Let's stand together for the reading of God's Word. We'll be looking at verses 13 through 27 of Acts chapter 5 today. The title of the sermon is Politics as Usual. I'll read from verse 1 of chapter 25 through to verse 1 of chapter 26. Please listen very carefully because this is God's holy and infallible Word. Now when Festus had come to the province after three days, he went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem. Then the high priest and the chief men of the Jews informed him against Paul, and they petitioned him, asking a favor against him, that he would summon him to Jerusalem, while they lay in ambush along the road to kill him. But Festus answered that Paul should be kept at Caesarea, and that he himself was going there shortly. Therefore, he said, let those who have authority among you go down with me and accuse this man to see if there is any fault in him. And when he had remained among them more than 10 days, he went down to Caesarea. And the next day, sitting on the judgment seat, he commanded Paul to be brought. When he had come, the Jews who had come down from 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 against Caesar have I offended in anything at all. But Festus, wanting to do the Jews a favor, answered Paul and said, Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and there be judged before me concerning these things? So Paul 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 have 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 one can deliver me to them. I appeal to Caesar.' Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered, You have appealed to Caesar? To Caesar you shall go. And after some days, King Agrippa and Bernice came to Caesarea to greet Festus. When they had been there many days, Festus laid Paul's case before the king, saying, and has opportunity to answer for himself concerning the charge against him. Therefore, when they had come together without any delay, the next day I sat on the judgment seat and commanded the man to be brought in. When the accusers stood up, they brought no accusation against him of such things as I suppose, but had some questions against him about their own religion, about a certain Jesus who had died, whom Paul affirmed to be alive. And because I was uncertain of such questions, I asked whether he was willing to go to Jerusalem and there be judged concerning these matters. But when Paul appealed to be reserved for the decision of Augustus, I commanded him to be kept till I could send him to Caesar. Then Agrippa said to Festus, I also would like to hear the man myself. Tomorrow, he said, you shall hear him. So the next day when Agrippa and Bernice had come with great pomp and had entered the auditorium with the commanders and the prominent men of the city, at Festus' command, Paul was brought in. And Festus said, King Agrippa and all the men who are here present with us, you see this man about whom the whole assembly of the Jews petitioned me, both at Jerusalem and here, crying out that he was not fit to live any longer. When I found that he had committed nothing deserving of death and that he himself had appealed to Augustus, I decided to send him. I have nothing certain to write to my Lord concerning him. Therefore, I have brought him out before you and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after the 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 charges against him. And then Agrippa said to Paul, You are permitted to speak for yourself. So Paul stretched out his hand and answered for himself. And thus ends the reading of God's word. Amen. Amen. Please be seated. In our day and age, similar examples proliferate, accelerate before our eyes. Political rulers who are not born again from above, not filled with the Holy Spirit of God, not motivated by love toward God, not overflowing with gratitude toward Christ, not not guided by God's word, not seeking first God's kingdom and righteousness. When this happens, such political rulers, what's going to guide them? They will be controlled by their own sin as they rule and judge. They will be controlled by their own sin as they rule and judge. Now, the surrounding political structure, like we see in Rome and like we have in places here in the United States today, the surrounding political structure may rein in their foolishness a bit. But again and again, what do we see? At best, such rulers, controlled by their sins, slither about within the system, making vague promises and declarations, aiming to advance themselves by pleasing others at best. And at worst, they become cruel pawns of the devil, willing to murder millions, willing to murder millions. This is what we see. Today, we'll see politics as usual with Festus and Agrippa, neither of whom love Christ, the risen king, a pagan and an apostate Jew. comfortably dance this fool's dance together. We see it in today's world as well, and I hope that you will consider well, that you will consider well the things we learned today as we come in less than a month to a time to vote. So first we'll see Agrippa and Bernice visit Festus. We'll look at Agrippa, learn a little bit more about him and Bernice and their twisted relationship and why they come to visit with Festus. Festus will then recount and go through the case to Agrippa, going on then to recount Paul's recent trial that he gave him. And then we see the pride and the pomp of Agrippa and Bernice on display as they arrive and this great assembly is put together there in Caesarea. And then Festus addresses Agrippa in this gathering. And then, as usual, and along the way, some questions for you to consider yourself in light of God's word. So the first we read is, after some days, King Agrippa and Bernice came to Caesarea to greet Festus. And then verse 14 says, when they had been there many days. Commentary tells us that when Agrippa and Bernice met Paul in the summer, it's likely the summer of A.D. 59, the king, Agrippa, that's who we're talking about, the king was 32 years old, and his sister was 31 years old, while Paul may have been about 60 years old. So it gives you a sense of the foolishness of the Jewish people in terms of the youth that's there, and you'll see further things as well. So about King Agrippa, the commentary tells us this would be Herod Agrippa II, who the history books tell us lived from about 28 A.D. until about 100 A.D. He was also known as Marcus Julius Agrippa, and he was the only surviving son of Herod Agrippa I, whose death we've looked at before and we'll look at again as reported in Acts chapter 12, verse 23. And he's the great-grandson of Herod the Great. You recall Herod the Great, the ruler of the region there at Jesus' birth. Herod the Great had ruled over the territory Philip originally received from Herod the Great. That is, Herod Agrippa II did. And then in AD 56, he received even more territory so that he ruled over the northeastern portion of Herod the Great's empire. Judea, Samaria and large parts of Galilee, however, remained in Roman control. The Romans did allow him to appoint the high priest, and this shows that they trusted him. And that's certainly not, you know, but backing out of the commentary, that's certainly not according to God's law. But you can see how things had become corrupted. Now, he was called king in some inscriptions and Agrippa II, he was part Jewish. And he did practice Judaism and was known to be familiar with it. So the Roman governor was seeking his help as one with some knowledge about these matters. He had a reputation of being very pious and an expert in Jewish issues. He was also a faithful vassal. Later, he would side with Rome in the war that led to Jerusalem's defeat in 8070. One of his sisters we've seen already, that's Drusilla, she was the wife of the very previous Roman governor, Felix. So you can see how things are intertwined here. Agrippa's appointment appears in Josephus, we're told about it there. And the very fact that his opinion is sought shows Festus' suspicion that the debate here is over Judaism. So he's an important ruler amongst the Jews. We already know that from the prior text that Festus is seeking the favor of the Jews, and it's likely that he's motivated the same here. Let's again recall this line, this Herodian line. Matthew 2.16, this is Herod the Great. Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry. And he sent forth and he put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men." So this is the grandfather. I read also that he was the great-grandfather. Herod Agrippa I, Acts 12.23, we've looked at this recently and we'll look at it again. Then immediately an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and died. But the word of God grew and multiplied. I want us to note here the warning to prideful political rulers who see themselves as somehow above the law, as somehow divine. What about Bernice? Well, Bernice was Agrippa's sister, full sister, who lived with him in Caesarea Philippi and at Rome. She was the older sister of Drusilla, the wife of Festus' predecessor, Felix. So Felix was married to Drusilla, and Drusilla is the sister of Bernice, who's married to Agrippa. Now, she was his own sister, the commentary tells us, and she was now a widow, the widow of his Uncle Herod, King of Chalcis, after whose death she lived with this brother of hers, who was suspected to be too familiar with her. And after she was a second time married to Polemon, King of Cilicia, she got to be divorced from him and returned to her brother, King Agrippa. The historian Juvenal speaks of a diamond ring which Agrippa gave to Bernice his incestuous sister, and both Tacitus and Swutonius speak of a criminal intimacy afterwards between her and Titus Vespasian. Drusilla, the wife of Felix, was another sister. Such lewd people were the great people generally in those times. Say not that the former days were better. Now, if you were an observer of current events, perhaps you've had some thoughts about political rulers or political candidates that have gone through your mind as you've heard this description of Agrippa and Bernice. Should we trust such individuals? Should we believe that they hold the answer for the future of our nation? Of course not. Of course not. We should not trust them. What you do with your vote is not something I will address today, but I will tell you right now. I hope that you will inform me if you can find a political ruler in today's world that we can trust. I think I can name a few, but I'd like to know of some more. It's one of the key points here in today's text, because they prove themselves to be untrustworthy in the way that they handle this very simple legal situation. The Lord has a perspective on this, the Lord laughs, and we should consider the divine irony in this event. Paul, the innocent one, walking in righteousness before the Lord, being judged by juvenile lewd criminals. Now, how long were they there? They were there for many days. Commentary says they came to salute Festus, to give him joy of his new promotion and to wish him joy in it. They came to compliment him upon his accession to the government and to keep up a good correspondence with him that Agrippa, who had the government of Galilee, might act in concert with Festus, who had the government of Judea. But so you see the typical political interaction there, but commentary says It is probable they came as much to divert themselves as to show respect to him and to share in the entertainments of his court and to show their fine clothes, which would do vain people no good if they did not go abroad. So this curiosity, this search for amusement is likely driving them like it did their relative at the time of Christ when he was on trial. So Festus goes on and explains the case to Agrippa. Text says Festus laid Paul's case before the king, saying there is a certain man left a prisoner by Felix, about whom the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me when I was in Jerusalem asking for a judgment against him. To them, I answered, it is not the custom of the Romans to deliver any man to destruction before the accused meets the accusers face to face and has opportunity to answer for himself concerning the charge against him. You know, one of the challenges for preachers is when the word of God repeats itself. And it's important for us, I think, to emphasize this repetition. And so when things are being repeated, it's worth pausing and saying, what is the emphasis here? And so this is an emphasis to show that Paul is innocent. Paul is innocent. First of all, he was left a prisoner by Felix. Felix didn't accuse him, didn't convict him. Felix didn't put any charges against him. He just held him. And by mentioning Felix, Festus alludes to all the conniving that had been involved in Paul's story. Remember we talked about that? Felix is seeking favor with the Jews. He's in trouble with the Romans. And he also is trying to balance the favor with the Jews and keep in line with the Romans. So there's a lot of conniving in Paul's story, that continuing theme of balancing Jewish favor with Roman law. And isn't that what we see in politicians all the time? They're chameleons. They're going to say one thing over here. They're going to say another thing over here. And the only reason we know now is because we have digital reproductions of it. And remember also Felix's wife, Drusilla, is the sister of Bernice and Agrippa. So by mentioning Felix in this setting, all of those connections, all of that influence comes to bear in the relationship between Festus and Agrippa. We also see mention here of the Jewish leaders again. Again, we see the illegal actions of the Jewish leaders. seeking to have Paul killed by Rome without evidence, just like they had done with Jesus. Now, I hope you recall that Luke-Acts, the two-volume set, one of the main reasons it was written, we can tell by there's a lot of courtroom Greek, a lot of legal Greek. One of the main reasons it was written was to serve as written defense for Christians in certain legal settings, especially in Jewish legal settings. And so this is testimony over and over again from multiple people that Paul had done no wrong to the Jews and those like Paul who believed what Paul believed also had done no wrong to the Jews. He mentions Roman due process. Again, this is worth, again, emphasizing. Note how God uses pagan governments to protect his people. Of course, the Jews are supposed to be the one who have God's law. They're supposed to be the ones who are demonstrating justice. But instead, we have this polytheistic pagan nation demonstrating and upholding a form of justice. Commentary says Festus insisted to the Jewish authorities that he would uphold Roman law, and this is described as the custom of the Romans, which requires that plaintiffs confront the persons they accuse. By invoking custom as a source of law, he was evoking a whole judicial use, both ancient and standard. Also, we read there is subtle polemic here, since a pagan state's procedure is protecting Paul from the murderous plots coming from God's nation and those who claim to walk after the law. But Festus, despite recognizing his innocence, does not free Paul, showing that he lacks nerve. So it is good to point out the ungodliness and the sinfulness of unbiblical, unchristian leaders. But we also have to realize that God is in charge and he may very well put them to use for the good of his people. And for that, we must be thankful. We must also understand that behind all of this is God's sovereignty. It's not whoever gets elected that's going to determine your future. It is not whether communism or Islam takes control of your nation or even your neighborhood that determines your future. Because nothing can take you from the hand of God. And we have to remember this, don't we? Well, Festus goes on to recount Paul's recent trial. He says, starting at verse 17, Therefore, when they had come together without any delay, the next day I sat on the judgment seat and commanded the man to be brought in and the accuser stood up. They brought no accusation against him of such things as I suppose, but had some questions against him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus who had died, whom Paul affirmed to be alive. And because I was uncertain of such questions, I asked whether he was willing to go to Jerusalem and there be judged concerning these matters. But when Paul appealed to be reserved for the decision of Augustus, I commanded him to be kept till I could send him to Caesar. So Luke has just recounted these, has just given these facts to us in the text right before. But now the testimony of Festus is set before any court that may judge Paul or any Christians in the future. First we see that Festus has an expedited trial. So unlike Felix, he doesn't continue to use Paul only as a bargaining chip. It does appear from this and history that Festus was less onerous to the Jews and was more likely to take care of things in a fashion that was more in keeping with Roman law. But also we know he's seeking Jewish favor. by quickly bringing Paul to trial again. This is what the Jews had wanted. They had wanted to get rid of Paul. Felix had simply held Paul in custody as a bargaining chip, but now Festus puts the bargaining chip to work. Commentary says he had been expeditious in it and that the prosecutors had no reason to complain of his being dilatory, that is, delaying. For as soon as ever they had come, without any delay, on the morrow, he had brought on the cause, on the case. He had likewise tried him in the most solemn matter, that is, he sat on the judgment seat, this was nothing informal, as they used to do in weightier causes, because there was a way, a less weightier way they could do it. He called a great court on purpose for the trial of Paul, that the sentence might be definitive, and the cause ended. So he had brought Paul for this case and he expected to receive some evidence from the Jews that was finally going to put it to rest. But he got unexpected words, unexpected accusations, and he himself said that there were no crimes. He carefully and objectively evaluated their charges, the commentary tells us, and recognize that they were not serious political charges which would warn a trial before the Roman governor. This word religion that's used here is a word for superstition and we saw it once before when Paul used it. to Athens, he said, then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious. And the word itself, it's a little bit unclear. It can have a positive or a negative connotation. It can mean, it's related to the word for demon, but it can mean someone who's just pious in religion. It's a little bit uncertain exactly what's meant here, but it could have been, when Festus used it, it could have been a bit of an insult to Herod as a Jew, describing Judaism with an insulting term like this, perhaps. And let's recall that pagan is one, and children, I use the word pagan a lot, right? You might just think that pagan is an unbeliever, but really, it's even more than that. It's one who worships false gods. So usually paganism references usually polytheistic individuals who do believe in the spiritual realm. So they're not materialistic folks. They're not folks who deny any spiritual realm. So pagans do worship. They have systems of worship, like Rome did, and you have your regional gods or your seasonal gods or your event gods that are associated with polytheism. So this is where Festus is coming from out of that system and he refers to Judaism from his perspective as a superstition. And I think we can see in many elected officials today and a lot of people today, they view Christianity the same way. They think it's a strange, odd thing and it's an old myth and the Bible isn't really true. And people like us who believe that it is true are just odd, superstitious people. So Paul affirms Christ's resurrection, and it's good to emphasize this, to see the importance of pointing always to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Festus remembers the most important part of the trial, though he doesn't treat it like it's the most important part, he kind of mentions it in passing. I want us to note how the Lord God includes the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the entire defense of Luke Acts. Luke Acts, as one of its main purposes, it appears pretty easy to establish that it was to help in a legal fashion. But it is fantastic. It is in the Bible. It is the gospel according to Luke. And it is the continuation of the work of the Lord Jesus Christ in the earth after his ascension. God has granted Paul the opportunity to proclaim the gospel to Roman and Jewish rulers as he makes his defense. Kaiser says this, the second reason for these two books was that they could be introduced into the Jewish courts as a defense of Christianity. Several scholars have shown that the sophisticated Greek of Luke and Acts is a legal defense of Christianity. And from the very first verses of Luke to the last verses of Acts, these books would have formed a perfect defense for an individual Christian who was being tried within a Jewish court. Both books presuppose a sophisticated Jewish legal audience. When I get to heaven, I'll be interested to find out how many lawyers, judges and perhaps even jurors were converted to Christianity simply because they were forced to read the evidence that the kingdom had indeed come. They could not declare a Christian guilty without reading that Christian's defense. And these two books formed that defense. It was a brilliant move. And of course, you would expect such brilliance since God himself gave these two books. So that should be of encouragement to us to see the Lord's design to get the gospel message out. And anytime we have an opportunity, we want to do the same thing, to speak the gospel, be always ready to speak the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, what gospel would Paul have been preaching in his defense? You might think, well, what gospel? What would I say to somebody? Well, I think Luke 24 is a great place to go to help you, to help you have conversations with folks about the gospel. This is Jesus. Jesus said to them, thus it is written and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day. And that repentance and remission of sin should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things. Behold, I send the promise of my father upon you, but Terry in the city of Jerusalem, until you are endued with power from on high. And he led them out as far as Bethany and he lifted up his hands and he blessed them. And now it came to pass while he blessed them that he was parted from them and carried up into heaven. This gives you a lot of good jumping off points, doesn't it? To preach the gospel. Jesus of Nazareth is the foretold Jewish Messiah. And when you hear Messiah, think prophet, priest, and king, the anointed one. And he is the Messiah of Jerusalem? Of Judea? No. Of all nations. Crucified, resurrected, ascended, reigning over all. When you share the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, tell the whole story. of who He is, what He has done, where He is, and what He is doing, and what He will do with this world. What He's doing with you, what He's done with you, the story of the King of the universe working in you. Tell them that all men everywhere, including the highest of human rulers, are commanded to confess their sins to God. Trust in his atoning death and turn away from their sin and in gratitude for his grace, serve him in love and obedience. It's sad to note Festus light interest in this great reality adjusting fact. This is the greatest reality adjusting fact. Christ is risen. Christ is risen indeed. And Festus just treats it as an odd superstition, an odd matter for court records. I wonder how often your heart does the same when we're here on the Lord's Day or maybe you're at home reading the scriptures and you read of the Lord's death and resurrection and you go, yeah, I knew that already. Mourn, mourn when your heart does the same. Mourn when our political rulers are the same as Festus. Mourn that we are not more deeply grieved that our leaders are like this, with no eye to kiss the sun. Few of them. Again, we see Paul's appeal to Caesar here. This is multiple testimonies, not only from Luke before, but now from Festus again, confirming it, two witnesses. So it makes it clear that Paul was not sent to Caesar because of any charges against him. There were no charges against him, but only because of his appeal to Augustus. You know how it is. If you are in custody and you get sent to the higher level of court, then it's just obvious to assume that there are some charges against you, that you've been convicted of some, not convicted, but indicted. You've been at least indicted. They're holding you for trial. Wasn't the case. Paul had not been indicted for anything. So now Agrippa and Bernice. We see their pomp. We see politics as usual. I mean, this is a great display of all the shoulder and elbow rubbing that goes on up in our nation's capital or in our state's capital. You might think they're on different teams, but then you go behind the scenes, they are not. It's like pro wrestling, except worse. Then Agrippa said to Festus, I also would like to hear the man myself. Tomorrow, he said, you shall hear him. So the next day, when Agrippa and Bernice had come with great pomp and had entered the auditorium with the commanders and the prominent men of the city, at Festus' command, Paul was brought in. So Festus grants permission for young Agrippa to hear Paul. He's curious about Paul, like his uncle Herod Antipas was about Jesus. Brothers and sisters, please note the dangers of humanistic, prideful, scholarly, intellectual curiosity about the God who made you, rather than humble faith towards Him. Note the dangers here of this. This is what we see on display. Back in Luke 23, his uncle. Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad. for he had desired for a long time to see him because he had heard many things about him and he hoped to see some miracle done by him. Have you seen that new movie? Have you seen it yet? I want to go see that new movie. Have you read that new book? Right? Have you played that new game? It's just a matter of amusement and entertainment. He wants to see a miracle, right? The Jews look for signs. The Greeks look for wisdom. Jesus, the power and the wisdom of God. He's no genie in a bottle, brothers and sisters. He is our God. There's great pomp in this great hall filled with great men, and it's a great joke. Note the hubris of humanistic rulers who transform appropriate reverence for God ordained institutions. That's what's tricky here. There is an appropriate commanded reverence for God ordained institutions. And they want to twist that into Satan's sin. Setting themselves up as gods and when we challenge them we're just irreverent, unsubmissive citizens. No, actually we're being their friends and warning them to kiss the sun while there is yet time. To trifle with the patience of God is a dangerous thing. Once again, also, we see Paul brought before a very powerful court in a very imposing setting. How many times have we seen this in the book of Acts? Facing the representatives of the most powerful kingdoms that have been set over him politically at that time. Paul, the truly honorable one in this situation, is being judged by perverted, inexperienced Jewish rulers and a pagan Roman, and pagan Romans as well. Now it's conceivable that some of the men who were present from the city of Caesarea were Christians, because we know there was a church that had been planted there. Commentary says, note great pomp is but great fancy. It neither adds any real excellency nor gains any real respect, but feeds a vain humor, which wise men would rather mortify than gratify. It is but a show, a dream, a fantastical thing. superficial and it passes away. And the pomp of this appearance would put one forever out of conceit with pomp when the pomp which Agrippa and Bernice appeared in was. It was stained by their lewd characters. That's the first thing. All the beauty of it was sullied, and all virtuous people that knew them could not but contend them in the midst of all this pomp as vile persons. It's from Psalm 15, four. You're gonna have contempt towards the vile person who puts on pomp. Next, it's outshone by the real glory of the poor prisoner there at the bar. The pomp of Jesus has been placed on Paul. What was the honor of their fine clothes compared with that of his wisdom and grace and holiness, his courage and constancy and suffering for Christ? Indeed, he's clothed in Christ. His bonds and so good a cause were more glorious than their chains of gold and his guards than their equipage. Who would be fond of worldly pomp that here sees so bad a woman loaded with it and so good a man loaded with the reverse of it? So this is a politics as usual situation. We've seen a lot of this in our world today. The crowds, the cheering, it appears to me almost like worship, whether you got on a red hat or a blue shirt. But you know, a lot of times in those crowds, it's just the simple Christians, the ones who want to see the Lord honored, who deserve the most honor of anyone at that gathering. So Festus addresses Agrippa in the gathering. Here's what Festus has to say at this moment. So far, it's been a recounting. Festus said, so it's all set up there. Here it is. They've had their entry. Festus says, King Agrippa and all the men who are here present with us, you see this man about whom the whole assembly of the Jews petitioned me, both at Jerusalem and here, crying out that he was not fit to live any longer. When I found that he had committed nothing deserving of death and that he himself had appealed to Augustus, I decided to send him. I have nothing certain to write to my Lord concerning him. Therefore, I have brought him out before you and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after the 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 charges against him. So Luke tells us about it. And then Luke tells us about Festus talking to Agrippa about these same points. And now Luke tells us about Festus telling it to this whole crowd of people. So there's abundant, abundant witnesses to the reality. And here we are again, the Jews want Paul dead. Clear evidence the Jews were seeking Paul's death illegally. And now it's been stated by three Roman leaders, Lysias, Felix, and now Festus, all of whom could have been called to come to a court hearing if necessary. And Paul is clearly not guilty of a capital crime. This word from Festus will serve as a powerful defense for Paul and any other Christians He committed nothing deserving of death, according to Roman law. And Paul's appeal to Caesar is again repeated, so that we have no doubt that Paul was sent to Caesar only because he had appealed to Caesar. Over and over again, we're being hit with this reality, over and over again. Now Festus is looking for help from Agrippa at this point in time, because he doesn't know what to write about Paul. Paul has put him in a bind. You see, one thing we can take from this is that sometimes these slithering, sinful, selfish leaders will end up in a bind. They will paint themselves into a corner. Because what should he have done? If he had been righteous, he should have let Paul go. He should have released Paul, is what he should have done. Paul is not going to go back to Jerusalem. He wasn't offered the option of being released. So he said, I appeal to Caesar. Now that puts him in a bind, and often we'll see political rulers in a bind. And our job as citizens, as good citizens, is to educate one another when we see political rulers putting themselves in a bind. When they say this over here and say that over there, to not let them hide, expose the evil deeds of darkness. So Festus, he's afraid of being exposed. Because he admits, the commentary says, that he has nothing certain to write, and this explains why he has assembled them together. Perhaps they can help him know what to say, given that it's unreasonable to send a prisoner without charges against him. And this Greek term describes something that does not make sense or lacks cause. It's absurd. So it was required for him to send this letter. I was in the previous quote. So there was this requirement. You couldn't just send someone. There was a requirement you had to put in it certain facts. And he didn't know what to put in it. And so he's in a bind. And that's why he's looking to Agrippa for help. One of the reasons he has Agrippa there in this situation is to get some help with that. So the Lord has demonstrated in today's text a lot of principles that we've seen in prior texts as well. First of all, let's have a few questions and then we'll close. Paul is not guilty of any crimes. Do we see that? He's not guilty of any crimes. He hasn't broken any Jewish law. He's not broken any Roman law. But nevertheless, where is he? Where is he? He's in custody. He's going through trial after trial. His life is in danger. So the question is simple here. How would you deal with being mistreated like Paul? Would you be able to, like Peter and John, rejoice that they had been counted worthy to suffer shame for his name? Would you rejoice in that? We can. We can rejoice. And Paul has been treated like a terrible, terrible person. stirring up division, stirring up strife, stirring up chaos. Guilty of crimes worthy of death is what the Jews have said of him. And yet, when you look at this, are you encouraged by God's great wisdom in creating the two-volume set, Luke-Acts, with its multilayered usefulness for God's people then and throughout history? seeing that God does the same thing now. God will use difficulties in your life as well when you have problems that you're facing, especially as we consider our friends who have been mistreated by political rulers in today's world simply for serving God. Now about politics. When you consider the current political candidates, especially let's think of the candidates for president of the United States of America, but not just them, but especially them. Who do you know of has proven to be filled with God's spirit and courageously pursuing God's kingdom? Can you name any of them? I cannot. And so what should you expect from a pagan or an apostate political ruler? Well, I think we get some clues from Festus. We get some clues here from Agrippa. That's what we should expect. Now, maybe they'll be doing and saying things that we'll ultimately give thanks to God for, as the Lord may use them to help His church. But on this side of what God does, brothers and sisters, the one charge I give to you is don't trust them. Do not put your hope in any princes, we're told in Psalm 146. We put our hope in Christ even when we do have princes who love Him and serve Him. So, we can really get caught up in this, and I just want to warn us, I know that I need this warning. We can really get caught up in this and having our hopes set on who gets elected and who doesn't. You don't need to write this down. This is usually pretty easy to remember. Stop it. OK, if that's you, if that's your heart, if you've got your hopes set on a particular outcome in this election and you're fretting and worried about which way it's going to go, quit it. Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Trust in the one who has died for you. Trust in the one who is raised from the dead. Trust in the one who really does reign over all things and who never is up for a vote. He can be trusted. And this should soothe us. Got ahead of myself. You can see there the next question is, does this does this mean there's no hope for our nation, no hope for our state, no hope for our towns? Going back to another question I skipped by accident, thinking about these pagan rulers that we've seen, do you note similar scandalous moral failures amidst political rulers and candidates of our day? I mean, wasn't there, I mean, I can't even repeat the things I've heard about one of the candidates, or even both of the candidates. Can't even talk about them. Right here. Now, does this mean there's no hope for our nation, for our state or our towns? Now, we know this intellectually. No, of course, Pastor Clark, we know we have hope in Jesus. But is that where your heart is? Are you walking in peace and in hope and in gladness? Because Jesus Christ, brothers and sisters, he is the king of kings and he is the prince of peace. And what happens on the second Tuesday of November this year, it is the second Tuesday, right? In November, this election is coming up. He is still the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. He is still the Prince of Peace. And whatever comes to pass there is according to His perfect plan for His people. Let's meditate on Christ a bit before this sermon ends. Psalm 45, 6 and 7. We're about to sing it. Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of your kingdom. You love righteousness and hate wickedness. Therefore, God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness more than your companions. Are you looking for a scepter you can trust? Are you looking for a ruler that you can count on? Look to Christ. Look to Christ. Isaiah nine describes Jesus this way unto us, a child is born unto us, a son is given and the government will be upon his shoulder. And his name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace, there will be no end upon the throne of David and over his kingdom to order it and establish it. With judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever, the zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. So every ruler in the earth, brothers and sisters, just like you and me, we at the end of our days, all of our thoughts, words and deeds will be compared to the righteous word of God. And there's a higher level of judgment for those who rule both in the church and the state. And Psalm 212. We hear these words and we're good Christian citizens when we remind our political rulers of these words. Now therefore be wise, O kings, be instructed, you judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the son lest he be angry and you perish in the way when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in him. Let us pray. Almighty and gracious Heavenly Father, we thank you that we are in your hand. We thank you, O God, that Christ has come and that he has shed his precious blood to deliver us from our sins and to make us your friends. Lord, we acknowledge that we are lacking faith so often. and that where our faith runs out, we often have fears and sin or bless us. We pray to have our faith increase and that we would place our hope and trust in you, Lord Jesus, and that you would bless us with wisdom that we need from your word to be faithful citizens here in our nation. But most of all, Lord, with our allegiance being to you, Lord Jesus Christ, Oh, that we would worship you and honor you in all that we think, say and do. In Jesus name.