You Will Be My Witness To All Men

Acts 21:37-22:29

Key Verse 22:14-15

14“Then he said: ‘The God of our fathers has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. 15You will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard.’”

Review 21:27-29 and look at verses 37-40.  What was Paul’s circumstance at this time?  In verse 37, Paul speaks to the commander in Greek, but in 22:1, he speaks to the crowd in Aramaic. Why do you think he spoke in different languages at different times?

• Paul was in the custody of the Roman commander after some Jews had stirred up a crowd and seized him.  They took him outside the Temple and beat him.  They only stopped when the commander came and rescued them from their hands.  The crowd believed that Paul had allowed Greeks into the Temple court.

• Paul could speak both Greek and Aramaic.  He used whatever gifts God had given to him in order to most effectively communicate and get his audience to listen to the Gospel.  Paul was shrewd and thoughtful, doing his best to get people to hear the Gospel.

Look at vs. 22:1-5.  Why did Paul call those who were bringing false charges against him, ‘brothers’ and ‘fathers’?  What were Paul’s credentials as a Jew?  How did Paul demonstrate his zeal for God?

• Paul called them ‘brothers’ and ‘fathers’ even though in reality they had nothing to do with him, because he wanted to have them stop and listen to his message.

• The crowd had been stirred up with false words from some Jews who hated Paul; Paul was able to get the crowd to be receptive to listen to him quietly, by calling them ‘brothers’ and ‘fathers’.

• Paul had chased Christians all the way to Damascus in order to squash what he thought was heretical teaching.  Paul put to death Christians for no other reason than they believed that Jesus was the Messiah.  He put into prison even women and children.

• Paul had become a heartless, cruel, violent man.  He wanted to be a ‘spiritual’ man, but now he had become an enemy of God.

Look at vs. 22:6-16.  Describe Paul’s meeting with Christ. Why did Paul persecute Jesus?  What did Jesus tell him to do?  Who was Ananias?  How did Ananias help Paul? (13)

• Paul was an enemy of Christ; Christ should have squashed him like a bug for all the harm Paul had been doing to Christ’s church and people.

• But Jesus did not strike him down; instead Christ showed grace and mercy to him, by revealing to Paul what he had been doing and to whom he had been doing it against.

• Christ revealed to Paul that He is the Lord Almighty.

• Christ blinded him in order to open Paul’s spiritual eyes.  Christ humbled him so that Paul would listen to Christ.

• Paul had been blind and did not know Christ.  He refused to believe in Jesus and therefore he had become the enemy and a tool of our great enemy the devil.

• Ananias was a Jew who was a devout observer of the Law and highly respected by all the Jews in Damascus.

• 13He stood beside me and said, 'Brother Saul, receive your sight!' And at that very moment I was able to see him. 

What was God’s message to Paul through Ananias? For what had God chosen Paul? (14-16)  But before this what was the first thing Paul had to do? (16)  Why?

• 14"Then he said: 'The God of our fathers has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. 15You will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. 16And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.'

• Paul needed to repent and be baptized.  He had to make a clear decision to follow his Lord Jesus.

 

Look at vs. 22:17-21.  While in a trance, what did the Lord tell Paul?  Why did Paul think that the Jews would listen to him?  Did the Lord agree with him? Why not?

• To leave Jerusalem, because the Jews were angry and jealous and would not listen to Paul; instead they would try to kill him.

• Paul thought that they were honestly seeking to serve God and therefore, once they heard Paul’s testimony they would believe.  Paul was naïve.

• God knew what was really in their hearts and knew that they would not listen to his testimony.

• God needed to train Paul to know how to properly talk to the people so that the Gospel message would come out and not just his personal testimony.

Look at vs. 22:22-29.  Why did the Jews stop listening to Paul?  What did they say?  How did God protect Paul?  What can we learn from Paul about Jesus?  About God’s grace and His purpose?

• The minute Paul said the word ‘Gentiles’ the people went insane.  They were particularly upset when Paul said that he was to go and give the Gospel to the Gentiles and not to the Jews.

• Strangely, he was speaking to them at this very moment and yet, they could not accept his words at all.

• God used the Roman commander and his troops to keep the irrational, violent people from harming Paul.

• Jesus is the God of grace, who loves even His enemies and even desires to change their life to be blessed and a source of blessing to others.  To be His witnesses to all men.

• God’s grace is not just simple pity.  His grace also has purpose and meaning.  God seeks to restore man fully, not only their relationship with Him, but also the purpose and meaning of their lives.