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April 9, 2024
-Before the governor Felix-
Key verse 15: "I have the same hope in God as these men themselves have, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked."
Occasionally we are given the opportunity to make an important decision. How should we behave when we are given such an opportunity?
Today we want to think about this.
The apostle Paul was wrongly arrested on false accusations by some Jews and is now in the city of Caesarea. He is then to be judged before the governor Felix.
After five days, the high priest Ananias comes down with some elders and a lawyer named Tertullus. They present their case against Paul to the governor.
Their accusation reads: Paul had instigated riots against Rome throughout the Roman Empire, and that he was a leader of the so-called sect of the Nazarenes and had attempted to desecrate the Jewish temple in Jerusalem.
And some Jews appear as witnesses and confirm these accusations (verse 9).
Paul is now about to defend himself:
"11 You can easily verify that no more than twelve days ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship. 12 My accusers did not find me arguing with anyone at the temple, or stirring up a crowd in the synagogues or anywhere else in the city. 13 And they cannot prove to you the charges they are now making against me." (verses 11-13).
And Paul confesses his faith in verses 14-16:
"14 However, I admit that I worship the God of our ancestors as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets, 15 and I have the same hope in God as these men themselves have, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. 16 So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man."
Paul describes himself as a follower of the "way", i.e. as a Christian.
Jesus is not one way and not the best way, but the way, i.e. the only way.
"The way" here means "God" and "the way of life".
If we know Jesus Christ, we know God, because Jesus is the revelation of God or God incarnate. To know Jesus Christ is the way of life.
That is why God's word in John 1:18 states:
"No one has ever seen God: the only-begotten, who is God and is in the bosom of the Father, he has revealed him to us" (John 1:18).
Chinese scholar Confucius was honest when he once said: "If I know the way in the morning, I am ready to die in the evening of the day."
Jesus is the way of life, and knowing Jesus is the way to eternal life, because God gives us eternal life through Jesus.
We can only come to know God properly and come to God through Jesus. That is why Jesus says in John 14:6: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
Today, some Christians are ashamed to confess Jesus as the only way. Many believe that Christ is one of many paths, such as Buddhism, Islam, or Hinduism.
The first Christians, however, were not ashamed to confess Jesus as the only way. That is why they proudly confessed that they were followers of Jesus, even if they had to lose their lives for their confession.
In verses 17-21, Paul says that he had done nothing wrong in the temple and challenges his accusers to name eyewitnesses to his illegal actions.
Paul's defense embarrasses Felix. Felix has a Roman citizen before his court and does not have a single eyewitness to the accusations made against Paul. Legally speaking, he would have to declare Paul innocent and release him. However, he doesn't want to do this because it would be very risky for him politically, as the Jewish leaders would undoubtedly get angry and turn to the emperor.
So what does Felix do?
He acts politically and says: "When Tribune Lysias (who brought Paul here) comes down, I will decide on your case."
He postpones the decision indefinitely. After two years, he then hands this court matter over to the next governor, named Felix.
Verses 24-25 tell us the following about Felix:
“24 Several days later Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish. He sent for Paul and listened to him as he spoke about faith in Christ Jesus. 25 As Paul talked about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, <That’s enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.>”
So Felix somehow - perhaps through his Jewish wife Drusilla - has a head knowledge of Christian doctrine. He knows that Christians consider Jesus to be the long-awaited Messiah and believe that Christ came to redeem people from their sin through his death on the cross. But there is a serious difference between head knowledge and faith in the heart.
Beyond head knowledge, we must put our trust in Jesus to be saved from sin and the power of death.
We can compare our trust in Jesus with the trust of a parachutist in his parachute. The skydiver not only has the head knowledge that the parachute can guarantee a safe landing. He also trusts in this parachute and jumps.
In this sense, we must trust Jesus if we want to be saved from our sins and enter the kingdom of heaven.
Do we have this trust in Jesus? Do we not only have head knowledge about the way of salvation, but have we also accepted Jesus in our hearts and trusted him?
The distance between our head and our heart is only about 30 centimeters. This distance of thirty centimeters can decide whether we will spend eternity with Jesus in the kingdom of heaven or without Jesus in hell.
We can be satisfied with the head knowledge that Jesus is the Savior. But we should not be satisfied with the head knowledge, but go 30 cm deeper and believe from the heart that Jesus is our Savior. This is how we can truly experience salvation through Jesus.
Let us think about the education of our younger children. If we only give our children intellectual knowledge, our children can give theologically correct answers about the way of salvation. But that does not mean that they are saved. Therefore, we should pray that they will personally receive Jesus into their hearts as their Savior. This also applies to every person, even theologians. So we should pray that our loved ones will come to personal faith in Jesus.
Verse 25 tells us that Paul "talked with Felix about righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment" to lead him to right conversion and salvation. These are things that everyone needs to hear.
Felix is a corrupt person. He has risen to his positions through corrupt and shameful deals he has made with some powerful people. He is also known for his terrible brutality. A Roman historian named Tacitus describes him as a "master of cruelty and lust". He also took his current wife Drusilla away from her former husband. She is not his first wife either, but his third wife.
No wonder, Felix is startled when [Paul] talks about justice and self-control and the coming judgment.
"Righteousness" here refers to the absolute standard of God's holiness. That is, not only is Felix a corrupt person before God, but so are we all before God.
So we are to be saved from sin and God's judgment through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ and become God's children.
Verse 26 tells us: "But he (i.e. Felix) also hoped that Paul would give him money, so he often sent for him and talked with him."
Felix should repent of his greed for money and believe in Jesus as Savior and Son of God so that he can be saved.
This way of salvation applies to every person. Every person should repent and believe in Jesus as the Son of God and Christ in order to be saved. There is no exception. Every person who repents of the sin and believes in Jesus Christ becomes a child of God and enters the kingdom of heaven. That is the good news for all people.
We should not remain in sin, but through repentance and faith in Jesus accept forgiveness of sins and eternal life and live happily.
We cannot be completely without sin by our own strength, but have often sinned before God. As a result, after our physical death, we would have to be judged before the judgment of God and be condemned to hell. But Jesus Christ was judged and condemned in our place. So we are free from the condemnation of God.
King Henry VIII led England on the path to reformation, but also had 70,000 subjects executed - including two of his wives. Even his contemporaries nicknamed him "England's Nero".
An English reformer from the 1500s named Hugh Latimer regularly preached to King Henry VIII, who had committed serious moral transgressions. And in one of his sermons, Latimer insulted the king quite strongly. As a result, he was ordered to preach before the king again the following Sunday and apologize for his remarks. So he went the next Sunday, read the Bible text as usual and began his sermon as if he were speaking to himself: <Hugh Latimer, do you know before whom you are to speak today? Before the high and mighty monarch, the king's excellent majesty, who can take your life if you offend him. So be careful not to say a word that might displease him! But think well, Hugh, do you not know where you come from and by whose authority you are sent? Even from the great and mighty God, who is omnipresent and who sees all your ways and who can cast your soul into hell! Therefore, make sure that you deliver your message faithfully.> [1]
After saying this, Hugh Latimer gave the exact same sermon with even more energy that he had given to the king the week before. And amazingly, he survived the encounter.
Paul confronts Felix with his sin so that he realizes how serious his sin is before the holy God. Felix is shocked by justice and judgment. But unfortunately, Felix does not repent.
Instead, Felix says to Paul: "Go away for now. When an opportunity arises, I will send for you" (verse 25).
Conclusion
This story calls on non-Christians to repent of their sin and believe in Jesus Christ. They should not miss the opportunity to accept Jesus as the Son of God and Christ and to receive blessed, eternal life.
Even for people who are already Christians, the teaching of this story offers an opportunity to renew their faith in Jesus Christ and to shape their lives according to their faith beneficially. We should examine ourselves to see whether we believe in the gospel out of our hearts and build our lives properly on Jesus Christ.
God will then ensure that we live as his children in his grace and receive his kingdom of heaven as an inheritance. Amen!
[1] https://www.redeeminggracepittsburgh.com/sermons/sermon/2022-07-03/acts-241-27-the-missed-opportunity-of-a-lifetime
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