Sermon Manuscript

[Video:  “Summer Road Trip - Bumper” - 0:30]

In 1962, John F. Kennedy made this famous statement during a speech at Rice University.  He said, “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do other things, not because they are easy but because they are hard.”  It was a powerful statement about our commitment as a nation to go to the moon in the midst of what became known as the Space Race.  The Space Race began in October of 1957 when in the midst of the Cold War the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the world’s first satellite, into orbit.  And because they did for the next twenty years our country competed with the Soviet Union technologically in order to show who was superior.  And through this rivalry a number of important technological advances took place.  Computers became smaller, faster, and more reliable.  Weather, medical, and material technologies also improved.  But the greatest advancements took place in the areas of communication and satellite navigation.

Because researchers discovered that if a satellite was launched into space and it was powered by solar energy that it could constantly transmit radio waves back to earth.  And that those radio waves could be received and measured in order to determine location.  And this discovery led to a technology which would change the world forever:  GPS or Global Positioning System.  The only system ever created by man that can tell the difference between another satellite in space but can’t tell the difference between a road and a cow pasture!  Am I right?  It’s also the only system that can tell you to make a U-turn and act as if it was your fault in the first place!

But all kidding aside GPS is a pretty amazing invention.  GPS is used within car navigation systems to provide direction and aircraft systems to provide precise measurements.  They are used within phones and surveying equipment to pinpoint accurate locations and even fitness watches like my Garmin to measure distances and times for runners.  It’s truly amazing what all of these technologies can provide.  However, they aren’t perfect and we’ve all been there when they get confused and we get a message that says, “Rerouting…” or “Recalculating…” or “Make a U-turn whenever possible” or “You have arrived” but you’re sitting beside a cornfield.  It can be frustrating.  But it’s in those moments that we have to reassess our commitment to it.  Right?

And the same is true in life.  Sometimes in life we reach a point in which we have to change courses.  This can happen personally, professionally, relationally, financially, or even spiritually.  As Christians, God speaks to us through the power of the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit then tells us what to do.  He becomes like our own personal GPS system.  And it is His job to tell us when we need to turn or when we need to turn around.  Or when we need to go or where we need to go.  And through the Holy Spirit God can speak to us and “reroute” us through life.

Today we continue within our series called Summer Road Trip where together we’ve been following the Apostle Paul on his second mission journey in order to learn truths which will help us to become more like Jesus.  We’ve also been examining road signs which have helped us to remember where we’ve been.  Such as the Yield sign which reminded us of the need to yield our lives to Jesus, the One Way sign which reminded us of how Jesus is the only way, the Road Work Ahead sign which reminded us of how difficulties will come and last week the Lanes Merge sign which reminded us of how we must merge our understanding of our culture with the Gospel.  And this morning we’ll examine a fifth sign as we continue on within Paul’s journeys.

So let’s get started.  If you have your Bibles, turn with me now to the book of Acts chapter 18.  Today we’re going to be in verses 1-17.  As always, if you would like to follow along with us online you can do so by using our app.  It’s called Church Center.  And if you open it up and click on Sunday Services followed by Message Notes you will find everything that you need for our time together this morning.

As you turn there, let me just quickly remind you of what happened last week.  Last week we examined the story of Paul’s sermon on Mars Hill.  A famous story and a famous speech in which Paul challenged the worldviews of people who believed in many gods but not the One True God.  And through his speech we learned how we can challenge other people from many backgrounds by speaking directly to their worldviews.  Because Paul challenged the worldviews of the people of Athens in order to speak to them about Jesus and His resurrection.  And we learned how we needed to do the same.

But after that event Paul will leave Athens and go to Corinth.  Here’s what happened in verse 1:

1 After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2 And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. And he went to see them, 3 and because he was of the same trade he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade. 4 And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks.

Stop here for just a moment.  Because we’re told that after Paul left Athens he went to Corinth.  The city of Corinth was located about 50 miles west of Athens about halfway between Athens and Sparta.  It was also on a stretch of land that connected two ports.  And that was important because the city of Corinth had developed a 4 mile paved limestone pathway which enabled slaves to drag ships from one port to the other.  This enabled merchants to avoid a 250 mile journey around the treacherous Peloponnese peninsula.  And as a result Corinth grew quickly and became powerful.  So when Paul goes here he is being strategic knowing that many will travel through this city and if the Gospel is proclaimed here it can quickly spread to the rest of the world.  So Paul goes to Corinth.

Corinth is an amazing place by the way.  And you can still visit it today.  When Debbie and I went to Athens in 2025 we took a day trip to Corinth with a guide.  He picked us up at our hotel and took us to Corinth.  And when you arrive you find a remote village with the ruins of that ancient city.  You can actually walk around the streets of Corinth and see runs from the first century.  The city is located at the foot of a mountain and on the top of it is the Acrocorinth where the temple of Aphrodite was and a large fortified was located.  

But Paul would have spent his time in the lower part of the city.  And while he is there he meets a Jew named Aquila from the Roman province of Pontus which is today in the northeast portion of Turkey.  And his wife Priscilla.  Both of them were told they had fled from Rome because of a command from the Emperor Claudius which removed all Jews from the city.  Historically that decree can be dated to AD 49.  This is important because it gives us a timeframe for when these events took place.  If Priscilla and Aquilla were told to leave in AD 49 then it’s probably AD 49 or 50 at this point and his second missionary journey would have taken place between AD 49 and 51.  We’re also not told why Claudius did this but an important ancient historian named Suetonius seems to suggest that it was because of debates between Jews and Christians about Jesus.  Luke doesn’t tell us for sure but what he does tell us is that when Paul meets this couple he begins to work for them because he, too, was a tentmaker.  He also begins to reason with the Jews and Gentiles within the synagogue each Sabbath.

Verse 5 then says this.  We read:

5 When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus. 6 And when they opposed and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” 7 And he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. His house was next door to the synagogue. 8 Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized. 9 And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, 10 for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.” 11 And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

Alright.  Stop here for a moment.  Within these seven verses we see Paul’s unwavering commitment to Jesus.  Because verse 11 tells us that Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half.  So Paul has been going and going and going.  Let me just read to you a list of places he’s already been.  He started in Antioch.  Then went to Tarsus, Derbe, Iconium, Antioch in Pisidia, Troas, Philippi, Apollonia, Thessalonica, Berea, and Athens.  So he’s going and going and going and going.  But when he comes to Corinth he stays there for a year and a half.  That’s a long time.  And that’s a big commitment.  But the Holy Spirit who had been telling Paul to go and go and go and go suddenly said, “Stop.  Stop here for a while.  I’m rerouting you spiritually because I want you to sit still and minister to these people at this time.  I want to do something special here.”  And so Paul stops and he ministers here for 18 months.  He’s committed.

And I believe this needs to speak into your life and mine.  Because as we travel through life and as the Holy Spirit leads and guides and directs us we need to be able to hear His voice and we need to remain committed to what He has called us to do and where He has called us to be.  So as we examine this portion of today’s passage I want to give to you four questions that you can use to help you to remain committed to Jesus just as Paul was committed to Jesus in this text.

Let’s take a deeper look at what took place.  The first thing that we see is that when Silas and Timothy arrive from Macedonia that they see Paul “occupied with the word”.  Did you notice that phrase in verse 5?  Paul was “occupied with the word”.  I love that.  Paul had left Silas and Timothy in Berea in Acts 17:14 and gone to Athens.  He then preached to the people on Mars Hill and left Athens and went to Corinth.  And when he arrived he began speaking to the Jews and Gentiles.  So that when Silas and Timothy arrived they found him “occupied with the word.”

So here’s a question to ask ourselves this morning:  Am I occupied with the Word?  Are you?  Am I?  Because as Christians we should be.  As Christians, we should be occupied with the Word.  Studying God’s Word and working in God’s Word is not just for professors or Pastors.  It’s for all of God’s people.  All of us are called to grow in God’s Word.  All of us are called to work hard in God’s Word and be “occupied with God’s Word.”  In fact, if we were more “occupied” with God’s Word we’d be less occupied with this world.  We’d care less about news and politics and sports if we were more occupied with Nehemiah and Proverbs and Second Timothy.  We need to grow in our love of God’s Word and our commitment to God’s Word.  As Christians, we need to be preoccupied with the Word.  We need to be able to say to others, “I can’t do that because I need to be in God’s Word or I don’t have time for that because I’m in God’s Word or I’ve not kept up with that because I’m in God’s Word.”  Paul was “occupied” with God’s Word.  Consumed by it.  Are we?  Because it’s a question that helps us to examine our commitment to Jesus.

And as Paul was testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ and their Messiah they became upset.  They “opposed” him and “reviled” him verse 6 says.  The first word shows resistance but the second word shows more hostility.  They became upset with Paul.  They became angry with Paul.  But Paul also became angry with them.  Because in verse 6 he shakes out his garments and says, “Your blood be on your heads!  I am innocent.  From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”  And he does.  In fact, this marks a major turning point in the book of Acts and in the ministry of Paul.  Paul will no longer start with the Jews and then speak to the Gentiles.  He had reached a breaking point and now was fed up with their decision.  And so he shakes off his garments and says, “May your blood be on your own heads!”  Both his actions and his words were meant to convey that he would not be responsible for their rejection of Jesus.

So here’s a question to consider this morning.  Ask yourself:  Am I ready for opposition to the Gospel?  Are you ready for the opposition that you will face when you speak to others about Jesus?  Because as Christians we must be ready for opposition to the Gospel.  So think about your own life.  When was the last time someone said or did something to hurt you because of your love for Jesus?  When was the last time you were opposed or reviled because you spoke up about your relationship with Him?  Because the truth is that people will not want to listen to you just as they did not want to listen to Paul.  And if you are going to remain committed to Jesus as Paul was then you are going to need to be both occupied with God’s Word but also ready for opposition.  It’s a question we can ask ourselves to examine our commitment to Jesus.

As Paul left the synagogue on that day he went to the home of a man named Titius Justus.  And while he was there verse 8 says that a man named Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, and his household believed and were baptized.  Many people in Corinth believed and were baptized.  And this is another “household salvation” text in the book of Acts.  We’ve now seen four of these.  We’ve seen the household of Cornelius in Acts 10, Lydia in Acts 16, the Philippian Jailer in Acts 16, and now Crispus in Acts 18.  Four examples of households where all of the people believed and were baptized.  That’s the consistent pattern in the book of Acts.  So if you are here this morning and have not been baptized you need to do so.  Today can be your day.  Speak to someone today about that decision.  Because giving your life to Jesus is the most important decision you will ever make in your life.  There’s not even a close second.

But it was also at this time that Jesus said to Paul in a vision.  Remember.  Visions occur during the day.  Dreams at night.  But He said, “Paul, don’t be afraid.  But go on speaking and don’t be silent.  For I am with you and no one will hurt you.  I have many within this city who are My people.”  Powerful.  And Paul needed to hear that.  God would protect him.  Jesus would fight for him.  But Paul would need to trust Him.  

So ask yourself this question:  Do I trust Jesus to overpower my enemies?  Because as Christians we need to trust Jesus to overpower our enemies.  We need to trust Him to fight for us in every area of our lives.  We trust Him to fight all of our battles and all of the ways Satan will attack us and why do we do that?  We do that so that we can stay focused upon the mission at hand.  So that we can complete the tasks and mission God has given to us.  And so just as Paul trusted Jesus to overpower his enemies we need to do the same and our ability to do that will show us where our commitment is to Jesus at any point within our lives.

Verse 11 then says that Paul stayed in Corinth for 18 months.  He stayed there for a year and a half.  And while he was there it wasn’t always easy.  Because Luke writes this in verse 12:

12 But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him before the tribunal, 13 saying, “This man is persuading people to worship God contrary to the law.” 14 But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of wrongdoing or vicious crime, O Jews, I would have reason to accept your complaint. 15 But since it is a matter of questions about words and names and your own law, see to it yourselves. I refuse to be a judge of these things.” 16 And he drove them from the tribunal. 17 And they all seized Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the tribunal. But Gallio paid no attention to any of this.

So when a man named Gallio became proconsul or the governor of a Roman province called Achaia the Jews thought that now was the time to strike.  So they made a “united attack” in verse 12 we were told and brought Paul before the tribunal.  The tribunal was just the official court of the governor and where he heard cases.  And they brought up a complaint against Paul saying that he was persuading people to worship God in a way different from the law.  In other words, he was teaching people to worship Jesus.  And before Paul could even respond Gallio jumped in and said, “Enough is enough.  I’m not listening to this.  If this man had committed a crime or done something wrong I’d have a reason to listen to your complaint.  But because this deals with your own law you deal with this yourselves.  Leave me out of it!”  And they did.  They went out, formed an angry mob, and grabbed hold of a man named Sosthenes who was the “ruler of the synagogue” and beat him.  But Gallio paid no attention to them.

So real quick.  Let’s answer the question of “Why?”  Why did they beat this man?  Well, Luke doesn’t tell us and scholars debate the reason.  It could have been that the crowd just turned on its leaders and held Sosthenes responsible for some reason or that the Jews became upset and held him responsible.  Both possible but I think that it was because Sosthenes himself had become a Christian.  And while we don’t know that for sure what we do know is that in 1 Corinthians 1:1 or the first verse in the book of 1 Corinthians, a letter written to the church in Corinth where Paul had spent all of this time, Paul wrote these words.  Verse 1 says:

1 Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes,

So Paul begins his letter to the church in Corinth by speaking on behalf of himself and their brother in Christ.  A man named Sosthenes.  So I believe that this man was either sympathetic to Christianity or was actually a Christian at this time.  So the Jews, realizing that they couldn’t hurt Paul, found another Christian and beat him instead.  And then apparently he left with Paul because he was with Paul when Paul wrote his letter to the church.

And that leads us to a fourth and final question.  A question that is based upon verse 11 where Paul stayed in Corinth for 18 months and this story which shows that it wasn’t always easy for Paul while he was there.  And the question is this:  Will I remain obedient where I am today?  Will you obey Jesus until you are given your next assignment?  That’s an important question.  If Jesus asked Paul to stay within a difficult situation in Corinth then couldn’t He ask you to do the same?  Couldn’t He ask you to stay put in a difficult marriage?  A difficult job?  A difficult relationship?  A difficult church?  I mean.  If the Holy Spirit, God inside Paul, said, “Rerouting, recalculating…” couldn’t He do the same for us?  Couldn’t He do the same for you?

You see I believe that far too often we experience hardships and heartache within our lives and we use that as justification for leaving and going.  For jumping ship and skipping town.  For walking away and moving on.  And sometimes God does tell us to do that.  Sometimes the Holy Spirit does tell us to go.  But God told Paul to stay put in a difficult town for 18 months.  And He also told Paul not to be afraid and to keep on speaking because He would be with Paul and He would not allow anyone to hurt Paul and He had many within the city who belonged to Him.  And you know what?  God was faithful to Paul.  Jesus was faithful to Paul.  No one hurt him while he was there.  So what about you?  Will you obey Jesus until you are told to leave?

Those are four great questions to ask yourself in order to examine and re-examine your commitment to Christ.  Four questions that are based upon Paul’s actions within this one passage.  Ask yourself:  Like Paul, am I occupied with the Word?  Am I completely focused upon knowing and growing in God’s Word?  Am I completely consumed with God’s Word?  Then ask yourself:  Like Paul, am I ready for opposition to the Gospel?  Are you?  Ask yourself:  Like Paul, do I trust Jesus to overpower my enemies?  And then finally ask yourself:  Like Paul, will I remain obedient where I am today?  These four questions can help you to know where you are today in your commitment to Jesus.  And my hope and prayer for you is that the answer to each one of them is a resounding “Yes!!!”  You will remain committed to Jesus.

And so the sign for us this morning is this:  No U-Turn.  When you see this sign while driving you know that you are not permitted to turn around.  And the same is true spiritually.  Paul had made a commitment to Jesus and we have as well.  So there can be “no u-turn” when it comes to our commitment to Him.

You know after John F. Kennedy made his famous statement in 1962 and said “We choose to go to the moon… not because it’s easy but because it’s hard” the United States committed itself to one of the most ambitious projects in history. Over the next seven years more than 400,000 engineers, scientists, and support workers collaborated on the Apollos space program.  It would also involve over 20,000 companies and universities contributing to the effort.  In today’s terms our country invested hundreds of billions of dollars by developing new technologies, testing countless rocket designs, and accepting countless risks.  Including the tragic ending of the Apollo 1 fire that claimed the lives of three astronauts.  The entire nation became captivated by this vision and remained committed to making it happen.  And eventually it did on July 20, 1969 when Neil Armstrong stepped out onto the moon and said (say it with me) “That’s one small step for man and one giant leap for mankind.”  That’s right.

That’s what commitment to a cause looks like.  And that’s what God wants to see in your life and mine.  He wants us to remain completely committed and completely invested into the mission He has given to each one of us so that in the end we will be successful in His eyes.   Like Paul was.  So will you be faithful to Jesus in your life?  Will you be just as committed to Him and to the mission He has given you as our country was in the Space Race and as Paul was in his missionary journeys?  Because the bottom line for us this morning is this…

Be faithful to what God calls you to do for as long as He calls you to do it.

Let’s pray.

[Prayer:  For God to help us to remain committed to our mission for Him.]

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