Acts 25 Paul Appeals to Caesar
Last verse of chapter 24 (reminder)
Festus succeeded Felix
Acts 24:27 (KJV), “But after two years Porcius Festus came into Felix’ room: and Felix, willing to shew the Jews a pleasure, left Paul bound.”
God prevented Paul from being ambushed and killed
Acts 25:2-4 (KJV), “2 Then the high priest and the chief of the Jews informed him against Paul, and besought him, 3 And desired favour against him, that he would send for him to Jerusalem, laying wait in the way to kill him. 4 But Festus answered, that Paul should be kept at Caesarea, and that he himself would depart shortly thither.”
Paul, knowing he did nothing wrong deserving of death, appealed to Caesar
Acts 25:12 (KJV), “Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered, Hast thou appealed unto Caesar? unto Caesar shalt thou go.”
Herod Agrippa also known as Herod II or Agrippa I, was the last Jewish king of Judea. He was a grandson of Herod the Great
Acts 25:13 (KJV), “And after certain days king Agrippa and Bernice came unto Caesarea to salute Festus.”
Festus told Agrippa he found nothing against Paul
Acts 25:26-27 (KJV), “26 Of whom I have no certain thing to write unto my lord. Wherefore I have brought him forth before you, and specially before thee, O king Agrippa, that, after examination had, I might have somewhat to write.
27 For it seemeth to me unreasonable to send a prisoner, and not withal to signify the crimes laid against him.”
Titus 1
He instructs Titus how to deal with them: Wherefore rebuke them sharply. When Paul wrote to Timothy he bade him instruct with meekness; but now, when he writes to Titus, he bids him rebuke them sharply.
Paul’s greeting to Titus
Titus 1:1 (KJV), “Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness.”
Strong’s Concordance (1401) – doulos: a slave. Thayer’s Greek Lexicon – b. metaphorically, α. one who gives himself up wholly to another’s will; are those whose service is used by Christ in extending and advancing his cause among men: used of apostles. A bondservant.
What is a bondservant?
Deuteronomy 15:16-17 (KJV), “16 And it shall be, if he say unto thee, I will not go away from thee; because he loveth thee and thine house, because he is well with thee; 17 Then thou shalt take an aul, and thrust it through his ear unto the door, and he shall be thy servant forever. And also unto thy maidservant thou shalt do likewise.”
To Titus, as with Timothy, but now in Crete
Titus 1:5-6 (KJV), “5 For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee: 6 If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly.”
Crete is the largest island in Greece
Watch out for many who still live by the law and practice unrighteousness
Titus 1:10-16 (KJV), “10 For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision: 11 Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre’s sake. 12 One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, the Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies. 13 This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith; 14 Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth. 15 Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. 16 They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate. ”
Jeremiah 1
The Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah
In that day, there was a great dispute in Israel, the nation chosen by God, about who was to become king. Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, was rightful heir to the throne and reigned after Solomon’s death. Jeroboam was a servant who rebelled against Solomon.
The 10 tribes of Israel made Jeroboam king and the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, along with the Levites, remained with Rehoboam. The split was prophesied by the Lord (1 Kings 11:11-13, 29-39) because of Solomon’s sin.
1 Kings 11:11-13 (KJV), “11 Wherefore the Lord said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant. 12 Notwithstanding in thy days I will not do it for David thy father’s sake: but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son. 13 Howbeit I will not rend away all the kingdom; but will give one tribe to thy son for David my servant’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake which I have chosen.”
We see throughout the rest of the Old Testament how these two nations fought with one another. They each became strong and independent and created two distinct lineages in history. Each had their own kings, and even their own prophets. Sadly, also both Israel and Judah fell into captivity, although to different powers and at different times. God sent the Babylonians to capture the House of Judah, and He sent the Assyrians to conquer the House of Israel. And while the Babylonian captivity of Judah lasted for a period of 70 years, Israel never fully came out of the Assyrian captivity. The Samaritans were considered half-breeds from the House of Israel. But many tribes were considered lost. At first, they were known as the “diaspora”, which is a common name for the Jewish people who live away from their land. Eventually, the northern tribes became the “lost sheep of the House of Israel.”
Opening
Jeremiah 1:1-3 (KJV), “The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin: 2 To whom the word of the Lord came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. 3 It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month.”
The Prophet Is Called
Jeremiah 1:4-5 (KJV), “4 Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.”
Jeremiah was worried that he was too young
Jeremiah 1:7-8 (KJV), “7 But the Lord said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. 8 Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord.”
God tells Jeremiah that calamity will come from the north
Jeremiah 1:14-16 (KJV), “14 Then the Lord said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land. 15 For, lo, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith the Lord; and they shall come, and they shall set everyone his throne at the entering of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls thereof round about, and against all the cities of Judah. 16 And I will utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands.”
Jeremiah must tell Jews what is going to happen and God will protect him
Jeremiah 1:19 (KJV), “And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the Lord, to deliver thee.”
Proverbs 12 (read)
Isaiah 64
From the beginning of time, we have forsaken God
Isaiah 64:4-5 (KJV), “4 For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him. 5 Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways: behold, thou art wroth; for we have sinned: in those is continuance, and we shall be saved.”
Isaiah pleads for God’s mercy
Isaiah 64:8-12 (KJV), “8 But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand. 9 Be not wroth very sore, O Lord, neither remember iniquity forever: behold, see, we beseech thee, we are all thy people. 10 Thy holy cities are a wilderness, Zion is a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation. 11 Our holy and our beautiful house, where our fathers praised thee, is burned up with fire: and all our pleasant things are laid waste. 12 Wilt thou refrain thyself for these things, O Lord? wilt thou hold thy peace, and afflict us very sore?”
Grow in the Word of the Lord 