WEBVTT
00:00:09.039 --> 00:00:10.880
Welcome to the Table Talk Podcast.
00:00:11.039 --> 00:00:14.480
My name is Dre Clark, and I'm the discipleship pastor here at the table.
00:00:14.560 --> 00:00:16.160
And I am joined today by Dr.
00:00:16.239 --> 00:00:18.079
Bill Stewart, our lead pastor.
00:00:18.160 --> 00:00:24.800
And we are so glad that you've joined us as we sit down and just take some time to talk about what we're learning together as a church.
00:00:24.960 --> 00:00:27.199
Bill, great message this Sunday.
00:00:27.519 --> 00:00:35.520
We're in our series to the ends of the earth, and you're just continuing along the story and really telling three stories kind of within the story of Acts.
00:00:35.600 --> 00:00:38.479
And so go ahead and just uh give us the highlights from this week.
00:00:38.560 --> 00:00:43.679
You know, kind of bring us back and point out um some of the things that you want us to remember uh from this Sunday.
00:00:44.000 --> 00:00:52.799
Yeah, so the passage that we looked at was uh probably if people are familiar with it would know it's the story of Paul and Silas in jail, in the Philippian jail.
00:00:53.439 --> 00:01:02.240
Um but what we what I did with the message was talked about three stories of three people that we see in that that text of scripture.
00:01:02.479 --> 00:01:05.920
And so the first story is an unfinished story, that's the story of the slave girl.
00:01:06.000 --> 00:01:15.920
Uh the second story is the story of suffering, which is is Paul's story, thinking through the events of him being thrown into jail and the unfair trial and treatment and all that kind of stuff.
00:01:16.079 --> 00:01:26.799
And then the last story is the story of the jailer, which is a story of salvation, you know, where you know he sees that Paul and the uh prisoners hadn't left.
00:01:26.879 --> 00:01:28.879
And so he said, What must I do to be saved?
00:01:28.959 --> 00:01:32.000
And Paul said, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.
00:01:32.079 --> 00:01:33.040
So the story of salvation.
00:01:33.280 --> 00:01:34.319
Yeah, famous verse for sure.
00:01:34.400 --> 00:01:36.239
That he has a lot of discussion around it, too.
00:01:36.719 --> 00:01:39.280
Yeah, and so I love how you kind of brought us through.
00:01:39.359 --> 00:01:40.560
Um, you know, I think you're right.
00:01:40.640 --> 00:01:46.480
We often take this story and we we pull out the interesting one and we kind of skip over the ones like, oh, that was an interesting point.
00:01:46.640 --> 00:01:52.959
But really kind of seeing, like, hey, no, these events, really three life-changing kind of events and pulling out some principles was really good.
00:01:53.040 --> 00:02:00.959
Uh, I think too, um, whenever I think of this passage as well, it's, you know, it's why, why is uh, you know, Luke telling the story this way?
00:02:01.120 --> 00:02:07.439
And I find it interesting because the story that's going on really is the same story that we saw back in his first part of the letter.
00:02:07.519 --> 00:02:09.199
This is stuff that Jesus was doing.
00:02:09.360 --> 00:02:11.599
You know, Jesus was casting out the demons.
00:02:11.680 --> 00:02:14.479
He was about healing, he was about bringing this message of salvation.
00:02:14.560 --> 00:02:15.360
He's the Messiah.
00:02:15.520 --> 00:02:25.840
And then you see in Acts, Peter begins to pick it up, and now we see Paul um continuing along this story and reminding us um this is what the big story's been about.
00:02:25.919 --> 00:02:29.680
Like God is is coming into your lives and he is noticing um the unnoticed.
00:02:29.759 --> 00:02:33.280
He wants to finish your story with it, he wants to bring you from your past to somewhere.
00:02:33.439 --> 00:02:36.479
He wants to come into your suffering, and really his aim is salvation.
00:02:36.560 --> 00:02:41.199
So I love um, you know, how you emphasize just a story that we quickly go over.
00:02:41.360 --> 00:02:44.639
So um any more things from this week as far as you know, stuck out to you?
00:02:44.719 --> 00:02:46.719
Well, we want to get to the question, what's behind the scene?
00:02:46.800 --> 00:02:55.680
But if if you were to kind of say, um, you know, here's kind of the main point out of these three stories, was there one that kind of resonated more with you as you were uh preaching uh this Sunday?
00:02:56.080 --> 00:03:04.240
Well, I mean, the first one's really interesting, but I'm gonna save that for the next question as far as like what's going on behind the scenes.
00:03:04.400 --> 00:03:04.719
Yeah.
00:03:05.120 --> 00:03:11.039
But I think the story of suffering was really interesting to think about, to think through.
00:03:11.280 --> 00:03:13.039
And I explained it in the message.
00:03:13.199 --> 00:03:21.759
Like, I I don't know if everybody's this way, but certainly I have been with that part, you know, Paul and Silas in jail and singing.
00:03:21.919 --> 00:03:25.840
It's like you just get this picture that they're sitting around a campfire, you know, late at night.
00:03:26.080 --> 00:03:26.479
Yeah.
00:03:26.639 --> 00:03:28.159
But that's not what it was.
00:03:28.479 --> 00:03:34.800
And then to think about the place of singing in suffering and songs in suffering.
00:03:35.039 --> 00:03:52.080
Um, it's just really, really kind of fascinating to think about that on multiple levels, you know, certainly from the spiritual level and what it does for us, but then even um, which I didn't talk about, but like the psychology of singing and songs in the midst of you know, grief or sadness or depression and all that kind of stuff.
00:03:52.159 --> 00:03:55.599
So to me, like that was the one see a logical thing that happens.
00:03:55.919 --> 00:04:04.080
If I had like two hours, like I would dive in and just talk about music and suffering and the the connection between those two things that shows up there.
00:04:04.159 --> 00:04:09.439
So yeah, no, um uh I remember I read a book about the Mississippi Delta and it was talking about uh it's called Getting the Blues.
00:04:09.680 --> 00:04:14.560
It was this idea of like how um in suffering song comes into that and can really restore us.
00:04:14.639 --> 00:04:16.879
I mean, I guess it's a very physiological reaction itself.
00:04:17.199 --> 00:04:17.920
Yeah, that's what I mean.
00:04:18.000 --> 00:04:27.759
I didn't I didn't talk about this at all, but like another illustration of this time-tested method of dealing with suffering, you think about like slavery and slave singing and stuff like that.
00:04:27.839 --> 00:04:30.319
I mean, there's like a it's you see this all over the place.
00:04:30.399 --> 00:04:30.480
Yeah.
00:04:30.639 --> 00:04:31.040
Yeah, yeah.
00:04:31.199 --> 00:04:35.199
I find that's really fascinating too, because what you said, it's not this kumbaya moment.
00:04:35.279 --> 00:04:42.480
Um, this is uh they were beaten, you know, and and most of the time, if you had someone that was like in a street fight of that level, like they're going to the hospital.
00:04:42.720 --> 00:04:45.519
They might still go to jail, but they're gonna go to the hospital and then jail.
00:04:45.680 --> 00:04:46.879
That's not the world they're in.
00:04:46.959 --> 00:04:53.839
You know, they're uh sitting in there with all of their trauma, you know, physical trauma in there um, you know, singing as a way to respond.
00:04:53.920 --> 00:04:55.759
So yeah, really interesting story.
00:04:55.839 --> 00:04:58.480
Um, and then kind of yeah, bookmarked by these two other stories.
00:04:58.560 --> 00:04:59.360
So let's let's get to it.
00:04:59.439 --> 00:05:08.319
So you the kind of flow for this week, really bringing out the the narrative, bringing about these three different kinds of instances and tying them together and pointing out some application.
00:05:08.480 --> 00:05:10.240
But um, what's behind the scene?
00:05:10.319 --> 00:05:11.040
How'd you come to this?
00:05:11.120 --> 00:05:14.319
Give us a little bit of what you were thinking as you were preparing for this week.
00:05:14.639 --> 00:05:22.160
Yeah, so uh, you know, from my perspective in starting the preparation process, doing my study and stuff like that.
00:05:22.240 --> 00:05:29.920
I mean, I, you know, I thought, okay, here's this like very familiar story, a relatively familiar story, story I've heard, you know, since the time that I was a little kid.
00:05:30.079 --> 00:05:38.240
So it's like, well, I want to I want to make sure that I don't just sort of regurgitate things that I think I know if I don't really know them.
00:05:38.879 --> 00:05:47.040
And so I was just really going through the process of of observing the passage, and I really got stuck on the story of the girl.
00:05:47.199 --> 00:05:47.839
Yeah.
00:05:48.240 --> 00:05:52.879
Um, because we know so very little.
00:05:53.199 --> 00:05:56.560
And like that's a I mean, I talked about it in the message a little bit.
00:05:56.639 --> 00:06:04.399
Like, I want to ask all kinds of questions about like how she got to where she was, then what happened afterwards.
00:06:04.560 --> 00:06:06.879
Like, there's no resolution to that story.
00:06:06.959 --> 00:06:09.839
And so that's where like I just started thinking about her story.
00:06:10.000 --> 00:06:13.680
It's like, man, like why don't we know more about her story?
00:06:13.839 --> 00:06:15.040
Like, what's her story?
00:06:15.519 --> 00:06:17.120
And then I thought, well, you know what?
00:06:17.279 --> 00:06:26.560
We also have the story of two other people, it was really three other people, but I kind of focused on Paul as opposed to Paul and Silas, but you could lump them together as a unit, really.
00:06:26.800 --> 00:06:30.720
Um, and so like there's a story, and then the story of the the Philippian jailer, too.
00:06:30.800 --> 00:06:44.560
And so I was like, okay, that's how we're gonna put the pieces of the message together, and then just like I want to encourage people to think about the the circumstances of their life right now and how you know what their story might be described as.
00:06:44.720 --> 00:06:57.839
And so, can I develop these stories in such a way that gets people to think about the circumstances of their life and you know, maybe through that to learn to trust God in the midst of whatever the circumstances are and however they would describe their story.
00:06:57.920 --> 00:07:00.240
So that's really how the message came about.
00:07:00.399 --> 00:07:05.439
It really started with that first girl that we don't know her story, and it's like, why don't we know your story?
00:07:05.600 --> 00:07:11.279
Yeah, well, and and really you think about like go into like the reality of the historicity of this, like her life change.
00:07:11.519 --> 00:07:18.560
Like there's a whole whole like meaning that that we can skip over and kind of rush through, and we miss kind of the point too.
00:07:18.720 --> 00:07:22.000
I mean, the the point is not just here's what happened.
00:07:22.160 --> 00:07:41.439
Um, it's that what is happening is what God has always been about, um, which is life change, uh, which is, you know, in this first story, like he he wants to see stories that that that um that are in the middle of the, you know, the the power of the world, as it be, you know, uh that God wants to come in and he he this is what God is up to.
00:07:41.600 --> 00:07:44.639
Um and God was up to this, you know, all the way back in the Old Testament.
00:07:44.800 --> 00:07:50.000
Jesus carries on the work of the Father, and like we said earlier, then Peter's picking it up, the missions, and this is what we're to be about.
00:07:50.079 --> 00:08:00.000
So I think whenever we skip past these stories, we kind of forget like this is the calling of Christianity as we're to come through and uh we're to, you know, see the kingdom break down the powers of this world.
00:08:00.160 --> 00:08:02.879
We're gonna see the kingdom come into the pain and brokenness.
00:08:02.959 --> 00:08:08.079
We're gonna see the kingdom of God um bring us purpose uh towards salvation, towards restoration.
00:08:08.240 --> 00:08:08.480
Yeah.
00:08:08.639 --> 00:08:12.800
And this is uh kind of reminded me this this week of here's the heart behind all this.
00:08:12.959 --> 00:08:18.480
So um, yeah, a story that I would say is, oh, that's a bookmarking, you know, that's that's just how the story's being told.
00:08:18.560 --> 00:08:22.160
Um, it really is a good reminder of this is what our faith is about.
00:08:22.319 --> 00:08:24.319
You know, we're seeing like real life change.
00:08:24.639 --> 00:08:29.120
So I love that you've you brought that to the surface and uh and kind of brought through.
00:08:29.360 --> 00:08:30.160
And and you you did.
00:08:30.240 --> 00:08:34.879
There's there's a lot of a lot of stuff around, you know, Paul and Silas, um, and then even the jailer too.
00:08:35.039 --> 00:08:39.600
And so I I want to know how did you decide as you're kind of there's a lot you could have talked about.
00:08:39.679 --> 00:08:46.480
So how did you decide um kind of behind the scenes of of what to kind of do a nod to and what to really spend time on?
00:08:46.559 --> 00:08:50.320
Because there's a lot of things, like you said earlier, that you could have really spent a lot more time on.
00:08:50.399 --> 00:08:56.960
And so give us a little kind of behind the scenes as you're kind of balancing these stories and and bringing out why did you want to bring out the stuff you brought out?
00:08:57.440 --> 00:08:58.799
Yeah, that's a good question.
00:08:58.960 --> 00:09:13.919
I think you know, doing it speaking as often as I do, and uh having done it as long as I do, I don't often find myself in a situation where like I know I can't say all this stuff.
00:09:14.559 --> 00:09:17.440
But this was one where I was like, I know I can't say all this stuff.
00:09:17.519 --> 00:09:17.919
Yeah.
00:09:18.159 --> 00:09:21.519
Because there is so much here that that you could talk about.
00:09:22.000 --> 00:09:38.320
Um I in it, like I I think really what helped me to focus on the things that I I wanted to talk about is really thinking through the life circumstance of people in our congregation.
00:09:39.600 --> 00:09:48.799
And I think you know, so for the people that were here in the service, I mean they might have noticed that I got a little bit emotional, which happens every once in a while.
00:09:49.600 --> 00:10:00.799
But a a a big reason for that is that I can see the faces of people in the audience that you know, others in the audience can't see each other because they're looking at me.
00:10:00.960 --> 00:10:10.320
And like sometimes like when you I think when you touch on subjects like we did in this message, like it really touches people.
00:10:10.480 --> 00:10:21.039
And you know, like there are some people who are dealing with life circumstances that they don't understand and they have no idea where God is taking them or the meaning of those things.
00:10:21.120 --> 00:10:27.840
And so it's like, man, I know that this can resonate with these people, and I know there are people in our church that are are suffering.
00:10:28.080 --> 00:10:41.679
And and I think as you I don't know, like in the service, like I feel like I I don't know, I can sense their their pain sometimes, you know, and that's what's really hard as a a speaker.
00:10:41.840 --> 00:10:49.840
And then, but I hope that we all walked away with um encouragement and hope in the midst of the frustrations that we're we're going through.
00:10:50.080 --> 00:10:50.240
Yeah.
00:10:50.399 --> 00:10:52.879
No, I mean, I think these themes of trust and rejoice.
00:10:52.960 --> 00:11:01.600
I mean, that that that applies to so many different stages and circumstances, you know, where we're all constantly being challenged to do I need to trust God with this.
00:11:01.919 --> 00:11:03.840
And I think there's there's real stuff, you know.
00:11:04.000 --> 00:11:06.720
People, our faith comes into real messy lives.
00:11:06.879 --> 00:11:14.000
Um, and then yeah, that that reminder of too if we can rejoice because we are trusting God and what God has done and will do in that reminder.
00:11:14.080 --> 00:11:17.840
And I yeah, I think that that tie is is into all of these stories.
00:11:17.919 --> 00:11:28.799
I mean, this is this is real life, people that are experiencing Jesus back in the Old Testament or back in the New Testament, back in the early days of the church, they're experiencing Jesus and in a way too, like we're in the same story.
00:11:28.879 --> 00:11:31.600
You know, we're we're we're in the same, but we all have these different moments.
00:11:31.679 --> 00:11:39.679
And so um, I thought that that really came forward well as a very just effective message and and a good reminder for everybody that's either in suffering or going into suffering.
00:11:39.840 --> 00:11:40.799
You know, what's the old saying?
00:11:40.879 --> 00:11:43.840
You're either coming from suffering, you're in it, or you're about to go into it.
00:11:44.240 --> 00:11:47.360
Um, and uh, but God's not finished, He's He's up to something.
00:11:47.519 --> 00:11:49.519
And just that reminder really came out this week.
00:11:49.600 --> 00:11:49.759
Yeah.
00:11:50.159 --> 00:11:52.879
Well, I want to end with kind of along these lines.
00:11:53.120 --> 00:11:57.360
So I want to ask a real practical question uh from the message today.
00:11:57.600 --> 00:12:23.360
And it this is, you know, what's often called a theodicy, you know, kind of a why question, you know, and I know there's not a lot of answers to this, but but as you pastor and as you, you know, even looking at a message like this and you're preparing for it, um, you know, you know the burden of a pastor's, you know the sufferings and things people are going through, you know where the stories seem unfinished, um, you know the journey that, you know, people that are following Christ often takes us to.
00:12:23.519 --> 00:12:35.600
So I'm not really looking for just the the theological answer necessarily, but but really trying to ask, how does God um and why is God using suffering and how does he use it to bring about um what he's doing in us?
00:12:35.679 --> 00:12:39.519
So so kind of why do we see um stories of suffering?
00:12:39.679 --> 00:12:43.120
Why do we see um these moments of kind of unfinished stories?
00:12:43.200 --> 00:12:48.080
Why isn't God just saying, okay, you're saved, you've you've trusted in me, and let's zap you up to heaven.
00:12:48.159 --> 00:12:51.840
Um, why does God let us sit with these stories, sit with the unfinished?
00:12:54.080 --> 00:12:58.159
Oh man, like I feel like we could probably talk for a long time about that, right?
00:12:58.320 --> 00:13:00.480
Like developing a theology of suffering.
00:13:01.039 --> 00:13:11.840
But you know, God has chosen to work in the world in a certain way, and we may wish that God would do something different, but we live in a fallen world.
00:13:13.200 --> 00:13:18.320
And and and so it's in everything there is fallenness, right?
00:13:18.399 --> 00:13:38.559
And so there are all kinds of things that we experience that it's not because we did something wrong, um, you know, we didn't cause it, but we experience it because the world is a fallen place, and so it could be accidents, um, it could be sicknesses and stuff like that.
00:13:38.720 --> 00:13:46.080
And yes, we desperately want God to stop those things, keep the accident from happening, heal the person who is sick.
00:13:46.399 --> 00:13:49.679
And he does sometimes, but he doesn't always.
00:13:50.320 --> 00:14:00.399
And I think in the midst of all of the experiences that we go through, it is an opportunity to develop our faith and trust in God.
00:14:01.200 --> 00:14:18.240
Recognizing that well, there can be an end to a specific suffering that we experience here on this earth, but our ultimate the ultimate end of our experience of suffering is not going to come until eternity.
00:14:18.960 --> 00:14:26.639
And that's the hope that we have in Jesus is that one day everything is going to be made new and suffering will end once and for all.
00:14:27.120 --> 00:14:33.679
Um, and until that day, I think that's where we just keep our eyes on Jesus.
00:14:33.919 --> 00:14:36.639
You know, um Hebrews 12.
00:14:37.360 --> 00:14:42.879
Let's keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross.
00:14:43.039 --> 00:14:50.080
Let's consider him who endured such suffering so that we would not really realize our just keep following.
00:14:50.480 --> 00:15:01.279
Even in the in the in the midst of the questions, in the midst of the sometimes we may go through doubts and things like that, in the midst of incredibly difficult circumstances, like just keep following.
00:15:01.519 --> 00:15:01.759
Yeah.
00:15:02.159 --> 00:15:02.399
Yeah.
00:15:02.639 --> 00:15:09.679
I I think, you know, even kind of going back to the text, you know, we see, you know, Paul and Paul Paul is going to use this by the way.
00:15:09.759 --> 00:15:11.600
This story is going to become monumental in his life.
00:15:11.679 --> 00:15:17.519
I mean, you look at all the letters he's going to write, he's going to refer back to his moments in prison, his moments of being beaten.
00:15:17.600 --> 00:15:19.440
And and God does have a plan for it.
00:15:19.519 --> 00:15:25.360
But I really think it's interesting too that right at the end of the story, you do have the jailer who comes to faith.
00:15:25.440 --> 00:15:29.600
And we often argue in this text about um, what does belief mean here?
00:15:29.679 --> 00:15:31.200
You know, and you kind of covered that a little bit.
00:15:31.279 --> 00:15:33.519
And I think that's where a lot of the literature goes to.
00:15:33.759 --> 00:15:45.519
But I think that because it's because the story right before the belief is kind of uh set up with this idea of suffering, I think the question may be better understood is um why do we believe in him?
00:15:45.759 --> 00:15:53.120
Is and really the understanding that it's not just that that we're looking to believe in someone, even the demons believe in shudder, right?
00:15:53.279 --> 00:15:56.720
But it's that the belief in Jesus is a, it's a why question.
00:15:56.879 --> 00:16:02.399
And the reason why is because of what he is doing and what he has done and what we are, you know, why we trust him.
00:16:02.639 --> 00:16:05.200
Um we trust because he is Lord, he's the one in control.
00:16:05.279 --> 00:16:08.720
And so I think that part of suffering should bring us to a place.
00:16:08.799 --> 00:16:20.080
So I think part of the reason maybe God allows it, and what I'm hearing you say is that because God is going to um use it to bring us to a place of dependency, use us to bring us to a place of of deeper faith.
00:16:20.240 --> 00:16:23.840
Um maybe not understanding, uh, but trust.
00:16:24.399 --> 00:16:27.759
Yeah, and I I've talked about this before in a previous message.
00:16:28.320 --> 00:16:41.039
Um the way that we handle suffering can be used by God as that maybe that pathway that leads somebody else to faith in Christ.
00:16:41.200 --> 00:16:47.440
Like it's the way that we handle suffering as believers that should be different, like tangibly different.
00:16:47.919 --> 00:16:57.840
You know, uh was it first Peter that says, you know, you should be ready to give a reason for the hope that you have, like so it kind of underscores the idea that people are gonna ask you about it.
00:16:58.480 --> 00:17:07.920
And maybe one of the ways in which, or one of the reasons that people would ask about the hope that we have is because it's evident in our sufferings.
00:17:08.240 --> 00:17:11.440
So then you like go back and think about it like in this text.
00:17:11.599 --> 00:17:15.279
So Paul singing doesn't leave.
00:17:15.519 --> 00:17:23.359
So he there's a way that he's handling his suffering that causes the jailer to be like, hey, this is different.
00:17:23.599 --> 00:17:24.480
I want that.
00:17:24.559 --> 00:17:26.480
Yeah, what do I have to do to be saved?
00:17:27.119 --> 00:17:31.519
And that's that was the that was what he saw was Paul's handling of it.
00:17:31.759 --> 00:17:35.119
Yeah, how he handled how he dealt with the suffering that he was going through.
00:17:35.519 --> 00:17:38.559
Because everybody suffers, you know, Christians and non-Christians.
00:17:38.640 --> 00:17:43.759
Like this is because we're in a fallen world, like you said earlier, like suffering is a part of life.
00:17:43.920 --> 00:17:48.400
Every, every faith, every worldview has to deal with the reality that it's there.
00:17:48.480 --> 00:17:53.920
But to your point, it's not so much of, you know, is it the reality, but are what are we gonna do with the reality?
00:17:54.079 --> 00:17:57.039
And that's where Jesus says, I've done something and I am doing something.
00:17:57.119 --> 00:18:03.279
So it's are we gonna trust our means or the world's means to stop suffering, or are we gonna trust the one who can ultimately fix it?
00:18:03.359 --> 00:18:06.400
And so we as Christians have a different perspective of it.
00:18:06.559 --> 00:18:08.880
Um, we have a uh hope in in it.
00:18:08.960 --> 00:18:12.559
And so um I think that's that's where our faith is demonstrated.
00:18:12.640 --> 00:18:18.160
Um and so yeah, I don't think it's just that, oh, Paul and Silas are gonna suffer more, but I mean everyone's going through this.
00:18:18.319 --> 00:18:22.640
This is the reality of a broken world, but how we do it is what God is interested in.
00:18:22.720 --> 00:18:23.599
And that's what he's gonna use.
00:18:23.680 --> 00:18:26.480
And so once again, he clearly Paul sees this as a formative moment.
00:18:26.559 --> 00:18:26.880
Yeah.
00:18:27.039 --> 00:18:37.359
Um, I was telling someone earlier that, you know, once you get this passage, the passage is right before they have this Jerusalem council, and then they kind of have this little, this little fight and this conflict, and they develop their plan.
00:18:37.680 --> 00:18:51.119
And this whole narrative is based on verse six, where God's like, okay, you you made your plan and you and you got the basics down, you understand the assignment, but you just thought that you were gonna do this, and you thought you were gonna go, and the Holy Spirit stops him and sends them in a whole different way.
00:18:51.279 --> 00:18:53.119
And I think that that's also what God's doing.
00:18:53.279 --> 00:18:59.119
God is is doing his, he's got a plan for us, he knows um how to lead us, he knows what's best for us.
00:18:59.200 --> 00:19:04.640
And sometimes that isn't the most pleasant ways, but he knows what is gonna be used and his sovereignty is there.
00:19:04.720 --> 00:19:14.720
And so it's it really suffering is um, I can see Paul and Silas saying, well, if we the Holy Spirit have just sent us where we wanted to go, yeah, you know, um because really quickly things get bad for them.
00:19:15.200 --> 00:19:33.279
Um but then at the end of that, once again, it's God brings about his plan and salvation and and uh in and really that one verse changes the trajectory of history, the fact that they're going through this, they don't see it at the time, but what they're going through, God is gonna use to really from this moment forward change history and how Christianity is spreading.
00:19:33.359 --> 00:19:37.680
Um and so yeah, so we may not understand suffering, but we can trust God in it.
00:19:37.839 --> 00:19:38.000
Yeah.
00:19:38.240 --> 00:19:38.720
Wonderful.
00:19:38.880 --> 00:19:40.400
Well, anything else from this sermon?
00:19:40.480 --> 00:19:45.359
Um, you know, a lot of a lot of uh good pastoral moments, a lot of good um takeaways.
00:19:45.440 --> 00:19:51.759
I think there's a lot behind the scenes that we could have talked about, but anything else, kind of final words you want to say commenting on this past Sunday?
00:19:53.359 --> 00:20:01.599
You know, I I I do just uh maybe to comment on the passages that I referenced at the end of each point.
00:20:02.640 --> 00:20:07.039
Um, so two of them were from the book of Romans.
00:20:07.119 --> 00:20:14.240
So Paul's writing, you know, regardless of the circumstances of your life, know that nothing separates us from God's love.
00:20:14.319 --> 00:20:15.440
That's so important.
00:20:16.240 --> 00:20:24.880
Um but then the second one is knowing that the temporary suffering that we go through is nothing in comparison to the glory that will be revealed.
00:20:25.200 --> 00:20:27.279
Yeah, so the the end is coming.
00:20:27.359 --> 00:20:32.160
I think I think that's a huge should be a huge comfort and encouragement to us.
00:20:32.319 --> 00:20:32.400
Yeah.
00:20:32.640 --> 00:20:33.359
Yeah, it gets better.
00:20:33.519 --> 00:20:34.240
God's got a plan.
00:20:34.319 --> 00:20:36.720
He's not just leaving us out there without a purpose in it.
00:20:36.799 --> 00:20:37.680
So wonderful.
00:20:37.839 --> 00:20:39.440
Great point, great reminders this week.
00:20:39.519 --> 00:20:45.039
Whether our story is unfinished, whether our story um is in the middle of some pain, um, God is bringing about salvation.
00:20:45.119 --> 00:20:49.200
He's up to something, and and and if we're in him, we can trust him in that.
00:20:49.359 --> 00:20:51.039
And uh better days are ahead.
00:20:51.119 --> 00:20:53.119
Just gotta wait for him and hope.
00:20:53.519 --> 00:20:54.400
Uh, great message.
00:20:54.559 --> 00:20:56.960
Thanks again for listening to the Table Talk podcast.
00:20:57.039 --> 00:20:59.440
Uh, we hope you join us next week as we have another episode.
00:20:59.519 --> 00:21:08.240
And if you're not already connected with the Table Community Church, uh we just want to take a moment, invite you to come check us out on Sunday at 9 or 10 30 here in North Fort Worth.
00:21:08.319 --> 00:21:09.359
Uh, thanks again for listening.
00:21:09.440 --> 00:21:10.319
We hope you have a great week.
00:21:10.480 --> 00:21:11.680
Thank you, Pastor Bill, for being here.
00:21:11.839 --> 00:21:12.240
See ya.
00:21:12.319 --> 00:21:12.640
Thanks.
00:00:09.039 --> 00:00:10.880
Welcome to the Table Talk Podcast.
00:00:11.039 --> 00:00:14.480
My name is Dre Clark, and I'm the discipleship pastor here at the table.
00:00:14.560 --> 00:00:16.160
And I am joined today by Dr.
00:00:16.239 --> 00:00:18.079
Bill Stewart, our lead pastor.
00:00:18.160 --> 00:00:24.800
And we are so glad that you've joined us as we sit down and just take some time to talk about what we're learning together as a church.
00:00:24.960 --> 00:00:27.199
Bill, great message this Sunday.
00:00:27.519 --> 00:00:35.520
We're in our series to the ends of the earth, and you're just continuing along the story and really telling three stories kind of within the story of Acts.
00:00:35.600 --> 00:00:38.479
And so go ahead and just uh give us the highlights from this week.
00:00:38.560 --> 00:00:43.679
You know, kind of bring us back and point out um some of the things that you want us to remember uh from this Sunday.
00:00:44.000 --> 00:00:52.799
Yeah, so the passage that we looked at was uh probably if people are familiar with it would know it's the story of Paul and Silas in jail, in the Philippian jail.
00:00:53.439 --> 00:01:02.240
Um but what we what I did with the message was talked about three stories of three people that we see in that that text of scripture.
00:01:02.479 --> 00:01:05.920
And so the first story is an unfinished story, that's the story of the slave girl.
00:01:06.000 --> 00:01:15.920
Uh the second story is the story of suffering, which is is Paul's story, thinking through the events of him being thrown into jail and the unfair trial and treatment and all that kind of stuff.
00:01:16.079 --> 00:01:26.799
And then the last story is the story of the jailer, which is a story of salvation, you know, where you know he sees that Paul and the uh prisoners hadn't left.
00:01:26.879 --> 00:01:28.879
And so he said, What must I do to be saved?
00:01:28.959 --> 00:01:32.000
And Paul said, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.
00:01:32.079 --> 00:01:33.040
So the story of salvation.
00:01:33.280 --> 00:01:34.319
Yeah, famous verse for sure.
00:01:34.400 --> 00:01:36.239
That he has a lot of discussion around it, too.
00:01:36.719 --> 00:01:39.280
Yeah, and so I love how you kind of brought us through.
00:01:39.359 --> 00:01:40.560
Um, you know, I think you're right.
00:01:40.640 --> 00:01:46.480
We often take this story and we we pull out the interesting one and we kind of skip over the ones like, oh, that was an interesting point.
00:01:46.640 --> 00:01:52.959
But really kind of seeing, like, hey, no, these events, really three life-changing kind of events and pulling out some principles was really good.
00:01:53.040 --> 00:02:00.959
Uh, I think too, um, whenever I think of this passage as well, it's, you know, it's why, why is uh, you know, Luke telling the story this way?
00:02:01.120 --> 00:02:07.439
And I find it interesting because the story that's going on really is the same story that we saw back in his first part of the letter.
00:02:07.519 --> 00:02:09.199
This is stuff that Jesus was doing.
00:02:09.360 --> 00:02:11.599
You know, Jesus was casting out the demons.
00:02:11.680 --> 00:02:14.479
He was about healing, he was about bringing this message of salvation.
00:02:14.560 --> 00:02:15.360
He's the Messiah.
00:02:15.520 --> 00:02:25.840
And then you see in Acts, Peter begins to pick it up, and now we see Paul um continuing along this story and reminding us um this is what the big story's been about.
00:02:25.919 --> 00:02:29.680
Like God is is coming into your lives and he is noticing um the unnoticed.
00:02:29.759 --> 00:02:33.280
He wants to finish your story with it, he wants to bring you from your past to somewhere.
00:02:33.439 --> 00:02:36.479
He wants to come into your suffering, and really his aim is salvation.
00:02:36.560 --> 00:02:41.199
So I love um, you know, how you emphasize just a story that we quickly go over.
00:02:41.360 --> 00:02:44.639
So um any more things from this week as far as you know, stuck out to you?
00:02:44.719 --> 00:02:46.719
Well, we want to get to the question, what's behind the scene?
00:02:46.800 --> 00:02:55.680
But if if you were to kind of say, um, you know, here's kind of the main point out of these three stories, was there one that kind of resonated more with you as you were uh preaching uh this Sunday?
00:02:56.080 --> 00:03:04.240
Well, I mean, the first one's really interesting, but I'm gonna save that for the next question as far as like what's going on behind the scenes.
00:03:04.400 --> 00:03:04.719
Yeah.
00:03:05.120 --> 00:03:11.039
But I think the story of suffering was really interesting to think about, to think through.
00:03:11.280 --> 00:03:13.039
And I explained it in the message.
00:03:13.199 --> 00:03:21.759
Like, I I don't know if everybody's this way, but certainly I have been with that part, you know, Paul and Silas in jail and singing.
00:03:21.919 --> 00:03:25.840
It's like you just get this picture that they're sitting around a campfire, you know, late at night.
00:03:26.080 --> 00:03:26.479
Yeah.
00:03:26.639 --> 00:03:28.159
But that's not what it was.
00:03:28.479 --> 00:03:34.800
And then to think about the place of singing in suffering and songs in suffering.
00:03:35.039 --> 00:03:52.080
Um, it's just really, really kind of fascinating to think about that on multiple levels, you know, certainly from the spiritual level and what it does for us, but then even um, which I didn't talk about, but like the psychology of singing and songs in the midst of you know, grief or sadness or depression and all that kind of stuff.
00:03:52.159 --> 00:03:55.599
So to me, like that was the one see a logical thing that happens.
00:03:55.919 --> 00:04:04.080
If I had like two hours, like I would dive in and just talk about music and suffering and the the connection between those two things that shows up there.
00:04:04.159 --> 00:04:09.439
So yeah, no, um uh I remember I read a book about the Mississippi Delta and it was talking about uh it's called Getting the Blues.
00:04:09.680 --> 00:04:14.560
It was this idea of like how um in suffering song comes into that and can really restore us.
00:04:14.639 --> 00:04:16.879
I mean, I guess it's a very physiological reaction itself.
00:04:17.199 --> 00:04:17.920
Yeah, that's what I mean.
00:04:18.000 --> 00:04:27.759
I didn't I didn't talk about this at all, but like another illustration of this time-tested method of dealing with suffering, you think about like slavery and slave singing and stuff like that.
00:04:27.839 --> 00:04:30.319
I mean, there's like a it's you see this all over the place.
00:04:30.399 --> 00:04:30.480
Yeah.
00:04:30.639 --> 00:04:31.040
Yeah, yeah.
00:04:31.199 --> 00:04:35.199
I find that's really fascinating too, because what you said, it's not this kumbaya moment.
00:04:35.279 --> 00:04:42.480
Um, this is uh they were beaten, you know, and and most of the time, if you had someone that was like in a street fight of that level, like they're going to the hospital.
00:04:42.720 --> 00:04:45.519
They might still go to jail, but they're gonna go to the hospital and then jail.
00:04:45.680 --> 00:04:46.879
That's not the world they're in.
00:04:46.959 --> 00:04:53.839
You know, they're uh sitting in there with all of their trauma, you know, physical trauma in there um, you know, singing as a way to respond.
00:04:53.920 --> 00:04:55.759
So yeah, really interesting story.
00:04:55.839 --> 00:04:58.480
Um, and then kind of yeah, bookmarked by these two other stories.
00:04:58.560 --> 00:04:59.360
So let's let's get to it.
00:04:59.439 --> 00:05:08.319
So you the kind of flow for this week, really bringing out the the narrative, bringing about these three different kinds of instances and tying them together and pointing out some application.
00:05:08.480 --> 00:05:10.240
But um, what's behind the scene?
00:05:10.319 --> 00:05:11.040
How'd you come to this?
00:05:11.120 --> 00:05:14.319
Give us a little bit of what you were thinking as you were preparing for this week.
00:05:14.639 --> 00:05:22.160
Yeah, so uh, you know, from my perspective in starting the preparation process, doing my study and stuff like that.
00:05:22.240 --> 00:05:29.920
I mean, I, you know, I thought, okay, here's this like very familiar story, a relatively familiar story, story I've heard, you know, since the time that I was a little kid.
00:05:30.079 --> 00:05:38.240
So it's like, well, I want to I want to make sure that I don't just sort of regurgitate things that I think I know if I don't really know them.
00:05:38.879 --> 00:05:47.040
And so I was just really going through the process of of observing the passage, and I really got stuck on the story of the girl.
00:05:47.199 --> 00:05:47.839
Yeah.
00:05:48.240 --> 00:05:52.879
Um, because we know so very little.
00:05:53.199 --> 00:05:56.560
And like that's a I mean, I talked about it in the message a little bit.
00:05:56.639 --> 00:06:04.399
Like, I want to ask all kinds of questions about like how she got to where she was, then what happened afterwards.
00:06:04.560 --> 00:06:06.879
Like, there's no resolution to that story.
00:06:06.959 --> 00:06:09.839
And so that's where like I just started thinking about her story.
00:06:10.000 --> 00:06:13.680
It's like, man, like why don't we know more about her story?
00:06:13.839 --> 00:06:15.040
Like, what's her story?
00:06:15.519 --> 00:06:17.120
And then I thought, well, you know what?
00:06:17.279 --> 00:06:26.560
We also have the story of two other people, it was really three other people, but I kind of focused on Paul as opposed to Paul and Silas, but you could lump them together as a unit, really.
00:06:26.800 --> 00:06:30.720
Um, and so like there's a story, and then the story of the the Philippian jailer, too.
00:06:30.800 --> 00:06:44.560
And so I was like, okay, that's how we're gonna put the pieces of the message together, and then just like I want to encourage people to think about the the circumstances of their life right now and how you know what their story might be described as.
00:06:44.720 --> 00:06:57.839
And so, can I develop these stories in such a way that gets people to think about the circumstances of their life and you know, maybe through that to learn to trust God in the midst of whatever the circumstances are and however they would describe their story.
00:06:57.920 --> 00:07:00.240
So that's really how the message came about.
00:07:00.399 --> 00:07:05.439
It really started with that first girl that we don't know her story, and it's like, why don't we know your story?
00:07:05.600 --> 00:07:11.279
Yeah, well, and and really you think about like go into like the reality of the historicity of this, like her life change.
00:07:11.519 --> 00:07:18.560
Like there's a whole whole like meaning that that we can skip over and kind of rush through, and we miss kind of the point too.
00:07:18.720 --> 00:07:22.000
I mean, the the point is not just here's what happened.
00:07:22.160 --> 00:07:41.439
Um, it's that what is happening is what God has always been about, um, which is life change, uh, which is, you know, in this first story, like he he wants to see stories that that that um that are in the middle of the, you know, the the power of the world, as it be, you know, uh that God wants to come in and he he this is what God is up to.
00:07:41.600 --> 00:07:44.639
Um and God was up to this, you know, all the way back in the Old Testament.
00:07:44.800 --> 00:07:50.000
Jesus carries on the work of the Father, and like we said earlier, then Peter's picking it up, the missions, and this is what we're to be about.
00:07:50.079 --> 00:08:00.000
So I think whenever we skip past these stories, we kind of forget like this is the calling of Christianity as we're to come through and uh we're to, you know, see the kingdom break down the powers of this world.
00:08:00.160 --> 00:08:02.879
We're gonna see the kingdom come into the pain and brokenness.
00:08:02.959 --> 00:08:08.079
We're gonna see the kingdom of God um bring us purpose uh towards salvation, towards restoration.
00:08:08.240 --> 00:08:08.480
Yeah.
00:08:08.639 --> 00:08:12.800
And this is uh kind of reminded me this this week of here's the heart behind all this.
00:08:12.959 --> 00:08:18.480
So um, yeah, a story that I would say is, oh, that's a bookmarking, you know, that's that's just how the story's being told.
00:08:18.560 --> 00:08:22.160
Um, it really is a good reminder of this is what our faith is about.
00:08:22.319 --> 00:08:24.319
You know, we're seeing like real life change.
00:08:24.639 --> 00:08:29.120
So I love that you've you brought that to the surface and uh and kind of brought through.
00:08:29.360 --> 00:08:30.160
And and you you did.
00:08:30.240 --> 00:08:34.879
There's there's a lot of a lot of stuff around, you know, Paul and Silas, um, and then even the jailer too.
00:08:35.039 --> 00:08:39.600
And so I I want to know how did you decide as you're kind of there's a lot you could have talked about.
00:08:39.679 --> 00:08:46.480
So how did you decide um kind of behind the scenes of of what to kind of do a nod to and what to really spend time on?
00:08:46.559 --> 00:08:50.320
Because there's a lot of things, like you said earlier, that you could have really spent a lot more time on.
00:08:50.399 --> 00:08:56.960
And so give us a little kind of behind the scenes as you're kind of balancing these stories and and bringing out why did you want to bring out the stuff you brought out?
00:08:57.440 --> 00:08:58.799
Yeah, that's a good question.
00:08:58.960 --> 00:09:13.919
I think you know, doing it speaking as often as I do, and uh having done it as long as I do, I don't often find myself in a situation where like I know I can't say all this stuff.
00:09:14.559 --> 00:09:17.440
But this was one where I was like, I know I can't say all this stuff.
00:09:17.519 --> 00:09:17.919
Yeah.
00:09:18.159 --> 00:09:21.519
Because there is so much here that that you could talk about.
00:09:22.000 --> 00:09:38.320
Um I in it, like I I think really what helped me to focus on the things that I I wanted to talk about is really thinking through the life circumstance of people in our congregation.
00:09:39.600 --> 00:09:48.799
And I think you know, so for the people that were here in the service, I mean they might have noticed that I got a little bit emotional, which happens every once in a while.
00:09:49.600 --> 00:10:00.799
But a a a big reason for that is that I can see the faces of people in the audience that you know, others in the audience can't see each other because they're looking at me.
00:10:00.960 --> 00:10:10.320
And like sometimes like when you I think when you touch on subjects like we did in this message, like it really touches people.
00:10:10.480 --> 00:10:21.039
And you know, like there are some people who are dealing with life circumstances that they don't understand and they have no idea where God is taking them or the meaning of those things.
00:10:21.120 --> 00:10:27.840
And so it's like, man, I know that this can resonate with these people, and I know there are people in our church that are are suffering.
00:10:28.080 --> 00:10:41.679
And and I think as you I don't know, like in the service, like I feel like I I don't know, I can sense their their pain sometimes, you know, and that's what's really hard as a a speaker.
00:10:41.840 --> 00:10:49.840
And then, but I hope that we all walked away with um encouragement and hope in the midst of the frustrations that we're we're going through.
00:10:50.080 --> 00:10:50.240
Yeah.
00:10:50.399 --> 00:10:52.879
No, I mean, I think these themes of trust and rejoice.
00:10:52.960 --> 00:11:01.600
I mean, that that that applies to so many different stages and circumstances, you know, where we're all constantly being challenged to do I need to trust God with this.
00:11:01.919 --> 00:11:03.840
And I think there's there's real stuff, you know.
00:11:04.000 --> 00:11:06.720
People, our faith comes into real messy lives.
00:11:06.879 --> 00:11:14.000
Um, and then yeah, that that reminder of too if we can rejoice because we are trusting God and what God has done and will do in that reminder.
00:11:14.080 --> 00:11:17.840
And I yeah, I think that that tie is is into all of these stories.
00:11:17.919 --> 00:11:28.799
I mean, this is this is real life, people that are experiencing Jesus back in the Old Testament or back in the New Testament, back in the early days of the church, they're experiencing Jesus and in a way too, like we're in the same story.
00:11:28.879 --> 00:11:31.600
You know, we're we're we're in the same, but we all have these different moments.
00:11:31.679 --> 00:11:39.679
And so um, I thought that that really came forward well as a very just effective message and and a good reminder for everybody that's either in suffering or going into suffering.
00:11:39.840 --> 00:11:40.799
You know, what's the old saying?
00:11:40.879 --> 00:11:43.840
You're either coming from suffering, you're in it, or you're about to go into it.
00:11:44.240 --> 00:11:47.360
Um, and uh, but God's not finished, He's He's up to something.
00:11:47.519 --> 00:11:49.519
And just that reminder really came out this week.
00:11:49.600 --> 00:11:49.759
Yeah.
00:11:50.159 --> 00:11:52.879
Well, I want to end with kind of along these lines.
00:11:53.120 --> 00:11:57.360
So I want to ask a real practical question uh from the message today.
00:11:57.600 --> 00:12:23.360
And it this is, you know, what's often called a theodicy, you know, kind of a why question, you know, and I know there's not a lot of answers to this, but but as you pastor and as you, you know, even looking at a message like this and you're preparing for it, um, you know, you know the burden of a pastor's, you know the sufferings and things people are going through, you know where the stories seem unfinished, um, you know the journey that, you know, people that are following Christ often takes us to.
00:12:23.519 --> 00:12:35.600
So I'm not really looking for just the the theological answer necessarily, but but really trying to ask, how does God um and why is God using suffering and how does he use it to bring about um what he's doing in us?
00:12:35.679 --> 00:12:39.519
So so kind of why do we see um stories of suffering?
00:12:39.679 --> 00:12:43.120
Why do we see um these moments of kind of unfinished stories?
00:12:43.200 --> 00:12:48.080
Why isn't God just saying, okay, you're saved, you've you've trusted in me, and let's zap you up to heaven.
00:12:48.159 --> 00:12:51.840
Um, why does God let us sit with these stories, sit with the unfinished?
00:12:54.080 --> 00:12:58.159
Oh man, like I feel like we could probably talk for a long time about that, right?
00:12:58.320 --> 00:13:00.480
Like developing a theology of suffering.
00:13:01.039 --> 00:13:11.840
But you know, God has chosen to work in the world in a certain way, and we may wish that God would do something different, but we live in a fallen world.
00:13:13.200 --> 00:13:18.320
And and and so it's in everything there is fallenness, right?
00:13:18.399 --> 00:13:38.559
And so there are all kinds of things that we experience that it's not because we did something wrong, um, you know, we didn't cause it, but we experience it because the world is a fallen place, and so it could be accidents, um, it could be sicknesses and stuff like that.
00:13:38.720 --> 00:13:46.080
And yes, we desperately want God to stop those things, keep the accident from happening, heal the person who is sick.
00:13:46.399 --> 00:13:49.679
And he does sometimes, but he doesn't always.
00:13:50.320 --> 00:14:00.399
And I think in the midst of all of the experiences that we go through, it is an opportunity to develop our faith and trust in God.
00:14:01.200 --> 00:14:18.240
Recognizing that well, there can be an end to a specific suffering that we experience here on this earth, but our ultimate the ultimate end of our experience of suffering is not going to come until eternity.
00:14:18.960 --> 00:14:26.639
And that's the hope that we have in Jesus is that one day everything is going to be made new and suffering will end once and for all.
00:14:27.120 --> 00:14:33.679
Um, and until that day, I think that's where we just keep our eyes on Jesus.
00:14:33.919 --> 00:14:36.639
You know, um Hebrews 12.
00:14:37.360 --> 00:14:42.879
Let's keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross.
00:14:43.039 --> 00:14:50.080
Let's consider him who endured such suffering so that we would not really realize our just keep following.
00:14:50.480 --> 00:15:01.279
Even in the in the in the midst of the questions, in the midst of the sometimes we may go through doubts and things like that, in the midst of incredibly difficult circumstances, like just keep following.
00:15:01.519 --> 00:15:01.759
Yeah.
00:15:02.159 --> 00:15:02.399
Yeah.
00:15:02.639 --> 00:15:09.679
I I think, you know, even kind of going back to the text, you know, we see, you know, Paul and Paul Paul is going to use this by the way.
00:15:09.759 --> 00:15:11.600
This story is going to become monumental in his life.
00:15:11.679 --> 00:15:17.519
I mean, you look at all the letters he's going to write, he's going to refer back to his moments in prison, his moments of being beaten.
00:15:17.600 --> 00:15:19.440
And and God does have a plan for it.
00:15:19.519 --> 00:15:25.360
But I really think it's interesting too that right at the end of the story, you do have the jailer who comes to faith.
00:15:25.440 --> 00:15:29.600
And we often argue in this text about um, what does belief mean here?
00:15:29.679 --> 00:15:31.200
You know, and you kind of covered that a little bit.
00:15:31.279 --> 00:15:33.519
And I think that's where a lot of the literature goes to.
00:15:33.759 --> 00:15:45.519
But I think that because it's because the story right before the belief is kind of uh set up with this idea of suffering, I think the question may be better understood is um why do we believe in him?
00:15:45.759 --> 00:15:53.120
Is and really the understanding that it's not just that that we're looking to believe in someone, even the demons believe in shudder, right?
00:15:53.279 --> 00:15:56.720
But it's that the belief in Jesus is a, it's a why question.
00:15:56.879 --> 00:16:02.399
And the reason why is because of what he is doing and what he has done and what we are, you know, why we trust him.
00:16:02.639 --> 00:16:05.200
Um we trust because he is Lord, he's the one in control.
00:16:05.279 --> 00:16:08.720
And so I think that part of suffering should bring us to a place.
00:16:08.799 --> 00:16:20.080
So I think part of the reason maybe God allows it, and what I'm hearing you say is that because God is going to um use it to bring us to a place of dependency, use us to bring us to a place of of deeper faith.
00:16:20.240 --> 00:16:23.840
Um maybe not understanding, uh, but trust.
00:16:24.399 --> 00:16:27.759
Yeah, and I I've talked about this before in a previous message.
00:16:28.320 --> 00:16:41.039
Um the way that we handle suffering can be used by God as that maybe that pathway that leads somebody else to faith in Christ.
00:16:41.200 --> 00:16:47.440
Like it's the way that we handle suffering as believers that should be different, like tangibly different.
00:16:47.919 --> 00:16:57.840
You know, uh was it first Peter that says, you know, you should be ready to give a reason for the hope that you have, like so it kind of underscores the idea that people are gonna ask you about it.
00:16:58.480 --> 00:17:07.920
And maybe one of the ways in which, or one of the reasons that people would ask about the hope that we have is because it's evident in our sufferings.
00:17:08.240 --> 00:17:11.440
So then you like go back and think about it like in this text.
00:17:11.599 --> 00:17:15.279
So Paul singing doesn't leave.
00:17:15.519 --> 00:17:23.359
So he there's a way that he's handling his suffering that causes the jailer to be like, hey, this is different.
00:17:23.599 --> 00:17:24.480
I want that.
00:17:24.559 --> 00:17:26.480
Yeah, what do I have to do to be saved?
00:17:27.119 --> 00:17:31.519
And that's that was the that was what he saw was Paul's handling of it.
00:17:31.759 --> 00:17:35.119
Yeah, how he handled how he dealt with the suffering that he was going through.
00:17:35.519 --> 00:17:38.559
Because everybody suffers, you know, Christians and non-Christians.
00:17:38.640 --> 00:17:43.759
Like this is because we're in a fallen world, like you said earlier, like suffering is a part of life.
00:17:43.920 --> 00:17:48.400
Every, every faith, every worldview has to deal with the reality that it's there.
00:17:48.480 --> 00:17:53.920
But to your point, it's not so much of, you know, is it the reality, but are what are we gonna do with the reality?
00:17:54.079 --> 00:17:57.039
And that's where Jesus says, I've done something and I am doing something.
00:17:57.119 --> 00:18:03.279
So it's are we gonna trust our means or the world's means to stop suffering, or are we gonna trust the one who can ultimately fix it?
00:18:03.359 --> 00:18:06.400
And so we as Christians have a different perspective of it.
00:18:06.559 --> 00:18:08.880
Um, we have a uh hope in in it.
00:18:08.960 --> 00:18:12.559
And so um I think that's that's where our faith is demonstrated.
00:18:12.640 --> 00:18:18.160
Um and so yeah, I don't think it's just that, oh, Paul and Silas are gonna suffer more, but I mean everyone's going through this.
00:18:18.319 --> 00:18:22.640
This is the reality of a broken world, but how we do it is what God is interested in.
00:18:22.720 --> 00:18:23.599
And that's what he's gonna use.
00:18:23.680 --> 00:18:26.480
And so once again, he clearly Paul sees this as a formative moment.
00:18:26.559 --> 00:18:26.880
Yeah.
00:18:27.039 --> 00:18:37.359
Um, I was telling someone earlier that, you know, once you get this passage, the passage is right before they have this Jerusalem council, and then they kind of have this little, this little fight and this conflict, and they develop their plan.
00:18:37.680 --> 00:18:51.119
And this whole narrative is based on verse six, where God's like, okay, you you made your plan and you and you got the basics down, you understand the assignment, but you just thought that you were gonna do this, and you thought you were gonna go, and the Holy Spirit stops him and sends them in a whole different way.
00:18:51.279 --> 00:18:53.119
And I think that that's also what God's doing.
00:18:53.279 --> 00:18:59.119
God is is doing his, he's got a plan for us, he knows um how to lead us, he knows what's best for us.
00:18:59.200 --> 00:19:04.640
And sometimes that isn't the most pleasant ways, but he knows what is gonna be used and his sovereignty is there.
00:19:04.720 --> 00:19:14.720
And so it's it really suffering is um, I can see Paul and Silas saying, well, if we the Holy Spirit have just sent us where we wanted to go, yeah, you know, um because really quickly things get bad for them.
00:19:15.200 --> 00:19:33.279
Um but then at the end of that, once again, it's God brings about his plan and salvation and and uh in and really that one verse changes the trajectory of history, the fact that they're going through this, they don't see it at the time, but what they're going through, God is gonna use to really from this moment forward change history and how Christianity is spreading.
00:19:33.359 --> 00:19:37.680
Um and so yeah, so we may not understand suffering, but we can trust God in it.
00:19:37.839 --> 00:19:38.000
Yeah.
00:19:38.240 --> 00:19:38.720
Wonderful.
00:19:38.880 --> 00:19:40.400
Well, anything else from this sermon?
00:19:40.480 --> 00:19:45.359
Um, you know, a lot of a lot of uh good pastoral moments, a lot of good um takeaways.
00:19:45.440 --> 00:19:51.759
I think there's a lot behind the scenes that we could have talked about, but anything else, kind of final words you want to say commenting on this past Sunday?
00:19:53.359 --> 00:20:01.599
You know, I I I do just uh maybe to comment on the passages that I referenced at the end of each point.
00:20:02.640 --> 00:20:07.039
Um, so two of them were from the book of Romans.
00:20:07.119 --> 00:20:14.240
So Paul's writing, you know, regardless of the circumstances of your life, know that nothing separates us from God's love.
00:20:14.319 --> 00:20:15.440
That's so important.
00:20:16.240 --> 00:20:24.880
Um but then the second one is knowing that the temporary suffering that we go through is nothing in comparison to the glory that will be revealed.
00:20:25.200 --> 00:20:27.279
Yeah, so the the end is coming.
00:20:27.359 --> 00:20:32.160
I think I think that's a huge should be a huge comfort and encouragement to us.
00:20:32.319 --> 00:20:32.400
Yeah.
00:20:32.640 --> 00:20:33.359
Yeah, it gets better.
00:20:33.519 --> 00:20:34.240
God's got a plan.
00:20:34.319 --> 00:20:36.720
He's not just leaving us out there without a purpose in it.
00:20:36.799 --> 00:20:37.680
So wonderful.
00:20:37.839 --> 00:20:39.440
Great point, great reminders this week.
00:20:39.519 --> 00:20:45.039
Whether our story is unfinished, whether our story um is in the middle of some pain, um, God is bringing about salvation.
00:20:45.119 --> 00:20:49.200
He's up to something, and and and if we're in him, we can trust him in that.
00:20:49.359 --> 00:20:51.039
And uh better days are ahead.
00:20:51.119 --> 00:20:53.119
Just gotta wait for him and hope.
00:20:53.519 --> 00:20:54.400
Uh, great message.
00:20:54.559 --> 00:20:56.960
Thanks again for listening to the Table Talk podcast.
00:20:57.039 --> 00:20:59.440
Uh, we hope you join us next week as we have another episode.
00:20:59.519 --> 00:21:08.240
And if you're not already connected with the Table Community Church, uh we just want to take a moment, invite you to come check us out on Sunday at 9 or 10 30 here in North Fort Worth.
00:21:08.319 --> 00:21:09.359
Uh, thanks again for listening.
00:21:09.440 --> 00:21:10.319
We hope you have a great week.
00:21:10.480 --> 00:21:11.680
Thank you, Pastor Bill, for being here.
00:21:11.839 --> 00:21:12.240
See ya.
00:21:12.319 --> 00:21:12.640
Thanks.
