Bread of His Presence

Hello and welcome to the show today! It is such a pleasure to have you with us again today as we study the Word of God together. 

What To Do With Paul— Over the past few weeks we have been moving in our study of the book of Acts into the final stage of Paul’s ministry, as he is now a prisoner in chains. He has stood before the Roman Tribune and the crowd in Jerusalem; he has stood before the Sanhedrin (the Jewish council responsible for condemning Jesus); he has stood before the Roman Governor Felix (who kept him in prison for 2 years, though he had no grounds to do so), then he stood before the Roman Governor Festus, who wants to do his Jewish accusers a favor and send him back to Jerusalem to be tried. Obviously that would not bode well for Paul; and so Paul is forced to appeal his case to Caesar. And Festus has no choice but to send him. But then Herod Agrippa II and Bernice come to town, and so Festus decides to have Paul stand before them as well; and his hope is that Agrippa might help him to establish charges against Paul that would make sense; charges that would be sent with Paul to Rome. So Paul has had a real time of it. He is really getting bounced around. Nobody really knows what to do with Paul. Oh and let’s not forget that during all this time there are two assassination attempts on Paul’s life. So Paul has REALLY been through a lot. 

Paul’s Testimony— And so Paul comes to stand before Herod Agrippa II and Bernice (and Festus is there as well). And he’s invited to speak, and so Paul shares the most powerful evidence he could have shared, his testimony. And in it he gives a number of key statements. First, he says “I lived a Pharisee”, meaning that all his life he lived as one of the most educated and most elite Jewish spiritual leaders. And, being zealous to defend Judaism from what he perceived to be a heretical group of people who followed Jesus Christ, he came to viciously ravage the Christian church. But then he say key statement number 2: “I saw a light”. While on the road to Damascus to further his persecution of Christians, he was struck by a blinding light. And then he says key statement number 3, “I heard a voice”. Jesus appeared to him on that road to Damascus and spoke to him; and called him to be His missionary to the Gentiles. And that leads into our passage today, where Paul tells of how he responded to Jesus. He says…

Acts 26:19-20 (NKJV)— 19 “Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, 20 but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance. 

KEY STATEMENT 4: “I was not disobedient”— And key statement number 4 is found here: “I was not disobedient”. God said “Jump!” Paul asked, “How high?” At least that’s how obedience was described to me when I was young. Wherever God told him to go, he went. To whomever God called him to go, he went. And that even included the Gentiles. Now the Jews had reacted violently to that, but also to Paul saying something else absolutely unthinkable; that they also needed to repent; that they (just as he had been) were in spiritual darkness and needed to (like he did) turn to faith in Jesus Christ, the very one they had persecuted and crucified. But sadly, that was something that many of them were not willing to do, which is why Paul says…

Acts 26:21-23 (NKJV)— 21 For these reasons the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. 22 Therefore, having obtained help from God, to this day I stand, witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said would come— 23 that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.”

KEY STATEMENT 5: “to this day I stand”— And here we find key statement number 5: “to this day I stand”. Paul didn’t just have a great beginning. No, he (as he tells Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:7, I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. The fact that Paul had continued on in the midst of so much resistance, so much loss of reputation, and so little worldly gain spoke volumes as to the proof of his conversion and was itself evidence of the faithfulness of God in his life. Now after Paul says this, it says…

Acts 26:24-26 (NKJV)— 24 Now as he thus made his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are beside yourself! Much learning is driving you mad!”
25 But he said, “I am not mad, most noble Festus, but speak the words of truth and reason. 26 For the king, before whom I also speak freely, knows these things; for I am convinced that none of these things escapes his attention, since this thing was not done in a corner.

Historically Verifiable— Now what Paul is doing here is he’s appealing to the facts. This wasn’t just some hypothetical philosophical or theological issue. Someone had died and then had come back from the dead. There were still people around who had seen Jesus and witnessed His miracles. The empty tomb could still be seen. People were still alive who had themselves seen Jesus after His resurrection. This wasn’t a philosophical debate. It was a historically reliable event that took place and could be verified. And not only were there present witnesses, but past witnesses as well who prophesied that all these things would come to pass, which is why Paul asks…

Acts 26:27-28 (NKJV)— 27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do believe.”
28 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.”

Sidestepping The Issue— Now this is where things get really interesting because Paul is trying to close the deal. And Agrippa realize it. It suddenly dawns on Agrippa that Paul is not really the one on trial. Agrippa’s on trial. Paul is not just defending himself or his faith; no, he’s actually trying to persuade him to become a follower of Jesus Christ!!! And Paul has really put Agrippa on the spot, because if Agrippa answers Paul saying “I don’t believe the prophets”, he would anger the Jews. But if he acknowledges that he does believe the prophets, then he would have to give weight to Paul’s words. And so he does what so many people (even today) do. He side-steps the issue; and then (as we’ll see in a minute) he simply ends the discussion when it gets a little too close for comfort. But before that happens, Paul responds, saying to Agrippa…

Acts 26:29 (NKJV)— 29 And Paul said, “I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today, might become both almost and altogether such as I am, except for these chains.”

Invisible Chains— Now it is here that Paul really reveals his own heart. He was aware that Agrippa and those in the audience were (because of their lack of faith in Christ) more in bondage spiritually than he was physically. And he was more concerned about that than the fact that he himself was in chains. He cared more about theirs because theirs were the eternal one. And similarly, you and I need to be aware of the spiritual chains of those around us who do not yet know Jesus Christ. And we must be willing to bear anything to help them be rid of those chains. We need to have the burning desire that Paul had to reach those people and (by persuading them to faith) give them the keys by which they can be free and enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Now it says…

Acts 26:30-32 (NKJV)— 30 When he had said these things, the king stood up, as well as the governor and Bernice and those who sat with them; 31 and when they had gone aside, they talked among themselves, saying, “This man is doing nothing deserving of death or chains.” {(And so once again Luke highlights for us the innocence of Paul.)}
32 Then Agrippa said to Festus, “This man might have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”

Expedited Shipment— Now that would be a depressing note to end on if we forgot that it was actually Paul’s desire to go to Rome anyway. He wanted to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the epicenter if the empire where he knew it could make a far-reaching impact. And so his appealing to Cesar became the very means of getting exactly where God wanted him to be. Paul was a master of seeing the possibilities in the midst of his problems. Every trial was a divine appointment, through which he found opportunities to lift up the name of Jesus. And that is what you and I need to do as well.

Almost— Now one of the things that is depressing, and really saddened my heart in studying this passage, was what Agrippa says to Paul in verse 28: “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.” Here we see that he was on the very verge of finding new life in Jesus, but couldn’t or wouldn’t cross the threshold. Why? Because he was too tied to the world. He was too wrapped up in his ungodly relationship with his sister (which we talked about some weeks ago). He was too caught up in his fame and his power. And yet now we see that it is Paul and the Jesus he proclaimed that is remembered. But all that Agrippa had is dead and gone. He chose those things that pass away. Jesus had warned (and continues to warn us) in…

Matthew 6:19-21 (NKJV)— 19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Heavenly Treasures— That’s a lesson to each, and everyone of us; because so often we are tempted to entangle ourselves with the things of the world. We can become like the seed sown among the thorns in Jesus’ Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13. He warns us, saying…

Matthew 13:22 (NKJV)— 22 Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.

Let me ask you, is that you today? If so, let me ask you another question; one that comes straight from the Bible…

Mark 8:36 (NKJV)— 36 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?

Don’t let anything stop you from knowing Christ in all of his fullness today. Amen.

Hello and welcome to the show today! It is such a pleasure to have you with us again today as we study the Word of God together. 

Faith Under Trial— You know, if you wanted to find an example of faith under trial in scripture, I don’t know if you can find a better one than Paul. He’s almost like the New Testament version of Job. He is a man who has lost or has forsaken all for the sake of Christ; and has suffered tremendous persecution and hardship for the purposes of carrying out the mission Christ gave him to preach the Gospel. And today we find him on trial. He’s been in prison for some time. He has come under the authority of Governor Felix, but Felix (though he can’t find grounds on which to convict him) won’t acquit him because he doesn’t want to anger the Jewish leaders who are accusing him. And so (as per their request) he offers to send Paul from Caesarea back to Jerusalem to be tried there. But Paul, knowing he had less chance of getting justice there (and wanting to get to Rome anyways) appeals to Caesar, which was his right as a Roman citizen. And so Festus says “You have appealed to Caesar? To Caesar you shall go!” Now Festus can’t quite wipe his hands clean of Paul because it already looked bad that one of the first cases he tried, the defendant had to appeal to Caesar to get justice. And it will look even worse if he sends Paul without any charges that make sense. But (with King Herod Agrippa and Bernice coming to visit him) he decides to have Paul’s hearing in front of Agrippa so that Agrippa can hear and help Festus establish charges. And so King Agrippa and Bernice come, and Festus turns Paul’s hearing into this elaborate pompous show for both of them. And after King Agrippa and Bernice parade in and all of the pompousness has been quieted down, Festus gets up and addresses Agrippa, explaining the situation once again. And it says in…

Acts 26:1-5 (NKJV)— 1 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You are permitted to speak for yourself.” {And so Paul gives what is his third apologetic/defense speech in the book of Acts. And [Five key statements summarize Paul’s defense.] It says…}
So Paul stretched out his hand and answered for himself: 2 “I think myself happy, King Agrippa, because today I shall answer for myself before you concerning all the things of which I am accused by the Jews, 3 especially because you are expert in all customs and questions which have to do with the Jews. Therefore I beg you to hear me patiently.
4 “My manner of life from my youth, which was spent from the beginning among my own nation at Jerusalem, all the Jews know. 5 They knew me from the first, if they were willing to testify, that according to the strictest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee. 

KEY STATEMENT 1: “I lived a Pharisee”— And that is the first key statement: I lived a Pharisee. But of course the Jewish leaders were not willing to testify to that fact because they knew what weight Paul’s former life as a Pharisee would add to his present testimony. So on this they've kept very silent. But Paul declares it; and, using the power of story, he seeks to connect with even them as well. He’s saying, “I was just like you.” And that sets the stage for his explanation of what changed the course of his life and what might change the course of theirs as well. He says…

Acts 26:6-8 (NKJV)— 6 And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers. 7 To this promise our twelve tribes, earnestly serving God night and day, hope to attain. For this hope’s sake, King Agrippa, I am accused by the Jews. 8 Why should it be thought incredible by you that God raises the dead? 

Resurrection Critical— And the word “you” here is actually plural in the Greek, indicating that Paul is now looking around at and addressing everyone. Now the Greeks and Romans did not believe in the doctrine of the resurrection (Acts 17:31-32). Nor did the Sadducees, who were present (Acts 23:8). But the doctrine of the resurrection was (and is) the (and I mean THE) most critical doctrine of the Christian faith. Paul himself says as much in 1 Corinthians 15. If there is no resurrection, then obviously Jesus could not have been raised; therefore our sins could not have been paid for (and so we would then still be lost in our sins), and Paul would have had no gospel to preach. So Paul brings the focus right where it needs to be, on the resurrection of Jesus and how that historical event made all the difference in his life. He says…

Acts 26:9-11 (NKJV)— 9 “Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10 This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. 11 And I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.

He Identifies With Them— Now here he is identifying with the Jewish leaders in his audience. He’s saying, “I understand why you hate me; why you have so set yourselves against me. I was the same way. I was also zealous, but my zeal was not based on knowledge (as he says of them in Romans 10:2). And so I did to them exactly what you guys are seeking to do to me. But then he says in…

Acts 26:12-13 (NKJV)— 12 “While thus occupied, as I journeyed to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, 13 at midday, O king, along the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me. 

KEY STATEMENT 2: “I saw a light”— And that’s key statement number 2: “I saw a light”. You might call Paul an enlightened man (literally). He was a Jew (Rom. 9:4-5), a scholar (Acts 22:3), and (at least he thought) a righteous Pharisee. But Paul goes on to describe how he came to discover that while he had thought he was a righteous Pharisee, he (in reality) had been in spiritual darkness. And Jesus had right then and there (on that Damascus road) struck him blind, casting him into the darkness for three days so that he might come to embrace the Light of the World. Now all this is pretty dramatic stuff. But, in a way, it had to be; because there was no other way to explain how such a dedicated and zealous Pharisee so set against Christianity could himself become a Christian. It had to come through seeing the resurrected Lord Jesus personally. And that is what he describes next. He says in…

Acts 26:14 (NKJV)— 14 And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ 

KEY STATEMENT 3: “I heard a voice”— And that’s key statement number 3: “I heard a voice”. And Paul tells his audience that the voice spoke to him in the Hebrew language. Now some say it was Aramaic. I disagree for a number of reasons, two of which I’ll mention here. First of all, the text actually says Hebrew in the original Greek. That alone ought to give us pause. But secondly, why would Paul highlight that detail if it wasn’t actually Hebrew? Who would care? Nobody. The reason he mentions it is because he is connecting the resurrection of Jesus with the promises God made to the Hebrew people. He himself is a Hebrew who met the promised Hebrew Messiah who confirmed His Hebrew-ness by speaking to him in Hebrew, calling him by his Hebrew name (Saul). By the way, it is a common misconception that God changed Saul’s name to Paul. Never happened. Saul was the name he used when amongst Jews in and around Jerusalem; and Paul (his Roman name) was the name he used abroad around Gentiles. Now there is a shift from “Saul” to “Paul”, but the reason we see that shift is because Paul became primarily a minister to the Gentiles. And it’s not until Acts 13:9 that we find the last reference to his name being “Saul”. And here it’s important to note that Jesus called him by his Hebrew name. And, using that Hebrew name, Jesus asks Paul in Hebrew: ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’

Goads— Now that’s kind of a weird statement, “kick against the goads.” What does that mean. Well when a young ox was first yoked, that ox would usually resist the yoke and try to kick its way out. If it was a single-handed plow that it was yoked to, what the plowman would do was he would take a long staff with a sharpened end and hold it close to the ox’s heels. Then, if and when the ox would kick, it would strike the spike. Similarly, if the ox was yoked to a wagon, there would be a studded bar with wooden spikes that would serve the same purpose. Now the reason that Jesus had used this imagery was because [the ox had to learn submission to the yoke the hard way.] And Jesus is saying, “Paul, you’re that ox. You’re resisting me.” Do we have any goad-kickers today? If so, there’s hope for you when you respond to the voice as Paul did…

Acts 26:15-18 (NKJV)— 15 So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 16 But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. 17 I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, 18 to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’

The Promised Inheritance— Now I love how Paul never hides any detail he thinks might hurt his case, particularly those details concerning how God called him as a missionary to the Gentiles (something the Jewish leaders have and will continue to react violently against). No, Paul took every opportunity available to him to proclaim that the Gentiles have an equal share in God’s inheritance in Jesus Christ; and he talks about how this inheritance is the promise and blessing of the covenant that God had made with Abraham; and how Jesus Himself had appointed him to bring this Good News to the gentiles. 

Chaining Ourselves— And, you know, I’m a gentile. And many of you listening today are too. And so I want to ask you, “How did that happen?” Well, it happened because (somewhere in time past) a Jew (like Paul, but of course there were many others) was willing to cross some social barrier (and perhaps to go through some intense trials and persecutions) to help make that happen. Now if that is true (and it is) then the question is, are you and I returning the favor? Are there people that we are becoming uncomfortable for so that they might have the opportunity to hear the Gospel too? Who have you willingly chained yourself to so that they might come to experience the Light of Life in Jesus Christ? In that sense, become chained this week. Bind yourself to somebody; do what Christ leads and empowers you to do to be a witness to them, so that they might experience the same joy that you now have in Him. Let’s do so. Amen.

Hello and welcome to the show today! It is such a pleasure to have you with us again today as we study the Word of God together.

God’s Purpose in Dark Times— One of the things I think God has been helping me to get better at (and He’s been doing this both through the pandemic, but also through my sister-in-law’s situation and her journey here to the United States from war-torn Kiev, Ukraine) is that the trials and tribulations we face are not just something to get through. No, God has a purpose He wants to work in and through those trials. God has purposes He wants to accomplish not just despite the trials we face, but in and through them. God had purposes in preventing Natasha from coming here until the right time. And in preventing what would have been our time-table, her situation became the grounding out of which many Ukrainians ended up getting help, not just her. And so God has been pushing me to get better at recognizing this, even if at the time I might not know what that purpose is. And so I am learning to see my problems; or my family’s problems; or my Church’s problems as God’s opportunities. And that’s one of the areas in which Paul really shined. Here in our passage today we find Paul in prison; literally in chains. And the charges against him are so unabashedly false and unsubstantiated, that he should have been acquitted right away. But instead he has been held in prison by Felix, then Festus, and now he’s going to be made to appear before Herod Agrippa before then getting sent to Caesar. The whole thing is such a farce. It’s just like that recent break-in over at the car park; wrong on so many levels. But is Paul focused on the chains? No. He’s looking for the opportunities. And the one he sees in our passage today comes after military officers and prominent city leaders meet in this grand auditorium with King Agrippa to hear his case. He doesn’t go into victim mode, which might have been easy to do. Instead, he sees a new audience to whom he will have an opportunity to present the Gospel, which of course we will see him do. But what we need to see at the outset is that this mindset is the mindset of Christ; and it’s something we need to have. Now it’s not natural to us, but thankfully it is something the Holy Spirit can create in us if we let Him; to be freed from that first impulse to doubt, despair, and feel like a victim; to look for the possibility in the midst of a lot of difficulty. Go ahead and look with me at verse 23. It says…

Acts 25:23 (NKJV)— 23 So the next day, when Agrippa and Bernice had come with great pomp, and had entered the auditorium with the commanders and the prominent men of the city, at Festus’ command Paul was brought in.

“Great Pomp”— Now that word “pomp” in the original Greek is phantasia. And this is the only place in the New Testament that it appears. And what it denotes is this large, showy, grandiose pageant. What has happened is that Festus [has turned Paul’s hearing into an occasion to honor {King} Agrippa.] So it is quite the spectacle. Agrippa would have been wearing splendid royal garments, which would have included [a purple robe, golden crown and rings, and likely a scepter.] Bernice would have been elaborately adorned as well. [The five tribunes would have been wearing their full-dress uniforms] and the prominent men of the city would have been wearing their best and finest. And this entourage was very likely escorted to the auditorium by [An immaculately dressed honor guard of soldiers].

The One Remembered— Now in thinking about the opening of this passage, I find it humorous that Herod Agrippa II and Bernice are the ones who are given this lavish spectacle of praise while Paul is in chains; because over two thousand years later, Herod Agrippa II and Bernice are the ones historians and preachers have to explain as to who they even were, while Paul is the one everyone knows. I mean, just think. These people (Agrippa II and Bernice, but even bigger guys like Nero) mean pretty much nothing to us. It may be interesting to learn about them simply because they are historical figures and it is good to know history. But there is nothing about their lives that is either wholesome or relevant to us today. However, when it comes to Paul, he’s incredibly relevant to us. Who he was and the writings he left us (or I should say God left us through him) are absolutely fundamental to who we are and how we live. All the pompous people have become diminished and God’s righteous ones have been exalted. True has proved the prophecy that on person so eloquently spoke when they said “The day will come when men will call their dogs Nero and their sons Paul.”. That reminds me so much of what Jesus said in…

Matthew 23:11-12 (NKJV)— 11 But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. {Or, like it says in…}

Psalm 1:3-4 (ESV)— 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. 4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

When The Wind Blows— Well, the wind of time has blown; Agrippa II and Bernice are the chaff no longer hardly even remembered, while the the memory of God’s faithful servant Paul is stronger and wider-reaching than ever. And, you know, that should be an encouragement to us.

Faithfulness In The Mundane— This week I was talking with a friend of mine who is pastoring a small church out in the country. And we were talking about ministry and he said that honestly, he was little discouraged. He is pouring his life out for Christ in ministry to his Church, but told me he was wondering if he was really making any kind of difference. And I have been in ministry long enough and have talked with enough pastors and mentors of pastors to know that that feeling is pretty common. Many pastors feel like failures. And that can be for many reasons; and sometimes that feeling can come because we come out of seminary thinking we’re going to bring great and visible tidal waves of change in the churches we come to pastor. But then we get into those ministry contexts and find that the fields are not always ripe for harvest. There has to be tilling and plowing and sowing and waiting. Change and growth often does not happen as quickly as we would like. You have to sow faithfully (often for a long period time) before you begin to see the sprouts of change. But I knew that my friend has been faithfully preaching the Word of God and loving on his people. He has been a good shepherd. And good things are sprouting. People in his church who never knew any except the most basic Bible stories are now starting to really (through my friend) receive an understanding of what the Bible is all about. And some are coming to him with questions that they had no framework before to even ask; and are now excitedly telling him what God is revealing to them in the Word. Before my friend had come many of them were not even reading their Bible.
    Now it’s easy to get discouraged when we are dealing with the small things; the mundane things. But (and scripture backs this up time and time again) faithfulness in the mundane is the seed of the extraordinary. Faithfulness in the mundane is the seed of the extraordinary. The work that you and I do for Christ, though it may seem small, when all of the pomp of the world has been blown away, it will stand as an everlasting, fragrant offering before God as unshakeable as God Himself, because it is in Him that those works have been established. And the people we will see in heaven glorified and adorned most richly will be people we’ve never even heard of; people who never made it out of the prison cell for their faith; people who served behind the scenes; people who obeyed God in the inglorious, day to day task of just being ordinary, faithful, inglorious disciples. Taking a cup of soup to a homeless person; being a mom to a special needs child; walking with someone through an illness; giving of your own resources so that another person might have, even if that might mean you have to do without some things. That’s the stuff of glory. Wherever God has placed you, whoever He has brought into your life; that is your mission field. And in that field are buried crowns just waiting to be dug up and claimed. Now after all of the pompousness has been quieted down, Festus gets up. And it says in…

Acts 25:24 (NKJV)— 24 And Festus said: “King Agrippa and all the men who are here present with us, you see this man about whom the whole assembly of the Jews petitioned me, both at Jerusalem and here, crying out that he was not fit to live any longer.

Not Honest— Now we know that the Jewish leaders of whom Festus are speaking are like atoms. They make up everything. They’re like people with selfie sticks. They need to take a good, long look at themselves. Or like the people who tell me they do yoga every day. That's a bit of a stretch. I mean, they’re not honest. And Agrippa discovers this after his exam continues…

Acts 25:25-27 (NKJV)— 25 But when I found that he had committed nothing deserving of death, and that he himself had appealed to Augustus {(and of course we know that that is because he couldn’t get justice from Agrippa)}, I decided to send him. 26 I have nothing certain to write to my lord concerning him. Therefore I have brought him out before you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after the examination has taken place I may have something to write. 27 For it seems to me unreasonable to send a prisoner and not to specify the charges against him.”

Formulating A Charge— Now, as we said before, Festus ought to have acquitted Paul. But he wants peace with the Jews (particularly the Jewish leaders who are complaining) and so he cunningly is seeking to use Herod Agrippa (who knew the Jews well both from his father, but also from his having lived in Jerusalem for a long time) to [help him formulate some kind of legal charge against Paul that would make sense to the Romans.] And so it says…

Acts 26:1a (NKJV)— 1 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You are permitted to speak for yourself.”

Nothing Done for Jesus is Small— And next week we will see Paul’s defense. But this week remember that, no matter what God has called you to do, nothing that is done for Jesus is small. A kid’s meal was once placed in the hands of Jesus He was able to multiply and used it to feed over 5,000 people. But that is the key; putting your situation into the hands of Jesus, keeping it there, and looking forward to the day of harvest. Let us continue to sow faithfully today and every day. Amen.

Hello and welcome to the show today! It is such a pleasure to have you with us again today as we study the Word of God together. In our study of the book of Acts, we have seen Paul arrested in Jerusalem following a riot that is started by a group of unbelieving Jews who hate him and maliciously and falsely accuse him. Paul is brought before the Sanhedrin, the Jewish high court of the land (the same governing body that had put Jesus to death), but Paul is not convicted. So the unbelieving Jews hatch a plot to murder Paul, but Paul’s nephew overhears of the plot, tells the Roman Commander in charge of Paul, and the commander has Paul transferred to Roman Governor Felix in Caesarea. He is tried before Felix, but he can’t convict him, and so he keeps Paul imprisoned for two years until Felix is eventually succeeded by Porcius Festus. And when Festus comes into power, those unbelieving Jews try to get Festus to transfer Paul to Jerusalem (supposedly for a trial), but really they want to ambush and kill him along the way. Now Festus denies their request (though he doesn’t know that that is what they had in mind) and, when he comes to Caesarea, has Paul brought before him there to be tried. And it says here in verse 7…

Acts 25:7 (ESV)— 7 When he had arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many and serious charges against him that they could not prove.

Paul’s 4th Defense— And these were no doubt the same arguments; trying to prove that Paul was an insurrectionist in the hopes that Festus might agree with them and put Paul to death (Acts 25:15-16). But once again, nothing can be substantiated. But Festus hears them out to ascertain all the facts; and then it is Paul turn to make his defense. And this is the fourth of Paul’s six defenses. And in it he once again affirms that he has committed no crime against the Jewish law, against the temple, or against Rome. It says in…

Acts 25:8-9 (ESV)— 8 Paul argued in his defense, “Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar have I committed any offense.” 9 But Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, “Do you wish to go up to Jerusalem and there be tried on these charges before me?”

Not Good for Paul— Now once again, though Festus doesn’t know it, this puts Paul in danger of being ambushed and killed. But even if Paul makes it to Jerusalem, the situation is probably worse for him there. And he knows that there is no just reason for him to be sent there. And [a Roman judge could not move a case to another court without the consent of the accused, and Paul refused to go!] So it says in…

Acts 25:10-11 (ESV)— 10 But Paul said, “I am standing before Caesar's tribunal, where I ought to be tried. To the Jews I have done no wrong, as you yourself know very well. 11 If then I am a wrongdoer and have committed anything for which I deserve to die, I do not seek to escape death. But if there is nothing to their charges against me, no one can give me up to them. I appeal to Caesar.”

Why Paul Appeals to Caesar— Now the reason Paul appeals to Caesar (which was the right of every Roman citizen) was threefold. First, he wanted justice. Secondly, he recognized that he was safest under Roman protection. Appealing to Caesar ensured that he would be guarded by the Romans en route to Caesar. But thirdly (and this may in fact be the main reason), his goal was ultimately to get where? Rome. Where is Caesar? Rome. And so he recognizes his appealing to Caesar is the fastest way to get there. So he appeals to Caesar. And it says…

Acts 25:12 (ESV)— 12 Then Festus, when he had conferred with his council, answered, “To Caesar you have appealed; to Caesar you shall go.”

Festus Embarrassed— And, as you can imagine, this no doubt infuriated the Jewish leaders because once again the chance to murder Paul has slipped through their fingers. Festus may have been somewhat pleased, as he no doubt felt this case was beyond him. But at the same time it did not look well for him that one of his first cases he handled so badly that the prisoner felt forced to appeal to Caesar for justice. But he has no choice. He pronounces that Paul shall indeed be sent to Caesar. Now the Caesar to whom Paul has appealed is Nero. Now this didn’t meant that Nero himself would oversee the case. It simply meant that his [case would be tried by the highest courts in the empire.] And despite the fact that Paul’s case would be transferred to Nero, Festus still had a problem. Yes he had avoided offending the Jews, but he had failed to determine the legal charges against Paul. And he doesn’t want to be in the awkward position of sending such a notable prisoner to Caesar without have any of his crimes clearly listed. But it says in…

Acts 25:13 (ESV)— 13 Now when some days had passed, Agrippa the king and Bernice arrived at Caesarea and greeted Festus.

Herod Agrippa II & Bernice— Now this king who came for a state visit was Herod Agrippa II. He was [the last of the Herodians to rule, was the great-grandson of {Herod the Great,} the Herod who {ruled at the time Jesus was born and} had killed the Bethlehem babes, and {was} the son of the Herod who had killed the apostle James (Acts 12).] [His great-uncle, Herod Antipas, was the Herod of the Gospels (Mark 6:14-29; Luke 3:1; 13:31-33; 23:7-12)]. [He had power over the Temple, controlled the Temple treasury, and could appoint and remove the high priest.] He was in his early thirties at this time. And his sister Bernice had come with him to join him in paying [their respect to the new governor, Festus]. Now Bernice [had married her uncle, Herod Chalcis, had become mistress to her brother Agrippa II, and then had become mistress to the emperor Vespasian’s son, Titus.] And her living with her brother Agrippa II made the Jews uneasy because of how clearly and explicitly God had forbade incest (Lev. 18:1-18; 20:11-21). But Herod Agrippa II had been given [legal jurisdiction over the temple in Jerusalem, so it was logical that Festus share Paul’s case with him.] And so it says in…

Acts 25:14-22 (ESV)— 14 And as they stayed there many days, Festus laid Paul's case before the king, saying, “There is a man left prisoner by Felix, 15 and when I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews laid out their case against him, asking for a sentence of condemnation against him. 16 I answered them that it was not the custom of the Romans to give up anyone before the accused met the accusers face to face and had opportunity to make his defense concerning the charge laid against him. 17 So when they came together here, I made no delay, but on the next day took my seat on the tribunal and ordered the man to be brought. 18 When the accusers stood up, they brought no charge in his case of such evils as I supposed. 19 Rather they had certain points of dispute with him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus, who was dead, but whom Paul asserted to be alive. 20 Being at a loss how to investigate these questions, I asked whether he wanted to go to Jerusalem and be tried there regarding them. 21 But when Paul had appealed to be kept in custody for the decision of the emperor, I ordered him to be held until I could send him to Caesar.” 22 Then Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear the man myself.” “Tomorrow,” said he, “you will hear him.”

Festus’ Game— Now we see here that Festus clearly understands that this whole issue has nothing to do with civil law, but rather was a matter of “religion” (Acts 18:14-15; 23:29); particularly the doctrine of resurrection. And verse 19 shows that Paul wasn’t just defending the concept of resurrection abstractly or in a general way, but was focusing specifically on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. But all this was beyond Festus’ (and Rome’s) expertise or interest. He was both a pagan Roman and also new in Judea, so it was natural for him not to know the theological differences between Christians and Jews. But note how Festus is deceiving Agrippa, because he is giving him the impression that the reason he had wanted to move the trial to Jerusalem was because these theological issues might be better addressed there; but that wasn’t his real motivation. His [real reason was to please the Jewish leaders, most of whom King Herod knew.] And he’s hoping that Agrippa will supply him with something definite that he can send to the Emperor Nero. And that’s because Agrippa was [an expert in Jewish matters (Acts 26:2-3) and certainly would be keenly interested in knowing more about this man who {supposedly} caused a riot in the temple. And Agrippa is indeed interested to hear Paul. In fact [The Greek verb tense implies Herod had been wanting to hear Paul for a long time. As an expert on Jewish affairs (cf. 26:3), he relished hearing Christianity’s leading spokesman in person.] And Festus promises him that he will. And next week we will see how that unfolds.

God Turns Things Around— But I want to close today with a word of encouragement. As demonstrated in our passage today, we see one example among many of how unjust our world often is. But we also see how God protected Paul and even used this trial to open a door of opportunity by which Paul could immediately be escorted to Rome. By setting in motion their plot to kill Paul, the Jewish leaders in fact helped Paul to get exactly where God wanted him to go: Rome. And God does the same for us. You know, every year Jews have been celebrating the Feast of Purim, which commemorates the triumph of God’s people in the book of Esther when Haman had sought to destroy all the Jews in the empire. Haman set himself against the Jews generally and Mordecai (Esther’s cousin) in particular and plotted their destruction. And things got really dark for a while. But what ended up happening was that it was Haman himself who unintentionally (through his trying to exalt himself) actually became instrumental in Mordecai being honored and exalted. Haman’s plot against the Jews ended up falling on his own head; and the book of Esther ends with Haman being hanged and Mordecai assuming his former job as Grand Vizier. And God’s people are delivered. I think also of Joseph, sold into slavery by his brothers. Then he’s wrongfully accused and thrown into prison. But God lifts him up and eventually makes him Pharaoh’s right hand man that helps Egypt plan for a coming famine and actually saves the empire and all the lands affected by that famine. But none of that would have happened if Joseph had not been sold or thrown into prison. And there are so many other examples like this.

​Trust in God— Now all this to say, when we are experiencing the injustice and persecution that go along with following Jesus Christ, we need to take heart. We need to recognize that it may be the furnace, the lion’s den, the prison cell or whatever other place of affliction we might be in that will actually become the engine through which God can bring His greatest work. The hard thing is to trust in that. But if we do, God never disappoints. And so let us trust in Him like that today. Amen.

Hello and welcome to the show today! It is such a pleasure to have you with us again today as we study the Word of God together.

A Student’s Justice Question— You know, not long ago I read the story of a young boy who once asked his teacher if it was right to get punished for something he didn’t do. And the teacher looked at him and assured him that it wasn’t. And the boy, breathing a sigh of relief, looked back at him and said, “That’s good, because I didn’t do my math homework.” Smart kid.

In The Image of A Just God— But you know, in all sincerity, it can be very frustrating to see somebody accused and punished who never did anything wrong. And I think equally frustrating is seeing evil people get away with doing evil things. There is an innate desire in all of us for justice. And that is because each of us has been created in the image of God; and God is a God of justice. And if you don’t believe that, then you have never really read or understood the Bible; which is so clear that if you oppress the widow or the fatherless; if you mistreat women; if you abuse those who work for you, then you had better watch out because you have set your self against an Almighty justice-loving God. God is very much concerned with justice. Now is He the God of mercy? Absolutely. But there can be no mercy without justice. In fact justice helps us to define what mercy really is. And grace is not some kind of an override to justice. It is not punishment averted/avoided but punishment redirected; the punishment for our sins being placed upon God’s Son so that justice could be satisfied while at the same time allowing God to show us mercy.

Getting Angry— But this whole issue of injustice is something that you and I face every day. We watch television programming that often times infuriates us because various news networks know how to stoke our sense of justice. And in a way, we should get angry. Because a lot of what we see truly is unjust. And the person who never gets angry at injustice doesn’t truly love justice or the people suffering from injustice. And part of the reason we have an angry society is because of injustice, which has been allowed to pervade on many and various fronts. And the truth is that before you can have a happy society, you first must have a just society. That is why God had so many rules regarding how justice ought to be carried out. He wanted to create a secure society so that that society would be free to experience peace, joy, and happiness.

The Supreme Mark— Now in light of that, I have often wondered what it would have been like to live in Paul’s time, under an empire like Rome; where you are constantly under the crushing weight of Rome’s oppression, taxes, and differing standards of justice depending on whether you are a man or a woman, slave, free, a Roman citizen or not. What would it have been like to be a Christian during that time? You know, we complain of injustice; but the supreme mark of injustice during that time was the cross of Jesus. It is the supreme example of how deeply the justice system of mankind can fail. Jesus was declared by Pilate to be without fault and yet was executed in the worst possible way. And, you know, he had asked Jesus the most horrifying question any judge could ever ask: What is truth? That’s a scary thing, because if you have no absolute standard of truth, then you have no absolute understanding of justice. And because of that you ended up with He who is Truth and Justice dying on the cross. Now followers of Jesus (like Paul) also often carry (as part of the crosses they bear) the burden of suffering unjustly for the name and cause of Jesus Christ.

The Nicene Meeting— You know, many of you are probably familiar with the Nicene Creed, one of the most important theological treatises ratified by the church in the 4th century. Many of you have probably at least read it. Some of you may know it by heart. But what you may not know is that [At the Nicene Council, an important church meeting in the 4th century A.D. {that met to establish this creed}, of the 318 delegates attending, fewer than 12 had not lost an eye or lost a hand or did not limp on a leg lamed by torture for their Christian faith.] In their context, suffering injustice for the sake of Christ was just part of being a Christian. And that is what we have been seeing in the life and ministry of Paul; and today’s passage in Acts chapter 25 is only one of many examples of that.

Paul Left In Prison— Now we have most recently seen Paul being brought to trial before Governor Felix in Caesarea. And that trial went pretty well for Paul. None of the claims against him could be substantiated. And so (in a just world) he should have been let go. But Felix decides to hold Paul until Lysias the Tribune comes down and to pass the verdict after that. But it doesn’t look like Lysias ever came. Lysias may in fact never have been sent for. Felix probably didn’t want to anger the Jews and cause potential political problems for himself by passing the inescapable verdict of “not guilty”. And this is somewhat confirmed in the passage that follows because we see that after the trial he holds Paul for two years, sending for him periodically. By the way, just imagine that; suffering two years of imprisonment for false claims that could not be substantiated; two years of experiencing the same kind of wrongful imprisonment that Joseph had experienced when Potiphar’s wife had falsely accused him. And on top of that, the person who is keeping you there (Felix) is constantly sending for you whenever he feels like it. And there might have been this constant hope in Paul’s heart that maybe this would be the time that Felix would say “You’re free to go.” But each time was a disappointment. Each time he was sent back. Now Felix is eventually ousted from office by Emperor Nero two years after Paul’s hearing. His brutality (which had angered the Jews) had led to that. But on his way out, wanting to do the Jews a favor (24:27), he leaves Paul in prison. And so now a new governor comes into power; a man by the name of Porcius Festus.

Porcius Festus— Now we do not actually know that much about Porcius Festus. You will remember that Felix had been an ex-slave whose brother had obtained for him the position of governor. But now this new governor (Porcius Festus) has come into power. And (unlike Felix) Festus [was a member of the Roman nobility]. He was only governor for a brief time, as [he died two years after assuming office], [but the Jewish historian Josephus described him as better than either his predecessor or his successor].

What To Do With Paul?— And he may have intended on leading with integrity and doing what was right. But when it came to Paul and Jewish politics, he found things not so easy to handle. Paul was a Jew whose countrymen wanted him dead, but he was also a Roman whose government did not know what to do with him. And Festus is really caught between a rock and a hard place, because if he lets Paul go, the Jews will cause trouble. That was something that he knew he did not want to risk. On the other hand, if he kept Paul in prison, he might [have to explain why a Roman citizen was being held without any official charges.] And so Paul is like this powder keg that Festus knows is in his best interest to deal with as soon as possible. And we will see in this chapter and the next how Festus is present in three different situations directly related to the apostle Paul. But let’s begin with verse one of chapter 25. It says…

Acts 25:1-3 (ESV)— 1 Now three days after Festus had arrived in the province, he went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea.

Festus Comes to Jerusalem— Now the reason he came to Jerusalem was no doubt in part to acquaint himself with the situation there in his new province and to pay his respects to the Holy City. But it was also [to meet the Jewish leaders (the high priest and the Sanhedrin) and, as much as possible, conciliate them. Those leaders, Festus knew, were the key to establishing peace in Judea. And maintaining peace was the highest priority of a Roman provincial governor.] But the Jewish leaders capitalize on his desire to try to make peace with them by pouncing on the opportunity to bring up the case against Paul and try to get him killed. It says…} 2 And the chief priests and the principal men of the Jews laid out their case against Paul, and they urged him, 3 asking as a favor against Paul that he summon him to Jerusalem—because they were planning an ambush to kill him on the way.

Plotters— So here we see that a second ambush is planned. And the Sanhedrin are involved, this time not as the accomplices (23:14-15) but as the plotters, which shows that things are getting more serious. Now Festus likely knew nothing about the previous plot against Paul and probably thought that the Jewish leaders were on the up and up. He probably never suspected that they were out to assassinate Paul. And it would have made sense to have Paul transferred. It was a matter concerning a Jewish prisoner and the Jewish law, and so it would make sense for him to be tried in Jerusalem. And [a Roman court could meet in Jerusalem as well as in Caesarea], so it would have been completely normal procedure to have Paul transferred. And Festus (not suspecting a plot) would probably not send Paul with much protection, so ambushing and killing Paul would have been pretty easy. But Festus [preferred to conduct most of his business from Caesarea, particularly in cases that could be drawn out.] And so he does not comply with their request to have Paul sent to Jerusalem. Instead, it says in…

Acts 25:4-6 (ESV)— 4 Festus replied that Paul was being kept at Caesarea and that he himself intended to go there shortly. 5 “So,” said he, “let the men of authority among you go down with me, and if there is anything wrong about the man, let them bring charges against him.” {So the chance to ambush Paul slips through their fingers. And it says…} 6 After he stayed among them not more than eight or ten days, he went down to Caesarea. And the next day he took his seat on the tribunal and ordered Paul to be brought.

Our Crosses— And next week we will see what happens after that. But, you know, this whole story raises the issue concerning how you and I are to respond when you and I face injustice because of our relationship with Jesus Christ. Paul doesn’t become embittered; he doesn’t ask “Why me?” He doesn’t curse his captors. No, he recognizes that this is his present cross to bear and that, in doing so, he was identifying with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in that he was living the life of the cross. And when you and I suffer for the sake of Christ, we also identify with Christ. And if we endure for Christ’s sake and for the sake of those He is seeking to reach, He can use our sufferings to bring about victories that we would never even think possible. And that is what we have seen and will continue to see in the life of Paul. And on the other side of suffering for Christ is reward; eternal reward.

James 1:12 (NIV)— 12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

Let’s Endure— And so let us endure so that we also may receive the crown of life. Amen.

Greetings! As always, it’s good to have you with us today as we continue to move through the book of Acts together, this week continuing our study of Acts 24. You’ll remember that Paul (now a prisoner) has been brought before the Roman governor Felix after a group of Jews began accusing him. As we talked about last week, their consciences were stirred by Paul’s message and they wanted to rid the world of him. So he is brought before Felix and their lawyer (Tertullus) accuses Paul of being a plague, a stirrer of riots (which wasn’t true; they had actually been the ones to start the riot in Jerusalem), a ringleader of the sect known as the Nazarenes, and a profaner of the temple. Every smear they could think up, they level against Paul as they stand before Felix. And now it has come time for Paul to defend himself. And so it says in…

Acts 24:10-22 (ESV)— 10 And when the governor had nodded to him to speak, Paul replied: “Knowing that for many years you have been a judge over this nation, I cheerfully make my defense. 11 You can verify that it is not more than twelve days since I went up to worship in Jerusalem, 12 and they did not find me disputing with anyone or stirring up a crowd, either in the temple or in the synagogues or in the city. 13 Neither can they prove to you what they now bring up against me. 14 But this I confess to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets, 15 having a hope in God, which these men themselves accept, that there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust. 16 So I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man. {By the way, remember that before this Paul had stood before the Jewish court known as the Sanhedrin. And when Paul had proclaimed that he had a clear conscience in that context, the former high priest Ananias had commanded Paul to be brutally struck. I love here how Paul says the same thing he had been slapped for yet again; and in front of Ananias, who remember is here. But Ananias commands no illegal slap here, where he would be held accountable by Felix. Paul continues…} 17 Now after several years I came to bring alms to my nation and to present offerings. 18 While I was doing this, they found me purified in the temple, without any crowd or tumult. But some Jews from Asia— 19 they ought to be here before you and to make an accusation, should they have anything against me. 20 Or else let these men themselves say what wrongdoing they found when I stood before the council, 21 other than this one thing that I cried out while standing among them: ‘It is with respect to the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you this day.’” {Now notice how twice now in this passage alone he has highlighted the resurrection. He showing that the real motive behind all of this is religious.} 22 But Felix, having a rather accurate knowledge of the Way, put them off, saying, “When Lysias the tribune comes down, I will decide your case.”

Subverting Justice— Now the reason he does this is because the witnesses never showed up and the Jewish leaders are unable to prove that Paul committed any kind of crime. So, in keeping with Roman law, the only verdict Felix would be able to render is “not guilty”. But he doesn’t want to give that verdict because of how much he knows it will infuriate the Jews. So, in order to keep the peace, he decides that the best thing to do is to put everything on hold until Lysias comes, which wasn’t necessary because Lysias had already sent his report stating [that the dispute involved questions of Jewish law (23:29), and that Paul was not guilty of any crime (23:29).] It is hard to imagine what else Lysias could have said; and there is no evidence that Felix did in fact send for him. So we see that justice is subverted. 

Acts 24:23-25 (ESV)— 23 Then he gave orders to the centurion that he should be kept in custody but have some liberty, and that none of his friends should be prevented from attending to his needs.
24 After some days Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, and he sent for Paul and heard him speak about faith in Christ Jesus. 25 And as he reasoned about righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment, Felix was alarmed and said, “Go away for the present. When I get an opportunity I will summon you.”

Locked Away— Now the reason he was alarmed was because this wife who came with him (Drusilla) was actually his third wife. But she was not really HIS wife. She had been Agrippa I’s wife, but Felix (seeing her beauty and being enraptured by her) [had lured her away from her husband. At the time of Paul’s hearing, she was not yet 20 years old.] So we see we have another Malchus’ ear situation. Conviction comes and what does Felix do with the source of that conviction. He locks him away. Then it says…

Acts 24:26-27 (ESV)— 26 At the same time he hoped that money would be given him by Paul. So he sent for him often and conversed with him. 27 When two years had elapsed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus. And desiring to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison.

The Heavenly Vision— One author I have been reading lately (whom I have mentioned to you before; and who is having an extraordinary impact on my life, is Samuel Logan Brengle). Just recently I finished his book Heart Talks on Holiness, in which he shared two stories that had an indelible impact on me. I’d like to share them with you:
    [Several years ago a girl of eighteen, full of fun and love of society, was induced by a friend to enter a Salvation Army meeting for the first time. No sooner had she entered than the people's faces enchained her eyes and their testimonies went to her heart. She sat for a while, and Jesus came to her, not in visible presence, but in a spiritual vision. She left the meeting convicted of sin. On her way home, the vision spoke with her. "You ought to have gotten saved, tonight."
    "But I am engaged for that dance next Wednesday night.”
    "You should give up the dance."
    “But there are my lovely white dress and slippers. I will get saved after the dance."
    “But you may die before Wednesday night, and lose your lovely dress and the dance—and your soul."
    That was sufficient for this young girl. She tore the feathers from her hat and threw them into the fire. She rushed upstairs, got her lovely white dress, cut it up, and cast it into the fire. The next evening she went to the meeting. At last a woman, probably discerning in her face the hunger of her heart, went to her and asked, "Don't you want to get saved tonight?"
    "Of course I do," replied the girl. "Why did you not come to me before?" Immediately she rushed to the penitent form (the special place for prayer before the altar) where, in obedience to the heavenly vision, she found Jesus almighty to save. And after four years her face shines with the glory of her Lord, and her voice rings with triumph as she testifies to the cleansing power of His blood and the sanctifying power and presence of His Spirit. She was not disobedient to the heavenly vision.
       A man, a millionaire, came into a meeting and listened to an Army Captain (minister), and the heavenly vision came to him. He saw the cross, the narrow way, and the hard road, and like the rich young man who came to Jesus (see Mark 10:17-22), he went away saying, "If it were not for the red stripes round that fellow's collar (on his Salvation Army uniform), I would have gone forward." He was disobedient to the heavenly vision.
    Sooner or later the heavenly vision comes to everyone. It comes in the whisperings of conscience, in the strivings of the Spirit, in the calls of duty, in the moments of regret for an evil past, in moments of tenderness and sorrow, in the crises of life, and in the entreaties of God's people. It comes in afflictions and losses; in the thunders of the law; in fearful, ominous threats of eternal judgment; in the death of loved ones; and in crushed hopes, disappointed plans, and thwarted ambitions. In all these things, Jesus hides Himself as He hid Himself in the burning bush, which Moses saw on Horeb. If people would but turn aside and heed the vision as Moses did, a voice would speak and cause them to know the Lord, and if they would not be disobedient to the heavenly vision, Jesus would turn them back from the pit and satisfy every questioning of their minds and every longing of their hearts.]

When The Vision Comes— One of the questions I would like to ask today is “What are you going to do when conviction comes; when Jesus gives you a heavenly vision? Are you going to accept Him and turn to Him in faith? Or are you going to leave without receiving the best thing you could ever receive. Are their dresses and feathers that stand in your way? Or are you willing to do what this young girl did and burn them (to burn those bridges) and embrace the Way of Jesus Christ? My heart broke for the man who turned back because of the collar of all things. But then I felt God impress upon me, “It wasn’t the collar.” You see, some people are willing to be turned back by anything, even if it is something so trivial as a striped collar, rather than give up whatever it is they are clinging to. The question is, is that you or me?

The Way Opened— In Jesus, God has opened up the Way for us to enter into another world. In Him the very gates of Heaven have been opened to us; and we often are found stuck worrying about silly things. Jesus, what about my security? What about my stuff? What about my clothes? We are Marthas worrying about the carnal when the very presence of Jesus is beckoning to us to come and be healed.

God’s Hand Extended— Recently my family and I were driving along on the highway and I looked out over the city and the beautiful clouds hanging overhead. And I imagined God sticking His hand out of those clouds and offering it to anyone who wanted to grab it, whenever they were ready. How long would you wait to seize that hand of God extended unto you? Would you put it off until a reasonable time, or would you bolt for that hand as fast as you could, seize it and kiss and embrace the hand of God? How long would you wait?

Those Who Cling to Idols— You know a verse that God keeps bringing to my mind over and over again. It’s Jonah 2:8. It says: "Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. By the way, that word “grace” is hesed, in case you are curious. It’s the deepest, most profound love God can offer you. That’s what we forfeit when we cling to the chaff of the world; the flakes that are here today and gone tomorrow.

Let Go Your Idols— What are you clinging to today that is preventing you from laying hold of the hand of God? What are you holding on to? Whatever that is, let go of it today. If it’s sinful, let it go. If it’s of the world, let it go. Anything that is holding you back in your quest to know and follow Jesus, abandon utterly and completely. Choose to follow Him today. Let’s do so. Amen.

Greetings! It’s good to have you with us as we continue our journey through the book of Acts together. Today we come to Acts 24, where we find Paul being brought to trial before the Roman governor, Felix by a group of unbelieving Jews. And yet, in the midst of that, we find Paul trusting Himself into the hands of God. And amazingly, by the end of the passage, we will see that it is Felix  (rather than Paul) who is brought under conviction. Go ahead and look with me, starting at verse 1…

Acts 24:1 (ESV)— 1 And after five days the high priest Ananias came down with some elders and a spokesman, one Tertullus. They laid before the governor their case against Paul.

Why The Slap?— Now there’s a lot to unpack just in this first verse. Ananias, remember, is not actually the high priest. He has retained the title. But it is Caiaphas who is the acting high priest. And yet it is Ananias who comes. And remember that it is he who had commanded (when Paul was on trial before the Sanhedrin) to have Paul illegal struck on the mouth. And remember that the Greek language conveys a vicious strike, not just a light smack in the face. And all that just for Paul’s saying that he had a clear conscience.
    Now I have to confess, I had a little Columbo moment this week. I said to myself, “Der’s just dis ting dat bodders me.” It’s been rolling around in my mind. And it has to do with that slap in response to what Paul had said. Because what Paul had said shouldn’t have been that offensive, let alone something for him to get slapped for. All Paul had said was that he had a clean conscience. So I’ve had this question mark bouncing around in my mind. But then I felt God impressing on me the reality that to a dark and sinful world (and particularly to a man like Ananias, who is reported to have been one of the most brutal and sinister high priests the Jews ever had) a clean conscience is a very offensive thing; because somebody who is marked by the Holiness of God is living a life that is a rebuke to others. 

The House In The Dark— This week I was reminded of a story of two families. [The O’Learys and the MacMillans lived as neighbors at the turn of the century. One day a young man in a suit came to their village to explain that they would soon have electricity for the first time. The MacMillans responded with their typical enthusiasm and filled out the appropriate papers to have their house wired.
    The O’Learys were more cautious. After all, they had lived for generations without electricity and had managed just fine. They weren’t about to throw money after every passing fad. So they decided to wait. If electricity was as good as everyone said, they could always sign up later.
    In the weeks that followed, the MacMillans busily prepared their house for electrical power. They clamped wires and sockets to the walls and hung bulbs from the ceiling. When the big day finally came, the MacMillans invited their neighbors, including the O’Learys, to a grand lighting party. With a dramatic flourish, Mr. MacMillan threw a switch and the bulbs began to glow for the first time. The McMillan house was illuminated more brightly than it had ever been lit before. There was a gasp. “How lovely!” someone said.
Then another gasp. "How filthy!” someone else said.
It was true. No one had noticed it before in the dim light, but years of oil lamps had left a film of dingy soot over everything. The walls were grimy, there were cobwebs in the corner, and dust covered the floor.
    The O’Learys decided right then and there that they would never install electricity in their home. They would never suffer the humiliation of having their dirty home exposed by the light. After the party, the MacMillans went to work. They scrubbed the soot off the walls and ceiling, cleaned the cobwebs, and swept away the dust. They had indeed been embarrassed by their dirty home when the lights came on, but within a day, their house was cleaner than it had ever been. Meanwhile, the O'Learys continued to live comfortably in their dimly lit home filled with soot, cobwebs, and filth.
    Many people today choose to live in the dark. They don't want anyone to see the dirt—what's really going on in their lives. Sometimes they don’t want to see it themselves. They avoid the light for fear that they will see the truth and be forced to clean up their acts.

“This is the verdict {(writes John)}: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God” (John 3:19-21).]

The Ear of Malchus— There is a man in the Bible you may remember: Malchus. He was the servant of the high priest who was with those who arrested Jesus. And you’ll remember Peter drew his sword and hacked off his ear. And Jesus reaches down, picks up the ear off the ground, no doubt brushes it off (maybe gives it a few blows) and sticks it right back on. I mean, can you imagine!!!??? But one author I was reading pointed out how what we often don’t consider is the conversation that no doubt happened later that night when Malchus returned to Caiaphas and Caiaphas asked for a report of what happened?
“Did you succeed in arresting Jesus?”, asks Caiaphas.
“Yes, High Priest, we did.”, responds Malchus.
“Did you have any trouble?”
“Well, yes, a little.”, said Malchus, scratching his ear.
“Why, what happened?”
“Well, one of the disciples got in the way and brazenly sliced off my ear.”
“It looks okay to me.”
“Well, High Priest, that’s just it. This Jesus, whom you sent us to arrest, picked it up and stuck it right back on.”
    I imagine things got really quiet at this point. And the author I was reading pointed out something so profound. He said Malchus (and particularly his ear) was God [the Father’s last love note to Caiaphas.…In his gracious mercy Jesus restored Malchus’s ear, and Malchus’s witness to Caiaphas of that event was the high priest’s last chance for repentance. It was God’s final witness to him: he put someone right in Caiaphas’s court who had been touched by the loving hand of Jesus. Oh, the unending mercy of God! If a person is lost, it will be in spite of himself and in spite of the evidence that God stacks up in his life. {But then he says this. And this is the kicker:} I am confident that Caiaphas did not employ Malchus for long after this incident of healing {(he writes)}. I imagine that the sight of Malchus’s ear made Caiaphas uneasy and nervous. When we choose not to obey and do not act on the witness God gives to us, sooner or later we will banish that witness from our lives because we cannot tolerate its suggestive presence. The love of God continues to point to him in all areas of life, even in the lives of the most hardened unbelievers, but some of us refuse to see or hear it.]
    You want to know why Ananias had Paul slapped; and why He and so many of the Jews were seeking to remove Paul from the face of the earth? I think this was why. And that’s why it only took five days (a very short time) [for the Jewish leaders to put their case together, hire and attorney, and make the trip to Caesarea.] They were afraid that the longer they waited, the more likely Felix was to dismiss Paul’s case. And they were eager to remove the source of their conviction. Now when the court convenes, it says of Paul…

Acts 24:2-3 (ESV)— 2 And when he had been summoned, Tertullus {(he’s the lawyer or orator)} began to accuse him, saying: “Since through you we enjoy much peace, and since by your foresight, most excellent Felix, reforms are being made for this nation, 3 in every way and everywhere we accept this with all gratitude.

Ummm….No— This was a lie. [Felix was a former slave whose brother (a favorite of Emperor Claudius) had obtained for him the position as governor.] The Romans did not see him as very influential. And though he had ousted the Egyptian assassin and his followers, the Jews despised him for his brutality; and he (two years after this) will actually be deposed by Emperor Nero. So (at least in his mind) to quote esteemed historian Rabbi Smash Mouth, Tertullus was looking kind of dumb with his finger and his thumb in the shape of a “L” on his forehead. He thought very little of Felix. But with the normal (and I might add “obligatory”) salutations out of the way, he continues. Verse 4…

Acts 24:4-8  (ESV)— 4 But, to detain you no further, I beg you in your kindness to hear us briefly. 5 For we have found this man a plague, one who stirs up riots among all the Jews throughout the world and is a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. 6 He even tried to profane the temple, but we seized him {(and some manuscripts add… and we would have judged him according to our law. 7 But the chief captain Lysias came and with great violence took him out of our hands, 8 commanding his accusers to come before you.)}. 8 By examining him yourself you will be able to find out from him about everything of which we accuse him.”

Keep It Vague— Now note how they falsely say they had arrested Paul. That didn’t happen. The Jews had instigated a riot and it was Lysias (the Tribune) who had saved him by taking him into custody. But in their version it is Paul who started it. And I want you to see something else; and it’s the secret to a great accusation. Notice how Tertullus keeps everything vague. Notice the complete lack of any kind of specific detail as to when, where, and how Paul had supposedly instigated a riot. Now Rome took any kind of riot or insurrection very seriously; and if this charge against Paul could have been substantiated, Paul would have faced severe punishment and possibly even execution. But Tertullus knows that if he gets specific (naming specific incidents) Felix could have Paul’s case transferred [to the governor in whose jurisdiction the incident took place. {But that’s not what the Jews wanted.} The Jews wanted Paul tried before a governor over whom they had some influence.] So Tertullus keeps it vague. And so do the rest of his accusers. It says in…

Acts 24:9 (ESV)— 9 The Jews also joined in the charge, affirming that all these things were so.

Bad News & Good News— And next week we will see how Paul defends himself against their charges. But as we close our time together today, I want first say something hard and then something I hope will be an encouragement to you. It’s a bad news/good news kind of a thing. The bad news is that if you are radically committed to Jesus Christ, persecution is always always always going to come from people whose consciences are disturbed by the presence of Christ they see in you. But Jesus himself offers us hope when He says in…

Matthew 5:11-12 (NKJV)— 11 Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Hold On— That is a truth that Paul held onto. And it is one that you and I should hang onto as well. Let’s do so. Amen.

Greetings! It’s good to have you with us as we continue our journey through the book of Acts together, this week continuing to look at Acts 23. Now you’ll remember that Paul has been arrested in Jerusalem and has just stood trial before the Sanhedrin. And in that court great dissension arrises over Paul’s message (and the doctrine of the Resurrection in particular) that the Roman commander actually has to take Paul back into the Roman barracks because things had gotten so intense, he feared that Paul would literally be torn apart. And it is heartbreaking to see the center of Jewish religion and justice be a place where God’s message is ultimately rejected and where justice fails in such a profound way; just as it had when Jesus stood before this very same group of religious leaders. Now things go from bad to worse, as it says in…

Acts 23:12-16 (ESV)— 12 When it was day, the Jews made a plot and bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. 13 There were more than forty who made this conspiracy. 14 They went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have strictly bound ourselves by an oath to taste no food till we have killed Paul. 15 Now therefore you, along with the council, give notice to the tribune to bring him down to you, as though you were going to determine his case more exactly. And we are ready to kill him before he comes near.”
16 Now the son of Paul's sister heard of their ambush, so he went and entered the barracks and told Paul.

Paul’s Nephew— Now, as we observed last week, it seems very likely that Paul was rejected by some or much of his family after he came to faith in Jesus Christ. He likely was seen as a disgrace by them. Paul says in Philippians 3:8 that he had suffered the loss of everything for the sake of Jesus Christ. But whatever Paul’s family situation looked like at this point, we see here that he had a sister who may have been at least somewhat affectionate towards him; as her son (who is there in Jerusalem) seems to be looking out for Paul. And this nephew somehow overhears this plot to murder Paul. And he immediately comes to the barracks to warn Paul. Now this really demonstrates just how much (in every trial we face) God is working behind the scenes, watching out for us; and how He often sends us help from unforeseen places.

An Unsung Hero— Now this boy is one of the unsung heroes of the Bible. God had placed him in the right place at the right time; like Esther, like Daniel. He was a kid who was placed in a difficult and highly unusual circumstance. He was probably terrified. But God used his courage to do the right thing to bring about His plans and purposes; to preserve Paul’s life. Now because Paul was an unconvicted Roman citizen (and not actually under arrest at this point, but merely in protective custody), he was able to receive visits from [relatives and friends, who could bring…{him}…food and other amenities.] And so this boy was able to get to Paul. And after the boy tells Paul of the plot, it says in…

Acts 23:17-23 (ESV)— 17 Paul called one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the tribune, for he has something to tell him.” 18 So he took him and brought him to the tribune and said, “Paul the prisoner called me and asked me to bring this young man to you, as he has something to say to you.” 19 The tribune took him by the hand, and going aside asked him privately, “What is it that you have to tell me?” 20 And he said, “The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though they were going to inquire somewhat more closely about him. 21 But do not be persuaded by them, for more than forty of their men are lying in ambush for him, who have bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they have killed him. And now they are ready, waiting for your consent.” 22 So the tribune dismissed the young man, charging him, “Tell no one that you have informed me of these things.”
23 Then he called two of the centurions and said, “Get ready two hundred soldiers, with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to go as far as Caesarea at the third hour of the night.

To Caesarea— Now when the tribune hears of this plot, he decides that the best thing to do to both to save Paul’s life and to avoid a potentially explosive confrontation with the Jews is to send Paul away. And so we see that the Roman tribune orders that Paul be sent to Caesarea. [Jerusalem was the seat of Jewish government, but Caesarea was the Roman headquarters of the area] and would be a safe place for Paul. Now this whole situation is so ironic because it should be the Jewish leaders who are supporting Paul the most. I mean, he was one of them. And yet we find them being the enemies and Romans (of all people) being the means of saving Paul. I mean, everything’s backwards. But you know, God often can use backwards situations to bring about His glory and plans and purposes. These events may have seemed bad to Paul at the time, but it’s interesting that those events set into motion a chain of events that would eventually lead to Paul’s being taken to Rome, the very place God promised to take him. And God can do that for us as well. He can use our trials, our difficulties, and even our enemies to bring about His purposes in our lives. Unless we give up, they are not able to thwart the plans of God. And we need to remember that.

Soldiers, Horsemen, & Spearmen— Now Lysias sends with Paul 200 soldiers, 70 horsemen, and 200 spearmen. [The “soldiers” were legionnaires, the elite soldiers of the roman army; the “horsemen” were from the garrison’s cavalry detachment; and the “spearmen,” or javelin throwers, were soldiers less heavily armed than the legionnaires.] And what this all amounted to was [almost half of his 1,000 man garrison]. And that just shows how seriously he took this plot and how determined he was that Paul should be kept alive and receive justice. Now Paul is escorted by this quite sizable military force at the third hour of the night. That’s 9:00pm Gentile Time 😊; “savings time”, literally. And the tribune also says in…

Acts 23:24 (ESV)— 24 Also provide mounts for Paul to ride and bring him safely to Felix the governor.”

Felix— Now [Felix was the Roman governor or procurator of Judea from A.D. 52 to 59). This was the same position Pontius Pilate had held.] The Jews were allowed a lot of freedom to govern themselves, but it was the governor who was responsible for running the army, keeping the peace, and gathering the taxes. And so Lysias sends a letter with Paul for Governor Felix. And I love this letter because you can see just how much of a politician Lysias is; because all that happened that could have shed a negative light on him does not make it into the report. But everything that makes him look good and like he is the shining example of truth and justice is highly emphasized.

Spin— You see, it’s all about spin control. Just recently I re-read an illustration talking about letters of recommendation. I don’t know if you’ve ever had to write a letter of recommendation before, but what I was reading was talking about how [Writing letters of recommendation can be hazardous--tell the truth and you might get sued if the contents are negative. {And so} Robert Thornton, a professor at Lehigh University, has a collection of "virtually litigation-proof" phrases called the Lexicon of Intentionally Ambiguous Recommendations, or LIAR. Here are some examples:
(1)To describe an inept person— "I enthusiastically recommend this candidate with no qualifications whatsoever."
(2) To describe an ex-employee who had problems getting along with fellow workers— "I am pleased to say that this candidate is a former colleague of mine."
(3) To describe an unproductive candidate— "I can assure you that no person would be better for the job."
(4) To describe an applicant not worth consideration— “I would urge you to waste no time in making this candidate an offer of employment.”] Now this is the kind of stuff we find in Lysias’ letter to Governor Felix. Just listen. It says in…

Acts 23:25-27 (ESV)— 25 And he wrote a letter to this effect:
26 “Claudius Lysias, to his Excellency the governor Felix, greetings. 27 This man was seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them when I came upon them with the soldiers and rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman citizen.

Several Pinocchios— Now keep in mind that Lysias did not actually discover this until after he had arrested Paul (22:25,26). But here he makes it sound like he rescued Paul after discovering he was a Roman citizen. Quite different from what actually happened; that he had (albeit unknowingly) illegally bound Paul and had almost illegally scourged him (22:24), not knowing (or even thinking to ask whether or not) he was a Roman citizen. So alters the story to make himself shine at the very point where he had really fallen short. This alone would get his letter at least three or four Pinocchios. But note how he also neglects to mention that he had mistaken Paul for being the notorious Egyptian assassin (21:38). But hey, he doesn’t want to bore Felix with the details, right? I mean “details, shmee-details.” Who needs those? Now Lysias continues, saying…

Acts 23:28-31 (ESV)— 28 And desiring to know the charge for which they were accusing him, I brought him down to their council. 29 I found that he was being accused about questions of their law, but charged with nothing deserving death or imprisonment. {Now this was a very important detail for Luke to include, because [Luke’s stress on Paul’s blamelessness before the Roman law is a major theme of this entire passage.]} 30 And when it was disclosed to me that there would be a plot against the man, I sent him to you at once, ordering his accusers also to state before you what they have against him.”
31 So the soldiers, according to their instructions, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris.

Antipatris— Antipatris was a [Roman military post about 40 mi. from Jerusalem.] Very often travelers from Jerusalem to Caesarea would stop to rest there. And here we see that they made the journey in a single night (v.32), which [would have been an exhausting forced march for the foot soldiers.]

Acts 23:32 (ESV)— 32 And on the next day they returned to the barracks, letting the horsemen go on with him.

Foot Soldiers Leave— So we see that the foot soldiers leave after they reach Samaria because, being in Gentile territory, there was much less chance of being ambushed by a group of Jews. So the foot soldiers go back, but Paul and the horsemen go on to Caesarea. It says…

Acts 23:33-35 (ESV)— 33 When they had come to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they presented Paul also before him. 34 On reading the letter, he asked what province he was from. {[Felix needed to determine whether he had jurisdiction to hear Paul’s case.]} And when he learned that he was from Cilicia, 35 he said, “I will give you a hearing when your accusers arrive.” {[Judea and Cilicia were at that time both under the legate of Syria, so Felix had the authority to hear his case.] But he wants to wait until Paul’s accusers arrive. And so it says…} And he commanded him to be guarded in Herod's praetorium {[Felix’s official residence in Caesarea.]}.

“Greater is He”— Now the thought I want to leave you with is a truth I know I have shared with you before, but one which I think God really wants us to keep at the forefront of our minds, especially in these latter days. It applied to Paul in this passage and it applies to us today. And it is that truth John gives us in 1 John 4:4. It reads…

1 John 4:4 (ESV)— 4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

Take Courage— No matter what you face this week because of your commitment to Christ, take courage in the fact that you are sharing in the sufferings of Christ. And the very forces that set themselves against you will only succeed in helping to bring about God’s will and plan for your life; and your victory will be all the sweeter on the other side.
    And so this week, may you experience Christ’s steadfast love for you. May you know that He hears you. And though there are many workers of evil who set themselves against you, may you experience the joy of seeing Him bring about His work of deliverance in your life. Amen.

Greetings! It’s good to have you with us as we continue our journey through the book of Acts together, this week continuing to look at Acts 23. If you were with us last week, you’ll remember that some unbelieving Jews have just seized Paul and stirred up the crowd against him with false accusations. And that’s a common theme we find regarding the unbelieving Jews Paul comes across. They’re kind of like atoms. They make up everything. And here that leads to Paul being violently beaten, arrested, and taken into Roman custody in Jerusalem. He has addressed the Jewish mob (giving his first defense); and we know that they listened until he shared with them God’s giving him a mission to take the message of salvation to the Gentiles. They react violently to that and he is taken back into the Roman barrack for protection. After that, he is brought before the Jewish governing body known as the Sanhedrin, during which he gives his second defense. But the Sanhedrin is not at all friendly to him. I mean, they had already killed Jesus. And that was a part of an ongoing trend. Jerusalem was one of the first non-prophet organizations, you might say; they killed all those sent to her, as Jesus pointed out. And in the midst of this trial, during which Paul is illegally struck just for saying that he has a clean conscience, he realizes he is probably not going to receive a good verdict from them; and so he, knowing that the council was one part Pharisee and the other part Sadducee (and himself being a Pharisee) emphasizes his having been a Pharisee and that all of this dissension had to do with the issue of the resurrection from the dead, which he knew the Pharisees accepted but the Sadducees rejected. And so an argument breaks out between the two parties and the Pharisees actually end up defending Paul, saying in verse 9 “We find nothing wrong in this man. What if a spirit or an angel spoke to him?” And after this Paul is removed because of how violent things had gotten; and he’s taken back to the barracks. Now all of this is incredibly discouraging for Paul, who remember has this deep desire to bring the message of the Gospel to Rome, the epicenter of the empire and a very important strategic target for Christianity. But things are not looking very promising, as he’s sitting there in imprisonment. He doesn’t know it this point, but he’s going to remain imprisoned for the next four years. However that night Jesus comes to Paul and gives him a word of encouragement and a promise. It says…

Acts 23:11 (ESV)— 11 The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.”

God’s Preserving Promise— Now in reflecting on that promise, it suddenly dawned on me that Jesus never promises Paul that he’s gonna get through all this unscathed or anything like that. He doesn’t even tell him that his endeavors will prove successful. He doesn’t promise a great response after he eventually gets to Rome; only that he is going to grant the desire of Paul’s heart to do the next right thing. Now that next right thing was pretty big for Paul, because it meant that God was going to keep and preserve his life for the time being. And so, in a sense, Paul was greater than all the gods of the pantheon; because while they could be killed, Paul couldn’t. He was more immortal than they could ever be; because the One true God, who has authority over all things, was holding him up. No outside force (no matter how strong) could pluck him out of God’s hand or this next step God had promised Paul success in. And you know, that same God holds you and me. Now He may not promise you tomorrow, but He is every bit in control of your tomorrow as He was of Paul’s. And He will be just as faithful to help you fulfill His plan and purpose through your life as well.

Refocusing on Paul— Now when the controversy between the Pharisees and the Sadducees of the Sanhedrin dies down, we find that they re-focus their attention on Paul. They had gotten to the point where all reverence for God and the desire to do His will and to act in way that was in accordance with His written Word took a back seat to what was really the center of their concern; politics and position. A that being the case, they perceived Paul as being a real threat and were ready to dispense with him. And we will see in our passage today that, just as they had done with Jesus, they begin making plans to murder Paul. It says in…

Acts 23:12 (ESV)— 12 When it was day, the Jews made a plot and bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they had killed Paul.

We’ll See— And so we see that hatred and vengeance is eating them up. And that’s not a good place to be. Somebody recently told me they felt I have an unhealthy preoccupation with revenge. And I said “Well, we’ll see about that.” Okay, kidding. But these guys certainly aren’t. They bind themselves with a very serious oath.

anathematized— Now the phrase bound themselves by an oath is literally translated “anathematized”, which means to curse or condemn. And so they have invoked divine judgment if they fail in their mission to kill Paul. And we see this thing a number of times in scripture…

1 Samuel 14:44 (ESV)— 44 And Saul said, “God do so to me and more also; you shall surely die, Jonathan.”

2 Samuel 3:35 (ESV)— 35 Then all the people came to persuade David to eat bread while it was yet day. But David swore, saying, “God do so to me and more also, if I taste bread or anything else till the sun goes down!”

2 Samuel 19:13 (ESV)— 13 And say to Amasa, ‘Are you not my bone and my flesh? God do so to me and more also, if you are not commander of my army from now on in place of Joab.’”

1 Kings 2:23 (ESV)— 23 Then King Solomon swore by the Lord, saying, “God do so to me and more also if this word does not cost Adonijah his life!

2 Kings 6:31 (ESV)— 31 and he said, “May God do so to me and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders today.”

Serious Resolve— Yikes! Those are some pretty serious threats and curses. And the last is most like the one we find here in Acts 23. These Jews who have set themselves Paul are absolutely determined, which we see in their resolve to engage in a total fast from all food and drink until their mission is complete. And it’s not a small group of men either. It says in…

Acts 23:13-14 (ESV)— 13 There were more than forty who made this conspiracy. 14 They went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have strictly bound ourselves by an oath to taste no food till we have killed Paul.

Going To The Sadducees— Now note that they do not go to the Pharisees. Why? Well, the Pharisees had just sided with Paul during the trial before the Sanhedrin; and so they have shown their willingness to defend Paul. And so these Jews go to those of the chief priests and elders because (remember) the chief priests and elders are of the other party, the Sadducees. These Jews knew that the chief priests and elders would be more likely to join them in this murder plot. Note also they do not go to the scribes because the scribes also were mostly Pharisees. No, they go to those of the Sadducees. And they tell them of their oath and their fast and then give their request, saying…

Acts 23:15-16 (ESV)— 15 Now therefore you, along with the council, give notice to the tribune to bring him down to you, as though you were going to determine his case more exactly. And we are ready to kill him before he comes near.”
16 Now the son of Paul's sister heard of their ambush, so he went and entered the barracks and told Paul.

Paul’s Family— Now amazingly, this is the only clear reference in the Bible that we have to any of the members of Paul’s family. Romans 16:7 and 11 possibly give us a few others, as he makes reference to Andronicus, Junia, and Herodion as being his kinsmen. But there are no other references. Some scholars believe that when Paul became a Christian he was disowned by his family. His father, probably a wealthy person, very likely cut him off and wanted nothing to do with him. Paul may indicate some of this in Philippians 3:8 when he describes how he had suffered the loss of everything for the sake of Jesus Christ. But, you know, that is the case for a lot of men and women who have chosen to follow Jesus. Families do not always understand, which is why Jesus said…

Matthew 10:35-39 (ESV)— 35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 And a person's enemies will be those of his own household. 37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Crucified by Family— And interestingly, that is what Jesus Himself had experienced. His own family was at odds with him. John 7:5 tells us that not even his brothers believed in him. Now that eventually changed, as His half-brother James converted and became a very important leader in the Church. Jude (another half-brother of Jesus) also was converted and wrote the book of Jude. But before that Jesus carried the weight of his siblings’ scorn and that enmity against him during much of His life and ministry. And that’s a hard burden to bear. And it’s interesting that Jesus seems in this passage in Matthew to be equating that kind of familial pain to taking up your cross. And keep in mind, that was before He had been crucified on an actual cross, which leads me to make the assumption that before being crucified in the body on the cross, He had first been crucified in a metaphorical sense by his family. And Paul definitely seems to be bearing that same kind of cross now.

Meeting The Folks— I don’t know if any of you every brought your boyfriend or girlfriend home to meet your parents, but that can be pretty tense. You’re wondering if they are going to like her, And if momma doesn’t like her, you’re in trouble. But bringing Jesus home to meet the family is often just as hard (if not worse); and especially in Paul’s culture. Paul had become an outcast for the sake of Christ. I mean it must have been hard. But if that is what needs to happen for you to follow Jesus, then you have to do it. That is just part of what it means to be a Christian. And if we are faithful to suffer like that for Jesus, we will be blessed.

1 Peter 4:12-14 (NKJV)— 12 Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; 13 but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. 14 If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified.

Romans 8:16-17 (NKJV)— 16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

Sharing in Christs Sufferings & Glory— So let us gladly share in Christ’s suffering, so that we also will share in His glory. Let’s do so. Amen.

Greetings! It’s good to have you with us as we continue our study of the book of Acts today.

A False Accusation— You know, I don’t know if you have ever had somebody try to malign your name before. As a pastor, I have been on the receiving end of that a number of times; and it is painful. And usually that kind of behavior comes from somebody who misunderstands you or something you have done or something you are trying to do. And so they speak against you. And that kind of abuse can be hard to take. Now it is one thing when you are dealing with somebody who is honestly mistaken and quite another when you are dealing with somebody who maligns your name knowing that what they were saying against you was false. Well, that is very much the situation we find here in chapters 22-23 of the book of Acts, as Paul is viciously accused by a group of Judaizers who stir up a mob to attack and beat him. Now he is saved by the commander of the Roman troops (a man by the name of Claudius Lysias), who takes him into custody, brings him into the barracks, asks him if he is a particular murderous criminal, hears Paul explain to him who he really is, and then allows Paul to address the crowd, which he then does. And the crowd listens up until Paul says that the Lord had sent him to minister unto Gentiles. At they point the crowd loses it and Lysias again takes him into the barracks; and this time prepares to scourge Paul until he finds out why the crowd is shouting like this against him. But then Paul reveals that he is a Roman citizen. And that shocks Lysias and the other soldiers; because it meant that they had overstepped their bounds in even binding Paul at all. And so Lysias decides to have Paul stand before the Sanhedrin, the Jewish supreme court of the land comprised of 71 members, including the high priest. And so Paul is brought before them in an unofficial meeting. And it says…

Acts 23:1-5 (ESV)— 1 And looking intently at the council, Paul said, “Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to this day.” 2 And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth. 3 Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Are you sitting to judge me according to the law, and yet contrary to the law you order me to be struck?”
4 Those who stood by said, “Would you revile God's high priest?”
5 And Paul said, “I did not know, brothers, that he was the high priest, for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’”

Paul’s Divinely Appointed Mistake— Now in admitting his mistake, Paul shows that he actually had more respect for the law than Ananias did. He acknowledged his mistake and immediately quoted the exact law of God (Exodus 22:28) that he had unwittingly broken. Now, as I said last week, I believe that although Paul may seem harsh here, he had not knowingly broken God’s law; because he had not recognized Ananias. It may be because Paul had eye problems (which Galatians 4:15 seems to indicate). It may be because none of the Sanhedrin were in official dress, because this was an informal meeting. It may also be because Ananias’ treatment of Paul was so unlawful that Paul never would have dreamed he would actually be the judge in that situation. We don’t know. But what seems to be the case regardless of why Paul didn’t recognize Ananias is that God was being this rebuke of Ananias by Paul. I think God allowed Paul to not recognize Ananias so that Paul could say exactly what needed to be said.

Hypocrites— And you know, what Paul said was very much in line with what Jesus Himself said about the religious leaders He encountered. In Matthew 23:15, He called the Pharisees “hypocrites”. And that was because they were actors. Actors during that time would wear these masks. And “hypocrite” meant (literally) to judge someone from behind one of those masks. And so Jesus was calling them out for being impersonators, frauds, and show-offs as opposed to true followers of God. They were pretending to be holy but it was all a show; just a mask that hid their true selves, which were polluted by sin.

Fitted For Hell— In Matthew 23:15, He referred to each Pharisee as being a "child of hell." He mentioned that the converts they thought they had won over to Judaism they in fact made even worse than them. He says: "twofold more the child of hell than yourselves." Yikes. And “child of hell" was a phrase Jesus took right from the Talmud; it [was a Hebraism for an excessively wicked person who might very easily claim Hell for his mother and the devil for his father. It was one who was fitted and destined for Hell.]

Blind, Fools, Tombs, Full of Sin, Snakes, & Murderers— [In Matthew 23:16, He called them - "blind guides.”… In Matthew 23:17, He called them - “fools." In Matthew 23:27, He called them - "whited sepulchres.”] And that was very similar to what Paul had here called Ananias (a “whitewashed wall). And what was behind Jesus’ calling them “whited sepulchres” was the fact that [On the fifteenth day of the month Adar - right before the Passover feast - the Jews would whitewash all the spots where the graves of the poor were situated in the fields or along the roadsides. They did this practice in order to beautify these graves or to alert the pilgrims to the areas where the dead lay. On their way to keeping the Feast of Passover, they did not want to be defiled through contact with the dead. {And so} Jesus referred to the Pharisees in this manner because - on the outside like the "whited sepulchres" they appeared pure and clean - but on the inside, they were filled with death.] He reiterates that in Matthew 23:28 when He tells them that they are "full of...iniquity." [In Matthew 23:33, He called them "serpents" and a "generation of vipers.”… And in in Matthew 23:34, He prophesied that they were - "murderers" - because they would "kill" the "prophets," "wise men," and "scribes" that He would send unto them.] And that (notably) was what they were here starting to do to Paul.

Not Going To Get A Fair Hearing— Now Paul, in witnessing firsthand Ananias’ haughty attitude and flagrant disregard for the Law in commanding that he be brutally and illegally struck realizes (though perhaps he already knew) that he was not going to receive a fair hearing before the Sanhedrin. And so he decides on a very bold and ingenious strategy; one that shows he was very well aware of the tensions between the Sanhedrin’s two factions: the Pharisees and Sadducees.

A Former Sanhedrin Member?— And I do want to add that this may be because he himself might have been a member of the Sanhedrin back before he became a Christian. We see some indication of this in chapter 26, where we find him giving his defense before Herod Agrippa; because he says I not only locked up many of the saints in prison after receiving authority from the chief priests, but when they were put to death I cast my vote against them. Now the literal translation of “I cast my vote” is “I threw my pebble”, which is in [reference to the ancient custom of recording votes by means of colored pebbles.] Well, with whom was Paul voting? Well, very likely the Sanhedrin. Now whether or not that is the case, he knows of their internal tensions, which is why he opts for the strategy that he does. It says in…

Acts 23:6-9 (ESV)— 6 Now when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. It is with respect to the hope and the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial.” 7 And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 8 For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all. 9 Then a great clamor arose, and some of the scribes of the Pharisees' party stood up and contended sharply, “We find nothing wrong in this man. What if a spirit or an angel spoke to him?”

The Tide Turns— Now this is quite an extraordinary turn of events. Paul now has a large number of men in the Sanhedrin advocating on his behalf. It truly was a genius move. But what is important for us to realize is that all this wasn’t just some little ploy instigated by Paul to cause a division on some minor point of theology. No, the resurrection of Christ from the dead was (and still is) the central theme of Christianity. The Pharisees believed in a resurrection and an afterlife, but the Sadducees didn’t. And since the high priest and his family were all Sadducees, I simply can’t get over that the fact that the highest spiritual leaders in Israel did not even believe in an afterlife. That just blows my mind. But, you know, that explains why their focus was always on the dangers in the here and now; they never thought from an eternal perspective because they didn’t believe they would survive on into eternity. Some have quipped that that is why they were “sad, you see”. The Pharisees, however, were much closer to the teaching of Christianity, which is why we do read accounts in scripture of some of them being converted (Acts 15:5 and John 3:1). But scripture does not give us a record of a single Sadducee ever coming to faith in Jesus Christ. And that truly is a sad reality. Now what is amazing to me about the next verse is how violent all these supposedly God-fearing men get, to the point where is says in the next verse…

Acts 23:10 (ESV)— 10 And when the dissension became violent, the tribune, afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him away from among them by force and bring him into the barracks.

A Discouraging Time— Now Paul is no doubt glad to have gotten out of that scrape (by the grace of God). But imagine how discourage he must have felt and the hardness of heart and even the injustice he had experienced in regard to these men that (years prior) he would have looked up to. You know, as I read this, I wonder what it would be like if all my college Bible and seminary teachers came out and denounced me as a heretic and felt it fit that I be killed. I mean, I would be in a bad place. But I love how God always meets us in those low spots and gives us the strength and encouragement we need, which he does here with Paul. It says in…

Acts 23:11 (ESV)— 11 The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.”

The Lord Stood By Him— Now the phrase we need to grasp and hold onto this week is in the first part of this final verse: “the Lord stood by him ”. Jesus stood for Paul because Paul was standing for Him. That is a theme we find over and over again in and throughout scripture. When you and I are faithful to be a voice for Christ, He will also be faithful to stand with us and (in due time) bring the evil our enemies devise for us on their own heads. They will not stand before him. The liars will be destroyed. They will bear their guilt. They will fall by their own counsels. But He is a refuge for His faithful ones; and He will deliver, exalt, and be a shield for them. Let’s thank Him for that today. Amen.