This transcript was generated by whisper.ai.

Welcome to day five of week five of our look together through the book of Acts.
That means we're in Acts chapter 23 and we're walking with Paul through the
tough days of his ministry. He's gone to Jerusalem, a riot has happened, he's
been arrested.

The Romans have some plans for him, we don't know what that is, but now he's
also brought before the Jewish ruling council. Just as Jesus had trials before
the Romans and trials before the Jews, it's the same process with Paul. This is
one of the groups that put Jesus on trial, that condemned Jesus.

Paul, in one sense, had been a part of this group, hired later to persecute the
church by this group, and now he's on trial before this very group. And because
of that, it immediately gets personal. Listen to what happens in chapter 23
verses one to four.

Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and he said, "My brothers, I have
fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day. " At this, the high
priest Ananias ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth. Then
Paul said to him, "God will strike you, you whitewashed wall.

You sit there to judge me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law
by commanding that I be struck. " Those who were standing near Paul said, "You
dare to insult God's high priest? " Paul replied, "Brothers, I did not realize
he was the high priest, for it is written, 'Do not speak evil about the ruler of
your people.

'" What a moment. It feels like a soap opera almost, what is happening here.
Paul says, "I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day.

" He's saying, "I have kept the law as a Jew to this day, but the high priest
Ananias, who history tells us, was a corrupt high priest, worked more for the
Romans than he did for the Jewish people, his own people. He took taxes and
money tithes that were meant for others, meant for the synagogue and for the
church and for the temple, and he used them for his own pleasures. " He breaks
the law by ordering that Paul, without any kind of trial, is struck on the
mouth.

Paul immediately in anger says, "God will strike you, you whitewashed wall. The
wall of a tomb would be whitewashed, so you'd recognize that it was a tomb, it
was a dead place, that you would not want to walk over. You unclean person,"
he's saying, "because of what you've done.

" Paul, remember, has been out of Jerusalem for quite some time, and in our day,
if there's a new pope or a new high priest of something, we would see their face
in the newspapers, we'd know who they are. In Paul's day, he's been away for all
this time. He doesn't know what the high priest looks like, and so this happens
and Paul didn't realize it was the high priest.

Some people think that he did and that he's sarcastic here. I believe, because
he was gone, he didn't realize it was the high priest. "Do you dare to insult
the high priest," somebody says, and Paul says, "I didn't realize.

Don't speak evil about the ruler," he says. So he respects the position of high
priest, but he does not apologize at all for his disrespect of what this man had
done. Paul immediately faces this personal attack, but instead of him making it
personal, instead of in this moment of difficulty, him deciding, "I'm going to
take revenge against this person," he goes in an entirely different direction.

He realizes God has a work for him to do, and that work is not revenge against
the high priest. So he begins to work in the direction of, "What's God's plan
for my life? " And part of that plan was for this trial not to happen.

Part of that plan was for him to get to Rome, and in order to get to Rome, he
needed to be back with the Romans. So Paul shows his wisdom about the Sanhedrin,
the next thing that happens. In verse 6, "Then Paul, knowing that some of them
were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, 'My
brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee.

I stand on trial because of my hope of the resurrection of the dead. ' When he
had said this, a dispute broke out among the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and
the assembly was divided. The Sadducees say there is no resurrection and that
there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees acknowledged them all.

So Paul wisely splits the council. Paul wisely gets himself back in the control
of the Romans, because he had this deep sense that God wanted him to go to Rome,
and this trial before the Sadducees and the Pharisees was not going to get him
there. Paul is in prison, wondering about his future, and in this action he
begins to head towards what he knows God wants.

The amazing thing to me is how God meets his needs in this. God has met his
needs in advance, we've seen that the last couple of days. The city that he was
born in met his needs and protected him.

The fact that he was a Pharisee, even though that was the wrong direction in
life to go, it met his needs in this moment, and God used it to protect him. God
is protecting him for the plan that he has for him. God will do that in every
one of our lives.

He protects us for the plan that he has for us. He continues to protect Paul
through the rest of this chapter. The next protection that he gives for Paul is
the protection of assurance.

Sometimes the protection that you need is the assurance that comes to your own
heart. And so in verse 11, this dream that Paul had, he gets assurance. In verse
11, the following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, "Take courage.

As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, you must also testify in Rome. "
Jesus says it. It's revealed to Paul, "I'm headed to Rome someday.

" Rome is the center of the world in that day. Rome is a place Paul dreamed of
preaching the gospel. And Jesus says, "Yes, that's where I'm sending you.

You're going to preach the gospel in Rome. " That night the Lord appeared to
Paul. The Lord knew what was going to happen to Paul the next day.

We're going to read about it in just a moment. And so before it even happens,
there are going to be some events that happen the next day that could be very
frightening to Paul. Before it even happens, Jesus gives assurance.

I've noticed Jesus often does that in our lives. As you're reading the
scripture, something stands out. Some words about peace.

Some words about courage. Some words of comfort. And I've seen so many times in
my life, the reason that those words stood out in that sermon or in my personal
devotion time is because Jesus knew what I was going to face that day.

He gave me that word before it happened because he knew what I was going to
face. He assures Paul's heart. And then he protects Paul's life.

His protection goes to protection of his very life. Listen to what happens. This
is history in the making beginning in verse 12.

The next morning the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath
not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. More than 40 men were involved
in this plot. But Paul's nephew, the scripture tells us, overhears what's
happening.

And he tells the Roman soldiers. And so look at what happens next in verse 23.
Then he called the Roman leader, called two of his centurions and ordered them,
"Get ready a detachment of 200 soldiers, 70 horsemen, and 200 spearmen to go to
Caesarea at nine tonight.

Provide mounts for Paul so that he may be taken safely to Governor Felix. " This
is amazing. Four hundred and seventy soldiers protecting just the apostle Paul
against this attack of these Jews who had bound themselves by an oath to kill
Paul.

Four hundred and seventy soldiers. The Lord knows how to protect those who are
his for his purposes. And when Jesus went into Jerusalem, he gave his life.

There were no 470 Roman soldiers who showed up. There was no dividing of the
Jewish council like what happened with Paul. Jesus is wiser than Paul.

God could have brought this protection to Jesus, but the purpose for Jesus going
to Jerusalem was to die on a cross and be resurrected. The purpose for Paul
going to Jerusalem was one stop on the way to Rome. One stop in God's plan for
the life of Paul.

And so he protects him for the next stop on the way to God's plan for his life.
My prayer as I read these verses from my life for your life is, "Lord, help us
to see your hand of protection in our lives. " It may be through soldiers.

It may be through circumstances. It may be through a word that God gives you
from somebody else. It may be through a piece that he puts into your heart.

"God, help me to see your hand of protection in my life. " God is protecting you
for his purposes. All through these chapters we've looked at together this week,
God has been using Paul.

Whether it's in Ephesus, the place of success, or in Jerusalem, the place where
it all falls apart. Whether it's healing the sick or being thrown into prison,
God is at work through the life of Paul. God's work in your life is circumstance
proof.

He can work through you in the midst of any circumstance. There is no
circumstance that can take away the ability of God to work in your life. There
are no prison bars that are so tough that God can't work behind them.

There's no circumstance that is so terrible that God can't even work there. God
can work in any circumstance. Let's pray right now.

Listen to God about the circumstances you and I are facing today. Lord, whether
the circumstances for us seem normal or routine, or right now they seem
terrible, they seem like we don't know how we're going to make it through.
Remind us today that you will continue to be at work, that you have a work to do
in our lives, a plan to work out in our lives in this world, and you will
protect us for that plan, for that purpose.

And you have a work to do in our lives, a plan to accomplish in our lives, that
goes all the way into eternity, and you will protect us until that day. That we
serve you, that we love you, that we're with you for all eternity. Jesus, none
of us, I do not want to face the tough circumstances in this world, none of us
do.

But when we face them, help us to remember you're there. You'll not fail us,
you'll not let us down. They cannot take away your purpose for us, and they're
just one stop on the way to eternity with you.

Remind us of our hope. In your name we pray, amen. This next week together,
we're going to end our study of the book of Acts, and we're going to see the
twists and turns that Paul has to go through on his way to Rome.