Acts 24:1-27
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Turn with me to Acts 24.
[CONTEXT] In Jerusalem, Paul had been beaten by the Jews and arrested by the Romans. When more than 40 Jewish men vowed to not eat or drink until he was dead, the Romans moved him 75 miles away to Caesarea.
Once he arrived, the Roman Governor Felix agreed to give Paul a hearing as soon as his accusers arrived to present their case against him.
In Acts 24, Paul’s accusers arrive.
[READING]
1 After five days the high priest Ananias came down with some elders, with an attorney named Tertullus, and they brought charges to the governor against Paul. 2 After Paul had been summoned, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying to the governor, “Since we have through you attained much peace, and since by your providence reforms are being carried out for this nation, 3 we acknowledge this in every way and everywhere, most excellent Felix, with all thankfulness. 4 “But, that I may not weary you any further, I beg you to grant us, by your kindness, a brief hearing. 5 “For we have found this man a real pest and a fellow who stirs up dissension among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. 6 “And he even tried to desecrate the temple; and then we arrested him. We wanted to judge him according to our own Law. 7 “But Lysias the commander came along, and with much violence took him out of our hands, 8 ordering his accusers to come before you. By examining him yourself concerning all these matters you will be able to ascertain the things of which we accuse him.” 9 The Jews also joined in the attack, asserting that these things were so.
[PRAYER]
[TS] Acts 24:1-9 is the first of three SECTIONS in Acts 24, and we might call it The Plaintiff’s Complaint.
Major Ideas
Major Ideas
{Section #1: The Plaintiff’s Complaint (Acts 24:1-9)}
{Section #1: The Plaintiff’s Complaint (Acts 24:1-9)}
[EXP] Paul’s accusers hired a lawyer name Tertullus and came to Caesarea to make their complaint before Felix.
Tertullus would’ve been a skilled public speaker and familiar in the Roman legal process, so he was employed by the Jewish leaders to present their case against Paul.
It was customary to begin one’s address with a compliment to the judge, but Tertullus goes beyond compliment to flattery.
Perhaps because he knew the case against Paul was so weak, he was trying to ingratiate himself to Felix in hopes of a favorable decision.
Through Tertullus, the Jewish high priest and the Jewish elders complained that Paul was a real pest.
The word ‘pest’ in the NASB is variously translated as ‘plague,’ ‘troublemaker,’ or ‘public menace.’ The KJV says that they accused Paul of being a ‘pestilent fellow.’
The accusation that Paul was a troublemaker or public menace would have concerned Felix who was charged with keeping the peace in his jurisdiction.
They complained that Paul stirred up dissension.
That is, they accused Paul of stirring up riots and agitating the Jews throughout the inhabited world, the jurisdiction of Felix included.
They complained that Paul was a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.
Jesus lived most of his life in the town of Nazareth. Therefore to belong to the sect of the Nazarenes is to be a follower of Jesus of Nazareth.
But the use of the word ‘sect,’ which is the same word for ‘heresy,’ was meant to paint Paul as the leader of a dangerous religious cult—a cult dangerous not only to the Jews but also to the Romans.
And they also accused Paul of trying to desecrate the temple.
It seems that Paul’s accusers have given up the lie that he did desecrate the Temple by bringing a Gentile inside of it; now they only accuse him of attempting to do that.
As we listen to the charges brought against Paul, we recognize them as serious charges; we also know them to be baseless charges; but we should remember that all these charges are brought against Paul because of the gospel—the good news of God’s grace in Jesus Christ. These were gospel-provoked charges.
You see, the gospel is life-giving truth for those who believe, but for those who disbelieve, like this Jewish religious leaders, it is an eternally-damning truth.
Jesus said in John 3:16…
16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
But Jesus continued…
19 “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. 20 “For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.
In rejecting the gospel of Jesus Christ that Paul and all the Apostles preached, these Jewish religious leaders were rejecting Jesus; they were rejecting the Light and choosing to remain in the darkness of unbelief.
They were accusing Paul because Paul was preaching Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, crucified and resurrected.
[ILLUS] There’s an old story about a desert nomad who awakened hungry in the middle of the night. He lit a candle in his tent and began eating dates from a bowl beside his bed.
He took a bite from one end of a date and saw a worm in it, so he threw it out of the tent.
He bit into a second date, found another worm, and threw it out also.
But reasoning that he wouldn’t have any dates left to eat if he continued to throw them out, he blew out the candle and quickly ate the rest of the dates.
Rather than throwing out the worms, he turned out the light.
[APP] The truth about Jesus shines a light on all the worms of sin and unbelief, but rather than throw out sin and unbelief, many choose to turn out the light.
There are certainly annoying preachers, but ultimately it’s the truth about Jesus that pesters the unbelieving heart.
There are certainly divisive Christians, but ultimately it’s the gospel that stirs up dissension in the sinner’s conscience.
It’s the Light of Jesus that offends our darkness, so we must choose: do we throw out sin and unbelief or do we turn out the Light?
If you’re a follower of Jesus this morning, the truth about Jesus once pestered you’re heart, but rather than choosing to remain in darkness, by God’s grace you stepped into the Light by trusting in Jesus.
If you’re not a follower of Jesus this morning, I wonder how you will respond to the dissension you might be feeling in your heart right now.
If you turn from your sin and trust in Jesus who died in your place and rose to make you right with God, then you will be saved from the judgment of God and welcomed into the family of God.
You’ll be saved from the worms of sin and death.
But if you refuse, then one day you will spend eternity in a place where, as Jesus said, the fire is not quenched and the worm does not die (Mk. 9:48).
Don’t choose to spend eternity in the dark with the worms, step into the Light by trusting in Jesus to save you.
[TS] Next we notice The Defendant’s Defense…
Section #2: The Defendant’s Defense (Acts 24:10-21)
Section #2: The Defendant’s Defense (Acts 24:10-21)
10 When the governor had nodded for him to speak, Paul responded: “Knowing that for many years you have been a judge to this nation, I cheerfully make my defense, 11 since you can take note of the fact that no more than twelve days ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship. 12 “Neither in the temple, nor in the synagogues, nor in the city itself did they find me carrying on a discussion with anyone or causing a riot. 13 “Nor can they prove to you the charges of which they now accuse me. 14 “But this I admit to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect I do serve the God of our fathers, believing everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets; 15 having a hope in God, which these men cherish themselves, that there shall certainly be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. 16 “In view of this, I also do my best to maintain always a blameless conscience both before God and before men. 17 “Now after several years I came to bring alms to my nation and to present offerings; 18 in which they found me occupied in the temple, having been purified, without any crowd or uproar. But there were some Jews from Asia— 19 who ought to have been present before you and to make accusation, if they should have anything against me. 20 “Or else let these men themselves tell what misdeed they found when I stood before the Council, 21 other than for this one statement which I shouted out while standing among them, ‘For the resurrection of the dead I am on trial before you today.’ ”
[EXP] Now Paul’s defense takes the shape of denials, admissions, and reasons.
Consider his DENIALS.
Consider his DENIALS.
In the first of his denials, he says in v. 11 there was no time.
It was only twelve days earlier that he had arrived in Jerusalem. He had spent five of those days in Caesarea and two days before that in Roman custody in Jerusalem.
That left about five days for Paul to do all that he was accused of by the Jewish religious leaders—five days to gather a following, start a riot, and desecrate the temple.
In the second of his denials, Paul says at the end of v. 11 there was no reason.
Paul didn’t go up to Jerusalem to cause a ruckus; he went up to Jerusalem to worship.
Paul’s focus wasn’t on pestering anyone.
His focus was on glorifying God.
In the third of his denials, Paul says in v. 12 there was no riot.
They had in v. 5 accused Paul of stirring up dissension or stirring up a riot, but Paul simply asks, “What riot?”
In the temple there was no riot caused by Paul.
In the synagogues there was no riot caused by Paul.
In the city there was no riot caused by Paul.
In fact, they didn’t even find him having a discussion with anyone about causing a riot.
And finally, in the fourth of denials, Paul says in v. 13 there is no proof.
They accused Paul of stirring up trouble and attempting to desecrate the temple, but where was the proof? Where was the evidence? Where were the witnesses?
After these denials, Paul moved to his admissions.
Consider his ADMISSIONS.
Consider his ADMISSIONS.
Paul admits in v. 14 that he is a follower of the Way.
In John 14:6, Jesus referred to himself as the Way, the Truth, and Life. Jesus is the Way to the truth about God and life with God.
Because belief in Jesus as the only way to divine truth and eternal life was the central tenant of their faith, early followers of Jesus referred to themselves as followers of the Way…
…and Paul, although denying that it was dangerous sect, did admit that he was a follower of the Way.
He also admitted in v. 14 that he served the God of our fathers as a follower of the Way.
To Felix this may have sounded like Paul was saying, “I worship the same God as my accusers,” but his accusers likely understood his words like this, “The God whom my accusers claim to serve—the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob—, him I actually serve as a follower of the Way of Jesus.”
Paul’s statement was at the same time a defense before Felix and a challenge to the Jewish leaders who had rejected Jesus.
In their hearing, Paul essentially said that one can’t serve God without following Jesus.
Paul also admitted in v. 14b that he believed everything in the Law as a follower of the Way.
Paul didn’t cast aside the Law as a follower of Jesus. He didn’t say that God’s commandments didn’t count. No, he upheld the commandments of God as holy and good and binding…
…but Paul did say that the only One to ever keep those commandments perfectly was Jesus.
Paul said the Law can’t save anyone because we all break God’s Law; i.e., we all sin.
We are only saved through faith in Jesus who kept the Law, died for our law-breaking, and then clothed us in his righteousness.
Paul admitted in v. 14c that he believed everything written in the Prophets as a follower of the Way.
The prophets called God’s people to repent from sin, to flee the judgment of God regarding sin, and to look forward in faith to the Christ, the Messiah, the anointed Savior who stepped into history as Jesus of Nazareth.
Far from denying the Prophets, Paul saw in Jesus the fulfillment of all that they prophesied.
He admitted to serving the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
He admitted to believing the Law and the Prophets.
And he admitted in v. 15 that he had hope in the resurrection to come as a follower of the Way.
Some of his accusers were Pharisees, and they also believed in the resurrection of the righteous and the wicked, the just and the unjust.
As a follower of Jesus though, Paul had certain hope of being included in those raised to eternal life rather than eternal damnation.
Paul’s certain hope in the resurrection to come inspired him to strive for a blameless conscience, a guiltless life before God and man.
Now, in response to Paul’s denials and admissions, we can imagine Felix thinking, “Well, if you’ve done nothing wrong, then why are you here?”
Perhaps anticipating that question, Paul provides his reasons for being in Jerusalem, being in the Temple, and even being before Felix.
Consider his REASONS.
Consider his REASONS.
First, he says in v. 17 that he was in Jerusalem to bring alms and present offerings.
Paul was in Jerusalem to help the poor and worship God.
Second, he says in v. 18a that he was in the Temple to be purified.
Remember that Paul was asked the by Jewish-Christian leadership in Jerusalem to undergo a purification ritual to quell malicious rumors that Paul was teaching Jewish people to forsake the Temple and the Law.
Paul was in the process of completing that purification ritual when he was viciously attacked by his accusers—accusers who said that he desecrated the temple; accusers who were conveniently absent from this hearing in Caesarea.
Third, Paul said in vv. 18b-20 that he is before Felix, not for anything his accusers have mentioned, but for proclaiming the resurrection of the dead.
Back in Jerusalem, when Paul stood before the Sanhedrin (the Jewish ruling council), he cried out before them that he was really on trial for preaching the resurrection of the dead, specifically the resurrection of Jesus Christ after his crucifixion.
At that time, the Pharisees didn’t disagree, and even argued that their could possibly some truth to what Paul was saying.
But now in Caesarea, the Jewish religious leaders (which included some Pharisees) tried to cover the real issue by accusing him of these other things.
Paul was before Felix because he preached the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
He was on trial before Felix because he was a follower of Jesus.
He was on trial before Felix because he believed that Jesus was the Way.
[ILLUS] A Methodist preacher once told of a missionary who lost his way in an African jungle. The trail had vanished and he could find no landmarks, but eventually he stumbled on a small hut.
He asked the native living there if he would lead him out.
The native nodded in agreement, and rising to his feet, he walked directly into the jungle.
The missionary followed on his heels.
For more than an hour they hacked their way through a dense wall of limbs, vines, and grasses.
The missionary became worried, and asked, “Are you sure this is the way? I don’t see any path.”
The African chuckled and said over his shoulder, “Bwana (i.e., ‘sir’), in this place there is no path. I am the path.”
[APP] The world we live is cursed by sin and death. Though God occasionally permits us to experience some joy and happiness, this is world of darkness.
Apart from Jesus, the trail had disappeared, and without him we cannot find our way to God.
But Jesus has risen to his feet, saying, “Follow me. I am the Way…”
Do you believe that Jesus is the Way to God?
Perhaps you’re asking, “Why do I need to know the way to God? Does he even exist? And if he does, what has God ever done for me?”
God exists; the very first words of the Bible begin with, “In the beginning, God...” and not long after that it says that God created you and me in his image.
God is your Maker.
He gave you life.
But by rebelling against him, we chose death.
All the pain and suffering we’ve experienced in this life is because of sin, but God has made a Way—only one way of escape, only way of freedom, only one way of salvation, only one way of redemption—and that Way is belief in his Son, Jesus Christ.
Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Way to God?
Only by believing in Jesus as the Way do we serve the living God.
Only by believing in Jesus as the Way do we uphold the Law.
Only by believing in Jesus as the Way do we believe the Prophets.
We are saved only by following Jesus as the Way.
[TS]…
Conclusion
Conclusion
[PRAYER]