The Word Made Plain

Guest (Male): 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 23 verses 6 through 14.

Tony Clark: The church, which is made up of blacks and whites and browns and all kind of folks, should be united. Instead, we are siding with the position of the group that looks like us. The church should be different. The church is supposed to be different. The church should be on the side of righteousness. Instead, the church is siding with the position of the people who look like us. Therefore, people's political positions and their racial connection is even dividing people in the church that are supposed to know better and that are supposed to be united.

I knew from day one what God wanted to do. I knew from day one God wanted to use our church to show people a taste of heaven, to show them what heaven is supposed to be like, to show them what the kingdom of God on earth is supposed to look like. As folks come in and see all races and colors and folks here, it is supposed to be a testimony. Technically, this is how the church is supposed to be around the world. It is not like we get to heaven and there is the black section over here and here are the suburbs of heaven for you over here. That is not how it is going to be.

The church is supposed to be different. We are supposed to act different, talk different, and walk differently. We are supposed to be different, but instead, we sound just like the world. Instead of voting or even thinking about things from a biblical Christian perspective, we vote and think about things based upon the group that looks like us and the political position that the people who look like us support, no matter whether it is biblical or not. We are supposed to be different.

This is why in many cases I stopped fighting with other believers on social media. I know that there are many people like Claudius Lysias who are watching in disbelief as we squabble over theological terms and words, putting scripture against scripture. There are the Claudius Lysiases of the world that are looking in disbelief. Here is Paul in the Antonia Fortress in prison. Surely he is discouraged and depressed. The following night, the Lord stood by him and said, "Be of good cheer, Paul. For as you have testified for me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome."

The Lord has always been with Paul, but now He knew that He needed to literally stand by him. The Lord knew that Paul needed Him to stand a little closer that night. Paul was in protective custody, discouraged and bummed out. He was probably thinking, "Why did I say that word 'gentiles' to the crowd in Acts 22:21 that started all of this mess?" Or why did I call the high priest a whitewashed wall in verse three of this chapter? That term means nothing to us, but over in that part of the world, they would bury people in sepulchers and put the dead bodies and bones in there.

If a Jewish person would walk on these sepulchers with these dead bones on the inside, they would be ceremonially unclean and have to go through a whole process in order to be cleansed. What they would do is whitewash these sepulchers so when you are walking over the hillside, you see these white sepulchers to let you know that is a tomb and bones are inside so you can go around. When Ananias had him slapped on the face, he said, "God will strike you, you whitewashed wall." He said you look all good and pretty as a high priest on the outside, but inside you are just as dead as some dead bones.

There are a lot of people who look pretty on the outside, but on the inside, they are dead spiritually. Here is Paul, bummed out and discouraged after that exchange. So often we sink into the mire of despair by the "why did I's" of life. Why did I do this? Why did I say that? I have been there before, and we sink into despair and depression. I have been here several times almost through the whole time of this pandemic. Why did I say this? Why did I say that? Why didn't I say this or that?

I have needed the Lord to stand by me a little closer too because it is during those times of regret and despair that Satan comes along and condemns you. He lures you into saying and doing a certain thing, then he condemns you after you take the bait. My precious wife so many times has kept me out of so much trouble by saying, "Don't say that." Sometimes I say it anyway and then I'm like, "Lord, I need You to stand a little bit closer by me because I have the regret and the despair of the 'why did I' say this or say that?" We have all been here.

Notice how the Lord doesn't rebuke him. The Lord wasn't up there saying, "I was up in heaven wondering why you said that too." The Lord doesn't rebuke him or lay into him, but He encouraged Paul by coming alongside of him and saying, "Be of good cheer." Then the Lord praises his faithfulness in ministry with the statement, "For as you have testified for me in Jerusalem." Then He gives Paul a word of promise: "So you must also bear witness at Rome." God rewards faithfulness. It is required of stewards that one be found faithful.

We can never bear witness for Jesus in our Rome if we have never testified for Him in our Jerusalem. He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much, and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust in much. Are you faithful in the little things God has given you? Are you faithful to testify about Jesus in your home, your Jerusalem, or have you allowed Disney and Disney Plus to testify to your children during this pandemic? Have you testified of the goodness of God to your children, or have they just heard you bemoan the pandemic?

I'm thankful that my family didn't hear much of that, but my wife did. When I go through a depression, I get very quiet. I'm not talking much and I'm in a funk. It was in that time God started the surgery on my heart that I have today. God had to stand a little bit closer to me during this particular time because it rocked everybody's world, especially pastors and churches. Pre-pandemic, people gave the sorriest excuses for why they couldn't come to church. "I was tired this weekend. The kids have a game or a recital. My toe was hurting." They were very sorry excuses.

Now Satan, in all of his cleverness, has given people a legitimate excuse to not come to church. I sat back and I went into a funk because I said, "God, I know You know Your people, but I know Your people too." This is a blow. God began to do surgery on my heart and I needed the Lord to stand a little bit closer by me. We will never testify of the goodness of God to our Rome, which is a larger audience, if we haven't been faithful to testify of the goodness of God to our Jerusalem, which is our home. You are the greatest Bible teacher your children will ever know. Don't leave it to us; we do what we can to come alongside of you as a supplement.

I love how the Lord stood a little bit closer by Paul. Let us learn from Jesus, especially for those of us who are parents. People know when they have blown it and messed up. Even my granddaughter knows when she has messed up. People don't need us to come down on them like the religious leaders did on Paul, especially if you see them sorrowful and depressed about what they did. Let us imitate Jesus and come and stand by them and give them an encouraging word. If they are cocky and arrogant over messing up, we are still called to speak the truth to them in love.

Too often people, especially our children, are sorrowful over what they did and we come along like the religious leaders did, ready to strike them on the mouth. I am not saying our children don't need discipline. There are times we need to stand by them and encourage them as well. Striking them on the mouth is not the way to do it. Incorrect discipline is just as bad as no discipline at all. Many of us who are my age and older remember discipline like extension cords and switches. A lot of that stuff we know was incorrect.

Some of us still need therapy over some of that stuff. Our kids need to be trained up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord and be disciplined when they are wrong. But when you see that your child is sorrowful, if we come down on them harshly, we fail them. On the contrary, you ought rather to forgive and comfort them, lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too much sorrow. We don't want anyone, especially our children, to be swallowed up in too much sorrow because we failed to come alongside of them like Jesus did with Paul. Nowadays, children swallowed up in too much sorrow are taking their lives in suicide. We don't want that on our hands.

When it was day, some of the Jews banded together and bound themselves under an oath saying they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul. There were more than 40 of them who had formed this conspiracy. They came to the chief priests and elders and said, "We have bound ourselves under a great oath that we will eat nothing until we have killed Paul." This is a serious oath because the Greek word for "oath" is "anathematidzo" and it means to declare or vow under penalty. It is where we get our word "anathema," which means to be eternally condemned.

They were thus invoking divine judgment if they failed to carry out this oath. They were probably saying something like, "May God do so to us and more if we eat or drink anything until Paul is dead." They even told the chief priests of their plans and their intentions. Be very careful of the things you are saying and the things you allow your anger to say because there can be severe consequences on you and on your children for years to come. This group didn't like how Paul escaped punishment again, so they are going to take matters into their own hands.

Are you about to take matters into your own hands? Maybe someone didn't get justice like you thought they should have and now you're about to take matters into your own hands. Unfortunately, this is what we're seeing displayed all over the TV. Or maybe through social media you are looking to kill them through the court of public opinion, kill their good name and their reputation. You have managed to gather a group to form this conspiracy. It's groups of 40 in every city around because social media goes around the world. But it's enough to kill the person like they're seeking to do to Paul.

I'm here to tell you to stop it. Don't get caught up in the mob mentality. Many people today don't even know why they're out there tearing things up or why they're out there doing certain things; they're just caught up in the mob mentality. It will not end well for you. No matter what kind of plot it is, it will not end well.

How is your conscience? Your conscience will not be at peace if you have formed a conspiracy against someone or against a certain group of people. You will not prosper. It will prosper if you're trying to be a weapon formed against someone else. So repent of that kind of attitude. Let God cleanse your heart of such a thing before disaster comes to you. And if you're Paul being wrongfully accused of something, be of good cheer. God will give you what to say during these tough times like He did Paul. Meditate on God's word so you can say what needs to be said at that specific time.

Finally, if you are here bummed out and depressed over the "what if I's" of life, please know that the Lord will come and stand by you like He did Paul and give you an encouraging word to get you through your situation. Spend time in God's word in a quiet place and watch and see if the Lord doesn't seem like He is right next to you.

Father, thank You for Your word. Thank You for all that You've done. Speak into our hearts. Lord, I pray for those who are here and their conscience has been bothering them. I pray that they repent of those things. Draw Your people to You. Lord, if there are any who have not repented of their sin and accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior, I pray that they repeat this prayer. Just say, "Lord Jesus, forgive me. I believe You died on a cross just for me and was buried and rose again. Come into my heart. I make You my Lord and Savior. Help me to live for You from this moment forward by the power of Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus' name, Amen."

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