The Word Made Plain

Automated Voice: Welcome to The Word Made Plain, playing with Senior Pastor Tony Clark of Calvary Chapel Newport News in Virginia. Currently, Pastor Tony is teaching a study in the Book of Acts.

Please open your Bible to Acts chapter 25, verses 1 through 12.

Tony Clark: Yes, we are glad you're here. God bless you. God bless you online as well. We're thrilled to have you here with us to worship our Lord and to study this word here. Okay, all right, let's dive into the Word of God together. Turn with me in your Bibles to the Book of Acts, chapter 25.

We're going to be looking at verses 1 through 12 as we continue our verse-by-verse study of the New Testament. And we find ourselves in the Book of Acts. And as you know, come God's will Wednesday, we're going to be back in the Book of First Samuel going through verse by verse through the Old Testament. And looking forward to going through the Word of God.

And Father, thank You that You didn't leave us here to try to figure all this stuff out on our own. But Lord, You've given us Your word. And so God, we pray that You teach us. Teach us Your word. I pray that Your Holy Spirit will give us illumination of Your word. Lord, so we can have a mind to understand and a will to want to obey. Help us, we pray, in Jesus' name. Amen.

Acts chapter 25, looking at verses 1 through 12. And the title of this message is The Root of Bitterness. The Root of Bitterness. Now, everything in life has a root to it. A source where it came from, where it started, and bitterness is no different. No different. Bitterness and anger walk hand in hand. Two peas in a pod, bosom buddies. And we will see in these verses.

Now, by way of background, we left off last time with Paul in prison. He was left there by the governor Felix, who knew that he was innocent but wanted to do the Jews a favor and left him under protective custody. And Acts 24, verse 27 says, "After two years, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus." Now, chapter 25 covers the time of his reign as governor.

Look what it says there in verses 1 to 3. "Now, when Festus had come to the province, after three days, he went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem. Then the high priest and the chief men of the Jews informed him again against Paul. And they petitioned him, asking a favor against him, that he would summon him to Jerusalem, while they lay in ambush along the road to kill him."

Now, history tells us that Festus was 70 years old when he became governor, and he only reigned for four years, from AD 58 to AD 62, and he ended up dying in office. Verse 1 says, "After only three days on the job, he went to Jerusalem to introduce himself." He was not a procrastinator like Felix. He wasted no time.

According to verse 2, "He met with the high priest and the chief men." And the first thing they do is talk to him about Paul. So, it had been two years later, and they were still bitter about Paul. I just want to know how long has it been for you? Two days? Two weeks? Two months? Two years? Look at what bitterness can do to a person when it is left unconfessed as sin.

The root of bitterness, don't miss this, the root of bitterness is anger. When we allow the sun to go down on our anger, like Ephesians 4:26 says, then Ephesians 4:27 becomes true. We give place to the devil. We give him place to do what? Plant a seed, a root of bitterness in our hearts. Then when bitterness has a root in our heart, it brings forth hatred, and hatred brings forth murder.

This is why Jesus said in Matthew 5, verse 22, "Anger is at the root of murder." This is why Jesus said in Matthew 5:28 that "lust is at the root of adultery." So, Jesus is saying that we need to deal with the root of the problem. Or in this case, anger is the root of bitterness. They couldn't wait to inform this new governor Festus about Paul. It had been two years. They were still stewing over their anger and bitterness about Paul.

See, when we don't confess our anger as sin, or we try to justify it, Satan will always open up a door for us to express that anger and bitterness. We talked about this a couple of weeks ago, and it stands to be repeated here. In Mark 6, verse 18, John the Baptist said to Herod that "it wasn't lawful for him to have his brother Philip's wife." Her name was Herodias.

And why wasn't it lawful? Because legally, she was still married to Herod's brother Philip. This is why he says, "It's not lawful for you to have her," meaning legally, she's still another man's wife. Oh, I mentioned this a couple of weeks ago, it stands to be mentioned again. Why? Because they said, "We forget 75% of what we hear after three days." So, if I mentioned it a couple of weeks ago, it's going to sound new to you.

But here's the thing, I don't care how long they have been separated, she still belongs to another man. She's still married to another man. He is still married. And this is why it is not, watch this, lawful for you to have her or to have him. Why? Because you are dating, messing around with another man's wife or another wife's husband. This is why he said it's not lawful.

Well, see, they've been separated. Who cares? You remember I said, if they cannot produce a certificate of divorce, then it is, I'm emphasizing the word, it is not lawful for you to have them. I don't, I don't care. It's been 10 years. Then what's taking them so long to get the piece of paper? Then you see, then people say, "Oh, you know, it don't mean anything. It's just it ain't nothing but a piece of paper." Then get it. That's just a thought, you know.

So, when John the Baptist told Herod that it wasn't lawful for him to have his brother Philip's wife, her name was Herodias. Mark 6, verse 19 says, "She held this against him." And she wanted to kill John the Baptist, but she could not. Why? Because Herod respected John the Baptist as a just and holy man. But Mark 6, verse 21 says, "Then an opportune day came when Herod on his birthday gave a feast and invited all of his nobles and high officials and officers."

The daughter of Herodias, history tells her name was Salome. She danced for them and Herod was so excited that he asked her, "What do you want? I will give you up to half my kingdom." That must have been some kind of dance that he's willing to give up half his kingdom because she wiggled around, she swirled around. Hips don't lie. And he was willing to give up to half the kingdom.

Now, watch this, watch this. The girl didn't know what to ask for. And then Matthew 14 and verse 8 says, "So she, having been prompted by her mother, said, 'Give me John the Baptist's head on a platter.'" Ladies, let me, let me talk to you. Moms, mothers, women, you don't realize the power that you have. You have a power over men, and you have a power over your children. And you can use that power for evil or for good. You can sway your husband to do that which is right, or you can sway him to do that which is wrong.

And this girl didn't know what to say. So, she goes to her mother and said, "What should I ask for?" And because her mother held it against what John the Baptist said, she didn't check her anger at the door. She let the sun go down on her anger. Bitterness came in. She gave place to the devil. Bitterness came in. Bitterness brought hatred, and hatred brings murder. And she was still stewing. And therefore, when that opportune day came, she said, "Ask for the head of John the Baptist."

And I just wonder, ladies, what are you prompting your children to do? Prompting them against their, their, their father? Let me just say, he, he left and he's involved with somebody else. Let it go. Let it go. But you have a power over those little ones. Come on, "Your daddy's here." Come on. He no good. He long gone, gone, gone. You know, and all of a sudden they come back saying things. And they, they, they telling him, "You know, mommy said, 'You see.'" You don't realize that power that you have. You have a power. So, she asked for the head of John the Baptist on a platter. I just wonder whose head do you want on a platter? Your ex-husband? Your old boss? You see what anger would do?

If we don't deal with it, or if we try to justify it, Satan will always convince you that your anger is justified. That's why you're angry. Because you've been provoked. And he's always trying to convince you that your anger is justified. But I'm just telling you, when you stew and hold this stuff, you're going to want somebody's head pretty soon. Who are you angry with, that you're patiently waiting on your opportune day to come? I just, I just wonder who that is. To get them back or see something bad happen to them. You'll kill them if you knew you could get away with it, but you're too afraid of the consequences of killing them. So, you just wish something bad would happen to them. Satan will always open a door for you.

There will always be another person like Festus who is new on the job or a new supervisor who you can finally see justice happen to a person you're bitter towards. Let me just encourage you like I've always have over the years, let it go. Let it go. Ask God to help you let it go. Just let it go. It's just not worth it. Let it go. Let it go. Somebody needs to hear that today. Let it go, because you've been stewing and you're waiting on the opportune day, "I just can't wait to see them get it back. They hurt me. I can't wait to see them get hurt." Oh, I'm telling you, let it go.

Let me encourage you to confess your anger as sin. Because it will open up the door for bitterness to come in, and he will bring hatred with him, and the end result will be murder. You will wish they were dead because you're too much of a chicken to kill them yourself because you're afraid of the consequences. You will wish that they were dead. This is what we see in the lives of the religious leaders. I mean, we're talking about two years later, they're still holding on to it. Soon as the new governor came in, the first thing they said, "Let me bend your ear." Two years later, they're still talking about it. No other business came up but Paul. They're still bitter towards him.

And this is what we see in their lives. So, this shows you that God's people can get caught up in murderous plots and the, the, the, and plot the assassination of another Christian, which is a characteristic of Satan. Satan is a murderer. The Bible says he was a murderer from the beginning in John 8:44. These religious leaders knew that they were not going to get Rome to convict Paul, so they were telling this Roman governor of their murderous plot at the end of verse 3. No doubt trying to convince him of how good this will be for his administration. Just tell him to come down to Jerusalem, we're going to lay an ambush for him, and we'll kill him ourselves. They're telling this new Roman governor. This is, this is amazing to me.

Do you know what this reminds me of? This reminds me of Proverbs 25, verse 26, where it says, "A righteous man who falters before the wicked is like a murky spring and a polluted well." In other words, how do you think these religious leaders looked in the eyes of this unsaved Roman governor? He had to be thinking, "This is what the Jewish God and the Jewish religion is like? These are his representatives?" This is how we look in the eyes of the world when we allow our anger to go unconfessed. We too are capable of such dark crimes as these religious leaders. Never underestimate the wickedness in our hearts and what it will end up having us do.

You've heard me quote it all the time, in Jeremiah 17:9, it says, "The heart is desperately wicked, who can know it?" And you know another translation, you hear me say it all the time, that "the heart is incurably sick." It is capable of all kinds of ugly, wicked things. Jesus said, "Out of the heart comes murder, adultery." He named a list of heinous crimes that's lurking within our hearts. And when we allow anger to take root, it will kick off all kind of ugliness in us. Never underestimate what your wicked heart and my wicked heart is capable of doing. It is sickening.

We're talking about people who call themselves God's people. I'm not talking about the world. The world is already sick. They need Christ. I'm talking about those who claim to have Christ. The wickedness that lurks within our hearts. Look at verses 4 and 5. "But Festus answered that Paul should be kept in Caesarea, and that he himself was going there shortly. Therefore, he said, 'Let those who have authority among you go down with me and accuse this man, to see if there is any fault in him.'"

Now, Festus saw through their insincere desire to have a fair trial for Paul because they just said in verse 3 how they wanted to ambush him. So, Festus didn't, he didn't agree with their request and according to verse 4, to leave Paul, leave Paul in Caesarea and there be tried, seeing that Paul was a Roman citizen. So, he tells them in verse 5, "Those with authority can come to Caesarea to have a more fair trial in Festus's mind." Because I'm sure that the Roman governor was curious as to why these Jewish leaders were so desperate to see this Roman citizen Paul dead. So, that's why he agreed to have a trial, but not in Jerusalem, but in Caesarea.

Look at verses 6 and 7. It says, "And when he had remained among them more than 10 days, he went down to Caesarea, and the next day, sitting on the judgment seat, he commanded Paul to be brought. When he had come, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood about and laid many serious complaints against Paul, which they could not prove." Festus being true to his word in verse 6 remained in Jerusalem for about 10 days, and then he returned to Caesarea, which was the headquarters of the Roman governor. And the very next day, he brought Paul before the judgment seat, showing that this was now an official Roman trial.

Now, the Greek word for judgment is Bema. It is by way of definition an elevated platform used to pronounce a sentence in a court. Romans 14, verse 10 and 2nd Corinthians 5:10 says, "We must all appear before the judgment Bema seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad." And once again, we're going to give an account for what we did and how we lived our lives on the earth, whether good or bad. So, the idea of this Bema seat that Paul used here, he borrowed from being a Roman citizen to describe how God will judge His people.

God is going to judge. Do not think the God who made the eyes is blinded to the sin in the world. God who made the ears is deaf to what's happening around. God is going to judge. The Bible says judgment must begin at the house of God. God's going to deal with His people first. We're supposed to be His representatives. So, God is going to deal with His people first. And we see that. All kind of scandals in the church and stuff. That's God bringing to the surface His judgment upon. God's going to deal with His people. So, if God's going to deal with His people, God is going to judge the world.

He's going to deal with the sin of the world. He's going to judge America harshly. I love what Billy Graham said. Billy Graham said, "If God doesn't judge America harshly, He owes Sodom and Gomorrah an apology," which is true. God is going to deal with us. And I always told you, the way God deals with nations, He deals with nations through natural catastrophes. He deals with individuals in the next life. He deals with nations now. And I've always taught you to look at the weather patterns of what's going on around the United States.

Now, some people can say, "Oh, that's been going on for a long time." Yes, it has, but not at the intensity that it's going on now. God judges nations in this life through natural catastrophes. And God is dealing with us. California can't stop burning. Every time you look up, that place is on fire. Louisiana, Texas and down in the Gulf of Mexico, they can't stop getting hurricanes. Hurricane just said, "Oh, it just, it just, it spins off, you already know, it spins off the winds, it spins off of Africa, and then it makes its way, and as it makes its way across and hit the islands, it becomes a hurricane." But it always starts off the coast of Africa, all those hurricanes. And it just, it, it does this. Here's Africa, and it goes right here and says, "There it is, a parking space right at the Gulf of Mexico." And just, and just.

They can't stop getting them. There's one just passed, you know, what, Zeta, Zeta or somebody. They're running out of alphabet, so they just said, "We'll start over." And it just, it's going through and hit the Panhandle and just, just wreaking havoc. God just, He's not blind. He sees the wickedness and evil. God said, "Okay, y'all think you're cute? You think your technology is so great? You think your medicine is so good? I'm going to allow a plague to hit the world. Deal with that." And we're rocking and reeling over Rona.

We better pay attention. Because it is a precursor to what's going to happen when we stand before God. We're going to be judged. We're going to give an account. We, we just, we're going to give an account of our lives. And then whether good or bad. So, you know, "It ain't all bad. I got some good, you know." Whether good or bad, it's all going to be judged. And we better, we, I, I put it on social media and folks just weirded out, they were all kind of looking crazy. You know why? Because it's true. I said, "Folks are preparing more for retirement than for eternity."

And you got folks, "Yeah, get my 401K. Yeah, put so many dollars on, you know, I'm good, you know. So, when I get my older years, I'm going to be good." Okay, are you good for all eternity? We're not saying you can't have a 401K, you better. Better have something. Little few pennies put aside when you just got a few marbles left in your head. Got to have something going on. But, are you equally preparing for eternity? You know, Rona has just been so funny to me. It's been funny. If I don't laugh, I cry.

And you know, and I've said many times, you know, that the narrative that's being painted is that the church is the most dangerous place in the world to come to. That's where Rona lives. Lives here. Rona is the usher, a greeter in the parking lot waiting for you. So, when you get out of your car, Rona is like this.

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