"Turning the World Upside Down:
When the World Plots Against You"
Sermon Series on the Book of Acts
April 2, 2006
(Acts 23:12-35)
Dr. Peter Barnes
First Presbyterian Church

Introduction
      Seventy-six of our folks are in Scotland this morning as the Salt and Light high school choir completes its historic spring break tour. I’ve read some of the online updates from Forrest, and it sounds like the Lord has blessed their time in wonderful ways. The trip has given everyone a greater insight into our Presbyterian heritage.
      One of my favorite films of the last decade is "Braveheart", which was directed by and stared Mel Gibson. It is the story of Sir William Wallace, the Scottish freedom fighter in the 13th century. Lorie's maiden name is Wallace, so seeing the film was a good experience in celebrating the life of one of her ancestors. When our family traveled to Scotland a few years ago during my sabbatical, we visited the William Wallace Memorial, as did the Salt and Light kids last week. When we were there, Lorie embarrassed our boys in the souvenir shop by telling the clerk, “I’m a Wallace!” The lady looked at Lorie and seemed to be saying to herself, “You and half the country, lassie!”
      A tragic moment of the film “Braveheart” occurs when Robert the Bruce, who vacillated between supporting the English and the Scottish patriots, is co-opted by the Scottish nobles into a conspiracy to capture William Wallace and turn him over to the English. Wallace was captured, tortured and executed, and his head was hung on the Tower of London for a week.  
      Throughout history there have been plots and conspiracies to do harm to people who didn’t deserve it. We read of such an incident here in our passage this morning in Acts 23. As we look at this text and as we prepare to come to the table of our Lord, I would like for you to notice two things: 1) the plot to kill Paul; and 2) the plan to deliver Paul.

I.  The Plot to Kill Paul
      The Jews from Asia visiting Jerusalem had been frustrated in their attempts to lynch Paul during the previous riot, and the Sanhedrin had been unable to convict him of any offense. So a group of more than 40 Jewish men hatched a plot to murder the apostle, and they bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink anything until they succeeded in their task. The vow was called a cherem, and when a person took such a vow, they said, "May God curse me if I fail to do this."[1] Their scheme was to have Paul brought back to court along a narrow street where the apostle could easily be intercepted and killed.  
      These men had a zeal for religion, but we would say it was not according to knowledge, and it wasn’t honoring to God. They thought they were serving the Lord, they thought they were doing His will, but in actuality they were serving the forces of evil and their own selfish ends. People throughout the centuries have been zealous, but not according to knowledge, and all manner of evil has been done in the name of God.
      I think of the Thirty Year-War that ravaged Europe from 1618-1648 when 1/3 of the population of Europe was killed. It was in the wake of the Reformation, and the battles were between Protestants and Catholics, as well as in-fighting among the Protestant groups themselves. Each group wanted to get religion right as they understood it, and they thought they were doing the will of God. 
      I think of the burning of Servetus at the stake in 1553 in Calvin's Geneva. It was feared that his theological beliefs were in such error that he was leading others to hell by his teaching, and they thought that his execution would actually save souls. I think of people in our own day who, being so committed to a pro-life position, have murdered doctors who perform abortions. They had a religious zeal, but it wasn’t according to knowledge.
      Last week I read an editorial in the current issue of Christianity Today magazine which began,

      Religion has in its history those who have sought to abuse the exercise of human power out of fear. It is one of the black eyes of the church to this day, and it was a black eye on First Century Judaism as we see in this passage. 
      My friend Mark Heard wrote these lyrics to a contemporary song that are very telling, and the words say it well. 

      How many of us have been zealous for God, but in a way that was not according to knowledge?  We thought we were doing the right thing, we thought God was on our side, but if we’re honest with ourselves, we have to admit we were only clothing our own agenda and our own prejudice with the cloak of Christ. We were too pushy with someone in sharing the gospel, and the result was that we alienated them. We pressed too hard for our beliefs and compromised our convictions to live and love as Jesus would have us do. The end never justifies the means, and each of us needs to be careful that, as we seek to do the Lord's will, we do it in a manner that reflects His grace, His love, and His mercy, as well as His justice and His righteousness. How might God be calling you to check your motives and your methods as you live your life in the coming week? Our zeal should be informed by wisdom, love and grace. 

II.  The Plan to Deliver Paul
      On this occasion God delivered Paul, and His providential intervention involved the apostle’s nephew. It is fascinating to read this reference to Paul's sister and her son, and then to have no further information about them. Were they believers? Did they have some association with the Jewish leadership in Jerusalem which made it natural for Paul's nephew to learn of the plot? And how is it that he got access into the Roman barracks so easily, especially if he was only a young man? Luke does not satisfy our curiosity about any of these matters. All we know is that the news of the plot was delivered to Paul by his nephew, and the apostle had a centurion take the boy to the commander to report the conspiracy. The commander decided to act immediately with resolute action remembering that Paul was a Roman citizen.
      A detachment of 200 soldiers, 70 horsemen and 200 spearmen was dispatched that night to escort, guard and deliver Paul to the governor, Felix, in Caesarea. It would have been a journey of about 60 miles, which took two days to travel. The commander, whose name we learn in this passage was Claudius Lysias, sent a letter with the prisoner. I can't help but smile when I read the letter in which Claudius discreetly glosses over some of the details of the preceding events. For example, he doesn’t mention his discovery that Paul was a Roman citizen after his rescue rather than before it. He also omits any reference to the commander's serious offense in binding and preparing to torture Paul, a Roman citizen, during interrogation. Claudius sought to portray himself in the most favorable light, and perhaps we should not fault him too much for that.
      When the military detail arrived and delivered their prisoner, the governor read the letter and determined to hear the case himself when Paul's accusers arrived. He ordered that the apostle be kept under guard in the magnificent palace which Herod the Great had built for himself and which was now the praetorium, the governor's official residence. On the screens you will see a part of the ruins of this palace which looked out onto the Mediterranean Sea.
      I think it is interesting to note God's means of protection throughout this whole episode. The Lord used Paul's nephew, a Roman centurion, a Roman commander, 470 Roman soldiers, and a Roman governor in order to accomplish His purposes that Paul should be spared. In Acts 21-23, four times the Romans rescued Paul from death either by lynching or by murder. I believe this reminds us that our God is a sovereign God, and He rules over the affairs of people and of nations. Whatever trial or challenge we may be facing this day, whenever you may sense that a conspiracy is afoot to undermine and trap you, you can rest assured that God is not unaware. You and I can look to Christ to rule and overrule and open a way for us.
      Most of us at one time or another have felt like the world was ganging up on us or that people have been trying to plot against us. In those times it is easy to want to seek revenge or to sink to their level. There have been times in my life when I have felt like people have not given me the benefit of the doubt and assumed the worst in my motives. I have been surprised at the questions I sometimes receive from people which assign some sort of conspiracy to church leadership here, and the accusations have no root in reality. It is so painful to feel like people are plotting against you and want to do you harm.
      When Lorie and I lived in Dallas, Texas, many years ago, we lived through a church split. It was one of the saddest times of my life. People on both sides said and did unfair and unkind things, and I’m convinced we broke the heart of God in the way each group carried on. The folks in that congregation brought the high power and money of Dallas-style business to a church fight, and at times it was an ugly affair.
      Through it all, Clayton Bell, the senior pastor of the church, sought to maintain a godly perspective and attitude. On many occasions I remember being in a meeting where people would begin to bad-mouth folks on the other side. Time and time again, Clayton would cut off the negative talk and speak a word of correction. He refused to allow others to speak ill of those who were against us. He raised the conversation to a higher level, and he kept our focus on Christ. 
      Clayton did this in a time when some of his closest friends turned on him. He did this in a time when hurtful people would leave trash on his lawn and send cruel anonymous letters to him. My respect for this man grew as I saw him entrust his way unto the Lord, and he looked to Christ to be his defender and protector. Clayton became a model for me of how to respond when the world plots against you.
      Through it all, I realized that Clayton was simply trying to respond like Jesus Christ. When the world plotted against our Lord, when His closet friends betrayed and abandoned Him, when the Jews and Romans conspired to bring about His death, He looked to His heavenly Father to be His defender and protector. Jesus entrusted Himself to the Father, and in the end, God vindicated His Son and accomplished the salvation of the world through His life, death and resurrection. We celebrate this mysterious truth today as we come to the table of our Lord.    
      My friend, does it feel like the world is plotting against you this day? Are you overcome with fear as people around you are seeking to conspire and outflank you? Have people spread false rumors about you, and are they saying unkind and unfair things behind your back? How are you tempted to respond, and what does this passage and the example of our Lord say to you about how you should respond?
      Our God is bigger than any plot. He is greater than any scheme. Trust in His sovereign protection. He is in control of the affairs of human history, and His sovereign will cannot be thwarted by the plots and schemes of humanity. Look to Jesus, and entrust your way to Him. There is no safer place than in the center of the will of God.  Amen.