Acts 25. We're going to give
you a general overview and then we're really going to look at
just two things and specifically one verse. Verse 19. Obviously Festus is in over his
head. This governor Because the way
he puts it in verse 19, the Jews brought accusation against Paul.
And Festus said he thought it was going to be concerning something
else. He didn't realize it was going to be about their customs
and manners. They had certain questions against Paul of their
own superstitions, what he calls it, and of one Jesus. which was
dead, whom Paul affirmed to be alive." Whom Paul affirmed to
be alive. The affirmation of the resurrection.
That's what Paul is called into question. But what we have here
again coming into this chapter in the 25th of Acts is Paul still
under house arrest for trumped up charges brought by the self-righteous
Pharisees. And he's been under house arrest
for two years now because we noted in the last verse of the
last chapter But after two years, Portus Festus came into Felix's
room and Felix, willing to show the Jews a pleasure, left Paul
bound. Two years. This is delayed for
two years for a trial that has never occurred. Festus is the
new political ruler. He undertakes the hearing of
Paul's case. He doesn't understand the facts concerning the trial
and really doesn't care. He was hoping to settle the issue
if it concerned matters of Roman law. As Bruce read this text,
we saw that he really, he was supposing it was going to be
about Roman law or different things and he could handle it
and be done with it, but when it was concerning the gospel
concerning Jewish traditions and whatnot. He didn't really
understand. And so he's in over his head.
He doesn't understand what's going on. He pushes for a trial
at Jerusalem. He thinks he's going to, well,
let's just go down to Jerusalem. And he questions Paul about that.
Paul, again, Festus thinks he's going to be over with this quickly.
Why don't we just go down to Jerusalem? Now, Paul knows better.
He says he's in one fell swoop. He humiliates Festus and angers
the Jews. He says, I appeal to Caesar. I'm a Roman citizen. I have rights. We have certain rights in this
country. You can use those rights. There's nothing against the believer
or against Christianity. Paul says, I appeal to Caesar.
So now poor old Festus, he don't have anything to write. He doesn't
have anything to write to Augustus. So Paul pushes for, rebuffs this
saying and pushes for the appeal to Caesar or Rome. And you remember
several chapters ago, the Lord said, you're going to testify
of me in Rome. This is going to take place.
So Paul is being comforted by the word. He's being comforted
by the word of the Lord. He's being comforted by those believers
who's come in and visit him during house arrest. And so basically
the prisoner has more peace and comfort than those who are free. humanly speaking. Festus now
somewhat humiliated and the Jews angered because the Jews are
without authority to do anything otherwise. They would like to
kill him, Paul, but they can't get their hands on him because
they're being occupied by the Roman hierarchy. So they're angry because they
want to kill Paul. You remember those sect that
made the vow to not eat anything? Well, that was over two years
ago. But then we enter into this picture
in this last part of this chapter, King Agrippa. And in that next
chapter, he's going to hear Paul's defense. So the interesting thing
is, is that the gospel from being a, quote, backward. Story of
the wonderful grace of God is now will now be being presented
to royalty, King Agrippa and Bernice. In the next chapter,
we'll see he preaches the gospel to them. But we're going to learn
a few lessons from our text. The first thought is what we
have in the first part of this chapter. Time does not alter
the hatred of the gospel, nor the hatred towards those who
believe it by those who are self-righteous and farsighted. Time does not
alter that fact. And the grace of God is the only
thing that'll change a man, a woman's heart. If God doesn't do that,
when the gospel, the truth of the gospel, when the truth is
preached, Christ made a comment, the comment was made from the
scriptures, am I your enemy? Because I tell you the truth.
And we don't tell people the truth in a mean, haughty, I know
this and you don't know that, we just tell them the truth.
The gospel will have its way, it will either be a saver to
life unto life or death unto death. Time does not alter. These Jews
and the high priest, even though a new governor was in place,
Festus, two years and counting, The enmity will not diminish
against Christ or his people. They still wanted this new governor
to send Paul down to Jerusalem. And what did they say? So they
could kill him. Those of this character, the
Pharisees, that is, they were religious without the truth of
the gospel. These of character, these type
of people pose the greatest threat and are the greatest enemies
of sovereign grace as it is found in Jesus Christ. You find somebody,
and it's hard to find in this country, who doesn't have a preconceived
notion of the truth, a preconceived notion of what the gospel is,
a preconceived notion of who God is or Jesus is. They're hard
to find because everybody, most everybody in this country is
religious. We all have so much baggage. We all come bringing
so many things to the table and God's not going to have it. Just
wipe it out. He's going to have us be nothing so he'll be all. But the problem is, when you
talk to somebody, and it does, you know, Ron and I have talked
this many times, and Bruce and I, whether it's a student, or
whether it's a parent, or whether it's a neighbor, when you say,
unless they, and they usually beat you to the punch, God comes
into the conversation, or religion comes into the conversation,
but if you bring something up, they're going to tell you about
their church, they're going to tell you about their meals, they're
going to tell you about their past, they're going to tell you
about everything but probably the truth. They're going to tell
you everything about what they know about God and their preconceived
notions and I'm telling you those of this type of character in
the text here, it wasn't the the folks in the gutter. It wasn't
the people on the other side of the tracks. It was the religious
people of the day that, and to this day, it's the same, who
bring the most trouble to God's people and to the gospel. If
you tell people about the Redeemer, that He is high and holy and
lifted up, that He is of pure eyes and to behold evil, that
he is of the holiest character, and that one that demands perfection. If you tell them about the one
who without any aid or help from you or I satisfied all the claims
and ordinances against us, if you speak of the one who by himself
purged our sin and then sat down at the right hand of the Father,
you tell them boldly without compromise, if you tell them
plainly without disguise, if you tell them fully without concealment
and firmly without doubt and authoritatively without fear,
they will put you on notice. Well, I'm not going to bring
that subject up to them again because I don't want to hear
it. I've had a lot of people say that they'll they'll spew
their religious stuff at me and then I'm supposed to sit there
and say, oh, that's just lovely. One lady said, well, we're all
working for the same thing. I just sat there and so she told
me what the same thing was. I said, no, I'm not working for
that. Matter of fact, I've ceased from my works and entered into
his rest. Well, what faith are you? The
thing is, if you answer people, and that's why we ought to read
the scripture. Memorize the scripture. Marvin Stoniker, Pastor Marvin
and I were talking about my shame and his shame. In all of our
sayings, we probably can remember song lyrics better than the scriptures. You know, we could probably remember,
I can still spout out some of the Latin names of a lot of trees
that I learned in my dendrology class. That's just been it. Why?
Because it's what they call repetitive teaching over and over and over.
And we don't treat this like any book. but it is profitable
for instruction and righteousness. Put it to memory. But I've noticed
when people ask you a question, what faith are you? If you answer
them exactly what the scripture says, what are you talking about? I've had people ask me, well,
I've never heard that before. What faith are you? What would
Paul say? The faith of God's elect. What
do you mean elect? Well, let me tell you. Well, you believe people predestinate
and this and that and God predestinates all things well Isn't that what
the scripture says? Did he save us by accident or
he save us on purpose? Turn to 1st Corinthians chapter
2 1st Corinthians chapter 2 this
is one reason why Paul got in trouble and 1 Corinthians chapter
2 verses 1 through 5, Paul says, And I, brethren, when I came
to you, I came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring
unto you the testimony of God. Don't worry about whether you
can word phrases correctly or you know grammar or you know
English. Do you know Christ? If you know Christ, you ought
to be able to tell him. Don't let somebody else talk
for you. You ought to be able to know for yourself because it's a heart
matter of what he's done for you. Paul says, verse 2, for
I determined, I determined. Now, whether you're a teacher
here or you're not a teacher here, when you wake up in the
morning, and I understand from Melinda because she's teaching
and substitute and whatnot, they have lesson plans. You've determined
that that's the plan that you're going to teach for that day.
But if you're not a teacher and you wake up in the morning, you've
determined to do certain things. And Paul says, I determined.
It's a purpose. It's a word of purpose. I determined
not to know anything among you say Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness
and fear and much trembling. He says, I'm not I wasn't a man's
man, just a preacher of the gospel. It's all I was. And my speech
and my preaching was not with enticing words of men's wisdom. Oh, you speak so well, preacher.
Flowery speech. I'm not saying that I can't learn
to speak better and to articulate better, but that's not it. When
I get done preaching, do you understand what I've said? And
do you believe what is preached? But in demonstration of the spirit
and power, why verse five, that your faith should not stand in
the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. Because if I'm just telling you
things that drew things of me, and you come away thinking and
talking like me, it's not a very good thing. It's a bad thing.
But if you come away trusting and believing and worshiping
the testimony of God, it's well with you. Galatians chapter 1. The next book over, Galatians,
or after 2 Corinthians, Galatians chapter 1. This is what, again,
relating back to Acts, this is what got Paul into trouble, why
he's on trial, why he's being accused of certain things, because
he would not please men, but he's preached the testimony of
God. Galatians chapter 1, verses 9 and 10, Paul says, As I said
before, so I now say again, If any man preach any other gospel
unto you than that you have received, let him be accursed. For do I
now persuade men or God? Or do I speak to pleased men?
For if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. Now, these preachers that are
spewing all sorts of things all over this town and this country
and not being honest with this book are in a heap of trouble. So we're going to get a few pats
on the back. We're going to get a few applause. But you're going
to turn our back on God and the testimony of his son in this
book. Oh, boy, oh, boy, no, that's.
That's very, very dangerous. Secondly, so this is why so that
we see here that time didn't alter the hatred that the Jews
had towards Paul and his gospel. It didn't change and it won't
until God does something for him. But secondly, in the main
part of the message, what I wanted to look at this morning, Paul's
affirmation. Look at verse 19. Bethesda said,
as he was telling King Agrippi, said they had certain questions
against Paul of their own superstition and of one Jesus which was dead,
or they said was dead, and in whom Paul affirmed to be alive. He's sticking right there. He's
not changing his story. Note the two men's differing
level of commitment or concern for the resurrection of Christ.
Festus, that's some superstitious thing that they're talking about.
He could care less. But Paul, it's a matter of life
and death. The subject matter of the living
or resurrection of the Savior was the lifeblood of Paul's existence. Why? Why? First of all, let's look at Festus.
Festus, why did you get these two differing reactions? They
had certain questions about their superstition of one Jesus. At
least Felix understood several things about Jewish customs,
laws, and traditions. This Festus, he's the new governor,
he doesn't appear to know anything about it. Why? Why does he care
less about the resurrection? And why was it Paul's lifeblood? Well, Festus, Because he was
concerned about worldly things. We say people are worldly. Well,
here's what we mean. They're more concerned about
things below than things above. They're worldly. And unfortunately, the believer
can get worldly. I'm not saying that they lose
their salvation. No, that's not scriptural. But we get our eyes
off Christ and we get more concerned about things. But Festus, he
cared about worldly things and that is to say he cared more
about things below and not things above. He cared about things
of the now and wasn't concerned about the pressing issues of
eternity. He was more concerned about things
of politics and pomp and not things spiritual or common. Thus, those of this world are
concerned about this world. What about you? And what about
not myself? Where do we stand? And again,
we've got to live in this world, pay taxes, we've got to work.
I'm not saying when we get together we need to be pretentious and
just speak about Jesus all the time. That's again, that's that
religious stuff. If you can't be yourself in front
of the brethren, who can you be yourself in front of? And
again, we don't use that to make excuse to sin and do these other
things. worldly people that's all that's
why people commit suicide Jackie on with the stock market I've
read numerous people have committed suicide on the stock market because
that's all that's what that's all they had that's all they
had and it is really to have a believer continually talking
about money and this and that it's disheartening because again
he's gonna take care of his people he's gonna take care of his people
But look at Paul. Paul cared about Christ. His
gospel, his grace, his resurrection glory, his honor and truth. Why?
Because Paul cared about things invisible. Not just those things
seen with the eyes. It's never too early to press,
or I say press, it's never too early to speak to our children
that this, what you see right here, be successful in life,
be the best husband you can be, the best wife you can be, you
should be the hardest worker you can be. We teach them all
these things that they should be, but this isn't it. What you see right here now is
not it. Actually, it's just a pretty
short time. Our life is a vapor. We're here
one day and we're gone the next. But Paul cared about things invisible.
Not things that can be seen with the eyes. Paul cared about things
of the eternal and not so much the temporal. Don't we get it backwards? We
get it messed around a lot of times. Paul was concerned about the
heavenlies, not the earthly. Paul was concerned about the
new man and not pampering the old man. Here's why Paul put such emphasis
on Christ, who was dead, and yet now is alive. Four things. If Christ is alive,
then, number one, the truthfulness of Christ's character is confirmed. Think about it now. This all
has to do with the resurrection. And I know I haven't preached
on the resurrection a whole lot, but you think about this. If
Christ is alive, if he resurrected, then the truthfulness of his
character, he is who he says he is, is confirmed. Turn to Romans chapter one. Romans
chapter one. Look at verses one through four.
Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated
unto the gospel of God, which he had promised of four by his
prophets in the holy scriptures. concerning his son Jesus Christ
our Lord which was made of the seed of David according to the
flesh and declared to be the son of God with power according
to the spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead
declared to be if Christ is alive right now then the truthfulness
of his character is confirmed he said I'm the son of God and
You better bow to me and you better believe to me. If he didn't
raise from the dead, if he's still in a grave somewhere over
there in Jerusalem, it doesn't matter. But if he rose from the
grave and is right now seated on the right hand of God, it
confirms that he is who he says he is. Secondly, the vital importance
of his teaching is established Remember he asked the apostles,
who do men say that I am? What are they saying about me?
The things that I say, the person that I am. Who do men say that
I am? If he doesn't rise from the grave,
the vital importance of his teaching is not established. But if he
did rise from the grave, it says that he is who he says he is,
and the things that he said have to be true. Thirdly, the work that he came
to do if he's alive was accomplished. See, if he didn't rise from the
grave, we got problems. We got, I mean, we're talking,
you might as well take Christianity and throw it away. The work, if he's alive, the
work that he came to do was accomplished. What did he say when he was hung
on the cross? He said, it's finished. My work, which the Father gave
me to do, is done. There's nothing you can do for
your salvation. There's nothing you can do to
add to your salvation. Christ said it is finished. Fourthly,
the success of His cause, to honor His Father and to save
His people from their sins, the success of His cause is assured. It sounds like it's from stem
to stern. It's either all truth or it's there. Yeah, I think
you Christians got some good thoughts, but the Buddhists are
right too. Can't mix them. It's oil and
water. The Muslims, they're a respectful people. That's fine. They're
people. We respect other people. But
what they're saying about God, It's bogus. It's wrong. Either
that or this is wrong. I had a man tell me one time,
a real good friend of mine, I understand you're a Christian now. What
do you hear all that kind of stuff? Well, you know what, blah,
blah. So we get to talking and he's an intellectual. Works for
IBM. Makes lots of money. Very successful. He says, I can have my evolution
and I can have my creation too. And I said, no, you can't. Well,
the scripture, it's the scriptures or nothing. It's Christ alone,
the scriptures alone, grace alone and faith alone, not your evolution. The success of his cause is assured.
And he told us he told before he even did that, he said, where
I go, you'll be with me. Where I go, when Christ said,
when I'm when I'm with the father, I'm preparing a place for you.
that you may be with me." If he didn't raise from the dead,
he can't do a thing. So why is it so vital Paul was
beside himself with the resurrection glory of Christ? He's alive. Why? If he was alive, then the
truthfulness of his character is confirmed, the vital importance
of his teaching is established, the work that he came to do was
accomplished, and the success of his cause is assured. Turn
to 1 Corinthians chapter 15. If you want to study the resurrection,
1 Corinthians 15 is where you need to look. 1 Corinthians chapter 15, verse 12, Now if Christ be preached
that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there
is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection
of the dead, then is Christ not risen? And if Christ be not risen,
then is our preaching vain and your faith is also vain. You see how he's doing this type of teaching that he's
building. He lays a premise and he just builds on it. If you
knock the premise out, we've got nothing. He says, if you
say He didn't raise, or if there's no resurrection, then Christ
didn't raise from the dead, that our preaching is worthless, but
your faith is worthless. Verse 15, yea, and we are found
false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that
He raised up Christ, whom He raised not up, if so be that
the dead raise not. For if the dead raise not, then
is Christ then is not Christ raised. And if Christ be not
raised, your faith is vain, and you are yet in your sins. We're just getting from bad to
worse. If Christ isn't alive, and if
He didn't raise from the dead, why are you here sitting there
listening to me? Because I'm preaching to you the Lord Jesus
Christ who's dead, but He's alive. And if you didn't raise, then
the preaching is foolish, there's no need in gathering together,
you don't have any faith, and you're still in your sins. And
we're all in trouble. You see how he builds that argument?
Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.
Now there's some folks that you and I know, the best that we
can tell, since I've been your pastor, they have passed away,
they've died in the Lord. And it's a beautiful thing to
think that they are enjoying eternal happiness and peace and
rest with Christ. As a matter of fact, we're envious
of them. We wish we were there as well. But if Christ didn't
raise from the dead, you can't even have that thought. You see, that which this Festus
speaks contemptuously about is the believer's hope and joy because
with no resurrection, there's no hope of eternal life and no
everlasting joy. But may we be as Paul and speak
boldly and confidently concerning Christ and His blessed resurrection. Let the world reveal or excuse
me, let the world revel in their mighty men. I got thinking about
this as I was writing this down. I got thinking about my mind
went to the wall of fame over there. Mark Twain's wit and humor
are still with us. But he's not. Those painted upon our Missouri
wall of fame have had many and a diverse influence upon modern
art, philosophy and the sciences, yet they are gone. the articulate
Renaissance men, the mighty generals, the grand explorers, the visionaries,
they all come and go. But he which was dead is alive. You see the difference? You see the difference? These men, these great men we
call great men, presidents, whoever. We still talk about them in our
history class. We still think about them. Their influence is
still seen among us. But they're dead. They're gone. We worship a risen, living Savior. There's no other religion that teaches that. But if Christ
did not rise, we're here today for no reason. You see how important it is?
You see how this just laid, this just gripped Paul? Because Christ
rose. If you're a believer this morning,
when you die, it's not really death. Oh yeah, you'll pass.
But he's taken the sting out of it. And you'll be with Him forever. He that was dead, they concerning
their superstition, a certain questions about one Jesus, which
was dead or they say was dead, whom Paul affirmed. No, no, no. He's alive. He's alive. Oh, my brethren, do you understand
and do you revel in the uniqueness of Jesus, the solitariness of
God's own son, the worthiness of the rock of ages? He and he
alone is worthy of our every song, our only ear and our very
life, and we worship no other. We worship no other. People say,
well, I've heard you and I believe what you say, but if it doesn't
affect you, you don't believe it. You don't believe it. You say, well, I believe those
teachings. I believe what you're saying. I understand the resurrection.
I believe all those things. But you'll never darken the door
where the gospel is preached. You don't ever fellowship with
those who believe this, the gospel. You don't believe it. Because
when He saves a sinner, He saves the whole mind, the heart, the
hands, the feet, the pocketbook, the embracing. He saves everything. He saves the complete person.
Because we've had a lot of people say, yeah, I believe that. Don't
ever see them. No, you don't. No, you don't. And I don't either. But this
fact that Paul affirmed him to be alive, and we'll see a little
bit later, as Paul's preaching the gospel, or Festus interrupts
him when he's preaching to the king, and he says, Paul, your
much learning has made thee mad. He was a fanatic. You ever hear
people call you that? How many times you gotta go to
church in a month? How many times you gotta hear
this gospel? How many times you gotta hear about this Christ?
Every time we gather together. So, In order to keep your attention,
if we gotta have games and movies and basketball teams and all
those things, guess what? You're tired of Jesus, I guess.
You're tired of hearing about the Christ. Not the believer, who's like
Paul. We're more concerned about the
invisible than the visible, the heavenlies than the earthly,
the new man than pampering the old man. And we're going to take
the Lord's Supper. Do this in remembrance of Him. Oh, these Jews, He's dead. Paul says, no, He's not. He's
alive. And that's who I worship. And I'm so thankful that I'm
with the people that love to worship Him. and that he's allowed us the
freedom in this country to preach the one that we love. Ron, would
you close us please?