Paul on Trial Acts 22:30-23:35

Introduction

Paul arrived in Jerusalem for Pentecost and ended up being falsely accused and beaten by the Jews their.

To keep him from getting killed the chief captain arrested him and then after Paul spent the night in the castle, he was handed over to the Sanhedrin to be tried, because it had “broken” their law.

This morning we are going to see that no matter where we find ourselves =, we can be of good cheer, because the Lord is with us.

Unrest in Jerusalem 22:30-23:11

Paul had just got beaten by a mob the day before and now the chief captain was going to hand over Paul to the Jewish leaders as he was accused by the Jews and they had no business to put him on trial.

Paul confronts the Sanhedrin vs. 1-5

Paul earnestly beholds the council

This gives the thought that he passionately grabbed their attention with his speech

He tells the council that he has “lived in all good conscience before God until this day”

He is announcing them that he stood before them that day with a clear conscience.

In his mind, even when he was persecuting the church it was done in good conscience, because he had done them ignorantly.

John Phillips said this “This is a classic example of the fact that conscience is a good goad but a poor guide. The Holy Spirits work in conviction is to bring the Word of God to bear upon the conscience, quickening it and monitoring it so that it functions properly. Apart from that, conscience can lead people to do strange things.”

We see in verse 2 that the high priest Ananias, did not like what Paul said and commanded for him to be smote or smack him on the mouth.

While they agreed with the persecution Paul had lived out towards the church, the high priest new of Pauls career as a missionary and his sharing of the Gospel to both Jews and Gentiles, and the men and woman who have believed the Gospel, and the Churches that had been started in Jerusalem, Judaea, Samaria and the uttermost part of the world.

The high priest was so angry that he commanded Paul to slapped in the mouth.

Paul challenges the high priest

Paul was rebuking the high priest for using his position to abuse a prisoner against the Jewish law, which protected the rights of the accused

He calls the high priest a whited wall, where he likens his judge to a shaky wall, made to look sound by apply a large amount of whitewash or plaster.

Paul could see right through the whitewash to the rottenness it tried to cover up.

The bystanders ask Paul why he was reviling or treating with language of contempt God’s high priest.

Whether or not Paul knew that Ananias was high priest, he certainly wouldn’t have known him by sight.

This wasn’t a regular or formal meeting of the Sanhedrin, it was one that was thrown together at the command of the chief captain.

Paul never would have suspected that a man who would act this way could be a high priest.

As soon as Paul realized that this was the high priest he apologized and quoted Exodus 22.

This is a good thought for us today, its obvious that the high priest was not fulfilling his office in the way he should have, but Paul respected the office.

While we might not agree with everything that our leaders do in our country, we must still respect the office. Instead of speaking ill, we should pray for them, that they would get saved and turn our nation back towards God.

Pauls fleshly plan vs. 6-9

Paul had been assaulted by the mob, threatened with scourging from the Romans and smote on the mouth by the high priest, it was clear that Paul wasn’t going to get a fair trial, so Paul switches from Spiritual to political in his approach.

This would trouble him later as we read in Acts 24.

We see him identify with the Pharisees

We know Paul was raised a Pharisee from his testimony in Philippians 3.

He tells them the reason that he is on trial is because of his hope and resurrection of the dead.

Paul believed that he could get some allies by bringing up the resurrection which the Pharisees saw as the great hope of the nation.

They were half way to believing the Gospel, they just didn’t see Jesus as Messiah

His plan to split the crowd definitely worked

The Bible says there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and the Sadduccees

The word dissension means usually a disagreement with violence

The multitudes were divided because the Sadduccees didn’t believe in the resurrection, angels or spirits which the Pharisees believed in.

The Scribes that were of the Pharisees cried out that they found no evil in him and cried for his acquittal, on the other side the Sadduccees were ready to tear Paul apart because of his disrespect toward their leader, and him believing the resurrection.

Paul removed from the Sanhedrin vs. 10

As the dissension continues in the Sanhedrin the chief captain sees he has to do something, so he commands his soldiers to go down and to remove Paul by force, because he feared they would literally tear Paul apart if they didn’t get him

The Lord encourages Paul vs. 11

It would be natural for Paul to be depressed, fearful and discouraged by all the things he has gone through.

That night the Lord stood by Paul and encouraged him.

The Lord tells him to be of good cheer

I couldn’t help but think back to when Paul and Silas were singing in the midst of the Prison in Philippi. Its almost as if the Lord was telling him to be like that again.

In the midst of persecution we too can be of good cheer because God is with us

The Lord was opening the door for Paul to go to Rome which had been a goal of Paul for many years

The Conspiracy to kill Paul vs. 12-15

The oath vs 12-13

The radicals from both parties got together to form a plan to kill Paul

He had escaped the last time they had him, but this time he was not going to escape this time.

They had bound themselves under an oath to kill Paul and they would go on a hunger strike until it was done.

There were more than 40 people who were part of this conspiracy.

The plan vs 14-15

The group of over 40 came to the chief priest with their plan to kill Paul

They wanted the chief priest to go to the chief captain and tell him that he needed some more perfect or complete information from Paul and when he comes near to us we will kill him.

The Conspiracy revealed vs. 16-21

The conspiracy revealed to Paul vs. 16

By the providential hand of God, Paul’s nephew was there and heard their plan to lie in wait.

Pauls nephew immediately went to Paul and told hime their plan

The conspiracy revealed to the chief captain vs. 17-21

After Pauls nephew told him their plan he called one of the centurions and told him to bring his nephew to the chief captain.

As the centurion arrives he gives the chief captain Pauls nephew, he gives him a rundown of the situation vs. 18

The chief captain takes the nephew to the side to hear what he needed to tell him

Pauls nephew reveals their plan to the chief captain

Tomorrow the Jews are going to come to you and tell you that they need to get some more complete information from Paul, but as soon as you let him go they will have some men lying in wait to kill him

It was so serious that they had made an oath to not eat or drink until he is killed

The Chief Captains response vs. 22-30

HIs response to the nephew vs. 22

He let him go, but told him not to tell anyone else, and don’t tell any one that the chief captain knows.

His plan vs. 23-24

He got two centurions and told them to get their soldiers ready to go to Caesarea and to get 70 horsemen and two hundred spearmen and at the third hour of the night or 9 PM they would get Paul a beast and they would bring him safe to Felix the governor.

The Letter vs 25-30

In his letter he gives a rundown of the situation their in Jerusalem

Paul was taken by the Jews and was about to be killed

I came in with the Army and rescued him and understood him to be a Roman

He brought them before the sanhedrin

He tells him that he had done something against their law, but nothing worth death or bonds

When I found out their plan to kill him, I sent him to you and told them they could bring their accusations to you.

Paul awaiting trial vs. 31-35

The soldiers took him by night to Antipatris, a small town in the plain of Sharon, about 40 miles from Jerusalem.

After spending the night there, the soldiers returned to the castle, and left Paul to finish the last 20 or so miles with the 70 horsemen.

When they arrived in Caesarea, they delivered the letter and Paul to Felix.

Felix asks where he is from and Paul tells him Cilicia.

After reading the letter and hearing from Paul, Felix tells him that he will hear him as soon as his accusers get their.

Until they arrived Paul was placed in Herod’s judgement hall, where he would spend around two years.

Even in Prison Paul could be reminded of when the Lord told him to be of good cheer.

It’s hard to be of good cheer when it feels like everything and everyone is against you, but you can because Jesus is on your side.

Conclusion

Are you feeling discouraged this morning? Does it feel like the world is against you? Does it feel like everything is just falling apart? I’m sure there were times when Paul felt that way, but the Lord told him to be of good cheer

John 16:33 “33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

Maybe this morning your’e here and you have never heard the Gospel. All of us are born sinners, and the bible tells us that sin has a payment and its death, but thats where the gospel comes in, the gospel means good news, the good news of the gospel is this Jesus came to earth and lived a sinless life for 33 and a half years, thus being the perfect sacrifice required as the payment for our sins, which he paid by dying on a cross shedding his blood for you and for me, being buried and rising again the third day defeating death and hell.

Your belief that Jesus died for your sins was buried and rose again is the only way to heaven, I know the pope wants to say there are many ways to heaven but Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life, no man comes to the father but by me