Sermon Tone Analysis

Reading of Scripture

Pray

The basis for this sermon is all of Acts 24, but I want to begin by reading just two verses near the end of the chapter, verses 24-25.

Introduction

The title of this sermon is “Power in the Present.”

Proposition

The power of God’s witness through the Holy Spirit’s conviction compels a present response to the testimony of faith in Jesus Christ.

Introduction to Theme

When Jesus said:

Acts 1:8 (a)

“... you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you...”

That power promised in the Holy Spirit was power for Jesus’ followers to be His:

Acts 1:8 (b)

“…witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

The power of God is essential for the people of God to be witnesses for Jesus, and the power of God is the presence of God and the working of God by His indwelling Holy Spirit.

Without the Holy Spirit, people will not be convinced of a need for Jesus.

The work of the Holy Spirit is a work of conviction.

The Holy Spirit exposes or brings to light the wickedness of sin, the need we all have for righteousness, and the reality of the coming judgment in which we all will give an account of ourselves to God (John 16:8, Romans 14:12).

And when the conviction of the Holy Spirit is present, the power of the Spirit is present offering the gift of faith in that moment.

But faith has an enemy — called procrastination.

(FCF)

Procrastination is the action of putting off for later what may be accomplished now — in the present.

Procrastination can be good or bad, but in the context of faith — Procrastination is an enemy of faith, a sin of rejection.

The most sinful procrastination of all is to put off the gift of faith God is offering NOW.

To neglect the power of God’s witness through the conviction of the Holy Spirit compelling faith in Jesus Christ — NOW.

It is equally sinful for we who are in Christ, to procrastinate and delay when God gives us faith to obey what He wants us to do.

How often it is, that people procrastinate and put off for later the faith that is available in the present!

(FCF)

Introduction to the Text

Acts 24 reveals to us a governor at Caesarea, named Felix.

And Felix was a procrastinator.

When faith in Jesus Christ was spoken to him, the Holy Spirit was present, as Paul reasoned about righteousness, and self control, and the coming judgment.

And the conviction of the Holy Spirit was evident in that Felix “was alarmed,” meaning he was extremely afraid (LN).

It raises for us a question —

Did Felix receive the faith that was available to him in that moment?

Faith to receive Jesus as his righteousness?

Faith to receive the fruit of God’s Spirit of self control?

Faith to be saved from the coming judgment?

NO —

For Acts 24:25 tells us that Felix, in his fear said to Paul, “Go away for the present.

When I get an opportunity I will summon you.”

“Go away for now.

“When I find time, I’ll summon for your” (NET)

Go away for now — “I’ll get around to it later.”

Felix delays faith in Christ Jesus, and in his delay Felix rejects the faith available to him in that moment.

He rejects the grace of God.

Three times Felix is recorded as performing some kind of procrastinating action.

When the Roman soldiers first arrived at Caesarea with Paul, and presented him before Felix the governor, they also presented the letter from Lysias the tribune who had rescued Paul from the Jews who tried to kill him in Jerusalem.

When Felix read the letter, learned that Paul was from Cilicia,

This is the first procrastination of Felix, but it is a good one.

Felix will hear Paul’s case — but he will only do it when the accusers arrive to make their case.

Ananias was the high priest that commanded just days earlier that Paul be struck on the mouth.

Ananias was the one Paul called a “whitewashed wall” (Acts 23:3) — he was a hypocrite, judging Paul without concern for righteousness.

A high priest by title only for he knew not the Messiah of God - Jesus Christ.

Ananias came to Caesarea with some elders and a spokesman named Tertullus.

As a spokesman, Tertullus is an attorney or an advocate, a speaker in court (BDAG/LN).

I. Acts 24:2-9

These are the customary pleasantries for addressing the judge and making a legal case.

But notice the word “accuse” in verse 2.

While it is true that Tertullus is bringing charges against Paul, it is worth noting that this is the same word used to describe our enemy in Revelation 12:10 as an accuser, who “accuses” the brothers day and night before God.

The accusations about to be set forth against Paul spring from a demonic source.

The work of our adversary, the accuser.

The first charge made against Paul is against Paul’s character — “this man is a plague.”

A public menace.

A troublemaker.

A pest. (LN/BDAG).

And because of his character, they charge that he “stirs up riots among all the Jews throughout the world” meaning the “Roman empire.”

That word “riot” describes rebellion.

This is meant to remind us as hearers of the injustice that happened to Jesus when Jesus who was innocent was led away to be crucified and a man named Barabbas was freed, who had been imprisoned because of this same charge — riots, rebellion and ultimately murder.

(Lk 23:25).

Tertullus charges that Paul is “a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes” (meaning Paul is a leader of those who follow this Jesus the Nazarene — Paul is a leader of the Christians) (NET).

And —

In other words — they charge Paul had tried to make the temple unclean.

They thought he tried to bring Trophimus the Ephesian, a Gentile, into the temple (Acts 21:28).

Paul is a rebel, stirs up riots, and tried to profane the temple — so he is a pest.

The word for “charge” is the word for “attack.”

And that is what this is against Paul.

It is not a legitimate charge grounded in the truth, but it is an attack full of false accusations.

But Paul is ready to mount a defense before Felix.

II.

Acts 24:10-21

He begins first by addressing and dismissing their charges:

In other words — there hasn’t been enough time for Paul to be in Jerusalem causing such riots and revolts to be considered a plague.

It’s not been more than twelve days!

Note that Paul does not have an advocate like Tertullus, but Paul is making his defense for himself.

And this is why: after pointing out that the accusations against him don’t make sense, he then makes a defense of his faith:

Acts 24:14 (a)

“But this I confess to you...”

This is the matters on which I agree with my accusers…

This “Way” which they call a sect (or a division) Paul confesses is not something different than what the Jews believe — but it is the continuation and fulfillment of what they believe — but fulfilled in Jesus the Messiah!

What the Jews believe is incomplete.

It doesn’t go far enough.

Paul is not a part of something different — Paul is part of something that is the same.

The same history, the same fathers, the same Law, the same Prophets, the same hope in the same God believing in the same resurrection —

And after quickly putting aside the areas of difference, Paul moves to areas of common ground to show that he is not rebelling against their religion, but he is living in the completion of their religion through the one who said “I am the Way.” (John 14:6).

Through Jesus, who said:

Paul acknowledges before Felix that his hope is in God — that God will resurrect both the just and the unjust.

The righteous and the unrighteous.

Subtly Paul hints that whatever unrighteousness may occur to him, there is a higher authority and a higher power that is true righteousness, in God.

Paul acknowledges that a clear conscience toward both God and man is something worth taking great efforts for.