I invite you to turn in your Bibles this morning to Acts chapter 23. Acts chapter 23, we are working through this book and we're almost there. Almost there. We started sometime in 2018, so maybe earlier, I don't remember. Acts chapter 23, and you'll find that if you're looking in those Bibles in front of you on page 1186. we're picking up at verse 12 to the end of the chapter i'm actually going to back up to verse 11 and we will read to the end of the chapter this is the word of the lord 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 when it was day the jews made a plot and bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they had killed paul there were more than 40 who had made this conspiracy they went to the chief priests and elders and said we have strictly bound ourselves by an oath to taste no food till we have killed paul now therefore you along with the council give notice to the tribune to bring him down to you as though you were going to determine his case more exactly and we are ready to kill him before he comes near now the son of paul's sister heard their ambush. So he went and entered the barracks and told Paul. Paul called one of the centurions and said, take this young man to the tribune for he has something to tell him. And he took him and brought him to the tribune and said, Paul, the prisoner called me and asked me to bring this young man to you as he has something to say to you. The tribune took him by the hand and going aside, asked him privately, what is it that you have to tell me? And he said, the Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though they were going to inquire somewhat more closely about him. But do not be persuaded by them, for more than 40 of their men are lying in ambush for him, who have bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they have killed him. And now they are ready, waiting for your consent. So the tribune dismissed the young man, charging him, tell no one that you've informed me of these things. Then he called two of the centurions and said get ready 200 soldiers and 70 horsemen and 200 spearmen to go as far as Caesarea at the third hour of the night also provide mounts for Paul to ride and bring him safely to Felix the governor and he wrote a letter to this effect Claudius Lysias to his excellency the governor Felix greetings this man was seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them when I came upon them with the soldiers and rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman citizen. And desiring to know the charge for which they were accusing him, I brought him down to their council. I found that he was being accused about questions of their law, but charged with nothing deserving death or imprisonment. And when it was disclosed to me that there would be a plot against the man, I sent him to you at once, ordering his accusers also to state before you what they have against him. So the soldiers, according to their instructions, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris. And on the next day, they returned to the barracks, letting the horsemen go on with him. When they had come to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they presented Paul also before him. On reading the letter, he asked what province he was from. And when he learned that he was from Cilicia, he said, I will give you a hearing when your accusers arrive. and he commanded him to be guarded in Herod's praetorium. And there ends the reading of God's word this morning. Well, as we continue this morning our study in the book of Acts, I always think it's important as we're working through a book to remember the purpose for which this book was given, why this book has been inspired, and why it's supposed to be such a help to us. And you'll remember that from the beginning, Jesus said, you are my witnesses to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. What we just sung out about from that wonderful psalm, the ends of all the earth shall hear and come to the Lord in fear. As I was working through this particular text this week, I was struck by this thought that in this particular passage, we see witness happening, but not in the way that we would expect. And I couldn't help but to think that this is exactly one of our challenge when it comes to witness, that often his plan for our witness is not our plan. In other words, we think of witness, and we think of the neighbor next door, and we think how am I going to invite the neighbor next door, which is a wonderful thing I'm saying here. This is wonderful that we think like that. How am I going to get the neighbor in front of me, or how am I going to get him over and make a most comfortable environment possible, and I'll put the coffee on, and hopefully they'll listen to me as I tell them about Jesus and invite them to church. We're constantly thinking this way about witness and how best to do it, and that is the desire of our hearts. We want to be faithful witnesses. It's a challenge. How do we do it? So we're constantly thinking in our minds about how to be faithful witnesses but we never think at these times that when we are distressed when we are confused when we are discouraged when we are suffering when there is real pain when we are worried when we are anxious and all of these circumstances distressing circumstances those are the last places we ever think about witness or would think that we could be effective witnesses. We're so consumed with us at these moments that we never look beyond our own discouragements. We're often so overwhelmed that this is the last thing on our mind and emotions take over. Well, I think as you come to Acts chapter 23 in this entire section here in the 20s, that it's showing us to be aware of all of the circumstances that we find ourselves in here that the lord has a great purpose that he is working out and it is just the basic truth of scripture that in our weakness his power shines on us that's when his power rests upon us that is when when you think it is the most terrible of moments to witness or it's not even in your head to witness that is when some of the most effective witness comes out or at least the greatest opportunities and this is an encouragement for the church this was true for these early christians and acts many of them were suffering many of them were facing persecution for their faith and this is the early church and notice how they're handling it notice how they're looking at it notice what all of this is telling us about being in the crucible and what our purpose is in the midst of all of the tension of living in a hostile world in a hostile culture and the things that you would say why put these guys through this and the things that you would say why in the world would that be beneficial and the things that you would say this should never have happened right there right there the lord opens doors right there the lord's purposes are being worked out and that's really the main point today that i want to work with that the lord is working in the most distressing of circumstances in life of his people, in the life of his people, to bring forth a witness of Jesus. In the most distressing of circumstances, he is doing this. And we have to see that. We have to know that. And that's why Paul is suffering here for the gospel. It should be the greatest encouragement to us to see that in what you think are the absolute worst of circumstances that someone could ever face their god's power is being shown in surprising ways and that helps us a great deal today for you may never be put in chains for your faith you may never suffer to the degree that paul is suffering here in that we study and all the more than in the things that we face we should have a certain perspective of it that's the whole point that the greatest amount of faith and confidence in wherever the Lord has us, in whatever particularly we are facing, he is in control and that he has a purpose in it. And so that's what we're seeing here in this particular section. And you see that here in these three ways that you have this great conspiracy against Paul and you have the intervention by God and then you have an open door for the gospel. So that's the way we're looking at this particular text this morning. You remember the scene. Paul is in Jerusalem. The mob has come after him. The mob. Everything that they have said against him is untrue. This man has loved. They have called him a hater. This man has wanted to help people to know the saving way because all of our culture has no answers, even though they have all their causes. Look at it. I said that last time. Look at all the causes. Look at all the groups. look at how these groups just keep growing every new group every oppressed group everyone wanting attention and no one having an answer everyone arguing and fighting and never coming to a conclusion paul is giving the answer the resurrection in the last section when he was put on trial he had said everything that i've done i've done with a good conscience my motivations have been to fulfill what the Lord gave me, to be a witness to the ends of the earth. He, of course, had been unfairly treated by them. The Jews have now punched him in the face with no cause. This was completely unjust. And now he has been handed over to the Romans and was about to face the most severe form of unjust treatment in light of the fact that he had never been properly tried and that he was a Roman citizen unjustly bound he's about to be flogged he calls out his Roman citizen citizenship they can't treat him this way they know how to treat Romans in direct violation of their own law they can't punish a man without a trial or a hearing and this was the reason he was being beaten so of course he appealed for them to uphold their own laws in the way that he was treated and we spent some time with that how important that is in our time that the laws be upheld for why we have laws and why we have a constitution and why we have these things is to keep people from tyranny leadership from tyranny and abusing its citizens so he appealed to it well the romans want to hear more about this these accusations so they called in the sanhedrin that's the jewish ruling council made up of the pharisees and the sadducees and And Paul had divided the whole thing by raising the issue in front of them, the resurrection. And that's where we are this morning. Where is it going to go from here? What's going to happen to this guy? Well, we read now in verse 23 that this awful conspiracy now is being made against him. When it was day, you'll notice there it says, actually this is in verse 12. When it was day, the Jews made a plot and bound themselves by an oath, neither to eat nor drink, until they had killed Paul. Wow. You'll read following, there were 40 men who had made this conspiracy. It gets worse. The plot thickens as they are now going to plan an ambush against him. They are going to have the Sanhedrin ask the Romans again for another trial. And what they want to do is tell Romans to bring him back so they can come more clearly to what the real issues are. And these 40 are going to mob Paul and they're going to kill him on the way to this next hearing. So this is the ambush, this is the plan, this is the conspiracy. I've never had anything like that happen. I've read many mob books. I know the desert stories. Can you imagine having somebody in a conspiracy after you for your life coming after you imagine every night going to bed imagine watching the streets i can't i can't even i can't even imagine this 40 men coming for my life here he is the fear the panic the distress of this all i don't think anyone in here has had a hit output on them. It does happen. Think of this. We live normally. I can't imagine living this way. You know what the police have to do for people when they speak the truth in court. If you have a high-profile figure who's dangerous up on the stand and you're testifying against them, they will put you in hiding. They will even change your identity. Many women have had to be put in homes because of abusive situations where they've had to be put in entirely different cities because of this kind of stuff. Here's the challenge of all of this. I can't imagine on Paul's part the discouragement. I really can't. You know how long he sits here in Caesarea by the time this he sits here for two years of his life under arrest if you're looking at this there is absolutely nothing that seems to say that jesus is in control of anything how do we see that here if you're in the circumstance if you're in the thick of it and you're looking at this there's nothing happening except ambushes conspiracy beatings imprisonment bound up what good is this how much can a man take i mean it how much can a man take does god afflict with no purpose you think um paul sat in prison and ever asked the question where is god i don't get this how does a man get through these things this is what i think the Apostle said in 1 Corinthians 4. It seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession. Like those condemned to die in the arena, we have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as human beings. We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are honored, but we are dishonored. To this very day, our, we go hungry and thirsty. We're in rags, we're brutally treated, and we're homeless. We work hard with our own hands. We're cursed, when we're cursed, we bless. When we're persecuted, we endure it. When we're slandered, we answer kindly. We become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world, right to this moment. Why? Why were the apostles specifically appointed to that? And you guys, most of us, will never have to face that. Why do we have that kind of example from them? Well, it's really simple. If God could get them through this, if the Lord would have a purpose for them in this kind of treatment, then in whatever you're facing, in whatever's going on in your lives, it should have a lot of effect to make you not grow weary, But to understand that the Lord is working out a great purpose there. For if he can help them through this, he can most certainly help you. And that's a powerful point of this particular message. How did he get through it? Well, what we see in verse 11 is the previous day, night, the Lord had stood by him and encouraged him. Take courage, Paul. I'm with you. You'll notice that there that shines out. You have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome. I think it's absolutely right to say at this point of something that Derek Thomas said, that God loves long-term investments. God loves long-term investments. Why do we go through what we do? Why does He put us through things that don't often pay off until later? And here I think we're getting to a beautiful answer that we see what's driving the apostle, that the Lord had said, I'm with you, and he had said, my purpose is that as you're testifying of the facts of me, you're going to go to Jerusalem. That's a promise he made to him. And you say, well, I don't have that kind of promise of exactly how this is going to play out in whatever it is. And I say, yes, you do. You have a promise of what he said to you, just as what he said to Paul, I promise never to leave you more or forsake you. And if you're on this earth, then you are here for a purpose. And that purpose is witness. This is why we're here. He would give us the kingdom in full now. But he prayed in John 17, I pray that you would keep them, leave them on the earth, but keep them from the evil one. Why is he leaving us on the earth? Acts is telling us. You do have a purpose. Well, look at this. But maybe we so easily say these kind of things, right, that we really often in our hardships and our trials don't know why. Maybe we say that too easily. Maybe we say it too easily. Maybe this is the place always to fall back on. Witness. Witness. I want you to think about this question. When would be the time for the apostle to fall apart? how would this not be it? He could sink right now into depression, feel like everything's caved in against him, absolute despair, absolute panic. And I think this is a very important thing to think about for us. For wherever he has us right now, his plan is unfolding and that's the encouragement here. He is working in the details and that's what you need to see. That is really what I want you to see in this particular passage this morning is the shocking intervention in the most messiest and discouraging of circumstances. How would anyone get out of this? Just a few weeks ago, he's out preaching the gospel and now he finds himself in chains. How did we get to this? This shouldn't have happened. Maybe I shouldn't have come to Jerusalem. Maybe I should have, as they were telling me, don't go. Maybe I should have stayed away. And the first thing to say is, Luke wants us to see, the writer here, that when it comes to the world and their attacks and the circumstances we're in, when it's under the attack by the world and our enemies, look at how foolish it is. Verse 12 has an irony to it, doesn't it? When it was day, the Jews made a plot and bound themselves by an oath, neither to eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. that's really stupid. That's really stupid. Why? What if you don't kill him? You just signed your own death warrant. You almost get a sense of Luke laughing as he's writing this. You almost get a sense of Luke jesting as he's writing this. I hope I don't offend anyone by saying this. What idiots! Why would you do that? Well, it's because they don't think there's a Lord in charge. Imagine this particular situation. Look how easy it is for the Lord to unravel this conspiracy. That's the point of this. Look at verse 16. Now, Paul's sister's son heard of the ambush. And somehow, this boy has access into the barracks and tells Paul. And the first thing you stop is and say, who? Scholars have wrestled over this and argued, who is this? Paul's family and the details of Paul's family. And Luke doesn't give us anything. Out of the seeming blue, all of a sudden we realize Paul has a sister in Jerusalem and in these areas. And that Paul has a sister who has a son, his nephew. I think that the main point to notice here is that how easy this is to unravel this silly plot, this silly ambush. Paul calls the centurion and says to the young man, sends the young man to the tribune. And as this young man has made it known to Paul that they want to kill, he's heard of this plot. Paul says, you go tell them, you go tell the tribune about this. And the centurion leads him to the tribune and the tribune pulls him aside. What do you have to say? And he says, they're going to kill Paul. Romans hated this stuff. Romans hated uprisings. Romans hated mobs. So notice what he does in verse 23. You go get 200 soldiers, 70 horsemen, 200 spearmen, and you go to Caesarea at about the third hour of the night and provide mounts for Paul to ride on and bring him safely to Felix the governor. that is a giant rescue from prison to conspiracy to ambushes to mobs by one report of a little boy paul's rescue the roads from jerusalem were full of what were known as terrorists or freedom fighters who were always trying to kill anyone having anything to do with the romans it's uh it's a strangely familiar scene actually to what we study of the scene at the time of the reformation with martin luther was kidnapped and of course by frederick the wise on his way back home from the diet of worms and he was hidden in frederick's castle it's this kind of beautiful thing of the lord's workings that is being shined down here for us to say wow look at how easy this was for the lord to unravel this mess look at what we call providence i don't know i as a as the more i age and then i i talk to the young adults and the things that they go through and think about all the things that people face i think the doctrine of god's providence is one of the most wonderful teachings in all of the bible i want you to listen to what we believe about it we've read it a million times but listen to it in this context what is the providence of god what do you understand by it providence is the almighty and ever present see now if we believe that it's going to change every way we look at every circumstance ever-present power of God in your lives by which God upholds as with His hand heaven and earth and every creature and so rules them that neither leaf nor blade rain nor drought fruitful and lean years food and drink health and sickness prosperity and poverty all things in fact come to you not by any chance but from His hand, His fatherly hand. Your cancer comes from His fatherly hand. That's what that said. Your sickness, your health, your strength, your blessing, the goodness that you enjoy in this life, every good gift He gives you. But what about the tough stuff? Think of the next question. How does this knowledge of God's creation and providence help us? Well, here it is. You can be really patient in adversity. Why? Well, we'll go on. You can be thankful in prosperity, patient in adversity, and for the future. You can have good confidence in our faithful God and Father that no creature will separate us from His love. Did you hear it? Now put Paul here. No creature, Paul, can separate you from my love. He says that to you. For all creatures are so completely in his hand that without his will, they can neither move nor be moved. You know, if I thought all this stuff happened by chance, I couldn't get through it. But if I have this assurance and I have this confidence that everything is by an ever-present power of God and is intended for a purpose and for good, then I'm going to get through it. And this is exactly what we have here in this particular section with the Apostle. This is exactly what he's going through. Truth be told, the reality is the reason we struggle is because we think we're way more in control of our lives than we actually are. We think we're way more in control of our lives than we actually are. We don't live with this perspective and then we lose, listen to me, when we don't live with this perspective, we lose a sense of purpose and then we lose a sense of, of course, certainly we lack all patience in whatever is happening when everything goes against us. But it's precisely when everything is against us that we're in the best position to see Him work. This is the point of this passage. It's when everything is against us that you're going to see providence. This is when you're going to know that power. This is when you're going to see that deliverance. This is when you're going to know His care. I'm not saying you don't know it in prosperity. It's just that we don't often choose to see it in prosperity. Why would God inspire the story of God's deliverance through a little boy? No one values a little boy. How could a little boy help this situation? I mean it. How could a little boy fix anything? And this has always been how God works. No one thinks that God could bring deliverance through a little boy. No one thinks that God could speak through a little boy. But put bars around you and let everything fall apart. Now you might listen and stop with all your answers and stop with all your big plans. it's in the turbulence it's in the crucible it's in the hardship of even of society today they think of what we do with society oh this is so bad everything's falling apart everyone's against us everything is ripping apart at the seams what in the world's going on that you should stop and say, in the very hatred that is beginning to happen for the gospel, God's preparing to show His power in unique ways. He's a God of even the smallest of details. He's working, yes, through secondary means and causes, but He is the primary worker. So what is the worst thing that could happen to us in this life? Well, the worst thing that could happen in this life is that we could be put on prison trial for our views, which are motivated by love and salvation and care for people. We want people to be saved from the wrath to come. The worst that could happen to you is you're put on trial for your faith and then they put you out and you go to be with Jesus. That's the worst. That's the worst that can happen to you. But he likes long-term investments. I think this encourages us not to always look for our big solutions out of our problems or our own wisdom, but to watch Him surround our hearts and our minds with His strength. That's what He promises. Through a means that you would never expect to work. He told you. Who said this? Lo, I am with you always to the close of the age. Jesus. I'm with you too. And until we get a hold of this basic perspective of every single circumstance of life being under the direct divine providence of God, we will not be able to go forward with any kind of confidence that He really is working in these messy of situations. And that's where this leads us. There's a remarkable handoff here, isn't there? it's a handoff uh commander lissius writes a letter claudius lissius to his the excellency governor felix greetings this is this is remarkable this man was seized by the jews and was about to be killed by them when i came upon them with the soldiers and i rescued him no you didn't you unjustly treated him you bound him and you were going to flog him and beat him don't you lie like that but this is what kings do and i learned with the soldiers and rest having learned that he was a roman citizen and desiring to know the charge for which they were accused i brought him down to their council i found out that he was being accused about questions of their law but charged with nothing deserving death or imprisonment and when it was disclosed to me that there would be a plot against this man i sent him to you at once ordering his accusers also to state before you what they have against him. He made him look as righteous as he possibly could. So, where has this gone? The soldiers, according to their instructions, take Paul and they bring him by night to Antipatris. On the next day, we read that they returned to the barracks, letting the horsemen go on with him. When they had come to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they presented Paul also before him. On reading the letter, he asked what province he was from, and when he learned that he was from Cilicia, he said, I will give you a hearing when your accusers arrive. And he commanded him to be put, to be guarded in Herod's Praetorium. Answer, Patris was one of the military headquarters of Rome. He now sits before, think about this, Tiberius, Antonius, Felix. You can read about this guy. Governor of this great Roman province here from 52, A.D. 52 to 59. Well known. He is going to judge this case. This doesn't happen. I will take this case. So I will listen to the accusers. And nothing's going to happen until these accusers come. And so he keeps them under guard until that time. The key to this is verse 35. I will give you a hearing. Paul's going to get to testify again. And he's going to be ready here again for a third time soon to give his story. This is what Jesus said would happen. I'm going to show this man what he's going to suffer for me. And when he does, listen to what he said in Damascus. He's a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before Gentiles, before kings and the children of Israel. Well, here are the kings. Here we go. He is about to stand up and give a witness to Jesus before kings. and the point is look at how jesus fulfilled what he said he would do you know paul when he had the thorn in the flesh and was confused about his particular hardship in life some kind of physical problem some kind of distress maybe no we just don't know he pleaded with the lord to take it away three times i went to the lord in prayer would you take this terrible thing that's happened to me away. And what did the Lord say? No. My grace is sufficient for you, Paul. What did He say? My power is made perfect in weakness. Pure weakness. And He must have had some great mind change because He says, okay, I'm going to boast in infirmities, In afflictions, in trials, persecutions, distresses, for Christ's sake. Why? For when I'm weak, then I'm strong. This is the whole perspective here. It is then that Christ's power rests upon you. For what purpose? Somebody said to me this week, some of our older people are struggling with their purpose right now. And I said, really? Yeah, they just don't know why the Lord keeps them alive. And they just don't know in their hardships why they're here. And they just don't know why they go through what they go through. And I couldn't help in that regard to think of Psalm 71 of these old saints here. And this old saint in Psalm 71 who is asking the Lord to rescue him, who is asking the Lord to help him in all of his hardships, He says, I've become important to many. I'm ridiculed, I'm hated. They look at me and they say, God has abandoned him, all this kind of thing. May my accusers come after me, be put to shame. But listen to this, listen to what he says. What was his purpose? My mouth will tell of your righteous acts and your deeds of salvation all the day for their number is past my knowledge. So even to old age, listen to me, and gray hairs, oh God, do not forsake me until I proclaim your might to the next generation. That's witness. That's witness. All of us are going to be tried and tested to some degree in the course of this life. You're going to have periods of great prosperity and then you're going to have periods of great hardship. That's life. But if you can see that in the most distressing of circumstances, Even if it came to a conspiracy of 40 people lying outside of your house waiting to ambush you. Even if it came to beatings and arrests and imprisonment. Even if it came to the worst imaginable thing that could happen to you in this life. What is this passage telling you? Well, for Paul, he was ready to give his third witness of the grace of God in his life that people would be saved. Why are we bitter? Why are we so discouraged? Why are you angry? Why are you frustrated? Why are you mad at God for your circumstances? He has told you that this is what it would be from the beginning if you're going to sign up for Christianity. He has told you that there's a greater cause than you. He has told you that if you're going to look like Jesus, you're going to have great opportunities for witness. And it's not going to be always with a cup of coffee on your back porch. Watch Him work in your hardships. Watch Him work and show His power when you're facing what you think you can't face. For too long we've looked at life as having no purpose. And because of that, our mouths are closed. Our hardships are a way of opening them. And may God prove that to you. by showing His marvelous grace and love to you in the gospel. The more He demonstrates His goodness to you, the more your mouth will open, and then when the hardships come, you will see how He's working to display His name of His Son to the ends of the earth. I hope this encourages you today. You have a great purpose here. This is the greatest purpose He could give you, to testify and witness of the name of Jesus. and think of His grace in your lives. Respond to Him by praising Him, acknowledging in everything that His providential care is right and good no matter where you are. And know He has a plan and purpose to fulfill His good will toward you. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank You for these words this morning of help to us and encouragement. If the Apostle could face this kind of distress and see your power. Well, then what do we have to fear? We remember ultimately that it was Jesus Himself who went all the way to the cross and suffered and died to pay for our sins. We're not paying for sins. He did all of that and then rose triumphant over the grave. Everyone would have said we know what a defeat when He went down at the cross. And yet today we celebrate the greatest victory that the world has ever known. Thank you, O Lord, for your steadfast love. And thank you for proving it this morning by setting John in front of us to show what you're doing. May this congregation be thankful, alive, awake, and testifying to the marvelous grace of God in their lives. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.