Something Missing | Acts 18:12-23 | Pastor Keith

Now when Galileo was proconsul of Achaea, the Jews with 1

accord rose up against Paul, brought him to the judgement

seat. You remember in the verse

previous it's in red in most of your Bibles.

Don't worry Paul, don't keep telling, keep talking, keep

preaching. I'm with you.

No one will attack you or hurt you.

And then the next verse is on. But notice, remember, God's not

going to keep us out on difficulties, but he will enable

us to deal with what comes forward.

And here we're going to see this time Paul's not going to be the

one beaten up. He's not going to be hurt.

And so they bring Paul took him to the judgement seat.

That's the magistrate saying, this fellow persuades men to

worship God contrary to the war. When Paul was about to open his

mouth, the magistrate Gallio said to the Jews, Look, if it

was a matter of wrongdoing or wicked crimes or Jews, there

would be reason why I should bear with you.

But if it is a question of words and names of your own law about

your religion, you look after it.

I'm only here for crime. I'm only going to deal deal with

anything that's that's been a law that's been broken according

to the laws of the land, not what your religion is for.

I do not want to be a judge of such matters.

I don't want to have anything to do with it.

And so he drove them from the judgement seat and said, get out

of here. Don't waste your time.

Then all the Greeks took Sosthenes.

He was the ruler of the synagogue and belted him, beat

him before the judgement seat. But Gallio took no notice of

these things. So here's a man you know, often

we talk about, well, you may persecuted.

Oh, yeah, You know, the people that work me really cold against

me because they know I'm a Christian and someone gave me a

funny look because I had my Bible like when I was eating

lunch. That's not persecution.

This is persecution when you get beaten up for being a Christian.

That's persecution when you get beaten up simply because you're

a believer for his faith. So Paul remained.

He says, OK, I'm, I'm, I'm staying for a good while.

Then he took leave of the brethren, those the brothers and

sisters in Christ, and he set sail for Syria.

Priscilla and Aquila, they joined him on the ship.

Now he had his hair cut off at Centria.

Why? For he had taken a vow.

And I'll deal with that and what he's doing in a few verses,

because someone asked me on Sunday, one of the young guys

said, what's the what's the, what's this?

What's the go with the the vow? And I explained to them, and

we'll do that tonight. And when he came to Ephesus and

he left them there, Aquila and Priscilla, but he himself

entered the synagogue, as was the custom reasoned with the

Jews, gets the Bible out, goes through the text, says see this,

see this, see what's talking about this.

And then the Lamb, the Lamb of God, the sacrifice, this is him,

this is Jesus. He's the one when they asked him

to stay a longer time with them, he did not consent but took

leave of them, saying I must by all means keep this coming feast

in Jerusalem. Now Paul has taken the vow of a

Nazarite, the Nazarite vow during that.

Now here you go. Well, why is he doing this?

He's a Christian. That's got to do with anything.

Well, it's a period of constant concentrated focus on the law,

on the Lord. What happens when you take a

Nazarite vow? You don't drink any wine, you

don't have any grapes, and you don't cut your hair.

So to take a Nazarite vow, you shave your hair, all the hair,

and then you keep keep that. No, you don't keep that.

Actually, you shave all your hair.

And then when you get to Jerusalem where Paul was

heading, he gets his head cut again.

And the hair that has grown during the period that you've

taken the Nazarite vow, it's burnt as an offering.

And so it's saying to the Lord, Lord, during this period of

time, I, I just set my heart to be closer to you, to want to

know you more, to give my life over to you even more.

And during that time, I had cut my hair at the beginning.

And this is how, how much my hair is grown.

So I've cut it again and, and, and I'm giving that to you,

Lord, as an offering. And they burn it.

And so it's not something that was common in amongst believers

and the Bible doesn't tell us to do that anywhere, but it's

something quite significant where even the Apostle Paul who

loved the Lord, was close to the Lord, was passionate for the

Lord, wanted to get closer to the Lord, wanted to be be nearer

to God. And that's something that

tonight we're going to see this as, as the Lord is going to

speak to us through this, this on that very theme tonight about

your relationship with God. Is it better now than last

Easter? Is it better now than Christmas

or has it slipped? Are you closer to God now?

Are you more fervent for him now, or has it taken a, a second

step back? It's something that I think you

and I need to do constantly, not cut our hair, but there's a

period of time I think that you and I should set aside and go,

Lord, I want more. I need more.

Not to be settled with where you're at now.

Not to be settled with while, you know, I teach Sunday school,

I do this. I'm in the worship team, you

know, all right, I'm pretty. Every pastor worth their salt

wants to be closer to God next week, closer to God tomorrow,

wants to know the Lord more intimate now than before.

We want it in our marriage. We want our children to to be

hungry for God, desperate for God.

So Paul says, look, I, I want I'd stay, but this period that

I'm taking this Nazarite vow, I've got to get to Jerusalem

because only at the temple can my I make my offering.

But I'll return to you now. He says these two words, God

willing. We say Lord willing and he

sailed from Ephesus. Now here's something else again.

I hear people and you know Easter plans.

What are your Easter plans? Let me add 2 words to every plan

that you ever make, whether it be Easter, Christmas, whatever,

anniversaries, birthdays, whatever.

Lord willing. Lord willing.

Because if you are a believer, you don't run your life anymore,

you don't make the plants, you go, well, what do you mean I

don't make the plants? Well, let me quantify that a bit

more. James.

James 4 · chapter mention

Chapter 4 says this. Come now, you who say today or

tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there,

buy and sell, we'll make a profit.

Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow for what is

your life. My nephew, we were talking about

the other day, he passed away on Saturday, 1:00 PM Sunday, Sunday

1:00 PM five, just over 5 to 6 weeks ago.

He said, man, I've got a sore stomach, really sore.

Not not till then. Took him to the emergency.

The emergency said we'll do some tests.

He said, yeah, it's really painful.

Thought it might be what? Who knows what bendicitis,

twisted bowel, something. Just whatever.

Doctor comes out, says you got your phone 3:00 in the morning,

need to ring your wife. Grabbed his phone, Ring his

wife's number. She woken up.

Got your husband with us, Need to tell you he's got three

months to 12 months, 12 months to 18.

If we can treat it less, if we can't plans.

James says it for what is your life?

It is even a vapour that appears for a little time and then

vanishes away. Instead, James says to every

believer, you and I tonight, you ought to say, if the Lord wills,

we shall live and do this or that.

You see, here's the deal. You go.

What's such? Is that such a big deal, Keith?

Yes, it is because, you know, particularly when I was working

with the police, people would say, can you do our wedding?

You know, can you do this? We make these plans.

And I would tell them, well, if I'm still alive, I'll book it

in. I'll be out if I'm still alive.

And I wasn't joking. I thought, oh, that's pretty

funny. I was dead serious.

Because I know how frail life is.

I know that my breath now God gives me.

But is God going to call me home tonight?

Tomorrow I don't know. And so when I say Lord will, it

means that I know that I am living for God.

I'm living for his will, living for his purpose.

My old life is done, dusted, gone, you say?

Well, Keith, that's a bit, you know.

Well, what do you mean? We have to become monks and nuns

and we'll go into a monastery? No, because the Bible tells us

otherwise. Going to the book of Ephesians

talks about being a father, being a mother, talks about how

to be a good worker. Don't be a man pleaser, you

know, work hard, work diligently, study to show

yourself approved. Study the word of God.

Go out and all to the world, preach the gospel, look after

the poor, you know. But all this is wrapped up in

what is God's will for me now? My life is his.

I've taken up a cross, I've denied myself, and I follow him.

That's what Christianity is. The other stuff is a religious

playground. And we live in a Western society

where most of the time on Sunday People go for their hour for a

religious playground. And you know, it's often they'll

mock more traditional churches where they go through this.

It's no different when you play and you give God the crumbs of

your life. I think it's it's, it's a dis

justice exactly to Christ dying on the cross to his suffering to

what Easter is all about but our life and our purpose for living.

Paul says I'll be back, God willing.

I don't know, because my life is in God's hands.

And so he sailed from Ephesus. That's modern Turkey.

And when he had landed at Caesarea back in Israel, we've

been there and gone up and greeted the church.

He went down to Antioch. Where's that?

Syria. Because you always go down from

Jerusalem. You always go up to Jerusalem.

And when you leave Jerusalem, you always go down to Jerusalem,

no matter where you're going. And after you spend some time

there, departed, went over to the region of Galatia, Phrygia,

in order strengthening all the disciples.

He's beginning his third missionary journey now, a

certain Jew named Apollos, born in Alexandria.

So Apollos is his name. He's Jewish and he's Egyptian.

Alexandria is where he comes from.

He's an eloquent man, mighty in the Scriptures.

In other words, man, the Scriptures that he's aware of,

he knows well, came to Ephesus and this man had been instructed

in the way of the Lord and being fervent in spirit.

Now, what does that word fervent in spirit mean?

And you know what it means literally in the Greek.

It means bubbling, bursting with enthusiasm.

There's two THS there and this guy is on fire for what he knows

about God. And here's the here's another

little step back. You know, people get saved and

well, you know, I'd like to witness to people, but you know,

I've got to study the Bible a lot more.

No, no, tell them what you know in the in the Scriptures and the

gospel, we find out. I don't know, once I was blind,

but now I can see. That's all in you and I.

The other one said, well, what? Previously I was lame.

Now I can walk. And he told, tell people with

the enthusiasm of what's happened to your life, what you

know, you don't have to wait to get up.

Well, you know, and I'll learn the Greek and the Hebrew and

I'll study that. No, tell them what you know now

about your life. Fervent in spirit, he spoke and

taught accurately the things of the Lord.

And notice this. But though he knew only the

baptism of John, and so he knew only of repentance before God,

because John's baptism was about repentance, he was preparing the

way for the Messiah to come. So he began to speak boldly in

the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard

him, they took Apollos aside and explained to him what the way of

God more accurately. Why would they do that?

They noticed in his scriptures. They noticed what he spoke

about. There was a limited area that

he, he pounded out. He would get so far and, and,

and but it wasn't, wasn't there wasn't that I, you know what he

doesn't know about that. Otherwise he'd be, he'd be

telling us that as well. And when he desired to cross to

Archaea, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to

receive Apollos. And when he arrived, he greatly

helped those who had believed through grace.

And now he's got he's got the full picture of grace.

He knew about repentance and that's what we need to know

about. But what you need after

repentance is what grace. Martin Luther, he knew about

repentance. He knew nothing about grace

until he read that just shall live by faith.

And faith means grace, the grace of God, for he vigorously

refuted the Jews publicly showing from the scriptures that

Jesus is the Christ. So he's got her all together.

Man, there was a vacuum. Aquila Priscilla just like

tweaked, tweaked the way I was holding the ball a little and

said, well, wow, that all I yes, now I seal that and now I just

got on with it. Apollos had great ministry in

Corinth, but he at that time had only known about salvation.

And it happened while Apollos was at Corinth that Paul, having

passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus and

finding some disciples, he said to them, did you receive the

Holy Spirit when you believe? Notice there's a common theme

here. These guys love the Lord and

there's something missing in their lives, something missing

in their lives. And what's missing is they don't

understand the work of the Holy Spirit in their walk with God.

So they said to him, well actually we've never even heard

that there's a Holy Spirit, never even heard about the Holy

Spirit. And he said to them, well, how

were you baptised? What was your baptism?

They said, notice like Apollos, John's baptism, What was John's

baptism? A baptism of repentance, Only

repentance but not faith in salvation.

Then Paul said, well, John indeed baptised with the baptism

of repentance. Squares that away, saying to the

people that they should believe on him who would come after him

because John opened the door, then the Messiah came, and then

when Jesus came, Jesus brought the life of a walk with God, not

just repentance. Now Jesus says every gift in

heaven, every blessing, the riches of heaven are yours.

Now this is what's available to you.

So when they heard this notice they were baptised.

Now they've already been baptised, correct, at the

baptism of John. But Paul says, you know what,

let's get you baptised. Because the Bible teaches us, in

the end of Mark and in the end of Matthew, about baptising

those who have received Jesus Christ as the Lord and Saviour.

And so they were baptised in the name notice of the Lord Jesus.

And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon

them and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.

Now the men were about 12 in all, so we're talking a dozen

men that Paul's dealing with him.

So here's the deal. It's just a small group, but

Paul notices something, as did Priscilla and Aquila in

Apollos's preaching. There's just not hitting the

mark. And, you know, there are a lot

of people that come to church and because of their upbringing

and their culture, they go, well, I, you know, I've been

told that, well, the Bible is just for the priest to read.

And I don't read the Bible. It's I just, you know, but I

love Jesus Christ and and and then there are others who you

see there. They're struggling in their walk

with God. They're struggling in how to be

a husband, struggling with how to be a parent.

They're struggling with their their daily walk with temptation

and and what's what's missing is the power of the Holy Spirit

acknowledged and be unloaded in their life.

Paul says we're to be filled and you all know it's in the Greek

means ongoing everyday go on being filled not with wine, but

with the Spirit of God. And so I think this is a problem

in the, in the modern Australian church today as well, because

when people talk about the work of the Holy Spirit,

unfortunately, there's, there's like the pendulum swing.

And some people think, well, that's when you just go crazy.

You know, you used to run around and, you know, people go wild

and, and you know all that. And then there's the other

pendulum swing where it's like, well, we don't want to go

anywhere near that because we don't want anyone running around

going wild. Chuck Smith was always asked,

well, where does Calvary Chapel sit in all this?

And he says, we sit in the middle.

We know the work of God. We know the we need the power of

the Holy Spirit, but we know how it should work.

Why? Because we read the Bible.

This is how the Holy Spirit works in our lives.

And what's missing is people's knowledge like a police of and

these men who said, I haven't even heard of it.

And they need to be taught how the Holy Spirit works in our

lives. For example, people go, well, I

want to know what to do in this decision.

So they come out for prayer. We pray for them.

But here's the here's the real deal that I'd like to see is in

James chapter 1 again says if you need wisdom, what, ask God.

James 1 · chapter mention

Yeah, but like, how's well, that's where you go into the

word of God and the Holy Spirit will speak to you through the

word of God. Well, I don't know.

I've always had thought someone had to actually speak to me and

and come over me and say something.

No, God speaks you through the word of God.

Actually, let's let's jump there.

Hebrews chapter 1, go to Hebrews.

Hebrews 1 · chapter mention

It's Hebrews, Hebrews, James, Peter, Hebrews chapter 1 because

Hebrews 1 · chapter mention

there's always someone who's in the pendulum again, or I heard

God's. I remember going to Bible

college and we had 40 people the first night of a three year, 4

year course and people said well, why are you here?

Well, I was walking on the beach and the waves hit and something

appeared in the sand. I went wow.

And then someone said well, you know, people prayed and they

said no, they gave me ministry and then said these words over

me. I went wow.

I was there because I wanted to know the word of God and I was

just busting to preach. Just had this, this fire within

my soul that this is what I had to do and I didn't know how to

do it. Hebrews chapter 1 says God, who

Hebrews 1 · chapter mention

at various times and in various ways spoke in times past to the

fathers by the prophets, has in these where we you and I are

living in these last days, spoken to us by his Son, whom he

has appointed heir of heir of all things, through whom he also

made the world. And it goes on and goes on.

And So what does John chapter one say?

In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, the Word

was God and the Word came and dwelt amongst us.

So God speaks to you, yes he does.

How does he speak to you? When you open the Bible and you

begin to read it, and you know as you open the Bible and you

begin to read it, what happens is then the Holy Spirit ignites

you. He hones in on that passage of

Scripture and he burns it in your heart.

It gets it repeated in your mind.

There's there's something going on, on and on.

And you have this and that's the Lord speaking to you through the

Holy Spirit, through the word of God.

Now, when I ask you tonight, as Paul laid hands on these, they

were filled with the Spirit. And many people unfortunately

sit in church, they don't know that they've heard of it, him,

the Holy Spirit, but that's about it.

Oh, I don't know how it all works.

That's all. It's all confusing to me.

You know, tongues and interpretation and gifts.

Oh, I just keep out of it. No, read the Bible.

It's in the Bible. Would you do with that if

someone said, well, salvation, I don't know how you get saved.

I mean, some say it through Jesus.

I mean, I, I don't know how. I mean, he died on the cross.

I don't know how all that works. Oh, you're kidding, aren't you?

You wouldn't say that about salvation, would you?

But we do that with the work of the Holy Spirit.

So but what if you really don't know?

Or am I filled with God's power? Well, the Bible will tell you

about that when you read it. Are you living under God's

divine influence? Because the Bible does say that

you are baptised, we are in one body, them, and that the Holy

Spirit dwells in you. Paul says, don't you know that

you are the temple of the Holy Spirit?

You are the dwelling place of God's Holy Spirit.

So I asked you tonight as we close this, are you living under

God's divine influence? Is he directing you?

Is he holding you, directing you?

Oh, I want to go to Ephesus. Remember, Paul wanted to go to

Ephesus. Don't go.

Paul don't want you to go. Then quite a a period later,

Paul gets to go to Ephesus because God said now it's time.

If he had a gone previously, in that time, nothing would have

happened. God says you're not supposed to

be here, it's not ready. Paul goes when God leads and

everything breaks out, everything happens.

You see, that's why people in our lives go, I don't know, it's

just just not working in my life.

It's because you're not led by the Holy Spirit.

You're not listening to the voice of God.

I don't know that personally because when I left Bible

college, oh man, I just had all these great ideas.

This is how we can get people saved.

This is what we would do. And this is all do this and do

that. Yep, Yep.

And God let me run and run and run and burn and burn and burn.

Nothing happened. You see, God works and God gets

the glory when he works because he, he, he won't allow you if

you go, oh look what I've done God no, because unless the Lord

build the house and God always wants you, the Nazarite vow, God

always wants you to go deeper where you are tonight,

Wednesday, March 2026. You don't want to be in the same

position. Knowledge and closeness and

nearness to God now you need to be closer, more passionate, more

in love, more driven than you are tonight, tomorrow and the

next day. But what if I really don't know?

Spurgeon says this. He says give a man an electric

shock and I warrant you he'll know it.

But if he has the Holy Spirit, he will know it much more.

It's not something to hope about.

Well, I kind of, I would like that to happen to me.

You can know, you can know many Christians today really know

little or nothing mentally or experientially of the work of

the Holy Spirit in their lives. If Paul came across your life

and you had a cup of coffee with him, sat down with you at 10:00

tomorrow and you began just talking about you walk with God,

what you do in the church and how you're involved and how,

what you what are you? What are you reading in

Scripture now? What you know, where's your

path? What does God would Paul go?

You know what? Something's missing.

You're missing something. You know what you're missing?

You're missing the power of the Holy Spirit in your life.

You can go back and read some of the great men, John Wesley,

Charles Wesley, there's a book called Strangely Warmed.

He was serving God, walking with God.

But you know what? He's a bit like a pulse.

And then the Holy Spirit hit him and it changed his life, changed

his preaching, how results because God's power now he

recognised. And the Lord then moved.

And so that's where you and I are tonight.

If Paul sat down with you tomorrow, what would he say?

Something's missing. Just to know you.