"State Your Case" ('On Trial' series pt 3)

When they came to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor... after five days Ananias the high priest came down with the elders and a certain orator named Tertullus... "Seeing that through you we enjoy great peace, and prosperity is being brought to this nation by your foresight, we accept it always and in all places, most noble Felix... For we have found this man a plague, a creator of dissension among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. He even tried to profane the temple..." Then Paul... answered: "...this I confess to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the Law and in the Prophets. I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust. This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men." (Acts 23:33–24:16)

When the world puts your faith on trial, will you be ready to state your case?

We Love a Courtroom Drama

It was one of those unforgettable moments, though at the time I didn't recognize it as such. It was October 3rd, 1995—a Tuesday morning. I was sitting in geometry class at Orange Glen High School, and my teacher stopped his discussion of right triangles and Pythagoras's Theorem and turned on news radio. Thirty of us sat listening as we heard, "We the jury find the defendant Orenthal James Simpson not guilty of the crime of murder." Do you remember the white Ford Bronco? With those twenty or so words, millions of Americans got back to their lives, and Hollywood discovered it could make money on what we now call reality TV.

We love courtroom dramas. We love to see someone's life hanging in the balance, and we love to witness justice be done. Many still believe justice was not done in that case. We are a people who long for justice, even though Scripture tells us to love mercy and to do justly ourselves. That's why when someone weaves past you on the freeway at ninety miles an hour, you say, "I wish there were a highway patrolman"—until you're the one weaving. Hollywood knows we love the prosecution, the defense, the witness on the stand, the judge, the jury, and the cry of "Objection, your honor!"

A Change of Venue

In Acts 24 we have just such a proceeding. Paul has already stood before a Jewish council in Jerusalem for what was essentially an arraignment, but it didn't go well. It ended with the prosecutors fighting one another over the issue Paul raised—"I am being judged for the hope of the resurrection." The contention grew so heated that the Romans had to go in and remove the prisoner for his own protection. Then a plot to assassinate Paul was uncovered.

Knowing Paul would never get a fair hearing, the Roman commander Claudius Lysias called for a change of venue. In the middle of the night he sent Paul sixty miles down to Caesarea with a full military escort—470 soldiers, 70 mounted on horses, 200 with spears, 200 with swords. There Paul waited as Governor Felix reviewed the letter and subpoenaed the Jewish council to come and argue their case. This is not a fictional drama; this is actual Christian history.

No Evidence, So They Hired an Orator

Verse one tells us Ananias the high priest came down with the elders and an orator named Tertullus to "present evidence." But as we will see, they present no evidence, because they have none. So what do you do when you have no evidence? You hire a really good orator and you flatter the judge.

This is instructive to us as followers of Jesus, because we need to walk uprightly before God and men. Every person who goes by the name "Christian" will at some point be called into question by those outside the faith. If you are outspoken about following the way of Jesus, you will be questioned. May it be that when we are questioned, we have so fulfilled Paul's exhortation to Titus that they have nothing evil to say of us.

Likewise exhort the young men to be sober-minded, in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you. (Titus 2:6–8)

May our lives be lived in such a pattern that people who never set foot in a church have nothing evil to say of us. Philippians chapter 2 says we are to become blameless and harmless children of God, without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, shining as lights in a dark world. Men love darkness rather than light, but we are children of light. May people who don't even know God look at our lives and see integrity, self-control, love, joy, peace, kindness, and gentleness—the evidences of God's Spirit within us.

The First Charge: Paul Is a Troublemaker

When Tertullus stands, he flatters Felix: "Through you we enjoy great peace, and prosperity is being brought to this nation by your foresight." None of it was true. History records that Felix, who ruled from about A.D. 52 to 58, was a terrible leader, given to bribes—he even seeks a bribe from Paul later in this chapter. Under him crime in Judea increased exponentially because people knew they could pay him off. The Jewish historian Josephus tells us there was no prosperity; things were so difficult that Paul, a Christian, brought alms to suffering Jews in Jerusalem. Felix was also immoral, having seduced and stolen another man's wife. Flattery will get you nowhere.

Then come the three charges. The first: "We have found this man a plague... a creator of dissension among all the Jews throughout the world." The King James calls him a pestilence—a pest who brings destruction wherever he goes. They charge that Paul is a troublemaker.

This is actually the reality for any follower of Christ. If your faith is alive and active, it will be disruptive to the status quo, because the way of the kingdom of God is so counter to the culture of this world. In 2 Corinthians 2, Paul says we carry the fragrance of Christ. To those who are being saved, it is the aroma of life leading to life—you meet a fellow Christian and immediately there's fellowship. But to those who are perishing, that same fragrance is the aroma of death leading to death.

Have you ever smelled death? This past week several of us pastors camped on the ocean side of Catalina Island, and when we arrived there was a terrible smell. We walked to the beach and found three dead seals that had been in the sun. Let's be honest about what a group of boys does when they find dead seals—they throw rocks. The smell was hideous. If you're a Christian, you carry the fragrance of Christ, and to someone who does not know Christ, that is the smell of death, and they want nothing to do with it. Wherever you go there will be a stir—but a stir is not a convictable offense.

The Second Charge: A Sect Leader

The second charge: "a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes." Christians were first called this in Antioch because they followed Jesus of Nazareth, and the Jews looked down on Nazareth. In John's Gospel one future disciple said, "Can anything good come from Nazareth?" What Tertullus and the chief priests were really saying is that Paul is an outsider, a cult leader of some wacky fringe group outside the mainstream.

In one sense it was true—Paul was a leader among the followers of Jesus. But the false part is the implication that these followers were cultic and abnormal. They were outside the mainstream of Jewish religion of that day, but they were not outside that which is right.

This speaks to us, because we are in the world but should not be conformed to it. Whether in the first century or the twenty-first, a Christian is outside the norm, countercultural, revolutionary. People who move according to the course of this world will look at you and say there's something weird about you, as if that's a bad thing.

Back in the '90s, Christian teenagers wore WWJD bracelets—"What Would Jesus Do?" Around the early 2000s came a new acronym: NOTW, "Not of This World," from John's Gospel where Jesus says, "I am not of this world." But it's far easier to stick a sticker on your car than to actually live in the world without being conformed to it. All the pressures of this culture push us to conform to what is normal, but we are citizens of heaven (Philippians 3), ambassadors of another kingdom (2 Corinthians 5), pilgrims passing through (Hebrews). We like comfort, and it's uncomfortable to be the outsider, so we're tempted to talk like they talk, go where they go, and watch what they watch. But Paul was disruptive, countercultural, and the people around him didn't like it. Josh once saw a bumper sticker that read, "I can't wait for the Rapture," with smaller words underneath: "because then we'll have the whole world to ourselves." That's how the world increasingly looks at Christians—"You ruin everything."

The Third Charge: Profaning the Temple

The final charge, in verse 6: "He even tried to profane the temple." Of the three charges, this was the only one that, if true, was a punishable offense—even punishable by death—because Gentiles were forbidden from certain areas of the temple. The accusation was that Paul brought a Gentile in. But it was not true, as Paul will show. So the prosecution rests: he's a plague, an outsider, a temple-defiler—and the whole council nods along, "Look into these things, Felix."

Paul Begins His Defense

Felix nods to Paul to speak.

Then Paul, after the governor had nodded to him to speak, answered: "Inasmuch as I know that you have been for many years a judge of this nation, I do the more cheerfully answer for myself." (Acts 24:10)

Paul, having received plenty of legal training, needed no expert orator. With no PR and no flattery, he simply tells Felix he's glad to answer to an experienced judge. In Paul's defense there are five lessons about how we should state our case.

First, acknowledge the intelligence of your hearers. One accusation against Christians that actually sticks is that we belittle non-Christians—their intelligence, their questions. When someone at work or in your family doesn't know Jesus and brings questions or even accusations, acknowledge that they are not foolish, that their questions may be valid. Don't say, "What a dumb question—don't you understand?" No, they don't understand; they don't know. Later in this chapter Paul gets to speak privately with Felix and his wife about the gospel, and I'd suggest it's because he never belittled this carnal Roman governor. When we belittle people, we cut off the opportunity to share more fully.

Encourage Them to Examine the Facts

"...you may ascertain that it is no more than twelve days since I went up to Jerusalem to worship. And they neither found me in the temple disputing with anyone nor inciting the crowd... Nor can they prove the things of which they now accuse me." (Acts 24:11–13)

Second, encourage others to examine the facts. Paul says, "I went up to Jerusalem to worship, I wasn't causing problems, and you can find witnesses to support that." If someone has sincere questions about Christ, simply encourage them to look into the facts. I'm surprised how many people tell me the Bible is full of error and fables, and when I ask, "Have you ever read it?" they sheepishly say no. So you have an opinion about something you've never looked into. Don't take my word for it—just look into it. Sometimes people's animosity has nothing to do with the Bible but with someone who claimed to be a Christian and acted in an unbiblical way. We can say, "I'm sorry that person was a bad example. Would you just look into the Scriptures themselves?"

Third, plainly answer the accusations and questions. When someone sincerely asks, "Do you really believe God created the heavens and the earth?"—yes. "Do you really believe Jesus rose from the dead?"—yes. "Do you really believe both believers and unbelievers will rise to stand before God for judgment?" So many Christians want to dance around that one, afraid it will offend. Yes, we believe both the believer and the non-believer will rise to stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

Clearly Articulate the Gospel

"But this I confess to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers... I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust." (Acts 24:14–15)

Fourth, clearly articulate the truth of the gospel. Paul says, "It's not a sect—I am a follower of the Way." Most Bible teachers connect this to John 14:6, where Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." Paul believed the only way to be raised to eternal life was to follow the Way.

Notice too that Paul highlights the commonalities between himself and his accusers: they also believe in the resurrection. There's just one difference—he believes Jesus is the way. As I shared on Easter, 81% of Americans believe in life after death. When you talk to friends or co-workers who believe there's something after this life, you can build on that common ground: "We both agree there's life after this. Let me ask—if you died tonight, would you be in heaven for eternity?" If they say, "I don't know," you can say with confidence, "I have hope in God that I will be there one day, because Jesus promised to prepare a place for those who put their faith in Him." That certainty challenges them, because they are relying on good works, church attendance, or infant baptism, just hoping it might work out.

"I have hope in God... that there will be a resurrection of the dead... This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men." (Acts 24:15–16)

Notice the tie between verses 15 and 16. Because Paul believes there is a resurrection, he strives now to live with a conscience without offense. Because he knows he will one day stand before God to give an account, he wants to live blamelessly now.

Don't Be Offended If They Reject It

Paul concludes that he had come to bring alms to his nation and was found purified in the temple, with no mob and no tumult. The witnesses who could accuse him weren't even present. The only thing they could hold against him was his cry about the resurrection of the dead.

Fifth, don't be offended if they don't receive it. We sometimes take it far too personally when people refuse to hear about Jesus. They're not rejecting you; they're rejecting Him. If you've acknowledged their intelligence, encouraged them to examine the facts, plainly answered their questions, and clearly articulated the gospel, and they still reject it—that's between them and God.

Here's what I've done in a number of these conversations. When someone says, "I'm not ready to receive the grace of Christ; I don't believe He's the way," I turn them to Hebrews 10.

For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. (Hebrews 10:26–27)

I say, "I've put you in mind today of the truth—that Jesus died for your sins—and you're rejecting His sacrifice. So your good works won't work, your church attendance won't work, your infant baptism won't work. The only thing left to look forward to is judgment." They'll say, "I don't like that," and I say, "I'm glad you don't like it—I don't either. But I want you to know that as you lay your head on your pillow tonight, that's all you have to look forward to. Am I wrong?" And they say, "No, you're right." I've found it really effective.

May the Lord give us the words in those moments. We need to be ready to state our case before those who are wondering. The people in our workplaces and families who don't know Christ want to know who you are, what you believe, and why. So be ready to stand before them.

Closing Prayer

Father God, we thank You for Your good word, which is powerful and challenging. Help us today as we go from this place to be ready in season and out of season to state our case—to walk uprightly before those who are outside, to not be conformed to this world even though we're in it, to acknowledge the intelligence of those we talk with, to encourage them to examine the facts, to answer their questions, to give the truth of the gospel, and then to leave it with them between You and them, trusting that Your Holy Spirit is able to convict the world of sin, of righteousness, and of coming judgment. God, break us out of the mold of our complacency and challenge us to share the truth of the gospel with those who are outside.

If you would say today, "I don't have hope in God; I'm not certain I will receive that resurrection"—Jesus came to die on the cross for our sins, to remove them as far as the east is from the west. He calls us to confess our sins, to believe that He died and rose again, to accept what He did on the cross as the payment for our sins, to repent and turn from our sin, and to follow Him publicly. If that's you, pray with me: Dear Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner. I believe that You died in my place. I believe that You rose from the dead. Please come into my heart, be my Lord and my Savior, help me to turn from my sin and turn to You in faith. Please save me from my sin. In Jesus' name.