The Invisible Hand SERMON SHORT
“The Invisible Hand”
Acts 22:22-23:11
July 27, 2008
From Wikipedia: “The invisible hand is a metaphor coined by the economist Adam Smith. In The Wealth of Nations and other writings, Smith demonstrated that, in a free market, an individual pursuing his own self-interest tends to also promote the good of his community as a whole through a principle that he called “the invisible hand”. May I suggest that the lives and destinies of followers of Christ are guided as well by an “invisible hand”, if you will, the hand of a sovereign God. God works through the good and the bad, even through sinful circumstances, to accomplish His will.
I. The Invisible Hand in Paul’s Citizenship - 22:22-29
The strong response of Paul’s hearers was provoked by what they believed to be a transgression of God’s holy name, a blasphemy committed by Paul. Parenthetically, we’d do well to take the name of God as seriously ourselves.
But because he could not understand what was going on, the Roman tribune decided to torture Paul in order to get at the truth once and for all, his earlier graciousness turning to brutality as his patience began to wear thin. Fortunately for Paul, flogging was a punishment that could not be inflicted on a Roman citizen, at least prior to conviction of a serious crime. Paul tells the tribune that his citizenship is natural; Roman citizenship was passed from father to son. This changes everything; the Roman tribune shudders to think that he’d nearly treated Paul with this severe punishment. Now, instead of beating the truth out of the prisoner, the Roman tribune takes legal steps to get answers.
Do you see the sovereign hand of God working in Paul’s life before he was even born? God so ordained events in Paul’s life that someone in his family line, his father or grandfather, was able to secure Roman citizenship, pass it down the line to Paul by blood, and spare Paul a life-threatening beating.
God was sovereignly working before you were born.
Psalm 139:13-16 makes it clear that God knew us before ever we were born. Do you understand, do you really grasp, that there are no accidents in your life, that nothing surprises our God, that in fact every day of your life, every facet of your life, was written in God’s book before you were born?
II. The Invisible Hand in Paul’s Sin - 22:30-23:5
But what about my sinfulness? How does God work even when I sin? We see the answer in Paul’s life.
Paul begins his defense before the Sanhedrin, the 71-member “Supreme Court” of ancient Israel; this is the “council” referred to here. Paul uses the term “brothers”; some of these men had begun down the same path as Paul, his Pharisee friends, zealous for the law of God as he had been—and yet, with the coming of the Christ encounter, Paul’s life had moved in a different trajectory.
Paul then makes a bold claim, that his conscience is clear before a holy God. For Paul, though, his ultimate righteousness was a clear conscience, but rather the work of Christ on his behalf (Philippians 3:9). Interesting that his clear conscience was about to quickly, but only momentarily, become sullied!
This Ananias, the high priest, was according to FF Bruce, “one of the most disgraceful profaners” of the office, a man who held the position for 11-12 years, a greedy man who seized for himself some of the tithes that ought to have gone to support the common priests. He was greedy, treacherous, and ruthless.
There are several questions that emerge from this passage:
What enraged Ananias? Likely, because of the claim of Paul that he could be both a good Jew and a committed follower of Christ.
Why did Paul cry out as he did? Because he had not been found guilty, and yet had been ordered to be smacked in the mouth, a clear violation of the law. Paul was a passionate guy, and in this instance, his passions got the better of him, though what he said was an accurate description; a “whitewashed wall” was a wall that was tottering but had been painted over to make it appear strong and sturdy, a façade which obscured the ugly truth that lay behind it. This was a quite fitting description of a “high priest” who was anything but priestly!
Why did Paul not recognize Ananias to be the high priest? Several different reasons have been advanced, but it makes little difference, though I do believe that Paul spoke impetuously here, and that in his words are a sincere apology for his rash action.
God sovereignly works even when you fall short.
Several truths:
• God doesn’t write Paul off because of his hasty remark.
• Truthfully, the remark was a prophecy; though I’m not sure Paul meant it to be one, he had spoken truth, as Ananias would indeed be struck by God!
Your sin has not disqualified you! Philippians 2 says it’s God Who is working in you to will and to do His good pleasure!
III. The Invisible Hand in the Unusual Means of Paul’s Defense - 23:6-10
Paul had been raised a Pharisee, and he placed himself on the side of the Pharisees, who believed in the resurrection; it’s interesting that Paul grounds his belief in the resurrection of Christ in his general belief that dead people would themselves be raised from the grave (I Corinthians 15). The hope of Israel was tied up with resurrection to eternal life.
Paul lobs a verbal hand grenade into the midst of the assembly. The Sadducees were the majority party in the Sanhedrin, and Paul’s words made them madder than ever; the Pharisees, on the other hand, used his words to determine that “this Paul character isn’t so bad a fellow after all.” This led to a full-blown ruckus such that nothing resembling order was going to be gotten out of this assembly. And so Paul would not be literally ripped to shreds, the tribune decided that this had been a bad idea after all and ordered the soldiers to get him out of their so as to save his life.
Notice how God saves Paul:
• Pharisees come to Paul’s aid
• Roman soldiers again come to Paul’s rescue
God sovereignly works sometimes in surprising ways.
IV. The Invisible Hand in Paul’s Encouragement - 23:11
Paul’s mind is filled at this point with all sorts of things, many of which bad; is he pretty discouraged, questioning, despairing? And it is just at this time that the risen Christ appears to bring him cheer and courage. This is not the first time Christ would appear to Paul at just the right moment!
God sovereignly gives us what we need when we need it.
He knows what you need. Maybe He doesn’t always give us what we want—though sometimes, He does that as well. But He always gives us what we really need. Paul was at a low point, and Jesus appeared miraculously to him.
God wasn’t through with Paul; despite difficult circumstances; despite Paul’s sin; despite all that had gone on, God wasn’t finished with him, but rather encouraged him to press on, which he did, of course. And that same invisible hand of that same sovereign God is always working in and through His children to accomplish His purposes!
Five Good Questions
1. What practical differences does it make to know that the “invisible hand” of God is there, guiding our lives?
2. In what ways can you trace the invisible hand of God working in your life—before you were even born?
3. Does it strike you as unusual that the invisible hand of God can work even through your sin? Is there a “fine line” to walk between acknowledging that, on the one hand, and justifying or celebrating sin, on the other? How do we walk that line?
4. What kinds of boxes do people try to put God in? Have you ever been surprised by how God “broke out of your box”? Share that with the group.
5. What are some of the ways in which God has given you what you need at “just the right time”?
Looking Ahead
Next Sunday, we study a long passage: Acts 23:12-24:27. Read the passage together to get a grip on the basic story line.
