Caesarea by the sea
Throughout the history of God's people place has been important. The gospel is grounded in history and as such it not only works in the lives of people, but uses places to bring about the circumstances for gospel growth. One such place is Caesarea Maritima. It is from this Roman port city that Pontius Pilate ruled Judea. It was to this city that Paul fled in safety before heading on to Tarsus. And it was in this city that the Roman ruler Diocletian persecuted the church and the library of Christian teaching it was building.
Place continues to matter to us. The gospel works in where we find ourselves today, as well as providing opportunity for gospel growth in the future. Learning from Caesarea Maritima demonstrates God's continued gospel initiative in brining people to himself through time and place.
The Life of the Church - Learning our Church History is a teaching series from Annalong Presbyterian Church. For videos and handouts visit www.annalongpc.org/midweek.
The podcast was recorded using Ecamm Live. Start your free trial at https://www.ecamm.com/mac/ecammlive/?fp_ref=david97.
Transcript
Well, we're returning to this series, The Life of the Church,
2
:and in the weeks that have gone by,
I've been reading more and enjoying
3
:more, and tonight's a little bit
different, but, um, I'm hoping it'll
4
:be something that'll help us maybe
more in our personal lives to recall
5
:of how good the Lord has been to us.
6
:And it's part four.
7
:It's entitled Caesarea by the Sea.
8
:It is a place that we're
familiar with in Scripture.
9
:Um, but really I wonder do we
understand fully its significance.
10
:And really the theme for tonight
is about places that are important
11
:or about a place that is important.
12
:And without yet flicking to the other
side of page three, don't do that
13
:yet, you'll come to your questions.
14
:But one of the questions for tonight
is, where, what or where is a
15
:place that is significant for you?
16
:Whenever it comes to faith and
matters of faith, where is a
17
:place that is significant for you?
18
:Because whenever we look at Caesarea,
Uh, we will discover that it is
19
:a place of great significance.
20
:And again, it's all about God
doing His work in a particular
21
:place at a particular time.
22
:That's the significance.
23
:It could have been anywhere, but it's in
a place that God chose to do His work.
24
:And so when we have that study of church
history, there will be people, and
25
:we've already looked at some of those
people, and if you have missed any of
26
:the handouts of the first three nights,
they're up here on the stage for you.
27
:You can take them, they're all there on
the church website as well, that you can
28
:look at them at home and see them there.
29
:But there's people, there's events,
and there are places, all significant.
30
:Sometimes all three come together in
one, and at other times they're separate.
31
:There might be specific people who will
have a key moment, or there might be
32
:a key event where it's, it's not just
one person, but a group of people or a
33
:movement of God at a particular moment.
34
:Or as we'll see tonight, a particular
place that has a long heritage
35
:of being involved in Scripture.
36
:And we've seen that in
recent church history.
37
:Whenever you think of the
Reformation, the, the two places that.
38
:Where things happened, where Wittenberg
and, and Geneva, two places where
39
:God used, not just in a moment, but
in the ensuing years, where study
40
:would grow, where theology would
develop, where, where really what it
41
:meant to be reformed was, was teased
out and worked out and lived out.
42
:But it's nothing new because we've
seen it in Scripture again and again.
43
:You've places like Bethel, Gilead,
Bethlehem, Jerusalem, all places that
44
:at certain times play different parts
in the great story of salvation.
45
:And as we come to Caesarea, although
it may not be the most familiar in
46
:scripture, it does play a significant
part for as we look at how the church
47
:came to be and its significance for today.
48
:Um, and so we begin by thinking
about the significance.
49
:And so there's a place for you,
uh, on your, on your handout.
50
:It's also on the screen.
51
:It's, it's now a national
park in, uh, Israel.
52
:You can go and you have your holiday.
53
:If you look north there, that's the
holiday resort of Caesarea today.
54
:But in that center part where it just
looks like brown earth or, or, or
55
:desert, that's the original Caesarea.
56
:And if you actually look, you can see
some Roman fixtures, the amphitheater.
57
:Or a great, um, athletic
track, or baths, Roman baths.
58
:So this was a true Roman city.
59
:It was a port city.
60
:And it was a city of great significance.
61
:Not just for us in the church,
but also for Rome itself.
62
:Because it was here that the
Roman rulers had their palace.
63
:Remember, Pilate came to Jerusalem.
64
:Well, where did he come from?
65
:He didn't come from Rome.
66
:He came from his headquarters.
67
:in Caesarea Maritimi,
which is its official name.
68
:He was the fifth of the Roman rulers.
69
:Um, basically Caesar had got
fed up with the Herodian family.
70
:They were puppets now, very much more so.
71
:And it was more these Roman
bureaucrats who would come in,
72
:Pilate being the most famous of them.
73
:And he does have a
significant place in it.
74
:And what they did was they settled
themselves in Herod's Palace there.
75
:They'd get rid of maybe some of the royal
trappings, give them a small apartment,
76
:but for the real seat of power in Herod's
Palace, the Roman officials would be.
77
:And that's where Pilate was.
78
:That's where he would go.
79
:And it would be where other Roman rulers,
as we'll see, would take their seat.
80
:If you're not familiar with what it looks
like, there's a map over on page two.
81
:Can't go by too quickly
without getting a map.
82
:But, just to show you, whenever you see
it on a map, there's really only two
83
:ports in Biblical Palestine that are used.
84
:It's Joppa, which is down at the
south, where the A of Jerusalem is.
85
:or at Caesarea.
86
:Most went through Caesarea.
87
:It was the bigger of the ports.
88
:It was the established Roman
city or, and Roman port.
89
:And so all trade went from there.
90
:And by the way, this is This
is Paul's journey to Rome.
91
:It's his third missionary journey,
and then his journey to Rome.
92
:So you can see that it, it was
close to where the known world
93
:was, and so it was a center of
trade, of busyness, of Roman life.
94
:You couldn't get more Roman in
Palestine than Caesarea Maritima.
95
:And so this is a place that
was significant in its day,
96
:in its own right, but as we'll
get to see, it is significant.
97
:For us as we understand ourselves as
the church today and to do that we're
98
:going to begin by reading 1st Timothy
chapter 6 and verses 11 to 21 we're
99
:going to read two passages this evening
This is the first of them, because
100
:the significance actually is of, at a
particular moment, a person who was there.
101
:And so here we have for us in Scripture,
in 1 Timothy 6, verse 11 through to
102
:verse 21, where Paul says, But as for
you, O man of God, flee these things,
103
:pursue righteousness, godliness,
faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.
104
:Fight the good fight of the faith,
take hold of the eternal life to
105
:which you were called and about
which you made the good confession
106
:in the presence of many witnesses.
107
:I charge you in the presence of God
who gives life to all things and of
108
:Christ Jesus who in his testimony before
Pontius Pilate made the good confession.
109
:To keep the commandment unstained and
free from reproach until the appearing
110
:of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he
will display at the proper time.
111
:He who is blessed and only sovereign,
the King of kings and Lord of lords,
112
:who alone has immortality, who dwells
in unapproachable light, whom no
113
:one has ever seen or can see, to
him be honour and eternal dominion.
114
:Amen.
115
:As for the rich in this present age,
charge them not to be haughty, nor
116
:to set their hopes on the uncertainty
of riches, but on God who richly
117
:provides us with everything to enjoy.
118
:They are to do good, to be rich in
good works, to be generous and ready
119
:to share, thus storing up treasure
for themselves as a good foundation
120
:for the future, so that they may take
hold of that which is truly life.
121
:Old Timothy.
122
:Guard the deposit entrusted to you.
123
:Avoid the irreverent babble and
contradictions of what is falsely
124
:called knowledge, for by professing
it, some have swerved from the faith.
125
:Grace be with you.
126
:Amen.
127
:So why read a passage like this?
128
:Well, at the center of it, there is a name
that we would think shouldn't be there,
129
:and it's the name of Pontius Pilate.
130
:This is a significant moment.
131
:In the canon of scripture, the man who
washed his hands of Jesus gets quoted.
132
:And actually, whenever you look at
it, he gets quoted in a good way.
133
:Because if it hadn't been for
Jesus before Pilate, then the whole
134
:events of Jesus giving the good
testimony would not have happened.
135
:And of course, in the great
and grand providence of God,
136
:it had to happen that way.
137
:But it's very significant that
this person, Pontius Pilate, is
138
:mentioned here in 1st Timothy.
139
:And gathered around him is the example
of Jesus as he spoke to this Roman leader
140
:about the things that must be heard,
that the church must continue to hear.
141
:And so, this Gentile first hand
received the gospel from Jesus Christ
142
:as close as anyone could from that
great salvation moment of death on the
143
:cross and resurrection from the grave.
144
:And Pilate was sympathetic,
that's why he washed his hands.
145
:If he was unsympathetic, he would
have sent Jesus to the Jews, without
146
:issue, done what they wanted him to do.
147
:But he washed his hands, saying
I've nothing more to do with it.
148
:And of course, trying to get himself out
of it, he said, well, who do you want?
149
:Barabbas, who was known to be a thief
and a murderer, or Jesus, the man who
150
:really we can't find anything wrong with?
151
:He was putting them to
the test, but it failed.
152
:But of course, it had to.
153
:It had to fail, because
Jesus had to go to the cross.
154
:If you don't think that Pilate is
significant in the story of the
155
:crucifixion, then read it again.
156
:Because not only does Paul mention
him here in 1st Timothy, but he gets
157
:a mention in the Apostles Creed.
158
:Suffered under Pontius Pilate.
159
:The only Gentile to get
mentioned in the Apostles Creed.
160
:And so there's great significance of what
Pilate, or who Pilate is and what he does.
161
:But the reason why we're attracted to
Pilate this evening is because of what's
162
:there at the bottom left of your picture.
163
:It's called the Pilate Stone.
164
:And this is how God works.
165
:In 1961, this stone was
found as excavation was being
166
:done in Caesarea Maritimi.
167
:Now, from the Enlightenment onwards,
that's the late:
168
:overtook the belief of, uh, of people
rather than faith, um, the Enlightenment
169
:said, well, nothing in the Bible
is true because it can't be proved.
170
:Did David exist?
171
:The Enlightenment says no,
there's no record of a King
172
:David outside of Scripture.
173
:And there wasn't at that time.
174
:And so in 1961, whenever they
discovered the Pilate stone, anyone
175
:who questioned the, the account of
Scripture and the crucifixion of
176
:Jesus had to take a second look at it.
177
:Because on this inscription, which, if
anybody can read it, let me know, um,
178
:but here you basically have his name.
179
:And governor of Judea.
180
:You have a man named in stone, found in
a place where he should have been, and
181
:it completely agrees with Scripture.
182
:A place is significant, even 2, 000
years later, to prove the gospel
183
:and to prove the truth of the death
and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
184
:God doesn't make mistakes.
185
:God doesn't make things
happen by accident.
186
:Time and place are important,
because what they do in human
187
:history is keep a continuity of
the grand plan of redemption.
188
:So, this Pilate's stone.
189
:That Pilate is mentioned not only
here in the scripture passage, but
190
:also, as archaeology discovers him and
can verify his true existence today.
191
:So that's Pontius Pilate, who we
perhaps don't think an ally of the
192
:faith, but yet God would use this man
to prove the faith through history, and
193
:indeed, as professed, a real person.
194
:At a real time, when Jesus would
die and rise again, not only as Paul
195
:writes, but also in the creed that is
recited by Christians around the world.
196
:But the next thing we want to think about
this place is, it was the place of Paul.
197
:If you were to go to the maps that show
the first and second missionary journeys
198
:of Paul, Caesarea is there because it was
a good point for Paul to either launch or
199
:come back from his missionary journeys.
200
:It was the main port
through which to travel.
201
:It was a microcosm of the
known world at that time.
202
:It was a center trading post.
203
:It was if you wanted to get your goods
by sea from what was the old Babylonia in
204
:the east you had to come across and either
you'd go by land which was risky because
205
:of attacks or you'd you'd go by sea and
so everything would come to Caesarea
206
:Maritimae and from there head on with
most likely a final destination in Rome.
207
:Of course, that's That's
what happened with Paul.
208
:But this is a place
that was good for Paul.
209
:It was a place that served in many ways.
210
:He spent two years there as a pioneer
in mission, uh, sorry, a prisoner in
211
:mission in Acts 24 verses 22 to 27.
212
:He was a prisoner for the faith.
213
:He had to stay there because they
couldn't seal as they'd wanted to.
214
:He came to know that city very well, he
knew its people, he would baptize, he
215
:would see converts, he would see a church.
216
:But it's to Acts chapter 9 and verses
26 to 31 that I want us to turn for
217
:our second reading for this evening.
218
:Because in Acts 9 we learn that actually
Caesarea became a place of refuge.
219
:Not when he was imprisoned,
but when he had to flee.
220
:So if we read there in
Acts 9 and verses 26 to 31.
221
:We're told, and when he had
come to Jerusalem, he attempted
222
:to join the disciples.
223
:And they were all afraid of him, for they
did not believe that he was a disciple.
224
:But Barnabas took him and brought him
to the apostles and declared to them how
225
:on the road he had seen the Lord, who
spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had
226
:preached boldly in the name of Jesus.
227
:So he went in and out among
them at Jerusalem, preaching
228
:boldly in the name of the Lord.
229
:And he spoke and disputed
against the Hellenists.
230
:But they were seeking to kill him.
231
:And when the brothers learned
this, they brought him down to
232
:Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.
233
:So the church throughout all Judea
and Galilee and Samaria had peace, and
234
:was being built up, and walking in the
fear of the Lord, and in the comfort
235
:of the Holy Spirit it multiplied.
236
:Caesarea becomes a place of refuge.
237
:It's not a place where Paul simply goes
and gets on the ferry and off he goes.
238
:It didn't happen that quickly.
239
:He was sent there first to get away
from the pressures of what would
240
:happen, of what potentially could
have happened to him in Jerusalem.
241
:He was annoying the
Hellenists, the Greeks.
242
:He was challenging them about
their pantheon of gods rather
243
:than worshipping the one true God.
244
:And they were getting
really worked up about it.
245
:And so he had to be sent away and he
would eventually make it to Tarsus,
246
:his hometown, but before that he
would spend a little time in Caesarea.
247
:There it was a safe haven for him.
248
:There it would preserve him when
years later he would be found and
249
:brought back to begin the ministry.
250
:See, not only was it a launch
pad for the missionary work,
251
:Caesarea became a safe place.
252
:It became a place where Paul
could be preserved for the work
253
:that God would have for him.
254
:And again, a place plays a
significant role in one person's life.
255
:As they flee, a significant place that God
would use so that they would come back and
256
:we then could see the mighty work through
whom God would use to build the church.
257
:It's not only a place of Paul,
it was also a place of Peter.
258
:He knew the city because he baptized the
Roman Saturnian Cornelius at Caesarea
259
:and we have that in Acts 10 in verse 1.
260
:And so the gospel in Caesarea grew.
261
:Influential people came to faith.
262
:And it was a place where
the gospel would grow.
263
:And so much so that whenever we come to,
uh, our church history in 260 through to
264
:200, uh, or sorry, um, I have 260, 265.
265
:That's not quite right.
266
:It's 160 to 265.
267
:We have this gentleman called CBS and
Eusebius is the father of church history.
268
:Church history is what we're looking at.
269
:But how do we get here?
270
:Someone had to write it down.
271
:And Eusebius was the most
concise of the early church.
272
:But he was born in Caesarea.
273
:And in his book, The History of
the Church, Eusebius records really
274
:what happens in that Roman city.
275
:And it's through him that we
learn of great persecution.
276
:And in that persecution, we understand
that it happened by Diocletian.
277
:Diocletian was the ruler of the time.
278
:And what had grown up in Caesarea
Maritima was a great library.
279
:And so housed in that library was a
great, the great works of the church.
280
:So that they would be kept, that they
would grow, and that they would continue.
281
:And they indeed would spread so that we
have the faith in which we stand today.
282
:It was a repository for the faith
with many manuscripts there.
283
:And it was to the one who'd
gathered all of these, Pamphilius,
284
:that Diocletian persecuted.
285
:And because of that persecution,
it went far and wide throughout
286
:the church of what was here.
287
:And so many would come, they would
learn, they would spend time, indeed,
288
:Jerome, who would come a few centuries
later, who would translate the
289
:Vulgate, which is the Latin version
of the Bible, of which many, uh, texts
290
:take their translation today still.
291
:He would spend time there
to ensure that there was an
292
:accurate recording of scripture.
293
:Other significant figures, Gregory
and Basil the Great, spent time there.
294
:So that they would grow, and other
aspects of our theology would develop.
295
:Theology that we still believe today, that
has remained unchallenged from those days.
296
:And so Caesarea Maritimi became
a shining light, almost like
297
:that lighthouse on the coast.
298
:Shining out into the world, because God
would use that place to proclaim his
299
:truth, and keep it for the generations.
300
:The generation of us today
who still benefit from it.
301
:And we shouldn't be surprised that he
does this, because in Galatians chapter
302
:4, verses 4 5, again speaking of Christ,
but taking these words which I absolutely
303
:love, this is why we think of these
things, because in the fullness of time,
304
:at just the right time, God sent forth his
Son, born of a woman, born under the law,
305
:to redeem those who are under the law, so
that we might receive adoption as sons.
306
:God works in a place, in a time, to make
sure that the gospel of Jesus Christ
307
:continues so that we will know it today.
308
:Our church history benefits us to
look back and see this place, once
309
:a bustling city, now in ruins, but
yet at a time served the church
310
:and served it well so that we can
remain faithful to the word that was
311
:stored there for us and kept for us.
312
:And you see, the gospel does need
to be set in a particular place.
313
:at a particular time because the
gospel is grounded in history so that
314
:as we've heard it from those who've
gone before so we can pass it on and
315
:that's what we must do because today
this place plays a significant role.
316
:You see we have to be attentive to how God
is leading us here and now for the good
317
:of his gospel and the good of his kingdom.
318
:We may not get our name in a creed
like Pontius Pilate who ruled from
319
:Caesarea Maritima But we are each to
get involved in Kingdom work because our
320
:faithful living for Christ and serving
Him will bring blessing in this age,
321
:in this place, and in eternity to come.
322
:So what does Caesarea by the Sea teach us?
323
:It teaches us that every place
is important in its time.
324
:Be it that place 2, 000 years ago,
be it on Calvary's cross 2, 000
325
:years ago, or be it here and now.
326
:This is a significant moment for the
continued proclamation of the Gospel.
327
:And that's what our questions are
going to take us to this evening.
328
:To talk about, well, what has
been a significant place that has
329
:shaped your faith in Jesus Christ?
330
:Where is part of your testimony?
331
:Where's the one place that you recall
with fondness where you grew, or
332
:perhaps you heard the Gospel for
the first time, or where you came
333
:to faith, where you remember it as
a significant place that God used?
334
:Secondly, how do we see where we
are now as an opportunity to be the
335
:blessing in this age and in eternity?
336
:And then thirdly, in what
ways can we shape this place?
337
:And I don't necessarily mean
this building or this church,
338
:but it might be, but simply the
place in which we find ourselves.
339
:How can we shape that place
to be significant for the
340
:gospel in the years to come?
341
:So some things to get us thinking, some
things to really get our minds into.
342
:So let me pray for us as we
begin to talk about this.
343
:Our Father God, we do thank you
that place plays an important part
344
:in the great story of the gospel.
345
:So we would ask that as we know
ourselves to be here and how important
346
:places have been throughout our church
history, may we know the significance
347
:of this time and this place.
348
:That we may faithfully serve you as those
who have gone before us did so well.
349
:So be with us in our discussions
and help us to think these things
350
:through as we desire to live them
out well for you in Jesus name.
351
:Amen.
