Author: Jim Cantelon

Key Verse: Romans 4:3 “…Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”

How would you feel if you were almost 100 years old, your wife was 90; and you were still childless, even though God had promised you a son? You probably would have given up hope by now. You’d question the accuracy of the promise: at least, thinking that maybe you had misread the lines.

But Abraham, “against all hope…in hope believed” (v.18). He “believed God” and this act of faith (the hope plus the act of physically loving his 90-year-old wife) became the means, not only of the promise being fulfilled, but also of his justification. Because of his belief in the inviolability of God’s word, Abraham hung on to the promise and acted upon it. God, seeing this remarkable faith, counted it as “righteousness”, and Abraham was justified in His sight.

Notice that Abraham’s faith did not weaken, in spite of the physical realities. His body “was as good as dead” (v.19) and “Sarah’s womb was also dead”, but His faith was alive. The Bible says he simply “faced the fact” of the physical limitations and embraced the spiritual possibilities. His faith was so strong that he saw the promise fulfilled and became “the father of many nations” (v.19).

Paul makes the point that Abraham was vindicated, not because he was unusually adept at obeying the Law, but use of simply, persistent faith (v.13). It wasn’t his performance  alone — bu the tenacity of the belief upon which his actions were founded. Abraham was convinced that God could be trusted and, in return, God trusted Abraham.

Key Verse: Romans 3:28 “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of there law.”

What does it mean to be “justified”? And who or what is the “justifier”? Well, let us start with the meaning of “justice”. The Bible tells us God is “just” and His nature demands “justice”, especially in the context of man’s injustice. Justice is the reward of virtue and punishment of vice” (Concise Oxford Dictionary). To “justify” is to “show the justice or righteousness of (person, act, etc.), or to vindicate”. To be justified, then, is to be declared free from the penalty that God’s nature demands of sin. To be unjustified is to be subject to “the wages of sin”. According to the Bible, if owe aren’t justified we’re going to hell.

God is the ultimate and only justifier. Look at verses 25 and 26: “God presented Him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in His blood. He did this to demonstrate His justice…so as to be just and the one who justifies whose who have faith in Jesus” (NIV).

God’s justice demands a penalty for sin. For His own reasons, Good chose to require the giving of life as that penalty. In the Old Testament He allowed the Israelites to substitute the life of an unblemished animal for one’s own life. The shedding of the sacrificial blood was the only way to effect “remission of sin”. Without that blood there was no justification.

Jesus Christ has become that sacrifice for our sin, but we have to accept Him as our substitute. We cannot come into the presence of a holy and just God without the “covering” of His blood; there is no other way. As we have “faith in His Blood”, we are vindicated in God’s eyes — justice has been served. God’s anger at sin is atoned and we are accepted, unconditionally, into His presence.

Key Verse: Romans 1:20 “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.”

Do you ever get tired of preachers? I do, and I’m a preacher! I’ve often tried to analyze this fatigue, and I think I’ve hit on at least one thing about us preachers that makes me tired: we so often hammer away on the obvious. Our sermons are time and again framed around “should”, “woulds”, and scoldings — as though we had a parent-child relationship with our congregations. On the other hand, a preacher who simply preaches the Bible, letting it speak for itself, and then making practical application, is someone who has my attention.

But there’s another messenger who should have our attention. It’s creation itself: they world around us.

Paul says we can hear a sermon in the trees, the sky, the waters, and the mountains. And, rather than assault us with “should” and “woulds”, creation eloquently speaks of its Creator. Not only does it cry, “God exists!”, but it tells us what God is like. His “invisible attributes” and His “eternal power and Godhead” are uncovered in what He has made. All we need are ears to hear, eyes to see, and a mind to think.

Maybe there’s another flaw in us preachers — we tend to think for our people, instead of challenging them to think for themselves. The creation, after all, is the great thought-provoker: it makes you think thoughts of God.

Key Verse: Acts 28:20 “…for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain.”

The book of Acts concludes with Paul living under house arrest in Rome. It was a fairly casual confinement — he had only one soldier to guard him, and anyone who wished to do so could visit him. Even here, Paul discharged his duty of proclaiming Christ to his Jewish brethren. In fact, the Jewish leaders from Rome came to hear Paul, and he bluntly confronted them with their hardness of heart in rejecting Jesus. He spoke with passion because he believed, even after all he had been through, that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the Living God, the hope of Israel.

This is something believers today should reaffirm in their own lives — Jesus is the hope of Israel. our faith is not the product of some recent dearer or charismatic prophets; nor is it the Gentile religion. Christianity is the product of an ongoing relationship God has had with a people ever since He made a promise to Abraham, the “father of faith”. It is rooted in the promise of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. and it is personified in Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the One of whom the prophets spoke, “Emmanuel” — God with us, the hope of glory.

God became flesh and dwelt among us. He walked with us, talked with us, showed us the will of the Father, and challenged us to repent from our sins and turn our eyes to the kingdom of Heaven. He lived, died, was buried, rose again, and ascended to Heaven after appearing to hundreds of eye-witnesses in His resurrected body. And He is coming again to take the Church unto Himself — not the Gentile Church, nor the Jewish Church, but the Church that is described in the Bible as His “body”, men and women of faith whose spiritual father is none other than Abraham itself.

Jesus is the hope of Israel. He is also the hope of the Church. And He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Key Verse: Acts 27:25 “Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me.”

King Agrippa was impressed with Paul. After hearing Paul’s message, he said to Governor Festus, “This man could have been set free, if he had not appealed to Caesar” (26:32). But appeal to Caesar he had, so Paul must be sent to Rome. It was on the way to Rome by sea that the storm struck.

What a storm it was! The “Northeaster” they called it winds of hurricane force creating massive waves, driving the ship before it. Totally out of control, totally chaotic. The ship took such a beating that the sailors actually tried to hold it together by tying ropes under and around the hull (a feat which must have taken courage and skill). They threw everything off the ship that wasn’t essential to life, including the ship’s tackle. But the storm raged on, and the ship continued to disintegrate. After a few days without seeing either the sun or the stars, Luke tells us they had given up hope of life itself — all with the exception of Paul, that is.

Paul stands before them on the rolling ship, his “congregation” weary, emaciated, and terrified, and has the temerity to say, “keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost” (27:22). How did he know? Because an angel told him.

You can be sure there were a few cynics in that distraught crew who wondered about Paul’s sanity, and yet, he was so confident, so sure. And so right!

Later, as the 276 crew members, soldiers, and prisoners dried themselves off on the island of Malta, they had time to reflect on the remarkable faith of that man, Paul. Their ropes had done nothing to stabilize the ship, for it had been lost. But Paul’s faith had proven true — not one man was lost. It had wrapped them more securely than any ropes could have done. Committed faith will save you from the storm. Have faith in God.

Key Verse: Acts 26:20 “I…declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance.”

I think most of us have done it. Maybe several times. We sin, are stricken in our conscience, confess, and sin the same sin again. For some it’s a lifelong cycle — sin, confess, sin. And it’s not mechanical, either. When we confess, we really mean it. In fact, we often confess with tears, but seem unable to extricate ourselves from the cycle. So our conscience takes a beating — and so does our spiritual health. How does one cross over from being a victim of one’s selfishness to being a victor over one’s selfishness?

Well, it’s not easy, but there is an answer. It’s called “repentance”. Repentace means turning around and walking in the opposite direction. And that opposite direction points to God.

As Paul speaks to King Agrippa, he makes the point: we “repent and turn to God” (step 1) and “prove repentance by deeds” (step 2). It’s not enough to be sorry, we’ve also got to do something new, because repentance is essentially recreative and restorative.

For example, the only way to effectively deal with the sin of stealing from your neighbour is to confess, repay, and renew your commitment to good neighbourliness. Tell him what you did. Pay him back what you’ve stolen (with interest). Ask him for forgiveness. Renew your pledge (spoken or unspoken) to be a good neighbour. And then, for the rest of your life, don’t ever steal again. Let your track record from that moment on be clean.

And remember, as moving as confession may be, if you just do that and stop, there’ll be no healing. Confession is emotional. Repentence is volitional — it involves your will. Your choices will reflect your repentance. And your repentance will make your life new again.

Key Verse: Acts 24:26 “Meanwhile he also hoped that money would be given him by Paul, that he might release him. Therefore he sent for him more often and conversed with him.”

She was just a nice little old lady. She came to our door in Jerusalem, out of breath, and clutching a large notebook and a beat-up tape recorder. She said she wanted to talk to me about Jesus, and “would you mind if I tape our conversation? I’d like to write and article for a Canadian magazine.”

“No problem”, I said, and I even let her use my tape-recorder when hers malfunctioned. We talked about the Lord for two hours.

A month later, a large article appeared in Israel’s leading women’s magazine — alerting Israel to a dangerous new missionary, Jim Cantelon. It was a direct transcript, with a few strategically placed editorial comments included in quotations to make it appear they, too, were my words. The little old lady was in the employ of a large international anti-Christian organization dedicated to getting Christian preachers out of Israel. This was to be the first of several occasions throughout the ensuing years when I would face eager seekers-after-the-Gospel with mixed motives.

In chapters 24 and 25, we see Paul presenting his message to three high ranking Romans: the governor Felix, his successors Porcius Festus, and King Agrippa. These conversations took place, not over the course of a few hours, but two years.

It was Felix who spent the most time talking with Paul. He showed such interest that Paul may have assumed there was a genuine motive behind his questions. But there wasn’t. Luke tells us that his interest was money; Felix hoped to receive a bribe.

There’s a simple lesson here. We shouldn’t be overly impressed with a person’s eagerness to hear the Gospel. We need to be discerning, lest we “cast our pearls before swine”. That quote, by the way, comes from Jesus Himself (Matthew 7:6).

Key Verse: Acts 23:6c “I stand on trial because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead.” (NIV)

Paul’s troubles in Jerusalem continues. Even though he was now in the care of the Roman commander, he still had to face the hostility of the people. This time it was the commander himself who was catalyst to the problem. He “wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews” (22:30a), so he “ordered” the chief priests and all the Sanhedrin to assemble and brought Paul and had him stand before them” (v.30b, c).

Paul had no sooner begun his defence than Ananias, the high priest, ordered he be struck on the mouth. Paul reacted angrily (calling Ananias “a whitewashed wall!”), but then he apologized, asserting he didn’t realize that Ananias was the high priest. Then Paul takes a new tack. He knows the Sanhedrin is comprised of two sects, the Sadducees and the Pharisees. One of the major doctrinal disputes between them was the issue of resurrection — the Pharisees believed in it, the Sadducees didn’t. So Paul declares his identity, “I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee”, and goes on to say, “I stand on trial because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead” (23:6). He doesn’t mention Jesus directly. He just highlights resurrection. This divides the court and we see the remarkable disintegration of this respected body into a raging mob which might have dismembered Paul if the commander had not stepped in to protect him.

Chapter 23 continues with an account of a conspiracy to kill Paul, his safe transfer to Antipatris by night, and his ultimate imprisonment in Caesarea where he was to be tried before the governor Felix. Once again, his chief protector was Lysias, the Roman commander. The Lord used this Roman to ensure the apostle’s safety and the proclamation of this message to “higher” courts, both Jewish and Gentile. Paul was now about to present the Gospel to the upper echelons of the Roman world.

Key Verse: Acts 21:28 “Men of Israel, help! This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against the people, the law, and this place; and furthermore he also brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled the holy place.”

Have you been feeling sorry for yourself lately? Are your friends (the ones who should know better) misunderstanding you? Your enemies misrepresenting you? People taking you totally the wrong way — some even wanting to harm you? Are you fed up with the mixed signals, the lies, and the anger of everybody around you? Do your need someone out there who will at least empathize with your victimization? Well , read on…

If anyone had legitimate cause to feel victimized, it was the apostle Paul. First, there was the misunderstanding of his friends. He had just returned from years of missionary journeys and the least you’d expect would be that his friends and superiors in Jerusalem would commend him on his work and maybe hold an appreciation dinner or something. But what did they do? They told him to join four men in a Nazarite vow and pay their expenses to boot, just so the “friends” in Jerusalem would not believe the rumours that he had turned his back on the law of Moses. In a sense, they were demanding that Paul do something wise politically — and Paul, for whatever reason, went along with the plan (maybe it fit his “all things to all men” philosophy). But I’m sure he felt miffed.

Then, to add insult to injury, his enemies capitalized on Paul’s perceived “taintedness” in the eyes of his friends by telling all Jerusalem that he had not only turned his back on the law of Moses, but was teaching all men everywhere to do so. “He’s teaching against our law, against our nation, and even, God forbid, against the temple!” This blatant lie really got the people stirred up — in fact they stirred up the city, literally, “throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air” (22:23).

Nevertheless, Paul might have had some sense of satisfaction in knowing that at least he was being persecuted for Christ. “At least they know who I am. I’m a victim for the Gospel.” Well, if he was thinking this way, you can be sure that bubble burst when the Roman commander, who was trying to save Paul from the mob, looked him full in the face and said, “Aren’t you the Egyptian who started a revolt and led four thousand terrorists out into the desert some time ago?” (21:38). That had to be the final straw! Even his identity was besmirched. So much for a sense of recognition!

“Nobody loves me. Everybody hates me. And they don’t even know who I am! I’m going out to eat worms.” That’s what you or I might say. Not Paul. He takes his lumps, stands before the mob, and preaches Jesus. so much for self-pity!