Pleasing God or Pleasing Man

Rev. Mark C. Alvis, Union Congregational Church — Christmas I, December 31, 2006

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In Lystra there sat a man crippled in his feet, who was lame from birth and had never walked. He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed and called out, “Stand up on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.

When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them.

But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting: “Men, why are you doing this? We too are only men, human like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them. In the past, he let all nations go their own way. Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.” Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them.

Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe (Acts 14:8-20 NIV).

Most of us have heard the saying “Two heads are better than one,” which agrees with Proverbs 11:14, “In the multitude of counselors there is safety.” The truth in these statements is obvious and yet there is also truth in statements which seem to say the opposite. For example, “Too many chefs spoil the broth”; and we all know that an organization can have “Too many chiefs and not enough Indians.” All these statements are true in their proper setting.

Proverbs 16:7 states a wonderful truth, “When a man’s ways are pleasing to the LORD, he makes even his enemies live at peace with him.” Kind, honest, hard-working people are usually respected and appreciated. However, there are times in life when kind and honest people have to decide if they are going to please men or please God. When man’s ways are opposed to God’s ways, we must follow God’s ways. In Acts 14:8-20 Paul and Barnabas find themselves in just such a situation. They are on their first missionary journey and have just been driven out of Iconium for preaching the good news about Jesus Christ. After traveling about twenty miles south and they have come to the city of Lystra, in modern day Turkey.

Let’s look at Acts 14:8-10:

In Lystra there sat a man crippled in his feet, who was lame from birth and had never walked. He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed and called out, “Stand up on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.

At Lystra we see no evidence that Paul and Barnabas went to a synagogue to share the gospel, which was their normal practice. There are several possible reasons as to why. (1) It could be that there wasn’t a large enough Jewish population in Lystra to form a synagogue. That is pretty unlikely however, since it took only ten adult Jewish males to officially establish a synagogue. It is more probable that Paul and Barnabas stayed away from the synagogue at Lystra because reports about them had spread among the Jewish population of that whole area. Going to a synagogue at Lystra after being kicked out of synagogues in Pisidian Antioch and Iconium, would more likely have been to walk into a trap rather than an opportunity to preach the gospel. And so at Lystra Paul and Barnabas went into the market place with the gospel, and found a man crippled from birth. Although his legs didn’t work, his ears and understanding did. When Paul saw that the gospel was being received by him, he was prompted by God to heal his lameness. The ability to perform signs and wonders was a mark of being an apostle, according to II Corinthians 12:12. This miracle is very similar to Peter’s healing of a lame man in Acts 3. Peter was arrested after performing his miracle.

Let’s see what happens to Paul and Barnabas in verses 11-13:

When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them.

Being viewed as a god was not the usual response to the ministry of Paul and Barnabas. What caused the people at Lystra to want to worship these two apostles? It seems that there was a legend in this town that the gods Zeus and Hermes had once appeared disguised as mortal men. Their offers to aid and help the people were rejected by all except one elderly couple who took them in. Because of this rejection, disaster came upon all the people except the elderly couple, who were greatly blessed. And so it would seem that when this great miracle occurred, the crowds thought that the gods had come into their midst again; and by golly this time they were not going to mess up.

How did Paul and Barnabas respond when they understood what the people were up to? Read 14-15:

But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting: “Men, why are you doing this? We too are only men, human like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them.”

I dare say that if Paul and Barnabas had said this anywhere in the United States today, the newspapers and TV networks would be all over it. How arrogant of these two men to call the cherished religious beliefs of others “worthless”! These men should be jailed, fined and made to publically apologize to everyone whose feelings may have been hurt by their hateful statement. Of course we all know that Paul and Barnabas did not hate these people. They loved them and were sharing truth with them. To worship idols is a waste of time and offensive to the true and living God. How do you say that in a politically correct way? The problem with the political correctness movement is that it does not believe in objective truth. It only believes in subjective truth. Therefore what is true for you may not be true for me. I agree that what is suitable and right for you may be wrong for me in regards to choosing a house or a job. A suitable job for me may be unsuitable for you. However, stealing is wrong for me and it is wrong for you. Worshiping an idol is stealing praise and honor which rightfully belongs to God and giving it to a worthless object of someone’s imagination. That is offensive to God no matter how sincere the idol worshiper is.

I believe in being tolerant with people who disagree with me and have no regard for the Bible. An atheist and I are very far apart in our thinking, but I am to love someone who thinks I am brain-dead stupid. I am to love my enemy. But I am not to let go of truth, in order to do that. The kind of pluralism and tolerance being touted in the United States today seeks peace by letting go of truth.

Did you notice the earnestness of Paul and Barnabas in urging the people not to sacrifice to them? The thought of being worshiped horrified both of these men because no created being is to be worshiped. Friends, there are only two broad categories in the universe: the Creator and the created. Only the Creator is to be worshiped.

Question: Why did the Apostles of Christ worship Him? Because they understood that Christ was fully God before he became a man. And after becoming a man, He did not cease to be God. Christ is in the category of the Creator in His Deity and the created in his humanity. He is absolutely unique.

In the Book of Revelation an angel showed the Apostle John visions into heaven. We know that God’s angels always say and do exactly what God has told them. John was so overwhelmed by what the angel showed him that he bowed down before the angel. How did the angel respond to this? “Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers the prophets and of all who keep the words of this book. Worship God!” Contrast that statement with a vision of Christ this angel showed John in Revelation 5:6-14:

Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders . . . [who] fell down before the Lamb . . . Then I looked, and I heard around the throne . . . the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all therein, saying, “To him who sits upon the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might for ever and ever!” And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

Jesus the Christ should be worshiped because He is both our Creator (John 1:1-3) and by becoming fully man, our Redeemer. As Isaiah 9:6 states, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

In ancient mythology the universe and life as we know it came about as a result of massive sexual orgies among countless gods. The Apostle Paul said that kind of thinking is nonsense and needs to be repented of. The Old Testament Scriptures had been saying that for hundreds of years but very few Gentiles had listened. Isn’t it amazing that today more than two-thirds of the world is monotheistic. I realize that is not the same as being Christians, but it is a step in the right direction.

Look at what Paul says in verse 16, “In the past, God let all nations go their own way.” I think you ought to underline that verse and write hallelujah after it. Paul made that statement because at the time he was speaking this had changed. Something very dramatic in world history had occurred. The Messiah had come and ushered in the New Covenant Order through His death, burial and resurrection. Hebrews 9:10 refers to the Christ event as the “diorthosis” — “the new order,” “the reformation,” literally “the making straight.” God’s plan to bless all the nations of the earth through the descendants of Abraham was in full swing and destined to grow.

In verse 17 Paul clarifies that even before Christ came into the world, God had provided evidences of His power and goodness to all the nations: “Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.”

The destiny of the nations has been altered from that of going “their own way,” to becoming “disciples of Christ.” Has the Bible said this would be a quick and easy process? No. It will take time and great sacrifice, as verses 18-19 suggest. Let’s consider first the response of the crowd recorded in verse 18, “Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them.” The crowds thought Paul and Barnabas were gods, but when these gods told them there was only one true and living God, they thought they were mistaken. Let’s not be too rough on them because most of us have been guilty of thinking we know better than God. Let me give you a current example. The biblical penalty for cold-blooded murder with multiple witnesses is death (Numbers 35:30-31). However, with our so called deeper compassion and enlightenment, we have now determined that a murderer should only be locked up. After all, “To put him to death would make us as bad as the murderer.” Wow! I am sure God had never looked at it from that angle before. Surely wisdom and mercy will die with our generation. Of course when we imprison murderers for life it forces the loved ones of the victim to financially support the murderer, through taxes, for the rest of his life or until he is out on parole. Talk about cruelty! Proverbs 12:10 says, “The compassion of the wicked [those who rebel at God’s law or set themselves above it] is cruel.”

Paul and Barnabas had just healed a man crippled from birth and then refused to be worshiped for doing so. Does that sound like a heinous crime to anyone? Look what happens in verse 19: “Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead.”

In the minds of the Jews, Paul was a blasphemer because he believed Christ is the Messiah and worthy of worship and honor. But why would declaring Christ to be the Messiah upset Gentiles who already worshiped many gods? It didn’t. What offended these people is that Paul insisted only the true and living God is to be worshiped. That truth is what got Paul into trouble. Political correctness was alive and well in Paul’s day. Fortunately, so was the true and living God.

Look with me at verse 20, “But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city.” It is possible that Paul may not have been dead, but unlikely. The death penalty was unbiblically practiced very often in Paul’s day and those who stoned Paul were not rookies. Undoubtedly he was a bloody mess, with his head cracked open and no breathing taking place. Even if he wasn’t quite dead, it is still very impressive that he got up and walked back to the city. Am I safe in saying that Paul had perseverance?

The men who stoned Paul were convinced he was dead. In reality, he had only just begun to fight. He wasn’t even finished with his first missionary journey. Christianity is all about resurrection. Just when it looks like Christians are out for the count, by God’s grace they get back up and continue the fight. If we were to judge from reading our newspapers, it would seem that the Church in the United States is dead. My consolation is that God can raise us up again. Wouldn’t it be wonderful for the Church to rise again in this land?

We have read this morning that no longer is God allowing the nations to go their own way. King Jesus is on the throne! And as Revelation 5:9-10 states:

You [Lord Jesus] are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.

Christians are a royal priesthood, but we use our kingly status as servants to the lost, the poor and needy. Our ace in the hole is that the Lord Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth and He is with us always. What is in store for Christians, who are the descendants of Abraham through faith in Christ? In Genesis 22:17 God promised Abraham on oath, “Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies.” It will happen in God’s time and in God’s way. Let’s pray.

Sermon text ©2006 Mark C. Alvis
Bible text © as applicable