Bible Study: December 29, 2021

So tonight we'll go through chapter 22, but before we get to that, let me just bring us up to date and remind us where we are in the book of Acts. Over the last several weeks, we've talked about Paul's journeys as God has led him on various trips into Galatia, into Asia, into Macedonia, into Greece. And we've seen God raise up churches in His own order, as He would have them do. We've seen the patterns as Paul would go in and preach the Gospel, and many people would believe initially what He said.

But then the Jews, the Jews almost routinely, would turn against Paul, create a ruckus, create an uproar in the city, and do everything they can to get him out of the city. There will always was to hurt him, to harm him, to beat him, to discourage him, to stone him, to even kill him. And as we all will see that again here, as Paul is in Jerusalem, having come down from his travels where from Ephesus and over to Corinth, and then if you recall from last week, last week we ended with Paul in Jerusalem.

He wanted to be in Jerusalem for Pentecost. This time he had spent the days of Unleavened Bread with the church in Philippi, which is an instructive thing for us because we learn from that that Paul was in Philippi for the days of Unleavened Bread, that with the New Testament church it wasn't a requirement that they all come down to Jerusalem. That was an Old Testament requirement that they all come together to Jerusalem, the Jews, for the holy days, the three times in a year, the days of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles.

But Paul stayed with the church in Philippi as they observed the days of Unleavened Bread, but he wanted to be in Jerusalem for the feast, and you are for the Feast of Pentecost. Now we remember we talked last week that as he came to the church in Jerusalem, the church of God in Jerusalem, not the temple, but the church of God in Jerusalem, he met with the elders there and James, who was the leader of the church, but the apostles themselves were not mentioned.

And any of the things or any of the incidences that we talked about last week or that we'll talk about this week, Paul came to Jerusalem. God compelled him to be there, and you remember that wherever Paul went, as he was on his journey back to go to Jerusalem for the feast for Pentecost, people kept telling him, don't go, don't go, Paul. Danger awaits you there. Harm awaits you there. But Paul was insistent on going, and he did.

And when he got to Jerusalem, he saw the people there, and he was told by the church in Jerusalem, there are Jews here, many who have converted to Christianity, but they are all zealous for the law. We read that in Acts 21. I think it's in verse 20. I believe it is. They are all zealous for the law. Verse 20. We're going to see that again in chapter 22, and it has quite an impact as we go through chapter 22, because basically the zealousness for the law is what causes some of the problems that Paul is facing here.

Paul, when he got there, he was talked into, you know, doing the Nazarite vow, going through that whole process with the people. That created the whole uproar in Jerusalem, and literally it brought the city down. It brought the city to a halt so that the Roman commander here at the end of chapter 21 has to arrest Paul, has to take him, literally carry him away from the mob because they're violent.

He's in prison, and the Roman commander is like, what did you do? What did you do? He couldn't get a straight answer from anyone. Paul, Paul at the end of chapter 21 asks him, can I speak to the crowd?

And so as we end the chapter 21 last week, Paul is ready to speak to the Jews assembled there in Jerusalem in Hebrew, in Hebrew, and we pick it up there in chapter 22.

We'll begin in verse 1, but before I go there, any questions, comments, any lingering thoughts on anything from last week or that it may be overlooked?

Okay, let's look at verse 1, chapter 22. Paul begins speaking in Hebrew, brethren and fathers, hear my defense before you now. When they heard that he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, they kept all the more silent. So he caught their attention, and here they were. They were against Paul. They'd heard everything that he'd been doing out in the Gentile areas.

As he was telling the Gentiles, in their mind, you don't have to keep any of the law of Moses. You don't have to do anything at all, and they were all upset with him. But here he is speaking in Hebrew, so he catches their attention because they realize he's one of them, and he's going to make that clear here in verse 3. He says, I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel. You'll remember who Gamaliel was. He was or is or was at that time, but he's the man we encountered him earlier in Acts around chapter 4 or 5, when the Sanhedrin was wanting to just consistently attack and destroy Peter and everything that was going on with the Christian, with the witness of Jesus Christ back then.

But Gamaliel stood up and said, you know, just this is of God. You don't want to be found working against God, and it's of men, what these men are talking about. It'll come to nothing. So Gamaliel was held in high regard in the Jewish community, and Paul is relating that to them. Here, I'm one of you. You know, when he says in Corinthians, to the Jew, I became a Jew, to the Greek, I became a Greek, that's what he's doing here.

He's identifying with them. He's basically saying, I understand what you're thinking, because I was one of you. I was where you are now. So he says, I was brought up here in this city, at the feet of Gamaliel, I was taught according to the strictness of our Father's law. That's what I grew up on, the same law that you are so zealous for, the same law that you are, that you are defending, and you're mad about. I had the same upbringing that you did. I had the same thought on it that you did.

I was taught according to the strictness of our Father's law, and I was zealous toward God, as you all are today. So he's saying, I know you, I understand you, I understand what you're doing. Now zealous for the law, or zealous toward God, and zealous for the Lord, you know, we saw that in chapter 20 here, or 21, and again in 22.

So I'm going to just share a screen with you here on zealous for the law, because it is something that defines kind of what's going on in Jerusalem. Here, this comes from the Strong's Concordance. You see it's number 2207. I don't, I'm not going to bother trying to pronounce the word, but you got the number if you want to look it up. You can see that this Strong's word comes, the original is from Greek 2206, and it says here that that word means it's used of God as jealous of any rival and sternly vindicating his control. So, and then it describes, it describes what this word is used as.

It says, from the time of the Maccabees, there existed among the Jews a class of men called zealots. You know, we've heard of the zealots, right? Those, they were people who were zealous for the law, almost to a fault. And you remember even one of the apostles that Jesus Christ chose, that God chose for him was Simon dezalat. And so even, you know, even among the apostles, there was this group that says here, rigorously adhered to the Mosaic law and endeavored even by a resort to violence after the example of Phineas to prevent religion from being violated by others.

So you remember Phineas, he was the son of, the grandson of Aaron, who when Israel was cavorting with the Gentiles, or the foreign nation there, and they were engaged in fornication and everything, and Phineas went in and he killed the young man and woman, and that stopped the plague on Israel. So they, you know, said, okay, well, we see someone diverting from the law or going against the law. Violence must be approved by God. So they would do this, and they would support violence, you know, to prevent religion from being violated by others. But in the latter days of the Jewish commonwealth, they used their holy zeal as a pretext for the basest crimes.

So it became more and more. So we see, you know, mob rule, we've talked about that many times as Paul has wandered through Asia Minor and the areas that he has begun churches in, they just take matters into their own hands. They, they, when they see someone who they think is turning people away from the Jewish religion, they're going to, they're going to get involved. And then it says, to defend it uphold a thing, intecting intent on protecting the majesty and authority of God by contending for the Mosaic law. And there in that, they specifically cite the verse that we're in here in Acts 22 verse 3. Now zealous, now keep in mind, you know, zealous, later on, we're going to see the word jealous, which also has its root in this Greek word 2206, the same as zealous. But it's going to, it's going to help us understand what the Jews are going through here. Paul understands it because he knows this is, this is what they do. They think someone is, is going against God. They're going to jump in and whatever violence, whatever things, they'll take matters into their own hands to stop it. And that's what they're trying to do with Paul.

So Paul says, I know where you're at. I get you. And verse 4, you know, going on in chapter 22, says, I persecuted this way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons, both men and women, as also the high priest bears me witness and all the counsel of the elders from whom I also received letters to the brethren. I went to Damascus to bring in chains, even those who were there to Jerusalem to be punished. So Paul is just showing the extent that he was willing to go. Not only in Jerusalem was he going to round people up who believed in Jesus Christ and wasn't following the strict adherence of the Jewish laws, which were more the traditions that they were interested in, that he was going far away to round up people that believe that we're beginning to believe in Jesus Christ. You know, no wonder, no wonder, as you recall, when he was in Thessalonica and that church was persecuted, they followed Paul all the way down into Greece to try to stop him. They followed him all the way to Athens. Paul did the same thing. So as he's going through these experiences that he finds himself involved in, he's got to be thinking, this is what I did to others. It's only fitting that it's happening to me. He understands what he is done.

So the people that are listening to him, they're listening to what he has to say. They're identifying with it. And then he goes into telling what it is that changed him, that converted him from anti-Jesus or anti-Christ to, you know, Jesus Christ as the Savior. Verse 6, he says, it happened as I journeyed and came near Damascus. At about noon, suddenly a great light from heaven shone around me. And he repeats the story that we read in Acts 9, but we'll read it here again. He says, I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? And I answered, who are you, Lord? And he said to me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting. And those who were with me indeed saw the light and they were afraid. You know, he tells us here it was at noon, so here was bright daylight and here the light is so light that it's very visible and very aware to everyone. Or you remember the light causes Paul to lose his sight for three days. They were afraid that they didn't hear the voice of him who spoke to me. And I said, so Paul says, I said, what shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said to me, arise, go into Damascus and there you will be told all things which are appointed for you to do. Now, the way Paul relates this here is, you know, he's told in Acts 9 when the story is recounted, it says, go into Damascus and you will be told what you must do. Here he says, arise and you will be told all things which are appointed for you to do. If you look up the Greek word that's translated appointed there, it has the meaning of setting things in order. God is going to set the order for Paul. These are the things Paul, you are going to do. And you know, we ask God to direct our steps. We know to direct our paths to order our steps. And God does that. You know, it's his will when this happens or that happens, when in life we're called, when we learn the things we learn, when we turn to him, etc. And Paul, and we see that God was indeed directing Paul as he went out on the very, you know, various missions that he had as he went out. You remember the first mission? He wanted to go into Asia. But we were told, you know, the Holy Spirit didn't allow him to go into Asia. He wanted to go into Bithynia on that trip. Nope, not going into Bithynia. But he went up to Macedonia and the Thessalonica church started then, the Philippian church, and then down into Greece with Athens and Corinth. But then on the third missionary journey, Paul did go to Ephesus. And it was time at that time, God's time, for the church at Ephesus to begin. And you recall that as Ephesus began from Ephesus, all of Asia, you know, tells us all of Asia received the word, literally all of Asia. So it's always in God's time. We may not know exactly why God says this time or that time, but here Paul is recounting, you know, he's been through all these journeys. I'll tell you when the appointed time for you to come. So we see the order in life, and we see that Paul is just literally following God. He's just turned to his life has been completely turned around to wherever God leads. That's where he's going. And so he goes on in verse 11, he says, And since I couldn't see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of those who were with me, I came into Damascus and a certain Ananias, a devout man, according to the law.

And when we see those adjectives, we know that Ananias was a man, a man of God. God uses the same word devout when he's talking about Cornelius back in Acts 10, when Peter was led to that house. And you recall Cornelius, he'd been studying the scriptures. Paul or Peter could see that God had opened their minds, had even given them the Holy Spirit, so they were baptized. He uses the same word about Cornelius. He uses the same word in chapter 10, also about one of the soldiers who came out to greet Peter as he arrived there. So the devout man is one who is very dedicated to God, completely submitted to him. You know, we should know what that word is. A certain Ananias and a devout man, according to the law, having a good testimony with all the Jews who brought there. So he wasn't an instigator, he wasn't a problem. People liked him, the Jews liked him, but he was also a man of God and believed in Jesus Christ.

Anyway, Ananias and Salsus in verse 13 came to me, and he stood and said to me, Brother Saul, receive your sight. And at that same hour I looked up at him, and he said, The God of our fathers has chosen you, that you should know his will, and see the just one, and hear the voice of his mouth. God has chosen you, Paul. This is what your calling is. It's from God the Father. It is from God. You know, just like God has chosen you and me, and all of us for what his will for all of us is. Whatever that is, just like Paul to follow his steps, to follow wherever he leads, do whatever he commands us to do. For some reason he called us, just like he called Paul. Paul was the most unlikely person for God to call, because he was so involved, and he was so well known, and he was so adamant in his rivalry, if you will, with Jesus Christ or those who followed the way. He's the most unlikely one, but he had a lot of zeal. A guy was going to show, God was going to use that zeal as Paul, you know, sacrificed his life, really, to do what God wants. But here, Anna Niver says that you, Paul, should know his will and see the just one. Now, again, if you look up just one in the in the in the in Strong's, another way that just one could be could be translated there, and it has the sense of, of course, just we know what that means. God is righteous. God is everything good, including God is not partial. And just one there really has the sense of he's the God of equality. He created all mankind. Jesus Christ created or Jesus Christ died for all of mankind that all of mankind's sins could be forgiven, that all mankind could have the opportunity at eternal life. Some are called in this day, some will be the rest of humanity that isn't called today will be called as we know God's plan of salvation. In the second resurrection, all people will have an opportunity. He is the God of equality. And that's important because as we go through here, Chapter 22, we see here's the problem is Jews versus Gentiles. There's this rivalry between the two groups. The Jews don't like the Gentiles. The Jews don't want the Gentiles to have part of anything that they do. And so as Ananias is talking and as Paul is relating this to them, he says, you know, you need to know God's will. You need to see what the the one of equality, the just one, which includes he's a God of all people and hear the voice of his mouth.

Remember, remember we and we talked about this and I guess we could go back to Galatians 1 and look at that again. When Paul was called, God didn't send him back to be trained by the people in Jerusalem. It was Jesus Christ who trained Paul. It was Jesus Christ who educated him. In fact, let's do that. Let's go ahead and see. We'll be going to another one of Paul's epistles here because as we go through the book of Acts and we see Paul going through these experiences, he'll talk about these things and the epistles that he would send later.

Galatians, those are some of the churches, first churches that he raised up. And as he is speaking to them, he talks about how Jesus Christ is the one who trained him, if you will, who educated him, who gave him the knowledge of the truth. In verse 12 of Galatians 1, he says, For I neither received it, but I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ.

So you'll recall in chapter 2, Paul goes to Jerusalem. He speaks with the apostles there, and as they compare notes, if you will, on what is the doctrine, what are the truths, they're exactly the same. Jesus Christ walked with the apostles in Jerusalem for three and a half years, and he taught them in person what is truth, and they got it. Paul didn't have any of that, but he was taught by the same Jesus Christ through his Holy Spirit. So even though they didn't have contact, they were completely united in doctrine. It's a powerful lesson for us because we're in various places, but God's Spirit unites us. If we are led by God's Spirit, we have the same understanding. We come to the same conclusions. We may take some time to get to a full understanding of it, but God's Spirit is unifying.

You probably should look at Ephesians here while I'm speaking of that. Ephesians 4.

Ephesians 4 verse 4. Paul, again, he sees this happen. He's had the opportunity and the blessing of being able to go around to various areas. The churches in Galatia, the churches in Macedonia, churches in Greece, the churches in Ephesus, and seeing the people that God has called there, the leadership that God has given to him, that we're going to continue working with those churches when Paul wasn't there. He saw the unity of the Holy Spirit. He saw how God works. He says in Ephesians 4.4, there is one body. There is one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling. One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in you all. All together is what he's saying. It's all one. When we're led by God, we will be in unity. When we are submissive to Him, God will lead us into truth. He will lead us into understanding. He will lead us to become the oneness that He wants us to have. Paul is talking about that here. As he's talking to the Jews, it's like, I know who you are, but God called me. This is what I was told. Then he goes on, if we go back to chapter 22, and he continues with what he's telling them. He's explaining to them. God is giving him the opportunity to explain, give the witness of Jesus Christ. Tell them what you're doing in the Gentile area, because what it is is God's will that Paul is doing. It's not his own idea.

In verse 15, he says, For you will be his witness to all men, of what you have seen and heard.

Now, the Jews didn't get that we're in Jerusalem that day. They didn't get all upset when they heard all men. Maybe their ears perked up a little bit. Like, what is he talking about? Where's he going with this? For you will be witness to all men. Just like Jesus Christ died for all men, Paul's message is for all men. The Jews and Gentiles alike. He was the one, the apostle of Gentiles. But when you look at Paul's writings and what God inspired in the writings, what God has preserved for us, he's still speaking to us today. Every Christian alive today is reading the words of Paul, studying the words of Paul, just like you and I are. They've been preserved. So, when God said all men, it was not just all men in that area, but his words are here for all of mankind, down through the return of Jesus Christ. And as long as there's physical man on this earth, you will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. And now, why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord. So it's like, Paul, go ahead, be baptized, receive the Holy Spirit, and get to the work as God has called you to do. And then in verses 17 to 21, you know there's verses there that aren't anywhere else in the Bible. But Paul fills us in a little bit about what happened and what he knew was going to happen, you know, as he was in Jerusalem way back at the beginning when he came there the first time that we read back in around Acts 9 or 10. Verse 17, he says, it happened, when I returned to Jerusalem, remember he went to Damascus for three years, and he came down to Jerusalem, the apostles wouldn't even see him, only Peter would see him, only Peter would receive him. Even the church, you know, they were still all afraid of him. He didn't want anything to do with him because their reputation preceded him. He's, you know, they didn't know what he was about. It happened when I returned to Jerusalem, I was praying in the temple that I was in a trance, and I saw him, referring to Christ, saying to me, make haste, make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, for they will not receive your testimony concerning me. You know, so God prepared, or Christ prepared, Paul, you know, you're going to talk, you're going to witness to me, they're not going to listen to you, Paul, they're not going to listen to you. You know, you may want to think and you may want, just like we all want when we talk to someone, oh, they get it, they understand the truth, they understand, they understand, and some people do if God's calling them, but other people just don't want to hear it. They don't want to hear anything about it. So Christ prepares Paul, you know, you're going to get out of Jerusalem quickly, and you recall the people were up in arms, and they had to get Paul out of Jerusalem quickly.

He had to go back to Tarsus. He waited there until the Antioch church was started, and then Barnabas went up there to see what was going on as the Christians from Jerusalem scattered, and then he went and found Paul to work with him in the raising up of the Gentile churches.

So Paul knew this. God made him aware. They're not going to listen to you, Paul.

So I said, Paul's acknowledging what his past is. So I said, Lord, they know that in every synagogue I am imprisoned and beat those who believe on you. And when the blood of your martyr, Stephen, was shed, I also was standing by, consenting to his death, and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him. So I was like, I get it. I understand why they don't like me. I understand why they don't trust me. I understand why they would have this misgiving about me.

Look what I did. I have to own it. This is what I did. So Paul's okay with it. Paul's repentant, but he understands the situation that he's in, just like this says he's talking to the Jews now. And then he says in verse 21, Christ said, The me depart, for I will send you far from here to the Gentiles, which is exactly what God had him do. He was the apostle to the Gentiles. You're not going to be the apostle here in Jerusalem, Paul. You're going to be the apostle to the Gentiles.

And when Paul says that, a crowd who is listening intently breaks into complete bedlam. It is like he couldn't have said anything to incite the crowd more than by saying, Christ said to me, depart, for I will send you far from here to the Gentiles. And verse 22 to 24, we see, wow, everything just falls apart in that assembly that's there. They're all listening intently. As Paul speaks in Hebrews, listening to his story, he says this in verse 22, they listened to him until this word, and then they raised their voices and said, Away was such a fellow from the earth. He is not fit to live. And they cried out and they tore their clothes and threw dust into the air. You can see, you can see the zealous for the law. What do you mean, Paul? You're going to the Gentiles. What are you talking about? They're absolutely, if we can use the term, they're out of control. As they tore, as they cried out, tore off their clothes, threw dust into the air. The commander ordered him to be brought into the barracks and said that he should be examined under scourging.

You know, the Romans examined under scourging. That we put, if we just cause immense pain, Paul will tell us what he did. I'm sure the Roman commander is sitting back there, listening to what's going on, listening to what Paul has talked and wondering what happened. What did the man say that created this immediate reaction from the Jews that are assembled there? So he goes, Okay, he's doing something. There's something about him that's caused it. We didn't know what it is. Take him and scourge him. You know, examine under scourging, you know, we'll break it. The pain, the pain of scourging will make him tell us what it is. So, and examine him under scourging so that he might know, so that he might know why they shouted so against him. The Roman commander is curious. He's clueless. What happened? What caused this? It's the same kind of reaction that he had back at the end of chapter 21, when the crowd was going crazy at that time. And he heard one person say, well, this is what he did. Another person said that, and the sense was they don't have any idea. They're not united in what it is that Paul has done, and they had to literally carry him out of the crowd there and put him in the barracks just to preserve his life. But they had no idea. What did you do, Paul? It's the same thing that the Roman commander is asking now. What did he do? How did he incite the crowd by that little comment? We might ask that too. Why were the Jews so upset when Paul said, I've been being sent to the Gentiles?

You know, Paul doesn't really tell us here. You know, in the next couple of chapters, Paul is going to be in Jerusalem for a while. He stays there for two years. He has an opportunity to witness for Festus, Felix, and all these people of what it is. They can't find any fault with him. In chapter 23, I'm not going to go over to chapter 23 verse 11, but we see it as God's will. This is when Paul came to Jerusalem against everyone else's advice. Everyone else saying, don't go, Paul. Don't go, Paul. We see it was God's will. Exactly as Paul said for him to be in Jerusalem. Chapter 23 verse 11, as Paul's imprisoned there and everything. The following night, it says, the Lord stood by Paul and said, be of good cheer, Paul, for as you have testified for me in Jerusalem, you must also bear witness in Rome. So we've moved from, you know, we've moved from Gentile churches being started. God has, you know, Paul has completed that, you know, raised those churches up. God has given him good leaders and elders that are going to be in those churches. You remember, along the way, we met, you know, Timothy and Silas were with him, and then we met Aquila and Priscilla, and we met Apollos, who continued and was working with the church in Corinth. We met some other people from Macedonia and the other areas there that we mentioned, and then God continually expanded Paul's party as Paul was training those people to continue those churches and to continue working with them. But now Paul is witnessing in Jerusalem, and God tells him, you're going to Rome, too. You're going to talk about this and talk about me in Rome as well.

But here's this incitement, if you will, of the Jews. What was it that created the Jews? Why were they so upset? Well, it has something to do with that cellistness, you know, that we talked about back in the early verses there of chapter 22. If we go over to Romans, there are a few chapters in Romans that speak to this, and how the Jews respond to the Gentiles and the whole concept of the Gentiles being called and the gospel being taken to them. Recall, the Jews always saw themselves as God's people. To a fault, almost, they saw themselves as preeminent on the earth. They were the cream of the crop, and the rest of the world was all just drudge. We don't need to worry about the Gentile. We shouldn't even have anything to do with the Gentiles. They're below us. We have nothing. We don't want anything to do with them. It's just us. We are God's people, and that's the only thing in life. We don't even have to pay attention to these people. Well, we know what that attitude was, and we know that's not the attitude that Jesus Christ brought up to earth. He didn't die just for the Jews or just for Christians. He died for all of mankind. When we come over to chapter 10, Paul is now writing to the Romans. As he went through the churches, there were some of the questions I'm sure that were there that he had to keep explaining. They would grow an understanding of what was going on. For instance, the circumcision decision back in Acts 15. We find him referencing the circumcision decision in Romans 2 and 28, saying now his circumcision in the heart. He repeats it in his other epistles as well. Here in chapter 10, he talks about the Jews and their reaction to the Gentiles and what God was doing. Remember there was that covenant between all of Israel and God. The covenant that God made with them at Mount Sinai. They said, everything you do, everything you ask God will do. But we know, as we read through the Bible, that they didn't. Whenever they had an opportunity to sin against God, they did. As soon as they met someone, they would follow him. Let's just read through a few verses here in chapter 10 and 11.

There's a lot in these chapters, and I think it relates back to what was going on as the people so vehemently or violently reacted there in Acts 22. In chapter 10, the first one says, Brethren, Paul, of course, writing, My heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. He wanted his countrymen to be saved. He believed that they would, but he also knew how they responded to God and the situations that he'd been involved in.

For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God. They do think they are alive. They're not just sitting back and lackadaisical and, hey, whatever you want to do is okay. They have a zeal. They've got energy. They've got a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. They've got a zeal for their law. They've got a zeal for what they thought. They've got a zeal for the traditions that they've laid upon God's law. They had a zeal so much that they put the Savior that they said they'd been waiting for to death because they simply didn't want to do what he said.

They wanted to continue in their own traditions and didn't believe, couldn't even believe that the things they were doing were wrong and that needed to be changed. For I bear them witness, they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they, verse 3, be ignorant of God's righteousness when seeking to establish their own righteousness. I'll be the one. I'll be the one to interpret the Bible.

We'll do things our way. And the Jews, while they kept the Sabbath and they kept the holidays, they had these other things that you had to do. And they defined it was a different religion than what God had established. Different religion with the Bible had espoused a different religion from what Christ started and the church that he started. They were seeking to establish their own righteousness. And you know, we can be built guilty of the same thing. We can make our own determinations and say, this is the way I'm going to be, and I'm not going to listen to anyone else. That's kind of what the Jews did.

When Jesus Christ came, he was the Messiah. Had they been paying attention to the Scriptures, they would have been able to prove, he's the Messiah we've been waiting for. We need to listen to him. But they were so convinced and sure. We have all the answers.

We are God's people. We're doing everything. We're doing everything right. And this man is this man isn't following any decisions. Remember Jesus Christ said, you teach for commandments the traditions of men. And so, you know, they did that. We could be guilty of the same thing if we don't watch what we're doing. If we write our script that we want, you know, to be doing what God said. Seeking to establish their own righteousness, they haven't submitted to the righteousness of God. You know, they haven't yielded to God. When they heard the things that they were doing differently from what God's Word said, they didn't repent.

They didn't yield to God and say, okay, we get it. We're going to be doing things your way. You know, we've been talking about agape. Agape here recently on the Sabbath. So one of the ways we show God agape that we agape Him is we do things His way, not our way. We do things His way.

The Jews didn't do that, right? They didn't submit to the righteousness of God. For Christ, verse 4, Christ is the end of the law. For righteousness to everyone who believes. We know He, again, looking at the words that are used here, Christ is the end of the law. Some people take that and say, well, He stands the law. That means we don't have to keep the law anymore. Christ did away with the law.

That isn't what it means at all. Again, if you look at the Greek word end, it really means He's the end result of the law. He's the goal of the law. God shows us the first command and honor. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and soul. The second is like it. Love your neighbor as yourself. He says on these, hang all the law and the prophets.

God shows us how to do those things. Ephesians 4, 13, what is our goal? We just talked about it last week in Sabbath services. Our goal is to grow into the fullness of the measure and stature of Jesus Christ. That's the goal, to become like Him. That takes the rest of our physical lives to do, and then being resurrected at the time of Jesus Christ's return, the constant growth toward becoming just like Jesus Christ. For Christ, He's saying He's the goal of the law.

That's who we need to become like. That's what we need to do. He's the reason the law, you know, He'll say another place, it's the tutor. It kind of taught us how to love God, but as we grow in Him, it's no longer we're doing it just because we have to do it. It's because we want to do what we love God.

It just becomes us. So the Sabbath isn't a burden to us when it comes around. It's not something that we do. We don't count it a burden that we, you know, can't take God's name in vain like all the people at work do around us. That we, you know, have to give up some of the things that are of the world because we love God more. Christ is the goal of the law. For righteousness to everyone who believes. And of course, when we believe in Jesus Christ, that word pastel that I may be too often talk about, but just as a reminder, when we truly believe, it changes the way we think.

It changes the way we are. It makes us change our lives. We know we can no longer live the way we did before. Well, let's drop down a few verses here in chapter 10. So as Paul is talking about these things, he's talking about the Jewish people here. You know, they aren't listening to God.

And in verse 11, he says, for the Scripture says, whoever believes on him won't be put to shame, for there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon him. He's the God of equality. He died for all of mankind. Salvation is open to whoever God calls, regardless of ethnicity, regardless of background, regardless of national origin, regardless whether they're a natural descendant of the Abrahamic line or not.

Whoever God calls, salvation is open to whoever ever he calls. There is no distinction between Jew and Greek. He's writing this to the Romans. Now, earlier, I think a few years ago, we went through a Bible study in Romans. You know, chapters one, two, and three in Romans, Paul is talking about sin. And it's very easy in chapter one, you know, when you look at the Gentiles, very easy to say, boy, they're sinners.

They're sinners. I mean, the lifestyle that they had in all those cities, with all the gods, they worship with a sexual immorality, with everything they did. It was just absolutely very easy to say, boy, you are living completely apart from God. There is nothing, nothing you do that is commensurate with the law of God or the Bible or anything. So the Jews could look at them and say, they're sinners.

And the Gentiles could say, we're sinners. We haven't been living at all the way the God of the universe has asked us to live. But in chapter two, Paul begins to talk about the Jews, because again, they saw themselves as, we're superior, we know the Bible, we live by the Bible in our own minds, they were learning some things. But they did believe the Jews that, you know, just the law, the law was the ticket to salvation. They had to learn Jesus Christ as the way to salvation, believe in Him, do the things that He has asked you, you know, that He has called you to do. And so the Jews had sinned too, it just was in a different way. And they had to realize, we too as Jews are sinners. We have not obeyed God the way that He has to be, that we should have been.

So for them, it was difficult, but all are sinners. It's the same as, you know, if someone was to come into our congregations, you know, and they've been released from jail, they've, I don't know, they've stolen, they've whatever, you name it, you know, they've got a laundry list forever long of the things that they've done. It'd be very easy for that person to repent, right? Okay, I see what I've done, right? And much, where it says too much is forgiven, and much is expected. But then others will say, you know, I've lived a good life. I haven't really done any of those things. I've, you know, I grew up in the church. I know the Sabbath day, I do all these things and whatever. And we have that example of the young man in Matthew 18 or 19 there, I did all these things, but he was missing something. Everyone has something to repent of, to become like Christ. So in verse 12, you know, that's what he's saying there. God calls all the people. And then down through verses 14 to 17, he talks about, you know, hearing comes by the word of the Lord, the word of God has to be preached. And then down in verse 17, faith comes by hearing, hearing by the word of God. And then verse 18, Paul says, what I say, haven't they heard?

Yes, indeed, the Jews have heard their sound has gone out to all the earth and their words in the ends of the world. You know, as we saw the message go out, it was everywhere. It covered Asia. Verse 19, but I say, did Israel not know? Did Israel not know? And he refers back to Deuteronomy 32.21. So let's go back and see what Paul is referring to when he goes back to Deuteronomy 32.

And you will recall from, you know, back before the feast, we talked about, I guess, in our Sabbath services we did that the last chapters of Deuteronomy are quite prophetic. And they talk about the end times, not just about history or the future of ancient Israel, but the end times as well. And then 32, chapter 32, this is the Song of Moses, it talks about this time that Paul is relating to, when the Gentiles would be being called and the effect it would have on the Jewish nation or on Israel. Let's pick it up in verse 19. Deuteronomy 32, verse 19. When the Eternal saw it, he spurned them, okay, Israel. See that in verse 15 there? Because of the provocation of his sons and daughters. They provoked him to anger, and he said, I will hide my face from them. I will see what their end will be. They want to do it their way, let them do it their way, we'll see what comes of that. For they are a perverse generation, children in whom is no faith. They have provoked me to jealousy by what is not God. They have moved me to anger by their foolish idols. So you can see what they've done. Israel was guilty of provoking God to jealousy. He married them, if you will. He had a covenant between them. They were his people. When you enter into a covenant, just like man and wife, it isn't loyal to each other, one with each other. Make the covenant with each other to be loyal to each other for the rest of life. And that's what Israel had done, and yet they didn't honor that commitment to God. They've moved me to anger by their foolish idols. He says, I will provoke them. They did it. I will provoke them to jealousy by those who are not a nation. I will move them to anger by a foolish nation. So the Jews, you know, we'll just say the Jews here, it's all of Israel because Israel had already gone into captivity. They had departed from God. And as Paul is talking, about this here and what went on to Jerusalem, he quotes this if we go back to Romans 10-19.

And he says, but I say, didn't Israel know? Didn't they know? And then he says, well, it's written in Moses. I will provoke you to jealousy by those who are not a nation. I will move you to anger by a foolish nation. Let me pull this thing up on jealousy here.

We talked about zealous coming from Greek 2206. And here we have jealousy, right? Jealousy as it's here in Romans 10-19. You can see it's originally from the same Greek word to stimulate, excite to rivalry, provoke to emulation. So for God, you know, God is now calling Gentiles, that's creating this rivalry. You know, the Jews, and that's going to take some time to just kind of think about what God is doing. You know, he says that the Jews will go on here in a minute. Now, let's just go on before I just add to it. Let me just use the words of the Bible here.

Didn't Israel know? I'll provoke you to jealousy. I will move you to anger by a foolish nation in verse 20. But Isaiah is very bold. I'm in Romans 11 here, or 10 verse 20. Isaiah is very bold and says, I was found by those who didn't seek me. You know, the Gentiles were never looking for God. It wasn't that they were running around Asia and Macedonia saying, who is this God? You know, who is this guy? No, Paul came. Paul preached. Jesus Christ. God opened minds, and they believed, and they recognized, oh, this is truth. I was found by those who didn't seek me.

I was made manifest to those who didn't ask for me. They weren't asking. They weren't seeking God. They weren't doing anything. God just brought it to them, and the Gentiles responded. You know, the Jews said they were always seeking the Messiah. They were looking for the Messiah to come. They wanted him to come, but when he came, they didn't listen to him. They hated him. They put him to death. They killed the messenger. They killed the Savior of mankind. They said they were looking for. They rejected God. We don't want him. So God, you know, they broke the covenant.

Jesus Christ died on the cross. Jesus Christ was resurrected, and it allows us to God's right hand, and now it's since they rejected the Gentiles have an opportunity to be called, and God is doing just that. But Paul goes on now in verse 21, but to Israel. I was found by the Gentiles, but to Israel he says, all day long I've stretched out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.

They simply wouldn't listen. Whatever I asked them to do, they didn't do. They were contrary. They were rebellious. If I asked them to do something, they didn't do it. I would send them prophets. I would send them warnings. They killed them. I mean, you can kind of see if you look at it from God's standpoint what went on. The Jews, Israel, still doesn't get it, or they still don't get it. One day they will. You know, one day they will. Paul references that here a little bit in chapter 11, just a few verses here. He says, I say then, has God cast away his people? Has he forgotten ancient Israel? Has he forgotten the promises that he made to Abraham's descendants? Certainly not. For I also, he says, am an Israelite, that the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God hasn't cast away his people, whom he foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying, Lord, they've killed your prophets, they torn down your altars, and I alone am left and they seek my life. But what does the divine response say to Elijah? I have reserved for myself 7,000 men who have not bowed the knee to Baal. Even so then, at this present time, there is a remnant, according to the election of grace.

They won't be completely destroyed. You know, we don't have the time to go back into Ezekiel and then the prophecies there, but you see the many, many prophecies in the Old Testament that when Jesus Christ returns, the nation of Israel would be brought back to their lands, the ones, the remnant that survives the end time, and it lives over in the millennium. It also says back in Ezekiel 6, and I think in Ezekiel 20 as well, that Israel, when they see what they have done, they will loathe themselves. They'll hate themselves for what they've done, how they've responded to God. And when they loathe themselves, just like when we loathe ourselves for when we live the part from God, or when we disappoint Him by our actions, you know, they'll repent and they'll become His people.

But now, but you know, now we have this rivalry. We have this rivalry, and we have the Jews who literally, you know, hate, if you will, the Gentiles and the fact that any message is going to them, they see it as, this is our truth, this is our religion. Don't be taking it to the Gentiles. They're jealous. They're jealous of them, and they are mad that Paul is taking it to the Gentiles, and they're mad at him for what they perceive he is teaching. Remember, when the reports come back on him, they perverted the message in many ways. They've given half-truths about it and taken one piece and said things about it and saying that he's done away with all the law, and you know, that he's against circumcision, physical circumcision, and everything. None of which is true. They just colored it just as people always, always do. Well, there's a lot in, you know, chapters 10 and 11 there of Romans. Take some time, take some time, take some time to wrap your mind around, you know, how God, you know, how God is working, and to understand what the Jews were doing there when we're back in Acts 22, and they turn so violently, so violently against Paul.

Let me just pause for a moment. If there's anything that I maybe have not made clear, and I'm sure there's a lot I haven't made clear, but if anyone's got any comments or anything they want to add or talk about, you know.

No!

Brother Shaby, did somebody else have something to say? Okay, all right. Second Corinthians chapter 3 verses 15 through 18 corresponds to the whole context of what Paul, what you were just covering from the scripture, where he says, because until God calls any of us, there's a veil, and it's only removed. As it says there in verse 14 back in 21, when you come to see the just one, the equitable one, until then the veil remains. No matter how much you hear the law, you probably practice some of the law, there is no, there's no, there's no salvation in wealth. You're trying to establish your own right, it's because it's not based on faith and love. Yeah, that's very good.

You want to go ahead and read Second Corinthians 3 15 18 Xavier?

To this day, when Moses is read, the veil lies upon their hearts, but when their heart turned to the Lord, the veil is taken away. While the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. But we all with uncovered face behold the glory of the Lord, as in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. Yeah, those are the fullness of Ephesians 4. Yeah, and the point you're making, very good point. There's a veil on their heart, they can't understand, right? The only way that veil ever gets removed is when we turn to God. Repent and turn to God. That's what that verse is saying there. That's what the Jews in Israel haven't done yet, but they will do it a future time. Remnant of them have done it, but not all of them. So good point, good point.

Okay, let's go ahead. Could we say they're very much like Job? Pardon? They're very much like Job.

Some of the things are, it's my righteousness, it's not God's righteousness. You know, my eyes are pure. Why? Because you're not the looks. Who tells you not the looks? Yeah, you know. And it took God that's coming down the job and opening his eyes, right? And God realized when he's done, the same thing was going to happen in the future when everything falls apart on him as in prophecy, and they realize, oh, we've turned against God. This is what's coming upon us now.

I should say all of us are related to Job, sorry. Yep. Okay, let's, very good. Let's go back to where we were. Yeah, chapter 22 verse 24.

Okay, so we have this whole thing going on here in Jerusalem. The commander takes Paul in, you know, whatever he said, he deserves spourging. We're going to examine him. I can't say I like that term, but I can understand what it would have say. You know, pain will make people speak. And he's thinking, if we punish this guy, if we make him hurt, he'll tell us what he's really up to here and what's creating the problem with the people and this insurrection that we have here. So in verse 25 of Acts 22 says, as they bound him with thongs, Paul said to the centurion, who stood by, is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman and unconvend? Well, we've been saying right to the last couple chapters here, the Romans and the cities there in Galatians, the Romans are pretty aware of the law. They're getting aware of the law and boy, we could be held accountable for some of this stuff. If we take matters into our own hands, the Jews are taking matters into their own hands, but the Romans are watching, you know, we need to abide by the law. So Paul asks this question. The centurion, verse 26, goes to the commander and says, take care of what you do. This man is a Roman. And the commander came and said to Paul, tell me, are you a Roman? And he said yes. And the commander answered. Well, with a large sum, I obtained this citizenship. Paul said, that was born a citizen. Now there's the things of, you know, the commander had to buy his citizenship. Paul was a natural-born citizen. And some natural-born citizens, you know, there are benefits, just like in America. You know, natural-born citizens in America can do things like be elected president of the United States. But anyone who comes in and becomes a citizen in another way, it isn't natural-born. That is part of the Constitution. They can't become president of the United States. So there are some benefits in America. There's probably more beyond that. But here in Rome, there were some as well. So the commander is like, well, I'm a citizen. Paul said, yeah, but I'm born. I was born a Roman. Now someone this afternoon said, how could Paul be a Jew and a Roman? Well, remember, he grew up in the city of Tarsus. Tarsus was not Jerusalem. Tarsus was in a province there, and it was a Roman city. So when he was born there as a Jew in that city, just like if we were born in America, we become more of American citizens.

He was a Roman citizen by birth, as well as being a Jew. So he's got this thing that we're going to see come by later chapters. This Roman citizenship is going to be important to Paul as well. And verse 29 says, he never had a trial. He never had a jury. No one accused him. I just assumed that he was guilty of what he was doing. The next day, verse 30, because he wanted to know for certain why he was accused by the Jews, he released him from his bonds and commanded the chief priests and all their counsel to appear. And they brought Paul down and set him before them. So the Roman commander still puzzled, what is it that they have against this man? It's kind of the same puzzle meant that Pontius Pilate had about Jesus Christ. What is it that he's done? What is it he's done? And of course, we remember that it was because of envy. Pilate realized they're envious of Christ. He's got a following, and they're afraid of him, they're afraid of him, and they're envious of him. Throughout all the generation of the churches in the Gentile areas, we've seen the Jews over and over. It's been the envy, the envy of what's going on, or taking people from Judaism into this.

And here is the same thing with Paul. The jealousy has them in a rage. So I'm going to stop there for tonight. I'm going to stop at chapter 22. We'll pick it up in chapter 23 next week. But let me just leave it there. If there's any discussion, questions, or anything, we've got some time. And we can talk about things. And while you're thinking, I'm going to look at my notes and make sure I haven't forgotten anything here. Mr. Shostak, Veronica has her hand up. Who knows? Oh, Veronica?

Veronica, I don't know if you wanted to say something. You'll need to hit your microphone if you do.

Okay.

I don't know. It was interesting. This afternoon, as we were talking, someone brought up the prodigal son and was comparing the prodigal son to the Jews. And you remember that story very well. The older son did everything right, and whatever. The prodigal son went away, squandered all of his inheritance, and wanted a thing to do with what the dad preached, kind of stood for, rejected him. And they're saying, could the Jews be seen as the prodigal son, that they'll come back. That they'll come back. And it's funny, when it was brought up, because I had also thought of that. And many of us have children or family members who have strayed, if I can use that term. And you do have to wonder, as they see things happening, as they hit rock bottom. And as the world progresses in prophecy, you know, that the Bible says, well, they remember, if they haven't absolutely turned hostile toward God, if they haven't shut their mind and hardened their hearts against God, you know, will they come back? Will they be like the prodigal son? Is there the meaning that God has in that as he gave this parable? And I think that's something to think about. And when that happens, as people come back, we should be thrilled. We should be thrilled, just like the angels, and God are thrilled when someone comes back, you know, and repents and rejoins the body. So can you hear me now? Yes, Veronica. Yes.

In verse 14 in chapter 22, can just one be Christ and the voice of his mouth be when Paul was in Arabia? God of our fathers has chosen you, that you should know his will and see the just one, and hear the voice of his mouth. Do you mean that he was trained by the people in Damascus? Is that what you're thinking? No, I'm just saying the just one. Couldn't that be Christ? Oh, yes, that is Christ, yes. Yes, no, we didn't mention that. So, okay, I should have, yes. The equitable one, the just one, yes, he's referring to Jesus Christ there. Okay, thank you. Mr. Shabia, I had a question for you, too. Do you suppose part of the reason that the Jews were so, you know, they stopped when after, you know, after Paul was talking, and then they heard him say, you know, that Christ told him to go to the Gentiles, and then they stopped? Do you think part of that also could have been because back in just the chapter before, remember, they had supposed, they thought that he had brought a Greek into the temple, which was sacrilege, but that didn't actually happen, but they thought that and maybe that also kind of helped fuel their fire because maybe they thought, oh, wow, he's going to then go to the Gentiles and then bring Gentiles into the temple as well. Could that have also maybe helped fuel their fire? You know, maybe it was and maybe they thought, look, Paul's brought back these Gentiles. They're infiltrating our feast here and everything, and this is ours. Yeah, it could have had something to do with that. You know, it was interesting. I was reading in one of the commentaries, you know, when you're talking about brought to mind, and they said, you know, the Jews were not the Jewish religion itself. They weren't, they weren't adverse to Gentiles being converted, right? They were the proselytes. They would bring them in and whatever, but boy, when Paul did it and God did it, they were just absolutely against that. But if they, if there was a proselyte that came in, they were all for that. But for some reason, they were, you know, don't take the gospel out there and whatever. So it's kind of an interesting, kind of an interesting thing that the Jews, Jews, Jews did there and how they determined what they're going to be mad about or where the, where the lines were drawn, I guess. Mr. Shaggy. Yes. Yeah, Frank.

One of the things that I've, in the past, I've thought about that I've never heard anybody talk about that. It's just a thought. Paul uses Roman law to his advantage. Are we going to need to do that? To our advantage, to use American law and other people's southern nations law when it comes to persecution? You know, maybe, maybe. Maybe, right? If indeed people pay attention to the law. Right. So maybe. But yeah, I think it's good to know that and call attention to is this legal, is this legal in our land, right? So yeah. No, Paul, it works out very well. It works out well for Paul in these situations. It does give him audiences that he wouldn't have had otherwise. And we'll get into chapter 23 and 24 for the next couple of years here. Paul, Paul witnesses to a lot of people, right? When God said, you're going to be my witness to magistrates and the higher-ups and whatever, Paul's having that opportunity. He's speaking to some major people here about God's will, and they can't really refute what he has to say as we get into those chapters.

Roshavi, I was looking up the origin of the word dental. It's a Latin word, and at first it meant non-Roman. It wasn't until the 1400s that people started applying it to somebody else other than the Romans using it against other natures, including with Jews. Somewhere in history, they flipped it. The word is just nation. Yeah, sometimes it'll talk about Greeks, right? It'll talk about Greeks in the Bible as opposed to Gentiles. The rest of the world was Greeks. But there was this Muslim-dem thing, right? Jews and everybody else. That's the way the Romans used to look at everybody also. They're barbarians, and we're the Romans. No, that's true. We tend to do that. We probably do that in America. It's us and the rest of the world, right?

Go up to America.

Don't remember where I'm from, people just say that.

Gentiles were non-Jews.

Yeah, that wasn't started using in that way until the 1400s. It was first non-Roman.

It's a Latin word, aside from the original Greek. It's a Latin word, dentilis.

It weren't Roman?

Yeah, non-Roman. But they use Latin Jesus as time.

No, no. If you look at it, look up the etymology of the dictionary online, and you'll see that the origin of the word is Latin, but they transliterate it into the Greek word that means nation.

Somewhere along the line, it started being used as gentile for the nations, calling everybody else except for a Jew, not a Jew. But originally, it was non-Roman.

But we do understand it as used in gentiles, right? I mean, yeah. So, just like today, we can use language that had one meaning, and then over time, it just became understood something else.

Yeah. Because we read a verse where it says nation, but the same word there is gentile, and it was referring to the Jews.

Yeah, it was referring to Israel, not the rest of the nations. You know, I say when Christ returns and we understand Hebrew, we're going to be amazed. We're going to be amazed at what's in the Bible, right? Not that it's going to change our overall understanding of what's there, but some of the details would be like, oh, that's how that all fits together. I've got an interest in 1400 AD.

Say that again.

Yeah. Okay. And anything else?

While you're thinking, let me tell the people in, I don't think it was announced in Jacksonville last week. My fault for not being announced in Jacksonville, but services in Jacksonville this week are at 11 o'clock, not 1130. At 11 o'clock in Orlando, they're 230. On weeks that I'm going to be in both churches, we shift the services that way. So 11 o'clock in Jacksonville, 230 in Orlando. Okay. Okay, Rick. Okay. Anything else?

No. Then I'm going to go. I'm going to go ahead and sign off, okay?

Okay, Mr. Stebby, thank you. Yeah. Sorry, I didn't know. Okay, take care. Matthew, everyone. We'll see many of you, Sabah. We'll see you back here next Wednesday, okay? Bye-bye. We have a good night. Take care.