Acts 24

complacency |kəmˈplāsənsē| (also complacence)

a feeling of smug or uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one's achievements; 

ORIGIN mid 17th cent.: from medieval Latin complacentia, from Latin complacere ‘to please.’

Complacency is deadly when it comes to seeking the truth. We must constantly be lead by the Holy Spirit, learning daily, as we search the Gospels. We need the Holy Spirit whom Jesus gives to believers to guide and teach us. The only One we should seek to please is the Father.

Knowledge is the beginning of wisdom.

Paul was held for 2 years before he was able to fulfill the promise given to him that he would testify to Rome of the Christ. 

God works in His timetable not in ours but His will will always be fulfilled.

The Lord encouraged Paul not to be afraid because he was under the sovereign care of God. As Paul had borne witness to Jesus as a prisoner in Jerusalem, so he would do as a prisoner in Rome. Paul’s chains would glorify God in ways that would have been impossible without them.

It may be that this was the time Luke wrote most of the Book of Acts, considering that he had access to people in Jerusalem and Caesarea for information about the early church.

Acts 24

23:¹¹ But the following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome.”

24:²⁷ But after two years Porcius Festus succeeded Felix; and Felix, wanting to do the Jews a favor, left Paul bound.

⁹ Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; 

Acts 18:9

²⁴ saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ 

Acts 27:24

²³ So when they had appointed him a day, many came to him at his lodging, to whom he explained and solemnly testified of the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus from both the Law of Moses and the Prophets, from morning till evening. 

Acts 28:23

¹⁴ When they had been there many days, Festus laid Paul’s case before the king, saying: “There is a certain man left a prisoner by Felix, 

Acts 25:14

Daniel 5:13-23

God is totally in charge of the affairs of man.

This power is His alone to give and just as quickly as He appoints it He can take it away. The key is  through humbly recognizing that it is His. When men begin to think of themselves as gods and take the credit it is the beginning of the end for them.  Christ within man and the power of the Holy Spirit to direct, teach and carry out God’s purposes in human vessels is the only hope for mankind.

 Who are we to think so highly of ourselves? 

We are mere men and He is our God. To Him be all glory!

This event took place in 539 b.c. Daniel was an old man at this time, possibly 80 years old or older. God does not use age discrimination!

Daniel 5:13-23

¹³ Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king spoke, and said to Daniel, “Are you that Daniel who is one of the captives from Judah, whom my father the king brought from Judah? ¹⁴ I have heard of you, that the Spirit of God is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you. ¹⁵ Now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing and make known to me its interpretation, but they could not give the interpretation of the thing. ¹⁶ And I have heard of you, that you can give interpretations and explain enigmas. Now if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, you shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around your neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.”

¹⁷ Then Daniel answered, and said before the king, “Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another; yet I will read the writing to the king, and make known to him the interpretation. ¹⁸ O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father a kingdom and majesty, glory and honor. ¹⁹ And because of the majesty that He gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whomever he wished, he executed; whomever he wished, he kept alive; whomever he wished, he set up; and whomever he wished, he put down. ²⁰ But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit was hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him. ²¹ Then he was driven from the sons of men, his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. They fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till he knew that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and appoints over it whomever He chooses.

²² “But you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, although you knew all this. ²³ And you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven. They have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines, have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which do not see or hear or know; and the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified.

²³O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps. 

Jeremiah 10:23

⁸ But at last Daniel came before me (his name is Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god; in him is the Spirit of the Holy God), and I told the dream before him, saying: 

Daniel 4:8

¹¹ There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the Spirit of the Holy God. And in the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, were found in him; and King Nebuchadnezzar your father—your father the king—made him chief of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers. 

Daniel 5:11

⁵ ‘I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are on the ground, by My great power and by My outstretched arm, and have given it to whom it seemed proper to Me.

Jeremiah 27:5

²⁵For he stretches out his hand against God, And acts defiantly against the Almighty, 

Job 15:25

¹³For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; ¹⁴I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, will be like the Most High.’ Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit. 

Isaiah 14:13–15

³⁰ The king spoke, saying, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?” 

Daniel 4:30

¹⁸That they may know that You, whose name alone is the Lord, Are the Most High over all the earth. 

Psalm 83:18

²⁴ And all the trees of the field shall know that I, the Lord, have brought down the high tree and exalted the low tree, dried up the green tree and made the dry tree flourish; I, the Lord, have spoken and have done it.” 

Ezekiel 17:24

¹² He did evil in the sight of the Lord his God, and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke from the mouth of the Lord. 

2 Chronicles 36:12

²¹ because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 

Romans 1:21

Ezekiel 34:14-16

God protects those who come to the realization that they are sinners and Jesus is their only hope. Without Him they can do nothing but everything is possible when they put their trust in Him alone! 

He will take the very things meant to destroy you and use them to turn your life around to the glory of His Son. 

Israel, though guilty and misguided, would eventually be rescued by the divine Good Shepherd and restored to the Promised Land.

Ezekiel 34:14-16

 ¹⁵ I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down,” says the Lord God. ¹⁶ “I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong, and feed them in judgment.”

¹¹He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young. 

Isaiah 40:11

⁶“In that day,” says the Lord, “I will assemble the lame, I will gather the outcast And those whom I have afflicted; 

Micah 4:6

¹¹ For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. 

Matthew 18:11

¹⁷ When Jesus heard it, He said to them,  “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” 

Mark 2:17

³² I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” 

Luke 5:32

Hear this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, Who oppress the poor, Who crush the needy, Who say to your husbands, “Bring wine, let us drink!” 

Amos 4:1

²⁴O Lord, correct me, but with justice; Not in Your anger, lest You bring me to nothing. 

Jeremiah 10:24

Luke 11:29-54

Jesus is the line drawn in the sands of time, the final and only way to the Father, and without Him there is no way, no truth and no light for guidance.

 When we accept the gift of salvation that the Father freely gives to all who seek Him with their whole heart we are to be beacons of hope and light to all who have sinned and fallen short. 

We will be changed by the power of the Holy Spirit whose work will be evident in those who love God by the love that they show to others. 

Jesus came not to judge the world but that by Him the world would be saved. It is not by rules and doctrine that men can earn this blessed hope but by the grace and mercy of the Holy Trinity in unison. 

By faith alone are we saved. Be fair. Forgive easily. Remain humble. Never forget that EVERYTHING comes from God’s great love for His creation!

²² For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; 

1 Corinthians 1:22

⁵of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen. 

Mark 4:21–25 

¹⁶ “No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light. 

Luke 8:16

² Now when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault. 

Mark 7:2

²⁵ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. 

Matthew 23:25

⁴ For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. 

Matthew 23:4

¹³ “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. 

Matthew 23:13

⁸He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you. But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God? 

Micah 6:8

Mark 5:1-9

May 23rd,2014

There are a many character attributes that please God BUT only way to Him.....Jesus Christ. We come to Him and then the Holy Spirit changes us.  Precept by precept we are changed into His image through faith in the salvation that the Father provided.

5 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
For  they shall be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy.
8 blessed are the pure in heart,
For they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God.

Nahum 1:7-8

TRUST GOD! Within Him everything that is good, pure and holy exists.

Because we know that the Lord is good, we can endure the tribulations of life.

The judgment of the Lord will be inescapable. 

The word flood is both a poetic term for overwhelming devastation and a specific reference to the actual manner of Nineveh’s fall. It is believed that the invaders of Nineveh entered the city through its flooded waterways.

Nahum 1:7-8

⁷ The Lord is good,

A stronghold in the day of trouble;

And He knows those who trust in Him.

⁸ But with an overflowing flood

He will make an utter end of its place,

And darkness will pursue His enemies.

⁸Good and upright is the Lord; Therefore He teaches sinners in the way. 

Psalm 25:8

³⁹But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in the time of trouble. 

Psalm 37:39

⁴⁰And the Lord shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, And save them, Because they trust in Him. 

Psalm 37:40

⁵For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations. 

Psalm 100:5

²⁵The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him. 

Lamentations 3:25

¹⁴ I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. 

John 10:14

¹⁹ Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” 

2 Timothy 2:19

Daniel 6:1-5

There will always be people who disagree with you.

 But if you love God and follow His commands to love others and do good making the best use of the gifts and talents that He has given…you will succeed and He will make all things work out for your good!

Daniel had been circumspect in obeying the laws of the land, but his enemies knew that when the law of the land conflicted with the law of his God, Daniel would break the former in favor of the latter.

Daniel 6:1-5

6 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom one hundred and twenty satraps, to be over the whole kingdom; ² and over these, three governors, of whom Daniel was one, that the satraps might give account to them, so that the king would suffer no loss. ³ Then this Daniel distinguished himself above the governors and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king gave thought to setting him over the whole realm. ⁴ So the governors and satraps sought to find some charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find no charge or fault, because he was faithful; nor was there any error or fault found in him. ⁵ Then these men said, “We shall not find any charge against this Daniel unless we find it against him concerning the law of his God.”

⁴ Again, I saw that for all toil and every skillful work a man is envied by his neighbor. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind. 

Ecclesiastes 4:4

Luke 17:19

F.A.I.T.H. alone pleases God. 

Joy in Him and in the salvation that He provided is our strength.

In the measure that you believe Him you can receive from Him.

Jesus commended the faith that heals. The Samaritan apparently received more than physical healing.

Luke 17:19

¹⁹ And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”

²² But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, “Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And the woman was made well from that hour. 

Matthew 9:22

³⁴ And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.” 

Mark 5:34

⁵² Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has ⁷made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road. 

Mark 10:52

⁵⁰ Then He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.” 

Luke 7:50

⁴⁸ And He said to her, “Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace.” 

Luke 8:48

⁴² Then Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has made you well.” 

Luke 18:42

Romans 3:23-26

In Him. Through Him. With Him. In the unity of the Holy Spirit. We are one.

No one can live up to what God created us to be; we all fall short of His glory. We cannot save ourselves because as sinners we can never meet God’s requirements. 

Our only hope is faith in Jesus Christ. 

Christ Jesus died to provide redemption, which means He died to pay the price required to ransom sinners. 

Through God’s initiative, they have been restored to a proper relationship with Him. Because of Christ’s death, God does not compromise His holiness when He forgives a sinner.

Romans 3:23-26

²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, ²⁵ whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, ²⁶ to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

²² But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. 

Galatians 3:22

¹⁶ Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all 

Romans 4:16

⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 

Ephesians 2:8

⁵ not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 

Titus 3:5

⁷ that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 

Titus 3:7

¹⁴ in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. 

Colossians 1:14

⁶ who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, 

1 Timothy 2:6

¹⁸ knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 

1 Peter 1:18

¹⁹ but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. 

1 Peter 1:19

⁴ Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? 

Romans 2:4

Jeremiah 51:58

God will break down the walls of defense that we have built around us thinking that we could protect ourselves. He will take away anything that we hold up in pride removing the gate that separates us from Himself. 

The world will make us weary and longing for a Savior. 

The ruler of this world wants to kill, steal and destroy us BUT in God’s salvation all things are made new and He will restore all that has been taken from you! 

Jesus wins!

The moment that we accept Jesus and His salvation we will inevitably be changed precept by precept into His image. There is power in His name!

Jeremiah instructed Seraiah, a brother of Baruch who was about to be taken captive to Babylon, to read a scroll within the walls of Babylon. The scroll that Jeremiah gave to Seraiah contained a list of the various evils that would befall Babylon as a result of God’s judgment.

Jeremiah 51:58

⁵⁸ Thus says the Lord of hosts:

“The broad walls of Babylon shall be utterly broken, 

And her high gates shall be burned with fire;

The people will labor in vain,

And the nations, because of the fire;

And they shall be weary.”

¹⁵Shout against her all around; She has given her hand, Her foundations have fallen, Her walls are thrown down; For it is the vengeance of the Lord. Take vengeance on her. As she has done, so do to her. 

Jeremiah 50:15

¹³Behold, is it not of the Lord of hosts That the peoples labor to feed the fire, And nations weary themselves in vain? 

Habakkuk 2:13

Matthew 23:23-24

You can do the right thing just to impress others OR for the right reason by faith having the Christ as your teacher and guide. 

Look for the distortions in your own life knowing that God will not be mocked. Love (the God kind) covers a multitude of sins!

Judge yourself and leave others for God. He sees the heart of a man.

The scribes and Pharisees were meticulous about tithing tiny seeds, but they failed to be obedient in more significant matters such as ensuring that all their actions were governed by justice and mercy and faith. 

We can become so preoccupied with external rules and regulations in the church that we forget the principles behind them. 

Matthew 23:23-24

²³ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. ²⁴ Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!

⁴² “But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. 

Luke 11:42

⁶For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. 

Hosea 6:6

⁸He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God? 

Micah 6:8

¹³ But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” 

Matthew 9:13

Ephesians 1:13-14

Spread the Good News….Jesus Christ is Lord!

We are sealed, wrapped up, ready to be delivered to our God through the power of the Holy Spirit who protects and keeps us until the time is ready. His fruit and His gifts should be evident in our lives. 

Galatians 5:22-23

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

1 Corinthians 12:4-11

⁴ There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. ⁵ There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. ⁶ And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. ⁷ But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: ⁸ for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, ⁹ to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, ¹⁰ to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. ¹¹ But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.

The seal or mark of ownership in believers’ lives is the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 1:13-14

¹³ In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, ¹⁴ who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory

¹⁷ For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 

John 1:17

²² who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. 

2 Corinthians 1:22

⁵ Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. 

2 Corinthians 5:5

²⁸ Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church ⁷of God which He purchased with His own blood. 

Acts 20:28

⁹ But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 

1 Peter 2:9

Esther 9:20-25

We have the right to protect those we love from those who are trying to kill them but not for monetary gain. 

We must do the right thing motivated by the right reason… God’s word not mans’.

This verse explains the name of the two-day festival. The name is derived form the word pur, meaning “lot,” the lot that was cast to determine the day of the Jewish people’s death. Purim reminds the Jews of God’s deliverance from their day of destruction. The feast was established as an annual festival.

Esther 9:20-25

²⁰ And Mordecai wrote these things and sent letters to all the Jews, near and far, who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, ²¹ to establish among them that they should celebrate yearly the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar, ²² as the days on which the Jews had rest from their enemies, as the month which was turned from sorrow to joy for them, and from mourning to a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and joy, of sending presents to one another and gifts to the poor. ²³ So the Jews accepted the custom which they had begun, as Mordecai had written to them, ²⁴ because Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to annihilate them, and had cast Pur (that is, the lot), to consume them and destroy them; ²⁵ but when Esther came before the king, he commanded by letter that this wicked plot which Haman had devised against the Jews should return on his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows.

⁶ But he disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone, for they had told him of the people of Mordecai. Instead, Haman sought to destroy all the Jews who were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus—the people of Mordecai. 

Esther 3:6

⁴ For we have been sold, my people and I, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. Had we been sold as male and female slaves, I would have held my tongue, although the enemy could never compensate for the king’s loss.” ⁵ So King Ahasuerus answered and said to Queen Esther, “Who is he, and where is he, who would dare presume in his heart to do such a thing?” ⁶ And Esther said, “The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman!” So Haman was terrified before the king and queen. 

Esther 7:4–6

³ Now Esther spoke again to the king, fell down at his feet, and implored him with tears to counteract the evil of Haman the Agagite, and the scheme which he had devised against the Jews. 

Esther 8:3

¹¹ By these letters the king permitted the Jews who were in every city to gather together and protect their lives—to destroy, kill, and annihilate all the forces of any people or province that would assault them, both little children and women, and to plunder their possessions, 

Esther 8:11

 And the Jews who were in Shushan gathered together again on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar and killed three hundred men at Shushan; but they did not lay a hand on the plunder.

Esther 9:15

¹⁰ the ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews—they killed; but they did not lay a hand on the plunder. 

Esther 9:10

¹¹ By these letters the king permitted the Jews who were in every city to gather together and protect their lives—to destroy, kill, and annihilate all the forces of any people or province that would assault them, both little children and women, and to plunder their possessions, 

Esther 8:11