The Problem With You Is That You Believe In The Resurrection (Acts 24:1-22)
Much of the Christian’s controversy with the world is that we believe in the resurrection. And they don’t.
Belief in the resurrection puts us at odds with the world. We don’t think the same as non-resurrection people.
Why can we look at the wrongdoer who has just harmed us with confidence that one day all will be made right? Because we believe in the resurrection and the judgment to come.
Why do we believe that it is foolish to do wickedness even if there is a financial payoff? Because we believe in the resurrection and the judgment to come.
Why do we look at the wicked leaders that seem to die happy in their sin and think that one day things will be made right? Because we believe in the resurrection and the judgment to come.
The resurrection of the dead makes us stranger in this world. And it makes us hated in this world.
It makes us stand at rallies to fight for justice for the unborn, as we have done on a few occasions. We don’t care if people hate us for doing what is right, there is a resurrection of the dead.
We declare that God’s Word is clear when it says that marriage is to be between one man and one woman for life. Obergefell was and remains a stench in the nostrils of a holy God. The State has no right to call something marriage that God has called an abomination. And we know that people will hate us for saying this. But because there is a resurrection of the dead, we are standing on the right side of history as the rest of the world progresses toward damnation.
But, as far as the world is concerned, you are the problem. Not them. And you are a problem because you believe in the resurrection of the dead.
When my family comes together to do our Bible reading we recite the Apostles’ Creed together. We recite the modern English version, same meaning modern words. And in it, we proclaim 2 times, the resurrection of the dead.
“I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. AMEN.”
Here is a summary of the teaching of the Apostles that churches across the globe have recited together for a very long time. And in it, we proclaim the resurrection of the dead twice. Once it is in regard to the judgment “He will come again to judge the living and the dead.” And the second, it is in regard to the Church to life everlasting “the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting”.
And believing that affects a person. It changes you. Your life has meaning and purpose far beyond this life. You believe in a life beyond this one. Your death is not the end. And there is a judgment coming, in which the Lord will judge both “the living and the dead”. And the salvation we have in Jesus Christ gives to us “life everlasting”.
All of this changes us. And we will see this in Paul’s interaction today.
Paul, as you hopefully remember, was rescued and arrested under false pretenses. A mob from out of town stirred up trouble for him in the temple. The Sanhedrin met, but still the Roman Tribune found no fault with him. So, the Sanhedrin plotted to have him murdered. But because Paul caught wind of it, the Tribune sent Paul with an armed guard out of town. Now, Felix would try his case.
The charges against Paul were read, and seemingly disregarded. In fact, Paul’s challenge to the charges seem to be effective. As one reads the account, it is surprising that Paul is not let out of custody after the trial. Today I want to look at Paul’s defense.
Paul’s defense before Felix has a lot to do with the resurrection. Belief in the resurrection gives him morals, hope, and courage. According to Paul, that is why this took place. That is why he was there on that day.
And, as Christians, we understand that belief in the resurrection does the same thing for us today.
Belief In The Resurrection Gives Us Morals (Acts 24:15-16)
They were lying about Paul. From the High Priest, to the lawyer that was there to present their case against him, it was all lies. And when Paul gave his defense, he argued that he was not lying because he believed in the resurrection and future judgment.
Now, this is not an argument that would hold up in court today. But it is one with some power. He believes that there is more to life than this, therefore he is not lying.
Annanias, the High Priest, did not believe in the resurrection. The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection. And every High Priest we run into in the New Testament was part of the Sadducees.
Annanias thought that this life was all that there was. There was nothing more. And that was really Paul’s point.
I don’t want to say that all people that believe in the resurrection have good morals. But it helps. And that certainly was the case here.
And this is true out in the world we live in as well.
What happens when a person believes there is nothing or no one who will judge his actions?
When he believes there is no final judgment?
When he is free to do whatever he wants?
People like to squawk about the crusades. They speak of the evils of religious wars. But those pale in comparison to the atrocities of the godless state.
Out of curiosity on this point I asked Google’s AI for a comparison. There were 1-3 million deaths during the crusades while communism killed around 100 million people. And here’s something people won’t often tell you. Much of the crusades were about land disputes, but even if that is not discussed there is no comparison. None.
The atrocities of communism, which is a godless ideology is vastly more dangerous than anything else people have concocted. And the reason is that it is literally an atheistic governing philosophy. It is what happens if John Lennon’s “Imagine” became the ideology of the ruling class.
On the other side of this is Western Society, which was built by Christians. Natural Law and Scripture built the principles of our society. Natural Law is just a fancy way of discussing God-created order and rights. Certainly as an American you have heard the phrase “God-given” rights”. That’s why we have so much freedom and rights.
In other words, compare what the atheists have built in comparison to what the Christians built. Even with society being destroyed, it is far better.
How much different are those that believe in the resurrection? Very!
John Lennon’s “Imagine” played at Jimmy Carter’s funeral. But we don’t have to imagine how people would behave if they believed there was “no heaven”, and “no hell below us”. When all the people really are “livin’ for today” they build a hell on Earth.
I emphasize this because belief in the resurrection matters in just the way that Paul said that it matters. And that shows up in how these societies function.
But it also shows up in how individuals make decisions.
It is now common for people to say that they know abortion is the taking of a life, but that’s not a big deal in comparison to allowing the baby to live.
How could a person say that unless they thought that they were the end of all judgment? How could a person say that unless they believe that unless they believe that there is no “hell below us” and no judgment to come?
This is only one example of many. People that don’t believe there is a judgment coming will believe, say, and do wicked things. Because they believe there is no coming judgment, they do not worry.
As Paul stated in his defense, belief in the resurrection does affect morals.
Belief In The Resurrection Gives Us Hope (Acts 24:15)
Amid the false accusations, Paul did have hope. As he put it, he had a “hope in God, which these men accept.”
The Sanhedrin was not just made up of Sadducees, even though the leader of the Sanhedrin was often so. The Pharisees were also a part of the Sanhedrin. And they accepted the resurrection. But they really did not know the way to receive this hope. Paul did.
The message that Paul proclaimed, and that we proclaim today, is that mankind rebelled against God. All of humanity is corrupt and has earned God’s wrath and justice. But God did not leave us in that state. God the Son took on human flesh and dwelt among us. He lived a perfect life and accomplished righteousness on behalf of wicked sinners. He died on the cross and paid the punishment for sin. And He rose from the grave three days later having accomplished redemption for mankind. He rose for our justification, that is our right standing with God. And all those that trust in Him have eternal life.
That is the message that Paul proclaimed and the message that we proclaim today. That is how a person receives the hope of resurrection. They knew of the resurrection, believed in the resurrection, but did not really have resurrection hope.
We have resurrection hope because of the perfect life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Part of the reason that I found John Lennon’s Imagine playing at Jimmy Carter’s funeral so objectionable is that there being no afterlife actually means there is no hope.
Life is hard. It is filled with difficulties and loss. It is filled with tremendous sorrows. And if this is all there is then, well, life is just hard. It is just incredibly hard.
As a church, we know this.
I remember that in one of our first weeks of being here Evelyn invited us to her home. We were still travelling back and forth at the time, so a meal at Evelyn’s was a very welcome way to spend the afternoon. And, as a pastor, I spent more time over at her home. It was always too hot but very enjoyable. And I think everyone that knew her still misses her.
The things that I am about to say here can be applied to all of us who have lost believing loved ones. We have hope that we will see them again because of the resurrection.
I don’t have that with everyone I know that has died. In fact, with some that rejected Christ, I fear they never turned to him. I fear that they are lost forever and suffering as they pay for their own sins now and forevermore.
But that is not us. We have this hope of eternal life. We have an unshakable hope in Christ that cannot be taken away from us even when all thing seem to be working against us.
What would happen to your eternal hope if the American government one day captured you and tortured you? What would happen to your hope if the country you loved turned against you? What would happen to that hope you have in Christ?
Nothing would happen. In fact, your love for Jesus and longing for the age to come may even grow stronger.
That is an extreme example, but it is extreme for a reason. I want you to see that the most powerful country in the world cannot take away your hope.
That also means that you should live in that hope. Our attitude about life should reflect that hope. Our insistence that the resurrection will come and give us our eternal home should fill us with joy to face all that life may throw at us.
Today’s troubles ought not to make you lose sight of your future home in glory.
Nothing can take that away. And you shouldn’t act like it’s gone. You should act like that sure hope is yours. Every set back should not be the end of the world, especially since the end of the world can’t take away your hope.
That is the kind of hope that Paul had. It could not be shaken. And, neither should yours.
And we want to share this unshakable hope with others. Because there is a resurrection and a coming judgment, we share the gospel with those lost in sin. We are okay with offending because we long for them to be with us for eternity. There is a judgment coming, and we risk angering them because if they don’t repent, they will be in Hell for eternity.
Belief In The Resurrection Gives Us The Courage To Cause Trouble
These people accused Paul of being a pest. On this occasion, he had done nothing of the sort. He did not cause any trouble whatsoever. But he had done so in other locations. In fact, his trouble followed him into the temple and started a riot because he had stirred up trouble in other locations. Paul had a reputation.
But the reality is that Paul’s rabble rousing was not because he was trying to cause trouble. He was proclaiming truth and making disciples. He was starting churches and making disciples. He was defying the darkness.
Paul didn’t go into town intending to start trouble. Paul started trouble by being obedient. And so will you if you are obedient to Christ.
It takes courage to do that sometimes. We have a resurrection hope that gives us courage to defy the darkness and go forth into this dark world.
I believe that the current state of things is such that faithfulness to Jesus will cause people to take notice and for people to dislike us.
My eyes were opened to this more than they ever had during the bathroom mess here in Conway. I guess it’s because it was happening here locally. But people hurled all sorts of vile language and threats at the school board her. And why?
Because they insisted that people use the restroom of their biological gender. That’s it!
It opened my eyes because, as a church, we proclaim much more than that. And if we are as effective as I hope and pray we will be, then people will be very upset at us.
But, because we believe in the resurrection, we are willing to be hated by the world. We are willing to proclaim the lordship of Christ to a world lost in sin and living in defiance of Him.
We are willing because we have hope. We are willing because there is a resurrection.
We open our mouths an dspeak in defiance of a society that increasingly believes we should keep to ourselves. And we do so because we believe in the resurrection.
What can they do to us?
And they need to hear what we’re saying because the resurrection will happen and there is a judgment coming.
R. Dwain Minor