Let's take our Bibles and turn
to the book of Acts 23. Let's pray together. Our Father, this evening, we
thank you that you have purposed that we be granted the privilege
to again meet together and to assemble ourselves together in
the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to hear of His honor, to hear
of His obedience, to hear of His work, to hear of the accomplishment
of our salvation in bringing glory to himself and to you,
Holy Father. We ask you to bless the Word. Bless it to our understanding.
Bless it to the honor of our blessed Savior. And we ask these
things for Christ's sake. Amen. An evil plot had been providentially
discovered by the chief captain that was stationed in Jerusalem. The Spirit of God that orders
the steps of His people, all things, who moves, who breathes
upon, who brings all things to pass. to bring honor to God Himself,
placed Paul's nephew at exactly the right spot. If God Almighty
is going to order all things after the counsel of His own
will, He's got to order everything. Everything has got to be brought
together in accordance with God's purpose. He who establishes the
end from the beginning. put Paul and Paul's nephew and
these soldiers and everybody else exactly where they were. Now, the events that's getting
ready to unfold are going to reveal two vital truths, two
things we're going to see tonight. Number one, carnal man is blind. to the sovereign hand of Almighty
God and His purpose. Carnal man has only a temporal
regard for himself. He is blind to what is going
on and he doesn't care about anything but right now. He doesn't see that Almighty
God is working all things after the counsel of His own will.
Men don't do that. I'm telling you the truth. Man,
by nature, does not more know what's going on. He just, he's
oblivious to it. And he doesn't care about anything
concerning his eternal soul. He just doesn't care. Now you think about it. If you
think I'm not telling you the truth, just stop for just a minute. and think of those that you've
crossed their path. They have no regard for the gospel,
no regard for Christ, have no regard. And think how they come
across to you in their attitude toward eternity. They don't care. They'll admit, I'm going to die
one of these days, but to cast themselves upon the mercy
of God and ask Almighty God to have mercy on their soul? No. I tell you, you can often tell
where a man stands concerning Christ, not necessarily by what
he does or says, but what he doesn't do. or doesn't say. This chief captain, this one
that Paul's nephew had come to, he had told him in verse 22,
he said, I don't want you to tell anybody that you've shown
me these things. This is a secret between us. But he performed his duty. Don't
you look at verses 23 and 24. He called unto him two centurions. saying, Make ready two hundred
soldiers to go to Caesarea, and horsemen threescore and ten,
and spearmen two hundred at the third hour of the night, and
provide them beasts that they may set Paul on, and bring him
safe unto Felix the governor." Now, he did exactly what his
duty was. He did exactly what God ordained
him to do. But he had no recollection of
the hand of God's providence to keep his own. He didn't see
that. He didn't see God working in
that thing. Man doesn't give God the glory. I was watching a little thing
on television just a few minutes ago, and it was about a helicopter
that crashed, and they showed showed the crash over and over
and over and they got the pilot out and he got out and they asked
him, he said, well, you know, how do you feel? You know, he
said, my helmet saved me. I thought, man by nature, he
does not see the hand of God Almighty in anything. My hell
won't save me. And I'll tell you something else
about man. He's a liar. I want you to look at verses
25 to 28. He wrote a letter after this
manor. Claudius Lysias, under the most
excellent governor Felix, sendeth greetings. This man, talking
about Paul, was taken of the Jews and should have been killed
of them of them. Then came I with an army, and
I rescued him, having understood that he was a Roman. And when
I would have known the cause whereof they accused him, I brought
him forth unto their counsel." Now, you know the thing that
I noticed about his letter is it did have an element of truth
in it. There was an element of truth
there, but he was appeasing his conscience. This is the way he
told it. I'm sending you this fellow right
here because I saw he was in a plight. Knowing that he was
a Roman, I came down and rescued him. I was there at the right
time and the right place doing my duty. You know, he just failed
to mention that he had bound Paul and was getting ready to
beat him when he found out that Paul was a Roman. When Paul says,
is it lawful to scourge a Roman uncondemned? Now, when he told
the story, I tell you, this chief captain,
like all carnal men do, they paint themselves to themselves
and especially in their mind before God. I'm really not that
bad. I am a good guy. Many will say unto me, the Lord
said in that day, Lord, we've done many wonderful works in
your name. Cast out devils. We preached
in your name. And he'll say unto them, I never
knew you. Depart from me. Now these, what
they've done, These are people that were sitting in pews, standing
in pulpits, proclaiming what in their mind was a message that
brought honor to themselves, and they knew it did. They knew it brought honor to
themselves. Two men went into the temple to pray, and the Pharisee
stood and prayed thus with himself. God, I thank Thee that I am not
as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as
this publican. I am so thankful that I am not
like other men are. And the Scripture says that all
men are dug out of the same pit, same lump of clay. You know the most deceitful thing
in the world? The carnal heart. That is the most deceitful man
by nature. His nature lies to him. I've raised up, I've told you
this before, raised up in false religion. And I listen to false
prophets. And that's all that men are that
preach not the gospel. They're false prophets. They're
not kind. They're not nice. They're merchandisers
of men's souls. And men lied, and I believed
it because I had a dead heart that did not believe the gospel
of God's free grace. And my old carnal heart in every
man that's born in Adam is just like this. My heart lied to me. and told me, you're okay. You made a profession of faith. Your mom and daddy goes to church,
and you go to church, and you're in Sunday school, and you're
faithful, and you pray every day, and you're okay. And one of these days, you're
going to be in heaven. You're as sure for heaven as
if you're already there. The heart is deceitful above
all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it? Man by nature is a liar to and
about Almighty God. He lies to God. Adam, did you eat the fruit that I
told you not to? The first word that came out
of his mouth was this, the woman that you gave me gave me the
fruit. I ate it. But she gave it to
me. Cain, where is your brother? Am I my
brother's keeper? The Lord says, The voice of his
blood cries unto me. I'm telling you, man comes forth
from his mother's womb. Liar! And a man that'll lie to God,
which is what Adam did, and all men by nature are like that.
A man that'll lie to God will lie about God and lie about himself. Who is a liar? Now, you listen
to this, 1 John 2, 22. Who is a liar? But he that denieth
that Jesus is the Christ. Now you know, without me going
into a long discourse on that verse right there, that was the
differentiation between those that were of God and those that
were not of God. That denieth that Jesus is the
Christ. And here's what we're saying
when we say that. Any man that denies that God Almighty chose
a people in His Son, gave them to His Son, and the Son who eternally
covenanted to be their surety, to be their representative, to
be their substitute, came into this world, sin of God, to redeem
the elect of God, to be their atonement, to be their propitiation,
their satisfaction before God and to answer for them totally
so that there is no sin, no guilt. He purged Their sin. Purged it. You know what purging
is. Purging. Get rid of it. He purged it when
He had by Himself. There's not one thing that you
can add to that. There's not one thing that you're
going to add to the glory that God Almighty has wrought Himself,
Christ Himself. Your faith is not going to add
to it. Your obedience is not going to add to it. And I'm telling
you, even if you have to suffer for a few days, it's not going
to add to the glory of Almighty God. He put away our guilt. That's what it is to preach that
Jesus is the Christ. He is a liar that denies that
Jesus is the Christ. He's anti-Christ. that deny the
Father and the Son. You say, oh, men don't deny the
Father and the Son. They deny that the Father has
done what He says He's done. I chose. They deny. They call
God a liar. They deny the Father. They deny
the Son. The Lord Jesus Christ says, I
came into this world to give my life for the sheep. I lay down my life for the sheep.
And men will say, no, no, he didn't die for just that. No,
he didn't know. He died for everybody. They're denying the Son. Gene,
that's calling God a liar. Carnal man is oblivious to the
mercy of Almighty God to his people. Look at verse 29. Here
he said, Whom I perceive to be accused of questions of their
laws. But to have nothing laid to his
charge worthy of death or of bonds, he still writing to Felix,
And when it was told me how that the Jews laid weight of the man,
I sent straight way to thee, and gave commandment to his accusers
also to say before thee what they had had against him. Farewell. Then the soldiers, as it was
commanded them, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipaterus. On the morrow they left the horsemen
to go with him and return to the castle who, when they came
to Caesarea and delivered the epistle to the governor, presented
Paul also before him. And when the governor had read
the letter, he asked of what province he was in when he understood
that he was of Cilicia. He said, I will hear thee, said
he, when thine accusers are also come. And he commanded him to
be kept in Herod's judgment hall. Now, this chief captain It's spoken with contempt. Now,
I want you to listen to the words that the chief captain that said, I saw these men, they jumped
this guy and I knew he was a Roman, so I rushed down there, saved
him. Didn't know exactly what the
deal was. This is what he said. Look at
verse 29. whom I perceived to be accused of questions of their
law. They were arguing about religion,
Felix. That's what this whole deal was
about. They were just kind of disagreeing, just semantics,
just questions of their law. One of them was saying one thing
about their religion, this fellow was saying something else. But
this question of which Paul was accused, let me tell you what
that question was all about back in verse 6 of this chapter, Acts
23, 6. When Paul perceived that the
one part were Sadducees and the other part Pharisees, he cried
out in the council, men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a
Pharisee, and here was the question right here that they were arguing
about. Of the hope and resurrection of the dead, I am called into
question. Now, what the whole issue was
over was the hope, the resurrection of the dead, and the world to
come. Sadducees didn't believe there
was a resurrection. Pharisees did believe there was
a resurrection. But how tragic is the attitude
of man that has no regard that he's going to stand before Almighty
God in his body, and he's going to stand before
God Almighty being raised from the dead. Now listen, this is
what the resurrection, this is what we know to be so. Whenever a man, woman dies, their soul without doubt, if
a man dies in Christ, to be absent from this body is to be present
with the Lord. And this body sleeps in the grave. Paul says it's sown in corruption. But it's going to be raised in
corruption. In the next few weeks, I'm going
to bring a study on the resurrection. And I don't want to go ahead
of myself right now, but I'm going to tell you something.
This is what Scripture says. When the Lord Jesus Christ was
raised from the dead, He came out of that grave in a body. a resurrected body. He is the first fruits of the
resurrection. The way He came out is coming
a time when His people are going to be raised in resurrection
glory. All the questions that can come
up. How can something go back to the dust? How can something
burn up? How can something fall into the
water? How can a fish eat a man that
drowns? If God Almighty says that men
are going to be raised, they're going to be raised. If God Almighty
says that there's going to be a resurrection of the dead, and
the souls are going to be united again, In a body. And in a body,
a man is going to stand before God. And in a body in Christ,
as He is, and we'll be like Him. I'm way over my head right here,
Carl. But I'm telling you, as the Scripture
sets forth that the Lord Jesus Christ came out of that grave
in His body, we're going to be raised incorruptible. Laid down in corruption, raised
in incorruption, united with our souls that have been with
Him. And every man, every woman that died without Christ is going
to be raised in a body, and in a body that they rebelled against
God. They're going to suffer eternally
in a body. And they're going to know it,
that they're in a body. and they're going to feel it
in a body. All those found in Christ will
live forever with Him in a resurrected body. A body. Just like this. As He walked coming out of that
grave on the side of that seashore, they looked at Him and they saw
Him. They knew who He was. It's the Lord. And he bore the
scars of his crucifixion. He told Thomas, he said, look
at my side. Look at these hands. Resurrected
body. That's good, isn't it? I'm telling
you, there's a time coming and we will forever be with Almighty
God in a new body. And we'll know each other. They
knew who Moses and Elijah was on the Mount of Transfiguration. They knew who they were. They
knew the Lord. Peter saw Him. He looked out
of that boat and he said, It's the Lord. He jumped in that water. I'm telling you, it's going to
be a new heaven and a new earth. The Lord created this earth and
He put man and a body on it. He tended the gardens. He was
a man. And he fell, and the earth was
cursed because of him. There's going to be a new heaven
and a new earth. And I'm telling you, we will
be forever with the Lord bodily, incorruptible, undefiled. Well, let me see where I was. They disputed that. They told
him, he said, I just, he said, I perceive them to be accused
of questions of their laws. Yeah, it was a resurrection.
That's what the question was. Resurrection. But I'll tell you the second
thing that we discover in here, a vital truth. As you look at the backdrop of
man's hopeless condition, Here's the second vital truth. There
is a glorious display of God's mercy shining forth. Every day,
every moment, you look around this world and you see this world
is falling to pieces. As far as this cursed world,
sin that has corrupted the economies, you know, it's just There is
nothing that has any lastingness to it. Men are going to die with
absolutely, as far as this world is concerned, nothing. What do
you think Felix has right now? Sorrow. There is no record that
God ever did anything for him. Here we are reading about a man
that left this world, a bunch of soldiers, Count of that soldier that was
the chief soldier, I can't even think of his title right now.
Whatever his title was that ordered the centurions. There's one man
that we hear about in this passage right here that God showed mercy
to, Paul. And with everything that was
going on at that time, no one saw save for Paul in that situation
the glorious display of God's mercy. In the midst of what appeared
to be the natural chain of events, Paul's safety was being ordered
by God. God Almighty had purposed that
he was going to go to Caesarea, and he was going to go to Caesarea.
The steps of a good man, a man made good by the imputed righteousness
of Christ, are ordered by the Lord, and he delighteth in his
way. God Almighty has delighted to
lead you, Brother Scott, exactly where you've been. And you delight
in it too. Isaiah 14, 27, For the Lord of
hosts hath purposed, who shall disannul it? His hand is stretched
out, and who shall turn it back? Four hundred and seventy soldiers
sent, according outwardly to Man's being the means, that chief
captain didn't say send them, but I'm telling you, that chief
captain was but the mouthpiece of Almighty God that ordered
Paul's safety. Proverbs 21.1 says this, the
king's heart, that means his will and his soul.
I just looked that up just a minute ago. The King's heart, His will
and His soul is in the hand of the Lord. As the rivers of water,
He turneth it whethersoever He will. If God Almighty leaves
a man to Himself, God can do whatever He pleases. If God leaves
a man to Himself, His will and His soul is in the hands of the
Almighty God. The Lord knoweth, 2 Peter 2,
9, how to deliver the godly out of temptations and how to reserve
the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished. These were questions,
I understand they were questions, mere minute technicalities as
far as that chief captain was concerned, but I'm telling you
He had no idea. He was dealing in the very midst. Do you think for one second that
that chief captain, that Felix, that all those 407, do you think
for one second they ever dreamed? We are at this moment, at this
event right here, we are actually the ones that the Spirit of God
is going to move upon Luke to write about. And this event that's
taking place right here is going to be recorded in the eternal
Word of God Almighty. And this event is going to be
read about, and God's going to teach through what's happening
right now for years to come His power call about, move about,
establish that which He has purposed, and we are going to be the examples
of what happens to men when God leaves them to themselves. Do
you think that ever crossed their mind? No. What do you think is happening
here tonight? If God shows mercy, He shows
mercy according to His will and purpose. If God leaves a man
to himself, He leaves him to himself according to His will
and purpose. He works all things after the
counsel of His own will. It is to the Lord Jesus Christ
preeminence is given in all things. Revelation 1.18 in closing, the issue was the resurrection. The issue was Christ raised for
the dead, being the firstfruits, and that which He did. And He
had already been raised from the dead when this took place
in time. And Paul said the issue we're talking about is the hope.
The hope. the hope, the expectation that
we have that He was raised, we're going to be raised. As He came
out of that ground, ascended into heaven at the right hand
of the Father on the throne of God Almighty, we're going to
be right there with Him. That's what this all was about. I am He that liveth. and was
dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And have the keys to hell and
death. His life before the Father, His
death of substitution to atone for His people, their guilt,
His resurrection from the dead, Him being our justification before
God, His ascension into heaven, He being seated in the heavenlies
right now ruling and reigning on the throne of God Almighty. These are not just mere questions
to us. This is life. This is real. He is our hope. Our hope of glory. Jesus Christ. God's Christ, God's
Lamb. To Him be glory and dominion
forever and ever. Amen. Here you go.