“Faith Under Fire (Acts 21:15-23:11)” | 8/14/22
Acts 21:15-23:11 | 8/14/22 | Will DuVal
Everyone loves a witty retort, and Sir Winston Churchill was the MASTER of the comeback.
*When asked by a parliamentarian, “Mr. Churchill, MUST you fall asleep while I’m speaking?”, he replied, “No, it’s purely voluntary.”
*When Bessie Bradock chided, “Winston, you are disgustingly drunk!”, Churchill countered, “Bessie, my dear, you are disgustingly UGLY. But tomorrow I shall be sober, and you will still be disgustingly ugly.”
*And when Lady Nancy Astor remarked, “Winston, if you were MY husband, I’d put poison in your coffee,” Churchill quipped, “Nancy, if you were my WIFE, I’d DRINK it!”
Perhaps not the most CHRIST-like of comebacks…
But this morning, we’re going to be considering how WE should respond, as followers of JESUS, in the face of opposition. And as usual, over these past few months as we have studied our way through the book of Acts, we will be learning from the example of the apostle PAUL, who is going to encounter 4 different FORMS of opposition in this text, from 4 different groups of opponents. And we’ll apply EACH to our own lives, because as Christians, we SHOULD face opposition in this world. Jesus promised it: “If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.” (Jn 15:20) PAUL promised it: “all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,” (2 Tim 3:12) So the very first question for you and me this morning, before we even dive into the text, is this:
“Are we EXPERIENCING it?”
Do YOU experience opposition for your faith in Christ? If NOT, then not only is this sermon going to be pretty IRRELEVANT for you, but more importantly, you may be found to be in DISOBEDIENCE of your Savior this morning. Jesus said, ““Woe to you, when all people speak well of you” (Lk 6:26). Christians don’t win popularity contests. If you ARE, it’s a pretty good sign that your faith is too PRIVATE. Our faith should be PERSONAL, but never PRIVATE. Jesus said, “You’re the light of the world, but you don’t light a lamp and put it under a basket; you put it on a STAND, for ALL to see.” (Mt 5:14) But he ALSO warned us that, “people love the darkness rather than the light because their works are evil” (Jn 3:19). If Christ’s light is IN you, and you’re LETTING it shine through, then the world IS going to OPPOSE you.
So here’s my plea to you, brothers and sisters: please don’t make it all the way through the book of Acts without putting this stuff into practice. We’re called to be DOERS of the word, not just HEARERS. The book of Acts is all ABOUT our commission to take the gospel to all the WORLD - to “be Christ’s witnesses… to the ends of the earth”. Have we AT LEAST taken it across the street, to our neighbors? Across the office, to a coworker? If we HAVEN’T, I fear we will have WASTED the last 8 months together, being hearers but not doers.
But listen: I don’t want to GUILT you into living boldly for Christ, I want to try and GUIDE you into it. So with each of these 4 forms of opposition Paul is gonna encounter, I want to offer you not ONLY the biblical RESPONSE to it, but also a practical RECIPE for how to encounter it in the FIRST place. Jesus said, ““Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake” - you want to be BLESSED this week, by living for Jesus and thereby SUFFERING for it? I’ll suggest how you can do that.
But first, let’s go to the Lord in PRAYER together…
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FOUR Biblical Responses to Gospel Opposition:
#1 - When CRITICIZED, we YIELD. (21:15-26)
We pick up where we left off last week, in v15 of ch21. Paul has just completed his third and final missionary journey, and now, like Jesus, “constrained by the Spirit”, Paul set his face to go to Jerusalem, despite knowing full well the fate that awaits him there - imprisonment and many afflictions. So we pick up in v15 and read:
“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.
17 When we had come to Jerusalem, the brothers received us gladly. 18 On the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present. 19 After greeting them, he related one by one the things that God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. 20 And when they heard it, they glorified God. And they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed. They are all zealous for the law, 21 and they have been told about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or walk according to our customs. 22 What then is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come. 23 Do therefore what we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow; 24 take these men and purify yourself along with them and pay their expenses, so that they may shave their heads. Thus all will know that there is nothing in what they have been told about you, but that you yourself also live in observance of the law. 25 But as for the Gentiles who have believed, we have sent a letter with our judgment that they should abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality.” 26 Then Paul took the men, and the next day he purified himself along with them and went into the temple, giving notice when the days of purification would be fulfilled and the offering presented for each one of them.”
So the first form of opposition Paul encounters in Jerusalem isn’t from OUTSIDE the church; it’s from WITHIN. From Jewish Christians, who judge and criticize Paul, for not adhering strictly enough to the Law, the OLD Testament Law, the Law of MOSES, and for teaching others to do the same.
Now, reading Paul’s own LETTERS, it’s not hard to see where this criticism is coming from. In Romans 2, Paul says, physical circumcision is of NO value, unless you’ve got a spiritually circumcised HEART; THAT’s what matters now, under the NEW covenant of grace. He repeats that in Galatians 5:6 as well - “in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love”, and earlier in Galatians 3, Paul describes the Law as “our guardian until Christ came… But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian”.
So according to PAUL, the Law was like a security blanket, but now it’s time to grow up. My son sleeps with his “lovey”; it’s cute now, cuz he’s TWO, but when he’s TWENTY-two, it’d be a little sad… maybe creepy. But these Jewish Christians in Jerusalem are saying, “We LIKE our lovey. Our Law. It’s familiar, it’s comfortable. Don’t take that away from us, Paul!” And here’s poor James caught in the middle; I want to give James - the half-brother of Jesus who pastored the church in Jerusalem - I wanna give him the benefit of the doubt; I think he’s just trying to avoid conflict here. “Paul, can you please just play along? INDULGE them. I’ve got an idea: we’ve got 4 guys in our church in the middle of fulfilling their Nazirite vow (Numbers 6); why don’t you publicly support them, so the rest of the church can see that you’re not anti-Torah? Meanwhile, v25, we’ll draft ANOTHER letter to your Gentile churches, identical to the one we already SENT back in ch15 after the Jerusalem Council, but that will appease these Jews in our church here in Jerusalem, who are so pro-LAW.
Now, Paul COULD’VE said, “Uhh, I don’t THINK so! If your church is still stuck on the LAW, if they haven’t realized Christ’s SUFFICIENCY yet, that’s THEIR problem, not mine.” Not to mention the fact that Paul HIMSELF fulfilled a Nazirite vow, back in ch18. Paul could’ve said, “My previous record of personal Law-keeping speaks for itself; you got a problem with it, that’s on YOU!”
But he doesn’t DO that; what does Paul do? V26: “He took the men… purified himself… [and accompanied them to] the temple.” He YIELDS to their request. Why? Cuz he was a SELL-OUT?
No, cuz he was a SELFLESS SERVANT. Paul is following his own exhortation here, from 1 Corinthians 8, not to “defile” a weaker brother’s conscience. In Corinth, it was the issue of food offered to idols. And Paul wrote to the MATURE believers in Corinth: “Listen: I know that idols are fake. YOU know that idols are fake. But if a less mature Christian is afraid of sinning by eating meat that was SACRIFICED to an idol, even though it’s FAKE, just don’t eat it. Yield. For the sake of their conscience.”
Our best family friends back home in Jackson are Southern Baptists. Like, REAL Southern Baptists. Now I know that drinking alcohol isn’t a sin. But when I go over for dinner, I don’t bring a SIX-pack, just to make a point. That is not the way of Christian love and unity.
In just about every sermon I PREACH here, there are a couple analogies, illustrations I want to include, that I refrain from, or I go back and edit them out, because I know SOMEONE would get so upset by the idea that a PASTOR would watch THAT show or listen to THAT podcast; it’s SAFER for me to omit it, so as not to be a STUMBLING BLOCK and prevent any of you from hearing the GOSPEL. Paul said, “I’ve made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. 20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. 21 To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law… I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. 23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel” (1 Cor 9:20-23).
Now, I told you, I want to help you get persecuted, by living for Jesus, so if you are NOT currently experiencing “friendly fire” from fellow Christians who are JUDGING and criticizing you, here’s how you can do that: start making a MAJOR Kingdom impact. That’s why they REALLY came after Paul; they were JEALOUS. If you are KILLING it in ministry, for the sake of the gospel, you WILL be criticized, by “Christians” who AREN’T. Cuz they’re too busy sitting at home, thumping their Bibles, looking for an excuse to reprimand someone, to make any real Kingdom impact themselves. Just read the Comments section on any post, any article, any sermon from any of the best preachers out there - Tim Keller, John Piper, JD Greear… - these guys get HATED ON, all day long, by so-called Christians. I think about what one of MY ministry heroes - David Platt - endured last year, being SUED by members of his own church, on false charges. He could’ve said, “Forget y’all; I’m OUTTA here!” But he yielded to the investigation; he didn’t even throw them out of the church, for attempting an insurrection! Because when we’re CRITICIZED, even by fellow believers, we YIELD, we defer, whenever possible - “Do[ing] nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count[ing] others more significant than ourselves.” (Phil 2:3)
#2 - When ATTACKED, we ENDURE. (21:27-31a; 22:22-23)
We read on; v27:
“When the seven days [of Paul’s purification] were almost completed, the Jews from Asia, seeing him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd and laid hands on him, 28 crying out, “Men of Israel, help! This is the man who is teaching everyone everywhere against the people and the law and this place. Moreover, he even brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.” 29 For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple. 30 Then all the city was stirred up, and the people ran together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple, and at once the gates were shut. 31 And… they were seeking to kill him…”
Remember all those riots Paul started all over Asia and Macedonia and Achaia, especially amongst the Jews, who didn’t take kindly to Paul interrupting their synagogue services to talk about JESUS? Well, now those SAME Jews all find themselves in Jerusalem for PASSOVER, and guess who’s ALSO there? Public Enemy #1: Paul. And if you thought the Jewish CHRISTIANS were legalistic, they had NOTHING on the Jewish… JEWS! They’re ready to KILL Paul! Why? V29: Cuz they “SUPPOSED” that Paul had brought a Gentile, Trophimus, with him into the temple, into the “Court of Israel” within the temple complex, reserved only for Jewish men. There was the Court of the GENTILES, where anyone could go; the Court of the WOMEN, for Jews; the Court of ISRAEL, for Jewish men; the Court of the PRIESTS, etc. Now, no one actually SAW Paul bring Trophimus in - they COULDN’T have; because he didn’t DO it; remember, Paul was “all things to all people”; he didn’t go out of his way to OFFEND the Jews; the cross is offense enough! But that doesn’t stop them from falsely ACCUSING him here.
So what do WE do, as believers, when we’re attacked, even WRONGFULLY attacked, on false charges? Paul simply ENDURES their onslaught. He is conspicuously SILENT here; we don’t hear a PEEP from him. Same in ch22, vv22-23, they’re gonna attack him AGAIN. But Paul remains SILENT. Like JESUS, the lamb led to the slaughter, who opened not his mouth (Isa 53:7). He silently ENDURED his opponents’ lies, their mockery, even their torture.
How about us? All too often today, instead of ENDURING, we either AVOID, or we attack BACK. We AVOID - we go along with the crowd, we go ahead and sign the office congratulatory card for our coworker’s gay wedding, so we don’t have to endure the condemning, sideways glances when our name is the only one NOT on the card, so we don’t have to endure an uncomfortable conversation with our boss about tolerance in the workplace. We just want to AVOID it. OR, at the OPPOSITE extreme, others of us are guilty of seeking OUT the fight, because we love attacking BACK. We HOPE that our angry, atheist nephew takes the bait, and replies to this post so I can lay INTO him, set him STRAIGHT. “Be a WITNESS!” Right?
Jesus said, “Do not resist the one who is evil. But… Turn the other cheek.” Turning the other cheek means you don’t slap back, but you’re not a doormat either. You don’t just run away and avoid. We ENDURE.
Now, to back it up a step, again; How do you make sure you get attacked in the first place? You speak the truth. Listen: you don’t HAVE to be militant about it; if you simply speak the truth, God’s truth, from HIS word, in today’s WORLD, you will eventually, inevitably get ATTACKED for it. Speaking of Churchill, another great quote; he said, “You have enemies? Good. That means you stood up for something sometime in your life.”
Now, we’ve gotta speak the truth in LOVE, Ephesians 4:15. If you don’t speak the truth, you’re just AVOIDING. But if you don’t speak it in LOVE, then you’re just attacking back, returning evil for evil. But when we speak the truth in LOVE, we are being a counter-cultural witness for Christ.
#3 - When MISUNDERSTOOD, we EXPLAIN. (21:31b-22:21; 22:24-30)
Paul doesn’t rush to his OWN defense here; the Roman tribune, this commander of the local garrison of troops, HE steps in, in v31:
And as they were seeking to kill [Paul], word came to the tribune of the cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion. 32 He at once took soldiers and centurions and ran down to them. And when they [the Jews] saw the tribune and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. 33 Then the tribune came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains. He inquired who [Paul] was and what he had done. 34 Some in the crowd were shouting one thing, some another. And as he could not learn the facts because of the uproar, he ordered him to be brought into the barracks. 35 And when he came to the steps, he was actually carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the crowd, 36 for the mob of the people followed, crying out, “Away with him!”
[v37] As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he said to the tribune, “May I say something to you?” - “Ei exestin moi eipen ti pros se” - And he said, “Do you know Greek? 38 Are you not the Egyptian, then, who recently stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand men of the Assassins out into the wilderness?”
The historian Josephus tells us MORE about this “Egyptian” rebel; we don’t have time to get into it, but suffice it to say: Paul’s not HIM. So the tribune, whose name we learn later in ch23 is Claudius Lysias, he mistakes Paul here for a CRIMINAL. But “when we’re misunderstood, as believers, we simply EXPLAIN”. Clarify. V39:
39 Paul replied, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no obscure city. I beg you, permit me to speak to the people.”
Paul says, “If you’ll let me, Commander, I’ll explain myself not only to YOU, but to THEM TOO, the ones trying to KILL me.” And as we’ll see here in ch22 now, Paul’s not just interested in explaining HIMSELF to them - he will do that; specifically, Paul’s going to commend his JEWISH credentials to them; he’s being charged as ANTI-Jewish, so Paul’s gonna go SUPER Jew on them - but even more than that, he wants to explain his TESTIMONY to them, his story of radical life-change by the supernatural work of the Resurrected JESUS. Paul will relive his TESTIMONY, from all the way back in ch9. Since we covered that back on Easter Sunday, you may remember, I’ll be quick here, and simply READ it for us:
“And when [Claudius Lysias] had given him permission, Paul, standing on the steps, motioned with his hand to the people. And when there was a great hush, he addressed them in the Hebrew language [commending his Jewishness], saying:
22:1 “Brothers and fathers [my fellow Jews, my FAMILY!], hear the defense that I now make before you.”
2 And when they heard that he was addressing them in the Hebrew language, they became even more quiet. And he said:
3 “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city [Jerusalem; the MECCA of Judaism], educated at the feet of [the famous] Gamaliel [grandson of Hillel, the most respected rabbi in antiquity] according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers [Paul calls himself a “Hebrew of Hebrews, Pharisee of Pharisees” in Philippians 3:5], being zealous for God as all of you are this day. V4: [I was SO zealous…] I persecuted this Way [Christians] to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women, 5 as the high priest and the whole council of elders can bear me witness. From them I received letters to the brothers, and I journeyed toward Damascus to take those also who were there and bring them in bonds to Jerusalem to be punished.
6 “As I was on my way and drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone around me. 7 And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ 8 And I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And he said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’ 9 Now those who were with me saw the light but did not understand the voice of the one who was speaking to me. 10 And I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Rise, and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that is appointed for you to do.’ 11 And since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me, and came into Damascus.
12 “And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law [Paul commends not only his OWN Jewishness, but that of his fellow CHRISTIANS; he’s trying to make the case for them that, “We’re just as Jewish as Y’ALL are; it’s just that we met the Messiah, OUR Messiah, the One our people have waited thousands of YEARS for; he’s COME, his name is JESUS!”; v12: Ananias], well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, 13 he came to me, and standing by me said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ And at that very hour I received my sight and saw him. 14 And he said, ‘The God of our fathers [Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob] appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One [JESUS!] and to hear a voice from his mouth; 15 for you will be a witness for him to everyone of what you have seen and heard. 16 And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’
17 “When I had returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance [now, this story is NEW to us; it’s NOT recorded earlier in Acts, but Paul probably includes it here to prove that he’s not anti-Temple, as they are alleging] v18: and I saw him [Jesus] saying to me, ‘Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’ 19 And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that in one synagogue after another I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you. 20 And when the blood of Stephen your witness was being shed, I myself was standing by and approving and watching over the garments of those who killed him.’ [so apparently Paul ARGUED with God, because he SO desired to stay and witness to his fellow Jews in Jerusalem. But v21…] But he said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”
Now, at this, the Jews get SO upset, by the mere SUGGESTION that God might have called Paul to go minister to the Gentiles - Jews in that day believed that God created Gentiles for the sole purpose of kindling the fires of HELL - so the idea that God actually wanted to include Gentiles in his redemptive plan of SALVATION… Ohh! v22:
Up to this word [the word GENTILE] they listened to him. Then they raised their voices and said, “Away with such a fellow from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live.” 23 And as they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air, 24 the tribune ordered him to be brought into the barracks, saying that he should be examined by flogging, to find out why they were shouting against him like this. [They were gonna BEAT it outta poor Paul] 25 But when they had stretched him out for the whips, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, “Is it lawful for you to flog a man who is a Roman citizen and uncondemned?” [Paul of course KNEW that legally, the answer was “NO”. Again, he’s EXPLAINING himself to them. They didn’t realize that Paul was a Roman citizen; that was a very rare thing for Jews in that day] v26 When the centurion heard this, he went to the tribune and said to him, “What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman citizen.” 27 So the tribune came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” And he said, “Yes.” 28 The tribune answered, “I bought this citizenship for a large sum.” Paul said, “But I am a citizen by birth.” 29 So those who were about to examine him withdrew from him immediately, and the tribune also was afraid, for he realized that Paul was a Roman citizen and that he had bound him.
Now, there’s a lot there. But here’s the simple point I want to draw out for us: sometimes we might THINK we’re being criticized, or attacked, but really we’re just being MISUNDERSTOOD. And it’s important to discern the difference, because when you’re misunderstood, you don’t just patiently ENDURE it - there’d be no benefit in Paul letting himself be senselessly FLOGGED here, by the Roman guards - and you certainly don’t ATTACK BACK, as we’ve already said; No, sometimes you just need to EXPLAIN yourself. And specifically, I want to highlight for you the importance, like Paul, of knowing your TESTIMONY. If you really want to get serious about “being a witness” for Christ, your personal testimony is perhaps the BEST means of evangelism God has given you. For 3 reasons:
It’s personal. It’s YOURS. You should know it like the back of your hand. You may struggle to memorize the Romans Road, or John 3:16, or even the pneumonic 4-point gospel summary I’ve suggested to you in the past - God is Supreme; We are Sinful; Jesus is Savior; Faith is Sufficient - if you struggle to even memorize THAT simple gospel summary, you can STILL share your testimony with someone. Cuz you don’t HAVE to memorize it; just share your story! And because it’s personal… #2
It’s also irrefutable. No one can ARGUE with it; what are they gonna say, “Nuh-Uh, Jesus did NOT change your life for the better!” No, it’s beyond debate. And finally… #3
It’s powerful. Your testimony is not just some abstract theological principles that a person may or may not agree with; it is evidence of the POWER of God at work WITHIN you, His very own Holy SPIRIT, transforming you from a child of wrath to a child of the living God. I don’t care if you were formerly a murderer like Paul, or you grew up in the church and you were the “good kid” who had to saved from your own self-RIGHTEOUSNESS; NO ONE is born a Christian; you had to be born-AGAIN, and HOWEVER God accomplished that in YOUR life, it is nothing short of a MIRACLE!
So SHARE it. Explain for others what God has done for you. Don’t think you’re being HUMBLE by NOT sharing; told rightly, your testimony doesn’t make much of YOU; it should make much of JESUS! HE gets all the glory and credit, for what HE did to save you, in SPITE of you.
But how does a Christian get MISUNDERSTOOD in the first place? We STICK TO THE GOSPEL. In a world that is FILLED with LABELS, trying to pin us down into one camp or the other, a Christian stands out like a sore thumb, because we don’t FIT neatly into the world’s boxes. We should be as misunderstood as JESUS was. He was too “liberal” for the conservatives and too “conservative” for the liberals. How about us? Does your allegiance to JESUS make you tough to pigeonhole? “Wait a minute, you’re telling me you take issue with both Trump and Biden… you got beefs with both socialism AND capitalism… CRT and racism… Christian purity culture and secular immodesty? Whose side are you ON here?!
I’m on GOD’S side. And that’s gonna make me misunderstood by the world.
Lastly, #4 - When OVERWHELMED, we OVERCOME. (23:1-11) -
Paul was criticized by his fellow Christians, attacked by his Jewish opponents, misunderstood by the Roman outsiders, and NOW he’s gonna get OVERWHELMED by ALL of them all at ONCE here, in ch23. But as we read through it, I want to show you how Paul OVERCAME this onslaught by remaining thoroughly CHRIST-LIKE at every turn; THAT’s how we overcome the world; Jesus said, “In this world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”” (Jn 16:33) JESUS overcame. And it’s only by sticking with HIM that we can overcome too. Ch22, v30:
But on the next day, desiring to know the real reason why [Paul] was being accused by the Jews, [Lysias] unbound him and commanded the chief priests and all the council to meet, and he brought Paul down and set him before them [so now he’s facing ALL of them, all at ONCE…].
23:1 And looking intently at the council, Paul said, “Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to this day.” [Jesus asked his opponents, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” (Jn 10:32)] 2 And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth. 3 Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Are you sitting to judge me according to the law, and yet contrary to the law you order me to be struck?” [Jesus rebuked his opponents: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees …you are like whitewashed tombs… outwardly you appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” (Matt 23)] 4 Those who stood by said, “Would you revile God's high priest?” 5 And Paul said, “I did not know, brothers, that he was the high priest, for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’” [Jesus of course never had to APOLOGIZE, like Paul here, but he was constantly quoting SCRIPTURE to his opponents…]
6 Now when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. It is with respect to the hope and the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial.” 7 And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 8 For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all. [This is reminiscent of all the times Jesus silenced HIS opponents by cleverly turning the tables back on THEM… When they asked him whether they should pay TAXES and he said, “Render to Caesar what is Caesar’s”... When he asked them how the Christ could be David’s SON, and yet David calls him “LORD”... Jesus used WISDOM to silence his opponents; here, Paul uses it to INFLAME his…]
v9 Then a great clamor arose, and some of the scribes of the Pharisees' party stood up and contended sharply, “We find nothing wrong in this man. What if a spirit or an angel spoke to him?” 10 And when the dissension became violent, the tribune, afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him away from among them by force and bring him into the barracks.” [But now look at how the passage ENDS…]
v11: The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.””
Speaking of remaining Christ-like, Paul follows God’s will, come what may, just like Jesus, who prayed, “Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not my will, but your will be done.””
How do we make sure the world OVERWHELMS us with opposition? Be Christlike. “If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.” Like rabbi, like disciple. But how do OVERCOME that overwhelming opposition? Same way: we remain Christ-like. “Take heart; I have overcome the world. Abide in me”
CONCLUSION: Brothers and sisters, When we are criticized by fellow Christians, when we are attacked by our opponents, when we are misunderstood by outsiders, and when we’re just overall overwhelmed by the worldliness of this fallen world we live in, will we, like Paul, respond with CHRISTLIKENESS, when our faith is under fire. May it be so.