Participants: Tony Moore
Series Code: IFP
Program Code: IFP000001
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01:36 In the first century a Jew was born in this
01:38 city, who was destined to blaze across the 01:41 Roman world proclaiming the everlasting Gospel. 01:45 From Jerusalem to Rome and possibly even 01:48 to the gates of Hercules, this fatigueless 01:52 traveler proclaim that Jesus Christ was Lord. 01:57 He traveled more miles in the first century 01:59 than most Americans traveled in the 20th 02:01 century and yet he was not an explorer, 02:05 or geographer, or politician, he was an 02:08 Apostle. He was one sent forth to proclaim 02:12 the good news that Jesus Christ was Lord. 02:17 The New Testament registers over 13,000 02:21 miles that he traveled, visiting many of the 02:24 cities, towns and villages of the Roman Empire. 02:29 In this fascinating series in the Footsteps of 02:33 Paul, we will trace his journey through the Roman 02:37 world. We will seek to understand the cultural 02:41 context and the historical setting of the world 02:44 in which he traveled, and then to understand 02:47 the message he communicated. We begin in 02:50 Tarsus where he was born and spend his 02:52 early childhood, then we will travel to 02:55 Jerusalem where he was schooled at the feet 02:57 of one of the greatest rabbis of the age. 03:00 From the Holy City we will follow his footsteps 03:02 up to Jordan Valley and over the Golan Heights 03:05 to Damascus where he was converted. 03:07 From the world's oldest continually inhabited 03:10 city, we'll travel to Antakya, queen of the 03:13 east and third largest city of the Roman world. 03:16 This is where the followers of Jesus were 03:18 first called Christians, and it was from this 03:21 Church that Paul was sent out as a missionary. 03:24 From Antakya we will trace his footsteps to the 03:26 Roman province of Asia, visiting some of the 03:29 greatest cities of the day, from the shores of 03:32 the Aegean; he saw vision of a man for 03:35 Macedonia calling him to come over. 03:38 We will follow his journey to the port of 03:40 Neapolis where he first brought the Gospel 03:42 to Europe, and then walk the Roman road out 03:45 to Philippi where he founded a Church. 03:47 He was strangely rewarded for delivering a 03:49 demon possessed girl here by being deacon 03:52 and thrown into prison. Ultimately Paul's 03:56 ministry in Europe led him into Athens, 03:58 the philosophical center of the world. 04:01 Here he proclaim Jesus before some of the 04:03 greatest mines in the world are Mars Hill or 04:07 the Areopagus. One philosopher accepted the 04:11 Gospel and became a believer. 04:15 Paul would return to Jerusalem where he would 04:17 be arrested, and sent for trial before seizure. 04:20 Our series will conclude in Rome where he 04:23 will be tried and ultimately beheaded. 04:28 This will be an enriching and unforgettable 04:31 experience as we trace the journeys of 04:34 Paul on the screen and in your syllabus. 04:37 And by applying the lessons of faith from 04:41 Paul's life in the first century to ours in the 04:43 21st century, our faith will grow and deepen. 04:49 In this first chapter in the series we will begin 04:52 here in Tarsus, the place where Paul was 04:55 born seeking to understand his roots, 04:59 and what qualified him to become the Apostle 05:03 to the Gentiles. By God's providence his 05:07 family heritage, his education, and his 05:11 culture all converts together to equip him 05:15 with a special understanding of the 05:17 Roman world and grant him special privileges 05:21 to travel throughout the empire. 05:24 When we first encounter Paul in the Book 05:26 of Acts, he is not called Paul at all; 05:28 he is referred to by his Hebrew name Saul. 05:32 Now, if you were name your son after one 05:35 of Israel's kings you will probably name him 05:37 David not Saul. Why would they name their 05:41 child Saul instead of one of the moral lustrous 05:44 kings like David, because Saul was not from 05:48 the tribe of Judah like Jesus or David, 05:52 and instead he was from the tribe of Benjamin. 05:55 Let me read to you a fascinating insight 05:57 about his background found in Philippians 05:59 chapter 3 and verse 3: "For it is we who 06:04 are the circumcision, we who worship by the 06:06 Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, 06:09 and who put no confidence in the flesh, 06:11 though I myself have reasons for such 06:13 confidence. If anyone thinks he has reasons 06:16 to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 06:19 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people 06:21 of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, 06:24 a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law 06:27 of Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; 06:32 as for legalistic righteousness, faultless. 06:36 Not only was Saul an Israelite he was a Jew, 06:40 born of the tribe of Benjamin, circumcised on 06:43 the eighth day according to the custom 06:45 of Moses. He was a son of a Pharisee, 06:49 now the Pharisees were the Hasidim that 06:52 is the pious ones. Their modern counterparts 06:56 can be seen today worshiping at the Western 06:58 Wall in Jerusalem or walking the streets of 07:01 New York, and Los Angeles. Their numbers 07:04 never exceeded 6000 in New Testament times. 07:08 They meticulously attempted to obey all of 07:11 the details of God's law, living out the Torah 07:14 in every detail of their lives. Saul noted the 07:20 learning thread that Christianity brought to 07:22 Judaism. And he attempted to counter that 07:25 thread by public debate and ultimately by 07:29 persecuting the believers. Yes, Saul was 07:33 Jewish through-and- through. His pedigree 07:37 was impeccable. His knowledge of the Hebrew 07:40 scripture is extensive. His love for the 07:43 traditions of their fathers complete. 07:46 This was the man who was destined to become 07:49 the mighty Apostle Paul, but as Jewish 07:53 background alone could not prepare him to 07:56 become the Apostle to the Gentiles. 07:59 You see a Pharisee's perspective was far to 08:02 narrow, it was too centered in Palestine. 08:06 And so, God chose Saul, not Saul, 08:09 the Pharisee from Jerusalem, but Saul of 08:12 Tarsus. We read in Acts chapter 21 verse 39: 08:17 "I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen 08:21 of no ordinary city." Yes, Saul was born 08:24 here in Tarsus, which was the capital of the 08:27 Roman providence of Cilicia. 08:30 And we might wonder, what was an 08:32 observant Jewish family doing here, 08:35 some 500 miles from Jerusalem. 08:38 According to tradition, Saul's family migrated 08:42 from upper Galilee to this area, sometime before 08:47 the birth of Jesus. We do know that Saul's 08:51 father received his citizenship from Rome, 08:54 so that this man was born free as a Roman 08:58 citizen, this granted him special privileges. 09:03 Yes, Saul says, I was a Jew from Tarsus in 09:07 Cilicia, a citizen of no ordinary city. 09:17 Tarsus claim to fame, what is unique geographical 09:20 setting. It was located on the Cydnus River 09:24 where it empties in to the Mediterranean. 09:27 Tarsus was the Roman capital of the province 09:30 of Cilicia. Tarsus guarded the Cilician Gates to 09:36 the north. This was the major trade route 09:39 connecting the east with Anatolian plateau on 09:43 the other side of the Taurus Mountains. 09:46 This was extremely strategic and because 09:49 of this, the Romans made this the capital of 09:53 the province of Cilicia. The Cydnus River 09:57 descends from the Taurus Mountains far to 10:01 the north, the snow fed river is extremely cold, 10:05 and that's what the word Cydnus means, 10:08 the cold river. I'm walking along the ancient 10:14 Roman road; the Romans constructed this 10:17 bridge over the Cydnus or Tarsus River. 10:21 This road connected Tarsus down on the coast 10:25 with Anatolian plateau in the highlands, 10:28 but Taurus mountain range is a snow 10:31 covered range most of the year extremely 10:34 high, and very difficult to cross. 10:38 There was only one natured gap in the Taurus 10:41 Mountains and that was carved by this river, 10:45 this Cydnus, also known as the Tarsus River. 10:50 This river carved through a gap known as the 10:53 Cilician Gate. The Roman road parallel that 10:58 river, they build bridges over it. 11:02 Alexander the Great, marched his armies 11:04 down to the Cilician Gates to the fertile plateau, 11:09 and when it reached the hot humid plateau 11:12 here where I'm standing, he went swimming; 11:16 but frigid waters cause the chill for Alexander 11:20 which nearly caused him his life. 11:23 Think of how the course of history would 11:24 have changed, if Alexander would have died 11:27 here. This river is rich in its history, 11:33 for it was on this river the Cleopatra sailed up 11:37 after crossing a Mediterranean on her 11:39 barge to meet Mark Anthony who was residing 11:43 at his imperial palace here in Tarsus. 11:47 And the Taurus Mountains to the north a 11:49 very special variety of dill was bread with a 11:52 unique fleece. From the hair at Cilician, 11:55 a cloth was woven for making tents. 11:58 The fibers in this cloth had an unusual 12:00 properties allowing sunshine to stream 12:02 through, smoke from the cook stove to be 12:05 emitted while repelling rain. This was the 12:08 Gore-Tex fabric of the day. The tents of 12:11 Tarsus were known far and wide for their 12:14 exceptional quality and durability. 12:16 Saul learned this important trade from his 12:18 father, and would use it to pays his expenses 12:21 in the different cities from Jerusalem to Rome. 12:25 Because of the city support for Caesar, 12:28 it was declared a free trade city which meant 12:30 that it had the right to import and export 12:32 goods without paying Roman taxes. 12:35 This contributed to its exceptional growth as 12:37 a commercial center. The city also possessed 12:40 a university and was the greatest philosophical 12:43 center outside of Athens in Alexandria. 12:46 It was governed by scholars proud of their 12:49 stellar heritage, but Paul was not educated 12:52 in the prodigious schools of the Gentiles. 12:54 Instead he was educated in the synagogue 12:56 where he learned to speak both Hebrew and 12:58 Aramaic. In addition he spoke Greek, 13:01 the common language of the day, and as a 13:03 Roman citizen was fluent in Latin, 13:06 the official language of the empire Dallas. 13:09 Paul heard the stoics debating in the 13:11 marketplace, but as a son of a strict Jew, 13:14 he would not have been permitted to associate 13:16 with them. Saul grew up living in three cultures, 13:20 his religious culture was by strict standard 13:22 Jewish, he was a Pharisee of the Pharisees. 13:25 The cultural and business context of the city 13:28 he grew up in was Greek, and Saul was 13:31 thoroughly familiar with it. He could easily 13:34 move in the world of business and commerce. 13:36 He might even have traded in goat hair; 13:39 the raw material for manufacturing tents was 13:42 he was actually them, and being a Roman 13:45 citizen granted him tremendous privileges. 13:48 He had the right to travel throughout the empire 13:51 without being questioned, and as a citizen he 13:54 could never be crucified. Tarsus was in 13:57 outstanding location for business, education, 14:00 and culture, but his father was concerned 14:03 about the hidden influences on the boy and 14:06 sent him to Jerusalem to finish his education. 14:10 This would have been the first of many voyages 14:12 he would undertake during his lifetime. 14:17 Saul would have left the court of Tarsus and 14:19 sailed here to Caesarea. This was the finest 14:23 fort on the Eastern Mediterranean and built 14:26 by Herod the Great, himself, he named it 14:28 after his patron Augustus Caesar, 14:32 the Greek word for this was Sebastos, 14:35 which meant magnificent the same as the 14:38 name Augustus in Latin. Yes, this was a 14:41 magnificent fort built in honor of Augustus 14:45 Caesar. We don't know if this was Saul's 14:48 first time to this fort or not, but we do know 14:51 it would not be his last, he would sail in and 14:54 out of it on numerous occasions, 14:56 as he would later become Paul the Apostle 15:00 to the Gentiles. But from here he had not 15:03 come to see the splendid city that Herod had 15:05 built and named after his patron Augustus 15:08 Caesar. He had come because this was the 15:11 port serving Jerusalem. The pilgrimage to 15:17 Jerusalem was the ultimate for Jews both 15:20 in Saul's day and in ours. The Psalms summed 15:23 it well, in Psalm 137 when he said, 15:27 O Jerusalem, O erusalem, if I forget you 15:30 may my right hand loose its ability. 15:33 May my tongue cleave to the roof of my 15:35 mouth if I do not set Jerusalem above my 15:38 highest joy. When Saul came to the city, 15:43 the Temple Mount dominated the sight 15:45 behind me. Today the dome of the rocks 15:48 stands there, the third holiest site in the 15:51 Muslim world. This is the place where 15:53 according to Muslim tradition Mohammed 15:56 ascended to heaven in a night journey, 15:59 but when Saul came to the city Herod's 16:02 temple dominated this site. This was the 16:05 most beautiful building ever constructed upon 16:08 the earth. Herod had greatly enlarged the 16:11 plaza upon which Solomon's temple stood. 16:15 It was large enough for 12 soccer fields with 16:19 the bleachers to be inside the plaza. 16:23 It was a magnificent structure, fabulous 16:27 buildings, white marble; everything inside of 16:32 the building was steadier and covered with gold. 16:35 Yes it was the ultimate journey for a Jew in 16:38 both Saul's day and ours to come to the city 16:42 of Jerusalem. We're standing here on the 16:46 Mount of Olives overlooking the Temple 16:48 Mount. This is the religious center for the 16:52 three monotheistic religions today, 16:55 for Judaism because it was the site of the holy 16:59 temple of Yahweh, the only temple Yahweh 17:02 ever had up on the earth. It is precious for 17:06 Christians because it was here in this city 17:08 that Jesus often taught and where he was 17:11 rejected and ultimately crucified, and rose 17:15 from the dead. And it is holy for Muslims 17:18 because this was the site where according 17:21 to their tradition, Mohammed ascended to 17:23 heaven in that night journey. When Saul 17:27 came into the city it was filled with over 480 17:31 synagogues or schools. Saul was confronted 17:35 with many different sects. There were different 17:37 types of Jews here. There were the Sadducees, 17:41 the aristocratic wealthy Jews who control the 17:46 keys to both power in the city, and in the 17:49 temple. Then there were the Herodians, 17:54 the Herodians were the one's who had 17:57 adapted Greek culture, and tried to mingle 18:00 Greek culture with the ancient Jewish religion. 18:05 Herod the Great would have been the part 18:06 of the Herodian group, they were looking to build 18:10 various Greek structures in the holy city 18:13 and participate in Greek life. 18:16 And then they were the Essenes, the Essenes 18:19 removed themselves from the city of Jerusalem, 18:22 they would live out on the dessert very simply 18:25 in a communal life. And then there were the 18:27 scrupulous Pharisees who attempted to 18:30 honor the Lord by faithfully obeying every 18:33 detail of the law. The word bar mitzvah comes 18:38 from this time, it means literally son of the law. 18:42 According to Act's chapter 22 and verse 3, 18:45 Saul chose to attend the school of Gamaliel, 18:49 grandson of the greatest rabbi of the era, 18:52 they believed in the scriptures and held to 18:55 the hope of the resurrection of the dead. 18:58 They were Pharisees which comes from a 19:00 Hebrew word meaning separated ones. 19:03 They were the successors of the Hasidim 19:06 or pious ones. They were very, very orthodox 19:09 and deeply concerned about preserving the 19:12 religious purity of their people. 19:15 They vigorously rejected Hellenistic practices, 19:18 and long for the coming of the Messiah. 19:21 At the time of prayer Saul would have worn 19:24 the liturgical vestments, he would have worn 19:26 the Tallit or the prayer shawl, and would have 19:29 put on the Tefillin, the leather straps worn on 19:32 the forehead and the right hand that contained 19:35 a copy of the law. In Galatians chapter 1 verse 19:39 14 he wrote: I was advancing in Judaism 19:42 beyond many Jews of my own age and was 19:45 extremely zealous for the traditions of my 19:47 fathers. While his career soared, he recognized 19:51 that there was something missing in his 19:53 life. Soon news of the Galilean prophet began to 19:59 filter in. while Gamaliel his teacher had not 20:02 taken a direct stand against the teachings 20:05 of Jesus. Saul could see that this new way 20:10 threatened the very foundations of Judaism. 20:14 And so Saul saw took it upon himself to debate 20:17 against these believers in Jesus to show the 20:22 ridiculous nature of their claims, that some 20:26 guy could die and comeback to life. 20:30 Certain influential leaders saw great promise 20:33 in Saul not only as a Rabbi defending the 20:37 Pharisaic traditions of their fathers but as a 20:40 fearless Zealot, who could place a check on 20:43 Christianity. He was commissioned by the 20:46 chief priest who were largely Sadducees to rude 20:49 out the followers of the Nazarene. He soon 20:52 became a specialist in re-feuding the followers 20:55 of Jesus. He was certain that all of 20:59 these teachings that Jesus was the Messiah 21:02 and had been raised from the dead were only 21:04 a pack of lies, and yet you see he 21:07 interrogated believers in Jesus. 21:10 His heart was troubled; in the back of his 21:13 mind there was a small question, 21:16 could it be that it was true to stifle his 21:20 conscience, to put out the questions in his 21:24 mind, he threw himself whole heartedly in to 21:28 persecution of believers. He describes it in 21:32 Galatians chapter 1 verse 13: For you have 21:36 heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, 21:40 how intensely I persecuted the church of 21:43 God and tried to destroy it. Saul became an 21:47 expert in trying to deprogram the unfortunate 21:50 ones who had fallen for this new cult. 21:53 Not only that he tried to rescue the Pharissean, 21:56 he began to persecute the leaders of the 21:58 church as well. But in spite of his best efforts 22:03 the ranks of Christianity continued to explode 22:06 here in the city of Jerusalem. 22:09 Acts chapter 6 and verse 7 says that even 22:11 a great number of priests began to believe 22:14 in Jesus as their Messiah, and some of the 22:18 believers seemed to have the same miracle 22:21 working powers that Jesus was purported 22:24 to have had. One such man was named Steven, 22:27 he was performing great wonders among the 22:30 people. Stephen was one of the original Seven 22:33 Deacons who had been ordained by the church 22:36 to minister primarily to the Greek speaking Jews 22:39 of the Diaspora. Those Jews would gathered 22:42 here from all over the Greek speaking world. 22:46 Soon a great disturbance broke out, 22:48 there was a public debate and no one could 22:50 refutes Stevens's arguments. He was 22:53 brought before the Sanhedrin where he would 22:55 have come face to face with Saul, 22:57 but even Saul's brilliant mind could not match 23:01 the simple testimony of Steven given from 23:05 his heart, a heart that have been touched 23:07 by the resurrected Jesus. Soon the Sanhedrin 23:12 rushed toward him and insane moment, 23:14 and drag him out the lions gate, also know as 23:18 St. Steven's Gate into the Kidron valley, 23:20 and here in the Kidron valley they picked up 23:22 stones and they threw them crushing the very 23:24 life out of Steven. Steven was the first 23:28 Christian martyr the first one to die for 23:31 Jesus. Luke notes: And Saul was there giving 23:35 approval to his death. On that day a great 23:38 persecution broke out against the church at 23:40 Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were 23:43 scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. 23:48 When you cannot refute someone's testimony, 23:51 you do the next best thing, you try to silence 23:55 their voice and that's what happened here in 23:58 Jerusalem, when they could not refute the 24:01 teachings of Steven they silenced his voice 24:04 forever they thought. And yet Steven's 24:08 testimony was even louder because now the 24:11 church was scattered throughout all of Judea 24:13 and into Samaria. Luke continues on in 24:16 chapter 8, Saul began to destroy the church, 24:20 going from house to house, he dragged off 24:23 men and women and put them in prison. 24:26 Saul was consumed with purifying the religion 24:29 from the Galatian Heresy. After cleaning up 24:32 Jerusalem plans were laid for Saul to travel 24:35 to Damascus where he would purify the 24:38 synagogues of the dreaded heresy there. 24:41 Saul would leave the city of Jerusalem with letters 24:45 from the chief priest giving him authority 24:47 to arrest the believers in Damascus and bring 24:50 them back to Jerusalem to stand trial. 24:53 He was given a contingent of the temple police, 24:56 but since he was Pharisee or a separated one, 24:59 he would not walk with the temple police but 25:01 would walk by himself. It will be a 150 mile 25:04 journey down to Jericho up the Jordan valley, 25:08 and around the Sea of Galilee, and then over 25:10 the Golan Heights. This would be at least a 25:14 seven day journey an ample time for the Holy 25:17 Spirit to workup on his mind. As Saul walked 25:20 along trudging mile after mile up the Jordan 25:24 Valley, he tried to get one image out of his mind, 25:28 the image was that of Steven face lit up like 25:31 an angel, as he was brought into the Kidron 25:33 valley, as Steven saying that I see heaven 25:38 open, then I see the Son of Man standing at 25:41 the right hand of the Father's throne. 25:45 You know its very interesting that other 25:47 places in the New Testament say that when 25:49 Jesus ascended into heaven, he sat down at 25:51 the right hand of the Father, but when Steven 25:54 the very first Christian to die for his beliefs 25:57 in the Lord is being stoned in the Kidron 26:00 valley, Steven looks up and says I see him 26:03 standing at the right hand of the Father's 26:05 throne as if Steven sees his Lord jumping up 26:08 and Jesus is saying Steven hang in there, 26:11 be faithful even to the point of death, 26:14 and I'll give you the crown of life. 26:16 You see Jesus had been crucified in the city 26:20 of Jerusalem, but he had come back to life 26:23 on the third day, he had been seen perhaps 26:27 Steven was one of the 120 that had seen 26:31 Jesus alive in the city of Jerusalem. 26:35 And now he sees him in heaven and because 26:39 of that Steven is able to witness for his Lord 26:42 even when they are taking his life. 26:46 As Steven falls to the ground, the stones 26:49 crushing the life out of him, he says Father 26:53 forgive them, Jesus don't hold this against 26:57 them, forgive them. Saul cannot get those 27:01 words out of his mind as he walks up the Jordan 27:04 Valley, he struggles with those words, 27:06 how could someone forgive the very people 27:12 who are taking his life. Saul couldn't shake that, 27:17 he would not be able to forget it, and as he 27:19 comes to the crust of the hill going into 27:21 Damascus, his life would be forever changed. But 27:26 that will be the subject of the next chapter 27:29 in this thrilling series on the Footsteps of Paul. 27:32 As we walk the Damascus road with Saul, 27:35 and we see his dramatic conversion that 27:38 happens when he reaches that emerald green 27:41 city. Now from here on the Mount of Olives, 27:46 I invite you to join me as we pray together. 27:50 Our Father in heaven, we thank you so much 27:53 for the testimony of someone named Steven, 27:57 who was faithful to You even to the point of 27:59 death, and yet he held no resentment, 28:03 no anger towards those who were killing him. 28:06 But was able to ask that his executors be 28:09 forgiven, and we thank you that, that prayer 28:13 is about to be answered as we'll see on the 28:16 Damascus road. Thank you for your power even 28:20 to reach a persecutor like Saul, and to turn 28:24 his heart towards you. Help us like Steven 28:27 to be faithful to you wherever you lead, 28:30 we pray in Jesus name, amen. From here on the 28:34 Mount of Olives we wish you God's blessing 28:37 and encourage you to join us for the next 28:39 chapter in this thrilling series on the Footsteps 28:42 of Paul, as we trace his journey from Jerusalem 28:45 to Jericho, up the Jordan valley, 28:47 around the Sea of Galilee, and to the city of 28:51 Damascus where his life is changed and history 28:55 is altered. Join us for that thrilling teaching. |
Revised 2014-12-17