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["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] Good evening, everyone. Welcome to Faith and Word Baptist Church. Great to see you all here at the service. Please have a seat for that hymnal. We'll open up that hymnal to sound number 328. Begin this evening's service by singing the song number 328. All right, we're gonna have a great time. We're gonna have a great 28. ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] ["Pomp and Circumstance"] All right, well, if you'd like a bulletin, just go ahead and slip up your hand. Brother Fabian will bring you one. As always, our service times are there on the upper left-hand side every Sunday at 10.30. Again, at 5.30 p.m., Thursdays at 7.00. We're going through the Book of Acts. We will be in Acts chapter... Can I get a bulletin, please? Acts chapter number 22. We've got the Salvations and Baptisms. Thank you listed below there. And then, of course, continue to pray for the soul winners that are over in Nigeria. So I know they're over there doing a great work and seeing a lot of souls saved. But it's also a very dangerous, rough part of the world, so pray for them that they continue to have safety and great success. And also, we have the Small Town Soul Winning coming up this Saturday, October 17th, at Eloy, Arizona. Is there anyone here that would like to participate in that this weekend that's able to? We've got one so far, so that's enough for me. So just plan on, if you're wanting to go, just plan on being here at 9 o'clock, and we'll go make a day of it with the folks from Tempe. And then also on the back, we've got the Missions Conference coming up next month. Don't forget the yearbook photos at the end of this month. That's going to be here sooner than you realize, so please come on out, get your photo taken, get a high-quality resolution photo for free, and also get your photo in the yearbook as well. We've got the Chili Cook-Off coming up at the end of this month, too. Keep in mind some of the notes there. You have until 6 p.m. to get them entered. We'll have a few sides, as well as cider provided, and there will be awards for those that manage to earn them by getting for second or third place. That's going to do it for announcements. We'll go ahead and sing one more. We're going to count up Soul Winning, first of all. We're going to go back to Friday, if anyone has anything from Friday. And what about Saturday? Was there anything for the group Saturday? Was there a group Saturday? Anything for Sunday? Five on Sunday. And then what about Monday? Am I going back too far? Where am I in the calendar here? Nothing for Monday? What about Tuesday? I'm just counting this. I'm going back to Friday because I wasn't here Sunday. I don't know if it got done or not. Tuesday and then Wednesday. Anything Wednesday? You were just getting ready for Thursday, which is today. Anything for today? Anything at all? Anybody? I don't know. All right. Thank you, brother. Okay. Enough of that. Let's go ahead and sing one more song with the preaching tonight. Let's sing one more song. Let's sing one more song. Let's sing one more song. Let's sing one more song. Let's sing one more song. Let's sing one more song. Let's sing one more song. Let's sing one more song. Let's sing one more song. Let's sing one more song. Let's sing one more song. Let's sing one more song. Let's sing one more song. Let's sing one more song. 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Let's sing one more song. we found out all about the things that were going on there with the church in Jerusalem including the fact that they had compromised and were still observing a lot of these Jewish customs that they had a lot of things out of law including the certain vow that they had if you remember James said we had here four men that have taken upon him a vow and he pointed out to Paul all of the believing Jews that were concerned about the things that Paul was teaching which were the right things that Paul was teaching and we got into the fact how you know Paul himself was compromised due to the peer pressure of James there in Jerusalem and then Paul actually went into the temple and took upon that vow or at least appear to have taken a vow when he in fact hadn't and things didn't go the way they anticipated they were hoping to kind of smooth things over with everybody concerning Paul and the exact thing that they did want to have happen happened they grabbed Paul they're ready they're beating him literally they're they're gonna beat him to death until the centurions show up the Romans show up they rescue Paul and if you remember last week he goes up on the stairs and he speaks with the captain there and he asks if he can speak and that's where we pick up his speech that begins in verse 1 tonight there in verse 1 it says men and brethren and fathers hear ye my defense which I make now unto you so he's addressing the crowd that was just beating him and would have killed him the Bible says and when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them they kept the more silence and he saith I am verily a man which am a Jew born in Tarsus a city in Cilicia yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the father this day so what he's doing here is he's trying to persuade the Jews and he's doing that by trying to give him some of his bona fides he's kind of saying hey you know I was just like you I was just saying his conversion to them okay he says in verse 4 and I persecuted this way meaning Christianity unto death building excuse me binding and delivering into prisons both men and women as also the high priest of bear me witness and all the estate of the elders from whom I received the letters unto the brethren and went to Damascus to bring them which were bound they're bound unto Jerusalem for to be punished so he says even high priest knows the elders know that this is in fact the case I'm not just making this up that I was going around previously and rounding up Christians and binding them and putting them into prison to be punished verse 6 now he gets into the conversion that we are all familiar with from acts 9 it says and it came to pass that as I made my journey it was gone nigh unto Damascus about noon suddenly they're shown from heaven a great light round about me and I fell onto the ground and heard a voice saying unto me Saul Saul why persecutest thou me and I answered that who art thou Lord and he said unto me I am Jesus of Nazareth whom thou persecutest and they that were with me saw indeed the light and were afraid but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me okay now if you would go to Acts chapter 9 because you might notice that this the way Paul's telling it here is a little different than what's described in Acts chapter 9 and it's again an important lesson and some people will attempt to make this into some kind of a contradiction okay but they forget one of the principal rules of Bible interpretation that we always go with the statement over the story it's is it true that Paul said this yes everything that's being recorded by the by the scripture here is what Paul said okay but it differs a little bit from Acts 9 and what is described by the narrator Luke under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit okay if you look there in fact Acts chapter 9 won't take time to read the whole thing he's it's it's the topic that's being covered in Acts 22 it's it's this story right is the road on the road to Damascus right and says in verse 7 and the men this is after the great light appears that he just described in Acts 22 and the men which journeyed with me with him okay stood speechless hearing a voice but seeing no man now when Paul just described it in Acts 22 says that they heard not the voice right but it clearly says here that they did hear the voice so which is it well I go with acts 9 because that's the narrator of the scripture right acts 9 is correct they did hear the voice I mean who's to say Paul did Paul go around and ask everybody did you hear a voice did you hear a voice do you hear a voice or do you just assume that right probably just assume that so maybe you know it's been a lot of years have come by things get a little hazy a little fuzzy it is a recalling of this instance and you know he leaves this detail out or he gets it wrong it's really not a big deal but it does again remind us of the way in which we ought to interpret scripture we always want to go with the statement not the story it's true that Paul said all this but you know he got some things wrong okay he's not recalling it perfectly that's how I explain that you know people say well explain the contradiction here between acts 22 and acts 9 well Paul just got it wrong you know you see that in other places where men are saying things and doing things that the Bible is just recording albeit that it's it's wrong in one way or another or it's just mistaken okay so I didn't want to point that out because you might run across that sometimes okay so people might try to point that out to you but it's really not that big of a deal and it's a good time to again just be short up on Bible interpretation and how to read scripture verse 10 going you can keep something in acts 9 we will be back later but if you want to go back to acts 22 we'll pick it back up here in the story so Paul again is just rehearsing to the Jews that were you know gonna kill him only moments ago about his conversion he's declaring his conversion unto them excuse me it says the verse said and I said what shall I do Lord and the Lord said unto me arise and go into Damascus and there it shall be told thee of all the things which thou would appointed for thee to do and when I could not see for the glory of that light being led by the hand of them that are with me I came into Damascus and one Ananias a devout man Ananias excuse me a devout man according to law having a good report of the Jews which dwelt there came unto me and said and stood and said unto me brother Saul received thy sight and the same hour I looked upon him now the reason why Ananias is calling him brother there is not because Paul has already been saved some people will think think that when when Paul saw Christ that that was at the moment of his conversion but we know that God has given to every man a minister and that faith come cometh by the by by the hearing of the preaching of God's Word faith cometh by hearing so that lines up with what we know with what it comes to salvation in the scriptures right that you have to have somebody preach you the gospel it's not enough for have Jesus shown up in that great light Paul had to have somebody explain this to him okay and that's what's going on here with Ananias he's essentially telling him you know you need to be baptized you need to wash away your sins you need to call upon the name of Lord okay but he's calling him brother here you know he's coming into the room and so to speak he came and unto me and stood and said unto me brother Saul so he's dressing him as brother and some people say aha see right there he's already saved because he's calling him brother but when you look at the way in which Paul is describing Ananias and you have to remember who it is that he's talking to in this chapter you can see why it is that Ananias called him brother okay and why Saul or Paul rather at this point is making sure that he you know he's he's using that same term he called me brother right one it says in verse 12 that he was a devout man right according to the law and having a good report of all the Jews right and what did Paul just get done doing here in the first you know seven verses or so he was giving him his bona fides hey you know I was brought up at the feet of Gamaliel I was brought up in this city I was zealous according to law I was you know I was like you guys right and I and the high priest knew who I was the elder I had letters from them I'm your brother in that sense right he's saying that it was a kinship here so I I think that's why Ananias is addressing him as brother and you have to remember in the story in Acts 9 Ananias is very hesitant to go and do this God tells him hey go preach to Saul and he's like you know he has a reputation that he wreaks havoc in all the churches like the same guy is destroying the faith and you want me to go talk to him so maybe when Ananias is walking in there he's sure to dress him as brother like hey remember we're both Jews you know don't take me out you know he's still maybe a little hesitant okay so there's the human element there right so I think that's why he's calling him brother because there's this kinship they have in being Jews and being people who were zealous of the law or of course Ananias has already saved at this point but he's still using that term as kind of an icebreaker so to speak with Saul right this is the first time they're running into Saul after he's been you know sort of pacified from you know persecuting all the Christians and that's that use of that term brother is something you'll see throughout Scripture when it's not even referring necessarily to brethren in the Lord right like we would call one another brothers because we're saved you know we address one another as as brethren because we're both born-again children of God you know we are both joint heirs with we're all joint heirs with Christ so that's how we refer to one another in that familial term right but you'll see in other passages in fact go over to first Corinthians chapter number five where that term is used just to describe somebody who has you know an affection for or something in common with or an affinity with another person there's something else that gives them that kind of common ground so to speak okay for example you're going to 1st Corinthians 5 you'll remember call in Judges chapter 21 after that civil war where they had almost destroyed an entire tribe of Benjamin that they said and the children it's Bible says the children Israel pented to them for Benjamin their brother of course that was a familial relation this is one tribe that is cut off from Israel this day you have other examples where David is calling Jonathan his brother although they're not obviously related in first Kings you have that old prophet that throws himself upon the the body of the of the young prophet you know that was slain by the lion and he says my brother right so because why because they have an affinity they have something in common they're both preachers right there was something there that they had in common that made them brothers so to speak okay and even out in the world people will do this people will call each other brothers if they go to you know different if they have different organizations that they meet at and things like that we're not the only ones that do it okay so that's why he's using that word brother there because they have something in common and it's not the fact that they're both Christians I mean Saul isn't even saved yet at this point in story he was literally on his way to kill Christians or imprison Christians at the very least so that's why he's using that term brother as ice breaker because they have this thing of being zealous for the law being Jews in common so that's why they're he's using that there Ananias in Acts chapter 9 if you look at first Corinthians chapter 5 look at verse 9 it says I wrote unto you an epistle not to company with forticators yet not altogether the fornicators of this world or with the covetous or extortioners with idolaters for then you must needs go out of the world but now I have written unto you not to keep company if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator covetous or adult or a railer or a drunkard or an extortioner with such a one no not to eat so we're all familiar with first Corinthians 5 here a chapter on church discipline sins that will get you kicked out of the local church but notice who it is it's supposed to get kicked out of a church if you're guilty of the sin it's a brother someone who is called a brother so if somebody comes in here and we wouldn't really call them a brother right then we wouldn't hold them to this standard of course we would preach it and we would bring it to their attention and hopes that they would get those sins out of their life and in time you know there there would come a time where we would say hey you either have to get this right or get out right but we wouldn't do that day one a visitor comes in here you know something let's just say you know some young couple comes in here and it's it's just kind of obvious that they're not married they're living in fornication you know we wouldn't say well you know I'm we're glad here thanks for visiting don't come back until you get right okay because they're not a brother at that point you know a brother would be somebody that it's kind of has been faithful to church it's kind of a regular to church you know somebody that you've grown a little more familiar with someone you would consider a member and I know I've kind of I've already kind of given my how I think about you know who do you consider a church member right at what point would you consider somebody a church member and I've expressed having the very low standard of anybody that attends church at least once a month okay because that's very low but I and we say where to get that well it's completely arbitrary you know and it's not you know it's not something that's in the Bible right but it's like you know we have that health care through Samaritan and I'm often you know for church members you know the Samaritan will say hey is this person you know a member of your church they want to know that they're they're Christians at their church going people if they're gonna provide them you know health insurance so they'll reach out to church leadership can you confirm that these people aren't just you know good getting on Google and looking up a church and saying oh yeah it's where I go to church and one of the questions they ask is do they go to church do they attend services at least once a month so if that's good enough for them I figure well you know I guess I guess that's the bare minimum it takes to get health insurance you know if you're showing up here at least once a month you know I would probably consider you a brother I would say that that that guy's a brother he's a church member here okay so we could see how this term is being used right it's being used in Acts chapter number 22 as just kind of a familiarity there just because there's some common ground you're just kind of breaking the ice with him but in other instances you know it's it you're being called a brother at a local church that means something you know we don't just call anybody and everybody brother in fact sometimes I think recently I was out I was doing something and I was working you know I was having some kind of interaction I can't remember the details with somebody who wasn't a Christian who wasn't I don't know if they were saved or not I didn't ask him but you know I did they weren't going to church it was just this brief interaction and I was just you know sometimes you're just feeling kind of cool you're just like no problem brother you know and I just called him brother and it didn't mean anything to him but I'm like man I shouldn't have said that this guy's not a brother he's probably not a brother right because when I call somebody brother you know it's like that means something that there's there's there's weight to that when we call greet one another you know as brethren in Christ that should that should mean something but I don't want to get hung up on that tonight we've got some more to go through but let's look at acts go back to acts 22 he says they're carrying on with the story in verse 14 and he said the God of our fathers has chosen thee so this is Ananias speaking to Paul that thou shouldest know his will and see that just one and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth where thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou has seen and heard and you know that's kind of exactly what's taking place here he's being a witness of the things that he saw and heard that day to these Jews in Jerusalem and now why terriest thou arise and be baptized and wash away thy sins calling on the name of Lord now I'm not gonna do a deep dive on this everyone here understands that we are not saved by baptism okay and we could go to several passages to prove that you say well why is he saying it in that order well I don't know he's just the order he put it in it doesn't really matter obviously we know that sin does not wash away our sins it's the it's the the answer of a good conscience toward God and not the putting away of the filth of the flesh okay what washes away our sin is calling on the name of the Lord and when we call on the name of God of the Lord Jesus Christ and we believe that's what washes away our sins we all understand that verse 17 and it came to pass when I was coming into Jerusalem even while I prayed in the temple I was in a trance now this is kind of an interesting story we get a little bit more details of what took place in Acts chapter 9 if you want to go back to Acts chapter 9 please remember Saul got saved and then he's brought to Jerusalem by Barnabas and at first the brethren don't receive him and then he's there in Jerusalem for a while and then he's brought to the brethren Peter and others by Barnabas and then he we get this some details of some things that took place there where he actually went into the temple now I don't think he's referring to the this this instance in acts 22 being in the temple and praying I don't think that's what he's referring to in verse 17 right because in acts 22 verse 17 he's saying he's recalling his salvation the Damascus Road experience Ananias coming to him then verse 17 and it came to pass and I came again to Jerusalem right so he's referring back to the time that he went to Jerusalem after that not because he's in Jerusalem right now okay so he's not I don't think he's referring to the immediate instance that just took place in acts 21 he's referring back to acts 9 okay you don't get all this in acts 9 but you get a little bit more details from it from Paul's perspective if you look at verse 26 it says in acts 9 verse 26 and when Saul was come to Jerusalem okay he is say to join himself to the disciples but they were all afraid of him and believe not that he was a disciple he said he's not a brother I was like no he is okay but Barnabas his brother took him and brought him to the Apostles and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way and how he had spoken to him and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus he's saying this guy's legit he's preaching Christ he saved his changed man and when he was come excuse me when he was come excuse me I mean he's with them coming in and out at Jerusalem so he's tearing there for a while and he spake boldly in the name of Lord Jesus and disputed against the Grecians the Grecians were Jews that were not born within Judea they were they were Greek speaking Jews basically that's what a Grecian is okay and that's who he's disputing with but they went about to slay him and this ties in with what is being described in Acts 22 this that he's saying he was in Jerusalem he's a saying there he's preaching and he's disputing with these Greek speaking Jews the Grecians okay verse 30 which when they knew they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him forth to Tarsus so they say Paul you got to get out of here you got to take off they're gonna kill you going back to acts 22 you can see how this ties in so it says in verse 17 he went came to pass when I was again come to Jerusalem that's Acts chapter number 9 even when I prayed in the temple I was in a trance and in verse 18 and saw him saying unto me make haste and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me referring to the Grecians I believe that's who the Lord is referring to here he's saying these guys are not going to receive what you're disputing with them they're not going to receive it they've hardened their hearts and in fact they're going to try and kill you but I love verse 19 because Paul has got such a burden for his brethren he's got such a burden for his kinsmen in the flesh right the Jews and you know we could criticize him for it and say it's a waste of time why are you preaching these people they had their chance but at the same time you have to appreciate the fact that Paul has a burden you know I would rather that somebody has a burden for maybe an unreceptive group of people than no burden at all you know much better is it to have somebody who's zealous and on fire maybe for a less receptive people group than somebody who has absolutely no burden at all for anybody you know and that type of thing is out there we want to be careful that we don't criticize people and mock people when we see them attempting to minister to other people that we might say well what a waste of time now obviously there are some people in this world that it would be a waste of time to minister to they're called reprobates okay and we're not going to get into all that and but believe me there's plenty of people out there that want to go out there and waste their time ministering to reprobates to the homos and things you know and I'm not gonna say god bless you I'm gonna say you know good luck maybe or you know hopefully nothing bad happens to you hopefully don't go treating you know hopefully they don't turn a bunch of greetings on you and try to kill you or something and try to beat you up okay but there are other people groups that we would consider very unreceptive okay for example Muslims Muslim anyone who's running the Muslims out solely knows that's a very hard group of people to get saved but yet you'll sometimes you'll come across and I recently came across somebody who has a burden for those people and is trying to minister to that that community is trying to reach out to the Muslim world and trying to bring the gospel into that dark place that spiritually dark place that is you know Islam you know and it would be really easy for us to just sit back and say why waste your time on those people why waste your time on people that you know are worshipping and reading a book that was written by an illiterate pedophile you know and that's not an exaggeration you know we could and we could mock that and scoff that and bring all these things up but you know God bless the guy that has that that burden I'm glad there's somebody that has it because that means I don't have to do it for one you know okay well then I'll take all the low-hanging fruit I'll go minister the rest of the people you want to cover the Muslims God bless you brother and I mean that sincerely God bless that guy at least he has a burden at least he has a heart for somebody rather than the person who has just grown cold in their Christianity and has no burden for anyone at all no matter what people group they're part of no matter what false religion they're involved in you know we could criticize Paul here we don't also could take a lesson from him to not lose our burden and to and to strive for the preaching of the gospel of Christ even if it's difficult even if it's hard even if we're in an unreceptive area to not let that unreceptiveness that coldness quench our zeal for the gospel okay and I love how he replies to the Lord in this he's arguing with God he's not calling he's not saying God's wrong he's just saying yeah but you know he's trying to make his case and I think that's a something else we could take from this is you know God we can have an influence on the Lord we can't we can maybe change God's mind about some things now I'm not saying obviously it didn't work out here in this instance but you know Paul tried God's telling in verse 18 make haste get thee quickly out of Jerusalem for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me and I said Lord they know that I imprisoned and beaten every synagogue then that believed on thee saying they're gonna believe Lord they know that my testimony I've got the credentials to minister to these people I've beat up Christians and I've imprisoned them they were gonna listen to me and when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed I also was standing by and consenting unto his death and kept the raiment of them that slew him what's he doing here he's trying to convince God no Lord they will receive your testimony through me and you can say it was right or wrong but at least he has a burden for these people and at least he understands something about God is that God is somebody who can be persuaded not always the answer still might come back no but at least he's trying much better that that Paul is here trying at least and trying to persuade God and trying to reach out to people the people who who don't want to do anything whose zeal has grown cold who don't care about the lost and aren't trying to persuade God of anything at all and it's nothing new you'll see it with other men of God throughout the scripture if you would go to Romans chapter number nine I'll just remind us of a couple of course we all know in Genesis 32 Jacob wrestled with the Lord until the breaking of the day and he said I will not let thee go unless and accept you tell me your name and we know how that story goes he touched the hollow the the hollow of Jacob's thigh he walked with a limp from there after and he changed his name to Israel what about Moses when God came to him and said hey you're gonna go back to Egypt and you're gonna deliver my people and he's arguing with God oh I'm a slow speech I can't speak well the Bible says that God was mad at him but he provided Aaron he said all right I'll take away that excuse to look at Romans chapter 9 verse 1 he says I say the truth in Christ I lie not my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost he says God knows I'm not lying that I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart we read these stories and actually look Paul what are you doing why waste your time with these people look how they've treated you Paul they've persecuted from city to city and now you're in Jerusalem and you've even compromised on things that you believe and have preached elsewhere and now you're even in an attempt to try to you know get them over on your side and to influence them for to come over fully and to do away with the things of the law and yet they they're beating you to death what are you talking about Paul why are you why are you standing on the stairs why not just follow that Romans attorney and into the tower and be safe and be done with these people but instead he says let me talk to them he speaks in their own language and he tries to make his case the same people that just moments ago we're going to literally kill him why are you doing that Paul because I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart and he says God knows I'm not lying for I could wish that myself were cursed from Christ for my brethren my kinsmen according to the flesh talking about his his Jewish brethren his Jewish relations and he's saying there I I wish that myself were accursed for my brethren what is he saying there by accursed he's saying I would be willing to go to hell for them that's what he means by that you know if me going to hell would save the nation of Israel I would do it that's what he's saying that's very powerful I don't know that I'd be willing to go to hell for anybody I don't know that I could get up here tonight and say I say the truth in Christ and lie not the Holy Ghost bear me witness that I would go to hell for so-and-so and I apologize to my wife already who's watching from home sure my children too I mean I would like to think that obviously that's a huge hypothetical that's never going to happen hell's that I mean I understand how horrible hell is at least as far as the Bible describes it to us none of us can fully imagine the the terrors of hell what it's and how horrible it truly is but I think Paul had a grasp on it I think Paul was saying this lightly I think he meant that every word of it I don't think he's waxing eloquent I think Paul honestly would have done that if it was possible he would have done it I don't think he's being overly dramatic so we could sit here we could criticize Paul for reaching out to a group of people that you know really are very unreceptive put to put it lightly but can could not Paul then turn around it and criticize us for having no burden at all for anyone I hope not you know we should all you know it maybe we're not burdened for some you know Christ rejecting group of people a bunch of people who who hate the gospel and hate God and hate the Bible and hate the New Testament hate Christianity you know maybe we're not going to go out and have a great burden for a people that have hardened their hearts towards the things of God but can we have a heart for people that just don't know any better that are just ignorant of the things of God who's have just been had their minds blinded by Satan this world they're just lost sheep wandering they haven't you know really taken aside on this thing called the gospel they haven't taken aside on on Christianity that aren't opposed to it they're just ignorant they just don't know any better we could criticize Paul but what would Paul say to us you say oh Paul you're wasting your time on those people could Paul look at us and say well you're not wasting your time on anybody he says I'm willing to go to hell for them I'm willing to go to hell for my kinsmen in the flesh the Jews the people that were just beating him that's who he's referring to in Romans 9 the people that have stoned him left him for dead the people that have whipped him and beat him and opposed him and and and worked up great I mean caused riots we've read it we've been reading up all these chapters all saying after all that I'd still go to hell for them go to James chapter number five at least Paul you see Paul here at acts 22 I don't want to know if I don't know if arguing is the right word but he's trying to make his case with the Lord when God says they're not going to receive your testimony he says but here's the reasons why they white Lord I mean imagine that you're arguing with the God of the universe this omniscient omnipotent the all-knowing all-powerful all-present God who knows the beginning from the end who's telling you they won't receive your testimony so well you know you might want to reconsider Lord because after all you know what my history you know my background with them you know I've got some credentials I've got some street cred with the Jews over there because I persecuted the church so you know you might you might want to reconsider that Lord what would possess Paul to do that his burden what would possess Paul to argue with God like that the fact that he had a burden for these people and not low-hanging fruit burden for people that were very hard to get saved he's asking isn't he that's really what he's doing he's making his case he's asking God can I go and try and we saw it in acts 20 and acts 21 where people are coming to Paul and saying don't the Holy Spirit's forbidding him he's saying don't go down Jerusalem but you know he's got it prophets are coming to him you've got the the you know different people coming and trying to make the case warning him not to go down Jerusalem he goes anyway because of that burden that he had look at James 5 verse 16 it says confess your faults one another and pray for one another that you may be healed the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man of dayleth much you know Paul probably spent a lot of time praying for these people not just preaching to them but praying for them I have to imagine there were probably a lot of tears shed over these people there were probably a lot of sleepless nights there are probably some worn-out knees on Paul's part where he's just on his knees begging God to save these people and he's a fervent righteous man just praying then we got the example of Elias it says in verse 17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are Elias Elijah is no different than me and you in the same flash the same temptations the same trials the same persecutions more so than any of us have gone through and yet he prayed earnestly they might rain and rain out for the earth on the space of three years and six months and he prayed again then have game rain and the earth brought forth their fruit look if how much time we spent praying for people how much time have we spent praying for people that maybe have expressed you know hostility towards us when it comes to the gospel you know a lot of times we just write people off you know we preach in the gospel they don't want to hear it and we say well reprobate people it's funny but people do do that I've heard people say that well you know I've I preached the gospel to my mom a couple times now and I think she's a reprobate because she doesn't want to hear it it might be that you know it's because one she's the saint you're the same person whose butt she wiped when you were little and it's kind of hard to sit there and take you know instruction on the most important question on life from your child people forget about the dynamics at play it's kind of hard it's a very humbling thing for a parent when their child their little baby boy their little baby girl come to them and say let me let me explain to you the meaning of life let me explain to you what's gonna happen when you die you know life's most most compelling questions mom dad I figured it out let me teach you it's it's hard you have to you have to appreciate that dynamic I know that was the case with my mom she didn't want to hear it and it took 10 years and and a whole lot more it took 10 years and cancer and a deathbed to get her to finally come around and it also took me not just you know breathing down her neck every time I saw her it took me just being consistent and doing you know what else doing praying praying so don't write off these people don't write off your loved ones don't write off you know your kinsmen in the flesh even if they've been hostile even if they seem unreceptive instead of preaching at I mean we should just spend a little more time praying getting a burden so that when we do have opportunity to preach it comes across as genuine and sincere they could see it in our eyes they can hear it in our voice they can feel it in our presence when we find they're given opportunity to preach to them because we spent time praying for them you know God challenges us to prayer God challenges us to ask we all know the verses go over to keep something there we'll just go back to James 4 we know these verses he said Amalekai bring the tithes into the storehouse that you may be meet in my house and prove me now therewith Jesus said in Matthew 7 ask and it shall be given you seeking you shall find knock and it shall be opened for everyone that asketh receiveth and he that at seeketh findeth and to him that knocketh it shall be opened he goes on and said in verse 9 or what man is there of you whom if his son asked bread he will give him a stone or if he asked a fish you'll give him a serpent say which one of you guys is gonna you know if your son or daughter comes you and says hey I'm hungry you're gonna say well here chew on this rock they're gonna say hey can I have a bite of that fish Ted no but you can have this scorpion why don't you go chew on that tarantula you say you wouldn't do that he goes on he says if ye then being evil I love how God just cuts through it all just you know you're evil if you being evil you're not perfect if you being evil not to give good gifts unto your children how much sure your Heavenly Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him he says you know how to give good gifts God God is so much better than you of course he's gonna give those things that are asked of him so you have to ask ourselves why is it that more Christians don't have the things that they asked for it's because I don't ask why aren't more people saved because they're not preached to they're not prayed for the burdens not there it's just not there you know in a parallel passage in Luke 11 it's clarified what those good things are that are given to us from heaven he said how much more shall your father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him they go good things that sounds good right I'm gonna ask for this good thing and this good thing and this good thing and we think about all the material wealth and all the other things all just the vain fleeting things that we might want in this world say well if I can ask for all that maybe I'll get it but God doesn't say that's what those good things are Jesus warned and said beware of covetousness for a man's life consistent consistent not in the abundance of his possessions Paul tell that Paul tells us that we should be having fruit and raiment let us be there with content and that we should not desire to be rich that the love of money is the root of all evil so when Jesus says that God will give us good things if we ask him just as we would give good things to our children what is he referring to when Luke 11 he says if you then being evil not to give good gifts unto your children how much your Heavenly Father give the Holy Ghost the Holy Spirit to them that ask him that's what we need in our lives is the Holy Spirit that's the good thing that God wants to give us you know and if we would ask God for the Holy Spirit it would probably help us with a lot of things in our lives we give us wisdom discernment give us that joy peace long suffering gentleness goodness faith meekness temperance all those fruits of the Spirit and you would also give us it probably give us a burden for the lost and the Bible says that hell and destruction are before the eyes of the Lord how much more so the hearts of the sons of men maybe if we ask for the Holy Spirit we'd have a maybe a deeper understanding of what hell is like maybe we'd be more concerned with spiritual things in this life than just the carnal things in this life the things that really matter the things that Jesus said are the good things and I believe that we if we ask God for the Holy Spirit he would give it to us why then don't so why are there so many Christians that don't have it why are there so many Christians that are just leaving carnal fruitless lives why is that have such a shallow Christianity and such a shallow spirituality why is it because they don't ask is it because God's holding out my God's like oh I see you asking I'm a poor dog psych no God's saying if you ask ask you shall receive pocket shall be open seek you shall find you know how to give you don't hesitate to give your kids good gifts the things that they need their daily sustenance if you got down and prayed every morning God help me with give me the Holy Spirit give me victory over sin give me the fruit of the Spirit my life help me to not get caught up in the things in this world to be entangled to the affairs of this life help me to be a good soldier help me to endure hardness help me to have a burden God would pour that out on us God would give us that the reason we don't have it is because we don't ask that's what he says in James 4 we all know it verse 1 from whence come wars and findings among you come they not hence even of your own lusts that war in your flesh he lusts and have not you kill and desire to have they cannot obtain you fight in war and you have not because he asked not God's saying the only reason we're caught up in the in the lust of the flesh and caught up in desiring and not having the only reason we don't have the Holy Spirit in our lives the reason we don't have that burden we don't have the fruit of the Spirit it's because we don't ask for it you ask and receive not that you may ask amiss go to 1st John chapter number 5 I'll continue reading from James 4 it says in verse 5 do you think that the spirits scripture saith in vain the spirit that dwelleth in us lust it to envy he's not talking about the Holy Spirit there he's saying the spirit that dwells in man lusts to envy that that's what man is that's what's in every one of our hearts to just envy and covet and lust after all the things of this world he says but he giveth more grace wherefore he saith God resist the proud to give grace to the humble what would happen is if we actually ask for the Holy Spirit is we would get humble we might have to step back and say wow I'm pretty proud well my priorities are completely out of whack that takes humility to admit that that's why people don't ask look at 1st John chapter number 5 verse 14 it says and this is the confidence that we have in him that if we ask anything according to his will he here with us well you may not have to know what God's will is yep we don't have to actually read this Bible and go to church and learn the Word of God and know what to ask for it yep that's why people don't do it they don't pray because they know if they got down to pray for some of the things they really wanted God goes would say why are you asking for a scorpion why are you asking for a stone we might not see it that way but that's how God sees he says you're asking you're not asking for good things you're not asking for spiritual things you're not asking for the Holy Spirit you're not asking for those things they're gonna help you and nourish you spiritually you're asking for just carnal worldly fleshly things and so we don't ask and we don't pray we don't have the burden we don't have the fruit of the Spirit in our lives that doesn't change the fact that if we would ask it would be given us and that's what I get at this lesson tonight with Paul Paul you know had a burden probably because he prayed for it Paul was a man of prayer and Paul it was even so bold in prayer that you could say he argued with God a little bit he was bold enough to say well you know second thought Lord maybe they would receive the message can I at least try and when he's being warned not to go to Jerusalem he's just that burdens not stopping him he's since well maybe I can change God's mind maybe if God just sees how intent I am and sincere I am and he understands the burden that's my heart and he hears my prayer maybe God will move and maybe God will do something at least he had the guts to try at least he had the spirituality to ask at least he was a man of prayer this has in verse 15 and we know that he hear us whatsoever we ask we know that we have the petitions that we desire of them if we ask these things that are according to his will that's the trick to getting prayer answered you gotta start asking the things that God actually wants to give you I've been praying for that Bugatti for months you don't need a Bugatti or whatever it is the kids are crazy about I just like that word Bugatti right it's great word wonderful word right we asked for all that these carnal things all these worldly things and look God knows that the the needs that we have before we even ask them he knows the petitions that we have before we even make them and God's you know by all means we should be asking for our daily bread we should be asking for provision we should be asking for you know the ability to go to work and pay the bills and all those things that we have need of and God gives us those things I mean a lot of times God gives us those things that we haven't even asked for him as he makes the you know the the the the rain to fall in the just the unjust alike you just give them to him but how often do we think him but you know there's a lot of other things we could be asking God for we could be asking God for a burden we could be asking God to save people we could be asking God for boldness to preach the gospel look if the fire has gone out in our hearts for the lost we must rekindle that we must ask God help me to have a burden we could criticize Paul all day long why are you talking to those people they're not gonna listen Paul could turn around and say well where's your burden who are you burdened for who are you praying for what did you try to convince God of lately let's continue let's just wrap it up here verse 21 he says and he said unto me depart for I will send the far hand son of the Gentiles said so you know Paul tried and we all go say see see told you so Paul tells you so God said God didn't want to do it God would said no you should even bother what a waste of time well Paul said at least I tried at least I have a burden least I try to convince God of something and God said no and sometimes the answer is just gonna be no you just got something else in mind I will send the far hence under the Gentiles and we know that that's the trigger word right there Gentiles and they gave him 22 and so the crowd that he's been speaking to and and witnessing to this whole time they gave him audience unto this word unto what word that last statement statement depart for I will send the far hence unto the Gentiles right that's how they're hearing it no I don't think Paul was saying it like that I don't think Paul was saying God's done with you he's saying this is just what God said and he probably had more to say he was probably to go ahead and I went to the Gentiles and I preached to them and tell some stories and come and now I'm now I'm back here because I have a burden for you but they wouldn't let him finish calls that Paul's not saying this at with malice in his voice he's just telling the story he probably was going to continue on but they cut him off once they heard that that got that God sent him to the Gentiles they're like okay well you started out good the whole part about you persecuting the church and hailing men and women and calling them out to prison and and we like that and then and you brought up the part about where we martyred Stephen we stone him we like that they're like okay go on continue where is this going we're like what we're hearing okay we know how you yeah that's true you were given letters by the high priest and the elders to go off and do that we remember that mm-hmm they're for that but as soon as he mentions what God sent me to the Gentiles they lose their minds shut up no you're done that's it we don't want to hear anymore they give audience under this word then lifted up their voice and said away with this such a fellow from the earth for it's not fit that he should live I say kill him kill him for what for trying to preach the gospel to the Gentiles it's not fit that he should live because he's suggesting that God cares about other people than Jews and as they make a show out of it and as they cried out they can cast off their clothes and threw dust into the air what a scene you want to talk about a protest you know these freaks today don't have a clue they just show up with some green hair and some you know and some derogatory statements on some sign and they think they don't do it let's let's see you know actually don't throw any clothes up in the air please you know unless it's like a coat I don't think they were stripping bare here the freaks today they wouldn't have much clothes to throw up before they were in their birthday suit the way they dress it was like throw some dust in the air buddy I mean these guys knew how to make a scene and what is it that they're so upset about just the mere suggestion that they should go under the Gentiles that Paul was sent to the Gentiles verse 24 and the chief captain commanded him to be brought into the castle at bay that he should be examined by scourging that he might know wherefore they cried so against him he said we're gonna beat the truth out here that that works right people will say anything under duress you beat somebody long enough they'll tell you whatever you want to hear so they bind him and then of course Paul said under the centurion that stood by is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman and uncondemned so he's kind of invoking his civil rights here basically right when the centurion heard that he went told the chief captain saying take he without do us for this man is a Roman you know and that wasn't something you just threw out there okay because it was found out you weren't a Roman and you were claiming to be one there would probably be a severe punishment for that because being a Roman citizen was a great privilege back then it came with a lot of you know just different civic privileges you know a right to trials and to be able to face your accusers and acquittals and things like that so that's what Paul's kind of doing here he's kind of playing the card that he's a Roman then the chief captain came and said unto him tell me art thou Roman he said yay the chief captain answered with a great sum obtained I this freedom but Paul said I was but I was freeborn and people speculate how Paul came to be Roman it was because the city you know he's in Tarsus and that was under a certain Roman people were declared to be Roman citizens that were born there under a certain Emperor some be able to speculate it's because his father was in the army that's where Paul would have learned tent making from him and because his father served in the Roman army he was given Roman citizenship and therefore Paul was born into Roman citizenship it really doesn't matter they saying I was freeborn first 29 then straightaway they departed from him what should have examined him and the chief captain also was afraid after that he knew he was a Roman and because he had bound him so you can get a sense of what it would meant to be a Roman back then you didn't just get to bind Romans and and just beat them and whip them mercilessly so you can see how much it would have it would have been not fun to not be a Roman because that meant they could do all that to you verse 30 on the morrow because he would have had known the certainty of the way before he he was accused of the Jews he loosed him for his bands and commanded the chief priest and all their council appear and brought Paul down and set him before them so it's kind of another cliffhanger just like last week then we move into this next scene where Paul's facing his accusers and the chief captain's gonna kind of hear them out and we'll see what plays out there but it is interesting that Paul you know he kind of had to invoke his Roman citizenship at this point and if it wasn't for his Roman citizenship and the Romans coming to rescue him you kind of wonder what might have become of Paul at this point because Paul we know from the story was going against the will of God God it was not God's will firm to go to Jerusalem that was a mistake you say you know the Bible records that well it goes back to that first part of the sermon where Paul you know it says oh they didn't hear a voice whereas the narrator says they did hear a voice man the Bible get things wrong even if they're just recollecting something or even if they do something you know that is just against the will of God completely the Bible records it okay it's interesting that God didn't really maybe you could say well the Romans was God intervening perhaps you know maybe something else would have happened but to me it's almost seems like God was like okay well it gave you chance I warned you and maybe that would have been it that would have been it but Paul kind of had to get himself out of that Jam didn't he it was his Roman citizenship that you know saved his bacon at the end there you don't really see God jumping in there it's kind of it's kind of interesting you could make the argument that that was God jumping in and you know that's that you know you might be right about that but to me it's interesting that he has to he has to play that card because in other instances God you know intervenes and causes things to come to pass and protects him and later on in the story we know that God is you know when he comes to him and Paul's in prison there in Jerusalem and says you know you're gonna stand before Kings you're gonna witness again God still continues to use I'm not saying that God suddenly was done with him and you know God knows the beginning from the end and maybe he was just gonna okay Paul well I'm gonna go let and let you take a beating for a while before the Romans get here you know and I'm not just gonna miraculous you're gonna have to get yourself out of this one because you got yourself into it you kind of made his bed he had to sleep in it for a bit so we definitely want to try to persuade God in our lives we want to pray and we want to do God's will and if we have a burden you know we need to pursue that but at the same time we also have to know that there's limits that God has his own designs in our lives too that God has his will for our lives and we don't want to resist that okay it's it's good to pray and ask God for things it's good to try influence God and persuade God that's possible you say how can I persuade God well and one one way is we could pray and ask God for the Holy Spirit because God's not just gonna give us the Holy Spirit unless we ask and it sounds to me from what we read tonight that it's not that hard to persuade God of that so maybe before we start trying to persuade God of these great magnificent things these great you know monumental things that we want to do in our lives let's make sure we're trying to persuade God of the you know the easier smaller things the basic things that God will just without hesitation give to us because those are the things that we truly need those are the things that we need the most the Holy Spirit that's what's gonna give us that burden and you know without that burden there's gonna be people that are gonna die and go to hell that didn't have to that if we had prayed and gotten a burden we could have gone out and reached and won to the Lord that's a reality we're not Calvinists here you don't believe in this doctrine that if God wants them saved they'll get saved that's wrong last I checked God wants is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance that he's a savior of all men especially those that believe he's the savior of all men that whosoever believeth on him should not perish but everlasting life so God wants everyone safe so why isn't everyone getting saved I understand it's because some people rejecting the gospel but the fact is it's because some of us don't have a burden for the lost if we've lost that we need to pray and ask God let's persuade God of that you know and it'd be real easy to criticize other people for trying to preach the gospel to maybe a people group that we would just write off but before we do that let's examine our own hearts and make sure we're having grown cold to people that would get saved very easily it's quite a closer word prayer dear Lord again thank you for the testimony of Paul Lord not a perfect man but a zealous man a bold man and a man who had a great burden Lord for those that he knew the world around him Lord and that was used mightily by you and Lord thank you for his testimony Lord and the challenge that he represents to us Lord to to to try to reach you know whoever we can to become all things to all men that we might by all means save some Lord help us to have that same burden we ask these things in Christ's name amen all right we'll go ahead and sing one more song before we go you you you you you you you