Month: July 2016

10 So Paul said, “I stand at Caesar’s judgment seat, where I ought to be judged. To the Jews I have done no wrong, as you very well know. 11 For if I am an offender, or have committed anything deserving of death, I do not object to dying; but if there is nothing in these things of which these men accuse me, no one can deliver me to them. I appeal to Caesar.” 12 Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered, “You have appealed to Caesar? To Caesar you shall go!”
Acts 25:10-12

Paul was a man driven by a desire to glorify God in everything. He would use any lawful means and any opportunity to witness of the majesty and worthiness of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul was a Roman citizen, and with that citizenship came certain privileges. He had already been promised by God that he would be a witness to Christ in Rome (Act 23:11), so when this opportunity to exercise his right as a Roman presented itself, Paul was quick to reply, “I appeal to Caesar!” In like manner, we should view our citizenship as a means to further the kingdom of God.

We live in a nation with many privileges and liberties. Within the confines of the law, we should use every right we enjoy to share with men what great things God has done for us. Is there resistance to the Truth? Absolutely! There was in Paul’s day as well, but he saw every confrontation with those who resisted him as just another opportunity to confess Jesus. We sometimes lose sight of the weight of his circumstances in these passages in Acts. Paul was dealing with men of great power, wicked men who had lied and cheated their way to the top! History tells us that Governor Felix was not above hiring assassins to take out any opposition. And yet, Paul so faithfully spoke the truth to him that he trembled as Paul preached Christ! (24:25) Festus, Felix’s replacement, didn’t understand all Paul said, but the apostle was clear enough in his witness that Festus knew the issue the Jews had with Paul was that he asserted Jesus was alive. (25:19) No one could deny Paul’s purpose. After King Agrippa heard Paul, he replied, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.” (26:28)

So, was Paul some super-Christian whose example is impossible for the common believer to follow? He didn’t think so! He urged the churches to whom he wrote to imitate him (1Co 4:16, Php 3:17) because he was simply imitating Christ Who always did what pleased the Father! (1Co 11:1, 8:29). You are uniquely who you are so that you might be a witness of Christ in your own unique way. So, whatever your position, gifts, resources, responsibilities, etc., seek to understand how you might use what God has given to point others to the Lord. You don’t need something more. Be like the apostle who said, “I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content”. (Php 4:11) God expects us to simply do what we can with what we have. (Mar 14:8) Don’t forget the parable of the servants and the talents! Don’t bury His provision in earthly things; invest in the advancement of His kingdom. All who do so will one day hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord!” (Mat 25:14-30)

Jamie

Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, “Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you.” Meanwhile he also hoped that money would be given him by Paul, that he might release him. Therefore he sent for him more often and conversed with him. But after two years Porcius Festus succeeded Felix; and Felix, wanting to do the Jews a favor, left Paul bound.
Acts 24:25-27

What a sad commentary on Felix’s attitude toward matters of eternal importance: “when I have a convenient time”. His heart was moved at Paul’s first declaration of the gospel, but as time went on, Felix became more and more calloused to the truth. After two years of hearing the apostle speak, rather than release this faithful servant of the Lord, Felix left him bound. All fear and trembling in Felix’s heart was gone! Responding to the gospel when it’s convenient to do so is a dangerous gamble for a person to make with his soul. Jesus said in Joh 16:8 that part of the work of the Holy Ghost was to “convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment…” Why is it so dangerous to put off a response to the conviction which the Holy Spirit brings as the word of God is declared? Because when a person has such an attitude, he foolishly assumes he will have another opportunity to hear God’s word! Even if in God’s mercy he hears that word again, he is presumptuous to think that the next time conviction will come like it did previously. Man needs to understand that the only time he has for certain is right now! “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” (2Co 6:2)

We have no guarantee that the mercy of God shown us today will be repeated tomorrow. To hear the gospel one time is enough to render a man inexcusable. In fact, the Lord says there is enough truth concerning Himself revealed in His creation that mankind has no excuse for not seeking Him! (Rom 1:20) To expect we will have one more breath to use to cry out to God is arrogant. Yes, God’s word is clear that He is longsuffering, but He is well within His right to determine at any moment that He has suffered the rejection of His glory long enough. Let’s consider King Manasseh and King Amon as examples of God’s right to extend mercy for as long or as little as He sees fit.

2Ch 33 tells us that Manasseh came to the throne of Judah when he was twelve years old. He reigned for a period of fifty-five years, the longest of any king of Israel or Judah. But Manasseh has another distinction besides the longest reigning king. He was also the most wicked! In fact, God said he did “more evil than the nations whom the LORD had destroyed before the children of Israel”. He wasn’t just the worst among the Israelites; he was the worst of all who had lived in Canaan before God gave the land to Israel! Further, God said that the destruction of the kingdom of Judah along with the captivity of the people by the Babylonians would be a direct result of this king’s wicked reign! (2Ki 24:3) So, behold the longsuffering of our God that He would grant the longest rule to the most wicked of all the kings!! But His mercy doesn’t end there. In the latter half of his reign (I could hardly believe it the first time I read this passage), God saved Manasseh’s poor soul, and he began to serve the Lord God. (2Ch 33:11-16) And so, Manasseh stands as a monument to the amazing grace and mercy of the Almighty!! (The hymn “Hallelujah! What a Savior!” is swelling up within my heart!)

But, now we come to Manasseh’s son, Amon. We read the following of him as he took the throne: “But he did evil in the sight of the LORD, as his father Manasseh had done; for Amon sacrificed to all the carved images which his father Manasseh had made, and served them. And he did not humble himself before the LORD, as his father Manasseh had humbled himself; but Amon trespassed more and more.” (2Ch 33:22-23) I suspect that Amon thought his reign would be long like his father’s. Perhaps he even assumed that one day, late in life, he would repent as his father had done. But, we read of Amon that “he reigned two years in Jerusalem,” and “his servants conspired against him, and killed him in his own house”! (v. 21, 24) Amon died in his sins! He had two years to respond to the word of God rather than fifty-five, but even with the shorter time frame, Amon would have to confess that God showed him more mercy than he deserved.

There is a great “day of the Lord” coming in which every eye will see Christ and every tongue will confess that He is Lord. (Rev 1:7, Rom 14:11-12) But, for many, a “day of the Lord” has already come. Just ask the ones carried away by the flood. Talk to those of Sodom and Gomorrah. Speak to the Jews who inhabited Jerusalem as it was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. One thing is certain about every “day of the Lord”: “For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.” (1Th 5:2-3) And so, the Scripture is clear about the urgency of this present hour: “Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” (Isa 55:6-7) There is mercy with the Lord. Seek it now.

Jamie

And after some days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him concerning the faith in Christ. Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, “Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you.”
Acts 24:24-25

We would do well to follow Paul’s example as he reasoned with Felix. Paul knew the same thing everyone else did concerning this Roman leader. Historians tell us he ruled with cruelty, and the biblical account makes it clear he was accustomed to taking bribes. His adulterous relationship with his wife Drusilla (his third) was common knowledge for he had persuaded her to leave her husband and marry him. Felix was powerful and crooked, a dangerous combination, and yet Paul was faithful to his soul. He didn’t just tell him that he needed faith in Christ, he told him why faith in Him was required. I love Paul’s three-point outline as he reasoned with him concerning:

1) Righteousness

If you ask men in general, they feel like they’re doing alright. Everyone’s basically good in his or her own eyes, but the problem is that man’s standard of goodness falls far short of God’s. God requires righteousness. His standard is holiness! He says, “Be holy, for I am holy.” (1Pe 1:16) So, if God only accepts righteousness, how do I attain to that level of goodness? That question brings us to our next point.

2) Self-control

If God requires righteousness, then we need to exhibit self-control. The commands of God, His law, can be kept if we simply exercise self-control, resisting the impulses of this flesh. But, we have a problem with our attempts at attaining righteousness by controlling our sinful desires. We continually fall short! Isa 64:6 says “we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags…” And Rom 6:20 reminds us that we are born as “slaves of sin” and therefore “free in regard to righteousness”. But the news gets worse…

3) Judgment

“And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment…” (Heb 9:27) This righteous God will judge the world one day to see how each one measures up to His righteous requirement. “…because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained” (Act 17:31) Judgment is certain for all, and we will be judged according to what we have done, whether right or wrong, good or bad. (Rom 2:5-11) In that day, any debt unpaid will require eternally payment in hell.

No wonder when Paul was done reasoning with Felix concerning these things, Felix was afraid! But don’t forget, the point to all of this discussion was so that the hearer might understand his need of a Savior. Yes, when we look to ourselves, we’re left with no hope. But, for those safe in Christ, Rom 3:21-22 is the reality. “But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe.” And so, God requires righteousness, but every effort on our own to exercise self-control in order to attain that righteousness falls short and leaves us fearful of eternal judgment. But God be praised, He has provided a Way for us to attain unto the righteousness of God! We can have hope in the day of judgment, “not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith”. (Php 3:9) Now, that’s good news!

Jamie