LOOK:

Think about a situation you’re in where you are waiting on a decision to be made on your behalf. Are you in an uncomfortable wait period as the Lord works out your circumstances?

Paul had his complete faith in trust in the Lord to utilize the legal system and the authority figures to provide protection. Think about Rom 8:28, “For all things work together for good of those who love the Lord and who are called according to His purposes.” Our patience gets rewarded when we trust the Lord to work out our circumstances to His end goal.

We also shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that the enemy wants to derail us if he can. But let’s stay encouraged. “Christ who is in us is greater than he who’s in the world.” (I John 4:4) So the enemy can turn up the heat, but we can’t be beat.

LOOK:

Telling the truth is always the right response to false accusations

1. God is a “just” God.
   1. God is a holy and “just” God and must punish sin.
   2. Deut 32:4, “He is the Rock, His works are perfect, and all His ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is He.”
   3. 2 Chron 12:6, “The leaders of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, “The Lord is just.”
   4. Luke 18:7-8, “And will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will He keep putting them off? I tell you, He will see that they get justice, and quickly.”
2. God is truth; therefore, He honors truth.
   1. Jesus is the way and the truth and the life. (John 14:6)
   2. Since we’re made in His image, we are to reflect God’s attribute of truth. “Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment. The Lord detests lying lips, but He delights in men who are truthful.” (Prov 12:19, 22)
3. God is sovereign
   1. His purposes cannot be thwarted. (Isa 14:27)
   2. He controls the king’s heart like a watercourse such that we find favor in the eyes of the authority. (Prov 21:1)

LOOK:

We can endure whatever He allows our way with confidence by trusting the four TRUTHS we learned about God in today’s passage that will bring us comfort during our trials:

1. The Lord meets us where we are in our struggles to cheer us on.
2. The Lord is willing to show us our next step.
3. The Lord never leaves us or forsakes us, so we’re never alone.
4. The Lord will bring out of darkness and into the light what needs to be exposed to squash the evil plots against us – especially when we’re doing His work.

LOOK:

Q: Will you consider the possibility that God is choosing to give you a platform to share the good news, even when your circumstances are challenging? Sometimes He brings people into our life who aren’t friendly, who have an axe to grind, who want to make things difficult for you. These are the very people who need to experience the love of God, and now is our opportunity.

Q: Are the elements of your testimony intact? If the Lord gave you a platform today, could you

• Tell someone about your personal encounter with the Lord?
• Describe the circumstances that led up to your decision to Christ?
• Share how your heart has changed because of Christ?

If you’re not sure what you’d say, consider thinking of your favorite attributes of God. When you hear “God,” do you think “Father?” “Provider?” “Faithful?” “Compassionate?” “Merciful?” Talk people through why a certain attribute has been so important to you.

LOOK:

As I was processing this chapter for today’s lesson, I found myself impressed with Paul’s unwillingness to be dissuaded from doing God’s will, yet not being insensitive to those who loved him and cared for him. His spiritual maturity was evident. He was willing to lay down his life for the name of Christ just as Jesus was willing to lay down his life for us. But some of us might have an internal dialogue going on that sounds something like this: “This is Paul you’re talking about, and I’m no Paul! He’s a different category of Christian than me! I can’t honestly say that I would lay down my life for the name of Christ.”

May I respond to your internal script? Remember the slogan, “If God leads you to it, He’ll see you through it?” Has it occurred to you that God had been preparing Paul’s heart over the years to stay the course and go to Jerusalem? What if you’re trying to applaud Paul’s decision to stay the course, rather than applauding the Holy Spirit who was empowering him to face the challenge? Why is it that we lapse into thinking we have to do God’s will in our own strength?

It would be a fantastic outcome for this lesson if all of us walked out this door with a resolute commitment to follow Jesus full throttle and fearlessly just like Paul, but with the clear understanding that it is the Holy Spirit in us who gives us the strength to go full throttle and go without fear.

I Thess 5:24 says, “The one who calls you is faithful, and He will do it.” Whatever God has willed for each of us, He will lead us to it, and He will see us through it. Count on it. Let’s pray.