WELCOME
PRAYER
MUSIC
SILENCE
Acts 14.15-22
November 27th 2016
Milk
Okay, you may have noticed that we rarely have communion here at CAMPUS. There are two main reasons for this.
First, when it comes to anything but the actual purpose for our gatherings I leave it all up to you the congregates as to what occurs – this is the Lord’s Body of which we are all apart.
In light of this, communion, water baptisms and weddings or funerals or special musical presentations or plays or meals or whatever are in your hands not mine.
You request it, we’ll do it – so long as it does not interfere with our primary purpose for gathering together which is to hear the Word of God.
Secondly, I personally do not push for communion any longer myself because of a change in my eschatology – you may remember a time where we had communion here once a month.
But because I believe that Jesus returned to His own in 70 AD with destruction and reward (as promised) I see no contextual purpose for doing communion.
This is because in 1st Corinthians 11:25 Paul wrote this about communion:
“After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.
26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.”
This being said, communion today for believers can be more than a mandate to do as a symbol of the Lord’s death.
In many ways, it is a memorial of Him – which certainly includes His death but He is today so, so, so much more.
In the Book of Revelation John has a vision of Jesus, who identifies Himself in the last verse of the first chapter by saying:
Revelation 1:18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
Prior to saying this John describes Him who liveth that was dead in the most glorious and powerful terms, terms in harmony with all the Old Testament passages that describe God.
So while communion can certainly be a memorial or a reminder of His sacrifice on our behalf I am of the opinion, due to eschatology and due to how Jesus is described in Revelation that to focus and to refocus on His death alone misses a great deal of the picture we have of Him.
This is why the Book of Hebrews tells mature believers the following in such a straight-up manner:
Hebrews 6:1-2 Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, with instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.
In other words, these things have been firmly established. They are building blocks in the foundation of our LIVING faith – now get out there and live your Christian love for God and Man!
However, having said all of this, I am not so hard that I see no benefit of holding material memorials that cause us to reflect upon our Lord and His sacrifice.
Two weeks ago a dear sister who attends the Meat asked if this week specifically – the week of Thanksgiving – if we could have communion here at CAMPUS. I said “of course” and asked her if she would be willing to lead it – which she will do this afternoon.
She is fighting some very aggressive cancer which has invader her human form. Communion is very important to her at this point in her life. Praise God.
Since we are having it this afternoon I thought we could have it this morning. I hope nobody objects.
Now, let me be clear – there is no priestly powers going on here. Jesus is our high priest.
But I thought we’d open up the mic to any who would like to share their thoughts about Him today. Please be aware of others and our time restraints.
Afterward we’ll play, “Take Eat,” Jesus own words about the elements of communion, and while that plays all are invited to come forward to partake of the elements as they are lead – the wine is on the left, the grape Juice on the right.
We’ll sit for a few minutes and then _______________ will offer up a prayer of thanks and praise to God for His Son.
At that point I’ll get back to our verse by verse.
I’ll start –
COMMUNION
Okay, last week we read that at the sight of the lame man standing on his own two feet that the people claimed that Jupiter and Mercury had come down in the form of men (Barnabas and Paul) and that the town Priest representing Jupiter took oxen and garlands and sought to offer sacrifice to them.
Verse 14 tells us their response, which we also read last week.
14 Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes (another term for tearing in the Greek – dee-ahh-resso), and ran in among the people, crying out, (verse 15) And saying, “Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein:
16 Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways.
17 Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.”
18 And with these sayings scarce restrained they the people, that they had not done sacrifice unto them.
So seeing the idol worship that was going on which at this point had grown to offering up the lives of some oxen to them, Paul and Barnabas
“rent their clothes (which we talked about last week), and ran in among the people, crying out, (verse 15) And saying, “Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you,”
“We are NOT gods of any sort – we deserve no type of sacrifice, in fact we are also men of like passions as you!”
But being men like them, they had a purpose for being there among them and added:
“and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein.”
I want to reiterate a point that Dave made last week which is so insightful to the heart of these gentiles. For years Jesus performed like miracles in the face of the Jews and most of them rejected them (and Him) despite the marvels.
But here among the Gentiles Paul and Barnabas perform a similar miraculous act on a lame man yet immediately the group at least assigns the act to their gods – vain as those Gods were.
It’s all a picture of the heart – and these people – while mislead, were willing to recognize the miracle and at LEAST give credit to gods more powerful than themselves.
The Nation of Israel, certain that they possessed all truth, could not see the forest for the trees. They were blinded by their certainty, devoted to their religion rather than the truth, and allowed tradition to trample love.
At least, as Dave pointed out, these Greeks rejoiced in the wonder of the miracle and gave their false God the credit.
Here are four quotes I have in my files that touch on this subject.
The first is from Umberto Eco, who once said,
“People are never so completely and enthusiastically evil as when they act out of religious conviction.”
History proves this statement quite accurate.
There’s something significant between those who stand on absolute certainty and those always willing to seek to understand – especially relative to learning about the living God.
Bart Erdman, a controversial but scholarly figure in the Christian faith wrote something similar, saying:
“There are few things more dangerous than inbred religious certainty.”
Timothy Keller, an outstanding Christian mind of our day, said this gem:
“Think of people you consider fanatical. They’re overbearing, self-righteous, opinionated, insensitive, and harsh. Why? It’s not because they are too Christian, it’s because they are not Christian enough. They are fanatically zealous and courageous, but they are not fanatically humble, sensitive, loving, emphatic, forgiving, or understanding- as Christ was… What strikes us as overly fanatical is actually a failure to be fully committed to Christ and his gospel.”
Love that. And finally this definition:
“A fanatic is a deeply religious man with no love in his heart”
Love for God truly will translate into a love for man. A man healed will cause rejoicing for the source who brought the healing – even if the source is off. That reveals the heart.
But it was a hardened cold unloving heart (opposite of the love of God) that could witness miracles in God’s name and not only not rejoice over them but not give God the glory.
In any case, Paul addresses their misguided praise and worship and not only admits that they are men of like passions but corrects their view and says:
“and (we) preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities (of offering sacrifice to mythical gods) (turn from these vanities . . . ) unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein.”
All through scripture idols – in whatever form – are referred to as vain or vanities.
God says in Deuteronomy 32:21 “They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have provoked me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.”
The Hebrew word is heyble and it means empty thing, transitory thing, vain thing – and as I’ve said a hundred times before if God hates anything more than idolatry – worshipping empty, transitory things –over or in addition to Him – I’d be very surprised.
In the end, this world is full of “vanities” relative to the eternal view, which may be why Solomon wrote in Ecclessiastes 1:2
“Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.”
Often these vanities in the Old Testament are called lying vanities. I think I prefer this more fuller description of them because in the end that is what any idol is relative to the Big Picture – a lie – a big empty lie.
When I have the chance to counsel – especially men – I am almost always led to try and see life, within reason, as a constant choice between serving the true and living God and the lying vanities this present world has to offer.
I say within reason because we all have to eat, work jobs, enjoy recreation, etc. and God has provided things for these human needs.
But there is a persistent need to put these necessities in their place and never let them reign.
In the case of the Greeks, Paul is clear that their honor and adoration of Jupiter and Mercurious were empty – but they were a step in the right direction – to something higher, bigger, better. Paul wanted them to know this God who was not empty, who was not transitory but was from everlasting to everlasting or, as Paul says
“and (we) preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities (of offering sacrifice to mythical gods) (turn from these vanities . . . ) unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein.”
He is the antithesis of emptiness. To love Him is not a vain activity for He is all He claims to be. He is not a dead god, not a myth, not a piece of wood or stone or a god created on paper – he’s the living God!
In a very real sense all of us, prior to knowing God by and through the spirit, were idol-worshippers. Some of us, like the COI, continue to be.
Paul wrote to the believers at Cornith in (1st Corinthians 12:2) “Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led.”
More and more, in the walk of every Christian, the process of turning from all of our dumb vain idols and to the Living God is at work by and through the Spirit.
We see in a greater and greater light, how truly empty the idols we once embraced truly are – and how full and living the living God truly is!
This process is pictured in the Old Testament when God would command both individuals and the nation itself to walk through and take inventory of itself, and to then throw away or cut down all the idols that had accumulated in their lives.
Even as believers it’s easy to allow them to creep back in – and when they do there is a constant battle by them to try and take over His throne.
Paul calls God “the living God” here to distinguish him from the dead empty idols. But he goes further and teaches these people right here and on the spot that “this the isliving God . . .
“Which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein . . .”
See, the doctrine that there was one God who made alllllll things was novel to them. Like the Hindus, they worshipped multitudes of divinities and though they regarded Jupiter as the father of gods and men, yet they had no conception of one God who created all things.
At this point Paul brings them in closer in with more truth and gives them a super interesting insight, saying:
16 Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways.
What does this mean? It means that God, relative to the world and its people, did not provide them with revelation as a whole, nor scripture, nor law – they were essentially left to govern themselves according to the dictates of their own minds, cultures, wisdom, conscience while God blessed them provincially despite their foolish ways.
And in addition to provisions He did surround them with nature which “spake of Him“ as well. According to Romans 1, all humans are therefore, “without excuse” before Him.
But to all cultures barbaric and civilized as a whole He sort of turned a blind eye to their ways and existences, allowing them to go at it without His direct guidance.
Later we will read in Acts 17 where Paul will say this:
Acts 17:29 “Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device.
30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent.”
Why would God not automatically put all nations under the Law but instead only work through the Nation of Israel and then once Christ came take the Good News out to the world.
That’s a matter of pure speculation. But as long as we are here I might as well throw my hat into the ring by suggesting that God allows and allowed for a lot of leeway in the civilizations of Man – perhapsas a means to ultimately show us all – prove to us, even – our need for His Son.
So He carved out a Nation for Himself (in the Nations of Israel) and He gave them the Law, and prophets, and fire on the Mountain tops and miracles – and they couldn’t make it, could they?
The Law, though perfect, could not bring anyone to God rightly – proving the need for His Son.
Perhaps God, through other civilizations and cultures and gods (with a lower case g) allowed men the right to establish themselves without Him as well?!
So we have had some really remarkable civilizations – progressive, advanced, and being that Man is made in God’s image, capable.
What’s happened to all of them? The Egyptian Empire? The Babylonian? The Greek? And then of course the Roman?
All ultimately crumbled under their own directives, ways and systems. It’s the way of human beings and I personally believe that the United States will show itself is not one bit different then all that have come before us.
Interestingly, however, in Luke 24:46-47, Jesus said to His apostles before ascending:
“Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.”
Anyway, Paul tells these folks that at one time God winked at their ways . . . the ways of Jupiter and Mercury . . . then he adds
17 Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.
Nevertheless, though God gave those cultures little direct revelation He did not leave them “without witness.” His existence was exhibited by and through His moral character “in that He did GOOD” Paul says.
And he immediately tells us how He did good, He . . .
“gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.”
Here’s the key. Idols cannot do good. They are incapable of providing anything for anyone. And when good is done in association to them it is God who is blessing them along the way.
And the first act of goodness Paul cites is that God gave us rain from heaven.
Then he follows up with the next logical blessing as a result of giving us rain, saying, “and fruitful seasons,” and then he gives us the final blessing as a result of the fruitful seasons by adding
“and filling our hearts with food and gladness.”
In other words, God has kept the pagan idol worshippers fed and alive over the course of human history – something their idols did not do.
Rain is really an interesting subject for the believer and if you ever find yourselves bored do a little study on it from a biblical perspective.
I’m going to exercise some restraint and not go on a rant over it but considering the fact that we cannot produce rain on our own – I mean even cloud seeding cannot be proven statistically successful though we have been at it for 70 years.
That aside, for most of human history God has been in charge of the rain.
Psalm 147:8 says, speaking of God, “Who covereth the heaven with clouds; who prepareth rain for the earth.”
Providing us rain He also gives us “fruitful seasons” where the earth produces food, and having food, we eat, or as Paul says it, “Filling our hearts with food,” which is a Hebrew phrase to describe filling us with food.
But Paul doesn’t stop there. He adds, “filling our hearts with food and gladness.”
We could take this phrase a face value that God makes us glad by filling our hearts with food but the term gladness (“yoo-fros-onay” in Greek) is where we get the term euphoria) but YOOU-FROS-ONAY is taken from the root word, Yoo-FRAU-EENO, where it is frequently tied to merry, as “in eat, drink and be merry.”
So while it is also tied to rejoicing and merriment this may be a way that Paul is telling these men that their vine and wine production is from Him as well.
We recall that the purpose for Paul preaching here was to get these people from sacrificing garland laden oxen to Paul and Barnabas (so at verse 18 Luke informs us)
18 And with these sayings scarce restrained they the people, that they had not done sacrifice unto them.
Apparently they were all pretty convinced that the gods Mercury and Jupiter were among them but Paul’s reasoning caused them to drop the knives.
Let’s read through verses 19-22 and cover them before wrapping up.
19 And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and, having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead.
20 Howbeit, as the disciples stood round about him, he rose up, and came into the city: and the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe.
21 And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch,
22 Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.
Alright, back to 19
And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch (Pisidia) and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and, having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead.
If you recall Paul and Barnabas had been kicked out of Antioch Pisidia and Iconium (just a few verses earlier) and it appears that these Jews involved in their eviction came now to Lystra to make sure that they didn’t make any ground there either.
Apparently they were persuasive in getting some of the people to stone Paul – whether any of those who did were the same as those who were about to worship them is unknown.
All we know is Paul was stoned once and this appears to have been the place. How do we know he was once stoned?
In his letter to the Corinthians Paul said the following:
2nd Corinthians 11:23 Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft.
24 Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.
25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;
26 In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;
27 In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.
28 Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.
From what Luke writes here it seems that a mass of people stoned Paul and then “drew him out of the city,” (Dragged his body out beyond the city walls where the unrighteous dead are taken,” (Luke adds)
“Supposing he had been dead.”
A couple of things. First, it’s pretty wild that Barnabas does not seem to have been touched in this. But it might be that Paul, who was zealous and certainly aggressive in debate, got the Jews so riled up that they focused all their attentions on him.
Now, while the next verse says
Howbeit, as the disciples stood round about him, he rose up, and came into the city: and the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe.
Many Christian authors and scholars believe that Paul actually did die here and was miraculously brought back to life.
And it is further believed that when Paul writes (again in 2nd Corinthians 12:2)
“I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven,” that he is referring to this very point in time where he was stoned to death, died, went up to the Third Heaven but was so out of it he couldn’t tell if he was in his body or not.
I say this is possible but see a much better biblically based explanation for Paul saying:
“I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.”
That “fourteen years ago,” from the time of Paul writing 2nd Corinthians, was about the time of Acts chapter 15 where the apostles gathered together to work out some troubles in Jerusalem. We will cover this Jerusalem council in the next few weeks.
This could have been the place that Paul meets John the Beloved who quite possibly could have already received at least part (if not all) of the Book of Revelation where he was personally “called up” to receive in several places in the book.
Anyway, the fact that Luke says that when they dragged him out of the city supposing he was dead, is enough for me to believe that he was not.
Lying there the disciples stood around Paul and all we read is that he stood up,
(this is where most commentators suggest that he was miraculously raised from the dead) “and came into the city.”
Dead or not, are you as amazed at this as I am? That he was at least knocked out by stoning, he gets up and he goes right back into the same city!
And it appears he remained there overnight! Maybe it was to show everyone that God spared His life!
Anyway, the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe (verse 21 and 22).
21 And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, (Listen to this) they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch, (the very cities they had been driven out from BUT had left believers behind in! And what did they do there?) “confirming the souls of the disciples (EPI-STER-IDZO – strengthening, re-establishing, confirming those who had become disciples), and exhorting them (imploring them, inviting them) to continue in the faith (“keep believing, keep looking to Him, keep trusting in Him and His promises”) and . . . “that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.”
So, let’s wrap it up with this last line.
Paul was a believer. With Barnabas he went back to cities he was kicked out of to encourage and bolster up those who had become believers.
Luke describes Paul as talking in the plural – the “we” and he says that “we ought to, should, by necessity would”
. . . “through much tribulation enter into the Kingdom of God.”
Were these people believers? They were? Did they have faith? They did. Was Paul a believer? He was. Did Paul have faith? He did. WERE THEY SAVED? If they had faith they were. This was not a question of salvation. This was not a statement that was suggesting that in ORDER TO enter the Kingdom of Heaven they had to suffer much tribulation.
It was a stated fact. That believers will after suffering much tribulation, enter the Kingdom of heaven.
I’m sure all of them were aware that Paul had been kicked out of their respective cities. I’m sure some of them – maybe all of them – knew that Paul had been stoned – maybe he had the cuts and bruises on his face for goodness sakes.
All he was doing was bolstering them in their faith and telling them that now that they had embraced the faith, they would – would – enter into the Kingdom of heaven through much tribulation.
The word translated tribulation is Thlip-sis, and its primary meaning is pressure, but it is also translated:
“affliction, anguish, burden, persecution, tribulation, and trouble.”
To the believers in that day – and to many believers in our day as well – these pressures are physically manifested.
Loss of property, rights, even jobs and life itself.
But I would also suggest that anyone who chooses to follow Christ by faith inj whatever age will suffer pressure, affliction, anguish, burdens, persecution, tribulation, and trouble as they choose to let the Spirit of Christ reign over them and to allow their flesh to die daily to His will and not their own.
Let’s stop there.
Questions/Comments
Prayer
