The Word Made Plain

Tony Clark: Welcome to The Word Made Plain with Senior Pastor Tony Clark of Calvary Chapel Newport News in Virginia. Currently, Pastor Tony is teaching a study in the book of Acts. Please open your Bible to Acts chapter 22, verses 22 through 30.

Tony Clark: The message that I'm going to give is the message that's right in line with the verses that I'm teaching. It's not that you're going to think that I purposely came up with this message because of the times we live in.

Tony Clark: This is why at Calvary Chapel and Calvary Chapel's worldwide, this is why we don't do a lot of topical messages or why you know, people always want me to do, you know, some message based upon what's going on out in the world. And they get mad at me when I don't, when I don't address social issues or political issues and they get all upset at me.

Tony Clark: But see, here's the thing. We believe if you teach through the Bible, verse by verse, chapter by chapter, and book by book, you cover all the topics. So there's no need for me to make a special little topical message on the sign of the times so to speak, when if I just keep teaching through the scriptures, I'm going to cover it all. And today is one of those situations. It's so good. I just Lord, it's just so good.

Tony Clark: All right, turn with me in your Bibles to Acts chapter 22. Acts chapter 22, and we're going to be looking at verses 22 to 30. We're going to finish up this chapter.

Tony Clark: Father, thank you so much for this tremendous opportunity to share your word and God, I just pray for your anointing of your Holy Spirit to speak to these precious people here and the precious people who are watching around the world online. Oh God, give us your heart. Give us your spirit, give us your words. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

Tony Clark: Acts 22, looking at verses 22 to 30. The title of this message is Civil Rights. Civil rights. Now, keep in mind, and let me just say I've got to mention this. This is good. Because of what's been going on around the world, I'm pretty much about a month ahead in my studies of teaching through the book of Acts. So, I did this message over a month ago. And it's just so perfect that God has it. I just can't wait to get into this message.

Tony Clark: So, Acts 22, 22 to 30. The title of this message is Civil Rights. Now, civil rights are the rights of citizens to political, social, and even religious freedom and equality. I never thought that Christians would be fighting for our civil rights here in America, but we are.

Tony Clark: Yes, according to Philippians 3 and verse 20, it says that our citizenship is in heaven. However, we have a dual citizenship. Not only are we citizens in heaven, but our citizenship is here upon the earth as well. So, the question is, are there times that we need to fight for our civil rights while living on the earth? And I believe that these verses answer this important question.

Tony Clark: Now, by way of background, Paul was rescued by Roman soldiers because an angry mob was beating him. As they were taking him up the stairs of the Antonia Fortress, which was northwest of the temple in Jerusalem, he asked the commander if he could talk to the people. As he speaks to them and starts to give his testimony of how Jesus Christ saved him, they listened intently until Paul said that Jesus told him in verse 21, depart, for I will send you far from here to the Gentiles.

Tony Clark: Now, how did the crowd respond to this? Look at verses 22 and 23. It says, as 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.

Tony Clark: They had listened to enough of Paul's blasphemy. Verse 22 said that they listened to him until this word. The question is, what word? The one word was just Gentile. See, the Jews taught that Gentiles could be saved, but they had to become Jews first and follow the law of Moses. And for Paul to imply that Gentiles could be saved apart from becoming Jews was blasphemous at its very core in their eyes.

Tony Clark: So, they raised their voices and said, "Away with such a fellow from the earth, for he is not fit to live." And not only did they raise their voices collectively, but according to verse 23, they tore their clothes off and threw dust in the air to show their rage at what Paul was even implying. Their racial hatred and hostility towards non-Jews was put on display in a very, very, very ugly way.

Tony Clark: Now, I wonder if we feel the same way about people of another race. Does anger fill our hearts when we see those enjoying what we describe as white privilege? I wonder if we are ripping our clothes and throwing dust up in the air in our hearts when we see someone saying something we don't like.

Tony Clark: I wonder how many people are reacting this way when someone of another race uses the N-word. They listened to Paul until he used one word, Gentile. And so, too many of you will listen to someone until they use one word. Then you, like these Jews, rip off your clothes and throw dust in the air, maybe literally or definitely in your heart. And yes, this word carries heavy negative connotations to it. Sure, it does. But what I am trying to show you is that there are times we are no different than these radical Jews in this story.

Tony Clark: Look at verses 24 and 25. It says, "The commander ordered him to be brought into the barracks and said that he should be examined under scourging so that they might know why they shouted so against him." And as they 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?"

Tony Clark: Now, as Paul was at the top of the stairs of the Antonia Fortress addressing the people, when they erupted, the commander, who we know was Claudius Lysias, ordered Paul in verse 24 to be brought into the barracks and said that he should be examined under scourging. We saw in verse 22 that the commander allowed for Paul to address the crowd. Now he is ordering him to be examined under scourging. The question is, why?

Tony Clark: Because remember, Paul addressed the crowd in the Hebrew language. More specifically, it was Aramaic, a language the commander didn't speak. And so, as he observed the angry crowd quiet down to listen, then erupt in anger, throwing dust in the air and ripping off their clothes, he said, "Look here, let's examine this man by scourging him and really get to the bottom of why this crowd is reacting the way that they are towards him."

Tony Clark: We know that the scourging process is a very cruel and bitter method the Romans used to get information out of people. It used to be called the third degree. They used an instrument, as I mentioned previously in the past, called a flagellum, which was a wooden handle with 9 to 12 leather straps with balls on the end of each strap. The balls consisted of every sharp object embedded in them for the purpose of ripping the skin from the body of the victims. Also, a scribe would be there to write down the crime that he would confess to have committed. Oftentimes, people died under scourging because of the blood loss and from the infection that would set in. And this is what Jesus went through in John 19 and verse 1.

Tony Clark: So, they were about to examine Paul under scourging to see why the crowd reacted towards him as they did. And as they bound him with thongs in verse 25, which meant that they would stretch out the arms, so the skin of the back would be tight. So when that flagellum hit it, it would just break through the skin and rip the skin from the body. So they bound him with thongs in verse 25, stretched out his arms, and Paul speaks and said to the centurion, who was a captain over a hundred soldiers. He said, "Let me ask you something, bro. Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman and uncondemned?"

Tony Clark: See, Paul, who was a Roman citizen, knew Roman law and knew how to use it. Oh, this is key for us to understand. I wonder how much of the law do we know. If we don't know the law, how can we really tell whether our civil rights are being violated or not? As Christians, we really need to know the law because it is changing all of the time. And the changes are not favorable towards our Christian views.

Tony Clark: Many of you really don't even know that in the past, there used to be laws against blaspheming God. There were blasphemy laws. If you were convicted of it, you were fined $500 and could go to jail up to three years. Blasphemy laws. And we all know there used to be sodomy laws on the book. And now, all of these things have been removed. They like to, they like to change the law at night when we're asleep and pass these laws and then we wake up and look up and say, "Guess what? This has changed now." When did that happen? Well, nine out of ten, many of them while we were asleep.

Tony Clark: So, you need to know the law. Know the history of the law and know what is still on the books and what is not on the books. You need to know the law. And Paul knew Roman law. See, you could go to jail if you would bind a Roman citizen without following the proper legal procedures. And you could get capital punishment if you scourged a Roman soldier without going through the proper procedure, which they were about to do, and Paul had them right where he wanted them.

Tony Clark: And we have already said that Paul knew the law and we will see him use it to his advantage. So, the question is, should a Christian stand up for his civil rights? Should we use the judicial system? I believe that Paul is showing us that we should use it when our civil rights are being taken away from us.

Tony Clark: The Bible is very clear in 1 Corinthians 6 and verses 1 through 8 that we are not to go to court against another Christian, but it is the world, or the world of the unbeliever. Paul gives us an example that is not only appropriate, but sometimes it's very necessary to use the judicial system. We see this here. I have a pastor friend in Maine who has taken the governor and all that sort of stuff to court that's forbidden them to meet as a church.

Tony Clark: There is a church not that long ago, over a month ago, over in Chincoteague, over in the Eastern Shore. They had 16 people. 16 people in the church service. They got arrested and all that kind of stuff. They took it to court and won. And won and said, "You can't stop these folks." It's 16, "You can't stop these folks from meeting." Won. Won the case. Then, this is no coincidence. Then, there's a pastor friend of mine in North Carolina. He went online and said, "Hey, guess what? May 31st is Pentecost Sunday. We're meeting." North Carolina was closed at the time. He said, "We're going to meet."

Tony Clark: Because we, we, we, we obeyed the laws of the land. We were for two months. And weed places, abortion clinics, the liquor store, all that is necessary. But we can't meet. And guess what? All of a sudden, he posted breaking news about five hours later. Breaking news. Two churches, pastors, took the governor's thing to court. The judge said, "Governor, you can't stop these churches from meeting if they're practicing social distancing and all that. You can't stop them from meeting." And all the churches in North Carolina said, "Amen."

Tony Clark: And that's what that and it's happening around the country, around the country. So, there's been arguments on both sides of the issue, but here it is here. They are taking these folks to court and the judges are siding with the churches. That should tell you a whole lot. It's one thing. Yes, we're called to obey the laws of the land. But this has gone beyond obeying just the laws of the land. Now it's coming to a point where now our civil rights as citizens here are being violated. And to show you, the judges are siding with the churches. That, that should tell you a whole lot because there's a lot of arguments. Don't, please don't get me started.

Tony Clark: Where I can be in five, I can be with 500 people in Walmart and, and, and half of them don't even have a mask on, but can't come to church. Don't get me started on that. Please don't. I've been in too many arguments over that. And it don't take much to get me going again. But I would just say, judges in courts are siding with churches. So, that goes to show you, there's one thing to, okay, we be good citizens and we obey the laws of the land, and we, and we quarantine, we, we good. And it's another thing to where now we're telling you not to, not to gather together. That's a whole different thing. That's a different thing.

Tony Clark: Thank God, our governor said 50%, we can, okay, I, I'm good with that. I'm good. But I was letting you know, May 31st, I was going to have church too. I'm just letting you know, I was. Thank God our governor kept me from exercising my civil rights. But I'm telling you, there are times by which we need to use the judicial system, and many of my brothers around the country are doing it and winning in court. So, that goes to show you, there's a difference here. Total difference. Yes, we do what everybody else is doing, we are quarantined. But now you can say these folks can open, but churches, you all keep your doors closed. Judges around the country are saying, "You can't do that." And this is a case where Paul is showing us how this is done.

Tony Clark: And we're going to get more into that. Look at verses 26 to 28. "When the centurion heard that, he went and told the commander saying, 'Hey, bro, you better 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 says, "Yes." The commander answered, "With a large sum I have obtained this citizenship." And Paul said, "I was born a citizen."

Tony Clark: See, once the centurion heard what Paul had to say, he went in verse 26 to the commander and said, "Take care what you do, for this man is a Roman." See, the Roman law, that was called the Lex Julia, allowed citizens to appeal to Rome if they felt that their civil rights were being violated. The ancient Porcian and Valerian laws forbade such ill treatment of Roman citizens. So, Paul being schooled in Roman law, being from the city of Tarsus, he asked, "Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman and uncondemned?"

Tony Clark: Oh, he knew the law and the answer to this rhetorical question. It was not lawful, nor legal. There had not been a trial, a hearing, nor any formal charges presented against Paul. Now, the question becomes this. Why didn't Paul submit to the beatings like he did in the city of Philippi? Paul told the church in Philippi, the Philippian church in chapter 1 and verse 29, it says, he says, "For you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for his sake."

Tony Clark: So, why didn't he endure this brutal scourging process? Let me tell you why. Because there was nothing fruitful that would come out of it. In when it came to the Philippian jail that Paul was in, Philippians chapter 16 and verses 16 to 34, the Philippian jail where Paul was sent after he was brutally beaten. The Greek of that, the Greek construction of that verse, talks about Paul was, he was beat beyond what was necessary. So, he endured a brutal beating. And we know that once he went into the Philippian jail, that the Philippian jailer, his entire family, and the other prisoners were all set free and soundly saved as a result of the beatings Paul endured. Here in these verses, Paul decided to use his Roman citizenship.

Tony Clark: See, the question is, did it work? Oh, it sure did, because the commander said in verse 27 and asked, "Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?" Paul said, "Yes." Then the commander said in verse 28, "With a large sum of money I've obtained this citizenship." Let me give you the history behind that. See, the history is that the wife of the Emperor Claudius encouraged him to raise money for their personal treasury by selling Roman citizenships.

Tony Clark: The commander, Claudius Lysias, took advantage of this kind of bribery, because you had to bribe them, the more money you gave, that's how you got your citizenship. And he was not ready for Paul's response at the end of verse 28 when he said, "Guess what, bro, you bought yours? I was born a citizen." Meaning that Paul's father was a Roman citizen, so he was born into that citizenship. And those who were born citizens of Rome had a higher status than those who bought their citizenship. I'm sure that the commander was thinking that they had badly misjudged their prisoner Paul. They first thought that, you remember, they first thought that he was an Egyptian assassin that's coming that came into town to stir up trouble. Then Paul spoke Greek to Claudius Lysias, which meant that he was a cultured and educated man. Now, now they find out that he was a born citizen of Rome. They really misjudged old Paul.

Tony Clark: Let us not be like the commander Lysias, who badly misjudged Paul. We can start to think that a certain group of people are beneath us in our hearts, but when we talk, take the time to talk and hear their story like they heard Paul's story, you will see that you badly misjudged them. This can happen when we see people standing on the corners with their signs asking for food or money. Yes, some of them are scammers, we know that. But some of them have fallen upon hard times. Some of them have lost very important jobs because of substance abuse. Some of them are like many of us, one paycheck away from holding up our own sign on some corner. And since the pandemic, there's going to be a lot of more people on a lot more corners holding up a lot more signs.

Tony Clark: Let us learn from this story here and not turn up our noses at those who are out there holding up signs. And you know, I'm telling you not to do it. Not to do it because the pandemic will have a whole lot of people out there. And let us not find ourselves turning up our noses. They're with the scammers. Hey, let me tell you something. If you only heard their story, many of them just got caught up. They got caught up, not only with the pandemic, but they got caught up with substance abuse. They got caught up with, they just fallen upon hard times. And if you just took the time to hear the story instead of looking at them and just rolling your eyes and lifting your, hey, let me tell you something. Don't misjudge those people. You never know what kind of jobs they had, what kind of career they had, what kind of lifestyle they were living before they started holding up signs. And I'm telling you, mark my words, there's going to be many more corners with many more people holding up signs because of this pandemic. And you better do all you can to give. It's more blessed to give than receive. Yes, some of them are scammers, but some of them are just fallen upon hard times. Lost jobs that they can't even get back anymore. And we just better watch our little hearts, that we don't just immediately just turn our head as if we're in disgust of them being out there like that. I told you before. Just for them having the courage to stand out there and look like a fool, I will give them money just for that. But I'm telling you, some of them are just fallen upon hard times. They're just struggling, and having a tough time. And if you got it, you better give it. Because you, you guess what? You'll want somebody to give it to you when you're out there holding up your sign.

Tony Clark: Just be careful because they misjudged Paul. They thought Paul was just this troublemaker. And when they heard all this about Paul, when they got his story, this man was cultured, educated in Tarsus. He can speak Aramaic and Hebrew and Greek. This man was an educated man. He was not only, he didn't buy his citizenship. He was born a citizen of Rome. They misjudged this dude altogether and we can be the same way if we don't watch it.

Tony Clark: Let's see what else happened in verses 29 and 30. "And 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." And verse 30, "The next day because he wanted to know for certain why he was accused by the Jews, he released him from his bonds and and commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear and brought Paul down and set him before them."

Tony Clark: Now, Claudius Lysias, the commander, knew that he was in big trouble. And this is why in verse 29, he commanded those who was about to examine him under scourging withdrew from Paul and was afraid. Why? Because under Roman law, the commander's military career could be over, and he could actually get capital punishment for treating a Roman citizen the way he treated Paul.

Tony Clark: If The Word Made Plain has been a source of inspiration and encouragement to you, why not consider becoming a Word Made Plain giving partner to keep this listener-supported program on the air? As a giving partner, you join forces with Calvary Chapel Newport News's Kingdom Vision of spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. You can make your tax-deductible gift online at calvarynn.org or send your gift of any amount to 1553 Warwick Boulevard, Newport News, Virginia, 23608, and receive a gift from Calvary Chapel Newport News as our thank you. In addition to your financial support, we ask that you pray for The Word Made Plain broadcast, that it touches hearts and generates change in the lives of people around the world. We pray you've been blessed by God's Word today and hope you'll tune in next time to hear The Word Made Plain.