For the Name of the Lord Jesus
19 July 20202
For The Name Of The Lord Jesus
Acts 21 Vs1-16
When we preach through a book of the bible, we break it up into sections and then allocate passages to who will preach them.
I can’t speak for the other guys, but I always think … not a genealogy, not a genealogy … anything but a genealogy.
Well as of Wednesday this week, as I looked at my blank piece of paper containing all the ideas, I had for the upcoming sermon on Acts 21:1-16 I added a new category to my list … travel itineraries
You may have noticed that the ESV has helpful titled this section of my Bible, Paul goes to Jerusalem.
The interesting thing about that is that the ESV has told us in four words what takes Luke 396 words, give or take a few gained or lost in translation.
Which does make you wonder why Luke didn’t just say: “Paul goes to Jerusalem” and pick it up in verse 17.
He doesn’t, he takes 16 verses to say it. Why is that?
That is a good question.
I wrote down on my blank piece of paper all the questions I had about the passage and tried to work them out. I wonder if any of them are your questions as you heard the passage read.
My first questions was:
It had been a little while since we had looked at Acts. Do you remember?
The book of Acts is the story of the spread of the Gospel of Jesus to the ends of the earth.It is the story of the universal and eternal kingdom of Jesus the Lord of all.
That is why the story of the Book of Acts begins in 1:8 with Jesus’ promise that his name will be taken into the whole world … “beginning at Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Of course it should be. Who else is Lord in Jerusalem and Judea and to every town and tribe at the ends of the earth?
Jesus owns them all,every farm, every village every city. In none of them does life make any sense apart from him. He alone is the one to whom every man and woman, boy and girl who lives there must ultimately give account.
We have seen Peter and John and James making Jesus known in the first part of Acts. They are joined by Stephen in chapter 7 and all the believers from Jerusalem and Philip in chapter 8. As the gospel spreads from Jerusalem to Judea.
Then in chapter 9 we met the man behind most of what happens from then on. The apostle Paul. Jesus said in 9:15 “he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.”
Paul is THE man from here on.
We have seen the gospel come to the multicultural church at Antioch. Full of people from other nations. Little wonder that God laid it on the hearts of the church at Antioch to send Paul and Barnabas off to evangelise, while the Church at Jerusalem is still debating if Gentiles can fit into the kingdom of Jesus, and if so, with how Jewish do they need to be?
In Gods perfect plan, at just the right time he switches his focus from Jerusalem to Antioch as Mission Centralwherethey send out Paul and Barnabasto Cyprus, Iconium and Lystra and Derbe and Perga to name a few.
The goal and outcome of their preaching was the creation of real, identifiable, local churches. Not branch churches of Antioch. Not mission stations. Not disconnected Christians, but churches with their own leaders - several leaders (elders) in each local church.
The story of the book of Acts is the story of the gospel going to the end of the earth,and of the churches of Jesus being planted all over this world in small towns and big cities, to display and tell that Word, to make Jesus known.
In chapter 16 there is a huge step taken by the direction of God. Paul and Silas are sent to bring the gospel to Macedonia.
It is the first step into Europe. Here is the gospel at the gateway to Europe.
We also hear of the gospel going into Athens, Thessalonica and Ephesus.
Then we get to chapter 21. The itinerary Chapter.
Well that was my first question, “What has happened up to this point in time?”
This passage has got to be linked to that big mission doesn’t it? Well here was my second question.
It seems like a pretty bad idea. On two occasions in this passage the believers urge him not to go because the Holy Spirit reveals to them what is going to happen to Paul in Jerusalem.
Vs 4
And through the Spirit they were telling Paul not to go on to Jerusalem.
Now I don’t think the Holy Spirit was telling them to tell Paul not to go to Jerusalem, rather the Spirt revealed what suffering was to happen in Jerusalem and so they urge Paul not to go.
Then later we meet the prophet Agabus who does something interesting. He ties himself up and says this is what is going to happen to Paul in Jerusalem and so.
Vs 12
12 When we heard this, we and the people there urged him not to go up to Jerusalem.
Why is Paul so intent on going to Jerusalem when every sane person around him is saying, “don’t go”.
Well the answer to that question was not too hard in the end.
It is because God told him to go.
19:21
21 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.”
What does it mean when he says “resolved in the Spirit”? Well he makes that pretty clear in chapter 20.
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.
Why is he going to Jerusalem? It is because God, by the Holy Spirt has told him to go.
Easy question! Which raised another question.
Remember in chapter 9 where Jesus says Paul … is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.
Gentiles, tick
Children of Israel, tick
No kings!
God intends Paul to go to Jerusalem, and to preach the gospel before Felix the Roman Governor of Judea, and then to Agrippa the King of Judea and to go from there to Rome to appear in the court of Caesar, the very heart of the entire empire. The very centre of the known world, and to speak the gospel there.
As Jesus said, his name is to be proclaimed in all the earth. Here is God’s man, and here is God’s plan.
You don’t belong to some ‘tin pot deity’ whose message is for a few. Just the couple of hundred here in Tamworth.
We don’t belong to a God whose wants some people, somewhere, to hear about the Lord Jesus Christ.
We belong to the Lord of the everyone and everything, throughout all time and the message of the Lord ship of Christ is to go to all the world.
The message that Jesus is Lord, and before whom every man and woman and boy and girl will stand to give and account, and who calls all people everywhere to come to him as their king.
This is not just a message for the weak, it is a message also for the strong. This is not just a message for the poor, it is a message for the rich
Not just for the out of the way places, but a message that is to be preached all the way to the very heart of nations.
Jesus owns it all, he is Lord of all.
It won’t be stopped by persecution in Jerusalem, and it won’t be stopped by oppressive communism. It won’t be stopped by political correctness. It can’t be stopped by our weakness the strength of the enemy.
God intends the gospel of Jesus Christ captivate his people in every nation, in every culture. That message is spoken by his instrument, the apostle Paul, and local Christian churches who testify to the Lord Jesus Christ.
There is not a ruler, or nation or person on this planet who will be able to stop the spread of the message of the supremacy of Christ in all things, not even the gates of hell.
So don’t lose heart friends, the cause of Christ can’t fail! Let’s be bold where we are.
That was question 3.
Why does God want Paul to travel to Jerusalem?
It is such a part of these verses isn’t it? Everywhere Paul goes people know about it.
Which is exactly what he was speaking about in chapter 20.
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.
Paul doesn’t know the details of what is going to happen but he knows imprisonment and afflictions are going to happen and every town he goes to the Spirit of God tells the believers in that town as well, so they know.
Why?
Couldn’t God have organised Paul to have gone into Jerusalem and been accepted well and then had a nice trip to Rome and preached there.
Why the suffering, for all his ministry?
In fact Jesus had said this from the beginning. When he is converted Jesus says … 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.”
Why?
Paul’s in his live time gives two answer
One in 2 Corinthians1:8-9
8 For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.
Notice what he is saying there. He suffered, the purpose of the suffering: was “So that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead.”
This is not the purpose of Satan, and it is not the purpose of Paul’s enemies. They want him to suffer so that he will shut up.
It is the purpose of God. God ordained the suffering of his apostle so that he would be radically and totally dependent on nothing else but Jesus.
In Acts 21 Paul is soon to lose everything that can be lost on earth. If there is anything left to hope in, it is Jesus alone, who raises the dead.
Paul’s sufferings are designed to throw him back again and again on Jesus alone as his hope and treasure.
There is another reason as well. Paul’s sufferings are for the comfort of churches.
Paul says this several ways. For example, verse 6 of 2 Corinthians 1 he says :
“If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort.”
So Paul’s affliction as an apostle of the word is designed not only to throw him solely on Jesus for his comfort, but also to bring that same comfort and salvation to the people he serves.
His suffering is for their sake.
How does that work? How do Paul’s sufferings help his people find their comfort and satisfaction in Jesus alone?
Paul explains like this. He said,
“We have this treasure [the treasure of the gospel of the glory of Christ] in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.” 2corinthians 4:7-9
In other words, these terrible things happen to Paul to show that the power of his ministry is not “not from ourselves” — but is God’s power (verse 7).
Paul’s suffering is designed by God to magnify the “surpassing greatness” of God’s power.
When Paul preaches to Felix and Agrippa, and takes the gospel to Rome, no one will say “isn’t Paul clever. Isn’t Paul powerful.”
They will say, “isn’t Christ wonderful”.
The aim of the apostle, the aim of every preacher of the gospel is to display Christ — to show that he is more to be desired than all earthly comforts and pleasures.
The suffering of the preacher is designed to make clear that Christ is in fact that valuable, that precious.
I die daily, he says, so that the surpassing value of Christ will be seen in my suffering body.
This is how it works. This is how Paul’s sufferings help his people find their comfort and satisfaction in Jesus alone?
That is why Paul can say vs 13.
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.”
Let’s not despise Christian suffering friends.
For like nothing else, it displays that Christ is more precious than anything.
Well I have one last question and then I can start the sermon.
The last question was:
Did you notice that?
In Tyre, he finds the disciples there and stays with them seven days.
As he leaves all the disciples, the women and the children, they all come to the beach and pray and say farewell, and weep.
Then he stays with Philip and he meets his four daughters, all followers of Christ.
Then for the last part of the trip some of the Christians from Caesarea went with him to Mnason of Cyprus, where he stayed.
Men and women, and boys and girls. Young and old, some mentioned by name, others in passing.
Why mention all these people? Christians in all these places.
It strikes me, that the message of the Lordship of Jesus Christ in to all the world has an impact.
It’s impact isn’t that counties are destroyed or rulers toppled.
It’s impact isn’t oppression and control.
It’s impact isn’t the raising of a mighty army to smash the infidel.
It’s impact is that there are men and women and children who gather together in towns and cities everywhere. Who bear each other’s burdens rejoice together and pray together and follow Jesus as there Lord and King.
Within this kingdom of the earth, there is this hidden kingdom of people everywhere, who are saved by and belong to the Lord God and are for his glory.
Here they are, but not all of them,
Here are the believers in Tyre, on the beach praying.
Here is Philip the evangelist from chapter 8 with his believing daughters.
Here is Agabus and Christian men from Caesarea.
All changed, and made new by the message of the gospel of grace.
Everyday on the news you will hear of what big people and leaders are doing in the world.
What is going to happen with China and India, who will be the next president of the USA and who will win the climate arguments?
All the while, quietly, unnoticed by many.
The Lord is saving his people and Jesus name is being proclaimed and the kingdom of God is spread throughout the earth.
It will never make front page news, but here it is as Jesus gathers people from all tribes and nations … for the praise of his glorious grace.
Well they are the questions that I had and by the time I answered them, I had no time left to write a sermon.
Here is a small part of the fulfillment of the promise of Jesus that his name will be taken into the whole world … “beginning at Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Of course it should be.
Who else is Lord in Jerusalem and Judea and to every town and tribe at the ends of the earth?
Let’s pray.