Jesus in His Church - Paul..

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com. That's cornerstonerbc.com. Acts chapter 21. Let's read, brothers and sisters, together paying much attention to each one of the words.

Acts 21. And when we had parted from them and set sail, we came by a straight course to Kos, and the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patra. And having found a ship cruising to Phoenicia, we went aboard and set sail. When we had come inside of Cyprus, leaving it on the left, we sailed to Syria and landed at Tyre. But there the ship was to unload its cargo.

And having sought out the disciples, we stayed there for seven days. And through their spirit, they were telling Paul not to go onto Jerusalem. When our days were ended, we departed and went on our journey, and they all, with wives and children, accompanied us until we were outside the city. And kneeling down on the beach, we prayed and said farewell to one another. Then we went on board the ship, and they returned home.

And when we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais, and we greeted the brothers and stayed with them for one day. On the next day, we departed and came to Caesarea, and we entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven and stayed with him. He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied. While we were staying for many days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. And coming to us, he took Paul's belt and bound his own feet and hands and said, That says the Holy Spirit.

This is how the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles. When we heard this, we and the people there urged him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned, but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. And since he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said, let the will of the Lord be done.

After these days, we got ready and went up to Jerusalem. And some of the disciples from Caesarea went with us, bringing us to the house of Nazan of Cyprus, an early disciple with whom we should lodge. When we had come to Jerusalem, the brothers received us gladly. On the following day, Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present. After greeting them, he related one by one the things that God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.

And when they heard it, they glorified God. And they said to him, You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have belief. They are all zealous for the law. And they have been told about you that you teach all the Jews who are Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children and walk according to our customs. What then is to be done?

They will certainly hear that you have come. Do therefore what we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow. Take these men and purify yourself along with them and pay their expenses so that they may shave their heads. Thus all will know that there is nothing in what they have been told about you, but that you yourself also live in observance of the law.

But as for the Gentiles, he had believed, we have sent a letter with a judgment that they should abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what has been strangled and from sexual immorality. Then Paul took the men, and the next day he purified himself along with them and went into the temple, giving notice when the days of purification would be fulfilled and the offering presented for each one of them. When the seven days were almost completed, the Jews from Asia, seeing him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd and laid hands on him, crying out, Men of Israel, help! This is the man who is teaching everyone, everywhere, against the people and the law and this place. Moreover, he even brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.

But they had previously seen Throfimus defeated with him in the city, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple. Then all the city was stirred up, and the people ran together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple, and at once the gates were shut. And as they were seeking to kill him, word came to the Tribune of the Qohur that old Jerusalem was in confusion. He at once took soldiers and centurions and ran down to them.

And when they saw the Tribune and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. When the Tribune came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains, he inquired who he was and what he had done. Some in the crowd were shouting one thing, some another. And as he could not learn the facts because of the uproar, he ordered him to be brought into the barracks. And when he came to the steps, he was actually carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the crowd.

For the mob of the people followed, crying out, away with him. As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he said to the tribune, may I say something to you? And he said, do you know Greek? Are you not the Egyptian then who recently stirred up a revolt and led the 4000 men of the assassins out into the wilderness? Paul replied, I am a Jew from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no obscure city.

I beg you, permit me to speak to the people. And when he had given him permission, Paul is standing on the steps mentioned with his hand to the people. And when there was a great hush, he addressed them in the Hebrew language saying, amen, that is the word of God. A very difficult place to end a chapter, right? And the ending of the chapters is not in the scriptures, this is manmade.

And so just because of the difficulty of that breaking there, perhaps I will mention 37 and onwards, but perhaps we will address that more into chapter 22. I think it belongs to chapter 22 more accurately. But beloved of Christ, we're doing chapter 21, and we are approaching to the end of this book of Acts of the witnessing of the glorious Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior, through the disciples to the outermost part of the earth. And now we're coming to chapter 21, in which we're going to be seeing the conclusion or the end of the third missionary journey, right? Paul had one, two, and three missionary journeys so far, and this is going to be the conclusion of that third missionary journey.

And that missionary journey is going to end in the city of Jerusalem. So Jerusalem is going to be the final destination where this missionary journey is going to end. And the Apostle Paul already had his heart set upon going back to Jerusalem. If you go back to chapter 20, that was explained by our brother last week. If you see in verse 16 of chapter 20, you will see that the heart of the apostle was set on going to Jerusalem.

So we have in verse 16, for Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus so that he may not have to spend time in Asia, for he was hastening to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost. So the apostle wanted to go to Jerusalem, which was going to be the end, as I said, the final point of this third missionary journey. And he, if possible, the scripture says he wanted to be there on the day of Pentecost. He wanted to observe, he wanted to be there at the day of Pentecost, if that was possible. So what I want us to do, beloved of Christ, is for us simply to address this chapter 21 from two different perspectives.

The first perspective is that I want us just to simply see the highlights of the historical or the narrative that we have in chapter 21. I know that sometimes seeing so much details and, you know, one place and another place that that might be overwhelming for our heads. But beloved of Christ is very important that we do not only understand the teachings and the topics of a particular chapter, but also that we have in our minds how things actually took place and how they happened. So we have to make an effort as the students of Scripture to actually know how things took place according to Holy Scripture and how they developed over history. So that is the first thing that we're going to do.

We're going to see chapter 21 from the historical, if you want, or narrative highlights of this chapter, having Jerusalem as the destination of the Apostle. So once we have done that, and I hope that it doesn't take very long, then I want us just to see what we can actually learn from this chapter 21. What we as a church can learn from chapter 21 and what are some of the teachings of chapter 21 that we can get for us as a congregation. by knowing, first of all, what is the historical sequence of the narrative, and also from there, knowing that, also knowing the points, at least some of the things that I want to share with you that I think would be beneficial for us as a congregation. Now, let's just start with the first point, okay?

The first thing that I want us to do is just address sequentially the things that took place in chapter 21, having Jerusalem as the final destination. So the apostle is leaving Ephesus, and he's going to He's going to Jerusalem. This is, as I said, this is going to be the end of his third missionary journey. And he's going to stop at four places. These are going to be, these four places are going to be the main places that I want us to have in our mind.

He's going to stop in more than four, but there are going to be four places that I want us to have in our mind. The first one is given to us in the end of verse three, that city of Tyre. We have that city of Tyre. That is the first place where we're just simply going to see certain things that happen there at or in Tyre. That is the first place.

Second place is given to us in verse seven, and that is the city of Ptolemais. From Tyre, we go to Ptolemais in verse seven. That is the second point in which we're just simply going to see something simple there that happened in Ptolemais. Now, from Ptolemies, we have the next point, or the next place where he's going to stop, and that is in the city, or that is in the area, better, of Caesarea. Okay?

That is given to us in verse 8. Okay? So that is the third one. We have Tyre, we have Ptolemies, and then in verse 8 we have Caesarea. You can see there in verse 8, it says, On the next day we departed and came to Caesarea.

And then the final one, of course, is going to be the city of? Jerusalem, which is the arrival point. So we have Tyre, we have Ptolemaeus, and we have Caesarea. And then also we have the final destination, which is Jerusalem. Now, first of all, I want you to notice that the author of the book is including himself from the very beginning of the chapter when he says, And when we had parted from them, that is from Ephesus.

So the author of Acts is including himself into this narrative, even from before, many chapters before. But this is important because now he's a witness of these things. And he's writing not only the things that he saw, but also the things that he experienced, right? Because he was there. And that's why we're given so many details.

So the heart of the apostle, now your eyes should be with me, beloved of Christ. Now the heart of the apostle is to go back to Jerusalem, right? He wants to go to Jerusalem because he wants to be even on the day of Pentecost, as we read in Acts chapter 20, verse 16. He wants to go there. So he departs, this very difficult departure from Ephesus, leaving these brothers there after his heart was so attached to them.

So now he's departing. Now we are told in the beginning of the chapter 21 that he's just going to go from one day up to another from different cities. Very quickly he's just trying to make his way into or to Jerusalem. So he goes to a city that is called Kos, then to Rhodes, and then he goes to Patera. One day in each one of them.

Kos, Rhodes, and Patera. And then from Patera we are told that then is when he's going to sail to Phoenicia and then he's going to get into the first point and the first destination that he's going to be. Tyre, right? So he arrives at Tyre. At Tyre, he's going to spend seven days, we are told.

And there's something very interesting because when he arrives to Tyre, we are told that we sought out the disciples so that they would try to find the disciples there that were at Tyre. And they're going to spend their seven days, seven days encouraging the brothers and sisters, preaching the word and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ for during seven days while they were going to Jerusalem. Now we are told there that Attire, the brothers that were there, Attire, through the Holy Spirit, they told him not to go to Jerusalem. They said, please don't go to Jerusalem. Remember that in Acts 20, we have been told that through the Spirit, the Apostle had been told that he was going to be imprisoned and that he was going to suffer much at Jerusalem, right?

So now the Spirit of God is confirming now through the disciples, Attire, that this is going to happen once he arrives there. The apostle knows that his final destination should be and must be Jerusalem. So after they pray and they come in the spirit of love of the Lord Jesus Christ, they come together, they go outside of the city, they kneel down, they pray, they kiss each other, and then they depart from Tyre. And then from Tyre, they move on to the next point and to the next city, and the next city is? Ptolemies.

So they arrived at Ptolemies, and in Ptolemies, we're just simply told a couple of things, and that is that simply they're just going to greet the brothers. They greet the brothers, and they just simply continue on the next day on to the next destination that is going to be Caesarea. Now, I want you to see here not only the heart of the apostle deciding to go to Jerusalem, but also the urgency of the apostle to be there. Because you remember that in previous journeys, he would go to a city and he would try to go and preach and go to the synagogue and spend as much as is possible with the brethren, right? But now we see him that he's just going from one day to another and entirely he's just remaining seven days.

And then on Ptolemais, he's only remaining there only one day. And on the next day, he goes to Caesarea. Now in Caesarea, we're going to be told something very interesting. Now in Caesarea, we're told that he actually remains many days. In Tyre, he stays seven days.

In Ptolemaeus, he was one day. But then we are told, if you want to see it there in the end of verse 9, or in verse 9, we're told that he was there many days in Caesarea. So he stays there for a period of time. Now, it's very interesting now because we are told that when he arrives at Caesarea, he's going to stay in the house of someone. Who is that someone in Caesarea?

Philip, right? Philip. Now, you remember who Philip is? Who is Philip? Yes, one of the deacons of Acts 6, right?

One of the seven men that was chosen as a deacon in Acts chapter 6. And then he would be the evangelist who will bring the gospel in Acts chapter 8 to a region that is called Samaria. Also, we have the eunuch, right? the eunuch that received the gospel from Philip. So we are told that when he arrived, when the apostle Paul arrived, now he's not arriving alone, right?

Because we are told that it's we, with the author of the book and also with some other people, they arrive there to Caesarea and they stay in the house of Philip. And now we're told that Philip is the evangelist and this Philip has four daughters and they are unmarried daughters. And these unmarried daughters happen to be prophets or they prophesy were to literally there right that these four unmarried daughters that they prophesied and it's also there at Caesarea Caesarea Caesarea Caesarea that not only these four unmarried daughters will prophesy or they prophesy but also we are told that there is going to be a prophet of the Lord that is going to come up from Jerusalem and his name is Agabus. Now this Agabus was introduced to us initially in Acts chapter 11. And this is a man who prophesied that there was going to be a famine in the world.

And actually that came to happen. So this man was speaking from the Lord. He was a prophet. And this Agabus is going to come there to Paul and to the other people that were with Paul. And he's going to prophesy.

but the way that he's going to prophesy is very interesting because he's going to get the belt of Paul, right? He gets the belt of Paul and then he's going to bind his hands and his feet and he's going to say to the owner of this belt, this is what is going to happen to the owner of this belt, that he's going to be bind by the Jews and that he's going to be delivered to the Gentiles and the owner of that belt was Paul. So here we have again that a prophet of the Lord is confirming the fate or the destination of what is going to happen to Paul in Jerusalem. That he is going to not only be in prison but also that he is going to Now the apostle Paul and the heart of the apostle Paul was ready for this, right? That's why he was going to Jerusalem.

He knew that these things were going to happen. So the brothers, we are told there that the brothers at Caesarea, and not only the brothers at Caesarea, but the other says, we and the brothers, that is us and the brothers, we urge him not to go to Jerusalem. The author of Acts, he knew from Ephesus that the apostle had been told that in Jerusalem he was going to suffer, but now the confirmation was so clear, not only at Tyre, but also at Caesarea now, and that he was going to be in prison, that he was going to suffer, that the heart of these disciples and even the author and the people that were with him, they knew what they were going to say, please Don't go. Don't go to Jerusalem because you're going to be in prison and you are going to suffer. And the answer of the apostle is just so loving, Christ-like, right?

He says, please don't break my heart. They are concerned about him, but he says, please do not break my heart by suffering for me. I'm not only willing to be in prison in Jerusalem, but I'm also willing to give my life. I'm also willing to die. So when these people, they see that they are not able to convince the apostle, they just simply say, okay, may the will of the Lord be done, because this is the will of the Lord, that he will be in prison there and that he will suffer.

So then we're told that this is the conclusion of the many days that he spent at Caesarea, right? There was a confirmation of the things that were going to happen through the Spirit through the brothers at Tyre, and there was a confirmation through the Spirit through Agabus, a prophet of the Lord there at Caesarea. Now from Caesarea then we are told that after these many days he's going to depart to the final destination and that is Jerusalem so he's going to arrive to Jerusalem and we are told that some of the brothers those who beg him and say please do not go to Jerusalem at Caesarea that they came down with them or that they came up better with them that they went up to Jerusalem some of the brothers from Caesarea went with them to Jerusalem and then they took him to the house of a man whose name is Nassan a man of Cyprus who was a disciple of old time so just in the same way that when he went to Caesarea he stayed in the house of Philip, now when he's going to Jerusalem, he's going to lodge, or he's going to stay in the house of Nassan, who is a disciple from Cyprus. Now at Jerusalem, two important things are going to happen, okay? Brothers and sisters, two important things are going to happen there in Jerusalem.

The first one is that the apostle has an eager desire, of course, to see the brothers as every place where he goes, right? He wants to see the brothers. In Tyre, he made an effort to go and spend seven days with them. At Ptolemais, even though it was one day, he made the effort to go and greet the brethren or the brothers and sisters. And also in Caesarea, he spent some time, many days with them.

So in Jerusalem, this heart of the apostle for the church also is going to go, first of all, and visit James. That perhaps even may be the title that you have in this section of your ESV. He's going to visit James. Now, James was, as you may remember, a very important pillar of the church. a leader of the church, right?

He was an important pillar with Caiaphas, with Peter of the church at Jerusalem. So he's going to go and he's going to visit James. And the brothers received him very gladly. They received him, not only Paul, but others very, very, very gladly with much joy that they can now, they can see them. And now when they are arriving, the first thing that is going to happen, my beloved of Christ, is that upon that encounter with them, which is on the next day, The apostle is going to give a report, a report of the things that he had done or that the Lord had done in his ministry.

We're told here that it's in his ministry or the ministry of the Lord through Paul. So this is the first thing that is going to happen. Paul arrives and sees James and the elders, we're told there, right? that he's going to come and give a report of the things that God had done through Paul with the Gentiles. So imagine he's just giving this testimony and this report and imagine saying you know and when we went to Thessalonica this happened and when we went to Athens this happened and when we went to that place this all of these glorious things that the Spirit of God had done through Paul he's just simply reporting all of these things so there's there's gladness in the in the congregation Also, we are told in Galatians, if you remember, that the heart of the apostle was eager to support the church in Jerusalem because the church in Jerusalem was rich or poor.

was poor. Remember that in the very beginning they were just giving all things to the apostles and they were putting all things and then it's from the church of Jerusalem that the gospel is spread throughout, right? But then this church, because of historical things and things that happened, they were poor, poor brethren. So the heart of the apostle, we can assume from what Galatians says, that he was also bringing some money perhaps that all the other churches had sent to the brethren there at Jerusalem. But now, the important thing is what he's going to do.

First of all, he gives a report of all the glorious things that had taken place, all of the glorious things, salvations and all of these miracles and all of these wonders that took place through the ministry of the Apostle Paul. But the second important thing is that upon that report being given, James is going to tell him something. He says, brother, brother, there are many Jews, brothers, that have believed and they have zeal for the law. And they have been told continually that you are against the law, that you're against Moses, that you're against circumcision, that you're against all of those things. So James is notifying now to Paul all of these things that these brothers or these Jews who had believed and who had a zeal for the law, that they had been told these things by others.

That this man who is preaching the gospel in all of these Gentile areas, that he's against, that he's opposed to circumcision, that he's opposed to Moses, that he's opposed to the law, that he does not care about the law. But now there's going to come a request, a strange and difficult request from James, very difficult to understand and comprehend. What James is going to do here, because he's going to request the apostle, he's going to say, look, there are four people that are observing this vow. So why don't you join them in the observance of that vow? And then you pay the expenses of that and you purify yourself, you purify yourself together with them.

And then you participate in the observance of that vow. so that we will prove that the accusations that the brothers have received from the slanderous mouth of Jews and unbelievers, that that's not true. That you're not against the law, that you're not against Moses, that you're not against the things that God has given under the Old Covenant, that you're not opposed to those things. So why don't you do those things? You observe together with these for this vow, right?

So that you pay the expenses for them and then you purify yourself. And the apostle says, okay, so he accepts to do that particular thing. They knew that the Gentiles had already been told that they did not, they did then need to observe the law. Only the only things that they needed just to protect are the things that we started in Acts chapter 15, remember? Being sacrificed to idols and strangled and sexual immorality and those things.

Those are the only things that they did not need to observe. But then Paul comes being in Jerusalem with Jews, then he comes and he is actually joining these four men who are observing this vow, paid expenses to shave their heads, and also purifies himself. And as he's doing that in the temple, then the opposers of this whole thing will see that this man who is against the law, and we just saw him just, you know, like we just recently saw him with this guy, Throfimos, the Ephesian. So they assume that this guy is in the temple, profaning the temple, bringing Gentiles into the temple. So then they are filled with this burning anger that sometimes we have in the flesh, right?

It just comes, and then we can actually feel it. But then completely in the flesh, and they say, get him. Get him. Men of Israel, help! So they come and then just take the apostle outside of the temple, even before the seven days of this vow that they were observing, outside of the temple, shut the doors of the temple, and they all together with completely willing, they seized the apostle and they are completely willing to kill him.

Now, by the providence of God, then word goes to the Romans, right, that there is a confusion in the city happening. And because of this confusion, they have to come and they see that there's indeed confusion happening. So the Romans, what they do is that they take Paul, they arrest him, we are told here, in a sense, saving his life, right? Because he would have died if he continued there with the Jews. And now he's just took to the barracks, is the word that we have here, right?

To prison, easier word to pronounce. To the prison is taken by the Romans. Now all of these people are in utter confusion. So some people are saying something against the Apostle, and some people are saying another thing about the Apostle. So there's utter confusion.

And that is the final destination of the Apostle, imprisonment, right? He was captured, he was seized by the Jews, delivered onto the Romans. The Romans captured him, arrested him, and they put him into the barracks. And from this point onwards, the Pole that had the freedom to go from one place to another, you know, like those maps that we have shown you, this is the Apostle Pole walking around the ship, going from one place to another. This freedom that he had to go and preach, freedom is no longer.

Freedom is gone. From this point onward, the apostle is going to be captured, he's going to be in chains, he's going to be in a bondage. He is not going to be able to go and preach the gospel to the cities where he went, and imagine how difficult it would have been for an evangelist, the one whose heart was in not only preaching the gospel, but going through different places to this city and the other, to go and preach, the one who had freedom to go from one place to another, to depart when he wanted, now this man is under bondage, and the bondage of those who are haters of the gospel, haters of God, he is in bondage now, captured in the barracks of the Romans. Now, brothers and sisters, the apostle who was free now is in bondage. But the important thing about this chapter, and I believe this is what I want to communicate to you, is that this bondage in the flesh of the apostle corresponds to a prior or a preceding spiritual bondage that the apostle had that took him to that natural or physical bondage.

So when you go to Acts, you will understand what I'm just trying to say, because when you go to Acts 20, in Acts 20, when the apostle will receive the word that he is going to be imprisoned in Jerusalem and that he's going to suffer much in Jerusalem, we are told something very interesting there in verse 22. And he says, And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem constrained by the spirit. In other words, he's bound in the Spirit. The same word that is used for the bondage or for being bound under the chains and jailed in Jerusalem, is the same word that is used here for the departing of the Apostle towards Jerusalem in the Spirit. That he was captured in the Spirit.

That he was taken by the Spirit entirely. And therefore he was going to Jerusalem, that he was already in bondage to someone, and that bondage was to Jesus Christ in the Spirit of the Lord. And because he was in the Spirit of Christ, constrained in the Spirit, bound in the Spirit, his final destination was to be in bondage of the flesh there in Jerusalem. Beloved of Christ, imagine all of these things that this man is going through, and the things that he knows that are waiting, and they are coming. If it's not because it's the work of the Holy Spirit in him that has indeed taken, constrained him, and that he's bound in the Spirit, it would be impossible in the flesh, it would be impossible for a man to go to a place where he knows and is confirmed that he's going to be in prison, that he's going to suffer, and that he's going to go through much tribulation.

Now, one thing is when you go to a place and you don't know and you don't expect that things are going to happen, so then you have the hope that nothing is going to happen, and then when tribulation comes, you accept it and you receive it as something that providentially happened. But it's a very different thing for a man to actively and willingly go to a city where he knows that he's going to be imprisoned, that he's not going to be able to preach the gospel as he was doing it, and that he was going to suffer much. imprisoned by the Holy Spirit. This Holy Spirit was living through him. He was not Paul anymore.

He was the Holy Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ that was helping him to count everything as rubbish, as dung for the excellency of the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Because each one of these experiences, each one of these tribulations, each one of these difficulties that the apostle is experiencing is a gracious, greater weight of glory given to the apostle in his walking with the Lord. So he can see Him more clearly. He can experience Him more clearly. He can understand Him more clearly.

He can understand His word more clearly. He can become more like Jesus Christ more and more through each one of those tribulations, each one of those difficulties. And he learned through the Spirit to count the prize of the excellency of the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. And I could finish there, but actually I want to do something more detailed about these workings of the Spirit. Now, I think now I'm going to move to something more, let's say more doctrinal, because I want us to see as a church, the ministry of the Holy Spirit, not only in the Apostle Paul, but also in the congregation here.

And as he progresses through chapter 21, and I want us to see at least four characteristics of the ministry of the Holy Spirit that will help us to avoid many errors. that will help us to understand biblically not only what we have here in chapter 21, but brothers and sisters, to divide the word and to understand what the word says about four important things of the workings of the Spirit so that we will be better prepared, right, with the sword. So, brothers and sisters, this ministry of the Holy Spirit, I wanted just to see four things. The first one, and I didn't want to do the first one, but I thought I will do the first one because it's something I have already mentioned. It's not so clearly in the chapter, but we will do it anyway.

The first one is the witnessing of the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul. The witnessing of the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul. Once we do the witnessing of the Spirit through the apostles and through Paul, I want us to think about the leading of the Spirit. What is to be led by the Spirit, okay? the leading of the spirit that we also see it in the life of Paul and going to Jerusalem he's been led by the spirit so I want us to meditate about what is being led by the spirit once we meditate upon not only the witnessing of the spirit through Paul and then the leading of the spirit in Paul and the other saints I want us to think about the gifts of the Holy Spirit and particularly in this case we have a gift right what is that gift in this chapter the gift of prophecy, right?

We are told about four girls who prophesied, and we are told about a prophet whose name is Agabo. So I want us to think biblically about the gifts of the Spirit, namely the gift of prophecy, and then see it here in this portion of the Scripture. To the end, I want us to think about the fruit of the Spirit. If you know your Bible, then you will realize that the words that I'm using are not words from theological books or things like that. The witnessing of the Spirit, the leading of the Spirit, the gifts of the Spirit, and the fruit of the Spirit are words that are used in the Bible.

So these are words, witnessing, deleting, the gifts and the fruit of the Spirit. These are words that explain the ministry of the Spirit in the church. That is the words that are used here in the Bible. Okay. Now, the first one, let's just think about the ministry of the Holy Spirit as he witnessed through the apostles and as he witnessed through the apostle Paul.

We have been told in the Gospels, and when the Lord Jesus Christ was with the apostles, that when he departed, he was going to give him another comforter. And that was going to be the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth. And when the Holy Spirit, John 14, 15, and 16, and when the Holy Spirit comes, he's going to move, he's going to witness through the apostles, and he's going to bring them to the truth. So that is, that the Holy Spirit that is coming down after the Lord Jesus Christ was ascended, He was witnessing through the apostles the truth about Jesus Christ. So that not only the apostles, but the Apostle Paul, when he was traveling from one place to another and he was speaking, he was speaking the words of truth because he was the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ that was speaking that truth through And you know that because I said that two weeks ago in the sermon.

But I want to show you another important aspect of this witnessing of the Spirit, and that if you go to the book of Hebrews, I also mentioned that on Sunday. I want to show you the other aspect of the witnessing of the Spirit through the apostles, and that is not only the proclamation of truth, but also that is the mighty works, right? The miracles, right? Very important for us to understand this. Go to Hebrews, Hebrews chapter 1, verse 1.

Here, I'm just going to show you something, a very important thought for you to study the book of Hebrews. But more importantly, I just wanted just to see the witnessing of this period through miracles and mighty wonders. Imagine, and not imagine, but just read it with me, how this book starts. Book of Hebrews, chapter 1, verse 1. It says, long ago, at many times, in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets.

He's mentioning of speaking, right? God is speaking to the fathers through the prophets. But in these last days, He has spoken. This He is God, right? God the Father has spoken to us, that is the church, by His Son.

Right? By his son. Now, from that point onwards, the first chapter of Hebrews is going to start just to give marvelous thoughts about who Jesus Christ is and compare him to the angels. But if we just cut that and we just go to the next thought of the author of Hebrews, we will go to chapter 2. Now, here is comparing, beloved of Christ, comparing that in other times, God spoke to the fathers through the prophets.

But now in these last days, he had spoken to the church through his son. The topic is speaking, of hearing words, right? Because when you speak or when someone speaks, you are to So then in chapter 2 we are told, therefore, we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, because now it's not through the prophets that I spoke to the fathers, but it's through the Son who came. So now the words that we are told are of much more seriousness, because they are spoken to us through the Son. But these words given to us through the Son are given in a certain way.

So attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it, for since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Son, by the Lord, right? And it was attested to us by those who heard, those who heard the Lord, those who heard Him, while it was attested to us while God also bore witness, that is to those who heard, by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to His will. This is very important, brothers and sisters, because it is those who heard that it is the apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ and subsequently the Apostle Paul, those who heard, those who received the revelation from the Lord Jesus Christ, those who heard are the ones that now are bearing witness. You see the word there, right?

Are bearing witness now through various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to His will. So the witnessing of the Spirit through the apostles was not only truth that was proclaimed, but it was also miracles and mighty works and mighty things that were done either through them or apostolic men that were under these apostles. It was the witnessing of the Spirit through these men. Now, biblically speaking, here I have to do a parenthetical comment. There's another type of witnessing that is important that we do not confuse.

If you want, this will be an external witnessing, right? Because you're proclaiming truth to external, to other people, and then you're doing mighty works and wonders for others to see. But the Spirit of God has another type of witnessing, a witnessing that is internal, that happens within us. So when you go to Romans chapter 8, you will be able to see there We're going there not only to see that type of witnessing, but also because this passage of Scripture will take me to the second point, which is the leading of the Spirit. Now, if you read there in Romans chapter 8, then we are told, very glorious chapter, so then we're told, in verse 16, chapter 8, okay?

We're simply told that the Spirit Himself, this is the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of God, right? That the Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. And if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with Him, in order that we might also be glorified with Him. But brothers and sisters, imagine, just imagine this, a thought, not imagined, just here, that the apostles or the spirits of God witnessed through the apostle with mighty works and miracles and all of these things and with the proclamation of the truth. But the same spirit that works all of these glorious things testify within us of a glorious and miraculous thing that we are the children of God.

So it testifies to our spirit that we are the children of God. That is the witnessing of the Spirit, okay? That is the witnessing of the Spirit through the apostles in truth, in mighty works and wonders, and also within us testifying that we're the children of God. But then the second thing that I told you is that I want us to see the leading of the Spirit. We are told there in Romans 8, also if you read it from chapter 8, verse 12, we are told something very important.

So then, brothers, we are debtors not to the flesh to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the bits of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. So that is, this is why it's important for us to know our Bibles, right?

Because then the Spirit of God does not only witness through us, where then in the case of the apostles, truth and miracles, and also witness to us that we're the children of God, but also He does not only witness, but He also leads us, right? So we are told that all of those who are children or sons of God are led by the Spirit of God. Now the question is, what is to be led by the Spirit? Because there's great confusion. What is it to be led by the Spirit?

So Scripture defines what to be led by the Spirit is. So if you go to Galatians chapter 5, in Galatians chapter 5, we will have the Apostle Paul explaining to us what is to be led by the Spirit." So go to Galatians chapter 5. In Galatians chapter 5, it says something very important. It says in verse 18, okay?

Chapter 5, verse 18, we are told, but if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now, if you are led by the Spirit, the same words that the apostle used in Romans chapter 8. But the apostle has explained what to be led by the Spirit is from verse 16. So then just read carefully from verse 16, and then you will see how he arrives to verse 18 to explain what to be led by the Spirit is. Verse 16, but I say, but I say, now he uses that word, walk by the Spirit.

and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh for the desires of the flesh are against the spirit and the desires of the spirit are against the flesh for these are opposed to each other to keep you from doing the things that you want to do but if you are led by the spirit you're not under the law to be led by the spirit is to walk in the spirit and not to walk in the flesh and then we're told that the flesh is opposed to the spirit so to be led by the spirit is when a person is carried is moved by the spirit of God in the will of God and that is contrary and that is opposed to the will of the flesh or to the things of the flesh So that is to be led by the Spirit, because the Spirit will never lead us into something that is sinful, right? He will never lead us into something that is fleshly. So then you have here a teacher of the Word, Apostle Paul, who is not only receiving this revelation from the Spirit, but he himself is being led by the Spirit. Because brothers and sisters, how is a rational human being go towards death willingly and knowing that he's going to be imprisoned and that he's going to suffer. The flesh will tell us that we are to protect ourselves, that we are to protect, you know, that we are to enjoy our freedom, that we are to protect the things that we deserve, that we are not to go to be imprisoned and to suffer and to be persecuted and mocked.

The apostle was led by the Spirit. Even, imagine brothers, every time that he arrived to Italy and when he arrived to Caesarea, it was not only that his flesh could have been telling him, don't go, don't go, don't go. But now he had beloved brothers and sisters in Christ who were genuinely crying and saying, Paul, don't go. You know, like the Spirit says that there's going to be imprisonment and tribulation. Please don't go.

So now this man has not only the pushing of the passions of his flesh that are making war within him, saying you should not go, you should not go. But now he has the cries and the tears of his beloved brothers and sisters that come in saying, please do not go. You're going to suffer there. But this man was not led by the flesh. This man was led by the Spirit.

So even his heart is broken. His heart is broken. And he says to the brothers and sisters, you're breaking my heart. But he explains to them that it was the will of the Lord that he will go and be imprisoned there and that he's not only willing to die, that he's not only willing to be in prison, but he's also willing to give his life. Brothers and sisters, this is antithetical to our flesh.

This is antithetical for what we want for ourselves. The binding of the Spirit, being bound in the Spirit, being led by the Spirit, gives us and takes us to live the life that the Lord wants us to live. And in many cases, and in many times, and in very, very different ways, it is very opposed and different to the type of life that we would have wanted to have for ourselves. And very different to the type of destination that we would have wanted to have. But you know what the glorious things of the work of the Spirit is?

That it's not that the Spirit takes a person against his will to where he wants to take him. rather, that kills that person in the process, so that the will of Christ will be formed in him, and then that person will say, Lord, take me to Jerusalem to be imprisoned and to die. Because that was not only the will of God, but that was the will of Paul, of the new Paul, the Paul that was with Christ within him, the Paul that desired to be like his Savior, the one that was a man of sorrows, just as the Lord Jesus Christ was a man of sorrows. This is to be led by the Spirit. Now, brothers and sisters, I cannot give you practical examples of what to be led by the Spirit is.

But the important warning that I want to give you and tell you is that we are indeed led by the Spirit. And the Apostle Peter in 1 Peter speaks of passions that are making war within us. And if they're making war within us, it's because they're making war against an enemy. And that enemy is the Spirit that is within us. So there's passions at war.

And then we will know when the Lord is leading us to do a particular thing through the Scripture that we have, through the conscience that has been nourished and fed by the Word of Truth. And we will know when the Lord is leading us. Now the warning is that many brothers and sisters confuse the leading of the Spirit with a voice that is speaking to them, and they call that prophecy, or they call that the Lord is speaking to me, when it is the workings of the Word of God that are getting into the heart of a person, conforming that person to the mind of Jesus Christ, so then there is a battle. It's my mind against Christ. So then when there's a lost against me, or next to me, a lost person, and I'm just walking, I'm going home, and then I have this burden in me that says, share the gospel, share the gospel, share the gospel.

And I'm like, no, I have to go quickly to my house. It is not that the Lord is speaking to me in a prophetic way, and he's telling me, share the gospel. It's that Christ, Paul, the apostles, the spirit of Christ in the heart of a person is, of course, telling that we should be done. Share the gospel with the lost. because that is the will of the spirit that is the heart of the spirit that we will share the gospel with the lost when it's possible so it is my flesh the one that says it's possible to share the gospel but i prefer to go and have lunch it is my flesh the one that says that then the spirit is leading He's moving us into His will, into holiness, into Christ-likeness, into the Word.

It is that we decide to have more of Christ in us and in our hearts that we will be like Paul, deciding to go to Jerusalem, to be in prison, and to die there. Even if our flesh is against it, and even if we have the genuine heartbroken testimony of brothers and sisters saying, don't go, don't go, don't go, don't go. That is the leading of the Spirit. And now, brothers and sisters, we are told that something happened there at Caesarea. Specifically, we are told about these daughters of Philip who prophesied.

And also, we are told about Agabus, who was a prophet. So we are to distinguish, we are to distinguish between the witnessing of the Spirit, the leading of the Spirit, and also the gifts of the Spirit. First of all, I want you to see it from the writings of the apostles. If you go to 1 Corinthians chapter 12, If you go to 1 Corinthians chapter 12, you will see what the apostle says about these gifts of the spirit and the role of the spirit in giving and distributing these gifts to his people. So we're told in chapter 12 of 1 Corinthians in verse 4, it says, now there are varieties of gifts.

There are a variety of gifts, but the same spirit And there are varieties of service, but the same Lord. And there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge, according to the same Spirit. To another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing for the one Spirit.

to another, the working of miracles, to another, prophecy, which is the one that we have here, and to another, the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another, various kinds of tongues, to another, the interpretation of tongues, All these gifts that have been previously mentioned, all these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions or distributes to each one individually, as He, with capital H, right, because it's the Spirit, as He wills, is the will of the Spirit in distributing those gifts. Now, the gift that we have in Acts chapter 21 is the gift of Prophecy. Now, first thing that I want you to notice is that the gift of prophecy is a revelatory gift. So go to 1 Corinthians chapter 14. This gift of prophecy is a revelatory gift.

And when I speak of revelatory gift, I'm talking about revelation. So that means that is God the one that speaks through the prophets. Is God the one that reveals something through the mouth of the prophet? Is God speaking through the person who calls himself or herself a prophet? So we're told in chapter 14 in verse...

Let's just read it from verse 26. What then, brothers, when you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue or interpretation. There's no mention of prophecy there, but it calls a revelation. Let all things be done for building up. If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn let someone interpret.

But if there's no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God. Now, pay attention, 29. Let two or three prophets speak. These are the ones who prophesy, right? And let the others weigh what is said.

If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent, for you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged, and the spirit of prophets are subject to prophets. For God is not a God of confusion, but of peace. Now, more extensively, we have taught somewhere else and in the past, and you can find that on the website when we explain about prophecy. Remember that when we first started, not years ago, only two years ago. when we address the topic of prophecy, and more explanation is given there in that Bible study.

But brothers and sisters, when a prophet prophesied, was he speaking on behalf of God, speaking the words of God, the revelatory words of God, and therefore what the prophet said was the words of God. Now we know that in the early church the gift of prophecy was given to men and women, right? Because we have just read that there were four daughters of Philip who prophesied. But also we have been told that Agabus, who is a male, who is a man, also was a prophet and who was able to prophesy. We have explained and mentioned somewhere else in much detail that this period in which the Lord was forming the church, there was an urgent need for the word of the Lord to be distributed through the church so that the church will be built up.

They did not have the New Testament. They did not have the Word of God that we have in the book that we have in front of us. So they needed to operate as a church and they needed to know the things of the Lord and the things of the Lord Jesus Christ. And the spreading of the gospel and the spreading of doctrine through the apostles was not something that took one month or two months, but it took years and years. So the Lord was pleased to give this gift of prophecy to the church so that the church will be built up through the revelation of the Lord and the words of the Lord.

There were women and there were men who were able to prophesy and the Bible addressed those. Those women who prophesied and also men who prophesied because the Bible also addresses that the woman is to be in silence in the context of the congregation, but the Bible also addresses the woman or the women who would also prophesy. So the Bible speaks about this particular thing. Now, the important thing I want you to keep in your mind is that prophecy is revelatory in nature and Therefore, prophecy is infallible. Because prophecy is coming from the heart of God through a prophet, then prophecy is infallible.

That means that that which the prophet says is not only true, but if he's speaking about the future, it will take place. Because a prophet does not only speak about the future, but also speaks truths of God. So that means that when these girls prophesied, they were speaking the words of God that were true. And when any prophet would speak about things that were going to take place in the future, those things will come to pass. So go to Acts chapter 11.

Because in Acts chapter 11 is when we are introduced, when we are introduced to this prophet that we have in Acts 21, whose name is Agabus. And in Acts chapter 11, We are told in verse 27, we're told something about this prophet Agabus. It says, now in these days, prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch, right? So he's the same Agabus of Acts chapter 21. He was coming from Judea, from Jerusalem.

So in these days, prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch, and one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world. And then, parenthetical comment, this happened. This took place in the days of Clodius. So when Agabus prophesied, The things that he prophesied took place or they actually happened because it was not the words of Agabus, but it was the words of the Spirit. So when you come to chapter 21, and then we are given some information about the prophecy of Agabus.

Now we're told something very important and very interesting in verse 10. While we were staying For many days, that is Caesarea, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea, the same prophet. And coming to us, he took Paul's belt and bound his own feet and hands and said, thus says the Holy Spirit. Thus says the Holy Spirit. This is how the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.

That was the prophecy that was given, a prophecy that was confirmed, right? Had been confirmed already at Tyre, right? The brothers at Tyre and also at Ephesus. The apostle had been told through this period and by this period that he was going to be imprisoned there at Jerusalem. Now, why am I doing all of this effort that seems to be, you know, like, yeah, yeah, we believe and understand those things.

Because in the same way that I gave you a warning with the leading of the Spirit, remember that I said that some brothers think that this could be a prophecy, a voice, when a person is actually being led in the will of God, because the word of Christ is dwelling richly in us, and therefore the natural consequence of this is that we will become like Christ, therefore we are led into his ways. In the same way that there could be a deviation of understanding in the leading of the Spirit, there could be also a deviation in the understanding of prophecy. So some people may conclude or may say that prophecy sometimes may be fallible. So I said to you that because prophecy is revelatory, prophecy is infallible. So that means that prophecy happens when a prophet prophesies from God and the things that he says even about the future or any statement is either true or they come to happen.

But there are some people that say that prophecy could be infallible, and from the infallibility, that is a word of prophecy, they come up with the present and contemporary type of prophecy in which prophets can come and just say, I feel so uncomfortable speaking about this, but anyway, you know, like the prophet might just come and speak about a particular thing and that they can get it wrong, you know, that they can prophesy of God and that's something does not happen. And that was a prophecy of God that they reported incorrectly. And therefore, that prophecy is a fallible prophecy and does not happen. I feel uncomfortable not because of that, but just because it's very difficult for me to bring controversies of the contemporary church into the Bible. But I just have to say that.

Right. So this is important for us to to notice and to have into our mind. This is a genuine prophecy of the spirit of God through Agabus. And he's saying that when he gets to Jerusalem, that he's going to be he's going to be bound, you know, by Ozzies or captured by the Jews in Jerusalem and that he's going to be delivered. to the gentiles in this case to the romans and this is exactly what happened you know he went to jerusalem and then when he was in jerusalem they're observing these these vow with the other men they were the the jews saw him in the temple and they captured him they grabbed him out of the temple they shut the the doors of the temple they captured him and they were they wanted to kill him and they wanted to kill him they had this intention to kill him but they captured him and then is when it comes the romans of you know like the cohorts and they come and arrest him when we read in further chapters and you know when we read in further chapters even the testimony of the jews and the testimony of paul when he's given his you know his testimony he will say that it was the jews that actually seized him and delivered him onto the romans and to the gentiles and the prophecy was fulfilled.

We are not to interpret scripture as pagans, right? We're not to interpret the scriptures as doubting that what God says is what God says. The Bible says the spirit says through Agabus and therefore this is a prophecy and that is simply just the reading of the scripture. Now I can move out of that uncomfortable zone. This is the gift of prophecy, brothers and sisters.

Okay, now we move on to the final point that I wanted to mention. You remember what the final point was? The fruit of the Spirit. I have spoken to you about the witnessing of the Spirit, the leading of the Spirit, the gift of the Spirit, and now I want you to see the fruit of the Spirit. Now, because we have this man that is bound in the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ, going to Jerusalem to be imprisoned, and to be captured.

He has received now, he's not only led by the Spirit, but he has received this testimony of the Spirit of God, speaking through brothers and sisters, and even confirming through the prophecy of a prophet Agabus, and he's being confirmed already that all of these things are going to happen. But before that happens, he arrives at Jerusalem, and he's gonna come, and as I said to you before, he's going to give this report. He's going to give this report to James. And here we are going to see a glorious manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit in the life of Paul. So if you return to Galatians chapter 5, so we don't have to speak this again, but if you go to Galatians chapter 5, in the same section in which the apostle speaks about being led by the Spirit, walking in the Spirit, He is going to then conclude that those who walk in the Spirit, or those who are led by the Spirit, will produce the fruit of the Spirit.

So we have in verse 18 in chapter 5. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. That is what the Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians chapter 6 and 1 Corinthians chapter 10. That all things for him are lawful. but know all things are helpful.

All things for him are lawful, but he will not allow those things to dominate him. All things are lawful because he is not under the law anymore. When a person is walking in the Spirit, there is freedom. There is utter freedom. There is bondage to Christ, but in Christ that is freedom.

freedom from all the things of the flesh and the system of this world. So that is the freedom of walking and being led by the Spirit. He compares the works that are opposed to the Spirit in verse 19. So he says, now the works of the flesh are evident, sexual immorality, impurities, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, revelries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like this, I warn you. As I warned you before, that those who do such things, in other words, those who walk according to the flesh, right?

Those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Now, this is a warning, actually. This is a warning to the church, but continue. but the fruit of the Spirit. So in other words, but those who walk according to the Spirit or those who are led by the Spirit will produce.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with his passions and desires. So, brothers and sisters, after Paul gives this report to James about the mighty things that the Spirit had done in all of these Gentile lands, what we have is a manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit on both sides, I believe. On James and also through the Apostle Paul.

Because James, being a pillar of the church, being one that preaches and teaches, he is concerned that there are Jews that have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ and who is still living under the traditions of the old covenant or have a zeal for the law. Remember, now, they did not obey the things of the law unto righteousness, but Paul had already said, or he had taught already, that those who want to observe something unto the Lord, they are free to do it unto the Lord. Those who observe by day, they can do it unto the Lord. Those who do not observe by day, they cannot do it unto the Lord. Those who eat a particular food, they can do it unto the Lord.

Those who do not eat a particular thing they can do it unto the Lord. That the observance of a particular thing was not a matter of a law unto righteousness anymore, but was a matter of a heart unto the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. It was a matter of a heart that was captured by love of the Savior, and therefore obedience will be manifested according to what that person knew and understood of the Scripture. So there were Jews who had believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, but were observing and respecting the things of the law. They had zeal for the things of the law.

And now they have been told many, many, many times in an slanderous accusation by unbelieving Jews that this Paul who is preaching in this Gentile land is against Moses, that is against the law, that is against circumcision. We are going to see when the Apostle Paul gives his testimony in later chapters, that he's actually going to be his defense, that he's not against Moses, that he's not against the law, that he's not against even the resurrection. The thing is that they don't understand what those things were pointing to, but he understand by the light that Christ gave him. He's not against Moses as he's given in the scripture. He's against their Moses, against his or their Moses.

He's against you and we should be against the Moses of those unbelieving Jews that were trying to put, you know, like a burden on people for them to be righteous when it was impossible to be righteous according to the law. So in a manifestation of love and of caring for brothers, then James is going to give this report to Paul. Look, there's these people that are continually accusing you of doing these particular matters, and this is affecting here in Jerusalem. So he asked him, as a manifestation of love and liberty, to come and observe together with them a vow, what might be a Nazareth vow, that we're going to study in Numbers chapter 6. So these men had been observing this vow.

So he says, please purify yourself with them and pay the expenses of their vows and purify yourself with them in the temple so that they will see and observe that you are not against the things of the law, that you are not against Moses, that you are not against, that they will actually see and there will be peace. Now, there would have been perhaps a different way to do it, perhaps, and even a similar situation addressed in contemporary times, I think it will be addressed in a very different way because we don't struggle with, you know, like the traditions of the old covenant being present and active in our current time. So if we have someone observing a vow, wow, you know, like there's something wrong there. There's something wrong there. A person wanting to observe a vow is completely and substantially different.

But beloved of Christ, the conscience, or better, the obedience of a Christian is bound again by the Spirit through the conscience, and there is liberty. So the apostle had freedom to do this thing in the Lord, to observe this thing in the Lord, to participate in this thing in the Lord as a manifestation of Christian liberty and as a manifestation of love towards these people. So he goes. He understands that the Gentiles had already received instructions about what to observe and what not to observe, and he's now going to do this as a manifestation of unity, of love, of respect with the congregation. But the important thing, beloved of Christ, is that the conscience of the apostle The heart of the apostle was so taken by the brothers and the sisters and the congregation, peace, and the establishment of the church that he immediately found freedom to accept what he had been told.

freedom to do it. There was no, you know, like, no opposition, you know, like, I don't want to do that. But it was an immediate freedom to do this thing that he was requested by James in the church. And he ended up doing that. And I consider that to be a glorious manifestation of the fruit of the spirit in the apostle and also through James in keeping and preserving the unity of the church.

Brothers and sisters, there's another fruit of the spirit that we see here. And with that, we conclude. Because the same Apostle Paul says that for those who desire to live a godly, that is a god-like, or a Christ-like, or a spirit-filled life, there will be much persecution. And that for those who have been granted to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, also have been given to suffer for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ. That those who are led by the Spirit, those who are moved by the Spirit, those who are carried by the Spirit, those who are producing the fruit of the Spirit, are going to be an insult to this world, are going to be an opposition to the things of this world.

And this is what happened to Paul. So he ended up being an insult to the flesh, an insult to the carnality of these unbelieving Jews that were wanting to obey the law and to be righteous in their own efforts and not through the Messiah, and they were insulted, offended by this Paul. So they came and captured him and gave him to the Romans. And now brothers and sisters, let's just finish with this. They thought, they believed that Paul had been imprisoned.

They thought, you know, like by taking him, by putting chains around him and taking him to the barracks and putting him there in a place with bars and chains and whatever he had, They thought that he was in bondage. They thought that he was in a prison. They thought that he was not free. They thought that he had not option, you know, to go to a place or, you know, by preventing him from going to one place to another, they thought that they were capturing the apostle. The apostle was free.

The apostle was completely free in the spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ. The ones that were in bondage were them. They were in bondage to sin. They were blind to their unrighteousness. They were in the prison of sin.

They were in the jail of Satan. They were going head bound. They were going towards a condemnation. They were in the prison of unrighteousness. This man, because of the freedom of the Lord Jesus Christ, because of the Spirit of Christ being in him, was not only led by the Spirit, witnessed through the Spirit, given the fruit of the Spirit, and having the gifts of the Spirit, this man could consider the bars, the place, the chains, and the difficulties, he could consider that to be his palace.

It does not matter where the Christian is, where the Spirit of Christ is, namely inside of us. That is our palace, our palace of communion with the Savior. You know, the Savior that we have that will not come to commune with His saints in big palaces of gold and all of these things that men want to have, but a God and a Savior that will commune with His people wherever they are. So these Paul, even with Silas before, they will be able to sing hymns and praises to the Lord, even when they were in chains, because for them was the palace where they will commune with the Lord Jesus Christ. And for them, that was a shadow of heaven, that they were being conformed to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ, that they were actually walking in the will of God.

Imagine that. What a great peace, what a great joy to have absolute certainty that what I am living now and what is happening to me is what God wills for me and not the will of my flesh. Imagine that glory, not to be confused with the passions of the flesh within us, that thoughts of this is good for me, this is good for me, this is good for me, but to have absolute certainty that whatever we are, that is the will of God for us, for our soul. This is what can empower us to actually be in a prison, to be going through all of these difficulties, and to have the same joy that the Apostle Paul had and said, I'm not only willing to be in prison, but I'm also willing to die and to give my life. Brothers and sisters, the same spirit that was in the Apostle Paul is the same spirit that has been given to us.

is the same spirit that leads us, is the same spirit that witnesses through us, is the same spirit that gives us gifts, different to the gifts of the early church, but the same one that gives us gifts for the sake of the church, is the same one that is meant to produce in us the fruit of the spirit. And the fruit of the spirit is described in many words here, but in one word is just simply Christ. Christ abounding in us, the shining glory of the face of Christ through us, earthen vessels dying to self, and then living in the Lord Jesus Christ, living by faith, by the power of the Spirit in Christ-likeness, and you know, self-likeness, willingness to die, willingness to disappear, and to walk in His ways, willing to take our thoughts and remove them from our mind and from our heart, and to take the thoughts of the Lord Jesus Christ and to make them ours, willing to pay the price. the price of whatever it is. So if we see the glory and the beauty of Christ and what he has for us and for his church, that everything else, everything else, we will be able to count it as loss and rubbish.

In that, brothers and sisters, there is much power of the Spirit. You see, there's not power of and everyone down or just screaming and jumping and doing these things. There's much power in deciding to die to self so that someone else will take our lives because we want him to govern and to rule and to be enthroned in our hearts. That is much power, power to put the passions of our flesh to death and to decide to walk in the spirit unto the glory of Christ. Amen.