Good morning to everyone. Nice and warm on the farm this morning. It's been a little better lately, although the rain and slop wasn't exactly what we were looking for, but we'll take the warmer temperatures.

We're continuing our study in the book of Acts. We've been at this for a long time now and we're up to chapter 22, looking for a while now at the ministry of Paul and his life and the founding of the church as he went out into the Gentile regions and had three missionary journeys, and now he's back in Jerusalem when we're looking at his arrest and imprisonment.

As we come to Acts chapter 22, we find Paul in the most difficult of circumstances. Remember, he's gone through an amazingly difficult effort. He's put out a tremendous effort to go out across these Gentile regions, to go to the churches, to collect money for the poor saints in Jerusalem and from all these Gentile churches, and he's going to bring that gift back and even brought some Gentile representatives with him to show the love of Christ, the love of the Gentile churches for their brothers in Israel and to meet their need in the church there. 

His great desire is unity in the church, to show them that the wall of separation has been removed between Jew and Gentile and now all believers are one in Christ. Well, upon arriving in Jerusalem, he's been welcomed, received with joy and rejoicing over all that God is doing through his life and ministry, but he's also been met with a harsh reality of division, of skepticism and hostility directed specifically at him because of the false accusations of the legalistic Jews that they've been teaching to the believers there.

So we saw that James and the elders have come up with a plan to deal with this situation as best they know how. Paul was to take four men who had taken a Nazarite vow, just as he had, and go to the temple with them to pay their expenses and complete the vow so that the Jews might see that he's not against the law or the people or the temple nor the customs of his fathers. And Paul did this willingly and went into the temple with the men after the days of purification.

But we saw last time that there were some Jews from Ephesus who had come to Jerusalem for the feast, they were in the temple and seeing Paul and recognizing who he was, they whipped up the whole crowd into a frenzy, they attacked Paul, they carried him out of the temple, shut the door, and they began beating him with the intent of killing him. We saw last time that the Romans had come to settle the crowd and bring peace and order and had seized Paul and taken him from the Jews, arresting him and carrying him to the top of the steps toward the barracks.

And that brings us to our text in chapter 22, and I want you to just take a moment and try in your minds to place yourself in the position of Paul. The text said they were beating him with the express intent of killing him. It says when they saw the Romans they stopped beating him. Paul had the purest of motives. He'd gone to great personal effort, expense, and sacrifice, note this, because of his great love for the Jewish people. All because of his desire for unity in the church, ultimately for the salvation of his brethren, his countrymen, according to the flesh. 

We looked at that passage in Romans 9 last week where Paul laid bare his heart saying that he would himself be accursed from Christ if it could mean the salvation of the Jews. He had a great desire, a great motive, a powerful love for these people, and this love was shown in his attitude, in his heart, and in his actions. 

And here's the most amazing part, he did not lose sight of this love, this motive, his heart, even in the midst of this unbelievable situation that he finds himself in. I want you to see him there beaten, bloody, swollen, being carried by the Roman soldiers in shackles through the mob that wants to kill him. If this were you, what are your thoughts? Where does your mind go? What is your reaction to this whole situation? 

And we see again that Paul is our example. And here he is an example of a steadfast focus on Christ, on the purpose for which he was called. But this is not just duty, this is not just obligation, this is not just obedience to his Lord. This is the pressure, the squeezing of trials, bringing out the essence of who Paul is. 

His heart, his spirit, his inner man in Christ, as he writes later in Romans 5 about the trials and tribulations squeezing us like a press squeezes an olive and brings out the essence of the oil. He says God works through that to produce perseverance and character and hope, and hope does not disappoint us because the love of God has been poured out into our heart by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. 

This is what we see from Paul in this most dire of circumstances, and in all this Paul's mind and heart is to seize the opportunity to witness. I'm sure you've found yourself in a hostile environment for witnessing. It's your desire to preach Jesus, to share the good news, to see men come to Christ. Your motive is for people to be saved, but the situation and the audience are not always friendly, sometimes hostile or at the very least chilly toward your efforts. 

Some of us may have experienced this as recently as last Thursday at various family gatherings. But this is really an extreme situation that Paul finds himself in, beaten, bloody, and the crowd wanting nothing more than to kill him, and his only physical salvation is to be shackled and thrown into a Roman prison. And yet Paul's thought in his mind, and not only his thought but his bold action consistent with his desire, is to ask the leader of the soldiers to let him take a few minutes to witness for Jesus Christ. 

It's profound, my friends. It's amazing, this example of Paul that we see in these words today. And the lesson I want you to take from his example to us today is how to witness in a hostile world, because we all face this to varying degrees at different times, because the truth is no matter how polite or mannered men may be sometimes in our culture, the truth is the world, the lost men in Adam, are by their very nature hostile toward Jesus. And it can be very difficult to open our mouths and tell the truth, but the gospel is dynamite, dunamis. 

It is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who is willing to believe, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. And we believe this, we trust God in these details, and we know that the preaching of the clear message of Jesus Christ, His death, burial, and resurrection in my place for my sins, taking the wrath of God for me, is the only way that men can believe and be saved. 

They must hear a message, a clear message, about Jesus Christ. So we will look at several points here as we study the example of Paul and how to witness in a hostile world as we work together through our text. 

It's a long text, we've been kind of taking some big chunks. I've been thinking about how the book of Acts is a little bit looser than I would like. I was telling Pastor Krenz on Tuesday, you can kind of go here and you could kind of go there, and we do our level best to capture the meaning and take the application, but I really like to be in an epistle written by Paul, if I can, because A plus B equals C, and the words constrain me, and I have to say what it says. 

So we're taking some bigger chunks because these are historical narratives and not necessarily pure doctrine teaching, but we're going to begin in Acts 22 at verse 1. 

Brethren and fathers, hear my defense before you now. And when they heard that he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, they kept all the more silent. Then he said, I am indeed a Jew born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the strictness of our Father's law, and was zealous toward God as you all are today. 

I persecuted this way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women, as also the high priest bears me witness and all the council of the elders from whom I also received letters to the brethren, and went to Damascus to bring in chains, even those who were there, to Jerusalem to be punished. 

Now it happened as I journeyed and came near Damascus at about noon, suddenly a great light from heaven shone around me. And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? So I answered, who are you, Lord? And he said to me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting. And those who were with me indeed saw the light and were afraid, but they did not hear the voice of him who spoke to me. 

So I said, what shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said to me, arise and go into Damascus, and there you'll be told all things which you are appointed to do. And since I could not see for the glory of that light being led by the hand of those who were with me, I came into Damascus. 

Then a certain Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good testimony with all the Jews who dwelt there, came to me. And he stood and said to me, Brother Saul, receive your sight. And at that same hour I looked up at him. 

Then he said, the God of our fathers has chosen you, that you should know his will, and see the just one, and hear the voice of his mouth. For you will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. And now why are you waiting? Arise, be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord. 

Now it happened when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple that I was in a trance, and saw him saying to me, make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, for they will not receive your testimony concerning me. So I said, Lord, they know that in every synagogue I imprisoned and beat those who believe on you. And when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by consenting to his death and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him. 

Then he said to me, Depart, for I will send you far from here to the Gentiles. And they listened to him until this word. And then they raised their voices and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth, for he is not fit to live. Then as they cried out and tore off their clothes and threw dust into the air, the commander ordered him to be brought into the barracks and said that he should be examined under scourging, so that he might know why they shouted so against him.

I've given you five points this morning on your outline for our text. First, we're going to see answers. The second, application. Third, alive, and my wife says I cheated on number four because I used A, a new life. And the fifth one is attitude. 

Well, as I studied this passage, I was thinking about how hostility toward the gospel is consistent among men throughout time in so many ways. It varies in degree, and I doubt that any of us have found ourselves in the position that Paul does here in our text to this degree, but the pattern is consistent. Even the questions are consistent. 

I would imagine that those of us who have been Christians for a while and have an experience witnessing could sit down and write out the questions that we're going to be asked when we witness to people. People are generally the same. The hostility is the same, the truth is always the same, and the lies are consistent as well. So it's interesting to see the pattern, to learn from Paul's example, and to apply some of these things to our lives and circumstances in order to be effective witnesses. 

And I think this is largely the content and purpose of the book of Acts, examples to us of how to witness, how to build the church, how God intends that men should hear and believe and be saved. Well, back in verse 28 of chapter 1, we saw the accusations against Paul, the questions raised against his teaching and ministry. I remember they were in the temple and they saw Paul and they said, "'Men of Israel, help! This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against the people, against the law, and against this place.'" 

Now one of the main points I think we can take from Paul's words to the crowd here, his witnessing in a hostile world, is that he takes the time to try to answer their accusations, their questions. 

Now I'm not a big fan of apologetics as a means of witnessing to the lost. I've found that apologetics are much more useful for Christians and for our learning and encouragement. And what I mean is that I don't think I'm going to win anyone by arguing and proving to them something like creation versus evolution or the evidence for the authenticity of the Bible historically. I don't think these are necessarily wrong or bad things, it's just that God says that it is the gospel that is the power unto salvation. 

Paul writes in Romans 10:17 that a man must hear, and by hearing the word, the message about Jesus' faith comes. But I do think it's important to, as best we can, answer questions and objections presented to us in a given conversation, all the while trying to turn the conversation to the gospel, and I think that's what we see Paul doing here. 

He knows his audience, he sees their hang-ups, and as best he can he seeks to answer those objections, and in so doing lay a foundation for the gospel which is his quick and immediate goal in preaching. So in his words we see a very intentional purpose to show them that he is not against the people, that he's not against the law, that he's not against the temple of God, but in fact he can very much relate to them and their motives and their passions, however misguided they were.

In verses 1 to 2 he begins by calling them brethren and fathers, and this is a very cordial way to relate to the Jews there. It's the same way Stephen began his speech back in Acts 7. He said, brethren and fathers, listen. And Paul speaks to them in their own language, and they are clearly impressed with this because it says they kept all the more silent and listened to him. 

Paul's choices here of words are not grounds for some big system of complicated methodology and evangelism. This is just common sense, my brethren. Brothers and sisters, when you're presented with an opportunity, you want to know your audience and relate to them in some way, to establish some common ground if possible. 

When I've been given the opportunity to talk to professional trappers, I talk a different language of sorts as compared to witnessing maybe some foodies that come to my farm to get a tour and see how we're raising animals in an ethical way and producing nutritionally dense food. I might talk about traps and methods and work the law when talking to trappers in order to establish a foundation for the gospel, whereas with the foodie friends, I would talk about God's design of individual animals, of pigs or chickens, and raising them in a way that brings glory to God in order to turn the conversation to spiritual things. But either way, I'm going to the same place. 

I'm headed in the same direction to the gospel truth because it's my heart’s desire for lost men to hear that truth and to believe and to be saved. That's why we're here. So witnessing in a hostile world is not most effective with a prescribed system or methodology in my opinion, but rather carried out in the natural course of our lives as God gives opportunity and using common sense to relate to those with whom we are speaking. 

Paul wants to show them that he can relate to them, even understand their thinking and motive, and in so doing, he answers the first of their questions, their accusation that he's against the people, the Jews. Look at verse 3 again. He says, I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city in Jerusalem at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the strictness of our father's law and was zealous toward God as you all are today. 

I persecuted this way to the death, binding and delivering into prison both men and women, and also the high priest bears me witness and all the council of the elders from whom I also received letters to the brethren and went to Damascus to bring in chains, even those who were there to Jerusalem to be punished. Paul was a Hebrew of the Hebrews. He was the most Jewish of them all, and he explains this to them, born a Jew in Tarsus, but studied under the great and revered Gamaliel in Jerusalem, and not only did he have the greatest of Jewish educations, but he applied that knowledge with tremendous passion, persecuting the church, the Christians, killing them, hauling them off to prison, approving of Stephen's death. 

Even the high priest is witness to Paul's zealous Judaism and the council who gave him letters. Paul's telling them, look, I'm not against the people, I am a Jew, the most Jewish of the Jews, and I understand what you're doing here today, attacking me, trying to kill me. I did the very same thing, only with more zeal than you all. 

As a matter of fact, I was on my way to Damascus to arrest more of this way, carrying letters from the high priest. See how Paul is setting up the gospel here. See how he's answering their questions and objections, but moving clearly and swiftly to the gospel truth in his testimony. That's a lesson for us, an example for us in our witnessing in a hostile world, my friends, and you can imagine most of the crowd who were just caught up in the moment, in the melee, in the mob there, and they didn't really know what was going on, and they were thinking, wait a minute, this guy's really one of us. 

He's not against the people, but he's a Jew, and he's filled with passion for the law and the truth, and as Paul continues, we see that he addresses the law and the temple as well in the course of his testimony. Look at verse 12. Speaking of Ananias, he throws this in. Then a certain Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good testimony with all the Jews. Paul's saying positive things about the law, about Ananias, about the Jews. 

Look at verse 17. It says, now it happened when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple. We know from Galatians 1 that it was three years after his conversion that he went up to Jerusalem, and here it says he was praying in the temple. You see, Paul was not against the customs, not against the temple or the law or the people, and he's weaving these comments into his testimony. He's answering their objections, and he's applying the truths of the gospel to his own experience and testimony. 

Now he's going to do what God told him to do. He's going to tell them all the things that he had seen and heard concerning the gospel of Jesus. He's set the scene, he's begun to relate to them and show them that he understands where they are, and he's begun to answer some of their questions, and immediately he moves to the gospel by giving his testimony, what happened to him when he was on that road to Damascus to persecute the church. 

Look at verse six. Now it happened, as I journeyed and came near Damascus at about noon, suddenly a great light from heaven shone around me, and I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? So I answered, who are you, Lord? And he said to me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting. And those who were with me indeed saw the light and were afraid, but they did not hear the voice of him who spoke to me. 

So I said, what shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said to me, arise and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all things which are appointed for you to do. Verse 15, it says, for you will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. Notice the language. The devout man, according to the law, he says about Ananias, having a good testimony with all the Jews. The God of our fathers has chosen, he says. Know his will, see the just one, hear his voice. 

He's speaking the language of his audience, and he's establishing something very important here in his testimony. It is God who came to him. It is God who is in authority. It is God who is in control of all this. It is God who did this in the life of Paul. It is God who changed him, commissioned him, and sent him out to preach these things, these truths concerning Jesus. 

He's saying, hey, no one was more shocked than me. I was persecuting Christ, and Jesus himself came and knocked me to the ground and turned me right around. He's the one who did this, and he's the one who sent me out and gave me the message about Jesus to preach to all men, and that's what I've been doing. 

He answers their questions and objections. He applies the truths of the gospel to his life and experience in his testimony and points to God as the author of it all, and he preaches Jesus alive, risen from the dead. Did you notice that implication? Verse seven, and I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? So I answered, who are you, Lord? And he said to me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting. 

These Jews didn't need any explanation about who Jesus of Nazareth was. They all knew who he was and what they and their fathers had done in putting him to death on the cross, crucifying him. In their minds, he was dead and buried and rotted away, and Paul's message was heresy, exalting a heretic to be equal with God. But if Paul's words are true, then Jesus is alive. 

If his testimony is accurate, then Jesus is alive, and if he is alive, then that means that he rose from the dead, just as he said he would, and if what he said is true, then he is God, he is the Messiah, and they are all in a heap of trouble. Paul puts them right in conflict, not with him, but with God, and with Jesus of Nazareth, whom they rejected and crucified and are this day persecuting, just as Paul did. 

And he presents them with a remedy as well, through his testimony. And the option that Paul gives them is, in contrast to rejecting God, fighting against him and persecuting Jesus, and Paul in his place, is conversion and a new life. Look at verse 12 of our text. Then a certain Ananias, a devout man according to law, having a good testimony with all the Jews who dwelt there, came to me, and he stood and said to me, brother Saul, receive your sight. And at that same hour, I looked up at him. 

Then he said, the God of our fathers has chosen you, that you should know his will and see the just one and hear the voice of his mouth, for you will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. And now, why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord. 

Conversion is pictured here in Paul's interaction with Ananias, when the scales fell from his eyes, as it were, and he received his sight. And there's a call here from Ananias to Paul, and also from Paul to this massive crowd before him by the temple. He says, and now, why are you waiting? Why are you waiting? It's time for action. 

These are the truths. Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah. He was crucified, died, and was buried, as you all well know, but he is alive. He is risen from the dead, and he came to me by his grace and power and his will, and he made me alive. He turned me around 180 degrees. He gave me new understanding, new life, and a new purpose to come and tell you all of these things, to go and preach to the Gentiles and to the Jews the glorious good news of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. 

Now, what are you waiting for? Believe. Call on the name of the Lord, he says, and wash away your sins, and make a public profession of faith in Jesus by being baptized. The call was made for Paul to respond to the gospel, and in his testimony, he makes that same call to all who heard him that day. 

And this is how Paul understood the words of Ananias. I don't want to get off on a tangent on baptism and baptismal regeneration here, but how did Paul understand Ananias' words? Turn over to Romans 10 with me, please. 

Romans chapter 10 at verse five. For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law. Here's an explanation for you, my friends. If you want to be religious, if you want to try to be a good person, if you want to try to keep the law to be saved, to make it to heaven, then here's all you have to do. The man who does those things shall live by them. Jesus said you must be perfect, as my Father in heaven is perfect, in order to see the kingdom. 

No one does them, no one keeps them, no one is perfect, and thus our need for a savior. Verse six, but the righteousness of faith speaks in this way. Do not say in your heart, who will ascend into heaven, that is to bring Christ down from above, or who will descend into the abyss, that is to bring Christ up from the dead. 

Don't say in your heart, what great things must I do to be saved? But what does it say? The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that is the word of faith which we preach, that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 

For with the heart one believes unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture says, whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame. For there's no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him, for whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. 

So the call here is to call on the name of the Lord, to believe on Him and your sins will be washed away. And make a public profession, Ananias told him, confess with your mouth, as how Paul put it, be baptized, for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. 

In Paul's testimony, his witnessing in a hostile world example to us, we see that he gives answers, he makes application, he preaches Jesus alive from the dead, he talks about the new life that God has given to him. 

And for our application as we close, I just want to bring us back to Paul's attitude, his heart in all of this, even in this most dire of circumstances. Look at verse 17, please. Now it happened when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple that I was in a trance and saw him saying to me, make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, for they will not receive your testimony concerning me. 

So I said, Lord, they know that in every synagogue I'm imprisoned and beat those who believe on you. And when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by consenting to his death and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him. 

Then he said to me, depart, for I will send you far from here to the Gentiles. Paul really had a heart for the Jews. He wanted to witness to the Jews. And he had in his mind that he was the perfect guy for the job, because he had had such a drastic transformation in his life through the hearing and believing of the gospel. 

He says, Lord, I was beating them. I was killing them. They all knew me. And now look at who I am, what I've been doing. I would be a great witness to the Jews. His heart was in it. His love was manifest. His desire and attitude was one of sacrifice and love for his brethren, even though they hated and persecuted him everywhere he went. 

Paul's attitude was one of agape, self-sacrificial love in order that he might win some. No matter the circumstances, his attitude did not change. He didn't give up. He didn't become bitter. He just kept on preaching Jesus, hoping, praying for the salvation of the Jews. 

It was such a heartbreak for him to see their continual rejection of Jesus. But I can imagine the joy and exhilaration he experienced when he wrote the 11th chapter of Romans concerning the ultimate salvation and fulfillment of the promises of God to Israel. 

Paul's attitude never changed regardless of his circumstances. He loved men and he knew and believed that the only way, God's way of salvation for lost men and Adam, Jew and Gentile alike, was the preaching of Jesus Christ. And thus his circumstances were never the issue. He only saw them as opportunities. 

And he wanted to seize those opportunities to make his case for Christ and plead with men to respond, to believe, and to be saved. This is what drove Paul and we see that he never wavered. What a lesson for us, my friends. Even in the great comfort and freedom that we enjoy in our world, in our culture, in our time, how much more should we have an attitude of love toward lost men and a willingness, a passion, a desire to preach Jesus, seizing every opportunity that God provides. 

And the outcome, hear this now, the outcome, the results, must be entrusted to God and to him alone. Paul did not measure success by hands raised and cards signed, but by Christ preached, opportunities taken, and God glorified. The fruit was up to God. The salvation wrought according to his will and his purpose. That was not for Paul to decide and thus he could be encouraged, even when the vast majority said, away with him, he's not fit to live. 

And they couldn't stand the thought of a Gentile being saved. It's just as it was with Jesus. Most picked up stones, but many believed. That was God's business. And the fact is, individual men must decide. They must make a choice on what they will do with Jesus. Paul's business was to make Jesus known, to preach the truth, persuade men in favorable circumstances and hostile environments alike. 

And this, my friends, is the lesson for us as we study here at the beginning of Paul's imprisonment in the book of Acts. Let's close in prayer. 

Father, we thank you again for the example of Paul and we just marvel at his steadfastness, his faith, his trust in you and his love for people. We pray that you would help us to love men as you do, to love them enough to tell them the truth and to stand for the truth, Lord, to be a witness for you. We thank you for the opportunities you give us. We thank you that you have promised that your word will not return void, that you can do it. Just help us to be faithful in preaching Jesus, the clear message of his death in our place for our sins and his resurrection. In his name we pray.