Brothers and sisters, let's stand together, please, for the reading of God's word. I'll be reading, starting at verse 17 there in Acts chapter 22, and I'll read through to verse 12 of chapter 23. Please listen carefully, because this is God's holy and infallible word. Now it happened when I returned to Jerusalem was praying in the temple that I was in a trance and saw him saying to me, make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly for they will not receive your testimony concerning me. So I said, Lord, they know that in every synagogue I imprisoned and beat those who believed on you. And when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by consenting to his death and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him. Then he said to me, depart, for I will send you far from here to the Gentiles. And they listened to him until this word, and then they raised their voices and said, away with such a fellow from the earth, for he's not fit to live. Then as they cried out and tore off their clothes and threw dust into the air, the commander ordered him to be brought into the barracks and said that he should be examined under scourging, so that he might know why they shouted so against him. And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said to the centurion who stood by, is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman and uncondemned? When the centurion heard that, he went and told the commander saying, take care what you do for this man is a Roman. Then the commander came and said to him, tell me, are you a Roman? He said, yes. The commander answered, with a large sum I obtained this citizenship. And Paul said, but I was born a citizen. Then immediately those who were about to examine him withdrew from him. And the commander was also afraid after he found out that he was a Roman and because he had bound him. The next day, because he wanted to know for certain why he was accused by the Jews, he released him from his bonds and commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul down and set him before them. Then Paul, looking earnestly at the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day. And the high priest, Ananias, commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth. Then Paul said to him, God will strike you, you whitewashed wall, for you sit to judge me according to the law, and do you command me to be struck contrary to the law? And those who stood by said, do you revile God's high priest? Then Paul said, I did not know, brethren, that he was the high priest. For it is written, you shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people. But when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee. Concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead, I am being judged. And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. For Sadducees say that there is no resurrection and no angel or spirit, but the Pharisees confess both. Then there arose a loud outcry, and the scribes of the Pharisees' party arose and protested, saying, We find no evil in this man, but if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him, let us not fight against God. Now when there arose a great dissension, the commander, fearing lest Paul might be pulled to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them and bring him into the barracks. But the following night, The Lord stood by him and said, be of good cheer, Paul, for as you have testified for me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome. And when it was day, some of the Jews banded together and bound themselves under an oath saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. And thus ends the reading of God's word. Amen. Amen. Please be seated. The Jews of today's text did not realize their greatest threat as they focused on far less important things. Likely this very same structure within which this event took place was thrown down to the ground with not one stone left upon it within 20 years of this event. And many of these same men in this council, destroyed by pagan Rome, and much of it because of the kind of apostasy that's on display today. You know, near the Albanian shores of the Adriatic Sea, in January of 1468, George Castriotti, during his last public statement, which was given while he was lying on his deathbed, he said, don't forget that the focus of the Ottoman's policy is to sow division among the Christian princes. The great power is embedded in the devastating politics of division, which grants them more conquests than their weaponry. Now, this mighty and wise man, he knew well his subject. Wonderful story. Taken as a slave of the Muslims at age 10. You know, Islam means submission. Raised up in Islam and warfare, He was one of the Janissaries. Those are those captured Christian who they bring as children and raise them up in horrible enslavement and teach them to be warriors. Often the first waves that would go into warfare, these Janissaries. This one became a greatly feared Ottoman general, trusted and rewarded by the Sultan himself. One time, because of jealousy of another great leader amongst the Turks, who wouldn't be quiet, challenged him. He lopped his head off with his sword with one blow. He was a giant of a man. No one could stand against him. He was given rewards. He was trusted by the Sultan himself. And yet every step of the way, this Christian boy kept his faith in Christ. He didn't tell anyone. He kept his faith in Christ all the way through. He maintained his love, his unending love for his devastated family, all of them killed because of Muslim warfare against his homeland. And his devotion to the freedom of Albania never wavered in all of these years. The whole time he was crying out to God to deliver him so he could return home, comfort his family, and fight for the freedom of his slaved people. He was beloved by the Muslims, and all of it was a charade so that he could gain power to strike them. They called him Skanderbeg. This was the name given to him by the Muslims, which means Lord Alexander, comparing him to Alexander the Great. Eventually, he fought free and ultimately became one of the greatest defenders of the Christian West that the Islamic Horde ever faced. Mehmed II, the supreme Ottoman sultan, said of him on the occasion of his death, If this scanner bag had not been bored, I would have long since put a turban on the head of the pope and the crescent moon on the top of St. Peter's. Finally, Europe and Asia are mine. Woe to Christianity. It has lost its sword and shield. But Skanderbeg understood even more importantly that it was critical for Christianity to unite and that everything would just be a defensive warfare, a treading of water until Christianity stopped fighting amongst itself and united again. Here is warning. This is to the world as he's leaving it. He is still to this day the greatest hero in the history of Albania. Don't forget that the focus of the Ottoman's policy is to sow division among the Christian princes. Their great power is embedded in the devastating politics of division, which grants them more conquests than their weaponry. Today's sermon, every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation. We see this displayed in the apostate Jews. We certainly see it displayed for our eyes today. And I think we're part of the problem, you and me, sitting here in this room. I think we've been caught up in this in many ways. First, we'll recall that the shields of the earth belong to God. That's in verse 30. We see that demonstrated again. Paul speaks, Ananias lashes out, and then Paul rebukes Ananias, not aware that he's the high priest, and then he defends himself in the rebuke that he gave. Meanwhile, you see Paul's cleverness surfacing. He pokes at this fault line that he knows exists there. And just as predicted, because of the divisions in place, because of the divisions that are already there, Paul can easily control this crowd. They are divided against themselves. And they were going to kill Paul again. But again, we're reminded at the end of this text, the shields of the earth belong to God. And Paul is again rescued by a pagan Roman governor. And then, of course, some questions along the way and at the end to know, love and obey God and a call, a call to a warning against disunity and encouragement towards unity. The next day, because he wanted to know for certain why he was accused by the Jews, he released him from his bonds and commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear and brought Paul down and set him before them. Brothers and sisters, our crucified, resurrected, ascended Lord Jesus Christ holds the heart of Claudius Lysias in his hands. And he works in this Roman commandment not only to free Paul from his chains here, but also to exercise his God-given Roman authority over the chief priests and the Jewish council. This is the ruling council of the Jewish people, commanding them to come before him and try Paul before his eyes. He's going to watch and make sure that this is fair. He does not hand Paul over to them like they crave for him to do. He doesn't trust them that much. He trusts him enough that perhaps he'll learn something from this meeting to see why Paul has been brought like this. But he's maintaining a watchful eye over the proceedings, as we see at the end. He's watching it all, protecting Paul from their proven madness and violence. And of course, he doesn't learn anything about what the charges are that have been brought up against Paul. But before we get into this important detail section of Acts again, let's step back. Let's remember the overarching theme. Remember the chiastic structure we looked at at the beginning, the end of Luke and the beginning of Acts? Let's look at it again. What is the focus of the book of Acts? Luke chapter 26, verses 50 through 53. He led them out as far as Bethany and he lifted up his hands and blessed them. Now it came to pass while he blessed them that he was parted from them and carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. So the book of Luke ends with the ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ, the ascendancy and supremacy of Jesus. How does Acts begin? It's a two-volume set of books by Luke, right? Now, when he had spoken these things, while they watched, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel who also said, Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? The same Jesus who was taken up from you into heaven will so come in like manner as you saw him go into heaven. So how does the book of Acts begin? The ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ with two exclamation points. two angels standing there clearly showing that Jesus is now elevated even above the angels. Christ's ascension ends Luke's gospel and begins Luke's book of Acts. And Acts, which we know is often called the Acts of the Apostles, which is acceptable, but it's really best understood as the Acts of the risen and reigning Messiah. And we see more of his Acts Today, today's text, our glorious King Jesus, who speaks to us still by his word and spirit. He's revealing here in this text that he is most highly exalted above every name, over every power in the earth, every dominion in the universe and every house divided against itself, which cannot stand, which will not stand is underneath his sovereign overarching. for ordaining plan. So the first question for us to consider is do you really walk in this reality? Do you really, really walk in this reality? Resting in His supreme ascendancy. Knowing that His love for you guides His almighty reign. Is this your heartbeat? is it is the only deliverance from fear and anxiety. It is the only deliverance from the worries that multiply like bionic rabbits in our mind. Do you walk in this reality? If there is, if there is in your life, if there is anxiety, if there is fear, if there are racing thoughts that you cannot control, then it is likely that you have very little real faith in this truth about who God is and his love for you and his power over your life. Next, we want to say in this that we see Christ reigning over Rome and over every governing authority, including the Sanhedrin, this ruling Jewish council. So it should give us confidence, again, to see that there's not a limit to Christ's power, and there's not a limit to His love. Again, we know this academically, but do we really live it? Romans 13.1 makes it very clear. Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Jesus told Pilate this, did he not? You would have no authority were it not given to you from above. So who rules over Job? Who rules over the deep state? Who rules over the Islamic horde that is coming in by the hundreds of thousands into our country on a regular basis? Who rules over the cities of refuge that they're building for themselves all throughout our nation and arming themselves against us as we fight amongst ourselves? Who rules over this? Who rules over every threat on earth and every power? Our Lord does. Our Lord doesn't. So that should grant us peace. It should also cause us to repent and to grow up together in Christian unity, not just here, but look at the church today. What what can we do? What can you do personally? What can I do to be a part of building unity? We're going to talk about that. There are things that you can do. There are things that I can do. Recall also the power of this council And it again reminds us of Paul's poise. What did they do to Jesus? What did this council, what occurred as a result of Jesus appearing for this council? What occurred as a result of Peter and John? Were they not beaten, commanded not to speak in Jesus name anymore? And now Paul, he's there as well. So this misguided council is now a tool of the devil. And again, they're digging the hole of God's wrath deeper and deeper. So Paul's there. He's very earnest. He looks earnestly at the council. He's hopeful that God would grant by the movement of his spirit a real breakthrough here. Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day. And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth. He's being very respectful, as always, and he's expressing affection to these his countrymen. You know, he said, I'd be cut off if I could for them. He's filled with love and compassion for them. He's making his defense to them who are his enemy at that moment. Certainly, like Jesus said, he's been praying for them. He's been seeking to love them in his heart. Just as he's getting started down this path, contrary to Jewish law, this wicked high priest, and we'll talk about it, he was a wicked man, Ananias, bought and paid for, the, if you will, poster child of corruption. He has Paul struck on his mouth before he can even make a defense. And I want us to see this type of unrestrained authoritarianism. It becomes necessary to control any unregenerate group of sinners who are not being restrained by God's common grace. especially those who've been given over to their sin for so long as the Jews had been, and especially when multiple, multiple factions had firmly divided the group into warring parts internally. This is the classic approach of the devil, of Marxism, of communism, even of Islam. Of all really divisive people, it is the heart of hell. is to divide sinners and call for a savior who will really be an antichrist, a false savior, an authoritarian figure. So authoritarian leadership is a mark of a divided people. And I ask you, do you see that in today's world? I think in the political realm, it's easy to see. But do you see it in the ecclesiastical realm as well? I think we do. If you look closely, you'll see many, many examples of abusive, diatrophies type leadership in God's church today. Now, Paul has a good conscience. The commentary says he had always been a man inclined to religion. He never was a man that lived at large, but always put a difference between moral good and evil. Even in his unregenerate state, he was as touching the righteousness that was in the law, blameless. He was no unthinking man who never considered what he did, no designing man who cared not what he did so he could but compass his own ends. So even when he wasn't following Christ, he wasn't breaking his conscience. He just had a misinformed conscience. And that's important for us because this demonstrates that you can believe that you're doing something that's good and right and be wrong and be fighting against God. That's what Paul was doing. I think this quote that he gives there is primarily focused on everything since his conversion, but not limited to that. He's making it clear to them. He's trying to start off with a summary statement that he was blameless. He had not sinned against the law. Remember, that was the claim that they brought against him. Now, let's listen to this quote from Pastor Kaiser for one of his sermons about Ananias. All Israel knew him as a despicable tyrant. Let me give a bit of background on this guy that will help you to understand. He ruled as high priest from 48 to 59 AD. But you need to realize that biblically qualified men no longer filled the office of high priest. This had become a political office instead of a church office. This office was appointed to corrupt men by Rome and Ananias gained the office through political intrigue. Though Ananias had control of the temple, his position was secular, and the conservative Jews such as Pharisees utterly despised him. Ananias was a ruthless man who assassinated political opponents, and when that was not possible, sought to buy them off with the temple money. For example, he did everything he could to get rid of Josephus. He robbed priests of their tithes and used it for his own political gain. He almost lost his office from Rome when he slaughtered a large number of Samaritans. But he had political connections and he got off the hook. He had no problem with taking out his critics. Ananias was a man who was evil to the core, and he was not a man who was used to being challenged. When Paul did not meekly submit to this kangaroo court, Ananias was incensed. And his command to slap Paul in the mouth was totally in character with what we know about Ananias. As far as Ananias was concerned, his word was law and people better follow it. He had determined Paul was guilty and that was the end of the matter. He had no intention of having to prove Paul's guilt. That's the way that Ananias worked. Okay. So Paul is struck on the mouth. He knows that he's been treated unlawfully. And so he says, God will strike you, you whitewashed wall, for you sit to judge me according to the law and do you command me to be struck contrary to the law? So Paul stands up for himself. He's not afraid of this kangaroo court. He knows that God holds the hearts of all the rulers in his hands. And he defends himself right here in front of this crowd. His life is on the line. Now, let's remember, he's an apostle of God. And given what happens to Ananias in the near future, I think this is more than just a rebuke. I think it's a divinely inspired prophetic rebuke. Again, Pastor Kaiser. God did indeed strike Ananias down within a few short years. Jews who could not stand him anymore cornered him in an aqueduct and brutally killed him as he had brutally killed so many others. So I, along with a number of commentators, consider this to be a prophetic rebuke that was fulfilled. Paul here points out the hypocrisy of Ananias. You're here to judge me according to the law, and yet right here in front of everybody, you violate the law? You violate due process? Such hypocrisy will always run rampant amongst authoritarian leaders like Ananias. Because such leaders exist, because of the unregenerate populace they represent, they know it is very unlikely they will be held accountable. They know they have the biggest stick, the most money, the most influence, and they don't care. And they love to rub it in your face that they can violate the very same law they're going to use against you. And they know no one can stop them. Hypocritical leadership is another mark of a divided people. Hypocrites innately know that they're safe as long as they're leading hypocrites. So Paul defends his rebuke of Ananias. Those who stood by said, Do you revile God's high priest? And then Paul said, I did not know, brethren, that he was the high priest, for it is written, You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people. So the council members, but probably who knows, probably some some Sadducees who were saddled up in the camp of Ananias. They attempt to rebuke Paul. But Paul defends himself by emphasizing that he didn't know that Ananias is the high priest. And I would guess that at this point, Paul's awareness of the division in this group is really surfacing and that Ananias has really overplayed his hand and has already created a situation that's going to be dividing, potentially dividing Pharisee from Sadducees. And he quotes God's word, which is something the Pharisees did all the time. You shall not revile God nor curse a ruler of your people. So perhaps he perceives that Ananias, a Sadducee acting contrary to God's law, has offended some of the Pharisees by striking him. This deep division is already there. Didn't take much to cause it to flare up again. And so he submits himself to scripture. And then with what he says also, he aligns himself with the Pharisees. And by doing this, in essence, he's placed Ananias on trial before the entire Sanhedrin through his courage, his poise, and his wisdom. He has put the focus on Ananias at this point in time. Now Ananias essentially is on trial with a few words. So what does Paul do next? He takes the initiative. He sees what's going on here. He uses his wisdom. When Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee. Concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead, I am being judged. So again, affection, courtesy, and then the courage and the cleverness here, right? It's clever as a serpent, we're told. As innocent as a dove. He aligns himself with the Pharisees. He understands the divisions within apostate Judaism of his day. He knows where their fault lines are. He knows where to poke to have the advantage. And he uses that knowledge with perfect timing here in this council. We saw his wisdom and his poise in the prior sermon with Claudius Lysias when his life is on the line. Here it is again. He'd already been unlawfully abused, and he launches this seismic charge into their midst. It's a lengthy quote from the commentary worth hearing. His own prudence and ingenuity stand him in some stead and contribute much to his escape. Paul's greatest honor and that upon which he most valued himself was that he was a Christian, an apostle of Christ, and all his other honors be despised and made nothing of in comparison with this, counting them but dumb that he might win Christ And yet he had he had sometimes occasion to make use of his other honors and they did him service. His being a citizen of Rome saved him in the foregoing chapter from his being scourged by the chief captain as a vagabond. And here is being a Pharisee saved him from being condemned by the Sanhedrin as an apostate from the faith and the worship of God. It will consist very well with our willingness to suffer for Christ to use all lawful methods, nay, and arts too, both to prevent suffering and to extricate ourselves out of it. The honest policy Paul used here for his own preservation was to divide his judges and to set them at variance with one another about him, and by incensing one part of them more against him, to engage the contrary part for him. So you see the wise balance here. Paul did not worship his Roman citizenship. Paul did not worship his Pharisaical background. He didn't clamor to send his kids to the Pharisee schools. He didn't put the Roman flag out front and say, make Rome great again. He did not worship these things. but he put these things to use for the glory of God. That's the balance we can put to use the thing that God gives to us without overvaluing them, over-prioritizing them, or idolizing them. Now, Paul could have said any number of things here, but he is an ambassador of Christ. He is on a mission to present the gospel. And that's why he does everything that he does. So even as he throws the seismic charge in their midst, note its contents. He emphasizes the heart of the gospel during this clever poking. He proclaims what? The resurrection of the dead. And in the context, clearly everybody knows he's proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. whom they knew well about, whom they had crucified, whom they got the story that he was raised from the dead, and they lied about it. They knew it was a lie. They knew they had a credible story of his resurrection from the dead. So it's clear what Paul's bringing up here. So Paul, you can see his defense cannot be allowed to silence his gospel witness. So in our cleverness, putting to use the things of the world that God has given to us, we must never depart, true, from being ambassadors for Christ. That must always take center stage. It's his glory. It's his name. It's his kingdom, not our own skin that matters. Paul's defending himself not because he wants to stay alive primarily, but because to live is Christ, to live is Christ. He wants to continue to further God's kingdom. Because this was a dangerous word, this resurrection word of Jesus. So here we see the seismic charge goes off, the earthquake hits here in this council. When he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. For Sadducees say that there is no resurrection and no angel or spirit, but the Pharisees confess both. Then there arose a loud outcry, and the scribes of the Pharisees' party arose and protested, saying, We find no evil in this man, but if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him, let us not fight against God. And when there arose a great dissension, the commander, fearing lest Paul might be pulled to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them and bring him into the barracks. So Paul succeeds in his effort here. Paul succeeds, and we've prayed, haven't we, for God to sow the seeds of strife in the camps of his enemies. And I think we can see some of that prayer being answered even in today's world. And we want to continue to pray for that and also yet see it's the very kind of attack the devil brings against us and that in our flesh, in our blindness, in our weakness, in our lack of trust towards God, in our immaturity, we are vulnerable to this. So Paul succeeds And the Sanhedrin, it breaks out into a great dissension. It's like a foaming madness. All the waves are crashing together on the seashore, and you see all the foam, and you can't tell what's going on. You get caught up in it and tossed around. You don't know where you are. This is what's happening. There's this loud outcry. It's like the mob in the streets again. The Sanhedrins, they're supposed to be the ones that are self-controlled and educated and poised, and they lose their cool just like the people in the street. And it is apparent they would have started beating him to death just like the people in the street were trying to do as well. These prideful men care far more about defending their own doctrines and position and pride than they do about ruling justly regarding Paul. So prideful leadership is another mark of a divided people. And along with this will come unjust leadership. So we've seen hypocrisy, the authoritarian nature. Now we see the prideful and unjust nature of this kind of leadership. It's what happens when you have an unregenerate people, a divided people, or even a regenerate people who are just deceived, and they don't understand, and they're just deceived, and they're led about by false shepherds. Proverbs 29 too says, when the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice, but when a wicked man rules, the people groan. There's a lot of groaning going on in our world today. It's just because of the civil magistrate, brothers and sisters, but because of the church, you know, we could probably stay here until the end of the service and not finish listing all of the different fragmented parts of the Church of the living God in the world today. And how they're probably even fighting against one another as we speak, literally fighting against one another in certain parts of the world. Like what was happening in Europe in all of this time frame when Islam is advancing, advancing, advancing, advancing, killing, murdering, raping, pillaging, enslaving. Christians being so horribly mistreated and they're fighting amongst themselves in Europe so often as this was happening. It does indeed tell a story that we can use to guide our understanding of the world in which we live today. And I want us to note also the advanced doctrinal positions of the two factions. They appear to have a reputation for doctrinal precision on both sides, yet they're both on their way to desolation. Literally, we know these are the very ones that experienced the desolation that was written about. Jesus spoke to these people, particularly the Pharisees. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you pay the tithe of mint and anise and cumin and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done without leaving the others undone. Blind guides who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel. Right, how far off were the Samaritans? They were way off. What did Jesus do? He traveled through their land and brought the gospel into their midst. So this should also be a warning to us, I think, especially in the reformed faith, because of course we've got our doctrine right. And this is a dangerous place to be for us. It really is. I think honestly, the reformed world is probably more vulnerable to this type of divisiveness and unhelpful living. So we need to watch out for this. Now, it's important at this point, I think, for us to say that factions, however, are necessary, okay? That those who are approved may be recognized amongst the church. There are factions, there are heresies, and it's necessary for these factions to exist. And also that those who are not approved, the heretics, are recognized amongst the church as well. So factions are necessary. as we know this 1 Corinthians 11. Now in giving these instructions, I do not praise you since you come together, not for the better, but for the worse. For first of all, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And in part, I believe it. For there must also be factions among you that those who are approved may be recognized among you. Therefore, when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord's supper. And so The message today, brothers and sisters, is not peace at all costs, unity at all costs. We don't trample truth and the treasured reality of the gospel underfoot for the sake of unity. We do not do that. But we can certainly overemphasize doctrine and distinctives and practice and beliefs that are not as important as the union and communion of the saints of God throughout the earth. We have one Lord. We have one faith. We have one hope. We have one baptism. There is one world and there is one plan that God has for his people in this earth. We can live as one church in the earth. We can entrust this, we can cry out to God for this, which is one of the key application points for today's sermon. When we read in Ephesians 5, the church being his bride that he's making spotless throughout the ages, a part of that is bringing together in unity his church throughout the ages. We want to cry out for this. We want to long for this. And it may very well be, brothers and sisters, that the great biblical hope for the future of this world will perhaps remain out of reach until the people of God come together in unity around the world. Biblical Christianity over all the world together. These are grand concepts that where we sit right now seem like more like pipe dreams than reality. In many ways, the church is so fragmented, it's like the bride is dead, ripped apart and thrown all over the earth. It's like maybe we feel maybe the way that the apostles felt when Jesus was in the tomb. But I believe we have hope. I believe we have hope. So while the Pharisees are correct regarding the disputes, they're right about resurrection, they're right about angels, they're right about spirits. The angels are with us today, praise be to God. We'll see them with our eyes someday. Always can't help but say, wouldn't it be great if they just appeared and we could see them right now? Wouldn't it be wondrous to have them hear their voices singing with us? They can hear our singing with them though. But nevertheless, even though they're right in their doctrine, you know, you're never more dangerous than when you when you know you're right. They are as doomed as their liberal, bought off, corrupt. Sad to see opponents. Because neither of their factions will repent and submit to Jesus Christ, the Messiah, and they will all suffer the same fate in the walls of Jerusalem on that day, those who do not flee, those who do not repent. They will suffer the same horrible fate. Starvation, death, bloodshed, plague, stories of eating their own children. You know the stories. These individuals will suffer that same fate, even though their doctrine was right. They'll say, Lord, Lord. And He'll say, away from me. I never knew you, you workers of iniquity. So may this impress us, brothers and sisters. See, they've lost sight. What's ultimately wrong with the Pharisees? They love doctrine. The ones who are outside of Christ, they love doctrine more than they love God. They have lost sight of God and his mercy and his grace, and this has led them to forfeit. Oh, to forfeit the glorious power and joy that is ours in union with God and with one another. I'm not sure how often we as Christians have experienced this union and communion. I kind of wonder if it's not almost like a fantasy world for us. Like we're fish out of water. We don't really even know what it's like until you get thrown back in. Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. It's like the precious oil upon the head running down on the beard, the beard of Aaron running down on the edge of his garments. It's like the dew of Hermon descending upon the mountains of Zion. For there, the Lord commanded the blessing life forevermore. Brothers and sisters, this power that is coming before us indirectly is through this union with God and with one another that's lived out in real life. You may be tempted to go buy guns and get ammunition when you hear about the Muslim hordes coming across the southern border, but it will not serve you if you are not in union with God and His people. We've said it before. You want to be a prepper? Be holy. You want to be prepared for bad times? Walk in union with God and with His people. It is this disunity, as we heard from that great Albanian leader, It is this disunity that is the greater threat than even the arms of the enemies of God. And these Pharisees show this to us, instead of remaining united together under God's grace and mercy and truth, thus gaining the blessings of faithfulness, which includes powerful unity that will cause their enemies to flee, and division and fear, which happened over and over and over and over and over again through the history of the Jews, when they were faithful to God, they would fight against a foe of much greater number, and what would happen? They would flee in every direction before them, because the Lord Sabaoth was present and fighting. But the opposite is true. The Lord fights against his people when they're under his curse. The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You shall go out one way against them and flee seven ways before them. And you shall become troublesome to all the kingdoms of the earth. Your carcasses shall be food for all the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth. No one shall frighten them away. And this happened to these men in this room on this day. And brothers and sisters, it can happen to anyone who gets caught up in this kind of lost and apostate thinking. It can happen to anyone. Next, we need to rejoice in God's sovereignty. Even as we look around and we see the tattered nature of God's church in today's world, the visible aspect of the disunity that is present today amongst the people of God, We need to rejoice the shields of the earth belong to God that reminds us that he's sovereign over all things. He's still he's still reigning over all things. And when there arose a great dissension, the commander, fearing lest Paul might be pulled to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them and bring him into the barracks. So this section that we've just read today begins and ends, or that we've studied today, begins and ends with pagan Roman power being used by Jesus Christ to protect his chosen servant, Paul. To protect him from his chosen people who have apostatized, the Jews. These same two powers that he submitted himself to unto death, Through his resurrection, he now, in his heart, is controlling them and guiding them. Commentary tells us the chief captain's care and conduct. It's a long quote. This will be the finishing quote for today's sermon. The chief captain's care and conduct stand him in more stead. For when he has thrown this bone of contention between the Pharisees and Sadducees, which set them together by the years and gained a fair testimony from the Pharisees, Yet he is never the nearer, but is in danger of being pulled in pieces by them. The Pharisees pulling to have him set at liberty and the Sadducees pulling to have him put to death or thrown to the people like Daniel in the den of lions. So that the chief captain is forced to come with his soldiers and rescue him as he had done in chapter 21 and chapter 22. See here, Paul's danger, first of all, between his friends and his enemies, he had to like to have been pulled to pieces, the one hugging him to death, the other crushing him to death. Such violences are those liable to that are imminent and that are become remarkable, as Paul was, who was by some much beloved and by others so much maligned. And then we see his deliverance. The chief captain ordered his soldiers to go down from the upper wards and to take him by force from among them. out of that apartment in the temple where he had ordered the council to meet likely and to bring him into the castle or tower of Antonio where he saw he could make nothing of them towards the understanding of the merits of his cause. So Paul is continuing his faithful behavior in this world. presenting the gospel everywhere he goes. And he's facing the typical response of those who are outside of Christ and those who hate the Lord. They've tried to kill him. We see the Roman leadership, pagan. They don't love God. And yet the Lord Jesus Christ putting them to use to protect him. And I've chosen to focus upon the division amongst the Jews at this time and the subsequent destruction that was brought upon them because I do believe there's a very, very significant amount of meaningful division amongst Christians today. And I don't just mean helpful disagreements that are ultimately going to lead to agreement in God's Word and bring the church together, but I mean unhelpful, meaningful divisions that make us, in many ways as a church, more like these apostate Jews than we would probably want to admit. And so how do we deal with this? Well, certainly I don't have all the answers. But first of all, we want to look to the Lord Jesus Christ. We want to remember the sovereignty of Christ revealed to us in this very text. OK. And that was the question I asked the very beginning. Are you resting in his sovereign care and his great love for you every day? Because, you know, if we start down this path with a heart of fretting, a heart of discouragement, then we've gone wrong from the start. So let's start off remembering His sovereignty and that He is ordained whatsoever comes to pass for His great glory and for our joy and for our good to make us like Christ. OK, that's the first thing. Next, within that context, let us pray and let's start today during our time of prayer for God to bring a great, great, you know, When you think of asking God to wipe Islam off the face of the earth, do you find that to be like an astonishing thing that you have a hard time even praying? Because it seems like it would just be asking too much. Let me ask you this, which seems like a greater miracle to you, that or God bringing all the Christians of the world together into one organic body through the entire earth? Which seems like it would require a greater miracle. And it may very well be that we don't believe God will or can do either, that both are in place. You do not have because you do not ask is what we are told. So, first is let us remember who He is and be filled with faith and peace and hope as we move into the reality of the situation and let us pray. Let us cry out to God to bring about a sweeping, astonishing unity of His church. Psalm 133, global Psalm 133. Whoever prays today could use Psalm 133 to pray for the dew to come all over the whole world. And all the things that divide Christians throughout the world. Those things that are contrary to God's word to be identified and rejected by God's people. and the truth to bring unity to God's people throughout the earth. And the wisdom to know how to work where there is disagreement on what are secondary measures or secondary issues. Brothers and sisters, we need this. And I've got to tell you, you've heard me say this before, Presbyterians, this is not our forte. This is not our forte. We need to learn from the Anglicans on this. Now, they've gone too far, obviously, and the Methodists as well. And that's the danger. May God grant us wisdom and balance to see this happen, to be a part of this, at least through prayer. Next, in this context of hope and prayer, what steps can we take? What steps can we take? Well, you know, I would really encourage you to get to know the Christians around you. Look for opportunities to get to know the Christians around you, where you work, where you go, your acquaintances, and to be proactive in your mind. I've mentioned this before from the pulpit, but again, you can do this. These are steps you can take. Maybe it'll be a Bible study in your neighborhood. Maybe it'll be getting together with Christian friends in your neighborhood. Build relationships. Build relationships with Roman Catholics. Build relationships with Eastern Orthodox folks. Why? For the sake of the unity of the one true church of the living God in the earth. And perhaps your influence and your love and your opening of your Bible and your demonstration of the true piety of the Christian life to them might prompt them to see that there's greater unity available to Christians in the earth. And there's a way through this, this apparently unbreachable wall that exists between Roman Catholic and Protestant and Eastern Orthodox and Protestant. If Jesus Christ can tear down the wall of separation between Jew and Gentile, He can do it between Roman Catholic and Protestant. He can do it between Eastern Orthodox and Protestant. He can do it between Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholicism. He can do it between every other stripe of Christianity that's out there. Jesus Christ can do this. His body on the cross, we are one in Him. So you can take that step and hope perhaps your actions would be a part of helping to build unity amongst Christians in the world. Next, I want to just give a warning warnings against disunity and reasons for it and and encouragements to unity and reasons for it. OK, first warnings against disunity in today's world, I'm going to be very practical on this, OK? Islam will not stop until every Christian is dead or enslaved. End of story. Okay, that is what their book teaches and the vast majority of them who are active are living this out. They are encouraged to lie to Christians. History is a story of the deceptions and the lies of Islam. OK. That is the reality. Now, let me let me say, secondly, communism is just the other side of the same coin. It is essentially the same devilish commitment to the destruction of Jesus Christ and his people. Psalm 2 makes it clear. They want to cast his law out of their sights. And for now, they've set themselves together against the king. Their union cannot last. They're already fighting amongst themselves. We see this. We don't talk about the border. You and I both know how many literally millions of people there could be here committed to accomplishing in America what was accomplished in the Byzantine Empire. And don't fool yourself to think that Islam has changed. They're just wiser now. They're smarter now. And this whole immigration policy to bring warfare to a nation through immigration is absolutely documented throughout history of how Islam conquers people. So don't fool yourself to think that that's not happening in our world today. How big is the threat? What are the numbers? I don't know. I'm not claiming to know. But we would be foolish to think that this is not what this evil organization is still doing. And again, this is according to their own writings, what they're commanded by their God to do. Kill Christians, enslave Christians everywhere. Lie to them everywhere is what is what the book says. And they're serving God when they do this. OK. So we'd be foolish to think that they've stopped doing that when the same Quran is being read in all of their mosques to this day. Now, it must be said, this is not true of every person who calls themselves a Muslim, right? You and I have both probably met good Muslim people who are friendly and don't believe this. They're more just kind of cultural Islam. Now, they're easily, easily radicalized and, you know, I get some skeptical looks, maybe there's not even one out there like that, but there probably are, okay? So that's the first warning against disunity, okay? We have to understand the world that we live in today and the threats that are brought against us as a result of our disunity. And it's very likely that what happened in during that time frame was a result of the apostasy of God's people at that time and the subsequent disunity and weakness that goes with it. That's a warning against disunity, and hopefully that will motivate us to pray, trusting God, not having fear. crying out to him to bring unity to his people and two simple prayers. God, please wipe Islam off the face of the earth and make it nothing but a memory that gets lost like the Amalekites. You can pray that prayer against them. And we have to understand that we are soldiers. We are in warfare. We're not like clamoring for people to be killed, but this is evil from the pit of hell. We want it gone. Next we can say almost the exact same thing regarding communism and Marxism. I won't go into all the details of how it has proven itself to be a very similar tool of the devil. Will you pray for God to dismantle and destroy these lies in the earth? So those are warnings and calls to prayer. And then of course, encouragement. I'll just go back and read it again from Psalm 133. To see the power that is ours. And brothers and sisters, the power is from God. It's not us. It's not how well you can shoot or how many bullets or beans or bullion you got. That's not our power. We're wise to plan for the future, but that is not our power. Our power, God is our power. And our real power, our real strength is our rejoicing, our praise, our gratitude. It is our gratitude and our praise and our singing. This is the warfare that is the most powerful thing that we have. So when we're here today, right now, today, an encouragement to unity is the next songs we sing. First of all, I understand you're singing to one another, not just to God. Right? That's why I look at you while I'm singing. You can too. We're encouraging one another when we sing. We're singing psalms and hymns, right, to one another. Encouraging each other. But also, brothers and sisters, in the prayer time to come and the singing to come, let us understand that in our thanks and our praise towards God, We are destroying the works of the devil. Worship is our best warfare. The tools of true conquest are ours here today. And we don't have to go any further than this place this morning to implement that. Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. It's like the precious oil upon the head running down on the beard, the beard of Aaron running down on the edge of his garments. It's like the dew of Herman descending upon the mountains of Zion. For there, the Lord commanded the blessing life forevermore. Let us pray. Almighty and gracious Heavenly Father, we cry out to you, Lord God, to bless us, we pray, to be mindful of these truths that you brought before our eyes today. Fill us with faith and hope and joy in your sovereign love over us, O Lord God. Grant us wise minds, eyes to see the reality of the world in which we live and to be warned against the dangers of apostasy and disunity To be praying against your enemies in the earth, oh God. And bless us to be filled with the gladness and the joy and the experience of strength as we believe in your salvation and worship you and praise you and give you thanks today and every day to come. Until we join in with that eternal choir, praising you, free from all sin and threats forever and ever. In Jesus' name, amen.