Turn with me to the book of Acts
chapter 24. Acts 24. Let's pray together. Our Father, how thankful we are
that we could be here tonight and to assemble ourselves in
the name and in the presence of your blessed Son, the Lord
Jesus. We ask you this evening, help
us. Lord, we are so helpless. We have no strength. We are in
ourselves impotent. Lord, in myself, I have no ability
whatsoever Preach in power as none. I know that. If you don't
bless this message, Lord, it will be but words. Help us. Help us to hear. Help as I preach. Teach us and comfort us for Christ's
sake. Amen. The Apostle Paul has been brought
before Felix, the Roman governor, five days after hearing the case. Heard the case concerning the
Apostle Paul. And in the first nine verses,
that's what I plan to look at for just a few minutes tonight.
Paul is going to be, well, they're going to try to railroad
him is what they're going to try to do. They're going to try
to come up and just really paint him in a bad light. They've got the high priest, Ananias, and
they've got the elders. with them. They've got them a
real smooth-tongued lawyer. And what they've got, what you're
looking at right here, is the effect of God not sending for
400 years. From Malachi to John the Baptist,
the Lord had not sent a prophet. 400 years, no prophet, no preacher,
no preacher sent from God. And the priesthood, high priests,
all these elders, Sanhedrin, Pharisees, it had deteriorated
to nothing more than a form. And I'm telling you, with that
Almighty God sending and blessing the preaching
of the It is nothing but form. It's
just nothing more than just ritual. It's religious ritual. I'm not
saying it's not religious. It's religious. But I'm telling
you there's no power. God Almighty does not bless that
which He does not send. He doesn't bless that which He
has not performed. He just doesn't. Well, the Lord
has now raised up some preachers, raised up some apostles. He calls
some men and they're preaching. But that old effect of that Levitical
priesthood and a high priest, you read them and you see the
attitude that they've got. toward God and toward God's preachers,
God's people. And you see how it's just, they're
angry. They hate God. They hate God's
people. And so this lawyer is going to
speak. He's going to speak for the Sanhedrin.
And after five days, Ananias, the high priest, descended with
the elders with a certain orator named Tertullus, who informed
the governor against Paul. And when he was called forth,
Tertullus began to accuse him, saying, Seeing 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. Doesn't it almost
make you sick when you see the flattery that's given people
in authority? I mean, worldly speaking, these
religious hucksters. Here's a man that God's raised
up, faithful preacher of the gospel. And what they're going
to do, they're going to appeal to Felix, this Roman governor,
because they know that carnal man is arrogant in pride. He loves
the praises of men. They want to be patted on the
back. Psalm 12, verses 1 to 4. Help, Lord. for the godly man ceaseth, for
the faithful fail from among the children of men." They speak
vanity, every one with his neighbor. With flattering lips and with
a double heart do they speak. The Lord shall cut off all flattering
lips and the tongue that speaketh proud things who have said, with
our tongue will we prevail. Our lips are our own. Who is
Lord over us? We are so wise. We're so smart. They were lying on this man.
They lied on Paul. Proverbs 26, 28. Now listen,
this is the way it is. All liars, and I'm talking about
especially men that will stand in a pulpit and lie on God, lie
on Christ as His Messiah. Men stand in pulpits and they
say, we love the masses, we love people, we want to see the world
saved. This is what the scripture says
concerning men that will stand here and lie on God. Hear this apostle, the Son of
God, a preacher of the righteousness of Christ. And these men sat
there and lied on Him. Listen to this. Three things
that they said about this man, about Paul. Three things that
he was charged with that were lies. Verse 5, we found this
man a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition among all the Jews
throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes,
who also hath gone about to profane the temple whom we took and would
have judged according to our law." Now, first thing they said,
they say it. This man is a pestilent fellow. He's a plague. That's what it
means. A plague. He's a plague in our
midst, one who stirs up social unrest. You know, when the Lord came
into this world, He said, I didn't come. I didn't come to bring
peace. Not in the world. There's no
peace in this world. Man stands up and declares, thus
saith the Lord. This is what God Almighty has
to say. And it's not up for debate. It's
not up for questioning. We're going to kind of argue
back and forth. This is what Almighty God has
got to say. This is what Paul did. He preached.
This man, they say, is stirring up social unrest. He's a corrupter
of morals. That's what he is. That's what
they're saying. A mover of sedition among the
Jews throughout the world. What they were saying is, this
man is a traitor. He is against Caesar. This man
will not bow down and worship the ruler of this nation. I mean,
this man is going about to profane the temple. That was a lie. The
Apostle Paul had respect Did that chosen place where Almighty
God would have His name placed, where the Scriptures were read?
Paul wasn't going about to profane the temple. But I tell you what,
there was one of those accusations that Paul the Apostle, though
it was mixed with some ignorance, there was a grand truth that
was revealed in one of those accusations. And I want to talk
about it for just a few minutes. It was that part where they said
he's a ringleader. of the sect of the Nazarenes. Now, he was accused of being
a ringleader. Before I get into the part about
the Nazarene, he was accused of being a ringleader of the
sect of the Nazarenes. Ringleader, first in rank, first
in honor, or the one who causes something to stand." Now what
they were accusing Paul of, actually this was the accusation against
Paul. This man is preaching Jesus Christ
of Nazareth. This man is actually proclaiming
that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, the Nazarene. Christ, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. This man right here is a ringleader
of that. They were accusing him of preaching
Christ. Now, that was right. That was right. But this is the
way they were saying it. This man's a ringleader. This
man's the first. He's the first in rank. The ringleader of this bunch
of rebel rousers. That's what they were saying.
I tell you what, first in rank? That's what they said about Paul.
That's not what Paul said about Paul. First in rank. What was
Paul's estimate? What was Paul's account of himself
concerning the preaching of Christ? Here's what it is. Romans 1,
1. Paul, a servant. A servant. a servant of Jesus
Christ, called to be an apostle, separated under the gospel, the
gospel of God. You know what? A believer does
not desire to have himself exalted above measure. Who are you? A servant. A servant. You that believe don't want to
get any higher than that. You don't desire any more glory,
any more honor, any more distinguishing remarks than that. Who are you? I'm a servant of Jesus Christ.
Called of God. How about Paul's honor? That's
what they said. That's a ringleader. First in rank. Paul said, I'm
a servant. First in honor. Paul's honor? What kind of honor? He said, I know that in me, that
is in my flesh, there dwelleth no good thing. For the will is
present with me, but how to perform that which is good I find not. Honor? What honor? Christ is my honor. Christ is
my all in all. They say, this man's a ringleader.
He's the head honcho. He's the top dog. The big cheese. Numero uno, Paul said. No. Ringleader. The last part of
that definition. That which causes something to
stand. Listen to what Paul the Apostle
says in Colossians 1.12. Giving thanks unto the Father
which hath made us meet or fit to be partakers of the inheritance
of the saints in light. who hath delivered us from the
power of darkness, hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear
Son, in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness
of sins, who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn
of every creature. For by him are all things created
that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible,
whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers,
all things created by him and for him. And he is before all
things, and by him all things consist." Ringleader? The one that causes something
to stand? What they were saying is, if
it wasn't for this guy right here, this preaching of Jesus the Messiah
wouldn't even exist. If we can get rid of him, We'll end this thing. It wasn't so. Paul wasn't the
ringleader. Paul wasn't first in honor. Paul
wasn't first in rank. It didn't stand on Paul, the
apostle. By Christ, for Christ, in Christ,
all things consist. The Apostle said, he says, This
I confess unto thee. It's what he said in verse 14,
after the way they call heresy. This is the way I worship the
God of my fathers, believing all things which were written
in the law and the prophets. This man, they said, is a ringleader
of the sect of the Pharisees. The word sect and the word heresy
is the same word. Lord willing, next week I'm going
to preach on what I hinted to last week on the resurrection. This is what they were getting
on to Paul about, the heresy. After the way they call heresy,
it was concerning the resurrection. After the way they call heresy,
they said this man is a ringleader of the sect or the heresy. of
the Nazarenes, heresy, an opinion, a self-willed opinion which is
substituted for truth. That's what heresy is, a self-willed
opinion. You take anything that is set
forth, that is in opposition to the message of free and sovereign
grace in the Lord Jesus Christ. As for salvation before Almighty
God, you set forth anything that gives man honor, man glory, man
praise, and relieves from God Almighty all the honor and praise
that is due him. That is heresy, a self-willed
opinion that is substituted for truth. These men said that this
fellow is a ringleader of the heresy of the Nazarenes. Now let me tell you for just
a minute what they were actually saying. And they knew what Paul
was preaching. They said, you're of that heresy,
that bunch of heretics that's preaching Jesus Christ. The Nazarenes. The Nazarenes. Nazarene and Nazarite, same word. It means one separated and given
up to God from the womb. Now, this title concerning the
person of the Lord Jesus Christ was one that had been prophesied. Nazareth, that he might be called
a Nazirite, a Nazarene. Jesus Christ. Truly, the Lord
Jesus Christ is the only one separated to God. Truly separated to God. Christ
Jesus the Lord. Concerning Him as wisdom. Listen to this. Proverbs 8, 22-23.
The Lord possessed me. In the beginning. In the beginning of His way,
before His works of old, I was set up from everlasting, from
the beginning, or ever the earth was. Who alone has been separated
unto God Almighty as God's servant? The Lord Jesus Christ. One. The sanctified Nazarene, the
one set apart, who has everlastingly stood as the surety of the sheep,
has been one Nazarene, separated unto God for obedience as the
federal head of all that God Almighty has everlastingly loved,
from the foundation who were chosen in Christ, They said, Paul, this is a ringleader
of that heresy, of that Nazarene. One, according as he hath chosen
us in him before the foundation of the
world, that we should be holy and without blame before God
in love, Christ. God has always given testimony
to his blessed Son. Here is the one I quoted a while
ago, Matthew 2.23, "...and he came and dwelt in a city called
Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled that was spoken by the prophets,
he shall be called a Nazarene." Giving up to God Almighty from
the womb. Listen to Luke 1.30, when Mary
was conceived by the Holy Ghost. Luke 1.30. The angel said unto her, Fear
not, Mary, for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold,
thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt
call his name Jesus. He shall be great, shall be called
the Son of the Highest, and the Lord God shall give unto him
the throne of his father David. He shall reign over the house
of Jacob for ever, and of his king there shall be no end. Then
said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know
not a man? And the angel answered and said
unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power
of the Highest shall overshadow thee. Therefore also that holy
thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son
of God." The Nazarene. That blessed title that set forth
the Lord Himself, the Christ, the Messiah. Listen to the words
in Mark 16.5. It was when this title, and this
is a blessed title. How many times do you find in
scriptures when it talks about the Nazarene, Jesus of Nazareth? Listen to this. It said, A young
man clothed in a long white garment saith unto them when they came
to find the Lord. Be not affrighted, ye seek Jesus
of Nazareth. which was crucified. He is risen. He is not here. Behold the place
where they laid him." That's the title of God's promised Messiah. Luke 18, "...and they told him
that Jesus of Nazareth..." That's when blind Barnabas was on the
side of the road. "...they told him that Jesus
of Nazareth passed by, and he cried, Jesus, thou Son of David,
have mercy on me." Whenever he heard Jesus of Nazareth,
have you ever considered the significance of Jesus of Nazareth? This was the significance of
why that name came up so many times. God was come in the flesh. the man, Christ Jesus the Lord,
Jesus of Nazareth, a man, the man, God-man that
actually came into this world as the substitute, the daismon,
the mediator, one that touched God Almighty and man being both. Jesus of Nazareth, the promised
Messiah, the Anointed One, He Himself that held that name. The Scripture says that John
18, 4 and 5, Jesus therefore, knowing all things that come
upon Him, went forth and said to them, Whom seek ye when they
came to find the Lord? They answered, Jesus of Nazareth. And Jesus saith unto them, I
am he, and Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with him."
That was that distinguishing mark, the prophesied title by
which God's Messiah would be known, Jesus of Nazareth. It was with that name that he
was crucified. John 19, 19, a pilot wrote a
title and put it on the cross, and the writing was this, Jesus
of Nazareth. King of the Jews, the anointed,
the prophesied. That was the title of God's approval
by Almighty God on the day of Pentecost, Acts 22. You men of
Israel, hear these words. Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved
of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs which God
did by Him in the midst of you as you yourselves also know.
Whenever the Lord Himself spoke to Paul on the road to Damascus,
now here is the Lord Himself speaking. He knocks Saul of Tarsus
down. He cries out, Saul, Saul, why
persecutest thou me? Saul asked him this, Who art
thou, Lord? He said unto him, I am Jesus
of Nazareth. whom thou persecutest." The significance
when we recognize, refer to Him as Jesus of Nazareth, the Nazarene,
Jesus the Nazarene, the separated one. God Almighty separated this
one. He came into this world and walked
this earth as the representative of God's people, the substitute.
Made flesh, great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest
in the flesh. Who is he? Jesus of Nazareth,
the one prophesied, the separated one. The heart of that title
declares that God Almighty came to this world, lived, died for
his people. satisfied God's law by obedience
before that law, and justice was satisfied at Calvary by God
Almighty spewing out upon Him the wrath that was deserving
of all of His people that He represented. Jesus of Nazareth. What we're saying is a man has
answered. The God-man. I sinned against
God. A man is going to have to be
approved by God. A man is going to have to be
obedient to God. In my stead, for me, Jesus of
Nazareth, the only mediator between God and man, to be associated
with Him by grace, through faith, says that God put you in Him. He has answered every demand
of the law as your federal head, made sin for you that believe
that you might be made the righteousness of God in Him. And there is now
therefore no condemnation to you that are in Christ Jesus.
You died with Him, buried with Him, raised with Him, and will
forever be where He is. They did accuse Paul of a lot
of things. He's a pestilent fellow. He's
a pest. He's a plague. He's a mover of
sedition among the Jews throughout the world. He's a traitor. He's
a traitor against Caesar. He's a traitor against all of
our laws. He's a ringleader of the sect
of the Nazarene. He's not a ringleader. Paul said,
I'm a servant, a servant of Jesus Christ called to be an apostle.
In me, that is in my flesh, there dwells no good thing. But my
association with Him, I don't deny that. That's why I told
them over in that verse 14, I confess after the way that they call
heresy, that is the way I worship the God of my fathers. believing
all things which are written in the Law and the Prophets.
For Paul and all of God's sheep, being associated with him is
to this world a despised thing. But for us who believe, Christ
is precious. To those that God has called
out of darkness He is our wisdom. He is our righteousness. He is
our holiness, our sanctification, and he is our redemption. Lord
willing, next week, I want to pick up where we left off right
here and take that verse of Scripture that they accused him of, of
being of the sect, of the heresy. Pick up there and talk about
what Paul preached, the resurrection. And I'll tell you this, it is
absolutely the greatest peace, hope, and comfort for a believer
to know this, that as the Lord Jesus Christ was raised from
the dead, raised in body, God's people are going to be raised
just like that. You know why men call it heresy? Because men do not want to believe
that they're going to stand before God in the same way that they've
rebelled against Him. They do not want to believe that
they're going to stand before God Almighty actually in body
and have to stand before Him and give account of every word,
every thought, every deed outside of Christ, man is going to answer
and pay for every act of rebellion. They say that's heresy. Paul
said, that's the way I worship God. May the Lord be pleased. to bless these feeble words this
evening coming from this feeble creature. Not feeble words in
the sense they're the Word of God, but feebly presented. I admit it. But I'll tell you
this, these words are so. Men are accused and hated and
despised for preaching the truth. But it is the truth. And God's
people stand on it and they love it, for Christ's sake. Amen. All right, Gary.