Latest / Journey Elgin / Journey Through Scripture- Acts 25-28
Transcript
- Phillip Thomas: Hey, it's good to see you again today. This is our journey through scripture. ⁓ we continue this chronological walk through scripture. So we just finished Philippians, which was written while Paul was ⁓ imprisoned. Again, so there again, there's arguments on whether he was ⁓ imprisoned in Caesarea or in Rome. ⁓ but ⁓ now we get back to Acts and we're going to finish ⁓ out Acts. It's Acts 25 through 28 today. So Acts 25 through 28. And and ⁓ this is you remember where we left off, ⁓ Felix ⁓ was was governor and he had heard Paul ⁓ and then had you know kind of enjoyed debating with Paul and then just left him in jail ⁓ for two years. And now Festus becomes governor. and whenever he becomes ⁓ governor, the it's interesting the the the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem ⁓ have long memories. And so they went to Festus and they want Festus to actually bring Paul back to Jerusalem so they can ambush and kill Paul. and ⁓ it's cause they they again they want Paul eliminated because Paul is still being able to write letters. He's still making an impact ⁓ and they want that ⁓ stopped. And ⁓ so I I encourage you to read through this. It's it's really interesting. ⁓ political intrigue ⁓ has always been around and that's what you see happening here because Festus being the new governor, he wants to actually do the Jew Jewish leaders a favor. ⁓ but he can't find any reason ⁓ to to do anything. ⁓ he ⁓ Paul says ⁓ verse ⁓ eight of chapter twenty five ⁓ he says neither they could not prove ⁓ why ⁓ and They could not prove anything against Paul, and he answered for himself, Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor Caesar have I offended in anything at all. And it says, But Festus, wanting to do the Jews a favor, answered Paul and said, Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem that there be judge before me concerning these things? So Festus says, Well, may I'll just go up to Jerusalem, I'll take him there. And that's when Paul used a lot of wisdom. ⁓ he probably suspected. that that would not go well for him. So that's whenever he says, I stand at Caesar's judgment seat where I ought to be judged. Remember he had already used that he is a Roman citizen. Now he's saying, you know what, I haven't even had a a chance for a the the correct justice. So I want to be judged by Caesar. Says to the Jews, I have done no wrong, as you very well know, for if I'm offender or have committed anything deserving of death, I do not object ⁓ to dying. But if there is nothing in these things of which these men accuse me, no one can deliver me to them. I appeal to Caesar. Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered, You have appealed to Caesar, to Caesar you shall go. But then ⁓ Festus meets with King Agrippa. Agrippa is a ⁓ relative, he's very young at this time, he's a relative of King Herod. ⁓ he is actually ⁓ ends up being very pro Roman. ⁓ and and is becomes ⁓ has power over ⁓ the Israel area under Rome later on, ⁓ expect even after the temple is destroyed in AD seventy, ⁓ then ⁓ Agrippa actually has a lot of power and influence there that ⁓ Rome gives him. So he is a he is not someone who would ⁓ normally side ⁓ with Paul right away. ⁓ but it's interesting. Again, I encourage you to read this. in verse 14, when they had been there many days, Festus laid Paul's case before the king, saying, There is a certain man left prisoner by Felix, about whom the chief priests and elders ⁓ elders of the Jews informed me when I was in Jerusalem, asking for judgment against them. To them I answered, It is not of custom to Roman to deliver men to destruction. ⁓ before he meets them face to face. He talks about how they ⁓ came up and they couldn't find anything. He ⁓ verse ⁓ eighteen, when the accuser stood up, they brought no accusation against him of such things as I supposed, but had some questions against him in their own religion about a certain Jesus who had died, whom Paul affirmed to be alive. And because I was uncertain of such questions, I asked whether he was willing to go to Jerusalem and be judged, ⁓ and he said he ⁓ appealed to Caesar. Agrippa said to Festus, I also would like to hear the man myself. and Tomorrow you shall hear hear them. And I I love as you continue to read in verse twenty three, it says Agrippa and Bernice, who was his sister and maybe possibly lover, we don't really know, ⁓ entered in with great pomp and circumstance. Or doesn't say in circumstance, but with great pomp, right? Like he's very very thinks very highly ⁓ of himself, even though ⁓ his his role is actually very limited ⁓ at this time. ⁓ he loves that he is a a king. And ⁓ he he begins ⁓ to to talk with ⁓ with Paul and Paul lays out ⁓ his his life. He lays out ⁓ what what where he has been, what he has gone through. ⁓ he he ⁓ tries to connect Agrippa back with his faith, ⁓ you know, as his hair his cause he is of Jewish ⁓ descent, ⁓ and so he's trying to convince him. ⁓ of who Jesus really is, that he is the Messiah. ⁓ verse nine of chapter twenty-six, indeed I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. This I also did at Jerusalem. Many of the saints I shut up in prison, ⁓ having received authority from the chief priest, and when they were put to death I cast my boat against them, and I punished them in every synagogue, compelled them to blaspheme. Being exceedingly enraged against him, I persecuted them even to foreign cities. ⁓ and then of course he s tells of his ⁓ conver ⁓ conversion. ⁓ I love this is what he says about ⁓ what Jesus said to him in his ⁓ when he saw Jesus on the road to Damascus, verse sixteen. ⁓ and Jesus and he said, I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, but rise, stand on your feet, for I've I I have appeared f ⁓ to you for this purpose, to make you a minister And witness both of the both of the things which you have seen and the things which I will yet reveal to you. I will deliver you from Jewish people as well from Gentiles, ⁓ to whom I now send you, to open their eyes in order for them to turn from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in me. Isn't that interesting whenever he talks about the Gentiles ⁓ who were in Rome who were very spiritual people. They worshiped many pagan gods. And Paul says, ⁓ Jesus says, so that I they will no longer be under the influence of Satan, but of God. we we've been talking a little bit about about that of the the spiritual battle that we're in. And Jesus seems to confirm that, that these pagan ⁓ gods ⁓ were were actually under the control of Satan. ⁓ then Paul continues, ⁓ talks about what he's he's done. He says at verse 19, Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared to those in Damascus and to Jerusalem and throughout the rest of Judea, and then to Gentiles that they should repent, turn from God, and do works befitting repentance. For these reasons the Jews seize me in the temple and try to kill me. Therefore I have a obtained help from God to this day I stand witnessing both the small and great, saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said would come, but that that Christ would suffer, that he would be the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles. Verse 24, now as ⁓ he thus made his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, you are beside yourself. Much learning is driving you mad. He's saying you're you're overthinking all of this. ⁓ for the king before whom I also speak freely ⁓ knows these things, for I'm convinced. ⁓ Paul, sorry, I started too ⁓ too late. ⁓ verse twenty five. This is what Paul says. I am not mad, most noble Festus, but speak the words of truth and reason. Never forget that, that when we are speaking the gospel message, we are speaking words of truth and of reason. You don't have to suspend your reason to believe. ⁓ in Jesus Christ. That is what the world wants you to believe. But that is not accurate. And Paul's words that he spoke were words of truth and reason. ⁓ And then he he continues on. He says, I speak freely. I am convinced that none of these things escape ⁓ your attention since this was not done in a corner. King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do believe. Then Agrippa said to Paul, You almost persuade me to become a Christian. Isn't that interesting? Wow. And Paul said, I would ⁓ I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today might become both almost and altogether such as I am, except for these chains. ⁓ Then Agrippa said to Festus, This man might have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar. ⁓ they they all determined he has done nothing wrong, he did not deserve to be in jail, much less ⁓ to be ⁓ executed. ⁓ but because he had already appealed to Caesar, he was gonna go to Rome. ⁓ now you ⁓ ver chapter 27 talks about the voyage to Rome. ⁓ I'm not gonna read all of this. I encourage you to read this. It's it is very specific, which is interesting. You can actually find all of these places on the map and follow ⁓ the path that they took. ⁓ and and the the difficulty that they ran into. Because what happened was the the winds quit blowing and they had to go stop at one place and it became late in the year. Paul receives a vision that, hey, if you continue on, this isn't gonna work out for you. That was some of that was ⁓ probably godly wisdom, right? ⁓ it and and maybe from a vision that God sp spoke to Paul and told him this. But some of it was they they had waited too late. We know this was after the Passover, so it's getting into winter. ⁓ that was not a good time ⁓ to be ⁓ traveling. And ⁓ so Paul warned them, but they did not listen. And ⁓ so they get caught, they're gonna g going to to possibly die. And then Paul st stands in the midst of them. This is chapter twenty seven, verse twenty one. Men you should have listened to me. I love how he does the little I told you so. ⁓ you should have listened to me, not sailed from Crete and incurred this disaster. I now urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For there stood by me this night an angel of God who b ⁓ to whom I belong and whom I serve, saying, Do not be afraid, Paul, you must be brought before Caesar, and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you. Therefore, take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it were told to me. However, we must run around ⁓ run aground on a certain island. so then then you see some people want to kill the prisoners, but the the centurion and the captain, they actually now respect Paul ⁓ and they run aground and all 276 or whatever it is of of ⁓ the passengers, they all make it to safety, which would have been an incredible feat. Clearly God was behind that. ⁓ and God definitely was able to reveal himself ⁓ through this. Then chapter twenty-eight, they land on this island of Malta and ⁓ they're gathering firewood and Paul gets ⁓ bitten by a viper. And ⁓ and I love that this is the immediate response of the ⁓ the natives there. They say, No doubt ⁓ this man is a murderer. Whom though he escaped the sea, yet justice does not allow him to live. They believe in karma. Right? We easily believe in this. you know, it's important the Bible does not teach karma the way we usually view it, like this. Right? Just because Paul got bit by a snake, that does not mean that God was punishing him because he really was guilty. In fact, we know that he for sure wasn't. ⁓ God actually uses this and and keeps Paul from ⁓ reacting ⁓ to the the venom ⁓ so that the people actually see the ⁓ and think Paul is more than he sh he really is, right? They see that he ⁓ maybe this guy is a god. Right? That that is a worldly way of thinking, to to think that ⁓ if something good happens to us, well we must be good and deserving. If something bad happens, we must be bad and deserving. ⁓ remember The Bible ⁓ it reigns on the just and the unjust. We live in a fallen world. Now, will God ultimately make everything right? Yes. ⁓ but don't be careful going down that that trap. ⁓ it it leads to some ugly places. Finally, ⁓ they are ⁓ Paul heals ⁓ one of the ⁓ or God heals through Paul, ⁓ one of the people on this island as well. ⁓ and they are finally able to go back after the winter and they make it to Rome. ⁓ and when they ⁓ get to Rome, ⁓ Paul was permitted to dwell by himself with a soldier, so he had lots of ⁓ freedom. We know he was there for a couple more years. and ⁓ he he ⁓ he begins ⁓ talking to the Jewish ⁓ people there in Rome, and some of them believe and some of them do not believe. ⁓ verse twenty three of chapter twenty eight. So when they had appointed him a day, many came to his lodging, and explained solemnly testified to the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus from both the law of Moses and prophets from morning till even evening. Some were persuaded, and some disbelieved. So when they did not agree among themselves, they departed after Paul had said one word. The Holy Spirit spoke rightfully through Isaiah. When the when ⁓ he said, Go to this people and say, Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, seeing you will see and not perceive, for the hearts of this people have grown dull, their ears are hard of hearing, their eyes have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them. Therefore let it be known to you that salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles and they will hear it. And when he had said these words, the Jews departed and had a great dispute among themselves. And then verse 30, ⁓ Paul dwelt two years in the rented house, received all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God, teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him. So the the message of God, the the command that Jesus gave in ⁓ Matthew twenty-eight, the great commission, take this. to the ends that take the gospel message to the end of the ends of the earth has actually in the in a sense been fulfilled from what they understood. They believed that they could get it to Rome, that that would that that that's the that was the goal. Now, did they stop? No, they continued to go and continued to ⁓ Paul, there's tradition that he went to Spain. ⁓ you know there's all kinds of different ⁓ things that the disciples they continued to push. But this kind of shows that they took that great commission seriously and they took it as far as they possibly could go. All right. So next time we will look, let's read Philemon. That's just one chapter. ⁓ and then we will ⁓ look in the book of Colossians. W we may only get through a couple of chapters, ⁓ but we'll see. ⁓ so read Philemon and Colossians. All right, we'll see you then.