Acts 24:10-27

Good morning. Welcome to coffee and devotions. Once again, I have my main man here with me and we are going to be at Acts chapter 24 verses 10 through 27. This is where every day you and I, we get together, we get into the Lord's word and we grow in our love for the Lord together. And this year, 2022, we'll go all the way from the book of two.
Good job. All right. Let's have some, something to drink. We'll pray and we'll get into the Lord's word. You wanna pray for us today? Yeah. Okay. God, thank you for a good day. Please help us to edify our souls. Please help this day. Like, refresh our souls for the week. In Jesus name, amen. Amen.
You know what I just realized? My laptop's not plugged in. So I'm gonna reach over here real quick and plug in my laptop so it doesn't die in the middle of this. There we go. Maybe someday daddy will have a voice again. What do you think? All right. Well, we are at X chapter 24. You want to read the first part? Let's let's pull this down. That's about as good as it's going to get. Now after five, then Paul, after the governor had got it to him to speak, answer in.
And as much as I know that you have been for many years a judge of this nation, I do the more cheerful answer for myself, because you may as straight ascertain that it is no more than 12 days since I went up to Jerusalem to worship, and they neither found me in the temple disputing with anyone, nor inflicting the crowd. either in the synagogue or in the city, nor can they prove the things of which they now accuse me.
But this I confess to you, that according to the way which they call a sect. So I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets. I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both both of the just and the unjust. This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men. No, after many years I came to bring alms and offerings to my nation, in the midst of which some Jews of Asia found me purified in the temple, neither with a mob nor with tumult.
They ought to have been here before you, to object if they had anything against me, or else let those who are here themselves say if they found any wrongdoing in me while I stood before their council. Unless it is for this one statement, which I cried out standing among them Concerning the resurrection of the dead.
I am being judged by you this day There's 22 to 23, but when Felix or these things as a dope I more accurate knowledge of the way he adjourned the proceedings and said when When Lysias, the commander, comes down, I will make a decision on your case. So he commanded the centurion to eat Paul and let him live, and told him not to forbid any of his friends to provide for or visit him. And after some days, when Felix came with his wife, Drusilla, who was a Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him concerning the faith in Christ. Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, Go away for now.
When I have a convenient time, I will call for you. Meanwhile, he also hoped that money would be given him by Paul, that he might release him. Therefore, he sent for him more often and conversed with him. But after two years, Porcius Festus. Pardon me, got a frog in my throat. Porcius Festus seceded Felix, and Felix, wanting to do the Jews a favor, left Paul bound.
Alright, so the first part we have a defense I'm gonna let you hold the Bible cuz I gotta I gotta be drinking something for my throat And So he nods to Paul right there. He's on trial. He looks over at Paul. He nods to him and Paul says, yo, dude. I didn't do anything. Yeah, you you've been a judge for us for a couple of years. And so I cheerfully answer you. And he says that he worships according to what? Right here. And he worships according to. According to. You might miss it, it's just two small words. Two the way?
Yeah, what do you think it means when he says, I worship according to the way. Jesus says about himself. I am the way the way the truth and No one comes the father but by me So he worships according to the way this was what they said about Christians So you they might call them Christians like they did in Antioch of Syria Some people like the high priest were calling them the Nazarenes We're here. He's saying it's the way But he says when he went to the temple Did he go as clean or unclean? Clean.
And did he go with a mob? Nope. And when he went to the temple, did he incite a riot? Nope. Hmm. So, does he believe in God? Yes. Does he believe in the law? Yes. Does he believe the prophets? Yes. Does he believe the resurrection of the dead for both the righteous and the unrighteous? Yeah.
And so he does. He brought alms, which is like a gift for poor people. He brought a sacrifice. Don't do that with that, please. You don't have to stretch that out. Right, so he brought alms, brought a sacrifice. He's not defiling the temple. So why is he there? That's his whole point, I shouldn't be here. But it wasn't until these Jewish people from Asia came, and they're the ones who said I was defiling the temple, but does Paul say he's defiled the temple?
Nope. Nope. And so he says it's concerning the resurrection of the dead that he's being judged. Has he broken any Roman law? Nope. No, that's what he's trying to get at so in the next passage What happens here does Felix say he's guilty Yeah, he says when when Lysias comes who is the commander who arrested him at the temple And when they were about to kill him When he comes, I'll decide your case. But does he do that? No? No! This keeps him in jail for two years! And the whole time he's in jail, one time, what does he do? He brings Hoot with him.
One verse down. Yeah, that was a big one man everybody on everybody with her if they have headphones on it's gonna like I busted out their ears Yeah, so he brings his wife Drusilla and she's a Jew Right, so he goes and he tries to talk with them and Paul reasons with them, right? He's going back and forth with them and he wants to talk with him about three things What does it say it talks with him about? He wants to hear about his faith in Christ. Now as he reasoned about what?
Righteousness, self-control, and judgment. Okay, righteousness, self-control, and judgment to come. What's Felix's response? Go away. Well, what's it say? What goes on in his heart? Felix was? Afraid. Felix was afraid. He doesn't mind, just go away. But is that the last time Paul ever sees Felix?
What's it say? He keeps him around and he brings him time and time again and he talks to him, but what's he really want? Does he want to hear the truth or what does he want? Money. Yeah, he wants money. So he says he leaves him in there for two years until a new governor comes. Man, how would you like that being in jail for two years when you've done nothing wrong? I just kind of be sitting there scratched my head. Yep. Like, did I do anything wrong? If I did, what did I do wrong? Yeah. Yep. But God's told Paul that he's going to testify about him in Rome. So he knows that God's got a plan even for this. Yep.
I was really taken in by this idea that he preaches the gospel to Felix time and time again, righteousness, self-control, right? What was the third one? Righteousness, self-control and judgment to come. And Felix knows about the way, right? Felix knows. More than it seems like the Jewish priests know. He knows that they're not rebel rousers. But does it soften Felix's heart? Nope. Did you know there are people like that? Who will from the time their little kids will become the church and their whole lives. They'll hear the gospel. They might even be afraid. But they never believe. Kind of sad, huh?
Yeah. And so it's up to each one of us. Will we believe or will we have hard hearts? No. Oh, no, I'm saying like those are the two options, faith or not faith, belief or disbelief. That's really all anybody has. Yep. Yep. So we hope that each one of you children will latch on yourselves, won't just hear and be afraid at times, but will actually love Christ. Is that what we're always talking about? Sometimes you get tired of me talking about Jesus. No. Oh, good. Good.
Well, what do you think? What would you underline in your Bible? That's what you would what about in the previous part about when he's defending himself Oh what I underlined okay, so that's verse 14 down through the end of the paragraph so basically the first part of his defense is Yeah, where he actually talks about the content of his faith. Yeah. Well, what do you think, what are you called to do in response to this?
Share the gospel. Share the gospel? Yeah, he was doing it. Kind of like how he reasoned with Felix. Yeah. Yeah. So not being worried about when you're, when you're brought before authorities and you have to give a testimony for your faith. Okay. That's a good, that's a good application. Uh, I was thinking along the lines for an application. Uh, and I think that's a good application. Uh, for me, I was thinking the idea of like Felix was afraid, But he didn't have faith.
It wasn't a fear that led to eternal life. Instead, we should believe in the righteousness that comes from Christ and the self-control that the Holy Spirit gives us. And we should stand in fear of the judgment to come. But that fear should be the one that makes us confess now willingly that Jesus Christ is Lord and King. Yeah. Yeah. Well My voice is about shot. I think we should end so I can pray. What about you?
Okay, let's pray Father we thank you that we can testify about you For you are the great king of kings and lord of lords Father we pray that you would Please watch over us this day We pray that you would give us true faith We pray that we would know who you are and instead of cowering in fear, that we would come to Christ and that we would find a righteousness that's in Jesus Christ given to us by faith and that we might live by that faith. Lord, please care for your people. We pray that you would especially care for those who have heard the gospel year in and year out. Maybe they sat in church for a long time. Father, please bring them to yourself. Open their ears, soften their hearts, let them see and understand in Jesus's name.
Amen. Well, may God bless you today. Ooh, that's like right in front of your face, dude. Look, no one can see you. Oh man. There you go. Maybe you might have sunk down. You got a habit of doing that, don't you? Well, may the Lord bless you today. May you walk in the joy and peace of Jesus Christ. May you always have hope in the resurrection of the dead. We'll see you tomorrow. You want to say bye? Bye.
And thanks for listening to this week's message from God's Word for You, a ministry of Sharon R.P. Church in rural southeast Iowa. We pray that the message would be used by God to transform your faith in your life this week. If you'd like to get more information about us, feel free to go to the website, SharonRPC.org. We'd love to invite you to worship with us. Our worship time is 10 a.m. every Sunday at 25204 160th Avenue, Morning Sun, Iowa, 52640. May God richly bless you this week.