The Holy Spirit warns us against the sin of flattery that is seen in this lawyer, Tertullus, who sought to ingratiate himself to Felix, the Roman governor, so as to obtain a favorable judgment from Felix against Paul. Flattery is in effect a deceptive bribe through words rather than money in order to get what we want from others. Flattery is always condemned by God in Scripture (Proverbs 29:5). And as we shall see from our text, after Tertullus flatters Felix, he then outright lies in the charges he brings against the Apostle Paul. For if one will exaggerate what one says in praise of another, that same one will usually have no problem falsifying the truth (Psalm 5:9; Psalm 78:36). Do we make comments to others that are highly exaggerated (if not outright false) so as to place ourselves in a more beneficial position with them? This is an appeal to their vanity, to their pride, to their appearance, to their knowledge, to their wealth, or to their gifts and graces, in order to puff them up for our own advantage. It is assisting Satan in tempting one to pride and vanity. God help us to be those who speak the truth in love at all times. The main points from our text this Lord’s Day are the following: (1) Flattery Seeks to Pervert Justice (Acts 24:1-4); (2) Outright Lies Follow Flattery (Acts 24:5 9).
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