October 19, 2008
Prayer
Hymn 333 – Come to the Saviour, make no delay,
Prayer
Let’s continue in the book of Acts; we’re now on chapter 24. Last time, the Jews wanted to kill Paul, so the captain sent him to Caesarea, to Felix the governor. When the Jews came to Caesarea, Felix would judge between them and Paul. That’s where our chapter begins. In v. 1, we find that the Jewish leaders have brought Tertullus, a Roman orator, or lawyer, to help them present their case. On the other side, we see that Paul is alone to present his case.
In v. 2, Tertullus starts with some flattery to Felix, wanting to be on his good side. Then in vv. 3 – 5, he explains the Jews’ accusation against Paul; at the end of his speech, the Jews confirm that he’s right.
Then in v. 10, Paul begins his answer. In v. 12, he says that the Jews can’t prove what they’re saying. In v. 14, he says that he believes what the Jews call heresy; it was mainly the resurrection of the dead that they disapproved of.
So what did Felix decide? He didn’t make a decision; he decided to wait until the captain Lysias would come to Caesarea. Paul would be guarded (v. 23), but he was allowed a lot of freedom. During this time, Felix and his wife called for Paul; they wanted to hear more about the faith in Christ. Paul talked to them about three things: Righteousness, Temperance, and Judgement to come. Let’s look at these.
Firstly, righteousness: before the Lord came, righteousness was obtained by following the law. But the law just showed you that you couldn’t be righteous, that you needed a Saviour. Paul probably explained how the Lord’s death can make us righteous.
Second, temperance: that’s like self-control. That would be a result of righteousness by faith. Also, The government leaders at this time probably lived very sinful lives; they didn’t really control themselves.
Third, Judgement to come: Felix was a judge, and he knew what it was like to make decisions. If he wasn’t righteous, one day he would have to meet God as his Judge.
Felix trembled at this, but he didn’t make a decision. He sent Paul away, saying they would talk again at a more convenient time. We don’t read that they did, but Felix called Paul often, hoping Paul would bribe him into letting him go. However, after two years, Festus took over Felix’s position, and Paul was left bound. That’s the end of today’s chapter, but may we remember the three things Paul talked about to Felix, and have them settled in our own lives.
V. 15 tells us that the Lord’s long-suffering is our salvation.V. 9 uses the term long-suffering; it says that the Lord will continue to wait for souls to come to Him. He is not willing that any should perish.
It’s interesting that Peter mentions his “beloved brother Paul.” He could have had a chip on his shoulder for Paul: when they were in Antioch, Peter was acting somewhat hypocritical, and Paul had to rebuke him. But Peter bore no grudge; he speaks well of Paul and his writings, even if some of those writings were hard to understand. These verses (end of v. 15 and v. 16) bring up some interesting thoughts: the Bible is a unique book in the perspective that brilliant people can read it and not have a clue what it means. It is only once they are saved that they can see it’s truth. It is the Holy Spirit that helps us understand the Word of God. It’s not just like any other book; let’s not treat it like one. Most books we read just once, but the Bible is new every time we come to it. We can always get something for our present needs. Someone may glean something totally different than you or I would from a given passage, but that doesn’t mean that one of us is wrong; we are all right, because the Bible is so deep. It’s important to realize that we aren’t talking about the doctrinal aspect of the Bible here; those are truths that are absolute and can not be bent. We are looking at the devotional aspect of reading God’s word.
“Unlearned” (v. 16) is not talking about a lack of academic knowledge; it means spiritual knowledge. Mr. Darby uses the term “ill established” instead of “unstable.” These refer to people who are not grounded in the truth; these people wrest, or twist, the scriptures to mean other things. This twisting of the scriptures will be to their destruction; this doesn’t mean eternal destruction: it refers to the loss of a life that could have been lived for the Lord.
Hymn 201 – When we walk with the Lord,
Prayer