Acts 25:9-12
But Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, “Do you wish to go up to Jerusalem and there be tried on these charges before me?” But Paul said, “I am standing before Caesar's tribunal, where I ought to be tried. To the Jews I have done no wrong, as you yourself know very well. If then I am a wrongdoer and have committed anything for which I deserve to die, I do not seek to escape death. But if there is nothing to their charges against me, no one can give me up to them. I appeal to Caesar.” Then Festus, when he had conferred with his council, answered, “To Caesar you have appealed; to Caesar you shall go.”
Subject: God's Sovereignty vs. Man's Free Choice.
Earlier in Acts Paul received the following vision from God about his future and God's purpose for Paul:
Acts 23:11 - The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.”
Paul knew he was to be in Rome to profess the Gospel. However, he didn't know the method he would take to get to Rome. For us today we may have thought the journey would be first class travel on American Airlines. Yet, that is not the case in the above passage. Paul is actually simply worshipping in Jerusalem and is accused of false worship by the Jewish religious leaders. They want to kill him but he narrowly escapes and is brought to trial before the local procurator, Festus, for Roman rule (Chief Financial Officer of the Province ... his job as to collect taxes). Later we learn that Paul would have been let go and released with no guilt, had he NOT appealed to stand before Caesar, in Rome. However, God used this incident to get Paul where He wanted him to be. Paul could have used the court system for his release. But, instead, he used the court system to accomplish God's will. God had arranged for him to be in Rome. It just was not going to be on the guided tour type method. It was to be through the prison system. Nero, Caesar at the time, was not yet, but would soon be, a chief enemy of the Christianity. Paul did not care either way. Paul knew God wanted him to be in Rome and he choose to use his free will to accomplish God's sovereign plan. That is how God guides and directs. God accomplishes His design through man''s obedient walk of faith.
No comments:
Post a Comment