1 00:00:07,880 --> 00:00:11,160 Let's read from verse one through to verse 11. 2 00:00:13,640 --> 00:00:16,280 After these things, that's the things that have happened in 3 00:00:16,280 --> 00:00:19,280 chapter 17. Paul's been in Athens speaking 4 00:00:19,280 --> 00:00:23,480 to the Greeks. After these things, Paul 5 00:00:23,480 --> 00:00:25,720 departed from Athens and went to Corinth. 6 00:00:26,240 --> 00:00:35,120 Corinth is on an isthmus location between the Aegean Sea 7 00:00:35,120 --> 00:00:41,120 and he found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, who had 8 00:00:41,120 --> 00:00:44,800 recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, Elvis's 9 00:00:46,280 --> 00:00:50,040 former wife. Because Claudius had commanded 10 00:00:50,080 --> 00:00:52,040 all the Jews to depart from Rome. 11 00:00:52,040 --> 00:00:56,520 So even back then, the Jews were expelled out of Rome and he came 12 00:00:56,520 --> 00:00:59,400 to them. So because he was of the same 13 00:00:59,400 --> 00:01:01,920 trade. So here's a good thing, all of 14 00:01:01,920 --> 00:01:05,160 you tradies here. Paul was a tradie, by the way, 15 00:01:05,160 --> 00:01:09,160 Jesus Christ was a tradie. He was a Carpenter in 16 00:01:09,160 --> 00:01:12,280 construction. Paul was a tradie. 17 00:01:12,360 --> 00:01:14,800 He was a tent maker, a leather worker. 18 00:01:15,560 --> 00:01:18,600 And so the rest of the disciples, many of them were 19 00:01:18,600 --> 00:01:21,720 tradies. They were fishermen just for our 20 00:01:21,720 --> 00:01:24,880 interest, and he came to them. So because he was of the same 21 00:01:24,880 --> 00:01:28,160 trade, he stayed with them, That's with a quill and 22 00:01:28,160 --> 00:01:32,400 Priscilla, and worked for by occupation. 23 00:01:32,440 --> 00:01:36,640 They were tent makers. Some Bibles have leather 24 00:01:37,160 --> 00:01:40,000 workers. And he reasoned in the synagogue 25 00:01:40,000 --> 00:01:45,320 every Sabbath and persuaded both Jews and Greeks when Silas and 26 00:01:45,320 --> 00:01:49,320 Timothy had come from Macedonia, because that's where they were. 27 00:01:49,960 --> 00:01:55,680 Paul enters Corinth by himself. Paul was compelled by the Spirit 28 00:01:56,240 --> 00:02:00,560 that is led by the Spirit and testified to the Jews that and 29 00:02:00,560 --> 00:02:03,720 here's the message that you should hear every Sunday. 30 00:02:05,400 --> 00:02:08,960 Jesus is the Christ. If you don't hear Jesus 31 00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:11,360 mentioned in the sermon, you got a problem. 32 00:02:12,840 --> 00:02:19,000 Jesus is the Christ, but they that is the synagogue opposed 33 00:02:19,000 --> 00:02:21,880 him blaspheme. They would have blasphemed the 34 00:02:21,880 --> 00:02:28,440 Lord. Paul shook his garments, said to 35 00:02:28,440 --> 00:02:32,960 them, Your blood be upon your heads. 36 00:02:33,320 --> 00:02:37,480 I'm clean. From now on I will go to the 37 00:02:37,480 --> 00:02:40,360 Gentiles, to the Greeks in Corinth. 38 00:02:41,200 --> 00:02:43,840 And he departed from there and entered the House of a certain 39 00:02:43,840 --> 00:02:47,040 man named Justice, one who worshipped God. 40 00:02:47,040 --> 00:02:51,400 He's a believer whose house was next door to the synagogue. 41 00:02:53,240 --> 00:02:58,480 And Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, he believed, and the 42 00:02:58,480 --> 00:03:05,000 Lord with all his household, and many of the Corinthians hearing, 43 00:03:05,400 --> 00:03:08,960 believed and noticed that those are being baptised, were 44 00:03:08,960 --> 00:03:12,920 baptised. Now the Lord spoke to Paul in 45 00:03:12,920 --> 00:03:18,720 the night by a vision. Do not be afraid, but speak. 46 00:03:19,600 --> 00:03:22,240 Do not keep silent from with you. 47 00:03:23,080 --> 00:03:28,840 No one will attack you to hurt you, for I have many people in 48 00:03:28,840 --> 00:03:34,480 the city and Paul continued there a year and six months, 49 00:03:35,040 --> 00:03:37,920 teaching the word of God. Among them. 50 00:03:39,160 --> 00:03:45,320 Corinth, a city some 500 metres above sea level, divides the 51 00:03:45,320 --> 00:03:50,240 Ionian Sea via the Gulf of Corinth to the West from the 52 00:03:50,320 --> 00:03:56,560 Aegean Sea. It's an isthmus in 1893 or the 53 00:03:56,640 --> 00:04:00,360 the Roman Caesars tried to build a canal was too hard, too much 54 00:04:00,360 --> 00:04:03,480 rock. But the Corinthian or Corinth 55 00:04:03,480 --> 00:04:09,000 Cal Canal was completed in 1893 by those who built the Panama 56 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:13,480 Canal and it cuts through this land bridge connecting the two 57 00:04:13,480 --> 00:04:18,360 seas and allowing ships to avoid the dangerous 700 kilometre 58 00:04:18,360 --> 00:04:21,279 journey otherwise around the peninsula. 59 00:04:22,400 --> 00:04:27,360 Now in Paul's time Corinth had a population of over 500,000 60 00:04:27,360 --> 00:04:31,560 people. Corinth had been a very proud 61 00:04:32,360 --> 00:04:41,160 and immoral Roman colony and their culture was very Roman and 62 00:04:43,320 --> 00:04:47,600 in Corinth they had the main temple they worship was of the 63 00:04:47,600 --> 00:04:54,080 God goddess Aphrodite, otherwise called Venus, the goddess of 64 00:04:54,080 --> 00:04:59,680 love and was located some 2000 feet above sea level behind the 65 00:04:59,680 --> 00:05:04,000 city. And at every evening, 1000 66 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:10,200 female prostitutes would come down from the temple, swarm into 67 00:05:10,200 --> 00:05:17,200 the city and have their way and have worship as they would call 68 00:05:17,200 --> 00:05:24,240 it, with the men of Corinth. Corinth was such a a wicked city 69 00:05:27,040 --> 00:05:30,880 that to be called a Corinthian people would say he's acting 70 00:05:30,880 --> 00:05:36,920 like Corinthian was to mean you were a drunkard who practised 71 00:05:36,920 --> 00:05:41,320 and lived a completely debauched lifestyle. 72 00:05:42,960 --> 00:05:46,800 Corinth and Paul's day was the Las Vegas of Rome. 73 00:05:48,880 --> 00:05:54,320 The Greeks love the live theatre and any time an actor was 74 00:05:54,320 --> 00:05:59,400 playing the part of a drunk in a play in a role, it was said he 75 00:05:59,400 --> 00:06:05,080 would be playing a Corinthian. So it has this, this, this 76 00:06:05,440 --> 00:06:12,160 absolute wickedness about it. As I said, Helen and I travelled 77 00:06:12,160 --> 00:06:16,600 to Ephesus and then to Athens in the area, and we went through 78 00:06:16,600 --> 00:06:20,760 the museum there and I actually stopped part way. 79 00:06:20,760 --> 00:06:24,040 I said I can't do this anymore because everything that they 80 00:06:24,040 --> 00:06:27,040 have in the museum is of the age of how they used to live, the 81 00:06:27,040 --> 00:06:28,840 statues and everything's just revolting. 82 00:06:29,920 --> 00:06:33,080 It was just wicked, unbelievable. 83 00:06:34,320 --> 00:06:37,920 And this is the very proud culture that they had behind 84 00:06:37,920 --> 00:06:41,680 them. So Timothy had been sent to 85 00:06:41,680 --> 00:06:46,040 Thessalonica. Silas had stayed in Athens to 86 00:06:46,040 --> 00:06:50,680 wait for Timothy to come back, and then Paul in the meantime 87 00:06:50,680 --> 00:06:53,040 headed off the Corinth on his own. 88 00:06:54,440 --> 00:06:57,160 I don't know about you, but when I was a new believer, when I was 89 00:06:57,160 --> 00:07:01,040 reading the Bible, I would often view, and it was probably be 90 00:07:01,040 --> 00:07:07,560 based on as a kid, I watched all the great Bible movies, you 91 00:07:07,560 --> 00:07:11,240 know, King of Kings and the Bible, the 10 Commandments and 92 00:07:11,240 --> 00:07:14,000 so on. And I used to think, and you 93 00:07:14,000 --> 00:07:17,400 know, every time there was a Peter or someone in the movies 94 00:07:17,400 --> 00:07:21,240 or something happened, then you'd hear the, the music and 95 00:07:21,240 --> 00:07:24,240 the person would walk into the room and this is Peter's here. 96 00:07:25,640 --> 00:07:28,280 And we had this glow about him. And I used to think that's when 97 00:07:28,280 --> 00:07:30,840 I was first saved. That was kind of like I still 98 00:07:30,840 --> 00:07:34,880 had that that culture background and in my imagination as I would 99 00:07:34,880 --> 00:07:39,360 read the Bible. But then as I actually began to 100 00:07:39,360 --> 00:07:46,040 read the Bible properly, I began to say they're not like what I 101 00:07:46,040 --> 00:07:49,680 thought they were. But we have this view often of 102 00:07:49,680 --> 00:07:53,040 men and women of the Bible characters we love. 103 00:07:54,480 --> 00:07:59,240 We sometimes can think of them with a touch of celebrity or 104 00:07:59,240 --> 00:08:02,360 even a a Hollywood superhero outlook. 105 00:08:03,600 --> 00:08:06,680 We picture Paul then arriving in Corinth. 106 00:08:07,560 --> 00:08:11,400 Everyone thinks Paul's about 6 foot four in a broad shoulders. 107 00:08:11,400 --> 00:08:13,560 And actually he was probably around. 108 00:08:13,560 --> 00:08:17,080 Most history tells us he's probably around about 5/9. 109 00:08:17,720 --> 00:08:23,840 He had a very large nose. He was balding and his voice 110 00:08:24,840 --> 00:08:27,720 wasn't how are you going? And he wasn't over him. 111 00:08:28,200 --> 00:08:31,520 He was kind of like pretty high pitched, but that's only 112 00:08:31,760 --> 00:08:34,520 hearsay. But we have this other otherwise 113 00:08:34,520 --> 00:08:36,600 image, don't we? We think Paul, we need to strut 114 00:08:36,600 --> 00:08:40,919 in and do this chest out, ready to do business. 115 00:08:40,919 --> 00:08:44,240 Current here. I am celebrity pastor. 116 00:08:44,240 --> 00:08:46,840 He's got the right shoes, He's got the right tattoos. 117 00:08:47,520 --> 00:08:50,680 He's wearing the leather and the white shirt and a few chains and 118 00:08:50,680 --> 00:08:53,480 things. That's a celebrity pastor. 119 00:08:54,680 --> 00:09:00,040 We need to buy one of those for here, but this is not the 120 00:09:00,040 --> 00:09:03,600 picture that Paul paints for us in our text today. 121 00:09:04,640 --> 00:09:09,080 Paul tells us in his own words, the mindset, the trepidation 122 00:09:09,320 --> 00:09:12,200 that he entered this proud, immoral, wicked city. 123 00:09:12,280 --> 00:09:16,160 How he how he actually went in he he writes it out clearly in 124 00:09:16,160 --> 00:09:18,000 one Corinthians and I'll read it to you. 125 00:09:18,240 --> 00:09:20,320 One Corinthians chapter 2, verse 1. 126 00:09:20,560 --> 00:09:25,960 He says, And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with 127 00:09:26,280 --> 00:09:33,480 excellence of speech. He wasn't a profound orator or 128 00:09:33,480 --> 00:09:39,600 of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God, Paul said, For 129 00:09:39,600 --> 00:09:45,120 I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus 130 00:09:45,120 --> 00:09:48,160 Christ and him crucified the gospel. 131 00:09:49,520 --> 00:09:57,320 I was with you in weakness, Paul says, actually in fear, in much 132 00:09:57,320 --> 00:10:00,200 trembling. So this is not the image we have 133 00:10:00,200 --> 00:10:03,680 of Paul the apostle, you know, coming into the synagogue 134 00:10:03,680 --> 00:10:04,960 saying, you know, where do I sit? 135 00:10:04,960 --> 00:10:06,240 Where am I speaking? Where's the crowd? 136 00:10:06,560 --> 00:10:11,560 Give me the microphone in much trembling and my speech and my 137 00:10:11,560 --> 00:10:15,840 preaching. We're not with persuasive words 138 00:10:15,840 --> 00:10:23,080 of human wisdom. Paul spoke the gospel Jesus 139 00:10:23,080 --> 00:10:29,880 Christ as the Messiah. He was beaten, He was crucified. 140 00:10:30,800 --> 00:10:33,360 He rose from the dead on the third day. 141 00:10:34,040 --> 00:10:36,800 He was seen for 40 days by 500 witnesses. 142 00:10:37,240 --> 00:10:39,040 He's the Son of God. He died. 143 00:10:39,040 --> 00:10:42,160 He's the Lamb of God. You need to receive him as the 144 00:10:42,160 --> 00:10:43,480 Messiah. Pretty much it. 145 00:10:45,800 --> 00:10:49,360 But Paul said, But I came in demonstration of the Spirit. 146 00:10:49,640 --> 00:10:54,360 That's the Holy Spirit and of power that your faith should not 147 00:10:54,360 --> 00:10:58,600 be in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. 148 00:10:58,800 --> 00:11:01,800 I want you to note that because there's something really 149 00:11:01,800 --> 00:11:06,720 catching on at the moment as the world is in this fuel this, this 150 00:11:07,240 --> 00:11:11,360 the crisis in the Middle East. And you can go on YouTube and 151 00:11:11,360 --> 00:11:15,520 there are podcasts from every Tom, Dick and Harry telling us 152 00:11:15,720 --> 00:11:18,240 the prophecy of this and the prophecy of that. 153 00:11:18,240 --> 00:11:20,360 And this is what's happening. Be careful of this. 154 00:11:20,640 --> 00:11:23,640 This is the new thing. We go this that way and that way 155 00:11:23,640 --> 00:11:25,680 and what's happening and I'm seeing it. 156 00:11:26,640 --> 00:11:31,760 It's affecting the local church because people are becoming 157 00:11:32,280 --> 00:11:34,840 podcast followers and worshippers. 158 00:11:35,360 --> 00:11:39,360 Nothing wrong with the podcast. I watch them, but I don't watch 159 00:11:39,360 --> 00:11:44,160 them as my church or watch them as this is where I get my source 160 00:11:44,360 --> 00:11:49,040 because this has to be the source of where you get your 161 00:11:49,040 --> 00:11:52,280 information. Because what's happening is 162 00:11:52,280 --> 00:11:54,040 people are saying this is the new thing. 163 00:11:54,040 --> 00:11:56,320 Have you heard? Let me this is going to blow you 164 00:11:56,320 --> 00:11:58,360 out of the water. I'm this is something new you 165 00:11:58,360 --> 00:12:01,800 haven't heard of ever before. We haven't heard it ever before 166 00:12:01,920 --> 00:12:06,800 because it's a lot of rubbish. And I tell you, people are 167 00:12:06,800 --> 00:12:10,520 coming up to me and saying stuff and I'm seeing people talk about 168 00:12:10,520 --> 00:12:13,000 things all over the place with the events of the war. 169 00:12:13,400 --> 00:12:17,080 And if you just read this, you would never come up with that. 170 00:12:17,760 --> 00:12:22,240 Here's the thing, if you come across something that you think, 171 00:12:22,360 --> 00:12:26,800 wow, that's, oh, that and that tickles your fancy, be careful 172 00:12:28,320 --> 00:12:32,600 because if you couldn't come up with it by reading this, someone 173 00:12:32,600 --> 00:12:36,920 else has given you something. I'm telling you that today 174 00:12:37,280 --> 00:12:42,280 because as we go through the book of Acts, all we see, all we 175 00:12:42,280 --> 00:12:48,280 hear is what for the early church, Christ crucified, the 176 00:12:48,280 --> 00:12:51,440 cross, the death, the resurrection. 177 00:12:52,800 --> 00:12:57,280 And today Jesus says in Matthew 24 and I can't wait till Pastor 178 00:12:57,280 --> 00:13:00,360 Israel gets there in five years time, probably going through the 179 00:13:00,360 --> 00:13:09,080 book of Matthew, Beware in the last days there'll be Christ 180 00:13:09,080 --> 00:13:10,520 here. Christ people say he's here, 181 00:13:10,520 --> 00:13:13,920 he's there. Deception to be deceived, even 182 00:13:13,920 --> 00:13:19,640 the very elect. If you can't come up with what 183 00:13:19,720 --> 00:13:24,280 someone is telling you about, you can't find it in here just 184 00:13:24,280 --> 00:13:27,920 by reading this. You know what I as we say in 185 00:13:27,920 --> 00:13:32,040 cricket, let it go to the keeper, let it go, just let it 186 00:13:32,040 --> 00:13:34,360 go. This is what you need. 187 00:13:35,000 --> 00:13:40,400 This alone is what you need. Jesus Christ alone is what you 188 00:13:40,400 --> 00:13:45,240 need. And so Paul, notice he says I 189 00:13:45,240 --> 00:13:51,080 come determined not to know anything among you except what 190 00:13:51,840 --> 00:13:58,520 Jesus Christ and him crucified. Paul did not come with 191 00:13:58,520 --> 00:14:04,200 excellence of speech. It wasn't the gifted speaker or 192 00:14:04,200 --> 00:14:06,920 great wisdom or I've come up with a few things. 193 00:14:06,920 --> 00:14:10,720 Listen to this. Get your pens out, Paul, just 194 00:14:10,720 --> 00:14:13,720 one of these hearers to know about Jesus Christ. 195 00:14:15,320 --> 00:14:18,720 You know when you're about to die, you don't want to hear the 196 00:14:18,720 --> 00:14:22,200 latest new thing. You want to hear about Jesus 197 00:14:22,200 --> 00:14:28,440 Christ that I'm going to see him, that I know him, and that 198 00:14:28,560 --> 00:14:31,560 I've had my sins washed away by him. 199 00:14:33,360 --> 00:14:38,840 Paul tells us he was pretty fearful, intimidated at this 200 00:14:38,840 --> 00:14:42,280 time, trembling in fact. That was his own words, but 201 00:14:42,280 --> 00:14:47,200 God's message, God's power was with him and came through. 202 00:14:47,920 --> 00:14:53,400 When Paul arrived in Corinth, he knew no one behind him in Athens 203 00:14:53,760 --> 00:14:58,320 was only a handful of believers. Remember in Acts chapter 17 came 204 00:14:58,320 --> 00:15:00,840 to Christ to show for his preaching and his teaching 205 00:15:00,840 --> 00:15:06,080 efforts as he spoke about the the statue that they had the 206 00:15:06,080 --> 00:15:09,720 altar to the unknown God in Acts 1732. 207 00:15:09,720 --> 00:15:12,320 Let me recap. And when they heard of the 208 00:15:12,320 --> 00:15:16,680 resurrection of the dead, Paul preached, some mocked, while 209 00:15:16,680 --> 00:15:20,280 others said we'll hear again. They procrastinated. 210 00:15:20,520 --> 00:15:22,080 We'll hear you again on this matter. 211 00:15:22,320 --> 00:15:24,080 So Paul departed from among them. 212 00:15:24,080 --> 00:15:29,320 However, some men join them, not a lot and believed among them 213 00:15:30,120 --> 00:15:34,080 Dionyses, the Arapa guide, a woman named Damaris and others 214 00:15:34,080 --> 00:15:37,800 with them. You kind of look and and I and I 215 00:15:37,800 --> 00:15:39,920 think I shared with people on Wednesday night. 216 00:15:40,440 --> 00:15:44,120 People say well see and what Paul did wrong on Wednesday on 217 00:15:44,120 --> 00:15:49,600 the Mars hill to preaching his he he didn't expound he, you 218 00:15:49,600 --> 00:15:52,880 know, he just you know, but you know if you read what he did, he 219 00:15:52,880 --> 00:15:54,520 did exactly what God told me to do. 220 00:15:54,520 --> 00:15:57,680 He spoke about the creator. He spoke about Jesus Christ who 221 00:15:57,680 --> 00:16:00,280 made heaven on earth. He told them that they needed to 222 00:16:00,280 --> 00:16:02,960 repent of their sin. Pretty good by me. 223 00:16:03,080 --> 00:16:08,200 But here's the deal. Preachers aren't responsible for 224 00:16:08,200 --> 00:16:12,680 the response. Preachers preach. 225 00:16:14,640 --> 00:16:18,480 The message goes out. Then as you sit, and we'll get 226 00:16:18,480 --> 00:16:23,000 to it a bit more detail shortly, how you respond, that's your 227 00:16:23,000 --> 00:16:27,520 business. And he's arriving in the city. 228 00:16:28,960 --> 00:16:33,560 Paul was stunned. I can imagine overwhelmed, you 229 00:16:33,560 --> 00:16:37,720 could say, by the massive culture shock that struck him of 230 00:16:37,720 --> 00:16:40,800 the the debauchery of the city called Corinth. 231 00:16:41,720 --> 00:16:45,280 Paul now understood what was probably awaiting him again as 232 00:16:45,280 --> 00:16:49,680 he ministered into this city. Would it be the same patent 233 00:16:49,680 --> 00:16:53,160 again that Paul has had since he's begun his ministry? 234 00:16:53,960 --> 00:16:55,400 He would preach in the synagogue. 235 00:16:56,200 --> 00:17:00,240 Some would hear, some would believe, but he knew that the 236 00:17:00,240 --> 00:17:04,000 Jews, either in the synagogue or that he preached in or in the 237 00:17:04,000 --> 00:17:08,720 city or those from other places where he'd been tracking him, 238 00:17:08,920 --> 00:17:13,119 would arrive in Corinth. They would stir up a mob and 239 00:17:13,119 --> 00:17:18,880 he'd be belt belted. Once again, Paul sensed his own 240 00:17:18,880 --> 00:17:24,920 helplessness, the frailty of his humanity as he viewed the tasks 241 00:17:24,920 --> 00:17:27,359 that layer before him in Corinth. 242 00:17:27,359 --> 00:17:34,920 I mean, one gets sick and tired of actually being stoned, spat 243 00:17:34,920 --> 00:17:39,360 on, abused. And Paul was overwhelmed. 244 00:17:39,480 --> 00:17:42,600 It just hit him. He needed help. 245 00:17:44,840 --> 00:17:48,480 But God is always ahead of us. He's ready to assist. 246 00:17:49,640 --> 00:17:53,080 And God had a couple, a married couple, husband and wife, Aquila 247 00:17:53,080 --> 00:17:58,560 and Priscilla, believers who had coincidentally been chased out 248 00:17:58,560 --> 00:18:03,800 of Rome because they were Jews. But better still, their vocation 249 00:18:03,800 --> 00:18:06,440 just happened to be they were tent makers, leather workers, 250 00:18:06,600 --> 00:18:10,240 just like Paul, waiting in the city of Corinth. 251 00:18:12,000 --> 00:18:15,000 Now all rabbis is a good thing for the young men, especially 252 00:18:15,000 --> 00:18:19,640 here to know all rabbis and all Jewish young men, Yes, we're 253 00:18:19,640 --> 00:18:25,040 required to study to their best. You go to university, get what 254 00:18:25,040 --> 00:18:27,600 you could, get your degree, get your qualification. 255 00:18:27,840 --> 00:18:32,400 But in addition, you couldn't just be a university graduate. 256 00:18:32,600 --> 00:18:38,920 You also had to have a trade. Every rabbi had their degrees 257 00:18:39,760 --> 00:18:44,480 and every rabbi had a trade. They are a Baker or a tent maker 258 00:18:44,480 --> 00:18:47,640 or a leather worker or a cobbler or something like that, because 259 00:18:48,480 --> 00:18:51,400 when things get tough, people don't need a professor telling 260 00:18:51,400 --> 00:18:52,960 them about the economics of the world. 261 00:18:53,280 --> 00:18:56,400 They need someone who can make bread or lay bricks. 262 00:18:57,080 --> 00:19:00,000 And so that was a very, very interesting, interesting thing 263 00:19:00,000 --> 00:19:01,840 that the Jews still have much today. 264 00:19:02,720 --> 00:19:07,520 And Paul had this graduate of the University of Tasa, 265 00:19:07,520 --> 00:19:09,920 something of the great Gamma Leal, but he's a tent maker. 266 00:19:10,800 --> 00:19:16,640 Paul needed money to live. He arrived and he needed money 267 00:19:16,640 --> 00:19:18,400 to be able to minister the gospel. 268 00:19:18,640 --> 00:19:23,920 So he, Aquila and Priscilla shared their business together 269 00:19:23,920 --> 00:19:27,320 as tent makers. Paul also now had a place to 270 00:19:27,320 --> 00:19:28,560 stay. He stayed with them. 271 00:19:29,400 --> 00:19:32,920 Verse 4 and he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath and 272 00:19:32,920 --> 00:19:36,240 persuaded both Jews and Greeks. Paul, it's the synagogue. 273 00:19:36,240 --> 00:19:40,760 This is the plan gives him the gospel tells him that Jesus is 274 00:19:40,760 --> 00:19:45,320 the Messiah. Verse 5 Saul and Timothy arrive. 275 00:19:46,200 --> 00:19:50,480 Paul has been preaching and the synagogue opposed that word 276 00:19:50,480 --> 00:19:53,360 opposed means they resist violently. 277 00:19:53,360 --> 00:19:57,080 Paul what he's preached. It's actually means in the Greek 278 00:19:57,320 --> 00:20:02,960 they arranged in battle format that was so against Paul what he 279 00:20:02,960 --> 00:20:05,280 was preaching and they blasphemed. 280 00:20:06,680 --> 00:20:09,480 So Paul shook his garments, said to them. 281 00:20:12,000 --> 00:20:14,640 Your blood be upon your heads. I'm clean. 282 00:20:15,280 --> 00:20:17,640 From now on, I'll go to the Gentiles. 283 00:20:19,400 --> 00:20:22,840 Here's the deal. You can come to church, hear the 284 00:20:22,840 --> 00:20:26,160 gospel, and refuse it. But here's something God's 285 00:20:26,160 --> 00:20:29,520 viewpoint on that. It's a serious matter when you 286 00:20:29,520 --> 00:20:33,880 refuse His gospel. God so loved the world that he 287 00:20:33,880 --> 00:20:36,800 gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should 288 00:20:36,800 --> 00:20:39,000 not perish but have overlasting life. 289 00:20:39,360 --> 00:20:42,000 Oh well, I don't care for him. I don't care for God. 290 00:20:42,440 --> 00:20:47,080 OK, you're allowed to do that. But for God it's a serious 291 00:20:47,080 --> 00:20:52,080 matter because it means you will go to an eternity without God, 292 00:20:52,240 --> 00:20:56,840 without Christ, without love on your own, and you'll be there 293 00:20:56,960 --> 00:21:02,600 forever and ever and ever. No light, just darkness, wailing 294 00:21:02,840 --> 00:21:06,240 and gnashing of your teeth. It's a serious matter. 295 00:21:08,320 --> 00:21:14,240 So Silas, Timothy arrive. They bring with them the blessed 296 00:21:14,280 --> 00:21:16,880 offering that came from the church at Philippi. 297 00:21:17,240 --> 00:21:21,040 Now Paul, he's free. He's got some finances. 298 00:21:21,160 --> 00:21:25,240 He's now able to minister full time in the city of Corinth, 299 00:21:26,160 --> 00:21:28,960 which he did for 18 months. What happened? 300 00:21:29,240 --> 00:21:32,080 The Jews opposed Paul rejected his preaching. 301 00:21:32,760 --> 00:21:37,120 They blasphemy the Lord, and Paul gives it to them. 302 00:21:37,120 --> 00:21:39,640 And you go, oh, OK, fair enough. OK, no worry. 303 00:21:39,640 --> 00:21:41,600 It's all right. Believe how you want to believe. 304 00:21:41,600 --> 00:21:46,200 You know, each man to his own. No, he says this, and this is 305 00:21:46,200 --> 00:21:53,160 pretty brutal. Your blood, your future, your 306 00:21:53,160 --> 00:21:56,200 judgement. In other words, be upon your own 307 00:21:56,200 --> 00:21:59,080 heads. I'm clean. 308 00:21:59,200 --> 00:22:02,160 I've given you the gospel. I've given you the way to get 309 00:22:02,160 --> 00:22:05,160 out of the fire. I've given you the way to escape 310 00:22:05,160 --> 00:22:07,400 the power of sin, this power of judgement. 311 00:22:09,320 --> 00:22:11,160 From now on, I'll go to the Gentiles. 312 00:22:13,080 --> 00:22:19,920 In Ezekiel chapter 3, the prophet Ezekiel is given a 313 00:22:19,920 --> 00:22:23,960 mission by God, and Ezekiel is called to be a watchman. 314 00:22:23,960 --> 00:22:27,040 A watchman is the guy that went on the tower of the walled 315 00:22:27,040 --> 00:22:31,200 cities, and when the enemy came, called out, Hey everybody, the 316 00:22:31,200 --> 00:22:33,960 enemy's coming, be alert, we're ready, get ready. 317 00:22:34,160 --> 00:22:39,560 Warning, warning. And it says in Ezekiel 318, 318 00:22:39,560 --> 00:22:43,680 listen to what the Lord says when I say this is God speaking 319 00:22:43,680 --> 00:22:46,160 to the wicked, you shall surely die. 320 00:22:46,800 --> 00:22:52,560 And you, the watchman, Ezekiel, give him no warning nor speak to 321 00:22:52,560 --> 00:22:56,240 warn the wicked from his wicked way to save his life. 322 00:22:56,760 --> 00:23:00,280 That same wicked man shall die in his iniquity. 323 00:23:00,280 --> 00:23:09,000 Yes, but God says his blood I will require of you, Ezekiel. 324 00:23:10,280 --> 00:23:18,760 Wow, you're responsible as God's watchman, Ezekiel the prophet 325 00:23:18,760 --> 00:23:23,680 was responsible for sounding the warning of impending judgement 326 00:23:23,680 --> 00:23:28,280 to Israel. He was to warn both the wicked 327 00:23:28,520 --> 00:23:32,080 and the righteous. A wicked person was to be 328 00:23:32,080 --> 00:23:33,160 warned. Why? 329 00:23:33,440 --> 00:23:38,040 To turn away from their evil ways in order to save their life 330 00:23:38,320 --> 00:23:43,360 physically and spiritually, or die in their sin. 331 00:23:44,880 --> 00:23:47,400 The righteous man was also to be warned. 332 00:23:48,560 --> 00:23:52,760 Verse 19 of Ezekiel 3. If you warn them and they refuse 333 00:23:52,760 --> 00:23:56,640 to repent and keep on sinning, they will die in their sins, but 334 00:23:56,640 --> 00:23:59,920 you will have saved yourself because you obeyed me. 335 00:23:59,920 --> 00:24:03,760 In other words, I won't require their blood on your hands 336 00:24:03,760 --> 00:24:06,520 because you've actually told them how to get saved, what to 337 00:24:06,520 --> 00:24:07,720 do. They've ignored it. 338 00:24:08,880 --> 00:24:13,360 Verse 20 If righteous people turn away from their righteous 339 00:24:13,360 --> 00:24:16,880 behaviour and ignore the obstacles I put in their way, 340 00:24:17,240 --> 00:24:20,040 they will die. And if you do not warn them, 341 00:24:20,040 --> 00:24:22,120 they will die in their sins. Now this is speaking 342 00:24:22,120 --> 00:24:28,680 specifically in this case of physical danger, because when 343 00:24:28,680 --> 00:24:32,880 you and I come to Christ we are saved and saved forevermore. 344 00:24:34,280 --> 00:24:37,400 But there was a warning. None of their righteous acts 345 00:24:37,400 --> 00:24:40,120 will be remembered and I will hold you responsible for their 346 00:24:40,120 --> 00:24:42,640 deaths. But if you warn righteous people 347 00:24:42,640 --> 00:24:45,640 not to sin, and they listen to you and do not sin, they will 348 00:24:45,640 --> 00:24:48,560 live and you will have saved yourself too. 349 00:24:48,960 --> 00:24:54,040 So the big kicker here is if Ezekiel filed to warn of 350 00:24:54,040 --> 00:25:00,080 approaching danger, God would hold him accountable for the 351 00:25:00,080 --> 00:25:04,360 blood of the people. And so, you know, people that 352 00:25:04,360 --> 00:25:07,800 get up behind a pulpit every Sunday and teach the word of 353 00:25:07,800 --> 00:25:13,160 God, the Bible tells us that God holds them to a double standard. 354 00:25:14,840 --> 00:25:16,760 A double standard, you got to live for God. 355 00:25:16,960 --> 00:25:20,120 But also I'm holding you responsible for every word that 356 00:25:20,120 --> 00:25:22,760 you speak to the people that come into this church. 357 00:25:25,040 --> 00:25:31,640 The task of every Bible teaching pastor is to proclaim the truth 358 00:25:31,640 --> 00:25:36,520 of the gospel. What the hearer does with that 359 00:25:36,520 --> 00:25:44,720 truth rests upon their own head. Ours is not to argue people into 360 00:25:44,720 --> 00:25:45,960 the Kingdom. Paul didn't. 361 00:25:46,160 --> 00:25:49,560 He said I didn't come with persuasive words tricking them 362 00:25:49,640 --> 00:25:51,240 in. You know, I ate free beer every 363 00:25:51,240 --> 00:25:57,240 Sunday if you come to church. But to proclaim the message of 364 00:25:58,080 --> 00:26:02,640 that, that Jesus is the Christ, that he died for their sins, 365 00:26:02,960 --> 00:26:07,520 that he rose from the dead the third day, that he's coming back 366 00:26:08,360 --> 00:26:11,040 to judge the world with righteousness. 367 00:26:12,440 --> 00:26:15,960 With the gospel that Paul preached being rejected, Paul 368 00:26:15,960 --> 00:26:19,880 let the Jews know that their rejection and eternal 369 00:26:19,880 --> 00:26:23,880 destruction is on their heads. So you can see here, you can 370 00:26:23,880 --> 00:26:25,600 come to church and come and go, come and go. 371 00:26:25,920 --> 00:26:28,840 And if God is speaking to you over and over and over and you 372 00:26:28,840 --> 00:26:34,680 do nothing about that, then the preacher, your blood is not on 373 00:26:34,680 --> 00:26:38,840 the preacher's hands. But if the preacher doesn't warn 374 00:26:38,840 --> 00:26:42,520 you, then God holds the preacher. 375 00:26:44,960 --> 00:26:50,720 But the decision making occurs, and the chairs and where you sit 376 00:26:50,720 --> 00:26:53,480 each and every Sunday, every time you sit under the word of 377 00:26:53,480 --> 00:26:57,880 God, I hear the word of God. How am I going to react to it? 378 00:26:58,080 --> 00:27:01,920 What am I going to do? And God says, yeah, I want to 379 00:27:01,920 --> 00:27:04,560 know what you're going to do because it's serious with me. 380 00:27:07,240 --> 00:27:12,720 Paul shook his garments because Jesus had taught the disciples 381 00:27:12,720 --> 00:27:15,480 to shake his garments. It wasn't like, oh sorry guys, 382 00:27:15,480 --> 00:27:17,480 sorry offender dude, let's let's compromise. 383 00:27:17,480 --> 00:27:19,080 Let's kind of work something out. 384 00:27:19,080 --> 00:27:23,760 No, you refuse. Jesus told the disciples before 385 00:27:23,760 --> 00:27:28,120 he sent them out on 2 occasions in Luke 9 verse 5. 386 00:27:28,400 --> 00:27:33,120 And if a town refuses to welcome you, shake it's dust from your 387 00:27:33,120 --> 00:27:39,560 feet as you leave to show that you have abandoned those people 388 00:27:39,840 --> 00:27:45,240 to their fate. They would actually kick the the 389 00:27:45,240 --> 00:27:48,280 dirt off the sandals if they had left the the town perimeter. 390 00:27:49,080 --> 00:27:53,800 Jesus said that if they don't hear you, judgement will be upon 391 00:27:53,800 --> 00:27:56,840 them. He said again in Luke chapter 10 392 00:27:56,840 --> 00:28:01,760 verse 11, we wipe even the dust of your town from our feet to 393 00:28:01,760 --> 00:28:04,360 show that we have abandoned you to your fate. 394 00:28:04,360 --> 00:28:07,120 And know this, the Kingdom of God is near. 395 00:28:09,080 --> 00:28:13,120 Paul now focuses his attention, his preaching on the Gentile 396 00:28:13,320 --> 00:28:15,360 population of Corinth, the Greeks. 397 00:28:16,200 --> 00:28:19,600 Now God surely has a sense of humour, you say, Well, he must 398 00:28:19,600 --> 00:28:22,240 have because it's got you as a preacher. 399 00:28:22,560 --> 00:28:25,840 You've got to be kidding me. I remember pulling into the 400 00:28:25,840 --> 00:28:29,560 driveway, I saw two mates that I'd played football with many 401 00:28:29,560 --> 00:28:33,520 years and I was driving and away and I saw them to had seen them 402 00:28:33,520 --> 00:28:36,200 for years pulled in talk to them how they what have they been 403 00:28:36,200 --> 00:28:38,640 doing and everything like this. And I said, I'm now in the 404 00:28:38,640 --> 00:28:44,480 ministry and I went you could you man, if you're going to be 405 00:28:44,480 --> 00:28:46,680 in it, God, God can have anybody in it. 406 00:28:46,680 --> 00:28:48,080 Man, that's a joke. I both laugh. 407 00:28:48,080 --> 00:28:57,040 I thought it was pretty funny. So Paul leaves the synagogue. 408 00:28:57,400 --> 00:29:01,720 He enters the House of certain men, verse 7 named Justice who 409 00:29:01,720 --> 00:29:06,400 worship God and notice where the house was, whose house was next 410 00:29:06,400 --> 00:29:09,960 door to the synagogue. It had a connecting wall. 411 00:29:10,640 --> 00:29:16,760 It's like rejected, accepted right next to one another. 412 00:29:19,720 --> 00:29:23,080 This was an adjoining wall connecting justice house and the 413 00:29:23,080 --> 00:29:27,240 synagogue that had rejected the message of the gospel from Paul. 414 00:29:27,600 --> 00:29:31,840 So between a a wall, a set of bricks was a group of people 415 00:29:31,840 --> 00:29:34,200 said you don't want this. Paul blasphemed. 416 00:29:34,440 --> 00:29:37,040 And on the other side, Paul come, oh, this is awesome. 417 00:29:37,160 --> 00:29:39,360 Great. And Paul set up his base. 418 00:29:41,040 --> 00:29:43,320 So Paul sets up friendship with justice. 419 00:29:44,080 --> 00:29:48,960 A brother in Christ uses his house as his home and the ruler 420 00:29:48,960 --> 00:29:53,240 next door, the rule of the synagogue gets saved and all his 421 00:29:53,240 --> 00:29:55,320 family. That's pretty funny. 422 00:29:56,720 --> 00:30:03,040 But now we find the great, courageous, fearless Paul and 423 00:30:03,040 --> 00:30:06,640 he's depressed. It's interesting when you read 424 00:30:06,640 --> 00:30:09,880 of great old preachers, Charles hadn't Spurgeon, who you should 425 00:30:09,880 --> 00:30:14,720 just read anything that he's ever written, suffered massive 426 00:30:14,720 --> 00:30:18,720 depression. You wonder how can a guy who can 427 00:30:18,720 --> 00:30:23,280 speak so eloquently and so well versed on the things of God have 428 00:30:23,280 --> 00:30:26,320 depression fallen? John Wesley, There's many you 429 00:30:26,320 --> 00:30:29,400 can go just rattle him off. Went through periods of Great 430 00:30:29,400 --> 00:30:34,160 Depression. Here we find Paul depressed. 431 00:30:34,680 --> 00:30:36,400 Not only depressed, he's fearful. 432 00:30:37,280 --> 00:30:41,800 There's no wind in these sails. He's down, He's really 433 00:30:41,800 --> 00:30:45,840 struggling. And the great apostle of Christ 434 00:30:45,840 --> 00:30:50,320 is worried. Was Paul's mind regurgitating 435 00:30:50,320 --> 00:30:54,080 what had previously happened to him back in Philippi? 436 00:30:54,720 --> 00:30:59,280 He's beaten, left for dead, stoned, thrown in gaol, the Jews 437 00:30:59,280 --> 00:31:03,960 who just haunted and shadowed his every step in Thessalonica. 438 00:31:04,400 --> 00:31:07,440 Then they came to Berea when all this break out yet again in 439 00:31:07,440 --> 00:31:12,480 Corinth. Here's the deal, you and I read 440 00:31:12,480 --> 00:31:16,040 the Bible properly. The scriptures are not filled 441 00:31:16,040 --> 00:31:23,160 with superheroes. Abraham lied twice about his 442 00:31:23,160 --> 00:31:29,040 wife to save himself, yet in Romans chapter 4 he's the father 443 00:31:29,040 --> 00:31:35,440 of our faith. Jacob man, shifty. 444 00:31:42,810 --> 00:31:47,810 But they were men and women just like you and I, whom God 445 00:31:47,810 --> 00:31:52,010 empowered to do the extraordinary, the impossible. 446 00:31:53,090 --> 00:31:59,880 In James chapter 5, it says the effect of fervent prayer of a 447 00:31:59,880 --> 00:32:05,760 righteous man avails much. Elijah, the great prophet 448 00:32:05,760 --> 00:32:12,240 Elijah, James says, was a man with a nature like he's just 449 00:32:12,240 --> 00:32:14,480 like you and I. We can't fathom that, can we? 450 00:32:14,480 --> 00:32:17,520 We kind of think Elijah, woo Hoo, Elijah, say something, make 451 00:32:17,520 --> 00:32:19,720 it rain, hold the rain, stop the rain, make it rain. 452 00:32:24,040 --> 00:32:26,880 Because he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and he did 453 00:32:26,880 --> 00:32:29,360 not rain on the land for three years and six months. 454 00:32:30,160 --> 00:32:32,840 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth 455 00:32:32,840 --> 00:32:36,240 produced its fruit. The same Elijah. 456 00:32:36,440 --> 00:32:38,880 And it's usually part of their journey. 457 00:32:38,880 --> 00:32:42,240 We go to Caesarea, and then from Caesarea we head on our Israel 458 00:32:42,240 --> 00:32:43,960 tour, and then we go to Mount Carmel. 459 00:32:45,400 --> 00:32:51,480 And that's where Elijah took on 450 screaming bar false 460 00:32:51,480 --> 00:32:57,320 prophets. Mount Carmel defeated them but 461 00:32:57,320 --> 00:33:01,720 at one time this mighty Elijah, he too revealed his humanity 462 00:33:04,480 --> 00:33:08,960 because after he does this Queen Jezebel here's what's happened. 463 00:33:09,760 --> 00:33:13,560 I had tells her the king Jezebel says I'm going to get this guy, 464 00:33:13,560 --> 00:33:18,080 I'm going to hunt him down, I'm going to kill him and Elijah 465 00:33:18,200 --> 00:33:26,640 takes off. So it says when Kings 19/4, but 466 00:33:26,640 --> 00:33:29,080 he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness. 467 00:33:29,080 --> 00:33:34,520 He ran for a full day, came and sat down under a broom tree. 468 00:33:34,520 --> 00:33:36,280 Broom trees where you grow brooms, obviously. 469 00:33:37,840 --> 00:33:41,560 And he prayed that he might die. He's running away because they 470 00:33:41,560 --> 00:33:43,880 were killing him. Got to kill him. 471 00:33:43,880 --> 00:33:46,640 He says you kill me. Pretty funny. 472 00:33:46,640 --> 00:33:54,720 I find that funny and said it's enough, Lord, take my life, for 473 00:33:54,720 --> 00:33:57,760 I'm no better than my father's. Now. 474 00:33:57,760 --> 00:34:00,320 Paul was human, just like you and I as we read. 475 00:34:00,880 --> 00:34:04,880 Yes, Paul had acted extraordinary at many times, but 476 00:34:04,880 --> 00:34:09,440 he had been hurt. He carried scars no less. 477 00:34:09,639 --> 00:34:13,639 He's affected, impacted by the beatings and the lies and the 478 00:34:13,639 --> 00:34:18,199 words, the harassing, constant outrage against him, false 479 00:34:18,199 --> 00:34:23,679 accusations, the physical beatings, the emotional roller 480 00:34:23,679 --> 00:34:26,080 coaster of being in prison and out of prison. 481 00:34:26,080 --> 00:34:27,840 Oh hey, am I going to get arrested? 482 00:34:27,840 --> 00:34:29,400 Am I going to get beaten? This mob? 483 00:34:29,400 --> 00:34:31,280 Which way? Who's going to do what to me? 484 00:34:32,719 --> 00:34:38,199 Any other person would begin to shout at the prospect of facing 485 00:34:38,199 --> 00:34:42,639 more suffering. But also, this city was the most 486 00:34:42,639 --> 00:34:45,280 wicked city Paul had ever stepped foot in. 487 00:34:46,000 --> 00:34:49,080 Now Paul was a seasoned traveller and he was shocked at 488 00:34:49,080 --> 00:34:52,080 what he found in Corinth in its immorality. 489 00:34:52,560 --> 00:34:56,040 So what happens with Paul when he he's done? 490 00:34:56,639 --> 00:35:00,040 He's a bit cooked, scared this night. 491 00:35:00,040 --> 00:35:05,400 Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision. 492 00:35:05,400 --> 00:35:11,040 We're going to see four things. One, Paul, don't be afraid. 493 00:35:12,440 --> 00:35:14,200 How often does God have to tell me that? 494 00:35:14,960 --> 00:35:18,360 I tell you how often every day, do not be afraid. 495 00:35:19,680 --> 00:35:23,080 Secondly, speak and do not keep silent. 496 00:35:23,080 --> 00:35:29,200 Secondly, I am with you. You're not alone, I'm with you. 497 00:35:30,640 --> 00:35:35,840 Thirdly, no one will attack you. I control Paul all that's going 498 00:35:35,840 --> 00:35:40,480 on, for I have many people in the city. 499 00:35:40,640 --> 00:35:44,920 Fourthly, and he continued there a year, six months, teaching the 500 00:35:44,920 --> 00:35:48,480 word among them. So let's look at these four as 501 00:35:48,480 --> 00:35:51,680 we come come to to to the conclusions. 502 00:35:52,400 --> 00:35:57,320 One, do not be afraid. How many times does Jesus out of 503 00:35:57,320 --> 00:36:00,600 these words to his disciples in the Gospels, do a quick run 504 00:36:00,600 --> 00:36:02,000 through Matthew, Mark, Luke and John? 505 00:36:02,400 --> 00:36:07,040 I did. It's 10 times that Jesus comes 506 00:36:07,040 --> 00:36:09,960 to his disciples and he says, don't be afraid. 507 00:36:10,520 --> 00:36:12,400 I'm with you. Don't be afraid. 508 00:36:12,640 --> 00:36:17,360 Oh, you have little faith. He says it 10 times because 10 509 00:36:17,360 --> 00:36:24,240 times they were scared. Paul had given way to fear, just 510 00:36:24,240 --> 00:36:28,440 as Elijah and many other Bible heroes have done so as well. 511 00:36:29,200 --> 00:36:32,800 In our own lives, we are sometimes trouble borrowers. 512 00:36:32,800 --> 00:36:36,120 What's that? We live our lives waiting for 513 00:36:36,120 --> 00:36:39,840 something disastrous and unpleasant to happen to us. 514 00:36:40,120 --> 00:36:42,120 Oh, flat tyre. Well, I knew that was coming. 515 00:36:42,400 --> 00:36:44,760 Oh, boss wants to see me? Oh well, he's probably going to 516 00:36:44,760 --> 00:36:46,000 sack me. Oh, great. 517 00:36:46,320 --> 00:36:47,600 Oh, what's? Oh, yeah. 518 00:36:47,920 --> 00:36:48,360 Oh, yeah. That. 519 00:36:48,400 --> 00:36:50,480 Well, that broke down. Yeah, that would break down. 520 00:36:50,520 --> 00:36:52,400 Oh, the fridge is gone. Oh, the roller doors not 521 00:36:52,400 --> 00:36:53,560 working. You know, I knew that was 522 00:36:53,560 --> 00:36:56,240 coming. We live as travel, travel 523 00:36:56,240 --> 00:37:00,200 borrowers. We're worried about a river 524 00:37:00,200 --> 00:37:02,120 being flooded. And we haven't even got to the 525 00:37:02,120 --> 00:37:03,640 river to know if it is flooded yet. 526 00:37:05,480 --> 00:37:08,000 God knew he needed to encourage Paul. 527 00:37:08,280 --> 00:37:10,400 God knows he needs to encourage you. 528 00:37:12,240 --> 00:37:16,520 Paul needed to know just like you and I do, God loved him and 529 00:37:16,520 --> 00:37:21,160 God does. The apostle John boiled in oil 530 00:37:21,160 --> 00:37:24,600 couldn't couldn't kill him. They as he got older and older, 531 00:37:24,600 --> 00:37:26,880 he's the only apostle that died of old age. 532 00:37:26,880 --> 00:37:29,960 They would bring him out, they would plunk him down and he 533 00:37:29,960 --> 00:37:33,080 would say these words, God loves you. 534 00:37:34,040 --> 00:37:37,600 Then they'll pick him up and take him back because the people 535 00:37:37,600 --> 00:37:42,360 needed to reminded that God loves them. 1 John 418 says 536 00:37:42,680 --> 00:37:49,720 there is No Fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear 537 00:37:50,280 --> 00:37:56,120 because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been 538 00:37:56,120 --> 00:38:00,880 made perfect in love. You see, being reassured and 539 00:38:00,880 --> 00:38:04,520 knowing that God loves us, what it does, it puts our fears to 540 00:38:04,520 --> 00:38:06,120 flight. Well, God will sort it out. 541 00:38:06,720 --> 00:38:10,160 All of a sudden it's the on the fire of the fear. 542 00:38:11,480 --> 00:38:16,160 God saw that time and time again, over and over. 543 00:38:17,440 --> 00:38:25,400 The scriptures remind us, do not fear, do not be afraid, he said, 544 00:38:25,640 --> 00:38:28,600 but speak and do not keep silent, Paul. 545 00:38:29,280 --> 00:38:33,360 Secondly, keep speaking. Don't be silent or clam up. 546 00:38:34,080 --> 00:38:38,280 Fear makes us afraid to speak. You know who you the most afraid 547 00:38:38,280 --> 00:38:43,880 you are to speak of the gospel about your family, your family, 548 00:38:44,160 --> 00:38:46,560 sons, daughters, mums, dads, brothers, sisters, cousins. 549 00:38:46,800 --> 00:38:49,680 You know why? You don't want them to reject 550 00:38:49,680 --> 00:38:51,920 you. You don't want them to say 551 00:38:51,920 --> 00:38:56,400 you're just a religious idiot. We and what we do. 552 00:38:56,440 --> 00:39:00,480 And here's the danger. We put our own feelings before 553 00:39:00,480 --> 00:39:03,440 the salvation of a lost soul. Well, I'd rather have them be 554 00:39:03,440 --> 00:39:08,880 kind to me than go to hell. That's the reality of when we 555 00:39:09,400 --> 00:39:14,480 are fearful and sharing now we don't share stupidly. 556 00:39:15,480 --> 00:39:19,080 We share in love and kindness. And there are windows and doors 557 00:39:19,080 --> 00:39:21,720 and opportunities. When you can say, now you know 558 00:39:21,720 --> 00:39:24,920 I'm a praying person or a person of faith. 559 00:39:26,640 --> 00:39:32,320 So you you wait for the door to open and you come in wise as a 560 00:39:32,320 --> 00:39:35,640 serpent, gentle as a dove, and you share the truth. 561 00:39:36,960 --> 00:39:40,480 Because usually is the ones who are the most vocal against you 562 00:39:40,800 --> 00:39:46,760 are the ones who are the closest because they know you're right. 563 00:39:47,800 --> 00:39:51,120 And you know what? You and I hate being told we're 564 00:39:51,120 --> 00:39:59,480 wrong when we know it's true. We don't like the thought of 565 00:39:59,480 --> 00:40:03,160 being rejected, but place rejection with salvation. 566 00:40:03,640 --> 00:40:07,960 Really, you're worried about your own feelings more than 567 00:40:08,280 --> 00:40:13,400 sharing the love of Christ. So we keep silent. 568 00:40:14,680 --> 00:40:18,040 We imprison our fears within us. Well, I won't mention it to Dad 569 00:40:18,040 --> 00:40:23,760 because you know what he'll say. It is only boldness that 570 00:40:23,760 --> 00:40:26,640 overcomes it and releases our fear. 571 00:40:28,080 --> 00:40:30,240 What did Paul do? What should we do? 572 00:40:31,480 --> 00:40:34,080 All continued there a year and six months. 573 00:40:35,120 --> 00:40:39,200 He went ahead and did it, even though he was what we read. 574 00:40:39,520 --> 00:40:44,000 Scared, trembling. Isn't that how you are when you 575 00:40:44,000 --> 00:40:46,320 approach a family? You want to share the gospel of 576 00:40:46,320 --> 00:40:48,280 someone who's well, what's going on here? 577 00:40:51,240 --> 00:40:56,800 It's just normal. It's because we, we, we're so 578 00:40:56,800 --> 00:41:04,040 worried about offending someone. God had spoken to fearfully, 579 00:41:04,040 --> 00:41:07,520 Elijah, just as we've seen speaking to Paul, God told 580 00:41:07,520 --> 00:41:09,840 Elijah going to stand up and go up to that cave. 581 00:41:09,840 --> 00:41:11,960 And you know what happened? There were three events, the 582 00:41:11,960 --> 00:41:15,000 wind, the fire and all this. And then there was a still small 583 00:41:15,000 --> 00:41:19,120 voice. And you know what God said to 584 00:41:19,120 --> 00:41:22,320 Elijah, Elijah, what are you doing here? 585 00:41:22,960 --> 00:41:24,840 He literally says, what are you doing here? 586 00:41:25,720 --> 00:41:28,200 Why are you here? You're not supposed to be here. 587 00:41:30,080 --> 00:41:35,960 So he said to Elijah, go return on your way. 1 Kings 1915 What 588 00:41:35,960 --> 00:41:42,160 did the prophet Elijah do? 1 Kings 19901919 So he left, he 589 00:41:42,160 --> 00:41:46,800 departed, he went back. Let us remember that in our 590 00:41:46,800 --> 00:41:51,520 weakness, when you're struggling with family, when you got this 591 00:41:51,520 --> 00:41:53,800 moment, you want to share the gospel. 592 00:41:54,000 --> 00:41:56,600 You think this is a window? Open the door, open you. 593 00:41:56,640 --> 00:41:58,120 You can't. Well, how do I do this? 594 00:41:58,720 --> 00:42:00,480 That's when you're at your weakest, correct? 595 00:42:02,360 --> 00:42:07,800 It's in that weakness, when we obey God, that Christ's presence 596 00:42:08,080 --> 00:42:12,040 is greater. Don't forget, you're not on your 597 00:42:12,040 --> 00:42:13,560 own. God's going, whoa, see how this 598 00:42:13,560 --> 00:42:17,000 goes. Remember, he wants that person 599 00:42:17,000 --> 00:42:19,480 saved. He's opened the door, He's 600 00:42:19,480 --> 00:42:22,000 prepared. You don't know what's been going 601 00:42:22,000 --> 00:42:25,480 on in the other person's life or mine, what they've been going 602 00:42:25,480 --> 00:42:28,720 through as you're about to share, and you hid it at the 603 00:42:28,720 --> 00:42:36,800 right time because you're obedient, Paul said, 2 604 00:42:36,800 --> 00:42:43,600 Corinthians 12/9. God said this to Paul, My grace 605 00:42:43,600 --> 00:42:45,840 is sufficient for you. You don't need anything else. 606 00:42:47,400 --> 00:42:53,880 I'm all you need for my strength is made perfect in weakness, in 607 00:42:53,880 --> 00:42:56,840 your weakest moment, when you're trying to share, when you oh, 608 00:42:57,360 --> 00:43:02,720 that's when God is the strongest in your life, when you're 609 00:43:02,720 --> 00:43:04,920 arrogant, when you think I'm going to tell them what's going 610 00:43:04,960 --> 00:43:07,640 on. That's when you're a fool and 611 00:43:07,640 --> 00:43:11,560 your words fall flat and they go, who's this? 612 00:43:13,880 --> 00:43:15,720 People care when they know that you care. 613 00:43:18,040 --> 00:43:21,360 Paul then said, therefore most gladly, I will rather boast in 614 00:43:21,360 --> 00:43:25,640 my infirmities, and the power of Christ may wrestle. 615 00:43:27,200 --> 00:43:29,920 So Paul entered Corinth after the Lord had visited with him 616 00:43:29,920 --> 00:43:33,240 that night. And it says in one Corinthians 617 00:43:33,240 --> 00:43:39,600 chapter 2 verse three, I was with you in weakness, in fear, 618 00:43:39,880 --> 00:43:42,360 and in much trembling, but he was obedient. 619 00:43:42,680 --> 00:43:46,120 That's why God moved. That's why that's why it 620 00:43:46,120 --> 00:43:50,600 happened. You see, faith and courage are 621 00:43:50,600 --> 00:43:55,560 twins When you obey and it's a well, what are we going to do? 622 00:43:55,920 --> 00:43:58,720 When you obey and you step out and fight and courage comes with 623 00:43:58,720 --> 00:44:04,280 it, God gives you the courage. Phillip Brooks said do not pray 624 00:44:04,280 --> 00:44:07,880 for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men. 625 00:44:08,960 --> 00:44:10,760 You and I, we pray. Oh, make it easy. 626 00:44:10,760 --> 00:44:16,760 Oh hell no, no, no, no, no. Do not pray for easy lives. 627 00:44:17,320 --> 00:44:24,440 Pray to be stronger men. Lastly, Oh no Third Point, the 628 00:44:24,440 --> 00:44:30,240 Lord said verse 10, I am with you and no man shall sit on you 629 00:44:30,240 --> 00:44:33,720 to hurt you, for I have much people in this city. 630 00:44:33,720 --> 00:44:35,040 This is the most wonderful verse. 631 00:44:35,040 --> 00:44:38,840 I read this verse often. No one is going to attack you 632 00:44:38,840 --> 00:44:43,600 Paul or harm you. Thus we see God reveals what was 633 00:44:43,600 --> 00:44:45,880 troubling Paul. Paul was scared. 634 00:44:45,880 --> 00:44:48,080 Why? Because God knew he was scared. 635 00:44:48,080 --> 00:44:51,120 So he says fear not. Then he says why you're scared. 636 00:44:51,120 --> 00:44:53,080 That one's going to belt you up. Paul. 637 00:44:54,720 --> 00:44:57,400 Because Paul was just. He was done with getting belted. 638 00:45:00,200 --> 00:45:02,880 He's not a big man and they would just pulverise him. 639 00:45:05,720 --> 00:45:10,320 Paul had suffered terribly. God's protection does not mean 640 00:45:10,320 --> 00:45:15,440 we'll be free from difficulties, but God will never allow us to 641 00:45:15,440 --> 00:45:20,560 face more than we can bear. But there's something more. 642 00:45:20,560 --> 00:45:24,240 The last point that the Lord spoke to Paul that drove him 643 00:45:24,240 --> 00:45:27,640 from fear to boldness. He says, I have much people in 644 00:45:27,640 --> 00:45:31,720 this city. There are people, yes, family 645 00:45:31,720 --> 00:45:37,360 members included, and I'm saying this to you, that God has and 646 00:45:38,640 --> 00:45:44,480 God knows, will eventually bow their knee to the Lord in our 647 00:45:44,480 --> 00:45:45,840 family. How long am I? 648 00:45:46,720 --> 00:45:49,800 We've been going through some difficult times with death. 649 00:45:50,520 --> 00:45:57,280 We're still facing them, but in two occasions through this, two 650 00:45:57,280 --> 00:45:59,360 members of their family have come to Christ. 651 00:46:01,000 --> 00:46:04,440 Amazing. And they've come to Christ at 652 00:46:04,440 --> 00:46:07,800 the time that they need it, just like the thief on the cross. 653 00:46:09,720 --> 00:46:16,560 Isn't that wonderful? You see, God takes the mess, the 654 00:46:16,560 --> 00:46:20,120 hurt, the pain of death. He says, devil, you're doing 655 00:46:20,120 --> 00:46:22,400 your best. But here's what I'm going to do 656 00:46:24,320 --> 00:46:32,240 out of this. I'm bringing salvation life, 657 00:46:33,480 --> 00:46:38,400 eternal life to two people who had lived without Christ. 658 00:46:43,040 --> 00:46:48,800 There are people, God says to Paul, it's you today that are 659 00:46:48,800 --> 00:46:52,760 waiting to be saved. Did you know that? 660 00:46:55,000 --> 00:47:00,680 Waiting to hear the gospel waiting to be told about Jesus 661 00:47:01,960 --> 00:47:06,120 that he died for them and he loved them because in Ephesians 662 00:47:06,120 --> 00:47:10,160 chapter one verse 4 the same thing happened to you and me. 663 00:47:10,840 --> 00:47:14,880 Paul wrote according as he has chosen us in him before the 664 00:47:14,880 --> 00:47:21,680 foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame 665 00:47:22,120 --> 00:47:28,360 before him in love before God did verse one God knew you. 666 00:47:28,440 --> 00:47:35,720 He says I'm saving you before and we came, I received Christ. 667 00:47:37,720 --> 00:47:42,840 My mum got saved at a Billy Graham crusade and I'll never 668 00:47:42,840 --> 00:47:48,160 forget her desire as a young girl, her parents, my 669 00:47:48,160 --> 00:47:55,240 grandparents weren't very church orientated at all, a matter of 670 00:47:55,240 --> 00:48:01,800 fact that they were against it. So my mum in her young years as 671 00:48:01,800 --> 00:48:07,000 a little girl, would stand out the front of their house on a 672 00:48:07,000 --> 00:48:12,120 Sunday morning and dress in her Sunday best and stand out the 673 00:48:12,120 --> 00:48:15,360 front because all the people would walk to church, go to 674 00:48:15,360 --> 00:48:20,720 church and she would wait. She said I would dress every 675 00:48:20,720 --> 00:48:24,920 Sunday and stand out there because I saw people going to 676 00:48:24,920 --> 00:48:26,560 church. I waited for someone to invite 677 00:48:26,560 --> 00:48:29,320 me to go to church. No one ever did. 678 00:48:31,320 --> 00:48:37,120 Thankfully, Billy Graham came, invited those who want to know 679 00:48:37,120 --> 00:48:43,360 Christ, and she came forward. You see, the devil paints this 680 00:48:43,360 --> 00:48:45,760 black picture on our minds and our thoughts. 681 00:48:46,320 --> 00:48:49,080 No one wants to know Christ. No one wants to come to the 682 00:48:49,080 --> 00:48:50,360 Lord. That's garbage. 683 00:48:52,400 --> 00:48:54,840 You did. You're desperate. 684 00:48:56,000 --> 00:48:58,520 You don't tell me there's not desperate people living today. 685 00:48:58,800 --> 00:49:02,000 There's not young kids have never heard of Christ or didn't 686 00:49:02,000 --> 00:49:03,280 know. I don't know anything about him. 687 00:49:03,280 --> 00:49:10,200 Would love to to have security. Love to know not fear death. 688 00:49:12,000 --> 00:49:21,680 Oh friends, time is short, the door is open and God has many 689 00:49:21,680 --> 00:49:25,600 people that need to be saved. Let's pray. 690 00:49:26,480 --> 00:49:31,520 Heavenly Father, we ask for your strength and grace to guide us, 691 00:49:32,840 --> 00:49:38,640 to encourage us, to enable us not to be fearful but in our 692 00:49:38,640 --> 00:49:46,920 fear, Lord to even be faithful. Use us Lord, use this church to 693 00:49:46,920 --> 00:49:52,840 share the love of God to those that you have chosen this week. 694 00:49:52,880 --> 00:49:57,480 Ask and pray now in Jesus name. If you're here today and you've 695 00:49:57,480 --> 00:50:02,560 never received Christ, I'm telling you because I don't want 696 00:50:02,720 --> 00:50:07,360 your blood upon my hands. Today you can receive Christ. 697 00:50:08,440 --> 00:50:11,960 Jesus died on the cross for you. He rose on the dead from the 698 00:50:11,960 --> 00:50:16,000 dead the third day. He's coming back for his church 699 00:50:16,920 --> 00:50:23,160 today. Don't reject the gospel. 700 00:50:24,280 --> 00:50:25,480 Come to Christ today.