Cast Your Cares on the Lord and He Will Sustain You
First B Jackson
2025-08-31

Automatically transcribed. Where this and the recording disagree, the recording is the record.

----
Good morning, church family. Will you please stand up and let's worship the Lord. Amen? The Bible says, give thanks to the Lord for he is good. His faithful love endures forever.

Amen? For how long? Forever. Oh, praise the Lord. Let's worship and let's sing and let's feel his presence in this morning this morning in his house.

Amen?

Amen. Y'all can have a seat. I have a few announcements to get through. Aijuana registration is open. Pre k through fifth grade, this is is this thing working?

Y'all hear me? Okay. Pre k through fifth grade, Aijuana registration is open. First day is September 15. That's a couple of Mondays.

One, two, third Monday from now. So two weeks from now, September 15, first v jackson dot org if you'd like to sign up a child or if you would like to have a little bit more information next Sunday between services down the hall. They're doing an informational meeting for anybody interested in Iwana, being a volunteer or knowing more about it down the hall between services, September 7, that's when that's gonna happen. Guatemala missions trip. We are planning on going.

Tanya and I are planning on going. Mike, Demetrius, and JJ and the kids, and we've got several others who have told us that they're wanting to go. So if you are interested in going October eleventh through the eighteenth to Guatemala for hope of life, that it is a fantastic organization. We've been down multiple times. I've probably been there seven six, seven times.

Tanya's been more than I have. It's great. So we believe in the cause and what it is that they do. Guatemala missions trip, October eleventh through eighteen. If you want more information about that, you can talk to us or to Mike Demetrius.

The JH Women's Community Bible Study is happening on Wednesday starting September 10. That's gonna run the fall session through October 29. 10AM to noon, they're meeting at the Presbyterian Church Jackson Hole this time around. It changes churches and it is comprised of women from basically all the churches in Jackson. So jhwomen'sbiblestudy.com if you wanna sign up for it.

Sisters Saved by Grace is meeting here on Thursday evenings. For now, they're meeting in the Fellowship Hall. That's where it looks like we're gonna be. Yes, sir. It's hey, there you are.

I'm not supposed to do this announcement. Thank you, Blake. I thought you're saying the mic wasn't on. I checked my zipper, everything else. Nope.

Sorry.

Good morning, everybody. I'm Nancy Baxter, and we would like to invite all women to join us. We're beginning our Bible study this Thursday night from six to eight in the fellowship hall, and we are studying the power of prayer. Our God is a God of relationships. And he wants a relationship with us, and he's given us the wonderful privilege of being in relationship with each other.

And so this is a wonderful time to come together as women and learn more about him. And he gives us the word. He gives us prayer. He gives us each other to grow in him. So love for you to come.

Thank you very much. I appreciate that. So the books are available in the church office. I heard that somewhere. $7, that's good.

Old Bills, you all know what Old Bills is, most of you do. If you don't, stay around afterwards and I'll tell you what it's all about. The giving season is open right now for old bills. It's a way of amplifying giving. You can give to any philanthropic organization in Jackson and there are a bunch of them.

Our benevolence fund is helped greatly by this, given through the Community Foundation of Jackson Hole, Old Bills Fun Run is coming up. So August 15, September 12 is giving season. First BBQ, there's one left and it is next week, September 7, right out here on the green space, one left for the summer season. Games, food, fun, fellowship, and good breakfast out there. First b b q is happening next week between services.

And if there's anything else, I feel like there's one I'm forgetting. I'm scanning the room. I said they'll wanna meeting his meeting down there. I think that's it. Am I sure?

Going once, going twice? Alright. I'm glad to be here this morning, and I'm thankful for you all. I'm gonna ask you if you would stand and we will sing whatever comes up on that little black screen.

This song is inspired from Psalm 92 verse one says, a song to be sung in the Sabbath day, it is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to the most high. Amen? Heavenly father, how thankful we are that we have the privilege to be here, Lord. As I was singing and praising you, Lord, I was thinking of those that do not have this privilege, and they are afraid to worship you together in your name. And, here we are here in the freedom that we have to come together, praise you, and worship you.

Lord, may we may we appreciate this time that we have together in your name, Lord. I'm asking, Lord, by the power of Jesus Christ that you would come down to our hearts and our minds, Lord, and speak something to us this morning. Every Sunday, I'm coming having the same prayer, Lord, because I know how important it is that we just gather not for the social aspect, but also, Lord, to worship you, to feel your presence, to learn, to be trained, to be equipped, to serve you, God. As we walk in this world, as as you know Jesus, this world is not a easy place to be, but by your power, by the strength of your Holy Spirit, give us the desire to love you and to follow you and help us as we gather right now to fill your presence in this place. Amen.

Amen.

Cape. Okay. Okay. Oh, I love this song. Amen.

Praise the Lord. It's good to be here, isn't it? And honestly, could hear the whole church singing and worship the Lord. It it really makes me happy to see that and to hear that. Amen.

Amen. Y'all can have a seat. Again, I I want to ask the ushers if they'll come forward. This is the worship through giving time of the service and would y'all pray with me? Lord, I'm thankful to be here this morning.

I'm thankful that we can gather in your name. We have gathered in your name. We're singing your praises lord and we're looking to you for direction from your word and from your people. Lord, I pray that we would be in one accord. Here we are gathered in this place and we wanna be walking in the same direction, lord.

I think of the old prophet Amos. Can two walk together unless they be agreed? Lord, the implication there is if we are looking to you and we're walking towards you, we will be walking together. I pray that we're not walking apart this morning or falling apart this morning. In Jesus name, I pray that you would bring us along.

I thank you, Lord, for what it is that you are doing in our midst, and I thank you for what you will do as an extension of this, Lord, as we leave the doors this afternoon and step into the mission field that you have prepared ahead of time for us. In Jesus name, may we always be lifting up a word of testimony. Lord, what it is that you have done for us. Yes. Not just way back when, but in the right now.

May we be cognizant of it and thankful for it. In Jesus name, we ask your blessing on this offering, Lord, that you would use everything that goes into these plates, whether they're financial resources or metaphorically everything else that we have to offer back to you, Lord. There's nothing that we have given as a gift from you. Lord, we pray that you'd take back what we give and that you'd multiply to do your kingdom's work. Lord, we long to do your will and we wanna do it in your way.

Would you show us the way forward together? Amen.

Praise the Lord. Amen.

Amen. Amen. And it is time for children's church downstairs. They are waiting to receive you and so, there they go. Here we go.

How are y'all this morning? Everybody alright? Good. Good. We are up to this.

Acts twenty three twelve, and yes, that says 24, 27. And I told you last week to listen fast and you all did. And I think of this When I think of this portion of acts, I think it's a narrative. How you're gonna draw a lot of application out of narrative? How does the spirit bring a lot of conviction out of narrative?

And I don't understand exactly how that works, but I understand that it works. And last week, wasn't probably I was moved last week and and had not expected it. And forgive me, Lord, for not expecting to be moved when we just look into your word. Speak, oh Lord, like we just sang, and fulfill in us the truths that are contained there. So I I am I'm asking you all to pray with me this morning that God would give you something that you can take home, that you can take into your walk this week in this chapter and a half that we're going through.

So Lord, that's what we ask that you would apply this text to our lives in a way that may even be surprising to us. In Jesus name, amen. I typically start wherever we left off last week, you all know that. This is where we left off last week. The very last verse we considered as Paul was apprehended in the temple grounds and was taken up to the Antonia Fortress.

At night, Jesus stood next to him and said, Paul, be courageous for just as you have testified to the truth about me here in Jerusalem, you must also testify in Rome. So he has the assurance from the risen savior that he's gonna make it to Rome, and that's good. That's really good considering all he's about to go through in the next couple of chapters. He's got the assurance from Jesus that he will make to Rome and he had it's it's almost a pat on the back, not a wagging finger that you rushed into it, Paul, doggone it. No.

He says, you did carry the word forward and you're gonna keep on carrying that word forward. I told you that you'd be my apostle to the Gentiles and here you have done it in Jerusalem, you wanna give every chance that you could, but they closed the door on you and here we go to Rome. So the next verse right here, and before I start here, I usually start just wherever I left off. Next week is a topical sermon. And I think that that's the case because it was either gonna be next week or this week and this ain't it.

So I prepared two sermons all week long. One of them is topical from the book of acts. It's a little bit of a review, but it's reviewed through a certain lens and I think it's helpful. And so we're working I'm working towards a topical sermon which I almost never do. Pray for me.

Okay. Here we go. When it was day. So this is after that night that Jesus appears to Paul and says, you're gonna make it to Rome. When it was day, the Jews formed a conspiracy and put themselves under an oath.

Now, which Jews are these? We'll keep going and see what Luke says. So they put themselves under an oath saying that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul. Oh my goodness. That's I have one time said I'm not gonna shave until I win a basketball game.

It's very seldom that I said I ain't gonna eat again until I did get something done. We went on an 18 game losing streak. I looked like Shaggy from Scooby Doo before it was over. There were more than 40 who formed this plot. So there is a a group of the Jewish guys, probably the ones who were making accusations against him.

He's up protected in the Antonia Fortress, and they make a plot not to eat or drink again until they had killed Paul. Do you remember in John 16? I wasn't saying it directly to Paul because Paul was one of those untimely apostles, but he said it to the rest of the disciples. He said, there come there will come a time when the people who kill you will think that they're doing God a favor. There were more than 40 who formed this plot and they thought they were doing God a favor.

In fact, if Paul had desecrated the temple, killing him would have been the way that the desecration is removed. So they were religiously zealot people and they came to the chief priests and the elders, that's the Sadducees party. Now, the Sadducees were the I call them left wingers. The left wingers were the ones that were complicit with the realm of government and the Pharisees were more of the people by the book paying attention to the law and the prophets. And the Sadducees were a little bit less so.

Didn't believe in resurrection. They were the ones at the end of Paul's presentation that got so upset. Now, they are the chief priests and the scribes and the elders, the Sadduceesian party, lefters versus writers. They came to the chief priests and elders and said, we've put ourselves under an oath to taste nothing until we have killed Paul. It's only right that we've get rid of this guy.

Now therefore, y'all of the council notify the commander to bring him down to you as though you were going to investigate his case more thoroughly. We've already made up our mind on it. You're not gonna have to investigate any further. If you get him down here, we'll take care of the rest. We'll kill him.

And as for us, we're ready to kill him before he comes near the place. His blood won't be on your hands. Actually, it would be because they're the ones lying to get him to come down. But, thank you, Lord. The son of Paul's sister, so that's Paul's nephew.

You ever heard of him before? Actually, after the sermon last week, several people said, I think those two chapters were put in the Bible just recently because I had never heard that story before. So you're so tired of acts by the time you get there, you're just trying to flip pages and get through it. But the son of Paul's sister heard about the ambush. Paul's nephew was there and he came and he entered the barracks and he told Paul there was access for his friends when he was in the Antonio Fortress and Paul called one of the centurions to himself.

Now, centurions are Roman soldier in charge of about 60 to a 100 men. So Paul calls one of the centurions to himself and says, take this young man. He doesn't say, my nephew. Take this young man to the commander. He has something to report to him, so he took him and he led him to the commander.

Paul's a Roman citizen. His Roman citizenship actually is valuable to these Roman centurions. They give him a higher status than they probably would have just anybody else. Right? So he took him and he led him to the commander.

He said, Paul the prisoner, Oh, just stop right there for a second. How many letters does Paul start off? A prisoner of Christ Jesus. Paul a prisoner. This is a thing of shame most of the time, but not for Paul.

And this is not said of him the way that he says it of himself, but I just had to had to dwell on it for a minute. Paul the prisoner, not Paul the great capital a apostle. Paul the guy who's been who knows how many miles spreading the gospel. Paul the prisoner called me over to to him and he asked me to bring this young man to you because he has something to tell you. I don't know what it is.

The commander took him by the hand. That's even sweet right there. There are all kinds of commentaries written. I've got like 11 commentaries on acts and they are all arguing about how old this nephew was. Some of them say he was a child because he was taken by the hand.

Most people say he's probably in his twenties. Took him by the hand and he stepped to the side and began to inquire of him privately. What is it that you have to report to me? He's taken this seriously and Paul's nephew says, the Jews have agreed to ask you to bring down Paul tomorrow to the council. So that says that the chief priests and elders of Sadduceeum party has already agreed to this deal.

They're going to send for, and the guy might have actually already heard this request. The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down tomorrow to the council as though they were going to inquire somewhat more thoroughly about him. So don't listen to them. More than 40 of them are hiding to ambush him, and these men have put themselves under an oath not to eat or to drink until they kill him. And now they're ready and they're waiting for assurance from you.

Oh, yeah. I'll send them down. They're making the plot. Then the commander let the young man go, instructing him, don't tell anybody else this. Because if anybody else knows about this, you just can't tell how things are going to go.

He pulled him aside privately. This is the commander of the Antonio Fortress. He's got lots of people under him, knows how authority works. Tell no one that you've notified me of these things. And he called to him two of the centurions, the guys that are over 60 to a 100 men each and this is fun to me.

Two of the centurions, he said, now get 200 soldiers ready. Hey, they're just the guys to talk to. Get 200 soldiers ready by the third hour of the night, so that's 09:30, twenty one thirty. Yeah. In the evening.

It's so specific. Luke is a good historian. Get the soldiers ready by the third hour of the night. Get them ready to proceed to Caesarea Maritime. I've already told you it's a military fortress.

Herod's Praetorium is there, nice big palace with a prison. By the third hour of the night, be ready to go to Caesarea with 70 horsemen and 200 spearmen, like that's something. They were also to provide mounts to put Paul on, all of that walking he's done and now he's riding in style. Mounts, probably his friends or at least fresh horses for the journey. Somebody that's not carrying him, he gets to swap off.

They provide mounts to put Paul on and to bring him safely to Felix the governor. It's the first time that we've seen Felix. Felix is not a cat. Felix is the governor. He's not a great guy, honestly.

To to hear the lawyers speak, he they they build him up, but that's what they do. Your honor, your honor, your honor. You hear that all the time. But honestly, he's not an honorable guy. He's he's had several issues.

He was known to lead by lust and greed. That's what Josephus says about him. Tacitus has some stuff to say about him too. None of it's terribly positive. So he's Felix, the governor and he wrote a letter.

The commander wrote a letter with the following content. Claudius Lysias, Claudius Lysias is the commander. To the most excellent governor Felix, greetings. Typical standard salutation for the time. When this man, Paul was seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them, I came to them and with the troops and I rescued him.

You're welcome. Now, what really happened? He chained him up, was ordering to have an enhanced interrogation until he found out he's a Roman citizen. He skips that part. I rescued him.

He did in fact rescue him. After learning that he was a Roman, oh yeah, he did kind of say that in there. And wanting to ascertain the basis for the charges because I'm a good commander, that they were bringing against him. I brought him down to their council and he did do that. He protected him from the mob violence, waited for that to calm down, called the council together and brought him down before them and then it got started again and they had to he had to be rescued and carried away again.

I found that he was being accused regarding questions in what? Their law, not our law. It's not Roman law. It's theological, not civil. I found that he was being accused because they were upset about something in their law, but he was not charged with anything deserving death or imprisonment.

I could see that. Now, I know that we have given them the right to handle some stuff on their own, especially temple stuff because we don't understand that stuff. I know that, but I was called in. I don't see anything deserving of death of improvement when I was informed that there would be a plot against this man. We know that it was Paul's nephew.

I sent him to you at once, also instructing his accusers to bring charges against him before you. It's an appellate court. That's that's great. Do you see Lex, Rex, Rex, Lex? I don't know what that is.

Is the law king or is the king the law? They're really serious about the law being king. They're really serious about this guy getting his due process. So the soldiers in accordance with their orders took Paul and they brought him by night to Antipatris. Oh, come on Ray, where's the map?

It's only like 30 miles from Jerusalem to Caesarea Maritime. It's not that far, and Antipatris is out of the danger zone. Okay? They get down the hill, they're out of the way of all the great places for ambush and it says, on the next day, they let the horsemen go on with him, but they returned back to the barracks because the hardest part of the journey was over. They still had plenty of spearmen, plenty of horsemen to go and when these horsemen had come to Caesarea and they delivered the letter from Claudius Lycius to Felix, they also presented Paul to Felix.

Now, when he had read it, he also asked from what province Paul was and when he learned that he was from Cilicia, does this sound like anything else to y'all? You remember the gospels when Jesus is apprehended around the temple, and then he's taken to Herod? He's like, where are you from again? Oh, he's taken to Pilate. He goes, I don't wanna do this.

This is aggravating. I shouldn't have to. He's under Herod. Go to Herod. And now Herod and Pilate become buddies that day, it says.

This He's trying to pass the buck. He's trying to figure out where it is so he doesn't have to make this decision. It's political. A lot of things are. He learned that he was from Cilicia and he said, I will give you a hearing when your accusers arrive.

Claudius Lysias says that he has made them aware of this and they'll come soon enough. I'll give you a hearing when your accusers arrive because the right to face your accusers, that's part of the legs racks. Right? That's part that the law is king. Giving orders for Paul to be kept in Herod's Praetorium, which is a seaside palace that is just wonderful.

And it sounds like he's been treated like a Roman citizen, not like a drag of society. So after five days, the high priest Ananias came down. Last week, we saw Ananias command for him to be smacked in the mouth. Right? Ananias was so frustrated with Paul, can't stand him.

After five days, the high priest himself, Ananias came down with some elders and an attorney named Tertullus. Tertullus is probably Hellenistic Jewish guy that understands Roman law pretty well and they brought charges against Paul to the governor. And after Paul had been summoned, Tertullis began accusing his opening statements saying to the governor, since we have attained great peace through you, oh excellent one. Right? Can you he's he's pretty flowery with his speech, which is still fairly common in courtrooms.

Since we have attained great peace through you, oh excellent Felix, and since your reforms are being carried out for this nation by your foresight, because you are so smart and brilliant and there's no one like you. We acknowledge this that in every way and everywhere, most excellent Felix with all thankfulness. We're so grateful just to be in your presence. But that I may not weary you further by all of this flattery. I beg you to grant us a brief hearing by your kindness.

Can you hear that? It's so smarmy. Smarmy. I'm just aggravating. For we have found this man of public menace and one who stirs up dissensions among all the Jews throughout the world.

How far does the Roman Empire go? They consider it throughout the whole world. And he's saying, this is not a regional little thing just on the temple grounds that caused just last week. It's not that. This is a big deal.

This guy's all over the place. He's sowing dissension everywhere. Among all the Jews throughout the world, where does he always start? He always starts in the synagogue. And he's a ringleader, a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.

And just to say the Nazarenes, to say that it's a sect, is to make it, it's a he's a heretic. They're already pointing out that there's all kinds of stuff wrong with this. We're not a problem. He's the problem. Right?

He's a ringleader. He's a public menace. Everything that they say stirs up dissensions. And what do we know about the Roman government more than anything else? The Pax Romana, the Roman peace is a peace that is held by the tip of the spear.

And so there's not gonna be a riot here today, people. Not on my watch. That's the way all of the people. And that's why we see all the people. Pilate, Claudius, a lot of them.

He's a ringleader. You can't trust him. And he even tried to desecrate the temple. So indeed, we arrest him. We did our fair share.

We did what we were supposed to do. And then it says from verse six to verse eight, I know some of y'all have a fine eye and you're gonna say, what happened to verse seven? Verse seven, if you want it, from the King James. King James, New King James, the King James three, several others that use the Textus Receptus as their basis, we'll have this. But the chief captain Lysias came upon us and with great violence took him away out of our hands.

Now, how did the story go? The story went, the Jews were about to tear him to pieces, and the Romans came in and saved him. Now, they did chain him up for a moment till they figured out he was a Roman citizen, but they weren't about to kill him. He was under the threat of death until the Romans came in and saved him. So this maybe it belongs, maybe it doesn't belong.

That's what it says, just so you know. It's a long tradition, but if you have a new American standard or most other modern versions, it'll say the best manuscripts or the most oldest or most ancient manuscripts. I'm not gonna arm wrestle you over this. Okay? But the chief priest chief captain Lysias, this is what verse seven says.

Get back to verse eight. So six goes, and he even tried to desecrate the temple. So indeed, we arrested him by interrogating him yourself concerning all of these matters, you will be able to ascertain the things which we are accusing him of. I am sure that the evidence will show that I am right. Opening statements.

The Jews that were there also joined in the attack asserting that these things were so. So it was Tertullus and the entourage including Ananias, the high priest, and they're saying, hear, hear, yes, in agreement. And when the governor had nodded for him to speak, so he gives the nod, opening for the prosecution. Now, time for the defense. Paul responds, knowing that for many years you've been a judge to this nation, I cheerfully make my defense.

I'm glad you've given me the opportunity to speak up. I have a right to face my accusers. Since you can take note of the fact that no more than twelve days ago, I went up to Jerusalem. Is twelve days enough to plan an insurrection? I think Paul's implying that it's not.

Twelve days ago, I just went up to Jerusalem for worship. He's already been there five days. He was in the Antonia Fortress for a couple of days before that. So it was only a very short time that he was there. It's just less than two weeks ago, I went up to Jerusalem for what?

To worship as was his custom. They've done this at these feasts for his whole life. He was brought up at the feet of Gamaliel in Jerusalem, and this is what he does. This is his form of worship, and that's what he's saying, and neither in the temple did they find me carrying on a discussion with anyone or causing a riot, not even in the synagogues. In this particular case, when he got to Jerusalem, what he did was go to the believers, the followers of the way.

He went to James and the elders of the church, the Christian church, and he did not go into the synagogues, and he did not go. He went by their order to the temple with a purpose and it was to purify himself and pay for four other guys to be purified, and he did that. Neither in the temple did they find me carrying on a discussion with anyone or causing a riot. I was there for worship and I knew I needed to be purified nor in the synagogue nor in the city itself nor can they prove it. There's no evidence.

They can't prove this to you the things which they now accuse me. But I confess this to you. I will say this. I'll I'll own this, Paul says. That in accordance with the way, Jesus.

Jesus is the way, the truth, the life. The followers of Jesus at this time were called followers of the way. But I will confess this to you, that in accordance with the way, which they call a sect, you I heard them. I heard what they said. It's ugly.

But I do serve the God of our fathers and he brings them back in again. He recognizes their shared history. He recognizes the shared lineage. He recognizes not just calling it our fathers, which opens the door back up for them to accept it. He says, in my heart everything that is in accordance with the law.

Jesus fulfilled the law. I believe everything that's there and everything that was written in the prophets, and I had a way of understanding those things that has changed and now I see things differently. I believe everything that's in accordance with the law and everything that's written in the prophets, having a hope in God, which these men also cherish themselves. I understand that what they're doing, they're doing for religious motives, they just happen to be sincerely wrong. Having a hope in God which these men cherish themselves, that there shall certainly be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.

Now, who's there? Ananias, the high priest, who is a sadducee, who does not believe in resurrection. So this is a little bit of a theological bomb. There are most certainly some pharisees also present too and that starts to row, I'm sure, the den. You can hear it.

They put their trust and they put their hope in God. They cherish it themselves. They there certainly shall be a judgment, a resurrection for the righteous and the wicked. In view of this, I also do my best because there is a good and righteous God. And you know the Romans have a pantheon of gods.

They've got lots and lots and lots of them. Glorified human aspects, they're not holy the way that God is holy. In view of the fact that there is a God in whom I place my hope, I do my best to maintain a blameless conscience both before God and before other people, always. It's a part of my reasonable service. I trust in God and I try to emulate him.

Now, after several years, I came to bring charitable gifts to my nation. This was what Paul had done since he left Corinth. He went instead of coming across where there's a plot to kill him on his way to Syria by sea, he decided that he would walk and he would go back. Sorry. No map.

He would go from there all the way up around and back down. Around the Mediterranean, he walks and everywhere he goes through Macedonia, through Cilicia, through Phreesia, through all those places he walks, he's taken up a collection for the people who are suffering in Jerusalem. And he mentions this to Felix. After several years, I had not been back to Jerusalem in a long time, but I came to bring charitable gifts to my nation, these very folks that are accusing me. And to present offerings, which is what he was doing at the temple when he was arrested, in which they found me occupied in the temple having been purified according to their law without any crowd and no uproar.

But there were some Jews from Asia, there were some. Remember last week's study, Trophimus was with Paul, but he wasn't with Paul in the temple. But there were some Jews from Asia that recognized Trophimus in town and figured that Paul took him in, but that's not what happened. There were some Jews from Asia who ought to be present, have a right to face my accusers, and they're not here. I've heard the generalities that the prosecution presents, but the people who actually said that they saw me aren't here, and they're not here because they didn't see me because I didn't do it.

Who ought to have been present before you into heaven. They ought to have been bringing the charges if they should really have anything against me, or else have these men themselves declare what violation they discovered when I stood before the council. There was no declaration from the council. Other than in this, I will say, I admit to this. So he's already confessed to being a follower of the way, and now he's confessing to raising his voice.

There's one declaration I do have to admit, Paul says, other than in regard to this one declaration, which I shouted while I was standing amongst them, Sadducees and the Pharisees, and I said, for the resurrection of the dead, I'm on trial before you today. He's proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus. He's proclaiming the resurrection of the quick and the dead. He's proclaiming the resurrection of the the righteous and the wicked as he's just stated earlier. For the resurrection of the dead, I'm on trial before you today.

Now, some days later, it stops right there. Does that did I skip a slide? I did skip a slide. Great. Wait a second.

What's 22 and 23 say? Oh gracious. Does anybody have a Bible? An actual Bible. Hey, thank you very much.

That happens sometimes. I hope it's nothing that I don't remember. I'm kidding. '24. Then he goes, say, where are we?

2419, '21, '22. But Felix having a more exact knowledge about the way. Wait a second. We haven't heard that about Felix. Felix has been confronted with Christianity before.

Oh, now we'll see in the next verse we just saw that Drusilla was Jewish, so that makes sense. But Felix Felix being 30 miles from Jerusalem and being around there, Paul's been spreading the gospel all over the place. So it says, Felix, thank you Chris by the way, having a more exact knowledge about the way, put them off. He procrastinated. When Paul starts spouting off about the resurrection, it brings conviction to Felix.

Oh, this is that thing I don't wanna think about. This is that thing that I don't wanna think about. I wanna put this off as long as I can. And he's the governor or he's the judge right now, having a more exact knowledge about the way, oh yeah. When Lysias the commander comes down, I'll decide your case.

We're gonna put this off for a while. Then he gave orders to the centurion for him to be kept in custody and yet also have some freedom and not to prevent any of his friends from ministering. That's a cushy that's a cushy time in jail right there. He's staying in a palace. His friends have access to him, can bring him food and come hang out, and they can praise God together, it sounds like.

He's been treated like a Roman citizen should until he has more information, and so far they haven't presented anything that's sticking to him. He puts it off, we're going to stay this until Claudius Lucius comes down. Here we go. Now some days later, thank you, Chris. Some days later, Felix arrived with Drusilla, his wife.

This is the second wife named Drusilla this guy's had. Yeah. He's had several wives. This is the second one named Drusilla. Oh my goodness.

Who is Jewish. So she has a background in this and he probably understands. She's also beautiful, that's what history records about her. She's absolutely gorgeous to the point that her sisters and all of her family all know it and it's a it's a big deal. He is drawn to her by her beauty, drawn away from his wife by her beauty.

Lust and greed is how he ruled. And he sent for Paul. Some days later, when his wife was there, he sent for Paul and he heard him speak about faith in Christ Jesus. Okay. It's coming down to this.

Paul is now speaking about putting your trust in Jesus, not just his resurrection, which is historical fact. He's speaking to him about putting his faith in the way, Christ Jesus. But as he was discussing righteousness, there's no one righteous, no not one. We all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Paul probably wrote Romans about two or three months before this.

Like, all the stuff that you have in your head from Romans is fresh in his mind too, and he's discussing righteousness. There's no one righteous. There's no one who seeks after God. But God is so good. And when Abraham believed God, he counted it as righteousness.

So he's talking to him about righteousness. And he's also talking to him about self control. Oh my goodness. To Felix, the guy who rules by lust and greed. He's discussing righteousness.

It is possible to be made righteous before God by Christ Jesus, faith in Jesus. You can be made righteous And of self control, that reminds me of Saint Augustine quote from the confessions. Lord make me pure chaste and holy, but not yet. Right? The self control part, he doesn't wanna leave that behind.

I'm I'm assuming some stuff here obviously. He would As he was discussing, as Paul was discussing righteousness and self control, and not just that, but also the judgment to come because there will be a resurrection of the righteous and the wicked, the quick and the dead. Everyone has to answer. There is appointed a judgment for everyone and you will have to stand before God and say, what you did with Jesus, that's the whole point. And Felix, what do you think he did?

Felix accepted Christ. No. What's being discussed? Righteousness, self control, judgment come in court. When Jesus told him, you're gonna be my witness.

You're gonna stand before or he said to the apostles, governors and kings, and you're gonna be not even having to prepare your speech ahead of time. I'm gonna give you the words to say. And as he's given him those words to say, what does Felix do? Felix became frightened. Frightened probably of the judgment to come.

I mean, if an honest estimation of his life, he should be frightened of the judgment to come. And he responded, go away for now. When I have an opportunity, I will summon you. Basically, he said, don't call me, I'll call you. Take me off your list.

I'll think about this when I have to think about this and not before, and that's dangerous. That's dangerous. Being here today under the proclamation of God's word puts you in a position where you're responsible before God. I mean, nature itself and especially nature here, feels like to me, makes us responsible. We are without excuse, it says.

But to say go away for now, when I have an opportunity, I'll summon you. Billy Graham used to say, you may never be any closer than you are right now. The Holy Spirit, if the Holy Spirit is prompting you right now, don't be frightened by it. Be be grateful for it. Allow him to bring you in.

Now, at the same time, was also hoping that the money would be given to him by Paul. So his lust continues in the midst of this. So no, Freddie didn't accept Jesus at this point at least. At the same time, he's also hoping that Paul would give him a bribe, so he sent for him quite often to talk to him. He might have been investigating more about the way, but Luke thinks that it was more for the bribe.

But after two years had passed, so now he's sitting in this cushy gig with all of his friends. It's been, you know, a time. He's got two years of stationary Paul. Time to write some letters. Time to get your thoughts together.

Time to send out your emissaries to the world. After two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Porteus Festus. And Felix, wanting to do the Jews a favor, probably received a bribe. That's intimated. He doesn't say it outright.

Wanting to do Jews a favor, he left Paul imprisoned. Because if Paul's out of prison, he's causing more trouble for the Jews in Jerusalem than he would be if he's in prison. So that's the end of the text that we have for today. I said, next week will be a topical sermon from the book of Acts. But I want you to sit with this, anytime that you are proclaiming to someone your own faith, I think that looking at what Paul had to say here is, I am guilty of this.

I believe God. I put my hope in him. He is the judge and since he is the judge even though he was talking to a real judge. Since he is the judge, I have to live my life in accordance with what I know of his revealed will. He shows me about his righteousness.

He gives me his spirit, so that I may walk in self control and victory in Christ and that I have nothing to fear in the judgment. If you were to kill me right here, I'm fine with that. Lord God Almighty, we have that kind of confidence. Lord God Almighty, would you move us in humility to be of one mind and according to one purpose. At the impulse of the spirit of God, may we move.

We live and breathe and have our being in him, May we have the words and you say you'll supply them, Lord. I pray that we would rest in our derived righteousness. Any righteousness that we have is a derived righteousness and it is derived by the walk of the Christ, the Messiah, Jesus. Thank you for his perfect record offered on our behalf for anyone who would have the audacity to believe it. In Jesus name, I pray that you would make us an all true followers of the way.

Amen. I'm gonna invite the band back up. And as I said last week, the altar is always open and you're welcome to come forward. If you wanna speak to me, you're welcome always. Would you stand with us?

It's hot in here. Y'all hot. Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you. Think about all the different ways that God provided for Paul in that passage. If his nephew hadn't been there, if his nephew had not been bold enough to go to the authorities, think about all the different ways that God is doing that.

Cast all of your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you. He will never let the righteous be shaken. In Jesus name, Lord, we pray that we would have the boldness to come before the throne and the boldness to go before governors and kings as you lead and as we attempt also to lead and be followers of the way. In Jesus name, amen. Amen.

Amen.

Thank you. Thank you.