The Mission: Resolve To Do God's Will

Jonathan Douglass

Acts: The Mission of the Church • Sermon • Submitted 2 years ago

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Locate illustration for bad example of God’s will (in the application section)

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???Spiritual warfare is intense, but soldiers of Christ should not be afraid to die in Spiritual warfare!

In 480 b.c. the Persians invaded Greece with a tremendous army and met Leonidas and his small army of about 6,000 Greeks at Thermopylae. There, King Leonidas, 300 Spartan warriors, and about 800 other men resolved to stand firm even though they they would most likely die. Their stand allowed the remaining several thousand soldiers to escape to safety in Southern Greece to fight another day. Leonidas successfully held that narrow pass between two mountains for two days before the Persians, led by a Greek traitor, found another route over the mountains and attacked the Greeks from the rear. Leonidas and most of the Greeks died in that battle, but their stand earned Leonidas and Sparta much glory.

Acts is a record of Christians who courageously held their ground, and Luke also preserved the stories of some who were not so courageous. In Acts 21, Luke Paul demonstrated remarkable leadership when he, like Leonidas , demonstrated his resolve to defend God’s Word no matter how his story might end. Like Leonidas, Paul fought with just a few companions by his side. In these final chapters of Acts, we will discover Paul also stood in a narrow pass, before kings and governors, continuing to testify of the risen Christ and of God’s grace. Leonidas and Paul displayed a resolve that today is often hard to find. “Churchianity” replaces Christianity. The Lord’s people in our country seem more interested in saving their lives than laying them down for his sake.

Paul decided to go to Jerusalem with as much haste as possible even though doing so might cost his life. If you have not done so, please locate Acts 21 in your Bibles while I read our whole passage beginning from Acts 20:36.

Acts 20:36–21:16 ESV

36 And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. 37 And there was much weeping on the part of all; they embraced Paul and kissed him, 38 being sorrowful most of all because of the word he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they accompanied him to the ship. 1 And when we had parted from them and set sail, we came by a straight course to Cos, and the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara. 2 And having found a ship crossing to Phoenicia, we went aboard and set sail. 3 When we had come in sight of Cyprus, leaving it on the left we sailed to Syria and landed at Tyre, for there the ship was to unload its cargo. 4 And having sought out the disciples, we stayed there for seven days. And through the Spirit they were telling Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. 5 When our days there were ended, we departed and went on our journey, and they all, with wives and children, accompanied us until we were outside the city. And kneeling down on the beach, we prayed 6 and said farewell to one another. Then we went on board the ship, and they returned home. 7 When we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais, and we greeted the brothers and stayed with them for one day. 8 On the next day we departed and came to Caesarea, and we entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him. 9 He had four unmarried daughters, who prophesied. 10 While we were staying for many days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 And coming to us, he took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘This is how the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’ ” 12 When we heard this, we and the people there urged him not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” 14 And since he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said, “Let the will of the Lord be done.” 15 After these days we got ready and went up to Jerusalem. 16 And some of the disciples from Caesarea went with us, bringing us to the house of Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we should lodge.

Before we really dig into our text I must make two observations which help us understand this passage.

Two Observations

First, Paul was subject to maritime schedules.

It was not uncommon for travelers to book passage on cargo ships. Cargo ships could be found in any port and would have been very busy places. Ports offered connection to the world. Paul had a few layovers, the longest recorded here was seven days, and those layovers were presumably due to ships arriving sooner or later than expected because of weather and also because cargo had to be unloaded and loaded. It would be wrong for us to assume Paul was “dragging his feet” so to speak. Everything we know of Paul’s character describes him as a faithful, dependable, and trustworthy soldier. Paul was committed to whatever awaited him in Jerusalem and his feet faithfully carried him to that destination as quickly as possible.

Second, please note a significant change in Paul’s ministry.

What did Paul normally do when he entered a city while on his missionary journeys? He found a synagogue and reasoned with the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. He actively reasoned why people needed to repent of sin and turn to Christ. When Paul landed in Miletus in chapter 20 verse 36, he called the pastors to him.

When the ship landed in Tyre in 21:4, Paul and his 8 companions “sought out the disciples.” At Ptolemais in verse 7, Luke wrote “we greeted the brothers and stayed there for one day.” At Caesarea, Jerusalem’s port, they sought out Philip the Evangelist, from Acts 6:5 who was one of the original 7 deacons in the Jerusalem church. In Caesarea and also Jerusalem several days later, they spent time with the brothers and sisters, but again there is no mention of evangelism.

Paul’s main ministry was transitioning from evangelism to encouragement. He was still an evangelist at heart. Paul would continue to boldly proclaim Christ at every opportunity. Paul was resolved to do God’s will at all cost and if we are going to follow his example we need to answer two questions about God’s will. First....

What is God’s will?

God’s will can be logically divided into two categories, His general will and his specific will. God’s general will are things He expects all his children to be doing all the time. The first example of God’s general will is found in Acts 2:42...

Examples of God’s general will:

acts 2:42 “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” God’s will for all his children is for them to physically gather together, hear teaching from God’s word, and to pray without ceasing, and to partake in communion reminding ourselves of Jesus’ intense love.

1 Cor 3:10-15 - build Christ’s church brick by brick

Romans 12:3-7 - We are to faithfully use the gifts God has given us

Jn 15 abide in Christ, bear much fruit, and to abhor sin

Mt 22:37-39, Lk 6:27-35 intensely love other people, even those whom we might consider to be our enemies

Philippians 2:1 encouraging brothers and sisters in life and in the faith, live in unity and peace

Philippians 2:15 shine as lights in this world

Philippians 4:8 have our minds so full of Godly things that there is no room for earthly things

Eph 6:10-20 - engage in spiritual warfare

You can have some fun around the lunch table this afternoon and continue to add to this list. In summary God expects and strongly desires that all His children resolved to fear God and keep his commandments. That is His general will, what He expects all his children to do day in and day out.

God also has a specific will. This means God sometimes has a specific task for a specific person to complete at a specific point in time.

Examples of God’s specific will includes...

Noah building the ark and saving his family.

Abraham becoming the father of Israel through Isaac.

Moses leading Israel out of captivity.

Jonah becoming a prophet to Nineveh.

Job’s suffering.

The prophet’s calling, such as in Jeremiah 1:5.

Jesus’ life, crucifixion, burial, resurrection, and resurrection.

and as I will show you momentarily, God chose a specific person, Paul, to suffer at a specific place and at a specific time. Paul clearly knew God’s will and was resolved to win the gold medal as he completed God’s will.

Paul’s story was similar to Christ’s story because Paul lived each day according to God’s general and specific will.

We need to know that: “When people of Jesus follow the ways of Jesus, their stories will begin to look like His story.”

Jesus did not have a home, and so neither did Paul.

Jesus lived a Spartan lifestyle, so Paul lived a Spartan lifestyle.

Jesus was mocked and attempts were made on his life, that happened also to Paul.

In the upper room and in the garden just before Jesus was taken captive he was surrounded by his closest friends. As we read a moment ago, Paul was surrounded by his closest friends in the moments leading up to his great suffering.

Jesus was betrayed by Jews and crucified because of the Jews demands. Paul was betrayed by Jews from Asia. Luke used the names “Asia” and “Ephesus” interchangeably, so it is quite possible Paul was betrayed by the very same Jews from Acts 19:9 spoke evil of him.

Remember Leonidas? He resolved to set an example for Sparta and the other Greek city states. If all Greece fought so resolved, they would have defeated the Persians. Paul was resolved to set an example in life and in death. In 1 Cor 4:14 and 11:1 he said, “be imitators of me as I am of Christ.”

What is God’s will? God’s will is for us to imitate Christ. We are His image bearers, so it is only natural that when we are Spirit filled and empowered, our lives will look like His and our stories will resemble His. In Phil 3:17 Paul wrote,

Philippians 3:17 (ESV) 17 Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.

We have many examples in Scripture of person after person who were resolved to imitate Christ to their very last breath. You might pick up “Foxes Book of Martyrs” or “Jesus Freaks” or choose to study Luther, Calvin, Huss, Zwingli, or other reformers, or you might join us in a few weeks to watch the “Sabina Movie” which will tell the story of a husband and wife’s incredible resolve to imitate Christ. We look like Jesus when we are resolved to do God’s will no matter the cost.

(pause)

This morning’s text is a great example of why context is SO important. What did God really want Paul to do? Was Paul go to Jerusalem or was he supposed to avoid Jerusalem?...

What was God’s will for Paul?

If we don’t use the rules of context here we could be very confused. We could believe the Holy Spirit and God himself are liars or we could believing Paul sinned against God. Acts 21 contains 2 troublesome verses.

Here are the troublesome verses: In...

Acts 21:4

Paul was with believers in Tyre and they were… “through the Spirit they were telling Paul not to go on to Jerusalem.” Just a few verses later, in verses 10-11...

Acts 21:10-11

a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea to Paul in Caesarea and prophesied..

Acts 21:11 (ESV) 11 And coming to us, he took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘This is how the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’ ”

This is where rules of context are important. When something in a verse doesn’t make sense or seems out of character for God, we need to look at other verses surrounding those verses and the chapters surrounding those verses, and the whole book and the whole Bible. When we follow rules of context we discover that...

Jesus set Paul set aside to suffer for Christ’s name.

We need to go all all the way back to...

Acts 9:15–16

I’ll give you a moment to find it and you might highlight or underline these verses because contain the theme played out consistently in Paul’s life from that point on. In Acts 9:15-16 Jesus clearly revealed His will for Paul to Ananias...

“15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”

Paul was to suffer much for Jesus’ name. You might have remembered another verse, the one where God revealed His will to Paul,

Acts 19:21 (ESV)

“Now after these events Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.”

The power of the Holy Spirit living in Paul revealed that he must go to Jerusalem and then to Rome. A short time later, in...

Acts 20:22–23

Paul revealed God’s will to his closest friends when he said...

22 And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, 23 except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me.

There is the conflict. Can the Spirit reveal one thing to some people and a completely different thing to other people? Can the Spirit contradict himself? Can the Spirit lie? Absolutely not!

God did not lie and Paul did not sin against God by going to Jerusalem. I want to show you...

Three explanations for these seemingly conflicting verses...

First, Believers misunderstood the Spirit.

This isn’t the first time Christians have misunderstood God’s will. Misunderstanding God’s will happens rather frequently. You might recall how Job’s friends wrongly assumed God’s will for Job’s life.

Sometimes even our friends don’t understand God’s will for our lives; but when His will is clear, we must press forward despite their good intentions to stop us.

The second explanation for these seemingly conflicting verses is that...

The Spirit’s revelations were an answer to Paul’s prayer. (20:24)

In chapter 20 verse 24, Paul expressed his deep desire to finish his race and win the gold. In order to do that, he needed cheerleaders. God, by revealing His will through the Spirit caused Paul to be surrounded by brothers and sisters in Christ from Ephesus, Tyre, Ptolemais, Caesarea, and Jerusalem. Paul’s life looked like Jesus life because the Spirit caused the church to surround Paul and pour out their love on him. The warnings caused others to encourage Paul on the difficult path he was to walk.

The Spirit was warning Paul what was ahead. (vv 4:10-11)

The spirit didn’t want to stop Paul, but this series of warnings mirror the night of Jesus’ betrayal in the Gospels. Jesus was fully aware that He was going to be betrayed, but the disciples misunderstood God’s will. Jesus warned the disciples in the upper room during the last supper and in the Garden by urgently asking them to watch and pray. Peter even tried to fight God’s will the sword. The Spirit revealed the timing, Jesus got it right, his closest friends missed it.

Agabus himself did not try to prevent Paul from going to Jerusalem in verse 11. He merely demonstrated to Paul what was gong to happen when he went to Jerusalem. The Spirit had literally been preparing Paul for intense spiritual warfare that lay ahead.

Paul resolved to do God’s will (21:12-16)

Please look again at Acts 21:12 “(ESV) When we heard this, we and the people there urged him not to go up to Jerusalem.”

Even Sopater, Aristarchus and Secundus; and Gaius, and Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus, and Luke joined in. Why would these Godly men even try to stop Paul from obeying God’s will?

Here’s the thing. They knew Paul avoided persecution in the past. The brothers helped Paul escape Damascus in a basket. When Paul was stoned at Lystra, he moved on to another city. Then in Thessalonica, the brothers whisked Paul away by night to Berea to avoid the angry mob. These men were even with Paul in Acts 20:3. Paul intended to set sail for Syria, but was informed of a plot against him, so Paul avoided persecution by taking the route through Macedonia. Why would Paul flee some persecution then run headlong toward the persecution awaiting him in Jerusalem?

Paul’s life resembled Christ’s life. Many plots were made to harm or kill Jesus, but Jesus slipped through their midst unharmed. God spared Jesus from harm until His time had come. Jesus stated in...

Jn 16:32-33

John 16:32–33 (ESV) (2 Slides)

32 Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. 33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Paul knew his hour was upon him and even his dearest friends could not shake his resolve to do what he knew to be right.

(pause)

Please look at verse 13...

13 Then Paul answered (probably gently and humbly), (BE SOFT!)“What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”

Paul’s hour had arrived.

14 And since he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said, “Let the will of the Lord be done.” 15 After these days we got ready and went up to Jerusalem. 16 And some of the disciples from Caesarea went with us, bringing us to the house of Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we should lodge.

(pause)

Paul was ready to stand in that narrow gap as Leonidas did.

We need to know that a disciple of Jesus must do what God commands, no matter the danger involved.

Resolving to do God’s will is always important in the Christian life but it is never more important than when one thinks loyalty to Christ might lead to death. We know we must do God’s will, but...

How do we resolve to do God’s will?

Doing His will begins by knowing God’s words...

We must know God’s Words.

Paul knew God’s words. He knew Scripture, he knew what Jesus said and did during his lifetime. He knew the law. He knew the special instructions the Spirit gave him. Knowing God’s words gave Paul resolve… there was no other path forward, he had no other option but to go to Jerusalem.

Paul’s companions might not have sinned, they had not personally experienced the Spirit’s clear revelation as Paul did, but that bit of text reminds me of an important truth.

Sometimes we say or do things that are outside of God’s will and we need Godly friends who are saturated in God’s Words who will faithfully point out God’s will to us. We need friends who know God’s words. God’s words are incredibly important...

Hebrews 6:18

states God cannot lie. He cannot say one thing and do another. He cannot say one thing that opposes another thing.

John 17:17

states, “sanctify them in truth, thy word is truth.” God’s will for you and I will never contradict what He has spoken in the Bible.

Hebrews 13:8

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” The words he spoke 2,000 years ago years ago completely lined up with the words he spoke 4,000 years before those. God’s Word will never go out of style or be invalid. God will never contradict himself. We must know God’s words if we are going to do His will. Second,

We must accurately interpret God’s will. (as Paul did)

Interpreting God’s will is sometimes a challenge!

Illustration of wrongly interpreting God’s will?

Acts 21 is a great example that pain causes us to second guess God’s will! If a path in front of us involves pain but lines us with God’s words, we must take that path no matter the danger involved.

Satan may tempt us to avoid a pain-filled path, Scripture and church history proves how God often uses fires of persecution to build His church. So how do we accurately interpret God’s will? How do we know when to avoid something or when to run to something? I think the key is this...

We clearly know and obey God’s general will.

Remember that list of references from the beginning of the message? I encourage all of us to read and consider them this coming week. Ask yourselves this question, “What part of God’s will am I currently struggling to obey?” We must know it and do it.

What do we do when all options seem to be in line with God’s revealed will? What if a romantic relationship begins to blossom, or an opportunity arises to change career paths, or a new living situation is required, what should I do? That is entering the territory of God’s specific will. That is a whole other message and there are a lot of questions that need to be answered in the process which is why the Scripture is necessary and efficient for all things in life and Godliness. If you are facing something that is in the “specific will” category, talk with Godly counselors in your life including your deacon and Pastor.

Finally,

We must be committed to living Christ’s story.

This is the beauty of salvation. We didn’t accept God’s free gift of salvation to look like us. We were tired and ashamed of looking like us all the time. We were without hope in this world. Christ’s story though, what a beautiful thing. A life of gentleness and forgiveness? Count me in! We should want to look like Christ, so our stories read like Christ’s story.

PRAYER IDEAS

Power to softly and gently rebuke another.

Power to be faithful! day in, day out as we battle sin in our lives.

Humility to walk in your steps! We live because of your grace… you sustain us. We should not be proud of our strength, but in yours that holds us up.

courage to stand in the darkest moment when Satan’s forces might cause us to tremble, may we courageously hold our ground never giving in, never compromising,

Your word is full of hope and vigor and health, may we be resolved this week to obey you in all things.

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