Acts 28:15 And from there, when the brothers heard of us, they came to meet us as far as Appii forum, and The three taverns: whom when Paul saw… We have here an illustrious example of — I. CHRISTIAN SYMPATHY UNDER TRYING CIRCUMSTANCES. This sympathy was — 1. Practical. Some of the brethren had come thirty and some fifty miles. 2. Unselfish. Paul was a poor prisoner; he had nothing to give. 3. Reasonable. They had previously been benefited by Paul's labours. It is our duty to sympathise with troubled Christian brethren, and it should be esteemed a privilege to render them assistance. Mutual help is a Divinely appointed necessity. Sympathy, like the sun, gladdens life and awakens force in the heart. Christ was the great Sympathiser. II. CHRISTIAN GRATITUDE UNDER TRYING CIRCUMSTANCES. This is not a conqueror going to be crowned, but a prisoner going to confinement and perhaps death. A man has reason for joy in prosperity, but Paul is grateful in adversity and bonds. He thanked God, not man. Man's life is in God's hands. God is the disposer of all events. What reasons had the apostle for thanking God? He was grateful — 1. For the sympathy the gospel had excited. 2. For the zeal the gospel had awakened. 3. For the triumphs the gospel had gained. 4. For the consolation the gospel afforded.No man's condition is so dark and distressing as to exclude all cause for gratitude. We have homes, friends, health, life, the promise of heaven. A thankless man is the most contemptible thing in God's universe. III. CHRISTIAN HEROISM UNDER TRYING CIRCUMSTANCES. Courage — 1. Is the impulse that enables us to endure suffering, and to accomplish arduous achievements. 2. Carries a man beyond the attainments of habit or selfish impulses. 3. Has opportunities for development in every sphere in life. 4. Never seeks to report itself. We may be called upon to evince our heroism, (1) An easy but dishonourable path may be opened. (2) Persecution for religion may be accompanied by loss. (3) Temptation, poverty, and bereavement may enter our homes.Let us be courageous. One Being can sustain — God. One hope can cheer us — heaven. We each need courage, counsel, and help. What the Three Taverns were to the apostle, the Sabbath, the sanctuary, the Scriptures, the Church, may be to us. (J. Woodhouse.) Parallel Verses KJV: And from thence, when the brethren heard of us, they came to meet us as far as Appii forum, and The three taverns: whom when Paul saw, he thanked God, and took courage. |
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