119 Acts 21:1-14 BEING RESIGNED TO THE WILL OF GOD Introduction: In our previous text the Apostle Paul and his comrades said a sad goodbye to the brethren of the church of Ephesus. Then they continued their journey toward Jerusalem. They had a two-fold purpose in going to Jerusalem at this time. They were going to carry funds and perhaps goods to the church at Jerusalem who were suffering greatly because of a great drought in their area. They were going at this particular time because they wanted to be there for the celebration of one of the annual religious feasts. In our text today Paul and the brethren with him arrive by ship at Caesarea from which they will go by land to Jerusalem. Also in this text we learn that the Apostle Paul and the brethren who accompany him become resigned to the will of God. This presents a great lesson for us. We, too, should learn to be resigned to the will of God. I. An examination of the text V. 1, “And it came to pass, that after we were gotten from them, and had launched, we came with a straight course unto Coos...” After Paul and his companions parted from the Ephesian brethren, they boarded a ship which would carry them at least part of the way toward Jerusalem. On that first day they reached Coos, which was about 40 miles south of Miletus from which they came. (V. 1), “...and the [day] following unto Rhodes, and from thence unto Patara.” Apparently they spent the night in Coos. The overnight stay at Coos gave time for some cargo to be unloaded and for some new cargo to be loaded aboard the ship. The stop at Rhodes was very brief leaving time to make it on to Patara the same day. Patara lay about 70 or 80 miles due east of Rhodes. It was a large port city in the province of Lycia. The ship on which they had been traveling would not be going on farther toward Jerusalem and so it became necessary for them to seek passage on another ship. V. 2, “And finding a ship sailing over unto Phenicia, we went aboard, and set forth.” Phoenicia was a province in the coastal cities of Tyre and Sidon were located. According to verse 3 the city of Tyre would be their destination. From Patara to Tyre was a very lengthy part of their journey. It carried them by the Island of Cyprus which they passed, but did not stop. V. 3, “Now when we had discovered Cyprus, we left it on the left hand, and sailed into Syria, and landed at Tyre: for there the ship was to unlade her burden.” Luke says that they sailed into Syria and landed at the city of Tyre. Today Tyre is located in Lebanon, not Syria. The ship would be at Tyre for several days because the main body of its cargo would be unloaded there at Tyre. V. 4, “And finding disciples, we tarried there seven days...” It took seven days to unload the cargo of the ship and, perhaps, load a new cargo before the ship was ready to move on toward Jerusalem. During this time Paul and his companions searched for the members of a church which had been organized in Tyre. Very likely the Ephesian brethren told them about this church and had given them instructions how to find some of its members. It must have been a great joy to these missionaries to find that a church had been started at Tyre and a joy to get to visit with its members. V. 4, “...who said to Paul through the Spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem.” This verse poses great difficulty in trying to rightly understand it. Back in the previous chapter in verses 22-24 Paul had seemed so certain that it was the will of the Lord for him to go to Jerusalem. Listen to his words, V. “And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there: Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.” Yet here at first glance it appears that these disciples are saying that the Holy Spirit is telling Paul not to go to Jerusalem. Another difficulty with this statement is that if the Holy Spirit was telling Paul not to go to Jerusalem and he went anyway that would mean that he rebelled against the Holy Spirit. That just seems out of character for Paul. It appears that the real intent of this statement is that the Holy Spirit was not telling Paul not to go to Jerusalem, but rather that it was the Christian brethren at Tyre who were telling Paul not to go to Jerusalem. The part that the Holy Spirit played in the matter was that the Holy Spirit was merely trying to inform Paul that he would encounter much trouble in Jerusalem and was trying to prepare him for that trouble. V. 5, “And when we had accomplished those days, we departed and went our way; and they all brought us on our way, with wives and children, till [we were] out of the city: and we kneeled down on the shore, and prayed.” At any rate, when the seven day waiting period was over and the ship was ready to move on Paul and his group were also ready to go on toward Jerusalem. It is worthy of note that there was a great bond of Christian love between Paul’s group and the members of the church there at Tyre. They met together in prayer before parting company. V. 6-7, “And when we had taken our leave one of another, we took ship; and they returned home again. And when we had finished [our] course from Tyre, we came to Ptolemais, and saluted the brethren, and abode with them one day.” At Ptolemais they met and fellowshipped with another group of Christians. This time they had only one day to stay and fellowship. The next day after their brief one day stay they boarded the ship again and moved on to the city of Caesarea. V. 8-9, “And the next [day] we that were of Paul's company departed, and came unto Caesarea: and we entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, which was [one] of the seven; and abode with him. And the same man had four daughters, virgins, which did prophesy.” Luke does not say what they said, but he leads us to believe that they, too, warned the Apostle Paul that he was in for trouble at Jerusalem. V. 10-11, “And as we tarried [there] many days, there came down from Judaea a certain prophet, named Agabus. And when he was come unto us, he took Paul's girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver [him] into the hands of the Gentiles.” The girdle which was commonly worn by men in those days was not designed to bind a fat tummy in. Rather it was somewhat like what we would call “a sash” and was designed to bind a man’s robe to his waist so that it would not hinder the movements of his legs and arms. Agabus took Paul’s girdle and bound his own hands and feet saying that this is what would happen to Paul at Jerusalem. Paul would be bound hand and foot in Jerusalem. This announcement was almost too much for Paul’s companions. V. 12, “And when we heard these things, both we, and they of that place, besought him not to go up to Jerusalem.” They pled with Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. I am sure that they promised Paul that they would personally go on to Jerusalem themselves and would faithfully deliver the offerings to the Jerusalem brethren which had been sent by the Gentile churches. They tearfully pleaded with Paul not to go on. V. 13, “Then Paul answered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” Paul was not untouched by their pleas, but neither was he persuaded not to go. In his mind he was certain that it was the will of God for him to go on to Jerusalem and to encounter whatever trouble awaited him there. And he was ready to go. He was determined to go. Now listen carefully to what Luke said about Paul’s decision. V. 14, “And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, The will of the Lord be done.” Luke and the other brethren said, “The Lord’s will be done.” II. Being resigned to the will of the Lord Is that not what Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemene? To paraphrase Jesus prayed to God, the Heavenly Father and said, “Lord, if there is any other way for men to be saved, spare me from the terrible anguish of crucifixion. Never-the-less, not my will but thine be done.” Jesus set the example and Paul followed his example. I am very sure that Paul did not want to be arrested. I am sure that he did not wish to be bound hand and foot. I am sure that he did not want to be falsely accused. I am sure that he did not wish to be beaten. I am sure that he did not wish to be brought to trial. But he followed the example of Jesus. He yielded his own will to the will of God. And note, please, that even Luke and the other companions of Paul yielded their own will to the will of the Lord. They, too, concluded that it was the will of the Lord for Paul to go to Jerusalem. It was the will of the Lord for Paul to suffer at the hands of the Jews and the Gentiles and they said, “The will of the Lord be done.” Now in a few moments I will have a few questions for you, but before I ask those questions let me first point out some things to you. Let me point out to you that God knows what is best. God’s knowledge is far superior to our knowledge. God knows how things will work out in the end. We don’t. Our knowledge is so limited. The best course of action which we can take is to do the will of Him who knows all things. Let me also point out to you that doing the will of the Lord will result in good things. It will result in good things for us and it will result in good things for other people. By surrendering to God’s will and going on to Jerusalem where he would be arrested and carried to Rome as a prisoner Paul was able to reach more souls with the gospel message than he could have reached any other way. He had a more successful ministry than he could have had any other way. The same thing is true for us. God’s will for our own lives offers us the opportunity to do the most possible good. We can accomplish more by doing the will of God than we can accomplish any other way. It will do good for other and it will do good for us. Doing the will of the Lord often means making sacrifices. It means that we may have to make the sacrifice of not doing the thing that we would really like to do. But let me point this out to you. The time of sacrifice will be short. But the time of reaping the benefits of doing His will lasts forever. Doing the will of the Lord may mean that you will suffer physically and that you will suffer emotionally as a result. It may bring criticism. It may bring physical pain. It may bring persecution. It will bring some kind of persecution. I would also like to make this point to you who are saved. A Christian cannot find true happiness and true contentment without yielding to the will of God. When you know that you are out of the will of God there is no way in the world that you can be happy about it. Instead, there will be sorrow and regret deep down in your heart and soul. You probably already know that by some of your past experiences. On the other hand, the greatest joy and happiness that you can experience in this life is experienced when you are doing the will of God and you know that what you are doing is in the will of God. I would likewise like to point out to you that doing the will of God will bring great rewards in the next life. Jesus said that he who gives a cup of water to some thirsty soul will reap a great reward in heaven. Such a small thing will bring such a great reward! And that reward will be everlasting. The benefit that you will receive and the joy that you will receive by doing the will of the Lord will last forever. Now that brings me to the questions that I have for you. Would you be willing to see a Christian friend do the will of God even though you knew that doing so would bring some suffering to his or her life? Paul’s friends at first were not willing for Paul to suffer in order to do the will of the Lord, but they changed their minds. They finally came to realize that it was best for Paul to do the will of the Lord even though it would mean that he would suffer in doing so. Let me also ask you: Would you be willing to sacrifice doing some things that you really like to do in order to do the will of the Lord? Would you be willing to do the will of the Lord if you knew that you were going to have to suffer as a result: Paul was. We ought to be. We ought to be willing to sacrifice a great many things for Him who sacrificed his own life for us. We ought to be willing to suffer a great deal for Him who suffered the agonies of the cross so that we might be saved. Now let me ask you the really hard question. Would you be willing to see your son or your daughter do the will of God even though you knew that it might mean sacrifice and suffering on their part? I do not know what your answer might be. I suspect that you might not even know that your answer to that question might be. But I do know this ---- I know that the best thing for you and the best thing for your child and grand-child is to do the will of God.