1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:29,980 Thank you. 2 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:59,980 Thank you. 3 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:29,980 Thank you. 4 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:31,260 Well, there I was. 5 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:29,980 Thank you. 6 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:59,980 Thank you. 7 00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:29,980 Thank you. 8 00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:01,000 Yes! 9 00:08:01,000 --> 00:08:04,000 What? 10 00:08:04,000 --> 00:08:06,000 What? 11 00:08:06,000 --> 00:08:08,000 No! 12 00:08:08,000 --> 00:08:10,000 Okay. 13 00:08:10,000 --> 00:08:13,000 I'm going to go ahead and say: "What?" 14 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:16,000 I'm going to go ahead and say: "What?" 15 00:08:16,000 --> 00:08:18,000 That's real! 16 00:08:18,000 --> 00:08:21,000 I'm going to go ahead and say: "What?" 17 00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:23,000 I don't know. 18 00:08:23,000 --> 00:08:25,000 I don't know. 19 00:08:25,000 --> 00:08:27,000 I don't know. 20 00:08:28,000 --> 00:08:57,980 Thank you. 21 00:08:58,000 --> 00:09:24,400 I just thought it was funny. 22 00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:57,980 Thank you. 23 00:09:58,000 --> 00:10:27,980 Thank you. 24 00:10:28,000 --> 00:10:57,980 Thank you. 25 00:12:58,000 --> 00:13:00,000 - My product is good. 26 00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:54,280 No, no, no. 27 00:13:58,000 --> 00:14:27,980 Thank you. 28 00:14:28,000 --> 00:14:57,980 Thank you. 29 00:14:58,000 --> 00:15:10,280 Hey, good morning, everybody. 30 00:15:10,280 --> 00:15:14,960 Evelyn Gayle, be quiet. 31 00:15:14,960 --> 00:15:20,480 Yeah, I'm all about it. 32 00:15:20,480 --> 00:15:23,180 All right, we're going to get started today. 33 00:15:23,180 --> 00:15:26,340 We're going to stand and be reading Psalm 100 together. 34 00:15:27,380 --> 00:15:31,820 And we're going to be reading the whole thing, but don't worry, it's just four verses, so 35 00:15:31,820 --> 00:15:33,600 we'll make it out before lunch today. 36 00:15:33,600 --> 00:15:42,100 The title in front of the psalm is, His Steadfast Love Endures Forever. 37 00:15:42,100 --> 00:15:45,460 And it begins, a psalm for giving thanks. 38 00:15:45,460 --> 00:15:49,720 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. 39 00:15:49,720 --> 00:15:52,400 Serve the Lord with gladness. 40 00:15:52,400 --> 00:15:55,080 Come into his presence with singing. 41 00:15:55,760 --> 00:16:05,540 Know the Lord, he is God. It is he who made us and we are his. We are his people and the 42 00:16:05,540 --> 00:16:13,660 sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. Give 43 00:16:13,660 --> 00:16:22,140 thanks to him. Bless his name for the Lord is good. His steadfast love endures forever 44 00:16:22,140 --> 00:16:31,320 and his faithfulness to all generations this is the word of the Lord let's pray God we thank you 45 00:16:31,320 --> 00:16:37,200 so much for the opportunity to gather here today and to worship you and to be encouraged by your 46 00:16:37,200 --> 00:16:41,980 word and to be encouraged by those that are here and those that are watching online we thank you 47 00:16:41,980 --> 00:16:48,620 for the words that are in the psalm that we can know that we are yours and that we are your sheep 48 00:16:48,620 --> 00:16:52,840 and we're so thankful for your steadfast love that endures forever. 49 00:16:52,840 --> 00:16:56,200 Be with our service today and allow it to glorify you. 50 00:16:56,200 --> 00:16:57,400 In Jesus' name, amen. 51 00:16:57,400 --> 00:17:01,180 All right, we're going to begin with our first Song, 52 00:17:01,180 --> 00:17:02,920 Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee. 53 00:17:18,620 --> 00:17:29,040 Joyful, joyfully, I dare thee, God of glory, Lord of love. 54 00:17:29,040 --> 00:17:37,280 Hearts are full like clouds before thee, opening to the sun above. 55 00:17:37,280 --> 00:17:45,280 Melt the clouds of sin and sadness, drive the dark of doubt away. 56 00:17:45,820 --> 00:17:49,780 Giver of immortal gladness. 57 00:17:49,780 --> 00:17:53,660 Fill us with the light of day. 58 00:17:53,660 --> 00:18:04,660 Thou art giving and forgiving. 59 00:18:04,660 --> 00:18:08,720 Ever blessing, ever blessed. 60 00:18:08,720 --> 00:18:12,780 We'll sing of the joy of living. 61 00:18:13,340 --> 00:18:16,880 Ocean depth of happy rest 62 00:18:16,880 --> 00:18:20,980 Thou art Father, Christ our brother 63 00:18:20,980 --> 00:18:25,060 All who live in love are Thine 64 00:18:25,060 --> 00:18:29,280 Teach us all to love each other 65 00:18:29,280 --> 00:18:33,960 Lift us to the joy divine 66 00:18:33,960 --> 00:18:44,360 Mortals, join the mighty chorus 67 00:18:44,360 --> 00:18:48,420 Which the morning stars began 68 00:18:48,420 --> 00:18:52,860 Father, love is reigning o'er us 69 00:18:52,860 --> 00:18:56,620 Brother, love binds man to man 70 00:18:56,620 --> 00:19:00,840 Ever singing, march beyond white 71 00:19:00,840 --> 00:19:04,780 Victors in the midst of strife 72 00:19:04,780 --> 00:19:09,160 Joyful music lifts us onward 73 00:19:09,160 --> 00:19:13,040 In the triad song of life 74 00:19:13,040 --> 00:19:17,260 Oops, sorry, I hit the wrong button there. 75 00:19:17,260 --> 00:19:19,580 That's okay. Good job. 76 00:19:19,580 --> 00:19:23,640 We're going to move on to our prayer and share time. 77 00:19:23,640 --> 00:19:26,780 If you're watching online, there will be a phone number that you can text 78 00:19:26,780 --> 00:19:29,800 if you have any prayer requests or anything you'd like to send us, 79 00:19:29,900 --> 00:19:32,740 please text that number, and then we'll be here, 80 00:19:32,740 --> 00:19:36,460 we'll be muted here, so just give us a few minutes 81 00:19:36,460 --> 00:19:39,180 as we have that time together, and then we'll be back after that 82 00:19:39,180 --> 00:19:41,440 to move into our time of communion. 83 00:19:41,440 --> 00:19:45,060 And so our next song, if I can get it to work right, 84 00:19:45,060 --> 00:19:49,000 this one Luke picked this morning because he really wanted to sing it, 85 00:19:49,000 --> 00:19:50,540 Holy, Holy, Holy. 86 00:19:59,900 --> 00:20:18,340 Holy, holy, holy 87 00:20:18,340 --> 00:20:23,040 Lord God Almighty 88 00:20:23,040 --> 00:20:27,860 Early in the morning 89 00:20:27,860 --> 00:20:32,300 Our song shall rise to thee 90 00:20:32,300 --> 00:20:37,340 Holy, holy, holy 91 00:20:37,340 --> 00:20:42,280 Merciful and mighty 92 00:20:42,280 --> 00:20:46,860 God in three persons 93 00:20:46,860 --> 00:20:50,300 Blessed Trinity 94 00:20:57,860 --> 00:21:03,580 Holy, holy, holy 95 00:21:03,580 --> 00:21:09,020 All the saints adore Thee 96 00:21:09,020 --> 00:21:13,580 Casting down their golden crowns 97 00:21:13,580 --> 00:21:17,580 Around the glossy sea 98 00:21:17,580 --> 00:21:22,960 Cherubim and seraphim 99 00:21:22,960 --> 00:21:27,800 Falling down before Thee 100 00:21:27,800 --> 00:21:36,300 Who was there not, and evermore shall be? 101 00:21:36,300 --> 00:21:53,900 Holy, holy, holy, though the darkness hide thee, 102 00:21:53,900 --> 00:21:58,580 Though the eye of sinful man 103 00:21:58,580 --> 00:22:02,700 Thy glory may not see 104 00:22:02,700 --> 00:22:07,760 Only Thou art holy 105 00:22:07,760 --> 00:22:13,140 There is none beside Thee 106 00:22:13,140 --> 00:22:16,680 Perfect in power 107 00:22:16,680 --> 00:22:20,660 In love and purity 108 00:22:23,900 --> 00:22:33,760 Holy, holy, holy 109 00:22:33,760 --> 00:22:38,460 Lord God Almighty 110 00:22:38,460 --> 00:22:43,780 All my words shall praise thy name 111 00:22:43,780 --> 00:22:47,580 In earth and sky and city 112 00:22:47,580 --> 00:22:52,740 Holy, holy, holy 113 00:22:52,740 --> 00:22:57,660 Merciful and mighty 114 00:22:57,660 --> 00:23:02,760 God in three persons 115 00:23:02,760 --> 00:23:06,260 Blessed Trinity 116 00:23:22,740 --> 00:23:52,720 Thank you. 117 00:23:52,740 --> 00:24:22,720 Thank you. 118 00:24:22,740 --> 00:24:52,720 I'm not alone. 119 00:24:52,740 --> 00:25:22,720 Thank you. 120 00:25:22,740 --> 00:25:52,720 Thank you. 121 00:25:52,740 --> 00:26:22,720 Thank you. 122 00:29:52,740 --> 00:30:19,660 All right, we're going to sing above all before we join together in communion. 123 00:30:22,740 --> 00:30:50,440 Above all powers, above all kings, above all nature and all creation, above all wisdom 124 00:30:50,440 --> 00:30:54,640 And all the ways of man 125 00:30:54,640 --> 00:31:01,040 You were here before the world began 126 00:31:01,040 --> 00:31:04,840 Above all kingdoms 127 00:31:04,840 --> 00:31:09,320 Above all thrones 128 00:31:09,320 --> 00:31:15,960 Above all wonders the world has ever known 129 00:31:15,960 --> 00:31:24,040 Above all wealth and treasures of the earth 130 00:31:24,040 --> 00:31:30,540 There's no way to measure what you're worth 131 00:31:30,540 --> 00:31:38,960 Lucified, laid behind a star 132 00:31:38,960 --> 00:31:45,800 Live to die, rejected and alone 133 00:31:45,800 --> 00:31:51,420 Like a rose, traveled on the ground 134 00:31:51,420 --> 00:31:59,800 You turned the ball and thought of me 135 00:31:59,800 --> 00:32:04,280 Above all 136 00:32:04,280 --> 00:32:13,820 Above all powers, above all kings 137 00:32:13,820 --> 00:32:20,340 Above all nature and all creative things 138 00:32:20,340 --> 00:32:28,780 Above all wisdom and all the ways of man 139 00:32:28,780 --> 00:32:34,240 You were here before the world began 140 00:32:34,240 --> 00:32:38,120 Above all kingdoms 141 00:32:38,120 --> 00:32:42,480 Above all thrones 142 00:32:42,480 --> 00:32:45,420 Above all wonders 143 00:32:45,420 --> 00:32:48,780 The world has ever known 144 00:32:48,780 --> 00:32:52,480 Above all wealth 145 00:32:52,480 --> 00:32:56,980 And treasures of earth 146 00:32:56,980 --> 00:33:00,960 There's no way to measure 147 00:33:00,960 --> 00:33:03,840 What you're worth 148 00:33:03,840 --> 00:33:12,280 Crucified, laid behind the stone 149 00:33:12,280 --> 00:33:19,340 You lived to die, rejected and alone 150 00:33:19,340 --> 00:33:24,780 Like a rose, trembled on the ground 151 00:33:24,780 --> 00:33:33,280 You took the fall, and thought of me 152 00:33:33,280 --> 00:33:37,760 Above all 153 00:33:37,760 --> 00:33:56,680 So over the past couple weeks, 154 00:33:56,680 --> 00:34:00,440 the girls and I have been kind of going through 155 00:34:00,440 --> 00:34:07,040 proverbs together right before bed just a verse or two or three or four and one of the great 156 00:34:07,040 --> 00:34:15,260 things about proverbs is that it's very much about a family it begins with some letters from a father 157 00:34:15,260 --> 00:34:20,200 to a son and it ends with some letters from a mother to a son and so you have mom and dad 158 00:34:20,200 --> 00:34:26,400 both offering wisdom and guidance and from a sort of a parental perspective I enjoy it because the 159 00:34:26,400 --> 00:34:31,500 The first several chapters of Proverbs are a letter from a dad and it's basically this 160 00:34:31,500 --> 00:34:36,060 refrain of, listen to your parents, listen to your parents, listen to your parents, which 161 00:34:36,060 --> 00:34:40,260 I think is something that I, a message that I appreciate. 162 00:34:40,260 --> 00:34:48,380 And in Proverbs chapter 3, as we were reading last week, the writer says this, a letter 163 00:34:48,380 --> 00:34:53,220 from a father to a son, and he says this, starting in verse 1, 164 00:34:53,280 --> 00:34:57,680 My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments 165 00:34:57,680 --> 00:35:02,200 for the length of days and the years of life and the peace they will add to you. 166 00:35:02,200 --> 00:35:06,400 Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you. 167 00:35:06,400 --> 00:35:10,220 Bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart, 168 00:35:10,220 --> 00:35:14,620 so you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man. 169 00:35:14,620 --> 00:35:17,760 Trust in the Lord with all your heart. 170 00:35:17,760 --> 00:35:20,300 Do not lean on your own understanding. 171 00:35:21,080 --> 00:35:25,500 In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your path. 172 00:35:25,500 --> 00:35:28,040 Be not wise in your own eyes. 173 00:35:28,040 --> 00:35:29,120 Fear the Lord. 174 00:35:29,120 --> 00:35:30,260 Turn away from evil. 175 00:35:30,260 --> 00:35:35,200 And it will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. 176 00:35:35,200 --> 00:35:41,260 And when we come around this table, there are a lot of wonderful things that happen. 177 00:35:41,260 --> 00:35:46,420 We are refreshed and encouraged by the good news of the Gospel that God loved us, 178 00:35:46,420 --> 00:35:50,000 and He sent His Son to die for us and to take our place. 179 00:35:50,300 --> 00:35:53,420 And we're reminded of grace and mercy and hope. 180 00:35:53,420 --> 00:35:56,540 But this is also for us a family meal. 181 00:35:56,540 --> 00:36:00,840 As we partake with our Christian family, our brothers and sisters in Christ, 182 00:36:00,840 --> 00:36:05,780 we're reminded that we are walking through life as we follow Jesus. 183 00:36:05,780 --> 00:36:07,940 We're walking with brothers and sisters in Christ. 184 00:36:07,940 --> 00:36:09,600 That we are not alone. 185 00:36:09,600 --> 00:36:11,920 There is a family that surrounds us. 186 00:36:11,920 --> 00:36:16,420 But Paul will say there is something else that this meal calls us to. 187 00:36:16,420 --> 00:36:19,380 And it's a call to look at our life. 188 00:36:19,900 --> 00:36:23,060 and to see how we are walking as we walk with God 189 00:36:23,060 --> 00:36:26,260 and as we walk with our brothers and sisters in Christ. 190 00:36:26,260 --> 00:36:30,720 And I think those words in Proverbs 3, 5 are so important to us 191 00:36:30,720 --> 00:36:33,440 as we evaluate our lives this morning. 192 00:36:33,440 --> 00:36:36,080 Trust in the Lord with all your heart. 193 00:36:36,080 --> 00:36:38,560 Do not lean on your own understanding. 194 00:36:38,560 --> 00:36:42,820 In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths. 195 00:36:42,820 --> 00:36:46,560 Be not wise in your own eyes. Fear the Lord. Turn away from evil. 196 00:36:47,020 --> 00:36:50,380 It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. 197 00:36:50,380 --> 00:36:50,940 Let's pray. 198 00:36:50,940 --> 00:36:55,200 Father, we are so thankful for the good news of the Gospel 199 00:36:55,200 --> 00:36:57,340 that brings us hope and peace. 200 00:36:57,340 --> 00:37:01,580 We're thankful that we get to partake of this meal this morning 201 00:37:01,580 --> 00:37:06,560 with brothers and sisters in Christ who encourage us and who help us, 202 00:37:06,560 --> 00:37:09,100 and when necessary, they correct us. 203 00:37:09,100 --> 00:37:13,000 And we thank you so much for the blessing of the church that you have given us. 204 00:37:13,840 --> 00:37:16,500 And as we look at our lives this morning, 205 00:37:16,500 --> 00:37:19,240 as we consider where it is You have called us to walk, 206 00:37:19,240 --> 00:37:23,180 as we consider that we are called to walk in righteousness, 207 00:37:23,180 --> 00:37:25,360 empowered by the strength of Your Spirit, 208 00:37:25,360 --> 00:37:28,660 help us to not trust our own understanding, 209 00:37:28,660 --> 00:37:32,700 but to lean on You with all of our heart and all of our might. 210 00:37:32,700 --> 00:37:37,700 Help us to not seek wisdom in our eyes, but to look to You. 211 00:37:37,700 --> 00:37:40,380 May this be a moment of peace. 212 00:37:40,380 --> 00:37:43,020 May it be a refreshment to our soul. 213 00:37:43,620 --> 00:37:46,680 And may it be a moment where we focus on You. 214 00:37:46,680 --> 00:37:49,120 We thank You so much for Jesus and for grace. 215 00:37:49,120 --> 00:37:51,440 It's in His name we pray. Amen. 216 00:37:51,440 --> 00:37:56,880 Paul, after instructing the Corinthian church on the Lord's Supper, 217 00:37:56,880 --> 00:38:00,400 will remind them of where this meal began. 218 00:38:00,400 --> 00:38:02,300 It began with Jesus, 219 00:38:02,300 --> 00:38:06,300 who on the night before He went to the cross, 220 00:38:06,300 --> 00:38:08,520 He took bread. 221 00:38:08,520 --> 00:38:11,260 And when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, 222 00:38:11,700 --> 00:38:13,260 This is my body, which is for you. 223 00:38:13,260 --> 00:38:15,260 Do this in remembrance of me. 224 00:38:15,260 --> 00:38:24,880 In the same way, he took the cup after supper, saying, 225 00:38:24,880 --> 00:38:28,040 This cup is the new covenant in my blood. 226 00:38:28,040 --> 00:38:30,880 Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me. 227 00:38:30,880 --> 00:38:37,060 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, 228 00:38:37,060 --> 00:38:40,220 you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. 229 00:38:41,700 --> 00:38:52,440 All right, we are in Acts, the 24th chapter, this morning, and things have kind of moved 230 00:38:52,440 --> 00:38:56,220 very, very quickly since Paul has got to Jerusalem. 231 00:38:56,220 --> 00:39:02,400 He got to Jerusalem in Acts 21, met with the apostles, and then everything just kind of 232 00:39:02,400 --> 00:39:04,440 moved very, very quickly. 233 00:39:04,440 --> 00:39:09,460 In fact, by the time we get to Acts 24, you'll hear it this morning, Paul has only been in 234 00:39:09,460 --> 00:39:15,780 town for 12 days. We have gone through several riots. We've gone through an arrest. We've gone 235 00:39:15,780 --> 00:39:22,540 through an assassination plot and attempt. We've gone through a group of 470 soldiers 236 00:39:22,540 --> 00:39:28,440 escorting Paul to protect him from those who would seek to kill him. He is now standing before 237 00:39:28,440 --> 00:39:34,720 the Roman official of the province, Felix, who turns out to be kind of a real shady guy. 238 00:39:34,720 --> 00:39:42,100 So, in sort of keeping with the way that Luke has been writing, which is very fast and furious during this point, 239 00:39:42,100 --> 00:39:47,980 we're going to pray, and then we're just going to dive right in to Acts, the 24th chapter, starting with verse 1. 240 00:39:47,980 --> 00:39:48,560 So let's pray. 241 00:39:48,560 --> 00:39:51,760 Father in heaven, thank you for your church and for your word. 242 00:39:51,760 --> 00:39:54,220 May it encourage us this morning. 243 00:39:54,220 --> 00:40:04,120 May it direct us in love, in hope, as we see the Apostle Paul sharing the good news of the gospel 244 00:40:04,120 --> 00:40:08,700 with those who had treated him very unfairly, 245 00:40:08,700 --> 00:40:12,120 who had kept him in prison for two years for no reason. 246 00:40:12,120 --> 00:40:15,620 And he is continually sharing the good news, 247 00:40:15,620 --> 00:40:18,600 the path of righteousness you have called us to walk, 248 00:40:18,600 --> 00:40:21,540 the call to walk, the importance of walking that path. 249 00:40:21,540 --> 00:40:22,380 Help us this morning. 250 00:40:22,380 --> 00:40:25,680 May you encourage us, may you convict us, 251 00:40:25,680 --> 00:40:26,760 may you strengthen us. 252 00:40:26,760 --> 00:40:29,100 It's in Jesus' name we pray, amen. 253 00:40:29,100 --> 00:40:32,020 So as we said, Paul has been escorted. 254 00:40:32,420 --> 00:40:37,700 In the middle of the night, you've got 200 soldiers, 200 spearsmen, 70 guys on horses. 255 00:40:37,700 --> 00:40:44,100 They escort Paul out of town to their first stop, and from there on, Paul will take a horse with the cavalry. 256 00:40:44,100 --> 00:40:51,420 The rest of the way, moving fast in order to avoid the assassins who have sworn to neither eat nor drink. 257 00:40:51,420 --> 00:40:57,260 He arrives to the praetorium where Felix was ruling. 258 00:40:57,260 --> 00:40:59,940 He's there until his accusers show up. 259 00:40:59,980 --> 00:41:03,340 A few days later, they show up, and this is what happens. 260 00:41:03,340 --> 00:41:11,000 After five days, the high priest, Ananias, came down with some elders and a spokesman and one Tertullus. 261 00:41:11,000 --> 00:41:14,380 They laid before the governor their case against Paul, 262 00:41:14,380 --> 00:41:19,020 and when he had been summoned, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying, 263 00:41:19,020 --> 00:41:24,760 Since through you, he's speaking to Felix here, we enjoy much peace, 264 00:41:25,180 --> 00:41:31,560 And since, by your foresight, most excellent Felix, reforms are being made for this nation, 265 00:41:31,560 --> 00:41:36,820 in every way and everywhere we accept this with all gratitude. 266 00:41:36,820 --> 00:41:43,920 But to detain you no further, I beg in your kindness to hear us briefly. 267 00:41:43,920 --> 00:41:50,560 For we have found this man a plague, one who stirs up riots among all the Jews throughout the world 268 00:41:50,560 --> 00:41:54,000 and is the ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. 269 00:41:54,480 --> 00:41:58,780 He even tried to profane the temple, but we seized him. 270 00:41:58,780 --> 00:42:02,680 By examining him, you yourself will be able to find out from him 271 00:42:02,680 --> 00:42:05,680 everything about which we accuse him. 272 00:42:05,680 --> 00:42:10,580 The Jews also joined in the charge, affirming that all these things were so. 273 00:42:10,580 --> 00:42:13,460 And so as we begin this trial before Felix, 274 00:42:13,460 --> 00:42:18,060 who quite possibly holds in his hand the power of life and death over Paul, 275 00:42:18,060 --> 00:42:22,480 we see that Paul, first of all, as he faces his opponents, he's outnumbered. 276 00:42:22,560 --> 00:42:29,020 You have the Jewish high priest who is both a religious and political figure in this time period. 277 00:42:29,020 --> 00:42:34,300 He's brought along part to the Sanhedrin, likely both Pharisees and Sadducees. 278 00:42:34,300 --> 00:42:37,240 We don't know how many of them, but a decent-sized group. 279 00:42:37,240 --> 00:42:42,920 And then they've also brought a lawyer, a Greek by the name of Tertullus. 280 00:42:42,920 --> 00:42:47,240 And it's interesting, his name is actually Tertius. 281 00:42:47,240 --> 00:42:52,480 But when you spell it this way, what it means is little Tertius. 282 00:42:52,560 --> 00:42:56,340 So it's kind of a nickname that Luke gives him. 283 00:42:56,340 --> 00:43:00,540 Either Luke gives him or they call it likely this guy is kind of a short little lawyer. 284 00:43:00,540 --> 00:43:04,060 He's kind of a little smarmy. 285 00:43:04,060 --> 00:43:07,300 He's kind of really, really annoying. 286 00:43:07,300 --> 00:43:11,440 He's also incredibly dishonest, as we will see. 287 00:43:11,440 --> 00:43:14,080 He's not a good guy. 288 00:43:14,080 --> 00:43:16,600 And so you've got the high priest who's very important. 289 00:43:16,600 --> 00:43:20,360 You've got his council, the Sanhedrin, Pharisees, Sadducees. 290 00:43:20,360 --> 00:43:28,900 And then you've got their lawyer, little Tertius, he's likely brought along because hopefully he's able to speak well to the Roman government, right? 291 00:43:28,900 --> 00:43:34,380 He's familiar with their protocols, and usually when you're trying to convict somebody, you want the best guy that you can get. 292 00:43:34,380 --> 00:43:40,820 So likely he has a reputation with being able to make his case and get the conviction. 293 00:43:40,820 --> 00:43:47,680 And so he's going to present the case, and right away he begins with flattery, right? 294 00:43:47,680 --> 00:43:53,620 He's going to sort of get into the good graces or seek to get into the good graces of Felix. 295 00:43:53,620 --> 00:43:54,740 And look at what he says. 296 00:43:54,740 --> 00:43:56,900 We're just going to kind of walk through this. 297 00:43:56,900 --> 00:44:00,700 Since through you, we enjoy much peace. 298 00:44:00,700 --> 00:44:02,280 That's lie number one, right? 299 00:44:02,280 --> 00:44:05,600 There has been literally no peace in this area. 300 00:44:05,600 --> 00:44:12,440 In fact, Paul, when he was arrested, the Roman who arrested him thought he was this Jewish assassin 301 00:44:12,440 --> 00:44:17,420 who was from Egypt, who brought in all these assassins, 302 00:44:17,420 --> 00:44:20,540 got into this big battle, and he's surprised that Paul can speak Greek 303 00:44:20,540 --> 00:44:24,440 because he thought he was some kind of sort of crazy assassin 304 00:44:24,440 --> 00:44:28,340 seeking to destroy and cause chaos in Jerusalem. 305 00:44:28,340 --> 00:44:30,040 There has been really no peace. 306 00:44:30,040 --> 00:44:34,660 In fact, Felix at one point will just arrest a whole bunch of people for unrest 307 00:44:34,660 --> 00:44:37,440 and just crucify him right down the sides of the street. 308 00:44:37,440 --> 00:44:39,440 There has been no peace. 309 00:44:40,100 --> 00:44:49,880 But this guy starts by saying, we enjoy much peace, and by your foresight, most excellent Felix, reforms are being made in this nation. 310 00:44:49,880 --> 00:44:51,840 There's no reforms being made in this nation. 311 00:44:51,840 --> 00:45:04,200 In fact, when at the end of this chapter, we read at the end of two years from now, when Felix is relieved by Caesar, he does so because he has engaged in constant misconduct, right? 312 00:45:04,480 --> 00:45:07,520 Roman governors oftentimes kind of do whatever they wanted, 313 00:45:07,520 --> 00:45:10,940 but he is so bad that Rome goes, 314 00:45:10,940 --> 00:45:15,760 we don't want you as governor anymore because you're so corrupt. 315 00:45:15,760 --> 00:45:20,900 And in every way and everywhere, we accept this with gratitude. 316 00:45:20,900 --> 00:45:25,500 We're so thankful for your peace and your reforms, 317 00:45:25,500 --> 00:45:29,840 and the reality has been violence and corruption. 318 00:45:29,960 --> 00:45:34,740 This guy, right away, you can tell that he is sort of a constant liar. 319 00:45:34,740 --> 00:45:39,680 And he's going to bring up three false accusations against the Apostle Paul. 320 00:45:39,680 --> 00:45:43,000 First of all, Paul is a habitual troublemaker. 321 00:45:43,000 --> 00:45:45,960 He'll refer to him as a plague, right? 322 00:45:45,960 --> 00:45:50,720 And this is a big deal in the Roman Empire because law and order is their thing, right? 323 00:45:50,720 --> 00:45:52,720 They don't want uprisings. 324 00:45:52,720 --> 00:45:58,760 And so if you have somebody who is accused of showing up and instigating political violence, 325 00:45:58,900 --> 00:46:02,040 not just in one place, but throughout the empire, right? 326 00:46:02,040 --> 00:46:05,140 The Romans take that very seriously. 327 00:46:05,140 --> 00:46:09,640 His second charge is that Paul is a religious extremist. 328 00:46:09,640 --> 00:46:11,160 Look at how he refers to him. 329 00:46:11,160 --> 00:46:15,300 He says he is a ringleader in the sect of the Nazarenes. 330 00:46:15,300 --> 00:46:18,740 And at this period of time, before the destruction of Jerusalem, 331 00:46:18,740 --> 00:46:22,760 because of rebellion, right, there's all kinds of people, 332 00:46:22,760 --> 00:46:24,200 Jesus will actually predict this, 333 00:46:24,200 --> 00:46:26,860 false messiahs showing up and saying, 334 00:46:27,080 --> 00:46:30,840 hey, I'm the one sent by God, and they'll raise up some people and there'll be a battle 335 00:46:30,840 --> 00:46:34,720 and everybody will get killed, and a little while later somebody else will show up and 336 00:46:34,720 --> 00:46:38,600 say, I'm the one sent by God, and they'll raise up a little army and they'll try to 337 00:46:38,600 --> 00:46:40,980 fight the Romans and they will be killed. 338 00:46:40,980 --> 00:46:45,820 And so what this lawyer is trying to do is paint Paul with that same brush. 339 00:46:45,820 --> 00:46:51,120 He's a religious extremist seeking to overthrow Rome. 340 00:46:52,080 --> 00:46:58,900 Paul, also the third accusation, is that Paul is trying to profane the temple. 341 00:46:58,900 --> 00:47:01,860 This is a particular trouble spot. 342 00:47:01,860 --> 00:47:06,020 When the Apostle Paul is arrested in Acts chapter 22, 343 00:47:06,020 --> 00:47:12,740 the reason that Roman soldiers were so quick to get into the temple and grab him 344 00:47:12,740 --> 00:47:17,200 is not because there were a bunch of Roman soldiers there worshipping sort of peacefully. 345 00:47:17,200 --> 00:47:21,620 It's because the Romans had to build a tower overlooking the temple courts 346 00:47:21,620 --> 00:47:24,740 because there was so much political upheaval. 347 00:47:24,740 --> 00:47:29,400 They were on call like a SWAT team 24 hours a day 348 00:47:29,400 --> 00:47:32,200 to go in there and put down any kind of violence 349 00:47:32,200 --> 00:47:34,800 to stop any kind of riot. 350 00:47:34,800 --> 00:47:37,020 And so here he is saying, 351 00:47:37,020 --> 00:47:41,400 well, Paul was causing problems in the temple, right? 352 00:47:41,400 --> 00:47:43,920 And so this was a big deal also for the Romans 353 00:47:43,920 --> 00:47:45,880 because it's a troubled spot already. 354 00:47:45,880 --> 00:47:48,380 And he's saying he's coming into this troubled spot 355 00:47:48,380 --> 00:47:50,260 and making it worse, right? 356 00:47:50,700 --> 00:47:54,180 And they're constantly twisting the truth. 357 00:47:54,180 --> 00:47:57,400 In fact, if you go back, Paul is a troublemaker, a plague. 358 00:47:57,400 --> 00:47:59,300 He's sort of instigating riots. 359 00:47:59,300 --> 00:48:03,760 It's actually the Jewish people who are following Paul from city to city 360 00:48:03,760 --> 00:48:05,580 instigating the riots. 361 00:48:05,580 --> 00:48:08,720 At the end of verse 6, they'll say this, right? 362 00:48:08,720 --> 00:48:10,760 We seized him. 363 00:48:10,760 --> 00:48:14,240 No, you started a riot, tried to kill him, 364 00:48:14,240 --> 00:48:16,900 and the Romans came in and seized him. 365 00:48:16,920 --> 00:48:22,280 Almost at every step of the way, this guy has twisted and turned the truth. 366 00:48:22,280 --> 00:48:29,520 And if I was the Apostle Paul in that moment, I would be so incredibly frustrated. 367 00:48:29,520 --> 00:48:34,100 Because you have taken what is true, and you've twisted it into falsehoods. 368 00:48:34,100 --> 00:48:37,100 You've lied about how happy and how great this governor is. 369 00:48:37,100 --> 00:48:43,360 And I, personally, would be seething over this miscarriage of justice. 370 00:48:44,460 --> 00:48:46,420 So let's take a look at how Paul responds, 371 00:48:46,420 --> 00:48:50,340 because he doesn't respond how probably I would have responded. 372 00:48:50,340 --> 00:48:52,220 He responds in a much better way. 373 00:48:52,220 --> 00:48:56,740 When the governor had nodded to him to speak, Paul replied, 374 00:48:56,740 --> 00:48:59,960 knowing that for many years you have been a judge over this nation, 375 00:48:59,960 --> 00:49:01,940 I cheerfully make my defense. 376 00:49:01,940 --> 00:49:06,420 You can verify it is not more than 12 days since I went up to worship in Jerusalem, 377 00:49:06,420 --> 00:49:10,480 and they did not find me disputing with anyone or stirring up a crowd 378 00:49:10,480 --> 00:49:12,660 either in the temple or in the synagogues or in the city. 379 00:49:13,540 --> 00:49:16,860 Neither can they prove to you what they now bring against me. 380 00:49:16,860 --> 00:49:19,880 But this I confess to you, that according to the way, 381 00:49:19,880 --> 00:49:22,100 that's what Christianity was called by many, 382 00:49:22,100 --> 00:49:24,300 which they call a sect, 383 00:49:24,300 --> 00:49:26,120 I worship the God of our fathers, 384 00:49:26,120 --> 00:49:29,220 believing everything laid down by the law and written in the prophets, 385 00:49:29,220 --> 00:49:33,240 having hope in God, which these men themselves accept, 386 00:49:33,240 --> 00:49:36,640 that there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust. 387 00:49:36,640 --> 00:49:41,260 So I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man. 388 00:49:41,640 --> 00:49:45,800 Now, after several years, he's been out of town preaching the gospel for several years, 389 00:49:45,800 --> 00:49:49,660 I came to bring alms to my nation and to present offerings. 390 00:49:49,660 --> 00:49:55,760 And while I was doing this, they found me purified, not defiling, but purified in the temple, 391 00:49:55,760 --> 00:50:01,280 without any crowd or tumult, but some Jews from Asia, they ought to be here before you 392 00:50:01,280 --> 00:50:04,620 and to make an accusation should they have anything to say against me, 393 00:50:04,620 --> 00:50:09,480 or else let these men themselves say what wrongdoing they found when I stood before the council. 394 00:50:09,900 --> 00:50:13,280 Others in this one thing that I cried out while standing among them. 395 00:50:13,280 --> 00:50:19,500 It is with respect the resurrection of the dead that am I on trial before you this day. 396 00:50:19,500 --> 00:50:23,320 So, right, Paul's words, notice how different they are from his accusers. 397 00:50:23,320 --> 00:50:27,520 His attitude and approach are night and day difference. 398 00:50:27,520 --> 00:50:29,060 Look at what he says to Felix, right? 399 00:50:29,060 --> 00:50:30,340 There's none of that manipulation. 400 00:50:30,340 --> 00:50:31,620 You bring peace. 401 00:50:31,620 --> 00:50:32,620 You bring reforms. 402 00:50:32,620 --> 00:50:34,720 Everybody in this town loves you. 403 00:50:34,720 --> 00:50:35,960 Look at what he says. 404 00:50:37,000 --> 00:50:40,640 You've been judge for a long time, right? 405 00:50:40,640 --> 00:50:43,200 Knowing that for many years you have been judge over this nation, 406 00:50:43,200 --> 00:50:45,500 I cheerfully make my defense, right? 407 00:50:45,500 --> 00:50:47,860 So what is it my mom told me growing up? 408 00:50:47,860 --> 00:50:50,560 If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all. 409 00:50:50,560 --> 00:50:54,400 So what is the one good thing that Paul can say about Felix? 410 00:50:54,400 --> 00:50:56,840 You've been here a long time, right? 411 00:50:56,840 --> 00:50:57,940 That's all he says. 412 00:50:57,940 --> 00:51:01,080 It's like, hey, I'm very happy to make a defense before you. 413 00:51:01,080 --> 00:51:03,180 We all know you've been here a long time, right? 414 00:51:03,300 --> 00:51:07,180 And then he immediately begins his defense cheerfully, right? 415 00:51:07,180 --> 00:51:08,540 He's not angry. 416 00:51:08,540 --> 00:51:10,180 He's not bitter. 417 00:51:10,180 --> 00:51:11,860 He's not hostile. 418 00:51:11,860 --> 00:51:13,860 He doesn't lie about the facts. 419 00:51:13,860 --> 00:51:16,680 He's happy and thankful to be able to present his case. 420 00:51:16,680 --> 00:51:20,320 And that's a completely different attitude that you see. 421 00:51:20,320 --> 00:51:22,560 He presents his case differently, too, 422 00:51:22,560 --> 00:51:25,860 because he constantly points to facts and to truth 423 00:51:25,860 --> 00:51:27,760 rather than just assumptions 424 00:51:27,760 --> 00:51:33,760 or rather than simply saying something with no foundational evidence, right? 425 00:51:33,760 --> 00:51:38,980 Paul doesn't just sort of provide some kind of generality, 426 00:51:38,980 --> 00:51:42,900 but he goes, look, check this out for yourself. 427 00:51:42,900 --> 00:51:44,560 And so he starts like this. 428 00:51:44,560 --> 00:51:46,000 How did I start riots, right? 429 00:51:46,000 --> 00:51:47,620 I've been here for 12 days. 430 00:51:47,620 --> 00:51:50,520 I didn't argue or preach prior to all this. 431 00:51:50,520 --> 00:51:52,580 I wasn't the one who started the problem. 432 00:51:52,580 --> 00:51:55,480 And then secondly, he says, it's true I follow the way, 433 00:51:55,480 --> 00:51:57,480 but we aren't extremists. 434 00:51:57,760 --> 00:51:59,600 In regards to those who are attacking me, 435 00:51:59,600 --> 00:52:00,700 we believe in the same God, 436 00:52:00,700 --> 00:52:01,920 we believe in the same Scriptures, 437 00:52:01,920 --> 00:52:04,780 and some of them even believe what we believe 438 00:52:04,780 --> 00:52:07,440 about the resurrection of the dead. 439 00:52:07,440 --> 00:52:10,580 He says, I didn't come to start problems in the temple. 440 00:52:10,580 --> 00:52:13,920 I came to bring a gift for those who were suffering 441 00:52:13,920 --> 00:52:15,620 because of famine. 442 00:52:15,620 --> 00:52:18,600 More than that, when they found me in the temple, 443 00:52:18,600 --> 00:52:21,000 I was properly purified according to Jewish law 444 00:52:21,000 --> 00:52:22,560 and doing good things, 445 00:52:22,560 --> 00:52:24,380 not preaching or causing dissent. 446 00:52:24,380 --> 00:52:27,100 And then they'll sort of say, as a side note, right? 447 00:52:27,760 --> 00:52:31,720 The people who started this unrest, they're not even here to accuse me. 448 00:52:31,720 --> 00:52:33,400 They didn't even show up. 449 00:52:33,400 --> 00:52:35,620 And so here you are making charges, 450 00:52:35,620 --> 00:52:40,860 and you don't even have the people who supposedly saw the whole thing happen. 451 00:52:40,860 --> 00:52:45,300 And if you hear what Paul says as he lays out facts, 452 00:52:45,300 --> 00:52:48,020 and at one point he will say, you can verify this yourself. 453 00:52:48,020 --> 00:52:49,420 He's not afraid of questions. 454 00:52:49,420 --> 00:52:51,880 Because the truth doesn't have to be. 455 00:52:51,880 --> 00:52:55,940 When you stand in the truth, you don't have to worry. 456 00:52:57,760 --> 00:53:01,700 about somebody asking questions about what you have done, right? 457 00:53:01,700 --> 00:53:06,060 And so without reading ahead in our text this morning, 458 00:53:06,060 --> 00:53:08,680 just hearing what we've heard so far, right? 459 00:53:08,680 --> 00:53:11,780 Paul's case, you have to be feeling pretty good about it, right? 460 00:53:11,780 --> 00:53:13,500 They don't have any evidence. 461 00:53:13,500 --> 00:53:16,120 They don't have any accusers, right? 462 00:53:16,120 --> 00:53:17,560 He isn't the problem. 463 00:53:17,560 --> 00:53:18,700 They are. 464 00:53:18,700 --> 00:53:22,520 This case immediately should be thrown out of the courtroom 465 00:53:22,520 --> 00:53:23,820 because there's no evidence. 466 00:53:23,820 --> 00:53:25,480 Paul has presented his evidence. 467 00:53:25,480 --> 00:53:26,560 I was here at this time. 468 00:53:26,840 --> 00:53:29,740 You can tell, here's what I was doing, you can check that. 469 00:53:29,740 --> 00:53:34,040 The people who actually started this, they didn't even show up to court, right? 470 00:53:34,040 --> 00:53:35,920 So look what Felix does, right? 471 00:53:35,920 --> 00:53:37,440 It seems like it's pretty open and shut. 472 00:53:37,440 --> 00:53:42,760 But Felix, having a rather accurate knowledge of the way, 473 00:53:42,760 --> 00:53:45,620 so he knows about Christianity, knows what they believe, 474 00:53:45,620 --> 00:53:47,860 put them off, saying, 475 00:53:47,860 --> 00:53:51,800 When Lysias the Tribune comes down, I will decide your case. 476 00:53:51,800 --> 00:53:55,780 And he gave some orders to the centurion that he should be kept in custody 477 00:53:55,780 --> 00:54:00,400 but have some liberty, and that none of his friends should be prevented from attending to 478 00:54:00,400 --> 00:54:07,120 his needs, right? So Felix knows about the political and religious situation, and his ruling is 479 00:54:07,120 --> 00:54:13,180 ridiculous, right? Here's his ruling. When Lysias, the tribune, comes down, I shall decide your case. 480 00:54:13,180 --> 00:54:18,340 When I hear from the Roman guy who arrested Paul, I will come and decide your case. Here's the thing. 481 00:54:18,340 --> 00:54:25,500 He's already heard from this guy. This guy, when Paul goes, he sends a certified letter to Felix 482 00:54:25,500 --> 00:54:31,620 say, here's what I know. In fact, here's what that letter said, right? He's already sent this letter, 483 00:54:31,620 --> 00:54:37,680 and it says this. You can find it in Acts chapter 23. I found, this is Lysias, his testimony, 484 00:54:37,680 --> 00:54:44,940 that he was being accused about questions of their law, but charged with nothing deserving 485 00:54:44,940 --> 00:54:49,940 death or imprisonment. And it was disclosed to me that there would be a plot against the man. 486 00:54:49,940 --> 00:54:56,600 And I sent him to you at once, ordering his accusers to also state before you what they have against him. 487 00:54:56,600 --> 00:55:00,660 So the guy who arrested Paul, the one that Felix says, I've got to wait until I hear from him. 488 00:55:00,660 --> 00:55:04,660 He's already heard from him, and this guy says, let him go. 489 00:55:04,660 --> 00:55:06,540 He's done nothing wrong. 490 00:55:06,540 --> 00:55:07,560 And so what does Felix do? 491 00:55:07,560 --> 00:55:08,960 Locks him up. 492 00:55:08,960 --> 00:55:10,440 Now he does have a little bit of liberty. 493 00:55:10,440 --> 00:55:11,740 His friends can come and see him. 494 00:55:11,740 --> 00:55:12,720 They can bring him food. 495 00:55:12,720 --> 00:55:13,660 They can bring him clothes. 496 00:55:13,660 --> 00:55:18,040 They can make sure his needs are met, but he is still in Roman custody. 497 00:55:19,040 --> 00:55:22,220 And you get this glimpse of the character of Felix, right? 498 00:55:22,220 --> 00:55:25,740 He doesn't seem like, so far, he's a very good guy. 499 00:55:25,740 --> 00:55:27,580 And you look at him and say, well, he seems kind of terrible. 500 00:55:27,580 --> 00:55:29,580 And the answer is, he is. 501 00:55:29,580 --> 00:55:32,600 He's an incredibly terrible human being. 502 00:55:32,600 --> 00:55:36,100 History testifies to the fact about him, 503 00:55:36,100 --> 00:55:40,200 and nothing that history has to say about him is good. 504 00:55:40,200 --> 00:55:44,040 And what you're going to find is this chapter ends with this. 505 00:55:44,660 --> 00:55:49,160 Whereas Paul has been before Felix, now Felix will be before Paul. 506 00:55:49,160 --> 00:55:54,720 After some days, Felix came with his wife, Drusilla, who was Jewish. 507 00:55:54,720 --> 00:55:57,040 More about that in just a minute. 508 00:55:57,040 --> 00:56:01,180 And he sent for Paul and heard him speak about faith in Christ Jesus. 509 00:56:01,180 --> 00:56:06,720 And as he reasoned about righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment, 510 00:56:06,720 --> 00:56:09,700 Felix was alarmed and said, go away for the present. 511 00:56:09,700 --> 00:56:11,900 When I get an opportunity, I will summon you. 512 00:56:12,480 --> 00:56:16,360 At the same time, he hoped that money would be given to him by Paul. 513 00:56:16,360 --> 00:56:19,560 So he sent for him often and conversed with him. 514 00:56:19,560 --> 00:56:23,400 When two years had elapsed, Felix was seceded. 515 00:56:23,400 --> 00:56:26,720 He wasn't just sort of had somebody else take his job. 516 00:56:26,720 --> 00:56:29,280 He was literally removed from power by the Roman Caesar. 517 00:56:29,280 --> 00:56:34,140 And deciding to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison. 518 00:56:34,140 --> 00:56:36,720 So you meet Felix and his wife, Drusilla, 519 00:56:36,720 --> 00:56:41,020 neither of which have any kind of a good historical reputation. 520 00:56:41,140 --> 00:56:48,800 So Drusilla, his wife, she is the great-granddaughter of Herod the Great. 521 00:56:48,800 --> 00:56:52,940 Remember the guy when Jesus is born, he hears about the Messiah being born, 522 00:56:52,940 --> 00:56:56,280 and so he sends his soldiers to Bethlehem to kill all the babies under two years old? 523 00:56:56,280 --> 00:56:59,140 Right, that's her grandfather, great-grandfather. 524 00:56:59,140 --> 00:57:04,480 Her great-uncle meets a guy by the name of John the Baptizer and chops off his head. 525 00:57:04,480 --> 00:57:10,500 Her dad kills the apostle James in Jerusalem, right? 526 00:57:10,720 --> 00:57:16,120 So she already kind of has a bad family past with this. 527 00:57:16,120 --> 00:57:18,440 She's a Herodian. 528 00:57:18,440 --> 00:57:21,060 She's of the family of Herod. 529 00:57:21,060 --> 00:57:26,180 And there's literally nobody in that family with that name who is a good person. 530 00:57:26,180 --> 00:57:30,260 But she's also Felix's third wife. 531 00:57:30,260 --> 00:57:35,360 And how that happens isn't that he sees her, they fall in love, they get married. 532 00:57:35,360 --> 00:57:40,540 Actually, she's married to somebody else, and he sees her, and he's an older man. 533 00:57:40,620 --> 00:57:43,580 She's like 20 years old, and he goes, man, she's beautiful. 534 00:57:43,580 --> 00:57:48,720 So he hires a magician from Cyprus, and they set to work trying to woo her. 535 00:57:48,720 --> 00:57:55,420 It eventually ends in adultery, and then she'll leave his husband and marry him, right? 536 00:57:55,420 --> 00:58:01,040 And then his reason for keeping Paul in custody, he's hoping that Paul will bribe him, right? 537 00:58:01,040 --> 00:58:06,220 He heard that Paul had come to Jerusalem with this money as an offering to help people there in Jerusalem. 538 00:58:06,220 --> 00:58:09,680 And he's going, well, if he can come up with money from elsewhere to help them, 539 00:58:09,740 --> 00:58:12,380 I'm sure he can come up with some money to help himself, right? 540 00:58:12,380 --> 00:58:14,720 And so part of the reason he keeps calling him back 541 00:58:14,720 --> 00:58:18,280 is he's hoping that Paul will bribe him for freedom. 542 00:58:18,280 --> 00:58:22,820 So he's not just immoral, but he's corrupt as well. 543 00:58:22,820 --> 00:58:26,140 I want you to hear about Paul's message. 544 00:58:26,140 --> 00:58:29,880 As Felix, it's interesting, he thinks Paul is standing before him, 545 00:58:29,880 --> 00:58:32,100 but the reality is he's standing before Paul. 546 00:58:32,100 --> 00:58:35,500 Paul immediately begins to preach to him about Jesus. 547 00:58:36,320 --> 00:58:41,220 And he will say that your hope is to place your faith in Jesus Christ, right? 548 00:58:41,220 --> 00:58:45,340 Not in yourself, not what you can gain, not in your political office, 549 00:58:45,340 --> 00:58:49,100 but your hope must be in Jesus, right? 550 00:58:49,100 --> 00:58:51,540 The same message that you and I need to hear, 551 00:58:51,540 --> 00:58:54,500 that our hope has to be in Jesus. 552 00:58:54,500 --> 00:58:57,660 It's so easy for us to hope in what we can accomplish 553 00:58:57,660 --> 00:59:00,380 and what we can do and what we can achieve 554 00:59:00,380 --> 00:59:02,720 and in our position and our stuff. 555 00:59:02,720 --> 00:59:06,280 Paul starts by telling him to hope in Jesus. 556 00:59:07,200 --> 00:59:10,560 And as Luke unpacks his message, he sort of summarizes it like this, 557 00:59:10,560 --> 00:59:12,800 that he starts by talking about righteousness. 558 00:59:12,800 --> 00:59:18,760 And the picture of righteousness here is the difference between right and wrong. 559 00:59:18,760 --> 00:59:22,640 So sometimes we have things that need to be calibrated. 560 00:59:22,640 --> 00:59:27,520 I remember back, it's been like nine or so years ago, 561 00:59:27,520 --> 00:59:31,300 I was cooking hamburgers at kind of this charity event fundraiser, 562 00:59:31,300 --> 00:59:33,520 and the health inspector came by, and he said, 563 00:59:33,520 --> 00:59:35,520 did you calibrate your meat thermometer? 564 00:59:35,780 --> 00:59:38,600 And I said, I didn't even know that that was a thing. 565 00:59:38,600 --> 00:59:39,640 And he's like, yeah, it's a thing. 566 00:59:39,640 --> 00:59:45,460 Because if you're cooking this burger to 165 and your meat thermometer is 20 degrees high, 567 00:59:45,460 --> 00:59:49,240 you're actually giving somebody a burger that's very undercooked. 568 00:59:49,240 --> 00:59:53,220 And so he showed me how you take a thing of water and put a bunch of ice in there 569 00:59:53,220 --> 00:59:55,620 and you take your thermometer and stir it around. 570 00:59:55,620 --> 00:59:59,760 This was before digital thermometers were a real happening thing. 571 00:59:59,760 --> 01:00:01,380 And there's a little bolt on the bottom. 572 01:00:01,380 --> 01:00:02,240 You can twist it. 573 01:00:02,240 --> 01:00:04,660 And so you get it down to where it should be right about 32 degrees. 574 01:00:04,660 --> 01:00:05,380 See what it is. 575 01:00:05,440 --> 01:00:10,660 sort of calibrate your thermometer and what Paul is doing when he talks about righteousness 576 01:00:10,660 --> 01:00:17,620 right and wrong and where we should be is he's seeking to calibrate felix's sense of right and 577 01:00:17,620 --> 01:00:22,780 wrong right he's showing him what's right showing him as what's wrong and he's trying to calibrate 578 01:00:22,780 --> 01:00:31,240 his conscience into right and wrong right to say this is right this is wrong right this doesn't 579 01:00:31,240 --> 01:00:37,140 just need to happen with Felix, right? It needs to happen with us as well. Because so many times 580 01:00:37,140 --> 01:00:44,540 when it becomes with right and wrong, we can find wrong so easy to justify as right, right? 581 01:00:44,540 --> 01:00:50,780 Our consciences can become sort of scarred to what's wrong. We stop feeling guilty about wrong 582 01:00:50,780 --> 01:00:58,000 or maybe we find it funny. And just like Felix, we have to be calibrated. And so what Paul does 583 01:00:58,000 --> 01:01:01,000 is through God's Word and calling him to faith in Jesus. 584 01:01:01,000 --> 01:01:03,080 He seeks to talk about righteousness, 585 01:01:03,080 --> 01:01:05,760 about getting your sense of right and wrong 586 01:01:05,760 --> 01:01:08,360 aligned with God's sense of what is right and wrong. 587 01:01:08,360 --> 01:01:11,280 It's not just a message that Felix needs to hear. 588 01:01:11,280 --> 01:01:13,780 It's a message that we need to hear. 589 01:01:13,780 --> 01:01:17,100 The second thing that Paul will say to Felix 590 01:01:17,100 --> 01:01:21,240 is that you are not the standard for what is right and wrong. 591 01:01:21,240 --> 01:01:24,300 In fact, you are a terrible standard for what's right and wrong. 592 01:01:24,300 --> 01:01:26,620 This guy is greedy. He's immoral. 593 01:01:26,740 --> 01:01:27,980 He seeks every kind of pleasure. 594 01:01:27,980 --> 01:01:29,320 He's incredibly cruel. 595 01:01:29,320 --> 01:01:34,220 And Paul summarizes it like this, or Luke summarizes it like this, self-controlled. 596 01:01:34,220 --> 01:01:39,140 So our desires so many times are for the wrong thing. 597 01:01:39,140 --> 01:01:45,880 So this past week, actually Friday, I had my three-month post-transplant visit. 598 01:01:45,880 --> 01:01:50,160 And so I was sitting there with our transplant coordinator, Jackie, 599 01:01:50,160 --> 01:01:52,920 and we're kind of going through the blood work. 600 01:01:52,920 --> 01:01:57,560 And I said, you know, she's going through and she's like, looks at it. 601 01:01:57,560 --> 01:01:59,080 She's like, well, your kidneys are doing great. 602 01:01:59,080 --> 01:02:04,840 Looking at your other blood work, you could probably stand to eat a vegetable once in a while. 603 01:02:04,840 --> 01:02:06,440 And I said, well, I'll live how I live. 604 01:02:06,440 --> 01:02:08,340 I'll eat what I eat and I'll die how I die. 605 01:02:08,340 --> 01:02:10,140 And she's like, no, that's not how this works, right? 606 01:02:10,140 --> 01:02:11,580 You need to eat some vegetables. 607 01:02:11,580 --> 01:02:16,900 And I said, well, you know, part of the problem is you have me on this particular medicine. 608 01:02:16,900 --> 01:02:29,140 And one of the well-known and well-documented size effects of this medicine does amazing things, but it also makes you hungry all the time, like specifically for ice cream, right? 609 01:02:29,140 --> 01:02:39,240 So you're giving me a medicine that specifically makes me want to eat ice cream 24 hours a day, and then you're like, maybe you should make some better choices. 610 01:02:39,240 --> 01:02:42,660 And I said, how am I supposed to do that when all I crave is ice cream? 611 01:02:42,660 --> 01:02:44,620 She goes, a whole thing called self-control. 612 01:02:45,220 --> 01:02:46,640 And I said, well, that's not the conversation 613 01:02:46,640 --> 01:02:48,780 that I wanted to have today, right? 614 01:02:48,780 --> 01:02:52,400 So so many times we take our desires, right? 615 01:02:52,400 --> 01:02:53,520 And we can justify it. 616 01:02:53,520 --> 01:02:56,460 I want that. 617 01:02:56,460 --> 01:02:58,460 And what Paul says, 618 01:02:58,460 --> 01:03:05,620 my desires aren't what I should be led by 619 01:03:05,620 --> 01:03:07,680 in this life, right? 620 01:03:07,680 --> 01:03:09,780 Because you and I, so many times, 621 01:03:09,780 --> 01:03:11,680 we desire that thing for us, 622 01:03:11,680 --> 01:03:13,940 which is the worst. 623 01:03:14,440 --> 01:03:17,020 And we will chase that to the ends of the earth. 624 01:03:17,020 --> 01:03:19,120 And so when Paul talks about self-control, 625 01:03:19,120 --> 01:03:22,900 he's saying, your desires can't be what leads you, Felix. 626 01:03:22,900 --> 01:03:25,000 And as we hear this, 627 01:03:25,000 --> 01:03:30,300 we have to hear that our desires can't be what leads us. 628 01:03:30,300 --> 01:03:32,420 For Felix and Drusilla, if they wanted it, 629 01:03:32,420 --> 01:03:35,160 whether it was pleasure or wealth or position or fame, 630 01:03:35,160 --> 01:03:37,320 they simply ran to it. 631 01:03:37,320 --> 01:03:40,940 They saw their desires as their God. 632 01:03:40,940 --> 01:03:43,060 You and I can't do that. 633 01:03:43,140 --> 01:03:46,420 We can't look to our desires as God. 634 01:03:46,420 --> 01:03:48,280 And so when Paul talks about self-control, 635 01:03:48,280 --> 01:03:50,260 it can sound to us like he's saying, 636 01:03:50,260 --> 01:03:52,120 good luck, go out there and work really hard. 637 01:03:52,120 --> 01:03:54,620 There's only one other place in the New Testament 638 01:03:54,620 --> 01:03:56,220 that Paul talks about self-control. 639 01:03:56,220 --> 01:03:58,760 There's only one other place in the New Testament 640 01:03:58,760 --> 01:04:00,660 Paul uses this word. 641 01:04:00,660 --> 01:04:02,300 It's in the book of Galatians. 642 01:04:02,300 --> 01:04:06,740 The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, 643 01:04:06,740 --> 01:04:10,000 kindness, gentleness, and self-control. 644 01:04:10,700 --> 01:04:14,560 Paul will say that self-control doesn't come from your willpower, 645 01:04:14,560 --> 01:04:19,560 but it comes from the fact that the Holy Spirit has transformed you and strengthened you. 646 01:04:19,560 --> 01:04:22,100 And so he has said, Jesus is your hope. 647 01:04:22,100 --> 01:04:25,360 He said, your standard of right and wrong needs to be calibrated, 648 01:04:25,360 --> 01:04:29,300 and you need to trust that God will direct you and equip you 649 01:04:29,300 --> 01:04:32,520 and help you as you walk in the way of righteousness. 650 01:04:32,520 --> 01:04:36,620 And then he will say this, it is very, very important. 651 01:04:36,620 --> 01:04:39,160 There's a lot of things we can take for granted. 652 01:04:39,320 --> 01:04:41,540 We all get junk mail from time to time. 653 01:04:41,540 --> 01:04:46,980 And I remember my grandma, she would get these catalogs back before, like, the Internet and everything. 654 01:04:46,980 --> 01:04:48,700 And you wanted to buy something, you got it in a catalog. 655 01:04:48,700 --> 01:04:51,180 And so she would get all these different catalogs all the time. 656 01:04:51,180 --> 01:04:53,860 And I remember I was talking to her once because I brought her the mail. 657 01:04:53,860 --> 01:04:57,880 And the one catalog says, this is your last catalog ever, right? 658 01:04:57,880 --> 01:05:01,860 And what they want you to do is order something so you keep getting the catalogs, right? 659 01:05:01,860 --> 01:05:03,300 And I said, Grandma, this is your last catalog. 660 01:05:03,300 --> 01:05:04,500 She's like, no, it's not. 661 01:05:04,500 --> 01:05:05,500 Like, you'll see another one next week. 662 01:05:05,500 --> 01:05:06,300 Sure enough, right? 663 01:05:06,400 --> 01:05:11,160 And so they try to make it sound urgent to push you into a decision even though it's not. 664 01:05:11,160 --> 01:05:14,460 And so we've become very adept at looking at things. 665 01:05:14,460 --> 01:05:16,440 When somebody says it's urgent, we go, no, it's not. 666 01:05:16,440 --> 01:05:18,440 I don't have to deal with this right now. 667 01:05:18,440 --> 01:05:24,720 What Paul is saying when he talks about judgment, he is saying there is a deadline on this decision. 668 01:05:24,720 --> 01:05:26,340 About trusting Jesus. 669 01:05:26,340 --> 01:05:31,060 About walking in righteousness equipped by the power of His Spirit for self-control. 670 01:05:31,060 --> 01:05:35,480 There will be a time when you can no longer make this decision. 671 01:05:35,480 --> 01:05:42,720 there is judgment and either you are saved through Christ by grace and mercy or you are not 672 01:05:42,720 --> 01:05:50,900 and he is saying there is a hard deadline there is judgment he's not trying to be dramatic he's not 673 01:05:50,900 --> 01:05:57,100 trying to play on Felix's emotions he's simply telling him that this is important this can't be 674 01:05:57,100 --> 01:06:03,360 neglected this can't be pushed back and you know what Felix does first of all I think he sees the 675 01:06:03,360 --> 01:06:05,100 truth of Paul's message. You know why? 676 01:06:05,100 --> 01:06:07,340 Because he reacts with 677 01:06:07,340 --> 01:06:09,420 fear. Acts tells us 678 01:06:09,420 --> 01:06:11,480 that he immediately becomes afraid 679 01:06:11,480 --> 01:06:13,160 or agitated and he says, 680 01:06:13,160 --> 01:06:15,380 Paul, go away. We'll talk about this later. 681 01:06:15,380 --> 01:06:17,500 Right? Paul strikes a nerve. 682 01:06:17,500 --> 01:06:19,300 But we also find that 683 01:06:19,300 --> 01:06:21,380 he's curious because 684 01:06:21,380 --> 01:06:23,380 he keeps calling 685 01:06:23,380 --> 01:06:25,460 Paul back to talk and back 686 01:06:25,460 --> 01:06:27,440 to talk and back to talk. 687 01:06:27,440 --> 01:06:29,200 But the problem is, all that Felix 688 01:06:29,200 --> 01:06:31,300 ever does is talk. 689 01:06:31,300 --> 01:06:33,200 He never makes 690 01:06:33,200 --> 01:06:40,360 a decision, never hopes in Jesus, never empowered by the Spirit to walk in righteousness and 691 01:06:40,360 --> 01:06:45,260 be able to stand before God on that final day, not in fear, but in joy, because he's 692 01:06:45,260 --> 01:06:48,400 been saved by grace, right? 693 01:06:48,400 --> 01:06:53,260 And so Felix constantly sort of just pushes it down the road. 694 01:06:53,260 --> 01:06:57,160 It won't be the last time we see that in the book of Acts. 695 01:06:57,160 --> 01:07:01,900 And so the question, I think, for us, and we talked about it a little bit as we gathered 696 01:07:01,900 --> 01:07:03,800 around the table is what is it that we're 697 01:07:03,800 --> 01:07:05,660 focused on? Felix, you see the 698 01:07:05,660 --> 01:07:07,500 extreme of focused on 699 01:07:07,500 --> 01:07:09,340 everything that he desires. 700 01:07:09,340 --> 01:07:11,740 And Paul calls him rather to a 701 01:07:11,740 --> 01:07:13,900 different focus, a focus on 702 01:07:13,900 --> 01:07:15,920 Jesus. But also 703 01:07:15,920 --> 01:07:17,940 Paul stands for us 704 01:07:17,940 --> 01:07:19,780 in this text as an example. Here's a guy who 705 01:07:19,780 --> 01:07:21,680 has treated you badly. He's 706 01:07:21,680 --> 01:07:23,560 ruled unfairly simply out of 707 01:07:23,560 --> 01:07:25,820 political motivation to keep the 708 01:07:25,820 --> 01:07:27,820 Jewish people happy even though he knows you're 709 01:07:27,820 --> 01:07:29,780 innocent. He's kept you 710 01:07:29,780 --> 01:07:31,720 because he's seeking personal gain. He's trying 711 01:07:31,720 --> 01:07:37,280 going to get a bribe from you. Do you know what Paul doesn't do? He doesn't dismiss him. He doesn't 712 01:07:37,280 --> 01:07:44,280 treat him badly. But for two years it seems he continually shares the gospel. Paul doesn't give 713 01:07:44,280 --> 01:07:46,780 up. Paul keeps sharing about. 714 01:08:01,720 --> 01:08:31,700 Thank you. 715 01:08:31,720 --> 01:09:01,700 Thank you. 716 01:09:01,720 --> 01:09:31,700 Thank you.