Title Toward Jerusalem/Acts 21:1-16
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Text: Acts 21:1-16 Title: Toward Jerusalem
Sermon:
Date: July 16, 1999 Location: Jugok Church
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Paul says goodbye to the Ephesians and sets off for Jerusalem. Paul's steps are not easy. The word 'farewell' in the Bible is a cruel meaning of 'to tear', and it expresses the pain and suffering of parting. Despite this suffering, Paul must part for the sake of the gospel and the kingdom of God.
1. At Tire (1-6)
① Paul’s companions who landed in Tire
After finishing his third missionary journey in Miletus, Paul headed straight for Jerusalem. Paul's boat goes to Gosh, Lod, and Bardara, and from there, a boat bound for Phoenicia makes a brief landing at Tire in Syria (1). Gos is a small, fertile island 68km south of Miledo, where wheat and other agricultural products are produced. This is the home of the famous medical scientist Hippocrates, where there was a large medical school. Rhodes is an island and a port. It is located at the mouth of the Aegean Sea, and the sun shines brightly every day, so a statue of the sun was erected in 280 B.C., but it was destroyed by an earthquake. The sea is an important port on the coast of Riga, where Apollo's famous oracle was located. The above route is said to be a typical course where hundreds of ships traveled around this area every day. Paul changed boats at Badara and headed for Tire. This is faster than a ship sailing along the coastline, and Paul and his companions sailed in a tailwind. Paul's journey to go up to Jerusalem, ready for suffering, went smoothly.
② Disciples who discourage their visit to Jerusalem
Tire is an important city in the southernmost part of Phoenicia, famous for its navigators and traders. originally
was a small island that was not connected to the mainland. Due to the abundance of rocks in Tire, it was easy to defend even when surrounded. Therefore, it was not easily conquered, and it was besieged during the reign of Alexander the Great, and Alexander built a breakwater about 800m long and 60m wide from the land to Tire and pressed Tire to occupy it. From this time Tire was connected with the coast of the mainland. In Roman times, Tire was a center of trade and industry and the home of philosophy and poetry. Today, Tire is just a small town called Sur.
Paul and his companions landed in Tire, looked for the disciples there, and stayed there. These were mainly Christians scattered from Jerusalem due to the martyrdom of Stephen (Acts 11:19) and those who had faith in the gospel because of the missions of Paul and Barnabas.
The disciples in Tire were moved by the Holy Spirit to discourage Paul from visiting Jerusalem. The Holy Spirit informed the Saints in Tire that Paul would suffer excruciating pain in Jerusalem. However, it cannot be said that it was the will of the Holy Spirit that Paul did not go up to Jerusalem. Because Paul was more obedient to the guidance of the Holy Spirit than anyone else. The disciples of Tire resisted Paul's path of suffering out of fervent love.
③ Farewell prayer at the beach
When Paul's party left, all the disciples of Tire took their wives and wives, carried Paul's party out of the city gate, knelt on the seashore to pray, and said goodbye to Paul's party. In fact, they weren't Paul's old friends, but during their fire and seven days together, they realized their similarity. What is this homogeneity? It refers to a sense of brotherhood firmly connected by the blood of Christ's love.
Although it was a short 7 days, even in the midst of the Passion, it made a great work of strengthening the church in Tire.
How could such a church be?
Spirit-filled church.
Because it was a praying church.
2. At Caesarea (7-16)
When Paul arrived at Tolami by boat again, he stayed there for a day, visiting the saints and fellowshipping. This shows Paul's service, giving his best to the last minute.
Paul sailed to Tolamai, where he left the boat and came to Caesarea. Caesarea was the seat of the Roman governor's residence and served as the administrative capital of Judea. In this Caesarea, there was the house of Philip, where Paul could rest.
① Philip's house
Deacon Philip was one of the seven deacons chosen before the Jerusalem church was scattered due to persecution. He was full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom. And he was an exemplary person who received praise from people (Acts 6:3). Starting with the persecution of Stephen, he went down to Samaria to preach the gospel, which had great results. Also, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, he preached the gospel to the Ethiopian eunuch Gandage (Acts 8:26-40). And led by the Holy Spirit, he preached to the cities of Asodo (Acts 8:40). And if you look at the prophecies of all his daughters, you can see the influence of his faith. And it can be seen that he was a volunteer who actively helped the gospel workers both physically and mentally.
② The prophecy of Agabus
While Paul was resting for several days at Philip's house and sharing the love of Christ, a brother named Agabus from Judea came and prophesied. This Agabus was also hit as a prophecy of a great famine in the world during the days of Emperor Claudius.
This Agabus had taken Paul's belt, tied his hands and feet, and prophesied that the Jews in Jerusalem would bind the owner of this belt and hand it over to the Gentiles.
③ Paul’s unchanging will
All the people who heard Agabus's Spirit told Paul to stop going up to Jerusalem with tears.
However, Paul's will did not change in the slightest. Just like Daniel's determination
took care of it. Rather, Paul said to them, "Why do you weep and break my heart?" (Acts 21:13) "Paul answered, "Why do you weep and break my heart? I am only bound for the name of the Lord Jesus." No, I am ready to die in Jerusalem.”
In this way, Paul was ready to die and quietly proceeded on the path of a missionary. (Mark 8:34) “He called the crowd and his disciples and said to them, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
(Matthew 10:39) "He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it."
The faith of “For the sake of the Lord and for the name of the Lord” leads to the faith of martyrdom at the cost of death. Because the attitude of “for me today, for my honor” is overflowing in the church, it is difficult to find the faith of martyrdom anymore.
In the end, the saints were forced to “entrust everything to the will of the Lord” and parted, praying for God's protection and companionship in Paul's road ahead.
For the saints, the first priority is always God's work, and it requires a decision to give up all human factors.
Matthew 6:33 “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
When the Lord called His disciples, a disciple said that he would go and bury his father and come after him. But the Lord said, “Leave the dead to the dead and follow me.” (Matthew 8:21-22)
Matthew 10:37-38
“He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and he who does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.”
For the sake of the Lord, I hope that you will become saints who go forth for the name of the Lord.