55 "God’s Witness Protection Program" Acts 23:11-35 | Sunday, July 12, 2026

you can remain standing for the time

being. Take your Bibles and turn to the

book of Acts chapter 23.

Acts 23 · chapter mention

Acts chapter 23 as we continue in our

Acts 23 · chapter mention

series in the book of Acts.

We come [snorts] to Paul's defenses here

toward the end of the book of his

witness and his ministry in Jerusalem

before going to Caesarea and then on to

Rome where he spends the rest of his

life witnessing of Christ.

And what we're finding in these defenses

is the certainty of our faith

as well as the courage that we need to

witness of that faith.

And today is no different where our text

left off last Sunday

was that Paul testified before the

council. They were divided over the

resurrection and the chief captain we

find today his name is Claudius Lysias.

Uh he is concerned that Paul's going to

be pulled apart in pieces and so he uh

brings him by force out of the council

and brings him back into the fortress to

keep him in holding for the time being.

We'll begin our reading in verse 11.

We'll go through the end of the chapter.

I realize this is a little bit of a

lengthy portion. I'll encourage you to

stay tuned in as we read God's word.

In Acts 23:11 the Bible says, "In the

Acts 23:11

night following the Lord stood by him

and said, Be of good cheer, Paul, for as

thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem,

so must thou bear witness also at Rome.

And when it was day, certain of the Jews

banded together and bound themselves

under a curse saying that they would

neither eat nor drink till they had

killed Paul.

And they were more than 40 men which had

made this conspiracy.

And they came to the chief priests and

elders and said, We have bound ourselves

under a great curse that we will eat

nothing until we have slain Paul. Now

therefore ye with the council signify to

the chief captain that he bring him down

as though that he bring him down unto

you tomorrow as though you would inquire

something more perfectly concerning him.

And we or ever he come near are ready to

kill him.

And when Paul's sister's son heard of

their lying in wait, when he went and

entered into the castle and told Paul.

Then Paul called one of the centurions

unto him and said, "Bring this young man

unto the chief captain for he hath

certain thing to tell him." So he took

him in and brought him to the chief

captain and said, "Paul the prisoner

called me unto him and prayed me to

bring this young man unto thee

who hath something to say unto thee."

Then the chief captain took him by the

hand and went with him aside privately

and asked him, "What is that thou hast

to tell me?"

And he said, "The Jews have agreed to

desire thee that thou wouldest bring

down Paul tomorrow into the council as

though they would inquire somewhat of

him more perfectly.

But do not thou yield unto them for they

lie in wait for him of them more than 40

men which have bound themselves with an

oath that they will neither eat nor

drink till they have killed him. And now

are they ready looking for a promise

from thee."

So the chief captain then let the young

man depart and charged him, "See thou

tell no man that thou hast showed these

things to me."

And he called unto him two centurions

saying, "Make ready 200 soldiers to go

to Caesarea and horsemen three score and

10 and spearmen 200 at the third hour of

the night.

And provide them beasts that they may

set Paul on and bring him safe unto

Felix the governor." And he wrote a

letter after this manner, "Claudius

Lysias under the most excellent governor

Felix sendeth greeting.

This [snorts] man was taken of the Jews

and should have been killed of them.

Then came I with an army and rescued him

having understood that he was a Roman.

And when I would have known the cause

wherefore they accused him, I brought

him forth into their council, whom I

perceived to be accused of questions of

their law but to have nothing laid to

his charge worthy of death or of bonds.

And when it was told me how that the

Jews had laid in wait for the man, I

sent straightway to thee and gave

commandment to his accusers also to say

before thee what they had against him.

Farewell."

Then the soldiers, as it was commanded

them, took Paul and brought him by night

to Antipatris. On the morrow, they left

their horsemen to go with him and

returned under the castle. Who, when

they had came to Caesarea and delivered

the epistle to the governor, presented

Paul also before him. And when the

governor had read the letter, he asked

of what province he was. And when he

understood that he was of Cilicia, "I

will hear thee," said he, "when thine

accusers are also come." And he

commanded him to be kept in Herod's

judgment hall.

The title of our message this morning is

God's witness protection program.

God's witness protection program. Let's

pray.

Our heavenly Father, we ask you for the

understanding of your spirit to grasp

the truth of your word. And I pray that

by it

you would encourage, challenge, convict,

and strengthen us

in our faith and in our witness. I ask

in Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you for

standing. You may be seated.

In 1992,

a ordinary man named Mario Nero was

walking his dog in Foggia, Italy when he

came across something that he never

expected to see.

A young man hopped over a gate, dropped

a gun, and took off running.

And on the other side of that gate was a

businessman by the name of Giovanni

Penninzio lying in a pool of his own

blood.

Mario was the lone witness of that

crime. And at first, he decided to keep

silent about it. But when he saw on TV

that the man's son had pleaded for

anyone with information to come forward,

he decided to go to the police and tell

them what he saw.

His testimony became some of the most

important evidence in the case that

brought the conviction of 46 mobsters in

the Italian mafia.

That's the power of an eyewitness.

An eyewitness doesn't merely offer a

theory or give an opinion. He simply

testifies to what he has seen and knows

to be true.

>> [snorts]

>> But that can also be a danger to the

witness.

Because when your testimony exposes

guilty men,

those same guilty men may decide that

you need to be silenced for their own

safety.

That's why Mario's family was placed

into witness protection.

His testimony was valuable, but it also

made him a target.

In the book of Acts, the Apostle Paul

has become a high-value witness of

Christianity.

He was not an early follower of Jesus

Christ.

In fact, he was a persecutor of

Christians.

He was a Pharisee,

zealous for the law and for the God of

his fathers.

He even hunted down Christians,

imprisoned them, and consented to many

of their deaths.

But then we know that Paul's life was

dramatically changed.

Why?

He saw Jesus alive.

And it changed everything for him.

From that day forward, Paul went

everywhere testifying that the crucified

Jesus had risen from the dead.

That he was the Jewish Messiah who had

come so that all men everywhere might be

saved through his sacrifice on the

cross.

He preached that he rose from the dead.

And what we find is that as he became

a witness of Jesus to the Jews, the

Gentiles, and before captains, kings,

and governors, his testimony made him a

marked man.

A marked man.

To many of the Jews, Paul was viewed as

a traitor.

As if he turned his back on his own

people.

As if he spoke against the law of Moses

and against the temple of God in

Jerusalem.

They believed that

they saw his witness of Christ not

merely as mistaken,

but as dangerous.

Because if he continued to witness of

Jesus Christ, many would continue to

turn to Jesus Christ.

They viewed him as a threat.

And by the time that we come to Acts 23,

Paul has already testified before the

crowd, and he's testified before the

council. And the testimony, the witness

that he bears provoked cries from the

crowd and violence from the council.

That's what we've seen.

And therefore, he was pulled back into

the castle.

And there, it tells us in verse 11 that

the night Jesus

stood by him.

Said, "Be of good cheer, Paul. For as

thou hast testified of me at Jerusalem,

so must thou bear witness also at Rome."

But then, what do we find?

The very next verse,

an assassination

is plotted against him.

And the tension of this text becomes

clear.

Jesus says Paul will make it to Rome.

But the world says Paul won't make it

out of Jerusalem.

Who wins out?

Jesus

or this Jewish mob?

>> [snorts]

>> And so, it provokes this question. How

does Paul continue to witness

courageously as Christ called him to do

when the world is trying to put him to

silence once and for all?

What about you today?

How do you witness with courage in a day

when the world wants you to be silent

about your faith?

>> [snorts]

>> How do you stay bold when threats come

against you?

When you're misjudged, misrepresented,

pressured, or marginalized in society?

How can you find the courage to witness

of Jesus in the face of hostility?

Where we find courage today is the same

place where Paul found courage to

continue his witness.

I want you to know, first of all,

that when Paul was in holding, the Lord

stood by him in verse 11.

To our knowledge, for these first

several days of Paul's testimony, he was

alone.

Though he came from Europe with many

companions of Christians from there,

nothing is mentioned of them.

Nothing is mentioned in his testimony of

his Jewish Christians or of the

apostles. It seems as though Paul is by

himself.

Paul is kept in this Roman fortress

under Roman guard, under soldiers, under

a chief captain, and

don't be mistaken. At times it appears

as though this chief captain is

sympathetic toward Paul,

but the historian Josephus

uh brands him as a ruthless man.

A man who is corrupt, even bribing for

his citizenship.

We've seen it along the way.

He was prepared to scourge Paul

just to get the answers to his

curiosity.

He was

only by

Roman citizenship, and then he was

afraid because it's illegal to bind a

citizen without a trial.

And so now he Claudius Lysias is trying

to save face more than he's trying to

save Paul. You notice in that letter

that we read, Felix, that he mentions

nothing about attempting to scourge

Paul.

He mentions nothing about about the the

fact that that he just found out that he

was a Roman citizen. He acts as though

he was a Roman he knew he was Roman

citizen from the very start. And so you

can see that he's trying to preserve his

own reputation.

And so what it tells us that Paul was

under the guard of this ruthless,

self-serving man.

Paul was not in a cushy place.

He was in a fortress under a Roman

guard, alone.

But it's in that moment

when Paul was seemingly all by himself,

he was not because the following the

Lord stood by him. Stood by him.

And what the Lord does, he encourages

Paul. He says, "Be of good cheer."

Means to be firm or resolute in the face

of adversity.

It's actually a word that's the exact

opposite of to be disheartened. It means

to be enheartened.

The idea is Jesus is telling him, "Take

courage, Paul."

You know what that applies to us?

That after these

these testimonies and the baseless

accusations against him and the refusal

of people to actually listen to him and

respond to the gospel,

he's becoming discouraged.

He's becoming weakened in heart.

Perhaps he's beginning to wonder if he

will even make it out of this alive.

After all, his entire way back from uh

What was he saying? The Holy Spirit was

bearing witness everywhere and every

place that bonds and afflictions await

him at Jerusalem.

And though Paul wanted to go to Rome as

he told the Ephesians before he left

there,

it seems that that's unlikely.

But it's at this time the Lord comes and

encourages him. How

him? Notice it says in verse 11, "For as

thou has testified of me in Jerusalem,

so must thou bear witness also at Rome."

You know what Jesus does? He encourages

him by giving him a promise of assurance

that he will make it to Rome.

A promise from Jesus.

How does Jesus possibly know that?

It's because he's God.

It's because as the Apostle John said,

referring to Jesus, "In the beginning

was word, and the word was with God, and

the word was God." The word refers to

Jesus Christ.

As Jesus is eternal and shares in his

risen condition the same attributes that

he had always had from eternity past. He

knew everything in the past, he knew

everything in the future, and he reigns

sovereignly and supremely over the

affairs of men so as to even govern and

ordain what will take place in Paul's

life.

Jesus is in control. He knows this is

not the end of Paul's witness. That

Paul's witness will not be done until

Jesus says that it's done. Can I tell

you this morning that if Jesus knew

Paul's end, he knows your end, my

friend.

Jesus, though you have no idea what's to

come, he already knows.

And even in the times when you feel like

you're standing alone, the Lord stands

there with you, ready to strengthen you,

ready to encourage you with the reality

that all of your days are in his hands.

David understood this when he wrote in

Psalm 31:15, "My times are in thy hand."

Psalms 31:15

And in this call, "Deliver me from the

hand of mine enemies and from them that

persecute me."

Believer, I want you to understand this

means that your days, your dangers, your

deliverance, and even your death are not

ultimately in the hands of your enemies,

in the hands of the world, or in the

hands of this system. No, your life is

in the hands of Jesus Christ.

He knows your end.

Paul could pillow his head this night

assured of the Lord that he will make it

to Rome.

But the very next day,

this plot is formed to take him out.

It says in verse number 12, and

"When it was day, certain of the Jews

banded together and bound themselves

under a curse saying that they would

neither eat nor drink till they had

killed Paul. And they were more than 40

which had made this conspiracy." And so

now this group of the Jewish mob, these

assassins have gathered together and

they've said, "We're We're going to bind

ourselves." You might see it this way in

the Old Testament, "God, do so to me and

more also if I eat or drink before I

have killed Paul." That's likely what

they would have said.

That if I don't kill Paul, may I die of

starvation.

They're resolved.

They're determined to silence this

powerful witness of Christianity.

And so the plan is they go to the chief

priests and they go to some of the

elders of the council there and they

conspire with them and tell them, "We

want you to go before the chief captain

tomorrow and take the council with you

and and request another hearing with

Paul.

And as he's being transported from the

castle to the courtroom, we will take

him out in the process."

This plot

comes on the heels

of a promise from Jesus

that he will get to Rome.

And now as we come to read of this plot,

the question in our mind is how is Paul

going to get to Rome if they're going to

take him out before he reaches the

courtroom?

And so right on the other side of this

promise from Jesus, you know what we

find? Trouble comes.

Trouble comes.

You know what that means?

The courage to witness is not found in

the absence of trouble.

No, it's not. None of us are guaranteed

that we won't suffer.

That others will never hate us or

conspire against us. No, in fact, the

Bible is very upfront and truthful with

us to say that all who will live godly

in Christ Jesus shall suffer

persecution. We saw earlier in the book

of Acts when Paul told the believers in

Lystra that we must enter the kingdom

through much tribulation. No believers

are promised persecution and trouble

will come. And so our courage to witness

is not found in everything being easy

and everything being comfortable.

The reality is when you boldly witness

for Jesus, there will be times when you

are criticized by others.

There are times when society will

marginalize you for your stance on God's

word.

There will be times when you'll be

shouted down, mocked, or made fun of.

The chance is that trouble will come.

See, when you testify that Jesus Christ

is the crucified and risen savior, that

he alone is the way to eternal life,

that he alone is the way for your sins

to be forgiven, that he alone is the

hope you have of of heaven. When you

tell people that, here's what the

unbeliever hears, "I am guilty as

charged. My sentence is death and hell."

And [snorts] because when they're

confronted with that reality, the only

option that they can that they can

provide the comfort for their

unbelieving soul is to silence you

and marginalize you.

Trouble will come.

But the courage to witness is not found

in the absence of trouble, friends. It

is found in the providence of the Lord.

The providence of the Lord.

What does that mean?

It means his careful

role in our lives

of protecting us.

Isn't that what we see taking place here

in Paul's life? The unseen hand of God

is at work

because somehow

someway

Paul's nephew in verse 17 hears of this

plot.

Do you realize this is the one and only

time we read anything about any of

Paul's family in the scripture?

And it's when his life is hanging in the

balance.

That can only be the providential care

of God.

Paul's nephew hears of it, and he goes

to the castle, and he warns Paul, and

Paul calls a centurion and tells him,

"Take this young man to the chief

captain, and tell him that he has

something to say to him." And so, the

centurion takes the Paul's nephew to

him, and and the chief captain takes him

aside.

He says, "What do you have to say?"

And he said, "The Jews are going to

come, and the council is going to ask

you for another hearing tomorrow.

Do not

>> [snorts]

>> yield to them.

Do not grant them that request."

"Well, why should I not grant them that

request? Because there are more than 40

men who have bound themselves with an

oath not to eat or drink until they've

killed Paul, and their plan is to take

him out in the process from the

transport from the castle to the court.

They're going to take him out." And he

And he even tells him, "Even now,

they're ready.

They're just waiting to hear from you."

And so, the chief captain releases him

and tells him, "Don't tell anybody. We

need to play this very close to the

vest."

And then, you know what he does?

He places Paul

under witness protection.

Would you look down at verse number 23?

It says, "And he called unto him two

centurions." These are leaders over 100

soldiers, saying, "Make ready 200

soldiers to go to Caesarea, and horsemen

three score and 10, and spearmen 200 at

the third hour of the night." He says,

"I want you to take a cohort of 470

soldiers." I would say that's a pretty

significant protection detail here for

Paul. He says, "Get some horses and

place him on there, and I want you to

leave at 9:00 p.m. tonight, and get him

to Caesarea." You know what Caesarea is?

The Roman capital of Israel.

That's the place where the governor

sits. The governor Felix, as it says

here. You know what it also is? The

primary port that sends ships from

Caesarea to Rome.

Do you see what the Lord is doing here?

Paul's life is not up to chance.

These men their plot has nothing to say

against Christ's promise that he's going

to make it to Rome because somehow

someway the providential hand of Jesus

Christ is able to make it to where his

nephew hears of this plot.

He chose

Saul of Tarsus from the beginning who is

already a Roman citizen knowing fully

everything that he would face. Remember

when Saul was first converted that Jesus

told him that he's going to testify of

him before the children of Israel and

Gentiles and before kings. How did Jesus

know that? He knew and ordained Paul's

life from the beginning.

His witness

is going to get where he wants him to

go.

And so Jesus is working behind the

scenes here

ensuring that his citizenship delivers

him not only from scourging but also

leaves him under protection because Paul

ends up being killed to death under his

watch

as a Roman citizen without a fair trial.

That sits on him.

There's pressure

for this man to secure Paul and to send

him away.

And so he sends him with this letter

to the governor Felix. Would you read

with me verse 25?

And he wrote a letter unto after this

manner.

Claudius Lysias unto the most excellent

governor Felix sendeth greeting.

This man was taken of the Jews and

should have been killed of them. Then

came I with an army and rescued him

having understood he was a Roman now.

>> [panting]

>> We know that that's not exactly how the

story went.

That he just saw this riot breaking out

and somebody told him and so he he

didn't just happen to pass by this.

Somebody told him about it. He sends the

soldiers to go and figure out what this

is and break up the mob and bring him in

and then he's ready to scourge him which

could potentially cause death only for

Paul to say,

"Is it lawful for you to beat a Roman

who's uncondemned?"

And so we know this man

isn't godly. We know this man isn't

straightforward and yet the Lord can

even work through the evils of men to

accomplish his purpose.

It says in verse 28, "And when I would

have known the cause wherefore they

accused him, I brought him forth into

their council whom I perceived to be

accused of questions of their law but to

have nothing laid to his charge worthy

of death or of bonds. [snorts]

And when it was told me how that the

Jews laid wait for him, I sent

straightway to thee and gave commandment

to his accusers also to say before thee

what they had against him. Farewell." Do

you see what he is writing? He tells him

the story

close to how it happened.

But he tells it in a way as to affirm

before Paul ever gets there, this man is

innocent.

He shouldn't be killed. He shouldn't

even be bound. I'm sending him you to

you for protection so that he can be

released once they've come to accuse him

before you cuz you're going to find the

same thing that I've found.

And so the soldiers that night

they get Paul, they depart in the third

hour about 9:00 p.m.

They make their way halfway to a town

called Antipatris and at that point they

send Paul on with the horsemen while the

soldiers return to Jerusalem and Paul

arrives safely there, it says.

They brought him safely to Felix.

And at that time Felix reads letter and

he affirms Paul's citizenship from the

province of Cilicia and it says that he

kept him in Herod's judgment hall.

The place where Herod the king is,

that's going to be one of the most

secure places in the Roman Empire

to protect the king.

And that is where Paul is kept guarded

safely

from them.

This story reminds me much of the

accounts of Esther.

Remember the Old Testament book Esther?

Israel Babylonian captivity.

Plot was hatched

to annihilate the Jews by wicked men.

The that time happened to be Esther.

Mordecai

to hear of the plot in the streets,

he told the queen.

And in the entire book of Esther, God's

name is not mentioned one time.

One time.

But it's meant to show you this, that

when you're in exile,

and when

he's still there working behind the

scenes to protect his people. See, God

is in control of the lives of his

people. Their lives are completely in

his hands, and that's what exactly what

I see here with the Apostle Paul is the

Lord gives him the promise, and then the

Lord goes silent while the whole plot is

going down. And yet we see the working

here, the the Paul's nephew finding out

about it, and the Roman citizenship of

Paul, and the protective detail that he

receives with a letter saying he's

innocent.

And you know where he's at? One step

closer to Rome.

Jesus knows what he's doing.

>> [snorts]

>> He's in control.

The Lord providentially worked through

the ordinary details of life to protect

Paul from danger and ensure his witness

was not done until he He it was done.

And in Acts 28, when Paul arrives in

Italy and is 30 miles south of Rome,

it says he thanked God and took courage.

Why did he thank God?

He knew he didn't get there by himself.

The hand of the Lord had protected him

through this instance. He had protected

him through other plots and other

councils. He protected him through a

shipwreck for several months stranded on

the Isle of Malta. And you know where he

ended up? Exactly where Jesus said he

would be. And he spent the rest of his

life testifying of Christ in Rome.

>> [snorts]

>> See,

the providential hand of the Lord was at

work

to bring him safely

to his will.

>> [snorts]

>> But let me clarify that the providential

hand of the Lord does not always mean

that Paul was protected

from trouble and danger.

Because Paul was still imprisoned in

Rome.

Paul was under house arrest in Rome.

Paul faced shipwreck on his way to Rome.

And eventually Paul was beheaded for his

faith at Rome.

How did Paul courageously witness

unto his death?

Rather than taking my words for it,

I'd like to read from Paul's final words

to Timothy in his farewell letter.

Second Timothy chapter 4 verse 16.

2 Timothy 4:16

Here's what Paul said. Listen closely.

At my first answer,

no man stood with me,

but all men forsook me.

Notwithstanding,

the Lord stood with me and strengthened

me that by me the preaching might be

fully known and that all the Gentiles

might hear. And I was delivered from the

mouth of the lion.

You know what this tells us?

Paul's not referring to this time in

Jerusalem.

He's referring to his first defense in

Rome.

>> [snorts]

>> What that means is that he

continued to be abandoned even by his

dear Christian friends. He wrote to

Timothy earlier in that letter that

everyone was ashamed of his bonds and he

exhorted Timothy, don't be ashamed of my

bonds. Why? Because if Paul was in

prison, if we align ourselves with Paul,

that's probably where we are going to

end up as well. So, everyone forsook him

and he said, "Even in that moment, the

Lord stood with me."

The Lord continued to just strengthen me

as I continued to witness and he even

delivered me once again from the mouth

of the lion. You know what that means?

That Paul evidently at some point was

very near being thrown into the

Colosseum to the lions.

And Christ delivered him from it.

He continued to protect him.

But of course, Paul knew

the end is coming.

He had

the Timothy in this

fought the good fight. I have kept the

faith. He knew

death was coming soon. But even in the

face of death, listen to what he wrote

in verse 18. "And the Lord shall deliver

me from every evil work and will

preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom.

To him be glory forever and ever. Amen."

Paul uh from his imprisonment in

Jerusalem to his imprisonment and his

death in Rome, the Lord stood by him.

The Lord strengthened him, protected

him, and preserved him until his witness

was finished.

Paul knew that even the end was only the

beginning for him.

He knew the sword could not end him. He

knew the lions could not destroy him

because the hand of the one who

providentially protected him up to this

point would also faithfully preserve him

to live forever in his heavenly kingdom.

That was Paul's faith.

And so I would say this, that Paul

witnessed with courage because his life

was in the providential hands of Jesus

Christ.

And the truth this text is meant to show

us today is this.

The Lord providentially protects his

witnesses

until all his will is fulfilled.

Till all his will is fulfilled.

>> [snorts]

>> Listen, you may not have a specific

promise of protection like Paul had from

Jesus here.

And so I can't use this text to

guarantee you that you won't face

hostility.

That you won't be persecuted. That you

won't be marginalized. And that you

won't even die because of your witness

of Jesus Christ. I can't give you that

promise.

But what I can promise you is that no

matter what you face, the Lord will

stand with you.

He said, "I will never leave thee nor

forsake thee."

He said, "I am with you all way even

unto the end of the world."

He promised that even when you are

brought before the the council, that

you're not supposed to think ahead of

time of what your defense will be. He

said, "My spirit will be with you to

tell you what to say in that very

moment." Oftentimes we wonder, "How in

the world? I don't know if I could face

the bullets for my faith."

I don't know if I could take the sword.

I don't know if I could be faithful to

the very end. Well, listen, none of us

know until that moment. But there's no

point dealing with it because we know

the fact that Jesus will be with us.

We know the fact that his spirit will be

there to comfort us and encourage us and

keep us strong in our faith. No matter

what you may face in your life, I can

promise you, friend, that Christ will

stand with you.

>> [snorts]

>> And while I can't promise the

providential protection that the Lord

provided Paul in this instance. I can

promise you by the authority of Jesus

Christ and by the truth of the gospel

that even if your witness brings you

down to the grave, the hands that

providentially protected Paul will be

the providential hands that preserve

your soul.

That you too will be preserved even in

death unto his heavenly kingdom. Why?

Not because of your righteousness, but

because of the righteousness of Jesus

Christ. It's because of the blood he

shed on the cross to cover all of your

sin so that God could see you as

righteous and it's his righteousness on

you by faith that keeps you preserved

until the day you stand in his kingdom.

I can promise you that, believer.

If you're a child of God,

your place, your final destination in

his kingdom is secured forever.

Death can't hold you.

The grave won't keep you.

You will rise again

to live forever with him.

And so I challenge you.

Witness with courage

because your life is in the providential

hands

of Jesus Christ.

You might ask, "Well, what if that leads

to pain?

>> [snorts]

>> What happens then?"

Your life is still in his hands.

Would you listen to the words of Jesus

in John 10:28 about his people?

John 10:28

And I give unto them eternal life

and they shall never perish.

Neither shall any man pluck them out of

my hand.

My Father which gave them me is greater

than all, as is sung about this morning.

And no man is able to pluck them out of

my Father's hand. I and my Father are

one.

You know what Jesus is saying there?

When you have anchored your eternal

salvation to the death and resurrection

of Jesus Christ. When you have believed

on him, when you have been born again

unto a living hope, when your faith is

in Christ, you are placed in the hands

of the God who made the world by his

glorious power.

The God who is above all kings, the God

who is eternal, the God who is all

powerful, the God who knows everything,

that's whose hands you are in. And as

Jesus said, I and my father are one, you

are also in the hands of of the one

whose hands were pierced for your

salvation.

Those nail-scarred hands hold you and

keep you in his grip. And no matter what

plots of men may come against you, and

and no matter what what plans of evil

may try to take you, nothing can remove

you or pluck you out of the Father's

hand, friend. If you are in Christ,

you're safe and secured. Your life's in

his hands.

Because of

with courage.

There's nothing anyone

or anything can do

to keep you from

his hand.

One [snorts] final question.

Are you in his hands

today?

Have you believed

on Jesus Christ?

Have you called on him

for

sins

in the salvation of your soul?

Because Jesus is the only way.

Only his sacrifice

could be accepted by God because only he

has innocent blood.

None of us do.

And no matter how good you try to be for

the rest of your life, you can't erase

what you've already done.

But the blood of Jesus can.

He can wash away every bitter thought.

He can wash away every sexual sin. He

can wash away every abusive action. He

can wash away every ang- ounce of anger

that you've ever had. Every sin you've

ever committed, no matter how bad, the

blood of Jesus Christ was so perfect

that it can purify you from it all.

But you must believe

and when you believe

you're placed in his nail-pierced hands

who is greater than all

and no one

can take that away.

That ought to encourage you

to believe today. Would you trust in

him?

And if you have, that ought to settle

you with deep assurance

that my life is in his hands. So, let me

just go on as Paul did and testify until

Jesus is the one who says, "It's time to

come home."

Father, we thank you

an an eternal, all-powerful God who

safely secures us

in your divine hands.

May we as believers rest

in that hope

and may we testify faithfully of Jesus

Christ. I pray if there's anyone who's

never trusted Jesus as their savior that

they would believe the gospel today and

find in him the hope of eternal life,

the hope of his heavenly kingdom.

I pray your spirit would finish his work

in your people in Jesus name. Amen.