How God takes care of His own (Acts 23:12-35)
Dennis Kreiss, March 7, 2020Part of the Acts - The Spreading Flame series, preached for Growing Together Radio
How God takes care of His own
Acts 23:12-35
Heart of the matter
Difficulties are an expected intrusion in life. But extraordinary problems cause intense introspection. When things are bad we tend to question ourselves: "Maybe I'm doing something wrong! Maybe I made the wrong decision!" Sometimes problems look like obstacles to God's plan when really they are just the Master's way of moving us to where He wants us to be.
Background of the book
Paul is imprisoned. The situation is volatile. The commander has a riot he must account for and he still is uncertain as to why Paul was being beaten. He called for an inquest which ended in disaster, endangering his prisoner. To top it off, Paul is a Roman citizen and the commander is still unnerved about violating his rights. Unexpectedly news comes to him of an impending assassination attempt! It sure seems like things have gone wrong for Paul since he came to Jerusalem! Perhaps he was mistaken in coming!
Teaching Points
Sometimes life conspires against us 12-15
More than 40 men conspired to kill Paul
The assassins were probably from a faction called _________
They believed __________ was the way to make wrongs right
When you are serving Jesus Christ, Expect personal attacks
Those attacks may take many forms… __________________
In the darkest night God sends a light 16-21
God always has his man or his woman in place at the neediest hour
In the Old Testament it was Esther (Esther 4:15-16)
Who knows if you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"
Paul’s sister’s son ___________ a great deal to expose the plot
Paul's Nephew may even have been a zealot himself
He had a _______________ knowledge of the plot
God always provides light hope and direction
Even Troubles are God's way of guiding us 22-35
400 infantry and 70 horseman = _______ to 1 in Paul’s favor
Paul quickly made it to Caesarea, named after Caesar himself
Acts 23:11 the promise - you must also bear witness at _____
God decided that the journey to Rome trip needed a jump-start
Man may plot his plans but God always uses them for his purposes
The Bottom Line
No matter how dark the situation you find yourself in, trust God's guidance; trust God's providence. As servants of the Most High God he has plans for us and no conspiracy of the enemy, no circumstance of life will be able to thwart His agenda. So ease up. Relax a little. Allow the labored breathing and the anxious beating of the heart to slow. What appears to be our downfall will eventually result in our victory and God's glory.
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