Apostle Paul accused of Teaching Things Contrary to the Scripture

I. Apostle Paul
A. Opposition to the Gospel -Acts Chapter 21
1. Paul is accused of wrong doing.
2. He was accused of teaching things contrary to the Scripture.
"When the seven days were nearly over,some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul at the temple. They stirred up the whole crowd and seized him,shouting, Men of Isarel help us! This man teaches all men everywhere against our people and our law and this place..."-verses 27-28a
3. He was accused of foliating the temple with outsiders.
a. "...And besides,he has brought Greeks into the temple are and defiled this place. (They had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with Paul and assumed he had brought him into the temple area.)"-verses 28b-29
b. "The whole city was aroused,and the people came running from all directions. Seizing Paul,they dragged him from the temple,and immediately all the gates were shut. While they were trying to kill him,news reached the commander of the Roman troops that the whole city of Jersusalem was in an uproar. "-verses 30-31
c. "He at once took some officials and soliders and ran down to the crowd. When the rioters saw the commander and his soliders, they stopped beating Paul."-verse 32
B. Paul Arrested
1. "The commander came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with chains. The he asked him who he was and what he had done."-verse 33
2. "Some in the crowd shouted one thing and some another,and since the commander could not get at the truth because of the uproar,he ordered Paul be taken into the barracks."-verse 34
3. "When Paul reached the steps,the violence of the mob was so great he had to be carried by the soliders."-verse 35
a. "The crowd that followed kept shouting,Away with him!"-verse 36
C. Paul's request-"As the soliders were about to take Paul into the barracks, he asked the commander,May I say something to you?..."-verse 37a
1. Commanders answer-"...Do you speak Greek? he replied. Aren't you the Egyptian who started a revolt and led four thousand terrorists out in the desert some time ago?"-verses 37b-38
2. " Paul answered, I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no ordinary city. Please let me speak to the people. "-verse 39
3. " When he had given him permission, Paul,standing on the stairs, motioned to the people with his hand;and when there was a great hush he spoke to them in the Hebrew dialect saying,"-verse 40 (NASB)
D. Paul Defends Himself-Acts 22:1-30
1. "Brothers And Fathers, listen now to my defense." -verse 1
2. "And when they heard that he was addressing them in the Hebrew dialect,they became even more quiet and he said,"-verse 2 (NASB)
3. "I am a Jew,born in Tarsus of Cilcia,but brought up in this city. Under Gamaliel I was throughly tarined in the law of our fathes and was just as zealous for God as any of you are today I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison, as also the high priest and all the Council can testify. I even obtained letters from them to their brothers in Damascus, and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished."-verses 3-5
4."About noon as I cam near Damascus,suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, Saul! Saul! Why do you perscute me? Who are you ,Lord? I asked. I am Jesus of Nazereth, whom you are perscuting, he replied. My companions saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of him who was speaking to me. What shall I do, Lord ? I asked. Get up, the Lord said,and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do. My companions led me by the hand into Damascus because the brilliance of the light had blinded me. A man named Ananias came to see me. He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there. He stood beside me and said, Brother Saul, recieve your sight! And at that very moment I was able to see him."-verses 6-13
E. Paul Continues to Defend Himself & Give His Testimony
1. "The he said:The God of our fathers has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. You will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard."-verses 14-15
2. "And now what are you waiting for? Get up,be baptized and wash your sins away,calling on his name. When I returned to Jerusalem and was praying at the temple, I fell into a trance and saw the Lord speaking Quick! he said to me. Leave Jerusalem immediately,because they will not accept your testimony about me. Lord, I replied, these men know that I went from one synagogue to another to imprison and beat those who believe in you."-verses 16-19
3. "And when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him."-verse 20
4. "Then the Lord said to me,Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles. "-verse 21
F. Crowd angered & Paul Questioned
1. "The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, Rid the earth of him! He's not fit to live! "-verse 22
2. "As they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air,"-verse 23
3. "the commander ordered Paul to be taken inot the barracks. He directed that he be flogged and questioned in order to find out why the people were shouting at him like this."-verse 24
a. "As they stretched him out to flog him, Paul said to the centurion standing there,Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn't even been found guilty? "-verse 25
b."When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and reported it. What are you going to do? he asked. This man is a Roman citizen."-verse 26
c. "The commander went to Paul and asked, Tell me, are you a Roman citizen? Yes, I am, he answered. Then the commander said, I had to pay a big prize for my citizenship. But I was born a citizen, Paul replied. "-verses 27-28
4. "Those who were about to question him withdrew immediately. The commander himself was alarmed when he realized he had put Paul,a Roman citizen in chains."-verse 29
5. "The next day, since the commander wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews, he released him and ordered the chief priests and all the Sanhedrin to assemble. Then he brought Paul and had him stand before them."-verse 30
II. Paul Before the Sanhedrin-Acts Chapter 23:1-10
A. Paul Defends Himself in Front of the Sanhedrin-"Paul Looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day."-verse 1
1. "At this the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth."-verse 2
2. "The Paul said to him,God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit there to judge me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by commandin that I be struck!"-verse 3
B. Paul corrected by others nearby
1. "Those who were standing near Paul said, you dare to insult God's high priest?"-verse 4
2. "Paul replied, Brothers, I did not realize that he was the high priest;for it is written:Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people."-verse 5
C. Paul speaks to the other Jewish leaders & Causes a fight among the leaders
1. "Then Paul knowing that some of them were Sadduceese and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin,My brothers,I am a Pharisee,the son of a Pharisee. I stand on trial because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead. "-verse 6
2. "When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees,and the assembly was divided. (The Saducees say there is no resurrection,and that there are neither angels nor spirits,but the Pharisees acknowlege them all.) "-verses 7-8
3. "There was a great uproar,and some of the teachers of the law who were Pharisees stood up and argued vigoursly. We find nothing wrong with this man, they said. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?"-verse 9
4. "The dispute became so violent that the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them. He ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force ad bring him into the barracks."-verse 10
5. The Lord speaks to Paul- "The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, Take courage! As you testified about me in Jerusalem,so you must also testify in Rome."-verse 11
D. Jews plot to kill Paul-Acts 23:12-22
1. "The next morning the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath no to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. More than forty men were involved in this plot."-verses 12-13
2. "They went to the chief priests and elders and said,We have taken a solemn oath not eat anything until we have killed Paul. Now then, you and the Sanhedrin petition the commander to bring him before you on the pretext of wanting more accurate information about his case. We are ready to kill him before he gets here."-verse 14-15
a. Paul warned about the threat.-"But when the son of Paul's sister heard of this plot, he went into the barracks and told Paul."-verse 16
b. "The Paul called one the centurions and said, Take this young man to the commander;he has something to tell him. So he took him to the commander. The centurion said, Paul the prisoner, sent for me and asked me to bring this young man to you because he has something to tell you. The commander took the young man by the hand drew him aside and asked, What is it you want to tell me? He said: The Jews have agreed to aske you to bring Paul before the Sanhedrin tomorrow on the pretext of wanting more accurate information about him. Don't give in to them, because more than forty of them are waiting in ambush for him. They have taken an oath not to eat or drink until they have killed him. They are ready now, waiting for consent to thier request."-verses 17-21
c."The commander dismissed the young man and cautioned him, Don't tell anyone that you have reported this to me."-verse 22
E. Paul transferred to Caesara _Acts 23:23-35
1. "Then he called two of his centurions and ordered them, Get ready a detachment of two hundred soliders, seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to go to Caesarea at nine tonight."-verse 23
2. "Provide mounts for Paul so that he may be taken safely to Governor Felix."-verse 24
3. "He wrote a letter as follows: Claudius Lysias, To His Exllency, Governor Felix:Greetings. This man was seized by the Jews and they were about to kill him, but I cam with my troops and rescued him, for I had learned that he is a Roman citizen. I wanted to know why they were accusing him, so I brought him to thier Sanhedrin. I found that the accusation had to do with questions about thier law ,but their was no charge against him that deserved death or imprisonment. When I was informed of a plot to be carried out against the man, I sent him to you at once. I also ordered his accusers to present to you thier case against him. "-verse 25-30
4. "So the soldiers, carrying out their orders, took Paul with them during the night and brought him as far as Antipatris. The next day they let the calvary go on with him,while they returned to the barracks. When the calvary arrived in Casearea, they delivered the letter to the governor and handed Paul over to him. "-verse 31-33
5. "The governor read the Letter and asked which province he was from. Learning that he was from Cilicia, he said, I will hear your case when your accusers get here. Then he ordered that Paul be kept under guard in Herod's palace."-verse 34
III. Paul's Trial Before Felix-Acts Chapter 24
A. He is unjustly accused once again-"Five days later the high priest Anaias went down to Casearea with some of the elders and a lawyer naded Tertullus, and they brought thier charges against Paul before the governor."-verse 1
1. "When Paul was called in, Tertullus prsented his case before Felix:We have enjoyed a long period of peace under you,and your foresight has brought about reforms in this nation. Everywhere and in every way, most execellent Felix, we acknowledge this with gratitude, But in order not to be weary you further,I would request that you be kind enough to hear us briefly."-verse 2-4
2. "We have found this man to be a troublemaker, stirring up riots amomg the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the Nazerene sect and even tried to desecrate the temple;so we seized him. By examing him yourself you will learn the truth about all thse charges we are bringing against him. The Jews joined in the accusation,asserting that these things were true."-verses 5-9
B. Paul Defends Himself
1. "When the governor motioned for him ot speak, Paul replied: I know that for a number of years you have been a judge over this nation;so I gladly make my defense. You can easily verify that no more than twelve days ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship. My accusers did not find me arguing with anyone at the temple, or stirring up a crowd in the synagogues or anywhere else in the city. And they cannot prove to you the charges they are now making against me."-verse 10-13
2. "However, I admit that I worship the God of our fathers as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that agrees with the Law and that is written in the Prophets, and I have the same hope in God as these men,that there will be resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. So I Strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man. After an absence of several years, I came to Jerusalem to bring my people gifts for the poor and to present offerings. I was ceremonially clean when they found me in the temple coursts doing this. There was no crowd with me, nor was I involved in any distrubance. But there are some Jews from the province of Asia, who ought to be here before you and bring charges if they have anything against me. Or thse who are here should state what crime they found in me when I stood before the Sanhedrin-unless it was this one thing I shouted as I stood in their prescence:It is concerning the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you today."-verses 14-21
C.Felix dismisses the Trial for awhile & Paul Witnesses to Him
1. "Then Felix, who was well acquainted with the Way, adjourned the proceedings. When Lysias the commander comes, he said, I will decide your case."-verse 22
2. "He ordered the centurion to keep Paul under guard but ot give him some freedom and permit his friends to take care of his needs."-verse 23
a. "Several days later Felix came wiht his wife Drusilla, who was a Jewess. He sent for Paul and listened to him as he spoke about his faith in Chirst Jesus."-verse 24
b."As Paul discoursed on righteousness,self-control and the judgment to come,Felix was afraid and said, That's enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient,I will send for you."-verse 25
c. "At the sametime he was hoping that Paul would offer him a bribe,so he sent for him frequently and talked with him."-verse 26
d. "When two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus,but because Felix wanted to grant a favor to the Jews, he left Paul in prison."-verse 27
IV. Paul 's Trial Before Festus-Acts Chapter 25
A. "Three days after arriving in the province,Festus went up from Ceasarea to Jerusalem,where the chief priests and the Jewish leaders appeared before him and presented the charges against Paul."-verses 1-2
1. "They urgently requested Festus,as a favor to them, to have Paul transferred to Jerusalem,fo rthey were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way."-verse 3
2. "Festus answered, Paul is bing held at Ceasarea,and I myself am going there soon. Let some of your leaders come with me and press charges against the man there, if he has done anything wrong."-verse 4-5
3. "After spending eight or ten days with them,he went down to Casearea, and the next day he convened the court and ordered that Pual be brought before him. When Paul appeared, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him,bringing many serious charges against him, which they could not prove."-verses 6-7
4. "Then Paul made his defense:I have done nothing wrong against the law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar. "-verse 8
5. "Festus,wishing to do the Jews a favor,said to Paul, Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me there on these charges? Paul answered:Iam now standing before Caesar's court, where I ought to be tried. I have not done any wrong to the Jews, as you yourself know very well. If, however, I am guilty of doing anything deserving death, I do not refuse to die. But if the charges brought agsinst me by these Jews are not true, no one has the right to hand me over to them, I appeal to Caesar!"-verses 9-11
a. "After Festus had conferred with his council, he declared,You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go!"-verse 12
b."A few days later King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caseara to pay their respects to Festus. Since they were spending many days there,Festus discussed Paul's case wiht the king. He said: There is a man here whom Felix left as a prisoner. When I went to Jerusalem, the chief priests and elders of the Jews brought charges against him and asked that he be condemned. I told them that it is not Roman custom to hand over any man before he has faced his accusers and has had any opportunity to defend himself against their charges. When they came here with me,I did not delay the case, but convened the court the next day and ordered the man to be brought in. When his accusers got up to speak, they did not charge him with any of the crimes I had expected. Instead , they had some poijts of dispute with him about thier own religion and about a dead man named Jesus who Paul claimed was alive. I was at loss how to investigate such matters;so I asked if he would be willing to go to Jerusalem and stand trial there on these charges. When Paul made his appeal to be held over for the Emperor's decision, I ordered him held until I could send him to Caesar. Then Agrippa said to Festus, I would like to hear this man myself. He replied, Tomorrow you will hear him."-verses 13-22
B. Paul Before King Agrippa
1. "The next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and entered the audience room with the high ranking officers and the leading men of the city. At the command of Festus, Paul was brought in. Festus said:King Agrippa, and all who are present with us, you see this man! The whole Jewish community has petitioned me about him in Jerusalem and here in Caesarea,shouting that he ought not to live any longer. I found he had done nothing deserving of death, but because he made his appeal to the Emperor I decided to send him to Rome. But I have nothing definite to write to His Majesty about him. Therefore I have brought him before all of you, and especially before you, King Agrippa,so that as a result of this investigation I may have something to write."-verses 23-26
2."For I think it is unreasonable to send on a prisoner without specifying the charges against him."-verse 27
3. Acts Chapter 26
a. "Then Agrippa said to Paul, You have permission to speak for yourself. So Paul motioned with his hand and began his defense:King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to stand before you today as I make my defense against all the accusations of the Jews,and especially because you are well acquainted with the Jewish customs and controversies. Therefore,I beg you to listen to me patiently."-verses 1-3
b. "The Jews all know the way I have lived ever sine I was a child,from the beginning of my life in my own country, and also in Jerusalem. They have known me for a long time and can testify, if they are willing, that according to the strictest sect of our religion, I lived as a Pharisee. And now it is because of my hope in what God has promised our fathers that I am on trial today. This is the promise our twelve tribes are hoping to see fulfilled as they earnestly serve God day and night. O king,it is because of this hope the Jews are accusing me. Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead? I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the saints in prison,and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. Many time I went from on synagogue to another to have them punished, and tried to force them to blaspheme. In my obsession against them, I went to foreign cities to persecute them. On one of these journeys I was going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. About noon,O king, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven,brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions. "-verses 4-13
c. "And when we had all fallen to the ground I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew dialect, Saul,Saul,why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads."-verse 14 (NASB)
"d. Then I asked,who are you,Lord? I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,the Lord replied. Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you. I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they might receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me."-verses 15-18
e. "So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven. First to those in Damascus,then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles also, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds. That is why the Jews seized me in the temple courts and tried to kill me. But I have had God's help to this very day,and so I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen-that the Christ would suffer and,as the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to his own people and to the Gentiles."-verses19- 23
4. Festus rudely barges into the conversation.-"At this point Festus interrupted Paul's defense. You are out of your mind,Paul! he shouted. Your great learning is driving you insane."-verse 24
a. "I am not insane,most excellent Festus, Paul replied. What I am saying is true and reasonable."-verse 25
b. "The king is familiar with these things,and I can speak freely to him. I am convinced that none of this has escaped his notice, because it was not done in a corner."-verse 26
5. Paul's continues his testimony where he left off. -"King Agrippa,do you believe the prophets? I know you do."-verse 27
a. King Agrippa's response "Then Agrippa said to Paul,do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?"- verse 28
b. "Paul replied,Short time or long-I pray God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am,except for these chains."-verse 29
c. "The King rose,and with him the governor and Bernice and those sitting with them. They left the room,and while talking with one another,they said, This man is not doing anything that deserves death or imprisonment. Agrippa said to Festus,This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar."-verse 30-32
VI. Paul Sails for Rome-Acts 27:1-12
A. "When it was decided that we should sail for Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius, who belonged to the Imperial Regiment."-verse 1
1. "We boarded a ship from Adramyttium about to sail for ports along the coast of the province of Asia,and we put out to sea. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica,was with us."-verse 2
2." The next day we landed at Sidon;and Julius,in kindness to Paul allowed him to go to his friends so they might provide for his needs."-verses 3
3. "From there we put out to sea again and passed to the lee of Cyprus because the winds were against us. When we had sailed across the open sea off the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we landed at Myra in Lycia. There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy and put us on board. We made slow headway for many days and had difficulty arriving off Cnidus. When the wind did not allow us to hold our course,we sailed to the lee of Crete, opposite Salmone. We moved along the cost with difficulty and came to a place called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea. "-verses 4-8
4. "Much time had been lost,and sailing had already become dangerous because not it was after the Fast. So Paul warned them, Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also. But the centurion,instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and owner of the ship. Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in,the majority decided that we would sail on, hoping to reach Phoenix and winter there. This was a harbor in Crete, facing both southwest and northwest."verses 9-12
B. The Storm-Acts 27:13-26
1 . "When a gentle south wind began to blow,they thought they had obtained what they wanted;so they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete. Before very long, a wind of hurricane force,called the northeaster, swept down from the island. The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along. As we passed to the lee of a small island named Cauda, we were hardly able to make the lifeboat secure. When the men hoisted it aboard,they passed ropes under the ship itself to hold it together. Fearing that they would run aground on the sandbars of Syrtis,they lowered the sea anchor and let the ship be driven along. We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard. "-verses 13-18
2. "On the third day,they threw the ship's tackle overboard with their own hands. When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging,we finally gave up all hope of being saved. After the men had gone a long time without food, Paul stood before them and said:Men, you should have taken my advice from Crete;then you would have spared yourselves from this damage and loss. But now I urge you to keep your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. Last night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve stood before me and said,Do not be afraid,Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar;and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you. "-verses 19-24
3. "So keep up your courage men,for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. Nevertheless,we must run aground on some island."-verses 25-26
VII. The Shipwreck-Acts 27:27-42
A. "On the fourteenth night we were still being driven across the Adriatic Sea,when about midnight the sailors sensed they were approaching land. They took soundlings and found that the water was a hundred and twenty feet deep. A short time later they took soundlings again and found it was ninety feet deep. Fearing that we would be dashed against the rocks,they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight.