Sound of Faith

Sharon Hardy Knotts: Welcome to the Sound of Faith. I'm Sharon Knotts, thanking you for joining us today because we know that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. If you like stories where God takes a series of misfortunes and satanic attacks against his children and boomerangs them on the devil, then you're going to like today's message when God turns it around.

Paul had an irrepressible desire to go to Rome and impart to the Christians there a spiritual gift. But it took two years, two prison terms, two cruises, and one shipwreck with an island vacation before he got there, when God turned it around.

R. G. Hardy: I'm so glad I know that God is on my side. There is no God like Jehovah. Whenever you are in a situation where there's no other help, where there's no other answer, there's no other solution, I thank God he'll come in on the cloud.

As the praises go high, the glory of God will descend. You know when the children of Israel left out of Egypt, God and his presence went before them. In the daytime, the cloud by day and at night the pillar of smoke. The presence of God went with them and led them everywhere that they went.

God is with you. He'll lead you and guide you every step of the way. Sometimes it may seem like you're standing in one spot longer than you should and you don't know what's wrong, but don't worry about it. Just stay right there. Hallelujah. God will move when the time is right. He'll lead you safely. That's kind of what I want to talk about here tonight. I want to talk about when God turns things around.

Tonight I'm going to preach from Acts. In order to cover the ground that I want to cover, I'm going to believe that you already read the book of Acts so that a lot of times I can paraphrase instead of turning to the scriptures. That way I know that when I refer to something, you'll know what I'm talking about and we won't even have to go and read everything. So you're going to help me preach tonight, aren't you?

We're going to start in Acts the 20th chapter and verse 19. We'll read some in Acts, but I want to really deal with material that goes from chapter 20 all the way to the end, and that's seven chapters. We're not going to read seven chapters. That's why I hope you read it. We'll start in Acts the 20th chapter and verse 18.

Remember, just for a little background, the pronoun "we" is used throughout. That means the author is including himself in the events. He was an eyewitness. He was right there alongside of Paul. Whenever he says "we," it means he was there and he's not telling you something somebody told him. He's telling you something he saw and heard for himself. Of course, the "we" happens to be Luke, the same one who wrote the Gospel of Luke. He wrote the book of Acts because he was a companion to Paul. That's who the "we" is.

In verse 18: "Now here you'll see he says 'they'. So when he says they, it's because he's not with them in that particular part of the book. I just want you to understand when he says 'they' and when he says 'we.' And when they were come to him, he said unto them, Ye know from the first day that I came into Asia and what manner I have been with you at all seasons." This is Paul talking to the elders.

"Serving the Lord with all humility of mind and with many tears and temptations which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews. And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have showed you and have taught you publicly and from house to house, testifying both to the Jews and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ."

"And now behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there, except that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself so that I might finish my course with joy and the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus to testify the gospel of the grace of God."

Here we have Paul giving you the purpose of everything that he has experienced up until this point and right now to the end of his life. Paul is able to say, "I have served the Lord with all humility and with many tears and many temptations." How many know that that doesn't sound like a lot of theology you hear today? Not a lot of folks want to preach this kind of theology.

Paul said, "I've served the Lord first of all with all humility and with many tears and many temptations." Because with Paul's great ministry of apostleship came many persecutions. When God first called him and sent Ananias to lay hands on him, Ananias said, "I don't know if I want to go pray for that guy. He's got a reputation for killing Christians." But God said, "That's okay. It's all right. Go pray for him. He's a chosen vessel unto me."

I'm going to show him he's going to suffer many persecutions for my namesake. God doesn't lie. If God says you're going to suffer persecutions, you're going to suffer. Paul said, "But even so, I have served the Lord with all humility. I don't think myself any higher or mightier than I ought to think. Because I tell you, there's something about temptations, there's something about persecutions, there's something about tears that will humble you and cause you to walk before God in humility."

Anytime you get too big for your britches, God knows how to give you a few heartaches and let you cry a few tears, and then you realize and understand that it's all about him and not about you and not about me. Paul said in the midst of all of this, in the midst of my tears and my many temptations, I didn't hold back.

A lot of preachers have not reached that place of maturation because when some big problem hits them or some big trouble or some big test comes their way, the whole church knows it. When they get up to preach, that's all they can preach. They tell you all about the troubles, what the devil's done to them, what this has happened to them and all that kind of thing.

They haven't come to the place where they can put that on the back burner and say, "This is about ministering what God's speaking to the church. This is not about me getting up here and having a pity party so you all can feel bad and sad about all I've been through this week and how the devil's fought me all week." He said, "I didn't hold anything back what was profitable for you. I gave all I had. I gave you everything I got. I made sure that I ministered to your need. I gave you everything."

He said, "I've done everything that I feel God has called me to do and I've done it in humility and it hasn't been easy. There have been many tears and temptations. And now here I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem. And yet everywhere I go, every town," because he said every city where I go, he says, "I hear the same prophecy, the same word from the Lord. When you get there, persecutions and troubles await you."

He said, "Saving that the Holy Ghost witnesses in every city saying 'handcuffs and shackles.'" Bonds is sort of an archaic word. I don't think we conjure up the right mental image when we say the word "bond." So I'm not going to use the word "bonds" so much as "handcuffs and shackles." How many get the idea better? You're going to Jerusalem on a religious tour, on a religious journey, but when you get there, they're not going to be waiting at the airport to put a garland of flowers around your neck. You're going to get handcuffs and shackles.

In every city and every town, Luke was careful to say every city the Holy Ghost witnesses. These weren't a bunch of false prophets. These weren't some prophets of doom that just like to give out words. This was the Holy Ghost telling Paul every time he got to a new town. One of the prophets stood up and said, "Thus saith the Lord."

Actually, one is recorded. Let's jump over to the 21st chapter. Verse 10: "And as we tarried there many days, there came down from Judea a certain prophet named Agabus. And when he was come to us, he took Paul's girdle and bound his own hands and feet and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost: So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owns this girdle and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles."

"And when we heard these things, both we," that means Luke also, "and they of that place besought him. We begged him, 'don't go to Jerusalem, Paul.'" But then Paul answered and said, "What mean ye to weep and to break my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but I am also ready to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus." And when he would not be persuaded, we just ceased saying, "Well, the will of the Lord be done."

Everywhere he went, somebody said, "Paul, when you get to Jerusalem, handcuffs and bonds." If that wasn't enough, just in case Paul didn't understand whatever the language the speaker was using, Agabus went up to Paul and took Paul's girdle right off his body. Agabus took that girdle and bound his own self up. You got a picture now? He said, "Paul, do you see this? Do you understand? So shall be the man who owns this girdle." That would be Paul. He said, "This man who owns this girdle, when he gets to Jerusalem, he's going to have handcuffs and shackles."

They all begged him, including Luke. Luke said, "Don't go, Paul. It doesn't make any sense. Why do you want to go to Jerusalem? Your enemies are there. It's clear what's going to happen. If you go there, they're going to get a hold of you. They're going to put you in bonds. You're going to suffer persecution. Why don't you listen to us and not go?" Paul said, "Why do you want to break my heart? Why do you want to sit around here and weep and make me weep with you? I've made my mind up. I'm going to Jerusalem. And if I have to die in Jerusalem, then so be it, but I'm going."

Why would Paul be so obstinate? Why would he be so hard-headed? Why would he not listen to them? Because first of all, he said, "I'm not moved by afflictions. I'm not moved by persecution. I don't consider them to be out of the ordinary. I don't consider them to be outside of the sphere of the Christian walk. I consider it to be part and parcel of the Christian walk. I've known nothing but persecutions and troubles. If you don't believe that, read 1 Corinthians the 9th chapter when you go home. Read the whole catalog of the things that Paul had been through, including being stoned and left for dead. He'd already been there and done that."

He said, "I'm not moved by these things." In fact, he actually preached in 1 Thessalonians the third chapter. He wrote to them in verses two and three, and he said, "We send to you Timothy, our brother and minister of God and fellow laborer in the gospel, to establish you and to comfort you concerning your faith." Listen to this; this is how he's going to comfort them: "That no man should be moved by these afflictions, for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto."

Paul said, "I got news for you. Not only am I appointed unto these afflictions, but so are you." He sent Timothy to the church at Thessalonica to establish or strengthen their faith and to comfort them, to tell them you're going to suffer afflictions because you're appointed unto them. Now, it seems to me odd that somebody would use the word comfort and afflictions in the same sentence. That doesn't sound like the way people preach today, that you're going to be comforted to find out you're going to go through afflictions because you're appointed unto them.

He said, "I'm writing to tell you that you will not be moved." He used the same language that he spoke of himself, that you won't be moved when these things come. As Peter later wrote and said as though some strange thing has come upon you when you suffer fiery trials of faith, knowing that this is part of what God is doing because it's working in you faith that's going to come forth as pure gold. James said in the fifth chapter of James, "Know this, that the same afflictions that you are suffering, so all your brethren are suffering the same thing."

It starts from the head and goes all the way down. Paul said, "But I didn't keep anything back from you even in the midst of all my trials and tests. When I got up off that ground after they stoned me and the brothers came around and prayed for me, they basically raised me from the dead. I just got up and went to the next town and carried on the next revival." He said, "I gave you everything I had because I wanted to show you something. I don't want you to cry for me. I don't want you to weep for me. I don't want you to have a pity party for me."

I want to let you know that if I can endure, you can endure. If my faith can hold strong, your faith can hold strong. If you see me going through trials and tribulations and you see that I don't let them move me, deter me, sidetrack me, discourage me, or make me sit down and quit, then you don't have to sit down and you don't have to quit and you don't have to get discouraged because if God can bring me out, he can bring you out.

That's exactly what Paul wrote to the Philippians. I want you to turn to Philippians the first chapter. This is one of my favorite books in the Bible, one of my favorite passages in the Bible, and one of my favorite points in the Bible is what we're going to read right here in Philippians the first chapter, verse 12.

The Philippians had written Paul a letter, and they were very worried and concerned about him because he was in prison. Another prison. He's been in different prisons; he's checked a lot of prisons out. This is another one. He's been in Jerusalem, Caesarea, Philippi, Thessalonica. Of course, he ended up in Rome, so Paul knows a lot about prison.

He was always in prison for Christ, not crime. Here he was in prison and he was an old man now. It's a lot easier to go to prison when you're young. It's not so easy when you get old and you're all tired and bent over and you've got gray hair. Their prisons weren't like the ones we have, where you've got the rec room with the cable TV and the VCR. Their prisons were like dungeons under the ground, cold and damp with rats.

The Philippians were really worried about Paul and his condition. They were so upset that they wrote him this letter. We don't know what all they said in the letter, but we can tell by Paul's answer what they must have said. How they were just so worried about him and all that he had gone through and here he was now in prison. I love the answers that Paul gives here, starting in verse 12.

"But I would that ye should understand, brethren, that the things which have happened unto me have fallen out rather." Somebody say "rather." I want you to remember that word because it's important. "Under the furtherance of the gospel, so that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace and in all other places. And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my handcuffs and shackles, are much more bold to speak the word without fear."

"Some indeed preach Christ of envy and strife and some also of goodwill. The one preaches Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my shackles and handcuffs. But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defense of the gospel. So what then? Notwithstanding." Somebody say "notwithstanding" because that's an important word too.

"Every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached. And I therein do rejoice, yea, I will rejoice, for I know this. I know that this shall turn in my salvation through your prayer and the supply of the spirit of Jesus Christ."

What's Paul talking about here? He said, "I know that you're worried about what's going to happen with me. But I want to tell you that rather than it being like you think it is, I want you to know that rather, just the opposite, in spite of what has happened to me, it has actually turned everything around. It's caused the gospel to be preached greater than it's ever been preached before."

He says, "I want you to know that the gospel is preached all over the palace. I want you to know that the gospel is preached in all other places. I want you to know that from the very palace and the throne room down to the kitchen, down into the dungeon, down into the wine cellar, down where the slaves sleep, where the guards are, I want you to know the gospel is being preached."

He said, "There are some people that were so timid and so shy, they wouldn't have stood up and said, 'I thank the Lord he saved me.' They didn't have the nerve. They would have never stood up and preached the gospel. They were too afraid. But when they heard how that I in my shackles and in my handcuffs, I stood up boldly, I said, 'I will still tell you that Jesus is the Christ, that he is the son of God, that he is the Messiah, that he is raised from the dead. That Pontius Pilate may have given him over to death, but God Almighty raised him up.'"

He said, "When those shy, timid ones that didn't have the nerve to preach, when they saw how bold I was, they said, 'my God, we can preach too. If he can preach in handcuffs and shackles, we can preach.' And so what if we go to jail? We'll be in good company. I mean, we'll get to sit down right with the great apostle Paul and get private Bible lessons. That wouldn't be so bad now, would it? That would be worth going to jail for. To sit there and pick his brain. All the revelations that God had given him."

He said, "So you may think that all of this has caused me to be down and discouraged, but no, you would be wrong. Because the gospel's being preached like never before." He said, "Now there are some folks, they're not sincere. They're using this, trying to twist things. Because they think, 'okay, preaching the gospel got Paul in jail, got Paul in trouble, got Paul so he's going to have to be tried. And possibly, if we can get people to be more stirred up against these Christians and against this Christ Jesus that this Paul preaches, if we can get more people mad about it, then it'll be worse on Paul when he finally does go before the judge. They'll just be ready to suck it to him. So let's get up and preach Christ to stir people up.'"

Paul said, "Hallelujah! They're preaching Jesus. So what if they're not doing it sincerely? The Word of God will not return void. Just lift up Jesus. He said, 'If I be lifted up, I'll draw all men unto me.'" Paul said any way you look at it, notwithstanding. We don't use that too much today and we kind of read over it, but it was an important word then.

Notwithstanding stands in the middle of two different ideas that are completely opposite one to the other. It stands right in the middle of the two. One over here says, "These are the facts. You cannot deny these facts." And this person over here says, "But I believe this and I'm going to do this." And this person over there is saying, "But these are the facts and you're not in agreement with the facts."

This one over here is saying, "Okay, I understand those are the facts, but I believe God." So what happens is notwithstanding is in the middle. It's bringing the fact that what you're saying over here is true, but nevertheless, but rather, but in spite of, but notwithstanding. You see the word "withstand" means to oppose something. You know how the Bible says put on the whole armor of God and to withstand and stand against the enemy?

The word "withstand" means you're standing up against something. When you say "notwithstanding," it means you can tell me all the facts you want to tell me all day long. You can tell me all the reasons why it can't be or why it won't be, but I'm going to stand here and I'm going to say notwithstanding. You can't stand up against my faith. You can't stand up against the gospel. You can't stand up against the truth.

So Paul said, "Notwithstanding, in spite of all of that, the gospel is being preached." I love it, he said, "And many." Somebody say "not a few" but many. Many of the brethren of the Lord have waxed bold. There's not many things that can thrill you more than when you see a Christian who's kind of been on the timid side and the devil's kind of pushed them around a little bit.

He's taken advantage of what they don't know yet or what they haven't learned yet, or he puts fear against them and they come under that fear and they get down. You see those kind of people and you just want to shake them because you say, "Why are you letting the devil do that to you?" But how many have seen people like that?

Have you ever seen one of those particular kinds of cases when all of a sudden they get a real, real Holy Ghost revelation? They suddenly really get something on the inside. My God, when they come out of that, I mean to tell you they wax so bold they're looking for every devil from here to Jerusalem. They're ready to cast out devils. They're ready to preach the gospel and win the whole world by themselves. That's what Paul was saying.

He's saying there's a lot of Christians that are timid and afraid. You've got to realize that Christianity was the minority. We are talking about the Roman Empire when their gods were Zeus and Jupiter and Pluto and Mercury. Here they were standing up for Jesus Christ and all this opposition was coming against them and they were weak and scared and intimidated.

There's something about looking at a great servant of God, there's something about looking at a general in God, somebody who's been through a few battles. They've been through a few wars. You know they're not just preaching fluff because they read some story, but they've walked in the fire. They've been through some things. They know what it is to wrestle with devils. They know what it is to have all hell break out against them.

They know what it is to be down and feel like they're never going to get up again. When you see that saint of God rise up and say, "I am more than a conqueror through my Lord Jesus," it picks your faith up. It just boosts you right on up. Paul said, "Don't you worry about me. I know you love me. I know that you're concerned about me. I understand that. But I want you to know that all of this, like they've been detours and obstructions in my way, and it seems like they've been distractions and detractions."

It seems like the devil's had his way. Don't you worry about it. God is working it all together for the good. God has got a master plan the devil don't know anything about. When the devil thinks God's going to move this way, he's going to move that way. When he goes over there to attack that one, God's going to move over here. But don't you worry about it because my God is going to turn it around. You may not be able to see it now, but I tell you he's going to turn it around. Oh yes, he is.

Paul was rejoicing because he said all of the things that you thought would discourage me, I want you to know they don't discourage me one bit.

Sharon Hardy Knotts: Amen. I hope you're enjoying Paul's journey to Rome in our message When God Turns it Around. Rome was the only New Testament church that Paul did not found, and he had a fervent desire to go there and impart to them a spiritual gift. But first he wanted to go to Jerusalem, where he had many enemies who wanted him dead and were willing to kill him themselves.

There were many warnings to Paul not to go, but he was determined knowing God would allow him to get to Rome eventually. This began a two-year saga that was filled with beatings, prison time, a midnight escape, a shipwreck detour to an island in the winter, and a poisonous snake bite the first night.

What was meant for Paul's demise, God turned it around, and one of the great revivals of the New Testament resulted on that pagan island. Paul did make it to Rome, where he was imprisoned again in the dungeon cell of the emperor's palace, shackled to a soldier day and night. Now, Philippi was Paul's favorite church; he called them his joy and crown, and they were troubled when they heard he was in prison and wrote him of their concerns.

Paul's answer to them swung on the hinge of one word: rather. That is, instead of my being discouraged about being in this Roman jail, I'm rejoicing because what has happened to me has fallen out rather to the furtherance of the gospel. First, my shackles are known throughout the whole palace of Rome, the capital of the world. Everyone knows I'm in jail for Christ, not crime. And secondly, many brethren who were shy about preaching the gospel are now bold to preach without fear.

This is truly the boomerang principle of God: what Satan attempts for our harm, God turns around for our good and for the furtherance of his gospel and kingdom. To order When God Turns it Around on CD, send a love gift of at least ten dollars to help us with the cost of radio time. Request offer SK117 to Sound of Faith, P.O. Box 1744, Baltimore, Maryland, 21203. Or you may order online at soundoffaith.org, where you can also order MP3. But to order by mail, request SK117 and send a minimum love gift of ten dollars to P.O. Box 1744, Baltimore, Maryland, 21203. Until next time, this is Sharon Knotts saying, Maranatha.