you
All right, good morning everyone welcome to stronghold Baptist Church. You can grab your hymnals and open up the song
364
you
Song number 364 standing on the promises
Song 364
It's on the first
oh
Amen
Oh
Let's open up to our next song song 194
Just quick little announcement before I get to this next song if there's any bags and any seats or anything
Please remove those bags and get as close as you can to the center
The building is filling up so I want to make sure we have enough seating for everybody
Right so what learn 94 since Jesus came into my heart
So 194
First
My soul
Jesus
Oh
Jesus
Oh
Jesus
Announcements so you grab your bulletins
And open up to your first page there
There at the top so service times as usual 10 30 a.m. And
5 p.m. Is our Sunday services that time has been changed from 4 o'clock previously now is 5 p.m. And
At 7 o'clock on Wednesday is our Bible studies
Below that you'll see so many opportunities. We have so many opportunity today at
130 so for anyone that doesn't want to go soul winning
You would meet up here at 130 and then get paired up and get sent out. So
On soul winning. I want to go over any
Souls that have been saved this week
30 salvations this week
What day was that?
Wednesday
All right, great keep up all the good work out there soul winning
That's what we're here for. We're here to preach the gospel to every creature below that. You'll see our salvations for the month of July
And baptisms on baptisms. We have a baptism after service today. Is there anyone here that is saved is going to get baptized
Okay
We have two baptisms
All right
At
The bottom of the page are the offering tolls for the month of July and on the next page is our prayer requests
It's always good news to have
Prayers answered and things go well. So hope Estrada has had her baby
little baby Tabitha
Sue Estrada, she's 19 inches long and six pounds seven ounces. She was delivered at home
Unassisted so dad did the delivery so good one there Jeff
Was delivered at 6 40 p.m. So amen for that. Praise God. Praise God
I don't have any other updates for anybody else here on the list
But please continue to pray for everyone on here, you know, take these home and keep people in prayer throughout the week
Below that you'll see we pray for different churches of like-minded faith every week. We'll put them on here
We're praying for steadfast Baptist Church. They're going through quite a bit right now
But it doesn't mean that those aren't things that we can face one day over here in Georgia. So
Definitely keep that church in prayer keep all our churches that are like us in prayer because persecution does come
All right. So next page here. We're gonna welcome
pastor Anderson for coming down from faithful word, so
It's great to have him here. It's gonna be a blessing to hear him preach
Very exciting a lot of you all here for come to see him. So that's great. And then
After pastor Anderson pastor versions is in Arizona right now as we speak so he'll be preaching here in a couple hours
They're they're behind by by three hours. So he'll be preaching here soon, but he won't be here next week
So we have some guest preachers
Brother Devin Rogers will be preaching on Sunday brother Carter will be preaching on Sunday as well and brother Jesse
Michaels will be preaching. So please come out and support them as well as they come and preach God's Word
And below that is our Bible memory passage. We are finishing up here Hebrews chapter 3
We're trying to get through the book of Hebrews
so every
Bible memory
passage that we have is kind of just continuing on till we get through the book of Hebrews and then we're going to have a
Prize for those that can quote back the whole book Hebrews word. Perfect
I don't know what that prize is pastor sometimes takes its time with the prizes, but they do come they do come. All right
Upcoming events. We have the red hot preaching conference on July 14th through the 17th. That's going to be exciting
Big pastor Burgess is going up there as well. So that'd be nice to uh, can't wait to see that
Hopefully make it in the flesh one day. So
Really excited about that coming up September 3rd
So winning marathon in Alabama, so we're having a soul winning marathon up there and birthdays and anniversaries here at the bottom of the page
We miss Chloe by day
All right
That is it for our announcements. Let's turn to our next song
song number
396
Oh
It's all 396 so little time
Song 396
Oh
Or miss our
Oh
This
Oh
On the last church
Oh
In church while the offering plates are being passed around if you can open up your Bibles book of Philippians
chapter 3
It's Philippians chapter 3 as we do customary here at stronghold Baptist Church
We're going to read the entire chapter as brother Devin. He can please do that for us
Once again, that was Philippians chapter 3
Finally my brethren rejoiced in the Lord to write the same things to you to me indeed is not grievous
But for you it is safe beware of dogs aware of evil workers aware of the concision
We are the circumcision which worship God in the spirit and rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh
Though I might also have confidence in the flesh if any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh
I'm or
Circumcised the eighth day of the stock of Israel of the tribe of Benjamin and Hebrew of the Hebrews as touching the law of Pharisee
concerning zeal
persecuting the church
Touching the righteousness which is in the law blameless, but what things were gained to me those I counted loss for Christ
Yea doubtless and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my lord
For whom I have suffered the loss of all things and do count them
But dung that I may win Christ and be found in him not having in mine own righteousness
Which is of the law but that which is through the faith of Christ the righteousness which is of God by faith
That I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable unto his death
If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead not as though I had already attained either were already perfect
But I follow after if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus
Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended but this one thing I do
Forgetting those things which are before which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of Christ of God in Christ Jesus
Let us therefore as many as be perfect be thus minded and if in anything you be otherwise minded
God shall reveal even this unto you nevertheless whereto we have already attained let us walk by the same rule
Let us mind the same thing
brethren
Be followers together of me and mark them which walk so as you have us for dings in sample
For many walk of whom I have told you often and now tell you even even weeping that they are the enemies of the cross of
Christ whose end is destruction whose God is their belly and whose glory is in their shame who mind earthly things
For our conversation is in heaven from whence also we look for the Savior the Lord Jesus Christ
Who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body
According to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself
Brother Jared, can you pray for us, please?
And
Well, it is great to be here
Once again, of course, I was just here about a month ago for the camping trip or was it two months ago
I have no idea but
It's always such a great time at that camping trip
I really want to make it a priority to try to be at that thing every single year and
So it's good to see a lot of you again as well as a lot of new faces as many of you know
We're on a road trip traveling across the country
preaching at a whole bunch of different churches and
I've already preached in LA Fresno
Portland Oregon area Spokane Boise, Oklahoma City Dallas
Houston and now here we are so we're almost to the end of the trip now
It's just here and then on Wednesday night. We're gonna be up in Fairmont, West Virginia
And so I've been preaching through this series where I'm going through the twelve sons of Jacob
Which also are of course the twelve tribes of Israel
And so we're actually on the last of the twelve sons this morning and that is Benjamin
So I preached through them in the order that they were born. I've done eleven so far and here we are with the twelve Benjamin
Now we don't really know a lot in Scripture
About the person Benjamin about his personality or the stories from his own life
But of course the tribe of Benjamin is significant
And what I want to preach about this morning are the two most famous
characters from the tribe of Benjamin and what's interesting is that these two most
Important biblical characters from the tribe of Benjamin both have the same name
If you can believe that because of course in the Old Testament
We have King Saul of the tribe of Benjamin and then in the New Testament
We have Saul of Tarsus who is of the tribe of Benjamin and Saul is of course much more commonly known as Paul
The Apostle Paul his name was originally Saul
He's of the tribe of Benjamin just like King Saul is of the tribe of Benjamin now the reason I'm going to preach about these
Two men is because they have so much in common
Not because they're the same, but because they are like exact opposites of one another
They're like a reverse negative of one another and so it's really interesting when you compare these two characters
There's really no way that it could be a coincidence
That these two men have so much in common and are so diametrically opposed to one another so just to start out
Let me just give you some examples
from these two men of the tribe of Benjamin the two most important men in the Bible from the tribe of Benjamin and
They're both named Saul first of all of course their opposites because one is in the Old Testament one is of the New Testament
But secondly if you think about it Saul is the first king of Israel
Whereas Saul in the New Testament is the last
Apostle because he said I'm the least of all the Apostles. I was like one born out of due time
Last of all he said Christ appeared unto me
So if somebody claims to have been visited recently by the resurrected Christ
They're lying because it was the Apostle Paul who was the last one to be a witness of his bodily resurrection
Of course when he comes again every eye shall see him when he comes in the clouds
But if you think about it at the end of Saul's life
He was persecuting David wasn't he toward the very end of his life. That's what he was doing
He was pursuing and persecuting David, and if you think about the Apostle Paul
started out
Persecuting Christ who is the son of David David represents Christ so one started out persecuting
Christ that's the Apostle Paul the other ended up persecuting David
Toward the end of Saul's life. He ordered to have the priests of the Lord killed and
Many priests of the Lord were executed under King Saul's order and the other Saul in the New Testament started out by
Delivering Christians unto their death or ordering Christians to be killed
if you would flip over to Acts chapter number 9 Acts chapter number 9 and
While you're turning to Acts 9 I'll read for you from Acts 22 the Apostle Paul said and I persecuted this way unto the death
Binding and delivering into prison both men and women so the Apostle Paul started out
persecuting Christians even unto death having them killed
It says in Acts chapter 9 verse 1 and Saul yet breathing out
Threatenings and look at this next word threatenings and slaughter
Right so this guy wants Christians killed at the beginning of his story
It says that he was breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples the Lord went under the high priest and desired of him
Letters to Damascus to the synagogues that if he found any of this way whether they were men or women he might bring them
Bound in Jerusalem of course the Apostle Paul was not directly killing anyone
he didn't directly murder anyone, but indirectly because he's bringing them and having them arrested and
Some were killed for the cause of Christ
Just like Saul indirectly killed the priests of the Lord because it was actually doing the Edomite that he sicced on them
Now think about Saul physically Saul was a very tall man. He was known for his great height
He was head and shoulders above all the rest of the people
But yet the Apostle Paul was the exact opposite because it says in 2nd Corinthians 10 10 his letters say they are weighty and powerful
but his bodily presence is weak and
His speech contemptible so the Apostle Paul is very unimpressive
Probably a small guy if they said well his bodily presence is contemptible
You know there's not much to see there, and then Saul is just impressive to everyone standing head and shoulders above the people
It's amazing how many ways these two are opposite. They're both of the tribe of Benjamin. They're both named Saul
So now I want to get into kind of the main points that I want to emphasize this morning of the differences between these men
if you would flip over to 1st Corinthians chapter number 15 1st Corinthians chapter number 15 and
While you're turning there, I'm gonna read for you 1st Samuel 15 17 now
Why did God choose?
Saul to be king is it just because he was so tall and God just said hey
Let's just go with the tallest guy no because man looks on the outward appearance
But God looks on the heart and the reason why God chose King Saul is because Saul was a godly
Humble man in the beginning now. We tend to think of the way that Saul ended up and we think of Saul
Persecuting David and and losing his temper and throwing a javelin at his son and and
Chewing out his son and doing all these things
But he actually started out as a godly humble man
Which is why the Lord chose him to be king in the first place and it says here in 1st Samuel
15 17 you're in 1st Corinthians, but I'll be there in a moment, but in 1st Samuel 15 it says
Samuel said when thou was little in thine own sight
Was thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel and the Lord anointed the king over Israel
So God made Saul king when Saul was little in his own sight. He was humble
What's interesting about Paul is that Paul ends up a very humble man?
Saul started out humble
But then the power of being king goes to his head and then it's just all about preserving his power at all costs
And he wants to kill David so he doesn't lose power
He's getting angry at his own son because he just wants the family to have the power and his son Jonathan supports David and so forth
But the Apostle Paul on the other hand ends up humble in the end of his life
In fact, he even changes his name because he starts out being named Saul
But then his name changes to Paul and the word Paul literally means little
So he uses this name that means small or little so Saul in the Old Testament starts out little in his own sight
Paul ends up little in his own sight and he even goes by that name because when we're reading the book of Acts
You know for the first many chapters that we see Saul chapter 7 is where we're introduced to Saul
All the way up through chapter 13. He's called Saul, right?
So when we're reading about him on the road to Damascus and even as he's
Preaching and doing missions. He still is called Saul for a while
Then all of a sudden we get to chapter 13 when he's on the island of Cyprus and all of a sudden it just
switches in chapter 13
It says Saul who is called Paul and then from then on he's just always called Paul
But remember Paul wrote a bunch of letters as well right the epistles of Paul and notice in those letters
He never calls himself Saul. He always calls himself Paul. That's what he goes by why because he's little in his own sight
He's using this humble name
Paul that literally means small or little so it's the opposite
So he showed that he preferred that name because that's what he uses in all his epistles to refer to himself
Look at 1st Corinthians 15 9 there and look at the humility of the Apostle Paul
He said for I am the least of the Apostles
Now we look at that and we probably don't really agree with that
You know who's the least of the Apostles probably some no-name guy that we don't know much about Bartholomew or something
You know what I mean?
I don't know who the least the Apostles is but I don't think it's Paul because the Apostle Paul is
the guy who wrote you know 13 books 14 books of the New Testament and
The book of Acts starts out being the acts of the Apostles and it ends up being the acts of the Apostle
Paul because the vast majority of the book ends up being just about the Apostle Paul, but notice that's what he's saying about himself
He's saying I'm the least of the Apostles. He's little in his own sight
He's saying I'm not meet to be called an Apostle because I persecuted the Church of God
I'm not even worthy that's littleness in his own sight 1st Timothy 1 15
You have to turn their famous verse
This is a faithful saying and worthy of all
Acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I'm chief
He said I'm the chief of sinners
How be it for this cause I obtained mercy that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all longsuffering
For a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting
He says look the reason I was chosen is not because I'm great not because I was worthy
It's really just because God
Wanted to choose someone that could be an example to other people they could say hey if this guy can get saved you can
Get saved. I mean this guy is
The chief of sinners this guy is persecuting the Church of God
So it's a pattern that says hey
Just because you've done a lot of really bad sins in the past if you believe on Jesus Christ you can still be saved
Anyone who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ will be saved
Regardless of what they have done in the past
They could do anything in the past and if they believe on the Lord Jesus Christ they will be saved
Now obviously we realize that there are some people according to scripture that are beyond hope of salvation
First of all everybody who's in hell right now is beyond hope of salvation people who've died without Christ are beyond hope of salvation
You've got to get saved while you're still alive before it's eternally too late
You've got to get saved before you breathe your last breath
And so we realize that there are some people who are beyond hope even before they breathe their last breath
there are people who blaspheme the Holy Ghost or
Have done other things to just show God that they just completely hate him and don't even want to retain God in their knowledge
Whatsoever and we realize that there are people who've been given over to a reprobate mind
But the reason that they cannot be saved is because they cannot believe
Because the Bible says in John 12 39 therefore they could not believe
God hardened their heart and blinded their eyes so forth because anyone who believes will be saved
No matter what they've done. There's not some sin that you commit where it's like. Oh, that's it
God won't listen to you if you call upon him by faith for salvation
No anyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved as long as they believe in Christ
Right because how can they call on him and who they've not believed
but if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and shall believe in thine heart that God has raised him from the dead thou
Shall be saved and the great thing about that is that anyone who does that will be saved
It's not a matter of well. How bad have you been?
You know
Because I don't know if God's grace is gonna be sufficient
Hey, God's grace is greater than all our sin as the song says and so when we're out soul winning
Some eyes will run into people and they say well. I just don't know
If I can be saved because you know I've had a really wicked past
I don't know if God's gonna forgive me for those things
But let me tell you something anyone who believes on Jesus Christ will be forgiven so unless that person just hates
God and doesn't want to retain God in their knowledge, and it's just rejected God ultimately hey salvation is available
It's not about their past and the Apostle Paul is an example of that because here's a guy who?
Persecuted the Church of God here's a guy who breathed out threatenings and slaughter
Against Christianity, that's pretty wicked
But yet God showed him mercy as a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting
showing that your sinful past can be paid for and
Covered in the blood of Christ and you can be saved and so notice the Apostle Paul's not say well
He chose me because he knew I was gonna be so effective
You know he chose me
Because of the fact that these other apostles weren't exactly getting it done. They were staying in Jerusalem
They weren't getting into Greece and Macedonia like I did no no he says look
He chose me as a pattern because I'm the chief of sinners. I'm the least of the Apostles now
He does acknowledge at one point that he did labor more abundantly than they all but that's not
Glorifying anything about himself that he's just such a smart person or a great person or an effective person
You know it's really just that God wanted to show an example of a guy who'd had a bad past
Getting saved getting right and then of course even outdoing the rest of the Apostles by out laboring them not by being better
But just by working hard and achieving great things for God
and so this is the opposite of Saul who Saul started out humble and
Then ended up being filled with pride
It's the exact opposite with Paul because Paul started out all puffed up in the Jews religion and persecuting Christianity
And then he ends up being very humble because when he says that he's the chief of sinners in first Timothy
Well first Timothy is one of the last
Epistles that he wrote the the epistles to Timothy first and second are both very late in his ministry
And so that's toward the end of his life. He's being very humble. He's ending humble instead of starting humble like Saul did
But not only that number two Saul ended his life in regret
Whereas the Apostle Paul ended his life glad that he had served the Lord
Glad that he had finished the course
This is what Saul said toward the end of his life in 1st Samuel 26. He said I've played the fool I've
Played the fool and I've erred exceedingly
That's I don't want to end my life saying that I don't want to be saying that on my deathbed man
I've been an idiot
I've been full and then
Listen to what the Apostle Paul said at the end of his life, and if you would actually flip over there
I want you to see this go to 2nd Timothy chapter 4
I'm gonna start reading while you get there though because I want to show you something but 1st Timothy 4 6
For I'm now ready to be offered and the time of my departure is at hand
So 2nd Timothy is the last epistle that the Apostle Paul wrote his final epistle final chapter
He says I'm now ready to be offered and the time of my departure is at hand now
What does he mean when he says the time of my departure is he like hey?
I'm at the airport my flights leaving so I have to wrap up this epistle
No when he says the time of my departure is at hand he's talking about departing this life
He's talking about departing to be with Christ as he called it in another pistol talking about dying
He's almost to the point of physically dying
And he says the time my departure is at hand look at verse 7. I have fought a good fight
I have finished my course I
Have kept the faith sounds a little different than I've played the fool. I've heard exceedingly
Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness
Which the Lord the righteous judge shall give me at that day and not to me only but unto all them also
That love is appearing isn't it interesting that when Saul died he loses his crown
He was the king of Israel, and it should have been his son's kingdom
God said that it would have been his son's kingdom
I would have established your throne forever, but because of Saul's disobedience his death marks the end of
His reign the end of his dynasty he and his sons die on the same day
And that's a removal of the crowd was when the Apostle Paul died he received his crown
I'm telling you these characters are the exact opposite and enough
There's no way it could be coincidence the both of the tribe of Benjamin
They're both named Saul ones of the New Testament ones of the Old Testament, and they're opposite in like 20 30 different ways
Almost everything about them ends up being a reverse of one another right
Saul loses the crown the Apostle Paul gains the crown and
Not only that this wasn't in my notes, but this just kind of popped into my mind
You know Saul really wanted that crown for himself, and he didn't want it to go to someone else
He didn't want David to be king. He didn't want anyone else to be king
You know he's trying to hog that thing whereas the Apostle Paul is saying hey this crowns not for me only
But unto all them also the love is appearing he wants other people to wear a crown
You know he's not trying to hog that for himself
It's kind of the exact opposite if you think about it
But not only that and this point is is a little bit controversial, but since I'm right
You know I'm just gonna go ahead and say it and since I have no doubt that I'm right you know Saul
Lost his crown when he died Paul gained the crown when he died, but think about this also Saul
came to a violent end
Saul died a painful death a violent
Brutal death because if you think about it, not only did Saul die in battle. That's already a violent death right
He's in battle, and he's killed by the enemy, but he's actually
mortally wounded and just like slowly dying and
Begging his armor bearer to kill him
That's a painful death when you're saying like kill me. You know that's pretty bad, right and
Then the armor bearers you know is afraid to do it, so then he ends up having to fall on his own sword
I mean look of all the ways of dying you know sometimes you might sit around and think like oh, man
You know what would be the worst way to die or a better way to die?
Hopefully you're not that morbid, but if you think about that
You know one of the worst things would be if you had to like participate in it yourself. I mean that's horrific
You know you're Saul
mortally wounded slowly dying
Just begging to be finished off
So that the philistines don't come and abuse him or you know mutilate him or whatever
They're gonna do to him, and then he ends up falling on his own sword
That's pretty much as bad as it gets folks. That's a pretty tragic end
but the Apostle Paul I
Do not believe for one second that the Apostle Paul died a violent death
Now you say well, you know the Apostle Paul was murdered. He was thrown to the lions
He was killed by Nero really because I can't find that in my Bible anywhere and not only that there's no
Historical evidence for that anywhere, so there's no biblical evidence for that. There's no historical evidence for that
That's just a tradition and you're not gonna believe this
But a lot of these Roman Catholic type traditions and stories and legends about the Saints and martyrs
Aren't real they're made up and in fact
I believe that the teaching that the Apostle Paul was martyred actually directly contradicts this passage
Let's look at the evidence for ourselves now remember
He just finished saying in verse 6 the time of my departure is at hand
He's clearly talking about the fact that he's about to die at hand means
It's about to happen you know at hand means you can reach out and touch it with your hand
Okay, so when he says the time of my departure is at hand he's saying I am about to die right now
But now look at verse 16 at my first answer. No man stood with me, but all men forsook me
I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge
Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me and strengthened me
That by me the preaching might be fully known and that all the Gentiles might hear
Watch this and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. Oh by the way. I may be thrown to the lions tomorrow
That directly contradicts what the Bible's saying here because he's literally saying I know I'm about to die
Time when I departures at hand and then he says I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion
Now stop and think about this if he knows well, I'm gonna be killed tomorrow. I'm gonna be executed
It's not like well. I'm getting beheaded, but I was delivered from the mouth of the lion
What in the world and in case you're thinking along those lines look at the next verse the Lord shall deliver me from
every evil work
So how could you say oh, I'm gonna be executed
I'm gonna come to a violent end tomorrow
But hey the Lord's gonna deliver me from every evil work that makes no sense the evil work
He was delivered from in this context is the lion the mouth of the lion
He was delivered from the mouth line. He was arrested and sent to Rome and
You know why is he being sent to Rome because he's being charged with a crime that?
They're saying the Jews are saying is worthy of death
And
Paul said hey if I'm worthy of death
I don't refuse to die
But I haven't done anything wrong and so because they want to put Paul to death because Paul is put on trial for his life
He has a Roman citizen had the right to appeal to Caesar
It's like the Supreme Court or something right so he appeals unto Caesar. He goes to Rome to be judged by Caesar
Well, what if things don't go his way in that trial? What's gonna happen to him? He could be killed
But
He says hey praise God
I was delivered from the mouth of the lion why because he could have got thrown to that lion
But he was delivered from the mouth line and hey great news the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work and will preserve me
Under his heavenly kingdom to whom be glory forever never amen. Just kidding. I'm gonna get ripped apart by lions tomorrow. Just kidding
I'm getting my head chopped off tomorrow. That doesn't make any sense
And you say well he's just talking in general folks he's talking about his death
He's literally saying I'm about to die
But I was delivered from the line
I was delivered from every evil work see the word evil in the Bible typically refers to
harming someone else an evil work would be some bodily harm coming unto him and
It appears from this passage that he's just dying of old age. He's just an old man. He's super old. He's writing a letter
he's about to die and he has come to a peaceful end and
There is nothing in Scripture
That teaches that Paul was martyred that he died a violent death
There's nothing historically that points that it's just a tradition
Along with a bunch of other wild stories about deaths of saints and deaths of martyrs
They're just a bunch of wild Catholic fables, and so I don't believe it for one second
You know I'm gonna base what I believe on the Bible
You know it's funny. I googled this and it said I was almost universally agreed upon by Christians that he was martyred well
I'm glad you guys all have figured that out and agreed on that you have any evidence for that
You know you think in the Bible. Oh you have a Catholic tradition, okay?
Not buying it and so you know again like I said if you don't agree with me
That's fine, but you're just so wrong. I came, and I can't even okay because you're just wrong
Because you know oh, okay. I got more proof. How about this how about the end of the book of Acts?
Okay the end of the book of Acts these are the last two verses of the book of Acts and
Paul dwelled two whole years in his own hired house and received all that came in unto him
Preaching the kingdom of God and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence. No man forbidding him
Then he got killed brutally like right after that
You know it doesn't say that it's all just positive like you know he went to Rome
Because here's what you see in the story as we read throughout the book of Acts with the apostle Paul
They kind of did the Romans don't really want to do anything with them. They don't want to persecute them
they're not worried about him and
The Jews want him dead, and they're like well. We don't want to make the Jews mad
We don't want to release this guy and everybody flips out. They're just trying to kind of keep the peace and keep things going and
So they end up just kind of just putting him on the back burner
So he's just kind of sitting there for two years in jail
Earlier not this two years an earlier period he just sits there for two years
Just they're just kind of waiting for somebody to do something with this guy like you know
Festus doesn't really want to deal with the guy Felix doesn't really want to deal with the guy
Agrippa is like practically getting saved listening to him and so he said almost out persuades me to be a Christian
So he's not ready to kill him
And so you have all of these stories in the book of Acts with the Romans where the Romans are just kind of shuffling them
Around and hey, let's just kind of leave him on ice. Let's just kind of leave him in prison
Let's let the other guy deal with hey. I'm gonna be out of office in a few months
Let's let the incoming guy deal with him, so they're constantly just kind of shoving him off
When he's in Rome they kind of just stick him in a house. He's kind of on house arrest
he's wearing an ankle bracelet in Rome and
And
He's not being condemned
He can kind of say and preach whatever he wants
But he just needs to be on house arrest all the people can come and hear him the Jews come here and preach his
Friends come hear him the Christians are coming and visiting with him and that continues for two years no man forget
What happened at the end of the two years?
You know because you don't see Luke saying well
He's there to this day or that that's the last time I saw him you know
There seems to be a finality in that of you know
He's there for two years. You know it's it's quite possible that at the end of that two years when he died
Just at home. No man forbidding him or even if the even if Luke is just leaving the story there, okay?
Well if Luke leaves it there
Why don't we leave it there too?
And why don't we just take Paul's word for it in second Timothy for?
that he's gonna be delivered from every evil work and that he was delivered from the mouth of the lion and
So that's where I stand on that, but notice the contrast
Saul in the Old Testament came to a violent end
whereas Paul
Goes to the Lord peacefully now. That's the last piece of evidence that I'm right is that basically
It fits the pattern of everything being the opposite if he died violently he wouldn't be the opposite of
Saul everything else is practically the opposite so it makes sense that he would end his life in the opposite manner at peace versus in
war
So go back if you would to 1st Samuel 28, I think where this legend or this
this kind of
Idea that the Apostle Paul was martyred. I think where it came from is
Probably that just somewhere along the way
They just didn't want Paul to feel left out of getting martyred, and they just thought it would make a better story
and
So you if you study?
The legends of the Protestants and Catholics, you know like for example the beginning of Fox's book of martyrs
It just gives all these legends about how the apostles supposedly died
You know you just see them just getting martyred in all these different ways
But here's another reason why that doesn't make sense is that according to the teaching of the Bible?
the vast majority of time
Preachers of God's word do not get martyred
the vast majority of the time God's constantly delivering men of God and
only rarely
Do prophets in the Old Testament or New Testament preachers get martyred?
That's why he says the devil shall cast some of you into prison some of you are going to be put to death
But the majority of God's people end up getting delivered
That's just the way it works start in Genesis read all the way through to revelation
You'll find that the vast majority of God's people are God's bailing them out
God's delivering them God's keeping them safe. You know you think about guys like Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego
I mean we I could list tons of examples of
the ones who escaped and
Very few examples of the martyrs. I mean obviously we know that James the brother of John is killed with the sword
We know that Peter is martyred, and we know of course that Stephen is martyred
There's another guy in the New Testament named Antipas that was a faithful martyr
But folks let's face it you know
It doesn't seem like
Most of these guys get martyred and in general we see a pattern of God constantly delivering people
So if I look at a list saying oh
Here's how every single apostle was was martyred that list is automatically suspect to me because why would I assume that?
Every apostle gets martyred
When that doesn't seem to be the pattern anywhere in the Bible itself and so that same list that just has every apostle
Getting martyred, and then it has Paul getting martyred
It's they're probably just trying to spice up the story a little bit by making him more glorious by getting martyred
I kind of like the story just the way it is in the Bible personally
so
Did I have you turn to first Samuel go to chapter 28 of first Samuel first Samuel chapter 28?
Let's let's let's kind of zoom in on the end of
Saul's life
The Bible says in first Samuel 28 19 moreover the Lord will also deliver Israel with thee
Into the hand of the Philistines and tomorrow
Shout thou and thy sons be with me the Lord also shall deliver the host of Israel into the hand of the Philistines
Then Saul fell straightway all along on the earth and was sore afraid
Because of the words of Samuel and there was no strength in him for he'd eaten no bread all the day nor all the night
Now there are a few things I want to point out here first of all is that
Saul at the end of his life is fasting isn't he?
The Bible says he hadn't eaten any bread all that day nor all the night
So he's fasting at the end of his story at the end of his life here because this is like the day before he dies
And he's not eating all day all night
Then right after this what happens is that the witch of Endor?
Actually
compels him to eat, and she's like you need to eat, and she shows compassion on him and
Her and Saul's men end up compelling him to eat, and it says in verse number
23 but he refused and said I will not eat
But his servants together with the woman compelled him and he hearkened unto their voice
So he rose from the earth and sat upon the bed so the end of Saul's life. We see him. He's so upset
He's so distraught. He's not eating. He's fasting and then people are begging him you need to eat, and then he eats, right?
Here's what's interesting about the end of Saul's life at the end of Saul's story
Not necessarily the end of his life
But toward the end of his life and at the end of his story in
Acts 27 because the story ends in chapter 28 in Acts 27
It's everyone else that's fasting except Saul
Saul is the only one who's not fasting and they're on the boat
And everybody's scared everybody's freaked out on the ship, and they haven't eaten in like 14 days, and he's telling everybody
Hey, you guys need to eat. This isn't healthy. This is for your health man. Have some neat things like here
I'm gonna eat in front of all you guys and he and he's eating in front of them
And then they take courage and then they eat with them so
Saul in the Old Testament is being compelled to eat
Quit fasting and eat and then Saul in the New Testament's telling other people hey quit fasting have something to eat
Isn't that interesting again like a reverse negative here? Why because these men are at opposite places in their life
Saul in the Old Testament's upset and he's depressed because his life's falling apart the Apostle Paul saying hey, I believe God
It's gonna be great
Let's eat
He's encouraging others whereas Saul is the recipient of encouragement
in the Old Testament
Not only that, but if you think about it when Saul actually became king
There was feasting when he was anointed as king right so when Samuel first meets Saul
There's a big story about how he makes Saul to sit among the chiefess
You're in 1st Samuel right jump back to chapter 9 if you want to see this jump back to chapter 9
So now let's go to the beginning so at the end Saul's fasting and they're begging him to eat at the beginning
It's the opposite Saul starts out feasting because when Saul is anointed it says in verse number 23 of chapter 9
Samuel said unto the cook
bring the portion which I gave thee of which I said unto thee set it by thee and the cook took up the shoulder and
that which was upon it and set it before Saul and
Samuel said behold that which is left set it before thee and eat
For unto this time hath it been kept for thee since I said I've invited the people so
Saul did eat with Samuel that day, and so you know the shoulder piece
You know I'm using my shoulder even though obviously they weren't eating humans
but basically you know the shoulder is a big muscle on the animal and so this is a
Big piece of meat there's a big feast and it's like hey give Saul that big old piece of meat the cookie
You know we've set aside this big piece of meat
Get that out of here and feed it to Saul and so he's given this giant piece of meat to eat
And so his kingdom starts with feasting, but he ends up fasting right, okay?
The Apostle Paul is the opposite because what does the Bible say in Acts chapter 9 when the Apostle Paul is on the road to?
Damascus and he's called to be an apostle it says in verse 9. He was three days without sight and neither did eat or drink
So the Apostle Paul starts out in chapter 9 when he's called to be an apostle no food no drink for three days
But then he ends his life saying let's eat up things are great
Take courage eat the exact opposite with Saul in the Old Testament starts out with feasting ends up
Starving and fasting and having to be forced to eat
But go back if you would to Acts chapter 9 actually I want to show you something in Acts chapter well
First we need to do something first Samuel 28. Sorry you I don't want to take you back and forth too much
So this is the last thing in first Samuel 28, so let's do it first because we're already there
First Samuel 28
This is right after
Saul has been told that tomorrow. You're gonna die you and your sons are gonna die and
Samuel is giving him that
Pronouncement it says in verse 20 then Saul fell straight way all along the earth and was sore afraid
Because of the words of Samuel there was no strength in him for he'd eaten
No bread all that all the day nor all the night so Saul at the end of his life
is terrified
Right and trembling and
falls on the ground and
The wording there in verse 20 is that he fell straight way all along on the earth what that means is basically
That he's just completely flat out on the ground all along as opposed to like being on his knees or something
I mean he's just on his face on the earth. He's just collapsed
Trembling scared terrified and collapsed right is at the end of his life
On the eve of his death
Whereas in acts 9 if you want to flip over there acts chapter 9
And I'm gonna start reading while you get there in acts 9 the the the apostle Paul back when he was called Saul
He came near Damascus and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven
Verse 4 and he fell to the earth and heard a voice saying on him Saul Saul
Why persecutest thou me and he said who art thou Lord and the Lord said, I'm Jesus whom thou persecutest
It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks and he trembling and astonished
Said Lord
What wilt thou have me to do and the Lord said unto him arise and go into the city and it shall be told thee
What thou must do and the men which journeyed with him stood speechless hearing a voice but seeing no man
and I want you to notice this part Saul arose from the earth and
When his eyes were opened he saw no man, but they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus
And he was there. He was three days without sight and neither did eat nor drink. So look we see here that
Saul's end in the New Testament is is again
Diametrically opposed or a reverse negative or totally opposite of Saul in the Old Testament
I'm sorry
but Saul's beginning in the New Testament matches Saul's end in the Old Testament and
The end in the beginning match because they're reverses of one another so isn't it interesting in these two stories here that we just saw
Saul in the Old Testament ends up on the ground
Scared and trembling the Apostle Paul at the beginning of his story is on the ground
Scared and trembling because it says he rose from the earth. That means he's on the earth
He said he was trembling in verse 6 and what's interesting too is that at that story of the end of Saul's life
He's trying to get the Lord to tell him what to do
Right what do I do and
Samuel's like I don't even know what to tell you because you're gonna die tomorrow. It's too late for you
you're getting smoked, but he basically was like what do I do and
What is Saul saying at the beginning? What do I do Lord?
But he's told hey
You're gonna be told what to do by an anise and notice they're both
Looking to a man of God to point them to tell them what to do Saul needs Samuel to tell him what to do
Saul in the New Testament needs an anise to tell him what to do
One's at the beginning one's at the end one gets an answer the other is refused again. The parallels are uncanny and
So the way that Saul ends in the Old Testament is the way that Saul begins in the New Testament
So let me just wrap it all up and conclude
With this thought okay, and I'm gonna give you a couple verses and expound this
But it says and you don't have to turn to any of these
Ecclesiastes 7 1 says a good name is better than precious ointment and the day of death
Than the day of one's birth the Bible says the day of your death is better than the day of your birth
Ecclesiastes 7 verse 8 says better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof and
the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit and so it's better to suffer now and
Rejoice later
It's better to finish well than to start well
King Saul started well, but the Apostle Paul
finished well and
It's far better to finish well and well, that's why Saul ends up going down in history
Typically thought of as more of a bad guy or a bad character or a bad example a cautionary tale
The typical sermon about Saul if we were to take a hundred sermons about Saul from all different denominations
And just look at that sermon. You know the vast majority if not all of them would probably be negative towards all in general
Whereas talking about the Apostle Paul it would be all positive
But they both had a very negative part in their life
They both had a very dark period and a very glorious period I mean Saul was a great guy in fact
Did you know that if you look up?
Who in the Bible?
Who does it say in the Bible about this person the Spirit of Lord came upon him more than anyone else?
It's pretty much like Saul and Samson where the Bible keeps saying that over and over again that the Spirit of Lord came on
So here's a spirit filled man. He delivered Israel. He's a godly man. He's humble
He did a lot of great things, but that ends up getting overshadowed by his end
Apostle Paul started out
Persecuting the church we have to constantly as preachers remind people that he started out that way
Because that's not what we think of when we think of Paul we think of the Apostle Paul
You know we don't call him the persecutor Paul. We call him the Apostle Paul because we think about the way he ended up
It's far better to end well than to start well
Jesus said this in Luke 6 21 blessed are you that hunger now for you shall be filled?
Blessed are ye that weep now for you shall laugh
Right you don't want to be laughing now and weeping later. You'd rather weep now laugh later
You don't want to be full now and hungry later. You'd rather hunger now and be filled
The bottom line is finish well, and that's what I want to preach to you this morning is finish well
Don't quit and don't live on past glories and
Think about all the things you've done in the past you say well. I'm old hey keep going
Don't live on past way finish strong
You know if you're elderly here this morning
You know what that basically means is that you're just approaching the finish line and when you're approaching the finish line
You don't typically slow down
Anybody who's run a race knows that when you're approaching the finish line?
You know you want to do what you can because you know it's almost over anyway
Now obviously when you're approaching the finish line you might be slowing down
Just because you're just old and you're just tired and so nobody's expecting you to be out there like hey
You bet you know you're 90 you better be sprinting across that finish line, buddy
Look sometimes at the end of a long endurance race you couldn't sprint necessarily to even save your life
But I will say this though you don't you don't get to the end and say okay. I'm almost there
I think I'm just gonna walk off this last part or hey. I think I'm gonna take a break
I'm a hundred feet from the finish line. Hey now's a good time to just take a break
Maybe I'm gonna take my shoes off and check and see if I have any blisters
You know I think I'm just gonna sit down and have a meal
No, I mean you get to the end you know you want to push it a little bit at the end and say okay
Let's let's finish strong
You know so I'd encourage some of you older Saints today to finish strong in your life
And I'm glad that you did great things for God in the past
If you have but you know what why not do something great for God now
Why not leave a great legacy to your children and grandchildren leave them with?
words of wisdom preach the Word of God unto them win a soul to Christ go out soul winning do something and
Don't just say well, I'm done and especially because sometimes in America people think they're done like really early like some people
They're like in their 50s. Oh, I'm so old
You know it's like well. I'm 60 today. I'm 62 now, and so I'm 62. I'm on Social Security. It's all over for me I
Mean there are men in the Bible who did great works for God when they're 70 80 years old
You know why not push that and even in even in the 20th century you could point to figures in the 20th century that did
great works
even when they're in their 70s and 80s and I can show you preachers that preach great sermons in their 70s 80s even 90s and
So you know I just encourage you to finish strong finish well
But you know even to the younger crowd today those of you that are younger
My admonition to you would be hey be willing to suffer now be humble now be little in your own sight now and be
Someone who's investing now in spiritual things so that you can later enjoy
Don't be saying well. I'm going to enjoy now and
Party now no get the order right okay? You suffer first so you can enjoy later
So that you can finish the course well
Right you'd rather hunger now and be filled later
And so no matter what stage
You are in life whether you are a young person
Maybe you're in middle age or maybe you're elderly
decide that you are going to stay with the Lord all the way to the end and
Finish well and that you are going to end well now the Apostle Paul. We started today in Philippians 3
We're gonna end in the same place that we started and the reason I started in Philippians 3 was because I just wanted to show
You that the Apostle Paul was of the tribe of Benjamin. You know I'm supposed to be preaching about Benjamin
You might have forgotten that I was preaching about Benjamin
The Bible doesn't have a lot to say about Benjamin, okay the guy Benjamin
But you've got a really famous guy from Benjamin in the Old Testament
And you got a really famous guy from Benjamin in the New Testament. Oh, they have the same name
There's like 50 things about them that line up perfectly
but only in reverse only in an opposite manner and
So let's finish in Philippians 3 it says in verse 13 this the this is the Apostle Paul's finished strong attitude
Brethren I count on myself to have apprehended, but this one thing I do
Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before I
Press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus
Does this sound like a guy who's trying to live on past glory?
Says no man forget about what we did in the past. Let's press forward
Forward let's do the greatest works for God in the future
And so I don't care if you're young middle-aged or old
you today should be looking forward and
Saying you know what I want to
Finish strong. I want to make it all the way to the finish line
I want to run across that finish line if I can I'll sprint across that finish line
But I'm you know maybe maybe if you're old and you don't have the energy to sprint across that finish line
You know at least though you're gonna. Give it what you've got
You'd expect everyone who's been running for
26.2 miles or a hundred miles or something you know you'd expect them after all that work to give it what they've got
In those last few moments now, that's gonna be different some people what they've got is just gonna be like
You know and just kind of falling hey if that's what you got give it what you got
Or maybe what you've got is just a break into a sprint
And you just you're just going across that finish line at like a five-minute mile pace amen
So much the better
But you know you'd expect everyone if they were so close to the end to give it what they got why because we want to
finish well
There's no glory in starting the race well. Oh, man. You should see me start a marathon man. I'm ahead of everybody I
Started a marathon the other day. I was in the front. I was leading the pack for like a half mile
Then I had to drop out because I couldn't run anymore. I was out of breath
There's no glory there, but there you know when you have these giant marathons
There'll be a bozo who does that just for fun like somebody who lines up at the front and just
sprints out and then they're just like
You know they could barely even
breathe
Folks, there's no going stupid right the winner is the guy who finishes well
and
So we need to finish strong don't live on past, but what are you going to do for God in 2022?
What are we doing in 2023?
That's what I'm interested in not just hey, man
You remember back in those old days, and you know the sometimes the old ifb they want to glorify the past oh
Man back in the 60s and 70s back in the 80s
I you know what talk about all the glory days in the past and they
You know a lot of these guys they have to go back that far
To find the great works and the great exploits. You know I'm a lot more interested in what's going on right now
And I'm a lot more interested in the future because I can't control the past I can only control the future and so I'm pressing
On the upward way new heights. I'm gaining every day still praying as I'm onward bound
Lord plant my feet on higher ground
That ought to be the attitude. Let's have a New Testament Paul attitude New Testament Saul of
Benjamin not an Old Testament Saul from Benjamin notice how I ended my sermon on the word Benjamin all right
Let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer
Lord we thank you so much for this church and the great group of people Lord who serve here week after week
Also all the visitors Lord God bless them for
Driving long distances to be here and Lord
We just pray that you would bless all of our works going forward Lord help us all to finish strong and Jesus saying we pray
Amen
Right church, let's close out our service on this last song
This
Home for zero for when the battle's over some 404
Right church, let's sing this out loud on the first
Oh
We're
Oh
Amen church great singing for one quick announcement. We broke our attendance, so we got ice cream all right
So thank you so much for coming for stronghold Baptist Church guys
Don't forget the baptism
You