From
Acts to Revelation
Part
58 – Tyre: Having Direction
Pastor Bruce A. Shields
House
of Faith Church | www.PS127.org
| www.TruthDigest.org
INTRODUCTION
Two weeks ago, we talked about Paul
traveling at the Holy Spirit's direction to Jerusalem.
Along the way he stopped thirty miles
outside Ephesus and spoke with the Elders from the Church of Ephesus. Telling
them they were capable of running the church now without his guidance, and that
he had taught them everything he knew about Jesus and what they were to do as
the Church.
He said goodbye, and told them they would
never see him again (because the Holy Spirit had revealed to him his calling,
and he knew he would not be returning).
From here, Paul and the disciples who
traveled with him, left for Jerusalem, passing through many places, where he
finds himself in Tyre, a short stop along the way.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE
Acts 21:1-5
After we had torn ourselves away from them, we put out to sea
and sailed straight to Cos. The next day we went to Rhodes and from there to
Patara. 2 We
found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, went on board and set sail. 3 After
sighting Cyprus and passing to the south of it, we sailed on to Syria. We
landed at Tyre, where our ship was to unload its cargo. 4 Finding
the disciples there, we stayed with them seven days. Through the
Spirit they urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. 5 But
when our time was up, we left and continued on our way. All the disciples and
their wives and children accompanied us out of the city, and there on the beach
we knelt to pray. 6 After saying good-by to each other, we went aboard the ship,
and they returned home.
I.
PAUL HEARD AND FOLLOWED THE HOLY SPIRIT
a.
Luke was still traveling with Paul, and
recording the events in Acts.
b.
There are many examples of Paul hearing and
obeying the Holy Spirit in Acts.
i.
Throughout the book of Acts we see Paul
listening and obeying.
ii.
In fact: The Holy Spirit caused Paul to
stay and teach for seven days here in Tyre where he met some Disciples.
c.
It was not always “easy” to obey.
i.
Obedience can challenge our thinking, our
behavior, our habits, the way we handle things, but that is the point.
d.
It was not always “rewarding” to obey.
i.
Obedience is not a trick we perform for a
cookie.
ii.
It is the “doing” part of our relationship
with the Lord.
iii. Obedience
is the “how” we Love the Lord!
a. Jesus
said, “If you love me, you will obey what I have commanded.”
b.
If you say you love Jesus, yet, do not obey
His commands, then you do not truly love Him at all.
e.
Therefore, Obedience is not about easy,
or rewards, rather, it is about loving the Lord in the only way we are
told in scripture we can, through obedience to the Lord.
II.
THE PEOPLE WANTED PAUL TO AVOID JERUSALEM
a. These
were praying believer's who also heard from the Holy Spirit.
i.
Why did they hear something different than
Paul?
ii.
They didn't.
a.
The Holy Spirit revealed to them the coming
dangers and troubles in Jerusalem.
b. Remember,
the Holy Spirit had also revealed this to Paul in Acts 20:22,
saying “...I go bound in the Holy Spirit to Jerusalem, not fully knowing the
things that will befall me there...”
c.
This was why he told the Ephesian Elder's
they would never see his face again.
b.
Both Paul, and these believer's heard from
the Holy Spirit.
i.
The believer's knowing the troubles coming
in Jerusalem, and Paul knowing the troubles coming in Jerusalem, but instructed
by the Holy Spirit to go there.
c.
So the believer's voiced their opinions
based on the information they had from the Holy Spirit.
i.
We know in part.
d.
Just as the Disciples did when Jesus told
them He was going to die in Jerusalem, and Peter said, “No, you can't go
there!”
e.
Sometimes others will not understand your
calling by God, and though they too may be hearing from the Holy Spirit, unless
directed by God, they need to take what God is giving them and apply it to
their own lives.
III.
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
a.
Do you “know” your direction and a purpose
in life?
b.
If you read your bible, and pray, listen to
the Holy Spirit.
c.
God will tell you your direction and
purpose for your life.
d.
You should be able to say as Paul, “I know
where I am to be, and I know what I am to do once I get there.”
CONCLUSION
Some lessons we learned from
today's scriptures.
As we see it was with Paul in
the book of Acts, sometimes God's plan for you in your life takes time. As in
Paul's case, his entire life.
We need to be sure that we
continue to listen to the Holy Spirit, and remain obedient in our life,
constantly seeking God for direction, as well as purpose.
We all have a direction, and a
purpose, we need to know what those are, and understand that sometimes, others
who may also be hearing from God, may not fully understand what God is calling
us to. However, other people's understanding has never been a requirement for
us to be obedient to God.
If we love Jesus, we will obey
what He has commanded us, find our direction, and fulfill our purpose in life,
neither of which involves a self-centered existence, basing all you think say
and do on yourself. That selfish lifestyle is based on the teachings of Satan,
who loved himself over all others, not the Lord, who showed us through His
sacrifice to pay our debts to God, that He loved us over Himself.
The scriptures make it clear,
if you say you love God, yet hate your brother, the love of God is not in you.
Read I Corinthians 13 today
when you get home, and make it a point to live that this week, and see what God
reveals to you through your obedience to His command, which shows your love for
Jesus, as you obey Him in loving others as you would love yourself.
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