Acts 25
The Trial Before Festus
1Three days after arriving in the province, Festus went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem, 2where the chief priests and Jewish leaders appeared before him and presented the charges against Paul. 3They urgently 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. 4Festus answered, "Paul is being held at Caesarea, and I myself am going there soon. 5Let some of your leaders come with me and press charges against the man there, if he has done anything wrong."
6After spending eight or ten days with them, he went down to Caesarea, and the next day he convened the court and ordered that Paul be brought before him. 7When Paul appeared, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many serious charges against him, which they could not prove.
8Then Paul made his defense: "I have done nothing wrong against the law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar."
9Festus, 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?"
10Paul 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. 11If, 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!"
12After Festus had conferred with his council, he declared: "You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go!"
Festus Consults King Agrippa
13A few days later King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea to pay their respects to Festus. 14Since 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. 15When I went to Jerusalem, the chief priests and 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 any man before he has faced his accusers and has had an opportunity to defend himself against their charges. 17When 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. 18When his accusers got up to speak, they did not charge him with any of the crimes I had expected. 19Instead, they had some points of dispute with him about their own religion and about a dead man named Jesus who Paul claimed was alive. 20I 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. 21When Paul made his appeal to be held over for the Emperor's decision, I ordered him held until I could send him to Caesar."
22Then Agrippa said to Festus, "I would like to hear this man myself." He replied, "Tomorrow you will hear him."
Paul Before Agrippa
23The next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and entered the audience room with the high ranking officers and the leading men of the city. At the command of Festus, Paul was brought in. 24Festus 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. 25I found he had done nothing deserving of death, but because he made his appeal to the Emperor I decided to send him to Rome. 26But 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. 27For I think it is unreasonable to send on a prisoner without specifying the charges against him."
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Matthew 8:23-27
Jesus Calms the Storm
23Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. 24Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!"
26He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.
27The men were amazed and asked, "What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!"
June 2, 2008
Risky Business
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READ: Matthew 8:23-27
He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. —Matthew 8:26Denis Boyles knew it would be challenging to interview a man on a roller coaster—especially when the interview took place during an attempt to set a world’s record for continuous riding. After several times around the track, Denis was so overcome with fear he could hardly talk.
Then the man showed him how to use his body and feet to lean into the loops, twists, and turns. Writing in AARP Magazine, Boyles explained how that took away the terror. It also taught him a lesson about risk and fear. The roller coaster felt risky though it was quite safe. But driving his car to the amusement park posed a far greater risk of injury. Risk and fear are easily confused.
As Jesus and His disciples crossed the Sea of Galilee, a storm came up and waves swept over their boat. Incredibly, Jesus was asleep. The disciples woke Him and said, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” (Matt. 8:25). In a gentle rebuke, Jesus asked, “‘Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?’ Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm” (v.26).
Like the disciples, the more we learn about Jesus, the more we trust Him. Our greatest risk is failing to depend on Him when life seems out of control.
— David C. McCasland
But we see Jesus! Oh, what peace!
What balm for troubled heart!
His very name brings rest and calm
And bids the fears depart! —Adams
Keep your eyes on Jesus and you’ll soon lose sight of your fears.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
June 2, 2008
Are You Obsessed by Something?
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READ:
Who is the man that fears the Lord? —Psalm 25:12
Are you obsessed by something? You will probably say, "No, by nothing," but all of us are obsessed by something— usually by ourselves, or, if we are Christians, by our own experience of the Christian life. But the psalmist says that we are to be obsessed by God. The abiding awareness of the Christian life is to be God Himself, not just thoughts about Him. The total being of our life inside and out is to be absolutely obsessed by the presence of God. A child’s awareness is so absorbed in his mother that although he is not consciously thinking of her, when a problem arises, the abiding relationship is that with the mother. In that same way, we are to "live and move and have our being" in God ( Acts 17:28 ), looking at everything in relation to Him, because our abiding awareness of Him continually pushes itself to the forefront of our lives.
If we are obsessed by God, nothing else can get into our lives— not concerns, nor tribulation, nor worries. And now we understand why our Lord so emphasized the sin of worrying. How can we dare to be so absolutely unbelieving when God totally surrounds us? To be obsessed by God is to have an effective barricade against all the assaults of the enemy.
"He himself shall dwell in prosperity . . ." ( Psalm 25:13 ). God will cause us to "dwell in prosperity," keeping us at ease, even in the midst of tribulation, misunderstanding, and slander, if our "life is hidden with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:3). We rob ourselves of the miraculous, revealed truth of this abiding companionship with God. "God is our refuge . . ." ( Psalm 46:1 ). Nothing can break through His shelter of protection.
"A Word With You" by Ron Hutchcraft
Knowing Before the Day - #5581
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Knowing Before the Day - #5581
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Monday, June 2, 2008
Download MP3 (right click to save)
Graduation day was a suspenseful day for our younger son. He wasn't totally sure what was going to be inside that diploma that the college President handed him. See, he had been informed several days before graduation that no one would know for sure that they were actually going to receive their diploma until they returned to their seat and looked inside the cover. The seniors didn't know their final grades, and if there were any unpaid fees they weren't going to know that either, until they opened their diploma cover and found a bill instead of a diploma.
Well, our son's name was called and he did that long march across that stage, he took what the President gave him, and returned to the bleachers. A moment later he looked my way, flashed a big smile and nodded his head, yes! Whoa! He made it! But it sure would have been nice to know in advance, wouldn't it?
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Knowing Before the Day."
Now, you may have all your schooling behind you, but you've still got one more graduation day, and so do I. It's the day we graduate from this life to whatever is beyond this life. In our word for today, from the Word of God, Jesus talks about the only document that will matter that day that our heart beats for the last time - the day eternity begins. In {bible}Luke 10:20{/bible} He says, "Rejoice that your names are written in heaven." Really? Written where? Well, our word today from the Word of God, {bible}Revelation 21:23, 25{/bible} describes heaven a little bit. It talks about a city that "...does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the Glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp ... On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there." And then verse 27 says, "Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life." That's the deciding document on the day you and I keep our appointment with God. It's the Lamb's Book of Life. Now, if Jesus said to rejoice because you're in it, obviously we can know in advance, right? That contradicts the usual conception that we won't know until we die if we're headed for heaven or hell, which by the way, Jesus presented frequently. And always as literally real places. Apparently, either your name is in the Lamb's Book of Life or it isn't. If it isn't, you can't enter heaven.
Now, my son didn't know until his graduation day if he made it or not. According to Jesus it doesn't have to be that way for us when it comes to that graduation day that matters forever. So, how can you know that your name is in His book - the one that records all those who are going to have life? See, the reason that we think we can't know until graduation day is because we have the wrong idea about what gets a person into heaven. Most folks think it will be based on whether our good deeds outweighed our bad deeds, and we couldn't know then until we die and get God's verdict. That's totally contrary to what God says. He says, He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. That mercy is described a few verses earlier in {bible}Titus 2:14{/bible}, "Jesus Christ gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness."
The only thing that will keep us out of heaven will be our sin; all the choices of our lives that we've done our way instead of God's way. Our sin carries a death penalty which Jesus, the Lamb of God, paid as our substitute when He died on the cross. And it's the Lamb's Book of Life. {bible}1 John 5:12{/bible} says, "He who has the Son has life, he who does not have the Son of God, does not have life." Is your name in the Lamb's Book of Life? It all depends what you've done with Jesus. The only way to heaven is to put your total trust in the One who died so you can live.
You could open your heart to Him right now, right where you are, and know before this day is over that you will graduate to heaven. If there has never been a time when you've made Jesus your personal Savior, your name isn't there, but it could be. Beginning today and lasting forever.
We'd love to help guide you into a relationship with Him, if you'd just visit our website. It's really why it's there. It's yoursforlife.net. I hope you'll visit there right away today. Jesus is waiting to hear your prayer of total trust in Him and He's waiting to enter your name.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Download MP3 (right click to save)
Graduation day was a suspenseful day for our younger son. He wasn't totally sure what was going to be inside that diploma that the college President handed him. See, he had been informed several days before graduation that no one would know for sure that they were actually going to receive their diploma until they returned to their seat and looked inside the cover. The seniors didn't know their final grades, and if there were any unpaid fees they weren't going to know that either, until they opened their diploma cover and found a bill instead of a diploma.
Well, our son's name was called and he did that long march across that stage, he took what the President gave him, and returned to the bleachers. A moment later he looked my way, flashed a big smile and nodded his head, yes! Whoa! He made it! But it sure would have been nice to know in advance, wouldn't it?
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Knowing Before the Day."
Now, you may have all your schooling behind you, but you've still got one more graduation day, and so do I. It's the day we graduate from this life to whatever is beyond this life. In our word for today, from the Word of God, Jesus talks about the only document that will matter that day that our heart beats for the last time - the day eternity begins. In Luke 10:20 He says, "Rejoice that your names are written in heaven." Really? Written where? Well, our word today from the Word of God, Revelation 21:23, 25 describes heaven a little bit. It talks about a city that "...does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the Glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp ... On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there." And then verse 27 says, "Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life." That's the deciding document on the day you and I keep our appointment with God. It's the Lamb's Book of Life. Now, if Jesus said to rejoice because you're in it, obviously we can know in advance, right? That contradicts the usual conception that we won't know until we die if we're headed for heaven or hell, which by the way, Jesus presented frequently. And always as literally real places. Apparently, either your name is in the Lamb's Book of Life or it isn't. If it isn't, you can't enter heaven.
Now, my son didn't know until his graduation day if he made it or not. According to Jesus it doesn't have to be that way for us when it comes to that graduation day that matters forever. So, how can you know that your name is in His book - the one that records all those who are going to have life? See, the reason that we think we can't know until graduation day is because we have the wrong idea about what gets a person into heaven. Most folks think it will be based on whether our good deeds outweighed our bad deeds, and we couldn't know then until we die and get God's verdict. That's totally contrary to what God says. He says, He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. That mercy is described a few verses earlier in Titus 2:14, "Jesus Christ gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness."
The only thing that will keep us out of heaven will be our sin; all the choices of our lives that we've done our way instead of God's way. Our sin carries a death penalty which Jesus, the Lamb of God, paid as our substitute when He died on the cross. And it's the Lamb's Book of Life. 1 John 5:12 says, "He who has the Son has life, he who does not have the Son of God, does not have life." Is your name in the Lamb's Book of Life? It all depends what you've done with Jesus. The only way to heaven is to put your total trust in the One who died so you can live.
You could open your heart to Him right now, right where you are, and know before this day is over that you will graduate to heaven. If there has never been a time when you've made Jesus your personal Savior, your name isn't there, but it could be. Beginning today and lasting forever.
We'd love to help guide you into a relationship with Him, if you'd just visit our website. It's really why it's there. It's yoursforlife.net. I hope you'll visit there right away today. Jesus is waiting to hear your prayer of total trust in Him and He's waiting to enter your name.