Held Fast | Acts 18 | September 27, 2026

Well, we do study the books of the Bible here at the village chapel.

It'd be good to have a paper copy of the Bible in front of you, or some version of the Bible in front of you as we go through our text.

We'll be in Acts chapter 18 this morning.

Acts 18 · chapter mention

So glad you're here.

Also want to welcome all those who are worshiping with us online.

Last week we had folks from Nairobi, Kenya, London, UK, Leonardtown, Maryland, and apparently also from Wisconsin, the other continent.

I didn't know about.

Wherever the Lord has placed you, may he continue to hold you fast, as I know he does.

May his presence be unmistakable to you.

Well, if you are new here, you haven't been with us for a while, we're currently in a study of the book of the Acts of the Apostles.

And today we're going to walk alongside the Apostle Paul on the last leg of his second missionary journey and a little bit of his third.

And Luke, I've mentioned this before, but Luke is greatly accelerating the pace.

And maybe you've, if you've been here, you've caught that.

He's accelerating the pace in the last half of the book.

And I think he's emphasizing the dynamic spread of the good news of Jesus.

The Holy Spirit is opening hearts of all kinds in all kinds of regions, ethnicities, men and women, Jew and Gentile.

And at the same time, the level of opposition and resistance is also dynamic and increasing greatly.

And the Apostle Paul, as we'll see in our text today, is weary.

I'm always moved when our church sings together that song, He Will Hold Me Fast.

The hymn was written, the lyrics, about 120 years ago, along with some recent updates.

And it holds, I love that song because it holds together so much of Christian experience and it's paired with the sure promises of God.

And Jeremy mentioned those earlier.

It begins with, When I fear, my faith will fail.

When the tempter would prevail, he'll not let my soul be lost.

His promises shall last.

Raised with him to endless life, he will hold me what?

Now the word fast there is kind of an antiquated, antique word.

We don't use it that often.

If I'm gonna be late somewhere, I have never, I don't think, ever said, would you hold a fat, hold fast a seat for me as I hasten my arrival?

Emily wishes I talk like that, but it's an old word, but it's a weighty word.

Fast, fasten.

It means to be firmly fixed, to be inseparably bound to something, inseparably bound to someone.

It's not accidental that the word fear is first in that hymn.

And then it follows it up with the reassuring hope that indeed he will hold us fast.

He will keep us, Christ will, firmly fixed.

When we sing songs like that, and many of the other songs we've been singing, we are doing at least three things.

We're reminding one another of this fresh assurance that no, no, no, as we go into Monday, tomorrow, he will hold you fast.

We're reminding ourselves, our own hearts.

And we're also demonstrating to the to the world, the watching world, folks maybe in this room who haven't yet known that kind of assurance, reminding them, showing them that there is a great love that will hold us fast, fixed for all time.

Turn with me again, if you would, to Acts 18.

That kind of assurance that we sing about is the kind of assurance that the first century, the early church, also needed.

Before we get into the text, let me read, or let me pray if you'd allow me.

Heavenly Father, we come to you with our Bibles open.

Open us to your word as you open your word to us.

May your Holy Spirit both convict and comfort.

Point us to the only hope we have, the one in whom we are bound to, our Lord Jesus Christ, in whose name we all said.

Amen.

Acts chapter 18, starting with verse 1, and just a little background from our study last week in chapter 17.

Acts 18 · chapter mention

Paul was in Athens, in Greece, in that part of the world.

And although he had a great platform, as he spoke at Mars Hill in front of all the uh the elite philosophers and thinkers of his day, there wasn't much fruit in that ministry.

And it seems like he quickly leaves, he wants to quickly leave the place, Athens, and he walks over to Corinth, about a day's journey, about 50 miles.

And so that's where we find ourselves, verse 18, or verse 1 rather, of 18.

After this, Paul left Athens and he went to Corinth, 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.

So Paul goes to find this couple.

Because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and worked, for they were tent makers by trade, or you could translate that, leather workers.

Leather workers by trade.

Verse 4, and he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and he tried to persuade Jews and Greeks.

Now, this was a pattern of Paul in his ministry.

He would go to a city, a new city, and he would first go to the synagogue where he meet Jewish worshippers and God-fearing Gentiles worshiping.

And so here Paul is doing the same kind of thing.

I'm going to throw up a map here to situate us where we are.

So this is the entire second missionary journey of Paul.

I know it's small for most of you.

On the far right hand side, you can see Antioch, that's kind of his home base.

And then all the way in the far left, he's now gone into Macedonia and now into Achaia.

So he's in Europe for the first time.

He was first in Philippi, then Thessalonica, Berea, and then there on the left-hand side, you can see Corinth, Sincrea, and then Athens.

Next slide will zoom in just where we are in our text here today.

You can see Athens there in the far left-hand corner in that big red box.

So Paul has walked about 50 miles.

He's now entered this city, Corinth, known for its gross immorality, Corinth was, but also known for its commerce.

And that's where we're going to hang out most of the time.

We'll get to Ephesus here in a little bit.

So it's a really interesting time of ministry for Paul.

He's alone.

He was alone in Athens.

He's alone in Corinth until he finds this couple.

And if you look there at verse 2, towards the end of verse 2, the reason this couple, Priscilla and Aquila, had come is they were kicked out of their home by what it says here in the text, Claudius.

This was the Emperor Claudius.

And we know Claudius reigned from 41 to 54 A.D.

So this is another reminder that this is not a fairy tale, it's not a fable.

This is actually set in time, a particular place.

So what happens next?

Paul's teaching in the synagogue, verse 5.

When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus.

Now this is important.

What happens here?

We know from other texts in 2 Corinthians and Philippians that Silas and Timothy bring a gift from those churches up there in the far left-hand corner from Philippi and Thessalonica.

When Paul first gets to Corinth, he's actually bivocational.

He's preaching on Sunday morning or on Saturday in the synagogue, and then he's doing his leather work, he's making tents.

And then Silas and Timothy bring this gift so that he can become full-time, and perhaps Silas and Timothy along with him, full-time at the ministry.

So that's why Luke is including this little detail for us.

So they bring this gift, Silas and Timothy, verse 6.

And when they, that was the Jewish synagogue leaders, opposed and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, Your blood be on your own heads.

I'm innocent.

From now on 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.

And look at this: 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.

In this dark city, Paul comes alone.

He meets this couple.

He faces this opposition and reviling.

In fact, they're at verse 6, where it says reverse 6, when they opposed and reviled him, underline the word reviled, or some of your translations will say blasphemed.

There's actually an escalation that happens here that we haven't seen yet in Acts.

These Jewish leaders were blaspheming, likely Paul, blaspheming the name of Jesus, and Paul had had enough of it.

That's why we see this little outburst here.

So that's what we see here, and then I just find it amazing.

So he leaves, closed door, all right, synagogue, we're not with them anymore.

Next door, open door.

And I don't know if there was a window between the two, and Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, comes to faith.

This is extraordinary.

This is a revival in the heart of Corinth, the beginning of one.

It's incredible.

And many others believe.

Verse 9 actually turns here.

The Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, do not be afraid.

How many needed to hear that this morning?

Do not be afraid.

Go on speaking.

Do not be silent.

Why?

Verse 10.

For I am with you.

No one will attack you to harm you.

For I have many in the city who are my people.

And he stayed a year and six months teaching the word of God among them.

This is the longest time that Paul has stayed in a city.

He'll stay a little bit longer in Ephesus.

But thus far, there's something about the Lord's comfort here, reminding him that he holds him fast, that actually kept him there for a year and a half, and maybe even a little bit longer.

Now, next, Luke is going to shift a little bit.

He's going to talk about this man named Gallio.

And this is another clue, kind of a window into the Roman world.

Gallio is an interesting figure.

He was the proconsul, kind of the governor of Achaia.

Corinth was the capital of Achaia.

Gallio, we know, because there's an inscription at Delphi, was actually the proconsul from 51 to 52 A.D.

So we know precisely when Paul was actually in this region.

Again, another reason to know this is set in time and history, a particular place.

Gallio, if you're familiar with Roman history, was also the brother to Seneca, who was a teacher and a politician who actually taught Nero, who would later on become the Roman emperor.

So there's a lot here.

Nero would end up killing him, as well as Paul and Gallio and Seneca.

So not a great little community there, but there's something interesting, again, in understanding that this has real history.

We're getting given a window into the Roman world.

So what does it say?

Verse 12, when Galio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him before the tribunal, saying, This man is persuading people to worship God contrary to the law.

But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Galio said to the Jews, If it were a matter of wrongdoing or vicious crime, O Jews, I would have reason to accept your complaint.

But since it's 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.

And he drove them from the tribunal, 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 typical politician.

Now, what's important about this is Gallio is actually giving us some insight.

In Roman law, they actually allowed the Jewish nation to rule themselves largely.

And Gallio is saying, believes that the Christian sect for him, the subset of Judaism, or that it was a subset of Judaism, and that actually gave cover.

Because Gallio saw Christianity as the subset, it gave cover to them so that the preaching of the gospel of Jesus could happen in Corinth and beyond.

Again, gives us a window into that Roman world.

Verse 18, after this, Paul stayed many days longer and then took leave of the brothers, and he set sail for Syria.

So now he's going back home to home base Syrian Antioch, which is on the far right hand side.

It's not quite in that map.

And he takes with him Priscilla and Aquila.

At Sincrea, he cuts his hair, for he was under a vow.

What's that about?

Well, he was likely under a Nazarite vow.

This was a time set aside to consecrate yourself for a particular purpose to seek after the Lord.

It's not the same, but be similar to us for fasting.

We abstain from something so that we might seek the Lord for a purpose.

It's even similar to our four weeks of prayer here.

We're doing something a little bit different for a particular set time.

We're not cutting our hair like Paul, but that's what's going on here.

Paul, perhaps because he was in fear, he had set aside some time.

He took this Nazarite vow to seek the Lord.

Verse 19, and they came to Ephesus, and you can see that on the map.

And he left them there, but he himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews.

And when they asked him to stay for a longer period, he declined.

But on taking leave of them, he said, I will return to you if God wills.

And he set sail from Ephesus.

So he doesn't stay there long, but he will come back.

Now when he had landed at Caesarea, and we can see that on the next screen here, you can see what he's doing.

He's taking a trip all the way back to Caesarea, the bottom right-hand corner.

He'll go to Jerusalem, greet the brothers, and then he'll go up north to Syria and Antioch.

That's the home base of his missionary journeys.

So verse 22, when he had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church there in Jerusalem.

Then he went down to Antioch.

For us, that would be up north to Antioch.

And after spending some time there, he departed and went from one place to the next to the regions of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.

If you blinked, you missed it.

We're now in the third missionary journey of Paul.

We're going to get to that a little bit more next week.

Now the camera shifts, verse 24.

Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, that's Egypt, came to Ephesus.

He was an eloquent man, competent in the scriptures.

The King James says, mighty in the scriptures.

I love that.

He had been instructed in the way of the Lord.

Underline that phrase, in the way of the Lord.

It's important to his story.

And being fervent in the Spirit, he spoke and he taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John.

Now, who Luke is talking about here is John the Baptist.

So apparently the message of John the Baptist, which by the way, the message of John the Baptist was preparing the way for what?

The Lord.

So Apollos was very familiar with the way of the Lord through the ministry of John the Baptist and had reached all the way down to Egypt, Alexandria, Egypt.

And now Apollos finds himself in Ephesus.

Now we're going to find out in a minute that he didn't know the whole story.

John was pointing to Jesus, but apparently Apollos didn't know, perhaps, that Jesus had died and had risen again from the grave.

So he was preaching accurately the things about Jesus, the things that John the Baptist taught about, but there was more to the story.

Verse 26, he began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, uh-oh, they took him aside and they explained to him the way of God more accurately.

Apollos.

Jesus, John the Baptist talked about him, the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world.

Let me tell you what else happened.

He died, and three days later he rose again.

And then he was ascended to heaven.

And now his spirit has been poured out.

There is so much more to the story that you don't even know.

And apparently that motivated Apollos even more, verse 27.

When he wished to cross to Achaia, so he was in Ephesus, he wants to go to Corinth now.

The brothers encouraged him, wrote to the disciples to welcome him.

When he arrived, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed.

And that's true for all of us who believe, it's through grace.

For he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the scriptures that the Christ was Jesus.

This is the word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Now the beginning of our text was Paul coming into Corinth.

And what was he doing?

He was showing by the scriptures that Christ was Jesus.

That's the beginning of the text.

Now we see Apollos has now come to Corinth.

It was first Paul.

Now Apollos has come to Corinth.

And what is he doing there?

Verse 28.

Showing by the scriptures that the Christ was Jesus.

The message of the gospel was being spread.

It was being watered.

It was amazing.

The pace of Luke's account is moving at lightning speed.

I assume you're noticing that.

Lots of names, lots of places.

So the text here leaves us with Paul somewhere in Galatia and Phrygia, probably putting his arm around those churches that he and Barnabas had planted in this first journey to Lystra and Derby and other places there.

The other day I actually read something that I thought really resonated with me.

One of the greatest gifts that we can give is the gift of attention.

And we see the Apostle Paul pouring out, spending his time, that's always what we're doing.

We're spending our time pouring in, he does, to these churches, pouring in, giving them the hope of the cross of resurrection.

He had great love and affection for the people the Lord had put into his life.

And then there at verse 24, the camera shifts.

And now we're looking at this man, Apollos, from Alexandria of Egypt, preaching and teaching first in Ephesus and now in Corinth.

In real time, we're actually witnessing what Paul later would mention in his first letter to the church at Corinth.

We'll put it on the screen.

1 Corinthians 3, 6 and 7.

Paul says, I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.

So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.

He's remembering those first days in Corinth.

In that letter, Paul is lifting up the eyes of the Corinthians to recognize the power of God at work for them and through them and in them from the beginning, by his spirit, first through Paul and then Apollos and the many others that would follow.

And in God's wisdom, as we're reading the text here, the work of Paul in Athens was not particularly fruitful.

And remember, when he arrives into Corinth, he's alone, he's probably weary, and he sent to preach Jesus in this notoriously dark city, battling resistance, resistance from the world around him, and also fear within him.

In our text today, I think we're seeing the sovereign hand of God holding fast to his people, giving supernatural assurance in Christ that they are held in his grip.

We sang it earlier, through life's fearful path.

Maybe as I've read those stories, it's resonated with you.

I think we see the God who holds fast at least two groups of people: the uprooted, number one, and number two, the undone.

First, the uprooted.

Let's look together at verse two, if you would.

Chapter 18, verse 2.

So he, Paul, 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, Paul, went to see them because he was of the same trade.

So Paul arrives in Corinth, he learns of this devout married couple who works in leather goods, and he was a leather worker as well.

Paul had a side hustle.

Remember, he was alone.

Lonely, lonely, hungry, probably, for fellowship with the saints.

And Priscilla and Aquila from their end, they had just arrived from Rome, kicked out of their home by Claudius, the emperor.

And I mentioned it before, but Luke is writing, he is a historian.

And it's another clue that this story is set in a particular place in time.

I'll put up the first five Roman emperors up on the screen just to situate us here.

We have Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, which is where we are now, and soon we'll have the reign of Nero.

Now, why was Priscilla and Aquila?

Why were they kicked out?

We know from Roman historian Seutonius that Claudius kicked out the Jews from Rome because of some rioting instigated by a man named Crestus with an E.

Crestus.

And we actually have a quote here from Suetonius.

Since the Jews constantly made disturbances at the instigation of Crestus, he expelled them from Rome.

Now many scholars actually think that Seutonius got his information secondhand and he simply misspelled the name.

Concern in Rome was likely about Jesus the Christ, Christus.

For all those who've had their names spelled wrong in a Starbucks cup, you're in good.

Company.

But think about this.

This tells us, if it's true, and we don't know for sure, but if this is true, it tells us that the gospel is actually spread all the way to Rome, even further west than Macedonia.

And so Priscilla and Aquila arrive in Corinth, they're displaced, they are confused or uprooted, probably asking questions about meaning and purpose.

And I bet many in this room can relate to Priscilla and Aquila.

None of us have been kicked out by a Roman emperor, but many know what it's like to have your life turned upside down.

A layoff or a new school, a diagnosis that came out of the blue, a marriage damaged by unfaithfulness, a very quiet house after the kids go to college, a season of retirement that brings all kinds of questions about meaning and purpose.

Maybe you've been there.

Uprooted, untethered, or it feels like that, not sure what the Lord has for you next.

You know, earlier in Acts, God had given Paul a vision to go to Macedonia.

Sometimes God gives clear guidance.

Wish it was always.

Sometimes he says, go here.

Sometimes he closes doors.

We saw that with Paul as well.

The Holy Spirit said, no to there and no to there.

Sometimes he says, wait.

Sometimes he allows disruption, like for Priscilla and Aquila.

Claudius kicks them out of their home.

Here the text doesn't tell us that God had told Priscilla and Aquila what was going on and what was next, but God met them.

He met them at their point of need.

He met them through another uprooted man, Paul.

And as they're setting up their leather working shop, in walks this man, Paul.

At his point of need, when he needed encouragement and fellowship, he needed provision, and he allows, or they allow him to join his business or their business.

Emperor Claudius took away their house, but they could not take away their calling to hospitality.

And we see that theme running all throughout the book of Acts.

And I love that word hospitality.

And it shares the root with the word hospital, opening your home, not just for a place to sleep, but for a place to heal.

And we're actually going to see that all throughout Priscilla and Aquila's life.

We're told elsewhere, they opened their home to start churches in Ephesus and in Rome.

They went back to Rome.

Apparently, they like Italian food.

This married couple was so faithful.

Emily and I want to be like Priscilla and Aquila when we grow up.

So the day that Paul walked in while they were setting up shop, that would change Paul and Priscilla and Aquila's life forever.

The hand of God had brought all of them to this place at this moment, in the city of Corinth, of all places, at just the right time, and a God, a God appointment.

The relationship between Paul and Priscilla and Aquila would span most of the ministry of Paul.

Half a dozen times are mentioned in the New Testament.

At the end of his letter to Romans, to the Romans, we actually get a taste of how meaningful this relationship was.

Romans 16.

Paul says, Greet Priscilla and Aquila.

This is years later.

My co-workers in Christ Jesus.

They risked their lives for me, and not only I, but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them.

Greet also the church that meets at their house.

They had a ministry of presence, a ministry of hospitality.

Their home was a hospital.

A place where the grace of Jesus was poured out on all.

That was their calling.

It was a calling, it was a gifting that flourished.

When did it start to flourish?

When they were kicked out.

When they were kicked out of their home and they were sent to Corinth.

Every step of the way held fast by the good God who is working all things together for their good and for his glory.

Maybe that's your story.

We're not able to detect with perfect clarity, Sinclair Ferguson says.

Any amens?

But when we find his autograph in the narratives of biblical history, we begin to recognize the same or similar patterns and principles emerging in our own lives too, and we learn to see his handwriting in our own experiences.

I pray that my eyes are open to see that.

Pray that for you as well.

So we see God holding fast those who are uprooted, and we see God holding fast those who are undone, weary, tired.

Let's look again at, if you would, at verse 8.

Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household.

Many of the Corinthians, hearing Paul, believed and were baptized.

And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, Do not be afraid, but go on speaking, and don't 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.

This is the first time in Acts that we see Paul fearful.

He's fearful, he's weary.

The Lord Jesus Himself shows up.

He meets him at his point of need with these words of comfort.

Do not be afraid.

And it actually carries the language carries with it the sense of don't be afraid any longer.

Or could even be a command, stop being afraid.

The Lord Jesus drawing near to a man who's crushed in spirit, he's undone.

He meets him with the promise, I am with you.

And he speaks like this to you and me through his word.

And I pray you know that.

That's why we study it.

That's why we teach it, it's why we sing it, it's why we pray it.

It is the word of God is light and life to me and you when we are in the dark.

That's why we treasure it.

And I just think it's fascinating when the encouragement comes to Paul.

It's in the middle of what seems to be a very fruitful ministry.

Christmas, the ruler of the synagogue, comes to faith, his whole entire household.

Many of the other Corinthians come to believe the good news of the cross and resurrection.

Yet we see Paul here, fearful, a weary Paul.

And he actually shines more light on this in 1 Corinthians 2.

Paul looking back on this moment.

When I came to you, brothers and sisters, announcing the mystery of God to you, I did not come with brilliance or speech or wisdom.

I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

And here he describes his state.

Now, we ought to remember it from our studies.

Paul has come from an exhausting season of life and ministry.

He was just alone in Athens, largely alone.

Before that, he had been kicked out of Thessalonica and Berea.

Before that, he had been beaten and jailed in Philippi.

Before that, he had a sharp disagreement with a close friend, Barnabas.

And their paths split.

And now God has him planted in the city of Corinth, and the heaviness of that culture, a culture so turned away from the Lord, must have weighed upon him.

Start to get a picture of what his state was like.

He must have been weary in body and mind and soul.

And we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers of the present darkness.

We sang it earlier.

I wonder if he sang something like this When I fear, my faith will fail, Christ will hold us what?

Fast.

You can actually visit Corinth today, and you can see some of the remnants of the places we read about here.

So if Athens was the hub of culture in that part of the world, Corinth was the central hub of commerce.

In that part of the world, it was a port city with access from the east and the west, a lot of money, a lot of ostentatious living.

You know, in architecture, for example, even today, there are three different kinds of columns.

There's the Doric column, which is really simple and plain.

There's the Ionic column, which is a little bit more beautiful.

The third one, though, is flamboyant and over the top.

And what do we call that?

A Corinthian column.

It gives us a sense of how ostentatious that society was.

Now, spiritually speaking, if Athens was known for their idolatry, 3,000 idols in that city.

Athens was known for idolatry, Corinth was known for its immorality.

And it was known the world over for it.

Moral confusion and decadence.

To live like a Corinthian, that was kind of a catchword of the day, was to call someone a prostitute.

It was well known in that world.

And the Lord brings Paul to this city to pierce the darkness with the light of a gospel of freedom and forgiveness and life in the name of Jesus.

That's why he puts them here.

And Corinth would actually become the church that Paul seems to correspond with the most.

We have two letters in our New Testament Bible.

And it seems that we even have a third or probably a fourth letter that we actually don't have access to.

So Paul talked with this church quite a bit.

Now, let's put it a different way.

If the church at Philippi was like a first child, you know, always eager to mature and to grow, Corinth was like the rebellious child.

You know, to summarize what a letter to Corinth was like from Paul, it was, dear Corinth, I love you.

God loves you.

Now please stop it.

Everybody says hello.

My love in Jesus Christ.

Amen.

Paul loves this church.

And in fact, there's an important clue in those letters.

When you read them, you'll get why I just summarized it like that.

He knew how vulnerable they were in a culture that was so heavy, entrenched in their depravity.

Christ held this church fast, nonetheless.

He held this church fast, the sufficiency of his work on the cross.

But Paul in our text this morning is fearful and he's weary, and the Lord meets him.

Now, this is reminiscent, if you're familiar with Old Testament stories, of many of the Old Testament prophets.

In fact, the first one that came to my mind as I was reading this text this week was Elijah.

If you remember the story, at one point in Elijah's ministry, he defeats the prophets of Baal in this spectacular display when the Lord sends fire down right in front of the prophets of Baal.

And the text in the Old Testament actually tells us that many came to faith in Yahweh that day.

Just like we see here with Paul, many were coming to faith in Corinth.

But then the Bible tells us that Elijah, the next day, after this great revival, this great success, Elijah runs away in fear.

And much fear and weariness and trembling, and the Lord meets him.

This is a painting I saw a while back in a tiny little chapel.

And this was depicting a scene with Elijah.

I was actually, it was on a vacation we recently had.

I was by myself.

It was just so moving to me personally because I was wrestling with some weariness of my own.

I love the way that that painting, and you can find this online later if you want to look at it.

We don't know who painted it, but the gauntness in Elijah's face and the, I think, the grace and the joy in the angel who's bringing the message of comfort from the Lord.

And even though in the kind of bottom left-hand corner, you can see food there, a gift from the Lord.

The first thing that God does for Elijah in that story is he gives him something to eat and he gives him time to sleep.

Sometimes the first faithful thing we can do in a season is take a nap and have a snack.

I think there's real truth there.

But then the Lord reminds Elijah of three things.

One, he reminds Elijah that he's with him.

You remember the story?

He reminds Elijah that there are many other faithful people.

He was not alone.

And then three, he sends him back out on mission.

He recommissions Elijah.

What does he do here for Paul?

Number one, he says, The Lord, I am with you.

Number two, he says, There are more who belong to Jesus than you're even aware of in Corinth.

And number three, he sends them back out.

He sends them back out on mission.

Verse nine, if you look at me there, he emphasizes Paul's mission with a positive and a negative command.

Go on speaking positively, do not be silent negatively.

And the foundation that holds all of this bit of encouragement together is not only a demonstration of God's power, and we've seen that, Paul has seen that, but it's the promise of his presence.

That's what underlies, that's what actually gives the comfort.

That is the fundamental promise that runs throughout all the Bible.

The most repeated command in the scripture is do not be afraid.

And we see that in our text here.

Do not be afraid.

Why?

For I am with you.

Paul says in Philippians, don't be anxious about anything.

How is that even possible?

The Lord is at hand.

David would say, I fear no evil.

How is that possible?

For you are with me.

Jesus said, I, and behold, I am with you always to the end of the age.

Are we getting it yet?

I am with you.

If you're in Christ, you are forever held in his grasp, held fast, inseparably bound, never alone for eternity.

Not alone today, not alone tomorrow as you step into work or school.

The promise of the presence of God is the antidote to all kinds of fear.

The promise of the presence of God is for you.

This might be the grace that you need this morning, the daily bread that we prayed for this morning.

A word of comfort from the Lord.

Hear it.

Receive this.

He says, I am with you.

It's a promise.

It's not a trite promise.

It's true.

Trust the promises of Jesus.

And where do we find the promises of Jesus?

The promises of God, but in his word.

Again, it's why we study it, that's why we memorize it.

Christopher Ash said, I need the regular nearness of the Word of God to bring home to my heart the nearness of the God of the Word.

What is Christian experience?

Great enemies, but a greater mercy.

Near enemies, but a nearer God.

But I'm not sure that it was obvious to them.

If we're all honest in here, is it obvious to us most of the time?

He's at work.

But Priscilla and Aquila had been kicked out of their home with no explanation.

Paul was in such fear, he didn't have eyes to see the hand of God at work around him.

Apollos didn't even have the full story.

That Jesus had died and risen again.

The Lord meets them all with his word and with his people.

And both his word and his people give assurance that Christ was with them.

And that what underlies that entire promise, though, is the hope of the gospel.

Because of the cross, and because of the cross and his resurrection, his ascension is pouring out of the Spirit.

We are united to Him, inseparably bound to Him.

Underlying all of that is the gospel hope that we have.

And because of that gospel hope, we're not only saved, but we are now His children.

And a good father does not abandon His child.

Our God is with you.

We bear the family name.

He calls us His own.

He'll not let my soul be lost, we say, His promises shall last, bought by Him at such a cost, He will what?

Hold me fast.

Russ Masterston would say, as soon as I answer the question, Am I okay with anything other than the promise and provision of my belovedness in Christ?

That's when I drift towards anxiety and darkness.

Paul did.

Perhaps you do.

For every look at yourself, take ten looks at Christ.

For every look at your circumstances, take ten looks at Christ.

Friends, may we walk out of this place with a sure confidence that he has us in his grip.

Amen.

Let's pray together.

Lord, we uh I need you.

This morning I ask for tangible hope and courage for each of us in this room today for every season of life, for every calling, for every circumstance, for those who are facing a diagnosis, those who have lost jobs, those who have been displaced from their home, those who are in a season of depression or anxiety.

Lord, meet us at our point of need, I pray.

By your spirit, strengthen our confidence in you.

Remind us afresh of what you've done for us on the cross and our hope for what is to come.

Pour into us fresh courage and strength for those who are weak and weary.

Remind us that our hope is in you alone.

In Jesus' name, we all said today.

Amen.