Acts 18:7-22
Sep 29, 2019 // By:Dave // No Comment
7 Then he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God, whose house was next to the synagogue.
8 Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed in the Lord with all his household, and many of the Corinthians when they heard were believing and being baptized.
9 And the Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent;
10 for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city.”
11 And he settled there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.
12 ¶ But while Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him before the judgment seat,
13 saying, “This man persuades men to worship God contrary to the law.”
14 But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of wrong or of vicious crime, O Jews, it would be reasonable for me to put up with you;
15 but if there are questions about words and names and your own law, look after it yourselves; I am unwilling to be a judge of these matters.”
16 And he drove them away from the judgment seat.
17 And they all took hold of Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, and began beating him in front of the judgment seat. But Gallio was not concerned about any of these things.
18 ¶ Paul, having remained many days longer, took leave of the brethren and put out to sea for Syria, and with him were Priscilla and Aquila. In Cenchrea he had his hair cut, for he was keeping a vow.
19 They came to Ephesus, and he left them there. Now he himself entered the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews.
20 When they asked him to stay for a longer time, he did not consent,
21 but taking leave of them and saying, “I will return to you again if God wills,” he set sail from Ephesus.
22 ¶ When he had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church, and went down to Antioch.
while this map shows (implies) Paul stopping at Cnidus and Patara on the way back to Caesaria,
Cnidus is not mentioned until Acts 27:7, Pauls seafaring trip to Rome (under arrest).
Patara is only mentioned in Acts 21:1 (return portion of Paul’s Third missionary journey)
(perhaps the cartographer is assuming the ship stopped there for supplies ? perhaps they should be marked accordingly?)
7 Then he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God, whose house was next to the synagogue.
1 Cor “Gaius Titius Justus” is likely the same person.
Being a true disciple of Christ will often put you in dispute with two types of people:
- non-believers
- believers.
- those who deliberately choose not to be believers
- those who insist that they are believers but are following the wrong way.
“discipleship sails with hardship.”
if you want everyone to like you all the time … dont witness, dont share your faith, in fact, dont be a christian.
8 Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed in the Lord with all his household, and many of the Corinthians when they heard were believing and being baptized.
1 Cor 1:15-17 only Crispus, Gaius, houshold of Stephanus were baptized by Paul
something occurs between verse 8 and verse 9 (for whatever window of time it took)
if we look at the words of Jesus to Paul, we can easily infer what that was.
What was Paul struggling with ?
9 And the Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent;
10 for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city.”
Paul was afraid of being hurt or killed as a result of speaking the gospel.
I’ve said before “Paul is fearless in the face of persecution” because nothing could stop him.
Here, the persecution seems to have finally worn him down enough to where God directly speaks to him, comforts him and gives him a break.
note that even when God hold back the attack for a while, it does not mean stop following me
(God will never say that, He will never say “take a break from doing my will in order to get a break from the attack”)
that “deal” is something the enemy will offer !!
verses 8-9 show us
- God has been watching
- He does not want us to be afraid to honor Him and fulfill His calling upon us
- Do not be silent
- He is with us
- He is able to both shelter us when He chooses, and allow persecution when He chooses
1Cor. 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and aGod is faithful, who will not allow you to be btempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.
God will not allow temptations to come into our path that we cannot endure (through the Spirit’s strength (Zach 4:6)
He does however allow us to deny the power and strength of His Holy Spirit, and in so choosing, we choose to succumb to the trial or temptation.
Note that it is God who determines the severity and duration of the trial, not us.
1. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.
You are not alone. You’re not the first person to go through what you’re experiencing. Whether you’ve lost a loved one, your job, your marriage, or your battle against sin, there are millions of people around the world and throughout history who have experienced essentially the same thing. This should give you an incredible amount of hope.
You’re probably thinking, What hope is there in that? The answer is simply this: common problems have common solutions. Your situation has details unique to you, but at its core it is just like what many other people experience. Scripture was written to people who were in many ways like us. They experienced pain and death; they had bad marriages and problems in church; they struggled with the same kinds of sin we do. Therefore, the solutions God gave them apply to us as well. Whatever your struggle is, the solution is in the Bible.
2. God is faithful.
No true Christian would deny God’s faithfulness. But maybe you’ve been tempted to wonder if He’ll be faithful to you. Make no mistake, “if we are faithless He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself” (2 Timothy 2:13). God’s very character is at stake, and God will never be found lacking.
God’s faithfulness always overcomes sin and persecution. God promised His faithfulness to Israel, even after they’d committed unspeakable acts of idolatry (Ezekiel 16:59-63). God was faithful to David even after he sinned with Bathsheba. God was faithful to Peter even after he denied Jesus three times. God was faithful to Daniel in the lion’s den and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace. Sin and impossible circumstances are no match for God’s faithfulness.
3. He will not let you be tempted beyond what you’re able.
Whatever you’re facing right now, God’s grace is sufficient for you (2 Corinthians 12:9). It may not feel like it’s possible, but on the basis of God’s character and by His strength you can overcome your trial. Maybe you’ve observed others going through difficult times and thought to yourself, I could never go through that. The truth is if God placed it into your life, He would give you the grace to go through it. Whatever you’re experiencing now, God gives you the grace to endure it.
4. With the temptation He will also provide a way of escape (a path to pass through to survive).
This makes me think of the paratrooper dropped into enemy territory who needs to make his way back to safety. He has no trap door or tunnels to crawl through; he won’t be rescued by helicopter or beamed to safety. He has to find a way through enemy territory.
In the same way, God has provided, in every situation, a path for you to take. There is always a choice of roads to travel. When faced with the temptation to sin, you can choose to succumb or you can choose to resist and flee. When you are confronted with a difficult ordeal, you can succumb to despair and anxiety or you can endure with the strength He provides. Whatever your situation, God’s Word will light the way of escape and show you the path to follow to get you through the situation and out of enemy territory.
5. You will be able to endure it.
enemy has always been trying to use trials to muddy the difference between God and man, between God’s sovereignty and man’s submission to God.
In the Garden, he tempted man to become God.
In Job, He tried to turn God against man and to get man to question God’s justice
in the wilderness , he tempted Jesus (God) to lower himself to status of man to provide for his own needs
what examples of trials can we think of from the bible ?
- Daniel in lion’s den
- Shadrack, Mischak, Abednigo in furnace
- Noah and family in ark
- Joseph, sold into slavery, accused of rape, imprisoned
- Naomi, in foreign land, facing the death of her husband and sons, in face of starvation, returns to Israel with daughter in law Ruth.
- Job (need I say more about him?)
- David, ignored by own father, facing Goliath, then King Saul is trying to hunt him down and kill him
in all these instances, and more … God preserves His chosen (but uses to trial to show His power and glory, not ours)
Ezekiel 36:22
22 “Therefore say to the Israelites, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: It is not for your sake, people of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone. 23 I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Sovereign Lord, when I am proved holy through you before their eyes.
24 “‘For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. 25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. 28 Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God. 29 I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will call for the grain and make it plentiful and will not bring famine upon you. 30 I will increase the fruit of the trees and the crops of the field, so that you will no longer suffer disgrace among the nations because of famine. 31 Then you will remember your evil ways and wicked deeds, and you will loathe yourselves for your sins and detestable practices. 32 I want you to know that I am not doing this for your sake, declares the Sovereign Lord. Be ashamed and disgraced for your conduct, people of Israel!
“But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” 1 Peter 5:10, 11
What does Peter offer to encourage us through trials ?
the temporary trials make us perfect and establish us, strengthen us, settle us, to His glory
let’s look at a common verse quoted for perspective on trials: Rom 8:28
Roman 8:28-39
28 ¶ And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;
30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.
31 ¶ What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?
32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?
33 Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies;
34 who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.
35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
36 Just as it is written,
“FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG;
WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.” (Psalm 44:22 which is a song according to verse 1)
37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.
38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,
39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
application and understand of this is greatly dependent upon proper understand of the word “good”
how do we define good ?
how does God define good ?
whose definition really matters ?
because God uses tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword in verse 35 to sanctify us, which is God’s definition of GOOD referred to in 8:28
Know for certain that
no matter the depth of your temptation or trial,
the Lord is faithful,
He has provided your way of passing through,
and you can endure it.
11 And he settled there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.
12 ¶ But while Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him before the judgment seat,
13 saying, “This man persuades men to worship God contrary to the law.”
14 But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of wrong or of vicious crime, O Jews, it would be reasonable for me to put up with you;
15 but if there are questions about words and names and your own law, look after it yourselves; I am unwilling to be a judge of these matters.”
16 And he drove them away from the judgment seat.
17 And they all took hold of Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, and began beating him in front of the judgment seat. But Gallio was not concerned about any of these things.
18 ¶ Paul, having remained many days longer, took leave of the brethren and put out to sea for Syria, and with him were Priscilla and Aquila. In Cenchrea he had his hair cut, for he was keeping a vow.
19 They came to Ephesus, and he left them there. Now he himself entered the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews.
20 When they asked him to stay for a longer time, he did not consent,
21 but taking leave of them and saying, “I will return to you again if God wills,” he set sail from Ephesus.
22 ¶ When he had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church, and went down to Antioch.