Take Courage: Christ Is With You in the Darkness

Paul’s trouble in Jerusalem comes from the gospel itself. The crowd can tolerate much of Paul’s story, but the minute he says that Christ sent him to the Gentiles, everything explodes again. The temple had been meant to be “a house of prayer for all people,” but the people had turned it into a place of division, putting up walls to keep the Gentiles out. Christ, however, has broken down the wall of hostility in His flesh. Salvation is by grace through faith for Jews and Gentiles alike.

Paul’s Roman citizenship stops the soldiers from scourging him without a trial. Paul is willing to suffer for Christ, but he also uses wisdom and the protections available to him so that he can continue proclaiming the gospel. Boldness does not mean throwing away wisdom. Paul knows the punishment is serious, and he knows that his life and freedom can still be used for the cause of Christ.

The Sanhedrin exposes a deeper division when Paul says that he is on trial because of “the hope of the resurrection of the dead.” The resurrection cuts straight through all the fluff and gets to the heart of the matter. The Sadducees reject resurrection, angels, and spirits, while the Pharisees affirm those things. The gospel stands or falls on the fact that Christ truly rose from the dead. If Christ has not been raised, nothing else matters. But because the tomb was empty, there is hope of resurrection life for all who trust in Him.

Christ meets Paul at his lowest point. Paul sits in a Roman cell after riots, threats, a near scourging, and a violent council meeting. Paul does not know how the next day will turn out, but Jesus stands beside him in the darkness and says, “Take courage.” Christ does not wait until the chaos is over to come near. Christ comes in the middle of the fear, sorrow, confusion, and uncertainty.

Christ also gives Paul a sure promise: Paul will testify in Rome. The Lord’s presence and the Lord’s mission go together. The same Christ who sends His people to make disciples also says, “I am with you always.” Every believer has a Rome, a hard place, a hard person, or a place where the gospel has met resistance. Christ calls His people to go with wisdom, boldness, courage, and confidence that they do not go alone.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Christ breaks down hostile dividing walls. The wall around the temple pictured a deeper problem in the human heart: the desire to keep grace for those who seem acceptable. Christ tears down that hostility by making Jews and Gentiles one through His blood. The gospel cannot be held as private property by people who have received it freely. [41:23]
• 2. Boldness should walk with wisdom. Paul does not deny Christ or run from suffering, but he wisely claims his Roman citizenship when unjust punishment is about to fall on him. Faithfulness does not require carelessness. God can use ordinary protections, wise words, and careful decisions to keep open doors for the gospel. [47:59]
• 3. The resurrection is the gospel’s heartbeat. Paul brings the whole conflict back to the resurrection because everything depends on whether Christ rose from the dead. A risen Christ means sin, death, and judgment do not get the final word. Christian hope rests on a real empty tomb, not merely sincere religious feeling. [54:04]
• 4. Christ stands near in darkness. Paul receives Christ’s presence while sitting in a cell, not after his problems have been resolved. Jesus meets His servant in the place of fear and uncertainty and tells him to take courage. The darkest moment is not proof that Christ has left; it may be the very place where His presence becomes most clear. [56:20]
• 5. Christ sends His people with promise. Paul must go to Rome because Christ has called him there, and Christ’s calling comes with Christ’s presence. Every hard conversation and difficult witness belongs under that same promise: “I am with you.” The call is not to control the outcome, but to testify faithfully to the facts of the risen Lord.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [13:38] - Church Announcements and Upcoming Events
• [31:08] - Paul’s Fear and God’s Presence
• [33:23] - Acts 22:22 Through 23:11
• [38:16] - The Gospel Faces Opposition
• [40:08] - The Wall Between Jews and Gentiles
• [43:25] - Paul’s Roman Citizenship
• [49:29] - Paul Before the Sanhedrin
• [52:19] - The Hope of the Resurrection
• [55:38] - Jesus Stands Beside Paul
• [59:36] - Paul Must Testify in Rome
• [62:03] - Take Courage and Share the Gospel

Bible Reading

Acts 22:22–23:11

Up to this word they listened to him. Then they raised their voices and said, “Away with such a fellow from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live.” And as they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air, the tribune ordered him to be brought into the barracks, saying that he should be examined by flogging, to find out why they were shouting against him like this. But when they had stretched him out for the whips, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, “Is it lawful for you to flog a man who is a Roman citizen and uncondemned?” When the centurion heard this, he went to the tribune and said to him, “What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman citizen.” So the tribune came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” And he said, “Yes.” The tribune answered, “I bought this citizenship for a large sum.” Paul said, “But I am a citizen by birth.” So those who were about to examine him withdrew from him immediately, and the tribune also was afraid, for he realized that Paul was a Roman citizen and that he had bound him.

But on the next day, desiring to know the real reason why he was being accused by the Jews, he unbound him and commanded the chief priests and all the council to meet. And he brought Paul down and set him before them. And looking intently at the council, Paul said, “Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to 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 is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Are you sitting to judge me according to the law, and yet contrary to the law you order me to be struck?” Those who stood by said, “Would you revile God’s high priest?” And Paul said, “I did not know, brothers, that he was the high priest, for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’”

Now when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. It is with respect to the hope and the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial.” And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all. Then a great clamor arose, and some of the scribes of the Pharisees’ party stood up and contended sharply, “We find nothing wrong in this man. What if a spirit or an angel spoke to him?” And when the dissension became violent, the tribune, afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him away from among them by force and bring him into the barracks.

The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.” [33:23]

Ephesians 2:14

For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility. [41:23]

Matthew 28:18–20

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” [01:00:45]

Observation questions

1. What word in Paul’s testimony causes the crowd to stop listening and call for his death, and what does their reaction reveal about their attitude toward Gentiles? [41:47]
2. What does Paul do when he is about to be scourged, and how does his Roman citizenship immediately change the soldiers’ actions? [47:41]
3. What specific issue does Paul raise before the Sanhedrin, and what different beliefs do the Pharisees and Sadducees have about it? [52:47]
4. What does the Lord say to Paul after Paul has endured a riot, a threat of scourging, and a violent meeting with the council? [56:20]

Interpretation questions

1. Ephesians 2:14 says that Christ broke down the dividing wall of hostility in His flesh. Why is the gospel’s welcome of both Jews and Gentiles so central to the conflict surrounding Paul in Jerusalem? [40:08]
2. Paul is willing to suffer for Christ, yet he uses his legal protection to stop an unjust scourging. How does Paul’s response show that wise action and courageous faithfulness belong together? [47:59]
3. Paul brings the discussion before the Sanhedrin back to “the hope and the resurrection of the dead.” Why does the truth that Jesus truly rose from the dead matter more than religious sincerity, good behavior, or church activity? [54:04]
4. Jesus meets Paul in a prison cell and promises that he will testify in Rome. How does Christ’s promise show that His presence and His mission are connected, especially when the path forward is unclear? [59:43]

Application questions

1. Christ has broken down the wall of hostility and offers salvation by grace through faith to all kinds of people. Is there a person or group that is easy to quietly assume is less likely to receive the gospel? What might it look like to replace that attitude with prayer, welcome, and a genuine desire for them to know Christ? [41:23]
2. Paul did not seek suffering for its own sake, but he did not hide the gospel to avoid suffering either. Where might wisdom help you keep a door open for gospel witness—in a family relationship, workplace conversation, online interaction, or difficult friendship? [48:15]
3. The resurrection is not merely a comforting idea; it is the factual center of Christian hope. When fear about death, grief, guilt, or the future rises up, how can the empty tomb speak directly into that particular fear? [57:39]
4. Paul received Christ’s encouragement while he was still in the darkness of a prison cell. What area of uncertainty, sorrow, or fear most needs the reminder that Christ has not left you there alone? [59:13]
5. Everyone has a “Rome”—a difficult place, relationship, or conversation where gospel witness feels costly or unwelcome. Who is one specific person or place that comes to mind, and what would one faithful next step look like this week? [01:02:21]
6. Jesus says, “I am with you always.” How would remembering Christ’s presence change the way you approach a conversation about faith that you have been avoiding? [01:03:08]