The True and Reasonable Gospel - Pastor Tom Loghry
Under trial, Paul accounts for his life and message, revealing the Gospel can stand before any authority.
Transcript:
I want to start our time in God's word this morning with a question. And it may seem like a strange question or, if you're able to understand it, sometimes I don't always phrase questions in the most clear way, but if you do understand it, a question perhaps with an obvious answer. But I will ask it and explain what I'm getting at. The question is this: Can the gospel message hold its own in all places? Can the gospel message hold its own in all places?
In other words, can we expect the gospel message to hold up in all situations, or are there situations where we shouldn't bother serious people with its message? Now, of course, our instinct in this immediate moment might be, "Of course, we take the gospel to all people and places." But I suspect that we actually tend to live our lives in line with the expectations of our society.
In polite society, we distinguish between the public sphere and the private sphere. When we think about presenting the gospel, we usually envision doing so in churches or in homes or across tables in coffee shops. We don't usually imagine venturing to articulate the gospel in the halls of government, in civic spaces, perhaps also in academic spaces. "That's religion," they say in response, as a sort of final sentence-- indoctrinating everyone in our society under the notion that religious truth cannot be taken seriously. The serious stuff is scientific papers, sociological studies, legislation, and other such sources of truth. Yes, those sources can contain truth, but they are not the final word. And while living in a diverse society like ours does compel us to think how we will live well together in trying to find common ground, I do think that generations of American Christians have too quickly complied with the notion that the gospel must be fenced off from serious, adult conversation. That the gospel might be a personal truth, but not a public truth that can stand in court.
Today's passage reminds us that the gospel is without limits. It is not embarrassed in front of politicians. If you were with us last week, you'll recall that Paul has been imprisoned in Caesarea In Herod's palace, now occupied by the Roman authorities. He's been a prisoner there now for two years under Governor Felix, who knew Paul was innocent of any wrongdoing but was hoping to gain a bribe from him for his release. Two years, in which Paul lived out the words he would later write the Philippians from Rome. Last week, I incorrectly implied that he had already written to them. Those words in which he says, "For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him." Paul's not just talk. He actually lives out his message. This is Paul's own story. But now a new governor has been appointed named Porcius Festus. And we pick up the narrative now in Acts 25.
And just to kind of prepare you, we're gonna read a lot of scripture this morning. My commentary on the scripture is not gonna match the amount of scripture we read because it's a lot of narrative, it doesn't need to be all explained, and so you should pay close attention as we read the word, as you always should. Picking up in Acts 25. Three days after arriving in the province, Festus went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem, where the chief priests and the Jewish leaders appeared before him and presented the charges against Paul. They requested Festus, as a favor to them, to have Paul transferred to Jerusalem, for they were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way. Festus answered, Paul is being held at Caesarea, and I myself am going there soon. Let some of your leaders come with me, and if the man has done anything wrong, they can press charges against him there.
After spending eight or ten days with them, Festus went down to Caesarea. The next day he convened the court and ordered that Paul be brought before him. When Paul came in, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him. They brought many serious charges against him, but they could not prove them. Then Paul made his defense. I have done nothing wrong against the Jewish law or against the temple or against Caesar.
Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me there on these charges? Paul answered, I am now standing before Caesar's court, where I ought to be tried. I have not done any wrong to the Jews, as you yourself know very well. If, however, I am guilty of doing anything deserving death, I do not refuse to die. But if the charges brought against me by these Jews are not true, no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar. After Festus had conferred with his counsel, he declared, You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go.
So we have this new figure entering into the scene, this governor named Porcius Festus. He would've served around the year 59 or 60 AD, so that's kind of where we are in the timeline here. And Festus, apparently early on when he had become governor, went up to Jerusalem, and there, even two years later, the high priests, these religious leaders, were still gunning for Paul. They wanted to take him down. They wanted him to be killed. It wasn't enough that he was out of the way. He, they wanted him dead. And they weren't necessarily trusting that they would get the ruling they wanted from Festus, and so they had conspired that, well, maybe if we can just get Paul on his way here, we can kill him along the way.
You'll recall this is how Paul ended up in Caesarea in the first place, because there was a plot to murder him, and at that time, Claudius Lysias sent him to Caesarea so that he might be safe, kept safe, because Paul is a Roman citizen. He is due a just trial. And so Festus tells them, "No, we're not doing that. But if you want to come to Caesarea, we can, I will consider your case," because he's a new governor. He's not aware of all of the, the details here. And so they return to Caesarea. I shared some pictures last week of what that probably looked like, the man-made port they had there, and then also that's Herod's palace down there. And so that's where Festus would've held court.
Now, when the Jews arrive there, who are bringing these charges against Paul, they surround him and make all sorts of accusations. But once again, they're not able to prove anything against him. It's the same old story. And as a new governor, Festus is interested in trying to be on good terms with the Jewish people, and so he thinks, "Well, maybe I can send him back to them in Jerusalem." But Paul challenges on that because of his Roman citizenship. He reasons with him, you know, "Isn't this good enough? You're basically the governor. You, you're the representative of Caesar's court, and I haven't done anything wrong." Now, Paul is quite bold here. He, I mean, this, this man holds his life in his hands. He says, "If I've done anything wrong, kill me," basically. But he's so confident in his innocence, in the case that he's made, that he persists in saying, "No, I'm not going there." And instead what he does is he appeals to Caesar.
Now, the appeal procedure here would've meant that Paul is literally going to be sent to Rome, in which he will appear before the emperor Nero, and that he would decide his fate. And so Festus agrees. He says, "Okay, you've appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go."
But that's not where the story ends. Paul is going to have more to say to Festus and to also two other authorities which now enter the scene. Continuing on in verse 13, we read, "A few days later King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea to pay their respects to Festus. Since they were spending many days there, Festus discussed Paul's case with the king. He said, 'There is a man here whom Felix left as a prisoner. When I went to Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews brought charges against him and asked that he be condemned. I told them that it is not the Roman custom to hand over anyone before they have faced their accusers and have had an opportunity to defend themselves against the charges.
When they came here with me, I did not delay the case, but convened the court the next day and ordered the man to be brought in. When his accusers got up to speak, they did not charge him with any of the crimes I had expected. Instead, they had some point of dispute with him about their own religion and about a dead man named Jesus whom Paul claimed was alive.
I was at a loss how to investigate such matters, so I asked if he'd be willing to go to Jerusalem and stand trial there on these charges. But when Paul made his appeal to be held over for the emperor's decision, I ordered him held until I could send him to Caesar.' Then Agrippa said to Festus, 'I would like to hear this man myself.' And then Festus replied, 'Tomorrow you will hear him.'"
So we have some guests at Herod's palace, interesting to think about this because it's no longer their palace. We have Herod Agrippa here, Agrippa II, the great-grandson of Herod the Great who built this palace. He comes to pay a courtesy visit to Festus along with his sister, Bernice, a woman whom we know would later go on to be a mistress of sorts to a future emperor of, of the Roman Empire. So some people that are, are in play here in terms of the powers that be in the Mediterranean, in the Roman Empire. And, and so while they're there, and they're there for some days, Festus tells them the whole story about this case with Paul and how he's surprised because it's basically just a religious dispute.
And you just gotta imagine Festus here, he's coming in as an outsider. We're all, we're all familiar with the idea of Jesus's death and resurrection. But imagine you'd never heard anything about this, and all of a sudden you have these people arguing about this guy that was crucified by the Romans, and now Paul's saying, "Well, actually he's alive." And the governor's like, "What is this all about? This is not what I came to do as governor, to decide disputes about guys who were killed supposedly being alive." And so he's at a loss because he's ignorant about the teachings of, of Judaism. He's a Gentile. And so he's going to send Paul to Caesar, but as we see, as he's going to later say, he's gotta have something to say to Caesar about why he's sending him, otherwise Caesar's not gonna be happy that he's just, like, handing this guy off to him without any explanation as to why he's appearing before his court.
Now, Agrippa here is interested in hearing the case, and Agrippa does have knowledge and insight into the ways of the Jewish people because at least nominally, he too practice, practices the Jewish religion. He appoints the Jewish high priest. And so they're going to hold court and let Paul speak to Agrippa.
And so continuing on in verse 23, we read, "The next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and entered the audience room with the high-ranking military official, officers and the prominent men of the city. At the command of Festus, Paul was brought in. Festus said: 'King Agrippa, and all who are present with us, you see this man! The whole Jewish community has petitioned me about him in Jerusalem and here in Caesarea, shouting that he ought not to live any longer.
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. But I have nothing definite to write to His Majesty about him. Therefore, I have brought him before you all, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that as a result of this investigation I may have something to write.' For I think it is unreasonable to send a prisoner on to Rome without specifying the charges against him.' Then Agrippa said to Paul, 'You have permission to speak for yourself.' So Paul motioned with his hand and began his defense: 'King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to stand before you today as I make my defense against all the accusations of the Jews, and especially so because you are well acquainted with all the Jewish customs and controversies. Therefore, I beg you to listen to me patiently.
The Jewish people all know the way I have lived ever since I was a child, from the beginning of my life in my own country, and also in Jerusalem. They have known me for a long time and can testify, if they are willing, that I conformed to the strictest sect of our religion, living as a Pharisee. And now it is because of my hope in what God has promised our ancestors that I am on trial today. This is the promise our 12 tribes are hoping to see fulfilled as they earnestly serve God day and night. King Agrippa, it is because of this hope that these Jews are accusing me.
Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead? I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth, and that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests, I put many of the Lord's people in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. I was so obsessed with persecuting them that I even hunted them down in foreign cities.
On one of these journeys, I was going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. About noon, King Agrippa, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions. We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It's hard for you to kick against the goads."
Then I asked, "Who are you, Lord?" "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," the Lord replied. "Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me. I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me."
So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven. First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and then to the Gentiles, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds. That is why some Jews seized me in the temple courts and tried to kill me. But God has helped me to this very day; so I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen-- that the Messiah would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would bring the message of light to his own people and to the Gentiles."
So just take in this scene that Paul finds himself in. This great assembly of power, this powerful Roman governor King Agrippa, the son of a man who beheaded the Apostle James, Bernice, and all the prominent men of the city, military officials, they are all gathered there, and here's Paul in his chains. We can imagine here that one might be tempted to minimize the message, to maybe just leave it off as, oh, yes, this is just a religious dispute about resurrection and go, to go no further in proclaiming the gospel message. After all, this is not an inconsequential trial. It is a trial in order to determine what Festus is going to write to the Roman Empire, Emperor, who will finally decide Paul's fate. So what will Paul do in these circumstances? Well, as we see, he's faithful in proclaiming the gospel, and he does so not by his own strength, but by the strength of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus promised his disciples that they would be so equipped under these circumstances. In Luke 12, verses 11 through 12, Jesus tells his disciples, "When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry how you will defend yourself or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say."
And so once we get to verses four through seven, we see that Paul, after having complimented Agrippa, and he's not just paying him flattery. Agrippa's well-informed about the matters of the Jewish faith, and so Paul is genuinely glad to make his case before him. Paul gives his whole biography. He says, "I'm a really Jewish Jew. I was, I was a Pharisee, and the reason why I'm being put on trial here is just because of my hope in the resurrection." That's it. Something that's a standard belief among the Jewish people, which Paul just says is simply fulfilled in Jesus Christ. And he, he challenges them, "Why do you, why does it seem that the resurrection is so incredible? God can do that. We, our people are anticipating that this would happen." And then he gives it, the account of his zeal against the Christians. He's like, "I get it, like I was, I, I was persecuting them doggedly." Paul was literally helping ensure that Christians were killed, imprisoned. He was crossing national borders to go get them.
And this is what makes his reversal so incredible. This is laying the groundwork for considering how could a man like Paul possibly turn in the complete opposite 180 direction. It's because he had an encounter with the risen Christ. He tells a story about how on the road of Damascus, he was confronted by Jesus speaking, says, the NIV says Aramaic, some of your translations may say, say Hebrew. A little debate there between the translators. But saying to him in a language that he understood, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads." Now, we don't use the word goad too much in common day language, although, as I think about it, we do kinda. Oh, he was goading him, and the idea is it's, Jesus is referring here to a stick that was used to prod animals to get them moving in the right direction. So we have this image here of, of God prodding Paul in the direction he should go as he's encountering these Christians, and instead, Paul is just kicking against them, ouch, ouch, ouch, rather than going in the direction that God is telling him to go. And as I, I've said many times before, I think it's always worth pointing out here again that we see how Jesus recognizes the reality of his body, that is the church, that as they are persecuted by Paul, so is he persecuting Jesus himself.
Now from this confrontation Paul gets his commission from Jesus, which explains why he's, he ends up where he is talking to these authorities. He turns from persecuting the church to being a servant and witness of Christ to the Jews and to the Gentiles. And the purpose, as he states In verses 17 and 18, as Jesus tells him, is, "I'm sending you to them to open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me." Jesus is telling Paul, "I've, I'm sending you to set people free, to bring them the hope that they don't otherwise have, to bring them out of the darkness in which they are currently living." And this is in fulfillment with God's promises to His people.
Many of you might be familiar with Isaiah 9, just because it's often recalled around Christmastime. Just selecting a couple verses from that chapter, verse, verses 2 and 6. It says, "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness, a light has dawned. For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders, and He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
Jesus is this light come into the world so that we might be saved. If he is not that, we have to understand, what is this all about? Why would God otherwise send His Son into the world? Why would this man die on the cross? Why would a man like Paul turn 180 degrees and suffer all this if this was not the case?
The Apostle John in his gospel testifies in John 1, I have a selection of verses here. It says, "In, in the Word, Jesus, was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He came to that which was, was his own, but his own did not receive Him. Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God."
So even as the light comes in the world, it's not anticipated that everyone's going to receive the light, so that's no mark against Jesus. Some people are going to reject the light because they prefer the darkness. But Jesus is truly this light come into the world to lead people to salvation, to forgiveness, to a new life, so that they might be made holy in Jesus Christ, so that they might be sanctified by their faith by putting their faith in Him. Paul, in speaking about what occurs when we come to Christ, in 1 Corinthians 6:11, he describes about how all of us were sinners. We all have a record of different sins. He said, and after giving this litany of lists, he says, "And that is what some of you were, but you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."
You see, in Jesus Christ, we have both the forgiveness of our sins, so we have a guilty record, in Jesus, we are forgiven of that record. But in Jesus also, we are made into new people. We are transformed into a holy people. That's the message that Paul is bringing to Jew and Gentile alike. And so he tells Agrippa, "I, I wasn't gonna be disobedient to that, to, to those words that Jesus was telling me, the way that he confronted me." And so he goes from Jerusalem to Judea to, to the Gentiles, and the message that he preaches to one and all, and, and this might have particular purchase in thinking about the, the Gentiles, because the Jews would have considered them as being given over to sin. The message that Paul preaches is that they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds.
Now, when we see Paul say that, we may be led to think, like, "Oh, so the way that a person saves themselves is by their repentance, by doing good deeds." That's not what Paul is saying. He's saying that if we are going to put our faith in Christ, it means that we too, like Paul, are, have turned that 180 direction. We've, we are abandoning our sin. And so the nature of true repentance means that we begin living a life that looks like the life of Jesus. Now, in Matthew 3:8, John the Baptist, in confronting the Pharisees, he calls them brood of vipers. He tells them, "Produce fruit in keeping with repentance." Because it's easy to talk about repentance. It's easy to say, "Oh yeah, I'm repenting of my sin. I'm sorry for my sin." Well, what's the actual fruit? Is there actually any substance behind your words, or are you all just talk? True repentance bears it out in your life, and it can only be borne out in our lives through faith in Christ. As we see in John 15:4, Jesus says, "Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me."
So yes, we repent of our sins, we turn our back on sin, we put our faith in Christ, but the, the, that fruit only comes when we have faith in Christ, when we've been united with him. Just to repent of our sins, that wouldn't fix the issue. God's people have been called to repentance again and again and again, and they came up short, and that's why God sent his Son into the world. In Ephesians 2, we read in verse 10, and this is following verses eight through nine where Paul emphasizes that salvation, it comes to us as a gift. It's not by works so that we should boast. And then he says it, though, in verse 10 that, "We are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." So that's the ultimate aim of our restoration. We've been wiped clean in order that something new might be built up in our lives with Christ. Our guilty record is wiped away, and now we're entering into a new life with him so that the good life that God created us to live may now be lived because of Jesus.
Now Paul challenges Agrippa just to consider that the reasons why they were trying to kill him was because of this, this message that he was pr- preaching. Really, like this is the thing that's problematic, it's, it's astonishing. But by God's help, Paul perseveres, and he, he stands to preach this message before the great, as he is in this moment, and, and the small. And he, he, he just emphasizes again, he says in verse 22, "I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen-- that the Messiah would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would bring the message of light to his own people and to the Gentiles."
Now, Moses in Deuteronomy 18:15 had told the people that God would raise up a prophet like himself from among them, and he told the people, "You must listen to him." And in Isaiah 49:6, this is a, a passage that I've, I've referred in the past few weeks, God foretold, he said, "It is too small a thing for you to be my servant," talking about the suffering servant. "It's too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth." So we see here, even in the Old Testament, this vision of God redeeming and reconciling to himself a people that is not just Jewish, but is also Gentile. God means to save the world through Jesus Christ among all those who put their faith in him.
Now, as Festus listened to Paul's bold statements, he was unable to take his claims seriously. Picking up in verse 24, it says, At this point, Festus interrupted Paul's defense. "You are out of your mind, Paul!" he shouted. "Your great learning is driving you insane." "I am not insane, most excellent Festus," Paul replied. "What I am saying is true and reasonable. The king is familiar with these things, and I can speak freely to him. I am convinced that none of this has escaped his notice because it was not done in a corner. King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do."
Then Agrippa said to Paul, "Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?" Paul replied, "Short time or long-- I pray to God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains." The king rose, and with him the governor and Bernice and those sitting with them. After they left the room, they began saying to one another, "This man is not doing anything that deserves death or imprisonment." Agrippa said to Festus, "This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar."
So once again, we, we see and I, with this man Festus, how all of this is just so much for him to take in that he, he thinks Paul is insane. He says, "You're out of your mind." And it seems as though he may have some degree of respect for Paul, 'cause he at least recognizes him as a man of great learning, but he's like, "You've, you've spent a little too long, too much time in the books, Paul. This is, this is just too much." But Paul insists. He says, "What I'm saying is true and reasonable." Paul is not embarrassed of the gospel. He's saying it can stand on its own two feet. And he appeals to Agrippa's familiar knowledge, and he goes so far, and you just love Paul's eagerness there. You might say, you know, "Paul, you're just such an optimist to think that you can turn Agrippa here."
But this is Paul's great gospel desire, is to turn, bring all people to salvation in Christ. So he says, "King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do. I know you do." And then Agrippa, in response, you just see him just kind of like, "Really? Like you think you're gonna convince me here in just such a short time?" But I, again, Paul's boldness here is just a demonstration of his, his great love, his great desire that all would come to Christ. And he says it, he says to them all, he says, "I, I want you to be just like me. I want you to come to know the hope, the life that I found in Christ." And he says, "You don't have to have the chains, though. I'd, I'd like you to not have, have these chains. Be like me, but hopefully without these chains." And so the court is, is dismissed, and they, in leaving the room, they are all talking to each other, and they're like, "This guy doesn't deserve death. He doesn't deserve to die. He doesn't deserve to be in prison." And then kind of as a, as a final note, they just go, it's like, "Oh. Oh, man." As Agrippa says, "This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar." And so you're thinking, like, "Oh, man, Paul coulda gotten off the hook. Why did he go and appeal to Caesar?" But we shouldn't think that, 'cause we have to remember that there's a divine purpose here, that God had foreordained that Paul would go to Jerusalem.
Remember when the Lord came to Paul when he was in Jerusalem, when these Jews were plotting against his life. He came to him and encouraged him in Acts 23:11 and said, "Take courage. As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome." Paul was destined to go there, so it's all part of the plan.
It's all part of the plan. I want you to consider how it is that Paul can say that he was successful here. He doesn't convert Festus, Agrippa, or Bernice. He doesn't even lose his chains. But in the most important sense, he is not bound. He is unafraid to declare the gospel before any power-- he knows that it is both true and reasonable. You see, Paul is successful because Paul is faithful, and Luke's record here testifies to his innocence and the truth of the gospel, even as these imperial powers are enslaved to playing politics. The gospel holds its own in a Roman court.
And so we ask, if Paul can do this, why not us too? Why not us? The same spirit dwelling within him dwells within us who believe. And Jesus is the same Messiah, the same King. Yes, the powers that be might call us insane, but that does not make it so. Our gospel can stand up in the public arena. It is true and it is reasonable. Now, we don't always walk in that arena. Perhaps if our church was in Washington, DC that, I would say something a little different. You know, living in little North Scituate, we don't always enter that arena. But sometimes we do. We interact with politicians and authorities of all different kinds. On those occasions, we should not be embarrassed by Jesus. We should never be embarrassed by Jesus. Christ both assures us and warns us on this account in Matthew 10, verses 32 through 33. He says, "Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven."
Don't falter in the face of earthly powers. The Spirit of God is in us. In the face of those who deny Christ, the Apostle John gives us these words of assurance so that we can stand against the spirit of, of antichrist, those who would stand against Jesus, who would preach a different gospel. It says in 1 John 4, verses 4 through 6, "You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood."
Never forget, it is not the judgment of the world that matters. Their judgment doesn't count. It is God's judgment that counts
And so I charge you, brothers and sisters, acquit yourself well in the pattern of the Apostle Paul. Let us pray.
Dear Father, we thank you for the example you give us here in the person of Paul and the provision that you gave him in order to stand before this governor and this king and all these powerful officials, Father, and to testify to the truth of the gospel.
We thank you, Father, for the example of his confidence in the truth and reasonability of the gospel. And in light of this, Father, we pray for ourselves. Father, we confess that we have sometimes faltered in proclaiming the gospel In confessing the name of Christ because we've been sometimes embarrassed.
We felt that Jesus can't be taken seriously, that He has no place in this space. Father, forgive us for that, and Father, we pray that by the Holy Spirit, the person of the Holy Spirit, that you would give us all that we need to be able to s- be s- to say what ought to be said in every circumstance, and that we would not be embarrassed, but that we'd be confident in the truth that we speak.
Father, we ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Hey there, Pastor Tom here. I hope you enjoyed this sermon I offered to Rockland Community Church. Rockland Community Church is located at 212 Rockland Road in North Scituate, Rhode Island, just around the bend from the Scituate Public High School. We invite you to join us in person or virtually this Sunday as we worship God and hear the preaching of his word. It's our joy to welcome you into our community
Intro/Outro Song
Title: River Meditation
Artist: Jason Shaw
Source:http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jason_Shaw/Audionautix_Acoustic/RIVER_MEDITATION___________2-58
License:(CC BY 3.0 US)