Faithful and Falsely Accused

Read Acts 21:17–36

Matthew 5:11 (ESV)

11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.

Paul’s Actions

Like Jesus, Paul sought solely to honor His God

Worship, meet with the brethren, and give a report to the Elders over what God had been doing as they ministered the past several years (v.17-19)

Delivery of the collection for Jerusalem (Acts 24:17) for the relief of the Jewish Christians and the glory of God

Acts 24:17 NASB95

17 “Now after several years I came to bring alms to my nation and to present offerings;

See also Acts 11:29; Rom 15:25–28; 1 Cor 16:1–4; 2 Cor 8:1–4; 9:1, 2, 12; Gal 2:10

Observation of the Law - still part of Paul’s identity (v.20-26)

(even sacrifice for his brethren - *1 Cor 9:20) - Paul was faithful unto God and willingly sacrificed his "rights” and liberties for the good of others.

Paul knew a secret was completely freeing; a secret your and I struggle to truly grasp. He knew he couldn’t control the outcome

***Faithfulness isn’t controlling outcomes, obeying and trusting God, no matter what

Ex. Joseph in prison. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the furnace. They had no control over the outcomes, but they did what they could do to honor God, and trusted Him with the outcome, whatever it may be.

God’s glory is more important! Not only that, but believing we can control outcomes of circumstances is like believing we are Pecos Bill. You cannot lasso a tornado!

What can you control? Really only one thing - What you do. When deciding what to do, let this liberating principle be your guide. You are not God. You don’t control the outcome. Your duty is simply to trust and obey. “Trust and obey, for there's no other way, to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey” - John Henry Sammis (1846-1919)

Not a burden we bear,

Not a sorrow we share,

But our toil He doth richly repay;

Not a grief or a loss,

Not a frown or a cross,

But is blest if we trust and obey.

Friend, what outcomes might you be trying to manipulate this morning? Focus on what is true. Do what is right. Then trust your faithful, wise and loving Father with the outcome, even if it ends up different than what we want.

Paul didn’t want to be beaten, arrested and imprisoned - ***Because Paul trusted God and was faithful we have the white hot burning witness of this Apostle in the New Testament and the Gospel went forth to the nations. It was during his imprisonment that he wrote Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon.

Because Jesus trusted His Father we have a Savior whose perfect righteousness covers every sin for those who trust in Him. Faithful obedience of another has saved us. Glory be to God!

Faithful obedience always brings God Glory. Sometimes honoring God also brings opposition.

Paul’s Accusers

Like Jesus, Paul was falsely accused by his own

Jews (and especially those from Asia)

Paul loved his countryman (*Romans 9:1-5 , as did Jesus - Luke 13:34) , but they would utterly reject him John 1:11, Matthew 5:11

v.20-21 , 28-29

the accuser (Rev 12:10; Zech 3:1; 1 Pet 5:8 )

Their false claims (v.21) - give up circumcision, abandon customs, defile the temple

Where did their accusations come from? Paul had taught against the Law as the way for righteousness, and against forcing others to keep it - see Galatians 4:9, 5:6, Romans 2:25-29, but he had also taught that we should protect the conscience of our brothers and sisters in the Lord by not being insensitive to their customs (Romans 14-15, 1 Corinthians 8-10). He even had Timothy circumcised in Acts 16:3 for the sake of their witness to the Jews.

They were not concerned with the truth, but instead with neutralizing a perceived thread. This sort of thinking leads to all sorts of evil.

Their under-handed tactics (spread rumor, stir up the crowd, do whatever it takes to accomplish their aims). Later, they’ll plot his murder, just like they did Jesus. Paul was faithful, yet that didn’t stop him from being falsely accused.

Sometimes it can. Matthew 5:16

Matthew 5:16 NASB95

16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

We are to be people of truth.

James 1:19 NASB95

19 This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger;

People of the truth care about discovering the truth, therefore they listen and learn before they speak.

Then they speak from a place of truth and love (Ephesians 4:15, 25).

Ephesians 4:15 NASB95

15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,

Ephesians 4:25 NASB95

25 Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.

Paul’s accusers did neither.

***Be people of truth.

Not “your truth” but “the truth”. First, by being people of the Word (“Thy Word is Truth” Jesus)

Truth is not just subjective! Don’t assume. Some people believe their conclusions are correct but confidence in your “rightness” isn’t the same as being correct. Ask yourself, “what is the basis for my confidence?” “Why do I think this is true?” Challenge assumptions and be willing to learn and discover what is true. Jesus is concerned with truth. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life and falsehood has no place with Him.

Be careful what you say. Don’t whitewash the truth but be careful with accusation. (Ex. Child who lies. They might be telling the truth. They may not have done it this time. They probably did. Let the truth guide. State only what is known to be true and don’t just repeat what others have stated.)

What do we do when we have tons of information but we cannot verify it? Here’s what we don’t do - use it to condemn and demonize others! This is the problem of our age. (i.e. Qanon, COVID-19, etc).

***False accusation is a great evil. We know it when it happens to us.

Ex. Estimated 2-10% wrongful conviction in US. 2.3 mil incarcerated, between 46k-230k people wrongly convicted. Travesty. Need accountability for those in authority. Nothing happens to the accusers upon acquittal. There is a judge who sees all, knows all and judges rightly. Him we are all accountable.

We can sometimes act as if we ourselves are judge and jury, condemning and writing people off with very little information. That is not God’s way.

***Be careful with assumptions you make especially when people’s reputations and character are at stake. Take care not to gossip, spread half truths or rumor. It’s easy to get spun up with the crowd but consider this, “what if I’m wrong”? Take great pains to not be a false witness. Don’t be like the devil.

What do you do when you are falsely accused? Do the right thing, speak the truth and trust God. Paul is a great example of this.

Paul’s Arrest

Like Jesus, Paul was arrested and held by Roman soldiers

(picture of temple mount)

Mob in the temple crying for blood (instigators and well meaning zealous people)

Roman soldiers come to his rescue (God-given authorities)