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Message for June 27, 2010
Updated on 08-07-10 |
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MCC: 06.27.10
Text: Acts 24.1-21(791f.)
Series: Moving Forward
copyright, Timothy M. Brokaw. Permission granted for non-commercial purposes
Moving Forward—When Facing False Accusations
Intro) A) Many of us have had people lie about us to others. Perhaps a co-worker wanted to tear you down. Maybe you had a classmate in school who spread a rumor about you. Some of us have had loved ones tear us down behind our backs. A year ago, Time magazine reported a survey in which 28 percent of Americans said that they would act immorally—including lying or backstabbing—to keep their jobs ("Numbers," Time magazine (3-30-09), 14). You may be thinking that in your place of employment, the percentage is considerably higher than that. In the recent primary campaign, the winning candidate of one party was accused of marital infidelity, an accusation which she said was false. How do you respond when someone falsely accuses you?
B) We are in our fifth week of a series of messages based on the final chapters of the book of Acts. We’re following the Apostle Paul as he moves forward from Asia to Rome. As a church, and as individuals, we’re seeing how we can all be “Moving Forward” in faith.
C) We pick up the story in the 24th chapter of Acts. Paul has been brought to Caesarea, the provincial capital. He is brought before the Roman governor to be tried. Luke writes in verse 1 of chapter 24: Five days later the high priest Ananias went down to Caesarea with some of the elders and a lawyer named Tertullus, and they brought their charges against Paul before the governor. The religious leaders bring in a “heavy-hitter,” the F. Lee Bailey or Johnny Cochrane of his day. He is to eloquently present the case against Paul. Truthfulness is optional.
Trans) This morning’s message has a very simple outline. We’re going to look first at Tertullus’ accusation against Paul and then we’ll look at Paul’s defense. In Paul’s defense, we’ll discover an appropriate model for “moving forward when facing false accusations.” First,
I) The Accusation.
As we continue reading Acts 24, we’ll discover that Tertullus has a two-fold strategy in accusing Paul. First,
A) He Uses Flattery.
1) Follow along as I read verses 2-4: 2When Paul was called in, Tertullus presented his case before Felix: "We have enjoyed a long period of peace under you, and your foresight has brought about reforms in this nation. 3Everywhere and in every way, most excellent Felix, we acknowledge this with profound gratitude. 4But in order not to weary you further, I would request that you be kind enough to hear us briefly.
2) Let’s say up front that a certain amount of flattery was expected at the beginning of speeches in the first century, especially when those speeches were in front of a Roman governor. This portion of the speech even had a name attached to it: the captatio benevolentiae, or a “complimentary exordium.” But Tertullus goes way over the top with the flattery as he appears before Felix. He pours it on thick. We might agree with William Barclay who refers to it as “almost nauseating flattery” (The Acts of the Apostles, Revised Ed. Daily Study Bible. (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1976), 168).
3) You don’t have t to know anything about the governor Felix to know that Tertullus is trying to bend his ear. But when you realize what kind of person Felix was, then you really understand why Barclay calls is “almost nauseating.” Felix was the first slave to become a Roman governor. He got the position through the influence of his brother. He was known for his brutality and he was known to take a bribe or two as Luke references later in the chapter.
4) How would you like to have these words from the Roman historian Tacitus on your resume? Tacitus wrote of Felix: He was “a master of cruelty and lust who exercised the powers of a king with the spirit of a slave.”
5) One New Testament scholar summarizes Tertullus’ flattery by writing that “Many Jews would have been shocked to hear the high priest’s mouthpiece attributing ‘a long period of peace’ and ‘reform’ to Felix’s administration; and few would have joined in any expression of ‘profound gratitude’ for the governor’s display of ferocity, cruelty and greed” (Richard N. Longenecker, "Acts," The Expositor’s Bible Commentary Vol 9 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1981), 539).
6) You may have had a co-worker or classmate who sought to get back at you or get promoted over you by flattering someone else. Or, perhaps you’ve had a Tertullus in your life who, behind your back, looked to tell people what they wanted to hear. Perhaps he or she told one friend one thing about you and another friend a completely different story about you. How do you respond? Tertullus wasn’t afraid to use flattery.
B) He (also) uses Falsehood.
1) Let’s continue with verses 5-9: "We have found this man to be a troublemaker, stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the Nazarene sect 6and even tried to desecrate the temple; so we seized him. 8By examining him yourself you will be able to learn the truth about all these charges we are bringing against him."
9The Jews joined in the accusation, asserting that these things were true.
2) Depending on how one reads the evidence, Tertullus either stretches the truth in his accusation against Paul, or he outright lies. In either case, he uses falsehood. He begins by calling Paul “a troublemaker” (in the New International Version). The word means “a plague, pestilence or pest.” Leroy Eims comments that “Paul was like a plague except he spread healing rather than sickness” (Disciples in Action (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1981), 281).
3) The next claim that Tertullus makes against Paul is that he is “the ringleader of the Nazarene sect.” This would suggest to Felix that Paul is leading a group to overthrow the Roman government. The Romans did not believe in “free speech,” especially when it came to those who opposed the government.
4) The final charge is that Paul “tried to desecrate the temple.” We’ve seen previously how Paul was originally charged with bringing a Gentile into the inner court of the Temple, a crime for which the Romans allowed the death penalty. But notice that Tertullus doesn’t say that Paul actually did desecrate the temple. He says that he tried to desecrate the temple. That would be a little harder charge for Paul to defend. He could disprove that he took a Gentile into the inner court but how can you disprove that you tried to desecrate the temple?
5) The commentator Richard Longenecker summarizes the charges in this way: “Tertullus intended to create the impression of political sedition against Rome in his first two charges and to argue the right for Judaism to impose the death penalty in his third charge” (Longenecker, 540).
6) Thirty years before this, the religious leaders had accused Jesus of sedition and had the death penalty imposed by Pilate. Now, the religious leaders, through a combination of flattery and falsehood, seek to do the same to Paul.
7) Have you ever had someone stretch the truth against you? Or, make false accusations against you? How did you respond?
Trans) Let’s see how Paul speaks when he’s given the opportunity to defend himself.
II) Paul’s Defense
A) Paul Speaks Moderately
1) Paul begins his defense in verse 10: When the governor motioned for him to speak, Paul replied: "I know that for a number of years you have been a judge over this nation; so I gladly make my defense.”
2) Paul does include the captatio benevolentiae, the compliment at the beginning, but in John Stott’s words it is “more modest and moderate than Tertullus’ had been” (The Message of Acts: The Spirit, The World, and the Church (Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 1990), 361).
3) Paul doesn’t exaggerate and he doesn’t even seek to flatter Felix. He states the truth: By this time, Felix has been the governor for five or six years and Paul says, I know that for a number of years you have been a judge over this nation. That’s it. Not, “You’re the greatest governor that we’ve ever had.” But, “you have experience and I trust that you’ll judge fairly.” 4) When others try to gain an advantage against us by flattering others or manipulating others, we’re tempted to “fight fire with fire.” We’re tempted to see if we can out do them. Instead, speak moderately. Don’t make promises you can’t keep. Don’t strive to manipulate. In the passage that Mike read, Paul wrote the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 2: I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. That doesn’t sound like someone who tried to flatter others. In 2 Corinthians, Paul states, We have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. Paul didn’t seek to flatter or manipulate. He speaks moderately. Second,
B) Paul speaks Truthfully.
1) He continues in verses 11-13: 11You can easily verify that no more than twelve days ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship. 12My 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. 13And they cannot prove to you the charges they are now making against me.
2) Paul counters Tertullus’ flattery and falsehood with the truth. He says, “Listen, it’s hard to be a revolutionary when you’ve only been in town 12 days.” And, he could have added, “And I’ve been in jail for half of the twelve days.”
3) In the midst of these false accusations from the slick Tertullus, Paul lets the facts speak for themselves. Contrasting Tertullus’ broad generalities, Paul takes Felix step by step through what happened. When the truth is on your side, you don’t need anything else. All you need to do is tell the truth.
4) Paul took truth-telling as a principle of his ministry. In 2 Corinthians 4, he said that he did not “distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.”
5) In the classroom setting of one Peanuts comic strip, on the first day of the new school year, the students were told to write an essay about returning to class. In her essay Lucy wrote, "Vacations are nice, but it's good to get back to school. There is nothing more satisfying or challenging than education, and I look forward to a year of expanding knowledge."
Needless to say, the teacher was pleased with Lucy and complimented her fine essay. In the final frame, Lucy leans over and whispers to Charlie Brown, "After a while, you learn what sells." (William M. Nieporte in Fresh Illustrations for Preaching & Teaching (Baker), from the editors of Leadership.).
6) Unlike Lucy, Paul did not choose to say “what sells.” Rather, he chose to speak moderately and truthfully, and so should we. Third,
C) Paul speaks Sincerely.
1) He continues in verses 14-16: 14However, I admit that I worship the God of our fathers as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that agrees with the Law and that is written in the Prophets, 15and I have the same hope in God as these men, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. 16So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man.
2) Here, Paul confesses that his conscience is clear. The only thing that he is guilty of is of following Jesus the resurrected Lord. Paul is able to have a clear conscience because he knows that he hasn’t done anything wrong. So, he speaks sincerely. He speaks of what he believes from the heart.
3) Years ago, I heard a story that described the meaning of the word sincere. In the Roman days, marble statutes were popular. Some people would spend a considerable amount of money to buy what they thought was a marble statute. They would take it home, put it out, and when the sun came out, the statute would melt because the statute was actually made out of was. So, reputable dealers began marking their statutes with two words—sin (without) cere (wax). Whether that story is true or not, the sentiment is true. Our words and actions should “without wax,” 100% sincere.
4) In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. In The Message, Eugene Peterson interprets Jesus’ words this way: You don't make your words true by embellishing them with religious lace. In making your speech sound more religious, it becomes less true. Just say 'yes' and 'no.' When you manipulate words to get your own way, you go wrong.
Trans) Like Paul, when we’re facing false accusations, we should speak moderately, truthfully, and sincerely. Finally,
D) Paul speaks Openly
1) in verses 17-21: 17"After an absence of several years, I came to Jerusalem to bring my people gifts for the poor and to present offerings. 18I was ceremonially clean when they found me in the temple courts doing this. There was no crowd with me, nor was I involved in any disturbance. 19But there are some Jews from the province of Asia, who ought to be here before you and bring charges if they have anything against me. 20Or these who are here should state what crime they found in me when I stood before the Sanhedrin— 21unless it was this one thing I shouted as I stood in their presence: 'It is concerning the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you today.' "
2) Paul refutes the charge that he was trying to desecrate the temple. After all, he himself was ceremonially clean, and he wasn’t trying to lead a rebellion. And then he notes that his real accusers weren’t even there. He says, “Let them come here and bring their charges out into the open.”
3) John Stott points out that “it was a serious breach of Roman law” for these accusers not to be there (Stott, 362). Others point out that there were provisions in the Law for accusers who didn’t show to be severely punished.
4) Even when facing false accusations, we can live and speak moderately, truthfully, sincerely, and, when we do, we can live and speak openly.
5) The Bible often uses the image of light casting out darkness to describe how we, as believers in Jesus, are to live. Paul writes in Ephesians, 8For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9(for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10and find out what pleases the Lord.
6) When we speak and live openly, we are allowing the light to shine in our relationships and our lives.
Conc) A) Mark Twain said, “One of the striking differences between a cat and a lie is a cat only has nine lives (Mark Twain, Leadership, Vol. 1, no. 1.).
B) Unfortunately, that is often true. We cannot always control what is said about us. We cannot keep others from making false accusations. We cannot keep others from believing false accusations about us. But we can control how we respond to false accusations. Like the Apostle Paul, we can choose to live and speak moderately, truthfully, sincerely and openly. In doing so, perhaps we can snuff one or two of the nine lives out of the lie.
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