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

Thanks for joining us as we continue going through the Scriptures in the book of Acts in our series called "On Trial." We're following the Apostle Paul as he is on trial for his faith in Christ and his witness. Here in this passage in Acts chapter 24, we see how we Christians can apply what we learn from his life in stating our case before people who don't know Christ. So check it out with us. Open your Bibles to Acts 24. God bless.

Would you stand with me? Open your Bibles to the book of Acts, Acts chapter 24. We're actually going to start reading today at 23:33 to put it in context.

Acts 23:33 says, "When they came to Caesarea and had delivered the letter to the governor, they also presented Paul to him. When the governor read the letter, he asked what province Paul was from. When he understood that he was from Cilicia, he said, 'I will hear you when your accusers have come,' and he commanded that Paul be kept in Herod's Praetorium."

Now, after five days, Ananias the high priest came down with the elders and a certain orator named Tertullus. They gave evidence to the governor against Paul. When he was called upon, Tertullus began his accusation, saying, "Seeing that through you, Felix, we enjoy great peace and prosperity being brought to this nation by your foresight, we accept it always and in all places, most noble Felix, with all thankfulness. Nevertheless, not to be tedious to you any further, I beg you to hear by your courtesy a few words from us. For we have found this man Paul to be 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, and we seized him. We wanted to judge him according to our law, but the commander Lysias came by great violence and took him from our hands, commanding his accusers to come to you. By examining him, you yourself may ascertain all the things of which we accuse him." The Jews also assented.

Maintaining that these things were so, 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 more cheerfully answer for myself. You may ascertain that it was 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 a crowd, neither in the synagogues in the city. Nor can they prove the things which they now accuse me.

But this I confess to you: that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of my fathers, believing all the things which are written in the Law and in the Prophets. I have hope in God, which they themselves accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both the just and the unjust. This being so, I myself always strive to have my conscience without offense toward God and men."

Amen. God, give us wisdom and insight. We come before Your Word today because we believe that Your Word is living, that it is powerful, and that it is useful for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness. We, who are Your people, would be equipped completely, totally, and thoroughly for every good work—the good works that You have prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

So, Jesus, we pray that when we walk out of this room at the top of the hour, we would walk out ready to face the things that You have prepared for us Monday and Tuesday through the rest of this week. That we would be ready by You to be witnesses, glorifying Your name in the world in which we live. So, God, work in us by Your Word and by Your Spirit to transform our minds, for we ask this in Jesus' name.

And all God's people agreed, saying, "Amen, amen, amen." You can be seated.

It was one of those moments that would become unforgettable, although at the time I certainly didn't recognize it as such. Now, almost twenty years later, I can see that it is one of those unforgettable experiences. It was October 3rd, 1995; it was a Tuesday morning. Now, you may say to yourself, "How in the world can you remember October 3rd, 1995, being a Tuesday morning?" Well, when I clue you into what happened on that day, you too will probably remember it.

I remember very well that I was sitting in my geometry classroom at Orange Glen High School here in Escondido. My teacher, Coach Cummings, was probably talking about right triangles and the Pythagorean Theorem. At some point in that class, he decided to stop his discussion and turned on the news radio. Myself and about 30 other students all sat there listening as we heard, "We, the jury of the above entitled action, find the defendant Orenthal James Simpson not guilty of the crime of murder."

Do any of you remember that? Do you remember the white Ford Bronco on TV during the slow chase? We all remember that, don't we? With those 20 or so words, "We find the defendant Orenthal James Simpson not guilty," millions of Americans could get back to their lives. I would say that Hollywood found they could make money in what is now called reality TV. People tune into these things, and after that was done, we got back to our work in our geometry class.

As a people, we love courtroom dramas. We love to see someone's life hanging in the balance. We love to witness justice being done. I know there are many people who still, nearly 20 years later, think that in that case, justice was not done. There are so many people who are drawn to these stories because we long for justice. Even though we are told in the Scriptures that we are to love mercy and to do justly, we love to see justice come to pass in another person's life.

That's why, when you're driving down the freeway and someone cruises by you doing 90 or 100 miles an hour, weaving in and out of traffic, you think, "Oh, I wish there was a highway patrolman." You all know that feeling. But then, when you're the one doing the weaving, you think, "Oh, I hope that's not a highway patrolman." We all know that to be the case.

We love courtroom dramas, and Hollywood knows it. There are so many different TV shows that play into that fascination. We love to see the prosecution, the defense, a witness on the stand, and the judge in his seat.

We see the jury there in the box, and we love to hear someone say, "Objection, Your Honor," and for the judge to respond, "Sustain." We like that sort of stuff; we're into it. As we come to Acts chapter 24, we have just such a situation before us again—a proceeding just like that.

Prior to this, Paul had already stood before a Jewish Council in Jerusalem. The Roman commander Claudius Lysias had called for the council to come together, and Paul was brought there essentially for an arraignment. The charges were to be read, and they needed to state what the formal charges against this man were. Why should he stand trial? Why should he be judged? Why should he even be punished or killed? That was what they were looking for, what they were hoping for.

However, that arraignment didn't go all that well. In our study last time, we saw that the arraignment ended with the prosecuting attorneys getting into a fight with one another over an issue that Paul brought into the courtroom. He said, "I'm being judged for the hope of the resurrection." There were some present who believed in the resurrection, but there was another group that did not. This contention became so heated that, at a certain point, the authorities—the Romans—had to go in and secure the prisoner. They had to remove him for his own protection.

Immediately following that, a plot was unearthed. The prosecution not only wanted to bring him before their judge and convict him of a crime, but they also plotted to kill him, to assassinate him. Claudius Lysias, the commander of the Romans in Jerusalem, knew that Paul would not get a fair and impartial hearing. Therefore, he called for a change of venue. In the middle of the night, he sent the prisoner Paul down to Caesarea, 60 miles away, with a full military escort: 470 Roman soldiers, 70 of them mounted on horses, 200 of them with spears, and 200 of them with swords, to carry Paul down to Caesarea for a hearing—a change of venue to secure some form of an impartial hearing.

So, Paul goes down to Caesarea, as we've seen in this passage.

Waiting there for a few days, Governor Felix looked at the letter and said, "Well, I'm going to have to call them. I'm going to have to subpoena the Jewish Council to come down here so that they can argue before me and see what exactly it is that they are accusing you of." So, Paul sat and waited in Caesarea. This whole story is something that could be found on any prime-time TV channel in the 21st century, but it's not a fictional drama; this is actual Christian history.

In verse one of chapter 24, we read, "Now after five days, Ananias the high priest came down with the elders and a certain orator named Tertullus, and these gave evidence to the governor Felix against Paul." I love how it says here that the high priest, when he came down with the elders and the council, presented evidence. However, as we will see as we go through this passage, they really don't present any evidence because they have none. Since they have no evidence, they have to find a way to bring about a conviction.

If you have no real evidence, what do you do? You hire a really good orator and flatter the judge, hoping that might work. But they had nothing they could bring against the Apostle Paul. This is so important; it is instructive to you and me as Christians and followers of Jesus.

Point number one on your outline is that we need to walk uprightly before God and men. Every individual that seeks to follow Jesus, every person who goes by the title of Christian, will at one point or another in their life be called into question by those who are not Christians, by those who are outsiders to the faith, to the church, and to the people of God. At some point in your life, if you are a follower of Jesus and if you are outspoken in your faith, if you tell people, "I'm a Christian; I'm a follower of the way of Jesus," then you will be called into question.

When we come under question, may it be that we have so fulfilled the exhortation given by the Apostle Paul to Titus and those he was teaching in Titus Chapter 2. May it be that we have so fulfilled Paul's words that they have nothing evil to say about us. You can turn there if you'd like; Titus Chapter 2 is near the end of your Bibles, right after 1 and 2 Timothy.

Look at verse 6. In Titus 2:6, Paul says to this young pastor, this young Christian leader, "Likewise exhort the young men that they be sober-minded in all things, showing yourself to be a pattern of good works in doctrine, showing integrity, reverence, and incorruptibility."

Listen to those who are part of the church, especially young men. He says to anyone, make sure that your life is a pattern of good works, that you are showing integrity, honor, reverence, and respect both to God and to authorities in this world. You should demonstrate incorruptibility and have sound speech.

In verse 8, Paul emphasizes the importance of sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that one who is an opponent, an unbeliever, may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say about you. May it be that my life and your lives are lived in such a way that people who do not believe in Jesus, who do not attend a church building on Sunday or ever, have nothing evil to say about us.

May we walk uprightly before both God and men. As Christians, may we fulfill what Philippians Chapter 2 says: that we become blameless and harmless children of God without fault in the midst of a wicked and perverse generation. We should shine as lights in a dark world.

How many of you today would say we live in a dark world? This is true of every generation and every place because the world, through the fall described in Genesis Chapter 3, walks in darkness. Jesus says, and His word is authoritative, that men love darkness rather than light.

That's true. We are children of God, which means we are children of light, and we live in a world that is dark. He says to make sure that we become blameless and harmless to the point that we shine as lights in a dark, crooked, and perverse generation. May it be that God does that in our lives, so that as much as is possible, as it depends on us, we would live at peace with all men, not just those who are in the body of Christ.

Point number one says that we should walk uprightly before God, which is a given. I think every single one of us would say we want to walk uprightly before God. We want to live in a way that is honoring to Him, but also before men. This is not saying just men within the church; it includes people who are inside or outside of the church. We should walk in such a way that when people look at our lives, they say, "That is a person of integrity. That is a person who has self-control. That is a person who has love, joy, peace, kindness, gentleness, and self-control." These are the evidences of God's Spirit being within us. May it be that people who don't even know God look at my life and say, "That's what I see. I see integrity in the community and in the workplace."

We know that the high priest and the elders appear before the Roman governor in Caesarea, the capital of the province of Judea. They come to present evidence, but they really have no evidence. So, what do you do when you have no evidence? They hired a dynamic orator. Verse two states that when they came, they brought Tertullus, and he now stands before them. He was called upon, and Tertullus began his accusation. When you hire this dynamic orator, he is going to flatter the judge, and that is exactly what he does.

"Seeing that through you, Felix, we enjoy great peace and prosperity is being brought to this nation, the nation of Israel, by your foresight. It is because of your leadership that we have prosperity among us. We accept it always and in all places, most noble Felix, with all thankfulness." Now, that may sound good, but none of it was true. History records that this Governor Felix, who ruled from about A.D.

Until A.D. 58, we believe that these events were taking place around this time of year, just before Paul was called upon by Caesar Nero to relinquish his post in Judea. Historians tell us that Felix was a terrible leader; he was known to accept bribes. In fact, he was seeking a bribe from the Apostle Paul at the end of this passage in verse 26. As a result of his tendency to receive bribes, we are told by the Jewish historian Josephus and others that crime in Judea increased exponentially during this time. People knew they could do whatever they wanted as long as they paid off Felix.

There was no prosperity during this time under Felix. Things were so difficult in Judea that Paul, a Christian man, received an offering to bring alms to Jewish individuals in Jerusalem because they were suffering under a bad economy. Here, Tertullus stands up and says, "Oh, listen, Felix, through you we have great peace." This is not true. He continues, "Through you we have great prosperity." Again, not true. He claims, "Because of your great leadership." This is also not true. Felix would eventually be removed from his post by Caesar Nero because he was such a poor leader. He would be replaced by a man named Festus, whom we will be introduced to in the future.

Not only was Felix not a good leader, but he was also an immoral man. At this point in time, he was married to a woman who had appeared before him when she was around 20 years old, a little younger than that. She was incredibly beautiful to him, even though she was already married. He found a way to seduce her and stole her from her husband, making her his second wife. He would go on to divorce her and marry a third time, but he was an immoral, wicked man. Yet here, Tertullus stands and says, "Oh, you're so wonderful, you're so wonderful." Flattery will get you nowhere; we know that to be the case.

Now, Tertullus turns in verse four and presents his accusations, the charges coming from the high priest and the people there from the council. If you notice carefully, they present three charges. In verse four, he states, "Nevertheless, not to be tedious to you any further, I beg you to hear by your courtesy a few words from us, for we have found..."

This man, Paul, is described in the King James Version as a plague. They have found this man to be a pestilence; he is a pest. Everywhere he goes, he brings sickness, destruction, and pestilence. He is a creator of dissension among all the Jews throughout the world. The first charge they bring against him is that Paul is a troublemaker. Wherever he goes, he stirs up problems, and they just don't like him.

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, this is the reality for anyone who is a follower of Jesus Christ. Why is that? If your faith is alive and your faith in Christ is active, it will be disruptive to the status quo. Living for Jesus will cause a stir. The faith of Christ and the way of the Kingdom of God is so counter to the culture of this world that those who walk according to the Kingdom of God will be going against the flow of this world, which is under the sway of the wicked one. Therefore, wherever you go, it will cause a stir; it will cause a problem.

However, that's not necessarily a convictable offense. The reality is that the Christian carries with them a certain fragrance. In 2 Corinthians, Paul describes this. He says that you and I, as believers in Jesus, as Christians, have the fragrance of Christ upon us. To those who are Christians, it is the aroma of life leading to life. When you meet someone, maybe they don't go to this church, but you realize they are a Christian from another church, immediately you experience a joining, a community, a fellowship. The Bible describes it as such because there is the aroma of life leading to life, and you think, "I just love to breathe that in."

However, Paul also says in 2 Corinthians that to those who are perishing, that is, people who don't know Jesus, that same fragrance—the fragrance of Christ—is like the aroma of death leading to death. How many of you have ever smelled the smell of death before? This last week, myself, Pastor Josh, and Pastor...

Jason, Pastor Mark, and Pastor Nick went to Catalina Island for a scouting trip. We camped on the ocean side of Catalina Island, and when we arrived at our campsite, there was no one there. However, there was a terrible smell. We were just a couple of hundred yards from the water, so we walked down to the beach to find the origin of the smell. There, on the beach, were three dead seals that had been in the sun for some time.

Now, let's be honest. When you have a group of boys, as we did—my son Josh had three of his sons, Jason has three of his sons, and we had another guy on our team with his son—what do boys do when they find dead seals on the beach? Of course, they throw rocks at them. I won't describe what happened as they threw rocks at these carcasses, but let me tell you, the smell was hideous. It was the smell of death.

You see, if you're a Christian, you have the fragrance of Christ upon you. For someone who does not know Christ, that is the smell of death leading to death, and they don't want anything to do with it. So, wherever you go, there will be a stir. We need to make sure that we are those who are walking uprightly before God and men, so that they have nothing evil to say about us. There should be nothing they can hold against us; the charges won't stick.

The second charge is given here in verse 5. Tulus stands up and says, "This guy's a plague; he's a pestilence. We don't like him; he stands for something that we hate." Number two, he is a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. A ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. Now, Nazarenes were those who were called Christians in the city of Antioch in the region of Syria. They were referred to as Nazarenes by those in Jerusalem and Judea because they were followers of one Jesus of Nazareth.

You may look at this and ask how this is a charge. Why is this even something to be brought up? That Paul is the ringleader of a sect of the Nazarenes? We understand that among the Jews, Nazareth was viewed poorly. They looked down upon that region.

Galilee was kind of the backwater sort of valley. I apologize to you valley cities, but it was that backwater place. In the Gospel of John, one who would ultimately become a disciple and follower of Jesus, when he told that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah, said, "Can anything good come from Nazareth?"

More than that, what was being said by Tulus, what was being said by the chief priests and the elders of Israel, was that this guy, Saul of Tarsus, Paul, an ambassador of Jesus of Nazareth, a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes, is an outsider. He is outside the norm of Christian life; he is outside the mainstream. What they were essentially saying is that this guy is a cult leader of some wacky group that is outside the norm and outside the mainstream.

Now, in a certain sense, that was somewhat true. Paul was a leader among this group of followers of Jesus of Nazareth. However, there is something that is not true here: those followers are not outside the norm; they are not cultic; they are not outside the mainstream of that which is right. They were, however, outside the mainstream of what was going on in the religion of the Jews of that day.

This speaks to us because the reality is that you and I, point number two on your outline, are in the world but should not be conformed to it. We are in the world, but we should not be conformed to it. You see, as Christians, whether you lived in the first century or you live in the twenty-first century, we are outside of what people in this world are moving according to—the course of this world. We are outside the mainstream; we are outside the norm. In many ways, we are countercultural to it; we are revolutionary in it. We are moving in a different direction, and therefore, people who are a part of this system in the world will look at you as a Christian and say, "There's something weird about you. There's something we don't like about you because you're not normal like us," as if that's a bad thing.

It was back in the 90s that it was popular among Christians, especially Christian teenagers, to wear a bracelet. Some of you probably had one of those, and if you looked around your house, you could probably find it in a drawer somewhere.

It had four letters on it: WWJD. Did anybody wear one of those? Once upon a time, be honest, we won't laugh. What would Jesus do?

Well, then right around the early 2000s, there was a new four-letter acronym that Christians started to wear. It was a new one: NOTW, which stands for "Not of This World." This is in accordance with some passages of Scripture found in the Gospel of John, where Jesus says, "I am not of this world," and since you're a follower of Me, you'll not be of this world either. Christians would say, "I'm not of this world," and there is some truth to that.

However, the reality is that it's far easier to stick a sticker on your car that says NOTW than to actually live in a way that you're in the world but not conformed to the world. To live in such a way that you're not following after the patterns of this world is challenging. You see, all the pressures of this culture, all the pressures of this world, are trying to get you and me to conform to what is normal. But as Christians, we just can't do that because we are of another kingdom.

Paul, in Philippians chapter 3, says that you and I are citizens of Heaven. In 2 Corinthians chapter 5, he says we are ambassadors, representatives of another kingdom. We are in this world, as Hebrews says, as pilgrims and sojourners; we're passing through. Even if you were born in America, even if you may have been born in San Diego County and have grown up in this culture, even though you know the ins and outs of what it's like to live in beach culture in Southern California, you are in this world but not to be of this world. We represent another world, and because that is the case, we will be seen as outsiders.

There is so much pressure because we like comfort. Let's be honest, we like comfort, and it's uncomfortable to be seen as the outsider, the abnormal. Because we're so tempted to be comfortable, a lot of times we just think, "Well, I'll just do what they do. I'll talk like they talk, I'll go where they go, and watch what they watch," because we don't want to be labeled as outside the mainstream.

Well, Paul was certainly outside the mainstream. Because he was outside the mainstream, he was disruptive to the status quo. He was countercultural and revolutionary, and the people he came in contact with didn't like that. They said he was a ringleader of the outsiders.

We often want to eliminate things that make us uncomfortable. I recently mentioned a bumper sticker that Josh saw a number of years ago. It said, "I can't wait for the Rapture" in big letters, and underneath it read, "because then we'll have the whole world to ourselves." There is a certain way in which people in the world, and this will grow in our own nation, look at Christians who are seeking to live out their faith. They say, "We don't want anything to do with you; you ruin everything."

The third and final charge leveled against Paul in verse 6 is that he even tried to profane the temple. Among the three charges brought against Paul, this was the only one that could actually be a punishable offense if it were true. Paul will demonstrate that it is not true. If it were true, he could be subject to punishment under Jewish law because there were certain areas in the temple that only Jewish individuals could enter; no Gentiles could go there. The accusation was that Paul had brought a Gentile into the temple, which was not the case. However, if he had, he could have faced severe punishment, even death.

This is the only charge that is prosecutable, but it is not true, as Paul will show. The formal charges are brought against Paul, and the Jewish prosecution stands up, claiming that Paul is a nuisance, an outsider, and not mainstream. They assert that he has tried to profane the temple and that they intend to judge him according to their law.

In verse 8, the commander, Lysias, the Roman commander, intervenes with great violence, taking Paul out of their hands. The prosecution expresses their outrage, stating, "How dare he do such a thing? We were going to judge him, and now he has pulled him away from us, preventing us from doing so." They command their accusers, the chief priests and the Council of Judaism, to come and appear before Felix. They argue that by examining Paul yourself, Felix, you may ascertain that all these things of which we accuse him are true. The Jews also assent, maintaining that these accusations are valid.

Tulus concludes by reiterating that Paul is a nuisance, a plague, and outside the mainstream. He insists that if Felix looks into these matters, he will find the accusations to be true. With that, the prosecution rests, and all of the Jewish Council members nod in agreement.

You get him. Look into these things, Felix. Look into them.

Felix, having presided over matters like this before, hears the prosecution as they say, "We rest our case." He then looks over to Paul and, with a simple nod, gives him the go-ahead.

In verse 10, 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 more cheerfully answer for myself." Paul, having received the go-ahead and plenty of legal training in his life, didn't need someone to stand as his expert orator in his defense. He stands to defend himself without pretense or flattery. He simply conveys to Felix, "Hey, I'm pleased to appear before you because I know that you have experience in matters like this. You've judged things like this before, and so I'm glad that I can talk with you. You're not a rookie judge here; you know what's going on." This is essentially what Paul is saying as he begins to state his case.

In Paul's statement of his case, there are five important lessons that we can glean about how we, when we stand before others to state our case, ought to do so. Point number one is given in Paul's opening words in verse 10, where he says to Felix, "Inasmuch as I know that you have been doing this for many years as a judge of this nation, I cheerfully stand before you."

Point number one, letter A: Acknowledge the intelligence of your hearers. One of the things that Christians in our day have been accused of—an accusation that could actually stick—is that we have a tendency to belittle non-Christians. We often belittle their intelligence and their questions about the faith, not realizing that they have valid questions and are not foolish.

So, when you interact with someone in your workplace or a family member who doesn't know Jesus and they have questions, or even accusations against the Bible or against you, acknowledge that they are not foolish people. Recognize that they are intelligent.

Questions that they may bring to you may actually be valid. Sometimes, Christians are guilty of looking at someone who is asking a question and thinking, "Well, that's such a dumb question. Don't you understand?" No, they don't understand. No, they don't know. When we are stating our case, we need to acknowledge the intelligence of those who are listening to us. We should not belittle them.

As we will see in a further study of this passage, Paul later has an opportunity to speak privately with Felix and his wife. The reason he has this opportunity to speak openly and privately with Felix, rather than in front of the Jewish Council and while defending himself, is that he did not belittle the intelligence of this carnal Roman governor sitting before him. Sometimes, we do that, and it cuts off the opportunity for us to share more fully with someone about the faith.

Paul answered Felix in truth and with sincerity. In verse 11, Paul says, "Because you may ascertain that it was no more than 12 days since I went up to Jerusalem to worship, and they neither found me in the temple disputing with anyone nor inciting a crowd, either in the synagogue or in the city. Nor can they prove the things which they now accuse me of."

Secondly, in stating your case, let us encourage others to examine the facts. Paul says, "Listen, Felix, I know you're a smart guy. You've seen these sorts of things before; you have experience with this sort of stuff. They've just leveled some charges against me. I encourage you to look into the facts. I went up to Jerusalem about 12 days ago. I went into the temple to worship. I was there in and out of the temple throughout the city. I wasn't causing problems. You can find witnesses to support that. Ask anyone; they know that I was not doing what these guys are saying I was doing."

We should learn from Paul's example here. If someone we are interacting with over the gospel has sincere questions about Christ, one of the things we can do is encourage them to examine the facts and look into these things. I am surprised by how many people I have talked to over the years who do not believe in Jesus and have challenging things to say about the Bible. They will say, "Well, the Bible is full of errors and fables," and all this stuff.

There is not true, and I simply say, have you ever read it? Sheepishly, they respond, "Well, no." You say, "So you have an opinion about something you've never actually looked into?" Might I just encourage you to look into it? Don't take my word for it; just look into it for yourself. The evidence is there.

One of the best things that you can do when stating your case with a person who is unbelieving, someone who would say they are an opponent of the faith, is to acknowledge their intelligence and then encourage them to examine the facts. Whether someone has read the Bible or not, they have generally formed opinions and questions about the faith. Sometimes, they have animosity towards Christians that has nothing to do with the Bible but stems from someone who once claimed to be a Christian and acted in an unbiblical way before them. They have issues with Christians, and one of the best things we can do is simply say, "Hey, you know what? I realize that so-and-so may not have been a good example to you, and I'm really sorry that they were a bad example. But could you just look into the facts of the Scriptures and consider what they say?"

Thirdly, when people come and they have those questions, plainly answer the accusations and questions. When someone does have a sincere and genuine question, when they ask you, "Do you really believe these things?" you should respond with confidence. Yes, I believe that God created the heavens and the Earth. Yes, I believe that Jesus rose from the dead. Is it really true that you believe that both unbelievers and believers will one day rise to stand before God for judgment for their sins?

So many Christians want to dance around that. They might think, "I don't know if I should say yes to that one because I know it's in the Bible, but oh goodness, it's going to offend them." Yes, we do believe that both the believer and the non-believer will one day, in the next life, rise to stand before the Judgment seat of Christ to be judged for their actions. There is a temptation for us to step away from that truth, but when we do...

Outline clearly articulates the truth of the Gospel. In Acts 24:14, Paul says, "But this I confess to you, Felix, that according to the way which they call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers, believing all the things which are written in the law and the prophets. I have hope in God, which you know they themselves accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust."

Paul clearly articulates the truth of the Gospel. He says to Felix, "Listen, Tullus has said this guy's a ringleader of a sect called the Nazarenes. He says that we're some sort of outsiders, some sort of outside the mainstream group that's not normal." Let me tell you, it's not a sect; I am a follower of the way.

You may ask, "What is the way?" Most Bible teachers accept and believe that it has something to do with Jesus saying in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me." Paul was a believer in the resurrection, and he believed that the only way to be raised unto eternal life was to follow the way. Jesus is the way, and so he was an ambassador, a representative of the way. He was not just a ringleader of some strange, outside-the-mainstream cult; he says, "I am a follower of the way."

One more important point in Paul stating his case, which I didn't necessarily put in the outline, is that he highlights the commonalities between him and his accusers. He says they also believe in the resurrection. There is just one minor difference: I believe that Jesus is the way. As I shared a couple of weeks ago on Easter, 81% of Americans believe that there is life after death.

When we're interacting with friends, family members, or co-workers who may not believe in the way but would say, "I think there's life after this," we can highlight the commonalities. "Listen, we both agree that there is life after this. Let me ask you a question: If you died tonight, would you be in heaven for eternity?" They might say, "Well, I don't know." You would respond, "As a Christian, a follower of the way, Jesus said, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me.' He promised those who put their faith in Him that He would prepare a place for them and come and receive them to Himself, that there we would be with Him."

Him for eternity, so I know the way, and I know with certainty that I have hope in God that I will be there one day. Let me tell you, when you talk to someone who says, "I'm not entirely sure I believe that Jesus is the way, but I do think that there is life after this," and you say with confidence, "I have hope in God that I will be there," it's going to challenge them. They don't have that hope; they're relying on their good works, their church attendance, the fact that they were baptized as an infant, or any number of things to get them in. They would say, "I'm not necessarily sure I have absolute certainty; I'm just kind of hoping that maybe that might work out for me."

"I have hope in God." Would you underline that in your Bibles? I have hope in God that there will be a resurrection. Notice the tie-in between verses 15 and 16: I have hope in God that there will be a resurrection. This being so, because I believe that there is a resurrection, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense before God and men. Because I know that someday I'm going to stand before God to give an account for every thought, word, deed, or action, I want to live my life now without offense before God and men.

Now, after many years, I came to bring alms and offerings to my nation, in the midst of which some Jews from Asia, probably from the city of Ephesus, found me purified in the temple. I didn't have a mob or a tumultuous crowd with me; they ought to have been here to object if they had anything against me. But they're not here to answer, or else let those who are here themselves say if they found any wrongdoing in me while I stood before the council. Unless it is for this one statement, which I cried out standing among them concerning the resurrection of the dead, I am being judged by you this day.

Final point on stating your case: don't be offended if they don't receive Him. I think that sometimes we take it way too personally.

Personally, I find it troubling that people refuse to hear what we have to say about Jesus. They are not rejecting you; they are rejecting Him. Don't be offended if they don't receive Him. If you have acknowledged the intelligence of your hearers and encouraged them to examine the facts, and if you have plainly and accurately answered the questions and accusations they bring to you, and clearly articulated the truth of the Gospel, then if they reject it, that is between them and God. If they say, "I'm not interested in that," you can respond, "Well, that's between you and the Lord."

I realize it might be a bother to some people that I've talked to, but this is what I've done in such cases. Turn with me, if you would, to the book of Hebrews, specifically Hebrews chapter 10. In conversations with people who say, "You know what? I'm not interested in that. I'm not ready to receive the grace of Christ. I don't think that I believe that He is the way," I refer them to verse 26 of Hebrews chapter 10.

I say, "Listen, I have put you in mind today of the truth of who God is. I have shared with you the Gospel that Jesus came and died for our sins to cover and remove them. However, you are rejecting this." The verse states, "For if we sin willfully after having received the knowledge of the truth..." I have just made you aware of the knowledge of the truth that Jesus died for your sins, and you are rejecting His sacrifice.

The verse continues, "There remains no more sacrifice for your sins." Your good works won't work. Your church attendance won't work. Your infant baptism won't work. This is all you have to look forward to: "But a certain and fearful expectation of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries."

They look at you and say, "What?" I respond, "I'm just letting you know what the Bible says. It's not my opinion. If you reject this, the only thing you have to look forward to is damnation." They might say, "I don't like that," and I reply, "I'm glad you don't like that. I don't like that either. But I want you to know that as you lay down on your pillow tonight, that's all you have to look forward to."

Am I wrong? No, you're right, 100%. I found it to be really effective. You can use that tactic if you like. Hebrews 10:26 reminds us that rejecting the free offer of grace in Jesus Christ leads to indignation and judgment. The only thing you have to look forward to, because your good works won't work, is judgment. Amen.

May the Lord be the one who gives us the words in those moments to share. We need to make sure that we state our case before those who are wondering, those who have questions. We must recognize that those in our workplaces and our families who don't know Christ want to know who we are, what we believe, and why we believe it. So, be ready to stand before them. Amen.

Would you stand with me as we close in prayer? Father God, we thank you for your good word, your word which is powerful and challenging. Help us today as we go from this place and into this week. As we walk with you, may we be ready in season and out of season to state our case. Lord, help us to walk uprightly before those who are outside, to not be conformed to this world even though we are in it.

We acknowledge the intelligence of those we are talking with. Encourage them to examine the facts, to ask their questions, and to receive the truth of the Gospel. But, Lord, help us to leave it between them and you, trusting that your Holy Spirit is able to convict the world of sin, of righteousness, and of coming judgment. Amen.

God, break us outside of the mold of our complacency. Challenge us to share the truth of the Gospel with those who are outside.

As we stand here this morning, it may be that you would say, "I don't have hope in God." Paul said, "I hope in God for the resurrection." If you are not sure that you will receive that resurrection, remember that Jesus came to die on the cross for our sins, to remove them as far as the east is from the west. He has called us to confess our sins, to believe in Him, that He died and rose again for our sins, and to accept what He did on the cross as the payment for our sins.

Repent to turn from our sin, willing to follow Him and to do so publicly. If that's you today, if you've not received the hope of God for salvation, I want to give you an opportunity to do that. You can do so by simply praying and calling out to Jesus in this way.

If you want to do that, just pray with me. Repeat after 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 to turn to You in faith. Please save me from my sin. In Jesus' name, amen.