What God Requires (part 2)

In Yellowstone National Park there is a famous geyser. Can anyone tell me what it is called? Old Faithful. Why is it called that? Because it sends a jet of water into the air ever 44 to 125 minutes. In fact, this geyser is so dependable that in the early days of the park it was sometimes used to wash clothes. Old Faithful got its name because you can depend on it sending out the water at regular intervals. We like things that are dependable. For example, most of you drove here this morning which means you have vehicles that function. We want dependability in our vehicles. We want to be able to count on them to do what we need them to do when we need them to do it.

The spiritual life is no different. We need to be as dependable as Old Faithful. Others must be able to count on us to do what is needed when it is needed. This passage gives us an example of faithfulness.

Last week we began learning that God has one requirement for the child of God. Faithfulness . Everything else in the Christian life comes from this.

Faithful service to Christ brings growth and effectiveness in the Christian life.

In this passage, the specific application of this one requirement is limited to two life experiences. We began looking at the first life experience last week.

Life experience #1 is opposition. Therefore…

1. Faithfulness Is Required In Opposition vv. 51b-20

Opposition is a form of pressure. When pressure comes against us we can either give way or we can stand firm.

Scripture repeatedly exhorts the child of God to stand firm. Therefore,

Constant pressure needs to meet an immovable force.

To be an immovable force in the face of opposition the child of God needs to understand two realities about opposition.

Reality #1…

a. Opposition can be endured vv. 51b-7

We talked about this last week. If we are going to endure, we need support. We discussed three sources of support from this passage.

The support of the Holy Spirit. The support of Christ. The support of the Body (the church).

If we are going to stand as an immovable force we must understand that opposition can be endured. But it can only be endured as we embrace these sources of support.

There is a second reality we need to understand about opposition.

Reality #2…

b. Opposition can be exceptional vv. 8-20

By exceptional I don’t mean good. I mean that it can be out of the ordinary. That is what we see here.

Before we even study the verses I want to give you all a thought. Who is the energizing force behind what takes place here? Satan! How do we know? Because He blinds the minds of those who don’t believe!

These people have been blinded by Satan and so they are more easily manipulated. They have been blinded by Satan and they are worshiping false gods.

Exceptional opposition can be difficult to handle. However, strength is found when we are forewarned and thus forearmed. This passage gives us three warnings about exceptional opposition.

Warning #1. Exceptional opposition is…

i. Subtle opposition vv. 8-13

READ vv. 8-10

Verse 8 backs up to give us an account of what happened while they were in Lystra (S). v. 6 went to Lystra and Derbe. V. 7 preaching the gospel. Now we see what happened while they were in Lystra.

At first glance this seems like all positives. And as far as these verses go, it is. This man was born a cripple, he is listening to Paul preach and Paul sees his faith. Paul orders him to stand up and the man does. It is important to note that Paul doesn’t heal the man. God does that. Paul simply observes the faith and makes the command.

Stand up straight on your feet. Impossible command. The problem was his feet had no strength. He wasn’t able to stand straight. He had never even walked. With God all things are possible! The man is able to leap and walk. Is God telling you to do something that seems impossible? He is more than able to make it possible.

Some have made much of this phrase “seeing that he had the faith to be healed.”

This is one of those times where we cannot go beyond what is written.

These verses have been used to teach that if you do not have enough faith, you won’t be healed. However, The verse doesn’t say anything about the amount or even quality of the man’s faith! What it says is that he believed he could be healed.

Also need to note what the verse does not say. Doesn’t say that if the man had less faith he couldn’t be healed. Doesn’t even say that if the man had no faith he couldn’t be healed. To argue either of those points is to argue, at best, from implication and that is very dangerous. Jesus healed people who gave no evidence of faith at all (the little girl whose father came). What we have to believe is what is actually stated. This man, in this instance, in this circumstance, believed that he could be healed and so Paul was used by God to heal him. That’s it. That’s all the verse says.

What we should take away from this verse is that God can do miracles when, where, and how He wants.

READ v. 11

Here is where the subtle opposition starts. There is some important background here. Legend of Zeus and Hermes visiting and people didn’t receive them. City was wiped out except for older couple who were made priest and priestess and house converted to temple. The people of the city worship the Greek pantheon. They see Paul heal and think he is one of their false gods. Satan has hijacked this miraculous healing and is trying to use it to lead these people into greater darkness! They are speaking in a dialect that Paul and Barnabas do not know.

Satan wants to hijack the miraculous for his own purposes. Sometimes he does this through distraction. Someone has a miraculous experience and Satan leads them into a false religion.

Do you see Satan’s counterfeit here? The gods have come in likeness of men. There is only one God who did this! On communion Sunday we mentioned (S).

Jesus Christ is God manifest in human flesh. He didn’t just look like a man, He was a man. Satan knows that, he wants these people to think that their false gods can do the same. Egypt, the duplication of Moses’ miracles helped to keep pharaoh’s heart hard.

Beware and on guard against counterfeit spiritual experiences. How will we recognize them? Test them against the Word of God. This requires that we know the Word and how to study it.

READ v. 12

They even determine who Paul and Barnabas are in their list of false gods. Satan’s deception is thick and powerful! These people have been horribly blinded.

READ v. 13

The priest of these false gods bring animals and sacrificial wreaths intending to sacrifice with the multitude because of the arrival of Paul and Barnabas who they think are gods.

This is how subtle opposition can be. Satan has these people blinded and deceived and he is keeping them from the truth.

This miraculous event has become a distraction from the gospel.

In exceptional opposition, be discerning .

We must be on guard to know when we are faced with subtle opposition. This requires that we be men and women of the Word. But we also need to be aware of what is happening in the culture around us. Discernment is needed when unbiblical claims are made on the basis of experience instead of truth. Discernment is needed when people become so focused on miracles that they miss the greatest miracle of all, the miracle of sinners becoming saints through faith in Christ. This happens. People get overtaken with a desire for miracles, wanting to see them happen. They forget that the greatest miracle of all is a transformed life!

There is subtle opposition.

Warning #2. Exceptional opposition is…

ii. Spiritual opposition vv. 14-18

What Paul and Barnabas are engaged in here is a spiritual battle.

READ vv. 14-16

The gods served by these people stand in direct opposition to the true and living God. And so what Paul expounds about God counters the false teaching. Here is a Jonism. There may have been the temptation to use this. To say “I can get them to believe if they think I am a god.”

Tearing the clothes was an expression of outrage and grief. It was a very serious symbol showing extreme emotion.

Crying out is the idea of essentially screaming. Paul and Barnabas run screaming into the crowd in an effort to stop them.

Why? This is serious business! We are not to be worshiped, God alone is worthy of all honor, glory, and praise. When people attempt to give us glory that rightly belongs to God, we should scream for them to stop as Paul and Barnabas do.

Avoid self-promotion and personal glory. The best way to accomplish this is to have a proper view of God. That is what Paul and Barnabas display here.

Notice the description given by Paul and Barnabas.

First there is a question to make them pause. Why are you doing this? They are doing this because of the miracle. That leads to the next statement.

We are just like you. We are not gods, we are men just like you. They didn’t do the miracle!

Thirdly, Sacrificing to false gods is useless. It cannot accomplish anything! You can kill all the animals you want and nothing will happen.

Fourthly, We serve a living God. A living God can interact, He can accomplish things on our behalf. Every other religion has at its center a dead person. We serve a risen Savior!

Fifthly, Our living God created everything. Everything that they worship as god or that their false gods supposedly rule was created by the living God! The heaven refers to all the sky and universe. God created that. The earth, the only planet that can sustain life. God created that. The sea with all it’s huge assortment of life and mystery. God created that. Everything in the universe, the sky, on the earth, and in the sea. God created it all!

Beloved, we need to keep this high view of God. (S).

Christ is the creator and sustainer of all things. Because this is true, he is worthy of all our praise.

v. 16 mentions the reality that God allows nations to pursue their own path. Paul is using this as a setup to discuss natural revelation in the next verse.

READ v. 17

Though God is not always obviously active, He reveals Himself all around us. This is often referred to as natural revelation. says (S)

Nature itself testifies to the reality that there is a God! takes this even further (S).

God’s existence as well as His eternal power and Godhead are all declared in nature. Paul’s statement here to these idol worshipping people of Lystra parallels what he wrote to the church in Rome. God clearly exists and rules and reigns supreme. No one has an excuse for not believing in Him.

He is responsible for all that is good, sending rain, causing fruit, seasons, and filling our lives with food and gladness.

READ v. 18

All of these revelations barely stopped the people from sacrificing to Paul and Barnabas.

This is clearly spiritual warfare.

This is a tactic of opposition. Satan is good at convincing people to embrace counterfeits. This is something he is still actively doing.

How do we stand firm in the face of spiritual warfare? (S).

Spiritual battles are won through the knowledge of God and obedience to Christ. That is exactly what Paul did in this passage! EXPLAIN.

In exceptional opposition, be obedient .

Our ability to fight Spiritual battles is conditioned on our obedience to Christ. No obedience = no victory.

We have been warned about subtle opposition in which we need to be discerning, and spiritual opposition in which we need to be obedient.

Warning #3. Exceptional opposition is…

iii. Steadfast opposition vv. 19-20

READ v. 19

The Jews are steadfast and persistent in their opposition. They travel from Antioch and Iconium for the sole purpose of causing trouble for Paul and Barnabas (S)! That is dedication!

They are able to convince the people to stone Paul and they drag him out of the city thinking he is dead. This is opposition.

There will be those who oppose us with this kind of steadfast determination.

Apparently there was no chance to escape and Paul is stoned. There are many places in the world where being a follower of Christ comes with the expectation of physical violence and suffering. (S).

Trials are to be expected. How should we respond? Paul is stoned, dragged, and left for dead. But…

READ v. 20

God miraculously preserves Paul’s life!

Though we will face opposition and suffering, never forget who is on your side!

The God who raises the dead fights for us! The healer of the sick, the God of all comfort, the Father of mercy, that is who we serve! When we are walking in His will we are invincible until it is accomplished. When facing steadfast opposition, know an unchanging God is on your side!

I want us to notice something very powerful in this verse.

When do Paul and Barnabas leave Lystra? The next day! 2 Things here. 1 – There must have been a miraculous healing for Paul.

2 – I don’t know about you, but after a murder attempt, I might be leaving town immediately. Paul gets up, goes right back into the city, and then stays the night there!

This reminds me of what Paul wrote to Timothy in his second letter. (S).

This is faithfulness! Opposition does not stop Paul and Barnabas, not even steadfast and dedicated opposition.

What about you and me? Will we remain faithful in the midst of steadfast opposition?

When the door for ministry closes in Lystra, they move on to Derbe.

Don’t give up when the hard times hit. Don’t throw in the towel! God is not finished with you yet! How do I know that? Because you and I are still breathing.

In exceptional opposition, be persistent .

Keep moving forward. Keep testing the doors to see if they are open. You will never know if you do not try! When God closes a door, move to the next one.

Conclusion

says (S)

It is required in stewards that one be found faithful.

Greatness is not measured by external standards of success. We think it is. Numbers, bank account, retirement plan etc. But God says many who are first will be last and the last first.

In God’s estimation, greatness is determined by faithfulness.

Last week we learned that, if we are going to be faithful we must understand that opposition can be… endured.

This is possible through the Holy Spirit, Christ, and the fellowship of the church. Be filled with the Spirit, cling to Christ, fellowship with the saints.

Today we have learned that if we are going to be faithful we must understand that opposition can be… exceptional.

To help us be on guard we must recognize subtle, spiritual, and steadfast opposition. Be discerning, be obedient, and be persistent.

God has given us everything we need to walk with Him faithfully. Do we believe that?

This is His one requirement.

Growth comes as we are faithful. We can’t grow if we quit. We can’t grow if we don’t try.

Effective ministry happens as we are faithful. Keep witnessing, keep living for God’s glory. It matters!

Faithfulness is what drives the believer’s life. Well done good and faithful servant.

May faithfulness be the story of our lives.

If we are going to faithful, that strength will come from Christ.

“I Run To Christ”

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