Christ the King Sunday 2024

Pray with me. Lord, we thank you for this reliable eyewitness account of the birth of your church

that is much more than just a history of the birth of your church, but is in fact exactly what you

wanted us to know about the start and the development and the spread of the gospel in the

first century. Lord, we thank you that we have the example of the Apostle Paul here in Acts chapter 18.

Acts 18 · chapter mention

Help us to, by your Holy Spirit, seek to imitate him in every way we can. Lord, knowing that he was

simply following you and your son. Paul was on mission because your son was on mission, and Lord,

help us to do likewise. Pray your blessing on this in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. So if you are following

along, we are on, maybe I should get onto the page as well, we'll start on page 104 and then 106,

and I think that'll be it. So 104 and 106. So we've been in Acts for some time, and if you have been

following along, it is almost impossible to read the Acts of the Apostles without coming away with

this very strong impression that the will of God is for all to turn to Christ. That is God's will,

and therefore, central to the Acts of the Apostle is the grace and mercy of Christ as the church grows

and is strengthened, and that continues throughout the age to this very day. Central to the story then

is not just the spread of the gospel, but the spreading of the gospel by people like the Apostle

Paul or Peter or any one of the unnamed members of the early church, to bear witness to the cross,

to evangelize, both in word and lifestyle, so that people know what our hope is, and that hope is Christ.

But we've also seen that evangelism can be difficult, not only in the text, but we've also

been confronted with the call in our own lives to evangelize and to share the faith and to bear

witness to the cross. We can also see and testify to the difficulty of it today. Evangelism is difficult.

Why? Because we are putting ourselves on the line for not our own cause, but somebody else's cause,

and we risk opposition, and sometimes that opposition is terrifying. Sometimes it's subtle

and difficult, more of like an interpersonal opposition that put us down a few rungs on the social ladder,

and sometimes it's very overt, and we see this not often in Canada, but we certainly see it across the

world, that to proclaim the gospel is to invite opposition, and sometimes that opposition takes

the form of violence. But evangelism can be joyful. It's going to be hard, of course, but it can also be

a very joyful thing, especially when you share what your faith, and you see that

that people are moved. Maybe not giving their heart to Christ immediately, but it's like they have a

pebble in their shoe, or a gnawing in the back of their head. You see that the Spirit is at work,

questions are being asked. A lot of consternation is happening. But nevertheless, evangelism can be very

scary. I liken it to, in some ways, being conscripted to join an army, to fight in a battle you don't

believe in. Sometimes. It can be difficult. So a text like ours today, although recognizing the difficulty

of evangelism is not just to highlight the difficulty, but to provide an encouragement for us

to see how the good Lord will help us to faithfully and confidently bear witness to our faith. That he

doesn't just ask us to share the faith, but he gives us the strength to do so. It's a remarkable thing.

So how does God provide this help? Well, he provides it through the very gospel message we are called to

proclaim. So for the sake of breaking up our text, we'll look at three points. And we won't actually

spend much time, I mean, Gord read all the way to verse 23, but we'll get to about verse 12 or 13.

We'll have a few mentions about the rest of this section. But so basically, Acts 18, 1 to 13, or 12

to 13, we'll see three things. The first thing, how God provides help as we share our faith, is that

God provides refreshment to continue. That it is a very real thing that we would experience

the need to be refreshed, and he provides that refreshment to continue. He also provides the

strength to proclaim the gospel message, and also, and finally, the confidence to trust in him,

that he will lead, and that he is true, and that it is worth putting our lives on the line for. So

look with me, verses 1 to 5. The first point, the gospel provides refreshment to continue. I'll just read

this for us again. After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. Really quickly, so the previous

section, Paul is in Athens, it's very famous. This was from two weeks ago. Paul gets to Athens, and it's

kind of like a bit of a furlough for him, except he gets there, and it says that his heart, or his soul,

it's like he has a gut punch in his soul when he sees all the idolatry.

And he goes to the Acropolis, or to Mars Hill, rather, and he debates with the leading thinkers

at the time. Some come to faith, some mock him, and then he makes his way to Corinth, which is

some 75, 80 kilometers away from Athens. So that's where we are, verse 2. And he found a Jew named Aquila,

a native Apontis, recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded

all the Jews to leave Rome. And he went to see them, and because he was of the same trade, he stayed

with them and worked, for they were tent makers by trade. And he reasoned in the synagogue every

Sabbath and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks. I have this habit, maybe you do as well. I see the

Apostle Paul as almost like a mythical figure. Like, yeah, he's a human being, but he's not really

a human being, because he does some crazy things. He's super strong, super faith, incredible man of

courage, knowledge, mental fortitude. But this text is very clear he's a man. A man that leans on the

grace of God, but a man nevertheless. And he was susceptible to bodily harm. So we've journeyed with

Paul, so to speak, these past few chapters. And we have seen him subject to bodily harm, emotional hurt,

and weariness. He's experienced relational breakdown between him and his dear friend Barnabas.

He's been imprisoned wrongfully after a severe public beating without trial. He's had a tumultuous

time in Thessalonica and in Berea at the hands of his own people. Like I mentioned, he gets to Athens,

and one of the things they accuse him of, of being essentially a half-baked philosopher.

He is constantly, constantly both in the midst of a joyful ministry and difficult opposition.

And he gets to a Corinth, and he is fairly beaten up. I mean, in our text today, it just says that after

Paul left Athens and went to Corinth, it doesn't comment on his personal well-being, but Paul actually

comments on this in 1 Corinthians chapter 2. And this is what he says. It's a short bit, but it paints

1 Corinthians 2 · chapter mention

a picture of how weary this man was. This is verses 1 and then following, just a snippet of 1 Corinthians 2,

1 to 3. And I, when I came to you, brothers, he's talking to the Corinthians, I was with you in weakness

and in fear and in much trembling. Weakness, fear, and trembling.

Say what you want about the Bible, some of the grand claims it makes, miracles, are they real, are they not real?

Well, you can have those kind of pushbacks, but you can't push back against the reality that the Bible's a very

human book, that it records a very human reaction to very difficult things. It doesn't sugarcoat things.

Paul was weak, he was fearful, and he had much trembling. It's a very human book.

So the apostle comes to Corinth, he's exhausted, he's beat down, he needs refreshment and encouragement.

Not long after he arrives, he finds a husband and wife, who've just arrived, somewhat recently from Italy.

Claudius, the emperor, expels the Jews from Rome in 49 AD, and they seem to have settled in Corinth.

And they're not just this Jewish couple, but they're believers, which is to say that the gospel went before Paul to Rome.

Interestingly, some historians think that the reason why Claudius expelled the Jews was because of Christianity landing in Rome

and causing a kerfuffle with the existing synagogues.

Anyways, whether that's true or not, here they are. And not just fellow Jews, not just fellow believers, but fellow tradesmen.

And Paul later on in, where is it, in 1 Thessalonians and in Romans 16,

oh sorry, just in Romans 16,

he will say of Aquila and Priscilla that they were dear friends and workers of the gospel,

and that they stuck their necks out on the line for him.

Not exactly sure when that happened or how it went down,

but these, this couple, they're a godsend to the apostle.

I don't know if you've needed a, just a kind word, a real embrace, somebody just to be a listening ear,

a good meal, in a time where you are beat down.

I was, I was homesick, so I went to Redeemer in Ancaster, Ontario for a year before I came to Ottawa.

I had a bad interaction with somebody very close to me.

I was homesick, I was 18, wasn't as much bravado as I thought.

And, and where my parents were living at the time was about two hours away.

And they phoned them up, they drove all the way, and they bought me a steak.

We went out for dinner.

And it didn't solve my problem, but it was, it was a refreshment.

It was what I needed.

They, we, we didn't just buy me a steak.

We went to a restaurant and we ate a steak.

But I don't know what it was.

It just, it was like wind in my sails.

It was the refreshment that I needed.

That's what Aquila and Priscilla are like here.

They are an encouragement from God when refreshment is needed by the apostle.

A bit later in the narrative, Silas and Timothy arrive from Macedonia, and they bring with them good news twofold.

The first, we learn later on in, in, uh, first Thessalonians, that they reported that the church in Thessalonica and Macedonia was still going strong.

Wow.

Paul proclaims the gospel, then he takes off.

Nobody's phoning him up about it.

He's not getting letters.

He's not too sure what the, what is, what has happened.

He's entrusted these believers to the Lord.

He's left Timothy and Silas as well.

They come back, they say, hey, listen, it's still going strong.

Uh, your labor has not been in vain.

Encouragement again.

And also with them, they brought, um, uh, financial aid from Corinth, uh, as well.

Uh, relief so that Paul could continue on in his, in his, uh, focus on spreading the gospel.

Again, encouragement.

A time needed of refreshment.

So what does this tell us about ministry?

And when I say ministry, I don't mean me up here, paid minister.

I mean, the ministry that we are all called to, to follow the Lord by his strength to the best of our ability and to seek to obey him.

Again, by his strength to the best of our ability.

What does this tell us about ministry?

First thing is that ministry can be difficult.

With the beautiful and the glorious joy of, of seeing people consider the Christian faith or your children.

If, if this is kind of just the focus of your life right now, or coworkers or employees or fellow employees,

that there's great joy in seeing people consider the Christian faith.

There's also the reality of opposition and disappointment.

And that opposition and disappointment, it takes many different forms.

And in every case, opposition isn't exactly easy.

It's always, to a certain degree, difficult to endure.

So it's difficult to withstand such abuse or gossip.

Whether it's mockery, false accusations, or physical harm, as we see with the Apostle Paul.

But how about when it seems, actually, it's not so much opposition, but an apathy.

We share the gospel.

We do not see any fruit.

It's like the needle doesn't, it doesn't move.

Not an inch, not a centimeter, not a millimeter.

Like what, like what gives?

I'm following the Lord.

I'm seeking to obey him.

I see in the Acts of the Apostles, it's like, boom, action, non-stop throughout these pages.

But I haven't seen somebody even consider the Christian faith.

I'm telling you, apathy can sometimes be more discouraging than outright opposition.

It can be difficult.

It can be difficult.

Especially when there's apathy as you seek to bear witness to Christ to those that are close to us.

Friends, children, adult children who seem completely unresponsive and indifferent.

So, ministry is difficult.

But it also tells us, this text, that it is not a sin to feel exhausted.

It's not a sin to feel worn out.

It's not a sin to feel emotionally beat up.

It is not wrong.

And it's also not evidence of faithlessness.

I think that's a big thing.

To hear that.

If you are seeking to follow the Lord, and it is just discouraging because,

we talk about the parable of the sower.

It's not just that there's four kinds of soil, if you know the parable.

There's only one.

And it's not hard soil.

It's like, it's cement.

And nothing seems to bear fruit.

That, friends, is not a sinful thing to feel discouraged.

And it's not a sign of faithlessness.

So, furloughs, retreats, rests, times of healing are appropriate and needed.

In this humanity, if you remember some of the gospel stories,

Christ would, he would, he would retire away from the crowds to commune with the Father.

Christ himself.

Christ himself.

However, there is a real temptation to allow such difficulty

to undermine our faith.

We shrink.

We hide.

We start to give excuses for not bearing witness.

Again, not that we're out there evangelizing every person we see,

but when we feel like a prompt,

when we feel like, man, this is an opportunity to share my faith,

and we say, maybe not today.

I'll wait till the next time.

We give up on the call to give a reason for our hope in Christ.

Friends, we must fight against this.

And how do we fight against this fear?

And in this, in this case, it's faithlessness.

We ask the Lord for his help and his strength and a fresh filling of his spirit.

If not, then that faithlessness, that, that real temptation to undermine our faith,

it subtly creeps in and grows and grows and becomes a lot bigger than we would ever want,

want it to be.

So we acknowledge the difficulty as a reality of sharing the faith,

that it's important, but we never, we never stay there.

We look to the Lord for strength.

An example about this.

So I was away at our synod.

That's Anglican speak for an annual general meeting.

But before, I had a privilege just a couple days before to spend some time with some church

planners and one of the speakers that came to it, it was a small group, there's six of

us, was this man named David Short.

Now, David Short, if you've never heard of the name, that's fine.

He, well, he's actually on his way to retirement now, but he has been the lead pastor of a church

called St. John's Vancouver.

That is where J.I. Packer, if you're familiar with that name, J.I. Packer, famous evangelical,

that's where he worshipped until he died.

David Short was the pastor of St. John's Shaughnessy.

St. John's Shaughnessy was the first church to leave the Anglican Church of Canada

over the issue of the blessing of same-sex marriage, but really it was the issue of leaving

orthodoxy. And he was a courageous man and a bold man. He was also a man that went on leave

for two years because of stress. Because it took its toll on him. Licking his wounds, regrouping,

dealing with his mental exhaustion, his spiritual exhaustion.

Listen, the Bible, in the scriptures, they don't say, it doesn't say, hey, listen, just go do up your wounds

and jump back into it right away. We need you. No, no, no, no, no. This is Christ's mission.

And Christ uses us, but he certainly does not need us. I love that story because St. John's now is

the most vibrant church and the biggest Anglican church in the West Coast. They have been faithful.

David returned, and he's had 10 plus ministries after his return of fruitful ministry.

I'll just say this, we are not disposable slaves of Christ. He doesn't use us until we are spent

foul, and then we were off to the slaughterhouse. This is the Christ who lived for us and bled for us

and who died for us and who was buried instead of us being buried and who rose again to new life,

defeating death, and who sits at the right hand of God. And it says that we too will join him

in glory, sitting with him and enjoying him forever. We are not disposable.

We are not these slaves that he easily tosses away.

You don't die for somebody that you find as a disposable slave. This is not the behavior of

some cosmic tyrant or this evil manipulative boss or abusive leader or heavenly narcissist.

And yet, because Christ lays down his life, sacrificially pouring it out for us so that we

could have abundant life, that begins to change us. So that we say, hold on a second, my life was

bought at a cost. And if Christ is willing to do that for me, by his strength, I will grow to do that

for others. How will we do that? By bearing witness, by laying down our lives for our friends, by giving

without expecting to receive, because we know when we give, especially to the poor, but when we give in

general, we are lending to the Lord. It's a beautiful thing. And it's not under a compulsion.

It's not under a gun to our heads. If you don't do this, you're going to hell. It is an act of joyful

obedience because of what Christ has done for us.

So as we obey his example and proclaim that sweet gospel to those that are far off,

and we get tired, and we get beat up, and we get broken, he will refresh us. I don't know how.

I don't know what it will look like. I don't know if we have any vegetarians. It's not going to be a steak

like what I needed when I was 18 years old. I mean, it's a bit of a different, not the greatest,

it's a bit of apples and oranges because I was just homesick. I wasn't doing the Lord's work.

But nevertheless, I don't know how he will refresh you, but he will. He will. Pray for it. Trust him for it.

Expect him to provide what you need to obey him because he delights in giving good gifts.

He delights in his children.

So as we transition to the next section,

Paul would need such an encouragement,

and he would need strength as he continued proclaiming the gospel to the Corinthian people.

So the second point, that the gospel provides strength to proclaim the good news.

So look with me, verses 6 to 8.

And when they opposed, so we'll go back actually to verse 5.

When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia,

Paul was occupied with the word,

testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus.

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.

For now I will go to the Gentiles.

And he left there, and he went to the house of a man named Titius Justus,

A worshiper of God, his house, was next door to the synagogue.

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.

It's just a beautiful picture of the gospel going forth.

So once again we see Paul proclaiming the gospel to his Jewish brethren.

And once again, as is the theme in verses 18 and 19,

they reject both the gospel and Paul.

And Paul, faithfully proclaiming the message,

he shakes out his garment,

just to say that he is leaving them behind.

And what he quotes here,

Your blood be on your own heads.

I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.

That bit about your blood being on your own head.

That is a quote from Ezekiel chapter 33,

Ezekiel 33 · chapter mention

and it won't get into it, but in Ezekiel 33 there's watchmen.

They're supposed to be the nation of Israel.

They are to watch for the sword that will come.

And if the watchman sounds the alarm,

the people have to respond.

And if they respond correctly,

they will be saved.

If they don't respond correctly,

the sword will come down on them.

And then that's on them.

It's not on the watchman.

And if the watchman doesn't do his job,

then it's on him.

And Paul is just simply saying,

listen, I've declared to you the gospel.

It is up to you to embrace it or not.

And if you don't embrace it,

your blood is on your hands.

It's not on me.

It would have been a stark thing

and an offensive thing

for these religious Jews in the synagogue

to hear such an indictment against them.

They would have certainly

have caught the reference.

I'll say just on an aside,

it is both a warning for us

to hear rightly the gospel,

but also to proclaim rightly the gospel.

So, continue on.

Let us be faithful, friends,

in sharing our hope in Christ

as he directs and leads

and gives us the strength

to be faithful to him.

So, Paul here, notice,

thinking through his time in Athens,

he has all the time in the world for skeptics.

And I think we ought to too.

Seekers, listen,

sharing the gospel

and seeing people come to faith,

it's not some linear line,

but often it kind of goes like this.

You wonder,

did somebody understand it?

Are they interested at all?

They might have pushed you away

or ignored you

and then six months,

nine months,

a year later,

all of a sudden,

they're on this faith journey

or like,

where did this come from?

We ought to be patient

with skeptics

and spiritual seekers.

But a section like this,

it tells us that,

listen,

there's only so much

that is appropriate

to put up with

if people are going to oppose you.

And it is completely okay

to kind of

wash your hands of them.

Move on.

It doesn't mean you have to be hate-filled

or tell them that to their face.

But it is okay

to just move on

to another group of people.

Listen,

we have this incredible opportunity,

I think,

in our day.

I mean,

I talked about

the ground being

as if it were cement,

let alone,

you know,

hard ground.

But I think we might be

on our way to

like a golden age

of evangelism

in the next few years

or maybe the next few decades.

There is

a giant vacuum

and people are seeing it,

it seems,

that the promise

of consumerism,

the promise of entertainment,

the promise

of pleasure on tap,

the promise of endless progress,

it is being seen

as wanting.

It is not producing

the life that people want.

Depression

is high.

Suicide,

especially among younger people,

unfortunately,

does not go down

but continues

to rise.

Friends,

we have a wonderful opportunity.

Let us look to the Lord

to strengthen us

for we don't have

a competing ideology.

I mean,

in some ways,

it competes

if people are just

all the way into,

say,

consumerism

or a type of pleasure on tap

or progress.

But we don't have

a competing ideology.

We have

the hope of the nations.

We have

the gospel

that is

the sure

and true promise

that we will

abide with Christ forever

because our sins

are forgiven.

So as we

look to the Lord

for strength,

let us then

have confidence

as we proclaim

this wonderful,

truthful,

beautiful gospel

of Christ.

And this leads us

into our third

and final section

that the gospel

doesn't just

refresh us

when we need it,

doesn't just strengthen us

when we need strengthening,

but it gives us

confidence

to trust that God

is truly at work

and that his son

did truly rise

from the grave.

Look with me

verses 9 and 10.

These are the words

of Christ himself.

And the Lord said

to Paul one night

in a vision,

do not be afraid

but go on speaking

and do not be silent

for I am with you

and no one will attack you

to harm you

for I have many

in the city

who are my people.

What's incredible

about this

is that the Lord

has already counted

those who have yet

to hear the gospel

as his people.

His people.

That's in the original language

that is who Jesus

is referring to.

There are some people

in the city

that are already mine

but go,

share the gospel.

It is Christ

who does the saving.

He is the one

who calls his sheep.

They are the one

who know his voice

and he invites us

in the case of the Apostle Paul,

the Impulse Paul

but he invites us

to simply be a herald.

We don't twist arms,

we proclaim the gospel

and then it's up to the Lord.

We can pray of course

but he does the saving

and he knows

who are his

and when he calls

they will know his voice

and I'm telling you

this is an excellent,

exciting,

and comforting,

confidence building

insight

into

the idea

of evangelism

throughout the Bible.

this is God

predestining people

to salvation

and it assures us

that God is at work

that as we obey him

he does the rest.

So the Bible provides us

great confidence

to trust

that although we are on mission

it is Christ

who is on mission.

Although we are doing

the proclaiming

it is Christ

that is moving

in the hearts

and he is calling

all sorts of people

to himself.

Interestingly here

Jesus

will

say in the gospels

that there are sheep

that are not of this flock

but that are of his own

and this seems to be

a confirmation of that.

The gospel is going out

to the Jewish people

but it is also going out

to the Gentiles.

Those that are far

will be welcomed

into the spiritual people

of Israel

that they will call Abraham

their spiritual father.

It's a beautiful thing.

One fold of sheep

Jew and Gentile together

but he doesn't just call

the nice people

the wonderful people

he calls the Corinthians.

Just a brief bit

about the Corinthians.

Corinth was

apart from Athens

and Ephesus

and of Rome

it was a leading city

in the ancient world.

It was an economic

and cultural hub

and two things

among others

marked Corinth

pride and immorality.

It's tied to idolatry

but pride and immorality.

They enjoyed wealth

and political prestige

as the capital

of this province

that they were in.

They boasted

the temple of Aphrodite

which at its height

had some

a thousand

cultic prostitutes.

They dominated

the religious

and social landscape.

So so intense

was the immorality

of Corinth

that for centuries

derivatives of the name

Corinth

was used to describe

immorality

and harlotry.

To say

you're acting like

a Corinthian

everybody understood

what that meant.

They treated people

as commodities

cash was king

image bearers

treated like animals.

The fair and the just

thing would have been

to end that city.

It was evil.

Death and decay

filled the air

of Corinth

and the just thing

would have been

to deal with it.

And yet

the Lord Jesus

loved Corinth.

He died for her people

and what does he do?

He sends his chief apostle

to proclaim

the good news

of salvation

through the forgiveness

of sins.

He doesn't treat

the Corinthians

as they ought

to be treated.

Instead

what does he refer

to them as?

My people

who are in the city.

Not all of them

but his people

that were in the city.

People that deserve

death

and what does he do?

He instead gives

mercy

and grace

and love.

Friends

the gospel

can transform

even Corinth

which is to say

that a passage

like this

can help us

to say

maybe Christ

says

go proclaim

the gospel

in Ottawa.

I still have people

in that city.

Imagine.

You have no idea

who those people are.

This idea

of predestination

doesn't mean

that we judge

who is in

who is out.

That is up to God.

We proclaim

the gospel.

But it means

that we have

no idea

who God

is calling.

My goodness

it could be

anybody.

It's a very

exciting thing.

The Lord knows

and his gospel

will go forward.

Two things

how the gospel

will transform

Corinth

and how it might

transform our city

as well.

Corinth

the two things

that I mentioned

that mark it

pride and immorality

the gospel

destroys pride.

How?

Because grace

humbles prideful people

and the humble

receive grace.

The gospel tells us

we cannot achieve

a utopia

with innovation

achieve a utopia

with economic prowess

and growth

better education

higher standards

of living

more regulations

more taxation

more wealth distribution

more environmental

saviorism

for lack of a better term.

all good things

that are taken

to utopian

ends

that can't

solve the issue

of pride

can't bring

human flourishing

in a city

but the gospel

rather

changes that.

It says that

yes

work hard

but don't

somehow think

salvation is around

the corner.

Don't somehow

think

that if you

only

got GHG

down

2%

salvation

is around

the corner

or

that if you

get the government

a bit smaller

salvation

is around

the corner.

If our welfare

system was

fantastic

salvation

is around

the corner.

You put it in

left to right

on the political

spectrum.

You put it in.

Not salvation.

The gospel

says it is only

by the grace

of Christ

when we

know

our sinfulness

and then we

look up

at the cross

and we revel

in saying

he would die

for me.

Transforms the culture.

The second thing

it destroys

immorality.

Why?

Because it calls

believers to

holiness.

And how does that

change a society?

Well, no longer

do we see pleasure

as the ultimate

end in itself.

Instead,

our ultimate

end becomes

the knowledge

and enjoyment

of Christ

himself.

We know

him and we

get a foretaste

of heaven now

that will be

what we experience

in full

in the life

to come.

Our lives

become rightly

ordered

and that we

enjoy pleasure

in its rightful

spot.

And when it

comes to

physical

pleasure

between a

man and

a woman,

it is in

the context

of a

committed

monogamous

relationship,

marriage between

one man and

one woman.

It rightly

orders society.

And then all

of a sudden

the things

that are

vices turn

in to

gifts.

It's a

beautiful thing

what the

gospel does

to an

immoral

society.

It helps

us to seek

what is

truly true,

what is

beautiful,

and what

is good.

Two things

that define

the Christian

soul seem

like a

joy kill,

but they're

actually the

pathway to

true joy,

humility,

and self-denial.

It's wonderful.

Listen,

we can rail

on the

decay of the

West or the

decay of Canada,

and this

weekend,

if anything,

has shown

that there

is maybe

a difficult

road ahead,

a very

difficult road

ahead.

But we

are people

who hope

in Christ.

Not hope

in a plan

or an

ideology

that we

need to

work towards,

but towards,

we hope in a

risen Christ

who has already

done the work.

And he

calls us

just to

bear witness

to that.

So friends,

does Christ

have people,

his own

flock here

in the city,

that have yet

to come into

his fold?

The answer

is yes.

Let us be

very confident

in proclaiming

that.

And the

gospel gives

us that

confidence.

Just to

wrap things

up,

Jesus has

this,

Paul has

this vision

of Jesus,

and it

says very

specifically

that,

I'll read

it again,

do not

be afraid,

go on

speaking,

and do

not be

silent.

I think

that is

something

for all

believers.

But then

he says

this,

for I am

with you,

and no

one will

attack you

to harm

you,

for I

have many

in the

city who

are my

people.

There was

a promise

to Paul

that for

a time

he would

go without

any fear

for his

life.

But the

apostle Paul

died by

a sword.

All of

us will

experience

some kind

of harm.

That is not

a promise

for us,

but what

is promised

is that

as we

proclaim

the goodness

of God,

as we

look to

heaven itself,

we can be

sure that

we will be

with Christ.

And not

only that,

but that

he is with

us now.

God

will be

so

to

God.

So,

let us

entrust

ourselves

to the

Lord,

trusting

that he

will

refresh

us

when we

need

it,

that he

will

strengthen

us

as we

seek to

obey

him,

that he

will give

us great

confidence

in the

gospel,

in the

power of

his

gospel,

as we

seek to

proclaim

the goodness

of God.

Let us

pray.

Heavenly

Father,

thank you

so much

for this

example of

the Apostle

Paul in

Acts 18,

but really

it's the

example of

your care

for your

people.

Lord,

we pray

that we

would be

bold,

that you

would give

us great

confidence

in the

gospel,

but Lord,

more than

that,

help us

to just

look to

you,

to just

seek your

face,

to the

best of

our

ability,

Lord,

help us

to make

these

incremental

changes,

spiritual

disciplines,

taking time

in your

word,

taking time

in prayer

by your

strength,

Lord,

so that

we can

grow in

our faith

and get

to enjoy

the goodness

of the

gospel of

Christ.

We pray

all this

in Jesus'

name.

Amen.