Sunday Morning Service

Acts 22 (Click scripture reference for audio access)

"Paul's First Defense"  •  1.8.12  •  Sunday Morning Service, Calvary Christian Fellowship

Intro.

- Paul the Apostle has come to Jerusalem to bring an offering to the church from the Gentile churches that he had begun all over Asia Minor. A delegation of men have come along with him.

- For two decades, Paul has had a desire to come and witness to God's people in Jerusalem and now God has opened a door of opportunity before him.

- In the category of "Be careful what you wish for" or, at the very least, "be specific in your prayers," Paul's "opportunity" comes as yet another riot ensues!

- The Romans have taken Paul to an elevated place on the way to the nearby barracks of the Antonio fortress, when Paul asks to speak before the crowd. Chapter 22 records this moment.

- Paul will teach us a bit about the power of our personal testimony. The chapter breaks out before us in 5 parts:

I. Paul's Conduct (v.1-5)

II. Paul's Conversion (v.6-13)

III. Paul's Commission (v.14-21)

IV. Paul's Controversy (v.22-24)

V. Paul's Concern (v.25-29)

Text

I. Paul's Conduct (v.1-5)

•  Acts 22:1  :  "Brethren and fathers, hear my defense before you now.'"  : Paul is standing before this multitude, bleeding profusely, calling the people of Israel to attention.

- He wants to give them a reasoned speech, an apologetic, regarding who he was and what he stood for. These were his cultural family that he was addressing.

- Even in this hostile environment and under great physical duress, Paul opens his address with a very respectful and dignified tone. He opens in the same way that Stephen did in Acts 7.

- Change in our circumstance does not necessitate a change in our manner among men! Men may revile and insult you, but that does not give you the license to do likewise to them!

- If we will minister to somone, it's wise to be sure that we show them respect.

•  Acts 22:2  :  "And when they heard that he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, they kept all the more silent."  :  Paul's grasp on Greek had grabbed the soldier's attention. Now, as he spoke in Hebrew, the people were all the more silent.

- Most expositors believe that Paul spoke here in Aramaic, the language that was common among the people of Israel at this time.

- When Paul sought to testify, he sought to speak the language of the people. He met them where they were. Principally, if we do not speak the language of our audience, we'll never be heard!

- The Jews would understand what is about to be said, but the Roman soldier was likely unaware of Paul's content. That will be important to understand later.

- The gathered Jews were hushed in their silence, anticipating Paul's address to them.

- What will Paul draw upon for this long awaited moment? He is about to share his testimony! People will argue with your facts, but they can never argue with your experience!

•  Acts 22:3-5  :  "Then he said: 'I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the strictness of our fathers’ law, and was zealous toward God as you all are today. I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women, as also the high priest bears me witness, and all the council of the elders, from whom I also received letters to the brethren, and went to Damascus to bring in chains even those who were there to Jerusalem to be punished."  : He begins with his heritage. Paul was a foreign born Jewish man.

- The force of the language here in the original is emphatic. "I myself, I am a Jew!" I am as Jewish as anyone here! Paul's logic is, "I used to be you, only worse!"

- He identifies with their position and understands the logic of why they responded the way they did. In untangling the mess of worldly logic, it's vital to be understanding of those we encounter!

- "I used to" fill in the blank, "just like you are now!" That is so very powerful with our audience.

- At this moment, Paul's heritage is a major point of contention among the mob.

- Take a quick look back at Acts 21:28 : " “Men of Israel, help! This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against the people, the law, and this place."

- They had accused him of being anti-semitic, anti-nomian and anti-religion!

- This could not be farther from the truth. Paul loved his heritage deeply.

- He was raised with a Jewish mindset and in Jewish tradtions, even though his family lived in the Gentile country of Tarsus, which would be located on Turkey's eastern side today.

- A hundred years prior to this speech, Tarsus was declared the Capital city of the Cilician province and was declared a free city, tax exempt by Augustus in 42 BC.

- Why Paul's family lived there was of little consequence, as academically and spiritually, Paul was taught by the famous Jewish Rabbi Gamaliel.

- Gamaliel was THE Rabbi of his time, the grandson of another great Rabbi, Hillel. While there is little of his teaching available, his reputation was of the highest caliber.

˚  "Since Rabbi Gamaliel died, there has been no more reverence for the law, and purity and abstinence died out at the same time."   The Mishna

- The Jews revered Gamaliel and Paul is telling them that he was one of his students, a claim that a select few could make. It's believed that Gamaliel had died in 54, just a few years earlier.

- Paul was "brought up," coming from the idea of feeding or nourishing a growing animal. Paul sat at this man's feet from an early age, an emotional point with the people, who mourned his loss.

- Paul had been taught with an exacting knowledge under Gamaliel's tutelage. He had been as zealous as they were that very day towards God.

- He is telling them that he had been just like them: Zealous for the law, so much so to be actionable upon it. Nobody understood this mob like Paul did.

- Paul moves from his education to his career. He had been a church hired vigilante, persecuting Christians to the death.

- He may not have pulled the trigger, but he supervised the distribution of the guns and he made sure to supply the bullets!

- Paul recounts that he had imprisoned men and women at the behest of the religious authorities and was on his way to do more of the same in Damascus.

- Count it up: Paul was a Jewish man, who loved the law under Gamaliel's teaching and who conspired with the High Priest and the Sanhedrin against the people of the Way.

- He calls the High Priest and the Sanhedrin as witnesses to his character and career!

- He had journeyed to Damascus on their authority. He was running head long toward sin and it was sponsored by the most revered authority in Israel.

II. Paul's Conversion (v.6-13)

•  Acts 22:6-8  :  "Now it happened, as I journeyed and came near Damascus at about noon, suddenly a great light from heaven shone around me. And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ So I answered, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’"  : What a glory it is to the Lord, to speak of His intervention in our lives. "I was doing this when Jesus Christ radically changed my life."

- We, like Paul, were going about our business. In most cases, we would say that our business was not God's business, but that we were not necessarily intending to fight against God.

- Paul however, was literally trying to fight against God's work. He was traveling to Damascus to round up Christians! But as he went about doing that, God met Him!

- God stopped him in his tracks and big bad Saul fell to the ground! It was then that Paul realized that he was fighting against the Lord, which is what every sinner is doing.

- Please do not miss this: Paul's testimony is of a very specific, risen, Jesus of Nazareth! Jesus lived a perfect life, died a substitutionary death, was buried and then rose the third day!

- Paul was actively, aggressively seeking to tear down God's work, thinking that he was persecuting believers. In reality, he was persecuting Jesus!

- In the end, whether a sinner is aggressive or passive, they are fight against God and His plan for their lives! It does not matter how nice a person is, saying "no" to God is treasonous rebellion!

•  Acts 22:9-13  :  "So I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Arise and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all things which are appointed for you to do.’ And since I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of those who were with me, I came into Damascus. Then a certain Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good testimony with all the Jews who dwelt there, came to me; and he stood and said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight.’ And at that same hour I looked up at him."  : Note something very important about a converted man or woman: They know they must serve! 

- Paul asks the first question: "Who are you Lord?" Having understood the "who," Paul immediately moves to the "do!" That is the heart of the converted man or woman!

- I love that in the re-telling of this story by Paul that he leaves out Ananias' hesitation to come to his side. That is a good friend right there!

- Ananias was a godly man, deeply devoted to the law and well regarded by the Jews.

- He was not the only Jewish man on duty when the story in Damascus took place. Ananias was a Jewish man as well, in good standing in his community.

- Ananias ministered to Paul and he regained his sight. Had this not been the case, perhaps one could say that God was not with Paul or Ananias, but his testimony was true.

- Ananias went from fearing Paul as a captor to embracing Paul as a brother! You and I need to believe in conversion as well!

- Ananias called Paul "Brother!" We must be just as quick to acknowledge God's work!

III. Paul's Commission (v.14-21)

•  Acts 22:14-16  :  "Then he said, ‘The God of our fathers has chosen you that you should know His will, and see the Just One, and hear the voice of His mouth. For you will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.’"  : After Paul had received his sight, Ananias prophecied over Paul. It's interesting that this word had come to Ananias about Paul.

- Remember that Ananias was worried about who Paul was. Paul had authority and had done harm to Christians in other cities and he was there to do the same in Damascus.

- God told Ananias not to look at Paul as he was, but in the light of what God was going to make him! Ananias was convinced and then bore this news to Paul.

- Are you aware that the next Billy Graham may be spending his time and money in your local pub? He might just be that local gang banger after all! It's a miracle what God's love can do!

- Ananias, the Jewish man in good standing, testified of Paul that the God of the Jews had chosen Paul. God had taken Paul into His very hands. God had hand picked Paul for service.

- Before anything else, God took Paul into His hands so that He would know His will! Before that day, Paul believed that he knew the will of God, but he did not.

- From this day forward, after his conversion, God would make Paul aware of His desires. You and I have the same testimony. God has been guiding and directing you since you came to Him.

- As you grow in your knowledge of the Word and in your relationship with Him, you know His will more intimately than the previous day.

- Paul would know God's will and see the Just One. Paul would see Jesus and hear His own voice. This was vital for Paul as an Apostle of Jesus Christ.

- Paul's mandate would not come from man or an organization run by men, but from the very lips of Jesus Christ! He would then in turn, tell of all that he had seen and heard!

- That is the essence of Gospel ministry: What I have received, this I give to you!

- Ananias baptized Paul, bringing him into the faith. Paul had been calling on the name of the Lord, which is what saves a man, then he was baptized to show it publically!

•  Acts 22:17-21  :  "Now it happened, when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I was in a trance and saw Him saying to me, ‘Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, for they will not receive your testimony concerning Me.’ So I said, ‘Lord, they know that in every synagogue I imprisoned and beat those who believe on You. And when the blood of Your martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by consenting to his death, and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.’ Then He said to me, ‘Depart, for I will send you far from here to the Gentiles.’"  :  In the days following his conversion, Paul went right back into Jerusalem and right back to the temple. "Wait, I thought he hated this place!?" Nope!

- He was there and he was praying to the Lord! The content of his prayer can be deduced from the word that came from the Lord to him. Paul was there to undo the damage that he had done!

- Paul had never intended on having the life that progressed from his conversion. It was not his idea! He went back thinking that he would minister to the Jews and what a perfect missionary!

- Think of the tagline: "Former Missionary Zealot Rabbi Converts To Christianity!" It seems that this was what he felt made the most sense, but God met him there and redirected Paul.

- He spoke to Paul and told him that his testimony would not be received. In fact, there was danger for Paul if he stayed.

- He is just like every new convert that anyone has ever met. He wanted to go back to those that he had cooperated with in sinful things, and tell them of the freedom that had been found!

- Paul's zeal for the Jewish people and especially for those who had sinned against the Lord was at a fever pitch, but God had a very different idea.

- Right there in the temple, with his fellow Jews all around him, God spoke and said, "I am going to send you to the Gentiles!"

- What a shock that must have been to Paul? Yet, even in those first moments of his walk with the Lord, Paul was set apart by God for the Gentiles.

- This is Paul's way of telling the people that are now listening to him that ministry to the Gentiles was not his idea. It was God's idea for Paul! God had a desire to visit the Gentiles!

- Paul is saying, "If you don't like me because of the Gentiles, remember, it wasn't my idea!"

- As we come to the end of Paul's testimony, notice the breakdown: Two verses for his past and what he was without Christ, fifteen verses for what God did in his life.

- Don't spend more time in your testimony on your past than necessary! Glorify the Lord!

IV. Paul's Controversy (v.22-24)

•  Acts 22:22-24  :  "And they listened to him until this word, and then they raised their voices and said, 'Away with such a fellow from the earth, for he is not fit to live!' Then, as they cried out and tore off their clothes and threw dust into the air, the commander ordered him to be brought into the barracks, and said that he should be examined under scourging, so that he might know why they shouted so against him."  :  The crowd gave Paul all of their attention up to the moment that he mentioned the word "Gentiles." That did it. Their rapt attention gave way to their ravenous ideals!

- Paul's testimony had failed to win them over. They would not convert. That part is always God's part. He does the converting, we do the testifying!

- "He is not fit to live!" What a statement! God tells a person to go to the Gentiles with love and a desire to bless and that is what gets the crowd riled up again.

- It was a telling comment that was made this last week regarding these people. Just minutes prior to this, they had all come to this place to worship God!

- The comment was in this vein: "Those who are bound in religion are just as apt to worship as they are to riot!" It is so true.

- They cried out for Paul to be removed. Then, the Jews began cried out, tore their clothes and threw dust in the air. Why? What caused such a reaction?

- Generally, the throwing off of their clothes was the sign of mourning. However, in this case, it is more likely that they removed their outer clothing so as to have better freedom to throw stuff!

- The threw dust into the air, signifying an utter rejection of what Paul had just said. They could not believe for a moment that God would have any concern for the Gentiles.

- In their thinking, Gentiles were created by God to stoke the fires of hell! It was inconceivable that God would have a plan that was good for them, but that is indeed that wonderful case!

- The commander ordered that Paul be taken away and for him to receive a scourging, which would be used to interrogate him.

V. Paul's Concern (v.25-29)

•  Acts 22:25  :  "And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said to the centurion who stood by, 'Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and uncondemned?'"  :  Paul was walking back toward his destination when he again spoke to the Centurion. "Oh wait, I've left out the best part: I'm a Roman citizen!"

- Remember that he had been speaking in the language that Hebrews understood. The centurions had missed the part about Paul being from Tarsus. He tells them that now in Greek.

- A Roman Citizen was exempt from having to face scourging, crucifixion or even being handcuffed, unless he was given a fair trial. That was a wonderful benefit of being a Roman citizen.

- This puts the centurion in a very precarious positon, even moreso because of what Paul shares next.

•  Acts 22:26-29  :  "When the centurion heard that, he went and told the commander, saying, 'Take care what you do, for this man is a Roman.' Then the commander came and said to him, 'Tell me, are you a Roman?' He said, 'Yes.' The commander answered, 'With a large sum I obtained this citizenship.' And Paul said, 'But I was born a citizen.' Then immediately those who were about to examine him withdrew from him; and the commander was also afraid after he found out that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him."  :  The centurion went back to the commander and warned him. "This man is a Roman!"

- There were severe penalties for obstructing the rights of a Roman citizen. Suetonius writes that the charge would be death! No wonder there was a change of heart!

- There were two ways that a person became a Roman. The first is the Commander's way. He bought it. He bribed whoever had the power to bestow that honor upon him.

- The Commander spent a fair sum for his citizenship. This is either a derogatory remark, meaning, "If you can afford it, things have gone way down hill!" or an enticement for a bribe.

- Paul had received his citizenship the natural way, through birth. He was a first class citizen. These guys started treating Paul very well from this point, because they had already bound him!

- Why did Paul tell these guys this? Was he trying to escape a beating? Not at all. Paul, even in the midst of all the confusion, was concerned for these Gentile Romans.

- By telling them what he did, he was spared a beating, but he literally saved their lives! Paul's concern was for them to live another day, so that he might minister to them as well!

- A good Christian is rejected and then moves on to his next audience without skipping a beat!

Conclusion

- What a practical chapter for us! Let me finish with these points about a well advised witness.

- Paul treated the mob with respect, spoke to them in their language, and identified with their opposition by sharing his pre-conversion story.

- Then, Paul spent the majority of his time, speaking of what God did in and through him. When they rejected his witness, Paul shifted his focus to his next available audience!

- Wise conduct and a wise witness will take notice and apply directly!