Welcome to Books of the Book.
I'm Pastor Mark Howard. I'm here
00:00:22.58\00:00:25.91
with my co-host, my brother,
Pastor Jim Howard and we have
00:00:25.94\00:00:28.99
been studying in the book of
Acts. We're glad you've joined
00:00:29.03\00:00:31.81
us today. Before we dive into
the book today we're going to
00:00:31.85\00:00:34.91
ask God to bless our time in
study. I invite you to pray with
00:00:34.94\00:00:37.97
us today. Father in
heaven, we thank you
00:00:38.00\00:00:40.48
for the guidance of your Spirit.
We thank you for the blessings
00:00:40.52\00:00:44.58
of your truth and your word and
I just pray now, Lord, that you
00:00:44.61\00:00:48.43
would guide our study and may we
learn lessons that will help us
00:00:48.46\00:00:52.24
to be more faithful to you.
We ask in Jesus' name. Amen.
00:00:52.28\00:00:56.28
Now the last time we were
studying in the book of Acts we
00:00:56.32\00:01:00.77
were in chapter 23 and you
may remember that we were going
00:01:00.81\00:01:06.28
over a plot that was put
together by about 40 Jews to not
00:01:06.31\00:01:10.93
eat or drink, a vow that
was taken, rather, not to eat or
00:01:10.96\00:01:15.50
drink anything until they killed
Paul. And we learned that Paul's
00:01:15.54\00:01:20.33
nephew heard about this, came
and informed Paul. Paul sent him
00:01:20.37\00:01:25.13
with a centurion to the
commander, Claudius Lysius,
00:01:25.16\00:01:29.93
where the young man reported
the same thing to Claudius and
00:01:29.97\00:01:33.84
Claudius set about to spare Paul
and save him. In fact, in the
00:01:33.87\00:01:38.39
plot what they planned to do
was to have the Jews call for a
00:01:38.43\00:01:42.41
council with Paul. In verse
20, it says that the Jews have
00:01:42.45\00:01:46.39
agreed to ask that you
bring Paul down to the council
00:01:46.43\00:01:49.28
tomorrow as though they
were going to inquire more fully
00:01:49.32\00:01:52.10
about him. You know, we want to
talk with him a little bit more,
00:01:52.14\00:01:53.94
we want to learn a little bit
more. But on the way and this
00:01:53.98\00:01:58.08
band of 40 told the Jewish
leaders, look you call for Paul
00:01:58.11\00:02:02.15
and when he comes we'll way lay
him and we'll ambush him and we
00:02:02.18\00:02:07.01
will kill him. So when Claudius
hears about this he, it says in
00:02:07.05\00:02:11.84
verse 23, Called for two
centurions saying prepare 200
00:02:11.88\00:02:17.22
soldiers, 70 horsemen and 200
spear men and go to Caesarea at
00:02:17.26\00:02:20.41
the third hour of the night.
It was about 9 o'clock in the
00:02:20.44\00:02:23.53
evening, And provide mounts to
set Paul on and bring him safely
00:02:23.56\00:02:28.38
to Felix the governor.
Mark, as you're telling the
00:02:28.41\00:02:31.61
story it dawns on me that
Claudius Lysius here... I don't
00:02:31.64\00:02:35.96
know that he would have been
quite so quick to protect the
00:02:35.99\00:02:39.43
Apostle Paul if it hadn't been
for the fact of what we learned
00:02:39.47\00:02:43.74
last time which is that Paul
is a Roman citizen. So as we go
00:02:43.77\00:02:47.29
through these different trials
of the Apostle Paul before
00:02:47.32\00:02:50.87
Lysius and then Felix, we're
going to get into today and then
00:02:50.91\00:02:55.00
Festus and Agrippa. Each of them
have this concern that they not
00:02:55.03\00:02:58.67
mistreat Paul or allow him to be
mistreated because he's a Roman
00:02:58.70\00:03:02.89
citizen and it could be the end
of their own reign if they were
00:03:02.92\00:03:07.07
to in any way
allow him to be harmed.
00:03:07.11\00:03:08.90
That's right. So we're going to
see that there's unfortunately
00:03:08.93\00:03:14.38
not just virtue here but there's
a little bit of politics going
00:03:14.41\00:03:19.83
on as well. So Claudius Lysius,
in verse 26, writes a letter to
00:03:19.86\00:03:22.99
the governor, Felix. Tells him
about the situation with Paul
00:03:23.03\00:03:26.79
that he's sending him his
way. It says in verse 31, the
00:03:26.83\00:03:30.52
soldiers as they were commanded
took Paul and brought him by
00:03:30.55\00:03:33.91
night to Antipatris. The next
day they left the horsemen to go
00:03:33.95\00:03:38.45
on with Paul and they returned
to the barracks. Verse 33 says,
00:03:38.49\00:03:42.35
When they came to Caesarea and
had delivered the letter to the
00:03:42.39\00:03:46.22
governor, they also presented
Paul to him. And when the
00:03:46.25\00:03:50.27
governor had read it, he asked
what province he was from and
00:03:50.31\00:03:53.56
when he understood that he was
from Cilicia he said I will hear
00:03:53.59\00:03:57.31
you when your accusers have come
00:03:57.34\00:03:58.54
and they put him
in custody there.
00:03:58.57\00:04:02.03
That's right. So here we pick
up in chapter 24 and I'll start
00:04:02.06\00:04:05.60
there in verse 1. It says,
Now after five days, Ananias the
00:04:05.64\00:04:09.77
high priest, came down with
the elders and a certain orator
00:04:09.81\00:04:14.24
named Tertullus. These gave
evidence to the governor against
00:04:14.28\00:04:19.07
Paul. Now the first thing
we want to note here is when it
00:04:19.11\00:04:23.05
says, They gave evidence to the
governor against Paul, that's
00:04:23.08\00:04:27.59
probably a loose rendering
because there wasn't really any
00:04:27.62\00:04:32.29
evidence against Paul. But
they come with this orator named
00:04:32.33\00:04:36.62
Tertullus and it seems kind of
odd that they have that in there
00:04:36.65\00:04:40.87
but he actually, if we want
to refer to him in this way, is
00:04:40.90\00:04:44.71
almost like an attorney. He's
there to represent their case
00:04:44.74\00:04:48.66
and as you hear him speak, as
we're about to read it here in
00:04:48.69\00:04:52.57
chapter 24, you sense
the polish that he has.
00:04:52.61\00:04:56.47
It's almost a little comical in
light of you know what's going
00:04:56.50\00:05:00.05
on in the situation.
That's right, that's right.
00:05:00.09\00:05:01.98
Well let's dive into what he has
to say in verse 2. He speaks as
00:05:02.02\00:05:06.82
a representative of Ananias and
the elders. Verse 2 says, And
00:05:06.85\00:05:11.62
when he was called upon,
Tertullus began his accusation
00:05:11.65\00:05:16.44
saying, Seeing that through
you we enjoy great peace and
00:05:16.47\00:05:20.85
prosperity and prosperity
is being brought to this nation
00:05:20.89\00:05:25.10
by your foresight we accept it
always and in all places, most
00:05:25.14\00:05:29.32
noble Felix with all
thankfulness. And you can see
00:05:29.36\00:05:33.77
the polish that he has
here. He's showing these great
00:05:33.80\00:05:38.15
complements and showering these
superlatives on Felix to try and
00:05:38.18\00:05:47.30
ultimately flatter him
and get him prepared for these
00:05:47.33\00:05:49.78
accusations. You
know how much respect the
00:05:49.82\00:05:51.53
Jews had for Romans.
That's right. So this is
00:05:51.56\00:05:53.21
certainly not fully honest but
it wasn't uncommon for them to
00:05:53.24\00:05:57.89
speak in a very polite way. You
see the Apostle Paul speak of
00:05:57.92\00:06:02.08
most noble and address in that
way. But certainly there was a
00:06:02.12\00:06:05.79
little bit of an overboard
picture here. But then he kind
00:06:05.83\00:06:09.43
of turns his language in verse 4
and says nevertheless not to be
00:06:09.46\00:06:14.16
tedious to you any further,
so you almost get the sense that
00:06:14.19\00:06:18.85
he's saying we know you
have lots of responsibilities.
00:06:18.89\00:06:22.61
We don't want to take up too
much time. Let's get to a quick
00:06:22.64\00:06:26.22
judgment here because this is an
easy case. I beg you to hear by
00:06:26.25\00:06:30.22
your courtesy a few words from
us for we have found this man
00:06:30.25\00:06:33.82
a plague. Now he starts right
there. We have found this man...
00:06:33.85\00:06:37.65
Almost gives the impression that
there has been some sort of fair
00:06:37.68\00:06:41.44
and honest and thorough
investigation done. We have
00:06:41.47\00:06:44.59
found this man of plague, a
creator of dissension among all
00:06:44.63\00:06:48.85
the Jews throughout the
world. Now this is a fascinating
00:06:48.88\00:06:53.04
statement that they accuse him
of being a creator of dissension
00:06:53.07\00:06:56.29
because this of course is coming
on the heels of what we saw in
00:06:56.32\00:07:02.24
Jerusalem when Paul was there
in the temple and he was spotted
00:07:02.27\00:07:08.16
by some Jews from Asia
and remember they said, Men of
00:07:08.19\00:07:12.02
Israel, help. Right. This man...
You know, Paul's just minding
00:07:12.06\00:07:15.45
his own business. In fact, it's
kind of an odd situation because
00:07:15.49\00:07:20.02
normally when Paul went into
a town or a city, he would begin
00:07:20.06\00:07:23.88
preaching right away, but Paul
is on his best behavior here.
00:07:23.91\00:07:27.66
He's not trying to stir anything
up. He's just going through this
00:07:27.69\00:07:30.91
ritual purification in the
temple in chapter 21 and these
00:07:30.94\00:07:34.34
Jews from Asia begin to
stir things up. And that's no
00:07:34.37\00:07:37.70
different than we saw in Berea,
in Thessalonica, in Antioch. We
00:07:37.73\00:07:42.16
saw a riot in Ephesus. It was
never Paul who started it but
00:07:42.20\00:07:46.56
the unbelieving Jews or Gentiles
who were offended or people who
00:07:46.59\00:07:51.22
were sustaining loss because of
his gospel. So over and over we
00:07:51.26\00:07:55.85
saw that it was not
Paul. It was a very clear false
00:07:55.89\00:07:58.05
accusation, but one that's been
attached to him. It says that
00:07:58.08\00:08:01.16
he was a creator of dissension
among all the Jews throughout
00:08:01.20\00:08:04.71
the world and a ringleader
of the sect of the Nazarenes.
00:08:04.74\00:08:08.18
Now this particular passage...
You know the word sect certainly
00:08:08.22\00:08:13.09
can mean just a group. The
Pharisees were referred to as a
00:08:13.13\00:08:15.94
sect. But in the context here
and as we keep reading in the
00:08:15.98\00:08:19.33
passage you get the clear that
Paul is being marginalized and
00:08:19.36\00:08:22.68
the Christians are being
marginalized here as a group
00:08:22.71\00:08:27.68
that doesn't really have many
followers; it doesn't really
00:08:27.71\00:08:30.75
have many people who
would actually believe it.
00:08:30.79\00:08:33.36
Well the New Living Translation
in verse 5 says the cult of the
00:08:33.39\00:08:36.43
Nazarenes. May be more of a
resounding word to us today.
00:08:36.47\00:08:40.16
That's right. And doesn't it
make you think about the fact
00:08:40.20\00:08:43.82
that when Jesus was ministering
the Pharisees said of him, Oh he
00:08:43.86\00:08:48.32
casts out demons by the prince
of the demons. They were always
00:08:48.36\00:08:53.30
trying to make his ministry look
like it was of the devil so that
00:08:53.33\00:08:57.57
people when they heard what he
said would not give it any heed
00:08:57.61\00:09:01.39
or they would stay clear of him
altogether. So if they could put
00:09:01.42\00:09:05.17
this veneer that he's bad it'll
cause prejudice in people's
00:09:05.20\00:09:08.51
minds. And that's what they were
doing here. It makes me think,
00:09:08.55\00:09:13.23
Mark, about as a Seventh-day
Adventist I know that I minister
00:09:13.27\00:09:17.25
in a body of believers that's
not a majority in the world for
00:09:17.28\00:09:21.46
sure and sometimes people will
miscommunicate things and sort
00:09:21.49\00:09:25.63
of paint a picture of Seventh-
day Adventists that's not
00:09:25.67\00:09:29.27
exactly fully upright or
explaining who we are in a
00:09:29.31\00:09:32.84
proper way. And we need to
remember that we're not alone.
00:09:32.87\00:09:37.66
Jesus was said to be of the
devil. Paul was said to be a
00:09:37.70\00:09:42.41
ringleader of a cult or a sect.
And we can expect that whenever
00:09:42.45\00:09:46.05
we are faithful to God
we'll have that type of PR.
00:09:46.08\00:09:50.90
Well anyway it continues and
says in verse 6, He even tried
00:09:50.94\00:09:54.37
to profane the temple, which
we know isn't true because they
00:09:54.41\00:09:57.34
accused him of bringing a
Gentile in which he didn't do.
00:09:57.37\00:10:00.87
And we seized him and wanted
to judge him according to our
00:10:00.91\00:10:04.01
law. Now that's interesting.
Wanted to judge him according
00:10:04.05\00:10:07.45
to our law. The reality was
they were beating him when the
00:10:07.49\00:10:12.66
commander sent soldiers to
free him. So they had no honest
00:10:12.70\00:10:17.80
desire to have the law fulfilled
here but they were just painting
00:10:17.83\00:10:22.91
it up in this way, or Tertullus
is, as he's speaking to Felix.
00:10:22.94\00:10:27.11
Verse 7 says, But the commander
Lysius came by and with great
00:10:27.15\00:10:30.68
violence took him out of our
hands commanding his accusers
00:10:30.71\00:10:34.17
to come to you. By examining him
yourself you may ascertain all
00:10:34.21\00:10:37.91
these things of
which we accuse him.
00:10:37.94\00:10:40.12
Yeah, again, Lysius violently
took him out of our hands. We
00:10:40.16\00:10:43.70
were just trying to find a fair
and reasonable judgment. No they
00:10:43.74\00:10:46.46
were beating him to death and
Lysius rescued him from their
00:10:46.50\00:10:51.52
hands. But now it's we were just
trying to do the right thing and
00:10:51.56\00:10:54.26
Lysius came and... And
we were going to judge him
00:10:54.30\00:10:56.20
according to the law until they
came around. Yeah, no, that's
00:10:56.23\00:10:58.89
not at all what was happening
and the fascinating thing is
00:10:58.93\00:11:01.52
then in verse 9 it says the Jews
there, they all assented, Yeah
00:11:01.56\00:11:04.27
that's what happened. They're
all nodding and assenting and
00:11:04.30\00:11:07.51
maintaining that these things
were so. A totally dishonest
00:11:07.54\00:11:10.94
portrayal here and how is the
Apostle Paul going to respond?
00:11:10.98\00:11:14.33
Well we pick up his response
in verse 10. It says, then Paul,
00:11:14.37\00:11:17.47
after the governor had nodded
to him to speak, in other words,
00:11:17.50\00:11:20.56
it's your turn to answer for
yourself, he says, Inasmuch as
00:11:20.60\00:11:24.24
I know that you have been
for many years a judge of this
00:11:24.28\00:11:27.85
nation, I do the more cheerfully
answer for myself because you
00:11:27.89\00:11:32.07
my ascertain that it is no more
than 12 days since I went up to
00:11:32.10\00:11:35.52
Jerusalem to worship. In other
words, it's only been 12 days.
00:11:35.56\00:11:38.86
You can figure this out. How
much time do I have to start a
00:11:38.89\00:11:42.30
great insurrection among all the
Jews and stir everything up in
00:11:42.33\00:11:47.35
12 days. It just doesn't make
any sense. And he says, And they
00:11:47.38\00:11:52.36
neither found me in the
temple disputing with anyone nor
00:11:52.40\00:11:55.36
inciting the crowd either in the
synagogues or in the city nor
00:11:55.40\00:11:58.55
can they prove the things of
which they now accuse me. But
00:11:58.58\00:12:01.93
this I confess to you that
according to the way in which
00:12:01.96\00:12:05.23
they call a sect, or a cult, he
says, according to that way so
00:12:05.27\00:12:09.42
I worship the God of my Fathers
believing all things which are
00:12:09.46\00:12:13.58
written in the law and in
the prophets. Now this is an
00:12:13.61\00:12:16.13
interesting passage because
he's basically saying that
00:12:16.17\00:12:18.78
whatever they're calling a cult,
this manner of worship, he says
00:12:18.82\00:12:23.81
everything I do I'm testifying
is in harmony with the heart of
00:12:23.85\00:12:28.37
the religion that they profess
and more specifically of the
00:12:28.40\00:12:32.19
scriptures, in the Old Testament
scriptures. I just really want
00:12:32.23\00:12:35.96
to emphasize that here. There
are Christians today who have
00:12:35.99\00:12:39.01
this understanding that the
New Testament faith is something
00:12:39.05\00:12:42.07
totally different from the Old
Testament faith, but it was just
00:12:42.11\00:12:45.41
what was it a couple of chapters
before when Paul was giving his
00:12:45.45\00:12:48.72
testimony and he said I am
a Jew. He considered himself a
00:12:48.75\00:12:51.77
Jew. But he was a Jew who
followed the Way. He was a Jew
00:12:51.80\00:12:54.75
who believed in Jesus Christ.
He believed the things written.
00:12:54.79\00:12:57.72
He was a Jew in the truest
sense of the word in reality.
00:12:57.75\00:13:00.90
Absolutely. He believed all
things written in the law and
00:13:00.93\00:13:04.01
the prophets and he understood
that some of the things written
00:13:04.05\00:13:07.02
in the law and the prophets
had met their fulfillment in the
00:13:07.06\00:13:10.18
types meeting the antitype in
the death, burial, resurrection
00:13:10.22\00:13:14.20
of Jesus Christ and what have
you. But he still held to the
00:13:14.24\00:13:18.15
importance of the law of God and
living in harmony with it as we
00:13:18.19\00:13:21.33
will continue to see. He
says they can't prove, and I may
00:13:21.36\00:13:25.09
interject here as well, that
sometimes we've mentioned this
00:13:25.13\00:13:28.28
before, we hear the claim that
the apostles changed the law
00:13:28.32\00:13:31.37
they changed the day of worship
on the Sabbath and what have
00:13:31.40\00:13:34.90
you. Listen if Paul had changed
the day of worship and was not
00:13:34.94\00:13:37.68
keeping the Sabbath, it wouldn't
have been hard for them to prove
00:13:37.71\00:13:40.42
that. They would have proved
very easily that he was living
00:13:40.45\00:13:43.24
contrary to the law. But they
couldn't prove that. There was
00:13:43.28\00:13:46.04
nothing in his practice
that he did. Somebody may say
00:13:46.07\00:13:48.83
well why he kept those things
so that it was kind of a show he
00:13:48.86\00:13:53.26
put on. But we're going to find
out as it goes on here he says
00:13:53.30\00:13:58.68
in verse 16, This being so, I
myself always strive to have a
00:13:58.71\00:14:02.92
conscience without offense
toward God and man. So he wasn't
00:14:02.95\00:14:06.43
doing these things just as a
show. He was living according
00:14:06.47\00:14:09.29
to his conscience that
was telling him he ought to be
00:14:09.33\00:14:12.08
living in obedience to the law
of God. Now there's more that
00:14:12.12\00:14:14.71
we can say on this and we will,
but we're going to do it after
00:14:14.74\00:14:17.30
our break. So stay with
us. We'll see you in a minute.
00:14:17.33\00:14:19.41