Acts 20:1 to 38

welcome back I'm rubber breaker and today we're gonna start Acts chapter 20 last time we finished up Acts chapter 19 and today we're gonna start Acts 20 I went ahead and left the map up here from last week is because we're gonna be seeing some more places on this map and we've looked at a lot of stuff and I really enjoyed going through chapter 19 again chapter 19 of the book of axis is a tough book the first part is about these twelve Jews that it's almost like they're in the wrong place the wrong time and the wrong dispensation and appall deals with them in a very different way than he does with all the other people in the book of Acts and then we find that God continues to use Paul and the way Pulse getting people saved us through the gospel that he preaches and one person believes the gospel well they're sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise today we're going to continue in chapter 20 and we're going to see this you remember last time I enjoyed our study on Acts chapter 19 the last one in which we saw the spiritual battle that was going on as Paul was preaching because Paul was preaching against witchcraft and against idols and he won the battle on witchcraft because many of the people in Ephesus while they burned their witchcraft books and that was a great revival but then the people that made idols they said we're not going to take this and then Paul had to stand up for the truth of the true God and unfortunately wasn't able to win against idol worship the the people in charge of Ephesus says look we're gonna worship Diana just some so forget you and so Paul wasn't able to get rid of all idols wouldn't it have been amazing if everybody in Ephesus got saved and they said you're right we need to burn all the idols that would have been just such an incredible thing but unfortunately that did not happen so chapter 20 continues here and it continues the thought of what we ended up last last time in chapter 20 verse 1 it says and after the uproar was ceased now what would that uproar be well what we looked at last time the uproar of the people coming together and mob rule and screaming and hollering against Paul and his his preachers and preaching against idols and saying we won't have the and remember what do they do it says they're from the space of two hours they screamed verse 34 1934 and when they knew that he was a Jew all with one voice about the space of two hours cried great is Diana of the Ephesians so for two full hours they were screaming great as Diana of the Ephesians great as Diana of the Ephesians and so that was the uproar and we saw in the chapter how that the mayor I guess you would call the guy the head of the city said look we don't want to get Rome involved let's just disband let's forget about this let's pretend this didn't happen and they just disbanded and dismissed the assembly verse 41 so after that uproar was ceased Paul called unto him the disciples and embraced them and departed for to go unto into Macedonia so Paul says look I guess I've done as much as I can here there are people that are disciples that have believed but the city as a whole said we reject your God we choose a false God we choose Diana so Paul says okay I'm going back to Macedonia so Paul leaves from Ephesus and comes back over here two Macedonian we got over those parts that had given them much exhortation he came into Greece well Greece is down here this is all oh this is Greece this area maybe I should write that up here slaughter day Greece is all of this area so Paul comes to Greece and most likely he would have come to Corinth that doesn't say what city but usually when he was coming to Greece it was because he was coming to Corinth and so he came to Greece verse three and there about three months and when the Jews laid wait for him as he was about to sail into Syria he purposed to return through Macedonia so here he is the Jews are laying in wait for him now which Jews I don't know we looked at last time there was a Jew named Alexander the coppersmith who was an evil man and I showed you last time how in 2nd Timothy 4 14 and 15 Paul says and Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil the Lord reward him according to his deeds so it couldn't have been that Alexander the coppersmith was stirring up the Jews to try to get Paul and maybe they were following I'm trying to get him I don't know mob rule usually leads to more mob rule and evil wicked conspiracies and things like that so he's saying look I want to go back to Syria I want to go back over here he's wanting to go back to you we saw last time Jerusalem he wants to go to a feast in Jerusalem for some reason so he says you know what here's what I'm gonna do I want to go back to to Jerusalem I want a sale so he wants to go somewhere from Corinth or somewhere here and sail to Syria but he says you know what I'll do I'll go through Macedonians did so he purposed to return through Macedonia so he goes back up to Macedonia back up north and here we have a list of people that follow Paul verse 4 and they're accompanied to him into Asia so Peter of Berea and of the Thessalonians Aristarchus and Saguna sand Gaius of Derby and timotheus and of Asianet ichika's and trophimus so here we have so Peter Aristarchus segundus Gaius timotheus Timothy Titus and trophimus that would be seven different men now who's writing this book Luke so we know Luke is there at least so that's eight and then Paul that's nine and there's probably a one or two more somewhere around there usually there are other guys with him Paul is traveling with an entourage wherever Paul goes he's got all these others brothers with them now what were they for were they his bodyguards maybe I don't know or where they were just there learning from him as they traveled but he took all these people with them now so Peter Aristarchus to go in this gays two-month Timothy as we've looked at them ticha kiss is mentioned in the Bible in other places so let me should quickly go there and show you tisha kiss I always thought that's such a funny word tickets but Ephesians chapter 6 and verse 21 tisha kisses mentioned again and I've looked at some of these other guys where they were mentioned already in the Bible but in Ephesians chapter 6 and verse 21 look at this Ephesians 6 21 but that you also may know my affairs and how I do teaching is a beloved brother and faithful minister and the Lord shall make known to you all things so these men that are traveling with Paul he's teaching them to be preachers and teachers and missionaries and so he's traveling with these people and he's like doing a Bible Institute as he travels and training his students and they go with him I was that was cool Colossians 4 7 Colossians chapter 4 verse 7 all my state shall teach you cos declared to you who was a beloved brother and a faithful minister and a fellow servant in the Lord 2nd Timothy 4:12 I just wanted to show you these other verses where teach ekeus is mentioned 2nd Timothy 4:12 40 chicas have I sent to Ephesus so here's Paul saying I sent tickets to Ephesus - why - the believers that are in Ephesus to preach to them another one is Titus 3:12 Titus 3:12 when I shall send artemis unto the or tickets be diligent to come unto me - not Coppola for I have determined there - winter so these are men that have volunteered to serve with Paul as missionaries they're learning from Paul but they're also ministering to Paul and they're also saying Paul whatever you tell us will do for the calls of the Lord Col say Paul said well okay go give this message to those people over there you got it Paul travel over there and tell them you said this yes sir Paul will do that so they were following Paul now there's another guy named trophimus now let's go to acts 21 29 here trophimus is mentioned X 21 29 for they had not before they had seen before with him in the city trop amiss and Ephesian whom they suppose that Paul had brought into the temple so trophimus was from Ephesus he must have gotten saved under the preaching of Paul during that time second Timothy 4:20 second Timothy chapter 4 and verse 20 his trophimus mentioned it says Erastus abode at Corinth but trophimus have I left at mile eat'em I leave as my leader my believe in the same place sick so this is toward the end of his ministry right before he dies he leaves trophimus in in my lead of sick all right so back to Acts chapter 20 so all these guys are mentioned and it's quite interesting that Paul travels was such an entourage with so many people with him now verse 5 these going before tarried for us at trow ass so Paul ends up going to his place called trow ass and I put it up here so they they were down here went back up here and then back around and then they were sailing for trellis so probably Philip I to troll asses where they sailed from because Philip I was kind of along the coast so somewhere along here they sailed to trow ass so they end up in TRO house and then what and and we've sailed away from Philip I out for the days of online Brandi came in to them to Troy ass in five days there we about seven days couple there you go I said they probably left from Philip I we just tell us the next verse that was from polite to try it took him five days to go from there to there and that's what's so neat about the Bible not only is it a God's book a book of salvation how to be saved and a book of prophecy future events but it's also a book of history and it tells us literally things that happen in history and in historical things that we need to know like how far or how long a journey is it from Philip Ida choice and a boat and different things like that for some reason it took him five days maybe it was because the wind was contrary looks like it would have taken less but who knows it took him that long so if someone in history did this and it took him this long to get from this place to that place now verse seven in a pond the first day of the week when the disciples came together to break bread Paul preached unto them ready to part of a morrow and continued his speech until midnight now I want you to get a hold of this this is one of the most important verses in our entire New Testament under the Old Testament law they met on Saturday okay are we under the Old Testament today we most certainly are not today we're under the New Testament so under the law Exodus chapter 20 the Ten Commandments said Sabbath so under the Old Testament law people met on the Sabbath which would be a Saturday because the Sabbath is the sixth day of the week alright now after Jesus dies Jesus rises again from the dead on Sunday and I'm going to show you that in the scripture and all throughout the New Testament we see people meeting on Sunday that are believers in Christ sunday is the first day of the week now why am I making such a big point of this because we have today people that go around and they say this lie and I guess people think if you tell a lie long enough and loud enough that people will believe it but you have what's called the SDA movement the seventh-day Adventist the seventh-day Adventists say that Saturday is the day that you're supposed to go to church according to the Old Testament law and you say no no we go to church on Sunday they say no that's the mark of the beast and you like huh how can that the Bible says the mark of the beast is in your right hand on your forehead how can a day of the week be the mark of the beast that doesn't make sense and they'll say well the going to church on Sunday one that the Catholic Church started that in 325 AD and they tell this lie that it's the Sunday and they worship the Sun and and so they say that Sunday is the Sun worship day and that pagan Rome when they became a Christian Rome and became the Catholic Church they're the ones that said Sunday is the day that you worship and they'll lie to you and tell you that Sunday worship came from the Catholic corrupt Church and that that is why worshipping on Sunday is wrong you should worship on Saturday that is a lie from the pits of hell let me show you why in the Bible itself we clearly see Christians worshiping on Sunday I want you to see that because a lot of people will tell you no where's you being on Sunday well that started in 325 AD you know it didn't in the Bible they worshiped on Sunday let me show you let's start in mark 16:9 and this verse that we just read shows clearly beyond any shadow of a doubt that the early apostles met together on the first day of the week so you cannot lie and say nobody put together on Sunday until 325 AD and the Catholic Church set up Sunday worship no they did it in the Bible the disciples of Christ met together on Sunday because Sunday was the day that Jesus rose from the dead mark chapter 16 and verse 9 now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week he appeared first into Mary Magdalene out of whom he had cast out Seven Devils now read that with me now when Jesus was risen okay Jesus rose from the dead when Jesus was risen when the first day of the week early the first day of the week so the very beginning of Sunday on the first day of the week Jesus rose from the dead what day did Jesus rise from the dead Sunday the first day of the week now as we go through our Bible we find because Jesus rose again on Sunday the early church meets together on that same day to remember the day that Jesus rose from the dead so in John chapter 20 and verse 19 look what it says John chapter 20 verse 19 Jesus has already risen from the dead look what it says then the same day and evening being the first day of the week when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled with fear of the Jews came Jesus and stood in the midst and said to them peace be unto you the first day of the week the disciples were assembled together so the disciples of Christ were meeting together on Sunday the disciples of Jesus were meeting together on that day that Jesus rose from the dead which was a Sunday so the disciples met on Sunday I do not understand how anyone could be such a Bible blockhead and ignoramus to follow that false teaching of the seventh-day adventists the seventh-day Adventist Church says Saturday is the day that we should make meet Sunday worship is Mystery Babylon the Catholic Church set up Sunday worship and that's wrong and it they're evil they set it up three hundred years after Jesus and I look at the Bible and I said I don't care what you say I don't care what Rome says three hundred years after Jesus what does the Bible say when they met together first day of the week and here they are meeting together on the first day of the week Sunday according to this verse now Acts chapter 20 and verse seven Luke writes and this is 58 ad or 60 ad somewhere in there and upon the first day of the week when the disciples came together to break bread Paul preached unto them what day was it that the disciples were meeting on a Saturday no on the first day of the week so we have mark 16:9 Jesus rising on a Sunday we have John chapter 20 of her 19 the disciples meeting together on Sunday and here we have Paul after having gone all over the world preaching meeting together on a Sunday that shows me a long history and a long tradition of the disciples of Jesus Christ and the followers of Paul meeting on the first day of the week Sunday not on Saturday so it is incredible and it is disgusting that there should exist in this world a denomination that tries to tell you that in the sin to go to church on a Sunday and lie to you and say Sunday worship well that's started with in 300 years after Jesus what no one ever did that in the Bible they are lying to you and if you are a seventh-day Adventist you need to get out of that because that's a cult the Bible it's tell itself teaches Sunday worship it's not something that the hundreds of years later that someone came up with it's really sad that people would lie and say such a thing go to 1st Corinthians chapter 16 verse 2 here's yet another example the Apostle Paul has been setting up churches wherever he goes and he's getting the churches to meet on Sunday and look what he sells them to do 1st Corinthians chapter 16 verse 2 upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store as God improper him and there be no gatherings when I come so Paul's telling them you you guys take up an offering every time you meet the first day of the week then when I come I'll just preach and we won't take up an offering because you've already took it up those other times that you've already met so the Apostle Paul in the early apostles met on Sunday don't let anyone tell you otherwise because that's what the Bible teaches that's why I am a Bible believer and I am a follower of the scriptures I'm not a follower of what some man says or some denomination says whenever some denomination says this that or the other thing I say well I want to know if that's true and I look in the Bible guess what I found out Seventh day Adventists are liars they lie to you when they tell you that Sunday worship without didn't start until 300 something years after Jesus whether the Catholic Church implemented that the Pope declared you must be on Sunday who cares what the Pope says what does the Bible say look clearly the scriptures show from the time of Christ to the time of Paul to the time of today true believers meeting on a Sunday ok take it or leave it but there it is so clearly church on Sunday is biblical it's not Roman it's not mark of the beast it's not sin to go to church on Sunday to meet together with other believers on Sunday it's biblical and it's in the Bible so let me read it yet once more Acts chapter 20 and verse 7 and upon the first day of the week when the disciples came together to break bread Paul preached unto them ready to part of the morrow and continued his speech until midnight so Paul is preaching on the first day of the week Paul is preaching on a Sunday he's a Sunday preacher so he's preaching to them on a Sunday verse 8 and there were many lights in the upper chamber where they were gathered together now he continued his speech until midnight so I don't know what time he started preaching to them but whatever time it was he preached till midnight so Paul was long-winded kind of like this guy Robert breaker I know when I preach a sermon it's about an hour long that's the biggest thing that people have against me they say brother breaker you preach too long well I hear that from some people but you know what everybody else says brother breaker you preach an hour message and it goes by like that because you're not boring you just give scripture and you give more and you just keep being Thrall because I want to learn more of what you're selling and you're showing the Bible and in I've had people tell me brother breaker it's not long enough well it's long enough for me I wish I could preach 35 to 45 minutes because boy I'm getting older and it's getting hard to continue preaching for an hour at a time and what we're doing in our verse-by-verse Bible study usually these are about an hour long because this is a teaching setting you know if you went to college or someplace well usually a class is about an hour long so I'm trying to do these teachings as an hour but when it comes to preaching boy I sure would like to to not preach as long so I'm going to try to start working on that and having a shorter sermons than an hour but I'll do the best I can but here Paul is preaching and he's pretty so long-winded that he goes for hours on end and he's still preaching at about midnight now I think that's interesting I've read a lot of books about the Middle Ages and 15/16 1700s and preachers and I find it amazing there was a preacher in Spain in the 1500s and he would preach eight hours long he would go into a church open his Bible and he would speak for eight hours people would come in listen a little I'll leave on so I look at guys like that and I go man I'm not long-winded at all that's a long-winded preacher so I don't know how long when did Paul preached and how long he was he he precious till midnight all right did he start at 9:00 o'clock that he preached three hours did he start at noon was he going 12 hour I don't know but he's preaching way late into the evening trying to share and give all that he can to these brothers in Christ on Sunday and what happens there are many lights of the upper chamber where they were gathered together now verse nine and they're set it in a window a certain young man named eutychus being fallen into a deep sleep and his PO was long preaching he sucked down with sleep and fell down from the third loft that was taken up dead so he's sitting in a third story window and he's listening to Paul and I'm sure when Paul started he was going to every man brother hey you're mine brother and as the hours went on I remember he was sitting there and he's in the third storey window and he started to slouch down he fell into a deep sleep and he should it's midnight and he fell backwards out that window three stories 30 feet boom straight down and he hit the bottom now here's what happens now can you imagine that would put a damper on the meeting wouldn't it can you imagine people probably would have gone you should have shut up two hours ago Paul look you killed this guy I mean you know usually in churches if you go to church they usually do not preach more than an hour most churches today they don't even preach now the preacher preaches a 45-minute message sometimes thirty minutes sadly some churches they don't care about the message the preacher preaches what they call a sermonette like 15 20 minutes I don't like that I knew a church in Texas where every week the pastor preached two hours long and he was and it was stuff that you wanted to hear and you were enthralled yeah brother more right man in it so it all depends on what the man saying and what he's teaching and so he stops in to preach a long time but Paul preached so long this guy falls out three-story window and falls down to the bottom so what happens first in it and Paul went down and fell on him and embracing him said trouble not yourselves for his life is in him now question is did he die or did they think he was dead but he wasn't well this happens in the time of Peter this happens in the Old Testament there's things like this where even Jesus they come in and Jesus says don't cry he's not dead and the people laughed him to scorn it says because Jesus went in when there was a dead person he goes now they're not dead so was this person you two kiss actually dead we don't know he might have died he might not quite have died but it sounds like this is a miracle so to me it looks like he was dead and that this is a miracle that Paul brought him back to life because look at verse 12 and they brought the young man alive and were not a little comforted why would he they be comforted because he's alive why because they saw that he was dead so when Paul says his life is still in him he's saying hey look he's not dead yet because God's given me the power to bring him back to life so is this him being him back to life I don't know you can look at this two ways it's a miracle God brought the man back to life resurrected from the dead or it's a miracle that the guy he was still alive but probably had a broken neck or something and Paul God used Paul to heal him and now he's he's fine he doesn't have a broken neck I don't know you can look at this either way so both went down following him and break him said trouble not yourselves for his life is in him when he therefore was come up again and had broken bread and eaten and talked a long while till even to a break of day so he departed so even after this it's midnight they spoke until break and XO another six hours they set there and talked because that brought the meaning back to life and the old joke here and oh please excuse me this isn't that funny although it kind of is is the name of the fella his name is Eutychus and one old preacher said you dicussed too if you'd fell out a window I thought that was a funny joke here to custody fight off the window I don't know if unica's cussed when he fell out the window I hope he did not but he certainly had some pain and he certainly had some problems but thank God he was brought alive and it looks like whatever was wrong he was fine and they continue talking and praising the Lord for that now verse 13 and when we were went before to ship and sailed unto ass a sauce there intending to take in Paul for so had he appointed minding himself to go afoot so here's a sauce and there a troy ass so they went in a boat around this way and Paul said I'm gonna walk and I'll meet you there so Paul just wanted to walk now then verse 14 and when he met with us at a sauce we took him in and came to Mitylene here's Medellin e or meet the middie lien maybe some of these words you know Mitylene it's all pronounce it I don't that's correct or not and so they came to middle E and we sailed thence it came the next day over against chioce and the next day we were drive dat's a MOS and terra de tro Gilliam and the next day came we to my leadest so you've got these other little places that must be around here I couldn't find them on a map somewhere so there must be real tiny little towns that they're going along and they're just kind of hopping along from town to town and ships till they come to my lead us and so this is just things that they're doing now I've got to say this man I love sailing man I love boats man I love ships man I love water when you grow up by the water it's in you for life we have a saying down here in Pensacola that if you know if you were raised in this area you have salt water in your veins because you you're raised next to water and I grew up next to this Bay since I was two years old here in this home I remember three four or five year old I would leave I walk out there and go swimming all by myself and my mom used to say all I always watched you and she used to watch me from the porch but who lets a little 3 4 or 5 year old kid go swimming my mom said I was like a fish to water I would swim all the time so I was in that salt water all the time from age three four five all the way up to you know 14 15 and then even after that so I love salt water I love boats I love swimming I love fishing I have a little 13 foot sailboat that my mom gave me a little sunfish I'd love to take it out of course I only get it out maybe once or twice a year I wish I could take it out more often so I like boats I like these kind of things I wish I could afford a boat someone gave us a boat and now it's broken so we're just like well whatever if you let us fix it we'll use it if not well it'll sit there for a while we'll see what happens but I like water and so I can just I look at this and and I just say man I wish I could have been there during that time what man I wish I could have gone with Paul and going on these ships in these places and see they say some of the most beautiful place in the world is the islands of Greece as you sail and you look at these beautiful Paul had it made man what a beautiful life to be able to travel by boat and go all these places and tell people about Jesus so I look at that in and I can't help but say it I'm a little jealous of Paul I mean I wish sometimes that I could have done that as well that he did there were a couple times in Honduras when I got to do that and I've got to go to the northern coast of Honduras and take a boat out to the islands and preach out there but you know most of the time I was stuck up in the mountains preaching and usually when you're a water person you you get in the mountains and you're just kind of like oh I wish I was back around the water so anyway I just I look at this and I just say what an amazing life the Apostle Paul had and these men traveling with him what an amazing thing to be able to go on boats and travel around like that that would be so fun so here we go verse 16 for Paul had determined to sail by Ephesus because he would not spend the time in Asia for he hasted if it were possible for him to be at Jerusalem the day of Pentecost so they are here in my Letus it's also I think my Letus is also my ledum I'm not sure about that but I'm pretty sure sounds like the same place my Letus might lead him same place so Paul is wanting to go from my latest sail over here and get to Jerusalem and there's some reason that he wanted to go there on the feast of Pentecost what could that reason be I don't know this is taking place around 60 ad now Paul would have known his Bible and Paul would have known that they postpone the kingdom and that the Messiah was rejected so Paul's out there getting people saved but was Paul on the back of his mind thinking now if the rapture comes what if it were to come on his feast day so I've always wondered if Paul wasn't thinking I wonder if the Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came down like that's not when the Holy Spirit goes up and so Paul's thinking and this is 68d and well this would be a great time for Jesus to come back so man if I'm there in Jerusalem and the rapture takes place they see that then they'll believe some I don't know what he was thinking it's possibility so Paul is thinking I want to go back to Jerusalem and I want to preach to the Jews so verse 17 and from my leadeth he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church and when they were come to him he said it to them you know from the first day that I came into Asia after what manner I have been with you at all seasons so here's here's what's taking place now verse 18 to verse 35 is a speech given by Paul he called all these people from Ephesus to come down to my Letus so that's not going to be too far away come on down here in verse 18 to verse 35 sounds like Paul is giving a speech to these people in which it sounds like Paul's saying look my end is near I think I'm going to die and I just want to let you know these things because I'm pretty sure I'll never see you again now why would Paul talk like that matter-of-fact look at what he says in verse 38 sorry most of all for the words which he spake that they should see his face no more and they accompany him into the ship so Paul is telling these people when he's gonna tell them to verse 18 35 and Paul says look you'll probably never see me again because my intention is to go to Jerusalem and Paul is thinking when I go there those Jews that hate me so much they're probably gonna kill me and what we're gonna see when we get to the next chapter is that as Paul is traveling he's told repeatedly time and again time and again by other believers don't go Jerusalem Paul don't go to Jerusalem Paul don't go to Jerusalem and Paul says I'm gonna do it anyway and literally the Holy Spirit of God speaks through one of the prophets that says don't do it and Paul basically just says to God I'm gonna do what I want to do anyway so this is a time in the ministry of Paul where Paul does something wrong yes there was a time in Paul's ministry when he disobeyed God this is it we're gonna get there in the next chapter or two and he disobeys God by going to Jerusalem why Paul did that I don't know we've already read a passage where Paul says he wants to go to Rome what Paul should have done right there is turn around and went straight that way to Rome and start preaching over there but he didn't he says I want to go back I want to go back he was eventually gonna go to Rome but he did the wrong thing by going back and when he did get to Rome he was put in Chains and he ended up going in Chains to Rome rather than going as a free man he's gone to Rome in Chains so this is what I see is Paul doing something that God told him not to do and I I've always wondered why Paul did it the only answer that I can come to is that he loved his people so much the Jews that he wanted to tell them one more time how to be safe and I can understand that but you should never disobey God as much as you want to see your people saved I always thought God could have used them even more had he just gone to Rome then but no he wanted to go back for some reason and again we don't know exactly what the reason was we really don't we're not told all we know is that stubborn Paul and God in his mind I'm gonna do this no matter what and I don't care what God said to do I'm going to Jerusalem to preach to those people and this is where we we can't fault Paul I mean he did a lot of good in his life and maybe his heart was pure in his motive was I love him enough I want to tell him the truth one more time but he should have followed the Lord so from verse 18 all the way down to verse 35 Paul is telling these people in Ephesus all the believers this is what I want you to know and it's almost like he's saying and I don't ever expect to see you ever again I'm probably gonna die is what he's thinking that the Jews will crucify me just like they crucify Jesus and that's fine I'm ready to die because I love Jesus so much so he said I want you to know these things because I'm leaving and I'm going here and I don't know what's gonna happen to me so I think that in Paul's mind he's going on a suicide mission and he's thinking one more big last hoorah preaching the gospel to the place that wants to kill me to the Jews that hate me and want me dead so let's see what does Paul say to these elders that come together verse 18 and when they were come to him he said unto them you know from the first day that I am that I came into Asia after what matter I have been with you at all seasons Paul says look I'm telling you about my life and you know what I was like go to second Corinthians 4:2 Paul says look my life is an open book people that knew me knew who I was or where I came from what was he Paul was a man who used to kill Christians but he got saved and when he got saved he really got safe and he went out and tried to tell everybody I was wrong Jesus is it and you're saved by trusting in what Jesus did trusting that blood atonement so let's see second Corinthians chapter four verse one what does it say well verse two yeah well first wanted to therefore seeing we have this ministry as we have received mercy we faint not but have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty not walking in craftiness nor handling the Word of God deceitfully but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God Paul says look I was not a dishonest man I was honest I took the Word of God and I gave you what the Bible said and I said now look at me follow your conscience so Paul was an honest man telling people the truth and so he says there when I came unto you and Asia well after what manner I've been with you at all seasons he says you know what I am Who I am what I'm all about then he says in verse 19 serving the Lord with all humility of mind and with many tears and temptations which be failed me by the lying in of wait of the Jews so Paul says look when I serve the Lord I serve them I humility of mind many tears I cried often I was tempted often but I did what I did is a humble man of God serving God if Paul tells us more about that in first Corinthians chapter 2 so turn now turn over to second correct first corinthians chapter 2 and in 1st corinthians chapter 2 verse 1 through 4 paul tells us more about his ministry and his preaching 1st corinthians 2 1 my brother when i came to you came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom declaring unto you the testimony of God for I determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified and I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling in my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power so Paul says when I came unto you I didn't come in listen to me I have a great speaker listen to the way that I talk I have learned in Bible school to speak in such a way that people would listen to the way that I already I words no no Paul came and says look the Bible says about about about about the body and this is knit and he just said look I'm not exalting myself trying to make myself into something I just came to you as a humble man saying this is what the Bible says take it or leave it so Paul was a humble honest man who went everywhere he went trying to tell people truth because he loved them and he says he served with humility of mind tears and temptations all knowing that the Jews were lying in wait to kill him now verse 20 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 this is Acts chapter 20 and verse 20 I always thought this is funny acts 20:20 you know if you have perfect vision they say you have 20/20 vision I've heard this passage preached by many pastors saying 20/20 vision X 20/20 and they say the vision that God would have for us as Christians is that we would do this we teach the Word of God publicly and from house to house so we go knock on doors and tell people about Jesus and then publicly we preach the Word of God that's the vision 20/20 vision of Christiaan well okay so a lot of churches what they do is they they have public service that people come and listen and then the churches they get out on the weekend they knock on doors and invite people to church and tell them the gospel nothing wrong with that that's great nothing wrong with that now verse 21 testifying both to the Jews and also to the Greeks the Greeks other Gentiles repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ so Paul tells us here's what I did I went publicly and from house to house and I testified what does the testify what's to tell what you know and he said I would tell them repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ so he was preaching salvation by faith now he uses the word repentance there are people out there today that think that repentance is a work you got to watch out for that Paul tells us that salvation is not of works lest any man should boast what does the word repentance mean well the word repentance has several definitions repentance means change your mind it also can mean feel sorry for something it also can mean change direction now there are people out there that say repent means quit sitting that's not one of the definitions of repentance so what people will do they'll say repent means quit sitting so you quit sinning and then you believe well now you have made salvation into faith and works because you're telling someone there's a work they have to do in order to believe and be safe well that goes against all of Paul's writings in which he says we're saved by grace through faith and that not of works it's the gift of God not of works lest any man should boast so repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ what does repentance mean what is he what is he saying repentance toward God well whatever he's going around preaching to Gentiles and he's telling them repent what is he saying what is he saying repent of idols so change direction from idols to God so in order to get saved a pagan needs to turn from his false idols change and turn to the true God and then believe in that God that's what you say I they try to make repentance such a hard thing what is first Thessalonians 1:9 say let's go to first Thessalonians 1:9 and I just get sad to hear people take a word repentance and try to make it into a work and then try to make a works gospel my old pastor Peter ruckman used to say a lot of people like talk know he used to talk like this whole lot of people like to talk about repentance and they are talking around repairs in our van today for as I read these people try to make my penance into something eat you do to get safe he said let me tell you the fracture and I love listening to how he talked and he said in class one time I remember dr. workman saying the van angelical salvation is repentance rukmi said it like this he says if you got saved you have repented because you turned and change direction from Hell to heaven your mind has been changed from unbelief to belief if you are saved by faith that you have repented that's what he said it makes sense it's not oh I got to do this separate thing and then I can go and believe it be saved when you believe you've repented you've turned from Hell to heaven from idols to God you you're saved because you've changed from unbelief so don't make repentance something that you've got to do and make it into some work repentance is it or work it's when we believe repentance took place it's sad that people changed repentance to define it as oh you got to quit sinning so if you come to the point where you're quit sitting then you can get saved that doesn't make sense that's called lordship salvation and that's wrong first Thessalonians 1:9 says for they themselves show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you and how you turn from or to God how you turn to God from idols to serve the true the living and true God so repentance is preaching this now Paul preaches repentance again later acts 26:19 look at acts 26 and verse 19 and 20 well yeah we're we're a pond Oh King Agrippa I was not disobedient to the heavenly envisioned but showed first unto them of Damascus and at all Jerusalem throughout all the coasts of Judea that and then to the Gentiles that they should repent and turn to God and do works meet for repentance alright repent and turn to a new works meet for repentance all right what do you think he's talking about here when he says repent well let's back up and let's look at verse 16 17 and 18 16 but rise and stand upon thy feet for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose to make the administer and a witness both of these things which thou has seen of those things into which I will appear unto thee deliver Li from the people delivering thee from the people and from the Gentiles up to whom I send thee to open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God that they may receive forgiveness of sins inherence among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me so it defines what repentance is turning from idols to God from Satan idol worship idol worship we saw last time was worshiping Devils from darkness to light so when we turn to the gospel and from unbelief to belief then we've turned to the light the light of the gospel and that's what we're safe and they say yeah but it says it do works meet for repentance after you're saved you can do works but the works themselves do not save you nor do they keep you safe we're saved by faith alone there's lots of verses like that a lot of people will go overboard with repentance so let's look at Acts 1450 you got to watch out for that Acts 1450 and saying serves what do you why do you these things we all serve end up like passions with you and preach unto you that she should turn from these vanities into the Living God which made heaven and earth and seeing all things that are then therein here's your repentance turning from idols to God from darkness to light from Satan to God that's repentance let's see second Corinthians 12 verse 20 so a lot of people say Robert breaker you don't make a big deal out of repentance I go no I don't other people say you're wrong Robert breaker you don't preach repentance enough so you're a heretic no you go to an extreme preaching repentance salvation is by faith if you believe you have repented so why go to an extreme and confuse the center into thinking they have to sending to get safe if that's what they think that they're gonna always think they're saved by their works let's explain let's define look works don't save you now after you're safe live for God do good works after you're safe but not to get saved so you Corinthians 1224 I fear less when I come I shall not find you such as I would and that I shall be found unto you such as you would not less there be debates envyings wraths strifes backbiting whisperings swellings and Timlin soul - molds and that's why I come again my god will humble me among you that I shall bewail many which have sinned already and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed you can repent after you're saved repentance is feeling sorry for your sin alright I repent every day whatever I say it's a change of mind it's also change of directions repentance isn't sinning and not sinning repentance is how you understand and see things so a lot of people will take the word repent and they'll say accept your repent you shall all likewise perish and they try to say except you quit setting you'll go to hell and they try to make repentance into a work you've got to be careful of people that will twist the word repentance and force it into a works doctrine if you make salvation works and faith then that's not salvation that's saying what Jesus did on the cross isn't enough I've got to do something - but Paul tells us that his gospel is turn from idols and come to the true God and believe in his blood atonement and then your sins are washed away and then after you've trusted that God then serve him of your heart and the more you look at God and what he's done for you the more sorry you feel for your sin so I just want to throw that out there a lot of people that'll twist repentance and turn it into a faith and works gospel and you got to be careful so what does it say here verse 21 testifying both to the Jews and also the Greeks repentance toward God what does that mean turn to God choose you forsook God you've rejected your Messiah Gentiles you don't have the true God you've got an idol so turn to God and then believe in him that's what repentance toward God means turn to God come to him for salvation and believe faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ it's not saying quit sinning and then put your faith in Jesus Christ that would be a faith plus works gospel and that's not what it's saying so I don't have a problem with the word repentance in the Bible I preach repentance but I preach it correctly and I don't go to an extreme with it see some people go on extreme and say don't ever preach repentance other people go to extreme and say you must repent before you can even get saved well what is the what is the right way to preach repentance in context turn from false gods to the true God turn from idols and then believe and you'll be saved it's that simple it's not a works thing it's by faith that we're safe so anyway verse 22 and now behold I go into the spirit and to Jerusalem I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem not knowing the things that shall follow me there so Paul somehow already knows that he's going to be bound it's an interesting thing he says I go bound in the spirit what does it mean being bound in the spirit he's physically going to be in bonds when he comes out so Paul must have known there was some things can happen to him or befall him in Jerusalem but he decided I'm gonna go there anyway and we find out in the next chapter the Holy Spirit says don't do it he says I'm gonna do it I've got to go anyway and he does now verse 23 say that the Holy Ghost witnesses in every city saying that the bonds and afflictions abide me so already the Holy Spirit is is saying Paul don't do this don't do this it sounds like now verse 24 and none of these things move me neither count I my life dear unto myself so that I might finish my course with joy in the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus to testify the gospel of the grace of God Paul says look I'm ready to die for Jesus I know the Jews hate me I know the Jews want to kill me I don't care I want to go right into the middle of the Jews and give them the gospel one more time now why would he want to do that well we've talked about already the WHO versus what if salvation and when Paul was in Jerusalem before he really put the emphasis on who Jesus was maybe wants to return and give more emphasis on what Jesus did maybe that's what Paul is thinking is look I've already given him this message but I need to tell him more about the blood atonement of Christ and maybe they'll believe maybe that's what he was thinking I don't know but there was some reason that Paul said my life means nothing to me what's the most important thing to me is taking to those Jews the gospel of salvation because I wanted to hear it well someone would say yeah but they already heard it well did they or did they all they hear was the new message not the what message that's the question and he calls it here the gospel of the grace of God what is that gospel first Corinthians 15 one through four this is the gospel that Paul preaches of how we're saved by grace through faith in the blood of Christ Romans three through five and three twenty five through faith in his blood and it's how that Christ died for our sins corn scriptures that he was buried and rose again the third day according to the scriptures now verse 25 and now behold I have or I know that she all among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God shall see my face no more Paul saying look I don't think I'll ever see you again Paul had made peace with the fact that he knew that if he went to Jerusalem he'd probably be killed he says I'm willing to go anyway even if they kill me I'll probably never see any of you people ever again so I want you to know that I love you and I told you the truth and he taught them about the kingdom of God what does the kingdom of God will look up Romans 14:17 he who God is not meat and drink but righteousness joy and peace and the Holy Ghost is the spiritual Kingdom that when were saved we have the Holy Spirit God dwelling inside of us so that was the part of the preaching that Paul was preaching is that you're born again of the Spirit and they have the Holy Spirit inside of you you're part of the body of Christ now verse 26 wherefore I take you to record this day that I'm pure from the blood of all men so Paul says look I don't have anyone's blood on my hands that I forgot to witness to Paul saying in my mind I went everywhere I could possibly go with the gospel so I feel like I've done the best I could to preach and to teach the true God and the true way of salvation verse 27 for I have not shunned and declare unto you all the counsel of God so he says I declare unto you all the counsel of God he preached the who message the what message he preached about the who what when where why how and which of everything that's taking place Paul taught them everything he knew if you know the Bible there are seven mysteries that got revealed on Nepal so he would have been teaching those mysteries as well now verse 28 is one of the most amazing verses in the entire Bible one of most important verses in the entire Bible and when you know it a verse that new versions mess with because this verse clearly teaches that Jesus Christ is God one of the greatest verses on the deity of Christ and new versions of the Bible they attack the deity of Christ by messing with this verse this verse says Paul is speaking to these elders which would be preachers take heed therefore unto yourselves and to all the flock over which the holy go that made you overseers all right the Holy Ghost is within them and they were preachers of different congregations if you will and Holy Ghost that made them overseers pastors and he says to feed the Church of God which he hath purchased with his own blood now look at the end see dn't of his the antecedent of the word his his own blood whose blood God's blood the Church of God which he has purchased with his own blood who purchased the church God who shed their blood on Calvary Jesus so what he is saying right there the Apostle Paul is saying that Jesus is God you know what new versions of the Bible do they change the word God to Lord and it says feed the Church of the Lord which he hath purchased with his own blood yea the Lord he purchased the church Jesus is the Lord but that doesn't say Jesus is God you see how much more strong it is when you use the word God which by the way is the correct word Jesus is God that blood that was shed right here on the cross of Calvary that is the blood of God himself that's God's blood God loved me so much that God died for my sins my God died for me and shed his blood for me that is one of the most powerful verses in the whole Bible and don't you know people hate that I still to this day get emails from people saying Robert breaker you're such an idiot you you fool Jesus isn't God and this is usually one of the verses this and several others that I send back to him to say now who's the fool now how could you say such an outlandish crazy statement and try to tell me that Jesus Christ isn't God when the Bible says that God shed his blood for what what did the blood do which he hath purchased God's blood purchases me it purchased me purchased the church and I'm part of the church I am purchased by the blood of God himself don't you dare tell me that it's not God's blood and Jesus Christ isn't God He is God you said can you prove that in the Bible sure unless you have a different version unless you have a different version it's kind of hard for me to prove that but if you have a King James Bible I can prove it you see new versions the Bible they like to take out verses that speak about Christ being God for example first Timothy 3:16 first time in 316 says and without controversy great is the mystery of godliness God was manifest in the flesh while you go to a new version the Bible says he was manifest who's he no no no the Greek every Greek text says God you said well there's one that doesn't yeah the one that doesn't when it says God they erased the little line in the theta and they changed it to he but you can still see where the line was there and it was the word God someone's messing with the Bible text trying to take out the fact that Jesus is God who would do that a devil a devil would do that Bible clearly says that Jesus Christ is God what did Timothy say when he saw Jesus Christ risen from the dead he says my Lord and my god what does the Bible say in 1st John 5 and verse 20 first John 5:20 and we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding that we may know him that is true and we are in him that is true even in his son Jesus Christ this is the true God and eternal life who Jesus Christ you say yeah but he's the son he's the son and he is God there's God the Father God the Son God the Holy Spirit these three are one one God three persons but one God so he is God Jesus Christ is God manifest in the flesh you go to Matthew what is it Matthew saying his name shall be called Emmanuel be interpreting being interpreted is God with us you must believe that Jesus Christ is God because that's what the Bible teaches and it's so sad so sad that we have denominations out there that claim to be Christians and they run around saying Jesus isn't God Jesus isn't God and the Bible says no he's God and He is God shed his blood on the cross to purchase me I'm purchased through the blood of God himself what a blessing so back to verse 28 and he says take heed therefore unto yourselves to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost that made you overseers to feed the Church of God which he had purchased with his own blood Jesus's blood so Jesus is God Jesus shed God's blood because Jesus is God now what is Paul saying next the next part that Paul says is a real bummer it's kind of sad because the first 29 he says for I know this that after my departing shall Grievous wolves enter in among you not sparing the flock verse 30 also of your own selves shall men arise speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them so Paul says look when I leave there's gonna be bad men evil men wolves in sheep's clothing perverse speakers going to come in and they're gonna take away from the church men don't get to follow after them rather than following me and following you and following the scripture and following Jesus so verse 31 says therefore watch and remember that the by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one day and night with tears and now brother I commend you to God and to the word of His grace which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified so the Apostle Paul says look I'm praying for you three years I prayed for you and cried over you and I still know there's gonna be people are gonna be deceived so Paul did his absolute best to get them rooted and grounded in the faith but he says but there's still gonna be some bad men come in and mess up doctrine and we do see in the Bible some men that come in and they they do evil things and say things they should and I'll have time to take you to those verses let me go ahead and finish this up and look at what Paul says in verse 33 no no no let me go back to verse 32 which is able to build you up build you up the Ministry of Paul was building up men he wanted to build men up that is edifying edifying people Paul's ministry was all about teach the Bible to edify people so that they may be built up in the faith and they may learn we live in a day and age today when people don't understand what a true Christian is a true Christian is someone that's supposed to edify supposed to teach the Bible so that other people can grow in the knowledge of the Grace and how to be saved and grow as Christians today what we see is people who claim to be Christians and they're these wolfs they're these evil speakers they speak perverse things and all they do is they attack and they ridicule and they put down they make fun of and they laugh at their not edifying they're trying to tear down other believers in Christ they are the ones that Paul warned of do I need to tell you who they are probably not on YouTube it's very bad very bad about that on YouTube they're men that come out say I'm a King James Bible believer and they have their YouTube channel and all they do is put down other Christians and all they do is talk bad about other people maybe some of the people they're talking bad about aren't even saved I don't know but I look at that and I say well that's a waste of time because that doesn't edify anybody so I'm not gonna be like that I'm gonna try to follow Paul and my designer is to build people up and help them and try to show them the whole Council of God like Paul says and instruct them and what the Bible teaches I want to be a Bible teacher that edifies and builds men up in the faith not tries to tear people down I don't want to be that wolf so anyway back to this year verse 23 I've coveted no man's silver or gold or apparel Paul says I don't do what I do for money I don't preach for money people say we're brother breaker your mum your videos are monetized you only care about money do you know how little that brings in whoo I mean if I was doing this for money I'm in the wrong business there's a lot more ways to make a lot more money no I'm not doing this for money or gold or silver or apparel I'm doing this so I can see people saved I want to take people to heaven with me it's not about the money it's nice to get something if someone sends me a you know something I say thank you Jesus well we can eat today amen but it's not about the money for me it's about doing what God said to do and following Jesus Christ verse 34 yeah you yourselves know that these hands have ministered unto my necessities and to them that were with me so Paul worked he worked verse 35 I showed you all things how that's so laboring you ought to support the weak and to remember the words of alergies is how he said is more blessed to give than to receive now notice what he says Paul says as far as I'm concerned the thing of the Christian should do is build up others and edify them and to support the weak you don't go around laying blasted and put down and lying about people and same things that aren't nice and being mean and hateful and tearing people down Paul tells us speak evil of no man you're supposed to be there for other Christians it's more blessed to give than to receive help other Christians instead of putting them down I just find it so sad nowadays people that claim to be Bible believers devote their time and just being Wolfe's what does the wolf do a wolf chases you bites at your heels he growls and what does the wolf do what he tries to eat you and attacks you God did not call me to be a wolf so you won't see me on YouTube go around saying well this guy he's never and that guy no I'm not gonna bark at them I'm gonna give the scripture and try to build people up and edify not try to attack them and tear them down first he said 36 what he had thus spoken he kneeled down and prayed with them all and they all wept sword fell on Paul's neck and kissed him verse 38 souring most of all for the words which he spake that they should see his face no more and they accompanied him unto the ship so they get on the ship right here and he's bound for over here somewhere going down to Jerusalem and they were so sad and Paul is speaking this thinking and it is mine this is going to be the last speech that I ever give to these people because in the back of his mind Paul's literally thinking I'm gonna be killed when I go here that's what Paul thought well did he get killed well no there's another eight chapters so if seven chapters named after who chapter 21 all the way to chapter 28 more about what happens with Paul and what happens with Paul is he goes from Jerusalem to Rome in Chains and he goes there because he should not have gone back to Jerusalem he should have gone directly to Rome and started preaching there - it seemed more revival I mean look at the revival that he's already seen but Paul says I don't care anymore I want to go back to my people and tell them what I've been telling all of you and that's what his goal was so there we go that's Acts chapter 20 we'll start next time in Acts chapter 21 I hope that was a blessing I hope you see Paul Paul had a great heart for people and he really cared about people and I appreciate the Apostle Paul and I want to be like him I want to love people and care about them too well there it is we'll see you next time god bless

Channel: Robert Breaker

Views: 8,109

Rating: 4.7725754 out of 5

Keywords: Acts, Bible Study, Acts of the Apostles, Verse by Verse Bible Study, King James Bible

Id: Lpyh7IeIh2g

Length: 63min 13sec (3793 seconds)

Published: Mon Feb 04 2019