Our Living Hope
“Our Living Hope” – November 12th, 2023 (Acts 25-26)
Today we are continuing our exhilarating exploration of the book of Acts. More than two years have passed since Paul made his defense before Felix that we talked about last week. Felix had left Paul languishing in prison all that time because “wanted to grant a favor” to the Jewish leaders. Meanwhile, Felix has either retired or died and has been succeeded by Porcius Festus. While Felix’s rule had been marked by chaos and cruelty, it’s a relief to discover that Festus was known for consideration and cooperation. Let’s step into the scene as we pick up the action in Acts 25:1.
“1 Three days after arriving in the province, Festus went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem, 2 where the chief priests and the Jewish leaders appeared before him and presented the charges against Paul. 3 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. 4 Festus answered, ‘Paul is being held at Caesarea, and I myself am going there soon. 5 Let some of your leaders come with me, and if the man has done anything wrong, they can press charges against him there.’ 6 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. 7 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. 8 Then Paul made his defense: ‘I have done nothing wrong against the Jewish law or against the temple or against Caesar.’ 9 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?’ 10 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. 11 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!’”
There is so much to unpack in every part of Acts. But wow – that last thing Paul says is a significant statement! Once again, the Jewish leaders are bringing serious charges against Paul (they even plot to kill him along the way), and once again they have no proof to back up these claims. Paul again maintains his innocence, appeals to Festus, and claims his legal rights. Now he appeals to Caesar, the highest authority in the Roman Empire.
Festus responds to Paul in Acts 25:12 – “12 After Festus had conferred with his council, he declared: ‘You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go!’”
Paul continues to trust God and is working through the legal channels available to him. Paul has appealed to Caesar, specifically Claudius Caesar who reigned from AD 41-54. Before Paul can face Caesar (the Emperor), though, he has to stand trial before Herod Agrippa II, the last ruler of the Herodian dynasty in Judea. We have a lot to learn from how Paul walked with grace and patience through trial after trial, stuck in a system not much concerned with justice or truth. We can imitate Paul’s faith as he clearly, calmly, and concisely conveys his consistent defense; he appeals to justice; and he trusts God with the outcome, because Paul knows and serves Jesus Christ who is the King of all Kings and Lord of all Lords! God is faithful, and as God strengthened and sustained Paul, so God will strengthen and sustain us and others in every kind of trial or injustice.
Paul has appealed to Caesar, and now Festus is required to do something about that. During a seemingly routine diplomatic visit from his superiors, Festus decides to mention the matter to Agrippa. Incidentally, this Agrippa is the son of Herod Agrippa I who we read about in Acts 12:1 when he “laid violent hands upon some followers of Jesus.” Dad Herod Agrippa I had had the Apostle James beheaded and the Apostle Peter thrown into prison. These Herods were not just legal representatives of the Emperor; they had real power including the legal right of life and death. Today’s story involves Dad Agrippa’s son Herod Agrippa II and daughter Bernice (or Berenice). Yes, Agrippa II and Bernice are brother and sister.
Acts 25:13-21 – “13 A few days later King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea to pay their respects to Festus. 14 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. 15 When I went to Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews brought charges against him and asked that he be condemned. 16 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. 17 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. 18 When his accusers got up to speak, they did not charge him with any of the crimes I had expected. 19 Instead, they had some points of dispute with him about their own religion and about a dead man named Jesus who Paul claimed was alive. 20 I was at a loss how to investigate such matters; so I asked if he would be willing to go to Jerusalem and stand trial there on these charges. 21 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.’”
Agrippa’s interest has been piqued!
“22 Then Agrippa said to Festus, ‘I would like to hear this man myself.’ He [Festus] replied, ‘Tomorrow you will hear him.’”
Paul has given a very sound defense to both Felix and Festus. Felix is apathetic and leaves him in prison; Festus is perplexed and pipes up on his behalf. Because of Festus’s advocacy, Paul will now face Herod Agrippa II. Listen carefully to Festus’s words as he tries to figure out how to solve this situation that he inherited from his predecessor.
“23 … 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. At the command of Festus, Paul was brought in. 24 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. 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. 26 But I have nothing definite to write to His Majesty about him. Therefore I have brought him before all of you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that as a result of this investigation I may have something to write. 27 For I think it is unreasonable to send a prisoner on to Rome without specifying the charges against him.’”
We can hear Festus’s desire to advocate for justice for Paul. Festus is trying to figure out what to write to Caesar and is pleading to Agrippa for some help in recommending a reasonable response. Agrippa understands that Festus has acted as Paul’s advocate. Now Agrippa offers Paul a significant invitation.
Acts 26:1-3 – “1 Agrippa said to Paul, ‘You have permission to speak for yourself.’ Then Paul stretched out his hand and began to defend himself: 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 because you are especially familiar with all the customs and controversies of the Jews; therefore I beg of you to listen to me patiently.’”
Paul has already given his defense before Felix. He’s already given his defense before Festus. Now Paul is about to give his defense before Agrippa.
I’m reminded of the Apostle Peter’s exhortation in 1 Peter 3:15b – “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” The word translated “hope” here includes the connotation of anticipation and welcome. When our kids were very young, they knew that when I started pottering around in the kitchen in the late afternoon, that meant that dinner would be ready soon and that Daddy was on his way home. Both of these were really good news, and they moved between the kitchen and the front window with palpable excitement. The first one who spotted Paul would yell, “Daddy’s home!” as everyone’s anticipation and welcome reached a crescendo! That’s the kind of hope we have in Christ Jesus.
I made a simple acronym to help us to remember that Jesus Christ is our living hope. This is the core of what we’re going to focus on today. This hope that we have has a Historical basis, this hope points to the One way, this hope assures us a Place in God’s family, and this hope leads to Eternal life.
Historical Basis
It’s important to understand that Christianity is rooted in history. We worship God who has revealed who God is not through rigid regulations, not through doctrinal declarations, not through faith formulas, not through obligatory offerings, not through right rituals, even though regulations, doctrines, faith, offerings, and rituals are part of how we practice our beliefs. God has primarily revealed who God is through redemptive relationship.
John 1:1-4 – “1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.”
God, who created all that there is, is the source of life, and that life is the light of all mankind.
John 1:14 – “14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
This is mind-blowing! God the Word, God who created all that there is, God who is the source of life and light for all, came as one of us and lived among us. This is not a theoretical idea but a historical reality that happened in time and space and backed up by a preponderance of eyewitnesses and evidence. Understanding that Jesus was both fully God and fully human is foundational to our faith. Jesus came to be with us and to live among us. Jesus shows us who God is and what God is like. Jesus, the one and only Son who came from the Father, was born of a human mother in a family in Bethlehem, grew up in Nazareth, and walked the earth in actual places for 33 years. Jesus died on a particular day in history at a particular place. Jesus rose again on the third day, appeared to over 500 people in particular places, and ascended to the Father. The Holy Spirit was poured out on a particular day in a particular place.
In my first sermon in this series on the book of Acts, I mentioned two main purposes for Luke writing the book of Acts – to record consistent legal precedents and to teach Christian apologetics. On that second point, remember that Luke wrote of the historical accuracy of the way of Christ, the fulfillment of Old Testament motifs, and that the gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ, is unstoppable. Christianity is rooted in, inseparable from, and a continuation of Israel, God’s historic people. To clear up a common misunderstanding regarding the word “Israel.” When we see “Israel” in Scripture, it is not referring to the sovereign political entity in Western Asia (the country), but it refers to the name of a single individual, Jacob who was the son of Isaac and Rebekah and who was the grandson of Abraham and Sarah and who was the father of what became known as the twelve tribes of Israel, the people of God. Primarily, the words “Israel” and “the twelve tribes” means “the people of God.” Let’s not miss the importance of Christianity’s historical basis. Christianity is rooted in, inseparable from, and a continuation of Israel, God’s historic people. And you and I as followers of Christ Jesus have been grafted in to the people of God among the others. This is a metaphor that Paul had already developed when he wrote the letter to the Romans a few years prior to the events we’re looking at today. All who believe in Christ Jesus, whether Jew or Gentile, male or female, slave or free, all who believe can “share in the nourishing sap” and “be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in.”
Paul begins his defense before Agrippa in Acts 26:4-8 – “4 ‘All the Jews know my way of life from my youth, a life spent from the beginning among my own people and in Jerusalem. 5 They have known for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that I have belonged to the strictest sect of our religion and lived as a Pharisee. 6 I stand here on trial on account of my hope in the promise made by God to our ancestors, 7 a promise that our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly worship day and night. It is for this hope, Your Excellency, that I am accused by Jews! 8 Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead?’”
Our hope in Christ has a Historical basis and is rooted in the hope of the resurrection, that we will be resurrected to new life because of Jesus’ resurrection.
One Way
For his whole life, Paul had sincerely believed that he was on the right path, the one way to worship the one true God.
Acts 26:9-12 – “‘Indeed, I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things against the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10 And that is what I did in Jerusalem; with authority received from the chief priests, I not only locked up many of the saints in prison, but I also cast my vote against them when they were being condemned to death. 11 By punishing them often in all the synagogues I tried to force them to blaspheme, and since I was so furiously enraged at them, I pursued them even to foreign cities. With this in mind, I was traveling to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests.’”
Notice what’s happened here. Paul was on the path that he sincerely believed was the right path. Paul was completely convinced that what he had been doing was right in God’s eyes; he had done “many things against the name of Jesus of Nazareth.” And then suddenly, even while he was pursuing followers of Jesus, something happened that would change everything.
Acts 26:13-14 – “‘… 13 at midday along the road, Your Excellency, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and my companions. 14 When we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It hurts you to kick against the goads.”’”
God interrupted Paul, who had a life-changing encounter along with “a light from heaven, brighter than the sun.” Jesus spoke to Paul in the Hebrew language, his heart language, and asked him why he was persecuting him. Then Jesus said something about goads using figurative language that could be loosely translated as, “Work with me, not against me. If you try to oppose my (God’s) will, you’ll only end up hurting yourself.” Jesus reveals his identity clearly in verse 15, as he had revealed himself to his disciples. In John 14:6-7, Jesus tells them plainly, “… ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.’”
Our hope in Christ points us to the One way, because Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. To know Jesus is to know the one who imparts life through physical birth and who gives us eternal life through regeneration when we are born from above by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Place in God’s Family
Why did Jesus meet Paul on that road that day? Luke gives us Paul’s recollection of Jesus’ explanation in verses 16 to 18: “I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you to serve and testify to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you. 17 I will rescue you from your people and from the gentiles—to whom I am sending you 18 to open their eyes so that they may turn 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.”
In Christ, God turns us from darkness to light; God turns us from the power of Satan to God; God gives us forgiveness of sins and a place among all in his set-apart family. No matter what kinds of details or demographics describe us, our hope in Christ assures us of a Place in God’s family.
Everlasting Life
Acts 26:19-23 – “‘19 After that, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision 20 but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout the countryside of Judea, and also to the gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God and do deeds consistent with repentance. 21 For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. 22 To this day I have had help from God, and so I stand here, testifying to both small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would take place: 23 that the Messiah must suffer and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our people and to the gentiles.’”
Paul testified that Jesus fulfilled all of the messianic prophecies. Jesus suffered, Jesus was the first to rise from the dead, and now Jesus proclaimed light to all people. Our hope in Christ leads to Everlasting life, which is the Kingdom of God, the dynamic reality which exists within the triune God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It’s not about what happens when we die. It’s about living in the abundance of God’s kingdom, under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, experiencing God’s presence and power right here, right now, and on into the future forever and ever. Everlasting life has already begun! John 1:4 says “4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.” Christ Jesus is life, love, and the light of all people!
This hope that we have in Christ has a Historical basis, this hope points to the One way, this hope assures us a Place in God’s family, and this hope leads to Eternal life. We hope in Christ with anticipation and welcome. We look forward to being resurrected to new life because of the historical reality of Jesus’ resurrection. We affirm that Jesus is the one way, the truth, and the life. We gratefully receive Christ’s assurance of a place in God’s family. We live right here and right now in the already-and-not-yet Kingdom of God ruled by King Jesus that is everlasting life and light and love. In Christ we have been saved, we are being saved, and we will be saved. Jesus Christ is our living hope!
