Sermon Tone Analysis

Paul Imprisoned

Paul is in jail for his faith.

He is being kept in Herod’s Palace in Caesarea awaiting his trial.

What is integrity?

Integrity: “Doing the right thing when no one is watching.”

Integrity: “Choosing courage over comfort; choosing what is right over what is fun, fast, or easy; and choosing to practice our values rather than simply professing them.”

Paul’s Integrity vs. the Religious leaders

Tertullus’ description of Felix vs. Historical Felix

“Felix became the procurator by the petition of his brother.

Felix's cruelty, coupled with his accessibility to bribes (see Book of Acts 24:26), led to a great increase of crime in Judaea.

The period of his rule was marked by internal feuds and disturbances, which he put down with severity.

In 58, Felix hired assassins to murder Jonathan, the High Priest, shortly after the latter took office.

Jonathan had often criticized Felix about governing the Jewish affairs, and threatened to report to Caesar if Felix did not do well because Jonathan was the one who made recommendation to Caesar to send Felix to be the procurator of Judea.

Felix persuaded one of Jonathan's most trusted friends, Doras, a citizen of Jerusalem, to hire robbers to kill Jonathan by promising to give him a large sum of money.

Doras arranged for some hired men to mingle with the worshippers in the Temple in Jerusalem, while they hid daggers under their garments.

These assassins succeeded in killing Jonathan during a Jewish festival and were never caught.

After Paul the Apostle was arrested in Jerusalem and rescued from a plot against his life, the local Roman chiliarch Claudius Lysias transferred him to Caesarea, where he stood trial before Felix.

On at least one further occasion Felix and his wife Drusilla heard Paul discourse, and later on frequently sent for Paul and talked with him.

However, it appears that his actual desire was to receive a bribe from Paul, a request that the Apostle didn't give into (Acts 24:24–26).

When Felix was succeeded as procurator, having already detained Paul for two years, he left him imprisoned as a favor to the Jews (Acts 24:27).

Upon returning to Rome, Felix was accused of using a dispute between the Jews and Syrians of Caesarea as a pretext to slay and plunder the inhabitants, but through the intercession of his brother, the freedman Pallas, who had great influence with the Emperor Nero, he escaped unpunished.

Porcius Festus succeeded him as procurator of Judea.

Many historians believe that Felix may have had tuberculosis (like many other Romans), and that this was the cause of his death.”

Tertullus’ description of Paul vs. Historical Paul

But, so that I will not burden you any further, I request that you would be kind enough to give us a brief hearing.

5 For we have found this man to be a plague, an agitator among all the Jews throughout the Roman world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.

6 He even tried to desecrate the temple, and so we apprehended him.

By examining him yourself you will be able to discern the truth about these charges we are bringing against him.”

9 The Jews also joined in the attack, alleging that these things were true.

Historical Paul: “The “apostle to the Gentiles” who spread the message about Jesus Christ throughout the ancient world through his missionary efforts.

Several of his letters are included in the New Testament canon.”

Paul’s only crime was following Jesus.

He never desecrated the temple nor was he plotting a rebellion.

Paul was doing what God had called him to do.

Paul is the only character in this story with integrity.

Felix was a corrupt and abusive leader and the Pharisees were manipulative and law breakers.

Paul stands alone in this story.

Paul is an “Alligator”

Alligators creep below the surface stalking their prey

When Alligators attack it is sudden and violent

Living with Integrity

By living with integrity, Paul’s life was above reproach

Reproach: “the expression of disapproval or disappointment.”

Paul’s life was not above Men’s reproach but was lived to honor and glorify the Lord

Does God receive glory from how we are currently living our lives?

What do we need to change in our lives to give God more glory?

This call to live above reproach is important to how we live as Christians.

It is so important that Paul tells Titus not to consider a man to be pastor unless he is living a life above reproach

Titus 1:6-7 “6 namely, if any man is above reproach, the husband of one wife, having children who believe, not accused of dissipation or rebellion.

7 For the overseer must be above reproach as God’s steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not pugnacious, not fond of sordid gain,”

1 Timothy 3:2-3 “2 An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money.”

Imagine you had a pastor that did not live with integrity.

What kind of damage can that cause a congregation?

Why is it important for leaders in the church to have integrity?

Imagine Paul had no integrity.

Would he be able to stand before Felix as innocent and be able to defend his cause?

No.

Here is the beauty of the Gospel.

Thirty years earlier, Paul would not have been able to stand before anyone.

Paul used to have no integrity.

He would defend the law, that said you shall not murder, then he would hunt down Christians and have them thrown in jail and executed.

Something changed in the heart of Paul.

Before Jesus we were dead in our sin.

No integrity.

Liars, thieves, murderers, adulterers, and blasphemers at heart.

We stood condemned before a holy God.

We broke His law and were deserving of eternity in Hell, separated from God.

But God loves us so much that He sent His Son Jesus to pay the penalty of our sin.

Jesus came in the form of a man, fully God, fully man, and He lived a life of integrity.

Jesus was perfect.

He never sinned not even once, yet He was put to death on the cross for our sins.

He died on the cross making payment for our sin and He rose again proving He had power over death.

Now He invites us into a relationship with Him.

One we could not have before because of our sin but can have now because of His righteousness.

The Holy God that we once stood before as condemned and dirty now sees us as clean and blameless.

We have been justified, not because of what we did, but because of what Christ accomplished for us on the cross.

In response to that good news, Jesus calls us to follow Him and to live our lives just as He did, with integrity.

You may be saying to yourself, ‘I don’t want to be a leader in the church, do I still need to live with integrity?”

The call to live with integrity is for all who put their faith in Jesus.

When we trust Jesus as our Lord and Savior, our heart is transformed.

He gives us His Holy Spirit and makes us into new creations.

To be a Christian and to live without integrity fundamentally goes against what Christ has made us into.

How do we live as people set apart for God?

I spent a good part of my Christian life living without integrity.

It is exhausting.

Living without integrity is so against our nature as Christians that it begins to feel like we are living two lives.

We have our Sunday-Wednesday personalities and then we have our everywhere else personalities.

The reason it becomes so exhausting is because our two natures are at war with each other.

We cannot live according to Christ and according to our flesh.

One has to die.

That is why Paul says He has been crucified with Christ.

His flesh is dead to sin and he has been made alive to Christ.

Paul also tells us that in war between flesh and Spirit when we walk according to the Spirit the attributes of Jesus begin to take root in our lives.

Christian Liberty

What is Christian liberty?

Those areas of our lives that the Bible does not directly address.

How should I dress?

What should I eat?

Christian liberty is a gift from God.

We are not burdened by the Law of Moses but free to follow Christ in grace.