The Apostle Under Pressure

INTRODUCTION

Have you ever heard the term “torsional flutter” before?

Neither had I.

But I was watching a video a few weeks ago about the Galloping Gertie and I learned what torsional flutter is.

The Tacoma Narrows Bridge, otherwise known as the Galloping Gertie, stretched over the Puget Sound. (PICTURE 1)

It was this big, beautiful, massive suspension bridge.

It was opened in July 1940.

By Thanksgiving of 1940, it had collapsed and it was in the Puget Sound. (PICTURE 2)

And this was all due to “Torsional Flutter.”

Torsional Flutter just means, the wind is making something flap back and forth.

When the winds interacted with the specific design of the bridge, something happened that made it twist back and forth.

It put the bridge under tremendous pressure.

And on November 7th, 1940, 42 MPH winds made it twist back and forth to the point that the pressure made it collapse.

Too much torsional flutter will get you every time.

CONTEXT AND CONNECTION

CONTEXT

Paul is not dealing with torsional flutter this morning, but he is facing some heavy winds, so to speak.

It has been a little while since we have been in Acts, so let me just remind you what is happening:

Paul came to Jerusalem to bring money collected in Macedonia and Achaia to the brothers and sisters there

Paul came to Jerusalem because the Holy Spirit had directed him there as a witness for Christ

He knew he was going there to suffer and that is exactly what happens

He arrives and some Jews from Asia falsely accuse him of profaning the temple and a riot ensued.

A Roman tribune (today we will learn his name is Claudius Lysias), has charge over the garrison stationed at the Antonia Fortress in Jerusalem.

He intervenes and keeps the crowd from ripping Paul apart, but he isn’t exactly the cleanest character.

He orders that Paul is to be examined by flogging and the only reason it doesn’t happen is because Paul wisely informs the tribune that he is a Roman citizen by birth.

Paul is then brought before the Jewish council known as the Sanhedrin so that the tribune can learn more.

Paul testifies about his belief in resurrection and it divides the room and once again, there is such a stir that the tribune has to get Paul out of the situation.

The last we saw Paul, he was back in the military barracks and Jesus comes to him in the midst of these heavy winds and intense pressure and spoke to him in the night:

Acts 23:11 ESV

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.”

This is where we pick it up this morning.

CONNECTION

Maybe you relate to Paul this morning.

You have been experiencing some heavy winds as of late.

You are under pressure.

Doesn’t matter what the reason is—you are under it.

Well, my hope is that this morning we can glean some instruction from this passage about what to do when we are under pressure.

What do we do when the winds are causing us to twist back and forth?

What should our strategy be?

What is going to get us through the day?

And what is going to get us through the night?

And what is going to give us the heavenly mindset we need until we get to heaven?

OUTLINE AND APPROACH

We have a lot of Scripture in our passage this morning. A good bit of it is narrative repeating events we have already seen.

There is a temptation to not read all of it for the sake of time and get on with the preaching, but I don’t want to give into that.

I don’t want less of God’s words for more of mine.

The only perfect, infallible, inerrant, inspired and totally sufficient parts of our worship service today are the parts where we are reading the Word of God.

So I am going to go ahead and read our passage, but I will break it up into four parts to keep us from losing focus.

And then I will have three points for us this morning:

1. Under pressure, remember that you are safe in God’s providence.

2. Under pressure, remember that no one stops God’s purposes.

3. Under pressure, remember that we are still God’s proclaimers.

THE CONSPIRACY PLOT (23:12-15)

But let’s start with our first section of Scripture. Our smallest.

In Acts 23:12-15, we have what I will call, “The Conspiracy Plot.” Let’s remember that these are the very words of God:

Acts 23:12–15 ESV

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. There were more than forty who made this conspiracy. 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. 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.”

There are these Jews who hate Paul so much that they make a vow that they will not eat or drink until they have taken Paul out (v. 12).

The Greek word for oath is a form of the word anathema, which means to be eternally cut off or eternally destroyed.

So their oath is, “If I don’t kill Paul of Tarsus, let me be cut off from God forever.”

“And to show you how serious I am—I won’t eat or drink until he is dead!”

There are about forty men involved in the formation of this conspiracy (v. 13).

Their big plan is to have the chief priests and the Sanhedrin request that the tribune bring Paul before the council again (v. 14-15)

Their plan is to kill Paul during his travel to the examination before the council (v. 15)

THE CONSPIRACY IS FOILED (23:16-22)

Acts 23:16–22 ESV

Now the son of Paul’s sister heard of their ambush, so he went and entered the barracks and told Paul. Paul called one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the tribune, for he has something to tell him.” 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.” The tribune took him by the hand, and going aside asked him privately, “What is it that you have to tell me?” 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. 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.” So the tribune dismissed the young man, charging him, “Tell no one that you have informed me of these things.”

So we find out here that Paul has a sister who lives in Jerusalem with at least her son.

And the young nephew ends up spoiling the plot of the conspirators.

He hears about it and tells Paul (v. 16)

Paul gets his nephew an audience with the Roman tribune so that he can tell Claudius Lysias about the conspiracy plot (v. 17)

And the tribune hears him out, gets the details and urges him to keep this secret (v. 18-22)

PAUL SENT TO FELIX (23:23-30)

Acts 23:23–30 ESV

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. Also provide mounts for Paul to ride and bring him safely to Felix the governor.” And he wrote a letter to this effect: “Claudius Lysias, to his Excellency the governor Felix, greetings. 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. And desiring to know the charge for which they were accusing him, I brought him down to their council. I found that he was being accused about questions of their law, but charged with nothing deserving death or imprisonment. 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.”

The tribune orders 270 soldiers to protect Paul and get him safely to the governor (23:23-24)

He writes a letter to the governor explaining the situation and why Paul was being forwarded to him (23:25-30)

The letter is interesting for a couple of reasons:

First of all, we don’t know how Luke got access to this letter, but apparently he did.

Secondly, Claudius Lysias makes himself look a bit better than he really was, doesn’t he?

He makes it seem like he rescued Paul from the Jews because he knew that Paul was a Roman citizen.

However, that is not the truth.

He had arrested Paul and then primed and prepped him for a flogging.

It was only then that he found out Paul was a Roman citizen.

Now, Paul will be Felix’s issue.

PAUL BEFORE FELIX

And now for our biggest and final chunk of text. Remember—these are the very words of God:

Acts 23:31–24:27 ESV

So the soldiers, according to their instructions, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris. And on the next day they returned to the barracks, letting the horsemen go on with him. When they had come to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they presented Paul also before him. On reading the letter, he asked what province he was from. And when he learned that he was from Cilicia, he said, “I will give you a hearing when your accusers arrive.” And he commanded him to be guarded in Herod’s praetorium. 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. And when he had been summoned, Tertullus 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, in every way and everywhere we accept this with all gratitude. But, to detain you no further, I beg you in your kindness to hear us briefly. 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. He even tried to profane the temple, but we seized him. By examining him yourself you will be able to find out from him about everything of which we accuse him.” The Jews also joined in the charge, affirming that all these things were so. 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. You can verify that it is not more than twelve days since I went up to worship in Jerusalem, 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. Neither can they prove to you what they now bring up against me. 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, having a hope in God, which these men themselves accept, that there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust. So I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man. Now after several years I came to bring alms to my nation and to present offerings. While I was doing this, they found me purified in the temple, without any crowd or tumult. But some Jews from Asia— they ought to be here before you and to make an accusation, should they have anything against me. Or else let these men themselves say what wrongdoing they found when I stood before the council, 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.’ ” 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.” 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. 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. 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.” At the same time he hoped that money would be given him by Paul. So he sent for him often and conversed with him. When two years had elapsed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus. And desiring to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison.

Paul is escorted safely to Antipatris and then to Caesarea. Paul and the letter are delivered to Felix the governor (23:31-33).

He spends five days waiting for his accusers to get to town.

Antonius Felix was a Roman governor over Judea.

He was a lot like Pontius Pilate, except that Pilate would have had more military responsibility and Felix would have had more financial responsibility.

He held his office for about eight years and then he was accused of corruption, removed and Festus was took over the role.

Paul is arriving at Felix’s doorstep in the final couple years of his tenure as governor.

When Paul is on trial before Felix, you can see that it is a politically and religiously significant event (24:1-2)

On one hand, you have the Ananias, the high priest, coming down from Jerusalem with members of the Sanhedrin.

And they have enlisted the assistance of Tertullus—a legal and rhetorical expert, brought in to prosecute Paul.

Tertullus addresses Felix in verses 2-6 (24:2-8):

He lauds him as governor—which is a standard thing to do when a Roman was in the presence of authority (v. 2-3)

He calls Paul a plague, a riot-starter, and a ring-leader of the sect of the Nazarenes (v. 4-5)

The fact that he calls Christianity a sect speaks to how it was viewed by 1st century Jews.

This was just another offshoot of Judaism, like the political zealots who wanted to overthrow Rome or the Essenes who lived in the woods.

And on top of all that, Paul showed up in Jerusalem and profaned the temple, starting one of the aforementioned riots (v. 6)

And he is absolutely confident that if they examine Paul, they’ll find all these accusations to be true (v. 8)

By the way—it is worth stopping to say that if you are looking at your Bible and v. 7 is gone, don’t fret. Some Bibles add in an ending to v. 6, a verse 7 and a beginning to verse 8:

“…and we would have judged him according to our law. But the chief captain Lysias came and with great violence took him out of our hands, commanding his accusers to come before you.”

Many of the oldest Greek manuscripts found don’t have this phrase and that is why the ESV translators leave it out.

Nothing to worry over one way or the other.

After the high priests and elders affirm what Tertullus said (v. 9), Felix gives Paul his chance to speak (v. 10).

Paul’s address stretches from v. 10-21.

Gave his personal testimony about what he had done and why (v. 14-21)

Testifies to his creed (v. 14-16)

He is a NT believer–follower of the Way (14)

He says the Way is rooted in the Word (14)

He says he believes in the general resurrection (15)

This sides him with the Pharisees

He says he has a clear conscience before God and man (16)

Testifies to his charity (v. 17-18)

They are accusing him of profaning the temple when he was really giving alms.

Testifies to the conspicuously absent witnesses (19-21)

Where are the Jews from Asia who started all this mess in Jerusalem?

What can the Sanhedrin say they found Paul guilty of when they examined him, other than believing in resurrection?

And then Paul rests his case.

In the end, it is less of a legal defense and more of a testimony to the Gospel and his own Christian ethics.

As far as Felix goes, he hoped Paul would offer him a bribe, but when this didn't happen, he left Paul imprisoned as a favor to the Jews (v. 26-27)

Felix is a politician

He knows there is no civil case against Paul

He tables the matter for when Lysias comes, but Lysias is never called (v. 22-23)

By doing this, he is accomplishing three things.

First of all, it delays things and gives the Jewish men from Jerusalem time to cool off from their desire to see Paul dead.

Secondly, the Jews are satiated by the fact that Paul is left in prison. He is not free.

Thirdly, it keeps Paul alive.

The fact that Felix gives him a level of liberty and he can have friends visit tells you that he doesn’t see Paul as remotely dangerous.

He is giving him a level of dignity as a prisoner who is a Roman citizen, plus, Felix does summon Paul and he and his wife listen to him speak about the faith. (v. 24-25)

Paul speaks with reason, focusing on righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come.

He converses with him often and Felix is alarmed by what Paul is saying.

But sadly, as far as we know, not alarmed enough to repent. He leaves Paul in limbo.

PAUL’S PRESSURE

I would say, without a doubt, that Paul is under pressure.

He is facing heavy winds.

Whatever the physical and spiritual version of torsional flutter is—that is what he is dealing with.

So what can we learn from the Apostle’s reaction as he is under pressure?

This brings us to our points of application.

SAFE IN GOD’S PROVIDENCE

1. Under pressure, remember that you are safe in God’s providence.

When I say providence, here is what I mean:

The good God of the Universe, after creating everything, did not abandon it to chance or happenstance.

He leads and governs all things according to His will and arranges all things according to His glorious purposes.

John Piper sums that up with his crisp definition:

The providence of God is his purposeful sovereignty by which he will be completely successful in the achievement of his ultimate goal for the universe.

John Piper

So if you are late getting to work and you catch every green light on the way there and you arrive safely and on time, without breaking any laws, that isn’t LUCK. That is PROVIDENCE.

You should thank God that in His divine wisdom, He saw fit to arrange the events of the day in such a way that got you to work on time.

And if I am late getting to work and I catch every red light and I have sheepishly apologize to my boss—well that isn’t BAD LUCK. That is PROVIDENCE.

And you should thank God that in His divine wisdom, He saw fit to arrange the events of the day in such a way that He taught you a wonderful lesson about about how procrastination doesn’t pay!

So how is God providentially working in this passage?

PROVIDENCE IN ACTION

First of all, we have Paul’s nephew.

He just so happens to be in the right place at the right time to catch wind of the conspiracy and take the information to Paul.

Not luck—providence.

God sovereignly purposed that the young man would be in that right place at the right time, so that he could take the info to Paul.

Secondly, we have the man that Paul sends his nephew to—Claudius Lysias.

Paul’s entire relationship with this man has been brought about by the providence of God.

And God has used this man as an instrument to keep Paul safe from the fiery persecution in Jerusalem.

Now Paul’s nephew and his relationship to the tribune are to his benefit in this case. But at the end of the chapter, Paul is left under guard for a couple of years by Felix!

It is modified imprisonment, but he still is not a free man.

Paul is in chains for Christ.

And THIS TOO is according to the providence of God.

This too is for God’s glory.

He is moving everything toward a conclusion for His own glory.

This is what God is always doing in His providential activity.

He is a governing Sovereign who has woven a tapestry of history, which includes every human decision and action that has ever been enacted.

And as the purpose of the tapestry is the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.

TRUSTING IN PROVIDENCE

When we are under pressure, we must trust in God’s providence.

We must trust that He knows what He is doing. He doesn’t make mistakes.

Not in His actions. Not in the timing of His actions.

Even if we do not understand.

Paul seems to be maintaining a godly attitude through all that is taking place from God’s providential hand in these chapters. How?

Well, maybe it is because he believes what he wrote to the Romans just a couple of years before these incidents:

Romans 8:28–29 ESV

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

God, in His wise providence, is purposefully working all things together for the good of those whom love Him and have been called by Him.

That is the part many evangelicals understand. That is the part that ends up on the bumper sticker.

BUT—if we take the verse out of context, we are left with a question—What is the purpose?

The answer is found in v. 29— that those whom He has foreknown and predestined to salvation would be conformed to the image of Christ.

That is the great purpose that God is working all things together toward in your life.

Not your happiness, but your holiness.

He is making you look more like Jesus, day by day—sanctifying you.

And what does He so often use in order to do this?

Trials. Suffering. Persecution. Hardship. Valleys.

So as Paul is going through all of this, what he knows is that God is providentially working things out in such a way that Paul will end up looking more like Jesus.

And in order to trust in the providence of God, here is what Paul would have to believe and you and I have to believe:

That God’s providential plan will end up making us look more like Jesus than any plan that we would come up with on our own.

So as all these moving parts are in action around Paul and God is providentially weaving his tapestry, the Apostle trusts that God knows what He is doing.

It is like a trainer and a boxer.

Imagine a boxer is working out everything and doing these brutal routines and they are getting discouraged because they can’t see the end result.

They can’t quite get a mental picture of what all the pain and sweat is about.

So the next time they show up to work out, their trainer has put up a picture of Roy Jones Jr.

And they say, “That is a picture of the peak, quintessential fighter. That is your end goal.”

Suddenly, there was more endurance and perseverance from the boxer, because they could see what the trainer wanted them to be.

We can look at Christ and see who God wants us to be.

That is the image He is conforming us to.

Whatever He does and arranges in His providence, you can trust Him and endure, knowing the end result He is after for you.

NO ONE STOPS GOD’S PURPOSES

2. Under pressure, remember that no one stops God’s purposes.

We have talked about God’s purposeful sovereignty in action in His providence.

And now we can look at this text and see that no one stops those purposes. No one thwarts God’s decreed will.

Right off the top in this passage, we have these forty men who conspire together to murder Paul.

But their conspiracy fails because of the ears of a youth.

God frustrates their plans with a young man who could probably barely grow facial hair.

Then they hire this fancy legal expert to come and prosecute Paul, but again, plans to kill the Apostle to not come to fruition. Why?

Because God didn’t want them to.

The Spirit has already called Paul to go to Rome by way of Jerusalem.

Acts 19:21 ESV

Now after these events Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.”

Christ told him in 23:11 that he would go and be a witness in Rome.

This was going to happen.

These Jews could make whatever rash vow they wanted and the high priest can hire whatever orator he wants to, but Paul is going to Rome.

God has purposed it and it will be done.

Listen to what Job says about the Lord:

Job 42:2 ESV

“I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.

Think about everything Job went through as a man.

This was his ultimate conclusion—No one can stop God’s purposes and there is no end to His power.

Psalm 115:3 ESV

Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.

He does ALL that He pleases.

What God takes pleasure in is His will.

And He does ALL of that which He takes pleasure in.

So God does ALL of His decreed will.

In the 2006 cinematic classic, “Ice Age: The Meltdown,” Scrat the Squirrel is working hard for an acorn when the giant glacier he is on starts to split in half.

So this little squirrel grabs onto each side of the glacier and tries to keep the thing from breaking apart.

Of course as the glaciers do break apart, his arms get all stretched out and his eyes pop out of his head and it ends with him getting washed away in the waters under the glacier when he inevitably fails.

This is a great picture of what it looks like for humans to try and thwart the decreed purposes of God.

Those glacier pieces are separating.

You can’t stop it.

It is going to happen.

ENCOURAGING FOR THE CHRISTIAN LIFE

This is encouraging to us when we consider the impact on the Christian life:

When we think of what is definitely decreed by God, it is comforting.

He decreed that there would be light.

He decreed that His Son would be sent to save His people from their sins.

He decreed His Son would die and rise again.

These things have happened.

Then we can be confident that His decrees regarding the future will take place as well:

He has decreed that the gates of Hell shall not prevail against His Church

He has decreed that Christ will return

He has decreed that those saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ will be God’s people forever in the New Jerusalem.

It is encouraging when we are under pressure in the Christian life to know that the pressure will not ultimately thwart God’s purposes.

Burger King makes annoying commercials and tell us that at BK you can HAVE IT YOUR WAY.

But God is the One who will truly have His way.

That is a comfort to us as His people when we are walking on our way.

STILL GOD’S PROCLAIMERS

3. Under pressure, remember that we are still God’s proclaimers.

A proclaimer is a person with a message.

This is who we are as Christians.

We are Kingdom people with a Kingdom message.

We are saved people with a message of salvation.

We tell the world of Jesus Christ, who was crucified, resurrected and who will come again.

However, I think that sometimes when we are under pressure, we take that as an excuse to push the brake pedal on Gospel proclamation.

We think that we are excused from evangelism while we are hurting.

We don’t even stop to think that God may want to use our hurt for evangelism.

But we do not find that mindset in Paul in this passage.

He takes the opportunity to proclaim in his trial.

“But I confess this to you, that according to the Way…I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets...”

In other words, “I am a Christian because the Bible tells me Jesus is the Christ and I worship God through Him.”

He also takes the opportunity to proclaim to Felix and his wife, to the point that Felix is alarmed by the Gospel realities Paul is heralding.

He doesn’t use the suffering as an opportunity to sit out, but speak up when it comes to proclaiming the truth about God and His Son.

He practices what he preaches to Timothy:

2 Timothy 1:8 ESV

Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God,

Paul is not ashamed of the Gospel and is willing to suffer for it.

He wants Timothy to do the same.

2 Timothy 4:2 ESV

preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.

Prison may feel like an out of season time for witnessing, but Paul was ready in season AND out of season.

There are some parts of my identity that change depending on where I am.

When I am at church, most of you call me Pastor Michael.

But when I am home, even though I am Katie, Beckett, Everett and Millie’s pastor, they don’t call me Pastor Michael. That would be weird.

They call me Dad.

Katie calls me Husband.

Depending on my circumstance and who I am around, my identity shifts a bit.

But this is never the case for us when it comes to proclaiming the Gospel of Christ.

Instead, no matter where we are, and no matter how intense the pressure is in our lives, we must proclaim the truth about Jesus.

No matter how much torsional flutter we are experiencing in the circumstances of life, we must keep being faithful to the job of being an ambassador for Christ.

Our identity as Gospel proclaimers never shifts.

It is never muted.

It is who we are, no matter where we are, and no matter when we are there.

CONCLUSION

Brother or sister, have you allowed the pressure of life to deflate you?

Has it let the air out of your exuberance for Christ?

Has it let the air out of your passion for witnessing?

Has it let the air out of your joy all together?

Follow the Apostle’s example this morning.

You are not a poorly designed bridge collapsing into the waters of Washington state.

You are a child of God.

You are in His providential hand.

You are serving Him in His unstoppable, purposeful plan.

And you are a Gospel proclaimer with the Holy Spirit of the living God dwelling in you.

Live with these things in mind.

The devil wants you to forget these realities, but the Lord has reminded us today.

Stand firm under whatever pressure you are feeling. Take courage.