Skip to content Acts 25-26: Standing for Truth Amidst Corruption Oct 29 · 14 min ...more
Acts 25-26: Standing for Truth Amidst Corruption
October 29, 2025 · 14 min
Explore Paul's bravery in Acts 25-26 as he stands for truth amidst political and moral corruption.
Series Stand on the Word - Video On Demand October 29, 2025 · 14 min · Stand on the Word - Video On Demand
Explore Paul's bravery in Acts 25-26 as he stands for truth amidst political and moral corruption. ...more Show the full description Show less Explore Paul's bravery in Acts 25-26 as he stands for truth amidst political and moral corruption.
In this video 0:00 Standing for Truth Amid CorruptionSeries Stand on the Word - Video On Demand Support this leader Liking this video? Support this ministry.
Support this leader
Liking this video? Support this ministry.
Give
Support this leader Liking this video? Support this ministry.
Standing for Truth Amid Corruption 0:10 Good morning. Welcome to Stand on the Word while the sun is rising over our nation's capital, and we are looking at Acts chapters 25 and 26 today. We're gonna be coming to the end0:21 of Acts this week, and we will begin Paul's prison letters with the book of Ephesians, 1 of my favorite books of the bible. We have a new resource available, Paul Paul's Prison0:33 Letters. If you'd like to get a copy of that, text the word letters to 6 7 7 4 2. That's letters to 6 7 7 4 2. That's plural letters. Alright. Today, Paul0:45 shows us how we're to stand for truth before the politically corrupt and the morally compromised. Very relevant. Verse 22 of chapter 26, therefore, having obtained help from God to this0:57 day, I stand, witnessing both to small and great. Paul had been left in prison for 2 years. Doctor Luke was apparently with Paul during this time and is believed this is1:08 when Paul actually wrote his gospel account. Now, that would have been around 60 AD. Festus then replaced Felix, but not much had changed. Paul had been left in prison when1:20 Felix left because Felix wanted to, curry favor with the Jewish leaders. And you say, well, why is that? Well, even though, the Jewish people were under Roman rule,1:32 these appointed leaders did not want word getting back to Rome that they couldn't take care of business because they were their interest was in their own political survival and advancement. And,1:44 unfortunately, that remains true for many today. Verse 1, chapter 25. Now when Festus had come to the province, after 3 days, he went up from Caesarea1:55 to Jerusalem. Then the high priest and the chief men of of the Jews informed him against Paul, and they petitioned him, asking a favor against him that he would summon summons2:08 him to Jerusalem while they lay in ambush along the road to kill him. So these guys weren't very creative. This was the same plan as before. They wanted to kill Paul in transit. Verse2:19 5. Therefore, he said, let those who have authority among you go down with me and accuse this man to see if there's any fault in him. Verse 7. When he had come, the Jews who had come down from2:31 Jerusalem stood about and laid many serious complaints against Paul, which they could not prove. While he answered for himself, neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against2:43 Caesar have I offended in anything at all. But Festus, wanting to do Jews a favor, same thing as, Felix, answered Paul and said, are you willing to go up to Jerusalem2:55 and there be judged before me concerning these things? Now Paul knew what this meant. If Festus turned him over to the Jews, let him go back to Jerusalem, they were gonna kill him. He knew this. So Paul3:07 said, I stand at Caesar's judgment seat where I ought to be judged. To the Jews, I have done no wrong, as you very well know. For if I am an offender or have3:19 committed anything deserving of death, I do not object to dying. But if there is nothing in these things of which these men accuse me, no 1 can deliver me to them. I appeal to Caesar.3:31 Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered, you have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar, you shall go. So Festus really doesn't know what to do. The3:43 charges against Paul were without merit, as verse 7 states, they couldn't prove their claims. So king Agrippa is in town, who remember is the brother of3:55 Drusilla, Festus' second wife. You know, king Agrippa would have heard of Paul, so he tells Festus he would like to hear Paul. I've seen for himself. Festus is eager for that4:07 to happen because he it appears he's looking for some political cover himself. But before we continue, let me give a summary of this cast of characters that Paul is standing in front of because it's it's really kinda4:18 like a soap opera. Now I'm gonna borrow here from the narrative from Haley's Bible handbook because he gives a good concise description here. King Agrippa was Herod Agrippa the4:30 second, son of Herod Agrippa the the first, who was 16 years old before who was 16 years before who 16 years before had killed James the apostle.4:42 King Agrippa was the grandson of Herod Antipas, who had killed John the Baptist and mocked Jesus, the great grandson of Herod the great who had murdered the children4:54 of Bethlehem. Bernice was his sister living with him as his wife. And I know it's kinda hard to follow. She had already been married to 2 kings and had come back5:06 to be her brother's wife. Alright? Now, apparently, she was a very beautiful woman. She later became mistress to emperor Vaspian,5:19 and to emperor Titus. I mean, this is quite the cast of characters. Verse 26.5:31 I have nothing certain to write to my lord concerning him. Therefore, I brought him out before you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after the5:42 examination has taken place, I may have something to write. For it seems to me unreasonable to send a prisoner and not to specify the charges5:54 against him. Alright. So he he has he he really doesn't know Festus doesn't know what to write, so he wants Agrippa to come and see, you know, for himself. Again, getting political6:06 cover. So what happens when political rulers govern or make decisions by poll or popular opinion? Well, I tell you, justice dies.6:18 Festus knew. He knew Paul had done nothing wrong, but Paul had appeared appealed rather to Caesar knowing what would happen if he were taken to Jerusalem. Again, Festus was6:29 making decisions based upon popular opinion or polling. Paul was willing to be martyred, but he did not have the mindset of a martyr, and I think that's important. You know, the6:41 Lord told him that he was going to Rome. So he was once again, we see here, acting upon the word of the Lord. Also, given that we live in a time of similar6:53 political corruption and moral compromise, I think we can learn from Paul as he stood between, stood before these 2 leaders. Does he shrink back in silence? No. He takes this opportunity to7:05 proclaim truth. Look at verse 1 chapter 26. Then Agrippa said to Paul, you are permitted to speak for yourself. So Paul stretched out his hand and answered for himself, I think myself happy, king7:17 Agrippa, because today I shall answer for myself before you concerning all the things of which I am accused by the Jews, especially because you are an expert in all7:29 customs and questions which have to do with the Jews. Therefore, I beg you to hear me patiently. Now Paul takes this opportunity to give his testimony from his youth,7:41 how he was zealous for the law as a Pharisee, persecuting Christians, and then his Damascus road experience that transformed his life. He's able to give his testimony.7:53 Verse 12. While thus occupied as I journeyed to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priest at midday, oh king, along the road, I saw the light from heaven, brighter than the sun shining around me8:05 and those who journeyed with me. And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in the Hebrew language, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?8:17 It is hard for you to kick against the goads. So I answered, who are you, lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. Notice what Jesus said. I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.8:29 Persecuting the body of Christ is persecuting Christ. What does that mean? It means god knows and god cares. But when you then you might ask, well, why does god8:41 allow injustice and and persecution to happen to his people? Why does he allow it? Jump down to the very last verse of this chapter, verse 32. Then Agrippa said to Festus, this man might have been8:53 set free if he had not appealed to Caesar. Paul was not guilty of any wrongdoing. Could have walked out of there a free man. Why was this happening to him?9:05 Alright. Go back to verse 16. But rise and stand on your feet for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you9:17 have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. This is Paul recounting his encounter with god on the on the lord Jesus on his way to Damascus. Verse 17, I will deliver you from the Jewish9:29 people as well as from the Gentiles to whom I now send you, to open their eyes in order to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to god that they may receive9:41 forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in me. So why does god allow this to happen? For his purposes and for his glory.9:54 It it it's hard for us to really come to grips with that, but it's not about us. It is about god. It is to him that we live. It is in him that we find our purpose. It is10:05 for his glory that we live. Verse 19, therefore, king Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus and Jerusalem and throughout all the region of10:17 Judea, and then to the Gentiles that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance. That's the that's the not that's the gospel in a nutshell.10:29 For these things for these reasons, the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. Therefore, having obtained help from God to this day, I stand, witnessing both to small and great, saying no other10:41 things than those which the prophets and Moses said would come. Alright. Paul understood why this and so many other things had happened to him to make the10:53 power of god known just as the prophets had foretold. Now Paul was to go to the people with the truth of god to open their eyes that they might turn from darkness11:05 to light, from the power of Satan to the power of god, receiving forgiveness of their sins. It again, it goes back. It is for God's purposes, for his kingdom, for his glory. Now11:17 there are some in the church today who have been misled into thinking that God serves us and our purposes, which leaves, you know, people disillusioned when god doesn't pluck us out of11:29 persecution and opposition when it arises. Such a view. Alright. Hear me on this. Such a view is a perverted view of biblical truth. God is not11:41 here to serve us and our purposes. We are here to serve him and his purposes. Man's chief end is to glorify god and to enjoy him forever. When we live with11:53 that understanding, when we are standing before the politically corrupt and the morally compromised, we can stand like Paul declaring God's truth saying, I think myself12:04 happy. Father, thank you for your word. Thank you for, again, for the example of Paul. And, Lord, we know that we can only live and stand before12:16 the politically corrupt, the morally compromised, Lord, which we were at 1 time if we had not had the transformative encounter with your holy12:28 spirit and the salvation that comes through Jesus Christ alone. And so we look to the holy spirit to strengthen us, to enable us to stand as Paul did. It is in the strength12:40 of Christ, in the holy spirit that we stand. So father, I pray that you would guide and direct us and lead us for your purposes, for your kingdom, for your glory. May we live unto you. We pray in Jesus'12:52 name. Amen. Again, if you like to have a copy of the letters, Paul's Prison Letters, text letters to 6 7 7 4 2. That's letters to 6 7 7 4 2. Until next time,13:03 keep standing on the word.13:08 Today's study comes from the stand on the word bible reading plan available for free at f r c dot o r g slash bible. By following along in just a few minutes a day, you13:20 can read through the entire Bible in just 2 years. Learn more and request the free reading guide at f r c dot o r g slash bible.93.9K followers
Family Research Council is serving in the kingdom of God by championing faith, family, & freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview.
93.9K followers
Comments No comments yet. Start the conversation.
Comments
Keep it kind. Comments are public.