Sunday School Lesson

1. Acts 21:19-31 & 22:1-24
The Testimony
Paul Defends His Calling and Faith
February 11, 2018
First Baptist Church
Jackson, Mississippi
USA

2. What’s the number one thing?
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3. The Glory of God!
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4. 1 Corinthians 10:31
31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do
it all to the glory of God.
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5. February Memory Verse
Isaiah 40:28
28 Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.

6. Pray for the ARISE Campaign
• Sign up for the online daily emails to receive the devotionals.
• Pray about your financial commitment to the Arise
Campaign.
• The first commitment time is February 20.

7. Pray for the Pastor Search Committee
• Doug Gunn, Chairman
• Lenora Bigler
• Dottie Hudson
• David Maron
• Jim Merritt, Jr.
• Elizabeth Rich
• Mallory Rosamond
• Don Waller
• Jeff Zachary

8. Pray for Bill Boteler as he recovers from heart
surgery.

9. Don’t Forget Valentine’s Day!!!

11. References
•MacArthur, John, The MacArthur Study Bible (Word
Publishing, Nashville, TN, 1997).
•Stott, John R. W., The Message of Acts (Downers
Grove, IL, InterVarsity Press, USA, 1994).
•Unless otherwise stated, scriptures are quoted from
the ESV.

12. Introduction to Acts 22
•Paul has finished his 3rd journey and is now in
Jerusalem.
•Paul is aware of the conflict that awaits him.
•Luke draws parallels to the sufferings and trials of Paul
to those of Christ in Jerusalem.
•The Jewish opposition to Paul is contrasted to the
Roman justice system which protected Paul and the
Gospel.

13. Paul’s Trials
1. Acts 22- Confronted by a Jewish crowd at the NW
corner of the Temple (Our Lesson Today).
2. Acts 23- Trial before the Supreme Jewish Council.
3. Acts 24- Trial before Felix (Governor of Judea).
4. Acts 25- Trial before Festus (Replaced Felix as
Governor).
5. Acts 26- Trial before King Herod Agrippa (Caesarea).

14. Parallels between Trails of Jesus and Paul
1. They were rejected by their own (Jewish people).
2. They were arrested without cause and imprisoned.
3. They were unjustly accused.
4. They were willfully misrepresented by false
witnesses.
5. They were slapped in the face in court.

15. Parallels between trials of Jesus and Paul
6. They were victims of secret Jewish plots.
7. They heard the mobs screaming, “Away with him.”
8. Both were subjected to a series of 5 trials.
• Jesus: By Annas, the Sanhedrin, King Herod Antipas, and twice
by Pilate
• Paul: By the Jewish crowd, the Sanhedrin, King Herod Agrippa
II, Felix and Festus
9. Difference: Paul’s sufferings were not redemptive
like Christ’s.

16. Paul arrives in Jerusalem
•Paul and team stayed with Mnason of Cyprus, an early
disciple (a converted Hellenistic Jew).
•Paul and team meet with James (brother of Jesus and
head of the Jerusalem church).
•Paul presents an offering gathered for them from the
Gentiles on his journey.
•James shares the problems of the Christian Jews with
Paul’s ministry.

17. Paul Meets with James and gives a missionary
report.
Acts 21:19
19 After greeting them, he (Paul) related one by one the
things that God had done among the Gentiles through
his ministry. And when they heard it, they glorified
God.

18. James describes the problem with the local
Jewish Christians.
Acts 21:20-22
20 And they (James) said to him, “You see, brother, how
many thousands there are among the Jews of those
who have believed. They are all zealous for the law,
21 and they have been told about you that you teach all
the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses,
telling them not to circumcise their children or walk
according to our customs. 22 What then is to be done?
They will certainly hear that you have come.

19. James devises a plan to demonstrate that Paul
still follows Jewish customs.
Acts 21:23-24
23 Do therefore what we tell you. We have four men
who are under a vow; 24 take these men and purify
yourself along with them and pay their expenses, so
that they may shave their heads. Thus all will know that
there is nothing in what they have been told about you,
but that you yourself also live in observance of the law.

20. James devises a plan to demonstrate that Paul
still follows Jewish customs.
Acts 21:25-26
25 But as for the Gentiles who have believed, we have sent a
letter with our judgment that they should abstain from what
has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what
has been strangled, and from sexual immorality.” 26 Then
Paul took the men, and the next day he purified himself
along with them and went into the temple, giving notice
when the days of purification would be fulfilled and the
offering presented for each one of them.

21. The Jews were not impressed.
Acts 21:27-29
27 When the seven days were almost completed, the Jews
from Asia, seeing him in the temple, stirred up the whole
crowd and laid hands on him, 28 crying out, “Men of Israel,
help! This is the man who is teaching everyone everywhere
against the people and the law and this place. Moreover, he
even brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this
holy place.” 29 For they had previously seen Trophimus the
Ephesian with him in the city, and they supposed that Paul
had brought him into the temple.

22. Paul was thrown out of the Temple.
Acts 21:30-31
30 Then all the city was stirred up, and the people ran
together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the
temple, and at once the gates were shut. 31 And as they
were seeking to kill him, word came to the tribune of
the cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion.

23. Paul Addressed the Crowd.
Acts 22:1-3
1 "Brothers and fathers, hear the defense that I now make before
you."
2 And when they heard that he was addressing them in the
Hebrew language, they became even more quiet. And he said:
3 "I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city,
educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strict manner
of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God as all of you are
this day.

24. Paul Addressed the Crowd.
Acts 22:4-5
4 I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and
delivering to prison both men and women, 5 as the high
priest and the whole council of elders can bear me
witness. From them I received letters to the brothers,
and I journeyed toward Damascus to take those also
who were there and bring them in bonds to Jerusalem
to be punished.

25. Paul Addressed the Crowd.
Acts 22:6-8
6 "As I was on my way and drew near to Damascus,
about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone
around me. 7 And I fell to the ground and heard a voice
saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?'
8 And I answered, 'Who are you, Lord?' And he said to
me, 'I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are
persecuting.'

26. Paul Addressed the Crowd.
Acts 22:9-11
9 Now those who were with me saw the light but did
not understand the voice of the one who was speaking
to me. 10 And I said, 'What shall I do, Lord?' And the
Lord said to me, 'Rise, and go into Damascus, and there
you will be told all that is appointed for you to do.’
11 And since I could not see because of the brightness of
that light, I was led by the hand by those who were
with me, and came into Damascus.

27. Paul Addressed the Crowd.
Acts 22:12-13
12 "And one Ananias, a devout man according to the
law, well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there,
13 came to me, and standing by me said to me, 'Brother
Saul, receive your sight.' And at that very hour I
received my sight and saw him.

28. Paul Addressed the Crowd.
Acts 22:14-16
14 And he said, 'The God of our fathers appointed you to
know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear a
voice from his mouth; 15 for you will be a witness for
him to everyone of what you have seen and heard.
16 And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and
wash away your sins, calling on his name.'

29. Paul Addressed the Crowd.
Acts 22:17-19
17 "When I had returned to Jerusalem and was praying
in the temple, I fell into a trance 18 and saw him saying
to me, 'Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly,
because they will not accept your testimony about me.'
19 And I said, 'Lord, they themselves know that in one
synagogue after another I imprisoned and beat those
who believed in you.

30. Paul Addressed the Crowd.
Acts 22:20-21
20 And when the blood of Stephen your witness was
being shed, I myself was standing by and approving and
watching over the garments of those who killed him.' 21
And he said to me, 'Go, for I will send you far away to
the Gentiles.'"

31. Paul’s Testimony is Rejected.
Acts 22:22-24
22 Up to this word they listened to him. Then they
raised their voices and said, "Away with such a fellow
from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live."
23 And as they were shouting and throwing off their
cloaks and flinging dust into the air, 24 the tribune
ordered him to be brought into the barracks, saying
that he should be examined by flogging, to find out
why they were shouting against him like this.

32. The Bottom Line of the Problem of the Jewish
Christians in Jerusalem:
•Making Gentiles into Jews was fine (Proselytism).
- Process: Baptism, Circumcision, Following Jewish
laws, Following Jesus as Lord.
- They wanted to make “works” a part of salvation.
•Making Gentiles into Christians without first making
them Jews was an abomination (Evangelism).
- Process: Following Jesus as Lord, Baptism.

33. The Problem of Jewish Christians:
•The Jewish culture was so ingrained into their
consciousness, they could not easily abandon their
Jewish customs.
•They could accept Jesus as the Jewish Messiah, but
they expected a Messiah who would fit into their
Jewish laws and culture or reign as King.

34. Closing Scripture:
Ephesians 2:8-10
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is
not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of
works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which
God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
• Works = our good deeds and attempts to please God and
be right with Him.
• Works can never save us.

35. Next Sunday
Acts 26:19-29
Answering Critics
February 18, 2018
First Baptist Church
Jackson, Mississippi
USA

36. The Plan of Hope & Salvation:
John 3:16
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that
whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal
life.”
John 14:6
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.”

37. The Plan of Hope & Salvation:
Romans 3:23
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans 6:23a
23a For the wages of sin is death,
• Death in this life (the first death) is 100%.
• Even Jesus, the only one who doesn’t deserve death, died in this life
to pay the penalty for our sin.
• The death referred to in Romans 6:23a is the “second death”
explained in Revelation 21:8.

38. The Plan of Hope & Salvation:
Revelation 21:8
8 “But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for
murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars,
their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur,
which is the second death.”
Romans 5:8
8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners,
Christ died for us.

39. The Plan of Hope & Salvation:
Romans 6:23b
23b but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Revelation 21:7
7 “The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his
God and he will be my son.”
• Romans 10:9-10 explains to us how to be conquers.

40. The Plan of Hope & Salvation:
Romans 10:9-10
9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,
you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is
justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
Romans 10:13
13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be
saved.”

41. The Plan of Hope & Salvation:
Have questions or would like to know more?
Please, contact First Baptist Church Jackson at 601-949-1900
or http://firstbaptistjackson.org/contact/