2013 Acts #32: An exposition of Acts 21:1-36. This message by Pastor Rod Harris was delivered at Trinity Baptist Church on Sunday morning, February 2, 2014.
Intro:
You’ve no doubt seen the T-shirts – “I’m not perfect just forgiven.” Or you’ve seen the poster, “Be patient God isn’t finished with me yet.” Though they may seem trite they are actually celebrating great truths. We are saved solely by the grace of God through the Lord Jesus Christ. God does not grant me enough grace to push me up over the top – I have no righteousness of my own – I am wholly dependent upon His grace! There are no bragging rights in heaven. I have no reason to boast except to boast in the glory of the cross. It is God’s grace that saved me. But it is also gloriously true that it is God’s grace that sanctifies me. It is by His grace that we grow in holiness and righteousness. When we speak biblically about our salvation we talk of God’s past, present and future work in us. We have been redeemed. 2000 years ago the Lord Jesus hung on a cross outside the walled city of Jerusalem and paid the price for our rebellion. By His stripes we are healed. We have been redeemed by His blood. When was I saved? 2000 years ago! But God is also doing a present work in me by conforming me to His likeness. I was declared righteous in God’s sight at the time of my conversion. When I came to faith in Christ I was saved then and forever. But that was not the end of God’s work of salvation. He then placed His Spirit within and began the life-long process of sanctification. Not only am I saved but also I am being saved. Ultimately I will be taken into His glorious presences and be made completely righteous. In other words I have been saved, I’m being saved and I will be saved.
Now back to the opening statement – often, as believers, we make mistakes. We rebel. We do stupid things. While we are counted righteous because of Christ – we are far from righteous in our character and life. Martin Luther said the child of God is, “similus ustus et picator” – at the same time righteous and unrighteous. “Well that’s all real interesting pastor. Thanks for the theology lesson but what is this all about?” I wish the Christian life was as easy as we often try to make it. It would be nice if everything was black and white. If everything fit into neat packages tied up with pretty bows life would be grand. Unfortunately life is messy even for the child of God. It would be nice if once a person commits their life to Christ – they were touched with a magic wand and instantaneously they are forever freed from temptation and sin – but that doesn’t happen. God has sovereignly chosen that sanctification be a process. And sincerely, committed, godly people will stumble upwards in their progression. The promise of the Scripture is that He who began a good work in you will complete it! But the righteous life is a struggle. For an example this morning I want you to look at the 21st chapter of Acts.
Text: Acts 21:1-36
Too often we assume when reading the Scriptures that Paul always followed the will of God. Subconsciously we think he was above the struggle that we mere mortals often face. But Saul of Tarsus was a “frail child of dust” along with the rest of us. Those character traits that served him well in establishing the church also proved to be a stumbling block in his spiritual development. This section of Acts severs to remind us of that.
As we walk through this text we will discover that:
Thesis: Paul’s experience warns of the destructiveness of pride and the goodness of God’s grace.
Three things I want us to note in our journey through this text.
- Salvation does not automatically override stubborn pride. (21:1-16)
- Pride can lead even faithful believers down the primrose path of compromise. (21:17-26)
- God graciously intervenes in spite of our rebellious hearts. (21:31-36)
Conclusion:
Failure is not final within the Kingdom.
Moses spent 40 years on the backside of the desert – but then led Israel out of bondage.
Samson lost his sight – but brought down the temple of Dagon.
Jonah was thrown overboard – but brought revival to Nineveh.
Peter continued to stumble but became a mighty spokesman for the faith.
There’s hope for you and me! By grace are we saved through faith. And that grace continues its work in us and one day – we will be holy even as he is holy. In the meantime we trust in His grace.