An Inconvenient Truth Series

An Inconvenient Truth

Acts 24’22-27

I’m preaching a message today I’ve entitled, “An Inconvenient Truth.” Some of you may recognize that title. In 2006 Former Vice President Al Gore released a film with the same title as my sermon today. The film was essentially a documentary that followed the Tennessean on the lecture circuit around the country as he presented his case for the coming catastrophic results of human-caused global warming. In fact, Al Gore won a Nobel Peace Prize the very next year because of his extensive work in connection with that cause.

But here we are 9 years later and many of the predictions he made in the film have not come to pass. For instance, he said that the North Pole could be “ice free by 2013.” However, instead of the polar ice caps being melted away, they are at their highest level since 2006.

Additionally, he also predicted many of the pacific islands would drown and the ocean levels would rise by 20 feet. Of course this hasn’t happened either. Now whatever you think of man-made climate change, or human effected global warming is not what I’m driving at. No doubt, we as humans are the stewards of this planet; God has entrusted us to manage His creation, and we ought to take care of it. That is a God-given responsibility.

My reason in pointing out these failed predictions by Al Gore is to suggest he probably could have chosen a different word to use in his title. Instead of an inconvenient TRUTH, well here are some other suggestions. Perhaps he could have entitled the movie and book, an inconvenient theory, hypothesis, guess. Or if he wanted to be completely honest and forthcoming with the purpose and intentions behind the film, perhaps he could have called it: a convenient opportunity to cash in big time on the gullibility of the American people with some over the top scare tactics about global warming. But that’s just my suggestion

Whatever you call it, don’t use the word truth. Because to use the word “truth” in the title, and then 9 years later to discover in fact much of it was “false” – is to significantly undermine the integrity of the word “truth.” Truth means fixed, resolute, unwavering, a fact, an infallible certainty.

Well in our text before us today we will see how the apostle Paul does in fact share an inconvenient truth with a Roman official by the name of Felix.

Let me recap where we are in the ongoing saga of Paul’s life on mission…

When we last left Paul he was standing before the Sanhedrin, the high council in Jerusalem, preparing to share his testimony of faith in Christ Jesus. That is something he had no doubt dreamed of doing for a long time. His missional method in every city was to preach Christ first in the synagogues. Here he has the pinnacle of synagogues. Certainly he thought, "If some of the Sanhedrin could be convinced that Jesus is the Messiah of Israel, that might gain a foothold into all of Judea for mass evangelism."

But Paul never got to share his testimony of faith because he made two blunders right at the start. First, he inadvertently insulted the high priest through a rash comment. 2nd, he stirred up a theological debate between the Pharisees and Sadducees that got so heated, the Roman soldiers had to rush Paul out of the meeting for fear they would tear him apart.

Some of the Jews then developed a plot to secretly kill Paul by lying in ambush and waiting for him. When the commander of the Roman force in Jerusalem learned of the conspiracy to assassinate Paul, he arranged for Paul to be transported from Jerusalem in the middle of the night, guarded by 470 soldiers, and taken to the Judean Governor Felix in Caesarea.

For sake of time, we won't read the first 21 verses of chapter 24 this morning, but here's a summary: The high priest and some other elders from Jerusalem came down to Caesarea to make their case against Paul, saying he was a plague upon Judea, stirring up riots, profaning the temple, he's the ringleader of these troublemakers, the Nazarenes.

Paul is then given the opportunity to defend himself and he says to Felix, "none of those things are true. I came to Jerusalem to worship, I didn't cause a fuss, I didn't create any debates in the temple, I was just minding my own business when these Jews from Asia came in and stirred all this up.

Let's pick up our reading in verse 22:

22But Felix, having a rather accurate knowledge of the Way, put them off, saying, “When Lysias the tribune comes down, I will decide your case.” 23Then he gave orders to the centurion that he should be kept in custody but have some liberty, and that none of his friends should be prevented from attending to his needs.