Acts Ch24 Righteous Response to the Resurrection

Text

Acts 24 ESV

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.

Proposition Statement

The righteous live in response to the reality of the resurrection

Introduction

back end of Acts

Paul’s visit to Jerusalem

rescued 4 times

God will see us through

“God guarantees the fulfillment of His Word and the success of the mission He has called us to.”

God told Paul that as he testified in Jerusalem, so also he must testify to the Gentile kings

Ch 24 - governor Felix

Ch 25 - governor Festus (succeeded Felix)

Ch 26 - king Agrippa

The last time Paul was rescued in Ch 23, Claudius Lysias had heard of a plot

sent him off to Caesarea to governor Felix with 200 soldiers, 70 horsemen, 200 spearmen

That is the threat that faced Paul

But God is sovereign

Sent him with this letter:

Acts 23:26–29 ESV

“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.

Acts 23:26–30 ESV

“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.”

-29

And so Paul is sent from leader to leader, from trial to trial

each time being found innocent

But God allows it to continue in order that Paul can do as He said he would do - testify about Jesus to the Gentile kings

The gospel must spread

Paul is enduring for the sake of Christ

Every time he is put on trial, Paul is careful to point out what the issue really is

Its the resurrection

“The righteous live in response to the reality of the resurrection.”

1. The Self-Righteous Accusers

The High priest Ananias, elders and Tertullus (advocate)

Come to make a case against Paul

Taking it very seriously

Shows how important it was to the Jews to shut Paul up

A) Their Flattery of Felix

Long, drawn out, flattery of Felix

“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.”

Sucking up big time to the Gentile powers

to the Gentiles that they hated

but again this shows the extent to which they were prepared to go to silence Paul

“Since under you we enjoy much peace...” … “…by your foresight reforms are being made...”

This was all a lot of rubbish

Felix

a brutal governor

Brought in to bring peace and stability to the region

Instead his reign was marked by violence and toi-toi’s

Historians say he wasn’t able to control the chaos in the province

If anything, he added fuel to the fires

Noted, he inherited problems

He was left a mess to clean up

notorious group of bandits called the Sicarri

but instead of arresting and dealing with them, he hired them to kill the Jewish high priest Jonathan

You would think that the Sanhedrin, and in particular Ananias the high priest, would oppose him

but they hate Paul more

And they are putting all their hopes in convincing Felix to silence Paul

Their trust is in the legal system

Their trust is in the world

They couldn’t trust in God - because they knew they had an unjust case

B) The Case Against Paul

Now that they have praised the tyrant Felix for bringing peace to the region, they charge Paul - accusing him of disturbing the peace

You have brought peace, but this man has been a plague

Under you we had peace, but this man stirs up riots

You have brought reforms, but this man is a ringleader of a sect, and is profaning the temple!

The irony...

the contrast...

He flatters and praises the tyrant for bringing peace, and accuses the one bringing the gospelof peace, with bringing disruption

Did they have a solid case?

No

He had escaped this far and been sent to Felix because the tribune Lysias had found him innocent already

Was he disturbing the peace?

There was always unrest among the jews - not Paul’s fault

When Paul was around there was a disturbance - but it wasn’t of Paul’s making

The Roman governors could see through the political manipulation of the Jews

Was the charge of being a ringleader of a sect a scary one for Felix?

it was intended to make Felix think they were a threat

Felix doesn’t seem to be threatened - actually intrigued

Acts 24:2–4 ESV

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.

Acts 24:

Did Paul try to profane the temple?

There was no proof of this

They had no eyewitnesses

They could only claim they stopped him before he could

They had no case

They were there to twist the facts, to use any means necessary - go to any length...

to get rid of Paul

C) Religion Without the Resurrection

Why are the Jews so desperate to get rid of Paul?

It really comes down to one main thing - the resurrection of Jesus

This will come out clearly in Paul’s testimony

2. The Believing Defendant

A) His Trust in God

“Knowing that for many years you have been a judge over this nation, I cheerfully make my defense.”

Quite a contrast between Tertullus introduction and Paul’s

Acts 24:10 ESV

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.

Paul doesn’t flatter - he’s not there to impress Felix

Acts 24:10-

Neither does Paul believe that his future is in the hands of Felix

Paul knows his future is in the hands of God

So rather than flatter Felix with lies, Paul speaks the truth with confidence and a clear conscience

“I know that for many years you have been a judge over this nation”

Paul is saying I know you have been around for long enough to know the complexities of Jewish politics

You know whats up

You can make a judgment here because you know the back story

So now I cheerfully tell you my side of the story

B) His Defence against the Charges

You know I came to Jerusalem not longer than 12 days ago

probably taking a stab at the Jews

since there was always issues with the Jews, I presume Paul is saying there was trouble before he got there

Nobody has seen me disputing, debating, arguing with anyone

Even if he was, he had a right to

But his point is, nobody has even seen him doing so

Nobody has seen me stirring up a crowd

neither in the temple, nor synagogues, nor city

None of these people who are sitting here today can prove any of the charges they have brought against me

Down in verse 18 he says the Jews found him alone in the temple, without a crowd anywhere near him

But, he says there were some Jews there from Asia, the only eyewitnesses

The Jews sit here with no eyewitnesses - why didn’t they bring those eyewitnesses with to testify?

Or let these men then tell you exactly what I was doing in the temple that was wrong?

Other than this thing:

Its all About the Resurrection

Verse 21 “It is with respect to the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you this day”

This whole thing centers around the Jews’ refusal to accept the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The Jews want Paul gone because he preaches the resurrection of Jesus Christ

And yet, as Paul points out, the resurrection is completely consistent with the Jewish religion

Verse 14-16:

Acts 24:14–16 ESV

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.

Acts 24:14

Look at these Jews…

I worship the same God their fathers worshiped

I believe everything laid down by their Law and written in their Scriptures by their prophets…

And in believing all these things I am exercising a hope in God, that there will be a resurrection of the dead

which - verse 15 - these men themselves accept!

Most of the Sanhedrin were Pharisees who believed in the resurrection of the dead…

so why is it so hard for them to believe as I do, the Jesus Christ was resurrected from the dead?

Maybe because they crucified him.

Because although everything in the Scriptures, the prophets, the Law, all pointed to Jesus and was fulfilled in Jesus...

They refused to believe it

The problem was a faith issue.

The problem was not with their ability to keep the traditions of the Jewish religion

It wasn’t with their ability to be obedient to their religious practices

Paul believ

They were very consistent and obedient in observing the sacrifices and festivals

They even made up more rules to follow and followed them

If these Jews believed what their fathers believed and what the Prophets believed…

If they believed everything laid down by the Law and written in the Scriptures by the prophets...

then they

The problem wasn’t with doing any of those things

Their problem was they did not believe in the Messiah that the Law and all the sacrifices pointed to

They did not believe in Jesus Christ

So what is the difference between the Jewish accusers, and Paul who is standing trial yet again?

They both had the same Bible, but Paul believed it

We all have the same Bible, but not everyone believes it

There are even many in churches today who own many Bibles

study bibles

big bibles

small bibles

pretty bibles

old, precious bibles handed down from generation to generation

and many in churches know their bibles just as well as the Jews knew the Scriptures…

but they don’t believe it

Friends, what good does it do if you know the Bible but don’t believe what it says about Jesus Christ?

What good will it do if you can recite many Bible verses, but do not believe in the One of whom those verses speak?

3. The Corrupt Judge

You might say, well then how do we know if we are believing?

How do I know with any certainty which of those two camps I am in?

And the answer is in what Paul says...

Verse 15-16:

Acts 24:15–16 ESV

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.

Paul believes in the resurrection of Jesus, And in the resurrection of the just and the unjust

He believes that Jesus died, and was raised

And He believes that as a result, every one of us will also be raised

And because he believes in the resurrection…

he strives to live with a clear conscience towards God and man.

In other words, His faith in Jesus and his death and resurrection compels him to live a righteous lifestyle.

Remember our main point: The righteous live in response to the reality of the resurrection

What does your lifestyle look like?

What does your lifestyle reveal about your faith?

If I were to examine your lifestyle without knowing who you are, your name, whether you go to church...

If I were to just follow you around from Monday to Saturday, and just observe your actions and behaviours and habits...

would I observe things that reveal to me that you are living every day in light of the fact that Jesus is God

that He died for you, that he was raised for you to save you and forgive you

that you are walking in his grace and forgiveness daily with gratitude and humility and thankfulness,

seeking to serve him and praise him and glorify him with your works…

even in the way that you treat others - even unbelievers...

Or would I see the actions of someone who lives as the pharisees did

Having a knowledge of things… but not believing it to the extent that it changes your life

and shapes how you live and treat others

We are not saved by obedience or by works - The Jews are proof of that

We are saved by believing

But believing in Jesus comes with a compulsion to live a righteous lifestyle

Acts 24:25 ESV

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.”