Clear Conscience
Text: Acts 24:10-21
Introduction
1. “A sleeping pill will never take the place of a clear conscience.” (Unknown).
2. One of the great things about having faith in Christ is the knowledge that your sins have been wiped clean.
3. In our text today, for the second time in defense of himself, Paul states that he has a clear conscience before God and people.
4. Acts 24:10-21
Transition: Let’s take a listen to …
I. Paul’s Defense
A. Last week we talked about the beginning of Paul’s trial before Felix. The Jewish elders brought a high-priced lawyer with them name Tertullus. He tried to sugar coat things with the governor in a most insincere way. Then he brought three charges against Paul, but none of them were true.
B. Now, Paul gets to give his defense for the accusations against him. In v. 10 Luke tells us, “The governor then motioned for Paul to speak. Paul said, “I know, sir, that you have been a judge of Jewish affairs for many years, so I gladly present my defense before you.”
1. Notice the huge difference between what Tertullus did, and how Paul addressed the governor.
2. Paul didn’t try to kiss up to the governor the way the lawyer had done, he merely told the truth.
3. He simply acknowledged that the governor had been a judge over the Jews for many years, which was true. He didn’t try to over exaggerate the governor’s character; he simply told it like it is.
4. However, he did show respect for the governor.
5. This shows that we can tell the truth and still show respect for others.
C. Now, Paul begins his defense. In vv. 11-13 it says, “You can quickly discover that I arrived in Jerusalem no more than twelve days ago to worship at the Temple. 12 My accusers never found me arguing with anyone in the Temple, nor stirring up a riot in any synagogue or on the streets of the city. 13 These men cannot prove the things they accuse me of doing.”
1. First, Paul makes it clear that he had only been in Jerusalem for twelve days.
2. He came to the city for the purpose of worshipping the Lord because he was there for the feast of Pentecost.
3. The point is that he hadn’t been there long enough to stir up any trouble.
4. Furthermore, he makes it clear that they hadn’t found him arguing with anyone, nor did they see him starting riots in the local synagogue or the streets.
5. In other words, he was saying that his accusers couldn’t prove anything they had said about him.
6. He knew that they didn’t have a shred of evidence to present against him.
D. As Paul continues in v. 14, he says, “But I admit that I follow the Way, which they call a cult. I worship the God of our ancestors, and I firmly believe the Jewish law and everything written in the prophets.”
1. Here Paul affirms that he follows “The Way.” The term “The Way,” is a reference to Jesus’ statement in John 14:6, “Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”
2. People outside of the church used this to refer to the followers of Jesus.
3. But Paul was more than willing to say he was a follower of the Way, but he was not willing to agree that they were a cult.
4. Paul’s point here is that they were the fulfillment of what Judaism is supposed to be. Jesus himself said, “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose.” (Matt. 5:17).
5. The church was not a cult but the fulfillment of the purpose of the people of God.
E. Paul continues in vv. 15-16, “I have the same hope in God that these men have, that he will raise both the righteous and the unrighteous. 16 Because of this, I always try to maintain a clear conscience before God and all people.”
1. Rather than going into an argument over Jesus as Messiah, he went to the issue of resurrection and the judgment.
2. These were the same issues he talked about when he went before the Jewish council that started the Pharisees and Sadducees arguing.
3. However, I think the key here is that Paul says he tries to maintain a clear conscience before God and all people.
4. Paul is saying that he is ready to meet God, and that all people should be ready for that meeting as well.
5. Paul agreed with what Jesus said, “And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment.” (Jn. 16:8).
6. Whether you believe in Jesus or not, you will one day come face to face with Him and will have to give an account of your life.
F. Then in vv. 17-19 Paul says, “After several years away, I returned to Jerusalem with money to aid my people and to offer sacrifices to God. 18 My accusers saw me in the Temple as I was completing a purification ceremony. There was no crowd around me and no rioting. 19 But some Jews from the province of Asia were there—and they ought to be here to bring charges if they have anything against me!”
1. Finally, Paul addresses the last accusation, that he had desecrated the temple.
2. Paul declares that his main purpose to coming to Jerusalem was to bring gifts for the poor and offer sacrifices to God.
3. Furthermore, he states that when they saw him in the temple, he was completing a purification ceremony.
4. He also says that there was no crowd around him and there was no one rioting.
5. He says that the ones who caused the problem was the Jews from Asia, and if they wanted to bring charges against him let them come and do so.
6. But the people bringing charges against him now had no grounds that he had done anything wrong.
G. Paul concluded his defense by saying, “Ask these men here what crime the Jewish high council found me guilty of, 21 except for the one time I shouted out, ‘I am on trial before you today because I believe in the resurrection of the dead!’”
1. He tells Felix to ask the council what they found him guilty of when he appeared before them in Jerusalem?
2. The only possible thing was his declaration of his belief in the resurrection of the dead.
3. Now, Paul knew they weren’t going to bring that up, because they themselves started arguing with each other about that one.
4. Paul is very clear in his defense that he hadn’t done anything wrong, and he has a clear conscience before God and people.
Transition: What do we learn from Paul’s defense?
II. God Gives Us a Clear Conscience
A. One of the great blessings we have as followers of Jesus is being set free from guilt.
1. “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. 3 The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. 4 He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.” (Rom. 8:1-4).
2. What if you were accused of a heinous crime, and the jury declares you, “not guilty!” And the judge says, set them free!
3. Imagine the relief and joy you would feel, and the sense of peace you would experience.
4. This is the sense that those who belong to Christ have because of what Jesus has done for us.
5. The reason we are declared “not guilty” is because Jesus paid the price for our sins on the cross.
6. What the law couldn’t do, Jesus did by sacrificing himself in our place.
7. So, whenever Satan comes to you and says, “what about that thing you did the other day?” Just direct him to the cross where all your sins were paid for in full.
8. There is no more guilt in Jesus’ name!
B. We have a clear conscience because we are not the same people anymore!
1. “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Gal. 2:20).
2. Paul had a clear conscience before God because he knew he wasn’t the same person anymore. And no one understood this better than Paul.
3. Remember Jesus’ words to him on the day of his conversion, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”
4. He knew that he was persecuting more than Christians, he has persecuting Jesus.
5. But he also knew that his old self was dead, because that person was crucified with Jesus on the cross.
6. He wasn’t the same person anymore. That person didn’t exist.
7. The same is true for us today as believers in Jesus.
8. We have been freed from our sin and our guilt because of what Jesus did for us on the cross.
C. When we sin, we have an advocate with the Father.
1. “My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. 2 He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.” (1 Jn. 2:1-2).
2. So, not only do we have a clear conscience from past sins, but we also have a clear conscience for our current sins because Jesus is right there pleading our case for us.
3. Does that mean it’s okay to sin? Absolutely not! In fact, John says, “I am writing this to you so that you will not sin.”
4. But John is a realest, and he realize that even after we are saved, we are still going to struggle with sin. And when that happens, Jesus pleads our case before God the Father.
What’s the point preacher? Our sins have been forgiven, our guilt is wiped away, past, present, and future, because of what Jesus did for us on the cross.
