MPC, 24th November 2002.Acts 21 - "Guidance and the Voice of God"
Phil Campbell MPC, 24th November 2002.
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That's an ad in a recent women's magazine. And it's not unusual, is it? We've even got a Clairvoyant here in Blackwood St. Check your palm over coffee. Because people want to know the future. People want to know the spiritual secrets that are going on behind the scenes.
So it's Palm Reading. Or Tarot Cards. Or the Horoscope pages in the New Idea. Everybody wants to know what's up around the corner.
And a lot of Christians are no different. A lot of Christians, they've got a desire and a fascination for exactly the same thing. What's going to happen next? So when someone has what they call a word of prophecy, suddenly, everyone's all ears. Much more interesting than a sermon. Much more relevant. If someone can tell you what's going to happen in your life, tomorrow, you want to know.
So there's a church we drove past a while back, a big banner out the front that says Healing and words of prophecy here - every Sunday. They just turn it on like a tap. And I'd guess they get big crowds. Because people want words of prophecy. Guidance for the future. Christianised horoscopes.
But on the other hand, it's fair enough, isn't it, to want to be guided by God? To want to do what God wants us to do. All of us should want that. And so sometimes, the reason we want to hear from God, the reason we want to know what's up ahead is so we can do what's best. As followers of Jesus.
And I know as we met Gideon a few weeks back in Judges, who puts out A fleece looking for guidance, there were questions. Valid questions. Over whether we should do the same. Or shouldn't we?
But maybe your problem is just the opposite to what I've been talking about. Maybe you're not looking for God's guidance at all. Maybe you make your life decisions without giving God a second thought. And if that's your attitude you need to change it.
But the big question is, if you want to know God's plan for you, where do you find it? Where are we meant to look for God's guidance when we need it?
Usually, there are a few standard answers. Like, well, you've got to make a decision about sometime, you're trying to decide which way to go, and you look for the one that gives you the greatest sense of peace. That's one way Christians say you can find guidance. They say, I prayed about it, and God's Spirit gave me peace – so I must be heading the right way. And I often hear people saying that. The problem is, though, I've met people with a sense of peace about stuff that I know they shouldn't feel any peace about at all. Because in the end, what they're mistaking for God's peace is the peace of giving in to a temptation they shouldn't be giving in to. Like the guy from a friend's church who went on a business trip to Melbourne and accidentally ran into an old girlfriend from school. They hit it off really well. Catching up on old times.
He came home; packed his bag. Left his wife. And moved to Melbourne. Because he said he prayed about it and God had given him a sense of peace. That it was the right thing to do.
Figure it out.
There's the other way, the one I've mentioned already; looking for a prophecy. A direct word. From the Spirit of God. Telling you exactly what's ahead. So if there's a church with a banner up saying Prophecy next Sunday, be there. Maybe that's not the way many of you do it; but lots do. Or something similar. And so I just heard about a minister in one church who walked up to his assistant minister, and he said to him, God's told me you need to find another job. You're fired. Hard to argue, isn't it? But it's the way a lot of Christians look for guidance. A direct word from God.
Maybe you look for signs. Little confirmations that you should go this way; or that way. Maybe you do put out a fleece. Little tests for God. And maybe sometimes God comes good. To help you along.
Or the other one that's popular, and that is, seek the guidance of your Christian friends. Listen to what they're saying. Look for Godly Christian advice. Which may be a good idea. Trouble is, a lot of times the quality of the advice depends on the quality of the friends.
When you're facing a tough decision, those might be some of the ways you look for God's guidance. The thing I want you to notice in our passage today though, is that it's surprising. Because Paul's offered all those things and more. And yet chooses a course that you might find surprising.
And I want to put it to you today that as we look at the Apostle Paul as he's about to face one of his toughest choices – literally a life and death decision - there's another way. Another way to find God's guidance. Which is much more obvious. And we'll come to it later.
But first of all, I want to look with you at the guidance Paul rejects. Because it's fascinating. And when you think about it, very strange. To see what happens.
Because the trouble is, when you look at the passage, it almost seems like the Holy Spirit is telling Paul very directly he shouldn't go where he's planning to go.
Paul's heading for Jerusalem. He's been on his way there for a while. We're picking up in Acts more or less where we left of a year ago. We followed Paul on his first two missionary journeys. Now he's heading back to Jerusalem. Head Office. Home base. He's been preaching to the Gentiles. Taking the gospel message to the non Jewish world. And now he's heading back by boat. And it's like in every port there's a message waiting for him. Like these days if you want to contact someone travelling you can get a message put on the airport notice board. Well, with Paul, everywhere he stops off, there's a message. And it's a message from the Spirit.
Paul says it back in chapter 20. Look back at verse 22 and 23; here's what's happening. He says, "Compelled by the Spirit I'm heading for Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city, the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me."
There's a compulsion one way from the Spirit. To head for Jerusalem. And yet at the same time there are warnings from the Spirit. Which get more and more specific. What do you do?
And when we come to chapter 21, it's even clearer. Paul's sailing for Jerusalem. And you'll notice what he said in chapter 20 keeps happening. That almost every city he comes to, the Holy Spirit warns him. There's danger ahead. Especially in Jerusalem.
Chapter 21 verse 1, they leave Turkey and sail for the island of Cos; then to Rhodes; then Patara. Verse 2 and 3, they sail south of Cyprus and then across to Tyre. Just up the coast from Jerusalem.
And they stay a week. With the disciples they find there. Now will you notice just as a little sidelight, if you can think back to the start of the book of Acts there are almost no Christians anywhere. By chapter 21, almost everywhere Paul goes, there's a group of Christians. The gospel's spreading. Friends in every port. And the spread's continued; I was in Singapore a couple of years ago visiting a pastor there. Get in a taxi; turns out the taxi driver is a Christian. And suddenly, half way round the world, you're with a brother.
It's like that when you're a Christian. Family members everywhere. And so Paul stays a week with the Christians in Tyre.
But will you notice, the second half of verse 4; even there they've got a message for him. Through the Spirit. Chapter 21 verse 4, they urge Paul not to go to Jerusalem.
I mean, what do you do… with that sort of guidance?
Well, Luke's the guy writing. And he tells us. "But when our time was up, says Luke in verse 5, we left. And continued on our way." Unstoppable.
Now we need to think this through. Because it looks very much like the Spirit's telling Paul to do one thing. And he does… the exact opposite. What are we meant to make of it?
There's a long goodbye on the beach; and then verse 7, they sail for Ptolemais; and there are brothers there as well. They stay a day, then head for Caesarea, and stay with Philip the Evangelist.
Philip's got daughters who prophecy; and there's another guy Agabus who's a prophet as well; he's come down from Judea with a special message… which in case you miss the point, he's going to act it out. Multimedia prophecy. Verse 11; watch what he does. Luke says,
Coming over to us, he takes Paul's belt, ties his own hands and feet with it, and says, "The Holy Spirit says, 'In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.'"
Now you've got to say, haven't you, that in the guidance of the Spirit stakes, Paul's got plenty of it. If you want a picture of what the future holds, it's crystal clear. Here's Agabus the prophet rolling around on the floor with his hands and feet tied up with Paul's belt. And he says, The Holy Spirit says, here's what's going to happen to you if you keep going to Jerusalem.
And the Spirit's already said the same thing back in Tyre. In fact, according to Paul, like we saw at the start, the Spirit has told him the same thing every city he's been to.
If you're someone who looks for clear guidance in messages from the Holy Spirit, it seems like they don't get any clearer. And yet Paul keeps on going.
What about if you're someone who looks for God's guidance by getting the advice of your Christian friends?
Well, we've seen already, haven't we; back in Tyre, Paul's Christian friends; they know through the Spirit there's trouble ahead; and they say, don't go. Back in verse 4.
The Spirit's told them the same thing He told Agabus. They could see it coming. If you go to Jerusalem, they'll put you in prison. The Spirit told them very clearly. And so they say, it doesn't make sense. You're crazy. Don't go.
Here in verse 12, same again. All Paul's friends plead with him. Don't go. Read it. Verse 12.
"When we heard this; when we heard what Agabus said about how he'd be bound up; when we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem."
If you reckon we should look for guidance from Christian friends, Paul's Christian friends are begging him. They're saying, and they're saying it in tears, "Paul, the Holy Spirit says you're heading for danger. If you do that, you're crazy. Don't go."
A lot of Christians say you find God's guidance by looking for a feeling of inner peace. Well, let's ask the question. Has Paul got a feeling of inner peace?
Keep reading in verse 13. Because I want to suggest he's got just the opposite. The reality is, they're breaking his heart. What he's got to do is tough enough already. And they're making it all the harder. He's not heading for Jerusalem because it gives him a sense of inner peace. He's heading for Jerusalem because he's a man on a mission.
So look what he says; verse 13. Then Paul answers, "Why are you weeping and breaking my heart?" He says, "I'm ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus." And I'd guarantee when he says that there's not a dry eye in the room.
Now when you look at it, we've got a problem, haven't we? If you reckon you're meant to listen to prophecies from the Spirit and the advice of your friends and your feelings of peace. Now don't get me wrong. I'm not saying because of what Paul does here that you're meant to always ignore those things. But the point is, there's something bigger. And I want to suggest that if you don't get the bigger thing in the right proportion in your own life, in your own decision making, then you're going to find you're often going to get things wrong.
So what's the over-riding principle? And what's the problem?
I want to suggest to you that when you look at it closely, when you look at the passage, that we always have an underlying assumption that we should always do what's comfortable.
I mean, we never actually say that, do we. But that's the danger for people who want to look for God's guidance in the thing that gives them A feeling of peace. Because the comfortable option is always going to do that, isn't it. It won't be a feeling of peace from God. But gee, it'll be a good feeling.
So my mate Russell, who lives in Sydney. He was offered a promotion in his job. Another 20 thousand dollars a year. Only trouble was, he'd have to change his working hours. And he wouldn't be able to keep leading the home bible study group for his church. In fact, the hours he'd be working, he wouldn't even be able to get to his home bible study group.
Now I don't know how many of you who are in a growth group actually value it very much. But for Russell, there's the decision. Think of all the great things you could do for the kids with an extra 20 thousand bucks a year. Nice family holidays. Swimming pool. I mean, that's going to kick up a pretty good feeling of peace, isnt' it? Contented, easy feeling.
And Russell's Christian friends – what are they going to say? I mean, who's going to advise a guy to knock back a promotion? Because Christians or not, we're pretty well geared to what society says, aren't we? Which is, promotion is good. No matter what. More money. Has to be worth more than being in your Growth Group. I mean, who cares? You can do the study on your own. If you get time. Easy.
We're often faced with decisions like that, aren't we. Usually on a smaller scale. Decisions that pop up, where the question is, what are you really shooting for? What's really important? This? Or that?
And what I'm saying is this. That underlying the way we make decisions, there have got to be principles. There have got to be core commitments. That even help interpret prophecies – that come from the Holy Spirit.
Because I want you to notice, the messages that Paul gets from the Holy Spirit never say don't go. The messages that Paul gets from the Spirit say there's going to be danger if you do go. And it's a very important difference. The Spirit doesn't say don't go to Jerusalem. It's Paul's friends who say that. Because they've had a warning of the danger.
But the point is, Paul's not going to let opposition stop him preaching the gospel. Even if it costs him his life. Because proclaiming Christ is what he's committed his life to. And his death. And that's the principle kicking in. Paul's been given a job to do. And the fact that it's going to be tough doesn't make any difference. Even when he's warned it's going to be tough. I mean, it's been tough already. And Jerusalem's going to be no different. So he's going to keep going.
See, we're called to be purpose driven people. Not exactly Apostles like Paul. But growing followers of Jesus. Growing to be more like Jesus. Growing more followers of Jesus by proclaiming him to our world. And whatever decision you're up against, they're the things that ought to be driving your decision making.
Will this make me more like Jesus? Or not?
Will this help me make Christian fellowship a priority? Or not?
Will this help me have opportunities to learn God's word better? Or not?
Will this put me in a situation where I'll be able to use my gifts to serve my Christian brothers and sisters better? Or not?
And friends, sometimes I see Christians make some crazy decisions because they feel a sense of peace about it. When if you weighed it up according to those sorts of principles, the answer to what they should do is absolutely clear. And even if you feel there's a direct message from the Holy Spirit – you've still got to weigh it up. Like Paul. According to what you know to be Godly principles. From God's word. Even if the Spirit's warning you there's a cost involved.
My mate Russell, in spite of the good feeling he had about a twenty thousand dollar pay rise, in spite of the advice of his well meaning Christians friends – Russell said no. Because he said, the price is too high. It's going to take me away from things I know are more important. And it's just not worth it.
Paul's the same. Verse 13 again. See, he knows what's important. He says, "Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I'm ready… not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus." He says, I know what the future holds. But I've always known, that following Jesus means taking up your cross. Being prepared to walk the path he walked. And when he wouldn't be dissuaded, Luke says in verse 14, we gave up, and said, "The Lord's will be done." And it is.
Can I ask you this morning, are you prepared to do the same? Because there's a cost involved. I mean, the funny thing is it doesn't seem quite so spiritual does it? to just be determined to do what's right. To be determined to be growing more like Jesus.
What Paul does somehow seems strange, like it's just wasting the warnings of the Spirit. Ignoring the advice of his friends. But there's a bigger picture. And a bigger mission. That we're still caught up in. Following Jesus, even when it hurts. Even when it doesn't feel good. The funny thing is, when you're committed to doing that, a lot of times making decisions gets a whole lot easier. Because you'll be prepared to do what's right. Even when you know there'll be a cost.
Paul's on the road to Jerusalem. And he knows for sure. There's trouble ahead. We'll see it brewing next week. And as he heads for Jerusalem, he's very much in the footsteps of Jesus. Who years before was heading for Jerusalem as well. When he said to his disciples, up ahead there's trouble. They'll whip me. They'll spit on me. They'll crucify me.
And if you're going to come with me, you're going to face that stuff as well.
He says – it's in Luke 9. Here's some clear guidance. He says "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself… and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose his soul?
Looking for guidance in your job? There it is. And it can't be clearer. Follow Jesus. Deny yourself. Even if it means foregoing that promotion. Looking for some guidance in your relationship? There it is. Take up your cross and follow Jesus. Even if it means denying yourself. The interesting thing is, most times working out what you should be doing as a follower of Jesus isn't all that hard. Most time the hard thing is doing it without making excuses. Maybe the problem is, it's not the sort of guidance we're looking for.