Worship - The New Normal

Persuading People to Worship God

(Acts 18:12-17, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, January 6, 2013)

[12] But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him before the tribunal,

God made a promise to the apostle Paul. “I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.” For 18 months Paul had been able to teach the Word of God in Corinth. He had a significant impact on people, or we would never have received the verses before us that we are considering this morning.

Eventually the Jews who had rejected Jesus as the Messiah made a “united attack” against Paul. They pursued legal channels in order to attempt to stop him and his ministry. They brought him before the tribunal for all Achaia where a man named Gallio was the judge.

[13] saying, “This man is persuading people to worship God contrary to the law.”

Their charge can be broken into two components. First, “This man is persuading people to worship God.” Second, Paul would have them worship God “contrary to the law.”

The apostle was being effective. His enemies did not say that he was merely attempting to persuade people of anything. He was persuading people. God was vindicated. There were many in that city who were His people. Paul was persuading them to change their worship practices.

Did Paul want them to worship God contrary to the law? If this second part of the charge referred to the laws of man, it could be that his accusers had a point. Paul wanted people to worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness even when the nations of the world might prohibit such worship. He knew that all the earth needed to tremble before the God of the Jews. If a choice had to be made as to whether people should obey God or obey the laws of any land, could there be any doubt as to Paul's teaching? Obey God and not man's customs or laws.

Then again, perhaps the law being referred to was the Hebrew Law, the Law of God, the ceremonial Law in the Old Testament. Here again, they may have been correct. Paul certainly understood that the Old Testament system of temple worship had been put aside by God in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. A new way of worship had appeared in Jesus.

[14] But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of wrongdoing or vicious crime, O Jews, I would have reason to accept your complaint. [15] But since it is a matter of questions about words and names and your own law, see to it yourselves. I refuse to be a judge of these things.” [16] And he drove them from the tribunal.

Gallio was not about to be a part of their religious squabbles. He knew what law he was supposed to enforce, Roman law. He heard enough of their words to know that they were fighting about their own religious customs. He rightly refused to be a judge in those controversies. They could see to their own religious debates. He sent them out.

[17] And they all seized Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the tribunal. But Gallio paid no attention to any of this.
This did not end the controversy. Some group (they all) took the words of Gallio as permission to do their own speedy trial. They seized a man named Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him right there.

One might have expected Gallio to stop this attack. Now a group of people was doing something illegal. Did they have the right to take a man and beat him up? But he did nothing. In fact, he paid no attention to any of this.

That gets me thinking. What do we not see? Gallio sees what he sees? He is blind to the rest.

We get so used to the idea that the worship of God is optional, that we seem to have forgotten the Law that says, “I am the Lord your God. You shall have no other gods before me.” We can also easily dismiss another of the Ten Commandments that says, “Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy.” And do we feel the beauty and power of Psalm 96? It sings to us, “Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness!”

But some will consign all of this to the Old Covenant, and see no necessity of any continuing law to gather for worship. Yet Hebrews 10 teaches us, “[23] Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. [24] And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, [25] not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

Perhaps our problem is that do not see the New Testament era as the time when all the earth should hear and believe that the Day of Christ is drawing near.

Maybe we can learn from Paul's accusers. It is amazing to see what comes out of the mouths of those who stand against Christ. Often we discover striking statements of truth. Here is one that was spoken against Jesus in Matthew 26:61, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.’” So much to think about. Jesus did that. Worship Him.

In the case of Paul and his accusers, God uses even their words to challenge us. What charge would anyone want to bring against us as a church and against you as an individual?

I would like to persuade the whole earth to worship God in the fulness of sincere holiness. I want that for myself and for everyone else. But I must confess that I often assume that persuasion of others is beyond me. But God can use me and you in His own effective work of persuasion.

Is it right for all the earth to worship the God of the Jews? Absolutely. Shouldn't we say something about that? Something as simple as this might be a phrase that you can use: “I know that God is calling the whole earth to worship Him.”

We should urge people to worship God. Are we then urging them to go against the law? Well, it is not against the law of this nation to worship the God of heaven through Jesus His Son. But we are challenging the religious customs of some. Are you comfortable with that?

This might help. No one has been worshiping God according to the Old Testament Law since the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 AD. But Jesus became the fulfillment of the Law for us through His life and His death. When we celebrate the Lord's Supper here every Sunday, we do what we must to recognize Him as the only sinless Worshiper of God. We uphold the Law by kneeling before the one Messiah for whom the Law and the prophets prepared us. He is the only One who is the fulfillment of the Law and the only One that cannot unite the world in worship.

Old Testament Passage: Psalm 96

Sermon Point: If it were possible to do so, we would want to persuade the whole earth to worship God through Jesus Christ who is the fulfillment of the Old Testament Law.