Thorburn-Sutherland's River Pastoral Charge

God of new life, your Word can change lives with mercy and purpose. Send your Holy Spirit to help us hear your Word with its potential to change our lives as we follow Jesus Christ, your Living Word. Amen.

Now we’ve spent a lot of time reading and learning about the Paul and the early followers of Jesus and the purpose is, not only for our knowledge about early Christianity, but to see how much they believed as well as their incredible faith, which helps give us strength and faith in these often difficult times we find ourselves today.

Today in our readings, we find the Apostle Paul standing in chains before a man by the name of Herod Agrippa II, who was the king of the regions around Jerusalem. Paul had been charged by the leaders of the Temple in Jerusalem of trying to both defile the temple by bringing a Gentile, meaning someone just like us, into the inner sanctuary and of trying to incite a riot in the city. He had been tried by the governor of Judea at the time, Felix, who could not find anything wrong with what Paul had done, but in order to appease the Jewish leaders, he held Paul in jail for two years.

Now by this time Felix had been succeeded by another governor, Festus, who, after hearing Paul defend himself, said this to him, “‘…Do you wish to go up to Jerusalem and be tried there before me on these charges?’” (Acts 25:9) This was Paul’s reply, “‘I am appealing to the emperor’s tribunal; this is where I should be tried. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as you very well know. Now if I am in the wrong and have committed something for which I deserve to die, I am not trying to escape death; but if there is nothing to their charges against me, no one can turn me over to them. I appeal to the emperor.’” (Acts 25:10-11) As a Roman citizen Paul had the right to have his case heard by the emperor in Rome and this is what he chose to do.

But this was a problem for the newly appointed governor, Festus, who wanted to appease the Jewish leaders of the Temple, but, because he was not Jewish, could not understand the charges against Paul. With his Roman background he couldn’t comprehend why the Jews hated Paul and why Paul kept talking about “a certain Jesus, who had died, whom Paul affirmed to be alive.” (Acts 25:19).

But, by good fortune, King Agrippa and his partner, Bernice, had arrived at the palace of the governor to welcome Festus to Judea. While they were there, Festus decides to ask for Agrippa’s help.  We’re told, “So on the next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp, and they entered the audience hall with the military tribunes and the prominent men of the city. Then Festus gave the order and Paul was brought in.” Festus arranged to have all the military leaders and the leading men of the city waiting for the entrance of Agrippa and then he had Paul brought before him.

Agrippa had a Jewish background and was in charge of the Temple in Jerusalem and the priests, so he understood the beliefs of the Jewish faith. His great grandfather was Herod the Great, the one who had all the baby boys in Bethlehem murdered and his father, Agrippa the First, was the one who murdered the Apostle James and had the disciple Peter thrown in jail.

This is how Festus opened the hearing, “‘King Agrippa and all here present with us, you see this man about whom the whole Jewish community petitioned me, both in Jerusalem and here, shouting that he ought not to live any longer. But I found that he had done nothing deserving death; and when he appealed to his Imperial Majesty, I decided to send him. But I have nothing definite to write to our sovereign about him. Therefore, I have brought him before all of you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that, after we have examined him, I may have something to write— for it seems to me unreasonable to send a prisoner without indicating the charges against him.’” Festus hoped that Agrippa, who was an expert in Jewish affairs, could help him write a report to send to Rome. Since Paul had appealed to have his case heard there, Festus had to have written charges to be brought to the tribunal in Rome along with Paul.

At this point Agrippa turns to Paul and says, “‘You have permission to speak for yourself.’” Paul then begins his defence with these words, “‘I consider myself fortunate that it is before you, King Agrippa, I am to make my defence today against all the accusations of the Jews, because you are especially familiar with all the customs and controversies of the Jews; therefore, I beg of you to listen to me patiently.’” Remember, King Agrippa, was a Jew. And while he lacks the authority actually to free Paul, he is clearly a man of power and influence. And as a fellow Jew, Paul knows he has a lot of common ground with Agrippa, and that is where he begins his defense.

And Paul begins by giving his credentials to Agrippa, he says, “‘All the Jews know my way of life from my youth, a life spent from the beginning among my own people and in Jerusalem. 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.’” So, Paul makes it very clear that not only was he a Jew, but he was also a Pharisee, following strictly all the laws of the Old Testament. He believes and shares in the hope of what God had promised to the Jewish people.

Paul then continues on to describe the zeal with which he persecuted this upstart religion, Christianity. He says to Agrippa, “‘Indeed, I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things against the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 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. 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.’” So convinced was Paul that the act of believing that Jesus Christ was the Son of God was heresy that he was bound bent to destroy all the followers of Jesus.

But after his life changing encounter with Jesus on that Damascus Road, Paul came to realize that Jesus had truly died and was raised from the dead. And that is what he said to King Agrippa, those leaders of the Temple, and all those gathered in that hall of assembly. Paul states, “‘And now I stand here on trial on account of my hope in the promise made by God to our ancestors, 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! Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead?’”

In other words, if you believe in the God of the Bible, you must necessarily believe that he has the power to raise the dead. God who created the world and has power over the whole universe, had promised eternal life with him. So, as Paul will go on to assert, the fact that God raised up Jesus proves that Jesus is the Messiah for the world. If you believe in the God who created all things and who spoke life into existence, you must also admit that God has the power to raise the dead.

That single question of Paul to King Agrippa that day is the core of the message for all time, “‘Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead?’” And that is the same for us as Christians in today’s world, our belief that God has the power to raise people from the dead. The basis of our faith is that Jesus came to earth as a man, wholly human, yet wholly divine, and offered himself as a sacrifice for our sins. And through his death on the cross our sins were atoned for, and then God raised his Son from the dead.

Then the question for us, the question of Jesus Christ and our relation to him, is this; either we believe him for who he is, or we reject him and his claims. Either he was raised from the dead and is the Son of God, or he was not, and was just another nice man with a lot of good ideas. Yes or no.

And why do we believe that Jesus is the Son of God? Because the Bible tells us so. The   Bible is years and years of written records and accounts of ancient times, studied by thousands and thousands of scholars then, and still now. The Bible is the word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit, and it testifies to the truth of who Jesus is. The Bible tells us that Jesus was born of a virgin, that he lived a sinless life, that he performed miracles, that he taught with authority, that he died on the cross, and that he rose from the dead. The Bible tells us that Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ, the Lord, the King of Kings, and the Lamb of God. The Bible tells us that Jesus is God in the flesh, the second person of the Trinity, and the image of the invisible God.

But we don’t just believe that Jesus is the Son of God because of what the Bible says. We also believe it because of what Jesus did. Jesus showed us his love by laying down his life for us. He paid the price for our sins by shedding his blood on the cross. He defeated death and sin by rising from the grave. He gave us his Spirit by ascending to heaven. He intercedes for us by sitting at the right hand of God. He promises to come back for us by preparing a place for us. Jesus did all these things to prove that he is who he said he is, the Son of God.

And we don’t just believe that Jesus is the Son of God because of what Jesus did. We also believe it because of what Jesus still does. Jesus changes our lives by transforming our hearts. He forgives our sins by cleansing our consciences. He heals our wounds by comforting our souls. He guides our steps by leading our paths. He fills our emptiness by satisfying our desires. He gives us peace by calming our fears. He gives us joy by lifting our spirits. He gives us hope by securing our future. Jesus does all these things to show that he is who he said he is, the Son of God.

You see, Jesus is not just a good teacher, a prophet, or a miracle worker. He is much more than that. He is God in human flesh. He came to this world to show us God’s love, to die for our sins and to rise again from the dead. He is the only way to God, the only truth and the only life. Our faith in his resurrection is the essence of our souls, our way to God. Pray to God and ask him to reveal himself to you. Seek him with all your heart and you will find him. And when you do, you will discover the greatest gift of all: his love for you.

Let us Pray:

Almighty Father, we ask you for the strength to remain faithful to you always. Through Jesus let us feel each day your power in our lives and help us to make the right choices in all things. Though sometimes we may waver, we know that at the end of every day, you are always waiting for us to come home to you. Amen