Acts 26:1-8 – Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.”
So Paul motioned with his hand and began his defense: 2 “King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to stand before you today as I make my defense against all the accusations of the Jews, 3 and especially so because you are well acquainted with all the Jewish customs and controversies. Therefore, I beg you to listen to me patiently. 4 “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. 5 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. 6 And now it is because of my hope in what God has promised our ancestors that I am on trial today. 7 This is the promise our twelve 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. 8 Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead?
“Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.” So Paul motioned with his hand and began his defense.” Maybe, probably in an old movie, you’ve seen an orator give a circular wave of his hand before speaking to his audience. That is an old tradition dating back to ancient times. It is a way to start and a gesture of respect.
“King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to stand before you today as I make my defense against all the accusations of the Jews.” It was customary to acknowledge a, or several, VIP’s in the audience. Paul is discerning so as to know that though Governor Festus was in charge, it was King Agrippa who was, at that time, the most important person in the attendance.
“And especially so because you are well acquainted with all the Jewish customs and controversies. Therefore, I beg you to listen to me patiently.” Paul was aware that King Agrippa was part Jewish. It had been a family trait, being part Jewish, to be very interested in all things Jewish. The Herods knew the Jewish history, the scriptures, what they believed and, importantly, what they disagreed about. Being well acquainted with Jewish customs and controversies did not make King Agrippa a practicing Jew. Even today we have many people who study the Christian Bible, and are able to quote it extensively, yet who have never committed to Christianity. Such was King Agrippa, as we shall see.
Notice that Paul noted to King Agrippa that he, the king, was well aware of the controversies among the Jews. He will, in his speech, appeal to that knowledge. For now, Paul asks the King to bear with him as he defends what he believes. What he believes is really what is on trial.
““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. 5 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.” As Paul had testified to the Jewish leaders about his strict adherence to the same beliefs that they had (Acts 22:3-5), which they could not and did not deny because there were too many witnesses to attempt to do so, so he here gave the same testimony before his present audience of almost exclusive Romans. Yet, Paul remained cognizant that King Agrippa was his target audience.
“And now it is because of my hope in what God has promised our ancestors that I am on trial today. 7 This is the promise our twelve tribes are hoping to see fulfilled as they earnestly serve God day and night.” Paul asserts that the reason he is on trial is because of the same hope that all Jews have of the promised Messiah. They all believed that a Messiah was promised to the Jews (and really to the world). They had many disagreements over the scripture on how God would bring that about. We might compare that to the different beliefs about the “Rapture” of the church, or if there will be a Rapture. Most will agree that being a Christian is not dependent on what we believe about the Rapture, but on who Jesus was, what He did, and how what He did applies to us, that is essential. So Jews could argue about when the Messiah would come, and what He would come to do, and yet all know that they were all still Jewish, just with some difference of opinions.
Now we remember that Paul had said to King Agrippa that he (King Agrippa) was “well acquainted” with the controversies among the Jews. So the king was aware of the controversies concerning messianic beliefs, and also about the resurrection of the dead. Paul was leading his audience, and especially King Agrippa, by stating what the king knew to be true in order to lead him to what Paul would ultimately assert, that the Messiah had come, that He was crucified and had died, that He had risen from the dead and that the name of the risen Messiah is none other than Jesus Christ, whom Paul serves.
The great hope of the Jews was the hope of the Messiah and the job of the Messiah was restoration. Yet what they didn’t understand was that the restoration was to come in two parts. The first part was to restore God’s people to Himself and the second part was to come and vanquish the enemies of God. So the Jews waited for a Messiah and Paul believed and taught that the long awaited Messiah had in fact already come and had and does offer grace to all who would come.
Paul acknowledged that the Jews “earnestly serve God day and night.” He knew them to be earnest. He knew that though they were earnest they were tragically wrong. Really, so many people in our day our earnest and they think they know the right way to go, but they are also tragically wrong. (Proverbs 14:12) There is only One Way. (1 Timothy 2:5)
“King Agrippa, it is because of this hope that these Jews are accusing me. 8 Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead?” Paul is asserting to the king, who was well aware of the many different doctrinal differences among the Jews, that what he was accused of was yet another doctrinal difference. Of course this doctrinal difference was not unimportant, but essential to their spiritual lives.
Paul said to all, but the target of his statement was the king, that knowing all that the scripture says about God, why should God resurrecting the dead be something hard to believe? If someone does not believe that God can raise the dead then the god they believe in is too small. If that is so, then they really do not understand who God is. All who really know Him, who press in to know Him, know that for God to resurrect the dead is no harder than the creation of man, or the creation of the universe, or the keeping of it all that together. The problem is not that man cannot believe in supernatural occurences, it is that man does not truly know and believe in the One True God. If any of us, believing or not, believe that anything is impossible to God, then we need to reassess who we believe God is and also reassess how much we know of Him and how much we actually personally know Him. Nothing is impossible for God. (Luke 1:37) Nothing. God loves us and has promised to look out for us. What is impossible for God to do for us? Nothing. What is it that God has not done to show us His love and faithfulness? Nothing! He showed us when He sent Jesus. There is nothing more to be said or done. Praise our God who is good and who loves us! Praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with Your God
Numbers 6:24-26 “The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.”
by Bob withActs 25:23-27 – The next day 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.”
“The next day 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.” King Agrippa II and Bernice entered with full pageantry. They were dressed to the hilt and led a progression of officials who were also dressed to the hilt. This “hearing” of Paul, attended by non-Jews other than King Agrippa II and Bernice, were coming to a prestigious event. It was held in an amphitheater overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and the venue was filled. It was, to them, a place to be seen by those that mattered. In this atmosphere of pomp and circumstance, and to the satisfaction of the curiosity of the attendees, Paul was led in. He was in chains and wearing humble garb. Paul was accounted to have been a short man with little hair, a long hooked nose, bowed legs and runny eyes. Certainly not inspiring any high regard from his viewers. Yet Paul knew that he was not before these government officials due to the brilliance of who he was, physically or otherwise, but because of the exceeding excellence of his Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. Paul was not puffed up by speaking to these people, but rather the audience that he sought to please was but One, the Lord Jesus Christ. The people came in together, to be seen and acknowledged. Paul came in with the unseen Jesus. There are countless examples of God being with one is more than the millions, or giants, who oppose. Praise God!
“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.” Festus states that the “whole Jewish community” had petitioned him concerning Paul. We should understand that the Sanhedrin represented the Jews. Not unlike a modern leader of a country represents the country to leaders of other countries. So the Sanhedrin, as the leaders of Judaism, spoke for the entire Jewish community, though certainly we know that not all agreed with them.
We have discussed when previously reviewing the scriptures preceding these, that the Jewish leaders proved Paul guilty of no crimes against Rome (most important) and in fact had only brought charges of different beliefs regarding the resurrection of the dead, specifically (and vitally), concerning the resurrection of Jesus. Festus here, again, states that Paul had done nothing worthy of Roman punishment and certainly not of death.
“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.” Festus lets the dignitaries in attendance know that since he has no charges against Paul to present to Caesar, perhaps they could help him with that? We have discussed that King Agrippa 2 had a greatly diminished rule than his father, but that does not mean that he did not have great influence. In fact, it is said that King Agrippa had greater influence than Governor Festus. A letter of support from him would go a long way.
Imagine a man with cuffed hands and ankles brought into a modern court to be convicted of a crime by the judge. Now imagine that when the judge asked the prosecutor for the charges, the prosecutor reported that he had no evidence of the man having broken any law. The man had been jailed and cuffed because city officials wanted him to be ordered to death because he had different opinions than they. Why, the prosecutor would be thought a fool by the judge. The judge would chastise the prosecutor for wasting the time of the court and may likely recommend punishment for the actions of the prosecutor. If Festus had sent Paul to Caesar without good reason, Caesar could have become enraged. Doing that would have been especially dangerous to Festus as the Caesar was the unpredictable and evil Nero. Certainly Nero would have asked “If you had no charges to bring, instead of troubling me, why didn’t you just set him free?” Exactly. This problem of Festus was not one created by the Jewish leaders but rather the cause of his problems was his own weakness. He feared the unrest the Jews may have created if they didn’t get their way so he wavered from doing the right thing and just letting Paul go. Of course, God knew how Claudius Lysias, and Governor Felix and how Governor Festus would respond. He used how He knew they would react to give Paul the opportunity to share the Gospel in Caesarea and in Rome. We know that the Roman government did not really control the fate of Paul, it was God who was in control. God was in control for Paul and He is for us. Praise God!
It is recorded that around 100 AD Pliny the Younger (A lawyer and magistrate of Rome wrote of hundreds of notable letters of which 247 survive and are considered historically significant) wrote to Caesar Trajan about His process of identifying and killing Christians. He reported that he found Christians to be “contumacious and inflexible” in holding to their truth. He said that if they would renounce Jesus as God, then they could be set free but if they did not, they would be killed. (Let’s remember that meant being horribly tortured before death.) Pliny the Younger reported that there were many who renounced their faith in Jesus in order to avoid suffering and death. He spoke comparatively of those he thought as real Christians who were completely committed to the faith, in this way “whereas there is no forcing, it is said, those who are really Christians…” Even this slaughterer of Christians could recognize true Christians from those who played at it. Those who were true Christians would not renounce their faith for any reason. Not to save themselves, or their families, from any torture of death. Yes, they held stubbornly to their faith and trusted the Lord even onto the afterlife.
Family and friends, we are called to have the same faith as these early believers. Hebrews 11 reveals the faith that we are called to. The faith that we are called to considers Christ most dear, and that with no rival, and cannot be dissuaded for any reason, for any person, or for anything. Yes, there are many victories in the Christian life, yet Vs 34-38 also states of the true believers of the past, and to what we are likewise called to, “There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.” Family and Friends, there is no valid reason to give up what we eternally have for what we temporarily have. The martyred missionary Jim Elliot (1927-1956) famously said “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” Let us, as our brothers and sisters before us did, hold the riches of our inheritance in Christ as the treasure we hold more dear than anything, and anyone in this world. After all, Jesus gave all for us so that we could have all that is eternal and lasting and wonderful. Praise Jesus! Praise God! Hallelujah!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with Your God
Numbers 6:24-26 “The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.”
by Bob withRomans 8:1 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. In walking with God, all begins with Jesus, is now because of Jesus, and forever remains because of Jesus.
Revelation 1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” Jesus Himself, the resurrected Jesus, reveals what had before been foretold and revealed in multiplied repetition, that Jesus was, and is God. He is the Son of God. Fully God with God the Father and with God the Holy Spirit. The Triune God has, in unison of thought, of will and of desire, ordained that it would be so and it was and is so. For us, for all of creation, yes all, this truth rings true. For us, everything, including life itself, began with Jesus. All of the universe and everything in it exists today and is held together because of Jesus. (Colossians 1:17) He created it, keeps it together, and will be the One who ushers in the end of all of it. He created everything and everything is His. (Colossians 1:15-20) It is not merely the physical that we see that He created, but He is the one through whom spiritual life is given, and exists. Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet and Omega is the last letter of it. If Jesus were to come to the U.S. today, He would likely say it as He is the A and the Z, and everything in-between. He is the beginning of all that we know exists and He rules for all time, and beyond.
Revelation 21:6 “He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.” Here is the second verse where Jesus identified Himself as the Alpha and the Omega. Here He adds that He is the Beginning and the End. Yes, He truly is the great I AM as God was identified to Moses. (Exodus 3:14) Jesus made this statement of Himself to the Pharisees and they clearly understood who He was identifying Himself to be as their reaction of wanting to stone Him reveals. They thought He was committing blasphemy by equating Himself with God. They clearly understood His claim of deity. (John 8:56-59) Jesus is the great I AM, He is everything we need at all times. He is all we need.
Revelation 22:13 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” This is the third time that Jesus identifies Himself as God by this statement of Himself. Family, we read the Word of God saying to all who will hear that He is God. It has many times been said by unbelievers “If God is real, let Him appear in front of me and then I will believe.” God has appeared. His name was Jesus. He made the way for us to be united with God. Yes, God already appeared before man. And God is not a dog that is called to obey and “Come!” He is Almighty God, and He has called for all who want to live eternally with Him to come through Jesus the Messiah, our Savior and Lord. The words of Jesus call out to everyone “Come to me…” (Matthew 11:28-30) Jesus called Himself the “Alpha and the Omega” three times. If someone saw you carrying a bottle of something and said to you “Don’t drink that it will kill you!” And then another person saw you pouring the drink for yourself and also warned you. If you continued on and were about to drink what you have been warned not to drink and a third person warns you that the drink will kill you, but you do anyhow. Then how insane and foolish for you to cry out, with your dying breath “This is unfair!” We are warned that to have Jesus is to have eternal life with God, and without Jesus the sure destiny is to perish. (John 3:16-18) Three times Jesus said He is the Beginning and End. There is no excuse to not come and bow before Him and call Him Savior and Lord.
John 1:1-4 – “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.” Jesus is the spiritual Word that was given in scripture, He is the physical image of the written Word of God. And He was, and is, and evermore will be.
Matthew 28:20b “…And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Always Jesus is with us. In every situation. Against all foes, seen and unseen. Always means He never leaves us. We are never alone. He is with all of us always. Yes, until the end of this age. But He being with us does not end there. He is just saying that for as long as everything that now is remains, He is with us. And after that? He is with us. And nothing, and no-one, can change that! Romans 8:38-39 “ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” What does all this mean? It means that all who love Jesus have already won. What about those who don’t love Jesus? Well, to those, are they still alive? Now is the time for change. Heaven waits for you and the door to Heaven is Jesus. Praise God that we all have the opportunity to come to God! Praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with Your God
Numbers 6:24-26 “The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.”
by Bob withActs 25:13-22 – 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.” 22 Then Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear this man myself.” He replied, “Tomorrow you will hear him.”
“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 coming before Festus’s predecessor Felix, the Jews took five days to go before him in Caesarea. This time they were there right away. They had, in Jerusalem, presented to Festus that they wanted Paul immediately tried and condemned to death based merely upon the strength of their assertions and “requests.” Showing their exigency of the matter they showed up right away and Festus, understanding their urgency, held the trial the very next day. Surely they were ready, after two years of stewing over the matter, to present a strong case. Right?
“When his accusers got up to speak, they did not charge him with any of the crimes I had expected. 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.” They had two years to get ready for the trial and then presented hollow allegations of their doctrinal differences and no violations of Roman law…in a Roman court! No citizen would expect to go into a U.S.A court of law and expect them to enforce a law that does not exist in the U.S.A. Festus desired to give these people, who could be a weight upon him or allies for him, what they wanted. But he believed and respected Roman law enough that he needed some kind of evidence to convict. To his utter surprise they gave him fluff and no substance. Of course we know the reason why they could not give any substance, it is because none of the charges against Him were true and no Roman law had been broken. The truth is exactly what Paul had been saying. The charge they brought against Paul boiled down that he preached the resurrection of Jesus and what that subsequently meant to the world, and should mean to them.
“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. So Festus said to Paul “Hey Paul, these guys want to have you executed. However they don’t appear to be ready with any weighty evidence at this time so do you want to go to Jerusalem, in their place of power, and stand trial, again, there? I mean I know they have tried to convict him before the Commander Claudius Lysias, and before Governor Felix, and now before me and could not prove their case. However do you want to give them another go at it?” Obviously ridiculous. Yet, we can be sure that if Jerusalem is where Jesus had told Paul to go, then Paul would have went back there. However, Rome is where the Lord told Paul he would go and so Rome is where Paul wanted to go.
“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.” As Festus had said at the time of Paul’s demand “You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go!” To which Paul must have cast an inward smile to Jesus and inwardly prayed “Lord, Your ways are surely above our ways!” (Isaiah 55:8-9)
“Then Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear this man myself.” He replied, “Tomorrow you will hear him.” So, likely, King Agrippa was frothing at the mouth to hear what Paul would have to say. It is likely that he had heard of Paul and had wondered about him and now here was Paul. Of course he, the Roman placed King over the Jews, who had authority to name the high priest, wanted to hear from Paul!
Luke 12:11-12 “When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.” Although we are all amazed at Paul’s ability to defend the faith, we ought not to wonder. At least we ought not to stare at Paul and wonder. Sure, it was well known that he was incredibly educated, even the Romans knew that (Acts 26:24), but that is not the reason Paul was unafraid. He was unafraid because he walked in the Spirit and not in the flesh. (Galatians 5:25) He knew that all the studying he had done was most valuable when revealed and put together by the Holy Spirit. We also know that. Many men of the world study the scriptures without the Holy Spirit within, and with no desire to submit to Jesus, and so the Word has no true spiritual meaning to them. But we know that the Holy Spirit guide not Pau but He also guides us. All who have spent time sharing the Word knows that the Holy Spirit is the One who provides and guides as the Word is preached, taught, and shared. So let us not fear, God is within us. God can speak through us. And He does! Praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with Your God.
Numbers 6:24-26 “The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.”
by Bob withHebrews 11:1-3, 6 – Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
2 Corinthians 5:7 – For we live by faith, not by sight.
Hebrews 11:1 states that faith is the substance of things hoped for. A dictionary definition describes “substance” as real physical matter of which a person or thing consists and which has tangible presence. A look at the original word conveys something that something else is rested upon. The original word speaks of something that supports something else. It is a foundation upon which something else can be securely set upon. Here we see that biblical hope rests on faith. But not any faith. Faith on faith is nothing of value. Faith in God is what our hope rests upon. What we have faith in, or whom we have it in, is the key factor.
Jesus taught that us that everyone who puts their faith on Him and His words is like a wise man who built his house (life) on a solid rock foundation, but the one who builds their house on sand will see their house be destroyed. (Matthew 7:24-27) So faith, in and of itself, has little value. The man who built his house on the sand had faith it would all turn out okay, but that is not what happened. It is what we have our faith is on that matters. Our faith is in the solid rock Jesus Christ. It is on this faith that our house, our lives, and our hope is built upon.
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for. Faith is what hope rests upon. How do we get faith and how does it grow?
A Bridge Across – The hiker was walking a lonely back trail when he came to a raging river. It appeared that there was no way across the dangerous river. Then he saw an old bridge spanning it. It looked like it had been there forever. He didn’t know if it was safe. He examined it as best he could. Finally he thought it looked solid and was safe to cross. He cautiously stepped on it. Slowly he put more and more of his weight on it. His trust grew that the old bridge was trustworthy so he began across it. Slowly at first. Then as it proved solid and true, he walked on it more confidently. Halfway across he was so sure of it, he stopped to pause and look at the beauty and majesty of the raging river below. Finally, not believing, but knowing that he was safe, he continued across to the other side.
God is our bridge. Jesus is the manifestation of an age old truth that God slowly revealed to the world. Jesus is our bridge. We begin by hearing of Him. We hear of Him and begin to believe in Him. We think that perhaps what we hear is true. So we take the chance and we begin to have faith in the bridge. We start our journey. We begin to realize that we are walking on water. We understand that the truth of our new walk is a miracle in and of itself. Every step, as we look at Jesus, we don’t sink and our faith is built. Once we thought that maybe we could walk on water and then, because of Jesus, we know we can. Every step of the way, as we find that God is faithful and true, and that He loves us, our faith grows. As we walk with Him what was once a wild hope, becomes sure knowledge. Now, no-one can convince us that we don’t know what we most assuredly know that we do know.
Our faith in what we cannot see makes us able to see what the world cannot. Our hope in the Lord becomes something that, with spiritual eyes, we see. The hoped for road becomes a road that we both see and trust.
Family, we have toed the old bridge and now walk upon it. We trust it with everything that we are and everything we will be. We do, because this previously unseen but now seen bridge transforms us to be what we could not have before imagined. God proves Himself daily to us. What was once a hope is now a solid highway. Peace that we once hoped for is now felt and lived in. Guidance and encouragement that we needed so bad now lives within us. Family, our faith is not a baseless hope but a lived out reality. All that by God Almighty through Jesus our Savior and Lord! Praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with Your God.
Numbers 6:24-26 “The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.”
by Bob withPsalm 103:1-5 – Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name. 2 Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, 5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Psalm 42:8 – By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me—a prayer to the God of my life.
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Waking in the morning, even before our eyes focus, before our full senses have come to us, before our first smile, the Lord, who has been with us all night, is still with us.
Family, oh Family, more than the blankets that cover us and keep us warm are we aware that we are covered by the love of God! As our earthly parents tucked us in at bedtime and kissed us so softly, they eased our worries and told us that everything is okay, they told us to sleep well and be at peace. How much more so the Lord! Oh, how much more so the Lord!
At night we call out to Him, we cry out about worries and concerns and about injustices that we fear may consume us. We call out for our loving and all powerful God to protect us and those we love. And because we know Him, really, truly and intimately love and know Him, we trust Him. We can sleep because we know that, as our parents had attentive ears and guarding eyes, how much more so He who guards us every moment of our lives and does not retire to a bed in a different bedroom? We do not need to cry out to Him, as we did our parents “No Daddy and Mommy, please no, don’t leave me. Can I sleep in your bed? Please!” And we, in the middle of the night, need not run to His bedroom to find Him for comfort. He is always with us!
We learn that there is One, only One, who does not leave us alone in the darkness. There is One, only One, who does not leave us alone to worry and fear. He is the only One who is always able. No He, God Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth, more powerful than any demon or demonic plan, is able to defend us from all of the plans of the evil one and from the results of a fallen mankind and earth. He never leaves us. Never, not ever! We know this, because He said so, and He cannot lie. The enemy may be at the door, or in the closet, or under the bed, but we are safe. For He who cannot be tricked, defeated, or snuck past is He who loves us and sings of His love to us all night long. Yes, we, all who love Him, have heard Him singing songs of love and comfort to us during the night. We have awakened to know He is still with us, right next to us, within us, guarding us and loving us. He does not sleep, He doesn’t sneak away for a snack. Think, remember, deeply consider, we are aware that He is always with us. We know it. Our spirit testifies to us as it communes with the Holy Spirit within. It is only He that brings peace to us and only He that keeps us in it. We are tucked in at bedtime, we are watched over and serenaded all night, and should we awake in the middle of the night, He is with us! In the morning He greets us with His love and whispers to us “Good morning My Delight, we are going to have a great day. We have much to do!” He stays with us all day. He give us things very small and sometimes, very big, to do. Our Father delights our souls as He allows us to work in the family business.
Our God, Almighty God, our Defender in all ways, is always good and always loves us. Always, always, always and eternally good and always eternally loves us. So what shall we fear? Whom shall we fear? He told us the end of the story, we might get hurt, but dear Family, we will win. Without a doubt, we will win. God has said it and He will bring it about! No doubt, no fear. All love, all peace, all joy! The secret is Jesus! Okay, no secret, but we know it is so!
Brothers and Sisters, Daddy loves us and is with us! Praise God! Yes, praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with Your God.
Numbers 6:24-26 “The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.”
by Bob withPsalm 42:1-5, 8 – As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? 3 My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” 4 These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the Mighty One with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng. 5 Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me—a prayer to the God of my life.
Psalm 5:3 – In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.
Psalm 59:16 – But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.
Psalm 143:8 – Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.
Our eyes oh Lord,
Are focused on You!
The terrors of the world,
They are transparent,
Through them we see only you.
Through everything in the world,
We always see you.
Though the earth shakes,
As the floods increase,
As the pestilence preys,
We cannot fear,
Only you hold our gaze.
You Almighty God,
Are what we focus upon.
With our sight and with our minds,
You are the beauty we see.
In doing such,
We are at peace.
3-24-20
Oh to see and hear the tempest,
To be amidst the rage of the waves,
To be aghast at the power,
And yet walk in total peace,
That comes from a heart,
Whose beat is aligned,
With the heart of God.
Gazing up to the stars
The face of God looks back,
It is both frightening and peace giving,
Both breath-taking and
Heart-calming.
Hold the gaze,
See His eyes,
See His love!
9/15/19
Fulfillment is attained,
Through His embrace,
A transfusion of love,
Like hugging electricity
Change is inevitable
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with Your God.
Numbers 6:24-26 “The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.”
by Bob with1 Timothy 3:16-17 – All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God a may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
1 John 4:16-17 – And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus.
Let’s not want to be “sensible” in how we love and serve the Lord. Was it sensible for the Father to send Jesus, and for Jesus to want to come, to humble Himself by shedding His divinity to live as a man? (Philippians 2:6-8) Was it sensible that Jesus, the God who created and loves us (John 1:3), to come to live as a human child to be teased and ostracized by other children because they could sense that He was different, and because they thought Him strange as He would not join their shenanigans? Was it sensible He would come knowing that as a young boy even the adults would look at Him and think Him strange that He had such keen spiritual insight though He hadn’t been formally educated in the educational system? (Luke 2:46-47) Was it sensible for Him to come knowing that even His own half-brothers would ridicule Him and not believe in His divine nature and that He was indeed the Chosen One, the Messiah, and the Lord God in the flesh? (John 7:1-5, Mark 3:20-21) Was it sensible for Him to willingly step off His heavenly throne to take on human flesh (John 1:14), to be rejected by His own people (Luke 4:24), to be mocked, ridiculed and spit on (Matthew 27:27-31), to be punched in the face (Matthew 26:67, John 18:22) to have his beard torn off (Isaiah 50:6), to have a mock crown of thorns forced down onto His head (Matthew 27:29), to be whipped till His organs were exposed (Mark 15:15), to carry a rough wooden cross on the raw nerves exposed in His back (John 19:17, Mark 15:21), and to have nails driven through His hands and feet so to secure Him to the wooden cross that He would asphyxiate upon? (John 20:25) Was it sensible for Him to come and die for our sins so that we could live forever in His love and in the love of the Father? (Colossians 1:21-22, Hebrews 10:10) Was it sensible that He should look from the cross upon people who had put Him on the cross, the cross on which He could not breathe unless he pulled up on His pierced hands and pushed up on His pierced feet, to still love them so much that He would cry out to His Father “Forgive them for they know not what they do?” (Luke 23:24) Was it sensible for Jesus to suffer and die for a world that would largely reject Him? (John 1:9-13) Really, can anyone think that the Father subjecting Jesus, in full knowledge of what was to happen, to all the degradation and suffering, was reasonable or sensible as the world thinks?
The life of Jesus on earth, not seen with spiritual eyes (Luke 24:31, Acts 26:18, Ephesians 1:18), is not reasonable and is insensible. So if God Himself, in the form of Jesus, loves all of us so unreasonably and so insensibly as to do all that He did for us, why should we want to be “sensible” in our faith? No, it was God’s love for us that the Father sent Jesus and that Jesus not only consented, but desired to come to suffer and die for us. It makes no sense unless God the Holy Spirit lives within and reveals the love and beauty of it all. (1 Corinthians 2:8-16)
Those who truly love Jesus and want to honor Him believe the Word of God and act on it. (James 1:22, Matthew 7:24) If we err in being zealous, so be it! Our desire is to please God! What does that mean? It means we need to completely love Him with all our hearts and live out His love that fills us and expresses His love to the world. (Mark 12:30-31) In doing that, we show the love of God that brought Jesus to us. The Love of God that makes no earthly sense but displays God’s indescribable love and wisdom. Let us continue to be fervent in our love and service for the Lord. Let the fire not be unattended, but fed and stoked to rage ever hotter and ever brighter. (Revelation 3:17-19) Let’s not be “sensible!” Let our passion for Christ be stoked by the great love of God so that we never become sensible but always be driven by His love. May we be unchanging insensible in our love and passion for Jesus. Let us be unchanging toward Him as He is unchanging toward us. Malachi 3:6a ““For I am the Lord, I do not change…”
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with Your God.
Numbers 6:24-26 “The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.”
by Bob withActs 25:13-22 – 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.” 22 Then Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear this man myself.” He replied, “Tomorrow you will hear him.”
“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.” King Agrippa II was a descendant of evil rulers. He was the son of King Agrippa 1 who was the great-grandson of Herod, the one who tried to destroy Jesus at the time of His birth (Matthew 2:13-18). His great-uncle was the one who beheaded John the Baptist (Matthew 14:3-12). His father Agrippa 1 was the one who ordered the execution of James and imprisoned Peter, hoping to execute him, until the Lord miraculously released him from prison (Acts 12). King Agrippa 1 was the last Herod with full reign over Judea and King Agrippa 2’s rule was over a much limited area.
Bernice was either the half-sister of King Agrippa 2. She and the king were not married, but lived and traveled together. Period written testimony is that they were greatly in love and rarely parted. Bernice was reported to be a beautiful woman whose first husband (Herold of Chalcis), her uncle, had died. After his death she and King Agrippa 2 had a relationship so shameful that even the pagan Roman’s would not sanction a marriage. Later she left King Agrippa to have an affair with a general named Titus who later became the emperor. Titus is the same general who would later destroy Jerusalem and burn the Temple (70 AD) (as predicted by Jesus in Mark 13:2). Bernice did not stay with Titus, but then returned to King Agrippa 1. Both Agrippa and Bernice truly deserved each other.
King Agrippa 2 was the lay leader of the Jews. He had been given power to appoint the Jewish high priest. Festus took the opportunity to discuss with King Agrippa 2 his conundrum of what to do with Paul. He explained the situation to him. Now the problem of what to do with Paul was not whether Paul was guilty or not. It was that he did not want to anger the Jewish leaders by releasing Paul and yet he knew that Paul had not committed a crime, even more so not one deserving death, as the Jewish leaders were demanding. Festus was hoping, even though he knew Paul was innocent, that King Agrippa 2 would give him reason to charge Paul. His search for justice is thinly veiled as he already knew Paul was not guilty of crime against Rome which deserved death (Acts 25:18-19).
““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.” As Festus saw it, Roman law was clear about the rights of the accused, at least if they were Roman citizens. They had right to face their accusers and to defend themselves against the charges. We can contrast that to the Jewish leaders who did not allow that for Jesus, Stephen, or Paul. In fact they killed Jesus who did not argue His case, and they became enraged and killed Stephen for how he put up his defense (Acts 6:8 – 7:60) and now they had become so enraged at Paul that they had wanted use mob justice to tear Paul apart. (Acts 21:30-32, 23:10:27). In this case, the justice of the Romans was superior to the justice of the Sanhedrin. Yet we should not be smug as we see even today that when it is popular, justice for the accused, the rights of the accused, can easily, and popularly, be case aside.
Family and friends, justice is supposed to be blindly given to all. The Jewish leaders knew that God commanded them to be just to all. (Deuteronomy 16:18-20, Leviticus 19:15, Deuteronomy 16:18-20). The Romans had a good understanding of justice as we see in Acts 25:26. In the U.S.A the Sixth Amendment (ratified in 1791) states “In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense.” God calls for everyone to be just, in all matters, legal and civil, and in all matter of community, in relational matters, and in all matters that must be decided. (Micah 6:8) God just wants us to love each other and treat each other as we would want to be treated. (Mark 12:31, Matthew 7:12) So regardless of what another, or others, may think, let us be the standard bearers for justice and righteousness that God will approve of. Justice for all, kindness for all, equality for all, love for all. In that, we please God. Praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with Your God.
Numbers 6:24-26 “The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.”
by Bob withJeremiah 29:13 – I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.
Isaiah 41:10 – So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Those who push in to know God know God. (Jeremiah 29:13) Those who will not, and indeed cannot accept not knowing Him, will know Him. God has promised us that those who seek Him with all that we are, with Him as our highest prize, will know Him. (Deuteronomy 4:29, Proverbs 8:17) All of His promises are always and eternally true. (Joshua 21:43-45, 23:14, Numbers 23:19, Psalm 145:13, Romans 4:20-21) All His Word, all that comes from Him is truth because there is no error and no deceit within Him. (1 Peter 2:22, Titus 1:2, Hebrews 6:18) If there is no deceit within Him then there can be no deceit from Him. So He is Truth and all that He states is true. (John 14:6, John 8:32, Romans 3:4) Furthermore, He is always faithful because it is part of His intrinsic nature. (2 Timothy 2:12, 1 Corinthians 1:9, Deuteronomy 7:9) Not one part of Him is not faithful. Like blue coloring that is put into a cup of water and it mixes with all the water. The water is still water, but the blue is attached to all of it. We cannot see the water without seeing the blue. We cannot know God without being aware that He is True and Faithful. God has promised to all who truly want to know Him that He will reveal Himself to us. He wants us to know Him. He went so far for us to know Him that He gave us Jesus as the exact representation of the fullness of Him (John 14:9, Hebrews 1:3, Colossians 1:15). God the Son stepped down from His throne to take on flesh (Philippians 2:6-8) to demonstrate to us the love, faithfulness and truth of God that could be seen, heard and touched. Indeed God has promised that all who want to know Him will know Him and Jesus is the proof, the completion of that promise. And finally, if we know, by the validation of the Holy Spirit within, that we know Him, then we know that His promises are true and He is faithful to all of them. Since that is true what have we to fear? With the one and only Almighty God who is Creator and Supreme Ruler of all on our side and always with us, whom or what shall we fear? We know it is true that we have nothing and no-one to fear. So if we fear, the only question is how much do we know God, or horribly, do we know Him? 2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” It is true “Know God, no fear; No God, know fear.” Now Family, none of us, even with the Bible, know God fully in this life. It is a life long journey. But we should get to the point where the terrors of the world are not what scares us, and that is so because we know and trust God.
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with Your God.
Numbers 6:24-26 “The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.”
by Bob with