WWUTT 1138 Paul Testifies to Governor Felix?

The Apostle Paul appeared before Governor Felix with an opportunity to share the gospel with him and even talk at length for two years about the way of Christ Jesus, using the rights afforded to him when we understand the text.

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Pastor Gabe. Thank you, Becky. Well, we've picked up the pace in our study of the Book of Acts, knocking out a chapter a day this week.

Today we're going to be in Chapter 24, and I'll begin by reading verses 1 through 27.

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 Paul 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 Portius Festus, and desiring to do the

Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison. And so there we go.

That's chapter 24. This is Paul standing before Governor Felix at Caesarea.

And we get also kind of an idea of the timeline that we've been dealing with over the last few chapters, 22, 23, and 24, for Paul mentions here that it's only been 12 days since I went up to worship in Jerusalem.

So that's how quickly all of these things have transpired. We started the book of Acts that way. We had a lot of events happening in succession in a short amount of time in the first few chapters, and then we spread out quite a bit.

So we've covered about three decades now up to this point. And now everything that we've read this week has happened over a period of just about a dozen days.

That's kind of the way that the Gospels are presented to us as well. You have the life and time of Jesus Christ that covers about a three -year period of time.

But then once you get to the passion of the Christ, everything that happened during that week leading up to Christ's death on the cross and resurrection from the grave, then a lot more time is devoted to talking about those things that happened on those respective days during that week.

And then, of course, the crucifixion of Christ himself. So here we get to zeroing in on a succession of events that ultimately is going to lead

Paul to Rome so that he can preach the gospel there. We have here right at the start, chapter 24, after five days, when

Paul was brought here to Caesarea to speak to Felix, the high priest Ananias came down with some elders and a spokesman, one

Tertullus. Now remember, they were waiting until some of the Jews could come down to Caesarea to present their case against Paul.

That's what Felix had said. And Paul was guarded in Herod's praetorium.

So here, the high priest has gotten a spokesperson for them. It's almost like he's representing the high priest and those

Sadducees and Pharisees like a lawyer. Tertullus is very proficient.

He is very articulate. They've got a guy who can stand up and speak and has a wonderful, charismatic presence, perhaps, that people would want to listen to.

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. Now it's not like Tertullus here is really buttering up Felix, because you see

Paul do the same thing. When it gets to Paul's reply, he says, knowing that for many years you have been a judge over this nation,

I cheerfully make my defense. Now he's not quite as flattering with his introduction as Tertullus was, but it's just showing respect for Felix.

He is the governor after all. And though he is a Roman governor, though he is a pagan, he is not a

God fearing man. He is still someone who is worthy of respect. It's interesting that I'm doing this today, the day after the

State of the Union address was delivered just last night by President Donald Trump. And what is being talked about in the news the most now on Tuesday night and here again on Wednesday morning was the action that the

Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, made after Donald Trump finished his speech.

She took the copy of the speech that she had and she tore it up. It has been regarded by many as being a very classless move for her to do something like this.

But the Apostle Paul, how did he say that we needed to behave around those ruling and governing officials?

First, Timothy 2, 1. First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.

This is good and it is pleasing in the sight of God, our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

So we have there the request or rather the requirement. It is a command that we pray for kings and all who are in high positions.

That would be not only Donald Trump. That would also include Nancy Pelosi. Nancy is a wicked woman.

She is the Speaker of the House. She is second in line for president of the United States.

If something were to happen to the vice president, vice president is first in line. Speaker of the House is second in line.

So she is a governing official in our nation, in the United States of America. Speaking to my

American friends here. But even she deserves respect and our prayers.

She is a wicked ruler who has loved abortion and has even defended it, claiming that it is some sort of a sacred act.

That really is how she's described the murder of unborn children. She has called it sacred.

If this woman were to die in her sins, she will stand in judgment before God and he will cast her into the lake of fire at the final judgment.

So even she is someone we we must pray for, that she would turn from her sin and know

Christ and so live. Donald Trump likewise praying for his salvation.

But nevertheless, the charge has been given to us, to all of us who are Christians, that we show respect to those who are governing officials.

First Peter chapter two, he says the same thing. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover up for evil, but living as servants of God.

This is verse 17. Honor everyone, love the brotherhood, fear

God, honor the emperor. Who was it who was the emperor at the time that Paul and Peter commanded the followers of Christ to respect the governing officials?

It was Nero. One of the most outrageous tyrants, especially against Christians, that there ever was ruling over Rome or anywhere in the history of the world for that matter.

And yet even this man, Peter and Paul, is saying we need to show respect to.

So the Jews were they probably had a different motivation in the way that they were buttering up Felix here, as Tertullus was addressing him.

But Paul was showing an honest, a reverence for Felix, the position that he had, the title that he held, because God is the one who put him in that place.

Yes, even wicked pagans that serve in high governing positions.

God is the one who has placed them there. The apostle Paul says as much in Romans chapter 13, verses one through seven.

God is the one who has created the governing authorities. He is he has created those positions of power and has done so that there might be order in the earth.

Now, there are, of course, seriously corrupt governments. One of the news stories that's come out earlier this week is from North Korea, how the leading officials in North Korea have been telling the citizens to tighten up their belts and to just kind of deal with food shortages and fasting and things like that.

Tighten up your belts so that we may preserve our way of life. That's that's what they're telling the North Korean people.

Preserve our way of life by not complaining about the fact that you are starving. It is incredible the kind of tyranny that is going on in North Korea.

And we especially need to be praying for our Christian brothers and sisters over there who are suffering at the hands of this oppressive government.

So there are certainly tyrannical rulers out there. But God is the one who has established government to keep order as much as you want to criticize whatever government you live under, how oppressive it can be.

Imagine how bad things would be if there was no government there. It would just be outright chaos and anarchy.

And so God has created even manmade systems of government to keep order. And and we should show our respect to those persons who serve in those governing positions and pray for them.

The Jews may not have an authentic reason why they're addressing Felix in this way, but Paul does so from a clear conscience in fear and reverence of God above.

So Tertullus goes on here. This is verse four. 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. Now, Paul is going to refer to the fact that they have called him a member of a sect.

There is no sect of the Nazarenes. It doesn't even exist. But this was the way that the

Jews were referring to those Christians, because, you know, as I mentioned to you, I think it was yesterday or the day before Christian was a seldom used word.

It was used mostly by pagans to describe those who were Christ followers. And the word literally means little

Christ's. And the Jews didn't even want to acknowledge Christ at all. So they didn't call them

Christians here. In this case, they're calling them Nazarenes. Why are they calling them that? Because, of course,

Jesus was from Nazareth. So since they're following a man who came from Nazareth, then the

Pharisees, the Sadducees, they refer to these Christians as Nazarenes.

By the way, in Muslim countries where Christians are persecuted, they're often referred to as Nazarenes there as well.

And they will put a mark on the house. And the mark is noon, N -U -N, and that mark is short for Nazarene.

It's to say there's Nazarenes that live here in this house. That's why they'll mark the house that way. So going on here, verse six,

Tertullus says, 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.

Now, Paul's going to zero in on just particular points here. He's not going to address all of the words necessarily that Tertullus has said.

But one of those things that that Paul is going to defend himself against is this idea that he was in the temple to stir up a riot.

The Jews joined in the charge, affirming that all these things were so. And then the governor nodded to Paul to make his case.

And here's what Paul said. Knowing that for many years you have been a judge over this nation, I cheerfully make my defense.

Paul is delighted to be able to stand in the governor's house, in the governor's presence and deliver the gospel essentially is what he does.

So verse 11, you can verify that it is not more than 12 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. Hey, this is due process here.

This is innocent until proven guilty. If they're going to be accusing Paul of these things that they accuse him of, produce evidence, show it.

Where's the evidence that Paul was doing exactly what it is that they claim that he was doing? They can't prove it.

They cannot prove to you what they now bring up against me. But this, I confess to you that according to the way, again,

Paul referring to the Christian faith as 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.

So as these Jews are bringing charges against Paul that Paul is going against the

Jewish writings and even the Jewish law, Paul is saying here, I uphold the law. In fact,

Paul does it better than they do because he understands that his righteousness comes not from the law, but by faith in Christ, which the law and the prophets point to having a hope in God, Paul says, which these men themselves accept that there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust.

Now, of course, the Sadducees didn't believe that. But since it was the Sanhedrin that was being represented by Tertullus, Paul was able to say that since it represented the

Pharisees. And there may have been some shrewd motivation on Paul's part there to get the

Sadducees and Pharisees arguing again with one another because that's what he did before. So he says they believe in a resurrection of both the just and the unjust.

See if the Sadducees are going to rise up and go, no, we don't. So verse 16, 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.

Paul is saying, I came to give money. Why would I come in there stirring up a riot?

Verse 18, 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. Again, it was that statement that he made that got the

Pharisees and the Sadducees arguing with one another. And here Paul is making it again, verse 22.

But Felix, having a rather accurate knowledge of the way he knew of Christianity, he knew of the things that Paul spoke of, and he knew that this was not a sect of the

Nazarenes. He put them off saying, when Lysias the Tribune comes down,

I will decide your case. Then he gave orders to the centurion that Paul should be kept in custody, but have some liberty and that none of his friends should be prevented from attending to his needs.

So Paul is more or less being guarded more than he's being kept a prisoner.

He's just being protected from those that are attempting to take his life. There are others that are welcome to come and attend to Paul, Luke being one of them and some of his other missionary brethren who are with who are with them.

Verse 24. 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.

So consider that Paul is sharing with Felix. He's getting to talk to the governor about faith in Jesus Christ again, all by the providence of God, arranging these things to give

Paul this audience that he may share the gospel with him and others who are in attendance there for it's it's not just the governor that Paul is speaking to, but others that would be in his presence.

And he reasoned about righteousness, about the justice of God, apart from the justice of man and self -control that we should live lives of holiness.

What does that look like? What does it look like to walk in the Christian way? That's what Paul was explaining to him and the coming judgment.

Why do we need a savior? Because God is going to judge the world. He is going to put the wicked to death and he being holy and supreme above all, the only way to escape the judgment of God is by faith in Jesus Christ.

There are many out there who will try to say that they preach like Paul. Andy Stanley is one of those.

He claims that he preaches like Paul preached at the Areopagus in Acts chapter 17.

But even at the Areopagus, even in the presence of the Greeks, Paul talked about the judgment of God that was coming, which was why the people needed to repent and put their faith in Christ.

A lot of these guys who say that they preach like Paul never talk about judgment, the judgment of God against us for our sins, which is exactly why we need a savior.

This is part of understanding the gospel that all have sinned and fallen short of God's glory.

And that means we are under God's judgment. But what makes the gospel such good news is to hear that we have a savior who will rescue us from judgment.

The Lord Jesus Christ, if we believe on him by faith, we will be saved from the judgment of God coming against us for our sins.

And instead of being the objects of God's wrath, we become the objects of his grace, his love, his mercy and fellow heirs of the kingdom of God with our savior

Christ. So Paul warns Felix of a coming judgment that even

Felix as judge is not as holy and as righteous a judge as God is.

Felix was alarmed by what it was that Paul said and replied to Paul, go away for the present.

When I get an opportunity, I will summon you didn't want to hear about these things anymore, that the judgment of God was coming against the wicked.

Verse 26, at the same time, he hoped that money would be given him by Paul. So this was one of the reasons why

Felix was keeping him around, doesn't want to hear him preach about the judgment of God anymore, but he still has him around because he's expecting to get a bribe.

So he sent for him often and conversed with him. But when two years had elapsed, so here's how much time has transpired here over the course of chapter 24,

Felix was succeeded by Portia's Festus and desiring to do the Jews a favor. Since Felix was married to a

Jew, Felix left Paul in prison. So we've made it through chapters 22, 23 and 24 this week.

And then next week we get to Paul. Sorry, I was about to say Paul 25, Acts chapter 25, where Paul will make an appeal to Caesar and that will be his final appeal that leads him to go to Rome.

Let's conclude with prayer. Our Heavenly Father, we thank you for the goodness that you show to us, providing us with all good things, even the governments under which we live, that we might lead peaceful and quiet lives, living in godliness in every way.

Thank you for the rights that we are afforded, that we may worship our God without fear of oppression by our government.

And in those places where there are Christians that do have to be concerned about their government coming against them for their faith,

I pray that you would give them courage to stand fast and know that they have brothers and sisters in the

Lord around the world who are praying for them, that they may hold fast to righteousness to the day of Christ.

May we all be so bold, deliver us from evil, into your presence, into your kingdom, where we will dwell with our

Lord Christ forever. In his name, Amen. For more about our ministry, visit us online at www .tt