Before we get into Paul's missionary journeys allow me to interject a thought on faith. Now this is taken from the Old Testament scriptures and are dealing with darkness wherein or through which we come to God. Then we'll look at what Paul has said about these scriptures. For while we remain in His darkness He is at work developing His Faith in us. Hear what the Spirit is saying through Job in chapters 10 and 12 and David and is found in Psalm 18:
Job 10:21-22
“Before I go, I shall not return, to the land of darkness and the shadow of death; A land of darkness, as darkness is of the shadow of death, without any order, and where the light is as darkness.” and Job 12:22 “He discovers (reveals) deep things out of darkness (misery, ignorance, and wickedness), and brings out to light the shadow of death (pestilence, ruin).” and now for David Psalm 18:9-11, 28 “He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under His feet. And He rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, He did fly upon the wings of the wind. He made darkness His secret place; His pavilion round about Him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.......28-29, 30-31 "For You will light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness. For by Thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall..... As for God, His way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: He is a buckler to all those that trust Him. For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God?” now what has Paul revealed to us about these things? 1Corinthians 4:4-5 “For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judges me is the Lord. Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.” and now we'll only look at a portion of scripture as found in 2 Corinthians 5:5-8 “Now He that has wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also has given to us the earnest of the Spirit. Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, while we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” and from here we'll look at Hebrews chapter 11: Hebrews 11:1-3, 6 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear......(6) But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that comes to God must believe that He is, and He is a reward of them that diligently seek Him.” So from all that we've shared here we find that God in Christ is our reward because for the rest of humanity He is hid in darkness but when we've become willing to pass through the valley of the shadow of death we in effect pass through the darkness of the unknown and come out in His Light and Life. Now back to our study.
Remember his missionaries journeys up into Asia Minor beginning about 40 AD around the city of Antioch up in Syria. During those early years from 40 AD until he goes to prison probably in 64 AD, during this period of time of about 25 years, he is constantly appealing to the Hebrews on the basis of the Old Testament, but he has now written Romans which is the Book of Doctrine (coming from the earthy or fleshly things to spiritual teaching). So even though Galatians was written earlier, yet the Holy Spirit put Romans in our New Testament/Covenant exactly where it belongs because all Scripture is given and is profitable for first of all "Doctrine." Then the next 2 Books that we have are I & II Corinthians were for the next part of the format and that is for "Reproof." You'll remember when we look at the Corinthian letters, what do they need reproof in? All the problems they were having. They had immorality, they had dissension in the Church, they had divisions, they were having problems with legal and religious matters with one another. They had problems with what they could eat and couldn't eat. The Church was just beset with all kinds of religious problems. So Paul had to reprove them with those two letters of I & II Corinthians. But they're still appropriate for us even today. They were to have remained spiritual and in trusting Faith which works through God's Love in receptivity of Grace.
When we come to the Book of Galatians, even though it was written earlier, but is 4th in the order of the Church Epistles. Now we have a Book that was written for "correction." Do you remember what the Galatians needed to correct? Where were they slipping off course to? Legalism/Religion. They were slipping off course, and going back into religious legalism. Much as the letter to the Hebrew-Christians had done or were about to do. So the Books of Galatians and Hebrews were written to simply bring them back on course. We're not under Law, or Religion but rather under Grace(which operates through Faith), the whole six chapters of that little Book were on that theme, and that theme alone. But if you remember when we were in Galatians, what was he constantly referring to? Abraham. And then we used the allegory of Isaac and Ishmael as pictures of Law and Religion as compared to Grace, see? Constantly flipping back into the Old Testament, and using the Hebrews as examples and appealing to the Hebrews to come out of their blindness, and out of their religious legalism (from under the familiar spirit given them by Yehovah because of their stubbornness as recorded by Isaiah), and step into the light of God's Grace activities through His faithfulness as the operating force. Now that covered this whole period of time while Paul was roaming the Roman Empire, establishing Churches. Now do you still have Acts 28? All of a sudden there's an interruption in Paul's ministry, and he's going to be arrested, and he's going to be taken to prison in Rome. So let's look at that. Remember Paul had arrived at Rome after all the shipwrecks and turmoil of getting from the region of the Caesarean's.
Acts 28:17
"And it came to pass, that after three days Paul called the chief of the Jews (that is the Jewish community in Rome.) together: and when they were come together, he said unto them, Men and brethren, though I have committed nothing against the people (Israel), or customs of our fathers, yet was I delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans;"
We all remember how the Hebrews hated the Apostle Paul. They treated him just like he treated them earlier. So they were constantly after his life, trying to kill him one way or another. Just as they had done with Jesus because He spoke of their false religion and nationalism none of which He had anything to do with. Because they did not know God's plan or course of direction from earthy to spiritual. I might say that most of this evil darkness don't know nor understand this still. They had totally miss read His intent and the purpose of Jesus' first coming and the restoration of all things to God through Christ Jesus as the son of man. Then remember the Romans took Paul under their wings and he had to appeal to Caesar, now he is in Rome waiting for justice to be meted out. Now verse 18 & 19.
Acts 28:18-20
"Who, when they had examined me, would have let me go, because there was no cause of death in me. But when the Jews spake against it, (that is his message of salvation, the revelation of Christ) I was constrained to appeal unto Caesar; (and that's why he's in Rome) not that I had ought to accuse my nation of. For this cause (because he had no controversy that had caused his arrest) therefore have I called for you, to see you, and speak with you: because that for the hope of Israel (what was Israel hoping for? Their savior and salvation from the worlds evils but they did not know nor understand God's plan was not to be in the physical and material but rather the spiritual) I am bound with this chain."
See the man never lost his love for his kinsmen according to the flesh. Even in spite of the fact that they were constantly trying to put him to death. They were trying to upset his ministry, but Paul never lost his love for them and the hope of Israel. Now after these Jewish leaders in Rome had come to meet with him where he was under house arrest. We find in verse 25.
Acts 28:25-27
"And when they agreed not among themselves, (that is these Jewish leaders at home) they departed, (in other words they left. They couldn't agree on anything) after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spoke the Holy Ghost by Esaias (Isaiah 6:9-10) the prophet unto our fathers, Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them." ( also Ezekiel 12:2)
No comments:
Post a Comment