The Complete Story of Paul
The Complete Story of Paul traces the incredible transformation and missionary journey of Paul the Apostle, one of the most influential figures in early Christianity. From his early days as Saul, a fierce persecutor of Christians, to his dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus, the story follows Paul's dedication to spreading the message of Jesus Christ throughout the Roman Empire. Through trials, imprisonments, and unwavering faith, Paul’s story is one of redemption, courage, and divine purpose. This inspiring account showcases his writings, teachings, and the powerful impact he had on the growth of the Christian church.
The Complete Story of Paul traces the incredible transformation and missionary journey of Paul the Apostle, one of the most influential figures in early Christianity. From his early days as Saul, a fierce persecutor of Christians, to his dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus, the story follows Paul's dedication to spreading the message of Jesus Christ throughout the Roman Empire. Through trials, imprisonments, and unwavering faith, Paul’s story is one of redemption, courage, and divine purpose. This inspiring account showcases his writings, teachings, and the powerful impact he had on the growth of the Christian church.
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00:00It's been six years since the Virgin Mary
00:26bore a dark-olive-skinned Jewish man into the world
00:29through the power and love of God Himself.
00:35This man ended up changing the course of history,
00:41wrenching the tide of time and splitting the temple curtain.
00:46He was the most important man to ever live,
00:51and he told the most important story
00:53with his life, death, and resurrection.
01:00But 961 miles north,
01:04another baby boy is being born.
01:08He is not the most important man to ever live,
01:11but he too will end up changing the course of history forever.
01:18Not by living out the most important story of all time,
01:22but by telling it to a people who did not deserve it.
01:28His name is Sha'u.
01:32And in time,
01:34he will become one of the most influential,
01:39inspiring,
01:40and divisive men of his century,
01:43second only to the story he lives to tell.
01:48Saul is born to a family in Tarsus,
02:05to the tribe of Benjamin.
02:06It is doubtless that he is named after one of his most illustrious ancestors,
02:11King Saul of Gibeah,
02:12a divided man who,
02:14as the story goes,
02:16shifted from being a zealous, godly man
02:19to a murderous traitor.
02:22Saul of Tarsus seeks to undo
02:24what his namesake set in motion.
02:28Tarsus, of modern-day Turkey,
02:30was conquered by Rome
02:3170 years before Saul is born.
02:34While there are many theories,
02:36it is likely that Saul's grandparents
02:38owned land before Rome colonized
02:40this prosperous city.
02:42And as any first-century person would know,
02:45if you owned land on Roman territory,
02:47you and your children
02:49were granted Roman citizenship.
02:52And you were able to maintain
02:54your cultural ties
02:56without repercussion.
02:58A coveted prize, to be sure.
03:02Tarsus, as the capital of Cilicia,
03:05was a hub of trade,
03:07wealth, and knowledge,
03:08as it boasted one of the greatest
03:10universities in the known world
03:12that rivaled only Athens.
03:16Saul spends the most influential years
03:18of his life in this bustling city.
03:22And as a Roman citizen,
03:23he had access to much
03:24of what the city had to offer.
03:27But his family was through and through Jewish.
03:30His father, a tentmaker and a Pharisee,
03:33taught his son the tips of the trade
03:35for 14 years.
03:37When Saul turns 14,
03:40in about 20 AD,
03:41his father likely pushed him
03:43to study under an old family friend,
03:45Gamaliel.
03:47Now, not just anyone
03:48studied under Gamaliel.
03:50Gamaliel was one of the top-ranking
03:53Pharisees of his day
03:54and was influential in the liberal theology
03:57of Pharisaic Judaism.
03:59He taught how to apply the law
04:01to contemporary social issues
04:03facing Jerusalem.
04:04He taught how you could interpret the law
04:06for everyday usage,
04:07making you healthier,
04:09wiser,
04:09and more prosperous
04:10than your neighbors.
04:12A theological vein
04:13that would have been attractive
04:14to the wealthy family in Tarsus.
04:17So in 20 AD,
04:18Saul begins his formal
04:20Pharisaical training.
04:21Now, the Pharisees
04:22were a middle-class-only sect
04:25of first-century Judaism
04:26that sought to interpret the law
04:28through modern issues.
04:29They were often considered liberal
04:31in their theology
04:32and came about as a reaction
04:33against the elitism
04:35of the Sadducees
04:36and scribes of their day.
04:37Roughly 10 Pharisees
04:39were selected to sit
04:40on the Most High Council
04:42of Jerusalem law
04:43called the Sanhedrin.
04:46The Sanhedrin
04:47held the most power
04:48in all of Judaism
04:49and included members
04:50from each respected score
04:52and the high priest.
04:55What the Sanhedrin
04:56passed into law
04:57became the law
04:58for all of Judaism,
05:01regardless of location.
05:03Paul studies under Gamaliel
05:05for some eight years
05:06before returning to Tarsus
05:08for service
05:09in the local synagogue.
05:11That is when Saul
05:12gets the message
05:13of a lifetime
05:14just a few years later.
05:17He has been elected
05:18by Gamaliel
05:19to sit on the Sanhedrin Council.
05:23Thus, with an anxious mind
05:25and an excited heart,
05:26Saul makes his way
05:27back from Tarsus
05:29to Jerusalem
05:29to serve
05:30with the full force
05:32of his knowledge
05:33and zeal.
05:34Only,
05:35when he returns back
05:37to his city of study,
05:39he finds it
05:39not as he left it.
05:43He learns of a new sect
05:44of Judaism
05:44that has arisen
05:45in the past several months
05:47that has taken
05:48the major city
05:49by storm.
05:50They follow a man
05:51from Nazareth
05:53that claimed
05:54to be God
05:55himself,
05:57incarnate
05:58among men,
05:59fulfilling the prophecies
06:00that Saul knew
06:01so well.
06:03They call themselves
06:04the Way,
06:06as if the Sanhedrin
06:07could not provide
06:08the light
06:09unto the world.
06:12Saul refuses.
06:14He calls them
06:14strictly by a name
06:15of embarrassment,
06:17the Nazarenes,
06:18a new sect
06:19of zealous blasphemers.
06:22Saul begins
06:23a vicious movement
06:24within the Sanhedrin
06:25to push back
06:26on this new thought.
06:27He begins to seek out
06:28and question
06:29the early followers,
06:30fishermen nonetheless,
06:32common people
06:33with no education
06:34questioning
06:35his authority.
06:37Saul and his contemporaries
06:38charge them
06:39strictly
06:40not to proclaim
06:41to Jerusalem
06:42that Jesus
06:43is the Jewish Messiah.
06:46But the disciples
06:47don't listen.
06:50Thus,
06:51after capturing
06:51one of the followers
06:52of the Nazarene,
06:54a man named Stephen,
06:55Saul calls
06:56for an emergency
06:57council meeting.
06:59But what comes out
07:00of Stephen's mouth
07:01enrages Saul
07:03more than he is able
07:04to control himself.
07:06And casting aside
07:07his cloak
07:08with all reason,
07:09Saul picks up a stone
07:10and hurls it
07:11at Stephen's head.
07:13The rest of the Sanhedrin
07:15follow,
07:16laying their cloaks
07:17at Saul's feet.
07:20And Saul watches
07:21as members of Jerusalem's
07:23highest council
07:24of law and order
07:26murder a man
07:28named Stephen.
07:30This is the martyr
07:32heard round the church
07:33as members
07:34from the church
07:35in Jerusalem
07:35fearing for their lives
07:37flee back to their homes
07:38in Asia Minor.
07:40Several months pass
07:41as the Sanhedrin
07:42debate and discuss
07:43the best way possible
07:44to squash
07:45this new movement.
07:46And upon hearing
07:47of its popularity
07:48to the north,
07:49decide that they
07:49will pass a law.
07:51The law that will ban
07:53any member
07:53of the Jewish family
07:55living in Antioch
07:56from participating
07:57in the new
07:58radical movement
07:59under threat
08:00of arrest
08:01or worse.
08:03And who better
08:04to send these letters
08:05to the northern country
08:06than their very own
08:07Saul of Tarsus.
08:10Born and raised there,
08:11a man who would have
08:12known the roads well
08:13packs his bags
08:15and begins
08:16the treacherous
08:17three-day walk
08:18on the road
08:19from Jerusalem
08:20to Damascus.
08:22A journey
08:24that will change
08:26the course
08:26of Saul's life.
08:28A journey
08:29that will change
08:31the course
08:31of human history
08:32forever.
08:35As Saul walks
08:36with a small council
08:37of servants
08:37and peers
08:38discussing the manners
08:39of the Torah
08:40and life,
08:43he is struck blind
08:44by a burning light.
08:48Saul,
08:49Saul,
08:50why are you
08:52persecuting?
08:53Who are you,
08:54Lord?
08:54I am Jesus,
08:56who you are
08:56persecuting.
08:58But rise
08:58and enter the city
09:00and you will be
09:01told what to do.
09:02The men
09:03who were traveling
09:03with him
09:04stood speechless,
09:05hearing the voice
09:06but seeing no one.
09:08Saul rose from the ground
09:09and although his eyes
09:10were opened,
09:11he saw nothing.
09:12So they led him
09:13by the hand
09:13and brought him
09:14into Damascus
09:15and for three days
09:16he was without sight
09:17and neither ate
09:18nor drank.
09:20At the end
09:20of those three days,
09:21a faithful man
09:22named Ananias
09:23from Damascus
09:24reluctantly laid
09:25his hands on Saul
09:26and through the power
09:27of the Holy Spirit
09:28something like scales
09:29fell from the eyes
09:30of Saul
09:31and perhaps
09:32for the first time
09:34in his life
09:34he could see clearly
09:36who God was.
09:38Now,
09:39while the events
09:40that followed
09:40are somewhat muddled,
09:42we know that
09:42for three years
09:43Saul leaves Damascus
09:45and heads to Arabia.
09:46While a dark veil
09:47does lie over
09:48the exact insights
09:49of Saul's trip
09:50to Arabia,
09:51we can assume
09:52that while he was there,
09:53he searched the scriptures
09:54and grew
09:55in his love
09:56and understanding
09:56of his newfound savior,
09:58Jesus,
09:59a man he now called
10:00the Christ.
10:02This is what
10:03the scriptures say.
10:04And immediately
10:05something like scales
10:06fell from his eyes
10:07and he regained his sight.
10:08Then he rose
10:09and was baptized
10:10and taking food
10:11he was strengthened.
10:12For some days
10:13he was with the disciples
10:14at Damascus.
10:15I did not immediately
10:17consult with anyone
10:18nor did I go up
10:19to Jerusalem
10:19to those who were
10:20the apostles before me.
10:22But I went away
10:23into Arabia
10:23and returned again
10:25to Damascus.
10:26And immediately
10:27he proclaimed Jesus
10:28into the synagogues
10:29saying,
10:30He is the Son of God.
10:32And all who heard him
10:33were amazed
10:34and said,
10:34Is not this the man
10:36who made havoc
10:36in Jerusalem
10:37of those who called
10:38upon this very name?
10:40And has he not
10:40come here for this purpose
10:42to bring them bound
10:43before the chief priests?
10:44But Saul increased
10:46all the more in strength
10:47and confounded the Jews
10:49who lived in Damascus
10:50by proving
10:51that Jesus was the Christ.
10:53When many days had passed
10:54the Jews plotted
10:56to kill him.
10:57But their plot
10:58became known to Saul.
10:59They were watching
11:00the gates day and night
11:01in order to kill him
11:02but his disciples
11:03took him by night
11:04and led him down
11:05through an opening
11:06in the wall
11:06lowering him in a basket.
11:09And after three years
11:10he had come
11:11to Jerusalem.
11:13In Jerusalem
11:14Saul begins to consult
11:15with Peter and James
11:16for 15 days
11:18about the resurrection
11:19and about the life
11:20and person
11:20of Jesus the Christ.
11:22But this is not
11:23a warm welcome home
11:24for Saul.
11:25The Sanhedrin
11:26have heard of all
11:27that Saul had been preaching
11:28and the Jewish men
11:29and women have heard
11:30of all who Saul
11:31had been persecuting.
11:32So for fear of the people
11:33the apostles think it best
11:35to send Saul
11:36back to his hometown
11:37of Tarsus.
11:38Saul leaves Jerusalem
11:39and is gone
11:40for three years.
11:42During those three years
11:43however
11:44the apostle Peter
11:45has a profoundly
11:46important revelation
11:47as he looks to the skies
11:49in a dream
11:50and sees a sheet
11:51being lowered down
11:52with a plethora
11:53of clean and unclean animals.
11:56God tells Peter
11:56the interpretation
11:57of this dream
11:58meaning that the Gentiles
12:00can now be entered
12:01into the salvation
12:02of Jesus Christ.
12:03From this universally
12:04important message
12:05we begin to see
12:06God's cosmic plan
12:08for the fullness of time
12:09unfolding throughout
12:10the scriptures.
12:11We see that God's plan
12:12for human culture
12:13and flourishing
12:14starts and ends
12:16with unity
12:17through the diversity
12:18of his people.
12:20At the heart
12:21of God's kingdom
12:22stands the messianic
12:24Jewish movement.
12:25Jewish and Samaritan
12:26men and women
12:27who have decided
12:28that Jesus
12:28is the long-awaited Messiah.
12:31Then we see
12:32that first century Gentiles
12:33like those in Antioch
12:35or Corinth
12:35have access to this church.
12:37And finally we see
12:38that non-first century Gentiles
12:41who are given
12:41the grace to know
12:42and to understand
12:43Jesus' message
12:44are entered
12:45into the family of God.
12:47Armed with this new revelation
12:48Peter and the apostles
12:50sent Barnabas
12:51a faithful and righteous man
12:53up to Antioch
12:54to teach the Gentile church
12:56that was established there
12:57after Stephen's persecution.
12:59The Antioch church
13:00devoid of Jewish culture
13:02and customs
13:02even has a new name
13:04for their movement
13:05Christians.
13:07meaning little Christs
13:09Barnabas however
13:11realizes that he's
13:12out of his element
13:13in this new space
13:14so he quickly stops
13:16in Tarsus
13:16and recruits Saul
13:18a man who had grown up
13:19steeped in Hellenist culture
13:21to help him guide
13:22the new church.
13:24Up until now
13:24the news of Jesus Christ
13:26has spread mostly
13:28by way of travelers
13:29who have come to Jerusalem
13:30heard the good news
13:32and gone back home.
13:34However
13:34after a year of pastoring
13:36the Antioch church
13:37Saul and Barnabas
13:39get a divine call
13:40to go and preach
13:41this good news
13:42of the absolution of sin
13:44to Gentile cities
13:45all around the known world.
13:48And if they can get locals
13:49to keep up the church
13:50then the church
13:51will grow into a global kingdom.
13:54They believe
13:55that if they can get this message
13:56far enough out west
13:58then the kingdom of God
13:59will extend all the way
14:01even to Spain.
14:04They recruit John Mark
14:05to help them in their quest
14:06and they set off
14:08on the first missionary journey
14:09of the Christian church.
14:12Comparatively
14:12the first missionary journey
14:14is a simple
14:15small circle
14:16that goes from Antioch
14:17into Asia Minor
14:18by water.
14:20But the impact
14:21that this first missionary journey
14:22will have
14:23on the identity formation
14:24of Saul
14:25and the Christian church
14:27as a whole
14:27cannot be understated.
14:30The company set sails
14:31from Seleucia
14:32a port city in Antioch
14:34and they sail to Cyprus.
14:36Here
14:37Sergius Paulus
14:38a Roman proctor
14:39is converted to Christianity.
14:42Saul realizes
14:43that he might be able
14:45to reach more people
14:46by taking on
14:47a more Hellenistic name
14:49like their new convert friend.
14:51And so it is here
14:52where Saul
14:53officially becomes
14:55Paul
14:56of Tarsus.
14:57They leave Cyprus
14:59and head
14:59for Pergia
15:00and Pamphylia
15:01where they are met
15:02by some severe opposition.
15:04So severe
15:05in fact
15:05that John Mark
15:06fearing for his life
15:07retreats from the mission
15:09and heads
15:10to Jerusalem.
15:11Paul and Barnabas
15:12continue on.
15:13They go north
15:14into another city
15:15named Antioch
15:15but this one
15:16is in Pisidia.
15:18Here
15:18Paul gives his first
15:19major sermon
15:20to a Jewish synagogue.
15:22But after being met
15:23with strong opposition
15:24again
15:25Paul renounces
15:26preaching to the Jewish people
15:27and declares
15:28that he will take
15:29the good news
15:30that Jesus preached
15:31to the Gentiles
15:32alone.
15:34And so it is here
15:35where Saul
15:36of Tarsus
15:37officially
15:38becomes Paul
15:39the apostle
15:41to the Gentiles.
15:43They move
15:44from Antioch
15:44of Pisidia
15:45and head east
15:46to Iconium
15:47where they are again
15:48met with strong opposition
15:49so much so
15:50that they are under threat
15:52of being stoned.
15:53So they flee
15:54to Lystra
15:54where the tension
15:55of the trip
15:56finally mounts.
15:58The Gentiles
15:58mistake Barnabas
15:59for Zeus
16:00and Paul
16:00for Hermes
16:01incarnate
16:02after the two
16:02heal a crippled man
16:03in the name of Jesus.
16:05With all of this blasphemy
16:06the local Jewish leaders
16:07attempt to stone
16:08Paul to death
16:10only this time
16:11they are nearly
16:12successful.
16:13They drag Paul
16:14out of Lystra
16:15and flee to Derb
16:16where they rest
16:17and preach the gospel
16:18a little more.
16:19They return back
16:20on the northern route
16:21visiting some of
16:22the more amicable
16:23churches in Antioch
16:24of Pisidia
16:25before finally
16:26landing in Attalia.
16:29This task
16:29they realize
16:30will be more difficult
16:32and more worth it
16:34than they ever
16:36could have imagined.
16:38When Paul
16:39and Barnabas
16:39arrive back in Antioch
16:41they find men
16:42from Judea
16:43that have come
16:43to their church
16:44and have been preaching
16:45to the Gentiles
16:46that they must be
16:47circumcised
16:47under Moses' law
16:49to become Christians.
16:50after a sharp debate
16:52over this work's
16:52righteousness theology
16:53Paul and Barnabas
16:55decide to take
16:56their issue
16:56to the apostles
16:57in Jerusalem
16:58somewhere between
16:5948 and 50 AD.
17:01The apostle James
17:02presides over
17:03the Jerusalem council
17:05with Peter and John
17:06and any other apostles
17:07who have decided
17:08to stay in Jerusalem.
17:09A fierce discussion
17:10ensues over the importance
17:12of the law of Moses
17:12for Gentiles.
17:14This will be the discussion
17:15that rings throughout
17:16the rest of the New Testament.
17:17But here
17:18on this day
17:20James and the apostles
17:21decide in favor
17:22of Paul
17:24that the Gentiles
17:25do not need to follow
17:26certain Jewish customs
17:27to become followers
17:28of Jesus Christ.
17:30That the cross
17:31of Jesus Christ
17:32has accomplished
17:33all we could not do
17:34thus fulfilling
17:35the law
17:36and no longer
17:37do they need
17:38to keep the law
17:38out of obligation
17:39but only
17:41out of thankfulness
17:42and reverence
17:43for the God of Israel.
17:45Brimming with
17:45the exciting news
17:46Paul and Barnabas
17:47go back to Antioch
17:49in that same year
17:50decide that they will
17:51go on another
17:52missionary journey
17:53to preach this good news
17:55to the Gentiles.
17:56But suddenly
17:57a sharp disagreement
17:59arises between
18:00the two missionaries.
18:01Oddly enough
18:02it is more or less
18:03over the righteousness
18:04of someone's works
18:05namely
18:05their friend
18:06John Mark
18:07who Barnabas
18:08has found it
18:08within himself
18:09to forgive
18:10and Paul has not.
18:12Paul thinks
18:12that Mark
18:12is a liability
18:13and refuses
18:14to go with him
18:15on another journey.
18:16Instead
18:17Paul leaves Barnabas
18:18and goes on
18:19his missionary journey
18:20with Silas
18:21and a young man
18:22named Timothy.
18:24The idea
18:24for their second
18:25missionary journey
18:26is basically
18:26the same
18:27as the first.
18:28They will revisit
18:29the churches
18:29planted on their
18:30first trip
18:31only this time
18:31by land
18:32so that they can
18:33go farther west
18:34to Bithynia.
18:35They leave Antioch
18:36and revisit their
18:37churches in Asia Minor
18:38Lystra
18:39Iconium
18:40Antioch II
18:40in attempt
18:41to go into Bithynia
18:42but by some
18:43divine and loving force
18:44they are driven
18:45to Troas
18:46instead.
18:48And while asleep
18:48in their camp
18:49in Troas
18:50Paul suddenly
18:51finds himself
18:52awake on the shores
18:53of the port city
18:54and he sees a man
18:55on the opposite shore
18:56in Macedonia
18:57calling to him.
18:58Paul concludes
18:59that this
18:59must be a message
19:01from the Spirit
19:02of God.
19:03The next day
19:04the motley crew
19:04of revolutionaries
19:05set sail for Neapolis
19:07a port city
19:08in the northern corner
19:09of Greece.
19:10Here
19:10their friend
19:11and author
19:11Luke joins
19:12as he's collecting
19:13information for a new
19:14book he's writing.
19:15They walk the half
19:16day's journey north
19:17from Neapolis
19:17to Philippi
19:18and it is here
19:20where Paul
19:21and his friends
19:21are imprisoned
19:22for the first time.
19:24In ancient cities
19:25prisons are nasty
19:26brutal places.
19:28They are cramped
19:29damp
19:29and smell like horse.
19:31They often are
19:32holes or caves
19:33dug right into
19:33the middle of the city
19:34so as to warn
19:35passerbys.
19:37But warning
19:37did not come
19:38to those who
19:39passed by that night
19:40that Paul was imprisoned.
19:42Only blessing
19:43for from the dark
19:44corners of this prison
19:45came singing
19:46and joy.
19:47And when the Spirit
19:48of God
19:49shook the jail doors
19:50open
19:50the jailer himself
19:52is even converted
19:53to the way
19:54that Paul
19:54is now a leader of.
19:56They leave
19:57from Philippi
19:58and come to Thessaloniki
19:59where they create
20:00such a riot
20:01they have to flee
20:02by night
20:02to Berea.
20:04From Berea
20:04they set sail
20:05to Athens
20:06a city Paul
20:07must have been
20:08eager to get to.
20:09But they
20:09don't spend
20:10much time there.
20:11He preaches
20:12his famous
20:12Areopagus sermon
20:13and is laughed
20:14out of town
20:15so they leave
20:16straight away
20:17for Corinth
20:18where they spend
20:19an entire year
20:20and a half.
20:22Here
20:22Paul writes
20:23his letters
20:24to the church
20:24in Thessaloniki.
20:26After a year
20:27and a half
20:27they leave
20:28Corinth by sea
20:29stop at
20:30Centraea
20:30and Ephesus
20:31before finally
20:32heading back
20:33to Jerusalem.
20:34A much longer
20:35journey to be sure
20:36but one that
20:37spread the message
20:38of the gospel
20:39the forgiveness
20:40of sins
20:40to Gentiles
20:41all across
20:42the Mediterranean.
20:44But Paul
20:45wasn't finished yet.
20:46He had plans
20:47to leave
20:47on a third
20:48missionary journey
20:49which he set out
20:50for one year
20:51later
20:52in 53 AD.
20:54Paul by this point
20:56is nearly
20:5647 years old
20:58outliving many
20:59of his Greek
20:59brothers and sisters
21:00by almost 10 years.
21:02But he sees
21:03that God
21:03has given him
21:04grace to live
21:05as Christ lived
21:06preaching the
21:07kingdom of God
21:08to all who
21:09will listen
21:09and suffering
21:10well for his
21:11sake.
21:12When his feet
21:13leave his home
21:13base of Antioch
21:15it is sure
21:16that he does not
21:16realize that he
21:17will never
21:18come back.
21:19But he won't
21:20for as he will
21:22soon write
21:22to live
21:24is Christ
21:24and to die
21:26is gain.
21:28When he leaves
21:29Antioch
21:29in roughly
21:3053 AD
21:31he revisits
21:32all of the churches
21:33in Asia Minor
21:34and then makes
21:34a straight line
21:35west stopping
21:36in Ephesus
21:37where he spends
21:38a total of
21:38three labor
21:40intensive years
21:41at the church
21:41he planted there
21:42two years before.
21:44Much happens
21:44at this church.
21:46For one
21:46Paul writes
21:47his famous letters
21:47to the Corinthians
21:48urging them
21:49to help ease
21:50the burden
21:50of a famine
21:51in Jerusalem.
21:52He also sends
21:52missionaries
21:53from Ephesus
21:54to Colossae
21:54and Laodicea
21:55churches that
21:56John the visionary
21:57will write to
21:57in several decades.
21:59But here
21:59Paul performs
22:01such incredible
22:02miracles
22:02and gives
22:03such impactful
22:04sermons
22:04baptizing people
22:05into the
22:06sin-forgiving
22:06grace of
22:07Jesus
22:07that when
22:08he leaves
22:09the church
22:09in Ephesus
22:10the entire
22:12city bursts
22:13like dynamite
22:14into an uproar
22:15of tumult
22:15where a riot
22:16breaks out
22:17sending the city
22:18into disorder.
22:19Paul needs
22:20to send back
22:20some of his
22:21workers
22:21just to calm
22:22the city.
22:23From there
22:24he heads on
22:25to Troas
22:25where his
22:26late night sermon
22:27causes a young
22:28boy to fall
22:28out of a window
22:29and die.
22:31But as beautifully
22:31as the message
22:32he is preaching
22:33Paul raises
22:34the boy
22:34from the dead
22:35entering him
22:36into the ranks
22:37of some of
22:37the greatest
22:38biblical characters
22:39that we can
22:39read about.
22:41When he leaves
22:41from Troas
22:42he passes
22:43through Macedonia
22:44and Achaia
22:44where he writes
22:45the letter
22:46to the Roman
22:46church
22:47and his letter
22:47to the Galatian
22:48church
22:49but his long
22:50four-year journey
22:51is coming
22:51to a close.
22:53Paul makes
22:54one last stop
22:55in a small
22:56port city
22:56called Miletus
22:57and for obvious
22:58reasons
22:59not wanting
23:00to re-enter
23:00Ephesus
23:01calls the leaders
23:02of the Ephesian
23:03church
23:03to him.
23:05He discloses
23:05a plan
23:06that he knows
23:07they know
23:08will end
23:09in his eventual
23:10arrest
23:10and death.
23:12He has resolved
23:13that it is the
23:14Lord's plan
23:15that he should
23:16go to Jerusalem
23:16and celebrate
23:18with the apostles
23:19the Passover
23:20festival
23:20though it will
23:22be the last
23:22time he will
23:23be able to do
23:24so with the
23:25Jerusalem church.
23:26While the
23:27Ephesian council
23:28advises against
23:29it after many
23:30tears and much
23:31anxiety they
23:33too resolve
23:34thy will be
23:35done and
23:36not their own
23:37letting Paul
23:39go to his
23:40death.
23:41When Paul
23:42arrives in
23:43Jerusalem the
23:44air is as
23:45tense as he
23:46predicted.
23:47The Sanhedrin
23:48is infuriated
23:49that he has
23:49left the fold
23:50of Judaism
23:51and has been
23:51preaching to the
23:52Gentiles.
23:53In more than
23:54that they believe
23:55Paul has been
23:55preaching
23:56for people
23:56to forsake
23:57the law
23:58of Moses
23:58and disobey
23:59the commands
24:00of the Lord.
24:01Insisting
24:01that this
24:02is not the
24:02case Paul
24:03takes a
24:04Nazarite vow
24:04while celebrating
24:05the Passover
24:06feasts.
24:07But this is
24:08not enough.
24:09The people
24:10form a riot
24:11and arrest
24:11Paul in
24:12the temple.
24:14From
24:14Jerusalem Paul
24:15is taken
24:16to a port
24:16city called
24:17Caesarea.
24:18But he was
24:19not imprisoned
24:20there.
24:20He was on
24:21arrest.
24:22Imagine with
24:23me that he
24:23had free range
24:24to roam his
24:25barracks that
24:26overlooked the
24:26Mediterranean Sea.
24:28Here he would
24:28have had access
24:29to study
24:29materials,
24:30writing materials,
24:32and preaching
24:32material,
24:33yet he decided
24:34to do none
24:35of these things.
24:36Taking a much
24:37needed break
24:38for two whole
24:39years,
24:41Paul watches
24:41the waves
24:42come in
24:43and go out
24:43before he
24:44appeals to go
24:45to Rome
24:46and write
24:47some of his
24:47most influential
24:48sermons
24:49of all
24:50time.
24:52In roughly
24:5260 AD,
24:54Procureus Festus
24:55takes over
24:56the council
24:56of Judea,
24:57to which Paul
24:58appeals,
24:59sending him
25:00to Rome.
25:02His journey
25:02to Rome
25:03was no less
25:03tumultuous
25:04than his
25:04journey anywhere
25:05else.
25:06He went
25:06through shipwrecks,
25:07storms,
25:08snake bites,
25:09and belligerent
25:09resistance.
25:10But by 61 AD,
25:12Paul lands
25:13in Rome
25:13and is under
25:14house arrest
25:15for one more
25:16year.
25:17But here,
25:18after his
25:19much needed
25:19break,
25:20he gets to
25:21work,
25:21writing some
25:22of the most
25:22famous and
25:23impactful doctrines
25:24that Christians
25:25the world over
25:26still to this
25:27day study.
25:27Letters like
25:28Colossians,
25:29Ephesians,
25:30Philippians,
25:30and Philemon.
25:31He takes on
25:32the role of
25:33pastoring the
25:33house he is
25:34under arrest
25:34in,
25:35answering questions,
25:36curbing problems,
25:37and solving some
25:38of the most
25:38difficult theological
25:39conundrums that
25:40faced the church
25:41of his day.
25:42After his year
25:43under house arrest,
25:44he is released
25:45by Caesar and
25:46sent back to
25:46Macedonia.
25:47He spends
25:48several months
25:48traveling around
25:49Macedonia and
25:50into Asia Minor,
25:51visiting,
25:52encouraging,
25:53and exhorting
25:53the churches
25:54he helped plant
25:54so many years
25:55ago.
25:56He writes his
25:56first letter to
25:57Timothy and his
25:58letter to Titus.
25:59But it is in
26:0062 AD,
26:02where Nero takes
26:03over as
26:04emperor of Rome.
26:05It is hard to
26:06understate the
26:07impact that
26:08someone like
26:08Nero had on
26:09the first century
26:10church.
26:11His name may
26:12not appear in
26:13our Bibles,
26:13but he certainly
26:14comes up.
26:15He would
26:15burn Christians
26:16alive for
26:17sport and
26:18parties.
26:18He caused
26:19most of the
26:19persecution found
26:21in letters like
26:21James and
26:22Revelation,
26:23and many scholars
26:23would agree that
26:24he is the
26:25archetypal figure
26:26of the beast
26:27in Revelation.
26:28His traumatizing
26:29and violent
26:29resistance to
26:30Christianity would
26:31help explain his
26:32absence in the
26:33scriptures.
26:34But when Rome
26:34is burned,
26:36Nero blames
26:37the Nazarenes
26:38that have sprung
26:38up all across
26:39his empire,
26:40and requests
26:41that Paul,
26:42the foremost
26:43leader of the
26:44Gentiles,
26:45be arrested
26:46for this
26:47atrocity.
26:48So Paul is
26:49arrested for his
26:50second and final
26:51time.
26:52Here he pens
26:532 Timothy
26:54before being
26:55chained and
26:57beheaded before
26:58Nero,
26:59sometime between
27:0064 and 68
27:02AD.
27:04The Christian
27:05dictionary says
27:06this on the end
27:07of Paul's
27:08life.
27:09On the
27:09judgment seat,
27:10clad in the
27:11imperial purple,
27:13sat a man who,
27:14in a bad world,
27:16had attained the
27:16eminence of being
27:17the very worst
27:19and meanest being
27:20in it.
27:21A man stained
27:22with every crime,
27:23a man whose
27:24whole being was
27:25so steeped in
27:26every nameable
27:27and unnameable
27:28vice that body
27:29and soul of him
27:30were, as someone
27:31said at the time,
27:32nothing but a
27:34compound of mud
27:35and blood.
27:37And in the
27:38prisoner's dock
27:39stood the best
27:40man the world
27:41possessed,
27:43his hair whitened
27:44with labors
27:45for the good
27:46of men
27:46and the glory
27:48of God.
27:51And at that,
27:54Paul is
27:54killed.
27:55But his
27:56legacy,
27:58power,
27:58and message
27:59resound
28:00throughout the
28:01halls of
28:02Christianity
28:02today.
28:04A man so
28:05impacted by the
28:06reality of his
28:07long-awaited
28:08Messiah,
28:08so moved that
28:09his Messiah would
28:10choose him,
28:12that he brought
28:13the message of
28:14hope and salvation
28:15throughout the
28:16known world
28:17to the Gentiles.
28:20The message
28:21that even though
28:23all have sinned
28:24and fall short
28:25of the glory of
28:26God,
28:27the righteousness
28:28of God is
28:29available through
28:30faith in Jesus
28:31Christ.
28:31there is
28:33therefore now
28:33no condemnation
28:35for those who
28:36are in Christ
28:36Jesus,
28:37but in him
28:38we have
28:38redemption
28:39through his
28:39blood,
28:40the forgiveness
28:41of sins
28:41according to
28:42the riches
28:42of his
28:43grace.
28:45And the
28:45mystery which
28:46has been
28:46hidden from
28:47the ages
28:47past and
28:48generations
28:48has now
28:49been manifested
28:50to his
28:51saints.
28:52This mystery
28:52is that the
28:53Gentiles are
28:54fellow heirs
28:55with the
28:56Jews.
28:56if then
28:57you have
28:58been raised
28:58with Christ
28:59seek the
29:00things that
29:00are above
29:01where Christ
29:02is seated
29:03at the right
29:04hand of God
29:05and the
29:06God of peace
29:07will be with
29:08you.
29:09For this
29:10was the plan
29:11for the
29:11fullness of
29:12time
29:12to unite
29:14all things
29:15in him
29:15things in
29:16heaven
29:17and things
29:18on earth.
29:21Thanks
29:21be
29:22to God.
29:26You would
29:41have done
29:41well to
29:41notice that
29:42throughout
29:42the duration
29:42of this
29:42video the
29:43images did
29:43not always
29:44faithfully
29:44represent the
29:45times or
29:45cultures in
29:46which certain
29:46scenes took
29:47place.
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