The Preparation of the Holy Spirit
Acts 23:12-24
The most important preparation in life is preparation for death. Because if we dont conquer death on this earth, there is no chance. That is why we need preparation for salvation, the hope of the Holy Spirit. Today, lets meditate on the preparation of the Holy Spirit.
First, God prepares us through an environment in which we are likely to die. 'As the day dawned' (verse 12), a new day began. Our sufferings seem like a long time, but the day will come at the end. So, we have to prepare for the eternal in the time allowed, and the secret is to live today to the fullest. God prepared Pauls journey to Rome through those who tried to kill kim. In order to conquer death, God allows us to experience a near-death environment on this earth. There were about forty men who formed a party and allied with Paul to kill him (verse 13). 'Party' (verse 12) in this context means 'to go around together.' If you keep moving around with a terrifying speed, you will eventually fall as well as the person next to you. Also, it is the same word that Peter cursed and swore when he denied Jesus for the third time before the cock crowed.
Those who do not know that they are sinners are good at swearing in vain. They thought it was right to kill Paul, and gave away their bodies as a weapon of murder, not of righteousness. However, they became the ones who made Paul come to Rome. These young members of the party kindly gave a clue to the High Priests and the elderly to ask the Roman commander to bring Paul to Rome. Their plan was to assassinate Paul on his way to the Sanhedrin. Because Paul preached the gospel that revealed human sin, the Jews who had to cover their sins really hated him. Out of hatred, they killed Jesus and also Stephen. God keeps telling us about our sins, giving us a chance to repent, but we try to cover up our sins and believe in vain promises that seem to help us hide them, which will make us repeat the same sin and eventually perish.
Second, God prepares us with order and principles. The party meticulously prepared to kill Paul, but they proceeded without due process and law. They wanted to kill Paul in the name of God, but no one knew what his sin was. They charged Paul with reasons such as 'Paul got along with the Gentiles,' 'Paul entered the temple', and therefore 'Paul entered the temple with the Gentiles.' These people were the High Priests who served God and the Sanhedrin, the highest decision-making body of the Jews. However, they ignored the proper process of accusation, which was to give a fair judgment in front of a congregation with two or three witnesses. No matter how carefully an evil plan is prepared, God reveals the circumstances to protect His chosen people. Pauls nephew heard this evil plan and delivered it to Paul (verse 16). Here, for the first time and only, Pauls family appeared. Paul said that even if he was cursed, he wanted the salvation of his Jewish family who did not have faith. To see ones family with objective eyes means being able to see that we all meet in heaven as saved people. After hearing what his nephew said, Paul obeyed the organization and order established by Rome and reported it to the Roman centurion. Then he asked the centurion to lead this young man to the Roman commander (verse 17). In fact, if Pauls mission was to go to Rome, God could just move Paul right away. However, the preparation of the Holy Spirit is not doing it all at once, ignoring all order and process, but doing in order: the centurion, then the Roman commander, the governor, and the king. No matter how righteous one is, we shouldnt listen to the person who disregards the principles. We need to analyze the information and get the facts right without being emotionally agitated. Hearing this, the Roman commander decided to immediately send Paul to Caesarea where the governor is, before the next day comes (verses 22-23). Because when tomorrow comes, the High Priests and the council members will demand Paul. If we want to act according to Gods principles, we must believe that God will definitely protect and save us through the Roman commander. The secret to defeating Satans elaborate plan is to obey order and principles according to todays Word. The secret is living a simple life. All the order in the place I belong to is established by God, from family to work, church and country. Obeying order is the preparation of the Holy Spirit. With the help of Roman officials, Paul was getting close to Rome.
Third, Gods plan is prepared perfectly. When we are prepared spiritually, we are also prepared physically. The Roman commander summoned two centurions to dispatch 200 infantry, 70 cavalry, and 200 spearmen to go to Caesarea with Paul at the third oclock in the night, that is, 9:00 in the evening. He also prepared an animal for Paul to ride on (verse 24). The action taken by the commander was in order to transfer Paul, a Roman citizen, to the Roman governor, who had full jurisdiction and will put Paul in front of the fair trial. The commander unwittingly began preparing Pauls journey to go to Rome, and it was because he was always interested in Paul. There is no saying that the commander has been saved, but we can see that if we carry out our mission with the goal of salvation and always think about God, God will lead our ways through the right people. So, staying in the ranch and the faith community is the best preparation we can do for God to take charge of our lives in case of an emergency.
On the passage to Rome, God perfectly prepared his way. Paul was just a prisoner, but God prepared everything. Likewise, the confession, 'I am a sinner. I believe in Jesus who died on the cross for me.' is the most perfect preparation of the Holy Spirit. In the midst of the funerals, there are people who experience that God provides everything even if they are not ready to go to heaven. The perfect preparation in our life is to confess in front of our family and community that we are sinners and that we believe in Jesus. It is important to have a proper worship service in the moment of death and preach the gospel to the dying person. Then, not the Roman soldiers, but the heavenly angels, will escort us and lead us to the heaven.
A few years ago, one of our shepherds who had been diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder retested because of his son and the test results showed positive, which surprised both the shepherd and his doctor. He testified that he had only attended the ranch meetings and worship services, but as he realized he was a sinner, his perception of sin changed and this might change the test results. The ranch and worship service is the best preparation secret. We all are the riders on this heaven-bound train, and even if we roll and get hurt on our way, lets stay inside the train until the end, remembering that God is always protecting us. Let us conclude todays sermon. The preparation of the Holy Spirit prepares us for the near death environment and prepares us through order and principles. And seeing our family with objective eyes, confessing ones sins, and confessing that Jesus is the Christ is the best preparation we can do. I bless you in the name of the Lord that all of you will follow the preparation of the Holy Spirit.
