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Bro. Otis Fisher
We have the 24th chapter of Acts this morning. You remember back in chapter 23, the third verse went like this.
Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, thou whited wall.
For saidest thou to judge me after the law, and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law.
You remember that? Well that was no idle threat. Now Paul didn't make a big issue of it, but within one year, that priest was murdered by his son, 24 -1.
And after five days, Ananias, the high priest, descended with the elders and with a certain orator named
Ternelius, who informed the governor against Paul.
Ananias, the high priest, with the elders or the head of the
Jewish council, came down and came down to Caesarea from Jerusalem, a great many miles, to inform the governor against Paul.
Why are they so insistent in carrying this through, Greg? That's right.
And this is according to God's plan, but we have to set that aside for the moment.
They just did not like Paul. He's a turncoat, he's a traitor, and they're going to fix his wagon.
We find that the devil's people spare no cost in doing his work.
Ternelius was probably a Roman proselyte. What is that,
David? A Gentile. We find that, in secular history, that he speaks every place as a
Jew. Now, we happen to know a person like that, and all it does is antagonize, too.
And when he was called forth, Ternelius began to accuse him, saying,
See that by thee we enjoy great quietness, and that very worthy deeds are done in this nation by thy providence.
Politics is nothing new, is it? Paul, the prisoner being called forth,
Ternelius, the orator, began to show the art by flattering insinuations.
He is flattering, who was it?
Felix. Now, Greg, do you suppose that Felix knew that this was flattering?
Yes. There is no cause so foul and bad, but someone will be found to plead it.
Judges need to be wise as serpents and as harmless as doves, discerning between truth and falsehood.
The last observation I made on this verse was that bad government is better than no government.
Tyranny itself is better than anarchy. The Jews were not now nor were they the masters of their own fate.
That's a tributary to the Romans. 3.
We accept it always, and in all places, most noble Felix, with all thankfulness, notwithstanding that I be not further tedious unto thee,
I pray thee that thou wouldst hear us of thy clemency a few words.
Give us this further proof of your kindness. The whole of this was artful enough, though it was lame.
The orator had certainly a few bad causes of which he endeavored to make the best.
What about Felix? Was he a good man or a bad man,
Greg? He was a corrupt man and governor, yet he had to be flattered to accommodate his esteem.
Paul was a very good man. Nothing amiss could be proved against him. We know that.
For we have found this man a pestilent fellow. Joy, what is a pestilent fellow?
For we have found this man a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition among all the
Jews throughout the whole world. Now, David, throughout the whole world, what's he talking about?
Was that in New York City? And a ringleader of the sect of the
Nazarenes. We have here a name of the church, perhaps the first name.
They were known as Nazarenes. But the chief captain,
Loseus, came upon us and with great violence took him away out of our hands.
They were rather vexed with this captain because that prevented them from killing
Paul. No bad cause was ever more judiciously and cunningly managed as this one by Tartaglias.
Commanding his accusers to come unto thee by examining of whom thyself mayest take knowledge of all of these things whereof we accuse him.
And the Jews also assented saying that these things were so. Now, Tartaglias probably called the witnesses one at a time and examined them thoroughly.
But Luke just sums it up by saying that they all agreed. The Jews were permitted by the
Romans to put any person to death who contaminated their temple.
And of this they accused Paul. Then Paul, after that the governor beckoned unto him to speak, answered.
Forasmuch as I know that thou hast been of many years a judge unto this nation,
I do the more cheerfully answer for myself. Now, was
Paul getting ready to flatter Felix? No.
Well, he is accused of three notable crimes.
Sedition, heresy, and defilement of the temple. One, how undaunted, innocent, is a good person and in a good cause.
Paul was so far from being alarmed by the greatness of his enemies or by the heminency of their accusation that he tells the governor he did with all cheerfulness undertake his defense.
First, the crime of sedition.
Secondly, as to the crime of heresy, the crime of sedition.
What is that joy? What schism is in matters of religion that is seditious in matters of temporal and civil government?
There aren't any. Sedition is committed three ways, by the head, by the tongue, and by the hand.
Now, he quoted, or backing up, they quoted, we have found this fellow a mover of sedition.
I have so much written that I'm not going to spend your time on.
Eleven, because that thou mayest understand that there are yet but twelve days since I went up to Jerusalem for to worship.
There were yet but twelve days. This is his reply to their charge of sedition.
How could he, in twelve days, have rounded up a group of people to come against and to defile the temple?
How could he in such a short time? He couldn't.
So, that was ridiculous. And they neither found me in the temple disputing with any man, neither raising up the people, neither in the synagogues, nor in the city, neither can they prove the things whereof they now accuse me.
But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship
I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and to the prophets.
They were afraid that the Christians whom they called Nazarenes should form a new sect and divide the interest of both the preceding and what they feared that they'd charge them with.
Or on this account, the Christians had both the Pharisees and the Sadducees for their enemies.
They had charged Jesus Christ with plotting against the state and endeavoring to raise seditions.
And they charged his fellow followers with the very same thing.
Let me pause here. The time is upon us today. We will be imprisoned.
Imprisoned for teaching the truth of God. It's already practiced in some countries and soon we'll be here.
There's been so many things that I did not think was possible. And it started with me not being able to teach the
Bible in a Southern Baptist church. They took my class away from me.
Well, that's nothing compared to where it's going. We that teach the truth of Christ, David, will never be popular or welcome in this world.
15. And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust.
Let me ask you, what is the principle and guide of a good man's action?
Greg, joy, his conscience.
The world, the word, and the law of God is the rule of our actions.
But conscience is the immediate guide and director of them.
You get that? We must not make conscience fit the situation, but in the whole course, name of our life, and actions.
Religion should be a constant frame and temper of the mind.
Is yours? In everything do you do your very best.
I'm sorry to say I don't sometimes. What was the
Apostle's great motive and encouragement to do all of this?
Why is he going through the trial, if you call it that?
He doesn't seem to be worried. So, David, tell me, why is he going through it as he is?
Yes. All right, could we say this?
Paul is willingly going through this because of his belief in the resurrection, the future state of rewards and punishments consequent upon it.
If we believe the resurrection and the judgment to come, we shall be very careful to discharge a good conscience now, in order to render a good account of ourselves then.
David, can you be safe in doing what your conscience guides you to do all of the time?
Greg, what happens when you violate your conscience? What do we call that?
I call it a sin. Sixteen.
And herein do I exercise myself to have always a conscience void of offense toward God and toward men, in doing nothing to them that I would not on a change of circumstances they should do to me, and in withholding nothing by which
I might comfort and serve them. This thing of conscience, it gets very close to us.
We all have a conscience. God guided.
And that's why, as Greg says, we know immediately. Now, you may find out tomorrow that what you did was wrong, but it was not wrong to do it today or yesterday.
Today. But you have learned through doing it that it was wrong.
Now, after many years, I came to bring alms to my nation and offerings.
Whereupon certain Jews from Asia found me purified in the temple, neither with multitude nor with tumult.
The Jews of Asia. David, why did he sangle them out? Well, the
Jews of Asia, who stirred up the persecution against me in Jerusalem, they found him purified in the temple regularly, regularly performing the religious vow unto which he had entered, and he gave no cause for suspicion, for I made no tumult, nor had
I a number of people with me by whom I could have accomplished the seditious purpose.
Nineteen, who ought to have been here before thee, and subject if they had ought against me.
Now, they were not there. The group that he singled out.
Or else let these same here say, if they have found any evil doing in me while I stood before the council.
The Jews of Asia, the most competent witnesses, should have been here.
Why are they kept back? I think it's because they could prove nothing.
That these therefore who are here, disposed if they have found any evil in me, or proved any against me by my most hostile adversaries, when examined before them in the council at Jerusalem.
Twenty -one, except it be for this one voice that I cried standing among them, touching the resurrection of the dead,
I am called to question by you this day. If he had not mentioned that, the
Lord had it written in his text so to mention it. The Sadducees who belong to that council, and who deny the resurrection of the dead, may indeed blame me for professing my faith in this doctrine.
But as this is a doctrine credited by the nation in general, and as there can be nothing criminal in such a belief, and they can bring no accusation against me relative to anything else, this of course is the sum of all its charges.
Now when Felix heard these things, he set him there listening, having more perfect knowledge of that way, he deferred them and said, when
Laiusus the chief captain shall come down,
I will know the uttermost of your matter. So he puts it off.
Felix could not judge whether he had done wickedly in the matter of religion, or not until he had a better understanding.
And he commanded a centurion to keep Paul, and to let him have liberty, and that he should forbid none of his acquaintances to minister, or to come to him.
He gave him into the custody of a captain, by whom he was most likely to be well used, and to let him have liberty, so he was not arrested or bound in chains.
And after certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, which was a
Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him concerning the faith of Christ.
Now this Drusilla, just a word or two about her, she was
Agrippa's sister, a prostitute, very oversexed woman, being the wife of Esaios, king of the
Emersenes, who was circumcised, departed from him and went to Felix, the brother of Paulus, who was at one time the slave of Nero.
She was afterward with a son she had by Felix, and they were both burned to death in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.
Not a good woman. And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, judgment to come,
Felix trembled. Why did he tremble, Greg? He trembled and answered,
Go thy way, for this time, when I have a more convenient season, I will call for thee.
When man thinks he can choose a more convenient time for salvation, he's but answering to the devil.
David, of all of the people that you have witnessed being saved,
Greg, you too, is there a more convenient time?
Joy, does man choose salvation? Can we say that Satan practices bamboozlement?
That's a good word, bamboozlement. Man's sins are either on him or Christ, one or the other.
26. He hoped also that money should have been given him of Paul.
Now we get to the real reason. He trembled at what Paul was telling him, but the love of money, giving him of Paul that he might loose him, wherefore he sent for him the orphaner and communed with him.
We're not told how many times, but it was a great number of times. Paul had proved his innocence.
Had Felix been influenced by the common principles of justice, Paul had been immediately discharged.
They were looking for blackmail, ransom. Felix was a freed man of the emperor
Claudius. You remember him? Consequently, he had once been a slave.
Know this, the stream does not rise above its source.
It cannot. The meanness of the slave is still apparent, and it is now insufferable, being added to the authority and influence of the governor.
Low -bred men should never be entrusted with the administration of public affairs.
Of all of the presidents that I have witnessed, there's only been one or two that I could agree with.
Some of them have been downright evil, but once a slave, always a slave.
Twenty -seven. But after two years, Fortius Festus came unto
Felix, and Felix, willing to show the
Jews a pleasure, left Paul bound. So at the close of that chapter, we have him two years later.
Is there anything you'd like to contribute? I was listening early this morning, and every one of them, it was successful living.
You can get rich, or you can do this or do that.
One woman preacher had the whole congregation stand and repeating as she would read a phrase, they'd repeat it.
It's a joke. But, ordained of the
Lord, ordained of God. In this town, this morning, you may hear the truth being taught someplace else, but none that I've visited, it is taught here.
Well, we still have seven minutes.
In God's plan, we're lucky where they are.
I wish you'd say the truth is they're turning off, instead of we're turning off.
I do want to hear it. I don't know why.
Exactly. Exactly. That's exactly true.
Well, let's have a prayer.
Heavenly Father, we thank you for this time that we can meet.
We thank you for allowing this country to exist for another year.
Now, as we go into the service to follow, bless
Brother David. Keep him close to you. Let him explain the word so that we will understand.
us. Forgive our sins. In the name of Christ, we ask it. Amen.