And Lord, if answers seem to be going another way, help us trust 631 00:40:50,160 --> 00:40:52,920 you. Help us not compare. 632 00:40:54,920 --> 00:40:59,040 Help us always believe that you are offering something wonderful 633 00:40:59,040 --> 00:41:04,560 for your glory. And help us, O Lord, to use the 634 00:41:04,560 --> 00:41:10,400 energy that we would have to argue, maybe to worship instead, 635 00:41:13,080 --> 00:41:15,160 to go when you tell us to go to state when you tell us to say. 636 00:41:15,160 --> 00:41:18,960 Lastly, help us do it for you and you alone. 637 00:41:22,040 --> 00:41:24,080 Help us to do it for your smile alone. 638 00:41:24,560 --> 00:41:29,400 Lord, we give ourselves a fresh to you, thanking you for how you 639 00:41:29,400 --> 00:41:31,760 can even speak to us through somebody else's story. 640 00:41:32,400 --> 00:41:35,680 We honor you today in Jesus name, Amen. 641 00:41:36,040 --> 00:41:37,520 Amen. Let's stand and worship the 642 00:41:37,520 --> 00:42:07,290 Lord. Walking with the Lord Jesus, 643 00:42:08,650 --> 00:42:11,650 I've learned so much. One of the things that I've 644 00:42:11,650 --> 00:42:14,970 learned about myself and about the Lord is that I am so 645 00:42:14,970 --> 00:42:17,570 grateful he never took my advice. 646 00:42:18,810 --> 00:42:23,090 I'm so happy and I'm glad that he didn't take Paul's advice 647 00:42:23,130 --> 00:42:25,650 either. Hypothetically, what would have 648 00:42:25,650 --> 00:42:29,250 happened if Paul spent all his energy and efforts in Jerusalem? 649 00:42:31,000 --> 00:42:33,960 What kind of letters would we be left with in the Bible? 650 00:42:34,800 --> 00:42:36,440 How far would the gospel have gone? 651 00:42:37,240 --> 00:42:42,480 Speculating. Sometimes, A lot of the times, 652 00:42:42,920 --> 00:42:47,960 no is the best answer. You know, we could have kept 653 00:42:47,960 --> 00:42:50,000 going. I think of Philip. 654 00:42:50,080 --> 00:42:52,880 So Paul is told to leave Jerusalem. 655 00:42:53,600 --> 00:42:58,320 He really wanted to stay. Philip and Samaria was the means 656 00:42:58,320 --> 00:43:01,160 to see revival. The most unlikely place, at 657 00:43:01,160 --> 00:43:02,640 least one of the most unlikely places. 658 00:43:03,040 --> 00:43:06,640 And in the middle of the revival, the Lord says, I need 659 00:43:06,640 --> 00:43:09,520 you to go into the wilderness. To do what? 660 00:43:09,640 --> 00:43:15,000 To talk to one guy. What if Philip objected? 661 00:43:15,880 --> 00:43:18,040 Well, these are brand new babes in Christ. 662 00:43:18,600 --> 00:43:21,000 Look, there's some awesome move of the Spirit. 663 00:43:21,280 --> 00:43:23,480 Nobody saw this coming. You're asking me to leave now. 664 00:43:23,920 --> 00:43:25,480 I got to fasten Primo. I don't know if that was the 665 00:43:25,480 --> 00:43:28,360 Lord who told me to go. He didn't object. 666 00:43:29,120 --> 00:43:33,800 He goes, He interrupts this man's personal devotion time in 667 00:43:33,800 --> 00:43:40,360 the book of Isaiah and look at the history of Ethiopia and 668 00:43:40,360 --> 00:43:44,440 you'll see what came about of that one, one-on-one experience. 669 00:43:47,360 --> 00:43:53,040 And so whether he tells us to go, tells us to stay, we have to 670 00:43:53,040 --> 00:43:55,880 trust Him. Can we ask them to help us trust 671 00:43:55,880 --> 00:43:59,520 them? Whether it's for ministry, 672 00:43:59,520 --> 00:44:01,840 whether it's for work, whether it's with our bodies, whether 673 00:44:01,840 --> 00:44:05,280 it's with relationships, whether it's with our plans, no matter 674 00:44:05,280 --> 00:44:07,480 how unique they may be. Lord, we want your will. 675 00:44:08,120 --> 00:44:11,040 We want your will. Help us to know that when we 676 00:44:11,040 --> 00:44:14,280 pray about it, we have no reason to be fearful. 677 00:44:15,480 --> 00:44:20,640 We've done our part or help us Lord, when doors aren't opening, 678 00:44:20,800 --> 00:44:24,360 though we want them to be opened to trust in your story writing 679 00:44:25,280 --> 00:44:28,480 and your shepherding and Lord, no matter what we're doing now, 680 00:44:28,480 --> 00:44:31,160 knowing that we are in the will of God, but we're not seeing the 681 00:44:31,160 --> 00:44:33,280 fruit. Perhaps we're not seeing the 682 00:44:33,280 --> 00:44:37,040 full reward of it or it's it's difficult, especially because 683 00:44:37,040 --> 00:44:41,120 people don't understand or maybe even people don't receive it. 684 00:44:41,920 --> 00:44:44,760 Help us just serve you no matter what, Lord, we love you. 685 00:44:44,960 --> 00:44:47,840 Thank you for this church, thank you for every brother and sister 686 00:44:47,840 --> 00:44:50,000 here. Help us all have this in common 687 00:44:50,000 --> 00:44:53,320 that we want to be in your will and we trust that you'll guide 688 00:44:53,320 --> 00:44:56,520 us there. In Jesus name Amen and Amen.