Acts 18:18-28 ”People Under the Transforming Power of the Gospel “

RETURN TO ANTIOCH (Acts 18:18-23)

In this passage we find Paul on the way home to Antioch in Syria, where his second missionary journey had begun in 15:36. 

His return route in the company of Priscilla and Aquila took him via Cenchreae, the port of Corinth. Here he had cut his hair because of a vow. We are not told what the nature of the vow was, but the reference is probably to the Nazirite vow in Numbers 6:1-21. This vow involved abstinence from  drinking wine or eating grapes. The vow also included   the practise of not  cutting one’s hair for a period. After the period of the vow was  over  the individual would go to the temple and make offerings. It certainly was strange that the apostle  Paul  would have done this, since  Paul had been liberated  from   such works  as a means of finding grace from God. And yet Paul did it with the liberated heart that he had! We are free to participate in  meaningful  rituals, as long  as we know that these are  simply a means to  serving our Lord Jesus Christ . 

From Cenchrae  he would  go on to Ephesus, making a short stop over  there and a visit to the local synagogue and  then on to Caesarea, where he greeted the church, and  then back to the sending church  in Antioch where he remained for some time (v.23a).  

In v. 23b  he begins  the third missionary journey  by   revisiting  the regions  of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening the  disciples in the churches  which he had  formerly planted.  Paul then spent more than two years in Ephesus (18:24- 19:41).  From there he went to Macedonia, crossing over to Troas and proceeded by way of Miletus, Tyre and Caesarea on to Jerusalem.   This is Luke’s summary, all in just a few verses.

APOLLOS (Acts 18:24-28)

In Ephesus we meet a new Bible character, a Jew called Apollos, born in Alexandria in Egypt. He had just arrived in Ephesus.  Coming from Alexandria he  would have come from a rich culture and background of learning.   We read that he had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and that he was fervent in spirit and that he spoke and taught accurately  the things  concerning Jesus , though he knew only the baptism of John [v. 25].

I wanted us to consider this man, Apollos, for clearly he is a great  illustration  of a man in the making – a man, with promise, but as yet   with incomplete knowledge, but   in  the process of being formed into a fruitful  gospel  messenger.  It is amazing how much information concerning  Apollos Luke packs into  these few  words.  Let’s see what we can learn about him:

·      He was a Jewish Man (18:24a) :   Apollos was a Jew by birth but lived in Alexandria, a Gentile city.  We know there were large numbers of Jews living in this city at that time.  We will find out that Apollos was a Jew who believed in  the Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed  One to come. He had deeply committed himself to this  Messiah by faith.  He was part of the Jewish remnant which John the Baptist  had called out to wait for.

·      He was  an educated man (18:24b):  Apollos  came from Alexandria, the greatest city apart from Rome in that day, founded by  and named after Alexander the Great. This city in Egypt became one of the great centers of Greek thought and culture.  It had one of the finest libraries in the world, the greatest source of learning in the ancient world, consisting of over one half million volumes.   Sadly, this library was destroyed and all this learning was lost to the world. Alexandria produced some of the finest minds in history. Euclid developed the principles of geometry. Archimedes performed his experiments with water and gave us specific knowledge about gravity. Aristhosthenes discovered the formula by which the size of the earth was determined.  

The Greek version of the Old Testament, the Septuagint (or the LXX) was put together here  by 70 scholars in Alexandria.  It was from Alexandria that famous Christians such as Athanasius, Tertullian, Clement of Alexandria and Origen came.  

The Alexandrian theological school was  noted for her allegorical interpretation[1] of the Old Testament. The two great schools of biblical interpretation in the early Christian church blended philosophical beliefs from Plato's teachings into Christianity, and interpreted much of the Bible allegorically. The founders of the Alexandrian school of Christian theology were Clement of Alexandria and Origen. Origen taught that there were three levels of Biblical interpretation which could be found for every text in Scripture: the literal, the moral, and the spiritual, which contained the more "complete" meaning.  This  is the atmosphere in which Apollos was born and raised.

·       He was an eloquent Man (18:24c) this indicates that Apollos  had learned the art of rhetoric and homiletics.  He was trained in these skills and he was clearly easy to listen to. George Whitefield was like that. Sarah Edwards wrote to her brother about Whitefield’s preaching:  “He is a born orator. You have already heard of his deep-toned, yet clear and melodious voice. O it is perfect music to listen to that alone! . . . You remember that David Hume thought it worth going 20 miles to hear him speak; and Garrick [an actor who envied Whitefield’s gifts] said, ‘He could move men to tears . . . in pronouncing the word Mesopotamia.’ . . . It is truly wonderful to see what a spell this preacher often casts over an audience by proclaiming the simplest truths of the Bible. (Haykin, Revived Puritan, 35–37)[2].    Apollos might have been that kind  of speaker who was so smooth that a person may not agree with what is said but listens anyway because of the flow of speech.

·       He was a  man competent in the Scriptures (18:24d). He knew his OT Bible, one might say. What he knew he preached powerfully and with conviction, but it is evident that  he did not know very much about Christ.  The  phrase  “way of the Lord” is used in  the OT and NT, and refers to the first coming of  the Messiah.[3]  It is a phrase of Messianic expectation.  He  believed in Jesus and he had heard of him  and he  knew how to connect him to the OT, but  that was that.  

·       He was fervent in spirit. (18:25a) : Apollos felt what he preached and taught, and he was able to persuade men. 

·        He knew only the baptism of John (18:25b):  In this sense  Apollos was a typical  OT  believer, and in that sense he  was a  disciple of John the Baptist whose ministry was to prepare the people of Israel for  the coming of Christ the Messiah.  Apollos knew the prophecies  about  Christ but he did not know the fulfillment of these prophecies in Christ.  Apollos was  a believer, but unacquainted  with  the full facts, and as such he had a limited ability, because of lack of knowledge. We cannot preach what we don’t know. 

·      He  was teachable (18:26b): Though he spoke with  boldness in the synagogue where  Aquila and Priscilla ( converted under the ministry of Paul) were  present, it was at once evident to them that  he needed to know the way of God more accurately. They must have filled him in into the full gospel story – the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.  This learned man was willing to be taught  by two lay people who were tent-makers by trade.  The mark of a spiritual man is that he is always teachable. 

      

     I learned something about  Abraham  Kuyper (1837-1920). After a sermon, as the congregation was leaving the church, they shook his hand and thanked him for his message, as was the custom.  A woman of the congregation  however refused to shake his hand. Kuyper asked,  “Why?”  She said, “you did not tell them the truth!”  That really shook Kuyper.  Later, he went to see her and it turned out that he really was not a born again believer – a true Christian.  This woman led him to Christ.  From this he went on to become a good pastor and professor of the Free University of Amsterdam.  And eventually he became the Prime minister of the Netherlands.

·    He was truly helpful (18:27) he wanted to go across to Achaia (Corinth), and received encouragement  from the brothers  in Ephesus  to do so.  What is very encouraging is the phrase… “when he arrived, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed”.   We know that Apollos went to Corinth and had a great ministry among the Christians there.  He helped, encouraged and strengthened them.  (see 1 Cor. 1:12;  3:5-8).

·       He was  a powerful communicator (18:28) When Apollos  had fully understood the person and work of Christ, he became a powerful evangelist for Christ Jesus and a great  defender of the faith. 

 A MAN IN THE MAKING

Apollos clearly had ability and learning to begin with. But after he came into full truth about Christ, God used these natural abilities, coupled with the spiritual gifts of preaching and exhortation, to make him one of the great preachers in the first century. 

He really helped others.  

Apollos is  a wonderful example of a growing man, and this  should encourage us greatly. In a sense  everyone  is a worker in gospel  progress. Even  Paul recognized that. 25 years after becoming a believer, Paul wrote, “Not that I have already obtained it or have become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:12). He was still in process!

I  look back and wonder how God ever could have used me. I have to keep reminding myself of Paul’s question, “And who is sufficient for these things?” (2 Cor. 2:16), and his encouraging confession, “Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God”  (2 Cor. 3:5).

And  we need to thank  God for the many people along the way that have helped us to get where we  are. Apollos had every reason to thank  God for  Aquila  and Priscilla  who shaped his  thinking in a  new and  significant  way.  
I thank God for the people that took an interest in me when I was a young  Christian.  
Won't you take some time now, and thank God in prayer for the people that  God has used in your life  to urge you on in your faith, and lead you on too new heights in your Christian experience? 

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[1] A popular form of literature in which a story points to a hidden or symbolic parallel meaning. Certain elements, such as people, things, and happenings in the story, point to corresponding elements in another realm or level of meaning. The closer the resemblances between the two realms, the more detailed is the allegory. The best allegories are interesting, coherent stories in their own right and through the story provide new insight into the realm they depict (e.g., Pilgrim's Progress and The Narnia Chronicles). Semitic parables, including the Gospel parables, have varying amounts of allegorical elements. Those with many corresponding elements in both realms are properly called allegories.

In Galatians 4:21-31 Paul uses the story of the children of Sarah (Isaac) and Hagar (Ishmael) and the images of Jerusalem above and Mount Sinai as a double allegory, both pairs contrasting the covenant of freedom and the covenant of slavery. This allegory adds an earthy, emotional appeal to Paul's arguments for freedom in Christ.

Perhaps the most famous instance of allegorical interpretation is Origen’s explanation of the Parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10. In the allegorical view, the man who is robbed is Adam, Jerusalem is paradise, and Jericho is the world. The priest is the Law, and the Levites are the Prophets. The Samaritan is Christ. The donkey is Christ’s physical body, which bears the burden of the wounded man (the wounds are his sins), and the inn is the Church. The Samaritan’s promise to return is a promise of the second coming of Christ.

[2] https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/i-will-not-be-a-velvet-mouthed-preacher

[3] Isa. 40:3; Matt. 3:3

2 Chronicles 34 : REMEMBERING THE REFORMATION @ 500

On the 31st of October 1517, 500 years ago, a Roman Catholic monk of the Augustinean order nailed 95 statements to the door of the castle - church in Wittenberg, Germany. These 95 theses were protests against the severe abuses of the Roman church under the leadership of Pope Leo X. 

One of the things that Luther protested against was the "milking" of the German people by the Italian pope who wanted money to build the very expensive St. Peter's basilica in Rome. This was done was by the sale of indulgences in conjunction with the so called doctrine of purgatory.[1] Indulgences were a kind of promissory note from the pope that the person that purchased an indulgence would get their time in purgatory reduced. 

The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines purgatory as ‘a final cleansing of human imperfections before one is able to enter the joy of heaven.’ We pray for the souls in Purgatory, especially during the month of November, to help them pass through to heaven faster than they would on their own.”  

So, when a member of the Catholic Church[2] dies   he or she first goes to purgatory - an intermediate state between earth and heaven.  Time in purgatory depends on the kind of life one has lived, whether one went to church regularly, did good works etc., plus the prayer of the living for the dead (especially in November[3]) to get them out there sooner.  It certainly is not marketed as a place where you want to be for a long time.

In Luther’s times the sale of indulgences for time off in purgatory was used to raise funds for the pope’s extravagant building projects in Rome.  Offering a financial way out of a guilty conscience remains a favourite tool by spiritual manipulators in our own day. People will spend a lot of money to relieve their guilty consciences. A Roman Catholic monk called Johan Tetzel (1465 – 1519) drove the indulgence agenda of the Roman Catholic church in Germany. He marketed the idea to ignorant and superstitious Germans and he coined the catch phrase, “As soon as the gold in the casket rings, the rescued soul to heaven springs.” [4] This was simply too much for Dr.Luther, a respected professor of the Catholic church. 

He said:  

"before long all the churches, palaces, walls and bridges of Rome will be built out of our money. First we should rear living temples, next local churches, and only last of all St Peter's, which is not necessary for us. We German's can't attend St Peter's… why doesn't the pope build the basilica out of his own money? He is richer than Croesus. He would do better to sell St Peter's and give the money to the poor folk who are being fleeced by the hawkers of indulgences." [5] 

Now this kind of sentiment expressed by Luther was shared by many a German.  In fact, the Italian leadership in Rome did not think much of the Germans, and so when bishop Albert of Mainz forwarded Luther's 95 theses to Rome, Pope Leo apparently said: "Luther is a drunken German. He will feel different when he is sober!"   He made light of Luther. Luther in turn referred to the Pope as an anti-Christ because he believed that term appropriate for anyone blocking people from freely coming to Christ without money and price (Isa. 55:1).

Luther’s main concern with the Roman Catholic teaching of purgatory and the sale of indulgences was that it undermined the free gift of God in salvation. It undermined the definite work of Christ on the cross for sinners, and therefore it is heretical.   Clearly, if you can save yourself from your sin in another way, then Christ’s death for sin becomes just an option, or even worse, His death on the cross becomes irrelevant.    Imagine for a moment that you could buy your way out of hell (or into heaven) by means of money!  So Luther began to demonstrate from the Scriptures that salvation was not something that could be given by human hands. The Scriptures clearly teaches that Christ ALONE had secured the salvation of all who would come to Him.  There can be no human aid or effort involved in the work of true removal of our guilt and sin. Salvation is from Christ the Lord   ALONE. Substituting the work of Christ for any other form of human scheming makes null the Word of God!

Now why do I tell you this story about pope, purgatory and indulgences? I want show you   that the problem and principle remain relevant in our own day.  Everything conspires against the work of God in Christ   for sinners. Everything conspires against that which God has written for us in His holy Word.   But right now, I want to take you back to an example in the Bible in which biblical principles of Reformation are clearly seen.  In 2 Chronicles 34   we see what the rediscovery of an inspired piece of Scripture does in its day, bringing about a profound transformation.

JOSIAH AND THE REFORMATION :  2 Chronicles 34

34:1  “Josiah was 8 years old when he began to reign…”. Our story begins with an 8 year old boy born to an evil father Amon. Amon, his father was in fact assassinated by his servants after only 2 years in office. (2 Chron. 33:21-25).  Concerning Josiah[6] we read that “while he was yet a boy, he began to seek the God of David  his father, and in the 12^th year  he began to purge  Judah  and Jerusalem of the high  places…” (vv. 3-7). Note then firstly, that the little boy–king had an early God- awareness, and it related to the faith of David, and we are told twice that he walked in the ways of David, his father (and not of Amon).  

In the first 7 verses we read of an outward, moral   reformation in which all the foreign gods and influences, undermining the faith and practise of Israel were removed under Josiah’s direction. Now there are many important things that one wants to say about Josiah, and I have been privileged to do some profitable reading concerning the times in which Josiah ruled. Incidentally, the prophet Jeremiah[7] prophesied concerning the impending doom of Jerusalem and the Babylonian exile, but he is not mentioned here.   Yet from Jeremiah 22:15-16 we know that he commended Josiah (Jer.22:15) for his reforms. The prophet Zephaniah also make mention of him (Zeph.1:1).  

I simply  wish to  focus  on  Josiah’s  attempts  at reforming   the society of his day under the Word of God and the effects that this had  on his own generation.     

Following the  first  attempts  at reforming the nation which had fallen  into  deep sin as a result of the wicked reigns of Manasseh and Amon, in vv. 1-7, something deeper and profounder happens in vv. 8- 33. Josiah had given instructions to repair the temple, when in the process of the ‘clean–up’, “the Book of the Law (TORAH)”, was found in the temple (v.14). Thus began a period of reform that lasted until the death of Josiah (v.33).  

So what we see in vv. 22-33 is an earnest attempt to deal with the Word of God. I remind you that at the heart of the Torah is the teaching found in Deuteronomy 5 and 6 - the Shema, the summary of the greatest commandment in Deut.  6:1-9, as expounded in the 10 commandments of the preceding Chapter (Deut. 5:1-33).   These two chapters have taught God’s people to always love God supremely and from this, to also love our fellow man. To that end we have been created to glorify God.  And it wasn’t happening in Israel. The Law of God was clearly forgotten, and   the regular worship of God in the temple was neglected. The temple was in a bad state of repair. Evil and idolatry flourished instead.   And Josiah was greatly disturbed and he understands the consequences as laid out in v.25. The  young king’s repentance brought about  a word of comfort by the prophetess Huldah,   and  with it  followed temporary reprieve and assurance  from the Lord  (vv. 27,28)  and the  subsequent reforms are recorded for us in verses  29-33.

At the heart of this chapter we  find  that  the  Book of the Covenant was read to all,  both great and small (v.30). The covenant was reaffirmed, and a new commitment was made to perform the words of the covenant, and the results  are seen  in v.33. Josiah was faithful in his day, and he really helped his own generation to fear and obey the Lord. That, dear people  is  our great responsibility.  Each generation needs reformation under the Word of God. Each generation needs to be reminded  anew  that we can only be saved  from our ongoing  problem  of sin and continual backsliding  when we are brought under the  Word of God which  ALONE  will save us.  It alone  can restore health and healing to our  idolatrous  society.

So what do we learn from Josiah’s  and Luther’s Reformation ?

1.   God must work by giving us a catalyst.  God gave us many catalysts in biblical history and church history. They were instruments of bringing society back from the brink of spiritual apostasy   followed  by man made disaster.  We have recently shared  with you a cross section of Reformation Cameos – people who  were used by God as catalysts  in their respective environments, and often beyond. Pray  that God would give us godly leaders, such as Josiah and Luther  to lead us out of this mess that was created by our fathers  and forefathers.   

2.     There needs to be a desire to see our environment reformed.   It is no good hearing the Bible read and explained, but nothing done about it.  Josiah  and Luther worked hard  to remove the idolatrous  stumbling blocks of the  societies in their  day  and real change followed.

3.     Central to our Reforms  needs to be the Word of God.   Note, it is when the Word of God is read   and explained that deep-seated conviction occurs. The Reforms   brought about by the Word of God need to have  the following effects :

 ·       A real response to the Word of God- not just lip service.

 ·       Real repentance for our faithlessness to God and a real desire to go forward in obedience. If we are never moved to change when reading the Bible, then let us search our souls, and ask ourselves why we are not able to respond in obedience.  

 ·      Real humility.  We need to see ourselves as God sees us.  The Bible helps us to maintain that perspective that produces proper humility before God.  

 ·    Real Worship of God and Christ in the Holy Spirit.   Heartfelt, glad, habitual   worship from a heart that has been set free by God to serve Him, replacing the  idol worship (the replacement of God)   in which we  have learned to indulge..  

 ·       Real Reformation for old and young.  Josiah assembled both, the young and the old to hear the Word of God. Children must  hear the Word . They must not be kept out of the   church where   the Word is preached. Pastors must learn to communicate the Word of God to young and old alike. 

 ·   Real comprehensive Reformation of society. Reformation brings about not only spiritual changes, but moral changes, resulting in political and societal changes. A great example of this is the 18^th century Reformation under the preaching of men like George Whitefield. In our own country the ministry of a man like Martin Rautanen had a similar effect among the Oshiwambo people.  Josiah saw this in his day. So did Luther.  So did many others. Why not we?  We have seen some very positive changes in our Baptist Churches in  Namibia. Let us call out to God for more substantial  changes.

In Summary – the 5 SOLA’s of the Reformation  : A real  Bible ; a real Christ ; real Grace , real Faith – a God really glorified!  

A Prayer : Psalm 85 :1-7

                                                  

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[1] http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p123a12.htm#III 1030 All who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven. 1031 The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned.

[2] Any  person baptised  by the RC Church is considered a member , and in their eyes this cannot be undone.

[3] All Souls Day – 2^st November : praying for all the souls that have not yet reached heaven; All Saints Day on 1^st November is  celebrating those  who have already entered into heaven.

[4]  Altes Deutsch : “Sobald der Gülden im Becken klingt,  im huy die Seel im Himmel springt“ [Hochdeutsch: “Sobald das Geld im Kasten klingt, die Seele in den Himmel springt!“]

[5] Roland Bainton: Here I stand, p.63 (Hendrickson Publishers)

[6] reigned for thirty-one years, from 641/640 to 610/609 BC. He is also one of the kings mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew

[7] Jeremiah 1:1

Genesis 19: 30-38 “The Sad Results Of Poor Decision Making”

Here we are again. Another a very sad story, and another  very difficult  text to preach on  – not one that I would have chosen  to preach on, if I had my way. But  the Bible  holds us accountable, and we  must  deal with every issue as it presents itself , and with the help of the Holy Spirit who caused this to be written down for our sake, we must seek to understand what this  means  for our own day and  times.  

In a nutshell then,  our portion of Scripture  presents us with  a  thoughtful study  on the nature  and results of pathetic and  shallow and self- willed  thinking, drivenby a  form of living that feeds on short term gratification and based  on a lack of godly reflection, resulting in devastating long term consequences.

We have   previously seen that Abraham’s nephew, Lot, had chosen to live in Sodom, one of a number of cities at that time known by God for sustained patterns of sexual immorality, and a wide acceptance of the practise of homosexuality in particular. Although he was not guilty of the sins of the men of Sodom, Lot had chosen to live there. 2 Peter 2:7,8 tells us that  Lot was actually a righteous man, and we cannot argue with the assessment of Scripture.  We know that he actually defended the angelic visitors against homosexual rape. He told the people of Sodom not to act so wickedly (19:7)….”He was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds…” (2 Pet. 2:8)

But the fact remains that he and his family had settled into a comfortable mode here, and therefore were liable to the temptation of compromise. Many Christians struggle with this   tendency. The Bible warns us repeatedly to flee temptation. But the heart wants what the heart wants.  And so we find that his daughters, who clearly did not share their father’s sensitivity to sin, were to be married to men of that city. When the angels of judgement urged them and their prospective husbands to get out of the city   because the LORD God was going to send a devastating destruction upon it, they chose to stay. Likewise, Mrs Lot, whilst dutifully fleeing with her husband and daughters, kept looking back, for her heart was still in Sodom, and the Bible tells us that she too perished.

In the end, only Lot and his two daughters escaped. Whilst Lot had it in his mind to escape to a little town called Zoar (19:20), we are told that he and his daughters never actually settled in Zoar, for he was afraid to live in Zoar. 
Why was he afraid to live there? Well, Zoar was essentially like the cities that perished in this great judgement, and this city escaped by God’s mercy alone. It seems most likely then that he thought that Zoar was going to meet the same fate in time, and so Lot and his two daughters, out of fear chose not to live there, but instead  they went to live in a cave, away from the city.  Fear, incidentally is never a good motivation for living wisely.  Fear makes us insecure, and we easily become candidates for making bad choices. This is what happened in Lot’s case.   It happened in the case of Abraham. We saw it in   12: 10-20 when Abraham, as a result of the drought went down to in Egypt, and when he feared that Pharaoh would kill him on account of his beautiful wife, Sarah. We shall see the same thing happening again in Chapter 20, when Abimelech takes Sarah for himself, because Abraham said that she was his sister. There was clearly something in Sarah’s appearance that made her very attractive, even in her older years.

Back in the cave, and in the meantime Lot’s daughters began to think about their future – about having a family, and then they thought that there was no future. All they had was their old father, and so they schemed. And then the unthinkable happened.  They schemed to get him drunk and then to lie with him, to get an offspring for themselves by this ungodly means.   John Calvin comments, “It is true that they were not so much motivated by sensual lust as a foolish desire to procreate their family.”[1]

Under the influence of alcohol, convictions and morals and inhibitions crumble. Immoral conduct becomes more likely when alcohol is involved. We see this in our city. Most car accidents are caused by drunken driving.  People are routinely stabbed and killed in nightclubs where alcohol liberally flows. Wife abuse, husband abuse, child abuse is accentuated when alcohol is involved.  There is a connection between drunkenness and sexual immorality. Alcohol lowers inhibitions, and people lose control, and it leads to all sort of long term problems.

You will remember that a similar thing happened to Noah (Gen. 9: 18—29). He planted a vineyard, made wine, and became so drunk, that he lost his sense of modesty and he was found lying exposed and naked in his tent. When his son Ham   found Him in this condition it seems that Ham made fun of his father before his brothers.  His brothers Shem and Japheth by contrast dared not look at their father’s exposed body and instead they covered him respectfully.   There are some parallels here. Both men were delivered by God from their ungodly societies. Both had escaped the judgement of God upon their societies, and both fell into the sin of drunkenness following their deliverance.     

  

So here they are - Lot’s daughters, thinking about their future, thinking no further than their own noses. But then again,  we  are forced to think about their father. Righteous man that he was, for he was justified by God, yet he was an unprincipled father figure. He chose to live in Sodom, and he was not opposed for his girls to marry men from Sodom. What was worse however is that when the safety of his angelic guests was at stake he had even offered his daughters   to this mob of  sexual perverts  (19:8). 

What does this do to the thought life of a young woman? My father was willing to give me up!  He was prepared to sacrifice me to those beasts!   

And thus begins the vicious chain of abuse. The abused becomes an abuser in turn. One sin leads to another. And now the daughters are not thinking about their father’s honour.  Because he didn’t think about their honour!  He was sacrificing them  on the altar  of a misplaced perspective  on honour  and hospitality,  and now they,  in turn, were  willing to sacrifice a good conscience before God and man for the sake of their idolatrous desire of having a family at any means. In that sense they were actually no different to Abraham and Sarah,  when they used devious means to get children for themselves. They were unwilling to trust God for an outcome. That is always the danger when we want something and when we  want it NOW…. In that process we easily sacrifice God given principles, and this  leads to the danger of making poor choices that have negative and long term effects.

This is a plain warning to all of us who are fathers of daughters. We dare not make little of our daughters’ honour and purity.  Fathers, cherish your daughters and protect them from this oversexualised society. Teach them to love purity. We must not become a stumbling block to them in this regard; otherwise they will count their lives as cheap and disposable.  And be jealous about whom they will marry, without being overbearing.

In this passage we have a sobering reminder of what happens when we are not careful about the company that we keep. It has an impact upon our children. Where we live, and how we respond to evil, and our own spiritual commitments - all of these things are vital in the spiritual formation of our children. Our moral environment significantly influences our lives.  “Bad company ruins good morals” [1 Cor. 15:33].  For this reason the Bible exhorts us to have fellowship with believers of like faith. So this passage reminds us again of the result of the worldly environment in which Lot's daughters had been raised. And they embraced that form of thinking (and not godly reflection) when they became desperate.

Was there another way out? Yes of course.  But they did not think of asking the same LORD that just had delivered them from such a great destruction, to provide husbands for them.  And they could have left that cave and gone to their uncle Abraham.  They must have known that he was living not far from them.  But pride always gets in the way. And   this is the way with worldly young people. They do not want to be found in the company of their religious family.  Perhaps it was too convicting. Maybe they even resented him. Maybe their uncle Abraham even had previously spoken to them about not marrying those boys from Sodom. Who knows?  I know that this is a conjecture, but there is a reason why they did not settle with Abraham.  They did not share the faith of Abraham.  And so we see that there was clearly no godly desire in them, as seen in the next few verses…

VV 36-38 : “Thus both the daughters of Lot became pregnant by their father. The firstborn bore a son and called him Moab (which means, ‘from the father’) . He is the father of the Moabites to this day. The younger also bore a son  and called his name  Ben-ammi ,which means  ‘son of my close relative’ . He is the father of the Ammonites to this day.” 

Now, what were the consequences of this?  ‘In that cave the impregnation was all over in a few minutes but the legacy of what happened there lasted a thousand years’, says Geoff Thomas.  From our reading if the OT Scriptures  we  understand that  the  Moabites and the Ammonites,  the extended family of the children  of Abraham, Israel  became some of their  cruellest and  bitterest enemies, just like the sons of Ishmael, born to the illegitimate union between Hagar and Abraham who became sworn enemies of Israel.  

And so we read for instance that when Israel left Egypt and asked Moab permission to pass through their land on their journey to the promised land, they were refused and resisted (See Numbers 22-24). As a result the Lord pronounced judgement upon Moab. When Israel camped in the plains of Moab and ready to cross the Jordan their men were seduced by Moabite women and they began to sacrifice to Baal the god of the Moabites ( Numbers 25:1).  They were a great stumbling block to Israel.

The Ammonites worshipped the idol god Molech. Molech worship included child sacrifice. Leviticus 18:21 warns Israel:  "Neither shall you give any of your offspring to offer them to Molech, nor shall you profane the name of your God; I am the Lord."

The Moabites and Ammonites also raided Israel in the time of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah and again in the days of the prophet Elisha.  So, the grandsons of Lot did not become friendly cousins, a blessing, but a curse to Israel. 

A last word about Lot.  He disappears from the scene, never to be heard of again. Matthew Henry says this about Lot: "From the silence of scripture concerning Lot henceforward, we may learn that drunkenness, as it makes men forgetful, so it makes men forgotten; and many a name, which otherwise might have been remembered with respect, is buried by it in contempt and oblivion." That's a sad thought. Even though he was a righteous man in his generation, his convictions did not translate into wise family leadership, and so the consequences are that his family line descends into evil, and we take note of the judgment of God against sin.

And yet we find grace in the midst of this mess, and we must not fail to see this.   In the providence of God we find that centuries later a woman comes out of Moab.  Her name was Ruth, and the story of Ruth lives on in a book of the Bible. She eventually married a Jew called Boaz, and to them was born Obed, and of Obed was born Jesse the father of king David.  And of this line Jesus was born, our eternal King, made incarnate by the will of God. He was born to Joseph and Mary, both descendants of David.Geoff Thomas says: “Through the umbilical cord that attached Jesus to Mary, the line of our Lord goes back …to this cave and to a drunken righteous man and his scheming immoral daughters.” 

And, remember, each one of us, this is where Jesus found us,  when He found us … ‘fast bound in sin and nature’s night’ (Charles Wesley: ‘And can it be)’. 

Jesus came to redeem sinners, and we shall discover that nobody will be found in heaven that deserves to be there, but because of the tender mercy of our God.  

We thank God that we may see His grace even in the midst of such  utter  sin and unbelief, and we thank Him once again for  for such  a severe mercy. Amen

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[1]  John Calvin : Genesis, Crossway Publications, p.186

Acts 18:1- 17 ”I Have Many People In This City “

18:1 Leaving Athens in Acts 17, Paul went on to Corinth in Acts 18. Corinth was situated about 80 kilometres west of Athens. If Athens was the intellectual centre of the ancient world, the city where Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus and Zeno had taught and made their respective marks, then Corinth was the commercial centre of Greece.

Corinth was situated close to the isthmus which joined mainland Greece to the Peloponnesian peninsula.  2 ports were nearby, Lechaeum on the Corinthian gulf to the west, and Cenchrea on the Saronic Gulf to the east.   Now Corinth was associated in everybody’s mind with immorality. Behind the city was a mountain called the Acro-Corinth. On top of this mountain, which had a flat top was the temple of Aphrodite (or Venus) – the goddess of love. Apparently this temple had a thousand female slaves, who also roamed the city at night as prostitutes. The immorality was proverbial, so that the word ‘korinthiazomai’  to be Corinthian,  was coined to describe immorality.  

Paul first visited the city in AD 49 or 50, when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia [18:12].  With the help of Roman history we can thus date the book of Acts fairly accurately. Paul lived   in Corinth for 18 months [18:11].

18:2,3: In search of Christian company he first became acquainted with Priscilla and Aquila, a Jewish Christian couple.  We are told that they had come to Corinth from Rome, where Christians and Jews (the Romans did not know the difference)   had been banished by the emperor Claudius, because the gospel was apparently causing disturbances in that city. The gospel certainly   does not bring peace, but division, Jesus said (Matt. 10:34ff). To become a believer  and in taking up the cross one will need to separate from, and leave one’s dearest idols behind and follow Jesus. 

So, Paul found this couple in Corinth and they worked together as tent-makers[1]. Later they moved with Paul to Ephesus [18:18,19,26].

18:4,5: Paul’s preaching  follows  an  established  pattern[2], first  to the unconverted  Jews, and therefore he always went to the synagogue whenever there was one in a town or city.[3] Also note that Silas and Timothy re-joined Paul here, having last seen him in Berea.

18:6-8: Here we find once again, the habitual rejection of the gospel by the Jews.[4]  They generally refused, opposed and reviled Paul’s message. From this followed his resolve no longer to speak in the synagogues wherever he travelled [13:46; 18:6], although he did also go to the synagogue in Ephesus after this [18:19]. He said 'From now on I will go to the Gentiles'. Generally speaking then the mission began to focus more and more upon the gentiles and that has been the general trend to this day.

As Paul leaves the synagogue the irony is that he finds an open door to preach the gospel right next door to the synagogue in the home of Titius Justus. What is even more amazing is that despite all the opposition from that synagogue, the synagogue ruler, Crispus and his family believed and were baptized.[5]  

Those were the facts so far. And now consider this following text to which we want to pay closer attention:

18:9-10:  The Lord spoke to Paul one night in Corinth: "Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and  do not be silent, for I am with you, and no-one  will attack you to  harm you,  for  I have many in this city  who are my people."  Some may be surprised at the thought that the apostle Paul shows signs of fear when we have been so used to see him walking where angels fear to tread. We see him time and again, unafraid of sharing the gospel of Jesus with people everywhere, often at great personal expense. We see him rejected and persecuted and persevering with joy. But here he appears to be afraid! Don't believe that Paul was a "spiritual superman". He too was weak and afraid at times. (Who is weak and I am not weak? 1 Cor. 11:29). Paul's ministry in Corinth provides a picture for us of the normal tension between discouragement and encouragement, fear and courage. It is something    that all God's people and we Pastors experience in the course of life and our ministries. It is the inevitable result of being a committed follower of Jesus. We need to retain a God-given perspective on this matter.

Why  might  Paul have been overcome with fear  at this point?

(i)         Learning from the immediate context: He had just come from Athens, where the going was tough. His mind and his energy were sapped by the many useless debates [17:21]. Add to this the fact, that only a few believed [17:34]. Add to this the ministry in Corinth, which was tough going [18:6] and you have a recipe for fear and discouragement. Nothing is more discouraging in the ministry than seeing little or no response  to the gospel and  seeing  professing Christians not maturing in their faith.

(ii)        The experience of personal rejection in 18: 5- 6 must not be underestimated. It hurts to be rejected by the people you care for most. Paul loved his people, the Jews (Rom. 9:3; 10:1), and for all his boldness, Paul is not unaffected. His second letter to the Corinthians portrays much of his inner feelings on this subject.  God's servants are not untouched by rejections. Moses experienced the rejection of his people; Joshua wanted to give up (Josh 7:7); Jeremiah felt  rejection keenly, and frequently wavers between discouragement and encouragement (eg. Jer.20:7-19).

(iii)       Paul really struggled with personal feelings of inadequacy.  The first letter to the Corinthians was written in response to his first visit. See his comments in  1 Cor. 2: 1 - 5 

“And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.  

Paul really believed that he was not equal to the task of preaching the gospel in these challenging situations. “Who is sufficient for these things?”  (2 Cor. 2:16), and he was acutely aware that he constantly needed God's enabling power   “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Cor.  12:9 )

Here then are a number of factors that cause discouragement: fatigue (Paul worked hard); lack of results and much resistance and personal feelings of inadequacy. This leads very naturally to fear. This all needs divine perspective. May God give us the grace in our times of discouragement, to see His hand at work and to hear His still small voice encouraging us on the way. 

ENCOURAGEMENT in the midst of discouragement:

One of the greatest and most comforting theological facts is that God never leaves nor forsakes His children. For this reason the Psalms have been of  such great comfort to Christians through the ages. Whenever   he sensed trouble,  Luther  would say  to his congregation: “Come let us sing the 46^th Psalm”.   God is with Paul in Corinth, even though Paul may feel fearful.  Let us see where we find  encouragement in this text:  

(i)         18: 1-5: Paul would be encouraged by the fellowship of his Christian friends - here Aquila and Priscilla ; Silas and Timothy. Christian friends are a great blessing!

(ii)        18: 6 - 8 :  Paul would be encouraged that there was some response. Despite the  fact that relatively few people have come to faith, these are nevertheless trophies of grace and triumph.  The number of people converted in Athens may be pitifully insignificant, but the angels in heaven rejoice over every sinner that repents (Lk 15:7,10). If heaven rejoices over one sinner, shouldn't we?  And even though Paul is thrown out of the synagogue, when the Jews became abusive [18:6], there was an open door next to the synagogue in the home of  a man called Titius Justus.  We are told that the synagogue ruler Crispus and other Corinthians believed and were baptised [18:8].  Let us learn not to despise the day of small things.

(iii)       18:9 - 10: Paul received personal encouragement from God.

(iv)       18:12 - 17: God is at work in the world, ruling and overruling for the good of His church. The attack on Paul by jealous opponents of the gospel proved to be ineffective and the spread of the gospel  continued.

SUMMARY  

In the midst of our ordinary challenges that often produce fear, remember these things ...

1. The Gospel is ultimately in God’s hands. It is the gospel of God (Rom 1:1). And the main thing about the gospel is that God’s people are called to share it in all sorts of context. Paul shared it in the synagogue, in the market place and in many informal conversations along the way.  

  

2.  The Gospel will encounter resistance, but it will also find favour.  Expect resistance, such as we see here. But do not forget the wonderful truth is that God has a people everywhere – chosen from before the foundations of the earth (Eph. 1:4). You go and find them, but without using trickery and deceit. (2 Cor. 4:1-5).

3. Thank God for fellow gospel labourers - thank God for Aquila and Priscillas, for Timothys and Silas’s. They greatly encourage us.

4. Don’t labour where there is no promise. Although this needs to be thought through carefully (e.g. Jeremiah and Isaiah and most of the prophets laboured and persevered in unpromising circumstances), yet there came a time  when Paul had to move out of the synagogue and on to  the open door, next door to the synagogue,  where the church of God  had its birthplace in Corinth. There may come a time when our missionary focus must shift away from the unwilling to those that are willing to listen.  Currently this happens in many churches around the world, when the gospel preached by a pastor drives out hardened traditionalists and brings in new converts. Often, it forces evangelical preachers  to leave a hardened congregation and go ‘next door’ to those who will listen. 

  

5. Even though we may grow discouraged and fearful in the work of the gospel, we must not be overcome by fear. God’s gospel mission cannot fail.  All that the Father has given to His Son will come.  If we labour in a mission field in which little is happening, let us be content with that, and continue to be faithful to our calling. Don’t despise the day of small things.  (Zech. 4:10)

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[1] from which is derived the modern Christian concept of tent-making, i.e. earning your living  from  a trade, while making it your main business to preach the gospel

[2] Acts 11:19

[3] Acts 13:5,14,43 ; 14:1; 17:1,10,17 ; 18:4,19

[4] Acts 13:45-52; 14:2-5,19; ( The Judaizers in 15:1ff and the Jerusalem council); 17:5-9,13 ; 18:6; 19:9 ; 20:3 ; 21:27-36 ; 23:12-22 ;

[5] No Corinthians were baptized by Paul himself except Crispus, Gaius and some of the household of Stephanas (1 Cor. 1:14, 16).  The household of  Stephanas were  "the first converts  in  Achaia" (1 Cor.  16:15). Gaius, was Paul's host the next time he visited the city (Rom. 16:23).