TEXT: Acts 25:1-26:32

SUBJECT: Acts 29

Today, with God's blessing, we'll proceed in our study of Acts, looking for the Lord Jesus in its Sacred History.

PRELIMINARIES

The story takes place in Caesarea, the Roman capital of Judea. Paul has been there--in jail--for two years. The charges against him are treason, sacrilege, and belonging to an illegal and dangerous cult.

If he's convicted, he'll be put to death. Paul is on trial for his life.

His first judge was Felix the Governor. A cruel and crooked man, he interviewed Paul many times, knew he was innocent, but left him in prison to win the support of the Jewish Council. Which he never got.

FESTUS

When Felix's term of office ends, he is replaced by Porcius Festus. Three days after taking office, the new Governor goes to Jerusalem to meet the dignitaries of Israel.

As soon as he gets there, they start accusing Paul and seeking his extradition. Since his crime is religious--they say--he ought to be tried in a religious court, the Sanhedrin.

That sounds very reasonable, of course, but it isn't. The Rulers have no interest in trying Paul. They're out to assassinate him!

Festus doesn't know this--but God does! He puts a better idea in the Governor's mind. Instead of sending Paul to Jerusalem, why not have his accusers come to Caesarea?

The Jews don't like it. But they have no choice.

THE TRIAL

The trial opens eleven days later. The lawyers accuse Paul of every crime in the book. All of which he denies.

The Governor is disgusted by the whole thing. He has no idea what anyone is talking about. He thought Paul was being charged with a real crime. But he isn't. To his way of thinking, it's nothing but words--some fine point of religion (like the D.A. prosecuting a man for being Amillennial!).

He wants to turn it over the Jewish Court. After all, they know the Law of Israel, and only they are qualified to rule in the matter.

He wants to know if that's okay with Paul. It isn't! He knows what the Jews are up to--and he goes over their heads. He appeals to Caesar. As a Roman citizen, he has the right to take his case to the Emperor. And that's what he's going to do.

The trial is over. Paul has escaped the malice of his people. The Jews go home bitterly disappointed.

The Word of Christ has come to pass. Two years before, He came to Paul in the night with these comforting words,

PARTY

Some time later, King Herod Agrippa II drops in on Festus. The two men get to talking and Paul's name comes up. Agrippa is an expert on Judaism, and if he heard Paul, maybe he could explain the whole thing to the Governor.

Herod agrees. And the next night, Festus throws a party in the king's honor.

The keynote speaker is Paul.

SERMON

He's brought in shackled hand and foot. He's not a broken man, though, but happy to speak up for Christ--even in chains.

He starts by praising the king for his thorough knowledge of the Bible. This is not flattery, for Herod knew the Scriptures very well and believed them too (though not in a saving way).

He then goes on to tell his story.

His early life was spent in Judaism--not the watered-down sort most people held, but in its purest form. Paul was a Pharisee.

Consequently, he affirmed the Resurrection. He believed that one day Messiah would come and raise the dead. This was not a "personal belief" of his or just a "Pharisee distinctive", but rather, the plain teaching of the Bible and perfectly consistent with the power, justice, and mercy of God.

He wanted to know why Herod (who believed in God and knew the Law and Prophets) would,

If God is Almighty, of course He can raise the dead. If He's holy and loving, He has to raise the dead. Otherwise the wicked "have gotten away with it" and the saints have served and suffered for nothing!

Because he was a Pharisee (and knew everyone must face God in the end), he was horrified by a Man and His followers who were misleading Israel.

The Man was a dead criminal named Jesus of Nazareth. His followers were everywhere.

Paul was no hypocrite. If Jesus is a False Messiah, he must be stopped. And Paul devoted his life, his fortune, and his sacred honor to just that.

He jailed the heretics, tortured them into renouncing their Lord, voted to stone them, and even hunted them down in foreign cities. He didn't do it for money or fame, either. It was his passion,

But then something happened.

On the Road to Damascus, he was knocked off his horse by a Light brighter than the Sun. A Hebrew voice interrogated him,

He didn't know what to say, except,

The Voice spoke again, calling him to preach the Christ he had been torturing, and to turn both Jews and Gentiles to Him Alone for the remission of sins.

Which he did. And was still doing. Speaking of which, he turns to the King and Governor and summarizes the Gospel for them,

That's enough for Festus!

But Paul begs to differ. He's not preaching insanity, but "Truth and reason". Festus who knows nothing about the Bible or the recent history of Judea may think Paul's a lunatic, but King Herod knows better.

Everything he said agreed with the Bible. And with the facts of history. Thirty years before, there was a man named Jesus of Nazareth who

These things didn't just happen "in the hearts of His people"--but in the Real World. There was an Empty Tomb (you could go there and look at it); more than 500 skeptical men saw the Lord raised from the dead (you could ask them). Jesus Christ died publicly; He was buried publicly; He was raised publicly. In short, His story was confirmed

King Herod knew all this. Paul dared him to act on it--to go from "knowledge" to "faith".

But he didn't. He turns it all into a joke,

Though he wasn't serious, the king was right. That's exactly what Paul wanted for him--and everyone else in the room,

"Turn out the lights, the party's over".

DISCUSSION

But before he leaves, Herod Agrippa and Festus have one last chat,

THE MESSAGE

That's the story. What does it say about Paul, Festus, and Agrippa? Well, quite a bit, actually. But remember, it's not about them. It's about Christ.

Jesus Christ is preaching the Gospel to ignorant and hardened me.

Festus is downright stupid. He doesn't know anything about the Bible or reason--and doesn't want to know anything. He's an easy man to overlook. But the Lord does not overlook him.

In Paul, He pleads with Festus to find forgiveness with God through faith alone in Christ alone.

Festus turns Him down cold. But the offer is sincere. The Lord takes "No pleasure in the death of the wicked, but [prefers] the wicked to turn and live".

Festus is like most people you know: Ignorant, apathetic-- and happy that way.

Will you ignore them? Jesus Christ doesn't. And neither should you! The Lord compared His people to "Sheep wandering about, not having a shepherd". For these people--invincibly stupid and carnal people--He was "Moved with compassion".

You should be too. If you remembered that you used to be one of them, you would be.

Herod Agrippa is a very different kind of man. He knows the Bible--and believes it on some level. As a boy, he might have seen the Jesus Christ. His father was the Herod eaten by worms for mocking the Lord. He's seen Christians die in faith. Now, he's listening to an Apostle.

But he makes it all into a big joke. Spiritual apathy; a total lack of seriousness. That's the kind of man King Herod is.

You know people like him. They went to church as kids; they can quote the 23rd Psalm, the Lord's Prayer, the Ten Commandments, and the Apostles' Creed. But they laugh it all off! In the words of Paul, they

No one's harder to witness to than they are. They turn the holiest things into a mockery. Yet witness to them we must. Because Christ loves them. And He commands us to "Preach the Gospel to every creature"--and not just the "serious" ones.

Jesus Christ reaches out to sinners with the Gospel. He does it through His Church. Now, we have to be faithful to the Calling. Whether we like the people or not! Whether they seem interested or not. Whether they're serious or not.

That's what we're here for. "To be [his] witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judea, in Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth".

May God make us more faithful. For Christ's sake. Amen.