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Acts 24:1-9 When the Truth Is Twisted by the Majority

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Acts 24:1-9 When the Truth Is Twisted by the Majority When the Truth is Twisted by the Majority against Paul JANUARY 28, 2021 Pastor David Andersen / PO BoxBible 2020, Chesterfield, Study VA Title23832 / [email protected] Acts 24:1-9 Now after five days Ananias the high How was Governor Felix different from all the other priest came down with the elders and a certain governors that had ever ruled in the Roman Empire? Why orator named Tertullus. These gave evidence to does the top official of Israel show up at Paul’s trial? Do they accuse Paul of starting riots throughout the empire? Is he even the governor against Paul. 2) And when he was accused of profaning the temple, requiring capital punishment? called upon, Tertullus began his accusation, Are all of Paul’s accusers guilty of perjury? saying: “Seeing that through you we enjoy great peace, and prosperity is being brought to this FOCUS ON FUTURE BIBLE STUDIES: nation by your foresight, 3) we accept it always ➤ FEBRUARY 4: ACTS 24:10-21 PAUL PROVES HIS ACCUSERS ARE LYING in all places, most noble Felix, with all thankfulness. 4) Nevertheless, not to be tedious ➤ FEBRUARY 11: ACTS 24:22-27 PAUL WITNESSES TO to you any further, I beg you to hear by your HIS CORRUPT GOVERNOR courtesy, a few words from us. 5) For we found Both Felix and his brother Pallas were born as slaves in this man a plague, a creator of dissension the home of Claudius who later rose in power to become among all the Jews throughout the world, and a the emperor over the Roman Empire. Claudius’ mother had freed both of them, and by their friendship with ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. 6) He Claudius both Pallas and Felix rose with him. Pallas even tried to profane the temple, and we seized persuaded Claudius to place Felix as the governor over him, and wanted to judge him according to our Israel where he ruled from AD 52 to 59. He was recalled law. 7) But the commander Lysias came by and to Rome by Nero for brutality against the Jews and only with great violence took him out of our hands, 8) by the earnest pleadings of Pallas was his life spared. commanding his accusers to come to you. By examining him yourself you may ascertain all “TRADING ON THE INFLUENCE OF HIS INFAMOUS BROTHER, these things of which we accuse him.” 9) And HE INDULGED IN EVERY LICENSE AND EXCESS, THINKING the Jews also assented, maintaining that these ‘THAT HE COULD DO ANY EVIL WITH IMPUNITY.’” THE ROMAN HISTORIAN, TACITUS, REGARDING FELIX things were so. (NKJV) I. DECEITFUL PRAISE ACTS 24:1-4 “THEREFORE WE SEE HOW SHAMEFULLY THIS ORATOR DID Quickly the High Priest assembled a legal team to attack LIE. AND SEEING ALL PAUL’S ADVERSARIES SING THE SAME Paul. They even hired a high powered attorney, likely a SONG, WE SEE THAT THEY BE BLINDED WITH HATRED AND Roman, named Tertullus, to represent them as the MALICE, AND THAT THEY TREACHEROUSLY BETRAY THE prosecuting attorney in their trial. In an unusual power STATE OF THEIR COUNTRY.” ploy to impress the governor with the importance of JOHN CALVIN having their way in this trial, the highest official of Israel, the High Priest, personally left Jerusalem to travel down to Caesarea with several members of the governing body, the Sanhedrin, and probably some of the temple guard PRAYER AND BIBLE STUDY THURSDAY @ 6:30AM –PRAYER MEETING – THE WYTESTONE PLAZA BUILDING, 801 E. MAIN STREET THURSDAY @ 7:00AM –BIBLE STUDY – THE WYTESTONE PLAZA BUILDING, 801 E. MAIN STREET V i r g i n i a When the Truth is Twisted by the Majority against Paul for their protection. After Paul is summoned the trial concept, Paul was presenting to the Jews their Messiah in begins by Tertullus gushing with false flattery for the His death and resurrection everywhere he went. When presiding judge: “Seeing that through you we enjoy great peace, they rejected their Scriptures and their Messiah and the and prosperity is being brought to this nation by your foresight, forgiveness of their sins, they also rejected the one who we accept it always and in all places, most noble Felix, with all brought the good news, just as they had their prophets thankfulness.” Yet this praise of peace was calculated. throughout their own Scriptures. To blame the prophet for those who rejected the truth and beat him up for causing the lynching is to blame the victim of a crime for “THE INTENTION OF TERTULLUS WAS TO CONTRAST THE the crime committed against them. Paul had just been the ENJOYED PEACE UNDER THE ADMINISTRATION OF FELIX victim of the lynch mob in the Temple due to the lie that WITH THE MOVER OF SEDITION, PAUL. THE WORDS OF he “profaned the temple” and here he is being blamed for it. TERTULLUS WERE BLATANT LIES. FELIX WAS NOT A PRINCE In the charge that he was the leader of a “sect,” the goal OF PEACE, BUT THE OPPOSITE. HIS REIGN WAS FILLED was to associate Christianity with anti-Rome insurrection. WITH CRUELTY AND TREACHERY, BUT THE ORATOR WAS NOT NECESSARILY INTERESTED IN THE TRUTH, BUT IN SECURING THE CONVICTION OF PAUL.” JAMES FLOYD “’DISSENSION’ IS A RATHER WEAK RENDERING HERE … TERTULLUS WAS PUTTING IN A PROMINENT PLACE A CHARGE THAT HE HOPED WOULD IMPRESS THE II. DECEITFUL PERJURY ACTS 24:5-8 GOVERNOR AS WEIGHTY. THE TERM WAS INTENDED TO Tertullus begins to level his legal accusations against Paul HAVE POLITICAL OVERTONES, AS IN LUKE 23:19, WHERE IT and he uses a verb implying this was a formal decision of DENOTES A RIOT THAT IN REALITY WAS AN INSURRECTION.” the Sanhedrin, “we have found this man a plague.” The EVERETT HARRISON overtones of “plague” is easily understood in our current Covid crisis. Here Paul, who is giving his life to others to bring them the good news of the only means of eternal III. DECEITFUL DOMINATING PERJURY ACTS 24:9 life, forgiveness of sins and peace with God through the Though they provided no proof, presented no evidence, sacrifice of Jesus Christ for sin upon the cross, is being and produced no witnesses, yet they expected Felix to called the opposite, a means of death! More astounding is rule in their favor. With a show of force through united that Tertullus was representing the Jews, who knew from deceit and intimidation by majority over both Governor their own Scriptures the sacrifice of their Messiah upon Felix and Paul, they all perjured themselves, when they the cross was predicted by their own prophets years prior “assented, maintaining that these things were so.” in Psalm 2, 22 and Isaiah 53 and many other places. Tertullus knew that the governor could not ignore his next accusation because the Pax Romana was not to be “TERTULLUS DID NOT KNOW HOW TO TELL THE TRUTH, disturbed. He charged Paul as “a creator of dissension among EVEN PART OF TRUTH, SO HE SAID EVERYTHING BUT THE all the Jews throughout the whole world.” Tertullus is TRUTH AND BORE FALSE WITNESS AGAINST THE APOSTLE insinuating that Paul starts riots of insurrection against PAUL. FINALLY ALL THE JEWS AGREED WITH THE CHARGES Rome among the Jews all over the world. Nothing could TERTULLUS BROUGHT.” R. C. SPROUL be farther from the truth as Paul’s own writing makes clear in Romans 13:1-7. Additionally, in the least possible Questions to Ponder: 1) Do you tell the truth or do you twist it for your own purposes? 2) Is the pressure of the majority sufficient to make you agree with deceit, or do you stand up for the truth? 3) Are you willing to sow the seeds of the Scriptures wherever you go and seek to be a witness, like Paul, for Christ? .
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