Bible Lesson: Miracles Of The Power Of The Holy Spirit: “any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them” (Mark 16:18 KJV).
God's Messenger: Apostle Paul.
Bible Location: Island of Melita.
Bible Text:
Acts 28:1-6 KJV (Apostle Paul, as a prisoner, was on his way to Rome, when the ship he was in was dashed to pieces by a great storm, read the story in Acts 27.)
1 Once we were safe on shore, we learned that we were on the island of Malta.
2 The people of the island were very kind to us. It was cold and rainy, so they built a fire on the shore to welcome us.
3 As Paul gathered an armful of sticks and was laying them on the fire, a poisonous snake, driven out by the heat, bit him on the hand.
4 The people of the island saw it hanging from his hand and said to each other, “A murderer, no doubt! Though he escaped the sea, justice will not permit him to live.”
5 But Paul shook off the snake into the fire and was unharmed.
6 The people waited for him to swell up or suddenly drop dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw that he wasn’t harmed, they changed their minds and decided he was a god.
Acts 28:1,2 NLT
1 Once we were safe on shore, we learned that we were on the island of Malta.
2 The people of the island were very kind to us. It was cold and rainy, so they built a fire on the shore to welcome us.
The Apostle had warned, captain and crew that sailing so late in the fall, would lead to storms, and perhaps loss of ship and life, but no one listened.
Shipwrecked, they found themselves at the Island of Malta.
The inhabitants having seen the wreck, in kindness, made a fire to warm them, and to extend to them every kindness.
What word may be said concerning kindness.
Kindness:
Sympathetic, friendly, gentle, tender-hearted, generous, etc.
(New World Dictionary)
The people of Malta, were this kind of generous people. They helped everyone of the shipwrecked survivors, no matter what their station, sailors, soldiers, passengers, or prisoners!
What was it the Apostle said?
Romans 12:9-13 NLT
9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.
10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.
11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.
12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.
13 When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.
Acts 28:3 NLT
As Paul gathered an armful of sticks and was laying them on the fire, a poisonous snake, driven out by the heat, bit him on the hand.
Paul, in his eagerness, helped them build the fire, to warm the cold wet, soaked survivors.
As he threw a bundle of branches onto the fire, a snake jumped out and bit Paul on the hand, and would not let go.
Here is the Godly Apostle Paul, on his way to Rome, to die, and thrown into a terrible shipwreck, if that not being enough, a deadly viper bites him, no doubt sending pain throughout his body.
“Look pastor, I thought if I was a Christian, that only good things would happen to me!”
Well, read the book again!
Ecclesiastes 7:14 NLT
Enjoy prosperity while you can, but when hard times strike, realize that both come from God. Remember that nothing is certain in this life.
Ecclesiastes 9:11 KJV
I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.
Isiah 43:2 KJV (Not "if," but "when.")
When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
Matthew 5:45 KJV
That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
Luke 13:1-5 NLT
1 About this time Jesus was informed that Pilate had murdered some people from Galilee as they were offering sacrifices at the Temple.
2 “Do you think those Galileans were worse sinners than all the other people from Galilee?” Jesus asked. “Is that why they suffered?
3 Not at all! And you will perish, too, unless you repent of your sins and turn to God.
4 And what about the eighteen people who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them? Were they the worst sinners in Jerusalem?
5 No, and I tell you again that unless you repent, you will perish, too.”
Acts 14:21,22 KJV (Apostles, Paul and Barnabas.)
21 And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch,
22 Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that
we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.
Even though, trouble may be stacked again and again, against a Christian, God's Word, promises us....
I Corinthians 10:13 KJV
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is Faithful, who will not suffer (permit) you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
II Corinthians 12:7-10 KJV
7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
9 And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
Acts 28:4 KJV
The people of the island saw it hanging from his hand and said to each other, “A murderer, no doubt! Though he escaped the sea, justice will not permit him to live.”
Why, oh why, do good people, often make harsh, wrong judgments?
It is because the Word of God, has been forgotten.
Matthew 7:1-5 KJV (Jesus)
1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.
2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
3 And why beholdest thou the mote (spec) that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote (spec) out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote (spec) out of thy brother's eye.
God's people are called to have heart of love towards all, not one of judgment.
Romans 12:18-21 NLT
18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.
19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord.
20 Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.”
21 Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.
The people knew only too well that Paul was a prisoner, for he was under guard. And having seen the serpent bite him, they thought, though this evil man has escaped the wrath of the sea, surely fate has found him, and punished him. But they were wrong, dead wrong.
How very careful we must be of the things, we say!
Matthew 12:36,37 KJV
36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
James 3:3-12 KJV
3 Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.
4 Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.
5 Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!
6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.
7 For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind:
8 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
9 Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.
10 Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.
11 Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?
12 Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.
Acts 28:5 NLT
But Paul shook off the snake into the fire and was unharmed.
If there is one place where the serpent belongs, its in the fire!
Revelation 20:10 KJV
And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are (still there after 1,000 years of torment), and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
This miraculous action was the direct result of our Saviour's great commission promise for His evangelizing believers.
Mark 16:15-18 KJV
15 And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In My name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
Stop and read the blog posting: Bible Lesson: Kept By The Power Of God
THIS WAS “NOT,” ANYTHING THE APOSTLE PAUL WENT LOOKING FOR!!!!!!!
IT WAS SOMETHING THAT CAME TOTALLY UNAWARES UPON HIM.
UNDER THESE CIRCUMSTANCES, AND UNDER THESE CIRCUMSTANCES ALONE, GOD IN HIS SOVERIGN POWER, KEPT THE INNOCENT APOSTLE.
Matthew 4:1-10 KJV
1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He was afterward an hungred.
3 And when the tempter came to Him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
4 But He answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
5 Then the devil taketh Him up into the holy city, and setteth Him on a pinnacle of the temple,
6 And saith unto Him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give His angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
8 Again, the devil taketh Him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
9 And saith unto Him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.
Our dearest Saviour, never under any circumstances used “the power of God,” as a parlor gimmick.
Satan, did his best to convince Him to do so, but our Saviour knew better. Unfortunately the enemy has convinced some earthly individuals, to do so.
Acts 28:6 NLT
The people waited for him to swell up or suddenly drop dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw that he wasn’t harmed, they changed their minds and decided he was a god.
Oh the “sure word” of the Lord! (II Peter 1:19 KJV)
Men's judgments and their promises, fail, but not that of the Lord of glory!
Numbers 23:19 KJV
God is not a man, that He should lie; neither the son of Man, that He should repent: hath He said, and shall He not do it? or hath He spoken, and shall He not make it good?
I Kings 8:56 KJV
Blessed be the Lord, that hath given rest unto His people Israel, according to all that He promised: there hath not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised by the hand of Moses His servant.
Psalm 111:7 KJV
The works of His hands are verity (trustworthy) and judgment; all His commandments are sure.
Romans 4:21 KJV
And being fully persuaded that, what He had promised, He was able also to perform.
II Corinthians 1:19,20 NLT
19 For Jesus Christ, the Son of God, does not waver between “Yes” and “No.” He is the one whom Silas, Timothy, and I preached to you, and as God’s ultimate “Yes,” He always does what He says.
20 For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for His glory.
Mark 16:18 KJV
They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
And so the word of the Lord, proved to be true over and over again!
When God, calls a man to do His bidding, “nothing, but nothing,” may stop him!
Matthew 14:29 KJV
And He said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
Church of the precious Lord Jesus Christ, now is the time, now the eleventh hour of harvest, to rise in faith, and do the works our Saviour has called us to do. “...the night cometh, when no man can work.
(John 9:4 KJV)
Matthew 20:6 KJV
And about the eleventh hour He went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle?
Salvation Prayer
