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This is Living Waters of Grace, 
the teaching ministry of Clark 

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Wofford, senior pastor of 
Calvary Chapel of Westmoreland, 

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County of Greensburg, PA. 
Now here's Pastor Clark as he 

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continues teaching through God's
Word. 

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Paul says I did not know, 
brethren, that he was the high 

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priest. 
For it is written, you shall not

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speak evil of a ruler of your 
people. 

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So regardless of what Paul 
thought about this man's 

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leadership and his call and his 
ability to lead, the people at 

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this time didn't like him. 
Hypocrite, scoundrel, Pagan, all

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the different names you could 
put on him. 

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He knew the scripture said 
you're not to speak evil of a 

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ruler of your people. 
There are some pretty wicked 

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leaders all around the world, 
men and women, who have risen to

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the top because of how low they 
were willing to stoop to get 

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there, to be transparent. 
It's really pretty upsetting to 

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think that these people are in 
charge. 

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Well, in his message today, 
Pastor Clark teaches that 

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despite what you might think of 
those in authority, you are to 

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respect that God has placed them
there. 

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You don't have to like or agree 
with those wicked rulers, but 

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you are to trust that God knows 
what he's doing. 

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Now here's Pastor Clark in Acts 
chapter 23 with today's edition 

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of Living Waters of Grace. 
We are in the book of Acts 

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chapter 23. 
Today's message is based upon 

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being in a situation as the 
Apostle Paul is in trouble in 

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prison and a lot of hassle in 
Jerusalem because he sort of 

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blew through the the red lights,
a warning that the Lord had 

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given him as to what he was to 
do in the days ahead in his 

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ministry. 
And something we all can relate 

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to. 
I think all of us have blown 

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through red lights in our lives,
literally. 

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And the police pull us over when
we do it, if they catch us. 

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And also situations in life 
where we're going to make a 

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decision and we have a decision 
to make. 

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And sometimes we think we know 
what the right decision is and 

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we just make it and we find out 
later on it wasn't the right 

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decision. 
Has that ever happened to 

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anybody? 
Happened to me numerous times. 

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And we're supposed to get 
counsel at times, you know, 

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whenever we have a decision 
that's sort of difficult. 

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First of all, if you're married,
you ask your spouse and pray 

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about it. 
That's the best place to start. 

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And then you might have some 
friends, some Christian friends,

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brothers and sisters that you 
can ask to pray and tell them 

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you have a, a decision to make 
and it's difficult. 

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One, you don't know what to do. 
Paul, in this situation, as 

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we've been studying in the book 
of the Acts, he was told by some

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close people that were in 
ministry with him that he 

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shouldn't go to Jerusalem. 
He's going to have a lot of 

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problems up there and have a lot
of headaches. 

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And then a prophet told him as 
well that he shouldn't go, but 

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he decided he was going to go 
anyway because his motive to go 

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was good. 
He wanted to go share the gospel

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with Jewish people. 
But the timing wasn't right and 

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the way he was going about it 
wasn't correct. 

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And so when we study this this 
morning, you'll be surprised. 

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I think it's some of Paul's 
responses. 

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I'm glad these things are in the
Bible because it makes us 

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understand that we're all human 
no matter what we are, pastor, 

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apostle, whatever gifting that 
we might have, none of us are 

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beyond making mistakes, right? 
Because we're human. 

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And we'll see how he did make 
mistakes and how God still used 

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him. 
But in Psalm chapter 19, and 

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this is something to think about
all of us as we study this 

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chapter in Acts today, it says 
in verse 12, who can understand 

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his errors? 
Question mark, cleanse me from 

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secret faults and keep back your
servant also from presumptuous 

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sins. 
Let them not have dominion over 

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me. 
The presumptuous sin is to 

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assume that what it is you're 
going to do is OK, no problems. 

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You can't see your heart or the 
outcome ahead of time. 

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And so you just forge ahead 
thinking that everything you're 

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going to do is going to be cool 
and it's going to work out and 

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be no problems. 
And then whenever there's 

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problems and it doesn't work out
and it causes issues in your own

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life and the lives of other 
people, you realize you were 

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presumptuous. 
You know, you assumed upon the 

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Lord about something that he 
didn't give you a green light 

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for. 
So whenever you have a, a sense 

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like, Hey, we need to do this or
this is what we should do, I'd 

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encourage you as I got to 
encourage myself, pray about it 

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for a while. 
Wait on the Lord, give us some 

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time. 
And then once you sense a 

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clearance and feel free to move 
on as God gives you grace to 

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move on. 
And then it says, the psalmist 

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says this is David, and surely 
we all know he had some 

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presumptuous sins when he ended 
up in the affair with Bathsheba.

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It says, let the words in my 
mouth and the meditation of my 

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heart be acceptable in your 
sight, O Lord, my strength and 

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my Redeemer. 
So the Holy Spirit, he works in 

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our lives and He speaks to us in
our conscience and through the 

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Word and in our minds. 
And I hear him most of the time 

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pretty loud and clear. 
Whether I want to hear him all 

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the time, that's another story, 
right? 

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But I know that He's always 
speaking and always want to 

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direct me. 
And I want my words, the things 

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that I say and the things I 
think about in my life to be 

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pleasing to Him, to be 
acceptable to him because He is 

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our strength and our Redeemer. 
So powerful section of 

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Scripture. 
Psalm 19, the whole Psalm. 

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You can review it, but you can 
make that your own prayer. 

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Lord, keep me back from making 
stupid decisions that are going 

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to affect myself and others in 
my testimony and a very, you 

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know, not cool way. 
So that is the foundation I 

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wanted to sort of share before 
we look at the the book of Acts,

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Proverbs 21 two says every way 
of a man is right in his own 

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eyes, but the Lord weighs his 
the hearts. 

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So lots of times we think what 
we're going to do is no problem,

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no issues. 
And and then we find out later 

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that there was a big issue 
because we we weren't listening 

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and we weren't paying attention.
So we're going to go to Acts 

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now. 
Acts chapter 23, if you have 

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your Bibles, but Acts chapter 
23, let's pray. 

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Father, we thank you, Lord, for 
assembling us together here 

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today as brothers and sisters in
Christ. 

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And Lord God, speak to all of us
about what it is you want us to 

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consider today. 
Maybe some of us are on verges 

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of decisions or doing things 
that we are maybe not well 

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advised over from you and from 
our closest friends. 

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Lord, give us wisdom. 
We need wisdom from you to know 

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how to live this life every day 
to make the right choices. 

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So Lord, may your blessing be 
upon your body, your bride, your

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sheep. 
Feed us Lord, from your word by 

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your Holy Spirit. 
And we ask these things in Jesus

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name, Amen. 
So Acts 23. 

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I'm going to read the first 10 
verses and then make some 

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comments. 
Well, I'm going to start with 

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first 30 the next day. 
This is the previous chapter. 

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This leaves into 23 the next 
day. 

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Because he wanted to know for 
certain why he was accused by 

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the Jews, he released him from 
his bonds and commanded the 

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chief priest on all the council 
to appear, and brought Paul down

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and set him before them. 
Then Paul, looking at earnestly 

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at the council, said men and 
brother. 

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And I have lived in a good 
conscience before God until this

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day. 
And the high priest Ananias 

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commanded those who stood by him
to strike him on the mouth. 

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Then Paul said to him, God will 
strike you, you whitewashed law,

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for you sit to judge me 
according to the law, and do not

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command me to be struck contrary
to the law. 

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And those who stood by said, Do 
you revile God's high priest? 

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And Paul said, I did not know, 
brother, and that he was the 

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high priest. 
For it is written, you shall not

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speak evil of a ruler of your 
people. 

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But when Paul perceived that one
part were Sadducees and the 

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other Pharisees, he cried out in
the council. 

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Men and brethren, I'm a 
Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee.

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Concerning the hope and 
resurrection of the dead, I am 

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being judged. 
And when he had said this, a 

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dissension arose between the 
Pharisees and the Sadducees, and

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the assembly was divided. 
For Sadducees say there was no 

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resurrection and no Angel or 
spirit, but the Pharisees 

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confessed both. 
Then there arose a lot outcry, 

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and the scribes of the Pharisees
party arose and protested, 

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saying, We find no evil in this 
man, but if a spirit or an Angel

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has spoken to him, let us not 
fight against God. 

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Now when there arose a great 
dissension, the commander, 

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fearing lest Paul might be 
pulled to pieces by them, 

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commanded the soldiers to get 
down and take him by force, and 

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among them bring him in to the 
barracks. 

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So Paul's intention of going to 
Jerusalem was to be able to 

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preach and and share the gospel 
and tell people about their need

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of Jesus Christ, specifically 
the Jewish people, that they 

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might understand and believe 
that Jesus Christ is the Messiah

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that was prophesized throughout 
the Old Testament, had come and 

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was crucified, buried and rose 
again on the third day. 

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So now he's in a different 
setting here. 

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They're moving him to another 
group of people, the Sanhedrin. 

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This is a 70 or 71 Jewish 
leaders who rule according to 

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the Law of Moses to make 
decisions on judgment upon 

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people was made-up of Pharisees 
and Sadducees. 

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Pharisees were the conservative 
branch of the Sanhedrin, and the

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Sadducees would be considered 
the liberal branch. 

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The Pharisees believed in a 
literal resurrection from the 

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dead. 
The Sadducees did not believe 

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that the body had a spirit or 
there was a literal 

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resurrection, that when you die,
you just die. 

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So they were sort of at odds to 
begin with, but somehow they 

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rolled together. 
So Paul's looking at them and 

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he's thinking in his mind, how 
can I get these people to listen

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to me? 
That was his whole focus. 

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So he says, men and brethren, 
He's calling them brethren 

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because Paul used to be a member
of the Sanhedrin. 

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Paul was a Pharisee of Pharisees
before he got born again, before

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he got saved on the road to 
Damascus. 

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He persecuted Christians, he 
hated the movement of God, the 

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way Christianity did not accept 
Jesus Christ didn't believe, and

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until the Lord got ahold of him 
personally and he did become a 

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believer. 
But he's trying to not flatter 

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them, but find a way of entry 
into having an opportunity of a 

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conversation. 
And he says I've lived in all 

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good conscience before God until
this day. 

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Now that came across, I'm sure 
to the leaders as well as the 

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big shot here that got upset 
with him, the high priest that 

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who in the world can honestly 
say that they've lived in all 

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good conscience before God until
this day. 

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I don't know about you, but 
sometimes my conscience isn't 

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good. 
I'm sure yours isn't either. 

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But Paul being apostle, boy, God
was so upon this guy and 

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anointing him in such an intense
way that he kept him on the 

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straight and narrow and on a 
very, very short leash because 

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he was responsible for so much 
of the beginning of the New 

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Testament church and also 
writing the scriptures that God 

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had given him for us to read as 
we're reading now. 

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So he's saying that his life was
in good place spiritually 

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according to the law and 
according to the Gospel. 

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The high priest hears this 
Ananias, and this Ananias is a 

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bad dude. 
He's not a good leader. 

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He's a scoundrel actually. 
He's hateful, he's vindictive, 

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he's godless. 
And he commands those who are 

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standing by Paul to strike him 
on the mouth just to, to start 

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beating him, which is illegal. 
You, you can't do that, let 

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alone with a Roman citizen. 
First of all, there's no crime 

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that he's committed. 
All he's doing obviously at this

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point in time is offending this 
guy's ego. 

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And then Paul says to him, God 
will strike you, you whitewashed

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wall, for you sit to judge me 
according to the law and do not 

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command me to be struck contrary
to the law. 

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So that wasn't a good way to 
start out when friends and 

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influence people in a 
conversation before the 

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authorities, right? 
He's antagonizing this high 

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priest and everything he said is
obviously true. 

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But Paul responded out of an 
emotion that made him angry. 

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Now, Jesus, whenever he was hit 
on the mouth, he didn't respond 

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this way. 
Matter of fact, Jesus didn't 

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open his mouth most of the time 
whenever he was being harassed, 

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something we can learn from. 
But Paul not being God, 

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obviously, and neither are we. 
When we get in a situation we 

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don't like and we think it's 
unfair, we're going to fight to 

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the end to prove that we're 
innocent. 

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And Paul wasn't going to take 
any guff from these people or 

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from this high priest. 
And so he basically says 

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something to him that he's a 
hypocrite. 

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Now, when I was in Israel and I 
saw the tombs and I was on the 

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Mount of Olives and looking 
down, I remember Jesus talking 

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about the Pharisees being like 
whitewashed sefalickers. 

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In other words, the tombs, they 
look really clean and beautiful 

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on the outside, but inside they 
were full of dead man's bones 

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and corruption. 
And I'll never forget that. 

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When I looked down and saw that,
it just, you know, resonated and

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reminded me of that because they
look beautiful, but inside they 

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were just full of nothing but 
broken lives and dust and souls 

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that will unfortunately be on 
their way to a Christ less 

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eternity in hell because they 
never believed that Jesus was 

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the Christ. 
But what's happening here is 

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that Paul is tying him into this
dead religion and this false 

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leadership he had that he's 
contrary and he's judging 

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unrighteously now. 
This guy eventually was caught 

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up couple years later before 
Rome was sacked and the Jewish 

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people had to scatter. 
But the Jewish people did find 

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this guy and eventually 
assassinate him. 

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So eventually he was judged for 
his crime of godless leadership 

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in government. 
And it says in verse 4, and 

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those who stood by said, do you 
revile God's high priest? 

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So first of all, this was an 
impromptu meeting. 

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And so there wasn't any kind of 
regalia and robes and all that 

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kind of stuff. 
And him sitting on a throne like

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some big shot. 
He came in, sat there talking, 

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listening, and Paul wasn't even 
aware that the high priest was 

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there. 
And this is interesting. 

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In verse 5, Paul says, I did not
know, brethren, that he was the 

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high priest. 
For it is written, you should 

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not speak evil of a ruler of 
your people. 

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So regardless of what Paul 
thought about this man's 

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leadership and his call and his 
ability to lead the people at 

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this time, then like him, 
hypocrite, scoundrel, Pagan, all

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the different names you could 
put on him, he knew the 

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scripture said you're not to 
speak evil of a roller of your 

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people. 
Now I wonder how many pleasant 

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things you or I have thought or 
said about Joe Biden lately. 

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He's making a lot of crazy 
moves, isn't he? 

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Yet he's the president of our 
country. 

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He was elected. 
Whether you think he was elected

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fairly or unfairly, it's not the
point. 

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The point is God has appointed 
him to be the president right 

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now. 
Now, I don't like it any more 

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than anybody else, but he's our 
president. 

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So I'm convicted. 
Like, do I pray for him? 

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I'm commanded to pray for those 
who are in authority that the 

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Lord would work in his heart, 
that he would cause him to come 

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to some kind of reasoning in his
mind to realize that the 

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legislation that he's making is 
causing us not to be 1 nation 

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under God anymore, but one 
nation under humanism and this 

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00:16:08,480 --> 00:16:11,760
immorality and this disgusting 
agendas. 

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Every time we turn around some 
kind of new things coming down. 

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So we're not. 
We'll have to be real careful, 

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all of us. 
And I'm telling you about 

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00:16:20,400 --> 00:16:24,240
myself, doesn't matter who's in 
office or who you like, who you 

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00:16:24,240 --> 00:16:27,120
don't like, you need to pray for
those who are in office. 

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00:16:27,200 --> 00:16:30,480
That's our responsibility as 
Christians and we need to do 

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00:16:30,480 --> 00:16:32,760
that. 
And maybe if we began to do 

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that, maybe there would be some 
changes in our nation because 

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that man needs God's mercy, just
like you and I do. 

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00:16:40,400 --> 00:16:43,760
And there was times in our lives
that we probably were worse than

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the way Joe Biden acts or lives 
perhaps. 

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00:16:47,440 --> 00:16:52,040
But this is a very clear 
statement that Paul said you 

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shall not speak evil of the 
ruler of your people. 

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00:16:55,080 --> 00:17:01,720
In verse 6 it says but when Paul
perceived that one part where 

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00:17:01,720 --> 00:17:06,680
Sadducees and other Pharisees, 
he cried out in the council men 

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and brethren, I'm a Pharisee. 
He was proud to say that he was 

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a Pharisee. 
He was a son of a Pharisee 

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concerning the hope of the 
resurrection of that I'm being 

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judged. 
So all Paul's wanting people to 

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know is that Christ rose again 
from dead. 

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Amen. 
But Paul's whole focus was to 

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let these people know the good 
news that there's life after 

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death, there's forgiveness of 
our sins, and that we can 

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believe on Christ as our Messiah
and have the promise of 

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everlasting life and never die. 
That's good news, right? 

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And they're wanting to silence 
Him. 

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Now what's interesting here is 
that when He said that the 

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00:17:42,480 --> 00:17:44,560
dissension began to occur in 
verse 7. 

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And when He said this, the 
dissension arose between the 

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Pharisees and the Sadducees, and
the assembly was divided. 

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00:17:50,320 --> 00:17:53,160
Now He wasn't intentionally 
trying to cause some kind of 

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00:17:53,160 --> 00:17:58,080
uproar, but He was just stating 
a case relating to what his past

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00:17:58,080 --> 00:18:01,640
was and the need for them to 
understand that there is a 

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resurrection where the Pharisees
were wow, Amen. 

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00:18:05,480 --> 00:18:09,400
That's what we believe that too.
But the Sadducees in verse 8 say

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00:18:09,400 --> 00:18:13,560
there is no resurrection and no 
Angel or spirit, but the 

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00:18:13,560 --> 00:18:15,680
Pharisees confess or believe 
both. 

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00:18:16,280 --> 00:18:18,880
Then there arose a lot outcry 
and the scribes and the 

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00:18:18,880 --> 00:18:22,920
Pharisees party arose in protest
and saying we find no evil in 

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00:18:22,920 --> 00:18:24,680
this man. 
So now the Pharisees are 

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00:18:24,680 --> 00:18:27,280
supporting Paul. 
There's really no crime he's 

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00:18:27,280 --> 00:18:29,240
committed. 
There's no reason for him to be 

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00:18:29,400 --> 00:18:33,200
in chains or to be smacked 
around or to be persecuted right

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00:18:33,200 --> 00:18:34,600
now. 
Absolutely none. 

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00:18:35,080 --> 00:18:37,800
And they're admitting there is 
no evil in him. 

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00:18:38,080 --> 00:18:43,600
And so let's let it go. 
If an Angel or a spirit had 

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00:18:43,600 --> 00:18:46,920
spoken to him and gave him this 
other revelation, they're saying

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00:18:46,920 --> 00:18:50,880
let us not fight against God. 
So now, when there arose of 

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00:18:50,880 --> 00:18:53,760
great dissension, the commander,
fearing lest Paul might be 

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00:18:53,760 --> 00:18:56,960
pulled to pieces by them, 
commanded the soldiers to go 

336
00:18:56,960 --> 00:19:00,200
down and take him by force from 
among them and bring him into 

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00:19:00,200 --> 00:19:01,800
the barracks. 
So this was getting dangerous. 

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00:19:01,800 --> 00:19:04,160
I mean, there was a big outroar 
here. 

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00:19:04,160 --> 00:19:07,880
There was a potential here of 
murder upon Paul, and so they 

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00:19:07,880 --> 00:19:10,600
had to get him out of there. 
It was this mass confusion. 

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00:19:11,040 --> 00:19:14,480
So here's Paul. 
Now think about this. 

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00:19:14,680 --> 00:19:17,480
It's like your greatest 
opportunity to share your faith 

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00:19:17,480 --> 00:19:21,160
with your family, maybe on a 
holiday or someone you work with

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00:19:21,160 --> 00:19:24,560
and, and you think the timing's 
perfect and it's all set up and 

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00:19:24,560 --> 00:19:26,240
you're just praying it's going 
to go well. 

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00:19:26,240 --> 00:19:29,280
And you got all the verses lined
up and you got your testimony 

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00:19:29,280 --> 00:19:33,120
ready and you begin to tell the 
people about what Jesus has done

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00:19:33,120 --> 00:19:35,880
for you and it falls on deaf 
ears. 

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00:19:36,360 --> 00:19:40,400
They begin to yell at you or 
complain or they don't want to 

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00:19:40,400 --> 00:19:43,320
hear it. 
They bring up all your flaws and

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00:19:43,320 --> 00:19:46,000
faults that you've had in your 
life and saying, who are you to 

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00:19:46,000 --> 00:19:49,600
say that you're a Christian? 
When you did this or you acted 

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00:19:49,600 --> 00:19:52,480
this way, you said that and you 
know what it's like and you 

354
00:19:52,480 --> 00:19:54,760
would be deflated, right? 
You would be discouraged. 

355
00:19:54,760 --> 00:19:58,000
You had the chance to tell them 
and it seemed like it didn't 

356
00:19:58,000 --> 00:19:59,560
work out. 
Like, Lord, why? 

357
00:20:00,720 --> 00:20:04,280
I really practice. 
I was really prepared and my 

358
00:20:04,480 --> 00:20:07,280
intention and my desire was to 
really be a blessing. 

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00:20:07,800 --> 00:20:10,200
And this is a mess. 
I've made a complete mess out of

360
00:20:10,200 --> 00:20:12,600
all this. 
Now if Paul would have listened 

361
00:20:12,600 --> 00:20:15,480
to the people in regards to not 
going up to Jerusalem right now,

362
00:20:15,960 --> 00:20:17,800
all this wouldn't have gone down
this way. 

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00:20:18,520 --> 00:20:21,760
But keep in mind that the Lord 
says all things work together 

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00:20:21,760 --> 00:20:24,720
for good to those who love him 
and are called according to his 

365
00:20:24,720 --> 00:20:28,840
purpose. 
So in your life and mine, the 

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00:20:28,840 --> 00:20:31,880
things that we've done or 
situations where we shared our 

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00:20:31,880 --> 00:20:35,480
faith that it's just been a 
complete bust is never in vain 

368
00:20:35,480 --> 00:20:40,000
because the Lord promises His 
Word won't return void if people

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00:20:40,000 --> 00:20:44,200
laugh at you or scoff at you or 
reject you or ridicule you 

370
00:20:44,200 --> 00:20:46,520
because of what it is you 
believe and what you're 

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00:20:46,680 --> 00:20:50,120
committed to in your life. 
We should distrust God in that 

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00:20:50,400 --> 00:20:52,600
even though it didn't work out, 
we wish it would work out 

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00:20:52,600 --> 00:20:55,720
better, right? 
But sometimes it doesn't. 

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00:20:56,440 --> 00:21:00,520
And that's the mystery of life. 
God causes all things to work 

375
00:21:00,520 --> 00:21:03,200
out according to the counsel of 
His own will, not my will or 

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00:21:03,200 --> 00:21:05,960
your will. 
His will be done right. 

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00:21:06,440 --> 00:21:09,080
So we're to be obedient to do 
what he tells us to do, 

378
00:21:09,320 --> 00:21:12,040
regardless of the potential 
consequences, especially in 

379
00:21:12,040 --> 00:21:15,360
regard to sharing our faith or 
standing up for our faith. 

380
00:21:15,640 --> 00:21:17,840
But Paul is, I'm sure, 
discouraged now. 

381
00:21:17,840 --> 00:21:20,720
He's in this prison. 
It's not a pleasant place to be.

382
00:21:21,120 --> 00:21:23,920
And this isn't verse 11. 
But the following night, the 

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00:21:23,920 --> 00:21:28,800
Lord stood by him and said, now 
the Lord is faithful to be with 

384
00:21:28,800 --> 00:21:32,200
us in our failings. 
He's not like people who will 

385
00:21:32,200 --> 00:21:36,600
reject us and tell us we're 
worthless or we're disqualified.

386
00:21:36,600 --> 00:21:40,240
Or, you know, the Lord is the 
God of the second chance, the 

387
00:21:40,240 --> 00:21:42,520
third chance, the fifth chance, 
the 100th chance. 

388
00:21:42,520 --> 00:21:48,080
He never gives up on us. 
He always comes to us to assure 

389
00:21:48,080 --> 00:21:49,960
us and to encourage us and to 
love on us. 

390
00:21:49,960 --> 00:21:54,000
He doesn't come to revile us or 
to condemn us or to judge us as 

391
00:21:54,000 --> 00:21:56,440
his kids. 
He's a loving father and he 

392
00:21:56,440 --> 00:21:58,800
knows how to minister to us. 
He knew Paul felt like a 

393
00:21:58,800 --> 00:22:01,640
failure. 
He knew Paul had the heads up 

394
00:22:01,640 --> 00:22:03,760
not to go. 
And Jesus didn't say, well, the 

395
00:22:03,760 --> 00:22:06,320
reason this has happened is 
because you didn't listen, 

396
00:22:06,920 --> 00:22:09,040
right? 
Like I would as a parent, I'd 

397
00:22:09,040 --> 00:22:12,720
say to my kids, if you wouldn't 
have done that, like I told you,

398
00:22:12,760 --> 00:22:14,600
you shouldn't, this wouldn't 
have happened. 

399
00:22:14,840 --> 00:22:16,960
That's not the best way to 
minister to your kids. 

400
00:22:17,480 --> 00:22:19,720
You should try to figure out a 
different way to get to them, 

401
00:22:19,720 --> 00:22:21,240
right? 
But we're all the same way. 

402
00:22:21,240 --> 00:22:23,360
That's how we all act. 
And it's just, you know, self 

403
00:22:23,360 --> 00:22:26,080
righteousness or being judges or
whatever. 

404
00:22:26,280 --> 00:22:29,280
But this is the Lord here. 
He says to him, be of good 

405
00:22:29,280 --> 00:22:31,920
cheer. 
Paul's down in the dumps, be of 

406
00:22:31,920 --> 00:22:34,080
good cheer. 
You got to be kidding me. 

407
00:22:35,120 --> 00:22:39,520
This is how God loves us. 
And he says Paul, for as you 

408
00:22:39,520 --> 00:22:42,200
have testified for me in 
Jerusalem, and he didn't give an

409
00:22:42,200 --> 00:22:45,400
attitude of how well it went or 
how bad it went. 

410
00:22:45,400 --> 00:22:48,320
He just said you testified for 
me in Jerusalem. 

411
00:22:48,320 --> 00:22:51,560
That meant something. 
So you must also bear witness at

412
00:22:51,560 --> 00:22:55,120
Rome, and Paul's greatest desire
was to eventually get the room 

413
00:22:55,120 --> 00:22:58,640
before he died to share. 
Paul loved being in the big 

414
00:22:58,640 --> 00:23:01,200
cities and seeing the 
architecture and reading about 

415
00:23:01,200 --> 00:23:03,480
the artwork and meeting all the 
interesting people. 

416
00:23:03,680 --> 00:23:06,200
He loved the sightsee and he was
a Taurus. 

417
00:23:06,200 --> 00:23:10,040
But he was also an apostle and 
whenever he went into a city he 

418
00:23:10,040 --> 00:23:13,000
wanted to become all things to 
all men that he might win some. 

419
00:23:13,160 --> 00:23:15,920
He tried to have start up 
conversations to be able to find

420
00:23:15,920 --> 00:23:19,240
a place of relating with people 
on their term as opposed to 

421
00:23:19,240 --> 00:23:22,640
speaking down to him. 
He was just that way and 

422
00:23:22,640 --> 00:23:25,880
something we can learn by his 
methodology and evangelism. 

423
00:23:25,880 --> 00:23:28,760
He didn't pound people on the 
head like many of us have done 

424
00:23:28,760 --> 00:23:32,920
at times. 
And so he's encouraging Paul and

425
00:23:32,920 --> 00:23:36,080
I pray today, wherever you're at
and spiritual and walking and 

426
00:23:36,320 --> 00:23:39,120
life and circumstances and 
things that don't seem to be 

427
00:23:39,120 --> 00:23:42,080
working out right the way you'd 
like them to, but the Lord's 

428
00:23:42,080 --> 00:23:47,280
coming alongside of you telling 
you to be a good sheer, don't be

429
00:23:47,280 --> 00:23:52,200
discouraged. 
Don't be dismissed for your 

430
00:23:52,200 --> 00:23:55,200
Lord, Your God is with you 
wherever you go. 

431
00:23:57,240 --> 00:24:00,240
We're so glad you joined us 
today on this edition of Living 

432
00:24:00,240 --> 00:24:03,240
Waters of Grace. 
Pastor Clark is teaching through

433
00:24:03,240 --> 00:24:06,560
the Book of Acts, which is the 
only book that chronicles the 

434
00:24:06,560 --> 00:24:10,360
history of the early church 
immediately after Jesus's 

435
00:24:10,440 --> 00:24:13,560
ascension. 
It gives us a front row seat to 

436
00:24:13,560 --> 00:24:16,800
how the Gospel began to move 
outwards, starting in Jerusalem 

437
00:24:17,040 --> 00:24:19,720
and reaching into the heart of 
the Roman Empire. 

438
00:24:20,320 --> 00:24:24,200
In just three decades, a small 
group of frightened ordinary 

439
00:24:24,200 --> 00:24:27,960
believers became a bold, spirit 
empowered movement that 

440
00:24:27,960 --> 00:24:32,120
transformed the known world. 
Acts is not just a history 

441
00:24:32,120 --> 00:24:34,440
lesson. 
It's a reminder of what God can 

442
00:24:34,440 --> 00:24:38,360
do when His people are 
surrendered, obedient and filled

443
00:24:38,440 --> 00:24:41,960
with the Holy Spirit. 
Their perseverance still 

444
00:24:41,960 --> 00:24:46,040
inspires us today. 
May we follow their example and 

445
00:24:46,040 --> 00:24:48,640
live faithfully for Christ in 
our own time. 

446
00:24:49,320 --> 00:24:51,200
We hope today's message 
encouraged you. 

447
00:24:51,400 --> 00:24:55,120
Living Waters of Grace is a 
ministry of Calvary Chapel, 

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Westmoreland. 
If you're in the Greensburg, PA 

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area, we'd love to have you join
us in person. 

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Our Sunday service begins at 
10:30 AM at 400 E Pittsburgh St.

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Unit 6B. 
Be sure to visit 

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calvarychapelonline.com to 
confirm times and learn more. 

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If you are in the Greensburg 
area, you can listen to Grace FM

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on the new 91.7 frequency. 
Please pray about supporting 

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this outreach. 
Gifts can be sent to Grace FMPO 

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Box 716, Greensburg, PA 15601. 
Stay connected through Facebook,

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YouTube, or our Calvary Chapel 
Westmoreland app. 

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Join our e-mail list, submit 
prayer requests, and give online

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all at calvarychapelonline.com. 
Thank you for tuning in and 

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spending this time in God's 
Word. 

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Be sure to join us again for 
Living Waters of Grace.