The Cause of Christ Part 1

Pastor Mike will be speaking on The Cause of Christ Part 1. He will be reading out of Acts 25:1-19.

We know how it all ends, and we have the book of Revelation, and we’re told in prophecy what direction the world’s going, and we see it all unfolding before us, and we’re excited about what God is doing because these are exciting times to live in. Hello. This is pastor Mike Sanders from the Open Door Church, and I’m delighted to welcome you to the Hopeworth Having radio program this week. I’m excited to share God’s word with you as our source of salvation and inspiration. Today, we’re going to be in the book of Acts chapter 25 verses one through 19, and we’re gonna be talking about the cause of Christ.

So I want you to grab your bible and join me as we study together. You You have your bible this morning. I want you to join me in Acts chapter 25. Acts chapter 25 is where we’re going to be. And while you’re turning there, let me just give you a little bit of background so that you’re caught up with where we’re at as we’re tracking through the book of Acts.

And we are now in chapter 25. Remember that the apostle has already been before the Sanhedrin court. The religious leaders were wanting his death, and so he appealed that the governor would hear his case, and he was brought before Festus who was the governor at the time in the province. And he made his case, and, of course, Festus did not have the apostle killed, but did leave him in prison. We pick up in chapter 24 in verse twenty six and twenty seven, just so we understand, the Bible says that meanwhile he also hoped that money, meaning Festus was hoping that money would be given him by Paul.

That he might release him and therefore he sent for him more often and conversed with him. But after two years, Festus succeeded Felix. And Felix, wanting to do the Jews a favor, left Paul bound. For two years, the apostle has been in prison. And I’m certain there were moments and times in his life that he was questioning God’s plan for his life.

I’m certain that the apostle was wondering what exactly is God doing because the reason that the apostle was in prison was not because he was a rebel rouser, that he had led some kind of a riot against the government, but just the opposite. He was effective in discipling others. He was effective in spreading the good news of Jesus Christ, and therefore, he was in prison. And so in this passage of chapter 25, we see that the apostle was making his fourth defense against false charges that had been brought against him. But this time it’s not Felix that is now dealing this.

But in verse one of chapter 25 it says, when Festus had come to the province, meaning he’s the new governor, the province after three days, he went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem. And then the high priest and the chief men of the Jews informed him against Paul, and they petitioned him. Verse three, asking a favor against him that he would summon him to Jerusalem while they lay in ambush along the road to kill him. It’s been two years. It’s been two years that the apostle’s in jail, but the religious leaders are still vindictive.

They’re still angry. They’re still upset at the apostle of being so effective of winning people to Jesus Christ and seeing the power of God move miraculously among them, and they want him dead. We know back in chapter 23 that they plotted for the demise of the apostle. Now in chapter 25, they want to use the governor, Festus, to set up the plan that while the apostle is being transported to have his case heard, that they would ambush those that are transporting him and have the apostle murdered. But the Bible tells us in verse four, but Festus answered that Paul should be kept at Caesarea and that he himself was going there shortly.

Now in this passage of scripture, the whole chapter of 25 is a narrative of how this all unfolded, of Paul giving his defense of why he was not a guilty man, and that if there is any crime that he has committed, it is only that he has honored God and that he is trying to advance the good news of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. It is for the cause of Christ that the apostle is suffering. It is for the cause of Christ that he is receiving so much pushback in his life. And as we examine this text, I want us to learn some important lessons that we must embrace as we serve in the cause of Christ. This great mission that we are on, this assignment that has been given to us, that as we are taking the gospel to every heart and to every home, as we are reaching those who are across the street, as well as those who are around the world, that we must understand that there are principles that must guide us in this great effort of the cause of Christ.

And the first thing that I want you to learn this morning is that we should always be prepared for hostility. We should always be prepared for hostility. Again, we see in verse three that they wanted to ambush the Apostle. They wanted to kill the Apostle. You jump down to verse seven, and note again it says 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.

They got so desperate in wanting the demise of the Apostle that they just started making up charges. They didn’t have any evidence, they just start making them up. What can we do to stop the Apostle Paul? We gotta make sure my friends when you’re over the target, and when you’re really hitting home and you’re really getting the message out and you are effective in reaching people for Christ, you need to be ready for hostility. We see that unfolding in the Apostle Paul’s life.

We also look down to verse 15 of chapter 25. It says about whom the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me when I was in Jerusalem asking for a judgment against Him. So even though the apostle has not had a fair hearing, and that he is only sharing the gospel with others and trying to win others to Christ, the religious leaders want a judgment against Him, and they want the conclusion that would lead to His death. When you study the life of the Apostle, this has been his life, is that town after town tremendous hostility, and a lot of pushback against the gospel of Jesus Christ. We have to remember that the forces of evil are antagonistic towards God, and they are against his people, and they are against his work, and believers must be prepared.

We cannot be a naive group of believers. We cannot follow Christ and think that everywhere we go people are just going to be in love with the message of salvation through Jesus Christ, even though we love the message, and we preach and teach that it is good news, and we are proclaiming it from the mountaintop, and we’re letting everybody know by every available means that we can. We have to be realistic, church, and alert that there is hostility. And so much to the point that the devil will use false witnesses against believers. We have to anticipate this.

We have to expect this. Why? Because we are living in a world that no longer tolerates Christianity and biblical values. We live in a time and a season of this world in which even our own nation and our own culture is doing everything it can to shed the influence of Christianity upon this culture. And as we are experiencing this, we have to be ready for the hostility.

Jesus put it like this in John fifteen eighteen, that if the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. You see, this pushback we’re experiencing is not so much against you personally as much as it is against Jesus. As we lift up Christ, he will draw, but also he will offend. The apostle tells us that the cross is offensive. He reminds the Galatians, man, have you suffered in vain?

If you’re gonna change your message of salvation by grace alone, have you suffered in vain? I mean, you proclaim this message that you don’t work your way to heaven and that it’s through the power of God and through the grace of God that you come to know God and believe in Christ and the work of Christ on the cross that accomplished this redemptive power in your life, and you went out and you sacrificed for it, you suffered for it, and now you’re switching messages on me? That’s why he said to the Galatians, who bewitched you or who mesmerized you? Who cast a spell upon you? The church cannot retreat from its message just because there is hostility.

The church cannot run from its message just because not everyone agrees with us. We must continue to be bold because what is it that will penetrate and cut through the pluralism of our culture? It is the powerful gospel of Jesus Christ. It cuts through. We are reminded in Colossians one twenty one that those who do not believe were alienated, that they’re hostile in mind, even doing evil deeds.

Sinners are hostile towards the gospel, and it is because they hate God. They oppose Christianity not because somehow we have failed, because you think about the very movement just on a philanthropic level about Christianity and how many orphanages have been started, how many hospitals have been started, how many good deeds have been accomplished, how many organizations and ministries that are constantly moving forward for helping others who are hurting and going through tragedy. It is the Samaritan purse that is down in Maui, Hawaii before the United States government even is. Why is that? Because we are compelled as believers to be on the front line showing compassion, serving our fellow man, and doing everything that we can to minister to people not only spiritually, but physically and emotionally, and to do our best efforts.

But even though we may do wondrous things through the power of Christ in touching lives and ministering to the helpless, I’m telling you that the devil is working overtime, and he is pushing back against those who love Jesus Christ. And so, church, we must be ready because the American culture is growing increasingly hostile towards Christianity. So how do we deal with this hostility? I want you to write these four things down real quickly. You say, how do I deal with this hostility, pastor, because it’s getting annoying to me.

It’s getting frustrating. You know, for many years as believers, we didn’t see much of this hostility, but now this is the season we’re in. This is what god is allowing, and this is what god is doing. And so how do we deal with it? First of all, I would submit it to you that we should grow in grace.

We should grow in grace. We cannot forget the words of the Apostle Peter in second Peter three verse seventeen and eighteen, in which he said, you therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the air of lawless people, and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and to the day of eternity. Here’s the point, church.

Don’t start losing your stability. Don’t become so frazzled in your faith, in your walk with Christ because of all the dynamics going on around us in the world that we lose our stability. And what is the alternative? It is to grow in grace. Think about that.

The apostle Peter says, but grow in grace. Grow in grace. And you say, man, how is that gonna help me, pastor? Well, see, here’s the problem is that many believers, they only see grace in the scope of salvation. But I want you to know that the scriptures teaches us so much more about grace.

That not only do we need saving grace, but we need sustaining grace, and we need sufficient grace, and we need serving grace, and we need speaking grace, and God has called us to have these different graces that are to be bestowed upon us, and we’re to grow in all these means of grace that God is pouring out upon his people, and so he encourages us to grow in grace. And how do we do that? Grow in grace. But notice this, and the knowledge of our Lord. I I think you get closer to Jesus.

I think the more you see Christ and you see how he handled hostility and how he dealt with those who disagreed with him, that I think that as you emulate and mimic him, that the grace that God will give you and show you will be manifested in your life and that our response is not that we’re gonna go out there and take them out, but we’re gonna continue to grow in grace. The second way to deal with hostility is to keep a right perspective. We talked about this verse a little bit this morning in our Sunday school class, but I love this verse. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

Have you lost perspective, church? Have you been so inundated with the negative news and the information that’s filtrating through your family and through the workplace and through different people that you’re interacting with that you’ve kind of lost perspective, that you forgot that you’re on on the winning side? Have you forgotten that God is for you, and if God is for you, who can be against you? Have you lost sight of the fact that we know how it all ends, and we have the book of revelation and we’re told in prophecy what direction the world’s going and we know what has to happen next and we understand how it all comes together and we see it all unfolding before us and we’re excited about what God is doing because these are exciting times to live in. I mean, our forefathers could not fully understand all the prophecies that we read in the book of Revelation.

But today, because of technology, you and I do. Example, when we think about how the Bible says that the two witnesses will die in the streets of Jerusalem and that all the world will see their dead bodies lying in the streets of Jerusalem. I mean, that was incomprehensible to our forefathers, but France, through technology, through these things I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of them, but they’re called a cell phone. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of social media, YouTube, and all these different platforms that are out there that, you know what, something can be played around the world. It can go viral.

I mean, long before we understood things going viral, the Bible was already talking about the two witnesses going viral. How about that? And I’m just telling you, you’re living in some exciting times, church. You’re living in some times where we are seeing the signs of the times, and the tea leaves of the signs of the times, and it’s all coming together, and it’s working out God’s great purpose in our lives as well as the world’s life, and let’s not be defeated. Let’s get up every morning, let’s be filled with the joy of Christ, and let’s keep perspective, and let’s get our head up, and let’s go make a difference for Jesus Christ.

How do I deal with hostility? How about this one, prayer? I think it’s important for us to be a people of prayer. Our church is gonna take some time for the next six weeks and just hone in on prayer. And I think it’ll be enriching to the church family.

I hope every one of you will get plugged in, find a place, and get connected. And if you need help, let us know. But when I think about prayer, I think about that great leader, Nehemiah. Remember, Nehemiah was not like a priest. He was not a pastor.

He was not any kind of a religious leader in the Old Testament. He was just a guy who was responsible to make sure that nobody poisoned the king. He was the the cupbearer. He was the head of the secret service, if you will, and he had the responsibility. But then God put a calling on his life, and God touched his heart and moved him to respond to a need that existed in Jerusalem as the walls had been torn down, and God called Nehemiah to rebuild the walls to go in there.

In the midst of all the disaster, in the midst of all the tragedy, to walk into Jerusalem and rebuild the walls. And more than that, church, but to rebuild the city and to rebuild the spirit of the people of god and to go in there and lead them to be a people of victory. Jerusalem was a significant and is a significant city because it is referred to in the Bible as the city of god. The city of God. In Nehemiah chapter six, the great leader Nehemiah is dealing with hostility.

I mean, you’d think that with such a noble mission that the people would rally behind Nehemiah and get all excited and say, let’s get the job done. And the majority of them did, but there was those within and those without who did not want the walls to be rebuilt, and what is it that Nehemiah did? Well, Nehemiah chapter six verse nine says, for they all were trying to make us afraid. Now that’s what the devil does. That’s what the world does.

That’s what the enemies of God do is they try to intimidate. They try to cause fear in your heart. They try to get you to walk back from the will of God and to not embrace the plan of God, and they want you to be afraid of the call of God on your life. But notice what Nehemiah says. Their hands make us afraid saying their hands will be weakened in the work and it will not be done.

You can’t do it. You can’t do it. And here’s Nehemiah’s response to them. Now therefore, oh God, strengthen my hand. I just love that.

What is his response to hostility? It’s prayer. What is his response to the naysayers? What is his response to the haters? What is his response to those who don’t want to make a difference and they don’t want to see the will of God advance?

It is prayer, and church, we have a mission, we have an assignment, we have a plan that we’re to fulfill for God, and whatever the dynamics and all the crazy that’s going on this world, our response is prayer. And we want God to strengthen our hands that we might advance the kingdom of Jesus Christ. Can God’s people say amen? Here’s another one. You’re not gonna like it.

I like to prep you. I like to get you ready, okay, so you can digest. It’s kinda like you’re feeding your little kid green beans or broccoli. And I know some of you people like broccoli. I don’t know what’s the matter with you, but, I mean, you’re out there.

These people like it, but here it is, patience. One time, a lady in the church came to me and she said, pastor, should I pray for patience? I just looked at her. I was trying to figure out how to answer this one because it’s a little complicated. We’re called to be patient.

But if you pray for patience, God might just put you in the position that you need to demonstrate patience. Are you with me? But here’s what the Bible says, first Thessalonians five fourteen, we exhort you brethren, warn them that are unruly, Comfort the feeble minded. Support the weak. And here’s the kicker, be patient toward all men.

We gotta be patient, not only with each other, church. I don’t know if you’ve checked out lately, but nobody’s perfect. As a matter of fact, if you are perfect, would you stand now and make yourself known to all? The truth is there is nobody perfect. How about that one?

We got flaws. We got issues. We got problems. We got weaknesses. We got blind spots.

The only way it’s gonna work within the family, and the only way it’s gonna work within the church, and the only way it’s gonna work within our responsibilities and our calling is that we’re gonna have to be patient towards all. Now, I know some of you are good fixers, and you’ve been fixing people all your life. The problem is that as you’ve been fixing people, they haven’t stayed fixed. And that’s really frustrating to you, isn’t it? You spend your life fixing people, they don’t stay fixed, and you’re all frustrated about it.

But there’s only one person that can fix people, and that’s Jesus Christ. And sometimes, we have to be patient, and we have to give them to God, and we have to give circumstances to God, and we have to give situations to God, and we just have to say, Lord, help me to be patient with all. I know you don’t want to say that, but the truth is that as believers, we’re all gonna be in situations that we just are gonna have to be patient. That the answer is not right there in front of us, but we just have to be patient because patience should characterize every Christian. That should be a part of who we are and that we are grateful that God is still at work.

And how about this one? You remember that song we used to sing, He’s still working on me. Amen? You know, Jesus said, take care of that old plank in your own eye. You’re out there spec finding and you’re looking for the speck in everybody’s eye, but you got a big old log hanging out of your own eye.

You might wanna deal with it first. Amen? Deal with it first. And so that’s what we’re called to do is to be patient. So in this hostile world, let’s not only be patient with each other as believers, but let’s be patient with a world that has gone lawless, a world that is becoming more hostile towards the gospel.

Let’s be patient because I’m telling you that it’s all a part of the great plan of what God is doing. Now many many years ago, I pastored in Indiana, and a gentleman came up to me, and this was back in the day, and I know it’s hard to believe, but if especially for our young people that there was a time where credit cards never existed. And people don’t know that, and we used to have these things called phones and they hung on the wall. How many of you had a wall hanging phone? Okay?

I like to talk about these things, and I know it ages me and dates me and all that stuff, but it’s funny. But anyways, here’s the thing, is this man came up to me and he said, Pastor Mike, you need to tell the people not to use the credit cards. And I said, why? He said, because it’s all a part of the plan of bringing the mark of the beast in the world. And I said, if it’s part of the plan, let’s get our credit cards out so we can get there quicker, and god will call us out of here, and let’s start racking up the debt.

Oh, I’m just teasing. But be patient. Be patient, church. We’re on a timetable. We’re in a plan, and God is always fulfilling his purpose.

So we learned, first of all, that we have to be prepared for hostility. But the second thing we learned from the apostle in chapter 25 is that we need to be aware of the blindness of sinners. We need to be aware of the blindness of sinners. You think about how deep seated their blindness was, Because these religious leaders wanted the apostle Paul murdered and killed. They could not convict Paul on legitimate charges, so they trumped him up, and they just made up these lies about him.

And it was so embedded in their mind and their hearts that they were determined that even in the switch of politics and the politicians, and one politician ends and another one comes on the scene, they immediately wanted to be in the presence of the new governor so that they could bring up maybe helping the poor? No. Maybe finding a way to have more peace in the community? No. Their number one topic, we got to get rid of Paul.

He’s in prison. We want him dead. That’s what they brought up to the governor. That’s what they brought up, and it reminds us of just how blind sinners are. Second Corinthians four four tells us that it is the god of this world, meaning Satan himself, who has blinded the minds of unbelievers.

Without a savior, we are blinded. And we are not only blinded by our own sin, but we are blinded of the sins of others. And the reason that I share this with you church is that I know your spirit grieves, and I know you’re troubled in your heart, but friends, I’m just gonna be honest with you. Because we are sinful in our nature, and because sinners are blinded by their sin and they’re walking in darkness, it’s no wonder they haven’t already burned up this whole country. That we should not be shocked that sinners sin.

And when we spend all our time trying to curse the darkness rather than take the light to the darkness, we are failing to understand that sinners sin. You can condemn their sin. You can beat them over the head with their sin, and you can continue to identify their sin, but I’m gonna tell you that they cannot get out of their sin unless they believe in the lord Jesus Christ. In Acts 25, we find that the apostle is a prisoner in Rome because of the cause of Christ. He was a man who was faithful to witness and reach out and boldly declare the gospel of Jesus Christ.

And what was his reward here on this earth? It was simply that he would have to suffer and be in prison. But as we look at this passage today, we are learning about how to deal with hostility in this world towards the gospel. So I hope these principles have been a blessing to you and helpful to understanding how God works in our lives. This is pastor Mike Sanders reminding you that in Christ, there is hope worth having.