Paul Before the Council and God
Passage: Acts 22:30-23:11
My plan this morning is to do what I did last week, to give a brief summary of the text and then draw out four applications from it.
Acts 22:30, Paul and the Roman Tribune
The Roman Tribune now does what he should have done in the first place the day before. He unbinds Paul, and commands the chief priests and council to come and bring their charges and give Paul a fair hearing. Certainly these men would be concerned about justice.
God is sovereign over this entire situation. He rules and over rules every action, every decision, every word, every thought. God intends for His Gospel to go to Rome and the Roman Tribune is God’s instrument to make that happen. Remember Proverbs 21:
Proverbs 21:1 The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.
The Roman Tribune is a godless pagan, he has no interest whatsoever in God or the Gospel. But that doesn’t matter, nor does it hinder God in the least.
Apply this truth to all of politics everywhere. Apply this truth to what you hear on CNN and Fox. Apply this truth to what you hear about or think about the January 6th hearings, or the Supreme Court rulings. Apply this truth to how you vote next week. Apply this truth to how you pray for all of those whom God has put in positions of authority.