WEBVTT

00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:13.380
 We will spend a few minutes together in Acts chapter 18, thinking about the church in Corinth.

00:00:14.580 --> 00:00:18.080
 We're working our way through Paul's missionary journeys.

00:00:18.900 --> 00:00:22.339
 Donald took us to Thessalonica and Berea last week.

00:00:22.740 --> 00:00:29.140
 Hendro preached for us towards the end of last year on Paul in Athens.

00:00:29.140 --> 00:00:33.420
 So we find ourselves tonight Paul in Corinth.

00:00:34.439 --> 00:00:35.920
 So Acts chapter 18 at verse 1.

00:00:35.980 --> 00:00:38.880
 After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.

00:00:39.640 --> 00:00:46.320
 There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla

00:00:46.320 --> 00:00:49.880
 because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome.

00:00:50.659 --> 00:00:56.359
 Paul went to see them and because he was a tent maker as they were, he stayed and worked with them.

00:00:56.359 --> 00:01:01.880
 Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.

00:01:02.519 --> 00:01:08.459
 When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching,

00:01:09.159 --> 00:01:11.599
 testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ.

00:01:12.539 --> 00:01:14.640
 But when the Jews opposed Paul and became abusive,

00:01:15.260 --> 00:01:17.799
 he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them,

00:01:17.799 --> 00:01:31.479
 Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justice, a worshipper of God.

00:01:32.159 --> 00:01:36.620
 Crispus, the synagogue ruler and his entire household, believed in the Lord.

00:01:36.620 --> 00:01:40.240
 And many of the Corinthians who heard him believed and were baptized.

00:01:41.320 --> 00:01:43.540
 One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision,

00:01:44.100 --> 00:01:48.200
 Do not be afraid, keep on speaking, do not be silent,

00:01:48.760 --> 00:01:54.420
 for I am with you and no one is going to attack and harm you because I have many people in this city.

00:01:54.900 --> 00:01:58.560
 So Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.

00:01:59.200 --> 00:02:01.740
 While Galio was pro-council of Achaia,

00:02:02.140 --> 00:02:05.360
 the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him into court.

00:02:05.359 --> 00:02:10.539
 This man they charged is persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law.

00:02:11.419 --> 00:02:14.560
 Just as Paul was about to speak, Galio said to the Jews,

00:02:14.659 --> 00:02:18.319
 If you Jews were making a complaint about some misdemeanor or serious crime,

00:02:18.740 --> 00:02:20.800
 it would be reasonable for me to listen to you.

00:02:21.319 --> 00:02:24.860
 But since it involves questions about words and names and your own law,

00:02:25.280 --> 00:02:26.659
 settle the matter yourselves.

00:02:27.199 --> 00:02:28.780
 I will not be a judge of such things.

00:02:29.079 --> 00:02:30.819
 So he had them ejected from the court.

00:02:31.280 --> 00:02:33.819
 Then they all turned on Sosthenes, the synagogue ruler,

00:02:33.819 --> 00:02:35.439
 and beat him in front of the court.

00:02:35.799 --> 00:02:37.639
 But Galio should know concern whatever.

00:02:38.560 --> 00:02:40.459
 Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time.

00:02:40.879 --> 00:02:42.819
 Then he left the brothers and sailed for Syria,

00:02:43.060 --> 00:02:44.579
 accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila.

00:02:45.039 --> 00:02:49.479
 Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Kench-Crea because of a vow he had taken.

00:02:50.139 --> 00:02:53.479
 They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila.

00:02:54.060 --> 00:02:57.299
 He himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews.

00:02:57.300 --> 00:03:00.360
 When they asked him to spend more time with them, he declined.

00:03:01.020 --> 00:03:04.580
 But as he left, he promised, I will come back if it is God's will.

00:03:05.200 --> 00:03:06.780
 Then he set sail from Ephesus.

00:03:07.380 --> 00:03:12.400
 When he landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church and then went down to Antioch.

00:03:13.280 --> 00:03:18.380
 After spending some time in Antioch, Paul set out from there and travelled from place to place

00:03:18.380 --> 00:03:22.520
 throughout the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.

00:03:22.520 --> 00:03:27.860
 Meanwhile, a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus.

00:03:28.380 --> 00:03:30.740
 He was a learned man with a thorough knowledge of the scriptures.

00:03:31.400 --> 00:03:35.040
 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord and he spoke with great fervor

00:03:35.040 --> 00:03:39.660
 and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John.

00:03:40.140 --> 00:03:42.320
 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue.

00:03:42.980 --> 00:03:46.700
 When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home

00:03:46.700 --> 00:03:49.900
 and explained to him the way of God more adequately.

00:03:49.900 --> 00:03:54.219
 When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him

00:03:54.219 --> 00:03:56.659
 and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him.

00:03:57.360 --> 00:04:01.800
 On arriving, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed,

00:04:02.319 --> 00:04:05.480
 for he vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate,

00:04:06.040 --> 00:04:10.819
 proving from the scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.

00:04:11.259 --> 00:04:11.599
 Amen.

00:04:12.540 --> 00:04:16.060
 Now, what is to think just for a few moments this evening

00:04:16.060 --> 00:04:26.459
 about Paul, the missionary, and particularly Paul and a life lived for the glory of God.

00:04:26.620 --> 00:04:30.160
 So we're still following Paul's missionary journey.

00:04:30.840 --> 00:04:31.800
 We find him here now.

00:04:31.879 --> 00:04:36.259
 He's traveled 75 kilometers east of Athens to the city of Corinth.

00:04:36.899 --> 00:04:41.259
 This is going to be a lengthy stop of a year and a half, we're told.

00:04:41.259 --> 00:04:47.439
 By the time he moves on, a church has been planted.

00:04:48.620 --> 00:04:51.500
 When you read the letters of 1 and 2 Corinthians,

00:04:51.680 --> 00:04:56.939
 you discover that church planting was a messy business,

00:04:57.319 --> 00:04:59.439
 still a difficult business today.

00:04:59.620 --> 00:05:03.939
 You read the letters and you discover that the church suffered from divisions.

00:05:04.279 --> 00:05:06.779
 There was immorality that was tolerated.

00:05:06.899 --> 00:05:07.740
 There were lawsuits.

00:05:07.740 --> 00:05:11.699
 They were recovering from idolatry, but they were brothers and sisters

00:05:11.699 --> 00:05:15.060
 who were still in Christ and growing in grace.

00:05:15.139 --> 00:05:17.600
 And Paul was thankful for this church.

00:05:17.699 --> 00:05:19.660
 He could see God at work in Corinth.

00:05:19.780 --> 00:05:23.579
 He could see Jesus building his church.

00:05:24.720 --> 00:05:27.180
 But tonight, as much as we're going to see the church,

00:05:27.220 --> 00:05:29.900
 I want us to focus on Paul, the missionary,

00:05:29.899 --> 00:05:34.039
 to focus on his commitment to God and bringing God glory

00:05:34.039 --> 00:05:37.779
 in three different areas of life.

00:05:38.319 --> 00:05:41.699
 And perhaps, as we do so, it will be a chance for us to reflect.

00:05:42.439 --> 00:05:46.099
 Do I approach all of life wanting to give God glory?

00:05:46.219 --> 00:05:49.139
 What would need to change for me increasingly

00:05:49.139 --> 00:05:53.339
 to give God glory in day-to-day life?

00:05:53.339 --> 00:05:57.219
 Let's think, first of all, about Paul's vocation.

00:05:57.220 --> 00:06:03.540
 I guess some of us, especially if we know anything about missionary work,

00:06:03.620 --> 00:06:07.440
 we've maybe heard of tent-making ministry,

00:06:07.980 --> 00:06:11.480
 the idea that in order to do ministry,

00:06:11.480 --> 00:06:13.180
 you need to go with a profession,

00:06:13.420 --> 00:06:16.460
 especially in countries that are closed to the gospel.

00:06:17.060 --> 00:06:17.940
 That's what you need to do.

00:06:18.000 --> 00:06:19.220
 You need to go as a professional,

00:06:19.700 --> 00:06:20.660
 and there, as a professional,

00:06:20.660 --> 00:06:23.180
 you're able to have an influence on the people around you.

00:06:23.220 --> 00:06:24.900
 That's true in Indonesia.

00:06:24.899 --> 00:06:27.759
 It's true in China, true in other places.

00:06:27.899 --> 00:06:29.779
 This comes from Paul.

00:06:30.679 --> 00:06:33.019
 Paul arrives in Corinth, verse 2.

00:06:33.479 --> 00:06:35.839
 He meets this couple, Aquila and Priscilla,

00:06:36.439 --> 00:06:40.139
 a Jewish couple who have fled to Corinth,

00:06:40.599 --> 00:06:41.519
 and they're tent-makers.

00:06:42.139 --> 00:06:44.359
 And so Paul has learned that trade,

00:06:44.879 --> 00:06:47.739
 and so he joins Aquila and Priscilla.

00:06:47.740 --> 00:06:52.759
 And what's significant is the time that he spends in Corinth,

00:06:53.180 --> 00:06:54.460
 working a trade,

00:06:54.699 --> 00:06:58.420
 while alongside that he's sharing the gospel.

00:06:59.379 --> 00:07:01.439
 And I think it's important for us to recognize,

00:07:01.960 --> 00:07:03.360
 when we think about Paul's vocation,

00:07:03.780 --> 00:07:06.460
 quality work, quality tents,

00:07:07.660 --> 00:07:10.180
 were a vital step in getting faith a hearing.

00:07:10.740 --> 00:07:11.900
 Because we can imagine,

00:07:11.899 --> 00:07:16.579
 because we know how quickly the news about good and bad tradesmen go around.

00:07:17.500 --> 00:07:19.319
 If Paul was trying to persuade,

00:07:19.519 --> 00:07:21.019
 in verse 4, it says,

00:07:21.219 --> 00:07:22.739
 every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue,

00:07:22.939 --> 00:07:24.279
 trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.

00:07:24.439 --> 00:07:25.839
 You know, that couldn't have happened.

00:07:26.279 --> 00:07:27.539
 He wouldn't have had any integrity.

00:07:27.719 --> 00:07:28.959
 If somebody in the crowd is whispering,

00:07:29.519 --> 00:07:31.620
 he's the guy that sold my tent really badly.

00:07:31.979 --> 00:07:33.799
 Or if there was chatter over here,

00:07:34.159 --> 00:07:36.819
 he was the guy who was really rude and overcharged me.

00:07:37.139 --> 00:07:39.899
 Nobody listens to the bad tradesmen.

00:07:39.899 --> 00:07:43.699
 And so Paul would have worked well,

00:07:44.259 --> 00:07:47.819
 and that helped his message to be heard.

00:07:48.419 --> 00:07:51.899
 Paul actually gave a principle to the church in Corinth

00:07:51.899 --> 00:07:54.060
 in 1 Corinthians 10, verse 31.

00:07:54.620 --> 00:07:57.639
 Whatever you do, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do,

00:07:57.979 --> 00:08:00.579
 do it all to the glory of God.

00:08:01.239 --> 00:08:04.759
 And so we absolutely believe that Paul applied that

00:08:04.759 --> 00:08:07.179
 to his tent making.

00:08:07.180 --> 00:08:10.720
 Now, for you and me,

00:08:11.720 --> 00:08:14.120
 we need to think about our vocations.

00:08:14.620 --> 00:08:16.560
 And now that's wider than employment.

00:08:17.040 --> 00:08:19.879
 Paul was earning a living.

00:08:20.439 --> 00:08:21.480
 But our vocation,

00:08:21.620 --> 00:08:24.639
 that thing that we spend most of our time doing,

00:08:24.720 --> 00:08:26.340
 whether that's paid or unpaid,

00:08:26.720 --> 00:08:28.600
 that will vary widely for us.

00:08:28.639 --> 00:08:29.600
 Some of us are in school.

00:08:29.699 --> 00:08:30.600
 Some of us are students.

00:08:30.740 --> 00:08:31.560
 Some of us are workers.

00:08:31.699 --> 00:08:32.820
 Some of us are retired.

00:08:32.820 --> 00:08:36.879
 But every vocation, whatever that is,

00:08:37.440 --> 00:08:41.080
 gives us an opportunity to bring glory to God

00:08:41.080 --> 00:08:45.840
 when we follow principles laid down in the Bible.

00:08:46.660 --> 00:08:51.500
 So when we pursue excellence and quality,

00:08:52.360 --> 00:08:55.540
 when we remember that no matter in what context

00:08:55.540 --> 00:08:58.840
 we find ourselves to work for the audience of one,

00:08:58.920 --> 00:09:00.440
 to work for God,

00:09:00.440 --> 00:09:03.120
 when we determine that whatever it is

00:09:03.120 --> 00:09:04.480
 that God has set before us,

00:09:04.540 --> 00:09:07.880
 we're going to do that in a way that we bless others,

00:09:08.360 --> 00:09:10.360
 that we bring good to others.

00:09:10.880 --> 00:09:12.400
 You know, whether that's as a manager,

00:09:12.780 --> 00:09:14.140
 whether that's as a member of staff,

00:09:14.240 --> 00:09:16.200
 whether that's caring for our children,

00:09:16.740 --> 00:09:19.160
 whether that's dealing with the public,

00:09:19.920 --> 00:09:22.560
 we want to bless others

00:09:22.560 --> 00:09:26.160
 with our integrity and our commitment to quality

00:09:26.159 --> 00:09:30.240
 because we want to serve and honor God.

00:09:32.839 --> 00:09:36.539
 The entertainer toy shop is a great example of this.

00:09:36.600 --> 00:09:39.860
 You know that the owners of the entertainer brand

00:09:39.860 --> 00:09:41.139
 of toy shops is a Christian,

00:09:41.500 --> 00:09:42.679
 and it's really striking,

00:09:43.219 --> 00:09:44.639
 especially towards Christmas,

00:09:44.639 --> 00:09:48.019
 they will still stay closed on a Sunday

00:09:48.019 --> 00:09:52.079
 to honor God and to give workers a day of rest.

00:09:52.179 --> 00:09:53.679
 And it's recognized that they are one

00:09:53.679 --> 00:09:55.939
 of the happiest shops to work with.

00:09:56.979 --> 00:09:59.019
 But we're discovering from Paul,

00:09:59.079 --> 00:10:00.279
 and we learn from the Bible,

00:10:00.779 --> 00:10:02.120
 that to glorify God,

00:10:02.199 --> 00:10:04.199
 we need the right motive.

00:10:04.919 --> 00:10:06.539
 Whatever God has set before me,

00:10:06.759 --> 00:10:08.319
 I want to do it to honor him.

00:10:08.620 --> 00:10:09.899
 We need to do our best.

00:10:10.319 --> 00:10:12.299
 We want God to use our vocation

00:10:12.299 --> 00:10:15.879
 for his glory to give faith a healing

00:10:15.879 --> 00:10:20.319
 because that's how Paul used it in Corinth.

00:10:20.320 --> 00:10:25.180
 So Paul used his vocation to the glory of God

00:10:25.180 --> 00:10:27.940
 to allow his message to be heard.

00:10:28.379 --> 00:10:30.760
 Now let's think about Paul's preaching

00:10:30.760 --> 00:10:32.840
 for a few moments.

00:10:33.080 --> 00:10:34.260
 Verse five, we're told,

00:10:35.040 --> 00:10:37.800
 when Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia,

00:10:38.680 --> 00:10:42.220
 Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching,

00:10:42.879 --> 00:10:45.360
 testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ.

00:10:46.220 --> 00:10:49.320
 So it seems like a next phase in Corinth.

00:10:49.320 --> 00:10:52.240
 It's not clear whether did Silas and Timothy

00:10:52.240 --> 00:10:54.180
 come with some financial resources

00:10:54.180 --> 00:10:56.360
 so he didn't need to make tents anymore

00:10:56.360 --> 00:10:58.520
 so he could have more time to preach.

00:10:58.580 --> 00:10:59.340
 It's not clear.

00:11:00.020 --> 00:11:03.020
 But we certainly see what he devoted himself to.

00:11:03.379 --> 00:11:06.620
 He devoted himself to telling the Jewish people,

00:11:06.760 --> 00:11:09.560
 that Messiah that you are waiting for is here.

00:11:09.720 --> 00:11:10.740
 His name is Jesus.

00:11:11.280 --> 00:11:14.640
 Let me introduce him to you from the Old Testament.

00:11:14.639 --> 00:11:20.039
 Now, Dr. Luke doesn't record for us how he did that.

00:11:20.120 --> 00:11:22.379
 We can see throughout the book of Acts

00:11:22.379 --> 00:11:27.879
 how often the apostles and Paul would go to the Old Testament

00:11:27.879 --> 00:11:30.360
 and say what was predicted there,

00:11:30.620 --> 00:11:32.480
 we see fulfilled in Jesus.

00:11:32.659 --> 00:11:34.399
 So perhaps, thinking about this morning,

00:11:34.840 --> 00:11:36.500
 perhaps he was saying,

00:11:36.500 --> 00:11:39.580
 Jesus came as the Son of Man,

00:11:40.080 --> 00:11:42.120
 spoken of in Daniel chapter 7,

00:11:42.220 --> 00:11:44.480
 that one with glory and power and authority

00:11:44.480 --> 00:11:46.019
 and the right to rule and worship.

00:11:47.500 --> 00:11:50.019
 Perhaps he would have gone to Ezekiel 37.

00:11:50.960 --> 00:11:54.460
 Jesus is the shepherd king in the line of David.

00:11:54.580 --> 00:11:58.720
 He is the one who is sent as God to shepherd his people.

00:11:58.720 --> 00:12:03.600
 Perhaps he would have gone back to the Exodus story.

00:12:04.019 --> 00:12:04.779
 Exodus 12.

00:12:04.940 --> 00:12:07.560
 Jesus is the Passover lamb,

00:12:07.980 --> 00:12:12.660
 the one who is sacrificed for you and for your redemption.

00:12:14.100 --> 00:12:18.180
 Perhaps from Psalm 16, as the apostles often did,

00:12:19.200 --> 00:12:21.779
 Jesus is that holy one speaking of

00:12:21.779 --> 00:12:24.240
 who the Lord did not allow to see decay

00:12:24.240 --> 00:12:27.740
 because he rose from the dead after three days

00:12:27.740 --> 00:12:29.560
 by the power of God.

00:12:30.100 --> 00:12:34.680
 But what's clear is that he is reasoning in the synagogue,

00:12:34.899 --> 00:12:37.000
 so he's reasoning from the Bible,

00:12:37.440 --> 00:12:41.560
 showing that God's Savior is Jesus,

00:12:41.799 --> 00:12:44.740
 that those promises and predictions in the Old Testament

00:12:44.740 --> 00:12:48.039
 are fulfilled in Jesus.

00:12:48.180 --> 00:12:52.840
 So Paul, who'd been raised to know the Old Testament Scripture,

00:12:52.840 --> 00:12:56.480
 he knew his Bible and he used that knowledge

00:12:56.480 --> 00:12:59.440
 so that he could reveal the glory of Jesus

00:12:59.440 --> 00:13:01.100
 to the people who were listening.

00:13:01.960 --> 00:13:04.899
 What we discover in Corinth, as we've seen so many times,

00:13:04.960 --> 00:13:07.060
 is that many of the Jews didn't want to know.

00:13:07.379 --> 00:13:10.820
 In verse 6, we discover that some oppose Paul

00:13:10.820 --> 00:13:11.960
 and become abusive.

00:13:13.200 --> 00:13:17.040
 And then we see Paul following the teaching of Jesus

00:13:17.040 --> 00:13:20.639
 when he shook out his clothes and said,

00:13:20.639 --> 00:13:22.379
 your blood be on your own head.

00:13:22.379 --> 00:13:23.340
 It was Jesus who said,

00:13:23.539 --> 00:13:26.000
 don't throw your pearls before swine.

00:13:27.639 --> 00:13:29.659
 The gospel is a precious treasure.

00:13:29.779 --> 00:13:30.899
 If people don't want to know,

00:13:30.980 --> 00:13:33.720
 there comes a point where it's time to move on,

00:13:33.820 --> 00:13:36.340
 to share it with a more willing audience.

00:13:36.539 --> 00:13:38.100
 It was Jesus who said to the disciples,

00:13:38.279 --> 00:13:39.639
 go from place to place.

00:13:40.120 --> 00:13:42.259
 And if there's a place that doesn't accept your message,

00:13:42.419 --> 00:13:44.919
 shake the dust from off the sandals of your feet

00:13:44.919 --> 00:13:45.939
 and move on.

00:13:46.399 --> 00:13:47.419
 And so Paul does that.

00:13:47.419 --> 00:13:49.419
 In a sense, he moves out from the synagogue

00:13:49.419 --> 00:13:50.539
 and begins to teach.

00:13:51.039 --> 00:13:54.199
 Just around the corner, he moves next door.

00:13:55.159 --> 00:13:59.559
 And he begins to share with a new audience,

00:13:59.860 --> 00:14:02.120
 but it's the same message.

00:14:02.319 --> 00:14:04.120
 Jesus is Lord.

00:14:04.259 --> 00:14:07.319
 And many believe and are baptized.

00:14:07.320 --> 00:14:13.340
 Time and again, we see in the Bible that this principle,

00:14:13.740 --> 00:14:17.440
 that it was Donald that was saying this to us last week.

00:14:17.520 --> 00:14:22.700
 There's always a response to the word of God.

00:14:23.060 --> 00:14:26.460
 Nobody ever remains neutral to the word of God.

00:14:26.620 --> 00:14:28.040
 The Puritans had a saying.

00:14:28.140 --> 00:14:28.420
 They said,

00:14:28.419 --> 00:14:33.000
 the same sun that melts the ice hardens the clay.

00:14:34.059 --> 00:14:37.179
 So some of us, we hear the message of Jesus, the Savior,

00:14:37.299 --> 00:14:39.360
 and it causes us to love him more.

00:14:39.479 --> 00:14:41.459
 It causes us to love him for the first time.

00:14:42.139 --> 00:14:45.099
 Whereas others hear about sin and judgment

00:14:45.099 --> 00:14:47.379
 and the need to turn to God.

00:14:48.199 --> 00:14:49.579
 It just washes over.

00:14:50.379 --> 00:14:52.679
 And in that case, there's a hardening.

00:14:52.679 --> 00:14:59.459
 And so here we find Paul determining to share the gospel

00:14:59.459 --> 00:15:03.099
 from the Old Testament to show the glory of Jesus

00:15:03.099 --> 00:15:05.779
 in his preaching.

00:15:06.979 --> 00:15:12.519
 And that's the same call on us today as God's church.

00:15:12.519 --> 00:15:19.240
 We are called to show Jesus is the Savior that everybody needs.

00:15:19.240 --> 00:15:25.100
 to present him as that shepherd who loves us,

00:15:25.299 --> 00:15:28.620
 who gave his life for us, and now walks with us.

00:15:29.180 --> 00:15:30.680
 That Jesus is the temple.

00:15:30.799 --> 00:15:34.799
 He's the only place where it's possible for us to meet with God.

00:15:34.899 --> 00:15:38.600
 He fulfills that spiritual longing that so many have.

00:15:38.600 --> 00:15:42.159
 That Jesus is the risen King,

00:15:42.539 --> 00:15:47.060
 the one who gives eternal life to all who will believe.

00:15:47.059 --> 00:15:49.719
 Have we heard the gospel?

00:15:50.039 --> 00:15:53.059
 Have we responded to that gospel?

00:15:53.459 --> 00:15:57.659
 And are we seeking to share that gospel

00:15:57.659 --> 00:16:00.899
 so that others might turn and believe?

00:16:02.919 --> 00:16:06.519
 So we find Paul, he's working, and then he's preaching,

00:16:07.019 --> 00:16:08.279
 and things are hard.

00:16:08.399 --> 00:16:09.939
 He meets with opposition and abuse,

00:16:10.279 --> 00:16:12.759
 but he stays, and he stays for a year and a half

00:16:12.759 --> 00:16:15.819
 because of a conviction that he has.

00:16:15.820 --> 00:16:17.580
 Let's think about Paul's conviction

00:16:17.580 --> 00:16:19.240
 and where it comes from.

00:16:19.300 --> 00:16:20.360
 In verse 9,

00:16:21.960 --> 00:16:26.520
 one night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision.

00:16:27.460 --> 00:16:28.400
 Do not be afraid.

00:16:29.000 --> 00:16:29.840
 Keep on speaking.

00:16:30.400 --> 00:16:33.060
 Do not be silent, for I am with you.

00:16:33.500 --> 00:16:35.060
 No one is going to attack and harm you

00:16:35.060 --> 00:16:38.040
 because I have many people in this city.

00:16:38.120 --> 00:16:42.080
 So his conviction comes from God's word.

00:16:42.280 --> 00:16:43.900
 Here, he heard it in a vision.

00:16:43.899 --> 00:16:47.620
 For us, we hear God in his word.

00:16:48.879 --> 00:16:51.019
 The message comes, don't be afraid.

00:16:51.819 --> 00:16:54.340
 But of course we see, and we've already seen

00:16:54.340 --> 00:16:55.340
 in Paul's missionary journey,

00:16:55.439 --> 00:16:57.939
 he had good reason, humanly speaking, to be afraid.

00:16:58.620 --> 00:17:02.120
 The gospel message always provoked opposition and attack.

00:17:03.120 --> 00:17:05.700
 He was told, stay and keep on speaking,

00:17:06.299 --> 00:17:08.480
 and he needed that sense of conviction

00:17:08.480 --> 00:17:10.720
 because other times there was a clear sense

00:17:10.720 --> 00:17:13.360
 that now is the right time to move on.

00:17:14.519 --> 00:17:17.299
 He has this confirmation from God.

00:17:17.380 --> 00:17:18.380
 I will protect you.

00:17:18.640 --> 00:17:20.259
 I will use your ministry.

00:17:20.600 --> 00:17:24.740
 I have plans to build my church here in Corinth.

00:17:26.039 --> 00:17:28.059
 But of course, Paul still has a choice.

00:17:28.400 --> 00:17:31.140
 Will he respond to the word of God or not?

00:17:31.579 --> 00:17:32.339
 Will he listen?

00:17:32.339 --> 00:17:36.220
 Now, if he was motivated by a sense of personal glory

00:17:36.220 --> 00:17:38.899
 or personal comfort and safety and security,

00:17:39.559 --> 00:17:41.799
 Corinth might not have been a great place to live in

00:17:41.799 --> 00:17:45.720
 because he was already beginning to feel attacked.

00:17:45.980 --> 00:17:48.159
 But how does Paul respond?

00:17:48.959 --> 00:17:50.980
 He's convicted by the word of God.

00:17:51.319 --> 00:17:53.599
 He has convictions that he should listen to God.

00:17:53.720 --> 00:17:57.000
 Verse 11, so Paul stayed for a year and a half

00:17:57.000 --> 00:17:58.819
 teaching them the word of God.

00:17:58.819 --> 00:18:02.879
 God speaks, Paul obeyed, Paul listened.

00:18:03.859 --> 00:18:06.379
 Paul cares for the glory of God.

00:18:06.480 --> 00:18:10.119
 He trusts the word of God, so he stays.

00:18:10.279 --> 00:18:13.639
 We read from verse 12 onwards that there is opposition

00:18:13.639 --> 00:18:16.379
 from some influential Jewish people,

00:18:16.539 --> 00:18:21.559
 but he keeps on speaking, and Jesus builds his church.

00:18:21.679 --> 00:18:23.859
 So when Paul leaves, verse 18,

00:18:24.359 --> 00:18:26.139
 Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time,

00:18:26.220 --> 00:18:28.639
 then he left the brothers, the brothers and sisters.

00:18:28.640 --> 00:18:33.259
 So by the time he leaves, there's the beginnings of a church.

00:18:33.759 --> 00:18:36.620
 God has been faithful to his word.

00:18:37.920 --> 00:18:40.259
 So Paul is a man with the courage of his convictions.

00:18:40.440 --> 00:18:42.560
 He is concerned for the glory of God.

00:18:42.620 --> 00:18:44.080
 If God says go, he's going to go.

00:18:44.160 --> 00:18:46.840
 If God says stay, he's going to stay.

00:18:46.839 --> 00:18:50.939
 There's a wonderful verse.

00:18:51.359 --> 00:18:54.679
 Paul spoke to the folks in Athens.

00:18:55.379 --> 00:18:57.379
 Acts chapter 17, verse 26.

00:18:57.559 --> 00:19:01.759
 If you flip back one page, the very bottom of the page,

00:19:01.899 --> 00:19:04.299
 Acts chapter 17, verse 26.

00:19:05.579 --> 00:19:06.859
 There's this wonderful truth.

00:19:06.959 --> 00:19:09.859
 From one man, God made every nation of men

00:19:09.859 --> 00:19:11.559
 that they should inhabit the whole earth,

00:19:11.559 --> 00:19:15.179
 and he determined the times set for them

00:19:15.179 --> 00:19:18.399
 and the exact places where they should live.

00:19:19.519 --> 00:19:22.059
 So here's a wonderful reality for all of us.

00:19:22.440 --> 00:19:26.000
 Times and places are set by God for his glory.

00:19:27.419 --> 00:19:29.179
 So Paul has already come to understand

00:19:29.179 --> 00:19:31.980
 that God has planned his location.

00:19:31.980 --> 00:19:37.360
 God has planned our location and our vocation.

00:19:38.279 --> 00:19:40.200
 And along with that, God has given us

00:19:40.200 --> 00:19:42.740
 a particular temperament, particular gifts,

00:19:42.920 --> 00:19:45.700
 particular areas of influence.

00:19:45.920 --> 00:19:46.299
 Why?

00:19:47.440 --> 00:19:50.079
 So that we might pursue his glory,

00:19:50.819 --> 00:19:53.299
 just as Paul, in his time and place,

00:19:53.720 --> 00:19:55.339
 pursued God's glory.

00:19:55.900 --> 00:19:56.660
 This is good news.

00:19:57.860 --> 00:19:59.319
 Our life matters to God.

00:19:59.319 --> 00:20:03.439
 Our days are numbered and planned by God.

00:20:03.599 --> 00:20:07.000
 Our place and situation is prepared by God.

00:20:07.259 --> 00:20:10.899
 And so we can trust God to provide for us,

00:20:11.200 --> 00:20:14.259
 to protect us, to help us persevere

00:20:14.259 --> 00:20:17.000
 in what he has set before us.

00:20:18.599 --> 00:20:23.740
 So we see in Paul a man who lived for God's glory,

00:20:23.859 --> 00:20:26.379
 whether he was working, whether he was preaching,

00:20:26.939 --> 00:20:28.220
 whether it was just his conviction

00:20:28.220 --> 00:20:29.940
 saying that this is a place where I need to be.

00:20:30.920 --> 00:20:32.500
 So again, for ourselves,

00:20:33.059 --> 00:20:35.519
 perhaps it would be good for us to reflect

00:20:35.519 --> 00:20:38.220
 what needs to change in my life, in your life,

00:20:38.680 --> 00:20:41.400
 so that more and more we might reflect

00:20:41.400 --> 00:20:46.600
 that same concern for God's glory in our own lives.

00:20:46.599 --> 00:21:04.359
 you