Sermon Manuscript

[Video:  “Resilient - Bumper (Long) - 0:56]

Hilary Ziglar was born on November 6, 1926 in Coffee County, Alabama.  Nicknamed “Zig” because of his unusual first name, he began his career in sales before becoming a professional motivational speaker.  And throughout his career Zig Ziglar became known for his short stories, humor, and memorable one-liners.  For example, he is famous for having said, “If you aim at nothing, you will hit it everytime.”  “Failure is a detour, not a dead-end street.”  And “Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.”

But one of the stories he told that I learned about long ago had to do with a father who had two sons.  And I have two sons.  So I could relate.  But what I couldn’t relate to is what happened in the story.  Because a father had two sons and he wanted to show how differently people can respond to their circumstances.  So he decided to conduct an experiment with his children.  He took the first son into a room and left him for a period of time.  The room was filled with toys and games and gifts.  But the child was not excited and refused to play with them.  And when his father returned and asked him why he said, “What if something is wrong?  Why would you give me all of these things?”  The father then took the second child into a second room.  This room contained nothing but a huge pile of horse manure.  He then left him and came back.  And when he returned he was shocked at what he had found.  Because instead of being disappointed the child was in the middle of the manure pile digging all around and throwing it all over the room.  So the father said, “What are you doing?  What is going on here?  What are you so excited about?”  And his son said, “With all of this manure, there’s got to be a pony in here somewhere!”

Zig Ziglar uses this story to make this point:  Our perspective will determine how we respond to our circumstances.  Our perspective will determine how we respond to our circumstances.  Sometimes life will give us a pile of problems and it’s in those moments that we have to dig and search for the possibilities and the opportunities within our troubles in order to find hope.  And people today are looking for hope.

Because in March of last year an article came out which stated that the word “hope” has become one of the most searched terms on Google.  Researchers had been monitoring this over a period of five years and what they discovered is that more people searched Google for “hope” than they did for political upheavals, technological breakthroughs, and even “how to make money online.”  And this tells us that people today are looking for answers for where they can find hope.  Historically, people searched for the word “prayer” in 2008 when the financial collapse took place.  In 2020, they searched for the word “faith” during the global pandemic.  But more recently the search is for “hope”.  It’s a deep, down, desire for something “more”.

People are looking for hope through their trials in life.  Trials that can come personally, professionally, relationally, financially, and spiritually.  And they are looking for people who are “unashamedly optimistic”.  The type of people who “rejoice in their sufferings” because they know that “suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope” and hope does not disappoint.  Because hope enables a person to jump into the messes of life and toss around some manure because “there’s got to be a pony in here somewhere!”  Right?  It’s the type of person who is resilient.

And this morning we’re going to begin a series of messages called Resilient.  Because if our world is looking for hope then they need to find it in the people of hope.  The people who have hope.  The Church.  And if you and I have lost our sense of hope because of something that has happened within our lives then we cannot be effective for Jesus.  We cannot represent Him well to others.  Because His people will always be a people of hope and a people who are resilient.

So I invite you to come and explore this topic with me and with us over the next five weeks.  Let’s learn how to be hopeful.  Let’s teach others how to be hopeful.  And let’s remember that we can always, always, always find hope through our trials in life because we know the One who has conquered.  We know the One who is victorious.  And His name is… Jesus.

That’s right.  Let’s get started.  If you have your Bibles, turn with me now to the book of Acts chapter 21.  Today we’re going to be examining a very large portion of Scripture.  Unusually large in fact.  Chapter 21, verse 27, through chapter 23, verse 11.  So to get through that much material we’re going to examine just a few key verses.  This week within your Life Groups you will be able to explore this verse by verse but for our purposes this morning we’re going to just be taking a look at the key verses found within these chapters.  Also if you would like to follow along with us online you can do so through our app.  It’s called Church Center.  Just open it and click on Sunday Services followed by Message Notes and you will find everything that you need.

As you turn there and get prepared, let me quickly remind you that throughout this year we have been in a yearlong theme called Be My Witness where together we’ve been learning how to be witnesses for Jesus and make a difference for Him.  To help us we’ve been traveling through the book of Acts and learning how the early church were witnesses for Jesus.  Because Jesus told His disciples in Acts 1:8 that “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”  And we watched as the Church did witness for Jesus in Jerusalem and then Judea and Samaria.  But as Paul began to go on his missionary journeys the Gospel began spreading and reaching “the ends of the earth”.

And at this point Paul is now finishing his third missionary journey as he travels to Jerusalem.  All along the way he has been told that “imprisonment and afflictions await him”.  Yet, Paul was still willing to go.  Even last week when a prophet named Agabus took off Paul’s belt and bound it around himself and said, “This is how the Jews in Jerusalem will bind the one who owns this belt and will deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.”  And the people said, “Paul, don’t go.”  But Paul said, “Listen.  I’m ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of Jesus.”  Paul was determined to go.  He was determined to be obedient to Jesus.

And when he arrives in Jerusalem he begins by meeting with James.  James was the brother of Jesus and the primarily leader of the church in Jerusalem.  And after being greeted by them Paul then described all of the amazing things God had done through his ministry.  He also told them that he had given to them the letter James and the others had written in Acts 15 at the Jerusalem Council when it was decided that Gentiles did not need to be circumcised but that they should refrain from eating meat sacrificed to idols and with blood in it and from sexual immorality.  Paul then goes through a purification rite in which he purifies himself at the temple and sets the time for seven days.  But then we read what happens next.  Chapter 21, verse 27, says this.  We read:

27 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, 28 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.”

Alright.  So this is where Paul begins to get into trouble.  Remember.  He had been told this would happen and now it’s starting.  Jews from Asia Minor whom he had met while preaching and planting churches have come to Jerusalem and they begin to make accusations.  They make three accusations here.  First, they say that Paul is speaking against the Jewish people.  Second, they say he’s speaking against the Law of Moses.  And third they say he’s bringing Gentiles into the temple to defile it.  This third accusation was based upon a man named Trophimus the Ephesian who is mentioned in the next verse.  They saw him with Paul and assumed that he had taken this man into the temple.  A false accusation and assumption.

But one which will get Paul into a lot of trouble.  Because this accusation stirs up the whole city.  So that they seize Paul and drag him out of the temple and begin beating him.  Fortunately, a Roman military commander hears of this and stops the beating.  But the crowd follows and shouts out, “Away with him!”  As Paul is being taken away he then asks the military commander, known as the tribune, if he can speak to him.  And the man asks Paul, “Do you know Greek?  Aren’t you the Jewish false prophet and rebel from Egypt who tried to attack the Romans?”  And Paul explains that he is not but that he is a Jew from Tarsus.  Paul then asks to speak to the crowd and is given permission.  Here’s what Paul says in Acts, chapter 22, verse 1:

1 “Brothers and fathers, hear the defense that I now make before you.” 2 And when they heard that he was addressing them in the Hebrew language, they became even more quiet. And he said: 3 “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God as all of you are this day. 4 I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women, 5 as the high priest and the whole council of elders can bear me witness. From them I received letters to the brothers, and I journeyed toward Damascus to take those also who were there and bring them in bonds to Jerusalem to be punished. 6 “As I was on my way and drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone around me. 7 And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ 8 And I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And he said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’ 9 Now those who were with me saw the light but did not understand the voice of the one who was speaking to me. 10 And I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Rise, and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that is appointed for you to do.’ 11 And since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand by those who were with me, and came into Damascus.

Alright.  Stop here.  So Paul begins to tell his story.  He explains who he is and how he was a Jew who grew up under the Law and studied the Torah through a famous teacher named Gamaliel.  Paul also describes how he had been a persecutor of those who followed Jesus, people whom he says followed “the Way”.  But then on the road to Damascus he met Jesus himself and Jesus said, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”  And he said, “Who are You Lord?”  And the Voice answered, “I am Jesus of Nazareth whom you are persecuting.”  And so Saul said, “What shall I do, Lord?”  And Jesus said, “Get up and go into Damascus and there I will tell you what to do.”  And verse 11 tells us that he was immediately blinded.  Paul will be unable to see for three days.  But as he continues this story he explains that a man named Ananias comes and places hands upon his eyes and enables him to see.  Verse 14 says:

14 And he said, ‘The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from his mouth; 15 for you will be a witness for him to everyone of what you have seen and heard. 16 And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’

So Paul is given his sight and told by Ananias that he will be a witness for Jesus.  He will be a witness to Jesus’ power and His ability to change lives.  And so he must get up and be changed himself by being baptized and washing away his sins and calling on his name.  Paul then continues by saying that when he returned to Jerusalem that he fell into a trance and that Jesus told him to leave Jerusalem because they would not believe in Him.  Verse 21 then says:

21 And he said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’ ”

So this is the calling Paul received from Jesus.  Ananias told him he would be a witness to everyone but Jesus told him he would be sent far away to the Gentiles.  In other words, he would become an Apostle to the Gentiles.  But when the crowd heard this they said, “Away with him!  He deserves to die!”  So the Tribune ordered Paul to be taken away and flogged.  But Paul asked the Centurion who was about to whip him, “Is it lawful for you to flog a man who is a Roman citizen?”  And the man stopped.  Because he was afraid.

The next day Paul was taken before the Sanhedrin which is like the Supreme Court for the Jews.  It was the highest religious court in the land.  And in chapter 23, verse 1, we read what happened next.  Verse 1 says:

1 And looking intently at the council, Paul said, “Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to this day.” 2 And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth. 3 Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Are you sitting to judge me according to the law, and yet contrary to the law you order me to be struck?” 4 Those who stood by said, “Would you revile God’s high priest?” 5 And Paul said, “I did not know, brothers, that he was the high priest, for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’ ”

So after Paul states that he has lived before God in good conscience his whole life he is immediately struck in the mouth.  Wow.  It’s as if they couldn’t wait any longer and finally gave it to him!  Paul then gets angry and asks how they could hit an innocent man according to the Law and they respond by saying, “Who are you to judge the high priest?”  Paul then realizes that the order had been given by the high priest so he retracts from it.  As this story continues Paul then notices that both Pharisees and Sadducees are present and having been a Pharisee before he knows what will get these two groups upset with one another.  So he states that he is on trial for his hope in the resurrection of the dead.  The Pharisees believed in the resurrection and the Sadducees did not.  That’s why they were “sad you see”.  You can always remember that.  So finally Paul is taken back to prison and verse 11, the last verse of our passage, then says this:

11 The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.”

OK.  So Jesus tells Paul, “Take courage.  For you have spoken about me in Jerusalem but you must do so as well in Rome.”  In other words, “Paul you will not die in Jerusalem.  I still have work for you to do.  You are going to Rome where you will speak to the most powerful political leaders in the known world.”  They were comforting words during a very difficult time for Paul.

Because all throughout Paul’s time in Jerusalem he has been under attack.  And yet Paul has been resilient through accusations.  He had been accused of speaking against the Jews, the people of God.  And teaching contrary to Mosaic Law or the Law of God.  He had been accused of defiling the temple of God.  And as a result, he was beaten and arrested and bound in chains.  He had been flogged and whipped.  All confirmations of what the Holy Spirit had foretold that he would experience imprisonment and many afflictions.  Then he stood before the Jewish Council or the Sanhedrin and when he said that he had lived with a clear conscience before God the high priest ordered him to be struck on the mouth.  Accusing Paul of sinning against God.  So Paul spoke to them about the resurrection and caused a debate to unfold.  Yet, through it all Paul was resilient.  To be resilient is to “be able to bounce back when life knocks you down.”  

And Paul was certainly able to do that!  He was resilient, completely resilient, in the face of persecution, imprisonment, and many false accusations.  In other words, he was persistent, steadfast, unshakable, and determined.  Determined to complete the mission God had given to Him and the ministry Jesus had called him to complete no matter what the cost.  And the words Jesus spoke to Him were words which emboldened him and enabled him to continue to fight and to be courageous.  Paul was able to be resilient through countless accusations.

We can as well.  We can be resilient and find hope within our trials.  We can find hope even when we have been falsely accused as Paul was here.  So here’s three truths to remember when you are falsely accused which will help you to be just as resilient as Paul was.

First, remember God knows what has been said about you.  God knows what has been said about you.  Throughout this difficulty in Jerusalem Paul has been accused of many things.  People said he was speaking against the Jews.  They said he was speaking against following God’s Law.  They said he was defiling the temple.  So many mean and nasty things were being said against Paul and yet how did he respond?  He referred to them as “Brothers” over and over again and “Brothers and fathers” when speaking to the angry crowd.  Those are loving and kind words.  Words which speak of relationships.  Words which speak of family.  They spoke against him but he spoke kindly to them.  And we must learn to do the same.  When people speak out against us and make false accusations about us we must do the opposite and speak kindly to them.  And we can do that when we remember that God knows what is being said about us.

Second, remember God knows who has come against you.  God knows who has come against you.  For Paul, God knew that these days were coming.  He had warned Paul in advance.  God knew that those whom Paul upset in Asia would follow him to Jerusalem and cause the stir that would put him in prison.  God also knew that there would be attempts made on Paul’s life and that the Romans would comply at some level.  He also knew that the Jewish religious leaders would become angry, strike Paul on the mouth, and look for ways to end his life.  God knew not only what would be said but who would say it and do it.  And the same is true for us.  When people come against you God knows what will be said and who will do it.  And this should bring us great comfort.  Many years ago I learned of an incident in which some people tried to attack me and I never knew about it.  I only learned about it after it was long gone.  But when I found out I was reminded of how good God is.  He protects us when we’re being attacked but even when we don’t know we’re being attacked.  That should give us hope.

And then third and finally, God knows how this can glorify Him.  This is key.  When Jesus told Paul in Acts 23:11, the last verse of our text, that He wanted Paul to “Take courage” because he had testified in Jerusalem but not yet in Rome he was telling Paul that He was in control.  Paul was not going to die in Jerusalem.  He was going to go to Rome and testify there as well.  He was going to be sent to speak to the Roman government.  The highest leaders of the greatest empire in the known world.  Yet, all of this was part of God’s plan.  All of this was going to make Jesus famous.  All of this was going to glorify God.  Paul was a huge part of the equation.  And God was going to make sure he made it there.  And the same is true for us.  When you are falsely accused God knows what was said and who said it but He also knows how even false accusations can be used for His glory.  They can be used to show others what faith in action looks like.  They can be used to give hope to others who are also going through trials.

You see God wants us to be resilient.  He wants us to find hope through suffering just as Paul did.  Paul wrote in Romans 5:3 what God wants all Christians to experience.  Paul said:

3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Simply put.  God will use your suffering to produce endurance, character, and hope.  And hope will not disappoint you.  It will not put you to shame.  Because God has poured into your heart and mine His Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit is the ultimate promise of God upon our lives.  It’s God saying, “This one is mine.  And I will be glorified through him.  I will be glorified through her.”  But in order to be resilient and experience hope through trials we’re going to need to see our lives differently.  We’re going to need to see what God is doing through us spiritually.

Zig Ziglar tells a story about a traveler who came upon three men working with large stones.  So he asked the first one, “What are you doing?”  To which the man replied somewhat bitterly, “I’m cutting stones.”  He then came upon a second man and he asked him, “What are you doing?”  And the man looked up and said in a rather exhausted way, “I’m earning a living.”  The man then came upon a third stone cutter and he asked him the same question, “What are you doing?”  But this time the man turned and looked at him and said with excitement, “I’m building a cathedral!”

You see all three men were doing essentially the same physical work but they each viewed their work very differently.  The first saw only a task.  The second only a job or a paycheck.  But the third saw a greater purpose and a grander vision.  The third one recognized that he was part of a much bigger picture.  He was building a cathedral.

That’s the perspective we need to have in life.  We might think that what we are doing is not important or making a difference.  But what we need to recognize is that God is using us to build His Kingdom.  God is using our words, our actions, our decisions, and our ordinary lives to build something that is eternal and will last forever.  And Paul understood that.  Paul understood that his life was coming to an end but that God was using him to make a difference for eternity.  He understood that his life was filled with pain and suffering in the moment but that it was going to be used to build something which would never be destroyed.  A “cathedral”.  And because he was able to see the good in the midst of the bad he could say in essence “there’s got to be a pony in here somewhere!”  Because I know that God is at work through me in this world.

We can learn the same.  We can learn to be resilient.  And when we do so we will find hope.  Even when people falsely accuse us.  The bottom line for us this morning is this…

Find hope through false accusations by trusting that God is still at work in your life.

Let’s pray.

[Prayer:  For God to help us to trust Him when we are falsely accused by others.]

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