What to Do When Falsely Accused
Series: Acts
Chuck Sligh
February 18, 2018
NOTE: A PowerPoint presentation is available for this sermon by request at chucksligh@hotmail.com.
TEXT: Turn to Acts 24
INTRODUCTION
Have you ever been falsely accused? If so, I bet it was one of the hardest experiences you have ever gone through. We naturally shrink from criticism-even if justified or if an accusation is true. But when the charge is false, our natural sense of justice makes it almost unbearable.
In those situations, we can learn a lot from the Paul here in Acts 24. Here was one of God's choicest servants. He had been misunderstood and unappreciated by the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem. He was falsely accused by some unbelieving Jews as he exited the Temple. He was even the object of a case of mistaken identity with a notorious criminal. Everywhere Paul went in Jerusalem, he was misunderstood and falsely accused. Now, in Acts 24, he finds himself in a Roman court, defending himself from false charges made by the leaders of what amounted to the Jewish Supreme Court.
What should we do when we face a situation like Paul? Should we defend ourselves, or just lie down and take it? Or is there an even better way than these two extremes?
By examining Paul's response to these false charges against him, let's see three things we should do when falsely accused:
I. FIRST, LISTEN CAREFULLY TO YOUR ACCUSERS - Verses 1-8 - "And after five days Ananias the high priest descended with the elders, and with a certain orator named Tertullus, who informed the governor against Paul. 2 And when he was called forth, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying, 'Seeing that by thee we enjoy great quietness, and that very worthy deeds are done unto this nation by thy providence, 3 We accept it always, and in all places, most noble Felix, with all thankfulness. 4 Notwithstanding, that I be not further tedious unto thee, I pray thee that thou wouldest hear us of thy clemency a few words. 5 For we have found this man a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes: 6 Who also hath gone about to profane the temple: whom we took, and would have judged according to our law. 7 But the chief captain, Lysias, came upon us, and with great violence took him away out of our hands, 8 Commanding his accusers to come unto thee: by examining of whom thyself mayest take knowledge of all these things, whereof we accuse him.'"
Verse 1 says that the high priest, Ananias, came with the leaders of the Jewish Supreme Court to prosecute Paul before Felix, the governor of the region encompassing Israel.
They also brought along a man named Tertullus, what is called in the King James Version an "orator"-basically what we would call a prosecuting attorney today. And like many lawyers in his day, Tertullus was unscrupulous and open to the highest bidder, not caring if the charges he brought against Paul were true or not. He was also a Roman. Since the Jerusalem leaders wouldn't know Roman law well enough to argue their case themselves in a Roman court of law, Tertullus was hired to do it.
After some flowery introductory remarks in verses 2-4, Tertullus brought three charges against Paul in verses 5-6:
1) The first one was that Paul was a seditious troublemaker.
Tertullus calls him a pest, by which he meant that he was a threat to law and order, stirring up trouble. He also referred to him as a "mover of sedition among the Jews throughout the Roman Empire." A "mover of sedition" means he was a traitor against Rome, a serious political charge which, if proven, was enough to cause Paul to lose his head.
2) The second charge against Paul was that he was a ringleader of a new religious sect-the Nazarenes.
This was also a serious charge because it too had political overtones. WE know that Christianity was the outgrowth of Judaism, but Tertullus made it appear that it was a new religion altogether by using the word sect. Judaism was permitted as a religio licita [pron. re-LEE-jee-o lee-SEE-ta] (that is, a "permitted religion"), but no new religions were tolerated. If Tertullus could persuade the Roman authorities that Paul was a ringleader of a new religion, he was in big trouble.
3) The third charge was that Paul attempted to desecrate the Temple in Jerusalem. - This too had political repercussions for two reasons:
First, the Romans had given the Jews permission to execute any Gentile who went inside the barrier of the temple. - If Paul had done this, he would have not only violated Jewish law, but Roman law, also which made it a political problem given the tensions between the Romans and the Jews. Also, Paul's action, if true, started a riot, which broke the Roman peace.
Now the thing about all this is that NOT ONE THING this slick lawyer said was true. It was a pack of lies-a blatant attempt by the Jewish leaders to silence Paul permanently.
So here was a gross injustice. It wasn't fair for Paul to even be imprisoned. He had been misunderstood, lied about, plotted against and falsely charged.
Imagine how you would feel. I wonder if I would not have gone a little crazy in that courtroom. I can picture myself seething with fury as this snake lied to Felix about me until I jumped up and shouted, "You dirty, sleazy liar! You know that's a pack of lies!"
But Paul does not do this. Luke doesn't tell us exactly how he reacted emotionally during the prosecutor's slick oration, but if I know the Apostle Paul, he had an open and teachable spirit. If he were guilty of even one part of the charges, he would have immediately acknowledged it and sought forgiveness.
Proverbs 15:5 says that "…he that regardeth reproof is prudent."
I think Paul was prudent, so he listened carefully before responding.
And that's the first thing you should do when you feel falsely accused by someone. Our natural inclination is to instantly become defensive when someone accuses us. But if the truth be told, accusations often have at least SOME seed of truth in them, even if they're blown out of proportion.
So, when someone accuses you, before responding, search your heart. See if there is even a GRAIN of truth in the accusation. Ask yourself if you are exhibiting wrong attitudes that might have caused the person to feel justified in making his or her accusation. Ask your spouse, or someone who will be honest and objective, with you to tell you if you have a blind spot in that area.
You know, sometimes an accusation can be the source of GROWTH in an area of our lives if we can just be humble and objective enough to step back and be honest with ourselves, instead of having a knee-jerk reaction caused by a hurt pride.
Once you've had time to reflect on the charges, if there's ANY truth to them, you need to immediately ask forgiveness and make those things right with those involved.
I only remember twice in my 39 years in the ministry when I was falsely accused. One of those times, I felt the accusation was overblown-but had some truth in it. Certain things in my attitude had caused this individual to draw certain conclusions, so I felt that I should admit that part and seek forgiveness. I called him and asked him if we could get together to talk. I told him 95% of what he said was just not true, but a part of it was. I clarified and explained everything and then confessed where I thought I had been wrong, and sincerely asked him to forgive me. He was relieved to know that everything he had thought was not true, and even more relieved that I had sought his forgiveness, rather than retaliation. To this day that brother and I have been in blessed fellowship.
But there was another situation that was entirely different. In this case someone accused me of several absolutely ludicrous charges. Not a single one of them was true-nor was there anything in my attitudes or actions that could have led her to make these accusations. Whether intentional or just blinded by her own personal demons, she took several innocent incidents, made serious false assumptions about them and turned them into daggers of vicious accusations against me. I remember, like Paul, sincerely and honestly examining the charges, searching my heart, asking Susan if I was missing something-and when the dust settled, I knew that this woman was totally off the mark. I was not the problem; SHE was the problem-from start to finish.
Well, what do you do in a situation like that?-Well, you do what Paul did next.
II. IF INNOCENT, CHEERFULLY MAKE YOUR DEFENSE - Verses 10-21
Paul didn't just lay down and say nothing and take a verbal beating unjustly. He was being wronged and after listening to the charges, he knew he was totally innocent, so he gave a vigorous defense.
Notice two things about his defense:
1) Note first the SUBSTANCE of his defense.
Paul briefly refuted every charge with his most powerful weapon-the truth:
a) First, to the charge of being a seditious troublemaker, he answers in verses 11-13 - "Because that thou mayest understand, that there are yet but twelve days since I went up to Jerusalem for to worship. 12 And they neither found me in the temple disputing with any man, neither raising up the people, neither in the synagogues, nor in the city: 13 Neither can they prove the things whereof they now accuse me."
In verse 12, he pointed out that from the time he arrived until before the time he was arrested, his enemies could not point to one time in which he stirred up anyone or caused any trouble. So, he says in verse 13, "Where's the proof?" He says, "I WASN'T in the temple rabble-rousing and stirring up arguments. I WASN'T in the synagogues or the city stirring up trouble. If I was, where are the witnesses?"
Now a Roman court wasn't like the kangaroo court that tried Jesus on trumped-up charges; used false and conflicting witnesses; and disregarded rules of accepted jurisprudence. You had to produce PROOF in a Roman court, and Paul's accusers didn't have any! Paul knew it and his accusers knew it.
b) To the charge that he was the ringleader of an illegal sect, Paul was very shrewd. - verses 14-15 - "But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets: 15 And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust."
In essence he said, "They call me a ringleader of a non-allowed religion. But I believe all the things in the law and prophets my accusers believe. I also believe in the resurrection of the dead, which they themselves believe. If I'm guilty, so are they."
What Paul did was to tell the truth about the Christian faith. Christianity was the logical and God-ordained outgrowth of biblical Judaism and to paint it otherwise was an unfair characterization because on most of the essentials of their faith, he and the Pharisees believed exactly alike. Their only point of contention concerned the Messiah-a major point to us, of course, but minor from the Roman point of view.
c) To the final charge, that he had tried to desecrate the Temple, Paul responds in verses 17-21.
To save time, we won't read these verses, but here Paul gives the true account of what he was doing in the Temple. He concluded, "If I'm guilty of a charge so serious as desecrating the temple, those who saw me do it ought to be here to testify." If they had any real evidence, they would have brought witnesses. Having no witnesses was stark witness to the flimsiness of their case.
Well, what can we learn from the SUBSTANCE of Paul's testimony? We learn that Paul fought false accusations, not with anger or emotion but with THE TRUTH. The greatest weapon you have against false accusers is THE TRUTH.
2) Second, note the SPIRIT of Paul's defense. - He says in verse 10, "…I do the more cheerfully answer for myself…"
Notice that Paul was not angry, but he answered "cheerfully." He wasn't seething with resentment, hurt pride, righteous indignation or bitterness, though he had every right to feel these emotions.
That's often how we are when we defend ourselves against false accusations. But I can confess from experience, negative emotions are never effective.
Proverbs 15:18 says "A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife."
Why could Paul answer cheerfully?
a) First, because he knew he had a good conscience in the matter.
He confessed this in verse 16 that he had "always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men." Paul knew he was innocent, so why get all worked up about it?
b) Second, Paul knew that God was in control.
Jesus stood by him the first night of his prison ordeal and said, "…Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome." Paul didn't quite know how THIS particular trial was going to turn out, but he did know that he had a destiny to fulfill and NOTHING would prevent it from taking place. Paul KNEW that GOD was in control. Like Paul, we can know with certainty that God has a destiny for us-and GOD is in control of our lives if we're surrendered to and obedient to Him-even in the "jailhouse experiences" of life.
So, when falsely accused, first listen carefully to your accusers and take appropriate action if even partially guilty and, if totally innocent, cheerfully make your defense, knowing that truth is on your side.
III. FINALLY, YOU SHOULD LEAVE THE SITUATION IN GOD'S HANDS - Verses 22-27 - "And when Felix heard these things, having more perfect knowledge of that way, he deferred them, and said, 'When Lysias the chief captain shall come down, I will know the uttermost of your matter.' 23 And he commanded a centurion to keep Paul, and to let him have liberty, and that he should forbid none of his acquaintance to minister or come unto him. 24 And after certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ. 25 And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee. 26 He hoped also that money should have been given him of Paul, that he might loose him: wherefore he sent for him the oftener, and communed with him. 27 But after two years Porcius Festus came into Felix' room: and Felix, willing to shew the Jews a pleasure, left Paul bound."
What happened? Paul presented his case. The evidence was clear: He was OBVIOUSLY innocent, as anyone could see and the Jews with their high-powered lawyer just didn't have a case. Once Lysias, the commander of the army garrison that had arrested Paul, came and gave his version of events, Paul should have been acquitted.
But…he wasn't. In fact, Paul was to remain a prisoner of Felix for two more years, and then he would be transported to Rome-still in chains. When Paul mentioned in verse 17 that he had brought a gift from the Gentiles to the Jews, Felix must have figured Paul had some of that money laying around. So, verse 26 says he kept Paul in prison hoping to extract a bribe from him.
You know, sometimes, no matter what you do to clear yourself; no matter what you say in your defense; no matter how innocent you are; and no matter how excellent and cheerful your spirit is-you may STILL be unjustly treated. The pages of Scripture and the annuls of history are replete with examples of this- Joseph, David, Daniel, Jesus, Stephen and many others-all innocent-all unfairly and unjustly treated.
It's in times like these that it is most difficult to understand God's purposes. But it's THEN that you must leave things in the Lord's hands. It's THEN that you must "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding." (Proverbs 3:5) It's THEN that you must claim and believe that "…all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28) It's THEN you must realize God must have a higher purpose for what's happening.
Joseph is the perfect illustration of this. He was unfairly treated by his brothers and thrown into a pit to die. Then they decided to sell him into slavery to a caravan of Ishmaelites. They in turn sold him to a wealthy farmer. After working his way up, he was falsely accused of attempted rape.
He languished in prison for years for a crime he did not commit.
But in all of the injustices he faced in his life, you never get so much as a HINT of a complaint, or resentment or bitterness. Somehow, Joseph was able to TRUST THE LORD in the midst of unfairness and injustice and false charges and misrepresentation and lies about him.
Well, you know the rest of the story. When he got to the pinnacle of power, second only to Pharaoh himself, low and behold, his brothers show up in Egypt looking for food. HIS BROTHERS!-Those ROGUES responsible for all his years of misery and misfortune and servitude and suffering and maltreatment. What an opportunity to repay them for their evil deeds done to him.
But that wasn't Joseph's response. When he revealed his identity to his brothers they were understandably fearful of reprisal and retribution.
But listen to Genesis 50:19-20 - "And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? 20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive."
Joseph didn't justify their evil actions, but he recognized that when bad people do bad things to good people, God often uses them to accomplish a higher purpose in the life of the so-called "victim." So, if you're ever falsely accused, when you've made your defense by giving the truth in a cheerful response, you just have to leave it in the Lord's hands.
And that's what Paul did: HE JUST WAITED ON THE LORD. When called by Felix for a meeting, you don't see Paul pleading his case time after time-begging for release, doing everything to change his situation. No, Paul knew that GOD was in control, and if God had wanted him out of prison, He would have gotten him out a long time ago. So, he might as well look for God's purpose in his experience. What was that?-To share the Gospel with those around him and with Felix and his wife as he did in verses 24-25.
No one knows what the results of his prison ministry were, but what we do know is that God WAS in control and God DID have a purpose Paul could not see. And this too we know-Paul was content to let the Lord have His way in his life, even if it meant months or even years in prison for crimes he did not commit.
Have you come to a place in your own life of total surrender to the Lord's will in your life-even the Lord's will in the "jailhouse experiences"-when we experience a terrible injustice? Paul was the one who wrote Romans 12:1 - "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."
Paul PENNED that verse in Romans 12 around 67-68 AD; he LIVED that verse out in Acts 24 several months later.
How about you? Are you surrendered to the Lord in your life? Have you presented your body as a living sacrifice to God? Is He the King, Lord, Master, Boss of your life? If not, why not make Him Lord today?
CONCLUSION
If falsely accused, do three things:
1) Listen carefully to your accusers with a humble spirit and make anything wrong right.
2) If you are innocent, cheerfully make your defense.
3) Finally, trust the Lord, surrender totally to God and leave the situation with the Lord.
