WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.540 Acts chapter 24. 00:00:04.719 --> 00:00:08.120 Andrew Cray is beginning a new series on Ephesians 2 tonight. 00:00:08.519 --> 00:00:12.800 ! It's one of the mountain peaks of Scripture, isn't it? 00:00:12.800 --> 00:00:13.599 It's a great chapter. 00:00:13.599 --> 00:00:16.719 And so, do come this evening. 00:00:16.719 --> 00:00:19.019 We meet at 6 o'clock and Andrew will begin this series, 00:00:19.120 --> 00:00:21.600 which he's going to take through other kind of summer weeks. 00:00:21.679 --> 00:00:23.920 I'm preaching in Cambridge this evening. 00:00:25.600 --> 00:00:29.480 I think it's fair to say that one of the hardest things in the world 00:00:29.480 --> 00:00:31.640 is to live with injustice. 00:00:34.340 --> 00:00:35.539 That things aren't fair. 00:00:35.640 --> 00:00:38.439 All of us have to face it at times, don't they? 00:00:39.780 --> 00:00:43.240 People behave in ways that we regard as unjust 00:00:43.240 --> 00:00:45.100 and yet they seem to get away with it 00:00:45.100 --> 00:00:47.380 or the consequences are too light. 00:00:47.560 --> 00:00:48.240 It's just not fair. 00:00:50.000 --> 00:00:52.719 You think of a Christian pastor, 00:00:53.340 --> 00:00:56.540 a Christian pastor in jail suffering from ill health. 00:00:56.659 --> 00:00:58.159 He's being treated unjustly. 00:00:58.219 --> 00:00:59.240 That's happening all over the world. 00:00:59.479 --> 00:01:03.500 I think of the teenager with life before him 00:01:03.500 --> 00:01:06.479 in a glorious future who's killed in a roads traffic accident. 00:01:07.079 --> 00:01:07.700 It's not fair. 00:01:09.319 --> 00:01:12.579 A friend of mine wanted to pay £150 into the bank account of his daughter 00:01:12.579 --> 00:01:15.539 and he accidentally put in the wrong account number. 00:01:16.920 --> 00:01:18.000 It went to someone else. 00:01:18.979 --> 00:01:19.939 He couldn't get his money back. 00:01:21.120 --> 00:01:22.159 Somebody else had spent it. 00:01:22.219 --> 00:01:23.039 It seemed just so unfair. 00:01:23.040 --> 00:01:28.200 There are thousands of Christians this morning in North Korea 00:01:28.200 --> 00:01:29.460 who are living in labour camps. 00:01:30.640 --> 00:01:33.420 They've done nothing wrong but they're there because they trust in Jesus 00:01:33.420 --> 00:01:34.500 as their king and saviour. 00:01:34.560 --> 00:01:35.140 It's not fair. 00:01:35.480 --> 00:01:36.140 It's not fair. 00:01:36.140 --> 00:01:43.140 And if you felt hurt and despair and concern and anxiety 00:01:43.140 --> 00:01:45.359 about the way things have turned out in your life, 00:01:46.359 --> 00:01:49.819 if you're living with disappointed hopes, 00:01:51.159 --> 00:01:52.400 it feels unfair. 00:01:52.400 --> 00:01:56.560 And it is very, very common. 00:01:57.940 --> 00:02:00.080 And yet it's far from being a modern problem at all. 00:02:00.079 --> 00:02:02.819 It's right here. 00:02:02.939 --> 00:02:04.000 It's right in the New Testament. 00:02:04.120 --> 00:02:04.879 It's right in the book of Acts. 00:02:04.959 --> 00:02:05.700 It's in chapter 24. 00:02:07.000 --> 00:02:11.079 And we discover a man who's caught in the centre of a storm of injustice. 00:02:12.460 --> 00:02:17.199 And we are allowed to eavesdrop on his behaviour and his conversation. 00:02:18.659 --> 00:02:23.079 We've seen the gospel of Jesus Christ move throughout the known world. 00:02:23.599 --> 00:02:27.579 And in these closing chapters, we're seeing it in Rome and getting to Rome 00:02:27.579 --> 00:02:28.939 and getting to the ends of the earth. 00:02:28.939 --> 00:02:32.800 And Paul, in many ways, is giving us a great model for ministry. 00:02:34.840 --> 00:02:38.879 But here it's about a man caught in the storm of injustice. 00:02:40.300 --> 00:02:43.840 And I think we get to observe what's going on in his internal world a little bit. 00:02:45.400 --> 00:02:49.219 I want you to notice, firstly, the petrifying speed of change. 00:02:50.680 --> 00:02:53.560 The petrifying speed of change. 00:02:55.199 --> 00:02:58.439 And they say, don't they, a week is a long time in politics. 00:02:58.939 --> 00:03:02.020 You can often feel like a week's a long time in sport. 00:03:02.020 --> 00:03:08.219 In the space of a week, things can change radically, can't they? 00:03:10.040 --> 00:03:10.879 Do you remember Brexit? 00:03:12.780 --> 00:03:15.300 You went to bed in the European Union. 00:03:15.939 --> 00:03:18.200 You woke up to carnage. 00:03:19.300 --> 00:03:19.620 Do you remember that? 00:03:19.620 --> 00:03:21.400 Do you remember lockdown week? 00:03:22.360 --> 00:03:25.460 You were free by the end of the week you were locked down. 00:03:27.200 --> 00:03:28.939 And it can come, can't it, as something of a shock. 00:03:29.500 --> 00:03:35.920 When you read Acts 23 and 24, you discover it's only 12 days or so since Paul went to Jerusalem to worship. 00:03:35.919 --> 00:03:39.879 The actual start and end time is 12 days. 00:03:39.959 --> 00:03:41.699 It's the course of academic discussion. 00:03:42.119 --> 00:03:45.699 Scholars differ, but it seems to me the time is pretty clearly 12 days. 00:03:46.019 --> 00:03:48.319 It's a petrifyingly short period. 00:03:50.879 --> 00:03:52.739 Petrifyingly changing circumstances. 00:03:52.740 --> 00:04:00.500 It's five days since the riot and arrest on public order, his asbo in Jerusalem. 00:04:01.500 --> 00:04:05.200 And we find him now in Caesarea, about 60 miles northwest of Jerusalem. 00:04:06.400 --> 00:04:08.200 It's been an interesting fortnight. 00:04:08.320 --> 00:04:11.439 Caught up in a riot during which the mob almost beat him to death. 00:04:12.379 --> 00:04:15.340 He's saved by the intervention of the Roman security forces. 00:04:15.740 --> 00:04:17.980 He's brought to the Jewish parliament in Jerusalem. 00:04:17.980 --> 00:04:20.540 And a riot breaks out in the chamber. 00:04:21.180 --> 00:04:22.800 And Paul has got to be rescued again. 00:04:23.900 --> 00:04:26.300 It was decided to take him north to Caesarea. 00:04:26.720 --> 00:04:29.160 But a contract is taken out on his life. 00:04:30.540 --> 00:04:34.200 40 men, a mob, the mob, take a religious vow. 00:04:34.280 --> 00:04:36.360 They're not going to eat until they've assassinated him. 00:04:37.780 --> 00:04:39.580 It's a pretty interesting five days. 00:04:40.700 --> 00:04:44.040 And the plot was foiled because of an overheard conversation. 00:04:45.259 --> 00:04:47.780 And because the Romans provided security. 00:04:47.779 --> 00:04:49.279 They provided a security guard. 00:04:49.479 --> 00:04:51.139 Heavily armed security guard. 00:04:51.539 --> 00:04:53.639 470 soldiers and cavalry. 00:04:54.939 --> 00:04:56.059 It's extraordinary stuff. 00:04:56.119 --> 00:04:59.099 Just put your mind imaginatively into the situation. 00:05:01.079 --> 00:05:04.919 And so in chapter 24, he has his first hearing. 00:05:05.059 --> 00:05:07.559 A preliminary hearing with the authorities in Caesarea. 00:05:08.039 --> 00:05:10.419 It's been 12 days since he set foot in Jerusalem. 00:05:11.099 --> 00:05:14.099 And now he's located into the justice system. 00:05:14.459 --> 00:05:15.819 And he will get justice. 00:05:15.819 --> 00:05:18.000 Or will he? 00:05:20.240 --> 00:05:21.399 Well, justice prevails. 00:05:21.519 --> 00:05:23.019 He stands before the governor, Felix. 00:05:23.959 --> 00:05:25.159 The Roman proconsul. 00:05:25.240 --> 00:05:26.159 And the process begins. 00:05:26.160 --> 00:05:30.620 Now these are the days of the Roman Empire. 00:05:32.120 --> 00:05:33.860 Judea is a little country. 00:05:33.939 --> 00:05:34.820 About the size of Wales. 00:05:35.160 --> 00:05:36.040 And it's ruled. 00:05:36.220 --> 00:05:37.980 It's part of the Roman Empire. 00:05:38.140 --> 00:05:38.800 Ruled by Rome. 00:05:39.660 --> 00:05:43.540 Ruled from a thousand miles to the east. 00:05:44.080 --> 00:05:44.740 The centre of power. 00:05:44.740 --> 00:05:48.180 A lot of the citizens know. 00:05:49.120 --> 00:05:52.439 They don't like their membership of the Roman Empire. 00:05:53.120 --> 00:05:54.439 They feel oppressed. 00:05:55.079 --> 00:05:56.360 They feel trodden down. 00:05:57.819 --> 00:05:59.680 They don't like being part of the Roman Empire. 00:05:59.800 --> 00:06:02.840 Sometimes that agitation breaks out in periods of violence. 00:06:02.839 --> 00:06:06.599 Sometimes people lost their lives. 00:06:07.219 --> 00:06:08.679 Because they fought against the Roman Empire. 00:06:09.079 --> 00:06:11.859 But there were others who loved being part of the Roman Empire. 00:06:13.319 --> 00:06:15.719 One of the most famous is a man called Herod the Great. 00:06:16.279 --> 00:06:17.099 King Herod the Great. 00:06:17.179 --> 00:06:20.299 He came to power a generation before the birth of the Lord Jesus. 00:06:20.300 --> 00:06:28.000 And one of his great achievements was to transform the ruined trading community of Caesarea. 00:06:28.280 --> 00:06:33.040 And he transformed it into a prosperous city with an impressive trading harbour. 00:06:33.360 --> 00:06:36.319 He built Caesarea into a European style city. 00:06:39.600 --> 00:06:41.639 And to demonstrate his loyalty to Rome. 00:06:41.720 --> 00:06:44.120 And interestingly enough when Judea entered the empire. 00:06:44.300 --> 00:06:45.500 It was from Caesarea. 00:06:45.500 --> 00:06:47.460 The census that was organised. 00:06:47.459 --> 00:06:49.639 That determined how many Jews. 00:06:49.759 --> 00:06:51.060 How much Jews would pay tax. 00:06:51.939 --> 00:06:54.039 The census from Luke 2 at the start of Jesus' life. 00:06:55.159 --> 00:06:56.539 It started in Caesarea. 00:06:58.259 --> 00:07:01.139 It was as if Caesarea is a suburb of Rome. 00:07:03.039 --> 00:07:05.139 And Paul has been transported here. 00:07:06.399 --> 00:07:08.859 And he appears on the eastern coast of Israel. 00:07:09.199 --> 00:07:10.639 And it's this splendid city. 00:07:10.759 --> 00:07:11.799 This Roman city. 00:07:13.299 --> 00:07:16.859 It's there that this little battle scarred Jew. 00:07:17.459 --> 00:07:19.199 With Roman citizenship. 00:07:19.919 --> 00:07:21.379 It's taking a face trial. 00:07:23.219 --> 00:07:24.299 All in 12 days. 00:07:24.379 --> 00:07:25.479 It's incredible speed. 00:07:27.219 --> 00:07:28.819 Incredible speed of change. 00:07:30.599 --> 00:07:32.399 Imagine 12 days ago. 00:07:32.560 --> 00:07:33.819 You went to church in Birmingham. 00:07:35.179 --> 00:07:36.719 But today you find yourself. 00:07:37.279 --> 00:07:38.899 On the steps of the Old Bailey. 00:07:38.899 --> 00:07:40.039 12 days. 00:07:41.399 --> 00:07:42.159 12 days. 00:07:43.259 --> 00:07:44.699 And you're on the steps of the Old Bailey. 00:07:44.839 --> 00:07:47.159 Because you're charged with sedition and treason. 00:07:47.259 --> 00:07:47.819 Imagine that. 00:07:49.060 --> 00:07:49.779 12 days. 00:07:49.919 --> 00:07:53.279 And you've made the journey from Birmingham to London. 00:07:53.399 --> 00:07:54.519 In an escorted van. 00:07:56.000 --> 00:07:58.079 Because the mob has taken a contract out on you. 00:07:59.679 --> 00:08:00.620 That's what's going on here. 00:08:00.719 --> 00:08:02.519 It is a terrifying speed of change. 00:08:02.899 --> 00:08:03.139 It's a terrifying speed of change. 00:08:03.139 --> 00:08:07.300 It's lovely isn't it in life. 00:08:07.339 --> 00:08:08.139 When things go steadily. 00:08:10.439 --> 00:08:12.419 It's lovely when life is. 00:08:12.919 --> 00:08:14.459 Well just even and steady. 00:08:14.599 --> 00:08:16.560 When we run our course with even joy. 00:08:17.120 --> 00:08:17.979 As Charles Wesley wrote. 00:08:19.199 --> 00:08:20.759 With undue complications. 00:08:21.199 --> 00:08:22.860 And everything is rosy in the garden. 00:08:22.860 --> 00:08:26.819 But things happen so fast in life. 00:08:26.900 --> 00:08:27.180 Don't they? 00:08:29.939 --> 00:08:31.060 Astonishing speed of change. 00:08:31.139 --> 00:08:32.060 Things can change. 00:08:33.639 --> 00:08:34.600 And it's like that isn't it? 00:08:34.720 --> 00:08:36.720 Your life sometimes goes from calm to crazy. 00:08:38.080 --> 00:08:39.060 In no time at all. 00:08:40.879 --> 00:08:42.659 I was reading again this week of Joni. 00:08:42.759 --> 00:08:43.840 Joni Erickson Tarda. 00:08:43.980 --> 00:08:45.440 She was out on a boat on a holiday. 00:08:45.560 --> 00:08:46.480 Completely carefree. 00:08:46.580 --> 00:08:47.800 She was 17 years old. 00:08:48.879 --> 00:08:50.259 She's on this boat in the ocean. 00:08:50.379 --> 00:08:51.379 Having the time of her life. 00:08:51.379 --> 00:08:53.539 And she dives into the sea. 00:08:53.919 --> 00:08:55.600 And her neck hits a rock. 00:08:57.340 --> 00:08:58.939 She is in a moment. 00:09:00.080 --> 00:09:01.419 A quadriplegic for life. 00:09:03.779 --> 00:09:05.000 A few minutes earlier. 00:09:05.179 --> 00:09:06.580 She is enjoying life. 00:09:06.659 --> 00:09:07.840 As a carefree teenager. 00:09:08.899 --> 00:09:09.759 On a boat. 00:09:09.860 --> 00:09:10.899 With not a care in the world. 00:09:12.720 --> 00:09:14.720 And then she is staring at the ceiling. 00:09:15.500 --> 00:09:16.500 In a hospital. 00:09:16.820 --> 00:09:17.639 Unable to move. 00:09:18.980 --> 00:09:20.320 With a paralyzed body. 00:09:21.379 --> 00:09:24.200 A petrifying speed of change. 00:09:24.200 --> 00:09:27.040 I think of some of you. 00:09:27.620 --> 00:09:27.940 Here. 00:09:28.100 --> 00:09:29.980 And your life has been changed. 00:09:31.060 --> 00:09:32.020 In an instant. 00:09:33.240 --> 00:09:35.160 It's been changed by a phone call. 00:09:35.860 --> 00:09:38.259 It's been changed by a doctor's appointment. 00:09:39.259 --> 00:09:41.740 And it has gone from calm to crazy. 00:09:41.740 --> 00:09:43.100 In a matter of moments. 00:09:44.240 --> 00:09:46.440 And how we need the one who says. 00:09:46.720 --> 00:09:47.700 I am the same yesterday. 00:09:48.120 --> 00:09:48.560 Today. 00:09:49.040 --> 00:09:49.860 And forever. 00:09:49.860 --> 00:09:51.300 I am the Lord. 00:09:51.820 --> 00:09:52.879 And I do not change. 00:09:54.320 --> 00:09:56.379 There is one who never disappoints our hopes. 00:09:56.720 --> 00:09:57.720 Who is a rock. 00:09:57.820 --> 00:09:58.659 And a refuge. 00:09:58.960 --> 00:09:59.919 In a time of trouble. 00:10:00.440 --> 00:10:01.620 Who will not fail us. 00:10:01.720 --> 00:10:02.500 In a time of trial. 00:10:03.860 --> 00:10:05.399 And that is the first thing I want you to notice. 00:10:05.519 --> 00:10:06.960 A petrifying speed of change. 00:10:08.700 --> 00:10:09.360 The second thing. 00:10:09.399 --> 00:10:10.320 This sermon doesn't hang together. 00:10:10.399 --> 00:10:11.139 In the way that I thought it did. 00:10:11.139 --> 00:10:12.899 But the second thing I want you to notice. 00:10:13.019 --> 00:10:14.159 Is the power of the opposition. 00:10:15.360 --> 00:10:16.460 The power of the opposition. 00:10:18.039 --> 00:10:18.600 In verse 1. 00:10:19.600 --> 00:10:20.539 After five days. 00:10:21.299 --> 00:10:23.199 The high priest Ananias came down with some elders. 00:10:23.340 --> 00:10:23.879 And a spokesman. 00:10:23.919 --> 00:10:24.220 A lawyer. 00:10:24.319 --> 00:10:24.939 One to tell us. 00:10:25.340 --> 00:10:26.419 And they laid before the governor. 00:10:26.500 --> 00:10:27.620 Their case against Paul. 00:10:30.000 --> 00:10:30.980 It seems as if. 00:10:31.539 --> 00:10:32.639 Paul's Jewish opponents. 00:10:32.639 --> 00:10:34.500 Have now realised that the stakes are higher. 00:10:34.960 --> 00:10:36.799 Paul is to appear before the highest official. 00:10:36.980 --> 00:10:37.580 In the province. 00:10:38.580 --> 00:10:40.000 In a Gentile Roman court. 00:10:40.000 --> 00:10:42.279 So they hire a top notch barrister. 00:10:42.659 --> 00:10:43.320 Called to tell us. 00:10:43.600 --> 00:10:46.200 Who seems to be skilled in both Jewish and Roman law. 00:10:47.539 --> 00:10:49.320 And they've hired him to present their case. 00:10:50.700 --> 00:10:51.799 Before the procouncil. 00:10:53.159 --> 00:10:54.179 Before the high priest. 00:10:54.639 --> 00:10:55.279 It's big potatoes. 00:10:56.320 --> 00:10:57.120 This is huge. 00:10:57.179 --> 00:10:58.019 The high priest is there. 00:10:58.120 --> 00:10:58.919 He himself comes. 00:10:59.200 --> 00:11:00.500 With his bevy of solicitors. 00:11:01.139 --> 00:11:02.519 And this clever barrister. 00:11:03.840 --> 00:11:05.500 They employ. 00:11:06.419 --> 00:11:08.360 It is all with the aim. 00:11:08.360 --> 00:11:09.980 Of changing the mind of Felix. 00:11:10.000 --> 00:11:13.159 Of showing Felix. 00:11:13.379 --> 00:11:14.759 There's a case to answer here. 00:11:15.399 --> 00:11:16.480 It's a preliminary trial. 00:11:17.639 --> 00:11:18.379 And they're arguing. 00:11:19.179 --> 00:11:19.620 Felix. 00:11:19.820 --> 00:11:21.000 There needs to be a proper trial. 00:11:21.960 --> 00:11:23.080 There's a case to answer. 00:11:24.480 --> 00:11:24.860 And they say. 00:11:25.080 --> 00:11:25.759 Don't give this. 00:11:26.600 --> 00:11:27.460 Prisoner bail. 00:11:28.320 --> 00:11:29.399 Remand him in custody. 00:11:29.399 --> 00:11:31.779 So the opening speech. 00:11:31.779 --> 00:11:33.120 Speech of the prosecution. 00:11:33.120 --> 00:11:34.120 sets out the acquisitions. 00:11:34.120 --> 00:11:35.179 Can you see it? 00:11:35.220 --> 00:11:35.940 Verses 2 to 9. 00:11:36.279 --> 00:11:37.440 There's the customary remarks. 00:11:37.560 --> 00:11:37.919 My Lord. 00:11:38.919 --> 00:11:40.799 He praises the character. 00:11:40.799 --> 00:11:42.080 And the attributes of the governor. 00:11:43.120 --> 00:11:44.740 He speaks very politely. 00:11:44.899 --> 00:11:46.460 But he's about to spew out poison. 00:11:47.399 --> 00:11:49.240 He's about to spew out lies. 00:11:49.240 --> 00:11:51.919 He's about to spew out unjust statements. 00:11:52.240 --> 00:11:54.560 But he begins by spewing out flattery. 00:11:55.200 --> 00:11:55.779 And he says. 00:11:55.779 --> 00:11:57.460 Paul is a social menace. 00:11:57.620 --> 00:11:58.480 He's a disease. 00:11:58.639 --> 00:11:59.440 He's a plague. 00:12:01.440 --> 00:12:03.759 We have found this man to be a plague. 00:12:04.860 --> 00:12:07.919 He is an unhealthy influence in society. 00:12:08.319 --> 00:12:10.279 We would be better off without him. 00:12:11.259 --> 00:12:14.360 And the only way that you can deal with a man who's a plague like this. 00:12:14.399 --> 00:12:15.259 What do you do with the plague? 00:12:16.099 --> 00:12:17.479 You've got to eradicate it altogether. 00:12:19.219 --> 00:12:20.259 Secondly, he says. 00:12:20.339 --> 00:12:21.339 The man's a troublemaker. 00:12:21.819 --> 00:12:24.000 He causes riots everywhere he goes. 00:12:24.079 --> 00:12:25.279 Wherever he goes to a town. 00:12:25.620 --> 00:12:27.479 The Pax Romana is undermined. 00:12:28.699 --> 00:12:31.120 The word translated riots in some of your Bibles. 00:12:31.240 --> 00:12:32.079 He stirs up riots. 00:12:32.079 --> 00:12:32.939 It's sedition. 00:12:32.940 --> 00:12:39.140 He's working on the inside against the powers of state. 00:12:40.220 --> 00:12:41.340 It's insurrection. 00:12:42.760 --> 00:12:45.320 And so it's not just a public issue anymore. 00:12:45.640 --> 00:12:49.120 This man has a malevolent influence at the heart of government, he says. 00:12:51.440 --> 00:12:54.760 And Paul may have been accused of stirring up a riot. 00:12:55.060 --> 00:12:57.960 But now before the governor, he's being accused of treason. 00:12:59.160 --> 00:13:00.080 And sedition. 00:13:00.080 --> 00:13:03.080 He's accused of undermining the great Roman Empire. 00:13:06.460 --> 00:13:09.160 And so can you see that these people are intent? 00:13:09.980 --> 00:13:13.860 They are seeking to destroy this Christian man. 00:13:15.960 --> 00:13:17.940 They're not seeking for justice to be done. 00:13:19.480 --> 00:13:23.580 You want to feel the seriousness of what is being said in the speech to tell us it's making? 00:13:24.580 --> 00:13:29.560 You need to import the kind of Western feeling, what we feel for the word domestic terrorist. 00:13:30.080 --> 00:13:33.180 That's the kind of thing they're saying about this man. 00:13:33.240 --> 00:13:34.340 He's a domestic terrorist. 00:13:35.840 --> 00:13:38.300 This man is a ringleader of the Nazarene sect. 00:13:39.860 --> 00:13:47.460 Goodness me, it's only a few years ago, isn't it, that the infamous Nazarene man, Jesus of Nazareth, was executed. 00:13:47.860 --> 00:13:49.440 And here is his successor. 00:13:49.820 --> 00:13:50.820 Here is the ringleader. 00:13:50.820 --> 00:13:56.700 Here is the ringleader of that nest of vipers that are trying to carry on the Nazarene's name. 00:13:58.840 --> 00:14:02.560 He might present himself, this man, as one who cares about religion. 00:14:02.680 --> 00:14:04.840 But only recently he profaned the temple in Jerusalem. 00:14:06.940 --> 00:14:08.560 That is the power of the opposition. 00:14:09.240 --> 00:14:11.920 It is skilled misrepresentation. 00:14:12.200 --> 00:14:14.680 It is skilled distorting of the facts. 00:14:14.679 --> 00:14:18.399 And it is all wrapped up in beautiful language. 00:14:20.120 --> 00:14:23.039 He is a barrister of outstanding intelligence. 00:14:24.019 --> 00:14:25.939 And this can happen to a Christian. 00:14:28.879 --> 00:14:35.579 One of the finest men that I know of was suspended from his work for year after year after year. 00:14:35.580 --> 00:14:41.620 He had to fight a long legal battle to clear his name of charges of unprofessional conduct. 00:14:42.560 --> 00:14:44.379 Because of his witness to Jesus Christ. 00:14:46.000 --> 00:14:48.560 Some of the cleverest minds in the country spoke against him. 00:14:49.540 --> 00:14:51.759 And took up the case against him. 00:14:53.000 --> 00:14:55.840 His professional life was effectively destroyed. 00:14:57.500 --> 00:14:58.720 The power of the opposition. 00:14:58.720 --> 00:15:02.360 And that is why we prayed this morning. 00:15:02.460 --> 00:15:04.160 I hope you pray every morning. 00:15:04.740 --> 00:15:06.660 Lead me not into temptation. 00:15:08.740 --> 00:15:10.899 Don't lead me into the time of testing. 00:15:12.540 --> 00:15:19.220 Because when clever and powerful people misrepresent your character and your behaviour with a view to destroy your reputation. 00:15:20.580 --> 00:15:22.720 And if it's possible to destroy you. 00:15:23.800 --> 00:15:26.080 That is a grievous trial. 00:15:26.080 --> 00:15:31.259 The horror of false accusation. 00:15:32.700 --> 00:15:34.240 The power of the opposition. 00:15:36.000 --> 00:15:40.720 Pray that you don't ever have to enter into that kind of unjust treatment. 00:15:42.620 --> 00:15:45.200 Let's look thirdly at the strategy of a man of God. 00:15:46.800 --> 00:15:48.480 The strategy of a man of God. 00:15:48.560 --> 00:15:49.340 Verses 10 to 23. 00:15:49.340 --> 00:15:56.019 The apostle Paul either can't afford or doesn't need an expensive lawyer. 00:15:56.960 --> 00:15:58.519 He acts in his own defence. 00:15:59.920 --> 00:16:02.980 And he begins, doesn't he, with a respectful acknowledgement of Felix's office. 00:16:04.399 --> 00:16:05.840 And the man's personal experience. 00:16:07.139 --> 00:16:09.800 He doesn't engage in any insincere flattery. 00:16:09.799 --> 00:16:12.719 He doesn't engage in flowery words. 00:16:12.819 --> 00:16:16.479 But there's a proper respect for the office of the proconsul of the empire. 00:16:16.979 --> 00:16:17.439 Of Rome. 00:16:18.039 --> 00:16:19.259 And the first thing he does. 00:16:19.899 --> 00:16:21.159 The strategy of the man of God. 00:16:21.219 --> 00:16:23.279 Is he refutes the charge of profanity. 00:16:23.539 --> 00:16:24.099 Look at verse 11. 00:16:26.079 --> 00:16:27.439 And you can verify, Paul says. 00:16:27.979 --> 00:16:28.620 Check it out. 00:16:28.919 --> 00:16:29.859 You can go and look at the evidence. 00:16:29.860 --> 00:16:34.180 That it's not more than 12 days since I went up to worship in Jerusalem. 00:16:34.500 --> 00:16:37.740 And you did not find me there disputing with anyone or stirring up a crowd. 00:16:38.779 --> 00:16:40.560 Either in the temple or in the synagogues. 00:16:41.039 --> 00:16:41.759 Or in the city. 00:16:42.200 --> 00:16:45.300 Neither can they prove to you what they now bring up against me. 00:16:47.279 --> 00:16:50.600 He points out that it's only been 12 days since all this stuff kicked off. 00:16:51.379 --> 00:16:52.019 In Jerusalem. 00:16:52.360 --> 00:16:54.159 And this so-called profanity in the temple. 00:16:54.480 --> 00:16:56.139 It would be so easy, he says. 00:16:56.300 --> 00:16:58.420 It would be so easy to provide witnesses. 00:16:58.420 --> 00:16:59.379 Where are the witnesses? 00:16:59.860 --> 00:17:03.120 You're making charges. 00:17:03.240 --> 00:17:04.480 Where are the witnesses to the charges? 00:17:05.720 --> 00:17:08.980 Paul rejects the suggestion that he was in Jerusalem for any other reason. 00:17:09.059 --> 00:17:10.000 Than to worship God. 00:17:10.460 --> 00:17:13.720 In the same way that any other Orthodox Jew would want to worship Yahweh. 00:17:14.019 --> 00:17:14.440 Verse 12. 00:17:14.519 --> 00:17:16.720 They did not find me disputing with anyone. 00:17:17.180 --> 00:17:18.579 Or stirring up a crowd. 00:17:18.779 --> 00:17:19.579 Where are the witnesses? 00:17:21.680 --> 00:17:24.539 Where are the Asian Jews that accuse me of doing wrong? 00:17:26.400 --> 00:17:27.980 They could be here themselves. 00:17:27.980 --> 00:17:29.380 They should be here themselves. 00:17:29.859 --> 00:17:36.379 And the Apostle describes himself in these verses as an Orthodox Jewish person. 00:17:36.380 --> 00:17:38.900 who worships the God of their fathers. 00:17:38.900 --> 00:17:42.740 He believes everything laid down in the law of Moses and the prophets. 00:17:42.960 --> 00:17:45.480 He has a hope like the Pharisees in the resurrection of the body. 00:17:45.700 --> 00:17:48.260 He sought to live before the Lord with a clear conscience. 00:17:48.800 --> 00:17:50.620 He came to Jerusalem in the first place. 00:17:50.900 --> 00:17:52.120 To give money to the poor. 00:17:52.119 --> 00:17:57.879 The very kind of behavior that the law of Moses required from the people of God. 00:17:57.879 --> 00:17:59.919 I came to Jerusalem with money for the poor. 00:17:59.920 --> 00:18:04.340 In other words, Paul is saying before Felix, 00:18:04.340 --> 00:18:07.640 I love the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 00:18:08.640 --> 00:18:10.660 And I love my neighbor as myself. 00:18:11.920 --> 00:18:14.279 And so if we're going to be criticized for our faith, 00:18:14.440 --> 00:18:19.080 let it be against the background of a life lived in conformity to the word of God. 00:18:19.079 --> 00:18:23.339 Can you see Paul's conscience here? 00:18:25.039 --> 00:18:28.079 That if people come to ransack your life and look at your computer 00:18:28.079 --> 00:18:29.419 and talk to the people who know you 00:18:29.419 --> 00:18:32.399 in order to find a way of undermining your character, 00:18:32.699 --> 00:18:36.379 would they discover that you have lived a life of faithfulness to the Lord Jesus? 00:18:36.380 --> 00:18:42.160 Would they see by looking at your diary and looking at your bank balance 00:18:42.160 --> 00:18:46.240 that you are a person who wants to be generous to the poor and care for the needy? 00:18:49.120 --> 00:18:53.620 When large numbers of the Karen tribe in Nepal converted to Jesus Christ, 00:18:54.540 --> 00:18:56.660 they fell under the opposition of the authorities. 00:18:58.160 --> 00:19:02.160 Hundreds and hundreds of them came to the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:19:02.360 --> 00:19:04.420 They were hated by the communists in particular. 00:19:04.420 --> 00:19:08.560 Communist officials were trying to destroy the Christian church. 00:19:09.039 --> 00:19:12.180 But one important communist official confided to a reporter, 00:19:12.519 --> 00:19:13.940 the strange thing about these Christians 00:19:13.940 --> 00:19:17.860 is that they are doing what we communists ought to be doing but aren't doing. 00:19:19.960 --> 00:19:22.320 The Christians built a mill to grind flour 00:19:22.320 --> 00:19:24.740 and in grinding the flour of everyone who came to that mill, 00:19:24.860 --> 00:19:26.380 Christian or non-Christian, 00:19:26.759 --> 00:19:31.640 they reserved 10% of that flour in case of a time of famine and need. 00:19:31.640 --> 00:19:35.000 And when there was a time of famine and need, 00:19:35.080 --> 00:19:38.000 they took the 10% and they distributed it freely 00:19:38.000 --> 00:19:40.600 to Christian and non-Christian alike. 00:19:42.160 --> 00:19:44.759 And this communist said that these Christians, 00:19:44.960 --> 00:19:46.980 we hate them, we do not like them, 00:19:47.300 --> 00:19:49.420 but they are doing what we communists should have been doing. 00:19:49.420 --> 00:19:52.940 And if people come to your home 00:19:52.940 --> 00:19:56.380 and they pick up your laptop 00:19:56.380 --> 00:19:59.380 and they look at your internet searches 00:19:59.380 --> 00:20:02.980 and they talk to your friends and your line manager at work 00:20:02.980 --> 00:20:03.980 and your customers, 00:20:04.980 --> 00:20:08.500 would they discover enough evidence? 00:20:10.180 --> 00:20:12.039 Would they discover enough evidence there 00:20:12.039 --> 00:20:13.820 for you to be convicted of Christian behavior? 00:20:13.819 --> 00:20:18.799 The Apostle Paul was able to defend himself 00:20:18.799 --> 00:20:20.519 from every accusation of bigotry 00:20:20.519 --> 00:20:22.159 and narrow-mindedness and hypocrisy. 00:20:25.279 --> 00:20:26.659 As he describes himself, 00:20:27.039 --> 00:20:28.500 what do we see about the Apostle Paul? 00:20:28.599 --> 00:20:30.619 We see a big-hearted man, 00:20:31.960 --> 00:20:33.019 a generous man, 00:20:33.220 --> 00:20:34.279 caring for the poor, 00:20:34.960 --> 00:20:35.740 loving people, 00:20:37.000 --> 00:20:37.419 honest, 00:20:38.539 --> 00:20:39.439 and loving belief. 00:20:39.639 --> 00:20:41.159 He refutes the charge of profanity. 00:20:41.160 --> 00:20:43.740 But the last thing he does is preach Jesus and the resurrection. 00:20:43.880 --> 00:20:44.600 Can you look at verse 21? 00:20:49.480 --> 00:20:50.880 Verse 21, he says, 00:20:53.140 --> 00:20:55.320 Other than this one thing that I cried out while standing among them, 00:20:55.380 --> 00:20:56.880 it is with respect to the resurrection 00:20:56.880 --> 00:20:59.980 of the dead that I am on trial before you this day. 00:21:00.860 --> 00:21:01.600 And verse 24, 00:21:03.019 --> 00:21:05.200 After some days Felix came with his wife, Drusilla, 00:21:05.460 --> 00:21:06.160 who was Jewish, 00:21:06.940 --> 00:21:07.759 and he sent for Paul 00:21:07.759 --> 00:21:09.340 and he heard him speak about faith in Christ Jesus. 00:21:09.339 --> 00:21:11.240 And as he reasoned with Felix 00:21:11.240 --> 00:21:12.859 about righteousness and self-control 00:21:12.859 --> 00:21:13.559 and the coming judgment, 00:21:13.740 --> 00:21:14.500 Felix was alarmed. 00:21:15.519 --> 00:21:15.879 And said, 00:21:15.959 --> 00:21:16.259 Go away. 00:21:17.619 --> 00:21:18.679 Go away to the present. 00:21:19.079 --> 00:21:19.859 And when I get an opportunity, 00:21:19.980 --> 00:21:20.439 I'll summon you. 00:21:20.559 --> 00:21:20.939 Not now. 00:21:23.039 --> 00:21:24.959 In the course of two appearances 00:21:24.959 --> 00:21:26.459 before Governor Felix, 00:21:26.559 --> 00:21:27.199 the proconsul, 00:21:27.559 --> 00:21:28.299 Paul speaks about 00:21:28.299 --> 00:21:29.799 the resurrection of the dead, 00:21:30.439 --> 00:21:31.799 the resurrection of the body, 00:21:32.759 --> 00:21:34.000 and about righteousness, 00:21:34.980 --> 00:21:35.619 self-control, 00:21:36.139 --> 00:21:36.919 and judgment to come. 00:21:36.920 --> 00:21:39.620 You see, 00:21:39.720 --> 00:21:41.259 Paul is not really eager 00:21:41.259 --> 00:21:43.000 just to defend himself. 00:21:44.000 --> 00:21:45.880 He isn't really motivated by that. 00:21:47.320 --> 00:21:48.400 But he is motivated, 00:21:48.580 --> 00:21:49.080 more importantly, 00:21:49.440 --> 00:21:50.720 to preach Jesus 00:21:50.720 --> 00:21:51.900 to a sinner. 00:21:53.640 --> 00:21:54.519 And he applies 00:21:54.519 --> 00:21:55.840 the good news of the Lord Jesus, 00:21:55.960 --> 00:21:56.279 the gospel, 00:21:56.360 --> 00:21:56.860 in such a way 00:21:56.860 --> 00:21:58.320 that it flies like an arrow 00:21:58.320 --> 00:21:59.160 to the heart 00:21:59.160 --> 00:22:00.140 and conscience 00:22:00.140 --> 00:22:00.759 of this governor. 00:22:00.759 --> 00:22:04.039 Felix had seduced 00:22:04.039 --> 00:22:05.839 another man's wife 00:22:05.839 --> 00:22:07.579 to become his spouse. 00:22:09.220 --> 00:22:10.460 Felix was motivated 00:22:10.460 --> 00:22:11.519 by sexual desire. 00:22:11.859 --> 00:22:12.960 It had got the better of him. 00:22:13.180 --> 00:22:14.099 Felix was not a man 00:22:14.099 --> 00:22:14.940 under self-control. 00:22:15.640 --> 00:22:17.299 He was motivated by greed. 00:22:17.779 --> 00:22:18.180 You can see that 00:22:18.180 --> 00:22:18.900 at the end of the chapter. 00:22:19.940 --> 00:22:20.960 He was hoping to get 00:22:20.960 --> 00:22:22.660 his hands on some of that money 00:22:22.660 --> 00:22:24.059 that the Apostle Paul had brought 00:22:24.059 --> 00:22:25.259 for the poor in Jerusalem. 00:22:25.480 --> 00:22:26.400 He was hoping that Paul 00:22:26.400 --> 00:22:27.079 would give him money. 00:22:27.460 --> 00:22:28.680 He was motivated by greed. 00:22:28.680 --> 00:22:29.400 He was motivated 00:22:29.400 --> 00:22:30.620 by political expediency. 00:22:32.460 --> 00:22:33.940 And after two years, 00:22:34.060 --> 00:22:35.259 two years of meeting 00:22:35.259 --> 00:22:35.900 one-to-one 00:22:35.900 --> 00:22:36.779 with the evangelist, 00:22:36.960 --> 00:22:38.080 he leaves Paul in prison 00:22:38.080 --> 00:22:39.240 because he wants 00:22:39.240 --> 00:22:40.039 to curry favor 00:22:40.039 --> 00:22:40.759 with the Jews. 00:22:41.940 --> 00:22:43.120 Political expediency, 00:22:43.259 --> 00:22:44.580 it's motivated by unbelief. 00:22:46.980 --> 00:22:48.220 And when the application 00:22:48.220 --> 00:22:49.019 of the good news 00:22:49.019 --> 00:22:49.680 of the Lord Jesus 00:22:49.680 --> 00:22:50.660 went to his heart 00:22:50.660 --> 00:22:51.759 and made him tremble, 00:22:52.000 --> 00:22:52.820 he quickly sent 00:22:52.820 --> 00:22:53.600 the preacher away. 00:22:54.820 --> 00:22:56.140 And he put off 00:22:56.140 --> 00:22:56.980 having dealings 00:22:56.980 --> 00:22:57.840 with the living God. 00:22:58.680 --> 00:23:00.620 Because Felix 00:23:00.620 --> 00:23:01.900 had come to understand, 00:23:02.160 --> 00:23:03.019 he'd come to understand 00:23:03.019 --> 00:23:04.580 that he had no righteousness 00:23:04.580 --> 00:23:05.400 before God. 00:23:05.560 --> 00:23:06.440 He wasn't in the right 00:23:06.440 --> 00:23:07.100 before God. 00:23:08.220 --> 00:23:09.039 He'd seen it. 00:23:09.240 --> 00:23:10.560 He'd seen that the only way 00:23:10.560 --> 00:23:11.880 to be right before God 00:23:11.880 --> 00:23:14.519 was to embrace Jesus Christ, 00:23:14.660 --> 00:23:15.600 to trust in him. 00:23:17.400 --> 00:23:19.080 To acknowledge that Jesus Christ 00:23:19.080 --> 00:23:20.220 is Lord and King 00:23:20.220 --> 00:23:21.180 and my Saviour. 00:23:21.180 --> 00:23:24.680 He'd seen that he'd lived 00:23:24.680 --> 00:23:25.940 in the grip of his desires 00:23:25.940 --> 00:23:27.080 and his appetites 00:23:27.080 --> 00:23:28.460 with little self-control 00:23:28.460 --> 00:23:29.700 and the Holy Spirit 00:23:29.700 --> 00:23:30.759 applied the truth 00:23:30.759 --> 00:23:31.240 of the gospel 00:23:31.240 --> 00:23:31.960 to his conscience. 00:23:34.720 --> 00:23:35.880 He'd got a glimpse 00:23:35.880 --> 00:23:36.759 of the fact 00:23:36.759 --> 00:23:37.840 that without the Lord Jesus 00:23:37.840 --> 00:23:38.860 there was no hope for him. 00:23:40.299 --> 00:23:41.660 There was no hope for him 00:23:41.660 --> 00:23:42.580 apart from Jesus 00:23:42.580 --> 00:23:43.420 on the day of judgment. 00:23:43.840 --> 00:23:44.980 And he trembled. 00:23:44.980 --> 00:23:48.259 And he was offered 00:23:48.259 --> 00:23:48.920 the opportunity 00:23:48.920 --> 00:23:50.960 to trust in Jesus Christ alone. 00:23:51.339 --> 00:23:52.740 To believe and rely 00:23:52.740 --> 00:23:53.380 on the grace 00:23:53.380 --> 00:23:54.579 of Jesus Christ alone. 00:23:54.759 --> 00:23:55.740 But he refused 00:23:55.740 --> 00:23:56.940 to even contemplate it. 00:23:59.000 --> 00:24:00.700 And he sent the preacher away 00:24:00.700 --> 00:24:01.779 and then he called for him again. 00:24:01.880 --> 00:24:02.779 There's something about that 00:24:02.779 --> 00:24:03.140 isn't it? 00:24:03.420 --> 00:24:04.740 He came and he heard again. 00:24:05.099 --> 00:24:05.759 He's moved. 00:24:05.860 --> 00:24:06.420 He's convicted. 00:24:08.039 --> 00:24:09.200 And yet he sends him away. 00:24:09.319 --> 00:24:10.059 And he sends him away. 00:24:10.059 --> 00:24:11.039 And he sends him away. 00:24:12.899 --> 00:24:14.079 He sends him away 00:24:14.079 --> 00:24:17.220 until ultimately 00:24:17.220 --> 00:24:18.639 his heart is hardened. 00:24:21.299 --> 00:24:22.579 And he didn't call for him anymore. 00:24:24.359 --> 00:24:25.519 And he leaves him to rot. 00:24:28.859 --> 00:24:30.079 I've told you this story before 00:24:30.079 --> 00:24:33.319 but in the house 00:24:33.319 --> 00:24:34.359 that I grew up in 00:24:34.359 --> 00:24:35.559 we moved house when I was 14 00:24:35.559 --> 00:24:38.139 and we lived in a bungalow. 00:24:38.359 --> 00:24:39.399 It's kind of a bit more countryside 00:24:39.400 --> 00:24:41.960 and I went to bed early 00:24:41.960 --> 00:24:43.680 and I was lying in bed 00:24:43.680 --> 00:24:45.380 trying to go to sleep 00:24:45.380 --> 00:24:46.540 and then suddenly 00:24:46.540 --> 00:24:48.340 the whole kind of back 00:24:48.340 --> 00:24:49.180 started to shake. 00:24:49.600 --> 00:24:50.759 It felt like there was an earthquake 00:24:50.759 --> 00:24:52.240 just outside Swansea. 00:24:52.840 --> 00:24:54.140 I kind of crawled out of bed 00:24:54.140 --> 00:24:54.780 opened the door 00:24:54.780 --> 00:24:55.380 looked around 00:24:55.380 --> 00:24:57.019 and it passed 00:24:57.019 --> 00:24:58.420 and my brothers were laughing at me 00:24:58.420 --> 00:24:59.540 and said there's a train 00:24:59.540 --> 00:25:00.620 that goes on the back of the house. 00:25:02.300 --> 00:25:03.380 Following day I went to bed 00:25:03.380 --> 00:25:04.460 and go to sleep 00:25:04.460 --> 00:25:08.380 and I hear the noise again 00:25:08.380 --> 00:25:09.180 you wake up with a child 00:25:09.180 --> 00:25:11.240 and then you remember 00:25:11.240 --> 00:25:11.880 oh no it's the train. 00:25:13.860 --> 00:25:14.540 Third time 00:25:14.540 --> 00:25:15.100 again 00:25:15.100 --> 00:25:15.660 a little bit of a 00:25:15.660 --> 00:25:16.260 ah it's the train 00:25:16.260 --> 00:25:16.900 don't worry about it. 00:25:19.280 --> 00:25:20.060 And then I 00:25:20.060 --> 00:25:21.360 never hear the train anymore. 00:25:22.140 --> 00:25:22.640 Can't even tell you 00:25:22.640 --> 00:25:23.140 when it goes past. 00:25:25.220 --> 00:25:25.460 Because 00:25:25.460 --> 00:25:26.340 you get used to it 00:25:26.340 --> 00:25:26.560 don't you? 00:25:26.660 --> 00:25:27.140 And it's like that 00:25:27.140 --> 00:25:27.900 with the preaching of the gospel. 00:25:29.960 --> 00:25:30.460 It was like that 00:25:30.460 --> 00:25:30.920 for Felix 00:25:30.920 --> 00:25:32.420 he heard the gospel 00:25:32.420 --> 00:25:33.140 he knew 00:25:33.140 --> 00:25:33.920 he had to believe 00:25:33.920 --> 00:25:34.720 in the Lord Jesus Christ 00:25:34.720 --> 00:25:35.200 to be saved 00:25:35.200 --> 00:25:35.539 but he said 00:25:35.539 --> 00:25:35.860 later 00:25:35.860 --> 00:25:36.220 later 00:25:36.220 --> 00:25:36.700 later 00:25:36.700 --> 00:25:36.720 later 00:25:36.720 --> 00:25:41.100 and so when you come to church 00:25:41.100 --> 00:25:41.539 let me tell you 00:25:41.539 --> 00:25:41.799 it is 00:25:41.799 --> 00:25:42.160 it is 00:25:42.160 --> 00:25:43.240 it is a beautiful thing 00:25:43.240 --> 00:25:44.200 it is a wonderful thing 00:25:44.200 --> 00:25:45.339 it is a terrifying thing. 00:25:49.539 --> 00:25:50.460 It's a terrible thing 00:25:50.460 --> 00:25:51.079 to hear the gospel. 00:25:53.420 --> 00:25:54.180 It's a terrible thing 00:25:54.180 --> 00:25:55.059 to grow up in a church 00:25:55.059 --> 00:25:55.440 like this 00:25:55.440 --> 00:25:56.140 to hear the gospel 00:25:56.140 --> 00:25:56.700 and to sometimes 00:25:56.700 --> 00:25:58.279 feel the impact of it 00:25:58.279 --> 00:26:00.220 and then to walk out of church 00:26:00.220 --> 00:26:01.039 saying I don't want it. 00:26:01.640 --> 00:26:02.420 I don't want it. 00:26:02.420 --> 00:26:05.960 And I don't want you to do that 00:26:05.960 --> 00:26:06.700 if you're here this morning. 00:26:09.019 --> 00:26:09.860 And if you're thinking 00:26:09.860 --> 00:26:10.440 about Christianity 00:26:10.440 --> 00:26:11.320 and you're considering 00:26:11.320 --> 00:26:12.259 the importance of life 00:26:12.259 --> 00:26:12.820 and death 00:26:12.820 --> 00:26:13.880 and the future world 00:26:13.880 --> 00:26:15.100 and you're thinking 00:26:15.100 --> 00:26:15.779 about your relationship 00:26:15.779 --> 00:26:16.400 with God 00:26:16.400 --> 00:26:17.720 I want to say to you 00:26:17.720 --> 00:26:18.720 this morning 00:26:18.720 --> 00:26:20.220 with all the tenderness 00:26:20.220 --> 00:26:21.420 that I can muster up 00:26:21.420 --> 00:26:22.000 in my heart 00:26:22.000 --> 00:26:24.900 I want to say to you 00:26:24.900 --> 00:26:25.800 that if you say no 00:26:25.800 --> 00:26:26.860 to Jesus this morning 00:26:26.860 --> 00:26:29.360 you are making 00:26:29.360 --> 00:26:30.460 the biggest 00:26:30.460 --> 00:26:32.940 and the most dangerous 00:26:32.940 --> 00:26:33.700 decision that you will 00:26:33.700 --> 00:26:34.100 ever make. 00:26:37.559 --> 00:26:38.779 There will come a time 00:26:38.779 --> 00:26:39.740 when you say no 00:26:39.740 --> 00:26:40.500 to the Lord Jesus 00:26:40.500 --> 00:26:41.840 for the last time. 00:26:44.579 --> 00:26:45.299 Jesus says 00:26:45.299 --> 00:26:45.640 okay 00:26:45.640 --> 00:26:48.920 it's a wonderful thing 00:26:48.920 --> 00:26:49.480 to hear the gospel 00:26:49.480 --> 00:26:50.500 it's a terrible thing 00:26:50.500 --> 00:26:51.140 to hear the gospel 00:26:51.140 --> 00:26:54.380 because the gospel of God 00:26:54.380 --> 00:26:55.160 you hear it 00:26:55.160 --> 00:26:55.960 this good news 00:26:55.960 --> 00:26:56.759 and you say no 00:26:56.759 --> 00:26:57.380 I don't need it 00:26:57.380 --> 00:26:57.960 I don't want it 00:26:57.960 --> 00:26:58.860 and you harden your heart. 00:26:58.859 --> 00:27:03.619 So here is the child of God 00:27:03.619 --> 00:27:04.399 in the midst of injustice 00:27:04.399 --> 00:27:07.479 with really clever people 00:27:07.479 --> 00:27:08.339 the culturally elite 00:27:08.339 --> 00:27:09.519 bringing false charges 00:27:09.519 --> 00:27:11.000 without witnesses 00:27:11.000 --> 00:27:12.000 to damn his character 00:27:12.000 --> 00:27:14.479 to undermine his ministry 00:27:14.479 --> 00:27:15.759 and Paul behaves with grace 00:27:15.759 --> 00:27:17.279 and dignity 00:27:17.279 --> 00:27:18.219 and he preaches Jesus 00:27:18.219 --> 00:27:20.959 and he pleads his innocence 00:27:20.959 --> 00:27:22.039 but the main thing 00:27:22.039 --> 00:27:22.719 on his heart 00:27:22.719 --> 00:27:24.559 for his judge 00:27:24.559 --> 00:27:25.319 and his accusers 00:27:25.319 --> 00:27:26.219 is that they might 00:27:26.219 --> 00:27:27.859 hear and understand 00:27:27.859 --> 00:27:29.240 and accept Jesus Christ 00:27:29.240 --> 00:27:31.240 that he saves 00:27:31.240 --> 00:27:32.319 and so the child of God 00:27:32.319 --> 00:27:33.399 can face injustice 00:27:33.399 --> 00:27:36.339 because in the midst 00:27:36.339 --> 00:27:37.159 of the injustice 00:27:37.159 --> 00:27:37.839 that you're facing 00:27:37.839 --> 00:27:38.799 and I am facing 00:27:38.799 --> 00:27:40.439 we can display 00:27:40.439 --> 00:27:41.759 something of the glory of God 00:27:41.759 --> 00:27:44.939 we can face 00:27:44.939 --> 00:27:45.959 unfair treatment 00:27:45.959 --> 00:27:46.839 by the power 00:27:46.839 --> 00:27:47.699 of the Son of God 00:27:47.699 --> 00:27:49.159 because when the Son of God 00:27:49.159 --> 00:27:50.019 the Lord Jesus Christ 00:27:50.019 --> 00:27:51.419 when he was reviled 00:27:51.419 --> 00:27:52.759 he did not revile 00:27:52.759 --> 00:27:53.259 in return 00:27:53.259 --> 00:27:56.099 but he entrusted himself 00:27:56.099 --> 00:27:56.740 to the one 00:27:56.740 --> 00:27:58.519 who judges righteously 00:27:58.519 --> 00:28:00.859 and when Jesus was taken 00:28:00.859 --> 00:28:01.680 to be tortured 00:28:01.680 --> 00:28:02.539 and to the cross 00:28:02.539 --> 00:28:03.819 he faced it with dignity 00:28:03.819 --> 00:28:05.500 and grace 00:28:05.500 --> 00:28:06.819 because his priority 00:28:06.819 --> 00:28:07.940 was not self-preservation 00:28:07.940 --> 00:28:09.799 but it was the creation 00:28:09.799 --> 00:28:10.460 of this gospel 00:28:10.460 --> 00:28:12.960 his eye was on 00:28:12.960 --> 00:28:14.440 the world's salvation 00:28:14.440 --> 00:28:15.619 not on his own well-being 00:28:15.619 --> 00:28:18.000 and so in the midst 00:28:18.000 --> 00:28:19.200 of the most unfair treatment 00:28:19.200 --> 00:28:20.079 that any man 00:28:20.079 --> 00:28:20.900 has ever experienced 00:28:20.900 --> 00:28:21.920 the Son of God 00:28:21.920 --> 00:28:22.780 behaved himself 00:28:22.780 --> 00:28:23.560 with dignity 00:28:23.560 --> 00:28:24.259 and grace 00:28:24.259 --> 00:28:25.800 and faith 00:28:25.800 --> 00:28:26.519 and trust 00:28:26.519 --> 00:28:27.460 in his Father 00:28:27.460 --> 00:28:29.759 and was it unfair? 00:28:30.519 --> 00:28:31.880 It definitely was unfair 00:28:31.880 --> 00:28:35.320 but he trusted his Father 00:28:35.320 --> 00:28:38.480 and when we face things 00:28:38.480 --> 00:28:39.460 and we will face things 00:28:39.460 --> 00:28:40.400 that are unjust 00:28:40.400 --> 00:28:41.740 and unfair 00:28:41.740 --> 00:28:44.560 we can behave 00:28:44.560 --> 00:28:45.040 with dignity 00:28:45.040 --> 00:28:45.720 and with grace 00:28:45.720 --> 00:28:47.600 for the gospel's sake 00:28:47.599 --> 00:28:51.259 that we might 00:28:51.259 --> 00:28:51.879 have the opportunity 00:28:51.879 --> 00:28:52.879 to explain the gospel 00:28:52.879 --> 00:28:53.559 and to point people 00:28:53.559 --> 00:28:54.039 to the gospel 00:28:54.039 --> 00:28:59.339 because that is more important 00:28:59.339 --> 00:28:59.899 than anything else 00:28:59.899 --> 00:29:00.839 in this crazy world 00:29:00.839 --> 00:29:03.699 speed of change 00:29:03.699 --> 00:29:06.740 terrible opposition 00:29:06.740 --> 00:29:09.000 but a heart 00:29:09.000 --> 00:29:09.779 to preach Jesus 00:29:09.779 --> 00:29:10.480 and the resurrection 00:29:10.480 --> 00:29:12.059 let's pray 00:29:12.059 --> 00:29:42.039 and let's pray