Acts 24:1-27 | Christianity On Trial Part 2

This sermon was recorded at Faith Evangelical Free Church in Grand Forks, North Dakota.

What you have just sung is a petition to the Lord God Almighty, who reigns forever and ever, to either grant you peace in the present and for eternity or to bring you into judgment.

Will Jesus be your judge or your Savior?

That's the question that we find in Acts 24.

If you take your Bibles with me to that passage, it is not so much directed at the individual or the group of people who needs to make a decision about Christ as judge or savior, but to those who have already made that decision so that they would recognize what that means for their life.

Acts chapter 24.

Acts 24 · chapter mention

I am receiving many, many questions as we get to the end of Acts, and that's a good thing, about where we're going next.

Now, I don't know if that means you're tired of Acts.

I hope not.

I'm ready to start all over and do Acts again.

But if you if you have ideas or suggestions or thoughts, I'd love to hear them.

I usually have that decision made months ahead of time.

But for some reason the Lord has hidden that from me.

I don't know what we're doing next.

And that's only a month away.

So if you have ideas, if you have thoughts or or anything, I'd love to hear them.

But for now we are in Acts chapter 24 that Webb read for us earlier.

Acts 24 · chapter mention

And it is all about a courtroom trial.

Not in the sense that we imagine of a courthouse with a judge sitting on an elevated platform and a jury off to the side.

But there are many similar elements.

I'm sure that you are familiar with courtroom trials either from having sat on a jury or perhaps just having watched them on television or seen portions of them on newscasts.

Courtroom trials have fascinated television audiences since at least 1979.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Ted Bundy's murder trial was the first one to be televised nationally.

About 250 reporters from all kinds of different countries covered that trial.

Of course, that pales in comparison to the millions who are reported to have watched the Menendez brothers' murder trial in 1993.

And even that pales in comparison to the eight-month broadcast of O.J.

Simpson's trial in 1995 that attracted a reported 100 million viewers.

The Los Angeles Times called Simpson's trial a megahit.

Courtroom trials have impacted and captivated viewers, and more significantly have had lasting impacts on governments, on politics, and even on culture.

And every single one of you has felt that kind of impact, whether you realize it or not.

In fact, a particular courtroom drama played a part in our being here in this place this morning as people who believe in the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And that trial that has impacted you is found in Acts 24.

Now it's one thing if we are courtroom observers in the courtroom hearing and observing everything that takes place.

Sometimes all we can do is get as close as a television broadcast.

But generally, we receive what has been filtered through a reporter's perspective, someone who is present in the courtroom, observing and hearing all that takes place, and then giving us a snippet, a portion, a summary of what has taken place.

And even that can then be filtered yet again through a particular news agency's perspective.

How then should we hear Acts 24?

A courtroom trial nearly 2,000 years ago, well, we know that God used Luke to provide us with a divinely authorized account of this trial.

We know that it is unbiased in that it is true and accurate to the details.

God has superintended that.

So what we read here in Acts 24 comes to us from Luke's reporting of the trial.

We see and hear that trial through his eyes and ears, and he recorded it to demonstrate that genuine faith in the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ is no threat to political empires.

But innocent faith still threatens the unbelieving individual.

But there are personal questions that we have to wrestle with.

What would political empires today think of us?

Me, you, as disciples of Jesus.

Would they view us as threats?

Why?

How does our faith impact those who are still unbelieving?

Does our faith come across as a threat to them?

If so, why?

How?

It's most likely that Luke is in Caesarea, where Paul's trial is taking place.

He's as close to Paul as he would be allowed to be, as they wait at the end of chapter 23 for Paul's legal hearing before the Roman governor Felix.

He's being held somewhere in Herod's praetorium.

That's basically the Roman ruler's official place of residence.

So somewhere in Felix's home headquarters where he lives and carries out his governmental duties, somewhere in a room in that building, Paul is held under watch and under guard, waiting for the arrival of the high priest Ananias from Jerusalem.

He comes in chapter 24, verse 1, with some Jewish elders and a hired gun.

Probably some kind of expert attorney named Tertulus.

They're here, and we are here with Luke in the courtroom because some Jews from Asia Minor, who were in Jerusalem at the same time as Paul, saw Paul in Jerusalem, saw him in the temple, and they stirred up a riot because they perceived Paul to have defiled the holy temple.

Roman soldiers had to rescue Paul from that riot.

The next day he was brought back down to meet with the Jewish council to determine what he had done wrong, and there a riot began again.

And Paul had to be rescued a second time.

Because the Romans were afraid he would be torn apart.

So Paul's case is now referred to a higher court, to the next Roman authority, who happens to be the Roman governor Felix.

You with me so far?

The trial begins, Luke tells us in verse 2, with the prosecution laying out their accusations against the defendant.

When he had been summoned, Tertulus began to accuse him.

That is, when Paul had been summoned, the hired attorney began to accuse him.

It doesn't come through very clearly in our English translations, but Luke reports to us that this hired gun knows his stuff.

Some of the most sophisticated Greek in the New Testament.

This is an educated man who knows exactly how to impress his hearers, knows how exactly to approach the governor, and knows how to lay out his case in as few words as possible.

Since through you, Felix, 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.

The accuser here is not messing around.

They brought someone to argue the case impressively.

And Turtulus's opening lines sound like they're buttering up the governor, but that's not what's happening.

It's more like setting a stage for what's coming next in a very normal way for that time.

For example, Turtlus begins with the statement since through you we enjoy much peace.

Great.

Sounds like governor, you're doing a great job.

We are so happy with you, and we are so glad to have this case being heard before you.

Yeah, he's probably doing that.

But he's also setting the stage for his primary accusation against Paul.

Because Felix's job as the Roman governor is to maintain the Roman peace, the Pax Romana.

That's important because it is the first charge brought against Paul.

That Paul is upsetting the Roman peace.

Not just in Jerusalem, but it's expanded now to the whole world.

Wherever the Roman Empire goes, Paul goes and he upsets the Roman ideal.

Began with disturbing the peace in Jerusalem, but now it is expanded beyond Jerusalem, not just to the regions of Judea, but to the whole world.

And to make their charge more egregious, they accuse Paul of stirring up riots wherever he goes.

Notice the accusatory language.

We found this man in verse 5 who stirs up riots to be a plague and a ringleader of a sect.

Now, if we've been following along in Luke's narrative in the early church, we might begin to feel defensive of Paul.

And I think that's what Luke is trying to stir up in his report.

Yes, there were riots wherever Paul went, but Paul didn't instigate them.

They were always initiated by those who opposed Paul and did not want to hear his message.

But this attorney's aim is to make Paul out to be someone whom the governor cannot ignore.

But there's a second charge, verse 6.

He even tried to desecrate the temple.

Now we're in the general area of modern Palestine.

This is in the northern city of Caesarea, so this is not Jerusalem, but it's still within Judean territory.

So Felix is going to understand that the temple that is being referred to here is not the temple of Diana in Ephesus, but the temple of Israel's God in Jerusalem.

But the Romans were known for protecting the status of temples.

Doing something to harm a temple or to desecrate a temple, to endanger it, was generally illegal.

That was even greater importance in Rome's Judean province.

There would be no keeping of the Roman peace if the Jewish temple were not protected.

So again, as we hear this prosecutor speak, we might object.

Paul wasn't in the temple to stir up a riot.

He was there to worship.

If we remember back just a few chapters, Paul was encouraged by the Christian elders to purify himself and to go with others who were purifying themselves.

He wasn't there to do anything wrong, not to profane the temple.

And then the Jews didn't seize him.

Verse 6, he even tried to profane the temple, but we seized him.

No, you didn't.

The Romans seized him.

And to top it off, they don't present any witnesses.

They don't offer any proof.

Because they believe that all the proof they need is standing right there in a man named Paul.

Paul himself will verify their accusations in verse 8.

The Jewish elders, whom Ananias brought along, affirmed everything that they said.

Verse 9.

So more was said.

There's more that happened in this courtroom drama than that Luke doesn't include.

There were more things said, more statements made.

But Luke summarizes it all so that we might hear and see what Luke wants us to hear and see.

So the question is: how would you feel if you were Luke standing there with Paul who was in chains?

You might feel a righteous need for truth to prevail.

You might feel the need rising up within you to correct the record.

You might feel frustrated.

You can't do anything.

You might feel your freedom and ability to speak of Christ hanging in the balance.

We might feel that way because these accusations against Paul reflect many aspects of Christianity on trial across the ages.

Even in your life today.

If you hold the same faith as Paul, it can feel as though they're attacking your faith.

We need to be prepared then to remind ourselves that while the feeling is real, a greater reality than our feeling exists.

The attack is truly against the Lord Jesus, not against us.

Not against our faith.

When our faith is under attack or on trial in any way, remind yourself, speak to yourself, that the one truly on trial is not you, but the Lord Jesus Christ.

We also need to remind ourselves that accusations are often warped.

Do you know what warped means?

It means something is distorted or misshapen.

When something is warped, is twisted, it's generally not so deformed that it's unrecognizable.

But it that it's no longer flat or straight.

We have a pretty large plastic cutting board.

I used to slice large briskets on.

But it's warped.

And so it tips and doesn't sit flat on the countertop anymore.

Over time, heat and humidity and washing has caused it to no longer lie flat on the counter because it's warped.

Accusations against the Christian faith are often warped.

They have a semblance of order, of truthfulness to them.

They have some semblance of reality left in them, but the facts are often a little twisted, out of shape, not quite right.

So for example, riots did follow Paul, didn't they?

Everywhere he went, there were riots.

Things were stirred up, people were stirred up, but he did not instigate them.

It might be correct to say that Paul was one of the leaders of the early church, but to say that he's a ringleader puts a little bit of evilness to that.

And so it twists it a little bit.

He wasn't about to profane the temple because he was the purified one.

He was there, but it's a little twisted.

So that warping in accusations against our faith occurs because the world cannot properly understand the things of God.

Paul says in 1 Corinthians that the things of God are spiritually discerned.

That is, God puts his spirit in us so that we can understand and comprehend his word properly.

So non-Christians will not be able to get the things of God straight.

Maybe they can get observations straight.

But we shouldn't expect them to understand or be able to express the things of God properly.

We shouldn't be surprised when accusations are made that are twisted against our faith.

And to top that off, we shouldn't be surprised if we have to stand alone.

We see many men on the side of the prosecution, standing, as it were, in Luke's eyes, off to one side, making accusations against this lone individual standing on the other side.

We see Paul alone in his defense.

And this calls for a firm trust in the Lord's providence and his presence with us at all times, even when we feel alone.

Now Luke reports to us that the prosecution is so confident.

That they don't call any witnesses, they don't offer any proof.

Paul is simply guilty of defying Roman law.

It's at this point that we hear a little detail that hints of Luke's presence in the courtroom.

You'll see it in verse 10.

When the governor had nodded to him to speak, Paul replied.

He nodded.

How would Luke know that?

Either he's there or somebody told him.

God could have told him.

Paul could have told him.

That seems an odd little detail for Paul to relay.

Seems like Luke was there.

Nevertheless, we go on to Paul's defense.

And Paul's defense is actually much longer than the accusations.

It begins with a very similar kind of statement in verse 10.

You've been a judge over this nation for many years, Felix, and so I cheerfully make my defense.

What's wrong with this guy?

He's in court fighting for his life and he's cheerfully making his defense.

I think we begin to see why as we work through how Paul makes his defense.

He starts by saying to the judge, here are the facts, Your Honor.

And he begins with timing.

I've only been here for twelve days, he says.

That's not a whole lot of time for me to accomplish what they're accusing me of doing.

He follows up the timing with his intent.

I was here to worship in verse 11.

And then he corrects their facts.

They didn't find me rioting anywhere.

You can verify, verse 11, verse 12, they did not find me disputing with anyone or stirring up a crowd, either in the temple or in the synagogues or anywhere in the city.

They didn't bring witnesses and they don't have proof because none exists.

None exists because there was no time for that to happen.

And then he says, let's see the evidence.

There is no evidence because I'm innocent of the accusations.

And then he goes on to make a confession.

Strange for somebody who's innocent to proceed, after setting out the facts, to make a confession.

But his confession is about his faith.

He says in verses 14 and 15, I worship the God who raises the dead.

There's nothing unusual here, Felix.

I'm Jewish.

The faith that I hold comes from my Jewish faith.

Everything in my Jewish Bible points to Jesus.

I am a faithful Jew who worships the God of Israel, who came in the flesh, who died, was buried, and rose again.

They call it a sect.

I call it the real and true faith.

I worship the God of our fathers.

I believe everything in the Old Testament leads to Jesus, who is our hope.

He says, I place my hope in God, particularly in the fact that He raises the dead, both the righteous and the unrighteous.

And because of that, Paul says, I labor to have a clear conscience.

What is the significance of a clear conscience in a courtroom?

No guilt.

He has no guilt because he's innocent.

He has a clear conscience before these men and before God.

He says, I labor to have a clear conscience.

I always take pains, verse 16.

So do you see what Paul is showing us?

He's representing the facts, correcting the falsehoods and the accusations.

He's saying he's innocent of the wrongdoing, and he's saying he has a clear conscience because he anticipates being raised from the dead and standing before the real judge of the living and the dead.

And so that motivates his actions.

He then summarizes his events.

He says, I came, verse 17, to serve my people by bringing alms.

I came to worship, to make offerings to God.

I was purified for worship, not for rioting.

I was accused by some Jews.

Hey, wait a minute.

The Jews that I was accused by are not from Jerusalem, but from Asia.

Where are they?

They're not here.

These people didn't accuse me.

Jews from Asia accused me.

You don't even have the right people in the courtroom to make the accusation.

He says, I stood before the Jewish council and was not found guilty of wrongdoing.

So my testimony here today before you, Felix, is the same as I testified there.

I am on trial regarding the resurrection of the dead.

So Paul's rebuttal denounces all of the political accusations.

And he demonstrates that they're worthy of dismissal.

No proof has been presented.

No witnesses are here to testify among the original accusers.

The real problem, Felix, is not political, but theological.

So through Luke's eyes and ears, we see Governor Felix being forced into a corner.

It would be politically advantageous for Felix to side with the Jewish accusers.

The accusations made against Paul would provide a very smooth opportunity to do that.

Relationships between Roman rulers and Jews were continually rocky.

So taking advantage of this would make perfect sense to strengthen those relationships.

That's what happened with Pilate and the Lord Jesus.

Do you remember that?

Through Luke's eyes, we see Paul walking in the footsteps of the Lord Jesus.

With Jewish leaders bringing an accused before Roman leaders, saying, condemn him.

In fact, Luke uses some of the exact same terminology for the accusations against Paul that he used in the Gospel of Luke for the accusations against Jesus.

Christ's followers are accused of the same things that the Lord Jesus is accused of.

So on the one hand, Felix surely feels the political side of the trial.

On the other hand, there's the standard legal procedure for cases to be dismissed without proof or without witnesses.

It would be ideal Roman justice for Felix to just decide you have nothing to this case, case dismissed.

But we know that Luke's gospel and the acts of the Lord Jesus are one story.

They go together.

And so the treatment given to the Lord Jesus in the gospel echoes through the story again and again.

And so we ought to see Paul experiencing the same things as the Lord Jesus.

And if so, if this is sort of the Lord Jesus' trial, part two, what do we expect?

Do we expect Paul to be released?

I think it's profitable for us to remember some key biblical truths as we take this trial in through Luke's reporting.

Remember that Paul is innocent.

He's innocent because he labors at maintaining a good conscience before God and men.

And why does he do that?

Because he knows that every person will be raised from the dead and will have to stand before the Lord Jesus Christ.

That motivates everything that he does.

That means he labors to live a life that is above reproach.

That doesn't mean he can't be accused.

It means that accusations of wrongdoing can't be proven to be true.

It means that he hasn't committed an act that makes him guilty before God or human law.

And it's an expectation of all of God's people.

We are to live righteous and holy lives above reproach in the eyes of people.

Sure, we might be accused of wrongdoing, but we are to live in such a way that those accusations can't stick.

That's why Paul says to Timothy in 1 Timothy 3 that that is the overall expectation of elders in the local church.

This situation lives out, in fact, Peter's admonition to all believers in 1 Peter chapter 4, where he says, Baleavid, don't be surprised at the fiery trials when they come upon you to test you.

1 Peter 4 · chapter mention

But rejoice.

Insofar as you share Christ's suffering, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.

For if you are insulted for the name of Christ, you're blessed.

Blessed are you when they persecute you for my name's sake.

Because the spirit of glory and of Christ rests on you.

But don't let any of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler.

But if anyone suffers as a Christian, don't be ashamed.

But let him glorify God in that name as a sufferer for Christ.

Paul doesn't have an attorney speaking for him.

Maybe he couldn't afford one.

Maybe he didn't feel like he needed one.

Regardless, defending himself against these accusations isn't his only intent.

Everywhere we see the apostle turn, even in his trials, he turns to the hope found in the resurrection of Christ from the dead.

Paul is ready to give a defense for the hope that is in him.

Yes, he defends himself.

He gives the facts, he straightens out the situation.

But that defense becomes a means to point to Jesus.

Friends, let's labor to train our hearts and minds to use all trials in life to turn the conversation to the hope that is found within us.

Hope that is grounded in the resurrection from the dead.

There is, but the judge is the jury.

So what happens?

How does Luke report the conclusion of this trial?

Our English translations put Luke's comment about the governor's understanding of Christianity first in verse 22.

Says, but Felix, having a rather accurate knowledge of the way, remember, the way is Christianity, this faith of following Jesus.

So in our English Bibles, we see Felix has this knowledge, has this awareness.

That's an interesting detail.

The Roman official responsible for most of Judea was not only aware of the growth of Christianity, but he also understood it reasonably well for an unbeliever to be able to act as judge and jury.

Our translations, though, hide Luke's emphasis for smoother English.

Luke put the governor's action first to emphasize that Felix put them off.

So in Luke's Greek, he says, Felix put them off.

He procrastinated.

Rather than exercising justice and letting Paul go, he procrastinated.

He didn't give in to the accusers, but at best, justice is delayed.

And we get a hint, I think, of Luke's feelings here.

He's shown us that Paul is innocent of all the accusations.

The charges don't stick.

He's shown us that the Jewish prosecution is duplicitous.

And now we find that the Roman judge, the Roman official, the governor, is weak and unwilling to do what is just.

And to top it off, Luke reveals to us that Paul is still under guard after this.

And Felix comes with his Jewish wife a few days later to listen to Paul speak of Jesus.

Now it sounds like the governor's wife, Drusilla, was curious about Paul.

There's a Jewish connection here, and so makes Felix a little more open to hearing and understanding what's going on.

But a decision still hasn't been made.

But we don't know what's really going on here with Felix and his wife Drusilla until we understand the history and politics of the moment.

You see, what Luke is showing us here is that Paul is acting like John the Baptist with Herod.

Drusilla was known, renowned really, for her beauty.

She was supposedly a very, very beautiful woman.

And she had been married to a different politician.

But Felix convinced her to leave her husband and marry him.

So what does Paul do?

He preaches against their actions by telling them what God says about true righteousness, what God says about self-control and the judgment of God.

God, he says, will bring unrighteous and unbridled passion into judgment.

Great way to address the guy who's going to decide your future.

Make him feel guilty and convicted of his sin.

Yeah, that's exactly right.

Because Paul is not concerned about the moment.

Paul is concerned about eternity.

And in this moment, he is more concerned about Felix and Drusilla's eternity than he is about his own present.

Felix appears to be convicted at some level because he becomes alarmed, right?

Verse 25.

And he sends Paul away.

Notice he doesn't mind, Felix doesn't mind not executing justice.

It's okay to procrastinate as long as a guy stays in prison, big deal.

But his level of concern and conviction is insufficient to act justly on Paul's behalf, and even less sufficient to lead him to faith in Christ that brings the forgiveness of sins.

And so we begin to see here that Luke has recorded this to demonstrate that genuine faith in the resurrected Christ is no threat to political empires, but an innocent faith is still a threat to those who refuse to believe.

It's a threat because it brings them face to face with their sin and the ultimate standing before the ultimate judge.

And Felix proves to be a crooked politician who looks out only for himself.

Verse 26, he he keeps Paul imprisoned hoping for a bribe.

The implication is that Paul just Paul just sets up a GoFundMe account and hands that over to Felix.

We'll just make this all go away.

Sound like Jesus.

And so Luke ends his report of this trial.

A corrupt politician as a as a judge, a conniving set of prosecutors, and an innocent Christian with a clear conscience on the receiving end.

It should at least remind us of Luke's record earlier of the words of the Lord Jesus in Luke chapter 21, verse 12.

Luke 21:12

Jesus says, They will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name's sake.

This will be your opportunity to bear witness.

Settle it, therefore, in your minds, not to meditate beforehand on how to answer.

Maybe we could say not to hire an attorney.

For I will give you a mouth and I will give you wisdom.

That's mosaic language.

So what God promised to do for Moses.

I will be with your mouth and with your tongue, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict.

You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends.

Some of you they will put to death.

And you will be hated by all.

For my name's sake.

Those who follow Christ Jesus can experience a similar treatment.

What does that look like?

At the very least, maybe facing trials alone?

A lack of justice, false accusations, the loss of freedoms.

And Luke shows us from his gospel through the book of Acts, expect it.

Expect it.

And don't sorrow, but rejoice because you suffer by following in the steps of the Lord Jesus.

Rejoicing amid trials of all kinds demonstrates our hope, not in this life, not in current circumstances, but in the ultimate resurrection of the dead, before whom all believers will stand before the Lord Jesus, innocent and forgiven.

Yet it ought to remind us also to look up and out, because these are the acts of Jesus, still working from his place in heaven.

Even while Paul is imprisoned, and even while you and I face difficulties of all kinds.

So it's a reminder to look up to your Lord's work and to your eternal reward, not to the present challenges.

Because you've already died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

Your future is secure.

Unless Jesus is your judge.

In which case, your only hope is to cry out to him for forgiveness as you place your faith and hope in him alone.

Friends, our hope, our only hope is Paul's hope.

It's the resurrection of the dead.

For if the dead are not raised, then even Christ is not raised, and our hope is in vain.

But Christ is raised, is he not?

Finally, we return to the personal questions that arise from following Luke's trial report.

What would today's political empires think of us as disciples of Jesus?

Would we be ready to stand before a judge and to turn the conversation to the hope of the resurrection in the Lord Jesus Christ?

Would political empires see us as a threat?

Even unjustly?

Even better, how does our faith impact those who are unbelieving?

Does our faith bring them to the conviction of sin and of judgment?

Yeah, it might bring injustice and suffering, but it also provides an opportunity for the Spirit to work.

Either in the moment or over the long haul.

How will he use you?

Because this is God's work from beginning to end, and he uses us in the midst of it.

The Roman governor, friends, merely becomes a pawn in Christ's work of taking the gospel from Jerusalem to the ends of the world.

For if Felix lets Paul go, Felix may hinder Paul from getting to Rome, where Jesus wants him to be, to proclaim the gospel there.

Where is our hope?

Is it in the present?

Is it in our government, or is it in our God who rose from the dead?

Let's pray together.

Lord Jesus, cause our hope to be put in you and you alone as we face each day the trials that come.

Maybe it's nothing as dire as Paul, but it feels that way to us.

We feel the stress and the strain.

Help us to trust you, to trust that your spirit is in us and working in us so that you might make use of us as your witnesses, as your people.

Trusting that no matter what comes, your will is what will take place.

Bring us into a place of innocence before you, through the forgiveness of sins by faith in Christ.

Grant us wisdom and boldness to live with clear consciences above reproach before all who watch, so that you might be praised forever and ever.

Amen.

That concludes this sermon from Faith Evangelical Free Church.

Our mission is to declare the Word of God and disciple believers into mature, devoted followers of Jesus.

You can learn more by visiting our website at faithfree.com.