Paul Before Felix Acts 24:1-27

Introduction

While in Jerusalem Paul was beaten in the temple, arrested, brought before the sanhedrin, and now was taken by cover of night to Caesarea to Felix so they could either charge him or let him go for crimes he was charged for.

Paul had gone through lots of trials, but he knew that God is faithful and He would take care of him no matter what the world tried to do to him.

This morning we are going to look at the Accusations of Paul, the Defense of Paul and Felix’s reaction.

The Accusations of Paul vs. 1-9

Five days after Paul was placed in Herod’s judgement hall, his accusers arrived from Jerusalem.

Ananias the High priest made the trip and he brought an orator named Tertullus along with some of the elders of the Sanhedrin

Ananias was one of the most corrupt high priests in Israels history

Tertullus was like an attorney that had filed formal charges against Paul

All of these men coming in person shows the seriousness of the threat they felt Paul posed on them in Jerusalem

Look at the accusations in verse 2-6a

First Tertullus charms Felix with lies vs. 2-4

When reading description of Felix, you would think that he was a great peace maker and a great advocate of the Jewish nation but that isn’t true at all

Felix was known for his cruelty and unfaithfulness to them, but Tertullus would stop at nothing to get Paul convicted of a crime.

He thanks him for everything he has done for them

Tertullus tells him he doesn’t want to be any more tedious or wearisome to him and then requested that he would hear their accusations with clemency which means mildness of temper.

In verses 6-7 we see the accusations brought before Felix

We have found Paul to be a pestilent fellow

The word pestilent here means “Troublesome; mischievous; making disturbance; corrupt”

A Mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world

sedition means “A factious commotion of the people, a tumultuous assembly of men rising in opposition to law or the administration of justice, and in disturbance of the public peace”

A ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes

Neither Ananias nor Tertullus would refer to Christians as Christians, often they would refer to them as “that way” but here he refers to them as a sect of the Nazarenes.

The Nazarenes were not the same as the Nazarites, remember When Nathanael learned that Jesus was from Nazareth his initial response was “Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?”

Who also hath gone about to profane the temple

This is another lie as Paul was in the temple to prove that he had not preached against the law of Moses and the other false accusations being spread about him, when he was taken and beaten by the Jewish leaders there in Jerusalem.

Spurgeon said this “Today if God’s servants preach the truth of God, or if they will hold to and dare to live it, they will soon be met with some contemptuous title or other. Pare down the Gospel, cut away its angles, draw out the lions teeth, and then you will be friends with the world. But hold to the doctrines of grace, bring forth the atonement, speak out plainly, have your convictions and state them, and soon the hounds will be after you full cry. Live a godly, gracious life, and you will not escape persecution.”

Their plan interrupted vs. 6b-7

They planned to try Paul according to their law, which was another lie, but he was taken by the chief captain with great violence, which again was a lie, because Paul was saved from the great violence the mob was afflicting on him.

Paul is sent to Felix vs 8-9

Tertullus thought that having the high priest and other members of the Sanhedrin with him, the could persuade Felix to believe all of the lies that he had brought before him that day.

Not only did Tertullus have the approval of the high priest and Sanhedrin, he had the backing of the Jews as well

Pauls Defense vs. 10-21

After the prosecutor made his case, the governor called for Paul to speak.

Paul didn’t spend much time buttering up Felix, but commended him for the time he took to understand Jewish law

Paul starts his defence by telling the judge he had only been in Jerusalem for 12 days.

Remember Paul had only come to Jerusalem to participate in the festivities of Pentecost.

He spent somewhere around 7 days in the temple being purified from the time he spent with the Gentiles and to prove that the accusations the elders in the church of Jerusalem had told him about were false.

Paul then tells him they didn’t find him in the temple disputing or fighting with anyone, they didn’t find him starting a revolt against the law.

Not only did he not do those things in the temple, he didn’t do that in the in the synagogue nor in the city, he was their strictly to worship

They can’t prove the charges they have made against me.

In verses 14-16 Pauls tells Felix that nothing he preaches goes against what the Old Testament taught about Jesus

In verse 14 we see a reference to the way which they call heresy

The way is speaking of those who believed the Gospel, That Jesus came to earth, lived a sinless life, died on the cross where he shed his blood for you and I, was buried and three days later arose from the dead, defeating death and hell.

By the way believing the gospel is the only way to heaven

Paul tells him, that the God he worships, is the same God that their fathers worshiped

He also believes everything told to him about Jesus in the law and the prophets, which both declared a coming messiah!

He had a clear conscience before God and man, because his stand wasn’t on manmade principles, but rather on the Word of God

Paul then gives another reason for his visit to Jerusalem, which was he brought alms to the church that he had collected for the church at Jerusalem all throughout Asia in the Churches he had started there.

He talks about the Jews he had ministered too in all of Asia and then pretty much asks the question, if these things are true then why aren’t they here accusing me as well?

Paul ends his defence with some insight into what caused him to be arrested and brought before Felix

Remember in chapter 23, Paul saw that the group that had accused him was made up of Pharisees and Sadducees.

He used the ressurection of Christ to pit the two groups against each other

Remember the Sadducees were sad you see because they didn’t believe in the resurrection of the dead

Because I brought up the resurrection I am here before you today

Felix’s decision vs. 22-27

Somewhere along the way Felix had heard about Christianity and the Bible describes it as a more perfect knowledge which means he had an accurate knowledge of it.

Its hard not to think how many people have a head knowledge of God, but it never makes it to their heart. Its one thing to know of God and a totally different thing to know God.

I remember hearing 18 inches - the distance from your head to your heart- can mean eternity with Christ or an eternity separated from him.

I pray this morning you don’t just know of Jesus, but you know him!

He took the easy way out and deferred the case until he could get the chief captain down from Jerusalem to give his first hand account of what had happened. In the mean time he placed Paul on house arrest.

While on house arrest he could move about and his friends could come see him, but he was still in custody.

While on House arrest Felix came with his wife Drusilla and called for Paul and heard him concerning faith in Christ.

You can tell Paul was a Baptist, he gave him a solid three point sermon

Paul reasoned of righteousness

Pauls letter to the Romans righteousness was a great theme

Righteousness required

Righteousness revealed

Righteousness recieved

Paul reasoned of temperance

Temperance means self control

Imagine standing in front of a volatile governor who was used to getting his way at all cost and telling him he needs to practice self control, which i s a fruit of the spirit.

Paul reasoned the judgement to come

There is no escape of the coming judgement except by way of calvary

at the end of verse 25 we see the reaction of Felix

Felix trembled

The word trembled here means that Felix was terrified

He was under conviction of the Holy Spirit and instead of yielding to the Spirit, he tells Paul to go his way and at a more convinient season he would call him

There is never a more convinient time than right now

The bible tells us in James that our life is like a vapour, it appears for a little time and then vanisheth away

If the Holy Spirit is convicting you this morning, don’t push it off, come this morning and we can show you from Gods word how you can be saved.

Its amazing after Paul had just preached righteousness, temperance, and judgement to come, that Felix would still expect a bribe from Paul to let him go.

Conclusion

This morning the Gospel has been presented and now its time to make a decision, will you place your faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and believe that Jesus died on a cross shedding his blood as the payment for you sins, was buried and rose the third day defeating death and hell or will you like Felix say not right now let me do it when its more convenient