Acts 23

And so I'm going to read from chapter 23, I'm going to read verse 1 again, and I'm going to read down through verse 11.

So if you have your Bibles there, Acts 23, again verse 1, says, Then Paul, looking earnestly at the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.

And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth.

And then Paul said to him, God will strike you, you whitewashed wall, for you sit to judge me according to the law.

And he was preparing their hearts to encounter those things.

He said in John 16, 33, in the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, take courage, I have overcome the world.

And then the last time that Jesus says it, the fifth time, is right here in our text in Acts 23, 11, when Jesus stands before Paul there in that prison, and he says to him, "'Farseo, be of good cheer.

Take courage, Paul, for as you have testified of me here in Jerusalem, so you must be a witness of me in Rome.'"

How do we get through? How have others made it? Well, today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie points to the Apostle Paul as our inspiration.

We're in the Book of Acts considering the trial upon trial Paul faced, but the word of encouragement that pulled him through.

This is the day, the day when life begins.

Why don't you grab your Bibles and turn to Acts chapter 23, and the title of my message is Christ's Call to Courage.

So maybe I'm talking to somebody right now that is filled with anxiety.

You're filled with stress.

Even the great Apostle Paul got down at times.

So we're gonna look at what Jesus said and did to revive the Apostle Paul in this message that I'm calling Christ's Call to Courage.

Here's what the Lord did to encourage his servant.

Acts 23, starting in verse 9.

"There arose a loud outcry.

And the scribes of the Pharisees' party arose and protested, saying, 'We find no evil against this man, but if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him, let us not fight against God.' Now there arose a great dissension, and the commander, fearing that Paul might be pulled to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them, and bring him to the barracks.

Here's what the Lord did to encourage his servant.

Acts 23, starting in verse nine.

There arose a loud outcry.

And the scribes of the Pharisees' party arose and protested, saying, We fight no evil against this man, but if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him, let us not fight against God.

[laughs] But I do have a story of Paul repenting.

It's in Acts 23.

Paul had unknowingly spoken to the high priest in a way that didn't align with God's laws, and when someone brought it to his attention, he quoted scripture and rebuked himself publicly.

He repented.

So that's why he's on that ship to Rome.

And yet it's even God already told Paul in Acts 23, 11, you must also testify in Rome.

So it's interesting.

Paul wasn't really just merely trying to save his own skin.

Pretty powerful.

That is really powerful, you know.

And coming into Acts 23, it's in Acts 21 that he's in the courtyard and some people say, oh, here's this guy who is causing all this problem and he brought a Gentile into the temple.

They literally had to call in everybody to spare him because the people were ready just to take him

So the Sadducees just didn't believe in the supernatural much.

According to Acts 23, verse 8, the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor an angel, nor a spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.

So that was the difference between a Pharisee and a Sadducee.

The Sadducees really denied pretty much everything supernatural, and the Pharisees affirmed it.

So much so that people were still afraid of him.

In Acts 23, verse 6, Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee.

Now, why did he do this? He didn't really care about

it

The second thing I want you to look at about Paul is the nature of his

ministry as an apostle.

In Acts 23, verse 11, And the night following, the Lord stood by him and said, Be of good cheer, Paul, for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so much thou bear witness also at Rome.

Can you imagine this guy who's now calling himself little one? had just been told he's going to go to Rome and tell all of them.

Reading tonight from the Acts of the Apostles, looking at the 24th chapter.

Acts chapter 24, for our text, we'll take the 24th and 25th verses.

And after certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul and heard him concerning the faith in Christ.

And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled and answered, Go thy way for this time.

In fact, the trek is quite adventurous for Paul.

There are even a couple of detours along this path.

In the 23rd chapter, also here of Acts, verse 11, Paul has a vision from the Lord.

If you have a red letter Bible, these words are in red.

Welcome to Kingdom Living We are into Acts 23.

And since Acts 20, 20, 21, 19, a little bit even, we're looking very closely at Paul.

This is a lot of, you know, Paul being arrested, Paul arriving at Jerusalem, having problems in Ephesus with riots and just craziness going on.

Email chuckles at godslovelive.com or text 814-761-6996.

814-761-6996.

Now, let's see, where are we at? Oh, we're on Acts 23, sort of.

We saw so much in Acts 21 and 22, and I'm wanting to go through verse by verse of Acts 23, I want to read Acts chapter 23.

It is 35 verses.