How Did the Gospel Reach Into Nero's Palace?

Welcome to Through the Bible with Les Feldick, a 30-minute walk through the Scriptures, teaching in-depth Bible truths that change people's lives. Now, here's your host, Les Feldick. Okay, there we are, okay, my goodness, it starts before we're ready and it ends before we're ready. So anyway, our television audience, we want you to know that we appreciate your letters, especially when you tell us you feel like you're sitting in the back of the room. We like that, because that's just exactly what you want to feel. And we also want you to realize that we appreciate your mail, your letters, your financial help, we can't do it without you, and of course your prayers. My goodness, we couldn't do what we do without the prayers of the saints. And I always have to remind you that all the past programs are available on video, audio, and the printed page. So if you're interested in any of those things, you call us on the 800 number, or drop us a line. All right, we're going to get right back into where we left off. I ran out of time in the last half hour, so we'll go back and pick that verse up. I was looking at it and didn't have time to read it. I'll be in Philippians chapter 2, and remember we were talking about Paul using the term the Day of Christ, or the Day of the Lord Jesus Christ, which is a reference to the end of the church age and the outcalling of the church in what we call the Rapture. Now again, teaching the line that I teach, I have to constantly remind people that when only Paul speaks of something, then mark it down that it is only for the Church, the Body of Christ. If other portions of Scripture use the same language, I couldn't do this, but they don't. No other portion of Scripture refers to the Day of Christ. They refer to the Day of the Lord, or the Day of Jehovah, or the Day of the Wrath of God. But Paul uses this term, the Day of Christ, referring to the Rapture, or the end of the church age as we know it. Now the verse I wanted to read just in our closing last program was Philippians chapter 2, verse 16, which is just another reference of using the term, holding forth the Word of life, that I may rejoice in the Day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, nor labored in vain. In other words, everything was looking forward to the Day of Christ, when that trumpet call will take us out. Now let's go back and pick up where we left off in chapter 1, and that would be in verse 7. Philippians 1, and the word meat I usually translate as appropriate, even as it is appropriate for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my bonds, and then in defense and confirmation of the Gospel, you all, every member of that church, are partakers of my grace. And for God is my record, how greatly I long after you all, in the bowels, or again the innermost beings of Jesus Christ. Now verse 9. Philippians 1, and the word meat I pray that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge. Oh the average professing Christian today is so ignorant, and that doesn't mean they're short on brain cells, it isn't that they're short on intellectual ability, it's that they're short on teaching. And when I just look at so much of the stuff that people are being taught, and it is, it's just fluff. You know I haven't been to a fair in a long, long time, but it used to be you'd see kids run around with what we call cotton candy, and I know what it is, it's nothing but air they put in their mouth and it disappears. That's most of what our Sunday school material is, it's just cotton candy, and they take it in and it's gone. Well Paul is constantly praying that believers would gain knowledge, and you don't gain knowledge of the Word unless you study it. We thank God for all the letters that come in that thanks to our program they are studying the Bible. They're not giving me credit for anything, they're just studying the Bible, and that's what we want, to learn to study. Well this is Paul's constant prayer, in fact do you remember back in Ephesians, let's go back a couple pages, and there are several prayers in Paul's letters, but go back to Ephesians chapter 1, and this is also appropriate for every believer today, young or old, young or old. I even had a letter yesterday from 13 year old, yeah 13 year old, oh it just tickled me to death. A little 13 year old girl wrote that she was watching the program. Well anyway, this is for every believer, Ephesians 1, verse 16, and he says, Ephesians 1, verse 16, And I cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him. You know I've given the example on this program over and over, over the years. The most, what shall I say, one of the most impacting things I think that has ever happened to me, is when I asked someone one time where he was coming from, and his answer was, Who in the world is Jesus Christ? And I thought, in America? In my part of the world? And then I come to find out, hey that's most people. They don't know who he is. They do not know that he is the creator of everything. In fact I was going to make reference to it a little later in the chapter, and I guess I could do it now. People probably sometimes wonder, why did the Apostle Paul have such an allegiance to Jesus Christ? Why should we just be willing to pour out our life for Jesus Christ? Because of who he is. The God of glory, the creator, the one who even today is in control of all the galaxies of the billions. And now the Hubble telescope tells us they're still out there exploding. They're still forming, and he's in control of every bit of that. And then somebody like the Pope can come, and they'll come by the millions just to get a glimpse of his airplane. Well now that's their prerogative, but I'm just making the comparison. Why can't they do that with a thought of Jesus Christ? But they don't. You could announce that Christ is coming to some airport, and I don't think you'd get a crowd, but tell them that the Pope is coming, and they'll clog the interstates for miles around just to get a glimpse of his plane. But now listen, he's a human being like the rest of us. He puts on his pants like I do. He has to eat and sleep like anybody else. He gets sick one day, and it probably won't be too long, he's going to die. He's human. But oh, the Lord Jesus Christ is the creator of everything beyond human comprehension. And this is all Paul is praying for, that we could get a little better grasp of who he really is. All right, back to Ephesians 1, and that we might grow in the revelation and the knowledge of him. Ephesians 1, now verse 18, "...that the eyes of your understanding, being enlightened, that you may know, not hope so, not wonder, but that we can know what is the hope of his calling in the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and that we can know what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us who believe." And again, it's according to the mighty power of Christ. Oh listen, it's beyond human understanding. All right, let's go back to Philippians again. Now verse 10, "...that you," Paul writes, "...that you at Philippi, but it continues on to the believers of all the ages, right down to our present day, that you may approve things that are excellent." Now it's unfortunate that the King James translators use that word, because every place else in the New Testament that Greek word is translated different. And read it that way, "...I pray that your love, or that you may approve things that are different, and that you may be sincere and without offense until the day of Christ." All right, now what are the differences? Well, I read one commentary one time years and years ago, and he said, we have to determine the difference between right and wrong. Well, maybe. But I think the things that really are different is law and grace. See the Philippians understood that. They understood that they were under the grace of God. They had no compunction to try to go back to Jerusalem and carry out the feast days and temple worship. But they knew better, because they had discerned the difference between where they stood in grace and where the Old Testament believer was under law. But see a lot of people today don't know the difference. They don't know the difference. They think that somehow or other we're still connected to that Jewish program, and we have to keep the commandments, and we have to do this and have to do that, of one way or another. But no, under grace there is no have to about it. It's all done. And we stand just in His grace. And so the whole concept here in this verse 10 is that these Philippians, and Paul is still encouraging us the same way, that we can discern the difference between God dealing with Israel under the law, and dealing with us Gentiles under grace. And when you can see that, like I said before, this book just opens up, and that's hard for a lot of people. I know it is, but determine the things that are different. Verse 11. Romans 7. Romans 7. Now remember what he just said, that we might be filled with the fruits of righteousness which come by Jesus Christ. Okay, Romans 7. Verse 4. Romans 7. Verse 4. Romans 7. Verse 4. Just like a spouse dies, and that spouse is no longer legally connected to the one who remains. He says, "...wherefore my brethren, you also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ, that you should be married to another." Now you couldn't be married to Christ if you're still married to the law, it won't work. So the law has to be declared dead, and out of the way, so that we can be married to Christ. See how plain that is? "...that you should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead." Now I've always said salvation is not just a fire escape like most people think. You know, we get saved so that we don't go to hell. No, that's not the primary reason. We're saved to produce fruit. We're to be producing fruit. Now then, in a marriage relationship, first in the physical, what is the fruit of a marriage relationship? Children! Absolutely! Others, that will take our place. It's the same way in the Christian experience. Once we're married to Christ, what should we look for? The result of that union, which would be other believers, that we can take with us, or that can take our place when we're gone. Now look at it again in that light. "...wherefore, my brethren, you are become dead to the law by the Body of Christ, that you should be married to another." We're separated from the law, it's dead, and now we're in union with Christ, and that union should bring forth fruit. And what's the fruit? New believers. That's our job. You know, that's why I'm always making the point, and I'll make it again. It isn't just the church's responsibility to save the lost. Lost people don't go to church anymore. They got too many other things to do. So who's going to reach the lost? You and I. See? And how can you reach the lost if you're not prepared? How can you reach the lost if you can't show them a verse of Scripture? And that's the problem. Oh listen, if America's Christians could get as sharp in the Word as the Apostle Paul was, you know what we would do in a matter of a year or two? We'd turn this country inside out. It surely would, but the Christians won't do it. They're ignorant, and they don't want to learn, and so we've got to wake them up that there has to be that desire to be filled with the righteousness of Christ, which in turn will bring fruit. Back to Philippians if you will. Verse 12. But I would that ye should understand, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather to the furtherance of the gospel. Now I imagine most of us, if we were in Paul's shoes, we would have said, Why? Here I was out there turning the Roman Empire inside out, I was getting churches established, I was seeing these pagans gloriously say, Now Lord, why am I locked up in prison? Isn't that right? But what does he say? Hey, it was all for the right purposes. Now of course you all know the verse, you should be already thinking of it. Romans 8, verse 28. What does it say? Romans 8, verse 28. All things work together for good, for everybody, no, to them who love God, and are called according to His purpose. See, and that's where Paul was. He was exactly where God wanted him. Even in that Roman prison, right next door to Nero's palace, and in the midst of the Praetorian guard. Here he is. And he says, everything has fallen out for the furtherance of the Gospel. Now I don't know if we're going to have time in this half hour, but yeah we might have. Verse 13. Now remember, why is he there? For the furtherance of the Gospel. So that my bonds, constantly chained to a Roman soldier, so that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace. Now think about that for a minute. Now things weren't as big as they are today, but nevertheless, Rome was quite the empire. All low roads led to Rome, didn't they? Rome to the ancients was what Washington DC is today. The whole world goes to Washington, and goes home with our money. And it was no different then. You see, every place we go in the Middle East, and we're over there, the first thing I have to look at, look at all these Roman improvements. The great pillars, and the buildings, and the streets, and everything. Now listen, those poor pagan, uncivilized people of that outer fringe of the empire, they didn't have money for that. Where did it come from? Rome. Where did Rome get it? Taxes. Hey listen, things have never changed. You go back, I'm a buff of history, you all know that. You go back, and you study Roman history, and we are lock step with them. You don't. Sure we are. We're in lock step with them. Everything that they saw happen to the Roman Empire, we're seeing happen here. All roads led to Rome, and all roads lead to Washington. Everything gets so big, and corruption comes in, and you can't control it. It's just impossible, it's too big. Well when that comes along, then pretty soon you've got more goods and services than you've got money. So when there's a shortage of money, what does every government do? Print some more. And when you print money, what are you asking for? Inflation. That's what happened to Rome. Rome killed itself from within with it's gross immorality, but with it's inflationary economic practices. And so nothing changed. So here is the Apostle Paul now, in bonds, chained to a Roman soldier, who would probably change every day, maybe twice a day, and he's right next door to Caesar's palace. Now, from what I can gather in my reading, it wasn't actually the residence of Nero, so much as I've already explained, the headquarters of Nero's private guards, the Praetorian as it was called. And then the Palladium was where his actual residence stood, and that was on the two hills, you remember, Regulus and Romulus, you remember according to the pagans, the beginning of Rome? That was right next door then to the Praetorian guards. So Paul was in an eye shadow of Nero's palace, but I think where he had the most contact was through these private guards of Nero. Now keep all that in your mind, because I've got a reason for doing this. Verse 13, "...so that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places." All right, now hold that on your computer, and come on over to the end of the little book of Philippians, verse 22, chapter 4, verse 22. Oh, I hope I can get you to feel this. I mean, I want you to feel this. Now, I'm not much on emotion, you know that, I say feelings isn't a word in Scripture, but here's something I think we can all begin to feel. Look at the verse, "...all the saints salute you, chiefly, or most importantly, they who are of Caesar's household." Now, come back to verse 13 again, "...here he is in bonds, chained to Roman soldiers who rotated day in and day out, hardened, as I said in the last program, hardened veterans of the war campaigns, evidently many of them as a result of being next to Paul for maybe 12 or 24 hours, and became believers." He must have had a tremendous power of witnessing, and they became believers, and they would rotate and maybe pick up the next day's duty in the headquarters of the guards. Some of them probably went on into the palace, and became servants of one sort or another, because the whole system was based on servitude. Now, if you were in Paul's shoes, and you were suddenly realizing that your testimony, your witnessing, was actually bearing fruit amongst these hardened Roman soldiers, who were in turn bearing fruit in the very palace of the most wicked despot that ever lived, Nero, what would it do to your emotions? Wouldn't it thrill you to death? Consequently, even though he's in prison, and he's in bonds, and he's chained, what is the key word of the book of Philippians? Rejoice! Rejoice! Joy! This man was literally bubbling over with joy, in spite of his circumstances. And I got to thinking, why wouldn't any one of us feel the same way? You know, once in a while we'll get a letter from somebody that's picking us up in Washington D.C., and the first thing you wonder is, well, how close to the echelons of government are these people? What if someday we got a letter from someone who actually worked in the White House? Well I think I'd get pretty excited, and I think you would. And to think that somebody right up near the upper echelons of our government are hearing me teach the gospel, and getting saved, and are spreading it around the capital. Hey, if that wouldn't make me happy, then they better get me out of this business. And if I would share it with you, what would you do? Oh, you would rejoice with me. And see, that's exactly what he's trying to tell the Philippians. Rejoice! The gospel is penetrating the palace of Nero. And here we sit so blase, but listen, let's get excited. We might be able to reach into the capital in Oklahoma City, we might be able to reach into some of the places of the hallowed halls of Congress, or whatever. This man did. This man, and he was no better or any more gifted than any one of us, because that's what he's always doing to himself, is bringing himself down to the level of just an ordinary believer. Although of course, he was the tremendous apostle. Alright, a couple of minutes left, moving on. Verse 14, and many of the brethren in the Lord, these believers now, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the Word without fear. You know what they were doing? When they saw Paul's circumstances, and I think he's still talking about some of these Roman guards, some of these employees, or the slaves that were working in the palace of Nero. When they saw that joyful outlook, and probably heard the old boys singing hymns, I don't know. He did in jail, you know, in Philippi. But when these people saw the example of the apostle Paul, what did it do? It encouraged them, see? It encouraged them. Hey, if he can do this under those circumstances, then I can too. And I think this is why this letter is written for you and I today, that we come out from our lethargy, and our impotence to do anything, and just simply realize that God can use you, He can use me, even though we're common ordinary people, yet that's the people to whom this book is written. I'm going to come back again, if the plow boy in England could read it, you and I sure can. Okay, one more verse, only got a couple of minutes left. Verse 15, now this almost is hard to swallow. This is probably a bad verse to end the program with, but some indeed preached Christ even of envy and strife, and some also of goodwill. Now what does that mean? Well I think maybe some of the people that didn't really like Paul, might have even been some of the Jewish people who were trying to get rid of him, thought they could get him deeper in trouble by proclaiming his Gospel out there, and said, oh I picked it up from that guy you got in prison. Hoping that that in turn would come back and even get him in worse trouble. But whatever, Paul says it doesn't matter. As long as people hear the Gospel of Christ, it's going to touch their hearts. And then verse 16, the one preached Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds. Now you see, some people will go to any end to bring about a little bit more misery for a believer. It's always been that way. And so this is what the Apostle Paul again is teaching us, that there were people out there trying their dead level best to make life even worse for him than it already was. But it doesn't bother me, they don't know it, but they're propagating the Gospel. And sometimes we have to look at it that way, that even unbelievers can propagate the Gospel. God can use it. Not the best way, but he can use it. And so always remember that the circumstances of this Apostle in that prison in Rome was beyond our understanding, but on the other hand, we can learn from it, and we can do many of the same things that were done to him. Thank you for watching Through the Bible with Les Feldick. Through the Bible is a partner-supported ministry. 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