WEBVTT 00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:03.840 I want to invite you to Acts chapter 28 is where we're going to be together today. 00:00:04.560 --> 00:00:05.800 Acts chapter 28. 00:00:05.800 --> 00:00:08.490 As we're getting to the conclusion of the book of Acts, we're on the final chapter. 00:00:09.240 --> 00:00:11.260 Next week we'll conclude this book. 00:00:11.340 --> 00:00:18.360 And this is a very critical book for the history of Christianity, because it's really sharing with us how the Spirit of God moved in the people of God 00:00:18.360 --> 00:00:20.410 to accomplish the will of God around the world. 00:00:20.720 --> 00:00:28.230 And we're learning how the church that started in Jerusalem spread throughout the Roman Empire, how the gospel went forth in just 30 years. 00:00:28.560 --> 00:00:29.920 It spread throughout the known world. 00:00:29.980 --> 00:00:32.790 And we would look at that and think, man, how did the early church do that? 00:00:33.120 --> 00:00:39.840 When God's people are passionate about the Lord, it's incredible the way that God can work in their lives, even in the midst of adversity. 00:00:40.680 --> 00:00:40.800 Right? 00:00:40.860 --> 00:00:48.080 We're really seeing, as you read the book of Acts, how the church was birthed through persecution, and it was the challenges that they faced that really caused God's 00:00:48.080 --> 00:00:51.480 people to, to move throughout the world and continue to proclaim the gospel. 00:00:51.920 --> 00:00:55.810 And it's important for us to consider in our own faith journey that adversity. 00:00:57.320 --> 00:01:04.379 It doesn't prevent God from accomplishing accomplishing his will in this world, and we get to walk alongside him and experience the the power of God 00:01:04.400 --> 00:01:11.970 made known even in some of the most difficult circumstances, which is why we say, even as a church, we exist for a purpose greater than ourselves, 00:01:12.360 --> 00:01:19.500 that God not only wants to do an incredible work in you, he wants to do an incredible work through you in the way that his glory is made 00:01:19.500 --> 00:01:24.540 known in the book of Acts is used as as an encouragement to us as believers. 00:01:24.540 --> 00:01:29.780 And realizing the same God who worked in the first century is the same God who works in the 21st century. 00:01:30.040 --> 00:01:32.680 So what does it look like for me to follow Jesus where I'm at? 00:01:33.060 --> 00:01:39.050 And of all the time periods you could have lived and all the places in the world, I happen to think you live in the best spot to honor Jesus. 00:01:39.340 --> 00:01:46.770 You know, some people say things like, well, if I if I lived in the first century when Jesus lived and I got to see Jesus do miracles, 00:01:47.400 --> 00:01:49.340 of course I would have followed him with greater passion. 00:01:49.780 --> 00:01:53.670 But I like to remind people like they didn't have the Bible in the first century. 00:01:53.800 --> 00:02:00.820 The first century church did some incredible things with maybe just like a book of the Bible, if they were even fortunate enough to have a new New Testament copy of 00:02:00.820 --> 00:02:02.700 like an epistle or something like that. 00:02:02.800 --> 00:02:09.960 But you have all of God's Word together today, and you see how the grander story has been fulfilled by the Lord, and now you have the opportunity to 00:02:09.960 --> 00:02:10.550 honor him. 00:02:10.979 --> 00:02:14.850 And especially in the place where it's needed, you get to be a gospel light here in this valley. 00:02:15.300 --> 00:02:19.750 And no doubt when you do that, sometimes you're going to be faced with some adversity. 00:02:20.320 --> 00:02:21.580 But we want to do that well. 00:02:21.660 --> 00:02:26.170 And so what does it look like for us to to honor God in the midst of challenges of life? 00:02:26.640 --> 00:02:33.640 We're especially seeing what that looks like at the end of the book of Acts, because here in this particular chapter, we recognize that 00:02:33.640 --> 00:02:36.280 Paul has faced some adversity, right? 00:02:36.300 --> 00:02:38.840 He's concluded his his three missionary journeys. 00:02:39.000 --> 00:02:40.420 He's gone back to Jerusalem. 00:02:40.900 --> 00:02:42.420 He was arrested in Jerusalem. 00:02:42.420 --> 00:02:43.660 He was put on trial. 00:02:43.660 --> 00:02:46.270 He found himself imprisoned for a couple of years. 00:02:46.380 --> 00:02:48.830 The animosity towards him did not change. 00:02:49.080 --> 00:02:55.500 And so Paul appealed to Caesar to try to get a fair trial, or at least a trial that was going to get him released. 00:02:55.700 --> 00:03:02.280 I don't know if a fair trial is possible for Paul, but he's put up on a ship and he and they set sail for Rome. 00:03:02.280 --> 00:03:07.720 He's accompanied with other prisoners as well as sailors and soldiers on board the ship. 00:03:07.780 --> 00:03:08.920 There's over 200. 00:03:08.940 --> 00:03:12.460 And the Bible tells us 276 people on board on this ship. 00:03:12.500 --> 00:03:17.040 And Paul warns them, because of the season in which they're traveling, that it's not going to go well for them. 00:03:17.100 --> 00:03:23.430 They're traveling during the winter months, and Paul is trying to encourage the sailors and the soldiers that were going to be shipwrecked. 00:03:23.500 --> 00:03:27.700 If we if we go on sea during this time period, they wouldn't listen to him. 00:03:27.700 --> 00:03:28.940 And sure enough, there shipwrecked. 00:03:29.100 --> 00:03:35.720 And at the end of Acts chapter 27, that's what we discover is that everyone has to jump off the ship that's ran aground on a reef. 00:03:35.980 --> 00:03:43.090 Some of them swim to shore, others are grabbing a hold of some of the debris from the ship that's broken loose, and they're pedaling themselves ashore. 00:03:43.180 --> 00:03:44.880 But everyone is spared. 00:03:45.400 --> 00:03:47.220 And so all of them end up on shore. 00:03:48.020 --> 00:03:51.020 And now they're left with a question of like, how are they going to move forward? 00:03:52.080 --> 00:03:52.970 What do they do now? 00:03:54.480 --> 00:03:58.780 And that's exactly what we're going to talk about, is how do we move forward after the storm today? 00:03:59.800 --> 00:04:05.080 No doubt, some of us have been in those circumstances in life where life has risen up and just busted us in the mouth. 00:04:06.140 --> 00:04:09.640 And we're we're somewhat disoriented from the place where we are. 00:04:09.660 --> 00:04:11.280 And we're, we're left with some pieces. 00:04:11.280 --> 00:04:15.150 And we're just wondering to ourselves, how in the world can I move forward? 00:04:16.100 --> 00:04:23.140 And this is exactly where the story begins for us in Acts chapter 28, when it tells you in that first verse, once we were safe on 00:04:23.140 --> 00:04:25.870 shore, we learned that we were on the island of Malta. 00:04:26.540 --> 00:04:33.600 And at the very end of Acts chapter 27 and verse 39, it tells us that they had been in such a storm for such a long period 00:04:33.600 --> 00:04:36.740 of time, that they had no idea where they were. 00:04:37.760 --> 00:04:41.020 And in the middle of that storm, they finally had to abandon ship. 00:04:41.120 --> 00:04:45.100 And they, they swim ashore to the closest place they can discover. 00:04:45.300 --> 00:04:51.640 And it tells us they still had no idea where they were, that they had to just orient themselves to the place in which they. 00:04:51.840 --> 00:04:52.640 Found they had to learn. 00:04:52.680 --> 00:04:52.840 Okay. 00:04:52.880 --> 00:04:54.010 Where am I? 00:04:54.520 --> 00:05:02.140 And for all of us in life, when we go through difficult times, in order for us to kind of set a new course, a new direction, a new goal, we've 00:05:02.140 --> 00:05:04.600 got to first begin with where in the world am I? 00:05:04.600 --> 00:05:07.170 Before we even know what step we might have to take. 00:05:07.620 --> 00:05:14.640 And so we're, we're, we're trying to orient ourselves to that circumstance of life that we've now discovered ourselves in 00:05:14.640 --> 00:05:16.040 order to be able to move forward. 00:05:17.160 --> 00:05:19.260 And this is where Paul finds himself. 00:05:19.280 --> 00:05:20.920 How do we move forward in the midst of the storm? 00:05:20.960 --> 00:05:22.460 Let me let me give you point number one. 00:05:22.460 --> 00:05:24.100 We'll read some further in this verse. 00:05:25.000 --> 00:05:32.280 Point number one is this God's promises always outlast the storm. 00:05:34.160 --> 00:05:37.860 God's promises always outlast the storm. 00:05:39.910 --> 00:05:44.280 When we go through difficulty in life, that's what we need to discover. 00:05:45.900 --> 00:05:52.820 What foundation will be consistent when the rest of life seems so inconsistent around me. 00:05:53.960 --> 00:05:55.260 Where can I put my hope? 00:05:56.260 --> 00:05:57.750 Where can I find my identity? 00:05:58.660 --> 00:06:01.130 Where can I get my footing to be able to move forward? 00:06:02.360 --> 00:06:06.350 And so for Paul, in Acts 28, they identified that there on the island of Malta. 00:06:06.800 --> 00:06:11.970 And then it tells us this in verse two, the people of the island were very kind to us. 00:06:12.040 --> 00:06:14.090 Luke says this because it's unusual. 00:06:14.700 --> 00:06:17.400 I mean, Malta, the way it really translates is barbarian. 00:06:18.340 --> 00:06:20.590 So this is a barbarian type island. 00:06:20.720 --> 00:06:21.920 At least it is. 00:06:22.100 --> 00:06:24.760 It's received that sort of an identity. 00:06:25.060 --> 00:06:28.370 And the fact that people were kind to them when they landed on shore was exceptional. 00:06:28.400 --> 00:06:35.400 One, because there are a group of prisoners, but two, during the first century, if you're going to take advantage of anybody, it's when 00:06:35.400 --> 00:06:42.500 when they were in this particular position of vulnerability, they would have come ashore with some sort of possessions and maybe very 00:06:42.500 --> 00:06:44.250 little because of the storm. 00:06:44.540 --> 00:06:49.760 But whatever they would have come ashore with, it would have been an easy time to pillage them and take advantage of them. 00:06:49.820 --> 00:06:54.780 But it tells you the people here in more of a kind of response, they're treating them well. 00:06:54.780 --> 00:06:56.420 And it says it was cold and rainy. 00:06:56.420 --> 00:06:58.790 Remember, it's the it's the winter months. 00:06:58.880 --> 00:07:00.780 And so hypothermia would have been a possibility. 00:07:01.440 --> 00:07:04.850 But the people in the island, they built a fire on the shore to welcome us. 00:07:05.220 --> 00:07:12.320 And in verse three, as Paul gathered an armful of sticks and was laying them on the fire, a poisonous snake driven by the heat 00:07:12.320 --> 00:07:19.500 bit him on the hand, and the people of the island saw it hanging from his hand, and said to each other, A murderer, no doubt, though 00:07:19.500 --> 00:07:22.770 he escaped the sea, justice will not permit him to live. 00:07:23.800 --> 00:07:26.960 I think what a moment for the Apostle Paul to be in. 00:07:26.960 --> 00:07:29.060 And this this particular moment. 00:07:29.060 --> 00:07:36.160 If any of us had found ourselves in this type of circumstance, we might find ourselves crying out, are you kidding 00:07:36.160 --> 00:07:36.700 me? 00:07:36.700 --> 00:07:37.200 Right? 00:07:37.200 --> 00:07:41.950 Like when you look at Paul's life up to this point, he spent two years in prison. 00:07:42.200 --> 00:07:49.590 He then finds himself in the middle of a hurricane at sea, ultimately to be shipwrecked and then finally barely surviving. 00:07:49.760 --> 00:07:55.280 He gets to shore and you might think to yourself, okay, finally, finally, I'm back on land. 00:07:55.360 --> 00:07:57.470 Finally things can look up for me. 00:07:57.620 --> 00:08:03.540 And it tells us in the story while while they're being served by the people of the island, Paul joins in on that. 00:08:03.980 --> 00:08:05.180 He no doubt is cold. 00:08:05.180 --> 00:08:07.460 He no doubt is worn out from all they've gone through. 00:08:07.760 --> 00:08:11.850 But he rises up one more time and just says, let me join them in blessing the people. 00:08:12.020 --> 00:08:15.140 I'm going to gather some wood to better care for the people around me. 00:08:15.320 --> 00:08:17.260 And so Paul gets up and he does that. 00:08:17.300 --> 00:08:22.540 And what does he find but that he's snake bitten by what many believe would be a viper. 00:08:23.020 --> 00:08:28.580 You know, being a cold blooded animal, this animal likely is hibernating in a log. 00:08:29.040 --> 00:08:37.030 And then in the warmth of the fire, the snake comes alive and jumps out and and latches itself onto the apostle Paul. 00:08:37.539 --> 00:08:44.080 And the apostle Paul in this particular circumstance might be thinking, all I want to do is move forward with my life, right? 00:08:44.080 --> 00:08:46.940 Like, why do these bad things keep happening to me? 00:08:47.160 --> 00:08:50.460 And he gets frustrated now, or he. 00:08:50.540 --> 00:08:53.700 Well, he doesn't get frustrated, but we we would likely get frustrated. 00:08:53.820 --> 00:08:55.100 Paul handles himself well. 00:08:55.180 --> 00:08:56.530 We'll look at it why in just a moment. 00:08:56.880 --> 00:08:58.960 But we would likely get irritated by this. 00:08:58.980 --> 00:09:05.160 We might have some sort of unmet expectations, some some sort of thought that, well, things can't get worse. 00:09:05.160 --> 00:09:06.190 They've only got to get better. 00:09:06.320 --> 00:09:13.440 And come to find out that they continue to to spiral in one sense, for the apostle Paul, because he finds himself in an adverse 00:09:13.440 --> 00:09:14.340 circumstance. 00:09:15.500 --> 00:09:22.740 Now, having said all that, I would like to move forward in talking about Paul, but I feel like there's a need to hit a pause button for a minute just to explain something to 00:09:22.740 --> 00:09:23.290 you. 00:09:23.760 --> 00:09:30.470 I find from time to time some people read passages of the Bible and do some of the stupidest things with it. 00:09:30.680 --> 00:09:37.820 And this, this particular verse is one of those verses where there are people in the United States who 00:09:37.820 --> 00:09:41.930 have read this verse and have done some terribly ignorant things. 00:09:42.280 --> 00:09:43.260 It's not just this verse. 00:09:43.280 --> 00:09:47.900 It's also in the book of Mark chapter 16, verse 18. 00:09:47.940 --> 00:09:53.560 And what I mean by that is there sometimes people read verses of the Bible that are narrative. 00:09:53.560 --> 00:10:00.860 They're just telling you a story and then they think from that particular verse, they need to make the application to their life 00:10:00.860 --> 00:10:02.210 and do the same practices. 00:10:03.280 --> 00:10:10.970 And there are certain people that have read verses in the Bible who thought to themselves and reading verses about being bit by snakes, 00:10:11.240 --> 00:10:18.560 that that means, as God's people, we should allow ourselves to be bit by snakes because it proves that we have genuine faith in Jesus. 00:10:18.720 --> 00:10:21.350 And if you want to know where those people live, they live in Kentucky. 00:10:21.720 --> 00:10:22.160 Okay. 00:10:22.200 --> 00:10:24.800 Like that's, that's where people go to get snake bit. 00:10:24.980 --> 00:10:29.900 And, you know, I I have lived close to Kentucky in my life. 00:10:30.020 --> 00:10:31.430 I've never actually lived in Kentucky. 00:10:31.820 --> 00:10:37.810 But there was one time where Stacy and I, I remember we were driving through Kentucky, had just been married. 00:10:38.360 --> 00:10:40.980 And somehow for some reason I ran out of gas. 00:10:41.020 --> 00:10:41.590 I have no idea why. 00:10:41.960 --> 00:10:46.480 Probably because I was just married and had no money, I can't remember we missed the gas station, I don't know. 00:10:46.480 --> 00:10:47.250 Wasn't paying attention. 00:10:47.540 --> 00:10:49.100 For whatever reason, we ran out of gas. 00:10:49.740 --> 00:10:50.690 I walk into the gas. 00:10:50.760 --> 00:10:52.860 This gas station that's in the middle of nowhere. 00:10:52.940 --> 00:10:54.800 I could never find it again if I had to. 00:10:55.220 --> 00:10:57.320 And I just asked, do you have a gas can? 00:10:57.920 --> 00:11:04.940 And one of the weirdest things happened to me, where the guy who runs the register at a gas station looks at me like this is the first time in his life 00:11:04.940 --> 00:11:06.740 he's ever been asked this question. 00:11:07.340 --> 00:11:13.990 And like, I find it bewildering that someone's looking at me so bewildered that I would be in a gas station asking for a gas can. 00:11:14.460 --> 00:11:15.940 But he stares at me for a little bit. 00:11:16.300 --> 00:11:20.440 He doesn't say anything, and then he just says, follow me, and he takes me into a room. 00:11:20.960 --> 00:11:27.740 When I get into this room, it is lined from floor to ceiling all along the wall with gas cans. 00:11:27.920 --> 00:11:29.110 And I thought, this is strange. 00:11:29.740 --> 00:11:35.680 You know, I've never I, you know, I think a gas station should have gas cans, but never hundreds of gas cans. 00:11:35.800 --> 00:11:39.340 And I walk over and I grab one and I realize this gas can is full. 00:11:39.660 --> 00:11:44.420 And then I discover, oh, that's the secret code for moonshine in this part of Kentucky. 00:11:44.720 --> 00:11:51.800 If you walk into this gas station and ask for a gas can, that's code word for give me moonshine, please, because I don't think they really 00:11:51.800 --> 00:11:57.380 ever expected someone's going to run out of gas in this place in Kentucky, because this is where you go to get shot, right? 00:11:57.380 --> 00:12:01.880 So like, I walk in and I ask that and I guess he thought new customer, I don't know. 00:12:02.100 --> 00:12:06.880 Or maybe it's better gasoline to start your car with than the actual gas in the town. 00:12:06.960 --> 00:12:14.000 I'm not sure what happened, but is at that moment I realized like Kentucky, there's there's just a couple choices here moonshine or the Messiah, like, what are you going to, what are 00:12:14.000 --> 00:12:15.130 you going to put your trust in? 00:12:15.740 --> 00:12:16.440 And to the point? 00:12:16.440 --> 00:12:21.110 Maybe they drink a little too much of that because they might believe that we need to be bit by snakes. 00:12:21.320 --> 00:12:28.360 Now, I want you to know that just because there's two Bible verses that talk about people getting bit by snakes and living doesn't 00:12:28.360 --> 00:12:30.600 mean you should be bit by a snake, right? 00:12:30.680 --> 00:12:32.080 That's not what the Bible is teaching you. 00:12:32.160 --> 00:12:35.250 In fact, the Bible shares all sorts of narrative stories. 00:12:35.920 --> 00:12:38.980 That isn't necessarily prescriptive for your life. 00:12:39.020 --> 00:12:41.280 It's just telling you what happened. 00:12:41.680 --> 00:12:48.880 Now, I know that that's probably highly unlikely, that anyone's going to walk out of here and say to themselves, we should probably start a snake handling church. 00:12:49.880 --> 00:12:57.400 But but I do want you to know, we all have this kind of tendency sometimes to project onto the Lord things that we want, things 00:12:57.400 --> 00:13:03.100 that we try to name and claim, but it's not necessarily things that God wants for us. 00:13:03.520 --> 00:13:08.040 And we can even try to twist the Bible in order to get it. 00:13:08.760 --> 00:13:10.700 And let me just tell you like this. 00:13:11.720 --> 00:13:16.160 God doesn't owe you anything in life. 00:13:16.500 --> 00:13:23.760 And the things that you get from the Lord are surely by the grace of God, all good things come from the Lord. 00:13:23.940 --> 00:13:30.980 God owed us, owes us nothing but the fact that we get to enjoy the goodness of life at all is is 00:13:30.980 --> 00:13:33.940 solely by the grace of God. 00:13:34.040 --> 00:13:41.220 And can I tell you we're all in danger of going down the path of a of a snake handling belief and not, 00:13:41.480 --> 00:13:48.760 not literally snake handling, but we're all in the danger of going down the path of losing our identity that 00:13:48.760 --> 00:13:51.660 way rather than in Jesus. 00:13:51.720 --> 00:13:56.370 When we try to prize anything else above knowing Christ. 00:13:57.220 --> 00:14:04.300 Can I just tell you this morning, I hope God does lots of wonderful things in your life, and I hope some of the prayers and and some of 00:14:04.300 --> 00:14:08.620 the desires that you have that the the Lord is gracious to you. 00:14:08.800 --> 00:14:15.940 And and he responds, but there are some things that we long for, some things that we pray for that we ought not have as people because it's not 00:14:15.940 --> 00:14:17.260 healthy for us. 00:14:17.880 --> 00:14:21.990 And sometimes we might even proclaim that God wants it for us when it's not even God's desire. 00:14:23.320 --> 00:14:30.420 Can I, can I tell you, the healthiest place to be in the life of the believer is not to pursue God because of the things you get 00:14:30.420 --> 00:14:35.190 from him, But to pursue God because he is the prize itself. 00:14:36.820 --> 00:14:39.600 It is a gift to know the Lord. 00:14:40.640 --> 00:14:43.900 It is a gift to be saved by Christ. 00:14:44.940 --> 00:14:48.910 It is a gift to have your past forgiven and your future secure. 00:14:50.240 --> 00:14:55.020 The greatest gift we have as God's people is Christ Himself. 00:14:55.980 --> 00:15:03.240 And it's not until he is our prize that the challenges of life will deprive us in such a way 00:15:03.240 --> 00:15:07.490 that we will fail to see the richness that we possess in Jesus. 00:15:08.480 --> 00:15:08.620 And. 00:15:08.840 --> 00:15:12.120 And for the Apostle Paul, this is where he's at in this moment, right? 00:15:12.140 --> 00:15:14.920 He he could easily complain like, are you not kidding me? 00:15:14.920 --> 00:15:15.180 God? 00:15:15.240 --> 00:15:16.600 Is this not enough? 00:15:16.720 --> 00:15:17.530 Like, I've been in prison. 00:15:17.620 --> 00:15:18.510 I've gone through a hurricane. 00:15:18.560 --> 00:15:20.080 Now in this boat, we've been shipwrecked. 00:15:20.340 --> 00:15:21.790 I've barely gotten to shore. 00:15:21.960 --> 00:15:25.870 And now when I think the storm is passing, here comes another challenge. 00:15:27.280 --> 00:15:30.120 And the question we're really asking ourselves today is Today. 00:15:30.600 --> 00:15:30.740 How? 00:15:31.020 --> 00:15:33.290 How does someone get through that? 00:15:33.860 --> 00:15:39.300 And you see, while while the people are responding in one day, one way, like Paul got bit. 00:15:39.300 --> 00:15:40.560 He's of the devil, right? 00:15:40.560 --> 00:15:41.940 Like he's going to die. 00:15:42.500 --> 00:15:44.600 This is that's their response in verse four. 00:15:44.760 --> 00:15:47.340 But then you see Paul's response in verse five. 00:15:47.480 --> 00:15:49.190 It says, But Paul shook it off. 00:15:49.460 --> 00:15:50.960 He's the original Taylor Swift. 00:15:50.980 --> 00:15:51.610 That's what you learn. 00:15:51.880 --> 00:15:55.080 Paul shook it off the snake into fire and was unharmed. 00:15:55.100 --> 00:15:56.830 I said this that same thing in first service. 00:15:57.180 --> 00:15:58.460 And I think they were too old to get that. 00:15:58.660 --> 00:16:00.340 So I was like, I don't know. 00:16:00.360 --> 00:16:04.560 No one's no one responded, but he shook it off the snake into the fire and was unharmed. 00:16:05.160 --> 00:16:09.040 And the people waited for him to swell up or suddenly drop dead. 00:16:09.260 --> 00:16:16.360 But when they had waited a long time and saw that he wasn't harmed, they changed their minds and decided he was 00:16:16.360 --> 00:16:17.470 a god. 00:16:17.860 --> 00:16:23.810 It's interesting the the position of the people, just how quickly the pendulum swings. 00:16:23.940 --> 00:16:24.560 You're a devil. 00:16:24.560 --> 00:16:26.220 You're a god, you're a devil, you're a god. 00:16:26.220 --> 00:16:27.600 Just back and forth they go. 00:16:28.920 --> 00:16:36.260 But but in this particular moment, here's Paul, who just responds in a in a meek 00:16:36.260 --> 00:16:39.740 servant way, like he he was picking up wood to serve people. 00:16:39.740 --> 00:16:40.740 He got bit by a snake. 00:16:40.740 --> 00:16:43.820 He just shakes it off and he continues to serve people. 00:16:44.840 --> 00:16:52.140 And we would look at that and just say, how in the world does does Paul respond in such a way where all he does is just simply 00:16:52.140 --> 00:16:55.780 shake off this, this snake bite and, and move forward? 00:16:55.780 --> 00:16:58.070 And I, I think the answer is very simple. 00:16:58.340 --> 00:17:05.420 It's because Paul already knew what God said to him, which was in Acts chapter 23, 00:17:05.500 --> 00:17:06.680 verse 11. 00:17:06.680 --> 00:17:13.800 And again in Acts chapter 27, the same promise was given to Paul twice that he's going to testify before the 00:17:13.800 --> 00:17:17.290 leaders in the city of Rome on behalf of the Lord. 00:17:17.760 --> 00:17:23.589 He would be a witness before the leadership of the Roman Empire and the capital of Rome. 00:17:23.960 --> 00:17:31.080 And so Paul knew no matter what challenges, we're going to face him, that his life could rest in the promises of God. 00:17:31.080 --> 00:17:38.260 And so the the circumstances of this world wasn't dictating his response, but rather his God 00:17:38.260 --> 00:17:39.010 was. 00:17:39.740 --> 00:17:43.340 Now, Paul's response here is interesting. 00:17:43.620 --> 00:17:47.400 In light of what Luke shares with us a little bit later in verse 11. 00:17:47.500 --> 00:17:47.800 I'm not. 00:17:47.800 --> 00:17:52.260 We'll put this on the screen in a minute, but if you have your Bible open, you can look at it in verse 11. 00:17:52.260 --> 00:17:56.180 Luke just gives this kind of off handed statement that just seems unusual. 00:17:56.680 --> 00:17:58.780 Like, why would why would Luke share this? 00:17:59.140 --> 00:18:06.380 But I think the reason Luke gives us verse 11 is because of the way Paul's responding here in verse five and six and 00:18:06.380 --> 00:18:14.600 in Acts chapter 20, excuse me, 28 and verse 11, it tells us that they were able to board an Alexandrian 00:18:14.600 --> 00:18:15.360 ship. 00:18:15.360 --> 00:18:17.360 So this was three months later. 00:18:17.400 --> 00:18:18.760 Here they are on the island of Malta. 00:18:18.960 --> 00:18:24.820 Paul had to stay on this island throughout the winter, and three months later they were finally able to board a ship. 00:18:24.840 --> 00:18:25.820 An Alexandrian ship. 00:18:25.820 --> 00:18:27.360 And it tells you on the front of the ship there. 00:18:28.020 --> 00:18:31.020 There were two gods dedicated on this ship. 00:18:31.020 --> 00:18:34.120 Now, it doesn't tell you like doesn't necessarily name the gods. 00:18:34.120 --> 00:18:39.700 And it doesn't tell you how the the gods were put on the ship, whether it was a statue, whether they're carved out on the front of the ship. 00:18:39.940 --> 00:18:42.100 Maybe someone just painted it on the front of the ship. 00:18:42.100 --> 00:18:44.900 It doesn't really tell you that, but it just tells you these two gods are there. 00:18:45.000 --> 00:18:47.650 And these particular gods are the sons of Zeus. 00:18:48.720 --> 00:18:55.210 And these, these specific gods are intended to be for the protection of your life while you're at sea. 00:18:56.200 --> 00:19:04.840 And this is Luke's way of saying, how interesting, isn't it, that that here they are, this group of people that were shipwrecked and 00:19:04.840 --> 00:19:11.920 out of all the things they could put their hope in, they found themselves lost at sea momentarily before 00:19:11.920 --> 00:19:14.200 they finally came upon this island. 00:19:15.220 --> 00:19:23.200 But the one that carried them through wasn't the false gods of this world, but rather the one true God who 00:19:23.200 --> 00:19:27.040 saw them, who loved them, who offered his grace to them. 00:19:27.620 --> 00:19:35.000 And I think Luke is just kind of juxtaposing these positions, that we all have this tendency of going through the storms of life, having 00:19:35.000 --> 00:19:40.320 put our hope in certain things, only to find out that those things will never carry us through. 00:19:40.380 --> 00:19:44.740 But there is one thing that sustains above all things, and that's God himself. 00:19:46.060 --> 00:19:52.090 And I believe this is Luke's way of just saying to us as people like, what is it we're putting our trust in? 00:19:52.880 --> 00:19:59.900 That we all have this tendency of buying into the lie that something else will deliver me if I just get this one more thing, or I'm able 00:19:59.900 --> 00:20:03.460 to do this one more thing, then finally I will have arrived. 00:20:03.460 --> 00:20:05.560 And then finally, I'll, I'll, I'll be satisfied. 00:20:05.960 --> 00:20:13.280 And so the temptation of this world becomes a lure to us and inviting us to put our hope in it, thinking that if I just 00:20:13.280 --> 00:20:20.440 get this one extra step right, then I'll be satisfied because, well, I deserve it and well, I 00:20:20.440 --> 00:20:21.040 need needed. 00:20:21.040 --> 00:20:22.720 And so I've got to have it. 00:20:22.720 --> 00:20:29.900 And we'll justify any behavior, even if it's contrary to the Lord, and belief that finally my soul will 00:20:29.900 --> 00:20:33.060 feel fulfilled in pursuing this thing. 00:20:34.520 --> 00:20:36.040 And Luke is just saying, look at this. 00:20:36.080 --> 00:20:38.250 The way that the world continues to respond. 00:20:40.100 --> 00:20:44.840 They're going after a ship to sail on with all the promises that will never deliver. 00:20:47.000 --> 00:20:49.160 But there is one bedrock for all of us. 00:20:50.900 --> 00:20:56.020 God's promises will always outlast the storm. 00:20:56.880 --> 00:20:59.400 And this is what Paul has learned again and again. 00:20:59.460 --> 00:21:06.540 And in fact, in Philippians chapter four, which he's going to write this, this particular letter, when he finally gets to Rome, he says it 00:21:06.540 --> 00:21:08.450 like this, not that I have. 00:21:08.600 --> 00:21:12.950 I was ever in need for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. 00:21:13.680 --> 00:21:20.740 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything I have learned the secret of 00:21:20.740 --> 00:21:25.640 living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. 00:21:25.900 --> 00:21:28.660 For I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength. 00:21:30.000 --> 00:21:32.920 Paul is saying that there's. 00:21:32.980 --> 00:21:40.080 There's a truth we can teach that yes, God does sustain us, but there's also the experiential need 00:21:40.080 --> 00:21:47.740 to learn this, that he meets me in my brokenness, and he also meets me when I have plenty and 00:21:47.740 --> 00:21:48.850 he sustains me. 00:21:50.000 --> 00:21:57.000 You know, when I when I read a passage like this, I got to be honest in saying, I find it easier to depend on the Lord when I feel 00:21:57.000 --> 00:22:04.260 like I have little, when life feels like it's falling apart, when I find some adversity, I find it easier 00:22:04.260 --> 00:22:06.340 for my soul to be driven to Jesus. 00:22:08.640 --> 00:22:14.460 I find it's harder for people to come to the Lord when they feel like they have all they need. 00:22:15.860 --> 00:22:19.510 And Paul is saying it's important to learn in both of those circumstances. 00:22:20.740 --> 00:22:27.840 You know, we have this this tendency in America when when we think about the idea of poverty, we, we typically think 00:22:27.840 --> 00:22:32.140 that, that, that means someone who, who doesn't have a lot of money monetarily. 00:22:33.880 --> 00:22:39.200 And so when we think in terms of poverty, we think in terms of wealth or a lack of wealth. 00:22:39.740 --> 00:22:41.040 And there you've got poor people. 00:22:41.100 --> 00:22:43.080 And then and then you've got the rich people. 00:22:44.200 --> 00:22:51.620 But but when the Bible talks about poverty, sometimes it talks in terms of monetary whether you have plenty or 00:22:51.620 --> 00:22:52.680 you lack some. 00:22:52.760 --> 00:22:54.590 Sometimes the Bible refers to it that way. 00:22:55.140 --> 00:23:02.560 But but when Jesus gave his sermon on the Mount, one of the one of the first things that he said to us in Matthew chapter five is, blessed are the poor in spirit. 00:23:04.080 --> 00:23:11.190 Meaning it's possible to have a lot of monetary things in life, but to still be so broken and empty on the inside. 00:23:12.820 --> 00:23:19.870 And sometimes the sustenance of life has this way of dulling our minds to the brokenness in our own souls. 00:23:20.720 --> 00:23:27.310 We kind of temporarily appease ourselves with the things that we have, and we fail to recognize just how needy we are for the Lord. 00:23:28.640 --> 00:23:35.640 And Paul is saying, to be honest, it's critical to see your need for God in all of those things, whether you have little or you have a 00:23:35.640 --> 00:23:36.040 lot. 00:23:37.240 --> 00:23:39.160 There's not a soul in this room that doesn't need Jesus. 00:23:40.480 --> 00:23:47.850 And understanding the bedrock of who he is that sustains above all things is is what carries us through in every season of life, 00:23:47.940 --> 00:23:49.770 whether it be a storm or not. 00:23:50.840 --> 00:23:58.020 And Paul acknowledges it this for us, that we would find contentment not in the things of this world, but 00:23:58.020 --> 00:24:03.010 in who he is, because Jesus alone is the prize of life. 00:24:03.440 --> 00:24:07.720 In fact, in talking about the adversity that he went through, Paul said this in Philippians chapter one. 00:24:07.720 --> 00:24:14.740 He said, and I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me has helped to spread the good news. 00:24:15.680 --> 00:24:19.320 You know, they might be looking at the challenges of life and saying, how is Paul able to do this? 00:24:19.360 --> 00:24:20.860 And he's saying, God's using it. 00:24:21.640 --> 00:24:23.720 God's using it, right? 00:24:23.720 --> 00:24:28.420 Verse 13, for everyone here, including the whole palace guard, he's writing from Caesar's household. 00:24:28.440 --> 00:24:31.980 Being imprisoned, he says, knows that I am in chains because of Christ. 00:24:32.040 --> 00:24:35.100 So Paul's saying, I'm getting to share the gospel with those that don't know him. 00:24:35.180 --> 00:24:39.620 Even even the the soldiers around me in the palace guard and in verse 14. 00:24:39.620 --> 00:24:45.570 And because of my imprisonment, most of the believers here have gained confidence and boldly speak God's message without fear. 00:24:46.060 --> 00:24:46.670 He's saying because. 00:24:47.200 --> 00:24:50.880 Because they're seeing how Jesus is sustaining me in every circumstance of life. 00:24:51.020 --> 00:24:57.580 It's getting giving boldness to other believers because they realize that they follow the same God who's going to sustain them too. 00:24:58.480 --> 00:25:00.480 So how do we pick up the pieces after the storm? 00:25:00.680 --> 00:25:03.840 Number one, God's promises always outlast the storm. 00:25:03.840 --> 00:25:05.540 It's to remember who we follow. 00:25:06.000 --> 00:25:10.380 The the greatest prize of our faith is is Christ Himself. 00:25:10.380 --> 00:25:12.940 And then number two is this second point of your notes. 00:25:13.660 --> 00:25:18.920 God's purposes are often discovered in life's disruptions. 00:25:20.520 --> 00:25:25.860 God's purposes are often discovered in life's disruptions. 00:25:27.060 --> 00:25:34.070 Contrary to our beliefs as people, life's detours are not diversions from God's plan. 00:25:34.200 --> 00:25:40.950 You know, sometimes we'll set out this this course direction for our lives and get frustrated when it doesn't happen. 00:25:41.220 --> 00:25:44.440 And sometimes when I even proclaim, man, God wants this. 00:25:44.440 --> 00:25:45.740 Therefore I've got to have it. 00:25:45.740 --> 00:25:51.820 And we get irritated when our expectations aren't met and when our expectations aren't lived out, we get disappointed. 00:25:52.040 --> 00:25:52.920 We get frustrated. 00:25:53.300 --> 00:25:56.000 Sometimes we despair, sometimes we get angry. 00:25:57.900 --> 00:26:03.430 However, we forget the primary goal. 00:26:05.240 --> 00:26:06.220 It's not about a destination. 00:26:09.200 --> 00:26:14.380 God doesn't need me to do the things that are in this world that he's. 00:26:14.540 --> 00:26:15.580 He's called us to. 00:26:15.580 --> 00:26:18.120 It's not it's not like everything's dependent upon it. 00:26:18.120 --> 00:26:20.040 Like God can replace me at any moment. 00:26:20.040 --> 00:26:26.800 It's not about the destination, but rather it's about the transformation on the journey. 00:26:28.840 --> 00:26:35.840 What God's more interested in is not, not ultimately about the goals we're trying to accomplish, but rather what he desires to 00:26:35.840 --> 00:26:39.540 do in in your heart and therefore through your life. 00:26:42.620 --> 00:26:48.980 More than anything, what God desires to do is to be glorified and primarily in your life and mine. 00:26:51.320 --> 00:26:58.500 And the way that happens is not about accomplishing things, but about fully surrendering my life 00:26:58.500 --> 00:27:00.800 to the one who desires to transform me. 00:27:02.140 --> 00:27:04.520 Certainly, along the way, things will be accomplished. 00:27:05.940 --> 00:27:09.640 But the greatest work God's going to do is in your heart and mind. 00:27:11.860 --> 00:27:16.280 We we get so caught up in our objectives and trying to achieve that. 00:27:16.420 --> 00:27:16.880 We forget. 00:27:16.880 --> 00:27:21.840 The real miracle is what God wants to do in our lives. 00:27:23.040 --> 00:27:25.200 And Paul could have grown frustrated, right? 00:27:25.760 --> 00:27:28.560 He could have said, man, I should have been in Rome by now. 00:27:29.440 --> 00:27:35.600 Doesn't God know I'm just in here in this winter, wasting away on this island for three months now? 00:27:35.600 --> 00:27:36.980 We should have already been there. 00:27:37.080 --> 00:27:41.140 He even wrote a letter to to the Romans, called the letter to the Romans. 00:27:41.140 --> 00:27:42.760 And at the end of that letter the. 00:27:42.920 --> 00:27:43.980 His epistle he. 00:27:44.020 --> 00:27:45.440 He talks about his desire to. 00:27:45.560 --> 00:27:48.060 To visit the church in Rome and ultimately go to Spain. 00:27:49.120 --> 00:27:51.750 And here he finds himself shipwrecked and not just shipwrecked. 00:27:52.260 --> 00:27:54.200 He's also now been bitten by a snake. 00:27:54.960 --> 00:27:57.200 And how frustrated Paul could have been. 00:27:57.280 --> 00:28:04.460 But but Paul is is learning in his life becomes an example to us that God uses ordinary faithfulness 00:28:06.100 --> 00:28:07.620 To do extraordinary things. 00:28:08.940 --> 00:28:12.120 In fact, in verse seven we see how God works this out. 00:28:12.120 --> 00:28:18.980 It says, near the shore where we landed was an estate belonging to Publius, the chief official of the island. 00:28:19.480 --> 00:28:22.630 He welcomed us and treated us kindly for three days. 00:28:23.000 --> 00:28:30.240 As it happened, Publius father was ill with fever and dysentery, which apparently they played the Oregon Trail during this time. 00:28:30.260 --> 00:28:30.900 Right. 00:28:31.180 --> 00:28:31.340 Paul. 00:28:31.520 --> 00:28:34.200 Paul went in and it's an 80s joke, kids. 00:28:34.200 --> 00:28:37.980 Paul went in and prayed for him and laying his hands on him, he healed him. 00:28:37.980 --> 00:28:41.120 Then all the other sick people on the island came and were healed. 00:28:41.440 --> 00:28:44.230 As a result, we were showered with with honors. 00:28:44.900 --> 00:28:51.290 And when the time came to sail, Paul supplied us or excuse me, the people supplied us with everything we would need for the trip. 00:28:52.520 --> 00:28:59.620 So here, here they are in the midst of this challenge, and Paul even even getting bit bit on the hand and and he could have been 00:28:59.620 --> 00:29:00.760 angry by it, right. 00:29:00.920 --> 00:29:03.940 He could have had these expectations that led to this disappointment. 00:29:05.480 --> 00:29:09.510 And he could have said things like, why didn't it happen the way that I wanted? 00:29:10.880 --> 00:29:11.560 You know, why? 00:29:11.620 --> 00:29:12.540 Why do we have to get shipwrecked? 00:29:13.580 --> 00:29:14.860 Look at all the things we lost. 00:29:15.720 --> 00:29:16.920 Why didn't God work? 00:29:17.180 --> 00:29:18.460 Work this particular way? 00:29:18.480 --> 00:29:21.240 Doesn't he know that we wanted to serve him in Rome? 00:29:21.240 --> 00:29:24.560 Doesn't God know how unfair, how frustrating? 00:29:25.020 --> 00:29:31.080 And this disappointment could have just shrunken Paul's vision to the opportunities that were in front of him. 00:29:32.680 --> 00:29:33.900 We all have that tendency. 00:29:35.380 --> 00:29:42.600 Getting so angry about some of the cards that we were dealt that we set in that frustration, rather than looking at the opportunity God has 00:29:42.600 --> 00:29:44.520 before us to honor him. 00:29:46.060 --> 00:29:51.150 But because Paul walked faithfully, I mean, look at what happens in the island of Malta. 00:29:53.160 --> 00:30:00.160 The leadership of Malta, the people of Malta have the opportunity to to hear of Christ and and turn 00:30:00.160 --> 00:30:02.030 their lives over to him. 00:30:02.680 --> 00:30:05.910 You know, when you read the story about the apostle Paul, you realize Paul. 00:30:06.160 --> 00:30:13.260 Paul never reached Rome by the route that he planned, but he certainly reached Rome 00:30:13.260 --> 00:30:15.540 by the route that God had planned. 00:30:17.000 --> 00:30:24.180 And, and for, for Paul, because Paul kept honoring the Lord in the detours of his life, God 00:30:24.180 --> 00:30:27.300 made every mile of his journey count. 00:30:30.240 --> 00:30:37.260 Because we think about in our lives the the frustrations that we might have and the desires that we may have wanted and the 00:30:37.260 --> 00:30:38.980 things that we desired to happen. 00:30:38.980 --> 00:30:46.060 And that embittered attitude closed our hearts to to the gift it is to serve God in every season 00:30:46.060 --> 00:30:51.280 of life, and to see how the hand of the Lord can work in even the most difficult of circumstances. 00:30:53.420 --> 00:31:00.480 And one of the things I learned long ago in in ministry is that whatever God desires to do in my life, I just want to 00:31:00.480 --> 00:31:03.780 do it to the fullest and I want to do it with an open hand. 00:31:05.020 --> 00:31:12.140 And what I mean by that is, you know, I love serving the Lord in Utah, and I love serving the Lord here at Alpine Bible Church. 00:31:12.200 --> 00:31:17.020 And I hope I get to do it all of my life, however long of life God gives me. 00:31:17.800 --> 00:31:21.400 But one of the things I recognize about the church here is that it's not my church. 00:31:23.180 --> 00:31:23.820 It's his church. 00:31:25.320 --> 00:31:30.320 And so whatever God desires to do with his church, I just want to be faithful to honor the Lord where I'm at. 00:31:31.380 --> 00:31:38.500 And so I just want to treat it with an open hand rather than a closed fist and just say, Jesus, however you desire to be glorified here. 00:31:39.460 --> 00:31:40.500 Lord, may we be faithful. 00:31:42.100 --> 00:31:49.260 And you think about, you know, I carry the hat of a pastor, but we're all ministers of the Lord, and God's 00:31:49.260 --> 00:31:52.400 got us in places to honor him in the way that we carry ourselves. 00:31:53.020 --> 00:31:54.260 Today's Father's Day. 00:31:54.260 --> 00:32:01.340 So dads in the home, the way you choose to, to bless the Lord and and in the lives of your children, and how 00:32:01.340 --> 00:32:03.660 you navigate that through every season of life. 00:32:03.660 --> 00:32:07.600 And certainly parenting has seasons of life, right? 00:32:07.600 --> 00:32:08.440 So what does it look like? 00:32:08.760 --> 00:32:15.760 And, and the years of fatigue when you've got children that never sleep, you know, in those infant stages where, where your brain 00:32:15.760 --> 00:32:21.520 turns to mush and you can't even think, let alone, let alone do things like, what does it look like to, to honor the Lord? 00:32:21.520 --> 00:32:22.270 And then they become toddlers. 00:32:22.780 --> 00:32:27.550 And, and it seems like the only thing that they, they get great at, at toddlers is just finding dangerous situations. 00:32:28.020 --> 00:32:35.200 So you're always on the edge of your seat trying to, to balance between paying attention to things you need to get done, but also your, your kid that doesn't hasn't learned 00:32:35.200 --> 00:32:37.060 the extremes of, of danger yet. 00:32:37.060 --> 00:32:44.160 And so watching over their, their little toddler hearts and they start to mature and eventually they become, you know, the, the idea of teenagers 00:32:44.160 --> 00:32:46.340 where they know more than you do as parents. 00:32:46.480 --> 00:32:53.580 And what does it look like in those teenage years to, to help them begin to mature to, to grow into adulthood as 00:32:53.580 --> 00:33:00.170 you, you give them some freedoms to, to, to, to learn to live their life and, and honor God and bless others. 00:33:00.500 --> 00:33:06.180 You know, and every one of those seasons as a parent, you learn what it means to get on your knees and beg Jesus for help. 00:33:08.260 --> 00:33:15.440 Or even in marriage, the idea of covenant relationship different than the contracts of 00:33:15.440 --> 00:33:18.520 this world where, you know, in our world we talk about 5050. 00:33:18.520 --> 00:33:22.440 We sign contracts and you devote some, they devote some, you're obligated to one another. 00:33:22.480 --> 00:33:31.280 But in marriage, we understand as God's people, it is a covenant relationship where you give all of yourself for 00:33:31.280 --> 00:33:38.530 the well-being of someone else to become all that God has called them to be, and the ups and downs of those relationships. 00:33:39.040 --> 00:33:46.100 What does it mean to trust God to bless, to see the hand of God work in 00:33:46.100 --> 00:33:53.340 every season of your life, knowing we're going to have disappointments, unmet expectations, but to keep an 00:33:53.340 --> 00:33:58.990 open hand before the Lord to say, God, there is my path, but God there is your path. 00:34:00.580 --> 00:34:03.000 Lord, whatever you desire to accomplish, may. 00:34:03.280 --> 00:34:10.179 May your will be done, and may my vision be open to what it is you desire to do in every season of life. 00:34:11.360 --> 00:34:18.139 So that rather than set with my arms folded and complain, God, I can see where your hand would be moving and I would join you in that. 00:34:19.460 --> 00:34:21.120 I'm going to give you this last point so we can close. 00:34:21.320 --> 00:34:25.440 So God, God's purpose purposes are discovered in life's disruption. 00:34:25.440 --> 00:34:30.139 Number three is this God encourages his servants through his people. 00:34:31.620 --> 00:34:34.620 God encourages his servants through his people. 00:34:36.380 --> 00:34:43.480 And one of the greatest ministries we can have in the body of Christ is is helping weary saints find 00:34:43.480 --> 00:34:44.900 courage. 00:34:45.239 --> 00:34:47.300 And this is what happens with Paul at the end of the story. 00:34:47.540 --> 00:34:50.679 I love this he's he's certainly going through several storms. 00:34:50.820 --> 00:34:58.080 And verse 11, it was three months after the shipwreck that we set sail on another ship that was wintered at the island in Alexandrian ship, with the twin gods 00:34:58.080 --> 00:34:59.430 as its figurehead. 00:34:59.960 --> 00:35:03.000 Our first stops were Syracuse, where we stayed three days. 00:35:03.000 --> 00:35:09.040 From there we sailed across the regime and a day later a south wind began blowing. 00:35:09.320 --> 00:35:11.280 So the following day we sailed up to the. 00:35:11.540 --> 00:35:12.840 To the coast, to. 00:35:13.500 --> 00:35:15.540 Petiolate. 00:35:15.600 --> 00:35:18.600 Petiole. 00:35:18.740 --> 00:35:19.680 There you go, petiole. 00:35:20.340 --> 00:35:24.980 There we we we found some believers who invited us to spend a week with them. 00:35:25.040 --> 00:35:27.440 And so we came to to Rome. 00:35:27.900 --> 00:35:33.100 Verse 15, the brothers and sisters in Rome had heard we were coming and. 00:35:33.140 --> 00:35:36.880 And they came to meet us at the forum on the Appian Way. 00:35:36.880 --> 00:35:38.890 Others joined us at the Three Taverns. 00:35:39.080 --> 00:35:41.420 When Paul saw them, he was encouraged. 00:35:41.520 --> 00:35:42.620 And thank God. 00:35:42.620 --> 00:35:49.640 When we arrived in Rome, Paul was permitted to have his own private lodging, though he was guarded by a soldier. 00:35:50.160 --> 00:35:52.140 I think what an incredible moment for Paul. 00:35:52.800 --> 00:35:53.800 He's gone through a lot. 00:35:53.900 --> 00:35:55.740 He's he's longed to see the church in Rome. 00:35:56.340 --> 00:36:03.480 And they blessed his his heart so much that they even walked dozens of miles to greet the Apostle Paul, to journey with him 00:36:03.480 --> 00:36:04.500 to the city. 00:36:05.380 --> 00:36:12.460 And how uplifting this must have been for him, and how important it is for us as God's people in every season of life, even when 00:36:12.460 --> 00:36:20.590 we're going through adversity, to be able to take the opportunity to encourage one another, to stay faithful to him. 00:36:21.000 --> 00:36:21.750 And I know our body. 00:36:22.120 --> 00:36:29.120 I get the opportunity from throughout the week getting phone calls, chatting with people to know 00:36:29.120 --> 00:36:36.120 the circumstances they're facing, facing, and and I got to tell you, knowing some members in our church, if I was just being honest, like if they 00:36:36.120 --> 00:36:39.940 were to describe their circumstances, they might just say, and I am hanging by a thread. 00:36:41.140 --> 00:36:43.700 And some of us may not even know who those people are among us. 00:36:43.700 --> 00:36:44.500 And that's okay. 00:36:45.620 --> 00:36:51.880 But, but I think it is important to matter who we encounter in a day like today that we take the opportunity to encourage each other. 00:36:52.660 --> 00:36:59.070 Sometimes I even have the unfortunate moment of during a week I'll get phone calls from people who are going through it. 00:36:59.680 --> 00:37:06.430 People that I would say don't even belong to our church, but they're in a place of desperation and they don't even know where else to turn. 00:37:07.900 --> 00:37:14.000 And guys, can I just tell you, if you wait till everything hits the fan, you've waited too long. 00:37:15.400 --> 00:37:21.530 That the importance of a community is not only critical for being able to move forward in the mission that God has called us to. 00:37:21.900 --> 00:37:23.740 Like we get to storm down the gates of hell. 00:37:23.740 --> 00:37:25.020 Jesus told us. 00:37:25.600 --> 00:37:32.780 But also, when we're storming down those gates, they're going to come times where life is going to become a challenge, and we need those to come around 00:37:32.780 --> 00:37:34.580 us to encourage us in those seasons. 00:37:35.740 --> 00:37:40.730 I'll close with this one individual that reminds me of that is a man by the name of John Bunyan. 00:37:42.080 --> 00:37:49.100 John Bunyan wrote a book called Pilgrim's Progress some 300 years ago And John Bunyan, when he wrote this book, 00:37:49.160 --> 00:37:50.660 he actually wrote it from prison. 00:37:51.620 --> 00:37:55.120 And his imprisonment wasn't an easy imprisonment. 00:37:55.120 --> 00:37:57.380 It came in a very challenging time for his family. 00:37:57.820 --> 00:37:59.730 His first wife had recently passed. 00:38:00.380 --> 00:38:01.270 He was remarried. 00:38:02.100 --> 00:38:05.890 His new wife, Elizabeth, was pregnant with child and he also. 00:38:06.140 --> 00:38:07.500 As soon as they were married, he. 00:38:07.500 --> 00:38:13.360 Shortly after was thrown in prison and John had four children from his first marriage that were all young kids. 00:38:13.900 --> 00:38:20.940 And now all of a sudden, Elizabeth, who was pregnant with child, is taking care of these four young kids while her husband has been thrown in imprisonment for 00:38:20.940 --> 00:38:21.970 over a decade. 00:38:23.120 --> 00:38:27.740 But it was during this time that John Bunyan wrote Pilgrim's Progress. 00:38:29.000 --> 00:38:36.300 Rather than sit on his hands and complain, he wrote a work of literature that encouraged Christians for centuries 00:38:36.300 --> 00:38:37.980 to come. 00:38:38.320 --> 00:38:43.680 Many people even point to this book as the reason they came to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. 00:38:44.740 --> 00:38:44.740 Here. 00:38:44.740 --> 00:38:51.540 For the longest time in history, it was the second most published book in all of literature next to the Bible. 00:38:52.020 --> 00:38:53.540 Incredibly influential. 00:38:54.560 --> 00:38:58.750 A man who could have taken his circumstance and just said, God, where are you? 00:38:59.160 --> 00:39:01.400 I have this expectation and this is not it. 00:39:02.540 --> 00:39:07.700 But but rather than become disappointed, he used the opportunity God had given him to write. 00:39:08.580 --> 00:39:10.980 And in so doing, encourage those around him. 00:39:11.880 --> 00:39:16.740 Because I don't know what's going on in your life, in every detail and every every storm you might be facing. 00:39:18.060 --> 00:39:23.300 But I do know in every season of life there is opportunity to glorify God. 00:39:23.960 --> 00:39:25.500 And it's through those seasons. 00:39:25.500 --> 00:39:27.130 God does some miraculous things. 00:39:28.020 --> 00:39:30.620 If we would trust in the one who sustains us. 00:39:31.220 --> 00:39:35.740 This message has been brought to you by Alpine Bible Church in Lehi, Utah. 00:39:35.900 --> 00:39:40.090 If you'd like more information, please visit us online at Alpine bible.com.