The Acts of the Apostles 88

Subtitle:  Going in Circles

Acts 25:1-27.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on November 24, 2024.

This chapter sets up a longer defense by the Apostle Paul in front of King Herod Agrippa II in the next chapter.

However, chapter 25 also ties back to the earlier events of Paul’s arrest by Commander Lysias, and his removal to Caesarea under Governor Felix.  It has the feel of going back to square one and starting over.

When we feel like we have ended back where we started, it can be a discouraging event, especially when years are involved.  This feeling of going around in circles, facing the same things over again, and not making any progress will depress even the stoutest of hearts.

When this happens, it is good to recognize that there are various reason why we can be going in circles.  Israel traveled in the wilderness for 40 years as a discipline for following their flesh, instead of God’s Spirit.  That generation (besides Caleb and Joshua) physically perished in the wilderness and never entered the Promised Land.  Yet, they didn’t need to perish spiritually.   They could repent and trust even God’s discipline.  They could teach their kids about their failures to obey God’s command and the consequences that brought into their life.  Yet, God’s grace was still there, giving them time to make peace with Him.  Year forty-one was coming, and a wise parent would prepare their offspring.

Of course, Paul is not in this circular pattern because of his lack of faith, his sin.  You could say it was precisely his faith that had him in this situation.  Paul is following Christ, and sometimes, following Christ can feel like we aren’t getting anywhere.

Let’s look at our passage.

An attempt is made to trick Gov. Festus (v 1-5)

The change of governor (from Felix to Festus) gives opportunity to the religious leaders for a fresh chance to get rid of Paul.  People in power (high or low) generally look for ways to manipulate other people of power.  This can be a governor manipulating the elders of Israel in order to control the people in a way that satisfies Caesar.  Or, it can be the leaders of Israel manipulating the new governor in order to execute a man that they do not like, Paul.

History tells us that Felix had been recalled to Rome by Caesar.  It is unclear whether Drusilla accompanied him.  He eventually stood trial for accusations of maladministration during his time in Judea.  Yet, he was able to be absolved of the charges by Caesar.  Regardless, the situation puts a new governor in office, which stirs the leaders of Jerusalem to action.

Festus makes his first trip up to Jerusalem in order to meet the leaders and to give any instructions that he deems fitting.  However, he is met with a petition from the leaders.  Let’s take a minute to talk about this petition.

At face value, the leaders simply inform Festus about Paul’s imprisonment and request that he be brought to Jerusalem for a trial.  However, left unsaid is the fact that men would be sitting in ambush in order to kill Paul.  This is similar to the earlier plot that had been discovered by Paul’s nephew.  I am not sure if the same forty men were looking for redemption.  Regardless, there is no idea that this 2^nd plot was discovered.  Someone would spill the beans later, after it was moot.  Probably someone who later became a believer.

Let’s take a moment to talk about the reality that these “righteous men” employ a ruse in order to trick the governor.  How could they do this?  It starts with the fact that they are convinced in their own righteousness and of Paul’s wickedness.  They believe that the ends justify the means, as long as you can control how it is seen by the people (i.e., retain your moral cloak).

When those who are supposed to represent righteousness are doing wicked things behind a thin veil of due process, that nation is in trouble.   So, what is the solution?  What can righteous people do when such is the case?  Many people throw up their hands and say that it will never change.  However, the best thing to do is to repent and pray for the help of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the King of all kings and Lord of all lords.  Paul is an example of this.

Luke  tells us that Festus denies the petition and tells them to come to Caesarea to lodge their complaint.  It isn’t clear if he has guessed their ploy.  It is more likely that he is avoiding a prisoner transport that would take several days and run the risk of him escaping.  Instead, the petitioners can bear the expense of the travel, while the prisoner is held secure.

It isn’t always clear to us that God uses even unrighteous people.  Paul has run into some Romans who proved to be righteous, but God also used men who were not righteous in order to direct the events of Paul’s life. 

No matter what we do (righteous or wicked), it will always end up furthering the purposes of God.  We can serve His purposes willingly and be blessed, or we can unwillingly serve His purposes and eventually be destroyed.

Paul defends himself (v 6-12)

When the leaders show up in Caesarea, the “serious complaints” they make against Paul are, no doubt, the same as they were before Felix.  It would sound something like this.  Paul is the ringleader of a heretical, Jewish sect, and he causes dissension wherever he goes.  On top of this, he has been caught profaning our temple.

Yet, the only proof they have is about religious teachings that have nothing to do with stirring people up against Rome.  If Paul didn’t have Roman citizenship, he would likely be sacrificed for the sake of peace, and as a means of securing good will from the Jewish leaders.  This is what was done to Jesus.  Of course, Paul does have Roman citizenship, and Festus has to be careful to dot every “i” and cross every “t.” 

Paul responds by emphasizing that he hasn’t done anything against the law of the Jews, nor has he profaned their temple.  On top of this, he has not done anything wrong against Caesar.

Let us be clear that Jesus has not called his people to be lawless.  When you follow the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, you will be a test to lawless men (whether they are a peasant neighbor or a judge in a court).  Lawless authorities love to hide their lawlessness behind a pretense of law.  Christians would do well to be alert to this.

At this point, Festus tries to talk Paul into a trial in Jerusalem.  We are told that he wanted to do the Jews a favor.  His new governorship would be challenged by these men in this room.  The more he can get them on his side the more likely he is to have peace in Jerusalem, and the smile of Caesar.

It is not that the change of venue is up to Paul.  This might seem strange to us.  However, Festus has to be careful.  If something goes wrong, it could be pinned upon his decision to send Paul to Jerusalem.  However, if Paul is on record as wanting to go to Jerusalem, then Festus could make the charge that it was Paul’s fault.

Two things are happening at this point.  Paul knows exactly why the Jewish leaders want to change the venue to Jerusalem.  They intend to make good on their earlier assassination plot.  Yet, Paul is not just saving his skin  here.  He states clearly that he does not object to being put to death for true capital crimes.  However, he will not put up with being handed into the hands of brigands in robes under false charges.

The second thing is that Paul has been told by the Lord Jesus that he will testify in front of governors and kings, and that he must go to Rome.  This leads him to his next action.  Paul appeals his case to Caesar.  Every Roman had the right to have a capital case heard by Caesar.  It may take more years in prison, but it was his right.  Festus cannot ignore this appeal, unless he had solid evidence to back up his decision, which he doesn’t.

There are times when the course of our actions seem to have been a waste.  Yet, we need to be careful with hasty judgments.  If you are sincerely working for the Lord, then you need to trust the Lord’s ability to take the little that you have done and produce spiritual fruit from it.  In fact, Jesus is able to take the little deeds of hundreds of people and stitch them together in one great work of grace.  We must stay humble in our judgments, continue in faithfulness, and trust him.  Ultimately, all of our lives are poured out without knowing all that it will produce.  We simply need to trust him and stay faithful to the end of our course.

Paul is brought before Herod Agrippa II (v. 13-27)

Agrippa II and his sister Bernice (sometimes spelled Berenice) are the offspring of Herod Agrippa I.  He is the man who died in Acts 12.  He had executed the apostle James (John’s brother) and later died of intestinal worms.  His son, Agrippa II, had started out with a small area of authority in an area between Damascus and Syrian Antioch.  But, over the years, he had been given more and more authority.  At this point, Agrippa II was the authority over Galilee and the area north of it.

This is probably a social visit to welcome Festus and to create goodwill between them.  It is in this environment of wining and dining that the curious case of Paul comes up.

Herod Agrippa II jumps at the chance to hear Paul.  This is not a trial, but simply a powerful person obtaining a favor from another powerful person.  To them, Paul is entertainment.

Festus likes this idea and sets up a hearing the next day in an auditorium.  He also invites the commanders and the prominent men of Caesarea.  We are then told that Agrippa II and his sister, Bernice, arrive with great pomp.  Such an atmosphere would not strike Paul with great hope, when he is brought before them.  Besides, the Herodian family was well acquainted with the Jewish religion.  They would be the perfect ones to help Festus determine what to say to Caesar.

We will deal with Paul’s defense in chapter 26 during the next sermon on this matter.  But, for now, I want us to think about this whole going in circles thing.  For two years, Paul has been kept in prison and trotted out to be heard again and again.  He is going in circles, but in a way he is not.  Instead of becoming frustrated, Paul will speak the Gospel to Agrippa II and all those who are in attendance.  Do these pompous people deserve the Gospel?  No, they don’t, but then, neither did Paul.  Many who have heard the Gospel didn’t deserve it, and they went on to squander the opportunity.  Of course, God is trying to wake people up to the reality of Jesus.

These religious leaders who have been charging Paul with heresy and treason are only righteous in appearance only.  This is not what we should be.  We need to be in a relationship with Jesus by prayerfully spending time in His Word, and seeking the leading of the Holy Spirit.  We need to do this with great humility, rather than self-righteousness.

None of the men who have heard Paul’s preaching and defense of the Gospel deserved it.  Yet, God sent him in chains to them.  Paul doesn’t do this because he is in chains.  Rather, he does it because Jesus is worthy of such things.  The purpose of Christ is to let a dying world know that they don’t have to perish.  They can take his hand and be saved.

Yes, it may feel like you are not just going in circles, but that your life is spiraling down.  God’s purpose is to take a life that is spiraling down due to its sins and deflect it through Jesus Christ.  When we put our faith in Jesus, our lives begin to spiral upwards to Him.  Now that is a going in circles that we can rejoice in!

Going in Circles audio

The Acts of the Apostles 85

Subtitle:  A Plot Foiled

Acts 23:23-35.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on November 03,  2024.

Note: There is no sermon for October 27 because we had a visiting evangelist that morning.

We are looking at Paul’s journey of being a witness for and of Jesus.  As we do so, it is good for us to contemplate and pray about our own journey of being a witness for Jesus.  We do not know all that will happen, but the Lord will be with us.

On one hand, a plot of some assassins will be foiled in this passage.  However, on another level, a plot of the Sanhedrin to have Paul executed is also being foiled.  This is not done by any one person (a Roman commander, or a Roman governor), but by the hand of God.

Yet, even with these good things happening, Paul is no longer in control of his day and his whereabouts.  He has had a lot of freedom over the last 20 years.  Now, he has been arrested, and will continue in some form of custody for something  like 4 to 5 years.

Regardless, the Lord, who led him during those decades of missionary work and helped him to establish churches throughout Anatolia and Greece, can also work mightily through this imprisonment.  During this time, Paul will write four letters that are called the “Prison Epistles,” or “Prison Letters.”  These powerfully describe the position and power of the Lord Jesus, while also calling for believers to have the joy of Christ.  Imagine being in prison and encouraging others to experience the joy that you have.  The New Testament letters are: Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon.

It is easy to see only the negative of our situations.  We need the same perspective that Paul had when he said, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28 NKJV).

Let’s look at our passage.

Paul is taken to Caesarea (v. 23-35)

Receiving news of a plot to assassinate Paul, the Roman commander realizes that he needs to get Paul out of town, not only for his safety, but also, to keep things from getting out of hand in Jerusalem.  Already several riots have occurred around Paul.  Volatile situations have a tendency to be triggered by smaller events that don’t seem so potent at the time.  Paul may be a nobody to this Roman commander, but he isn’t going to underestimate what can happen.

The commander formulates a plan to evacuate Paul to Caesarea on the coast that night.  This is where Governor Felix was.  Now, a night march is easier to ambush, but the commander would have the element of surprise on his side.  This would buy them the time needed to get Paul to a more secure location.

The threat is known to be 40 men who have vowed not to eat until they have killed Paul.  The commander’s response is to ensure that these 40 men, and any others who may join them, will not be successful, even if they do figure out that Paul is being moved.  The commander pulls together 200 soldiers, 70 cavalry troops, and 200 spearmen.  They will leave at 9:00 o’clock that night.

The 470 soldiers will be an intimidating force to the 40 men and any others.  This almost 12 to 1 ratio ensures that Paul will be safe.

The commander also sends a letter with the group that is addressed to Governor Felix.  There are a couple of things that we can know from the letter, which Luke includes in the story.  First we find out that the commander’s name is Claudius Lysias.

It is interesting that he tells the narrative of Paul’s arrest in a way that makes him look better.  He basically writes that he rescued Paul from a riotous crowd because he found out that he was a Roman citizen.  Of course, we know that he only found out Paul’s Roman citizenship because a soldier that he had ordered to whip Paul, found out that Paul had Roman citizenship.  This soldier then warned Commander Lysias about what he was about to do.

He does accurately describe that Paul is really accused of transgressions of the Jewish religion, and not things worthy of death.  Yet, there was a plot to assassinate him, so it was best to send Paul to the governor.  The Jews would then be able to appear before Felix and make their charges against Paul.

In the end, the commander is not doing Paul any favors.  He is protecting his own backside with the governor, who will be protecting his own backside with Caesar.  Yet, God is in control of those who think they are in control.  This is one of the underlying themes throughout the book of Acts, even the whole Bible.

The mission goes as planned, and the soldiers are able to take Paul to Caesarea without incident.  The march all night and make it roughly halfway to the city of Antipatris.  Then, the horsemen take Paul on to Caesarea while the other soldiers return to the barracks.

When Paul arrives in Caesarea with 70 horsemen, the letter from Commander Lysias is presented to Governor Felix.  After reading the letter, the governor briefly questions Paul.  The question of where he is from is probably an attempt to pass this case off to someone else, like Herod Agrippa II.  We are going to see him in chapter 25.  However, Paul’s origin in Tarsus of Cilicia ensures that Governor Felix has to deal with his case.  The “problem” cropped up in his jurisdiction, Jerusalem.  The governor most likely sees this as an undesirable situation that can acerbate relations between the Jewish leaders and him.

It is clear that the governor is not interested in hearing Paul’s story.  He will hear Paul’s side of the story when his accusers show up to press their charges.  Thus, Paul is kept in the praetorium, which was a fortress-like palace built by Herod the Great and currently used by the Romans as an administrative headquarters.

It is no fun to have your life is in the hands of an authority figure.  We do not know much about Felix, except what we see in the book of Acts.  He is going to keep Paul in prison/jail for two years.  On top of this, next week we will see that he was hoping for a bribe.

This is the kind of authority figure Felix was.  He was willing to leave an innocent man in prison for the hope of money and for the trade-off of somewhat warmer relations with the elders of Jerusalem.

You and I have not been in a situation that is exactly like Paul’s, but if we focus on the basic components of this situation we can learn some things.  First, we have a bureaucrat who has power over another.  All authority is supposed to be for the service of the people as a whole, but it is very common for bureaucrats to exercise power in ways that are best for them.  When your situation is in the hands of a bureaucrat who doesn’t care about helping you, and you are unable to move forward until you get their approval, you can end up in a kind of limbo. 

These can be very frustrating times that try our patience.  It is natural to feel these things.  You may even complain excessively and devolve into outright angry tirades against them.  These things will spoil our spirit.  It is important for Christians to learn how to step into that place of God’s peace that we see Paul demonstrating here in the pages of Acts.  Your circumstances may be dire, but God hasn’t changed, and the peace that He has for you hasn’t changed.  God has peace for you, even when the world around you is going crazy.  This is why Paul could write about joy while he was sitting in a prison cell, or under house arrest.

Paul will eventually be executed by Rome for serving God, and His Anointed King Jesus.  Paul’s ability to be frustrated and angry would be far more understandable than ours.  However, have you ever noticed that your flesh doesn’t care if your life is on the line or not?  Does your flesh care that Paul had it worse and demonstrated patience?  I don’t think so.  When something, or someone, gets in our way, we become frustrated and angry.

Think about how computers are supposed to make life better, but half of the time they make things harder and chew up your time trying to get them fixed.  What about government?  It is supposed to serve the people and make life better for us, but it often does the opposite.

We can find ourselves in a harassed, frustrated and angry place.  In those moments, it doesn’t take much to trigger a response that is less than Christ-like.  If that is you, then you are human like the rest of us.  Yet, God cares, and He has a plan for us in the midst of such harassing times.  The enemy of our souls wants us to explode as an individual and as a society.  Yet, we know that this is not what Jesus wants.

May God help us to fix our minds upon Jesus.  This reminds me of a verse in Isaiah 26:3.  “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.”  Let us trust in the Lord, rather than letting a person on this earth who has some authority trouble our souls.

Plot Foiled audio

The Acts of the Apostles 84

Subtitle: Showdown in Jerusalem V

Acts 23:6-22.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on October 13, 2024.

We join Paul today before the Sanhedrin, the head legal council of first century Judea.  The Roman commander appears to be observing because he wants to understand exactly what the charges are against Paul, who is a Roman citizen.

We saw last week that Paul was struck on the mouth when his opening statement offended the high priest.  Basically, Paul explained that he had a good conscience in all that he had done.

Let’s pick it up there.

Paul faces the Sanhedrin before the commander (v. 6-10)

After he is unjustly struck for his testimony, Paul realizes that he is not going to receive a real hearing, much less a fair one.  It seems that he chooses to switch tactics here.  If they are not going to listen to him presenting the Gospel, then he can at least couch his position in terms that at least some of them can accept.  Those terms would be the belief in resurrection.

Regardless of what people think about Jesus personally, the resurrection of Jesus is the true sticking point.  If he wasn’t raised from the dead, then his followers were conducting a ruse and should be exposed, resisted.  Yet, if he did come back from the dead, then this is a reality that must be faced.

From their reading of the Old Testament, the rabbis who were Pharisees held that God would raise all the righteous dead from the grave in order to participate in the promised kingdom age under King Messiah.  They were not expecting Messiah himself to be resurrected, but they did believe that God planned to do it, i.e., it should be expected at some point.  The Sadducees, however, not only believed that resurrection was impossible and not prophesied, but they rejected the reality of spirits and angels.  They would scoff at the very idea of resurrection, whereas the Pharisees would only scoff at Jesus being resurrected.

When Paul complains that he is under attack because of his belief in resurrection, it would bring immediate scoffing from the Sadducees.  Their outward scoffing at the very idea of resurrection would naturally provoke a defense from the Pharisees because they had been strongly arguing this point for a long time.  They would not like Paul, and they would reject that Jesus was resurrected, but they would resist the tendency of the Sadducees to use belief in resurrection as proof that Paul was in error.

We should recognize that our traditions can hem us into positions that refuse to see the truth and ignore its attempts to open our eyes.  Christians make this mistake every bit as much as the Jews of the first century.

Paul’s complaint will provoke a fight between the Sadducees and the Pharisees.  We could accuse him of being a trouble maker, but several things are brought to the surface here.  The Sanhedrin is not a united group.  There are great dissensions among them.  Their anger and rage is affecting their ability to reason.

It is not Paul who is creating, or causing, their troubles.  He is only bringing them to the surface in front of the Roman commander.  Romans did not like being involved in points of religious belief.

I think the Pharisees started out defending the concept of resurrection, but throughout the angry arguing, they ended up somewhat defending Paul, or at least the possibility of the things Paul described.

Notice that Paul speaks of “the hope and resurrection from the dead.”  The resurrection is itself a hope to those who are living righteously in this wicked world.  Even if we are put to death by the wicked, or die having lived under the boot of wickedness, God will resurrect the righteous in order to reward their life of faith in Him.

Think of it this way.  The God of the universe created all things “very good.”  Yet, humans (along with some of the angels) have messed up this universe (particularly the earth).  Yet, God has promised to help humans and save us from this state that we have fallen into.  When humans died, their spirits went into a spiritual holding place, Sheol, Hades, The Grave.  However, the wicked would be held for a final judgment, but the righteous are held for the day when God rewards the righteous. He will empty Sheol and give the kingdoms of this world to the righteous, but the wicked will inherit everlasting shame and darkness.

May God help us to grasp this hope and to hold on to it stubbornly.  The resurrection of Jesus gives evidence to us that our resurrection will one day come about at his command.  God help us not to be too cynical, too quick to quit and declare that it is not worth it to serve God.  We want Jesus to find us doing what we are supposed to be doing, and, if he doesn’t come back in our lifetime, we want him to see that we lived out righteousness by faith in him.

At some point, the Roman commander sees that the heated argument is going to engulf Paul and bring harm to him.  He sends in his soldiers to rescue Paul again.  They take him into custody and back into the fortress.

The Lord protects Paul (v. 11-22)

Though we have seen this Roman commander protecting Paul in this story, it really is the Lord who is protecting Paul.  In a bit, we are also going to see how the Lord uses Paul’s nephew to protect Paul again.  We can be too fixated on the mechanism, the person, that God uses to help us.  We can treat a person or thing as if they are the solution to our problems.  Is the solution for an oppressive Pharaoh a shepherd from Midian?  Of course, not.  Are guys with beards and bearing a staff a weakness for Pharaoh, his Kryptonite?  Or perhaps, there is something about the Red Sea that always hits Pharaoh where it hurts.  We can make an idol of the things that God uses to help us.  Israel did this with the bronze serpent that Moses had crafted in the wilderness (see Numbers 21 and 2 Kings 18:4).  In truth, before the Lord all powers of heaven and earth are weak.  It is the LORD who is Pharaoh’s weakness, and Paul understood this. 

Verse 11 tells us that the Lord “stood by” Paul that night.  I believe that Paul was wrestling with the Lord in prayer over how he could have done a better job that day.  We need to understand that Paul’s desire was to turn his people’s hearts back to Messiah Jesus, not to provoke them into riot.  It is easy to think that nothing phases guys like Paul, or Elijah.  However, the truth is that these are men who wrestled with what it was going to take to reach their people.  Perhaps, they prayed asking for God to reveal what they were doing wrong.  If only I spoke more eloquently and had greater passion, then they would all believe!  Don’t you think?

Yet, that night, the Lord stood by him and gives him a message.  I don’t know if this was a vision of Jesus standing by him, or if Jesus actually materialized to him.  Both are quite possible.  Yet, let’s look at how Jesus encourages him.

Paul is told to be of good cheer.  It is possible, even when things are not “working,” to be cheerful in God.  How?  We can do it by remaining focused on what we can control, our actions.  God does not send us to save people.  He sends us to put the message of salvation in front of them.  However, it will be their response to the work of the Holy Spirit that will bring about their salvation.  Paul had faithfully done what Christ wanted him to do.  Jesus was well pleased with Paul, and he could take joy in that (so can we).

Jesus also tells Paul that he has testified of him to Jerusalem and so he must do in Rome.  We don’t always understand the full purpose of God’s work through us.  Humility teaches us to step out in faith, and then be joyful that God is working through you.  Yet, God sometimes gives us light on our path ahead.  Jesus reminds Paul of that part of his future that he was aware of already.  He would go to Rome and testify of Jesus there.

In order to be cheerful in Jesus, we will have to quit looking at politics, economies, and the possibility of world war.  We will have to keep our eyes upon him and what he is giving us to do.

You may not have a visitation or a vision of Jesus.  Yet, he is speaking to you now through his Word.

There can be a part in all of us that says, “I wish the Lord would stand by me,” as if his Word and his Holy Spirit are not enough.  It is not visions and physical manifestations that give encouragement.  We have to be careful that we are not being dishonest.  Many generations that had a large amount of physical manifestations from God failed to trust God, while others believed without those things.

Let me emphasize my point by asking this question.  Do you realize how impossible it is to impress the God who created everything in the universe?  You could say that it is impossible.  Yet, what impressed Jesus the most about any person while he was on this earth?  He was impressed by a Gentile soldier who said that Jesus didn’t need to come to his house in order to heal his servant.  All he needed to do was give the command and it would happen.  Jesus was impressed with the faith that this Gentile had, when many in Israel couldn’t believe half as well.

It takes faith, and faith is not necessarily helped by great physical manifestations and miracles.  If God always manifested and jumped through our hoops in order to get us to trust Him, then, at some point, it would cease to be faith.  It becomes a negotiating over what He has to do in order to obtain our faithfulness.

Do you not know that God cares about you?  There will be moments in your life where He will show up in special ways.  It may only be a spiritual experience, or it could involve a dream, a vision.  It might be through a person that He uses to speak into your life.  Such times are like milestones in our lives where God refreshes us and keeps us pointed in the right direction.  Yet, at the end of the day, He wants us to trust Him and to keep going on in faith.

Paul went to Jerusalem by faith.  Not a faith that declares that I won’t be touched by anything.  It is a faith that says, “I will follow You, regardless what I face, because You are worth it!”  In the end, it is not up to what we can see that will protect us.  It is up to the Lord Jesus, and that should give us great hope!

The next day, we are told about a plot that develops to kill Paul.  Forty plus men have bound themselves with an oath that they will not eat until they have killed Paul.  No doubt, they did this in the name of God.  They come to the Sanhedrin and tell them their plot.  They want the Sanhedrin to ask the Roman commander to bring Paul back for more questioning, but it would be a ruse in order to create an opportunity for ambush.

We keep running into this tendency to mix wicked things with God and His things.  This is just how we are as humans.   When we get into positions of power and authority, we become entrenched in a system that we protect because it protects us.  We can use the color of law and the color of morality to cloak wicked actions. 

Of course, we know that Paul will live years following this.  I doubt that these men were spiritual enough to actually starve themselves to death.  I’m sure that they went back to the same rabbis and ask for some kind of ritual absolution for their rash vow.  But the real question is this.  Will they repent?  Will they actually see that God is goading them to turn away from the wicked path that they are on?

We are told that Paul’s sister’s son (nephew) learns about this plot and reveals it to Paul.  The term used for “young man” here refers to a man in his 20’s or 30’s.  Paul has the guard take his nephew before the commander in order to reveal the plot against him.

This is the grace of God that the right person is in the right place at the right time in order to expose a wicked thing. 

Of course, the commander is rankled by the idea that he would be tricked into having a Roman citizen killed under his watch.  He plans to thwart it, and he commands the young man not to tell anyone that he has made the commander aware of the plot.

Paul is rescued by the Roman commander over and over, and now his nephew helps to protect him.  In all of these things, we must not lose sight that God is working through them to accomplish His purpose.  God is not necessarily protecting Paul from pain and suffering.  But, He is protecting Paul’s ability to share the Gospel.

This is where we need to understand that God can use anyone, even our enemies, to work something for the good of the mission.  This is at the core of the message of the cross of Jesus.  Without the cross, there can be no eternity with God the Father, there can be no redemption for human beings.

When you prayerfully step out in faith, you will get a mixed response.  Don’t let negative responses dissuade you from what God is leading you to do.  Keep your eyes upon Him.  Trust Him.  He will be with you and help you in a multitude of ways.  However, will I trust Him and step out in faith?

Worry easily crops up in our human hearts.  So, let me remind us all of Philippians 4:6-7.  “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

That is the path that God has for us.  Anxieties will arise, but take hold of them and bring them to God in prayer with thanksgiving.  He will aid us and bring us to the good thing that He intends through those things that cause us worry.

Showdown V audio

The Acts of the Apostles 83

Subtitle: Showdown in Jerusalem IV

Acts 22:22-23:5.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on October 6, 2024.

Last week, we stopped right as the crowd listening to Paul begins to riot again.  Paul is on the northwest side of the temple courtyard of the Gentiles and is standing on the steps that lead up to bridges, connecting to the Antonia Fortress.

The final straw is his depiction of the Lord telling him to leave Jerusalem because they wouldn’t listen.  Instead, Paul was to go to the Gentiles.  Regardless of whether or not they believed the Lord actually spoke to him, the message is that God’s grace would be taken from them and given to the Gentiles.  This ignited a new flurry of rioting.

Let’s pick it up there and look at our passage.

Paul is taken into the fortress (v. 22-29)

The Jews had been under the dominion of Gentile powers for a very long time, just over 600 years.  It started with Babylon, then Persia, then Greece, and finally the Romans.  There was a brief period of throwing off dominion under the Maccabees, but that was short-lived.

At the same time, they had a promise from the prophets of an Anointed King of the line of David that would set all things right in Israel and in the world.  The prophecies have a mixture of judgment and salvation that would go to the ends of the earth.

The unique position of having great things promised to you and yet enduring great persecution can breed bad things in your heart.  The average person would generally give up on such prophecies, or at least, treat them as never happening in your lifetime.  It can also create an overdeveloped sense of entitlement to being on top.  Yet, anger that it is not happening.  It can lead to an inability to see God’s love for those others, especially those who have dominion over you.  However, it also happened among themselves.  It can lead to having great zeal and passion, yet without the wisdom of God.  It can lead to a person becoming unable to hear and follow the Holy Spirit.

Do we have some of this in our hearts and denominations within Christianity?

This crowd is angered by the idea that they had crucified the Messiah and that Messiah would send grace away from them to the Gentiles.  We have to be careful as Christians that we don’t develop that same entitled attitude that ends up raging against the work of the Holy Spirit.

As Pentecostals, we can look back to the Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox splitting and see a lack of following the Spirit of God.  We can look back to the Protestants and the Roman Catholics and see it again.  We can even see it among Protestant groups that railed against Pentecostals.  Can we be doing it again among ourselves?  Are we filled with a sense that we are the ones on the cutting edge of God’s work, and yet stand in the way of the Spirit in the name of God?  Of course, we can!

At this point, the Roman commander has Paul brought into the fortress to the shouts of, “Away with such a fellow from the earth, for he is not fit to live!”  It is not likely that the commander understood Paul’s speech, at least immediately.  But, he could read the reaction of the crowd, and it wasn’t good.

The commander then gives the order for Paul to be interrogated under scourging.  Paul has been beaten in the past.  He was beaten with rods in Philippi.  However, the scourge was basically what they did to Jesus.  It had metal and bone tied into a leather flail.  This would easily break the skin and even tear off chunks of muscle.  Scourging often left a man maimed for life, and could even lead to death.  At this point, the commander will be absent, as a centurion has Paul tied to what is probably a post.  The centurion will run the interrogation while soldiers do the whipping.

It is at this point that Paul reveals his Roman citizenship.  He warns the centurion that he is about to break the law.  Of course, he is talking about Roman law.  No Roman citizen could be bound, much less beaten without a proper trial.  This piece of information brings the proceedings to a screeching halt as the centurion makes sure that the commander is aware of the full weight of his command.  This leads to the commander coming in to question Paul himself.

It is not clear exactly why he makes the statement about having obtained his citizenship with a large sum of money.  He could be implying that anyone with money can obtain citizenship (though it was technically illegal.  Roman citizenship was not officially for sale.)   It may be a derisive statement that doesn’t see Paul as capable of having citizenship.  Yet, Paul answers that he has Roman citizenship by birth.

This brings up a question.  Is Paul’s motivation purely out of fear of scourging?  Is he trying to get out of pain and suffering?  He hadn’t brought this up in Philippi until after his beating (Acts 16).  Of course, there is no indication that Paul ever pressed charges against any of these breaches of Roman law.  I believe Paul’s statements stand for themselves.  He is ready to suffer here in Jerusalem.  It was the Spirit of God that had led him to come.  Thus, it is very likely that the Spirit of God is moving him to plead citizenship.

Since we are on the subject of governments and rights, let’s notice that Roman rights were given by law, and they could be taken away by a change in the law.  Whereas, in these United States of America, our history has always held that these are from God and unalienable (at least without breaking the law).

We Americans love to holler about our rights, but we haven’t thought this all the way through. 

If God has given us rights, then he has a purpose a good effect in mind.  If we exercise those rights, then we have a duty to work towards the good He intends.  Take rearing children for instance.  The government doesn’t give you the right to have children.  It is given to you by God.  However, if you exercise your right to have a child, then you have a duty to raise that child for the good thing that God desires out of it.  Essentially, you are to raise up godly offspring to be a source of God’s love and truth into the next generation.  Thus, there is a flip-side to the coin of rights and it is called Duty, or Responsibility.  Precious few Americans are screaming about their duties.

Yet, even duties are intended to lead to a good effect.  That good effect then brings joy both to the duty-bound person and the recipient of that duty.  When the good fruit comes, it is a time of rejoicing. 

We must keep our eyes on God’s good purpose and the joy it brings while we are doing the duties.  You could lose heart, but to do so would be to give up on the joy.

In fact, Paul purposefully chose to endure rods.  Why?  Well first of all because he knew that Jesus had given him the right to take a beating for the Gospel.  I am not being funny.  The elders of the city took a completely different view of Paul and his teachings when they realized that he could take them before Caesar and they would not fare well.  Paul was working and enduring much difficulty for the joy of souls being saved from darkness.

Paul faces the Sanhedrin before the commander (22:30-23:5)

At this point, the commander has Paul’s bonds loosed, though he is still in custody pending investigation.  He is not condemned yet, but there are charges against him.  What are these charges?  This is what the commander wants to find out.  Thus, the Jewish legal body, the Sanhedrin, is called to answer for the treatment of Paul, and so that they can clarify the charges.

Paul is allowed to speak first, and he opens by declaring that he has “lived in all good conscience before God.”  This is not a statement of perfection, but of a lack of guile and intent to offend on his part.  Paul will later explain this in Acts 24:16.  “I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men.”  He doesn’t believe that he has done anything that he feels should offend them.

However, notice his point.  We shouldn’t purposefully offend people, but we should even more so not offend God.  Have you ever noticed that choosing to please God can tick some people off?  It is impossible to please all people while pleasing God.  Some of the things that I would have to do to keep from offending you may offend God.  In his conscience, Paul has worked through this and believes that he has done a good job.

The high priest is offended that Paul would present his claim this way.  Most likely, he believes that Paul of all people should know that his actions are offensive to them.  Does the high priest actually believe Paul brought a Gentile into the temple?  That is not clear.  Is he more concerned about Paul pushing Jesus, who was condemned to death as a heretic by the Sanhedrin?  Or, is he thinking about Paul stirring up trouble in the synagogues within Gentile lands?  Regardless, the high priest calls for Paul to be struck on the mouth, and he is.

Commanding Paul to be struck in the middle of his testimony, i.e., no trying of the facts that could lead to a true judgment, demonstrates just how comfortable this man has become with having power and abusing it.

What he has commanded is against the Law of God.  Deuteronomy 25:1-2 says, “If there is a dispute between men, and they come to court, that the judges may judge them, and they justify the righteous and condemn the wicked, then it shall be, if the wicked man deserves to be beaten, that the judge will cause him to lie down and be beaten in his presence, according to his guilt, with a certain number of blows.”

There has been no presentation of evidence and dispute between the parties.  There has been no trying of the facts and judgment of the judges.  Paul has just opened his mouth to give testimony and he is struck.  Does not this kind of thuggery create the affect of squelching testimony?  It is not enough to demonstrate that you rightly have power or position (though that is questionable in this case).  One must also exercise the power of the position rightly, or justly, as God would have it done.

Of course, it would have been illegal for them to strike Paul as a Roman citizen, but he would have never held that over his own people.

Paul turns and rebukes the man who gave the command.  “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! For you sit to judge me according to the law, and do you command me to be struck contrary to the law?”  This rebuke may have been led by the Holy Spirit, but it is also possible that Paul simply lost his temper.  Who could blame him?  Paul was not a perfect man like the Lord Jesus.  He may have spoken to soon out of anger.

It is interesting though that Paul’s declaration that “God will strike you…” did happen.  Ananias would later be assassinated by rebel Jews for working with Rome.

Why does Paul call him a whitewashed wall?  Jesus spoke of a whitewashed tomb in Matthew 23:7.  It looks clean and nice on the outside, but inside it is full of rot and corruption.  It is a picture of a man who uses the color of law and the color of morality externally to cover up their internal lawlessness and immorality.  This man purports to sit in the judgment seat of God, while breaking God’s command for there to be a trial of the facts first.  Intimidating a witness in the middle of their testimony is a age-old act of corruption.

Of course, they can’t see the irony.  A rebuke comes back to Paul that he is speaking ill of the high priest, contrary to the law.  There is an unequal weight and measure here, as they seem to have a big problem with verbal abuse, but none at all with physical abuse.

Yet, notice that Paul backs down and apologizes for his outburst.  Did he really not know that this was the high priest or did he lie when he said that he didn’t?  I don’t think that Paul is telling a lie.  In any address, a person is often looking to the larger group.  He could have easily not seen who gave the command.  Plus, it is clear from his letters that he does have eye-sight problems.  Between not expecting to be interrupted and poor eyesight, it is quite feasible, if not probable, that Paul did not know who had given the command.

It is also possible that Paul is making a back-handed point.  I didn’t know he was the high priest (stated) because a true high priest would never give an unlawful command (unstated).  At the least, we should recognize his heart.  He backs down and he apologizes.  He even quotes the passage that backs up the point of his enemies.

The wicked will always do wickedly.  Yet, the temptation is for us to respond in kind.  Paul isn’t this kind of man.  In the middle of this antichrist group, he models true repentance, acknowledging that he went too far.

Just as Paul’s accusers weren’t so kind and fair-minded, so our accusers may not be so kind.  No matter how well you do in trying to love others and not be an offense to them, many will be offended anyway.  We will be challenged to be about the purpose of God, rather than about our rights.  In fact, sometimes it is the very abuse of rights that opens people’s eyes to wickedness that is parading as righteous.

May God strengthen our hearts to stand with Him in this day, while being a light to all we come in contact with.

Showdown IV audio