Good morning to everyone. Isn't it wonderful to sing about the grace of Jesus? That's one of my favorite hymns that we sing. So the theme this morning about God's grace, about God's goodness in Christ and his salvation for us. 

We're gonna be continuing through the book of Acts this morning and the life of Paul. And we're kinda seeing repetition here. Paul giving his testimony, defending himself before various rulers and kings as he makes his way to Rome. And the Holy Spirit sees fit to record all of these details. 

We're taking a little bit bigger chunks than we normally would, going verse by verse through the scriptures. But we're going to look at chapter 25 today and Paul's appeal to Caesar before Festus. We’ve been studying for some time now the arrest and the trials of Paul before the various councils and rulers he's been subject to. And we're now beyond two years in Paul's imprisonment and there's really yet to be a valid charge against him. 

There have been a lot of accusations, slander, hatred, but we've seen again and again from those who sit as judges over him that there's nothing that really sticks that is valid, that can bring a reproach against Paul. He is in his conduct and in his motives above reproach. And this got me to thinking that this is often how it is in this world for a faithful Christian, a witness for Jesus Christ. 

Often to a lesser degree than what we have seen and we'll see with Paul, but in the same way, Christians find themselves in a world system that is designed and run by Satan that is anti-Christ in its nature and purpose. So very often there's a bias and unfairness towards truth or justice. And we see this kind of corruption in our world continually from business employment to politics, to religion. As John says, the whole world lies in the sway of the wicked one. 

And this can be frustrating. It can be discouraging. It can be downright faith testing as we see from the Psalmists in places like Psalm 37 and 73. And it is the questions behind the answers that we see written in many of the New Testament epistles as well. 

At the same time, as is the case with Paul, we see the very discouraging truth that it's not only the politicians and judges and legislator types that are corrupt, but it is most often false religion, especially those who name the name of Christ who stand against the truth and those who follow the Jesus of the Bible. Paul warns about this repeatedly, and we see this in the letters to Jude and 2 Peter specifically within the context or realm of so-called Christianity or true religion. 

Paul suffered this incessantly from the Jews in his ministry, that which was considered the true religion from God in his time. The legalistic Jews sought to kill him everywhere he went. And it was indeed the Jews who were driving the unjust charges and arrests that Paul was now as a result sitting as a prisoner in Rome. 

So what are we to do in light of all this? How are we to process the continual corruption of our systems, institutions, religious organizations, in fact, our entire world? How are we to live in the context of such a world, such a time as this? 

And I think this is a very important question for us to ask, especially in this time of amazing technology and unprecedented access to information. The flood of information through media can overwhelm us and lead us astray if we're not careful. What am I to be about as a believer in Jesus Christ? Why am I here? How do I understand all of these things going on in the world? What should I do about it? 

Well, Paul continues to give us a tremendous example by his personal testimony and conduct in a world that was much more openly anti-Christian, hostile, and corrupt than what we can imagine in our culture today, in a world filled with pagan religion, debauchery, and corrupt politics. In this context, Paul gives us an example of how to live, what to remember, and a clear purpose as we see a man who is above reproach. 

Let's look at chapter 25. We're gonna look at the whole chapter, so it's a long text. If you'll follow along, beginning in verse one. It says, now when Festus had come to the province, after three days, he went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem. Then the high priest and the chief men of the Jews informed him against Paul, and they petitioned him, asking a favor against him, that he would summon him to Jerusalem while they lay in ambush along the road to kill him. 

But Festus answered that Paul should be kept at Caesarea and that he himself was going there shortly. Therefore, he said, let those who have authority among you go down with me and accuse this man to see if there is any fault in him. 

And when he had remained among them more than 10 days, he went down to Caesarea, and the next day, sitting on the judgment seat, he commanded Paul to be brought. When he had come, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood about and laid many serious complaints against Paul, which they could not prove. 

While he answered for himself, neither against the law of the Jews or against the temple nor against Caesar have I offended in anything at all. But Festus, wanting to do the Jews a favor, answered Paul and said, are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and there be judged before me concerning these things? 

So Paul said, I stand at Caesar's judgment seat, for I ought to be judged. To the Jews, I have done no wrong, as you very well know. For if I am an offender or have committed anything deserving of death, I do not object to dying. But if there's nothing in these things of which these men accuse me, no one can deliver me to them. I appeal to Caesar. 

Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered, you have appealed to Caesar? To Caesar you shall go. And after some days, King Agrippa and Bernice came to Caesarea to greet Festus. When they had been there many days, Festus laid Paul's case before the king, saying, there's a certain man left a prisoner by Felix about whom the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me when I was in Jerusalem asking for a judgment against him. 

To them I answered, it is not the custom of the Romans to deliver any man to destruction before the accused meets the accusers face to face and has opportunity to answer for himself concerning the charge against him. Therefore, when they had come together without any delay, the next day I sat on the judgment seat and commanded the man to be brought in. 

When the accuser stood up, they brought no accusation against him of such things as I supposed, but had some questions against him about their own religion and 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 there be judged concerning these matters. But when Paul appealed to be reserved for the decision of Augustus, I commanded him to be kept till I could send him to Caesar. 

Then Agrippa said to Festus, I also would like to hear the man myself tomorrow. He said, you shall hear him. So the next day when Agrippa and Bernice had come with great pomp and had entered the auditorium with the commanders and the prominent men of the city, at Festus' command, Paul was brought in. 

And Festus said, King Agrippa and all the men who are here present with us, you see this man about whom the whole assembly of the Jews petitioned me, both at Jerusalem and here, crying out that he was not fit to live any longer. But when I found that he had committed nothing deserving of death and that he himself had appealed to Augustus, I decided to send him. 

I have nothing certain to write to my Lord concerning him. Therefore, I have brought him out before you and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after the examination has taken place, I may have something to write. For it seems to me unreasonable to send a prisoner and not to specify the charges against him. 

Well, I've given you five points on your outline for our text today. First, we see a new sheriff in town. Second, the seriousness of the allegation. Third, political expediency again. Fourth, working within the system. And fifth, it seems unreasonable. 

Well, in the first six verses of our text, we see that there's a new sheriff in town. Felix was now gone. Paul had sat in prison for two years under Felix and he had often called for Paul, conversed with him, and he'd heard the truth about Jesus over and over again. And though Felix had found no real reason to hold Paul in chains, we see that the political pressures won the day. 

And in order to keep the Jews happy, he passed Paul on as a prisoner to Festus. And now Festus has come as the new governor and is somewhat unfamiliar with the Jews, unfamiliar with the region. He's just set up his government. And we see in our text that the Jews tried to take advantage of this situation, of this new ruler. And they tried to get him to send Paul down to them with a plot to kill him. 

I think this is interesting in itself. Think of this. Paul's been cooling his heels in prison for over two years in Caesarea. He's been out of the scene in Jerusalem for over two years. The Jews have been going on with life and politics and religion and corruption these two years, day by day. But what is their first thought when the leadership changes in Caesarea, when Festus takes over? It's Paul. They still want to get Paul. 

What hatred they had for him, for the truth, for the gospel, for Jesus. It's amazing to see this in the events before us this morning. And the whole thing made me think of the events of our government presently. I don't know how many of you followed the details of the case against General Flynn, who recently pled guilty to lying to the FBI and awaits sentencing. 

And I don't get too involved in these things and strive not to worry too much about them, and I don't know what's true or not, but it was interesting to hear the quote of James Comey, who was head of the FBI when the alleged lying took place. He said this, we could never have gotten away with what we did in a more organized administration. 

You see, right when Trump was coming into office, setting up his administration, Comey decided to just send a couple agents over and try to take advantage of the naivete of the new president and his administration. And rather than go through normal channels and have the White House legal counsel present, as is customary, Comey thought, here's my chance, and he just had two guys kind of stroll in there and have a casual conversation with Flynn and according to some, set him up. 

This is the very thing we see with Festus in our text, my friends. It's amazing to me how things never change. The Jews had such a hatred for Paul that even after two years of his removal from society and with no chance of him getting out from all accounts there, when they saw the opportunity of the new administration, a bit of ignorance perhaps, they thought they would take advantage of it and seize this opportunity to kill Paul. 

The hatred had boiled in them all along. But Festus was not so ignorant. And he told them, you send your authorities down here and we'll hear your accusations in Caesarea and we'll see if there's any fault in this man. So their plan failed and it was God who was really in control and orchestrating these details. But we, in our text today, meet the new sheriff in town, Festus. 

Next we see the seriousness of the allegation. Look at verse seven again. It said, when he had come, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood about and laid many serious complaints against Paul, which they could not prove. Verse seven says they laid many serious charges. This fascinates me because it's the same thing we see in our world today. There was no evidence against Paul. There was no validity to any of these charges. 

We see that this has been the ruling in every trial that Paul has experienced. The conclusion has consistently been from the council in Jerusalem to Claudius Lysias, to Felix, to Drusilla, to Festus, that this man had done nothing deserving of chains or of death. So why is Paul held? Why is he not free? There are two things working together here just as often as the case in our day. 

One is the seriousness of the accusation. They laid many serious charges against him. We see this continue in our world, never mind the evidence or lack thereof, but pay attention to the seriousness of the accusation. And the other factor that is in play is political expediency and this is the real driver behind what's going on here. 

We see from Felix and Festus that their main motivation in all of this is to appease the Jews. Their job and their own necks are secured by one thing and one thing only, to keep the peace between the major political factions under their rule. And the biggest troublemakers, the influencers and extortioners in their region of rule were the Jews. 

And we have seen with Pontius Pilate and Felix and now Festus that the Jews knew how to get what they wanted from these governors by leveraging their political clout with Rome. So political expediency really rules the day, not justice for Paul. And my friends, I'm afraid that among men who have power, who rule, this corruption is common as a theme throughout time, even to our day. 

Verse nine says, Festus, wanting to do the Jews a favor. Just as we saw with Felix, he tries to appease the Jews, win their favor, and he does so at the expense of Paul. But we see another interesting tidbit here from Paul in verse 11, as he is working within the system. Look at verse 11. He says, for if I am an offender or I've committed anything deserving of death. 

I do not object to dying." I think that's an interesting statement, isn't it? Paul says, if I've done something wrong and my punishment should be death, I accept that. I accept responsibility and I'm willing to die. But if there's nothing in these things of which these men accuse me, no one can deliver them to me, I appeal to Caesar. 

Then Festus, when he conferred with the council, answered, you have appealed to Caesar, then to Caesar you shall go. This is an interesting twist and turn by Paul. He'd been granted some privileges by nature of his Roman citizenship, and we've seen Paul use these advantages before. Remember back in Jerusalem, he'd gotten out of that scourging under Claudius by mentioning, as he was stretched and tied, that he was a Roman citizen. 

Here we see him decide to work within the political and judicial system in which he lives in order to avoid being handed over to the Jews. And this by the fact that as a Roman citizen he had the right to appeal to Caesar and have his case heard there. And we see God, sovereign over all, by his providence, moving Paul on to Rome. 

And I think there's an interesting application for us here, because we in the United States in this time, in this history, have been granted more privilege and freedom than perhaps any other group of people in history. And we have laws and judges and a system within which we can sometimes work and use these freedoms for the furtherance of the gospel. 

And my friends, that should be our goal, the furtherance of the gospel. We should take advantage of the great freedoms and privileges that we have to obey the commission that we have been given to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. This was the heart and the motive of Paul, and this is the end toward which he worked. Sometimes within the system in which he lived. 

So we've seen a new sheriff in town, we've seen the seriousness of the allegation, we've seen political expediency again, and Paul working within the system. Now finally we see that this all seems very unreasonable. In verses 13 to 21, King Agrippa has come to Festus for a visit, and Festus has laid out the details of Paul and his case to Agrippa. 

And I want to just pick it up in verse 22. It says, Then Agrippa said to Festus, I also would like to hear the man myself tomorrow. The tomorrow, he said, you shall hear him. So the next day, when Agrippa and Bernice had come with great pomp and had entered the auditorium with the commanders and the prominent men of the city, at Festus' command, Paul was brought in. 

And Festus said, King Agrippa and all the men who are here present with us, you see this man about whom the whole assembly of the Jews petitioned me, both at Jerusalem and here, crying out that he was not fit to live any longer. But when I found that he had committed nothing deserving of death and that he himself had appealed to Augustus, I decided to send him. 

I have nothing certain to write to my Lord concerning him. Therefore, I have brought him out before you and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after the examination has taken place, I may have something to write. Now look at verse 27, for it seems to me unreasonable to send a prisoner and not specify the charges against him. 

This is most fascinating and illustrative for us, my friends. Paul's been a prisoner for over two years. He has continually had many serious accusations laid against him by the Jews. He's stood before kings and governors and councils, and he's laid out his defense, which always amounts to a testimony about his hope in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

And yet after all this, we find that Paul is above reproach. Nothing sticks. None of it is true. And poor Festus, he can't even think of something to charge Paul with. So he employs the help of Agrippa, since he happens to be there at this time, and Festus recounts the events in summary—the whole assembly of the Jews against him. They want him dead, they say he's not fit to live, but when I examined him, I didn't find anything. He appealed to Caesar, I have to send him, what am I going to write, help me out. 

To me, it seems unreasonable to send a prisoner and not to specify charges against him. They're scrambling here, my friends. They have this prisoner. He's been in jail for two years, he's had many trials, yet no one can find anything he's done wrong. There's no reason. It's not reasonable. 

And this is the point. We are not operating under reason and logic and truth in this world system. You want to explain what's going on? You want to understand what's going on in the world? We're not operating under reason and truth in this world. It's not about justice and right and wrong. The world is cursed, men are sinners, power corrupts, and the whole system is run by Satan. 

Do you see that it is not our calling to fix the system, to fix the problems? Do you see that there will not be justice, that things will not be right until Jesus comes back? But the question remains for us, for Paul, for believers in Jesus Christ, how shall we live? What shall we do in the context of this world? Why are we here? 

And Paul gives us this tremendous example, instruction by his witness before kings and rulers in the context of an unjust imprisonment and eventual martyrdom in Rome, as he lives a life above reproach. And he makes the sole goal and purpose of his life and ministry to preach Jesus Christ risen from the dead. 

I did a word search on this word, reproach, and it's most interesting what we see in the New Testament. Let me read you just a few verses concerning this word. Colossians 1.22 says, "...and the body of his flesh through death to present you holy and blameless and above reproach in his sight." 

First Timothy 3.7 says, "...moreover, he must have a good testimony among those who are outside lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil." First Timothy 4.10, "...for to this end we both labor and suffer reproach because we trust in the living God who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe." 

Hebrews 11.26, "...esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt, Moses looked to the reward." Hebrews 13.13, "...therefore let us go forth to him outside the camp bearing his reproach." 

It seems that there are two basic uses in the New Testament concerning this term, reproach. First is not having any accusation stick against you. That's First Timothy 3.7, speaking of elders in the church and the requirements. We are to live a holy life, my friends. We are not to be caught up in the affairs of this world and the muck and the mire of the systems of this world. 

We are pilgrims and strangers. This is not our home, for our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to his glorious body, according to the working by which he is able even to subdue all things to himself. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 10.3, "...for though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but they are mighty in God. For pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled." 

In Ephesians 6, Paul exhorts us to put on the whole armor of God. And to do what? To stand. Stand against that which is evil. Close it with the truth. And walk circumspectly, he says in Ephesians 5, redeeming the time, why? Because the days are evil. 

Our brothers and sisters, we must live holy lives in this world by abiding in Christ day by day, walking in love, being filled with the Spirit. We are to keep our focus on Jesus, to renew our minds and to live by faith in the Son of God who loved us and gave Himself for us as He lives His life out through us. 

And in this, though they bring accusations, though they bring serious charges against us, we will be found to be above reproach. They will struggle and try to bring accusations, to undermine our witness, to perhaps persecute, jail, even kill us as we see all over the world throughout history. Even here with Paul, this has been true for the faithful witness of Christ, but no accusation will stick. 

We will be above reproach. It will be unreasonable what they do against us if we follow the example of Paul. So in this sense, we should be above reproach. We see this clearly throughout the Scriptures. 

But there's also the truth that we must be willing to bear the reproach of Christ in this world. There's a truth that we will suffer because of our association with Christ, bearing His reproach. Listen to these verses again. For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach because we trust in the living God. 

Pastor said this morning, we don't trust in ourselves. It's not about our accomplishments, it's not about religion or sacraments or rituals or anything else. We trust God. And Paul says because we trust in the living God, we will suffer reproach in this world. 

Hebrews 11.26 is a stunning statement about Moses who was raised as Pharaoh's daughter's son. He had all the privilege in Egypt. And it said, he esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches than all the treasures in Egypt. How? For he looked for the reward. 

Hebrews 13.13 says, therefore let us go forth to Him, to Jesus, outside the camp bearing His reproach. Paul says we suffer reproach because we trust the living God. He wrote to Timothy, all who desire to live godly will suffer persecution. It's a reality in this world. 

The whole world is cursed. Its systems are cursed. Its philosophies and wisdom are cursed. Its very people are cursed in Adam. It should come as no surprise to us, my brothers and sisters, that the things that ... that things are not right in this world, that men are corrupt and abusive and haters of God and His people. 

I was just listening to a radio program this week, it was Glenn Beck, who I was listening to, a Mormon man, a spiritual person. He did an interview with a man who had lost his son to opioid addiction. And this man was traveling the country speaking about the issue, trying to raise awareness, trying to save lives. 

But it was clear that he was struggling a great deal and he was in a very dark place. He told Glenn that he was a Roman Catholic and that he had attended Mass six days a week for ten years, up to the point when his son had died. And now he did not know where his relationship was with God. 

It was too big an issue even to think about, he said. The man was clearly distraught, clearly suffering. And Glenn told him this, he said, everything happens for a reason. And that everything in the world is just as it should be. 

And as hard as it is to understand, that he should know that this was God's plan and it was good. You know, my heart broke for this man. And I just wished I could talk to him and tell him that those words were nothing but a bunch of hooey. Everything does not happen for a reason. 

It is not God's will or plan that men sin, that men die, that fathers lose their sons. God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are the called according to His purpose, but everything that happens is not good. And when bad things happen, God does not cause us, karma is not true. Everything doesn't happen for a reason, that's a lie. 

All the evil in this world, the death and sickness and disease and suffering is not brought about by God, but by man, by sin, and the curse that sin brought on this world. What this man needed to hear was that everything is wrong in this world, that God created this world perfectly, and that it was all very good, and then Adam brought sin into the world and through sin death came, and now things are turned upside down and nothing is as it should be. 

Satan is the ruler of this world. Sin reigns in the hearts and minds and actions of all men and Adam. And we see the results all around us. We are not here to fix this world, my brothers and sisters. Jesus did not come the first time to bring the kingdom. He came to seek and to save that which was lost. 

We are here to snatch men from the fire, to rescue them out of this world through the preaching of the gospel. This can only happen as we bring the good news of redemption in Christ. Men are not basically good, they are basically evil. Andrew showed me a poem this week that a man wrote. It said, Jesus is the light. 

Buddha calls us to the light. That we must look inside us and find the light and pull ourselves out of the pain and horror and fear and drowning that we are experiencing. There is no light in us. We cannot pull ourselves out. We are sinners. We are destined for death. We are impotent to save ourselves. 

And we can only cast ourselves on the mercy and grace of God, looking to Jesus and what He finished on the cross in my place for my sins, in faith. To be redeemed, to be saved from the wrath to come. And having been saved, having turned to Jesus in faith, we are made new men. We are new creations with new hearts and a new spirit. Jesus Christ living in us. 

This is the kind of transformation that we have seen in the life of Saul of Tarsus, who became the Apostle Paul. The one who stands before the Sanhedrin, before Claudius Lysias, before Felix, before Festus, before Agrippa. What does he say? He says, I am being judged because of my hope in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He preaches repentance toward God and faith in Jesus Christ. 

My friends, what must we do in this world? We must follow Paul as he follows Jesus Christ. We must understand that we are here for the very purpose of preaching the clear, powerful, life-transforming gospel of Jesus Christ and we are to implore men, we are to beg men to be reconciled to God, to come to Jesus through faith. 

It is Jesus' death in our place, His burial, His resurrection from the dead that matters, my friends. And this is the message we preach. And as we see with Paul, our lives must be consistent with our message. We must be, by His grace and power, who we are. 

We must live out who we are for His glory lest we undermine the very message that we preach. We must, as Paul, strive to have a conscience without offense before God and man. When they accuse us, revile us, level serious things against us and persecute us, we must be above reproach. 

And it is by this witness, by the clear gospel of Christ and a life that shows the transforming power of Jesus that we can fulfill our calling and bring glory to God and bring men to Christ. 

Let's close in prayer. Father, we thank You again for the example of Paul, the wisdom in Your words. Thank You for preserving this for us in these accounts of his testimonies. Thank You, Lord, for the truth that our citizenship is in heaven. 

Thank You for the truth that You are in control of all the details and that You're working Your will and that Jesus has won the victory. Help us just to look to Him, to trust in Him, and help us to be Your witnesses, Lord, in this world as we see Your faithful servant Paul carry out his commission again and again. In Jesus' name.