WHAT TO PREACH TO ‘IMPORTANT PEOPLE’ – Acts 24:24-26
Introduction:
1. God is no respecter of persons. When compare ‘important’ people with God, they are ‘a drop in the bucket’ – as are the nations they rule over.
2. God rules in the kingdoms of men – they would have ‘no power at all’ except God permits such.
3. Gospel is for sinners – all sinners. All are sinners….
4. Paul here arrested and brought before Felix. Ch. 24
a. The accusation, 2-9, a pestilent fellow, mover of sedition.. profane the temple
b. Paul’s defense –
1. Felix ‘many years a judge of these people’ – would know their character!
2. Heresy – but,
a. Same God
b. Believing ALL written in the prophets (i.e., Jesus the Messiah)
c. Hope of resurrection of the dead (all the dead – just and unjust)
d. All good conscience
3. As for profaning the temple – was ‘purified’ –
5. Hence – allowed to speak concerning ‘THE faith in Christ’.
a. THE faith – the doctrine / teaching about
b. Christ – the annointed one, the fulfillment of the prophets, the Messiah – JESUS.
BODY
1. REASONED
a. AV -
dispute 6, reason with 2, reason 2, preach unto 1, preach 1, speak 1; 13
b. GK -
1363 { dialevgomai }
1) to
think different things with one’s self, mingle thought with thought
1a) to
ponder, revolve in mind
2) to converse, discourse with one, argue, discuss[1]
2. RIGHTEOUSNESS
a. GK -
1466 { dikaiosuvnh }
1) in a broad sense: state of him who is as he ought to be, righteousness, the condition acceptable to God
1a) the
doctrine concerning the way in which man may attain a state approved of God
1b) integrity,
virtue, purity of life, rightness, correctness of thinking feeling, and acting
2) in a narrower sense, justice or the virtue which gives each his due[2]
b. 1st – how one SHOULD live – the standard of what is right and wrong -
1. The gospel is that revelation for men today –
2. It applied as much to Felix as to Paul –
3. Problem for Felix – his character stunk!
c. 2nd – the gospel is also the revelation of forgiveness…
1. Through such we are made / declared righteous ….
2. Demands our obedience to the commandments that offer forgiveness.
3. SELF-CONTROL
a. To be right – we must be trying to be right. We MUST control ourselves.
b. While all are tempted, we are responsible for how we respond to such –
1. Tempted from own lusts – brings forth SIN --- IF we don’t control ourselves!
2. Doing what is RIGHT is not always doing what we would LIKE!
4. JUDGMENT TO COME
a. Resurrection for ALL – just and unjust! – hence dying does NOT get us out of eternal judgment.
b. Such judgment will be according to what we have done in the flesh – 2 Cor. 5:9-10 John 5:28-29
c. Great day of judgment will be a sad day for many –
5. FELIX’S RESPONSE
a. fear and trembling –
b. put off – more convenient season ---
c. We don’t serve God at our convenience –
CONCLUSION
1. Whether important (like Felix) or an unknown – God’s message is the same.
2. God expects us to live in all good conscience, and control ourselves.
3. God offers unto us forgiveness of those trespasses and sins --
4. What will be YOUR response? Will you not respond NOW ---
Felix – Drusilla
Felix –
a. He (Antonius Felix) and his brother (Pallas) were slaves in the house of Antonia, the mother of emperor Claudius.
b. They both became freedmen –
c. When Claudius became emperor, Pallas was one of his favorite companions and advisors.
d. Through such influence, Felix obtained the position as governor of Judea.
e. He governed (because of his reliance upon the ‘power’ and ‘position’ of his brother) as one who could commit any crime with impunity.
f. Tacitus describes him as one who wielded the power of a king in the mind of a slave.
g. He married 3 different ‘queens’ according to historian Suetonius:
1. 1st wife – the granddaughter of Mark Antony and Cleopatra, the daughter the king of Mauritania…named oddly enough, Drusilla! But not THIS Drusilla
2. 2nd one is not named
3. 3rd is this Drusilla.
a. the daughter of Herod Agrippa I – brother of the Agrippa here in ch. 25
b. Great-grandfather, Herod, killed the babies at the birth of Christ
c. Uncle – killed John the baptists – sat in trial of Jesus
d. Father – killed James the apostle and imprisoned Peter, died in Acts 12 (Drusilla was 6 at the time)
e. Her
older sister was Bernice -- BERNICE.
1. The eldest daughter of Herod Agrippa I, and
sister of Drusilla, born in ad
28.
2. Having been engaged, if not married,
previously, she married at the age of 13 her uncle Herod of Chalcis.
3. Upon his death in ad 48, she went to live with her brother Herod Agrippa II (an
incestuous relationship with him is alleged in Juvenal, Sat. 6. 156-160).
4. She then married Polemon king of Cilicia,
deserted him and returned to her brother, in whose company she heard Paul (Acts
25:13).
5. She subsequently became the mistress of the
future emperor Titus.
6. Josephus shows her in a more favourable light: in Jerusalem in ad 66 she intervened courageously in the attempt to prevent a massacre of the Jews by the procurator Florus (BJ 2. 309-314). e.m.b.g. [3]
4. Drusilla’s marriage situation
a. She was betrothed to the crown prince of Commagne in eastern Asia minor – but because he would not embrace Judaism the marriage never took place.
b. Then given in marriage (by her brother Agrippa II) to the king Azizus of Emesa (a petty state in Syria). He did embrace Judaism in order to marry her – year was 52A.D., and she was then 15. – it was this year that Felix became procurater of Judea.
c. The next year, when she was 16, Felix persuaded her to leave her husband and marry him.
d. 4 years later, it is now AD 57 when she hears Paul (she is now about 20).
e. She later died in the eruption on Pompeii in 79ad - around 42 years old.