When God Turns it Around, Part 1

Welcome to The Sound of Faith. I'm Sharon Knotts thanking you for joining us today because we know that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. If you like stories where God takes a series of misfortunes and satanic attacks against his children and boomerangs them on the devil, then you're going to like today's message when God turns it around.

Paul had an irrepressible desire to go to Rome. And in part to the Christians, they're a spiritual gift. But it took two years, two prison terms, two cruises, one shipwreck with an island vacation before he got there when God turned it around.

There's no other solution. I thank God he'll come in on the cloud. As the praises go up, the glory of God will descend. And you know, when the children of Israel left out of Egypt, God, his presence went before them.

In the daytime, the cloud by day and at night, the pillar of smoke, the presence of God went with them and led them everywhere that they went. And God is with you. He'll lead you and guide you every step of the way.

And sometimes it may seem like you're staying in one spot longer than you should and you don't know what's wrong, but don't worry about it. Just stay right there. Hallelujah. God will move when the time is right.

He'll lead you safely. And that's kind of what I want to talk about here tonight. I want to talk about when God turns things around. Tonight I'm going to preach from Acts. And in order to cover the ground that I want to cover, I'm going to believe that you already read the book of Acts so that a lot of times I can paraphrase instead of turning to the scriptures.

And that way I know that when I refer to something that you'll know what I'm talking about. And so we won't even have to go and read everything. So you're going to help me preach tonight, aren't you? We're going to start in Acts the 20th chapter and verse 19. We'll read some in Acts, but I want to really deal with material that goes from 20 all the way to the end, and that's seven chapters. And we're not going to read seven chapters.

That's why I hope you read it. But we'll start in Acts the 20th chapter and verse 18. And remember, just for a little background, the pronoun we is used throughout. And that means the author is including himself in the events. He was an eyewitness.

He was right there alongside of Paul. And so whenever he says we, it means he was there. And he's not telling you something somebody told him. He's telling you something he saw and heard for himself. And of course the we happens to be Luke, the same one who wrote the Gospel of Luke.

He wrote the Book of Acts because he was a companion to Paul. So that's who the we is in verse 18. Now here you'll see he says they. So when he says they, it's because he's not with them in that particular part of the book.

So I just want you to understand when he says they and when he says we. And when they were come to him, he said unto them, you know, from the first day that I came into Asia and what manner I had been with you at all seasons. This is Paul talking to the elders, serving the Lord with all humility of mind and with many tears and temptations, which befell me by the lying in weight of the Jews. And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have showed you and have taught you publicly and from house to house testifying both to the Jews and also to the Greeks repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

And now behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there, except that the Holy Ghost witness it 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. Now here we have Paul giving you the purpose of everything that he has experienced up until this point and right now to the end of his life. Paul is able to say, I have served the Lord with all humility and with many tears and many temptations. How many know that that doesn't sound like a lot of theology you hear today?

Not a lot of folks want to preach this kind of theology, but Paul said, I've served the Lord first of all with all humility and with many tears and many temptations. Because with Paul's great ministry of apostleship came many persecutions. When God first called him and sent Ananias to lay hands on him and Ananias said, I don't know if I want to go pray for that guy. He's got a reputation for killing Christians. But God said, that's okay.

It's all right. Go pray for him. He's a chosen vessel unto me and I'm going to show him he's going to suffer many persecutions for my name's sake. And God doesn't lie. If God says you're going to suffer persecutions, you're going to suffer. And Paul said, but even so, I have served the Lord with all humility. I don't think myself any higher or mightier than I ought to think. Because I tell you, there's something about temptations.

There's something about persecutions. There's something about tears that will humble you and cause you to walk before God in humility. Anytime you get too big for your britches, God knows how to give you a few heartaches and let you cry a few tears.

And then you realize and understand that it's all about him and not about you and not about me. But Paul said in the midst of all of this, in the midst of my tears and my many temptations, I didn't hold back. You see, a lot of preachers have not reached that place of maturation because, oh boy, when they got some big, big problem hits them or some big trouble or some big test comes their way, the whole church knows it. Because when they get up to preach, that's all they can preach. They tell you all about all the troubles, what the devil's done to them, what this has happened to them and all that kind of thing.

They haven't come to the place where they can put that on the back burner and say, this is about ministering what God's speaking to the church. This is not about me getting up here and having a pity party. And so you all can feel bad and sad about all I've been through this week and how the devil's fought me all week. But no, he said, I didn't hold anything back. What was profitable for you? I gave all I had. I gave you everything I got. I made sure that I ministered to your need.

I gave you everything. And he said, and I've done everything that I feel God has called me to do. And I've done it in humility.

And it hasn't been easy. There have been many tears and temptations. And now here I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem. And yet everywhere I go, every town that he said, every city where I go, he says, I hear the same prophecy, the same word from the Lord.

When you get there, persecutions and troubles await you. He said, saving that the Holy Ghost witnesses in every city saying handcuffs and shackles, because that's what bonds mean. And bonds is sort of an archaic word. And I don't think we conjure up the right mental image when we say the word bond. So I'm not going to use the word bond so much as handcuffs and shackles.

How many get the idea better? So you're going to Jerusalem on a religious tour, on a religious journey. But when you get there, they're not going to be waiting at the airport to put a garland of flowers around your neck. You're going to get handcuffs and shackles and every city and every town because the Holy Ghost was careful. Luke was careful to say every city the Holy Ghost witnesses. Now, these weren't a bunch of false prophets.

These weren't some prophets of doom that just like to give out words. This was the Holy Ghost telling Paul every time he got to a new town, one of the prophets stood up and said, thus saith the Lord. And actually one is recorded.

Let's jump over to the 21st chapter. We will read that one is recorded. Verse 10. We'll see there exactly what he had to meet with every time he went to a new city to hold a revival. And as we tarried there many days, there came down from Judea a certain prophet named Agabus. And when he was coming to 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 find the man that owns this girdle and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles. And when we heard these things, both we, that means Luke also, and they of that place besought him. We begged him, don't go to Jerusalem, Paul. But then Paul answered and said, what mean ye to weep and to break my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but I'm also ready to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.

And when he would not be persuaded, we just ceased saying, well, the will of the Lord be done. Everywhere he went, somebody said, Paul, when you get to Jerusalem, handcuffs and bonds. And if that wasn't enough, just in case Paul didn't understand whatever the language the speaker was using, Agabus went up to Paul, took Paul's girdle right off his body. Agabus took that girdle, bound his own self up. You got a picture now? He said, Paul, do you see this?

Do you understand? So shall be the man who owns this girdle. That would be Paul. He took it off of Paul's body. He said, this man who owns this girdle, when he gets to Jerusalem, he's going to have handcuffs and shackles. So they all begged him, including Luke. Luke said, don't go, Paul.

It doesn't make any sense. Why do you want to go to Jerusalem? Your enemies are there. It's clear what's going to happen. If you go there, they're going to get a hold of you.

They're going to put you in bonds. You're going to suffer persecution. Why don't you listen to us and not go?

And Paul said, why do you want to break my heart? Why do you want to sit around here and weep and make me weep with you? I've done made my mind up. I'm going to Jerusalem. And if I have to die in Jerusalem, then so be it.

But I'm going. And he said, and I've done everything that I feel God has called me to do. And I've done it in humility.

And it hasn't been easy. There have been many tears and temptations. And now here I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem. And yet everywhere I go, every town that he said, every city where I go, he says, I hear the same prophecy, the same word from the Lord.

When you get there, persecutions and troubles await you. He said, saving that the Holy Ghost witnesses in every city saying handcuffs and shackles, because that's what bonds mean. And bonds is sort of an archaic word, and I don't think we conjure up the right mental image when we say the word bond. So I'm not going to use the word bond so much as handcuffs and shackles. How many get the idea better? So you're going to Jerusalem on a religious tour, on a religious journey, but when you get there, they're not going to be waiting at the airport to put a garland of flowers around your neck.

You're going to get handcuffs and shackles. And every city and every town, because the Holy Ghost was careful, Luke was careful to say, every city the Holy Ghost witnesses. Now these weren't a bunch of false prophets. These weren't some prophets of doom that just like to give out words. This was the Holy Ghost telling Paul every time he got to a new town, one of the prophets stood up and said, Thus saith the Lord. And actually one is recorded. Let's jump over to the 21st chapter.

We will read that. One is recorded, verse 10. We'll see there exactly what he had to meet with every time he went to a new city to hold a revival. And as we tarried there many days, there came down from Judea a certain prophet named Agabus. And when he was coming to 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 find the man that owns this girdle and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles. And when we heard these things, both we, that means Luke also, and they of that place besought him, we begged him, Don't go to Jerusalem, Paul. But then Paul answered and said, What mean ye to weep and to break my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but I'm also ready to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.

And when he would not be persuaded, we just cease saying, Well, the will of the Lord be done. Everywhere he went, somebody said, Paul, when you get to Jerusalem, handcuffs and bonds. And if that wasn't enough, just in case Paul didn't understand whatever the language the speaker was using, Agabus went up to Paul, took Paul's girdle right off his body. Agabus took that girdle, bound his own self up. You got a picture now. He said, Paul, do you see this?

Do you understand? So shall be the man who owns this girdle. That would be Paul. He took it off of Paul's body. He said, This man who owns this girdle, when he gets to Jerusalem, he's going to have handcuffs and shackles. So they all begged him, including Luke. Luke said, Don't go, Paul. It doesn't make any sense. Why do you want to go to Jerusalem?

The enemies are there. It's clear what's going to happen. If you go there, they're going to get a hold of you.

They're going to put you in bonds. You're going to suffer persecution. Why don't you listen to us and not go? And Paul said, Why do you want to break my heart? Why do you want to sit around here and weep and make me weep with you? I've done made my mind up. I'm going to Jerusalem.

And if I have to die in Jerusalem, then so be it, but I'm going. Now, why would Paul be so obstinate? Why would he be so hardheaded?

Why would he not listen to them? Because first of all, he said, I'm not moved by afflictions. I'm not moved by persecution.

I don't consider them to be out of the ordinary. I don't consider them to be outside of the sphere of the Christian walk. I consider to be part and parcel of the Christian walk.

I've known nothing but persecutions and troubles. If you don't believe that, read First Corinthians, the ninth chapter, when you go home and read the whole catalog of the things that Paul had been through, including being stoned and left for dead. I mean, he'd already been there and done that. So he said, I'm not moved by these things. And in fact, he actually preached and I'll slip over real quickly to First Thessalonians, the third chapter. He wrote to them in verses two and three, and he said, We send to you, Timothy, our brother and minister of God and fellow laborer in the gospel, to establish you and to comfort you concerning your faith.

Now, listen, this is how he's going to comfort them. That no man should be moved by these afflictions, for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto. Paul said, I've got news for you, not only am I appointed unto these afflictions, but so are you. And he sent Timothy to the church at Thessalonica to establish or strengthen their faith and to comfort them, to tell them you're going to suffer afflictions because you're appointed unto them. Now, it seems to me odd that somebody would use the word comfort and afflictions in the same sentence.

That doesn't make sense to me. It doesn't sound like the way people preach today, that you're going to be comforted to find out you're going to go through afflictions because you are appointed unto them. But he said, I'm writing to tell you that you will not be moved. He used the same language that he spoke of himself, that you won't be moved when these things come, as Peter later wrote and said, as though some strange thing has come upon you when you suffer fiery trials of faith, knowing that this is part of what God is doing because it's working in you, faith that's going to comfort this pure gold. And James said in the fifth chapter of James, know this, that the same afflictions that you are suffering, so all your brethren are suffering the same thing.

So it starts from the head and goes all the way down. So Paul said, but I didn't keep anything back from you, even in the midst of all my trials and tests, when I got up off that ground after they stoned me and the brothers came around and prayed for me, they basically raised me from the dead, I just got up and went to the next town and carried on the next revival because he said, I gave you everything I had because I wanted to show you something that I don't want you to cry for me. I don't want you to weep for me.

I don't want you to have a pity party for me. I want to let you know that if I can endure, you can endure. And if my faith can hold strong, your faith can hold strong. And if you see me going through trials and tribulations and you see that I don't let them move me, deter me, sidetrack me, discourage me, make me sit down and quit, then you don't have to sit down and you don't have to quit and you don't have to get discouraged because if God can bring me out, He can bring you out. And that's exactly what Paul wrote to the Philippians.

And I want you to turn to Philippians, the first chapter, because this is one of my favorite books in the Bible, one of my favorite passages in the Bible, and one of my favorite points in the Bible is what we're going to read right here in Philippians, the first chapter, verse 12. Now, the Philippians had written Paul a letter, and they were very worried and concerned about him because he was in prison, another prison. He's been in different prisons. He's checked a lot of prisons out.

This is another one, okay? He's been in Jerusalem, Caesarea, Philippi, Thessalonica. Of course, he ended up in Rome. So Paul knows a lot about prison. But he was always in prison for Christ, not crime. So here he was in prison, and he was an old man now. I mean, it's a lot easier to go to prison when you're young. It's not so easy when you get old and you got all tired and you're bent over and you've got gray hair because their prisons weren't like the ones we have where, you know, you've got the rec room with the cable TV and the VCR and you get to go out in the yard and then you complain if they don't have the kind of food you eat because you're on a special diet and et cetera.

Their prisons were dungeons, under the ground, cold and damp with rats, et cetera. So the Philippians were really worried about Paul and his condition. And they were so upset that they wrote him this letter, and it must, you know, we don't know what all they said in the letter.

We don't have the letter, but we can tell by Paul's answer what they must have said, how that they were just so worried about him and all that he had gone through, and here he was now in prison. But I love the answers that Paul gives here starting in verse 12. But I would that ye should understand, brethren, that the things which have happened unto me have fallen out rather.

Somebody say rather. I want you to remember that word because it's important. Under the furtherance of the gospel, so that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace and in other places, all other places.

That little word all is important I left out. And many of the brethren in the Lord waxing confident by my handcuffs and shackles are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Some do indeed preach Christ of envy and strife and some also of good will, and the one preaches Christ of contention.

They're not sincere, supposing to add affliction to my shackles and handcuffs. But the other of love knowing that I am set for the defense of the gospel. So what then? Notwithstanding. Somebody say notwithstanding. Notwithstanding.

Because that's an important word too. Every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached. And I therein do rejoice, yea, I will rejoice, for I know this. I know that this shall turn in my salvation through your prayer and the supply of the spirit of Jesus Christ. Well, my Lord, what's Paul talking about here?

He said I know that you're worried about what's going on with me, but I want to tell you that rather than it being like you would think it is, I want you to know that rather just the opposite in spite of what has happened to me, it has actually turned everything around. It's caused the gospel to be preached greater than it's ever been preached before. He says I want you to know that the gospel is preached all over the palace. I want you to know that the gospel is preached in all other places.

I want you to know that from the very palace in the throne room, down in the kitchen, down into the dungeon, down into the wine cellar, down where the slaves sleep, where the guards are, I want you to know the gospel is being preached. He said there were some people that were so timid, that were so shy, they wouldn't have stood up and said, I thank the Lord he saved me. They didn't have the nerve. They would have never stood up and preached the gospel. They were too afraid, but when they heard how that I, in my shackles and in my handcuffs, I stood up boldly.

I said I will still tell you that Jesus is the Christ, that he is the Son of God, that he is the Messiah, that he is raised from the dead, that Pontius Pilate may have given him over to death, but God Almighty raised him up. He said when those shy, timid ones that didn't have the nerve to preach, when they saw how bold I was, they said my God, we can preach too. If he can preach in handcuffs and shackles, we can preach. And so what if we go to jail? We'll be in good company. I mean we'll get to sit down right with the great apostle Paul and get private Bible lessons. That wouldn't be so bad now, would it?

That would be worth going to jail for. My God, to sit there and pick his brain, all the revelations that God had given him. He said so you may think that all of this has caused me to be down and discouraged, but no, you would be wrong because the gospel is being preached like never before. He said now there are some folks, they're not sincere.

They are not one bit sincere. They are using this trying to twist things because they think, okay, preaching the gospel got Paul in jail, got Paul in trouble, got Paul so he's going to have to be tried, and possibly if we can get people to be more stirred up against these Christians and against this Christ Jesus that this Paul preaches, if we can get more people mad about it, then it'll be worse on Paul when he finally does go before the judge. They will be so stirred up and fed up with these Christians, they'll just be ready to sock it to him. So let's get up and preach Christ to stir people up. And Paul said, hallelujah, they're preaching Jesus. So what if they're not doing it sincerely? The word of God will not return void. Just lift up Jesus.

He said if I be lifted up, I'll draw men unto me. Paul said anyway you look at it. And see that's where the word notwithstanding comes in.

We don't use that too much today and we kind of read over it, but it was an important word then. Notwithstanding because what it is, it stands in the middle of two different ideas that are completely opposite one to the other. It stands right in the middle of the two.

And what it does is it takes these two. The one over here says these are the facts. This is exactly the facts. You cannot deny these facts. They are the facts. And this person over here says, but I believe this and I'm going to do this. And this person over there is saying, but these are the facts. And you're not in agreement with the facts.

And this one over here is saying, okay, I understand those are the facts, but I believe God. So what happens is notwithstanding is in the middle. And it's bringing the fact that what you're saying over here is true, but nevertheless, but rather, but in spite of, but notwithstanding. You see the word withstand means to oppose something.

You know how the Bible says put on the whole armor of God and to withstand and stand against the enemy. So the word withstand means you're standing up against something. So when you say notwithstanding, it means you can tell me all the facts you want to tell me all day long.

You can tell me all the reasons why it can't be, why it won't be. But I'm going to stand here and I'm going to say notwithstanding. You can't stand up against my faith. You can't stand up against the Gospel.

You can't stand up against the truth. So Paul said notwithstanding, in spite of all of that, the Gospel is being preached. And I love it, he said, and many, somebody say not a few, but many of the brethren of the Lord have waxed bold. I tell you, there's not many things that can thrill you more than when you see a Christian who's kind of been on the timid side. And you know the devil's kind of pushed them around a little bit.

He's taken advantage of what they don't know yet or what they haven't learned yet. Or he puts fear against them and he kind of pushes them all around and they come under that fear and they get down. And you see those kind of people and you just want to shake them because you want to say, why are you letting the devil do that to you?

But how many have seen people like that? Have you ever seen one of those particular kinds of cases when all of a sudden they get a real, real Holy Ghost revelation? They suddenly really get something on the inside. My God, when they come out of that, I mean to tell you they wax so bold, they're looking for every devil from here to Jerusalem. They're ready to cast out devils.

They're ready to preach the Gospel and win the whole world by themselves. And that's what Paul was saying. He's saying there's a lot of Christians that are timid, they're afraid. I mean, you've got to realize that Christianity was the minority.

We are talking about the Roman Empire when their gods were Zeus and Jupiter and Pluto and Mercury and who knows all their gods. And here they were standing up for Jesus Christ and they were coming, all this opposition was coming against them. And they were weak and they were scared and they were intimidated.

But there was something, there's something about looking at great servant of God. There's something about looking at a general in God, somebody who's been through a few battles. They've been through a few wars. I mean, you know, they're not just preaching fluff because they read some story, but they walked in the fire. They've been through some things. They know what it is to wrestle with devils. They know what it is to have all hell break out against them. They know what it is to be down and feel like they're never going to get up again. And when you see that saint of God rise up and say, I am more than a conqueror through my Lord Jesus, it picks your faith up.

It just boosts you right on up. So Paul said, don't you worry about me. I know you love me. I know that you're concerned about me.

I understand that. But I want you to know that all of this, like they've been detours and obstructions in my way. And it seems like they've been distractions and detractions. It seems like the devil's had his way.

Don't you worry about it. God is working it all together for the good. God has got a master plan the devil don't know anything about. When the devil thinks God's going to move this way, he's going to move that way. When he goes over there to attack that one, God's going to move over here. But don't you worry about it because my God is going to turn it around. You may not be able to see it now, but I tell you he's going to turn it around.

Oh, yes he is. And so Paul was rejoicing because he said all of the things, all of these things that you thought that would discourage me. I want you to know they don't discourage me one bit.

Amen. I hope you're enjoying Paul's journey to Rome in our message when God turns it around. Rome was the only New Testament church that Paul did not found. And he had a fervent desire to go there in part to them a spiritual gift. But first he wanted to go to Jerusalem where he had many enemies who wanted him dead and were willing to kill them themselves. There were many warnings to Paul not to go, but he was determined knowing God would allow him to get to Rome eventually.

But this began a two year saga that was filled with beatings, prison time, a midnight escape, a shipwreck detour to an island in the winter and a poisonous snake bite the first night. But what was meant for Paul's demise, God turned it around and one of the great revivals of the New Testament resulted on that pagan island. Paul did make it to Rome where he was imprisoned again in the dungeon cell of the Emperor's Palace shackled to a soldier day and night. Now, Philippi was Paul's favorite church.

He called them his joy and crown. And they were troubled when they heard he was in prison and wrote him of their concerns. Paul's answer to them swung on the hinge of one word rather, that is, instead of my being discouraged about being in this Roman jail, I'm rejoicing because what has happened to me has fallen out rather to the furtherance of the gospel.

First, my shackles are known throughout the whole palace of Rome, the capital of the world. Everyone knows I'm in jail for Christ, not crime. And secondly, many brethren who were shy about preaching the gospel are now bold to preach without fear. This is truly the boomerang principle of God.

What Satan attempts for our harm, God turns around for our good and for the furtherance of his gospel and kingdom. To order when God turns it around on CD, send a love gift of at least $10 to help us with the cost of radio time. Request offer SK117, that's SK117, to Sound the Faith, P.O. Box 1744, Baltimore, Maryland 21203, or you may order online at soundthefaith.org, or you can also order MP3. But to order by mail, request SK117, send a minimum love gift of $10 to P.O. Box 1744, Baltimore, Maryland 21203. Until next time, this is Sharon Atzain, Maranatha.