I want you to turn with me tonight in your Bibles to the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 24. And our overall theme in these nights has been the church ablaze. And we have come to our 35th study, and we're looking tonight at Paul the witness, and then Paul the defender. And we're moving into the last few weeks of our Bible class. And we're also moving into the last few weeks on this series in the book of Acts. And we hope to soon finish the book of Acts. And when we have finished the book of Acts, our Bible class will be over for the session. And we're reading this evening from the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 24. And we're reading, please, at verse 1. The Acts of the Apostles, chapter 24. And we're reading at verse 1. Paul has been taken in Jerusalem. He has been nearly beaten to death by the Jews. He has been rescued by the Roman tribune, Claudius Lysias. He has been taken to Caesarea overnight. And now the Jews come down from Jerusalem to try the apostle Paul and lay accusations against him. And after five days, Ananias, the high priest, descended with the elders and with a certain orator named Tertullus. who informed the governor against Paul. And when he was called forth to Tullus, began to accuse him, saying, Saying that by thee we enjoy great quietness, and that very worthy deeds are done unto this nation by thy providence, we accept it always and in all places, most noble Felix, with all thankfulness. Notwithstanding that I be not further tedious unto thee, I pray thee that thou wouldst hear us of thy clemency a few words. That's what I would call a waffler. That's flattery. That's laying it on thick at its best. Verse 5, We have found this man a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout all the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes, who hath also gone about to profane the temple, whom we took and would have judged according to our law. But the chief captain, Lysias, came upon us, And with great violence took him away out of our hands, commanding his accusers to come unto thee, by examining of whom thyself may take us knowledge of all these things, whereof we accuse him. And the Jews also assented, saying that these things were so. They purged themselves, one elder after another. Then Paul, after that the governor had beckoned unto him to speak, answered, Forasmuch as I know that thou hast been of many years a judge unto this nation, I do the more cheerfully answer for myself, because that thou mayest understand that there are yet but twelve days since I went up to Jerusalem for to worship. And they neither found me in the temple disputing with any man, neither raising up the people, neither in the synagogues, nor in the city, neither can they prove the things whereof they now accuse me. But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and the prophets. and have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and of the unjust. And herein do I exercise myself to have always a conscience void of offense toward God and toward men. Now, after many years, I came to bring alms to my nation and offerings. That's an important verse. That was Paul's purpose in Jerusalem. to bring a love offering from the Gentile churches to the needy saints in Jerusalem. You see, it wasn't Paul's responsibility, as I'm going to show you tonight, to witness to the Jews in Jerusalem. The Lord had told him to get out of Jerusalem. That was the responsibility of the saints in Jerusalem. Paul says, I didn't come. I'm the apostle to the Gentiles. I have come to bring a love offering from the Gentiles to the needy saints in Jerusalem. whereupon certain Jews from Asia found me purified in the temple, neither with multitude nor with tumult. Who ought to have been here before thee, and object if they had ought against thee, or else let these same here say, if they have found any evil doing in me, while I stood before the council. Except it be for this one voice that I cried, standing among them, touching the resurrection of the dead, I am called in question by you this day." That's an important statement. You see, the apostles not only preached the death of Christ, they preached the resurrection of Christ. We have been taught in this church down through the years to get people to the cross. That's wonderful. But don't leave Christ on the cross. Don't leave him on the cross. He's risen. And that was the message of the apostles. Not only the death of Christ, not only the burial of Christ, but the resurrection of Christ. That's the dominant theme in the book of Acts. He lives. And when Felix heard these things, having more perfect knowledge of that way, he deferred them and said, when Lysias the chief captain shall come down, I will know the uttermost of your matter. He never really did send for him. And he commanded the centurion to keep Paul and to let him of liberty, and that he should forbid none of his acquaintance to minister or to come unto him. And after certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul and heard him concerning the faith in Christ. And as he, Paul, reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled and answered, Go thy way for this time. When I have a convenient season, I will call for thee. He hoped also that money should have been given of Paul, that he might lose him. Wherefore he sent for him the offner, and communed with him. But after two years, Porcius Festus came into Felix's room, and Felix, willing to show the Jews a pleasure, left Paul by. John Chrysostom was one of the greatest of the Greek church fathers. He lived from the year 347 to 407 AD. As a very young Christian, John Chrysostom was brought before the emperor who said that if he didn't give up Jesus Christ, he would banish him from the country. Chrysostom replied, You cannot, for the whole world is my father's land. You cannot banish me. The emperor said, Then I will take away all your property. Chrysostom said, You cannot, for my treasures are in heaven. Then said the Emperor, I will take you to a place where there is not a friend to speak to. Trofsostom replied, You cannot, for I have a friend who is closer than a brother. I shall have Jesus Christ forever. The Emperor finally threatened, Then I will take away your life. The answer was, You cannot, for my life is hid with God in Christ. And the Emperor confessed, What do you do with a man like that? It's easy to believe, isn't it, when everything is fine? But when the fire is hot, that's different. I wonder, are you in the furnace right now? Today there is an escalating hostility toward the gospel throughout the world. In some parts of our world this evening, there is a direct persecution of believers, and it is likely in the coming years that Christians everywhere will continue to face this increasing hostility, both from civil authorities and from unbelievers on a personal level. Let me share a promise with you that may not be as exciting as some of the rest, but nonetheless it's true. Paul says, All that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. Did you get it? Yes. All that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. You say to me tonight, well, I'm a Christian and I'm not suffering persecution. Well, look at the promise. You make up your mind tonight that you're going to live for the Lord, and you're going to live like the Lord, and you'll suffer. No man suffered more for the Lord Jesus than the Apostle Paul. Indeed, he was called, he was chosen to suffer. You remember what the Lord said to Ananias, I will show him how great things he must suffer for My namesake. Now, the book of Acts records the history of the church. from the day of Pentecost, the day when the church was born, until it brought its message to the great capital of the world, the city of Rome itself. And during those early years, many exciting things happened. Two people dominated those early years in the church, the Apostle Peter and the Apostle Paul. Peter dominated the first half of the book of Acts. Paul dominated the second half of the book of Acts. And this passage that we have read together this evening takes place in the midst of the story of Paul, the man who took the gospel to the Gentiles. We have discovered that Paul took three missionary journeys to the Gentiles. And as we come to this passage tonight, we realize that he has just completed his third tour. He's no longer a free man. Paul is a prisoner. You remember that when he arrived in Jerusalem at the end of his third missionary journey, he tried to pacify the Jews by going to the temple. James, one of the leaders of the church in Jerusalem, and the elders of the church in Jerusalem, suggested to Paul that he should go to the temple to show the Jewish believers in Jerusalem that he wasn't anti-Jewish. Because he still believed in some of the customs of Israel. You remember that while Paul was in the temple, some of the Jews from Asia Minor saw him and they tried to kill him. Let me just refresh your memory. Flip back to chapter 21. Chapter 21. Chapter 21. Verse 27, And when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews which were of Asia, probably from Ephesus, when they saw him, Paul, in the temple, stirred up all the people and laid hands on him. Crying, Men of Israel, help! This is the man that teacheth all men everywhere against the people and the law in this place, and further brought Greeks also in the temple, and hath polluted this holy place. for they had seen before with him in the city Trophimus, an Ephesian, whom they supposed that Paul brought into the temple. And all the city was moved, and the people ran together, and they took Paul and drew him out of the temple, and forthwith the doors were shut. And as they went about to kill him, tidings came unto the chief captain of the band, that all Jerusalem was an uproar, who immediately took soldiers and centurions and ran down unto them. And when they saw the chief captain and the soldiers, they left beating of Paul. You see, here were the Jews, and they were trying to kill the Apostle Paul. Claudius Lysias, the tribune, and the Roman soldiers rescued him. He stood before the Jewish Sanhedrin, and they were ready to pull him in pieces. And then there was a plot to kill his life. And so Paul is taken from the city of Jerusalem, and he is taken down to the coast city of Caesarea. And as we open chapter 24, tonight Paul is in Caesarea. His ministry as a prisoner of the Lord Jesus took place in three cities. Jerusalem, Caesarea and Rome. He spent only a few days in the city of Jerusalem. He spent two years in the city of Caesarea before he was sent to Rome. Now, do you notice how chapter 24 begins? Look at verse 1. And after five days Ananias the high priest descended with the elders and with a certain orator named Tertullus. They descended. In the Bible record, when people go up to Jerusalem, they always go up. But when they go down from Jerusalem, they always go down. And that explains why this Jewish party descended to Caesarea. Like a flock of vultures, they were descending on their prey because they wanted to kill the Apostle Paul. Now, those of you who have been to Israel have visited the coastal city of Caesarea. It was built in the last two decades prior to the birth of the Lord Jesus, and it was built by Herod the Great. It became the headquarter city for the Roman governors of the region. It was built at great expense. It included an artificial harbor that protected sailing ships from incoming storms. A massive aqueduct, which is still standing, brought fresh water from Mount Carmel some 20 miles away. And you remember that Caesarea was the home of Cornelius the Centurion, and it was the home of Philip the Evangelist, and it's here in this coastal city of Caesarea that Paul is held for two years. You'll notice the story opens with the accusation of the Jews. Now, all of these accusations that were brought against the Apostle Paul were lies. But that's to be expected. You see, if you're going to live a godly life in the face of a non-godly world, you're going to suffer persecution. Paul suffered false accusations, but he could say that he was blameless. Did you notice that these charges were brought against the Apostle Paul by the Jews before the powerful governor? Verse 1. who informed the governor against Paul. Can you see his name in chapter 23? In chapter 23 and verse 26, you can see his name. Claudius Lysias, he was the Roman tribune. Unto the most excellent governor Felix sendeth greeting. His name is Felix. Actually, his name is Antonius Felix. He was the first free slave in the history of the Roman Empire to become the governor of a Roman province. That would have been quite a distinction had he earned it. But that was not the case. As a child, Felix, along with his brother Pallas, had been freed by Antonio, the mother of Prince Claudius, a future Caesar. And as they grew up, Pallas, the brother of Felix, became a close friend of Claudius, so much so that when Claudius became the Roman emperor in the city of Rome, Pallas persuaded him to make Felix a government official in Palestine under the name of a man by commoners. When Commodus was disposed, Felix obtained his office through shameful intrigue. My friends, here was a man who was steeped in the blood of private murder and public massacre. Indeed, according to verse 26, this was a treacherous and unjust man. Josephus, the Jewish historian, tells us that Felix repeatedly crucified the leaders of various uprisings. The Roman historian Heraclius described him as a master of cruelty and lust who exercised the power of a king with the spirit of a slave. My dear friends, finally the corruption of Felix's room became so great that Nero back in Rome, who was no model of morality himself, recalled the governor. My friends, he would have been executed. If his brother hadn't have been present in the city of Rome and pleaded on his behalf, and this is the man, this is the powerful governor whom Paul now stands before." So, these charges were brought against Paul by the Jews before the powerful governor. You'll notice that these charges were brought by the Jews against Paul by the professional lawyer. Look at verse 1. After five days, Ananias the high priest descended with the elders and with a certain orator named Tertullus." Now, verse 1, in verse 1 you can see the accusers identified. Have a look at them. Ananias is mentioned first. He was a corrupt high priest. He saw Paul as a threat, and so he wanted to get rid of him. And that's why he was part of the entourage that traveled to Caesarea to accuse Paul. You can see here not only Ananias, you can see the elders, the leaders of the Sanhedrin, the Supreme Court of the Jews. Ananias, the elders, Tertullus. You see, Roman law was just as complex as our modern law, and it took an expert to understand it and to apply it successfully to his client's case. You'll notice there was flattery here. It was common, you see, for orators in those days to do what Tertullus did. Look at verse 2 again. He says, saying, that by thee we enjoy great quietness, and that very worthy deeds are done unto this nation by thy providence. We expect it always, and in all places, most noble Felix with all thankfulness. He's laying the flattery on the thing. We might say he's doing a soft soap job. He's buttering Felix up with flattery. He talked about Felix bringing great peace and doing great deeds. And they were marked by great thankfulness. I can almost see the Jewish leaders staring in disbelief. They could never have said what Tertullus did with a straight face. Remember, the Jews hated the Romans. The Jews hated the Roman governor. But you wouldn't know it from the way that Tertullus was laying it on thick. Now, Felix wasn't stupid. Felix knew that what Tertullus said wasn't true, but I think he enjoyed listening to the flattery because he knew that the Jewish leaders had to stand there and endure what Tertullus said about him. He just liked it. Do you remember Herod was the same? You remember that as he sat on his throne and gave a speech, the people flattered him. And they said, it's not the voice of a man, it's the voice of God. Herod loved Priest, even though he knew that it wasn't true. And it was the same with Felix. Here is a man who is trying to influence Felix with flattery, with the hope that the governor would rule in his fever. It raises the question, does it not, Is flattery acceptable for a Christian? You see, when you flatter someone, you do or say something which is beyond the truth to elicit, to gain something for yourself. People don't flatter those who can't give them anything. They only flatter those who can. And my dear friend, sad to say it works, but it's wrong for the Christian. The book of Proverbs says, a flattering mouth worketh ruin. The psalmist says, the Lord will cut off all flattering rips. You say, what's wrong with flattery? It's not the truth. It's not the truth. Flattery is a means of gaining something for yourself. It is marked by self-indulgence and selfishness. Many people think if you want anything in life, you have to get it anyway you can. There are some people who think if the church needs to build a new building, then you need to flatter people who've got a lot of money. There are preachers who stand in the pulpit, and when they preach, they love to drop neoms. You know that type of preacher. It's a form of flattery. I wonder, have you ever used flattery to gain your own den? Do you find that those occasions when you use it are frequent or infrequent? Have you flattered someone recently? You'll notice there was flattery here, but look again, there was falsehood here. I mean, all of these accusations that were brought against the Apostle Paul were lies. Both Tertullus and Felix knew that the things they said were not true. You see, if the introduction was full of falsehood, then the accusations were full of falsehood. Indeed, when you compare Luke's account of Paul's arrest with Tertullus' account of Paul's arrest, you can see there's a mighty difference. Now, Tertullus brought three charges against the Apostle Paul. Have a look at them. You'll notice there was a personal charge. Paul was accused of sedition. Look at verse 5. We have found this fellow a pestilent fellow and a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world. Sedition could be translated treason. My dear friends, if only they could get this charge to stick, the Apostle Paul would be in deep trouble with the Romans. The freest pestilent fellow can be translated a nuisance. They just considered the Apostle Paul to be a pain in the neck. They considered the Apostle Paul to be a nuisance, an irritant to the Jews everywhere. And of course they were hoping to get some sympathy from Felix. suggesting that Paul could disturb the Roman peace. They accused Paul of stirring up the Jews nationally against Rome. Now, don't ever forget the Romans were paranoid about revolutions. They were paranoid about insurrections. They were paranoid about riots in their foreign country. And that's why they placed governors and rulers and soldiers in those places to keep the Roman peace. Actually, this accusation had some basis in fact. Old Vance Havner, the American preacher, used to say, everywhere Paul went there was either a riot or a revival. Paul would preach a sermon and then someone would get excited and stir up a riot. But Paul himself didn't stir up a riot, though he was always around them when they occurred. The people who created dissension in response to what Paul preached were actually responsible. Isn't it interesting to notice what the Roman Tribune had to say about Paul? Look at his letter for a moment. Verse 20, chapter 23 and verse 26. The Roman Tribune is writing a letter to Felix concerning Paul. Verse 27, this man, chapter 23, verse 27, this man Paul was taken of the Jews and should have been killed of them. Then came I with an army and rescued him, having understood that he was a Roman. And when I would have known the case wherefore they accused him, I brought him forth into their council, whom I perceived to be accused of questions of their law, but to have nothing led to his charge worthy of death or of bonds." Isn't that interesting? In other words, the Roman tribune is writing to Felix, the Roman governor, and he's saying, listen, this is not a legal matter. This is not a civil matter. This is strictly a theological matter between them. Now, what I find interesting in the book of Acts is this, that when Christians were put on trial for preaching Christ, they were not regarded as political insurrectionists. Did you ever think of the number of trials that are recorded in the book of Acts? There's Paul standing in Acts 18 in Corinth and he's standing before the Roman governor Galileo and now Paul's standing before Felix and next week he's going to stand before Festus and then he's going to stand before a sort of a Jewish king who's named Agrippa and Peter and John are standing before the Jewish Sanhedrin. Now, why did the Holy Spirit of God include all of these details of all of these trials in the book of Acts? For when you come to these closing chapters in the book of Acts, there is not much doctrine. There is trial after trial. There is defense after defense. There is accusation after accusation. Why does the Holy Spirit of God do this? To show that in every case believers were innocent of any violation of civil law. My friends, Christianity is not political treason. You remember the words of the Sea of Uriander, therefore to Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. Paul himself says, the powers that be are ordained of God. We are going to see next week that Paul made an appeal to go to Caesar. You say, who was the Caesar in Rome? The madman Nero himself. And yet, Paul says, the powers that be or ordained of God. Peter says, Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether it be to kings as supreme or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by Him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. My friends, we should be law-abiding citizens. Only when you live in a society that makes laws that violate the laws of God do you have the right to choose to obey God or man, and you should always choose to obey God. And so the first charge is a personal charge. Paul was accused of sedition. Look at the second charge. It was a political charge. Paul was accused of sectarianism. Now look at verse 5, the last phrase, "...and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes." Of course, this was a reference to the followers of Jesus, the Nazarene. What these accusers were doing was simply this, they were accusing Paul of heresy. That was quite a title, the sect of the Nazarene. Do you recall what Nazareth was like in Christ's day? Do you remember when Philip was converted? and called his friend Nathanael to come and meet the Lord Jesus. Nathanael said, Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? You see, back in that day, Nazareth was despised. Nazareth was rejected. It had a mixed population of Jews and Gentiles. The people spoke a rough dialect. Some of the rebels in that day lived in Nazareth. Nazareth, as we would say, was on the other side of the town. It was an uneducated place. It was a backward town. I was thinking of an equivalent today, but I'll not say anything. So, when you call someone a Nazarene, it was a slur. The Lord Jesus was called Jesus of Nazareth six times in the book of Acts. But this is the only time His disciples were called Nazarene. They looked down upon the Christians. They said, these people are identified with Jesus of Nazareth. My friend, never be ashamed of Christ. Don't ever be ashamed to be identified with Him. Don't ever be ashamed to take up the cross and follow Him. There was a personal charge. They accused Paul of sedition. There was a political charge. They accused Paul of sectarianism. Look at verse 6. There was a doctrinal charge. They accused Paul of sacrilege. Who also, verse 6, hath gone about to profane the temple? Now, of course, we know that that's a repetition of the early accusation that Paul had taken a Gentile into the inner court of the temple. He hadn't done it, but they accused him of it. They even tried to kill Paul. But that was a ridiculous attempt, because the law said that the Gentile who entered the temple was to be killed, not the one who brought him in. And so the facts were twisted again. Indeed here, Tertullus softens the charge. The Asian Jews had accused Paul of polluting the temple, chapter 21. Here, Tertullus accuses Paul of protraining the temple. You say, why the change? Well, for one thing, they couldn't prove the charges. For another thing, the Asian Jews who started this mess had now vanished. You see, my dear friends, if there are no witnesses, there can be no court, there can be no trial, there can be no evidence, there can be no conviction. You see what happened after Tertullus led the charges. Verse 9, And the Jews also assented, saying that these things were so. One elder after another from the Jewish Sanhedrin purged themselves. They called themselves lovers of God. They called themselves lovers of the law. And yet they blatantly lied to preserve the religion and execute a man they didn't want around. Now these were the accusations of the Jews. And is this not what we should expect? I was thinking about the words of the Lord Jesus, Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you and say all manner of evil against you. If you and I are going to live a godly life in an ungodly society, we'll receive some flack. If you and I are not receiving some flack because of the godly lives we're living, then we're not living a godly life. The accusations of the Jews Now, notice the answer of the apostle. I'm sure you've noticed this. How these persecuted Christians used their persecution to good effect. You see, what they did was this. Their sufferings became the platform from which they declared and demonstrated the power of the gospel. They were ready to give an answer. Peter says, Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear, having a good conscience, that whereas they speak evil of you as evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ. Here we see Paul responding to the charges. Here we have a clear and bold denial and a frank statement of the facts. Notice, there is courtesy here, but not flattery. There is truth, but not falsehood. There is fairness, but not malice. There is respect, but not contempt. There is argument, but not abuse. Paul's reply was courteous, it was calm, it was challenging. Now, Paul didn't have a lawyer. Paul didn't have a human lawyer like Tertullius. Paul didn't have a lawyer or a solicitor or a barrister standing by his side like Tertullus, who knew the Roman law, who knew the Roman courts, but he had someone better than a human lawyer. You remember that when the Lord Jesus was saying goodbye to His disciples in the upper room, He told them that when He ascended the Father and He would send them what? Another comforter. And the Greek word for comforter is parakletos. It means one called alongside to help. It could be translated a lawyer for the defense. My friends, Paul didn't have a human lawyer, but he had a heavenly lawyer humbling his pleas. Now notice what he does. He does three things. One, he denies being a troublemaker. That was his response to the accusation of sedition. Now look at what Paul says here. He says three things. One, he says there was no time. Follow his argument. Verse 11, Because that thou mayest understand that there are yet but twelve days since I went up to Jerusalem for to worship. Paul had been in the area for twelve days. That's what he's saying. He had spent five of them according to verse 1 of Caesarea. The maximum he had spent in Jerusalem was seven days. Paul says, I haven't had the time to start a riot. Felix, check the chronology. Were there any riots in the city of Jerusalem the week that I was there? Answer, no. Paul says there was no time. And then look at verse number 12. Paul says there was no riot. And they neither found me in the temple disputing with any man." That word, disputing, refers to reasoning. It refers to arguing. Now, here's the interesting thing. Paul disputed in every place except the city of Jerusalem. I want you to get that. When he was throughout his three missionary journeys, we saw him. The first place he went to was into the synagogue. And he disputed. And he argued with the unbelieving Jew. But here's the interesting thing. When he came to the city of Jerusalem, he did not engage in any dialogue in the city or the temple. Do you know why? Because he wasn't the apostle to the Jews. He was the apostle to the Gentiles. Paul was not responsible for bringing the gospel in Jerusalem. His only goal and objective in going up to the city of Jerusalem was to bring the love offering that he had collected from the Gentile churches to bring it to the needy saints in Jerusalem. Paul hadn't raised a crowd anywhere in Jerusalem. And so he says to the governor, listen, there's no time, there was no riot. There's no proof. Look at verse 13. Neither can they prove the things whereof they now accuse me. If you don't have proof, if you don't have evidence, you don't have a case. My dear friends, it should have been thrown out of court for that reason alone. Paul had done nothing treasonous. And so Paul denies being a troublemaker. Notice he takes the second accusation. Paul denies being a ringleader. That was his response to the accusation of sectarianism. Look at verse 14. He says this, which they call heresy. So worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets, and of hope towards God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust." Tertullus had derisively referred to the believers as Nazarenes. Paul called Christianity the way. You know that, don't you? That in the book of Acts, Christianity is called the way. the way. I confess unto thee that after the way." That was a title for Christianity. You say, where did it come from? It came from the Lord Jesus. It was the Lord Jesus who said, I am the way, the truth, and the light. No man cometh unto the Father but by me. And Paul admitted being a member of the way, which they call heresy. Now let me take you into the first century. Roman territory again. You see, the Roman government was tolerant of any religious movements as long as they were peaceful and did not underpin or undermine, rather, the authority of Caesar in Rome. Paul had as much right to follow the way as the Jews had to follow Judaism. Moreover, did the roots of the way not flow out of, not spring from the soil of Judaism? I mean, both believed in God. Both embraced the law and the prophets. Both believed in the resurrection, at least the Pharisees did. I want you to see what Paul is doing here. He was erasing the picture that Tertullus had painted of him as a radical. Far from being a heretic, Paul was more orthodox than his accusers. He served the God of his fathers. He believed in the inspiration of the entire Old Testament. He accepted everything that had taught something that his accusers, the Sadducees, didn't. And so, Paul is answering these choices. He's been charged of sedition. And Paul says, I'm not a troublemaker. He's been charged of sectarianism, and Paul says, I'm not a ringleader. And then the third charge, he's been charged of sacralese, and Paul says, I'm not a blasphemer. Look at verse 17. He says, After many years I came to bring alms to my nation, and offerings whereupon certain Jews from Asia found me purified in the temple, neither with multitude nor with shemo. You see, the Jewish leaders accused the Apostle Paul of profaning the temple, which was tantamount to blaspheming God. Now, notice how Paul responds. Paul responds by pointing to a practical issue. Why was he in Jerusalem in the first place? Verse 17, After many years I came to bring alms to thy nation in offering. He had collected money from the Gentile Christians in his three missionary journeys, and he was bringing this as a love gift to the needy saints in Jerusalem. He responds by pointing to a practical issue. You'll notice that he responds by pointing to a ceremonial issue, verse 18. when the Asian Jews saw him in the temple. He was with men who were just about to fulfill their Nazarite vows. How could Paul possibly be worshipping God and profaning God's house at the same time? Paul was simply carrying out his vow when these Jews from Asia seized him. And so Paul's responding to this charge of sacrilege, and he's pointing to a practical issue, verse 17, and he's pointing to a ceremonial issue, verse 18, and he's pointing to a legal issue, verse 19, who ought to have been here before the inobject, if they had ought against me. He's asking the Jewish leaders, where are your witnesses? You say, I was desecrating the temple. Who says so? Where are the eyewitnesses who saw me take a Gentile into the inner court of the temple? There weren't any because he hadn't done it. And so Paul's responding to this charge of sacrilege by pointing to a practical issue, by pointing to a ceremonial issue, by pointing to a legal issue. And then in verse 21, he points to a theological issue. except it be for this one voice that I cried standing among them, touching the resurrection of the dead, I am called in question by you this day." That was the only thing that they could accuse Paul of, the resurrection. And my dear friends, that wasn't a theological matter, or that wasn't a criminal matter, that was a theological matter. And theological matters were never decided by Roman courts. There was no crime with which to try Paul. And when Paul stood before Felix and had finished. Felix knew he was telling the truth and the opposition had no case against him. Now, here's the interesting thing. Felix could have let Paul go, but he didn't. You see, Roman governors lived in fear of the Jews. You see, the Jews were the ones that were pulling the strings behind the scenes. When a Roman governor, for instance, when Pilate came into the city of Jerusalem, when he arrived in the city of Jerusalem, he arrived with idols upon his shields, and he was going to put idols all over the city of Jerusalem. And the Jews reported Pilate to the Roman emperor back in Rome, and Pilate had to take all the idols down. And from that day forth, Pilate was under the thumb of the Jews. That's why he faced the dilemma. What shall I do then with Jesus, which is called Christ? That's why Felix faced this dilemma. That's why Festus faced the dilemma. They were under the thumb of the Jews. The Jews could report them. They would lose their job. Moreover, there was a possibility that they could lose their life. Now, look at the action of the governor. You see, this was the end of the hearing before Felix, but it was only the beginning of Paul's relationship with the governor. My friends, if ever there was a man who failed personally and officially, that man was Felix, governor of Judea. Notice that he acted politically. Verse 22, And when he heard these things, having more perfect knowledge of that way, he deferred. I mean, what was the only appropriate verdict that Felix could have given? Innocent. Innocent. You see, Felix was responsible for keeping order among his Jewish constituency. And if they created unrest, or if they reported him to Rome, Felix could have been replaced as the governor. As I have said already, Pilate had the same problem with Christ. Pacifying the Jewish leadership was no easy job. And so Felix did what many politicians do, nothing. He compromised. I'm not saying that all people in public office do that, but I'm saying that some do. I mean, he knew Paul was innocent, but he straddled the fence. Sometimes politicians do that. They straddle the fence. Sometimes, you know, church elders and pastors and elders do that. They straddle the fence. They're afraid of offending this one or that one instead of standing just for the truth. Let me ask you tonight, what Felix did politically are you doing spiritually? Are you compromising? Are you giving in to the world, the flesh and the devil? Things that you would never have tolerated years ago are now embedded in your life. Here's a man and he's acting politically. But look again, here's a man and he's acting leniently. He did give Paul certain privileges. Paul had limited freedom in the palace in Caesarea. He was chained to a soldier. He was ministered unto by his friends. Look at the last verse of the chapter. After two years, Portius Festus came into Felix's room, and Felix, willing to show the Jews a pleasure, left Paul bound. Paul remained in prison in Caesarea for two years. Now, here's my question, why? Why did the Lord allow him to remain in Caesarea, in prison, for two years? I mean, during those two years, we have no record of Paul ever writing anything, an epistle, a letter. We have no record of Paul ever preaching to anyone. Can you imagine the Apostle Paul not writing or preaching for two years? Why did the Lord allow this? Why did the Lord allow Paul to be confined in the palace at Caesarea for two years? This is only my suggestion. I wonder was it because that Paul needed to come apart and rest away. I say that because of verse 23. Look at it. And he commanded the centurion to keep Paul, to let him of liberty, then that he should forbid none of his acquaintance to minister or to come unto him. You think of what the apostle had been through. He had gone through Three missionary journeys. Every city he went to, there was a riot or revival. He was attacked. He was left for dead at Lystra or at Derbe. You remember, my dear friends, he was nearly killed in the city of Jerusalem. He was harangued. He was harassed. He was nearly killed. He was beaten. He was suffering. And now the Lord gets him in Caesarea and He's saying, Paul, come apart and rest a while. Philip the Evangelist came round quite often and ministered to him. There were many believers in the area of Caesarea who spent some time with him. Paul had been always ministering to them, and now others are coming and ministering to him. Do you ever do that? Do you ever minister to the servants of God who minister to you? Do you refresh them? Do you encourage them? Do you strengthen their hand in God? Do you remember, my dear friends, that's what David and Jonathan did. They strengthened their hand in God. And here's the Roman governor, Felix, and he's acting politically, and yet he's acting leniently. And if you look at verse 24, he's acting curiously. After certain days, when Felix came with his wife, Rusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul and heard him concerning the faith in Christ. Felix may have had his exposure to Christianity through Drusilla. You see, Drusilla was the daughter of Herod Agrippa, the man who killed James the brother of John with the sword and incarcerated the apostle Peter. I mean, Herod and Drusilla would have been familiar with the beginnings of Christianity. Historians tell us that Drusilla was married to the king of Emesa, which was a part of Syria. But like so many wives today, she didn't find Azizah's very exciting. And she won the affections of Felix with the help of a magician called Otaminus, eventually becoming Felix's illicit lover. According to historians, she was supposed to be a raving beauty, barely twenty years of age, And here they were sitting before the apostle Paul, these illicit lovers, living in sin. But when they sat before the great apostle, they got more than they bargained for. Did you notice? Like any good Baptist preacher, Paul had three points. Did you notice that? Verse 25, And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment of God, Here is the apostle standing before these two who are living in sin. And he says, your past is unclean. You need Christ's righteousness upon you. Your present is unchaste. You need Christ's Spirit within you. Your future is uncertain. You need Christ's promise to you. Is that not bold preaching? I mean, Paul is not pulling any punches. He's not beating around the bush. Here's the great apostle Paul, and he's speaking personally and pointedly and practically and powerfully. And this wasn't the message that this illicit couple wanted to hear. I was reading about Hugh Latimer, who was an English reformer who often preached before King Henry VIII. And on one occasion, Latimer stood before Henry the king and said something that offended the king, and he was told to come back the next Sunday and preach another message and apologize to the king. The next Sunday, after reading his text and passage, Latimer began his message this way. I'm going to speak with myself at the beginning of this message. Hugh Latimer, dost thou know before whom thou art this day to speak? to the high and mighty monarch, the king's most excellent majesty, who can take away thy life. If thou offend'st, therefore, take heed, you latimer, that thou speak'st not a word that may displease. But then consider well this, you latimer, dost thou not know from whence thou comest? upon whose message thou art sent, even by the great and mighty God, who is all-present, who is all-powerful, and who beholds all thy ways, and is able to cast thy soul into hell. Therefore take heed, you Latimer, that thou deliverest thy message faithfully." He then stood before King Henry VIII, and he preached the same message that he had preached the week before, but he only preached it with more power. My friends, is that not the need of the hour? We need men of God who come from the presence of God with the Word of God in their minds, and the fire of God in their souls, and the power of God in their spirits, and the fear of God in their hearts. Brethren, are you following the mold of the Apostle Paul? Are you faithful? Are you fearless? Are you forthright in your declaration of the truth? You see what happened? Verse 26, Felix trembled and answered, Go thy way for this time. When I have a convenient season, I will call for it. That was a defining moment in Felix's life. He had come under the conviction of the Holy Spirit of God, but he put it off. My friends, as long as there was conviction in the heart of Felix, he was still open to the gospel. But it wasn't long before he stopped trembling, and Paul's meeting with Felix didn't mean a thing to him. You see, when someone continues to resist the gospel, it becomes harder and harder and harder for that person to change. That's why Paul said to the Corinthians, Behold, now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. My friends, there are multitudes in hell with Felix this evening, and they're there. Do you know why? They put it off. Some of you listening to my voice tonight, whether here or over the air, have been putting off the matter of your soul's salvation for a long time. I wonder tonight, are you going to put it off again? Are you going to let the devil deceive you, delude you, damn you, and damn your soul in everlasting fire? Can you see, Felix, now? He's acting politically. He's acting leniently. He's acting curiously. He's acting foolishly. Look at verse 26. He's acting selfishly. For Luke gives us some insight into the character of Felix. He hoped also that money should be given him of Paul, that he might loose him. Wherefore he sent for him the offner and communed with him. Felix wanted a bribe out of Paul. He was so materialistic that he would do for money what he wouldn't do for justice. Now, here's my question. Why did Felix think that Paul had money? Why did Felix think that Paul had money? Well, I'll tell you why. Because of verse 17. Now, after many years, I came to bring alms to my nation in offering. He knew that Paul had arrived in the city of Jerusalem with a large sum of money which he had brought from the Gentile churches to the Jewish believers. He also knew that he was the leader of the Nazarenes, or he might have thought that these believers in Jerusalem and Caesarea could have pulled their money and bought Paul off. Do you remember Paul's words to Timothy? The love of money is the root of all evil. No, it's not money that's the root of all evil. Money is a gift from God. It's not money that's the root of all evil. It's the love of money which is the root of all evil. I wonder tonight, could it be that as a believer you're more concerned with the material than the spiritual, the temporal than the eternal? You see how it all folds in in verse 27? He acted indecisively after two years. Portia's Festus came into Felix's room and Felix, willing to show the Jews a pleasure. Oh, these Jews, these Jews, willing to show the Jews a pleasure, left Paul back. What happened was this. A little bigger ant says, Rhea, Felix put it down with an iron fist. And he dealt with it so harshly that the Roman Empire and the city of Rome recalled him back to Rome. He lost his job. He lost his position. But the Jews were so incensed that Felix not only feared of losing his job, he was afraid of losing his life. And so he attempted to pacify the Jewish leaders by leaving Paul a prisoner. And so for two years Paul had to remain a prisoner. My friends, this has to be one of the saddest accounts of lost opportunity in the Bible. If you and I could hear from Felix in hell tonight, he would say, I missed the opportunity. I missed the opportunity. I wished I could do it all over again. Dr. Clarence McCartney tells a story about a meeting in hell. Satan commanded his four leading demons to gather together and commanded them to think of a lie that would damn and delude the souls in hell. One stood to his feet and said, I have it. I'll go to earth and tell people that there is no gods. Satan said, sit down, it'll never work. People can look around and see that there is a God. A second demon stood to his feet and said, I'll go to earth and tell them that there is no heaven. Satan rejected that idea. He said, everyone knows that there's life after death and they want to go to heaven. A third demon stood to his feet and said, well, let me go to earth and tell the unsaved that there is no hell. And the devil said, no, their conscience tells them that their sins would be judged. We need a better lie than that? Quietly the fourth demon spoke. He says, I'll go to earth. I'll tell them that there's a God. I'll tell them there's a Savior. I'll tell them there's a cross. I'll tell them there's a heaven. I'll tell them there's a hell. But I'll go to earth and I'll tell them there is no hurry. There is no urgency. And they sent him. Do you know something? The best time to trust Christ is when? Now. Do you know something? The best time to serve Christ is now. That's what Paul did. Irrespective of his circumstances. I'm going to tell you this next week in the will of God. Isn't it interesting, my dear friends? Isn't it interesting that he stood trial before the Jewish mob, the Jewish Sanhedrin, the Roman governor Felix, the Roman governor Festus, the Jewish king Agrippa, and he didn't see anyone coming to Christ. And they took him to Rome. He was shipwrecked, but eventually he got to Rome. Do you know what the first thing he did was? Do you know what he did? He didn't see anyone coming to Christ. You say, Preacher, I've tried to share Christ, but there's been no response. The first thing that Paul did when he got to Rome was to preach Christ. I was reading this morning that our labor is not in vain for the Lord. My dear friend, it's not your job to convert souls. It's the Holy Ghost's job. But it's your responsibility to be faithful. And that's what Paul was. Are you? Let's pray. Father, bless Your Word to our hearts this evening. Lord, we thank You for this wee man, Paul. He wasn't much physically, but oh, what he was spiritually, theologically, ecclesiastically, devotionally, passionately. O God, we pray that something of the Spirit of Paul might grip us in these days. And our Father, that we might have a passion for the lost, and that we might seek to reach our fellow countrymen, Catholic or Protestant, with the gospel. That by all means, we might win some. Bless your people. Bless your word. We ask it for the Savior's sake. Amen. We're going to turn to our hymn books in closing to number 92. Give them, O give them the gospel. Why should they die in their sins? Tell them, O tell them of Jesus. They are so burdened with him. Number 92. Why do they die in their sin? Tell them, oh, tell them, oh, Jesus, They are so burdened with sin. Oh, not to wait in the darkness, Waiting for someone to hold, Tell them, O tell them the story, story of Christ crucified. My friend, he does the Savior, he doesn't suffer the price. Only the Savior can help them, at least through sorrow and pain. O'er the perilous fight, O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming? Hear them, O hear them, the gospel, Let the world find me in faith. Tell them, O tell them the story, Story of Christ crucified. For in heaven He is our Savior, Jesus is our Lord. Dear Lord, take us to our homes in safety, part us in Your fear and with Your blessing. Through Jesus Christ our Lord we pray, Amen.