2024-01-14-Sunday School God's Protective Power

The speaker begins by mentioning that Brother Quentin is on a storm run and the Marines are not present. They will be teaching from the Holiness Heritage and the lesson is about God's Protective Power. They ask the audience to turn to Acts 22 and 21 in their Bibles. The main idea is that Christians must understand that an enemy is plotting their downfall, but they should not let fear steal their victory because they have God's protection. The speaker then talks about Paul's experiences and the violence and fear in the world. They discuss how Jesus was not valued for his looks but for his sacrifice on the cross. The speaker also shares personal fears and compares them to a lamb being led to slaughter. They conclude by emphasizing God's powerful and intellectual protection. I've got a few, I think Brother Quentin's still on a storm run, if I'm not mistaken. Of course, the Marines aren't here. I'll be in prayer for them. We will be teaching out of the Holiness Heritage this morning, Lesson 7, God's Protective Power. I'm not sure what it is. It may be 28, 29 in y'all's book. And also turn in your Bibles this morning to Acts 22 and 21. We'll be turning as we normally do in different places, but hold your place there in Acts 22 and 21 as you are turning back and forth if you read along. I hope that you do. Sometimes it's okay if you're not able to. The title this morning is God's Protective Power. I think that's a really good subject. The thing this morning is Christians must understand that an enemy is plotting our downfall. Nevertheless, this should not steal our victory for we have assurance of God's protection. The golden text this morning is out of Psalm 34 and 7. The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him and delivers them. Go ahead and read the introduction this morning as we normally do. It is sad but true that violence is beginning to fill our land. This alone is horrible, but the fear that grips people's hearts can be even more rampant. For fear can rob people of their joyful living when they might never be robbed of their earthly treasure. We must recognize that two dangers exist in our lives. One is the danger of physical harm, and the other is the death of our spiritual man. Both truly need protection, and often the inner part of man is more assaulted than the outer part. In this lesson, we are comforted by God's protection for Paul from spiritual and physical danger. Just as God did this for Paul, we can depend upon the protection of the Holy Ghost in times of trouble. Last week we learned that Paul had finally made it back to Jerusalem. It feels like it's been several Sundays ago, but it was last week. James and the elders were happy to see him and hear Paul tell of the great things that had happened that God had done for the Gentiles on this third missionary trip. Paul had been gone, most likely, from what I gather, probably four to five years, establishing churches, spreading the gospel of the crucifixion to many areas, and Brother Joseph talked a little bit about that Wednesday and did a great job. However, the Jewish people held tight to their Jewish traditions and did not like the message that salvation is for Jews and Gentiles by the way of the crucifixion. They ended up kicking Paul out of the temple. They began to proceed to kill him until a Roman chief captain had Paul arrested and took him back to the army barracks. We talked about how Paul gave his personal testimony to the people, and Paul told of the miraculous conversion that only God could do in a man. I love how Jesus knows just what to do to change a man. I thought about that as I was reading this Sunday School message, working on it this week. It was a terrible thing that they did to Jesus on the cross. I think we can all agree on that, but it was necessary for our salvation. Isaiah 53 and 1 says, There was nothing about Jesus' looks that would draw a man. People idolize and worship people because of their looks this day and age, and they always have, I'm sure. But throughout the history of man, people will have a leg up if they're beautiful or handsome, while some men have been slaves, regarded as a subhuman just because of how dark their skin is. It does not say that Jesus is ugly, but he didn't have those movie star good looks. Sometimes we can go to people's houses and we can see the pictures of Jesus. Like a handsome hippie or something of that nature. The crucifixion alone, people wear it as a necklace and have it in their homes. If we had a real picture of that crucifixion, we probably wouldn't even be able to stand to be in front of it, I would say. But people were drawn to good looks. But that's not what... Jesus didn't have a following because of his looks. Smitten of God and afflicted. Isaiah 53 and 5, but he was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed. Brought out of heaven so that we could go to heaven. Wounded for our transgressions means that he was unjustly murdered for our unlawful acts. Bruised for our iniquities means that he suffered a wicked act to pay the price for our wickedness. The chastisement of our peace was upon him means that he was punished for our peace. And while they were at it, he took a flogging for our healing. Purposely hurt to heal your hurts and my hurts. Isaiah 53 and 6 is all. We like sheep have gone astray. We have turned every one to his own way. And the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth. He was brought as a lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep before her shears is done. So he opened not his mouth. Like a lamb led to the slaughter. A spotless lamb, Sister Alicia, defenseless because he chose to be. Why doesn't a lamb open his mouth when he is led to the slaughter? I'm weird. Ever since I was a kid, and I don't know if it's probably goes back from as long as I can remember. Probably my mom has some like irrational fears. Even now, if she hears an ambulance go by, even in town, she will call me sometimes and ask if everybody's at home. And she just does it because she cares. But sometimes it seems irrational to me. And I probably get a lot of that myself. I remember being a little kid and I would, as far back as I remember, I could be in bed and I would lie awake and think, I wonder what is the next worst thing that's going to happen in my life. Who will probably die first that I'm close to. I would lay there and think of those things. And I probably still do similar things to this day. And I can remember the fear that would grip my heart because I was just putting it on my own self. And it was silly. But why doesn't a lamb open his mouth when he is led to the slaughter? I thought, have you ever had to put, and the reason why I'm thinking of that is because of, or tell you about that is because of my thinking. But have you ever had to put a dog down? I don't think that I've ever had to. My dad has had to shoot a dog or something that I cared about. But I didn't care about animals as much as I do now. When I was a kid, I didn't give it as much thought, Brother Ronnie. I probably didn't care for them as I should. They were just there when I wanted them. I would go pet them and then I would neglect them for two or three weeks. And then if I seen them again, I'd go out and, you know, play with them again. But I thought, have you ever had to put a dog down, go to a place like where Brother Austin and Casey works and make that trip? I've never had to, never done that. Most people will probably just shoot it. But sometimes I'll sit there on the couch, and I don't know why I do it, but Graham will get up on my lap and lay down there, put his head on my lap, and I'll just be petting on him. And for some weird reason, this is the way I'm made up, I will start to think about, you know, one of these days I'm going to have to take this trip. And I'll look at him and pet on him. And as he's laying on my lap like a little puppy, my mind will think about that day that I'm going to have to possibly take him to Brother Austin. And I'll start getting kind of sick to my stomach. I won't even realize that I'm doing it. I've just always been like that. And I thought, you know, he'll just think it's probably just another ride. You know, sometimes we'll take Graham somewhere, and we've taken him to Starbucks, and they'll give him like a little cup of Cool Whip or whatever that is, that topping, and they call it a pup cup, I think. And I thought, you know, one of these days we'll be taking him, and we'll have to, he might get sick, and we'll have to take him up to the LaRue County Animal Clinic. And he might just think it's another ride. But, you know, we'll pull into the vet, and we've taken him there before. He probably doesn't think it's a pleasant sight when he sees Brother Austin. Nobody does. But, you know, Brother Austin surely gave him a couple of shots. But Graham is a people dog. You know, he loves people. And that wouldn't be too bad. You know, he might think, well, I'm going to get a shot. But, you know, at least I get to see a bunch of people. And Graham is. But this time it will be different. Graham won't be coming back home to us. You know, we'll have to sit there and go through those emotions and be there with the dog. And I won't enjoy that, I'm sure. But he won't understand. You know, this shot, you know, will be different. We won't be trying to coax him back into the Traverse. And every one of us will be crying, but Graham will not care. And why? Because he has no idea what's about to happen. Like a lamb led to the slaughter. That's why a lamb doesn't make a noise. They trust that the good shepherd is leading them to the barn, maybe to get some food. Maybe he's going to cut the wool off of him. But that's not what that trip to the barn will be about. Jesus knew full well what his trip to Calvary consisted of. He knew the wounds that it would take for my transgressions. He knew the magnitude of the chastisement it would take for my peace. We're talking about God's protective power this morning, using Paul's experience as an example. God's power is strong and mighty. It is intellectual. It knows just what is appropriate for any situation, for whatever a man is going through. That's God's power. The blood is an intellectual power. It will see a man like Saul, a man that was consenting unto the death of a man named Stephen, a Pharisee that was determined to lock up anyone that preached the name of Jesus. The Bible says he breathed. Talking about Paul, the Bible says that he breathed out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord. What would it take to convert such a man like that? A better question is, why would you care to? But God did. And that power made a decision. I'm going to use this man for my glory. So that power suddenly shined round about him out of heaven and spoke, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? That is quite the experience. Saul was on his way to Damascus with permission from the high priest to bound disciples of the Lord. Turn with me to chapter 9 of Acts. We'll look at that a little bit there. What would it take to convert a man like Saul? I can't hardly get my hands working this morning with two codes. Bear with me. Chapter 9 in verse 1 says, And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest and desired of him letters to Damascus, to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus. And suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven. And he fell to the earth and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest. It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. You might remember Brother Joseph reading a lot this Wednesday. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. And the man which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man. And Saul rose from the earth, and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And he was there three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink. And there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias. And to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord. And the Lord said unto him, Arise and go into the street, which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus. For behold, he prayeth, and hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight. Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem. And here he hath authority from the chief priest to bind all that call on thy name. But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way, for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake. And Ananias went his way and entered into the house, and putting his hands on him, said, Brothers, Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in thy way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight and be filled with the Holy Ghost. And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales, and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized. And when he had received meat, he was strengthened. Then was Saul certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus. And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God. We'll stop there. Saul ends up being unbound by one of those very disciples that he said that he was going to bind up, Brother Ronnie. That's why I say God's power is intellectual. It knows what's appropriate and what will work for every man. It can shine a light out of heaven, audibly accusing a man of persecution, blinding his eyes to the point that he's dependent upon another Christian for his conversion. But that's not appropriate for every case. That great power can dial it back for a young boy that is coming to the age of accountability. It'll start whispering to his heart, Hey, you don't have to be afraid when you lay down at night. I'll watch over you. I'm stronger than your fears. Just trust me. Just as powerful. The same conversion, but more appropriate. He knows exactly what you need this morning. A lady with a lot of desperation and a little faith can touch the hem of his garment and get the healing she needs, while Paul can beg three times for a healing, and Jesus says, Paul, my grace is sufficient for thee. Why? Because he knows exactly what we need to make it to heaven. Philippians 4 and 6 says, Be careful for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication. With thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. Turn in your Bibles to Philippians 4 and 7. Philippians 4 and 7 says, And the peace of God which passes all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things which you have both learned and received and heard and seen in me do, and the God of peace shall be with you. But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again, wherein you were also careful, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in respect of want, for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me. Have there ever been any sweeter words written than those? Paul was to suffer greatly for Jesus' namesake. As an example to us, he might not have been that example if he got every prayer answered just as he wanted, brother Austin. Philippians 4 and 9, again, those things which ye have both learned and received and heard and seen in me do, and the God of peace shall be with you. Paul says, take it from me, I've learned the hard way. These things that you see me say and do, you should do those things also, and the peace of God shall be with you. That still holds true for the Christian today. If we want God's protective power on our lives, we will strive to follow after Paul's example. Reverend Vance skips over a few verses from last lesson today, but I'd like to go back so we can see how Paul arrives at the point of our lesson. Again, it's in Acts 22 and 21. As I stated before, Paul gives his personal testimony before this to the Romans and the crowd that has gathered, and he has their attention. In 21, he quotes what Jesus says here, 22 and 21, and he said unto me, Depart, for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles. And the Bible says, And they gave him audience unto this word, and then lifted up their voices and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth, for it is not fit that he should live. And as they cried out and cast off their clothes and threw dust into the air, they were with him until he spoke one word, brother Ronnie, Gentile. Acts 22 and 24 says, The chief captain commanded him to be brought into the castle and bade that he should be examined by scourging, that he might know. Wherefore, they cried so against him. Bible readers can correct me if I'm wrong, but the way I understand it, this chief captain is confused. His native tongue was probably Latin, and he might know some Hebrew, but he really isn't understanding why this crowd hates him so much, for he has their attention. And then he mentions Gentile, and they are in an uproar again. Acts 22 and 25 says, And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said unto the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman and uncondemned? When the centurion heard that, he went and told the chief captain, saying, Take heed what thou doest, for this man is a Roman. Then the chief captain came and said unto him, Tell me, art thou a Roman? And he said, Yea. And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this freedom. And Paul said, But I was free born. Then straightway they departed from him, which should have examined him. And the chief captain also was afraid, after he knew that he was a Roman, because he had bound him. On the morrow, because he would have known the certainty wherefore he was accused of the Jews, he loosed him from his bands, and commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul down and set him before them. So they tied Paul to a whipping post. If you can imagine, I would imagine, this may be a little bit of speculation, but a whipping post would be like a board that's fastened to the ground, and they would have Paul's arms wrapped to it, bound to it, and then his back would be exposed, and they could whip him from that point. But it was against the law to beat a Roman without cause. The captain had him loosed, and decided to bring him before the council the next day. This council that Paul goes before, the Hebrew word is sun-edrion. You may have heard it as Sanhedrin, or most commonly Sanhedrin. It was the supreme court, the way I understand it, of the Jewish people. It's commonly believed that the origins are rooted in Numbers 11 and 16 when Moses complained to God that he was not able to lead his people on his own. It became too much. We'll read that in Numbers 11 and 16. And the Lord said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them, and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee. I would like to teach a lesson maybe, when I get it all wrapped in my head, about the Sanhedrin, and the Sadducees, and the Pharisees, and things like that. Maybe we'll do that sometime, because I think it's important to know. I picture myself sitting out in Sunday school, and Brother Rodney and different ones would teach things that were just way over my head, and they didn't mean to. But there was a time when, I'll just be honest, when I heard the word Pharisees, I really didn't understand exactly what that was, or the Sanhedrin, or Sadducees, or the Zealots. You know, you really need to know who these people are to understand a lesson from it. So I would like to maybe teach that, or somebody else teach that someday. But this is a little bit of Jewish history, but Jewish history states that you would have lesser Sanhedrins, Brother Rodney, of 23 people in each city, but there was one great Sanhedrin of 71 members. There'd be one president, one chief of courts, and then 69 general members consisting of Sadducees, Pharisees, and scribes. And it would be like a court setting. An accuser would stand before this council who arranged in a half circle, and make his accusations, and then the defendant would represent himself. He wouldn't have a lawyer or anything of that nature. He would represent himself. But he could also call witnesses on his behalf. This was the same council system that Jesus went before, so we can tell right away how just it was. This would be a very frightening experience I would imagine, but I believe that Paul looked at it as yet one more opportunity to spread the gospel of Christ. Remember in Acts 21, Luke said that they met a prophet named Agabus that took Paul's girdle and bound himself and said that the Jews would do likewise to Paul when he got to Jerusalem. They urged Paul not to go, but what did Paul say, do you remember? In Acts 21, Luke says Paul answered, What mean ye to weep and to break my heart? For I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. Paul was ready to die for the Lord. What did Paul say to the church in Rome in the book of Romans? Romans 1 and 15 says, So as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God and the salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. The gospel of Christ is the power of God and the salvation to everyone that believeth. That's the power that we're talking about this morning. Paul was ready to present that power unashamedly to this court that thought that they were the end all, be all. This was the same powerful court that put Jesus on the cross. It was powerful, but Paul knew something much more powerful. That one that stood before that council before and was nailed to the cross, laid in the grave, but was no longer there. There was a higher court that Paul worked for. Most likely, as a Pharisee, Paul had been a part of this Sanhedrin himself. That might be a little speculation, but I believe it could be true that he was possibly part of this himself. Acts 26 and 10 says, Which thing I also did in Jerusalem and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priest, and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them. It is not proven, but likely that this means that Paul, before his conversion, was part of this very court system. We do know that he got letters from the high priest to arrest the disciples of the Lord. We read that a few minutes ago. Either way, greater is the power that is within Paul now than the power that was within him when he was Saul before the conversion. So, turn with me back to Acts 23 and 1. This is as Paul stands before this council, or this Sanhedrin. Acts 23 and 1 says, And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, Make notice of how he addresses the crowd here. Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day. And the high priest Ananias commanded them that stood by him to smite him on the mouth. There was a few people named Ananias in this time. Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, thou whited wall, for sittest thou to judge me after the law, and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law. And they that stood by said, Revilest thou God's high priest. Then said Paul, I wish not, brethren, that he was the high priest. For it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people. It's a rough start for Paul here again. The high priest told the men that stood by Paul to smite him across the mouth as Paul proclaimed that he had a good conscience. Never one to back down, Paul tells him that God will smite him and cause him a whited wall. I had to look up if that was a very good insult or not. It sounded like it was. But from what I can gather, this would be a pretty good insult. Have you ever heard that... I would relate it to Brother Raleigh. I've heard somebody say that vinyl siding hides a multitude of sins. And it would be like someone buying an old junkie house for $60,000, $70,000 and slapping some new paint on it and then putting some vinyl siding around it and hoping that the inspector doesn't poke around too much. But this man was a fraud. He was rotten on the inside. He might be a high priest, but he wasn't really holding that position very well. He wasn't a good representation. He was a high priest, and apparently Paul didn't know that, but he was a fraud nonetheless. Deuteronomy 25 and 1 says, If there be any controversy between men, and they come unto judgment that the judges may judge them, then they shall justify the righteous and condemn the wicked. And it shall be, if the wicked man be worthy to be beaten, that the judge shall cause him to lie down and to be beaten before his face, according to his fault by a certain number. Paul had not been convicted of anything yet. Smiting him was not justifiable, and this entire court was to be representative of the law of Moses. Paul does, however, recognize that he was wrong, since Ananias was the high priest. I think it's kind of ironic that Paul, being on trial for supposedly going against the Jewish law, is adhering to the law more than the very high priest. I read that Paul didn't recognize Ananias as the high priest because of the speculation that Paul was basically blind, but there's very little Bible for that. Some people believe that that was the thorn in Paul's flesh. I'm sure you all have read that, that he was blind or basically blind, and that might have been his thorn in the flesh. But I don't know if that to be so. There's a couple of verses. Do you believe that, Brother Taylor? Okay. Brother Ronnie, I don't know if you all have read that. But I simply believe that he wasn't up on the council's position because he was no longer a part of that world anymore. He had been spending his last several years working for the Lord. You can believe what you want. It doesn't really matter. It doesn't make a lot of sense to me that the Bible would tell us in Acts 23 and 1 that Paul earnestly beheld the council, but he was so blind that he didn't recognize the high priest. It really doesn't matter. Back to Acts 23 and 6. But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee, of the hope and resurrection of the dead. I am called in question. And when he had so said, there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the multitude was divided. For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, but the Pharisees confess both. And there arose a great cry, and the scribes that were of the Pharisees' part arose and strove, saying, We find no evil in this man, but if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him, let us not fight against God. And when there arose a great dissension, the chief captains, fearing lest Paul should have been pulled in pieces of them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them and to bring him into the castle. So Paul, with the Lord on his side, knows exactly what to do in this situation. But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee, of the hope and resurrection of the dead. I am called in question. Paul had very well maybe been legally blind. I couldn't really tell you, but one thing I do know is that he had great perception. The kind of perception that's not physical. The kind of perception you can't go get with a new pair of glasses or a pair of contacts. It's the kind of perception that comes only by prayer, by leaning on God. Fasting will give you this type of perception that Paul had. Praising God will improve your perception. It's that God protective power kind of perception. It's the kind of perception you will get from dwelling in the secret place of the Most High under the shadow of the Almighty. It's that perception that delivers from the snare of the fowler. I thought Judy might not fully understand this verse, but he no longer needs to be afraid of the terror by night, nor for the arrow that flyeth by day, nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness, nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, the Bible says, and ten thousand at thy right hand. But with God's protective perception it shall not come nigh thee. For only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked, because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the Most High, thy habitation. There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling, for he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear up in their hands, lest thou dash a foot against a stone. Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder, the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet, because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him. I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and shew him my salvation." That's the kind of perception that Paul had, a perception that drops down in a man's spirit right on time. God's protective power. Luke 28 says Jesus preaching to the multitude. Also I say unto you, whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of Man also confess before the angels of God. But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God. And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him. But unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven. And when they bring you unto the synagogues and unto magistrates and powers, it shall take you no thought how or what ye shall answer or what you shall say. For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what you ought to say. God's protective power will give a man perception in any situation. You may remember in 2 Chronicles we read about three armies, Brother Ronnie, that were headed over to fight Judah. This was several Sundays ago. Jehoshaphat being the king at the time, called a prayer meeting. You can turn to 2 Chronicles 20 and 22. I think this is relevant. 2 Chronicles 20 and 22. And when they began to sing and to praise the Lord, set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Sira, which were come against Judah, and they were smitten. For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Sira, utterly to slay and destroy them. And when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Sira, every one helped to destroy another. And when Judah came toward the watchtower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped. God's people leaned upon the Lord, and the enemy divided against itself and killed one another. The children of God didn't have to do a thing. So in that line of thinking, Paul perceives that he has some Pharisees over here and some Sadducees over here, and he defies them. He knows exactly what to do. He decides to use that toward his advantage, brother Tim. These two groups of people were enemies. But we know that even in our day, people that can't get along will come together if it means standing against the Lord. Paul, by the grace of God, is smarter than these men and hits them right in the source of contention and defies the crowd. Psalm 119 and 97 says, O how I love thy law! It is my meditation all the day. And through the commandments hath made me wiser than mine enemies, for they are ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, for thy testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts. Let's go back to Acts 23 and 6. But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee, of the hope and resurrection of the dead. I am called in question. And when he had so said, there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the multitude was divided. For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel nor spirit. But the Pharisees confess both. And there arose a great cry, and the scribes that were of the Pharisees parted rows and strove, saying, We find no evil in this man. But if a spirit or an angel hath spoken to him, let us not fight against God. And when there arose a great dissension, the chief captain, freeing, lest Paul should have been pulled in pieces of them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them to bring him into the castle. He got them arguing against themselves. Can you imagine what the chief captain is thinking at this point? Acts 23 and 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 must thou bear witness also at Rome. When you read this, don't skip over it. It seems like an uneventful verse, but I can't imagine how Paul was moved by this visitation from the Lord. The confirmation that he was not only going to live to see another day, but that he was going to get the opportunity to witness for God in Rome. Paul wanted that more than anything. If you question how much this must have meant to Paul, go home and read Romans chapter 1. We don't have time to right now. We're fixing to get into Sunday school lesson. But let's read Reverend Bentz had to say, what he had to say in the Holiness Heritage concerning verse 11, Be of good cheer. Let's skip down to where, do you see where it says the plans he had made to go to Rome? The plans he had made to go to Rome all seemed to fade until he had a visitation from the Lord. Notice these four things about the message that Paul received. Number one, Jesus came to Paul at night. It seems that the things tend to get worse at night. Fevers are higher in the night. Fears are greater in the night. When he needed the greatest assurance, the Lord came to him. Number two, Jesus came to Paul to encourage him. We read of no rebuke or correction, but the first words were of the greatest comfort. This was a wonderful change from the hateful words uttered only a few hours before. Number three, Jesus approved of Paul's testimony in Jerusalem. Although it was unfruitful, the Lord still commended the apostle's work as witnessing for him. Number four, Jesus assured Paul that he was still on course for Rome. The plans of God will not be sidetracked because of a little trouble. Although we may not be in the same circumstance as Paul was, we can be assured that the Lord will come to us, even as he did to this great preacher. His timing will be right. His encouragement will be given. I really like point three there, when he says Jesus approved of Paul's testimony in Jerusalem. Although it was unfruitful, the Lord still commended the apostle's work as witnessing for him. Paul does not strike me as a man that second guesses himself too often, brother Ronnie, but Jesus knew his heart. There were several times the Holy Ghost gave warning, trouble awaits you in Jerusalem, Paul. Now Paul's alone in prison, unsuccessfully tried to unite the Jews and Gentiles, but was thrown out of the temple. He gave his personal testimony to a crowd, and it ended in a riot. His chance at witnessing to the Sanhedrin barely got off the ground, and it ended badly again. But God says, be of good cheer, Paul. You testified in Jerusalem, and you'll do it again in Rome. A pat on the back in prison from God himself is way better than freedom in this world. You didn't see any results, Paul, but cheer up. You did a work for me. This may seem small compared to the situation, but how many times have you picked up enough nerve to testify in church and then it didn't go over like it did in your head? That's happened to me a thousand times. Have you ever had a burning testimony at work or while you were doing the dishes or mowing the grass or you're on your way to church and it's just building up in you and you can't wait to say something about it, and then you get to church and you kind of battle it, whether you should say it or not. Does it go with the service? Does it not go with the service? I'm not sure if I should say it. I don't know if it fits. And you decide to get up and say it anyways, and it just feels like it falls flat. And you spend the rest of the service just thinking about how stupid you look. I've done that a million times, Brother Ronnie. But can I echo God's words here and say, be of good cheer. You testified for the Lord. You did it in His name, not for an immediate response, not for a pat on the back from the pastor or from your husband or your wife or your kids. It was for Him. So do it again. If you got up and did something for the Lord, you did a good job, Sister Shelly. There's no shame in testifying and getting your words a little mixed up. The shame is in that long period between those times because you fail to get up again because you're afraid to make a fool of yourself. It's okay to make a fool of yourself for God. I've done it for the devil for several years. Don't be afraid to do something for the Lord. Even if it feels like it falls flat, it could have been for somebody. And it's definitely for the Lord. There's no shame in that. This is not the Sanhedrin. There's nobody that's going to smite you across the mouth no matter what you say. This is a safe place to testify for the Lord. This is the perfect place to testify for the Lord. We're all family here. We're all rooting for each other. We would love for you to get up and testify. Nobody's here critiquing everything that you say. This is the perfect place and time to testify for the Lord. And we need to be doing that. Acts 23 and 12 says, And when it was day, certain of the Jews banded together and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. They're most likely the type of men Paul was talking about in Romans 10 and 1 when he says, Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they, being ignorant of God's righteousness and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. We don't always know the traps that lie await for us, but God does. I'm thankful to be serving a God that is never caught off guard by an unexpected phone call or bad doctor's visit or any number of things that we might face today. All Paul needed to know was that he was to be of good cheer. The morning that Haley and Callie got saved, I remember I was over there praying for them, and the thought came to my mind, and probably just how it happens, what could God possibly be saving them from at that age? And I thought, well, by their age they might have told a few lies maybe, they might have disobeyed their parents, and that's enough. But then I started thinking of the things that God saved me from. I started going down to the list of those terrible things, Brother Ronnie, that was in my past. And I realized that those same things lied in wait for them at some point in their lives. 1 Corinthians 10 and 13, There have no temptation taken you, but such as is common to man. But God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able, but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it. We take comfort in that verse when we realize, Oh, I've done some awful things, but at least they're common to man. I might not be the only one in this church that has faced things like that, and not to mention that God has a way of escape. But we do take comfort in the thought that the devil likes to isolate us and make us think that we are terrible, terrible people, that we don't belong amongst God's people. But these things are common to man, and we do take comfort in that. But if you've done some embarrassing things in your life, and you probably have, most likely you're not the only one that has done it. No matter what the devil tries to tell you, there is a comfort in that. But when we have children, and we realize that they will face these common things, that's not quite comforting. It brings a whole new perspective. It made me think, Oh God, save them girls from those things that I faced. He didn't just save them from those little white lies. He saved them from those great many of things that they could have faced down the road. I thought Juddy may not ever understand what God has actually saved him from, and I hope that he doesn't. So Paul didn't know the conspiracy that was on his head, but God did know. All he had to know was to be of good cheer, Brother Ronnie. Acts 23 and 16, and when Paul's sister's son heard of their lying in wait, he went and entered into the castle and told Paul. So we find out Paul has a sister and a nephew. That's good to know. I love verses like that. They just kind of come out of nowhere. Acts 23 and 17, then Paul called one of the centurions unto him and said, Bring this young man unto the chief captain, for he hath a certain thing to tell him. So he took him and brought him to the chief captain and said, Paul the prisoner called me unto him and prayed me to bring this young man unto thee, who hath something to say unto thee. Then the chief captain took him by the hand and went with him aside privately and asked him, What is this that thou hast to tell me? And he said, The Jews have agreed to desire thee, that thou wouldst bring down Paul tomorrow into the castle, as though they would inquire somewhat of him more perfectly. But do not thou yield unto them, for there lie in wait for them more than forty men, which have bound themselves with an oath, that they will neither eat nor drink till they have killed him. And now are they ready, looking for a promise from thee. So the chief captain then let the young man depart and charged him, See thou, tell no man that thou hast shewed these things to me. And he called unto him two centurions, saying, Make ready two hundred soldiers to go to Caesarea, and horsemen three score and ten, and spearmen two hundred, and the third hour of the night. God's protective power. In Old Testament Joseph-like fashion, years before anyone is aware of a problem, God has a family member in place to spoil the devil's plan. It's probable that Paul's nephew, as a Pharisee, was in line to be part of the Sanhedrin. We don't know exactly what the devil's plan was, but we can see why God had him there. I just can't help but to think of Joseph's words in Genesis 50 and 20, But as for you, you thought evil against me, but God meant it unto good to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. God's protective power is providential. It lies in wait long before the adversary does. It spoils every plan the devil sets out. I know I keep bringing it up, but I'm excited about it. Don't you know that the devil had big plans for little Jetty, and God just spoiled every one of them. If we are saved by the blood of Jesus Christ, we have God's protective power applied to our lives. I've got to close, and I've got a closing verse here. This morning Luke 12 and 32 says, Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.