Thoughts from a Crosseyed Jesus Freak

Romans 1:18-32

• Romans 1:18-20
• 18 For God’s wrath is revealed from heaven against all godlessness and unrighteousness of people who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth, 19 since what can be known about God is evident among them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, that is, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what he has made. As a result, people are without excuse.
  • What do you think of when hear “Wrath of God”? End times and judgment  Sodom and  Gomorrah,  a consuming Fire,  “Wrath is defined  as boiling  anger”  Wrath is a God’s response against anything  that  violates His nature  like sin .
  • What was poured out on Jesus while He was no the sin bearer on the cross?
  • Isaiah 53:10 But the Lord was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief
  • How is this wrath being revealed?
    • We see at the cross….but Paul uses  the present tense The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven. 
    • We can see it thru events in History where God judged nations especially in the O.T.
    • It is seen in punishment on evil by human authority and  government 
    • God’s wrath is seen when He gets out of the way and lets people have what they want and people suffer the consequences of their sin.
    • Pain of child birth & toiling as a result of a sin-cursed environment
    • Notice it is against  all the godlessness and wickedness of people  it is universal So it is repeated in every generation
  • What are the wickedness of people causing?
    • Suppressing the truth…if you suppress the truth that means they have the truth.  Do we see this in our world?
    • Think about those who steal, do you think they want someone stealing from them? Of course they don’t. They want to keep their hard earned stolen goods. Gossipers may spread tales about you but they don’t want you to spread tales about them. A headhunter may want your head but protects his head from you. They know what’s right, they know the truth, but they deny it. They hide it and pretend it isn’t the truth.
  • Why are people without excuse?
    • See 19 & 20 is it possible to know about God from creation?  20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
  • What can be seen about God from His creation?
    • The invisible qualities of God, His power, His goodness, His faithfulness,
      • Psalm 94:9 Does he who fashioned the ear not hear? Does he who formed the eye not see?  If God made you… wouldn’t be able to do all you do and more.  Now this  knowledge of God is limited it is only a general revelation,  without  His Word.
• This next section show why people are without excuse:
• Romans 1:21-25
• 21 For though they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or show gratitude. Instead, their thinking became worthless, and their senseless hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man, birds, four-footed animals, and reptiles. 24 Therefore God delivered them over in the desires of their hearts to sexual impurity, so that their bodies were degraded among themselves. 25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served what has been created instead of the Creator, who is praised forever. Amen.
  • People knew there was a God but how did they respond?
    • Rejection, no worship, no thanks, no glory given to God… So they refuse to  accept the truth…this is not a onetime event it happens over and over
  • What are the two responses God is looking for here?
    • To give Him glory by recognizing Him… placing Him first. Glorifying is our highest good…then refusing to glorify God is a terrible sin.  The next response is to give Him thanks acknowledging the goodness and blessings come from Him  
  • How did these people become fools?
    • They made a swap or exchange.  They traded the real thing the glory of God…for images of creation (idols and worshipped them instead)
  • How does the Lord respond to their exchange?
    • See verses 24-25
    • 24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
  • God gave them over…what does that mean?
    • He leaves them alone to do what they please…He ceases to restrain them from the evil or protect them against it.  This implies that  until  God gives  people over  they are under  His protective care… and I think we could say He does this for individuals as well as nations.  This doesn’t mean God doesn’t care.
  • What did God give them over too?
    • Their sinful desires…these desires were already there.  God is getting out of their way to do what they want to do.  But are they getting away with something here?  No! This is a punitive act by God.
    • We might wonder how letting someone to do what is their heart desires is a penalty.  They reap more than doing what they want they reap the full consequences of it. 
    • When evolution was coming on big in England one of the leaders promoting it said one reason it was readily accepted was that many wanted to be rid of God and His morality and have the freedom to indulge in immorality.
• Romans 1:26-27
• 26 For this reason God delivered them over to disgraceful passions. Their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 27 The men in the same way also left natural relations with women and were inflamed in their lust for one another. Men committed shameless acts with men and received in their own persons the appropriate penalty of their error.
  • God is not done giving them over, now it is their shameful lusts. What is the prime example Paul gives us of this?
    • Paul specifically names homosexuality
    • Let me point out the Paul’s use of the word natural here and its meaning is “according to God’s created order”. Unnatural then would mean contrary to order God intended. Paul is not talking about natural homosexuality.
  • What happens to those who commit these shameful acts? received in themselves the due penalty for their error.
    • This is more than the  final judgment…received in themselves the penalty are the consequences that  come  from this behavior.  Emotional- Spiritual and physical.. health risks are much higher  for those who participate in this sin.
• Romans 1:28-32
• 28 And because they did not think it worthwhile to acknowledge God, God delivered them over to a corrupt mind so that they do what is not right. 29 They are filled with all unrighteousness, evil, greed, and wickedness. They are full of envy, murder, quarrels, deceit, and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, arrogant, proud, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 senseless, untrustworthy, unloving, and unmerciful. 32 Although they know God’s just sentence—that those who practice such things deserve to die—they not only do them, but even applaud others who practice them.
  • How would you describe the direction of these verses?
    • Downward spiral to hell its self.
  • As the slide of sin and rejection of God continues what does He give them over to now?
    • God gave them over to a depraved mind which leads to unrestrained sin
  • What is the answer to man’s unrighteousness and wickedness, what do they need?
    • The Gospel…The only answer is faith in Jesus. If you want to know the answer to crazy world around us it’s the gospel. The answer isn’t found in the White House, the Capital, or the Court House, the answer is found in the gospel. We don’t need more laws or more freedom. We don’t need more lawyers or more psychiatrists. We need the gospel. People need to hear the gospel which is the power of God to save.
• TAKE AWAY
  • Do we see this slide in our culture?
    • Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. (Isaiah 5:20)
  • We see God’s General revelation to the Gentiles
  • General Rebellion to God’s truth by the Gentiles
  • General Rejection of the Gentiles by God
  • The only hope is the gospel

Romans 1:16-23

• Romans 1:16-17
• 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith.
  • The introduction is over, and here comes Paul laying out his themes for the letter
  • There are only two verses here, but they contain so much of the very essence of Paul’s gospel
  • He begins by saying that he is not ashamed of the gospel
    • Think of the background of that statement. Paul had been impirsoned in Philippi, chased out of Thessalonica, smuggled out of Beroea, laughed at in Athens, and in Corinth his message was foolishness to the Greeks and a stumbling block to the Jews
    • Out of that background, he declared that he was not ashamed of the gospel. There was something in the gospel which made Paul triumphantly victorious over all that anyone could do to him
  • In this passage we see three foundational pillars of Paul’s thought and belief
    • Salvation
      • At this time in history, salvation was the one thing for which people were searching
        • It was a salvation from physical illness. It was not a completely other-worldly thing. It aimed at rescuing an individual in body and in soul
        • It was salvation from danger. It was not that it gave people a life free from perils and dangers, but it gave them a security of soul no matter what was happening. The Christian salvation makes us safe in a way that is independent of any outward circumstances 
        • It was a salvation form life’s infection. It is form a corrupt and perverse generation that we are saved. This who have this Christian salvation have a kind of diving antiseptic which keeps them from infection by the evil of the world
        • It was salvation form lostness. It was to seek and to save the lost that Jesus came. The unsaved man or woman is on the wrong road, a road that leads to death. The saved man or woman has been put on the right way
        • It was salvation from sin. Men and women ware like slaves in bondage to a master from whom they cannot escape. The Christian salvation liberates them from the tyranny of sin
        • It was salvation from the wrath of God. We will discuss this deeper in the next section. There is in this world an inexorable moral law an in the Christian faith an inevitable element of judgment. Without the salvation which Jesus brings, we can only stand condemned
        • It was a salvation which is eschatological. That is to say, it is a salvation which finds its full meaning and blessedness in the final triumph of Jesus 
      • The Christian faith came to a desperate world offering a salvation which would keep men and women safe in time and in eternity
    • Faith
      • At its simplest, it means loyalty. When Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, he wanted to know about their faith. That is, he wanted to know how their loyalty was standing the test. Faith is the enduring devotion and loyalty which marks the real follower of Jesus
      • Faith means belief. It means the conviction that something is true. In I Corinthians 15:17, Paul tells them that if Jesus did not rise form the dead, then their faith is vain—all that they have believed is wrecked. Faith is the assent that the Christian message is true
      • Faith sometimes means the Christian religion. In II Corinthians 13:5, Paul tells his opponents to examine themselves to see if they are holding to their faith, that is to see if they are still within the Christian religion
      • Faith is sometimes practically equivalent to indestructible hope. We walk by faith, not by sight
      • Mostly, faith means total acceptance and absolute trust. It means betting your life that there is a God. It means being utterly sure that what Jesus said is true, and staking all time and eternity on that assurance
        • Faith begins with receptivity. It begins when we are at least willing to listen to the message of the truth. It goes on to mental assent. We first hear and then agree that theis is true. But mental assent need not result in action. Many people know very well that something is true, but do not change their actions to meet that knowledge. The final stage is when this mental assent becomes total surrender. In fully fledged faith, we hear the Christian message, agree that it is true, and then cast ourselves upon it in a life of total submission
    • Justification
      • This word has a different meaning than just our English word justify. If we justify ourselves, we produce reasons to prove that we were right; if someone justifies us, that person produces reasons to prove that we acted in the right way. But in the Greek, if God justifies issuers, it does not mean that He finds reasons to prove that they were right. It does not even mean that He makes the sinners good. It means that God treats sinners as if they had not been sinners at all. Instead of treating them as criminals to be obliterated, God treats them as children to be loved. It means that God treats us not as His enemies but as His friends; not was bad people deserve, but as good people deserver, not as law-breakers to be punished, but as men and women to be loved. 
      • That means that to be justified is to enter into a new relationship with God, a relationship of love, confidence, and friendship, instead of one of distance, enmity, and fear. We no longer go to a God radiating just but terrible punishment. We go to a God radiating forgiving and redeeming love. 
      • Justification is a right relationship between God and human beings. The person who is just or righteous is someone who is in this right relationship, and who is in it not because of anything that he or she has done, but because of what God has done. Such people are sin this right relationship not because they have meticulously performed the works of the law, but because in utter faith they have cast themselves on the amazing mercy and love of God.
      • The righteous will live by faith. People who are in a right relationship with God, not because of the works of their hands, but because of their utter faith in what the love of God has done, are the ones who really know what life’s like in time and in eternity. And to Paul the whole work of Jesus was that He had enabled men and women to enter into this new and precious relationship with God. Fear was gone and love had come.. The God previously thought of as an enemy had become a friend
• Romans 1:18-23
• 18 For God’s wrath is revealed from heaven against all godlessness and unrighteousness of people who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth, 19 since what can be known about God is evident among them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, that is, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what he has made. As a result, people are without excuse. 21 For though they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or show gratitude. Instead, their thinking became worthless, and their senseless hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man, birds, four-footed animals, and reptiles.
  • In the previous passage, Paul was thinking about the relationship with God into which people can enter through the faith, which is submission and trust. In contrast, he sets the wrath of God which men and women must incur if they are deliberately blind to God and they worship their own thoughts and idols instead of Him
  • The Wrath of God
    • In the early parts of the OT, the wrath of God especially connected with he idea of the covenant people. The people of Israel were in a special relationship with God. He had chosen them and offered them this special relationship which would continue as long as they kept His law. That meant two things
      • It meant that without the nation, any way in which the law was broken provoked the wrath of God
      • Because Israel stood in a unique relationship to God, any other nation which traded Israel with cruelty and injustice incurred the wrath of God
    • In the prophets, the idea of the wrath of God occurs, but the emphasis has changed. Jewish religious thought from the prophets onwards was dominated by the idea of the two ages.
      • There was this age which was altogether bad, and there was the golden age which was altogether good. 
      • These two ages were separated by the day of the Lord. That was to be a day of terrible retribution and judgment, when the world would be shattered, sinners destroyed, and the universe remade before God’s kingdom came
      • It was then that the wrath of the Lord would got into terrible action
      • But the prophets did not regard the wrath of God as being postponed until that terrible day of judgment. They saw it continuously in action. When Israel strayed away from God, when they people were rebellious and unfaithful, then the wrath of God operated against Israel and involved the nation in ruin, disaster, captivity, and defeat. To the prophets, the wrath of God was continually berating and would reach its peak of terror and destruction not eh coming day of the Lord
    • Paul speaks frequently of this idea of wrath. But the strange thing is that, although he speaks of the wrath of God, he never speaks of God being angry. He speaks of God’s love, and he speaks of God loving. He speaks of God’s grace, and of god graciously giving. He speaks of God’s fidelity, and of God being faithful to His people. But very strangely, although he speaks of the wrath of God, he never speaks about God being angry. So, there is some difference in the connection with God of love and wrath
    • Further, Paul spaces of the wrath of God only three times. Here, Ephesians 5:6, and Colossians 3:6. He speaks of the wrath of God coming upon the children of disobedience. But, quite frequently, Paul speaks about the wrath, without saying it is the wrath of God as if it ought to have capital letters—the Wrath—and was a kind of impersonal force at work in the world.
      • In Romans 3:5, the literal translation is “God who brings the Wrath”. In Romans 5:9, he speaks about being saved from the wrath. In Romans 12:19, he advises people not to take vengeance but to leave evildoers to the wrath. In Romans 13:5, he speaks about the wrath as big a powerful motive to keep people obedient. In Romans 4:15, he says that the law produces wrath. And in I Thessalonians 1:10, he says that Jesus delivered us from the Wrath to come. Paul speaks about the wrath, and yet from that very wrath Jesus saves men and women
    • Let’s go back to the prophets. Their message often amounted to this: If you are not obedient to God, the wrath of God will involve you in ruin and disaster.
      • The whole message of the Hebrew prophets was that there is a moral order in this world. The conclusion is clear—that moral order is the wrath of God at work. God made this world in such a way that we break His laws at our peril. Now if we were left solely at the mercy of that inexorable moral order, there could be nothing for us but death and destruction. The world is made in such a way that they person who sins must die—if the moral order is to act alone. But into this human dilemma there comes the love of God—and that love of God, by an act of unbelievable free grace, lifts us out of the consequences of sin and saves us from the wrath we should have incurred
  • Paul goes on to insist that we cannot plead ignorance of God
    • It has always been possible to see what He is like for His world. We can always tell something about people from the work they produce; and it is possible to tell something about God from the world He made. It is from the world that Paul starts when he is speaking to the people of Lystra
    • In the world, we can see God. It is Paul’s argument that if we look at the wold we see that suffering follows sin. Break the laws of agriculture—your harvest fails. Break the laws of architecture—your building collapses. Break the laws of health—your body suffers. Paul was saying: Look at the world! See how it’s constructed. From a world like that, you l know what God is like. Those who sin are left without excuse
  • Paul goes another step. What did the sinners do? Instead of looking out to God, they looked into themselves. They involved themselves in futile speculations and thought they were wise, while all the time they were fools. Why? They were fools because they made their ideas, their opinions, their speculations the standard and the law of life, instead of the will of God. The sinners’ folly consisted in making man the master of things. They found their standards in their own opinions and not in the laws of God. They lived in a self-centered instead of a God-centered universe. Instead of walking looking out to God, they walked looking into themselves, and like  people who do not look where they are going, they fell
    • The result was idolatry. They glory of God was exchanged for images of human and animal forms. They root sin of idolatry is that it is selfish. People make idols. They bring offerings and address prayers to them. Why? So that their own scheme and dreams may be furthered. Their worship is for their own sake and not for God’s
    • In this passage, we are face to face with the fact that the essence of sin is to put self in the place of God

Wednesday Evening Bible Study

Romans 1:1-15

• Romans 1:1-7
• Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures— 3 concerning his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who was a descendant of David according to the flesh 4 and was appointed to be the powerful Son of God according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection of the dead. 5 Through him we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the Gentiles, 6 including you who are also called by Jesus Christ. 7 To all who are in Rome, loved by God, called as saints. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
  • This is Paul’s introduction to the church in Rome, because remember, he had not been there and did not know most of the recipients of this letter personally yet
    • If you’re meeting someone for the first time, what is the thing you want them to know about you up front?
    • What are the things Paul wants to make sure the Romans know about him before he gets into the meat of this letter?
  • Paul starts with his credentials
    • Why he feels he is authorized to write this letter to a church that he has no personal connection with yet.
    • doulos=slave
      • Paul uses the Greek term kurios to describe Jesus. Jesus is LORD. The opposite of a kurios is doulos. Describes someone who has undisputed possession of a person or a thing. It literally means master. Paul thought of himself as the slave of Jesus Christ, his Master and Lord. Jesus had loved him and given himself for him, and therefore Paul was sure that he belonged no longer to himself but entirely to Jesus
    • An apostle
      • He says he was called to be an apostle. He recognized that he did not choose this, Christ called him to it.
      • Paul thought of life not in terms of what he wanted to do but in terms of what God meant him to do
    • Set apart for the gospel
      • He was set apart by God
        • He thought of God as separating him for the task he was to do even before he was born. 
        • What has God set you apart for?
      • He was set apart by the Church, when the Holy Spirit told the leaders of the church at Antioch to separate him and Barnabas for the special mission to the Gentiles
        • Paul was conscious of having a task to do for God and for the Church
  • In this setting apart, Pauls was aware of having received two things. We see them in verse 5
    • Grace
      • Grace always describes some gift which is absolutely free and absolutely unearned. In his pre-Christian days, Paul had sought to earn glory in the eyes of others and merit in the sight of god by meticulous observance of the works of the law, and he had found no peace that way
      • Now he knew that what mattered was not what he could do but what God had done. 
      • The law lays down what we must do, but the gospel lays down what God has done for us. 
      • Paul now saw that salvation depended not on what human effort could do but on what God’s love had done. 
    • A task
      • He was set apart to be the apostle to the Gentiles. Paul knew himself to be chosen not for a special honor, but for a special responsibility
      • He may have been using a play on words here. Pharisee meant the separated one
      • What was Paul before he was a Christian? A Pharisee, who would have thought in incomprehensible that God would allow Gentiles into the kingdom. 
      • He had felt himself separated in such a was as to have nothing  but contempt for all ordinary men and women. Now, he knew himself to be separated in such a way that he must spend his life brining the news of God’s love to every individual of every race
      • Christianity always separates us, but it separates us not for privilege and self-glory, but for service, humility, and love for all people
  • Besides giving his own credentials, he sets out in its most essential outline the gospel that he preached
    • It was a gospel that obviously centered on Jesus
      • It was a gospel of the incarnation
        • He told of a Jesus who was really and truly a man
        • The second-century Bishop of Lyons, Irenaeus, summed it up when he said of Jesus: “He became what we are, to make us what He is.”
        • Paul preached of someone who was not a legendary figure in an imaginary story. He preached about one who was really and truly one with those He came to save.
      • It was a gospel of the resurrection
        • If Jesus had lived a lovely life and died a heroic death, and if that had been the end of him, he might have been numbered with the great and heroic; but he would simply have been one among many
          • His uniqueness guaranteed forever by the fact of the resurrection. The others are dead and gone, and have left a memory. Jesus lives on and gives us a presence, still mighty, with power
• Romans 1:8-15
• 8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you because the news of your faith is being reported in all the world. 9 God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in telling the good news about his Son—that I constantly mention you, 10 always asking in my prayers that if it is somehow in God’s will, I may now at last succeed in coming to you. 11 For I want very much to see you, so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you, 12 that is, to be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine. 13 Now I don’t want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that I often planned to come to you (but was prevented until now) in order that I might have a fruitful ministry among you, just as I have had among the rest of the Gentiles. 14 I am obligated both to Greeks and barbarians, both to the wise and the foolish. 15 So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.
  • We talked about the affection Paul shows in this passage Sunday.
    • He begins with a compliment. He told them that he thanked God for the Christian faith they showed which all the world knew.
      • There are some people who are tuned to praise, and others who criticize. It was said of the novelist and poet Thomas Hardy, that, if he went into a country field, he would always see not the wild flowers but the dunghill in the corner
      • But the fact remains that we will always get far more out of people by praising them than by criticizing them. The people who get the  best  out of others are this who insist on seeing them at their best
      • No one can ever begin to save men and women without first believing in them. 
      • Aidan was the apostle to the Saxons. In 630 AD, the Saxon king had sent a message to Iona and requested that a missionary be sent to them to preach the gospel. The missionary came back talking of the “stubborn and barbarous disposition of the English”. He said, “The English have no manners; they behave like savages.” He reported that the task was hopeless. Aidan then spoke. “I think, brother, that you may have been too severe for such ignorant hearers, and that you should have led them on gently, giving them first the milk of religion before the meat.” So Aidan was sent to Northumbria, and his gentleness won for christ that very people whom the critical severity of his brother monk had repelled.
    • Although Paul did not know the people at Rome personally, he nevertheless constantly prayed for them.
      • In one of his sermons on the Lord’s Prayer, Gregory of Nyssa has a lyrical passage on prayer
        • The effect of prayer is union with God, and, if someone is with God, he is separated from the enemy. Through prayer we guard our chastity, control our temper, and rid ourselves of vanity. It makes us forget injuries, overcomes envy, defeats injustice, and makes amends for sin. Through prayer we obtain physical wellbeing, and happy home, and a strong, well-ordered society…Prayer is the seal of virginity and a pledge of faithfulness in marriage. It shields the wayfarer, protects the sleeper, and gives courage to those who keep vigil…it will refresh you when you are weary and comfort you when you are sorrowful. Prayer is the delight of the joyful as well as the solace of the afflicted…prayer is intimacy with God and contemplation of the invisible…Prayer is the enjoyment of things present and the substance of the things to come
      • Even if we are separated form people, and even if there is not other gift which we can give to them, we can surround them with the strength and the defense of our prayers
    • Paul was always ready to receive as well as to give
      • He began by saying that he wanted to come to Rome that he might impart to the Roman church some gift which would confirm them in the faith
      • And then he said he wanted to come to Rome so that he and the Romans church might comfort and strengthen each other, and that each might find precious things in the faith of the other
      • Paul was the greatest thinker the early Church ever produced; and yet, when he thought of the people to whom he longed to preach, he thought of himself not only as giving to them but also as receiving from them. 
    • Paul’s message, his friendship, and his obligation were to wise and simple, cultured and uncultured, educated and uneducated people. He had a message for the world, and it was his ambition some day to deliver that message to Roma too

Acts 28

• Context:
  • Even if we did not have chapter 28 of Acts how could we know Paul made to Rome?  God promised and prophesied it. 
  • Last time we saw that Paul and all he was traveling with had a ship wreck but none were loss just as Paul had said.
• Acts 28:1-10
• Once safely ashore, we then learned that the island was called Malta. 2 The local people showed us extraordinary kindness. They lit a fire and took us all in, since it was raining and cold. 3 As Paul gathered a bundle of brushwood and put it on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened itself on his hand. 4 When the local people saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “This man, no doubt, is a murderer. Even though he has escaped the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.” 5 But he shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no harm. 6 They expected that he would begin to swell up or suddenly drop dead. After they waited a long time and saw nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god. 7 Now in the area around that place was an estate belonging to the leading man of the island, named Publius, who welcomed us and entertained us hospitably for three days. 8 Publius’s father was in bed suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went to him, and praying and laying his hands on him, he healed him. 9 After this, the rest of those on the island who had diseases also came and were healed. 10 So they heaped many honors on us, and when we sailed, they gave us what we needed.
  • What did the islanders think of Paul when the viper bit him?
    • That he must be a bad criminal, a murderer. The gods are going to make sure he gets justice even after surviving the ship wreck.
  • What did their thinking change to when was unaffected by the snake bite?
    • From murderer to god…just like that. This event must have Paul like a celebrity on the island. Malta is small 8 X 25 miles. I am sure the news of this spread quickly.
  • Who does Paul heal and what does it cause?
    • The father of Publius…The rest of the sick are brought to Paul and Luke. 
  • In verse 11 we learn Paul spent 3 months on Malta what do you think Paul did in those three months?
    • Surely he shared the gospel but Luke gives us no record of it other than saying they were honored in many ways. The healings would have been done in the name of Jesus.
  • Do you think many on the island became Christians?
  • How did the people of Malta show their appreciation to Paul?
    • Furnished us with the supplies we needed.
• Acts 28:11-16
• 11 After three months we set sail in an Alexandrian ship that had wintered at the island, with the Twin Gods as its figurehead. 12 Putting in at Syracuse, we stayed three days. 13 From there, after making a circuit along the coast, we reached Rhegium. After one day a south wind sprang up, and the second day we came to Puteoli. 14 There we found brothers and sisters and were invited to stay a week with them. And so we came to Rome. 15 Now the brothers and sisters from there had heard the news about us and had come to meet us as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns. When Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage. 16 When we entered Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself with the soldier who guarded him.
  • Note: At Puteoli they are done with traveling on ship and will travel the last 150 miles on foot.
  • What unusual things happen at Puteoli?
    • Paul and companions are allowed to stay a week…with the hospitality from Christians there.
  • Are you surprised that Julius the centurion allowed this?
  • What do you think Julius the centurion and the other prisoners and guards thought of Paul after witnessing his actions on this trip?
    • I think they saw him as a man of God…innocent of any crime…and I think all they have been thru together they may have grown closer.
    • At this town Paul is only 150 miles from Rome. A week stay at Puteoli gave time for word to travel to Rome alerting other Christians of Paul’s coming.  Remember Paul has already written the Roman letter we have in our Bibles to them.
  • What impact did these Christian brothers coming out to meet Paul and companions have on them?
    • One group met them 43 miles outside Rome the other group 33 miles…this was great encouragement to them…and what a witness to the others who traveled with Paul.
  • How were the officials of Rome gracious to Paul?
    • Stayed in a house at his expense not a prison cell but still chained to a guard… I wonder if Julius had something to do with this.
• Acts 28 17-22
• 17 After three days he called together the leaders of the Jews. When they had gathered he said to them, “Brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors, I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. 18 After they examined me, they wanted to release me, since there was no reason for the death penalty in my case. 19 Because the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar; even though I had no charge to bring against my people. 20 For this reason I’ve asked to see you and speak to you. In fact, it is for the hope of Israel that I’m wearing this chain.” 21 Then they said to him, “We haven’t received any letters about you from Judea. None of the brothers has come and reported or spoken anything evil about you. 22 But we want to hear what your views are, since we know that people everywhere are speaking against this sect.”
  • How was Paul here in Rome consistent with his strategy for evangelism?
    • He went to the Jews first.
  • What is Paul trying to get ahead of?
    • The charges against him by the Jews in Jerusalem. Does Paul mention the Jews in Jerusalem were trying to kill him? No…Paul will not bring a charge against his own people. 
  • What is the hope of Israel and how does that put Paul in chains?
    • The hope is the Messiah the chains come because of interpretation of who the Messiah is…Paul offered Jesus as the personal fulfillment of that hope.
  • The Jews of Rome had heard nothing about Paul and these charges but what had they heard of?
    • 22 But we want to hear what your views are, for we know that people everywhere are talking against this sect.  History shows the Jews were expelled from Rome 10 years earlier by the Emperor Claudius over a disturbance about “Chrestus”…it is thought this Chrestus is really about Christ.  If that is the case, then the whole Jewish community was punished because the Jews response to Christ being accepted by many Jews as the Messiah.  The Jews were allowed to return to Rome at some point. So it looks like the Jewish leaders may not want to repeat this action again.
  • NOTE:  Paul’s accusers had 18 months to show up… if they did not chances are the case would be thrown out.
• Acts 28:23-29
• 23 After arranging a day with him, many came to him at his lodging. From dawn to dusk he expounded and testified about the kingdom of God. He tried to persuade them about Jesus from both the Law of Moses and the Prophets. 24 Some were persuaded by what he said, but others did not believe. 25 Disagreeing among themselves, they began to leave after Paul made one statement: “The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your ancestors through the prophet Isaiah 26 when he said, Go to these people and say: You will always be listening, but never understanding; and you will always be looking, but never perceiving. 27 For the hearts of these people have grown callous, their ears are hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes; otherwise they might see with their eyes and hear with their ears, understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them. 28 Therefore, let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.”
  • How many people show up for the 2nd meeting?
    • A bunch
  • What does Paul do to try and convince them that Jesus is the Messiah?
    • Uses the Law and the Prophets pointing out Jesus is the Messiah.
  • Once Paul thinks he has done all he can do to convince what does he do?
    • Use the same prophecy Jesus did from Isaiah…which is about Jewish unbelief…Paul is showing them that their religion is getting in the way hearing the truth from God.
  • According to the quote by Paul from Isaiah verses 26-27, is there a line people cross when their rejection of the Jesus and the gospel leads to their hearts being hardened to the point they will never repent and believe?
  • Who will listen to the gospel if the Jews reject it?
    • The Gentiles
• Acts 28:30-31
• 30 Paul stayed two whole years in his own rented house. And he welcomed all who visited him, 31 proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.
  • What impact did Paul have for two years in Rome?  How many guards became Christians
    • Note: Paul wrote Ephesians- Philippians- Colossians & Philemon while there.
  • What happened after this?
    • Speculation but many think and I agree Paul was released went on to Spain but was arrested again in 67AD and returned to Rome under the persecution of Nero. 2 Timothy4:6-18 makes it clear Paul did not expect to be released…tradition says Paul was condemned and beheaded.
• TAKE AWAY
  • The Word of God cannot be chained…as long as Christians proclaim it.
  • God keeps His promise…it may not be like we think it will be but God is faithful.
  • How can we keep our eyes, ears and hearts sensitive to God while being religious?
    • Humility and obedience
  • The Holy Spirit is clearly the agency of power in Acts.
    • Do you see Him working in You and in the church today?

Acts 27

• Context:
  • If you remember Paul has appealed his case to Caesar and is being sent to Rome to stand trial before the Emperor. God had promised Paul he would go to Rome. The timing for Paul’s trip was not good; the end of Sept. which is when the Mediterranean Sea was dangerous; after mid-November it was considered impossible to navigate.
• Acts 27:1-8
• When it was decided that we were to sail to Italy, they handed over Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion named Julius, of the Imperial Regiment. 2 When we had boarded a ship of Adramyttium, we put to sea, intending to sail to ports along the coast of Asia. Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, was with us. 3 The next day we put in at Sidon, and Julius treated Paul kindly and allowed him to go to his friends to receive their care. 4 When we had put out to sea from there, we sailed along the northern coast of Cyprus because the winds were against us. 5 After sailing through the open sea off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we reached Myra in Lycia. 6 There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy and put us on board. 7 Sailing slowly for many days, with difficulty we arrived off Cnidus. Since the wind did not allow us to approach it, we sailed along the south side of Crete off Salmone. 8 With still more difficulty we sailed along the coast and came to a place called Fair Havens near the city of Lasea.
  • Who is traveling with Paul?
    • Other prisoners, Julius and other guards, other Christians. Who were the other Christians with Paul? Aristarchus and Luke notice the “We.”
  • How well did Julius trust Paul?
    • Evidently Paul and his companions are allowed to go into town and visit the church there.
• Acts 27:9-12
• 9 By now much time had passed, and the voyage was already dangerous. Since the Day of Atonement was already over, Paul gave his advice 10 and told them, “Men, I can see that this voyage is headed toward disaster and heavy loss, not only of the cargo and the ship but also of our lives.” 11 But the centurion paid attention to the captain and the owner of the ship rather than to what Paul said. 12 Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided to set sail from there, hoping somehow to reach Phoenix, a harbor on Crete facing the southwest and northwest, and to winter there.
  • What advice did Paul give to the pilot, the owner and the Centurion?
    • What is amazing is that Paul was a participant at some level in these discussions.
  • Why would they even listen to Paul he is a prisoner headed to Rome?
    • I think Paul was recognized has an experienced and educated man one who had traveled by far more than most people in that time.
• Acts 27:13-26
• 13 When a gentle south wind sprang up, they thought they had achieved their purpose. They weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete. 14 But before long, a fierce wind called the “northeaster” rushed down from the island. 15 Since the ship was caught and unable to head into the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along. 16 After running under the shelter of a little island called Cauda, we were barely able to get control of the skiff. 17 After hoisting it up, they used ropes and tackle and girded the ship. Fearing they would run aground on the Syrtis, they lowered the drift-anchor, and in this way they were driven along. 18 Because we were being severely battered by the storm, they began to jettison the cargo the next day. 19 On the third day, they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. 20 For many days neither sun nor stars appeared, and the severe storm kept raging. Finally all hope was fading that we would be saved. 21 Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul then stood up among them and said, “You men should have followed my advice not to sail from Crete and sustain this damage and loss. 22 Now I urge you to take courage, because there will be no loss of any of your lives, but only of the ship. 23 For last night an angel of the God I belong to and serve stood by me 24 and said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul. It is necessary for you to appear before Caesar. And indeed, God has graciously given you all those who are sailing with you.’ 25 So take courage, men, because I believe God that it will be just the way it was told to me. 26 But we have to run aground on some island.”
  • What all did the sailors do to save the ship?
    • Ropes around the hull, sea anchors to slow them down, lighten the ship
  • Notice Luke’s comment in verse 20, how discouraged were they by the storm?
    • They have given up hope; Luke is saying this which means Paul may have felt this way too.
  • What is the big I told you so Paul tells them?
    • See verse 21 Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss.
  • What did God do to encourage all the people on the ship?
    • Sends an angel to Paul… God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’
  • How would you have received this news from Paul if you were one of those on this boat in the middle of a storm?
    • Hope is restored.
• Acts 27:27-32
• 27 When the fourteenth night came, we were drifting in the Adriatic Sea, and about midnight the sailors thought they were approaching land. 28 They took soundings and found it to be a hundred twenty feet deep; when they had sailed a little farther and sounded again, they found it to be ninety feet deep. 29 Then, fearing we might run aground on the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight to come. 30 Some sailors tried to escape from the ship; they had let down the skiff into the sea, pretending that they were going to put out anchors from the bow. 31 Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.” 32 Then the soldiers cut the ropes holding the skiff and let it drop away.
  • How long has this storm been raging?
    • At least 14 days
  • How did Paul know what the men in the life boat were really up too?
    • Evidently God revealed it to him.
  • What does the centurion think of Paul’s advice now?
    • He believes and acts on it cutting the ropes to the life boat.  Self-preservation is a strong motive.
  • Why was it so important for these men to stay on the boat?
    • God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’  It appears this promise is only if everyone stays with Paul.  
• Acts 27:33-38
• 33 When it was about daylight, Paul urged them all to take food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have been waiting and going without food, having eaten nothing. 34 So I urge you to take some food. For this is for your survival, since none of you will lose a hair from your head.” 35 After he said these things and had taken some bread, he gave thanks to God in the presence of all of them, and after he broke it, he began to eat. 36 They all were encouraged and took food themselves. 37 In all there were 276 of us on the ship. 38 When they had eaten enough, they began to lighten the ship by throwing the grain overboard into the sea.
  • How does Paul prepare them to survive?
    • First he encourages them…and tells them to eat.  
  • What impact does this have on those on the ship?
  • Who is coming across as a leader on the storm tossed ship?
• Acts 27:39-44
• 39 When daylight came, they did not recognize the land but sighted a bay with a beach. They planned to run the ship ashore if they could. 40 After cutting loose the anchors, they left them in the sea, at the same time loosening the ropes that held the rudders. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and headed for the beach. 41 But they struck a sandbar and ran the ship aground. The bow jammed fast and remained immovable, while the stern began to break up by the pounding of the waves. 42 The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners so that no one could swim away and escape. 43 But the centurion kept them from carrying out their plan because he wanted to save Paul, and so he ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land. 44 The rest were to follow, some on planks and some on debris from the ship. In this way, everyone safely reached the shore.
  • How does Julius the centurion feel about Paul?
    • He held Paul in high regard enough not to follow normal procedure which is kill the prisoners rather than let them escape.
    • 276 souls saved from a storm and the ship wreck…those who could swim and those who could not in weakened condition, what does this sound like to you? Sounds like a God thing to me.
• TAKE AWAY
  • What does it mean when God says he is going to do something?
    • He is going to do it.
  • If God knows how to save Paul and those with him from this great storm, what does that mean for us?
    • God knows how to save those who belong to Him from the storm…we may face all kinds of storms in this life God knows who to encourage and save us thru the storms of life.
  • In the middle of the crisis God’s man Paul reacted in what way?
    • urgent warning- maintaining hope- giving good counsel- giving thanks- common sense- remaining calm and preserving to the end
  • How do we respond to crisis in our life?
  • God’s grace in this case saved not only those who belong to the Lord but the pagan and unbelieving.

Acts 26

• Context:
  • Paul is still under arrest; still being held in the City of Caesarea on the coast of Palestine. Paul is held without being charged by the Roman Government for anything. Really he was held because of political considerations. Paul has been heard by the former governor Felix and held for 2 years. Now under the new governor Festus who was pushing Paul to go to Jerusalem and have his trial there to please the Jews who were planning on killing Paul.  All these plans were derailed by appealing to Caesar which was his right as a Roman citizen.  Festus doesn’t even know what to write about Paul as he sends him on to Caesar. Festus is visited by the neighboring King Agrippa and his sister who is much more familiar with the culture and ways of the Jews.  The King’s mother was a Jew.  So Festus arranges an interview with Paul to see if Agrippa can make sense of what is going on. Now it is time for Paul to speak to tell his side of the story to King Agrippa.
• Acts 26:1-3
• Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.” Then Paul stretched out his hand and began his defense: 2 “I consider myself fortunate that it is before you, King Agrippa, I am to make my defense today against all the accusations of the Jews, 3 especially since you are very knowledgeable about all the Jewish customs and controversies. Therefore I beg you to listen to me patiently.
  • Why does Paul consider himself fortunate to give his defense before King Agrippa?
    • Because his knowledge of the Jews customs and controversies. Paul has before him someone competent to comprehend the issues of His case.
  • What does Paul plead for from the King?
    • Patience.
• Acts 26:4-8
• 4 “All the Jews know my way of life from my youth, which was spent from the beginning among my own people and in Jerusalem. 5 They have known me for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that according to the strictest sect of our religion I lived as a Pharisee. 6 And now I stand on trial because of the hope in what God promised to our ancestors, 7 the promise our twelve tribes hope to reach as they earnestly serve him night and day. King Agrippa, I am being accused by the Jews because of this hope. 8 Why do any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead?
  • How does Paul prove his connection to the Jews?
    • See Verses 4-5  Evidently there were people around who could verify the Jewish background of Paul. 
    • We need to remember that standards of Paul’s day was that his character was inherited thru his family
  • What Jewish religious group does Paul identify with?
    • Pharisees… What is the hot issue between the Pharisees and Sadducees?  Then resurrection in a general sense and additionally for Paul the resurrection of Jesus.  
  • What does Paul say is the reason he is on trial today?
    • See verses 6-8  What were the 12 tribes hoping for? The Messiah… Paul has in real sense realized this hope already.   Paul identifies with the Jews.
  • Look at the question Paul ask in verse 8, Paul directs this it everyone there why does Paul ask it?
    • For the Jews all that God did for them and God raised people from the dead by way of the prophets and it was something Jesus did as well. Resurrection was a hard sell to the Romans and the Greeks.  Even for the Pagan, logically if God is God why can’t he raise the dead. 
    • Keep in mind Paul as a Pharisee believed in the resurrection of the dead but he too at one time would not believe in the resurrection of Jesus.
• Acts 26:9-11
• 9 In fact, I myself was convinced that it was necessary to do many things in opposition to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10 I actually did this in Jerusalem, and I locked up many of the saints in prison, since I had received authority for that from the chief priests. When they were put to death, I was in agreement against them. 11 In all the synagogues I often punished them and tried to make them blaspheme. Since I was terribly enraged at them, I pursued them even to foreign cities.
  • Why did Paul tell of his history of persecuting Christians?
    • He is building up to his own dramatic conversion but again he is identifying with many of the Jews.
• Acts 26:12-18
• 12 “I was traveling to Damascus under these circumstances with authority and a commission from the chief priests. 13 King Agrippa, while on the road at midday, I saw a light from heaven brighter than the sun, shining around me and those traveling with me. 14 We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice speaking to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ 15 “I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ “And the Lord replied, ‘I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting. 16 But get up and stand on your feet. For I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and a witness of what you have seen and will see of me. 17 I will rescue you from your people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them 18 to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
  • How many times have we heard the conversion story about Paul in the book of Acts?
    • This makes the 3rd time. 
  • Did Paul turn his own personal conversion experience into an opportunity to share the Gospel? How did he summarize the gospel message?
    • Speaking of the resurrection- then seeing Jesus alive- forgiveness of Sin   found in Jesus- Faith in Jesus and repentance.
  • What does Jesus tell Paul he will be doing?
    • Telling people about Jesus turning them to the light, from Satan to God…so that they will be forgiven and sanctified
• Acts 26:19-24
• 19 “So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision. 20 Instead, I preached to those in Damascus first, and to those in Jerusalem and in all the region of Judea, and to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works worthy of repentance. 21 For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and were trying to kill me. 22 To this very day, I have had help from God, and I stand and testify to both small and great, saying nothing other than what the prophets and Moses said would take place— 23 that the Messiah would suffer, and that, as the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light to our people and to the Gentiles.” 24 As he was saying these things in his defense, Festus exclaimed in a loud voice, “You’re out of your mind, Paul! Too much study is driving you mad.”
  • How did Paul see himself in fulfilling the mission Jesus gave him?
    • He said he was not disobedient to what Jesus commanded.
  • How does Paul see repentance?
    • It should be evidenced in deeds. This is what Paul must have preached in the synagogues he visited. 
  • What did Paul attribute his trouble with the Jews to?
    • See verse 21-23 
    • The resurrection of the dead in general and specific to Jesus  
    • His ministry to the Gentiles
  • What does Paul point out as verifying what he has been saying?
    • Moses and the Prophets…he appeals to the O.T. 
  • Why do you think Festus blurt out, “You are out of your mind, Paul? Your great learning is driving you insane.”?
    • It must have sounded like nonsense to him…pulse this is the 1st time Festus has heard the conversion experience of Paul. And there was not room for the resurrection in his Roman mind
• Acts 26:25-32
• 25 But Paul replied, “I’m not out of my mind, most excellent Festus. On the contrary, I’m speaking words of truth and good judgment. 26 For the king knows about these matters, and I can speak boldly to him. For I am convinced that none of these things has escaped his notice, since this was not done in a corner. 27 King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you believe.” 28 Agrippa said to Paul, “Are you going to persuade me to become a Christian so easily?” 29 “I wish before God,” replied Paul, “that whether easily or with difficulty, not only you but all who listen to me today might become as I am—except for these chains.” 30 The king, the governor, Bernice, and those sitting with them got up, 31 and when they had left they talked with each other and said, “This man is not doing anything to deserve death or imprisonment.” 32 Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been released if he had not appealed to Caesar.”
  • Paul claims not to be insane but who does he turn to him back this up?
    • Verse 26  King Agrippa.
  • What does it mean to say these things were not done in a corner?
    • These things were done out in the open. In other words King Agrippa would have been aware of these things.  Think about all the teaching about Jesus that happened in the Temple Court and Synagogues.
  • Do you think King Agrippa was close to becoming a Christian?
    • Not even close would be my guess. I doubt the king would confess his faith in front of the Romans. The KJV uses the phrase almost persuaded.
  • What did Agrippa and Festus conclude of Paul’s situation?
    • Not guilty deserving of freedom…If Paul had been set free what do you think would have happened? The Jews would try to kill him. 
  • What is going to keep in chains?
    • His appeal to Caesar.
  • What does Paul know that Festus and King Agrippa do not know concerning his going to Rome?
    • That God told him he would appear before Caesar.
• TAKE AWAY
  • What can we take away from this event in Paul’s life?
  • Paul was true to the gospel and to Jesus. And presented the gospel when he had opportunity. How are we doing?
  • Do we let politically correct speech keep us quiet about who we are in Christ?
  • What might say to those who have trouble accepting the truth of the resurrection?
  • How many times should we offer the gospel to people who do not believe? 

Acts 25

• How are you with 1st days… do you remember the 1st day on a job?  First day as the new boss?
  • Makes you kind of nervous you want to make a good impression, get along with those you are working with… show everyone you are willing to do the job…  and you don’t want to mess up. 
• Context:
  • Last time we saw Paul being held in Caesarea by the Roman Governor Felix who kept Paul under arrest for two years in hopes that Paul would pay a bribe to get out.
  • The Jewish leadership are bent on killing Paul and have been unable to present a convincing case to have the Roman authorities turn over Paul to them or  be punished by Rome because Paul has not broken any laws.  Basically Paul is limbo under arrest but not found guilty.  It has now been two years since Paul heard the words from the Lord … Acts 23:11 …Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.”
• Acts 25:1-5
• Three days after Festus arrived in the province, he went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea. 2 The chief priests and the leaders of the Jews presented their case against Paul to him; and they appealed, 3 asking for a favor against Paul, that Festus summon him to Jerusalem. They were, in fact, preparing an ambush along the road to kill him. 4 Festus, however, answered that Paul should be kept at Caesarea, and that he himself was about to go there shortly. 5 “Therefore,” he said, “let those of you who have authority go down with me and accuse him, if he has done anything wrong.”
  • Who is Festus?
    • He is the new Roman Governor replacing the bad Felix who was recalled by Nero.  Festus is appointed in hopes he can correct some of the abuses of Felix this happens in 60AD.  It is thought that Festus is much more competent and of better character than Felix. But Festus is ignorant about much about the Jews.  
  • How long has Festus been on the job?
    • Not long he is new to all of this…3 days then off to meet some of the leading local folks.  Do you think he would want to make a good impression?
  • Does the Jewish leadership hate Paul any less after two years?
    • No…if anything they hate him more.
  • What do the Jews ask from Festus?
    • A favor…Which is to transfer Paul to Jerusalem… 
  • Why do you think they asked of the new guy?
    • He just might do it not knowing all the circumstances involved…in fact Jews may think Festus would be inclined to something for them to solicit their support to keep peace in the region.  
  • What would happen to Paul if he was moved to Jerusalem?
    • Of course as soon has Paul would be moved he would be killed.
• Acts 25:6-12
• 6 When he had spent not more than eight or ten days among them, he went down to Caesarea. The next day, seated at the tribunal, he commanded Paul to be brought in. 7 When he arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him and brought many serious charges that they were not able to prove. 8 Then Paul made his defense: “Neither against the Jewish law, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar have I sinned in any way.” 9 But Festus, wanting to do the Jews a favor, replied to Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem to be tried before me there on these charges?” 10 Paul replied, “I am standing at Caesar’s tribunal, where I ought to be tried. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as even you yourself know very well. 11 If then I did anything wrong and am deserving of death, I am not trying to escape death; but if there is nothing to what these men accuse me of, no one can give me up to them. I appeal to Caesar!” 12 Then after Festus conferred with his council, he replied, “You have appealed to Caesar; to Caesar you will go.”
  • Who does Festus think is in charge of the proceedings?
    • He thinks he is! But he soon finds out he does not have as much control as he thought
  • Have the Jews improved any at getting charges to stick in Paul’s case?
    • No the charges were probably all the same as the 1st time.  Notice no lawyer is mentioned this time.
  • Did the Jews prove Paul guilty of anything?
    • Apparently not because no verdict is given; no judgment reached
  • What should have happened in this case if the Jews proved nothing against Paul?
    • Should have been throw out and Paul set free.
  • Why didn’t that happen?
    • Festus wants to try Paul in Jerusalem so to endear himself to the Jews…we fail to understand how the Roman viewed Judea. To Rome it was a powder keg about to blow so the Roman leaders would pervert justice to keep the peace, like Pilot did with Jesus and Felix and now Festus is doing to Paul
  • Look at verse 9 is this more of a question or a strong suggestion or a command?
    • I don’t think Paul is being asked but being told…Notice it would be Festus being the judge
  • Why does Paul feel like he should be tried in a Roman court?
    • He is a Roman citizen and he may think he will get a fairer trial that way. He also knows the Sanhedrin is corrupt.
  • Do you think Festus knows Paul is innocent?
  • Why did Festus turn to his counselors when Paul appealed to Caesar?
    • I would imagine that after Paul appealed to Caesar, Festus turned to his council and said, “Can he do that?” After a few moments of silence and some muffled conversation, he was assured that Paul was well within his rights. He could do that. And thus Festus responded, “You have appealed to Caesar; to Caesar you will go!”
  • What did appealing to Caesar mean?
    • 1. It immediately suspended Paul’s trial before Festus.
    • 2. It took the matter out of the hands of Festus, as well as the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem.
    • 3. It assured Paul of Roman custody and protection, and a safe arrival to Rome.
  • Note of interest…
    • There is a strange irony here. Paul, who could not be persuaded to turn back from going to Jerusalem, …cannot now be persuaded to go back to Jerusalem. Paul had more confidence in receiving justice from a Roman (“heathen”) judge than he did in receiving justice from the highest Jewish court in the land.
• Acts 25:13-27
• 13 Several days later, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived in Caesarea and paid a courtesy call on Festus. 14 Since they were staying there several days, Festus presented Paul’s case to the king, saying, “There’s a man who was left as a prisoner by Felix. 15 When I was in Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews presented their case and asked that he be condemned. 16 I answered them that it is not the Roman custom to give someone up before the accused faces the accusers and has an opportunity for a defense against the charges. 17 So when they had assembled here, I did not delay. The next day I took my seat at the tribunal and ordered the man to be brought in. 18 The accusers stood up but brought no charge against him of the evils I was expecting. 19 Instead they had some disagreements with him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus, a dead man Paul claimed to be alive. 20 Since I was at a loss in a dispute over such things, I asked him if he wanted to go to Jerusalem and be tried there regarding these matters. 21 But when Paul appealed to be held for trial by the Emperor, I ordered him to be kept in custody until I could send him to Caesar.” 22 Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear the man myself.”“Tomorrow you will hear him,” he replied. 23 So the next day, Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and entered the auditorium with the military commanders and prominent men of the city. When Festus gave the command, Paul was brought in. 24 Then Festus said, “King Agrippa and all men present with us, you see this man. The whole Jewish community has appealed to me concerning him, both in Jerusalem and here, shouting that he should not live any longer. 25 I found that he had not done anything deserving of death, but when he himself appealed to the Emperor, I decided to send him. 26 I have nothing definite to write to my lord about him. Therefore, I have brought him before all of you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after this examination is over, I may have something to write. 27 For it seems unreasonable to me to send a prisoner without indicating the charges against him.”
  • Who is king Agrippa and Bernice?
    • Herod Agrippa II ruled a client kingdom of the Roman Empire to the northeast of Festus’ province, and was reputed to be an expert in Jewish customs and religious matters.  Though he did not have jurisdiction over Paul in this case, his hearing of the matter would be helpful for Festus. 
    • Of this King Agrippa, his great-grandfather had tried to kill Jesus as a baby; his grandfather had John the Baptist beheaded; his father had martyred the first apostle, James.  Now Paul stands before the next in line of the Herods, Herod Agrippa. 
    • Bernice was his sister, and rumors were rife that their relationship was incestuous. Herod Agrippa II didn’t rule over much territory, but was of great influence because the emperor gave him the right to oversee the affairs of the temple in Jerusalem and the appointment of the high priest.
  • Why does Festus want Agrippa’s help with Paul?
    • See verse 26. He needs to send paperwork along with Paul explaining the charges against him and why he appealed to Caesar.
  • Now this is a hearing not a trial; who all is invited to this?   Why? Is somebody showing off?
    • Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and entered the audience room with the high-ranking military officers and the prominent men of the city. Why these people? Showing honor to the newly installed Festus and to King Agrippa. Also they want to gain their favor.
  • What profound statement does Festus make about Paul’s guilt or innocence?
    • See verse 25. 25 I found he had done nothing deserving of death, but because he made his appeal to the Emperor I decided to send him to Rome.
• TAKE AWAY
  • Two ways to look at it;
    • from, a purely human viewpoint, the events that have transpired in chapters 21-25 have been sort of a “comedy of errors…And Paul is lucky he gets to go to Rome .
    • Or see another way…In Acts, we see the expressed will and purposes of God for His church, and particularly for Paul: Nothing that has occurred has hindered the fulfillment of God’s purposes. Indeed, everything that has happened has been used of God to fulfill these purposes. God’s sovereignty is nowhere more evident than in the midst of human opposition and failure.
  • God by His wisdom is weaving His will and plans in all of this.  Paul may wonder what is going on but things are going to be done according to God’s timing and will.
  • Those in charge are not really in charge God’s will is going to be accomplished.
  • We need to be faithful to the gospel like Paul…how many leaders heard the gospel over and over from Paul.

Acts 24

• Context:
  • Last time we saw where Paul was rescued by the Roman commander in Jerusalem when there was a real threat to kill Paul.  He had Paul taken to Caesarea where the Roman governor of the region was. He also wrote a letter explaining the situation surrounding Paul.  Paul was placed under guard even though he is a Roman citizen awaiting the charges from the Jewish leaders.  What  we get from Luke in chapter 24 reads like a court transcript.
• Acts 24:1-4
• Five days later Ananias the high priest came down with some elders and a lawyer named Tertullus. These men presented their case against Paul to the governor. 2 When Paul was called in, Tertullus began to accuse him and said, “We enjoy great peace because of you, and reforms are taking place for the benefit of this nation because of your foresight. 3 We acknowledge this in every way and everywhere, most excellent Felix, with utmost gratitude. 4 But, so that I will not burden you any further, I request that you would be kind enough to give us a brief hearing.
  • Who is Paul’s case being presented to who is the judge here?
    • The Roman Governor Felix
  • Does it make a difference what judge hears your case?
  • Do we know what kind of man Felix was?
    • He had been born a slave and granted his freedom by the mother of the emperor.  He was not a good Governor; there were many problems while he governed and the Jews pretty much hated him.  He used brutal measures to suppress any opposition.
    • Tacitus the historians say of him…that he practiced every kind of cruelty and lust…sounds like an unprincipled man
  • What does Tertullus try to do right from the beginning?
    • See verse 3 Use of Flattery. Was what the lawyer said true?  No…the Jews did not appreciate the Roman Governor Felix. 
• Acts 24:5-9
• 5 For we have found this man to be a plague, an agitator among all the Jews throughout the Roman world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. 6 He even tried to desecrate the temple, and so we apprehended him. 8 By examining him yourself you will be able to discern the truth about these charges we are bringing against him.” 9 The Jews also joined in the attack, alleging that these things were true.
  • What are the charges that Tertullus brings against Paul? 5-7
    • 1. Political sedition (troublemaker) riots 
    • 2. Heresy- ringleader of the Nazarene Sect
    • 3. Attempting to desecrate the temple
  • What do you think is the most serious charge according to the Romans?
    • The 1st one
  • Is there any truth to any of these?
    • Paul never tried to start a riot but a lot of unrest followed him because of the gospel. Paul was a leader in the church.
    • It was the Jews in places like Damascus, Jerusalem, Pisidian Antioch, Thessalonica, and Corinth that fomented public disturbance.
• Acts 24:10-16
• 10 When the governor motioned for him to speak, Paul replied, “Because I know you have been a judge of this nation for many years, I am glad to offer my defense in what concerns me. 11 You can verify for yourself that it is no more than twelve days since I went up to worship in Jerusalem. 12 They didn’t find me arguing with anyone or causing a disturbance among the crowd, either in the temple or in the synagogues or anywhere in the city. 13 Neither can they prove the charges they are now making against me. 14 But I admit this to you: I worship the God of my ancestors according to the Way, which they call a sect, believing everything that is in accordance with the law and written in the prophets. 15 I have a hope in God, which these men themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection, both of the righteous and the unrighteous. 16 I always strive to have a clear conscience toward God and men.
  • How does Paul answer the 1st charge?
    • Verses 11-13 My accusers did not find me arguing with anyone at the temple, or stirring up a crowd in the synagogues or anywhere else in the city. 13 And they cannot prove to you the charges they are now making against me
  • How does Paul handle the heresy charge?  Does he admit to being a Christian? Verses 14-16
    • 14 However, I admit that I worship the God of our ancestors as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets, 15 and I have the same hope in God as these men themselves have, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. 16 So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man. Paul had more in common with these Jews religious than was different.
  • What does Paul connect “The Way” to has he speaks?
    • The way is not new but the fulfillment of ancient hope of Israel. Christianity is real Judaism, it is of Abraham, Moses, David and tied to the Messiah.
  • What does Paul bring up that will happen?
    • The resurrection…by doing this Paul shows this has nothing to do with Roman law…but is a Jewish issue.
• Acts 24:17-21
• 17 After many years, I came to bring charitable gifts and offerings to my people. 18 While I was doing this, some Jews from Asia found me ritually purified in the temple, without a crowd and without any uproar. 19 It is they who ought to be here before you to bring charges, if they have anything against me. 20 Or let these men here state what wrongdoing they found in me when I stood before the Sanhedrin, 21 other than this one statement I shouted while standing among them, ‘Today I am on trial before you concerning the resurrection of the dead.’”
  • How does Paul handle the charge against desecrating the temple?
    • Verses 17-18  17 “After an absence of several years, I came to Jerusalem to bring my people gifts for the poor and to present offerings. 18 I was ceremonially clean when they found me in the temple courts doing this. There was no crowd with me, nor was I involved in any disturbance.
    • If they would investigate why Paul was in the temple they would find he provided offerings for fellow Jews. Paul was not causing a revolt and he was the one attacked.
  • Does Paul point out who should be there?
    • Jews from Asia that started all this.
  • How do you think Paul did rebutting these 3 charges?
  • What does Paul assert as the real reason he is on trial?
    • The resurrection of the dead.  Who’s resurrection?  Jesus
• Acts 24:22-26
• 22 Since Felix was well informed about the Way, he adjourned the hearing, saying, “When Lysias the commander comes down, I will decide your case.” 23 He ordered that the centurion keep Paul under guard, though he could have some freedom, and that he should not prevent any of his friends from meeting his needs. 24 Several days later, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and listened to him on the subject of faith in Christ Jesus. 25 Now as he spoke about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix became afraid and replied, “Leave for now, but when I have an opportunity I’ll call for you.” 26 At the same time he was also hoping that Paul would offer him money. So he sent for him quite often and conversed with him.
  • Do you think Felix had any doubts about Paul’s innocence?
    • Felix new about the Way; he knew that this was a religious question that no Roman law been broken.  Also he knows Paul is not a criminal because what does he allow Paul to do?
  • Why did Felix leave Paul under arrest?
    • He is waiting for a bribe
  • Felix and Drusilla have this private meeting with Paul…why do you think Felix cut the interview short?
    • Sounds like his conscience was bothering him…he seduced Drusilla his 3rd wife from her husband
  • What happens most the time when people wait for a more convenient time to hear or respond to the gospel?
    • The convenient time never comes
• Acts 24:27
• 27 After two years had passed, Porcius Festus succeeded Felix, and because Felix wanted to do the Jews a favor, he left Paul in prison.
  • Nero calls Felix back to Rome…Why would Felix want to do a favor for the Jews and leave Paul in prison?
    • I wonder if they paid him off or maybe he thought the Jews would report what a good governor he had been.  Felix was not the type of person who did something for nothing.
  • What do you think Paul did for two years under guard with people able to visit him?
• TAKE AWAY
  • Do we still find public officials that are corrupt?  What can we do about it?
    • Take advantage of opportunities to share the gospel.  Even while in prison it appears Paul used every opportunity to share the gospel.
  • What can we do for those who would wait for a more convenient time to respond to the gospel?
  • How should we respond when false chargers are brought against us?  With the truth