Go with me back to Acts chapter
18. There are three or four major
things that we could focus on in this text. I felt like there
was many messages in what we just
read. There were different things that
were brought out. But as I studied this, I wanted
us to look at the big picture. I just want us to see the whole
story. I titled this God's Goodness in Corinth. Paul came to Corinth
and some good things happened. I just want us to look at the
whole story here. Chapter 17 is where we left off
and Paul found himself in the middle of religion and idolatry. Religion and idolatry. And it
grieved him so much. It just sickened him. He looked around and it was just
sickening. And he saw something written
on one of their idols. They had all these idols set
up and it said to which one they were. And he saw something on
one of those idols that said, to the unknown God. And he said,
let me tell you who this is. And he preached Christ to him. And chapter 18 now, verse 1 says,
after these things, after all that took place, everything that
happened there in Athens, after these things, Paul departed from
Athens and came to Corinth. And we've been studying Paul's
letter to Corinth, the Corinthians, on Sunday morning in the Bible
study. And that letter was written after he came to them and then
left them. And this is where he first came
to them. He came right here, and we read
he was there a year and a half, a year and six months, and then
he left them. And later on he wrote that letter to them. Verse
1 says, After these things, Paul departed from Athens and came
to Corinth and found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus,
lately come from Italy with his wife Priscilla. Do you not love
hearing their names? I heard their names many times
growing up, and I did not really know their story. I'm sure I
heard men preach on it, but it just never clicked with me until
we have looked at them so many times now here. I have fallen
in love with these two people. I've just fallen in love with
them. And after all the mess, Paul was in the middle of, all
that religion, all that worldliness. Can you imagine how relieved
he was? How encouraged he was to meet this man Aquila and his
wife Priscilla? A man and his wife that God had
given a heart for Christ. They had a heart for Christ,
a true Heart for Christ. It is so encouraging when you
see that in somebody. That person has been given a
heart for Christ. That's all he wants to talk about.
Every time I'm around Aquila, he just wants to talk about Christ.
That's all he wants to talk about. And his wife, too. Precious. They're just precious. A man
and a woman that God had given a heart for Christ and a heart
for the messengers of Christ. Man, they did so much for Paul.
We're going to see some of it here in the next few weeks. A man and his wife who gave everything
that they had. They literally put their lives
on the line for the gospel. Go over to Romans 16. Romans 16. This is the ending chapter where
Paul is greeting people and in verse 3 he says, Greet Priscilla
and Aquila. Now he is writing this from Corinth
to Rome. And he's coming to Corinth in
our text tonight, but he's in Corinth at the moment writing
to Rome. They were back in Rome and he
said, greet Priscilla and Aquila, my helpers in Christ Jesus, who
have for my life laid down their own necks unto whom not only
I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles. Kingsport
Sovereign Grace Church gives thanks for Aquila and Priscilla,
two people that God raised up. They were such a help to Paul
and the gospel, to the Gentiles, us. And I love where it says right
here in verse 5, likewise, greet their kids. Greet the church that's in their
house. Blessed people. Every time I read their names,
I can't help but think about some of the Aquilas and Priscilla's
that the Lord has allowed me to meet over the last 30 years. I can remember being about Isabella's
age, whenever maybe people started making an impact on me, and I
met a lot of them. And I'd love to start naming
their names, but I'm not gonna do that. I thought about it,
but I'm not gonna do that. I would say that they know who
they are, but they don't. That's what makes them Aquilas
and Priscilla's. I did think of one man, though, that I want
to tell you about. The only reason I'm going to
mention him to you is because the Lord glorified him with eternal
sinlessness at the end of last June. In Orlando, Ed Burnside,
that man, he lived about an hour from the church. He drove an
hour every Sunday. And Greg started going to Sarasota,
and he said, I'll drive. If you're going to go preach,
I'll drive. Two hours there, two hours back, one hour home. Six hours every Sunday, that
dear man got in a van, drove to Sarasota, drove back home. Drove to Sarasota, drove back
home. Aquila, driving God's messenger
to God's saints. Precious man. I have enjoyed
seeing the examples that the Lord has raised up of people
who have given themselves to the gospel, the gospel ministry. Well, back here in Acts chapter
18, verse 1 says, After these things Paul departed
from Athens, and came to Corinth, and found a certain Jew named
Aquila born in Pontus, lately come from Italy with his wife
Priscilla. Because of that, Claudius had
commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome. Now they were in Rome,
Italy. That was where they lived. That
was their home. But this man, Claudius Caesar,
he forced all the Jews to leave Rome. Now look back at chapter
11, Acts chapter 11. Acts 11 verse 27. It says, And in these days came
prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch. And there stood up one
of them, named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that there should
be great dearth throughout all the world, which came to pass
in the days of Claudius Caesar." A great dearth. God sent a famine.
And there was no food. It happened when this man, Claudius,
Caesar became Caesar of Rome. And he said, if you're not a
Roman, get out. You gotta go. So Aquila and Priscilla,
they packed up their stuff and they started heading to Corinth.
I thought about the fact that what if our president did that
to us? What if something happened and we had to pack up our stuff
and get out? Literally leave our home. I grew
up here. I love this place. By military force, get out. That's
what happened to them. They pack up their stuff and
they start heading to Corinth and I can just hear Priscilla
saying to her husband, this is the worst thing that's ever happened
to us. This is absolutely the worst
thing that's ever happened to us. This was actually the greatest
thing that ever happened to them in their life. The greatest thing. Had they not been forced out
of their home, they would have never met the Apostle Paul. And God's messenger crossed their
path. They sat and listened to him
preach. They came into Corinth. Paul was coming into Corinth,
bringing this gospel. Paul lived with him for a little
while. We're going to see that he lived with him. And I thought
about the fact, can you imagine having conversations with Paul
over dinner? Can you imagine sitting down
and having conversations with him? He lived with him. So they had many dinners. After
dinner, you have conversation before you go to bed, sitting
by the fire. Paul was in Arabia for three
years learning the gospel from the Lord Jesus Christ face to
face. That was a requirement of being
an apostle. You had to learn it from the Lord Jesus Christ
directly. Can you imagine sitting there
and asking him this question? What was it like to talk to the
Lord Jesus Christ? What is that like? Would it not be amazing to meet
somebody who has sat and talked with Jesus Christ? What was that
like? I've always wondered what does
his voice sound like? What does his voice sound like? Could you actually see those
nail prints in his hands? Did he show them to you? Did
you touch them? Does he smile a lot? What color are his eyes? I can't imagine. I just cannot
imagine. I can envision Aquila and Priscilla
sitting there listening to him, looking at each other, thinking,
this is the greatest thing that's ever happened to us. The greatest
thing that's ever happened to us. We were so worried about
this. We were so torn all to pieces
about this. I'm so glad Claudius Caesar kicked
us out of Italy. It wasn't at the time, but man,
I am now. Believers can take comfort in
the fact that everything that happens, every natural disaster,
a famine came. Did you know that there right
now is no water out in certain parts of California? There are
four or five states that, certain areas that literally have no
water. People are having to leave their homes and they can't sell
their homes because there's no water. Nobody wants to buy the
home because there's no water there. Well, that's of the Lord
for some reason. I don't know what it is, but
every natural disaster, every government decision, let me repeat that one, every government
decision, Caesar ran them out of Italy.
Everything that happens is fulfilling the purpose of God Almighty. Everything that happens. It's
for the good and the salvation of God's sheep, everything that
happens. And here's what struck me. We
know that all things work together for good to them that love God,
to them who are called according to his purpose. But to take it
a step further, every single thing that happens is for the
good and salvation of God's sheep. Everything that happens is for
the purpose of seeking and saving God's sheep. And then once they're
all saved, it's done. Everything that happens. Everything. I want to show you the greatest
example of this. Go over to Luke chapter 2 with
me. Luke 2 verse 1 says, And it came
to pass in those days that there went out a decree from Caesar
Augustus that all the world should be taxed. We're raising taxes. And we're going to use your money
to fund our wickedness. That's what we're going to do.
And verse 2 says, This taxing was first made when Cyrenius
was governor of Syria. and all went to be taxed, everyone
into his own city. You can't just pay the taxes
where you are. It's not enough that we're going
to take your money. You also have to get on a camel and travel
to the city where you were born. You have to pay him there. April
15th, no extensions. I don't care how pregnant your
wife is. You better be there. Verse 4 says, And Joseph also
went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea,
unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because
he was of the house and lineage of David, to be taxed with Mary
his espoused wife, being great with child. 92 miles. That's how far they traveled.
92 miles. Even with camels, People used
to average about three miles an hour back then. Three miles
an hour, and they couldn't run the camels all day long. It's
estimated that it took them five days to get there. Five days
of hard traveling. They had to go through Jericho,
which is in the desert. It is actually the lowest city
on the globe. And then Bethlehem and Jerusalem,
they're sitting up on top of the hills, 3,500 feet higher
than Jericho. So that last leg of the trip
was all uphill, 3,500 feet. I was reading about this and
they said it would have been a difficult journey for anybody, but much
less a woman who was great with child. Absolutely exhausting. This was not easy. And when they
finally get to the top of the hill, there are no more hotel
rooms. No rooms. Nowhere. Mary had to be saying, Joseph,
I'm about to deliver this baby. I feel it. This is, this trip
has been miserable. There's no place for us. This
is literally the worst thing that's ever happened to us. No, this is actually the greatest
thing that has ever happened to mankind, you and Joseph included. The Christ is about to be born
in Bethlehem. The scripture is about to be
fulfilled. All truth is about to be upheld. Would Joseph have taken his wife
to Bethlehem with that trip being that strenuous and her being
that pregnant? Would they have been in Bethlehem
had those wicked men not demanded their money? I'm going to put
you in jail if you don't pay it. Honey, we have to go. All natural occurrences are in
the hand of God, fulfilling God's purpose. All government decisions
are in the hand of God fulfilling God's purpose. Every single circumstance
is in the hand of God fulfilling God's purpose. Isn't that settling?
So settling. Everything is in the hand of
God fulfilling His purpose. Go with me back to Acts 18. I promise we're about to start
moving quickly. Verse 1 says, After these things
Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth, and found a
certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy
with his wife Priscilla, because that Claudius had commanded all
Jews to depart from Rome. And Paul came unto them, and
because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought,
for by their occupation they were tentmakers. Paul worked
with them making tents. Now those who have been called
to the ministry, this is a side note, those who have been called
to the ministry are allowed by God to live off of the gospel. It's work, I promise. It's work. But God has allowed
us to give ourselves to the study of the word and live on whatever
he provides through his people. Paul, though, he had a strong
desire, and I have the same desire, to prove to God's people that
we are not in this for the money. We are not in this for the money. We're not looking for an easy
way out, I can tell you that. We're just not in this for the
money. I do not want to take advantage
of God's people in any way, shape, or form. No way, shape, or form. I believed and hoped the Lord would
provide if I came here, but we had, however many it was, we
had seven. And I'm trying to do the math. I have three other mouths besides
myself. And I said many times to Hannah,
if I have to get a job, I will get a job. And so far the Lord
has provided. And I want to prove to you, I
believe that if God's messengers will prove to God's people that
they're not in it for the money, God will lay it on their hearts
to Pour it on, and you have, and I'm grateful. I'm very grateful. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12,
I seek not yours, but you. And that is the heart that the
Lord gives his preachers. So verse three, because he was
of the same craft, he abode with them and wrought, for by their
occupation they were tent makers. And he reasoned in the synagogue
every Sabbath and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks And when
Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed
in the spirit and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ. This one who was born in Bethlehem
is the Messiah. He proved it from the word. God
come down. That's who he is. This one who
was born in Bethlehem is the only mediator between God and
man. A holy God and sinful man. This
one who was born in Bethlehem is a sinner's only hope. Run to Him. Run to Him. Bow the knee. Fall on your knees
before Him. Beg Him for mercy. He's the Christ,
the Son of the living God. He's the King of all heaven and
earth. Verse 6 says, And when they opposed themselves and blasphemed,
they didn't believe what He had to say about the Christ. He shook
his raiment and said unto them, Your blood be upon your own heads. I am clean. From henceforth I
will go unto the Gentiles. This is the moment where the
Apostle Paul realized, I am called to go spread the good news to
the outcast. The Gentiles. That's us. We are
the outcast. I mean, we are really the outcast.
Not only are we sinners, we were not God's people. But God so
loved the world. The Gentiles, too. Not just Israel. He'll be merciful to us, too.
Strangers from the covenants of promise. No man can or will
hear They didn't believe Paul. No man can if God does not give
ears to hear. So the announcement came to the
Gentiles. God has given you ears to hear. And just listen to this,
don't turn. Acts 28 verse 28 says, this is the end of Acts. Paul
said, Be it known therefore unto you that the salvation of God
is sent unto the Gentiles and they will hear it. And by God's
grace we will, won't we? Well, verse 7 says, And he departed
thence, and entered into a certain man's house named Justice, one
that worshipped God, whose house joined hard to the synagogue.
This man's house was connected to the synagogue. And Crispus,
the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all
his house, and many of the Corinthians, hearing hearing Paul's declaration,
believed, and were baptized. I love the humility that the
gospel brings. It brings humility. It brings
such humility. Crispus was the chief ruler of
the synagogue. And he came to the apostle Paul
and he said, would you baptize me? Now you think about that. That's precious humility. But
you're the main preacher here. I don't care. I don't care. Until now, I have never believed
on and confessed the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. I've confessed
a bunch of things, but I've never confessed Him. Aren't you going
to be embarrassed, though, to admit that to everybody? I don't
care. It's not about me anymore. It's
about Him. I must have Him, and I want Him
to know that, and I want everybody else to know that. I've got to
have Him. Verse 9, Then spake the Lord
to Paul in the night by vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and
hold not thy peace. For I am with thee, and no man
shall set on thee to hurt thee, for I have much people in this
city." That's the same thing God told Isaiah. He said, get
thee up into the high mountain, lift up thy voice with strength,
be not afraid. You cry to my people, behold
your God. he shall feed his flock like
a shepherd, he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and he'll
carry them in his bosom." Don't be afraid. You just go preach
Christ. Don't be afraid. And I love how he says right
here in verse 10, I have much people in this city. I have much
people in this city. This city, we're going through
Corinth, and bless Corinth's heart, it is not a good place.
This city, Yes, this city. My father gave me some of the
sinners in that city. I thought about them and I prayed
for them while I was hanging on that cross. They are mine.
I know every one of the ones in Corinth by name. They're mine. They're mine. So you go deliver
my message and then I want you to get out of the way because
all of my sheep are going to come running. Verse 11 says,
and he continued there a year and six months, teaching the
word of God among them. The Lord showed so much kindness
to Corinth. He said, I have much people in
this city. I hope the same thing can be
said about Kingsport. I really do. I hope and believe
and trust that he does have much people in this city. I really
do. I pray that he would cause us
to not be afraid, cause us to preach Christ, and then get out
of the way. And I hope he'll bless his word
everywhere he's raised up this message. Kingsport and every
other town where he's been pleased to raise up his message. All
right, let's stand together.