SOME PEOPLE WILL NOT LIKE YOU IF YOU BELIEVE

PROCLAMATION

“But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, ‘Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee; of the hope of the resurrection of the dead I am called in question.’  And when he had so said, there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and the Sadducees; and the multitude was divided.”  Acts 23:6-7 (KJV) 

 

EXPLANATION

These are the acts of the apostles of Jesus, The Christ, as written by Luke, the physician and traveling companion of the apostle Paul, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  Here Luke recorded that after Paul was arrested he was brought before the Sanhedrin council.  Paul noted that some of them were Sadducees, who did not believe in the resurrection, angels, or spirits, and some of them were Pharisees, who believed in all these things. (Acts 23:6-8)  This created a great disturbance among the Sanhedrin which spilled over into the city.  Some of the Jews took an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. (Acts 23:9-15)  But the commander of the Roman army found out about the plot and had Paul taken out of town at night under heavy guard. (Acts 23:16-24)  The commander wrote a letter to Governor Felix and explained what had happened and why Paul was being sent to him. (Acts 23:25-32)  After he read the letter, and learned that Paul was from Cilicia, Felix ordered that Paul be kept under guard in Herod’s judgment hall. (Acts 23:33-35)

 

APPLICATION

The Christian faith is based upon belief in the birth, life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, The Christ.  There are many people in this world who do not believe in these things, and there are some that hate those who do believe in them.  Some people even want to kill all Christian because of their religious beliefs.  Jesus said that the world would hate believers because the world hated Him. (John 15:18)  Not everybody believes that Jesus is The Christ and the promised Messiah.  However unpopular it may be, as believers we need to stand by our beliefs and hold on to them.  Jesus said if we deny Him before men, He will deny us before His Heavenly Father. (Matthew 10:33)