10 March 2024 // Acts 24
SCRIPTURAL APPLICATION: Read Acts 24
SERMON REVIEW:
The Prosecution. Vs. 1-9
The Explanation. Vs. 10-21
What I did not do!
What I actually did!
The Procrastination. Vs. 22-27
QUESTIONS:
LIFE APPLICATION:
Procrastination Is a Loser
On March 1, 1985, the International News Network released the results of a survey taken the previous year in the United States workplace. The central conclusion focused on the finding that the average American worker wastes nine weeks a year procrastinating. Nine weeks! Just by failing to do what needs to be done at the time it should be done. Nine weeks putting off decisions or delaying actions.
Those of us who have studied leadership process know that procrastination is also one of the major time-wasters among individuals. We might call it the “Felix Syndrome,” the unwillingness to make a decision even though it seems clearly obvious what that decision should be. Had the INN survey reflected a nine-week loss through illness, tardiness, or laziness, we would not have been surprised. But procrastination, though an unlikely candidate, is the real loser in both individual and corporate time.
In the latter chapters of Acts we normally associate indecision with King Agrippa, and we’ll certainly see that in chapter 26. Luke paints Felix with the same brush; like Pilate, a man unwilling to decide for right, he, thereby, decides not to decide.
An old piece of verse for which I have no known source, pinpoints this acute problem of procrastination.
He was going to be all a mortal should be—tomorrow.
No one would ever be better than he—tomorrow.
Each morning he stacked up the letters he’d write—tomorrow.
Who can say what a credit he might have been—tomorrow.
The world would have known him if only he’d seen—tomorrow.
But the fact is he died and faded from view,
And all that was left when his living was through,
Was a mountain of things he intended to do—tomorrow.[1]
DIGGING DEEPER:
A. The Nazarene Sect (v. 5)
We should not be thrown off by the word sect; in the first century it did not contain the negative connotations we attach to it today. Remember Luke has already used the same Greek word of the Sadducees (5:17) and the Pharisees (15:5). Likely the term Nazarene did connect derisively to Jesus’ hometown, and, therefore, it stuck to the Christians throughout the first century. The Talmud often refers to Christians in this way, and later Jewish Christian sects actually adopted the name themselves.
Bock sees it as:
a charge of sedition. There are no witnesses brought forward. But by being called a sect, the “Nazarenes” are still seen as Jewish in origin … The rising foment among politically oriented Jews, who eventually produced the troublesome ‘Zealot’ movement, may serve as background to the charge. Christians were being compared to others who would cause Rome headaches, though it should be noted that the temple charge does not fit the picture of political zealots for Israel (Bock, 164).
B. The Missing Verse (v. 7)
In the NIV margin we read these words: “Some MSS add and wanted to judge him according to our law. [v. 7] But the commander, Lysias, came and with the use of much force snatched him from our hands [v. 8] and ordered his accusers to come before you.” Many commentators believe that this addition clarifies the position of Tertullus and should appear in the text. If it did, of course, the word him in verse 8 would then refer to Lysias, not to Paul.
Most evangelical scholars prefer the shorter text supporting the argument that manuscript evidence seems insufficient to include the additional verbiage.
C. Twelve Days (v. 11)
Luke’s time references are often very helpful in the flow of the text, but at other times we’re not exactly sure what he means. Polhill summarizes the quandary nicely.
The reference to twelve days has caused interpreters no end of problems. It would seem to cover the period from his arrival in Jerusalem up to the moment he was making his defense. One can arrive at the figure simply by adding the seven days of Paul’s purification (21:27) to the five days of 24:1, but other days are involved. The purification did not begin until at least the third day after his arrival in Jerusalem (cf. 21:18, 26). The most likely solution is to construe the rather awkward Greek expression in v. 11 as meaning that not more than twelve days were involved in his worship in Jerusalem, thus referring to the time between his arrival in Jerusalem to his arrest. This best fits Paul’s response to the charge of sedition; obviously he could not stir up many crowds after his arrest—that period was hardly germane (Polhill, 482).
D The Way (vv. 14, 22)
We keep encountering this term in Acts. Luke likes to use it in reference to the early Christians. It is very tempting to link this name with Jesus’ words in John 14:6, so tempting that I am reluctant to surrender some connection with that popular self-designation by the Lord and how people described his followers in later years. Marshall, however, sees the term as designating.
the true way of worshiping and serving God, for the Christians believed that the God of their Jewish ancestors was being rightly worshiped by them. Their understanding of true religion was based on the Old Testament, which they regarded as laying down the essentials of Christian faith and practice. The church was claiming in fact that the Old Testament was a Christian book (Marshall, 377–378).
True enough, but that in itself does not seem to explain why they chose this particular name. Surely Christians did emphasize that there was only one way to the Father, one way to heaven, but it is not likely they would seize upon that specific designation just to emphasize their adherence to Old Testament Scripture.
The very common word is hodos. It appears 102 times in the New Testament. John used it to warn people that they should prepare for the way of the Lord (Matt. 3:3); Pharisees told Jesus that he taught the way of God in accordance with the truth (Matt. 22:16); Hebrews talks about coming to God by a new and living way (10:20); and Peter writes about the way of truth (2 Pet. 2:2). None of these passages carry the drama of this word that appears in the opening lines of Jesus’ “Father message” in John 14.
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (vv. 1–6).
E The Twofold Resurrection (v. 15)
The idea of a twofold resurrection appears as early as Daniel 12:2. In the New Testament, we find it in John 5:28–29 and Revelation 20:12–15. Luke himself has already talked of it in Luke 14:13–14. The first category of resurrection refers to those who are Christ’s at his coming and seems to include dead saints of the church age (1 Thess. 4:16); dead saints of Old Testament times (Dan. 12:2); and tribulation martyrs (Rev. 20:4). These different segments all constitute the first resurrection which we might call the resurrection of the righteous.
The resurrection of unsaved dead will occur before the Great White Throne judgment and results only in a sentence of death with consignment to the lake of fire (Rev. 20:11–14).[2]
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. What charges could opponents to God bring against you? How would you respond if you had to testify in court as to your activities for God?
2. Can you honestly say you believe and try to follow everything written in Scripture? How often do you read and study Scripture?
3. If important government officials asked you to tell them the basic truths of your faith in Christ, what kind of report would you give to them?[3]
PRAYER:
[1] Kenneth O. Gangel, Acts, vol. 5, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1998), 407–408.
[2] Kenneth O. Gangel, Acts, vol. 5, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1998), 408–410.
[3] Kenneth O. Gangel, Acts, vol. 5, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1998), 411.
SERMON REVIEW:
The Prosecution. Vs. 1-9
The Explanation. Vs. 10-21
What I did not do!
What I actually did!
The Procrastination. Vs. 22-27
QUESTIONS:
- What did the message teach me about God/Jesus/Holy Spirit?
- What did the message teach me about the human condition?
- Is there anything I need to confess, repent, or be grateful for, because of this passage?
- How do I need help in believing and applying this scripture to my life?
- How can I encourage others with this passage?
LIFE APPLICATION:
Procrastination Is a Loser
On March 1, 1985, the International News Network released the results of a survey taken the previous year in the United States workplace. The central conclusion focused on the finding that the average American worker wastes nine weeks a year procrastinating. Nine weeks! Just by failing to do what needs to be done at the time it should be done. Nine weeks putting off decisions or delaying actions.
Those of us who have studied leadership process know that procrastination is also one of the major time-wasters among individuals. We might call it the “Felix Syndrome,” the unwillingness to make a decision even though it seems clearly obvious what that decision should be. Had the INN survey reflected a nine-week loss through illness, tardiness, or laziness, we would not have been surprised. But procrastination, though an unlikely candidate, is the real loser in both individual and corporate time.
In the latter chapters of Acts we normally associate indecision with King Agrippa, and we’ll certainly see that in chapter 26. Luke paints Felix with the same brush; like Pilate, a man unwilling to decide for right, he, thereby, decides not to decide.
An old piece of verse for which I have no known source, pinpoints this acute problem of procrastination.
He was going to be all a mortal should be—tomorrow.
No one would ever be better than he—tomorrow.
Each morning he stacked up the letters he’d write—tomorrow.
Who can say what a credit he might have been—tomorrow.
The world would have known him if only he’d seen—tomorrow.
But the fact is he died and faded from view,
And all that was left when his living was through,
Was a mountain of things he intended to do—tomorrow.[1]
DIGGING DEEPER:
A. The Nazarene Sect (v. 5)
We should not be thrown off by the word sect; in the first century it did not contain the negative connotations we attach to it today. Remember Luke has already used the same Greek word of the Sadducees (5:17) and the Pharisees (15:5). Likely the term Nazarene did connect derisively to Jesus’ hometown, and, therefore, it stuck to the Christians throughout the first century. The Talmud often refers to Christians in this way, and later Jewish Christian sects actually adopted the name themselves.
Bock sees it as:
a charge of sedition. There are no witnesses brought forward. But by being called a sect, the “Nazarenes” are still seen as Jewish in origin … The rising foment among politically oriented Jews, who eventually produced the troublesome ‘Zealot’ movement, may serve as background to the charge. Christians were being compared to others who would cause Rome headaches, though it should be noted that the temple charge does not fit the picture of political zealots for Israel (Bock, 164).
B. The Missing Verse (v. 7)
In the NIV margin we read these words: “Some MSS add and wanted to judge him according to our law. [v. 7] But the commander, Lysias, came and with the use of much force snatched him from our hands [v. 8] and ordered his accusers to come before you.” Many commentators believe that this addition clarifies the position of Tertullus and should appear in the text. If it did, of course, the word him in verse 8 would then refer to Lysias, not to Paul.
Most evangelical scholars prefer the shorter text supporting the argument that manuscript evidence seems insufficient to include the additional verbiage.
C. Twelve Days (v. 11)
Luke’s time references are often very helpful in the flow of the text, but at other times we’re not exactly sure what he means. Polhill summarizes the quandary nicely.
The reference to twelve days has caused interpreters no end of problems. It would seem to cover the period from his arrival in Jerusalem up to the moment he was making his defense. One can arrive at the figure simply by adding the seven days of Paul’s purification (21:27) to the five days of 24:1, but other days are involved. The purification did not begin until at least the third day after his arrival in Jerusalem (cf. 21:18, 26). The most likely solution is to construe the rather awkward Greek expression in v. 11 as meaning that not more than twelve days were involved in his worship in Jerusalem, thus referring to the time between his arrival in Jerusalem to his arrest. This best fits Paul’s response to the charge of sedition; obviously he could not stir up many crowds after his arrest—that period was hardly germane (Polhill, 482).
D The Way (vv. 14, 22)
We keep encountering this term in Acts. Luke likes to use it in reference to the early Christians. It is very tempting to link this name with Jesus’ words in John 14:6, so tempting that I am reluctant to surrender some connection with that popular self-designation by the Lord and how people described his followers in later years. Marshall, however, sees the term as designating.
the true way of worshiping and serving God, for the Christians believed that the God of their Jewish ancestors was being rightly worshiped by them. Their understanding of true religion was based on the Old Testament, which they regarded as laying down the essentials of Christian faith and practice. The church was claiming in fact that the Old Testament was a Christian book (Marshall, 377–378).
True enough, but that in itself does not seem to explain why they chose this particular name. Surely Christians did emphasize that there was only one way to the Father, one way to heaven, but it is not likely they would seize upon that specific designation just to emphasize their adherence to Old Testament Scripture.
The very common word is hodos. It appears 102 times in the New Testament. John used it to warn people that they should prepare for the way of the Lord (Matt. 3:3); Pharisees told Jesus that he taught the way of God in accordance with the truth (Matt. 22:16); Hebrews talks about coming to God by a new and living way (10:20); and Peter writes about the way of truth (2 Pet. 2:2). None of these passages carry the drama of this word that appears in the opening lines of Jesus’ “Father message” in John 14.
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (vv. 1–6).
E The Twofold Resurrection (v. 15)
The idea of a twofold resurrection appears as early as Daniel 12:2. In the New Testament, we find it in John 5:28–29 and Revelation 20:12–15. Luke himself has already talked of it in Luke 14:13–14. The first category of resurrection refers to those who are Christ’s at his coming and seems to include dead saints of the church age (1 Thess. 4:16); dead saints of Old Testament times (Dan. 12:2); and tribulation martyrs (Rev. 20:4). These different segments all constitute the first resurrection which we might call the resurrection of the righteous.
The resurrection of unsaved dead will occur before the Great White Throne judgment and results only in a sentence of death with consignment to the lake of fire (Rev. 20:11–14).[2]
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. What charges could opponents to God bring against you? How would you respond if you had to testify in court as to your activities for God?
2. Can you honestly say you believe and try to follow everything written in Scripture? How often do you read and study Scripture?
3. If important government officials asked you to tell them the basic truths of your faith in Christ, what kind of report would you give to them?[3]
PRAYER:
[1] Kenneth O. Gangel, Acts, vol. 5, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1998), 407–408.
[2] Kenneth O. Gangel, Acts, vol. 5, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1998), 408–410.
[3] Kenneth O. Gangel, Acts, vol. 5, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1998), 411.