Title: What’s your Motivation? Part II
Scripture: Acts 23
The following is by Paul Anka & Frank Sinatra
As performed by Frank Sinatra
Hit # 27 on the Top 40 charts in 1969
And now, the end is near, and so I face, the final curtain.
My friend, I’ll say it clear,
I’ll state my case, of which I’m certain.
I’ve lived, a life that’s full, I’ve traveled each and every highway.
And more, much more than this,
I did it my way.
Regrets, I’ve had a few, but then again, too few to mention.
I did, what I had to do, and saw it through, without exemption.
I planned, each charted course, each careful step, along the byway,
and more, much more than this,
I did it my way.
Yes, there were times, I’m sure you knew,
When I bit off, more than I could chew.
But through it all, when there was doubt,
I ate it up, and spit it out.
I faced it all, and I stood tall,
and did it my way.
I’ve loved, I’ve laughed and cried,
I’ve had my fill; my share of losing.
And now, as tears subside, I find it all so amusing.
To think, I did all that, and may I say --- not in a shy way,
"Oh no, oh no not me,
I did it my way".
For what is a man, what has he got?
If not himself, then he has naught.
To say the things, he truly feels,
And not the words, of one who kneels.
The record shows, I took the blows ---
And did it my way!
I did it my way.
Introduction:
Many older men and women that have reached their golden years (which is more than 60 years old) have been asked the question, “If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently? What would you change?” Those that are selfish and full of themselves will quickly say, “Nothing! I did my way!” (Just like the song by Frank Sinatra). However, those that have reached those golden years and matured spiritually will quickly tell you a variety of things to include ones such as, “I would have prayed more.” Or, “I would have become a Christian a lot earlier in life.”
What would you change? What would you do differently? How would you re-arrange your priorities? Would you focus on the Bible more? Would you focus on missions more? Or, would you focus on evangelism?
We recently discussed What is your motivation?, which covered chapter 22 of Acts. In that message we asked that question, “What’s your motivation?” and we found out that Paul had stated to us in his epistles that his motivation was Christ and Him crucified (1 Cor. 2:2). In this chapter, we see a reiteration of that motivation but from a different direction. We see why people do what they do. The reasons:
For Conscience ? (vv. 1-5)
For Me & We? (vv. 6-10)
For God? (vv. 11)
For Tradition? (vv.12-15
For Family? (vv. 11)
For Fear? (vv. 23-35)
I. For Conscience
23:1 Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, "My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day." 2 At this the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth. 3 Then Paul said to him, "God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit there to judge me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding that I be struck!" 4 Those who were standing near Paul said, "You dare to insult God’s high priest?"
5 Paul replied, "Brothers, I did not realize that he was the high priest; for it is written: ’Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.’"
Why did they slap Paul? Was it because they didn’t like what he said? Was it because people are naturally envious and jealous of people that seem to have it all together? Was it because what he said was unlawful to say? Well, I can’t really say? But, I believe these God-inspired words that Paul spoke were carefully chosen to penetrate to the heart of those listening. And they did.
Look at that sentence again.
My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day.
Up to this point, Paul has enjoyed a ministry that spans 25 years, and is filled with so many adjectives that it’s difficult to write them all down at any one time. Further, Paul is quite satisfied with his life. In Philippians, chapter 1, Paul tells us:
21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.
During the life of Paul it would have been easy for him to ‘surrender his body’ to the traditional Jews, and they would have probably killed him. Remembering that a Christian living during the time of Paul demanded constant watch, it was similar to looking both ways when you cross the road at a point where there is no pedestrian crosswalk or light. All Paul had to do at any point during his 25 year ministry was to, metaphorically speaking, simply cross the road without looking and he would have been hit by the Sanhedrin bus.
Paul’s statement
My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day.
was exactly the same as the punishment he received. Meaning, his statement was a direct slap in the face of those that had met to hear his story. Paul has told them that everything that he has done has been done for God, and according to God.
He fulfilled his duty. This indicates not only completion of a work, but add my duty to God, and it indicates that it was a God-ordained work that had been completed. The Sanhedrin could not handle that. They were against Christ and His followers, and to say what Paul said, validates the work of the life of Christ and His church. So they slapped him.
Furthermore, he added in all good conscience, which punctuated the work as not only God-ordained, but God-directed. Paul tells us that, in his mind, the work had been completed to God’s satisfaction. Another slap in the face of the Jews.
II. For Me & We
6 Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, "My brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee. I stand on trial because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead." 7 When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 8 (The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.) 9 There was a great uproar, and some of the teachers of the law who were Pharisees stood up and argued vigorously. "We find nothing wrong with this man," they said. "What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?" 10 The dispute became so violent that the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them. He ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force and bring him into the barracks.
What if… what if an angel has spoke to him? We, that is some of the Pharisees, see that we need to be a little bit more selfish in looking at what Paul was doing. The Pharisees and the Sadducees had always been against each other because one believed there was a resurrection and the other did not believe it. And, here was a small group of Pharisees declaring that they needed a blanket of protection on them. Or, they needed to play it safe.
“We need to play it safe. We need to be careful, just in case it is from God.” This is the hidden meaning of these passages. Which, when evaluated, means that none of them had been in contact with God in their prayers. None of them had a relationship with God. It was all about them, and not about God. If they had had a relationship with God, they would have been more than hesitant to believe Paul, they would have been welcoming him with open arms. But, it was for their own selfish selves that they did these things in a corner.
III. For God
11 The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, "Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome."
Many times we wonder if what we are doing is actually what God wants us to do. We often ask ourselves, what is God’s will for my life in this matter?
Wouldn’t it be great to have a simple answer such as Paul had? Well, we need not worry. Because if what we are doing has the right motivation, that is, it’s for God, then we will have His approval. One more time. If our intentions are to glorify God in what we are doing, and there is no other motive, God will honor the work that you are doing.
As an example, some people say that God rejected Cain’s offering in Genesis because it came from the ground, which was cursed. No, that’s not right. But then some say that God rejected Cain’s offering because there was no blood. No, that’s not right either. The reason that God rejected Cain’s offering was because Cain’s heart was not in it. His motive was not to glorify God. The Bible tells us that Cain had sin hidden in his heart, so God did not accept the offering.
God will accept your work offering, if your heart is in the right place. You can rest in the fact that you are doing something that pleases God, because you are doing it for Him. He will then stand beside you and acknowledge and honor the work that you are doing because of your motives. Your motives and heart are in the right place.
IV. For Tradition
12 The next morning the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. 13 More than forty men were involved in this plot. 14 They went to the chief priests and elders and said, "We have taken a solemn oath not to eat anything until we have killed Paul. 15 Now then, you and the Sanhedrin petition the commander to bring him before you on the pretext of wanting more accurate information about his case. We are ready to kill him before he gets here."
For tradition these men were willing to implicate themselves in a murder. They were willing to go this group of people and risk the rumor of being called murderers. For what, for tradition. And, these traditions that they were trying to preserve were not just the original laws and commandments that had been handed down from Moses, but it also contained an additional 600 rules and laws as well. Traditions and rules such as, you can’t lace up your shoes on the Sabbath because it’s work. You can’t walk more than a certain distance on the Sabbath, because then it is considered work.
These were all rules, laws, and traditions that had been handed down over the centuries and were choking the common Jewish man. That’s why Jesus went to the cross, to release us from that bondage, that burden.
During the past few weeks we have seen another religion that is steeped in much pomp and circumstance, finery, traditions, and, well, just funny rituals, and that’s the ceremonies that have been going on in Rome. For some reason, the entire world is embracing the traditions, the rituals. They are not embracing God, but the man, the traditions, the rituals.
Our prayer should always be not to be following anything just because that’s the way we’ve always done it. It should only be done for God.
V. For Family
16 But when the son of Paul’s sister heard of this plot, he went into the barracks and told Paul. 17 Then Paul called one of the centurions and said, "Take this young man to the commander; he has something to tell him." 18 So he took him to the commander. The centurion said, "Paul, the prisoner, sent for me and asked me to bring this young man to you because he has something to tell you." 19 The commander took the young man by the hand, drew him aside and asked, "What is it you want to tell me?" 20 He said: "The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul before the Sanhedrin tomorrow on the pretext of wanting more accurate information about him. 21 Don’t give in to them, because more than forty of them are waiting in ambush for him. They have taken an oath not to eat or drink until they have killed him. They are ready now, waiting for your consent to their request." 22 The commander dismissed the young man and cautioned him, "Don’t tell anyone that you have reported this to me."
Our priority of motivation should progress from God, to church, and then to family. We see in these passages the importance of family. Without family, we are left to the traditions and the rituals of the dying world. Family keeps us alive. Family protects and intercedes on behalf of us. Family, and the need for family is important and we cannot downplay the importance of family.
VI. For Fear
23 Then he called two of his centurions and ordered them, "Get ready a detachment of two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to go to Caesarea at nine tonight. 24 Provide mounts for Paul so that he may be taken safely to Governor Felix." 25 He wrote a letter as follows: 26 Claudius Lysias, To His Excellency, Governor Felix: Greetings. 27 This man was seized by the Jews and they were about to kill him, but I came with my troops and rescued him, for I had learned that he is a Roman citizen. 28 I wanted to know why they were accusing him, so I brought him to their Sanhedrin. 29 I found that the accusation had to do with questions about their law, but there was no charge against him that deserved death or imprisonment. 30 When I was informed of a plot to be carried out against the man, I sent him to you at once. I also ordered his accusers to present to you their case against him.
31 So the soldiers, carrying out their orders, took Paul with them during the night and brought him as far as Antipatris. 32 The next day they let the cavalry go on with him, while they returned to the barracks. 33 When the cavalry arrived in Caesarea, they delivered the letter to the governor and handed Paul over to him. 34 The governor read the letter and asked what province he was from. Learning that he was from Cilicia, 35 he said, "I will hear your case when your accusers get here." Then he ordered that Paul be kept under guard in Herod’s palace.
Why do we do what we do? In these passages the Roman military are acting on fear. Fear that Paul will be killed and they’ll be held accountable for his death.
Sometimes fear is a healthy thing. Fear of getting our hands burned makes us use gloves. Fear of getting a speeding ticket makes us slow down or buy one of those new GPS radar detecting gadgets. Fear of going to jail makes us follow the rules of the world. Sometimes fear is a good thing, but, then sometimes fear is not good for us. As an example, fear of witnessing to people you don’t know, fear of sharing the Gospel, fear of fellowshipping with other Christians.
Again, sometimes fear keeps us from hurting ourselves and sometimes fear hurts us. Acting on a healthy fear of the Lord keeps us reading and following His Word, yet an unhealthy fear of the Lord can turn us into a Pharisee.
Conclusion:
We need to ask ourselves repeatedly until we are for sure, “why do we do the things that we do? As we said before, when we have our motivation focused correctly, that is, we are doing something for God, God will honor that dedication and commitment with blessing our lives. Yet, doing something with an improper or self-centered motivation will only dirty our intentions. We must be assured that our motivation is in the right place and focused correctly, on God.
