Skip to content Courage and Faith: Paul's Divine Assurance Oct 29 · 14 min ...more
Courage and Faith: Paul's Divine Assurance
October 29, 2025 · 14 min
Discover how God's encouragement led Paul to Rome and how he acted on divine guidance with courage.
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Paul's Journey: Faith in Action 0:10 Good morning. Welcome to Stand on the Word. Thanks for joining this morning as we look at Acts chapters 23 and 24. Verse 11 of chapter 23. But the following night, the lord stood by him and said, be of good cheer, Paul.0:21 For as you have testified for me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome. So here's the question we're gonna look at. When the lord spoke to Paul, did Paul rest0:33 on that promise, that word, or did he act upon it? Alright. We're gonna look at that. Very important question. In these chapters, we have Paul's continued time there in Jerusalem and the beginning of his0:44 journey to Rome. Now the local commander apparently thought that he could resolve this dispute that existed between Paul and, some of the Jewish leaders by allowing these Jewish leaders0:56 to to meet and air their grievances with Paul, which is where chapter 23 begins. Now here's the bottom line. There is no common ground between light and darkness. So knowing1:08 where the meeting was headed, Paul, a Pharisee by training, he blows up the meeting, okay, by exploiting the division between the Sadducees and the Pharisees1:20 over the resurrection of the body. Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection, the Pharisees did. Verse 6. But when Paul perceived that 1 part were Sadducees and the other1:31 Pharisees, he cried out in the council, men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee, concerning the hope and the resurrection of the dead. I'm being judged. And when he had said this,1:43 a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. So, you know, Paul was no longer the focus. For the Sadducees say there is no resurrection and1:55 no angel or spirit, but the Pharisees confess both. Then there arose a loud outcry, and the scribes of the Pharisees party arose and protested saying, we find no evil in this man, but if a2:07 spirit or an angel has spoken to him, let us not fight against God. So how does it end? Look at verse 10. Now when there arose a great dissension, the commander fearing, lest Paul might be pulled to2:19 pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them and bring him into the barracks. Now that sets the stage for what happens next. Look at verse 11. But the following night, the lord2:30 stood by him and said, be of good cheer, Paul, for as you have testified for me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome. Now this was a a message of of confirmation and2:42 of encouragement from the lord. He says, be of good courage, Paul, for as you have testified for me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome.2:54 Paul was going to Rome just as he said he wanted to do back in Acts chapter 19, just not the way he had planned. But now he knew without a doubt he knew without a doubt the lord was in3:06 it. So here's the question. Did Paul rest on this word from the lord or did he act upon it? Alright? Look at verse 12. And when it was day, some of the Jews banded together3:18 and bound themselves under an oath saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. Now there were more than 40 who had formed this conspiracy. They came to3:30 the chief priest and elders and said, we have bound ourselves under a great oath that we will eat nothing until we have killed Paul. Now this conspiracy is exposed3:42 somehow. Paul's nephew finds out and he comes and he tells Paul about their plan to kill him. Look at verse 16. So when Paul's sister's son heard of their ambush, he went and entered the barracks and told3:53 Paul. Then Paul called 1 of the centurions to him and said, take this young man to the commander for he has something to tell them. So Paul's nephew is taken to the commander, and he tells him the conspiracy. Verse4:05 22. So the commander, let the young man depart and commanded him tell no 1 that you have revealed these things to me. And he called for 2 centurions saying, plea, prepare 200 soldiers, 704:17 horsemen, 200 spearmen to go to Caesarea at the third hour of the night and provide mounts to set Paul on and bring him safely to Felix, the governor. So the plot to kill Paul is foiled. I4:29 kinda wondered, as a side note there, did those 40 who had bound themselves to not drink or eat until they killed Paul, did they die of thirst or hunger? You know, I I kinda doubt it. Anyway, back to Paul. He gets a4:40 small army with government transportation to take him on the first step of his journey to Rome. Now as with almost any chapter in the Bible, there are many truths that we can take away4:52 from these 2 chapters. But here here's kind of our takeaway for today. The lord appeared to Paul and told him, take courage. You are going to Rome to testify of me. Was5:04 this an encouragement for Paul just to sit back and enjoy the ride? Or was it a message to encourage Paul to act in concert with the will and the purposes5:16 of God? Well, from Paul's actions that we read here, I think it's clear it's the latter. To borrow from James chapter 2, it says, but do you want to know,5:28 oh, foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Our faith in in god and his promises should encourage and propel us to take action to5:40 see god's purposes accomplished in our lives, not just to sit sit back waiting for things to unfold, but to act upon the promises of god. Next, Paul is5:52 taken to Caesarea to fill Felix, the governor, the Roman governor of Judea. The Jewish rulers come before Felix, and they have they actually have hired a, kind of a hired gun to make their6:04 case against Paul, Tertullus, and most likely a, a Roman lawyer. Now Tertullus butters up Felix and then tries to make Paul, like an enemy of6:16 the state. Verse 5, for we have found this man a plague, a creator of dissension among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader, the sect of the Nazarenes.6:28 Alright. When he gets finished, Paul has an opportunity to respond to their charges. In this case, he had, hit and even preached in Jerusalem. You know, usually, he preached6:40 and then there was controversy. His presence just created an uproar. You know, sometimes opposition comes out of the left field. You're like, where did that come from? Well, as the presence and the power of the holy6:51 spirit increases in our lives, expect the challenges, expect the temptations, expect the persecution of the enemy to increase as well. Verse 12,7:03 and they neither found me in the temple disputing with anyone nor inciting the crowd either in the synagogues or in the city, nor can they prove the things which they now accuse me. But this I confess7:15 to you that according to the way, that is a reference to Christianity, the way, Jesus the way, which they call a sect, so I worship the god of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the7:27 prophets, because the law and the prophets point to Jesus. I have hope in god, which they themselves also accept that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust. This7:39 being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward god and men. Drop down to verse 20. Or else though let those who are here themselves7:51 say if they have found any wrongdoing in me while I stood before the council. Unless it is for this 1 statement, which I cried out, here he goes again, standing among them8:03 concerning the resurrection of the dead, I'm being judged by you this day. So Paul, once again, he pushes the button of the Sadducees and the Pharisees. Felix does not make a decision. He says he's gonna8:15 wait until the commander comes down, lis e as, and he wants to hear his testimony about this. But the rest of the passage reveals that there is really more to this8:27 than meets the eye. First, we have a corrupt politician who was looking to line his own pockets and advance his own political career. The Roman historian, Tacitus,8:38 describes Felix as ruling with a mixture of cruelty, lust, and civility. Drusilla that we read of in this passage was the second of his 3 wives.8:51 Drusilla Drusilla was a Jew. She was the daughter of Herod Agrippa. You might remember him. He was the 1 that was struck by an angel of the Lord because he did not give God the glory. That was in9:03 Acts chapter 12. And, she was brother to Herod Agrippa the second, that will, soon be will will soon be introduced to. You know, Drusilla9:16 divorced her first husband to Mary Felix. Now being educated in the Jewish religion, she was probably inquisitive about what was happening. Alright? She wanted9:28 to know. She was curious. Now notice how god was using this journey to Rome to bring the gospel all the way up the9:40 chain of command. Paul was taking the gospel not just to the Gentiles, but to the governors and to the kings. Paul was acting upon the word that god gave him, and that's what I gave9:52 him confidence to act. So when the promises of god should give us confidence to act, verse 23. So he commanded the centurion to keep Paul and to let him have liberty and told him not to10:03 forbid any of his friends to provide for or visit him. And after some days, when Felix came with his wife, Drusilla, who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him concerning the10:15 faith in Christ. Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid, should be, and answered, go away for now. When I have a convenient10:27 time, I will call you again. Verse 26. Meanwhile, he also hoped that money would be given him by Paul that he might release him. Therefore, he sent for him more often and conversed with him.10:39 So Paul reasoned about righteousness, self control, and the judgment to come. And it says Felix was afraid. In other words, he was convicted of his sin, but it did not lead10:51 to his repentance. He answered, go away for now. When I have a convenient time, I will call for you. A convenient time? Well, in second Corinthians chapter 6, Paul writes, behold, now is the11:03 accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. As best as we can tell from scripture and from the historical record, Felix's convenient time never came. So eternal11:15 separation from god, hell, was his destination. It may be an inconvenient truth, but it's all it's 1 that we must all face. Either we accept the11:26 lord Jesus Christ as savior, and we are restored in our relationship with our creator, or we are separated from him for all eternity. Verse 27, but after 2 years,11:39 Porcius, Festus succeeded Felix, and Felix, wanting to do the Jews a favor, left Paul bound. So Paul remains in custody11:51 just waiting for these 2 years. And I'm, you know, pretty confident that he was sustained in his faith and hope during this time by acting upon the promise of the12:03 Lord, that he gave him. Be of good cheer, Paul. For as you have testified for me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness there. He knew he knew he was going to Rome.12:16 So here's the bottom line. Don't just rest upon god's promises. Act upon them. Father, we thank you for your word. And, once again, for12:28 your servant, Paul, lord, what just what an amazing story. We we were thankful and grateful for this man's life who challenges us. We pray, Lord, for the same holy spirit power,12:40 that, Lord, that we would be yielded to you and that, Lord, we would act upon your promises. God, you you your your will your word is filled with promises. May we act upon those12:51 promises, Lord, being faithful to serve you, to advance your kingdom, to bring glory to your name. For we pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Alright. Thanks for joining this morning. And and by the13:03 way, we're gonna be wrapping up the book of Acts this week, and then we're moving into the prison epistles. So we actually have another resource available for you. It is the, the prison13:15 epistles of, the letters of of Paul. And so I'll, I'll I'll mention more about that, to come, but you can order a copy of that. You can go to f r c dot o r g slash bible, to get13:27 that. So until next time, keep standing on the word.13:34 Today's study comes from the stand on the word bible reading plan available for free at f r c dot o r g slash bible. By following along in just a few minutes a day, you13:46 can read through the entire Bible in just 2 years. Learn more and request the free reading guide at frc dot org slash bible.In this video 0:00 Paul's Journey: Faith in ActionComments No comments yet. Start the conversation.
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