Grace Baptist Church

Pastor Chris Bell: Acts chapter 22 and before we begin, let's pray and ask that the Lord would bless the preaching of his word.

Father in heaven, we do thank you that your arms are strong. They are everlasting, and we find comfort in that when so often we feel weak. The reason we feel weak is because we are weak. We are creatures made from dust, and not only are we creatures, but we are sinful creatures who still experience the remaining vestiges of the sinful flesh remaining within us.

Because of that, we can oftentimes feel overwhelmed. Lord, sometimes when we feel those pressures, we do not respond as we should in reliance upon you and your everlasting arms, but instead we resort to the strength of our flesh and we falter and we despair. Father, we pray that you would forgive us for these things and help us to find renewed strength in Christ, to depend on the power of his Spirit as we trust in you.

Father, I pray that you would strengthen us by your Spirit this morning as we approach your word. I pray that you would impact our hearts through the truths that we will see in Acts 22 and 23 this morning. I pray that as you show us your glory once again afresh, you would lead us in continued repentance, running into Jesus and his everlasting arms once again, relying on his perfect merits and not our own. We thank you for this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Acts chapter 22, we're going to, Lord willing, finish out chapter 22 and then continue into the first 11 verses of chapter 23 this morning. Follow along with me as we read, and this is the word of God to us this morning.

Guest (Male): Acts chapter 22 beginning in verse 22. Up to this word they listened to him. Then they raised their voices and said, "Away with such a fellow from the earth, for he should not be allowed to live." And as they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air, the tribune ordered him to be brought into the barracks, saying that he should be examined by flogging to find out why they were shouting against him like this.

But when they had stretched him out for the whips, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, "Is it lawful for you to flog a man who is a Roman citizen and uncondemned?" When the centurion heard this, he went to the tribune and said to him, "What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman citizen." So the tribune came and said to him, "Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?" And he said, "Yes." The tribune answered, "I bought this citizenship for a large sum." Paul said, "But I am a citizen by birth."

So those who were about to examine him withdrew from him immediately, and the tribune also was afraid, for he realized that Paul was a Roman citizen and that he had bound him. But on the next day, desiring to know the real reason why he was being accused by the Jews, he unbound him and commanded the chief priests and all the council to meet, and he brought Paul down and set him before them.

And looking intently at the council, Paul said, "Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to this day." And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth. Then Paul said to him, "God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Are you sitting to judge me according to the law, and yet contrary to the law you order me to be struck?" Those who stood by said, "Would you revile God's high priest?" And Paul said, "I did not know, brothers, that he was the high priest, for it is written, 'You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.'"

Now when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, "Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. It is with respect to the hope and the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial." And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.

Then a great clamor arose, and some of the scribes of the Pharisees' party stood up and contended sharply, "We find nothing wrong in this man. What if a spirit or an angel spoke to him?" And when the dissension became violent, the tribune, afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him away from among them by force and bring him into the barracks. The following night the Lord stood by him and said, "Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome."

Pastor Chris Bell: Well, as we pick up in Acts chapter 22 this morning, let's remind ourselves of where we are and what is happening. Upon Paul's arrival in Jerusalem, the Jewish crowd had seized Paul and begun beating him on the basis of some false accusations that Paul teaches against the Jewish people, against the law of Moses, and against the temple.

But Paul was rescued from death by the Romans when they saw the riot and quickly came to his aid. It was at that point that Paul had the opportunity to speak to the crowd, laying out his testimony about how the risen Christ appeared to him on the road to Damascus in unparalleled glory and transformed him from the persecutor of the church to a persecuted spokesman for the church.

Specifically, Paul relayed the fact that Christ sent Paul far away to be his witness, even to the Gentiles. It is that comment that is going to stir the crowd once again as we've just read, leading into the scenes this morning. The renewed outrage of the mob is going to move the Roman tribune to act once again, and it's ultimately going to land Paul before the Sanhedrin itself, where he's going to have the opportunity to bear witness for Christ.

Ultimately, what we're going to see together this morning is that despite our weakness, the perfect Christ strengthens his servants to bear witness to him through providential preparation, Spirit-given wisdom, and his own presence to comfort and encourage. Despite our weakness, the perfect Christ strengthens his servants to bear witness to him through providential preparation, Spirit-given wisdom, and his own presence to comfort and encourage.

We're going to see these things unfold in four points this morning, but let's get into the first one, and that is a providential preparation towards the end of chapter 22. Beginning in verse 22: "Up to this word they listened to him. Then they raised their voices and said, 'Away with such a fellow from the earth, for he should not be allowed to live!'"

What is the word that they listened up until? Well, it's the ending of last week's passage, that Jesus said he would send Paul far away to the Gentiles. As we noted last week, the crowd listened up to that point until he mentioned that he would go to those Gentiles. But the thought that even Gentiles could have completely equal access to God and be saved, become his people apart from first going through those rites to become Jewish through circumcision or whatnot, it was just too much for the crowd to tolerate. They could not handle such a thought.

There's definitely an element of racial pride or ethnocentricity going on here as the Jews just cannot wrap their heads around the idea of the Gentiles being included in this way. For Paul to assert full Gentile inclusion and equality in salvation was so offensive to them that they said it warranted his death. They called for his death.

We see this violent reaction continuing in verse 23: "And as they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air..." These are all expressions of absolute outrage. The crowd is expressing its complete disgust of Paul in a frenzied display of disapproval. Given their statement that Paul should not be allowed to live, they may also even be throwing the cloaks off in order to get ready to stone him, just as they stoned Stephen in Acts chapter 7.

But this visceral reaction of the crowd moves the Roman tribune to action once again. Look at verse 24. It says that the tribune ordered him to be brought into the barracks, saying that he should be examined by flogging to find out why they were shouting against him like this.

Remember that one of the tribune's primary responsibilities as a Roman officer is to maintain peace and order. For a time, the mob had quieted down and settled to listen to Paul talk, but now that the situation is growing volatile once again, the tribune decides that he must remove Paul from the situation in order to de-escalate.

So he takes him into the barracks, but the tribune also has the role of an investigator to some degree. In his attempts to maintain peace and order, he also needs to understand why the crowd is reacting so strongly to Paul in order to disrupt this order. He has not yet been able to discern the heart of the issue from seeing Paul's interaction with the crowd, and so the tribune resorts to the next tool in his investigative kit, and that is extracting information through torture.

Verse 24b says that he was saying that he should be examined by flogging to find out why they were shouting against him like this. This Roman tribune likely assumes that for the crowd to react so strongly against Paul, he must be guilty of some grave offense, and the whipping may force a confession and help him to understand what's really going on here.

We have to understand the severity of the whipping that Paul was facing. As I was working through the commentaries, they pretty much all note that this kind of flogging actually refers to the Roman scourge, also called a flagellum or a flagrum. This was the whip that had a wooden handle with several leather straps, each braided with pieces of metal or bone, which would then tear away the tissue with each lash, like what Jesus endured just before his crucifixion.

Such whipping by flagellum often left its victims permanently maimed or in many cases even dead. This would be far worse than any of the other beatings that Paul had endured that he mentions in a passage like 2 Corinthians 11:23 and 25. He mentions some of the beatings that he went through there. This, had it gone through, would have been far worse than even any of those up to this point.

With not a moment to spare, just as they've stretched Paul out for the whipping, Paul reveals a vital piece of information. But it's not the kind of information that the tribune may have been expecting. It's not a confession of guilt, but rather it is a profession of his Roman citizenship.

Verse 25: "But when they had stretched him out for the whips, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, 'Is it lawful for you to flog a man who is a Roman citizen and uncondemned?'" You'll remember back when we studied Acts chapter 16, we noted that it was illegal to beat a Roman citizen. Roman citizens were protected from this treatment by a law known as the Porcian law.

So not only would it be bad enough to scourge a Roman citizen, but even more so a Roman citizen who has not even been found guilty of anything in trial, as Paul highlights through this question that he gives to the centurion. This news immediately goes up the chain of command from the centurion who was to oversee the scourging to the tribune.

Let's look at verses 26 through 29. "When the centurion heard this, he went to the tribune and said to him, 'What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman citizen.' So the tribune came and said to him, 'Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?' And he said, 'Yes.' The tribune answered, 'I bought this citizenship for a large sum.' Paul said, 'But I am a citizen by birth.' So those who were about to examine him withdrew from him immediately, and the tribune also was afraid, for he realized that Paul was a Roman citizen and that he had bound him."

Notice also that Paul's Roman citizenship here is actually of an even higher quality than the tribune's. The tribune says he purchased his citizenship. As the commentaries note, citizenship wasn't actually for sale officially in an official sense, but it was possible to bribe various imperial officials to add your name to the list of names that were being considered for citizenship.

That is probably what is meant here when he says that he purchased his citizenship for a large sum in order to gain that. But in contrast, Paul says he is a Roman citizen by birth. This indicates that his father was a Roman citizen so that his citizenship would have been inherited by Paul at the time of his birth as his birthright.

We don't know exactly how Paul's father would have become a Roman citizen. Last week, we saw that Paul was born in the city of Tarsus in Cilicia, and in 64 BC Cilicia did become a Roman province, but that didn't automatically make everyone born there a Roman citizen.

It is possible that Paul's father was granted citizenship by perhaps some act of service to the state in which he would be honored and rewarded with citizenship, but at the end of the day we just don't know exactly how it took place. Although we don't know all of the details, we do know that by whatever means, Paul was born as a Roman citizen, having an even more prestigious citizenship than someone who purchased it like the tribune.

This spares Paul the scourging, but it also frightens the tribune. Why? Well, first, because he realizes how dangerously close he has come to making a grave mistake in scourging Paul, a mistake that surely would have cost him dearly. But second, he's also alarmed at having bound Paul, the text says.

Well, why is that? One commentary notes, "It was possible to arrest a Roman citizen who appeared to be a threat to public order, but it was illegal to inflict on a citizen the disgrace of being led in public bonds." But here's what I want us to notice throughout these first few verses here.

Last week we saw Paul's Jewish identity emphasized. He stressed his Jewish identity and upbringing to the crowds as he sought to relate to them his dramatic conversion to Christ. We saw it over and over again: "I was born a Jew, I was brought up trained under Gamaliel," all of these things.

But in this week's passage, we see Paul's Roman identity emphasized. Look at how many times the words "Roman citizen" or "citizen" or "citizenship" appear even in just these few short verses. It's actually six times. Verse 25: "Is it lawful for you to flog a man who is a Roman citizen?" Or verse 26: "For this man is a Roman citizen." Verse 27: "Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?" Verse 28: "I bought this citizenship for a large sum. Paul says, 'But I am a citizen by birth.'" And then once again in verse 29: "For he realized that Paul was a Roman citizen."

Could the point be made any clearer? Luke is really emphasizing this: Paul's citizenship as a Roman in this passage. You can see God's providence in shaping Paul as an individual through the circumstances of his birth and upbringing, uniquely fitting him for the task that God had called him to, preparing him in his position.

Remember what Jesus said of Paul in Acts chapter 9, verse 15: "But the Lord said to him, 'Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.'" So Jesus is saying there, look, he's going to minister in all of these spheres. He is going to minister in my name to Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel, both worlds there.

As the Lord's chosen instrument, Paul would minister in, as we said, both the Gentile and the Jewish worlds. Paul's background has prepared him perfectly for this task. He understands the Jewish world better than anyone as a Pharisee trained by Gamaliel, and yet his Roman citizenship affords him certain rights and a level of protection which is really going to be instrumental in preserving Paul over the next several chapters as he goes from place to place in the sequence of legal trials which are going to really make up the rest of the book.

Even here, his Roman citizenship has spared him from the deadly torture of scourging, which very well could have just ended his ministry right then and there. So let's make an observation. Through the circumstances of his birth and upbringing, God perfectly preserved Paul for his mission in both the Jewish and Gentile worlds. We can see how he overlaps both of those spheres so perfectly to be just the man for the task.

The application then for us would be: find comfort in knowing that God does not waste the details of your biography but rather uses them to shape you into a particular instrument for his purposes. Where you were born, the time in history you were born, who your parents are, what town you grew up in, where you went to school, what job experiences you've had, struggles and trials that you've gone through, people you've met, relationships you've had—none of these are without purpose or meaning. None of them.

In all of these details, God is also uniquely shaping you as an individual for the specific purposes that he has for you in his creation. Even some of the struggles that you've gone through may be particularly helpful in preparing you for some outlet of service or ministry either now or in the future. I've seen this happen even in my own life where I may wrestle with something and learn and grow through it only to later have someone come to me seeking help as they're going through something very similar. My prior struggles then enable me to understand a little bit more of what that individual is going through, or it could even equip me to point them to resources that could help them as they've helped me through some of those issues or that I've found useful in my life.

You may think that your life experiences are too broken for God to ever use, but that's not true. If you want to know, just ask any of the kids who attended VBS this week. What was the theme? Junkyard Redemption, right? It was all about how God is redeeming and restoring the brokenness of our world which was introduced by sin.

The fact is, believer, that you can have confidence that God can providentially use even the broken parts of your story to further his purposes through you and may do so in ways that you can't actually foresee. God had uniquely prepared Paul through the various details of his biography and his citizenship and his upbringing and his background, all of these things, uniquely preparing him for his ministry, and he has uniquely designed you for whatever tasks he has for you as well.

The tribune's failure to find the real issue behind the riot moves him to seek answers elsewhere. That's really going to move us into the next major scene this morning, which is Paul's trial before the Sanhedrin. In this trial, there are several points that we're going to see. First of all, point two this morning, a contrast with perfection.

Let's pick up in verse 30 of chapter 22: "But on the next day, desiring to know the real reason why he was being accused by the Jews, he unbound him and commanded the chief priests and all the council to meet, and he brought Paul down and set him before them."

In an attempt to understand what the true issue really is, the tribune calls the chief priests and the council together. This is, of course, a reference to the Sanhedrin. That's the ruling religious body of the Jews. This is the same body that examined Jesus before his crucifixion and also the apostles earlier in the book of Acts.

Evidently, the tribune understands enough to discern that the dispute is largely related to Jewish matters, otherwise he wouldn't have called the Sanhedrin together to examine Paul. But this then takes us to Paul's opening statement, chapter 23, verse 1: "And looking intently at the council, Paul said, 'Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to this day.'"

How can Paul say this? After all, he elsewhere calls himself the chief of sinners. He persecuted the church before his conversion. Well, although Paul had sinned against the Lord in this way, he did so at a time when his conscience was misinformed. Even when Paul persecuted the church, he used to think that he was doing God a service. He persecuted the church before his conversion, we could say, conscientiously. He was following his conscience, though his conscience was wrongly misinformed in the wrong direction.

But by saying he has lived in all good conscience up to this day, he also means that, and here's the important part for the passage really, that even now as a Christian and as a witness for Christ, he continues to act in good conscience now that his conscience has been properly corrected and rightly informed by the truth.

In other words, Paul is asserting that despite the accusations coming against him, he is only doing what he believes to be right in the sight of God and believes that he is indeed serving God by being Christ's apostle. In other words, this is a claim to innocence. "I do not believe I have done anything wrong. I stand before you innocent today serving God in my witness for Christ."

Ananias, he's not going to like that. Verse 2: "And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth." Ananias is infuriated by the claim. To Ananias, it seems like blasphemy for Paul to claim that he is serving the God of Israel as a faithful Jew in his witness to Jesus as the Messiah. So he has him struck on the mouth for uttering such offensive words.

This physical assault jolts Paul and it provokes him to lash out in a momentary lapse of composure. But let's look at what Paul says in his response to the assault, verse 3: "Then Paul said to him, 'God is going to strike you!'" In other words, you may order me struck, but the reality is that God himself is the one who's going to strike you down in judgment one day.

Look at what he calls him. He says, "You whitewashed wall." There are two passages that we can easily see an allusion to here. The first is Matthew chapter 23, verses 27 through 28, where Jesus uses similar language in calling out the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and the scribes. Jesus says, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness."

Whitewash was a plaster used to smear over a building or structure in order to make it appear beautiful. Jesus uses the metaphor of a whitewashed tomb to describe the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees appearing righteous in front of other people but having just completely and totally corrupt hearts, dead on the inside in the way that a tomb would house a corpse. That allusion makes sense in Acts 23 because in just a moment we're going to see Paul point out Ananias's hypocrisy, just as Jesus was pointing out hypocrisy.

The other passage that we can see an allusion to here actually matches the exact wording of Paul even more directly as Paul speaks not of a whitewashed tomb but of a whitewashed wall. The allusion that we can see here is Ezekiel chapter 13, and we'll pick it up in verse 10 and read through verse 16.

This is where Ezekiel, God through Ezekiel, is condemning the false prophets in Israel. We read, "Precisely because they have misled my people, saying, 'Peace,' when there is no peace, and because when the people build a wall, these prophets smear it with whitewash, say to those who smear it with whitewash that it shall fall! There will be a deluge of rain, and you, O great hailstones, will fall, and a stormy wind break out. And when the wall falls, will it not be said to you, 'Where is the coating with which you smeared it?' Therefore thus says the Lord God: 'I will make a stormy wind break out in my wrath, and there shall be a deluge of rain in my anger, and great hailstones in wrath to make a full end. And I will break down the wall that you have smeared with whitewash and bring it down to the ground, so that its foundation will be laid bare. When it falls, you shall perish in the midst of it, and you shall know that I am the Lord. Thus will I send my wrath upon the wall and upon those who have smeared it with whitewash, and I will say to you, The wall is no more, nor those who smeared it, the prophets of Israel who prophesied concerning Jerusalem and saw visions of peace for her when there was no peace,' declares the Lord God."

As we mentioned in this context, God through Ezekiel is condemning these false prophets. The nation is full of sin and it is deserving of judgment like a structurally weak wall. But the false prophets falsely prophesy peace and prosperity for the nation, smearing the wall with whitewash to make it look much better than it really is. God says that when the storm of his judgment comes, the whitewash of false promises of peace will not save the weak nation, the weak wall, from collapsing. That allusion also makes sense in Acts chapter 23 as Paul has just said that God's judgment is going to come for Ananias despite being whitewashed in his religious office.

Paul does point out the hypocrisy. Let's continue on in verse 3: "Are you sitting to judge me according to the law, and yet contrary to the law you order me to be struck?" Ananias, he's supposed to be the one upholding the law. He's supposed to be the one here judging Paul according to the standard of God's law even at the very moment that he breaks it by striking Paul.

How's the Sanhedrin going to respond? Verse 4: "Those who stood by said, 'Would you revile God's high priest?'" In other words, is that how you speak to the man who is in his office representing God to the people? Is that the lack of respect that you show to this high and holy office?

Verse 5, let's see how Paul will then respond: "And Paul said, 'I did not know, brothers, that he was the high priest, for it is written, "You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people."'" In these words, we actually see an admission of error on Paul's part. There is an implicit acknowledgment that he should not have spoken this way to the high priest.

The reason for this is seen in Paul's quotation. He quotes from Exodus chapter 22, verse 28. The law, it forbade cursing a ruler of Israel. Paul sees the office of high priest as fitting that category so that his outburst against the high priest is a violation of Exodus 22:28. Although Paul's assessment of the man Ananias is absolutely correct—yes, he absolutely is a hypocrite, and we know from other extra-biblical sources he was a wicked man—Paul's assessment of him is correct and yes, God's judgment is going to come for such an individual, but the issue is the respect that should be given to the office of high priest.

This sin was committed through ignorance, as Paul says he didn't know that Ananias was the high priest. At this point, people ask how is it possible that Paul wouldn't know who the high priest was in his trial? Someone in the know of Judaism as much as Paul, not knowing who the high priest is, how does that make any sense?

The most likely answer comes from a combination of two factors. First, Paul had been away from Jerusalem so much over the course of his missionary journeys that he may not have actually known by sight what Ananias looked like in order to recognize him, even if he was aware that there had been a change in the office to Ananias. But second, there are indications that this was not a formal trial but rather an informal hearing as the tribune has just quickly gathered the Sanhedrin to figure out what is going on with Paul.

If this is the case, and if the Sanhedrin was not gathered in their official meeting place, then Ananias may not have been in all of his high-priestly robes and sitting in his official chair, which would be another explanation for how Paul was unable to identify who the high priest was in this setting.

We ask then, for Paul to violate the law even as he claims to have a good conscience before God, is Paul a hypocrite too, just like Ananias? After all, this is the same Paul who wrote the following words in 1 Corinthians chapter 4, verse 12: "And we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless. When persecuted, we endure."

Is Paul just being a big hypocrite like Ananias? I would say no. There is a big difference between seeking to put on a righteous appearance in order to conceal the true character of a heart that loves and willingly embraces wickedness, and then falling into fleeting moments of the flesh before quickly admitting the error and repenting, as we see Paul doing here.

There's a big difference between those two things. In this admission, Paul demonstrates humility and maturity as a Christian, owning his fault rather than seeking to deny it. But there's something else that we need to consider about this moment in Paul's trial.

Throughout the last few chapters, we've been noting some of the similarities between Jesus' story and Paul's. We've noted the ways that Paul is following in the footsteps of Jesus, picking up his cross and following Jesus towards suffering in Jerusalem, just as Jesus did. This scene is another one of those similarities as Paul is on trial before the Sanhedrin, just as Jesus was.

But at the same time, we see not only a similarity but also a clear contrast as well. To see this, let's review how Jesus responded when he was mistreated by the Sanhedrin. John chapter 18, verses 19 through 23: "The high priest then questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. Jesus answered him, 'I have spoken openly to the world. I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. Why do you ask me? Ask those who have heard me what I said to them; they know what I said.' When he had said these things, one of the officers standing by struck Jesus with his hand, saying, 'Is that how you answer the high priest?' Jesus answered him, 'If what I said is wrong, bear witness about the wrong; but if what I said is right, why do you strike me?'"

These situations are so similar. In both, the one on trial is slapped and accused of speaking wrongly to their high priest. But we can see that Jesus demonstrates so much more self-control than Paul. Paul calls the high priest a whitewashed wall in a burst of anger, shouting out. Jesus maintains composure and simply states that by calling on the council to follow the proper legal procedure of gathering witnesses rather than forcing Jesus to testify against himself, he has not said anything wrong that would merit a slap.

Not only do we see Jesus demonstrate more self-control here, but according to Jesus' words, he's not done anything wrong. He has not violated Exodus 22:28, whereas we saw from Paul's own admission that Paul did. Jesus is the one who, 1 Peter chapter 2, verse 23: "When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly."

By comparing Paul's and Jesus' trials before the Sanhedrin, we can also see the way that even Paul doesn't measure up to the spotless obedience of Jesus. There could hardly be a more mature Christian to have ever lived than the Apostle Paul, and yet even his flesh could show through in times of extreme pressure, whereas Jesus continued to demonstrate perfect holiness even under the most intense pressure and difficulty.

So let's make an observation here: even the most godly and mature Christian falls short of the perfection of Jesus. The application for us then would be: avoid hypocrisy by repenting quickly of sin as you rely on the merits of Jesus' perfection. Even the most mature among us are painfully aware of moments where our flesh rears its ugly head from time to time. But that doesn't mean that Christians are just a bunch of hypocrites.

Hypocrisy is embracing sin while putting on a facade of outward holiness, but it's not hypocrisy to recognize the remnants of your flesh and fight against it. Instead, Christians are those who strive for holiness and quickly repent whenever they see it lacking within them. But in our repentance, we're not driven to despair. Why not?

Because in Jesus, we have a Savior who has succeeded in every area where we have failed, point for point. Do you struggle with lust? Jesus maintained perfect purity of thought for every second. Do you struggle with worry? Jesus is the one who trusted his Father perfectly to provide his every need. Do you struggle with greed and covetousness? Jesus is the one who willingly became poor so that in him we could be made rich.

Do you struggle with lying? Jesus is himself the one who is the very truth incarnate. Do you struggle with feelings of bitterness and hate? Jesus is himself the one who willingly laid down his life as the highest expression of love. And I could go on and on and on and on and on and on, but the perfection of Jesus assures us that in our failures we are clothed with his spotless righteousness.

It is that knowledge which spurs us on and enables us to pursue repentance, knowing that it is okay to admit our deficient righteousness because God has provided us with a superior righteousness in the person of his Son. So Jesus is sufficient for you in the exact points where you are insufficient.

But let's continue in the trial scene, where we go on to see a strategic proclamation. Verses 6 through 10: "Now when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees..." We see here in verse 6 that the council was made up of both Pharisees and Sadducees. These were two of the three major Jewish parties in existence during New Testament times.

There is a third group, they were called the Essenes, but they seem to have mostly withdrawn from public life and resorted to living in distinct communities such as those who lived in the caves at Qumran, and this may be why the New Testament doesn't really mention them. But to understand what's going to happen here, what we're about to see play out, let's skip ahead to verse 8 for just a moment, where Luke is going to really include for us some vital information to help us as his readers understand the dynamics that we're about to see play out.

Verse 8: "For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all." So it says here that the Sadducees, they deny the resurrection, referring to the general resurrection of the righteous and the unrighteous, while the Pharisees, they believed in the concept of resurrection.

This Sadducean denial of resurrection was seen in the Gospels at various points as they debated with Jesus on this point. But why the denial? Well, the Sadducees, they only accepted the authority of the Torah, the Pentateuch, the five books of Moses, while the Pharisees, they accepted the rest of the canonical Hebrew scriptures as inspired scripture. And while the resurrection is implied in the Torah, as we saw even during this year's Easter sermon, it's not explicit, leading the Sadducees not to believe in it.

But verse 8 also says that the Sadducees denied spirit. In other words, they denied that there was an immaterial component to man that continued to live on after death. They denied not only the final resurrection but also any sense of an intermediate state after death. They thought that a person ceased to be at the point of death. On this view, mind is simply a byproduct of matter, not distinct from matter.

But the last detail here is a bit harder to explain. It says that they also deny angel. How can they deny angels when the angels appear explicitly on numerous occasions in the Torah? Well, there have been several explanations offered. Some say that despite their appearance in Torah, the Sadducees nonetheless simply denied the existence of angels. Others have said that this is not so much a flat denial of angelic existence entirely but rather a denial that they exist as spiritual beings in keeping with their denial of spirit.

Still others have said that this is basically another way of just saying that they deny spirit; it's a synonym for denying that humans continue after death in an angel-like mode of being as a disembodied spirit. But whatever is actually meant here, it's clear that the Pharisees are much more accepting of the supernatural worldview of the Bible, whereas the Sadducees held a much more naturalistic way of thinking when it came to lots of these elements.

In this distinction between the two parties comprising the Sanhedrin, these Pharisees and Sadducees, it's that distinction that Paul is going to take advantage of. So let's go back to verse 6 and continue reading: "Now when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, 'Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. It is with respect to the hope and the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial.'"

Now, Paul clearly doesn't agree with the Pharisees on everything, especially not their efforts at attaining a works-righteousness. Just go back and read Philippians chapter 3 to see that. But he was trained up as a Pharisee, and in regards to this issue, this issue of resurrection, Paul still clearly sides with the Pharisees, affirming the theological correctness of their belief in the coming resurrection of the dead over and against the Sadducees.

So he says in this issue the Pharisees are clearly correct, and while identifying with the Pharisees on this issue, Paul says that he is really on trial because of his belief in the hope of resurrection. But is this really, we might ask, what Paul is on trial for? Or is this merely a ploy to disrupt the trial knowing the conflict that it's going to spark?

After all, didn't the Jews originally seize Paul over his alleged teaching regarding the people of Israel and the law of Moses and the temple? Isn't that what the trial is all about? Well, we may think that this is not an entirely honest answer if it weren't for the fact that Paul in the next few chapters does go on in each succeeding trial to continue to emphasize resurrection as the heart of the issue.

He does this before Felix when we get there. When we get to Acts chapter 24, verses 14 through 15, we'll see Paul say, "But this I confess to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets, having a hope in God, which these men themselves accept, that there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust."

He's going to make a similar statement in front of Agrippa when we get to Acts chapter 26, verses 6 through 8: "And now I stand here on trial because of my hope in the promise made by God to our fathers, to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly worship night and day. And for this hope I am accused by the Jews! O King, why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead?"

So in each of the trials moving forward, he continues to emphasize: it is because of this hope, the hope of the Jewish nation, the hope of resurrection, that I am on trial. And so because we see Paul continuing to emphasize that, I think we can say that no, Paul is being perfectly honest when he says that it is because of that hope in resurrection that he's on trial.

Really all of the other issues relating to the people, relating to the law, and relating to the temple, we could say these are peripheral. These are really peripheral issues. The heart of what Paul and his teaching is really about is really the attainment of Israel's hope in the resurrection, with that hope having been achieved and secured in the resurrection of Jesus as the Messiah.

Because Jesus has been raised, Israel's hope of resurrection may be attained by any and all who will trust in Jesus. And this is the great hope that Israel was looking forward to. I mean, if you don't believe me, just go back and read Ezekiel chapter 37—we don't have time to look at it this morning—Ezekiel 37, especially look at verses 11 through 14.

Just think of all of the believing, faithful Jews from Abraham onward who died in generations gone before, before seeing the full realization of God's promises in the kingdom. The only way that the promises would be of any comfort to those who would never live to see them in their generation is if there is a coming resurrection in which the righteous of all generations would be united together in their experience of all that God had promised.

And so consider too that Paul's life changed when? When he saw the resurrected Christ on the road to Damascus. That was the moment that changed everything for Paul. So it's entirely truthful that Paul really is on trial for his belief in the hope and the resurrection of the dead.

Nevertheless, there is also clearly a strategic intent behind this statement, as it does spark a very predictable response. Let's read verses 7 through 9: "And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all. Then a great clamor arose, and some of the scribes of the Pharisees' party stood up and contended sharply, 'We find nothing wrong in this man. What if a spirit or an angel spoke to him?'"

Notice the masterful strategy of what Paul has just done. By getting to the heart of the issue, which just so happens to align with the Pharisees' belief in resurrection rather than the Sadducees' denial, Paul has gained the sympathy of the Pharisees. They have come to Paul's defense, not because they care about Paul or believe in Jesus, but because this trial has now highlighted their disagreement with the Sadducees. And because of their belief in spiritual beings, they are even willing to concede that perhaps Paul did have a supernatural encounter of some sort.

It seems that they are interpreting Paul's Damascus Road experience as a possible encounter with maybe some sort of an angel or a spirit, though they're not believing that it is the risen and glorified Christ. But you know what they say: "The enemy of my enemy is my friend." Well, in this case, the enemy Paul of the Pharisees' enemy, the Sadducees, has become the Pharisees' friend, at least for this brief moment.

But by highlighting the doctrinal disagreement between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, Paul has also prevented the Sanhedrin from being able to reach any sort of a unified front that they would have to bring a charge against him. He has also demonstrated to the Roman tribune that this is really a religious dispute amongst the Jews rather than something truly criminal against the empire deserving of death or imprisonment, as we're going to see when we get to chapter 23, verse 29.

And while this does demonstrate great shrewdness and strategy, it's also completely in accordance with the truth, enabling Paul to proclaim the main issue, namely that in Jesus, Israel's hope of resurrection finds fulfillment. So Paul has demonstrated great wisdom in his witness for Christ. And this truly is a fulfillment of Christ's promise because where did this wisdom come from?

Let's remember what Jesus said in Luke chapter 12, verses 11 through 12. He says, "And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say."

Likewise, let's remember the programmatic verse of the entire book of Acts, Acts chapter 1:8, that lays out the outline of the book, and essential to this outline is what? The fact that all of the witness throughout the book of Acts is done in the power of God's Spirit. Jesus says in Acts 1:8, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

So we see Jesus' promise really in action during Paul's trial before the Sanhedrin. But once again, we're right back to where we started, verse 10: "And when the dissension became violent, the tribune, afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him away from among them by force and bring him into the barracks."

So we're kind of back to square one again. The situation has become so volatile once again that the tribune now has to rescue Paul for the second time from the Sanhedrin, just as he had previously rescued him from the Jewish crowds. But let's make a third observation here: Paul had the Spirit-given wisdom and shrewdness to know how to cut to the heart of the matter in a strategic yet truthful way in his defense.

So an application for us might be: in discussions with unbelievers, learn to navigate through peripheral issues and distractions to get to gospel realities. When you seek to share the gospel with people, they may try to change the subject or bog you down with distracting side questions or objections. They may say things like, "Well, don't you know that the Bible has been changed over time?" "How can you believe the Bible when science has disproven it?" "The Bible was just written by men, right?" "Christians are just a bunch of hypocrites." "You know, I don't go to church because organized religion has become so corrupt." "How can you believe in a God who would condone so much killing in the Old Testament?"

And the list of objections or distractions could go on and on and on and on and on. Now, it is good to be able to provide an answer to these things, and some of those answers might be: the confidence in the Bible's preservation, which we can have as a demonstration—or we can demonstrate its preservation, rather, through textual criticism, showing through these things that we actually have high confidence in the word that we've received.

Or we might be able to point to the ways in which creationism and the biblical account of the flood actually have great explanatory power as a model for making sense of the physical world around us. Or we might be able to point to the fact, when it comes to hypocrisy, that Jesus himself predicted that there would be many false disciples who would claim his name. Or we could point to the proper moral understanding of God as the one with the right to grant and take life as he sees fit due to his unlimited rights as creator, justifying everything that God has ever done or will ever do.

But don't spend all of your time on these side issues. Instead, provide a reasonable response to them, but then move on to demonstrate how all of these objections really just come from a heart that doesn't want the Bible to be true because in our sin we don't want to be accountable before God and his law.

So don't bypass the unbeliever's mind, but go beyond merely addressing the mind and aim for the heart, bringing God's law to bear on the sinner so that the Spirit can do his convicting work. And then, after taking them to God's law and their need of salvation, show them how that salvation and the hope has been provided in Jesus.

Your goal in evangelism is not merely to engage the mind but also to prick the conscience. So learn to grow in wisdom in your witness and trust the Spirit to give you that wisdom for each encounter and each opportunity that you have, cutting through the distractions and getting to the heart of the matter.

But there is one more verse for us to consider this morning, which leads to our final point, and that is a promise of protection, verse 11: "The following night the Lord stood by him and said, 'Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.'"

Stop for a moment and think about all that Paul has been through. In the brief time since he has arrived in Jerusalem, he has nearly been killed by the crowd, beaten to death, his own countrymen. He has just narrowly escaped being brutally tortured through a Roman flogging. His life has also hung in the balance as he stood before the Sanhedrin and been unjustly assaulted there, having to stand trial before a council which he could hardly hope would give him a fair trial or a fair hearing if they were to treat him the same way with the same justice that they gave to Jesus.

Do you think that Paul may be feeling pretty shook up at this point? We have to remember that despite being Christ's apostle, Paul is still only a human being just like the rest of us. And yet the Lord Jesus comes and appears before Paul once again, giving him exactly what he needs, exactly when he needs it.

And let's note just a few things about verse 11. First, it says that the Lord stood by Paul. Paul was not alone. The Lord Jesus was there to strengthen Paul with his own presence. This language is really similar to what Paul would say on another occasion as well while writing his final letter to Timothy before being martyred. Referring to his first hearing, which would take place before Caesar during his second imprisonment—referring to that occasion, Paul said in 2 Timothy 4:16 through 18: "At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion's mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen."

Through occasions like the one that we've just seen this morning in Acts 23, Paul had come to see over and over again that the Lord was always with him through his trials, both literal trials in legal defense and figurative trials, even when nobody else was.

But second of all, implied in Jesus' words is a commendation of Paul's witness in Jerusalem. Jesus acknowledges that Paul has indeed testified to Christ in Jerusalem. And I find that commendation very encouraging. Why? Well, because Jesus commended Paul for his witness even despite the brief moment of weakness that we saw earlier when Paul had this outburst before the high priest.

The fact is that our service to the Lord and our attempts to be a witness and a minister for him will also be laced with moments of fleshly imperfection as well. And yet in Jesus' commendation of Paul, we come to recognize that such moments of weakness do not nullify the reality of our service to Christ as we strive to be found faithful. Was Paul's witness imperfect? Yes. But was Paul still found faithful in the sight of Jesus, receiving his commendation? Yes. Yes.

But third, there is also a promise of protection in Jesus' words. Paul must go on to testify in Rome. And if Jesus says that, then that means that Paul is going to make it all the way to Rome safely, whether in Jerusalem or at any other point along the way. Jesus himself is going to see to it that no hindrance will ultimately claim Paul's life before he is able to testify of Christ in Rome.

On the basis of all three of these components—Jesus' presence, Jesus' commendation, and Jesus' promise—Paul is instructed to take courage, find courage and strength for the journey. So what might our final observation be this morning? Despite Paul's momentary outburst before the high priest, Jesus strengthened Paul with his presence, commendation, and promise.

So a final application: no matter what you're facing, find courage and comfort in the promise that Jesus is always with us as we seek to serve him. Because the fact is that no, though we don't physically see Jesus next to us, his presence is with us too to sustain us nonetheless. He has promised us this: Matthew 28:20, as Jesus is giving his great commission, telling them to make disciples, he says that they are to be "teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

The promise of Jesus' presence with us as we seek to make disciples, it was not given merely to the apostles in the first generation of the church. Why not? Well, because the promise of Jesus' presence, it applies to when? Even to the end of the age. That's far surpassing the time of the apostles. That extends down to us. And what more could we ever need than to know that the Lord is always by our side even though we can't see him?

He is present to stand by us too. When the burdens feel heavy, don't descend to wallow in despair, but instead fix your mind on the truth that the Lord's grace is sufficient for you as he will uphold you, and then find renewed joy and strength meditating on God's promises as you face the long road ahead one step at a time in reliance on the Lord.

That's an area for all of us to grow in, myself included. And there will be moments when we falter in the power of our flesh rather than relying on the power of God's Spirit, but even then, confess your sin, get back up and keep moving forward as you, an imperfect vessel, seek to carry the news of a perfect Savior.

Because ultimately, as we've seen together this morning, despite our weakness, the perfect Christ strengthens his servants to bear witness to him through providential preparation, Spirit-given wisdom, and his own presence to comfort and encourage.

Father in heaven, we do thank you for this account that we have here of such a faithful servant of yours such as Paul. And while we acknowledge the great faithfulness of Paul and the commendation he received for his ministry that was carried out in a great way, nonetheless we still see that even Paul himself did not measure up to the perfections of Jesus, and none of us do either.

And so it's in that regard that we once again hide ourselves behind Christ, clothed in his righteousness, and yet we ask for grace and strength to be a more faithful witness every step of every day more and more, supplied with the strength that only you can give. Help us to bring honor to your name in these ways, and we thank you for it in Jesus' name. Amen.

As the men come, please turn with me in your Bible to 1 Corinthians 11. 1 Corinthians 11, we'll read verses 17 through 34 as we prepare to take the Lord's Supper this morning.

"But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized.

When you come together, it is not the Lord's supper that you eat. For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not.

For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, 'This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.' In the same way also he took the cup after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.'

For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.

That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. If anyone is hungry, let him eat at home—so that when you come together it will not be for judgment. About the other things I will give directions when I come."

This morning, we considered the importance of recognizing where we still fall short in the remaining sinfulness of our flesh and repenting of those things quickly when we see them, as we continue to run to Christ over and over again and rely on his perfect righteousness. In the Lord's Supper, we have before us another opportunity to do just that.

The righteousness of Christ, it is not applied to us through partaking of the Supper. It's not conveying salvation or justification to us, but each time we take the Supper, it is an occasion in which we demonstrate that we are continuing to rely on the sacrifice and perfection of Jesus, just as we came to rely on him when we were first saved, when we first came to believe.

As we take the bread and the cup, we communicate that we still trust in his sacrifice, that his body was broken and his blood shed for us. But as we mentioned, communion doesn't save us. It is an ordinance given by Jesus for Christians, for those who are trusting in him and commemorating, remembering his sacrifice.

And so non-Christians should abstain; they should not take the Supper. Instead, if there is anyone who is an unbeliever among us this morning, your first step would be to believe the gospel. You must first repent of your sins and trust in Christ that he died to pay for your sins and rose to give you new life. Only then could you properly honor Christ in the Supper by taking it as a memory of what he's done for you.

And Paul warns Christians in 1 Corinthians 11 as well that they should not partake in an unworthy manner. For those who do, there is the danger that this may invite the Lord's discipline. We talked about hypocrisy today. Wouldn't it be hypocritical to take a supper which proclaims the forgiveness of sins that we have through Jesus' sacrifice only to willingly and blatantly continue walking in the very sins that Jesus died to forgive us of?

That would be hypocritical, and we don't want to find ourselves in that spot. So examine your walk with the Lord and your walk with other believers, as we see that emphasis in the text as Paul is concerned over these divisions that are being highlighted through the Supper. So examine your walk with the Lord, examine your walk with other believers, and if you see an area where you need to repent, do so now.

So let's take a few minutes just to reflect quietly, and then I'll pray for the bread.

Father in heaven, we do thank you for the gift that you've given us in this continual reminder of what it is our Lord Jesus has done for us. Lord, we are forgetful creatures, and so we need to constantly be reminded of just the price that Jesus paid to make us his.

So Father, I pray that as we see this physical, tangible reminder in front of us, it would move us to renewed hope in Jesus and his sacrifice, that that would drive us away from despair and to renewed comfort in the righteousness that we are clothed in in Jesus himself. And I pray, Father, that as we take this bread, it would be honoring to you, not dishonoring in the way we partake, but a true commemoration of what Jesus did in letting his own body be broken for the life of the world. We thank you that by your grace we've come to partake in that life. And so it's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

1 Corinthians 11, verses 23 and 24: "For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, 'This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.'" Let's partake together.

Now we'll pray for the cup.

Father in heaven, as we continue commemorating the Lord's Supper this morning, we thank you not only for Jesus' body broken on our behalf but also his blood spilled for us. Father, we were reminded of the time when Jesus stood before the Sanhedrin on trial and how like a lamb led to the slaughter before its shearers is silent, so Jesus opened not his mouth.

We understand that he remained silent and in all humility because he had a mission to do, and that mission was to die. It was to die for us, to pay for our transgressions. And so we thank you that he has given his life, spilled his blood so that we might have life in him. For this we thank you in Jesus' name. Amen.

1 Corinthians 11, verses 25 and 26: "In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.' For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes." Let's partake together.

We'll pray and then the worship team will lead us in a final song this morning.

Father, we do thank you once again for the grace that you've given us in Jesus and that we're reminded of in the Supper. We thank you that no longer as your enemies but now your friends and even your adopted family, you now welcome us to your table.

We thank you for the sweet fellowship we have with you. It's all because of your grace. And so I pray that in the knowledge of that grace, we would now go forth from this place, prepared and ready to be your witnesses, empowered by your Spirit, prepared by the circumstances that you have providentially worked in our lives, and comforted by your presence to cheer us along the way. We thank you for this in Jesus' name. Amen.