Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev19980920.htm

ACTS: THE LOCAL CHURCH AS GOD'S AGENCY FOR DISCIPLING
Part LIII: God's Sovereign Oversight Of His Servants' Geographical Placements
C. Handling A Superior's Being Biased To Repeal A Ruling Supporting God's Location Assignment
(Acts 25:1-12; 25:13-26:32)
  1. Introduction
    1. We learned from Acts 16:6-10 that our service for God involves His geographically placing us for service.
    2. Yet, there can arise obstacles to our arriving at or staying put where God wants us. These obstacles can be so big that the believer may quit trying to arrive or stay in that spot, or question God's will as to location.
    3. One hurdle may be an opponent's effort to influence a leader to reverse a decision that hinders the believer's ever arriving or staying at God's assigned ministry location. Acts 25:1-26:32 addresses this as follows:
  2. Handling A Superior's Being Biased To Repeal A Ruling Supporting God's Location Assignment.
    1. Jesus told Paul that it was necessary (dei) for him to witness in Rome as he had in Jerusalem, Acts 23:11.
    2. Yet, there arose a big obstacle to Paul's making it to Rome, the barrier of a superior governor's being biased by Paul's opponents to reverse a ruling that had supported him getting to God's Rome assignment:
      1. While Paul stayed in prison, there was a change in leadership as Felix was replaced by Festus, 24:27a.
      2. Festus wanted to get on the good side of the Jews, for Felix had been deposed for cruelly subduing a Jewish-Gentile conflict in Caesarea, B.K.C., N.T., p. 422. Thus, Festus left Paul bound and visited Jerusalem to foster peace over the unrest from Felix's reign that lingered in the Jews' capital, 25:1, Ibid.
      3. The Jewish high priest and rulers saw Festus' arrival to gain their approval as an opportunity to ask him to return Paul to Jerusalem, Acts 25:2. Their intent was to ambush Paul en route, Acts 25:3.
      4. Festus felt the request was unreasonable, but agreed to meet the Jews halfway in opening the case of Paul again in Caesarea, holding another hearing there, Acts 25:4-5.
      5. Well, at this hearing with Paul's Jewish accusers, Festus was influenced by the Jews to show them favor by returning Paul to Jerusalem to be tried by him there of the accusations against him, Acts 25:6-9.
    3. Paul escaped this dangerous bind by pulling rank over Festus in appealing to Rome as a Roman citizen:
      1. Since Festus was influenced opposite the will of Christ for Paul to get to Rome, a trip for that would have certainly meant ambush and death for Paul, and since Paul knew he was not guilty of death at the hands of the Jews, he used his Roman citizenship to appeal for trial by Caesar in Rome, Acts 25:10-11.
      2. Festus had no real legal alternative but to honor Paul's appeal, and agreed for him to go to Rome, 25:12
    4. In the course of such a close escape from his countrymen, God used Paul in a great witness, 25:13-26:32:
      1. After Paul's appeal to Caesar, Agrippa II, Herod the Great's great-grandson visited Festus, Acts 25:13.
      2. Agrippa heard of Paul's case from Festus, and desired to hear Paul's side of the matter, Acts 26:1a.
      3. Well, Paul's witness was made before many high-ranking officials, providing a rare and rich opportunity for him to testify to influential people who could enhance the Gospel's spread, Acts 25:23.
      4. For our sake, Paul's testimony is fully recorded by Luke, providing invaluable apologetic insight for us:
        1. First, Paul testified that all twelve Jewish tribes were in Israel in front of a secular king who could and would have found fault were it not true, Acts 26:7. This claim of Paul's about the tribes totally undermines British-Israelism of which Mormonism and Seventh-Day Adventism hail. This group denies that 10 of the 12 tribes returned to Israel after the Babylonian exile, and these cults base the formation of their whole religious heritages on that very erroneous viewpoint!
        2. Second, Paul testified that his gospel of justification by faith alone was not his own making as Liberal Theology claims, but was from Christ. He does so by quoting the actual words of Jesus to that end, words that Jesus spoke to him in full detail on the road to Damascus, cf. Acts 26:15-18!
Lesson: Though it was a harrowing experience, Paul had to use his GREATEST right to OVERRIDE a superior's being influenced by wicked opponents to get him out of God's will. Yet, Paul would have gained encouragement from seeing God's permitting him in the event a chance to witness the Gospel.

Application: If we are greatly pressed by opponents who manipulate an overseer to come close to ruling to get us out of God's will, see the difficult experience as a divinely permitted event somehow to widen or deepen our ministry, and use what inf luence we have to do our best in the difficult event.