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FOLLOWING GOD’S WILL (Ac 21:1‑6)
02/28/16 Grace Bible Church,
Gillette, Wyoming Pastor Daryl Hilbert CONTEXT:
In Acts 20, we found Paul visiting Corinth and strengthening the church. He
planned to sail directly to Syria but a plot by the Jews changed his route.
Rerouting back to Troas, Paul took Corinthian delegates with him to give the
Jerusalem church their donations (1‑6). While at Troas, Paul preached a
lengthy sermon and a young man Eutychus fell out the window and died. Paul
raised him from the dead and continued preaching (7‑12). Arriving at
Miletus, Paul called for the Ephesian Elders. There he gave them a farewell
address, challenging them to teach his doctrine and emulate his ministry.
Having exhorting them to be on guard for false teachers, he boarded the ship
as they wept and embraced him (13‑38). I. FEASIBILITY WITH GOD’S WILL (1‑2) A. [1] Paul and his companions finally “parted” from the Ephesian
elders. The word “parted” (apospaō) has the strong connotation of
being pulled or torn from. This showed how much they loved Paul (Act 20:36‑38).
The word was used when Jesus withdrew from His disciples to pray in
Gethsemane (Luk 22:41). B. Being in a small ship, the route hugged
the coast stopping from city to city. Therefore, they went from Miletus to
Cos, Cos to Rhodes, and Rhodes to Patara, spending the night in each city. 1. Cos, an island off the coast of Asia Minor, was the birthplace
of the Hippocrates, the father of medicine (i.e. Hippocratic oath). 2. Rhodes, another island, was famous for
one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The Colossus of Rhodes stood
98ft. (Statue of Liberty stands 111ft
from heel to head) in the harbor at Rhodes until it was destroyed in 223 BC. C. [2] Rather than continuing on the slow route, Paul switched
over to a large cargo ship that would cross over the Mediterranean (cf.
“seven days” unloading Act 21:3‑4). Phoenicia was the western coast of Palestine,
which included Tyre. D. In pursuing God’s will to go to Jerusalem,
Paul took the practical steps to arrive in his desired timeframe. We should
not conclude that feasibility and practicality have nothing to do with God’s
will. 1. In other words, though Paul believed it was God’s will for him
to go to Jerusalem, he was not reluctant to accomplish God’s will through the
best and most feasible manner that he could. 2. In addition, God’s will for Paul was
often (not always) determined through open doors of opportunity (Ac 14:27;
1Co 16:9; 2Co 2:12; Col 4:3) which were often prayed for. Paul’s discernment
viewed open doors and those partially cracked open. 3. God often times accomplishes His will
through feasible and practical paths. His children who seek His will should
not struggle with that concept and should be able to discern God’s direction. II. FOSTERING DISCIPLESHIP THROUGH GOD’S WILL
(3‑4a) A. [3] Luke noted that the ship sailing straight for Syria, passed
by the island of Cyprus. Cyprus was visited by Paul on his first missionary
journey (Act 13:4). It was also where Barnabas went with John Mark after
separating from Paul (Act 15:39). B. Tyre was the ship’s destination to unload
its cargo. It was a large cargo ship that took seven days to unload and
reload. C. [4a] While waiting seven days in Tyre, he
did not remain listless. He “looked” (aneuriskō – to discover by
diligent search) for the group of believers in Tyre. These believers most
likely came to Tyre when persecution broke out against the church at
Stephen’s martyrdom (Act 11:19). Just before the Jerusalem Council, Paul
passed through Phoenicia and brought joy to the brethren brethren (Act 15:3). D. Based on Paul’s characteristics, he no
doubt looked for believers to strengthen them (Act 14:22; 15:41; 18:23),
teach them (Ac 15:35; 18:11; 20:20), and warn them (Act 20:28‑31). E. Understanding God’s will sometimes
requires understanding the big picture. God’s primary concerns, which are
always at the heart of God’s will, are His glory, salvation of sinners, and
spiritual growth for believers. No matter what God’s will is, it will
encompass these concerns. 1. So then, even though Paul was on a course to Jerusalem, seeing
that it was God’s will for him to lay over seven days, he wasted no time in
pursuing God’s immediate will. Since God’s will is the spiritual growth of
believers, he pursued them fostering discipleship. 2. Fostering discipleship involves seeking
out believers, sharing the Word with them, serving them, and praying for them 3. There is a sense in which a true calling
to do God’s will is not overly concerned with who we minister to or even
where we are ministering, as long as we are ministering. III. FEARLESS IN GOD’S WILL (4b) A. The second part of vs 4 is a difficult passage to interpret. It
reads, “and they kept telling Paul through the Spirit not to set foot in
Jerusalem.” There were some among the believers at Tyre who had the spiritual
gift of prophecy. The phrase, “through the Spirit” is a reference to the
spiritual gift of prophecy whereby the Holy Spirit reveals future events.
From this special revelation, the prophets admonished Paul not to go to
Jerusalem. B. The problem arises that if such an
admonition had been given by the Holy Spirit and Paul still went to Jerusalem
(which he did, Act 21:17), then Paul was disobedient to the revealed will of
God. C. Most likely, the prophets received
knowledge by the Spirit that Paul would suffer in Jerusalem. Out of hearts of
love for Paul, they tried to dissuade him from going to Jerusalem. D. A similar situation took place further in
the chapter. The prophet Agabus prophesied that Paul would be bound by the
Jews (Act 21:10‑11). Though the Spirit did not reveal that Paul was
forbidden to enter Jerusalem, the local residents begged Paul not to go to
Jerusalem (Act 21:12). E. There are other factors that lend to this
interpretation. 1. Paul had been warned by the Spirit of impending persecution
not only in Jerusalem, but in every city (Act 20:23). However, he had not
been forbidden to go to those cities or Jerusalem. 2. Paul had been warned since his conversion
that he would have to suffer for the Lord’s sake (Act 9:16). This did not
mean that he was forbidden from going to cities where he would be persecuted.
Otherwise, Paul would not have been able to go to the majority of cities
where he preached the gospel. 3. Paul believed he was “bound in spirit” to
go to Jerusalem. Therefore, he believed it was God’s will for him to go to
Jerusalem (Act 19:21; 20:22; 21:14). 4. Paul was not a disobedient servant of
God. He was sensitive to the Spirit’s leading and had a clear conscience with
regard to his obedience toward God (Act 23:1). In addition God’s confirmed
and comforted Paul about his visit to Jerusalem (Act 23:11). 5. When he had been forbidden from entering
certain cities, he always refrained from going there (Act 16:6‑7). 6. When he was instructed to go to certain
cities, he always followed the Spirit’s leading (Act 13:2; 16:10). 7. In conclusion, Paul fully believed it was
God’s will for him to go to Jerusalem and that the Holy Spirit did not forbid
him to go to Jerusalem. 8. Since he believed that was the case, he
was fearless in God’s will (Act 20:23‑24; Act 21:13‑15). He was
fearless in God’s will in spite of the attempts of others to keep him from
harm. He was fearless in God’s will in spite of the fact that it could cost
him his life (and eventually did). He was fearless in God’s will and
therefore was fully committed to God’s will. 9. The test of our commitment to God’s will
is how easy is it for us to become side‑tracked or dissuaded from doing
God’s will. IV. FELLOWSHIP FROM GOD’S WILL (5‑6) A. Though Paul was only there for seven days, he experienced deep
fellowship with those believers. All the believers, including the wives and
children, were compelled to escort him out of the city. B. The apostle Paul said farewell to them in
the most fitting way; he knelt and prayed with them. Prayer is the most
fitting way to say goodbye. It thanks God for His blessing of fellowship, and
it commits believers to God and His will. C. When we are in God’s will and following
God’s will, fellowship with God’s people always results. God’s will has to do
with believer’s spiritual growth, believer’s gathering together, and
believer’s mutual pursuit of God’s will. All this puts believers together.
When believers are together, it results in sweet fellowship. |
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Grace Bible Church · 4000 E. Collins Rd · PO Box #3762 · Gillette, WY · (307) 686-1516 |
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