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The Kind of People God Wants Us to Be
The Book of Acts - Part 62
Acts 18:12-17
Sermon by Rick Crandall
Grayson Baptist Church - October 26, 2014
BACKGROUND
*In tonight's Scripture, the Apostle Paul was still in the city of Corinth, and some pivotal things had happened.
Verse 2 tells us that there Paul met important new partners and friends: Aquila and his wife Priscilla.
*Verse 4 tells us that Paul began in Corinth, as usual, by preaching in the Jewish synagogue.
And I like what vs. 5 says about Paul: He "was constrained by the Spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ."
*Unfortunately, many of them rejected the gospel, and in vs. 6, under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, Paul "shook his garments and said to them, 'Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean.
From now on I will go to the Gentiles.'''
But praise the Lord, in vs. 8, many of the Corinthians who heard the good news about, Jesus Christ "believed and were baptized."
*Then in vs. 9-10 Paul received amazing encouragement from the Lord:
9. Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, "Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent;
10. for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city.''
*That's why in vs. 11, Paul "continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them."
*But in tonight's Scripture we see some trouble arise, and these verses God helps us to see the kind of people He wants us to be.
Let's begin by reading vs. 12-17.
INTRODUCTION:
*What kind of person are you?
You may have heard that old song "It takes all kinds of people to make the world go round," and in a way, that's true.
But today a lot of people are as mixed-up as they can be.
*I read about a 23-year-old man from Portland Oregon.
His name is Matt Wilkinson, and Matt was a snake collector.
One day he caught a 20-inch rattlesnake on the highway.
Three weeks later, Matt wanted to impress his ex-girlfriend, and he decided to put that snake's head in his mouth!
It happened at a barbecue with friends.
Yes, there was alcohol involved.
Yes, he was bitten.
And yes, he almost died.
"It got a hold of my tongue," he later said.
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*There are some kinds of people in this world that we don't want to be like.
We need to be the kind of people God wants us to be!
But what kind of people is that?
1. First: God wants us to be people who have problems for the right reason.
*Everybody has problems.
Some people have problems because they do stupid things to impress their ex-girlfriends.
But Paul was having a problem in these verses, because he was doing his absolute best to serve the Lord and spread the good news about Jesus Christ.
*Again in vs. 5, Paul "was constrained by the Spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ."
In vs. 8, "many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed and were baptized.
And in vs. 11, Paul "continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them."
*But then in vs. 12-13, pow, out of the blue:
12. . .
When Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him to the judgment seat,
13. saying, "This fellow persuades men to worship God contrary to the law.''
*Everybody has problems, and sometimes they will jump on us with no warning whatsoever.
But let's make sure that since we are going to have problems, we are having them for the right reason.
*If we have to be tired, let's be tired for the Lord.
If we have to do without, let's do without for the Lord.
If we have to get passed-over for a promotion, let's get passed-over because we refused to do something shady.
If someone chooses to reject us, may it be because they are really rejecting the Lord.
*Everybody has problems.
Let's make sure we have them for the right reason.
An ultimate example of this was in the sacrifice of a young man named Daniel Rohrbough.
Most people have never heard of Daniel, but he is a modern-day hero.
Daniel Rohrbough was a student at Columbine High School on that horrible day when two other students went on a rampage of violence and terror.
*It happened on Tuesday, April 20, 1999.
Twelve students and one teacher were massacred.
It could have been a lot worse.
Around 11:14, the killers carried two 20-pound propane bombs in duffel bags and placed them near tables in the cafeteria.
The timers were set for 11:17, but the timers on both bombs failed.
If they had gone off, there was a chance that all 488 kids in the cafeteria would have been killed.
*When the bombs didn't go off, the two killers began shooting students.
But what about Daniel Rohrbough?
Daniel stopped his escape from the school building to hold a door open so that other students could escape.
And he was killed while holding that door.
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*Of course, that is a picture of the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross for us.
Jesus died for us so that we could live forever!
And it is almost certain that we will never be called on to make a sacrifice like that.
But in little ways and every way let's give ourselves for the cause of Christ.
That way, we will have problems for the right reason.
2. What kind of people does God wants us to be? -- People who have problems for the right reason.
And people who remember that God is in control.
*Who was in control in vs. 12, when Paul was hauled before the Roman court?
Maybe those Jewish leaders thought they were in control because of the way they manipulated the situation.
And I am sure Proconsul Gallio thought he was in charge as the representative of the Roman Empire.
*But as Paul stood before his accusers, and the Roman Proconsul, it must have helped him a lot to know that God was in control.
The truth is that God was in control.
And He always is.
*God's Word makes this truth clear all over the Old Testament and the New.
When it comes to rulers, Proverbs 21:1 tells us that: "The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes."
*And God is certainly in control of the weather.
Psalm 147:4-8 gives this testimony about our God:
4.
He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name.
5. Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite.
6.
The Lord lifts up the humble; He casts the wicked down to the ground.
7. Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; Sing praises on the harp to our God,
8. Who covers the heavens with clouds, Who prepares rain for the earth, Who makes grass to grow on the mountains.
*Then Psalm 147:15-18 says:
15.
He sends out His command to the earth; His word runs very swiftly.
16.
He gives snow like wool; He scatters the frost like ashes;
17.
He casts out His hail like morsels; Who can stand before His cold?
18.
He sends out His word and melts them; He causes His wind to blow, and the waters flow.
*God is in control.
This truth is also clear when it comes to our Messiah and the Lord's death on the cross.
Listen to this testimony God the Father gives about His Son in Isaiah 42:
1. "Behold!
My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights!
I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.
2. He will not cry out, nor raise His voice, nor cause His voice to be heard in the street.
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