Addeddate

2026-09-26 22:37:10

Church

Sermons

Duration

73.9

Identifier

Sermons-2026_05_31_acts_18_1_8_gospel_perserverance_in_a_corinthian_world_ronald

Keywords

Jesus Christ

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https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

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https://cpmfiles1.com/gracecommunityfellowship.net/2026-05-31-acts-18_1-8-gospel-perserverance-in-a-corinthian-world-ronaldo.mp3

Text

So Paul was being abused in a sense by these people. It says that they became abusive, that word resisted. Also some translation says that they were abusive toward Paul. And then the word blaspheme, it really could refer to the abusive speech that is directed at Paul or it could have been, which I really think that is going on here, is that they're denying the teaching that Jesus is the Christ. And therefore they were blaspheme in that way. And for that, it's interesting that Paul says that he shicks off the dust of his clothes, right? And then, and he says this, your blood be on your own heads, I am clean for now on, I will go to the Gentiles. Paul is declaring himself to be innocent, to be clean of their blood. This is a reference to Ezekiel chapter 33, and this is an interesting, fascinating passage. I wish we had time to go through it. where the Lord is saying that a watchman, when he sees that the city is about to be attacked and the city is in danger, the watchman has the obligation to warn the people in the city that they're about to be destroyed. So this is the context here. If the watchman does his job and tells that the city is about to be destroyed, he says that if the people do not hit that warning, their blood will be on their own head. Why? Because they were warned that destruction was about to come and did not heed that warning. The Lord has promised to judge them and they refuse to receive that warning. The watchmen is free from his responsibility. In the same token, if the watchmen saw that the city was in danger and he did not warn the city, he was supposed to be blamed for those lives that were lost. So Paul is saying here, I have done my job of a watchman. I have preached the gospel to warn you. And okay, I'm done with you. Now I'm going to move on to the Gentiles. That was his plan. Now these are not Paul saying, you know, I'm just done with you forever. Truth be told. Paul goes to Ephesus. Where's the first group of people he goes to? The Jews. He does the same thing. And he was not being harsh. He was being real with them. That was not his rejection. Actually, we know that Paul has great sorrow and ceasing anguish for his own countrymen. We have read this numerous times in Romans 9, but their blood was not upon Paul anymore. So you persevere, you continue preaching. That's what Paul says. As you know, you're rejecting it, I'm gonna go to those that will take it. And he goes to the Gentile. So persevere in spite of opposition. And lastly, we'll see on verse seven through eight, you persevere in the blessing of conversions. Because now we start seeing fruit. Verse seven says, then he left there and went to the house of a name named Teshis Justice, a worshiper of God, whose house was next to the synagogue. He would, I think this is kind of funny. Because Paul said, okay, I'm done with you. I won't preach the gospel anymore to you. I'm gonna be next door preaching the same gospel. And guess what? People in the synagogue probably went there too because Christmas, verse eight says, he was the leader of the synagogue, comes to the Lord and believe in the Lord with all his household. Which is, this is kind of the third time where a whole family comes to saving faith, Christmas family, and he mentions that in Corinthians in the letter to the Corinthians. And many of the Corinthians, when they heard they were believing and they were being baptized in the name of the Lord. Oh, what an encouragement. You know, we can't persevere through the opposition because we know that the Lord is with us and eventually we'll need some encouragement here with this proud city, with this immoral city. But what a blessing it is to hear about people that come to Christ. Well next week we'll actually learn about a city treasure and Corinth that came to saving faith. And actually his name is found in the inscription. If you walk in the streets of Corinth you will find his name right there. This guy that that came to Christ. So we'll see this next week. But I want to encourage you, you know, witnessing and evangelizing in the world like today as we come to our close in our sermon here, we're still are evangelizing the cornice of today. We might be compelled to conclude that really the whole world has become like cornice. There's rampant disregard for moral standards. We see that in our own families, right? But it's not uncommon to have people leaving relationships outside marriage, to have homosexuals in our family, and that's not to say that they're beyond God's reach. I mean, look at Corinth. Many people, Eric read this morning a list, drunkards and immoral people, and people that like a fight, angry people, all of those were some of you, but you have been washed. to have been sanctified. Sadly, though, it seems that far too many have been doing this and so much in certain Western countries, the percentage of Christians involved in action-marital sexual activity is not different from the percentage of the rest of society, even Christian ministers and evangelists who come to immorality. This is not just in third world countries. We are seeing this more and more. What is equally bad is that churches seem reluctant to be forthright in condemning these scenes. Some leaders think they're not right to pry into the personal lives of other people, so they ignore what they're to hear about their members. Perhaps it's a marketing orientation. Oh, we don't talk about these things because it is too offensive, right? They led the intimidation of the world, of the simple world to prevent them from proclaiming the gospel. And what they're doing though, is they're depriving people from the very hope of freedom that Christ is offering, from the very hope of forgiveness of sins that the world needs. Let me close with this. When Paul was in Corinth, he wrote the letter to the Thessalonians. In the first Thessalonians chapter 5, you know, think about all the times that you're intimidated, maybe by your relatives or someone at work that are a proud atheist, and they have too much knowledge in their are too prideful and you really quite don't know how to answer them. And your Lord just help me to be faithful. Just help me persevere through this. Maybe bring someone alongside me that will be an encouragement to me so I can witness to my family members. Well help me to be faithful in witnessing like Priscilla and Aquila. And Paul is writing to the Thessalonians to encourage them to continue to be faithful in their ministry. But I think what he's really doing here, too, is preaching to himself and reminding himself that he, too, needs that encouragement. Look at chapter 5 verse 11, he says, therefore, encourage one another and build up one another just as you also are doing. The best linings were great, wonderful people. They were encouragers. And Paul's saying, I want you to excel us still more. And he says, but we request of you brethren that that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction. He's thinking, you know, I'm having a hard time here in Corinth, and I want you guys to care for your pastors. I know what they go through. Says, and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work, leaving peace with one another. And verse 14, he says, we urge your brethren, in admonishing and ruling, encourage the faint hearted, help the weak and be patient with everyone. May that exhortation that Paul has given to the fast alone is to be an exhortation for us as well to find encouragement, to persevere in witnessing to this dying world. And to not miss next week as we're going to continue to Paul's journey in Corinth, let's pray. Gracious Father, thank you, thank you Lord that you have loved sinners, you have loved us, Lord every part of our being there's not one cell that is not contaminated by our sinful nature. Lord it even though we don't express our sinfulness to the full extent yet Lord we're prideful, we're moral people, we're people that are concerned about wisdom and all these different things but you You have given us one word and that Christ has died for sinners, and he died in their behalf so that they might not perish but have eternal life. Lord, I pray if there is anyone here that are thinking that they can make their way to you and they're putting confidence in how much they know about the Bible or they know about the church or that they have a family that knows you, that they too are saved, that They may find, Lord, that only when they humble themselves to receive the forgiveness, that by grace alone and faith alone, they can be saved. They may humble themselves, receive that gift today. I pray for those that are discouraged in taking their faith up to others, maybe family members, maybe coworkers. I pray, Father, that they would persevere in you, that you would give them the encouragement of other believers to share with them and their needs, and Lord, that you would provide in every way that we might persevere as faithful witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is in your name that we pray, Amen. Aben addiction today comes from 1 Corinthians 1558, he says, therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord. And God's people say,

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