The Book of Acts ~ Study Seventy-Three

"Power to Appeal to the Highest Power"


Acts 25:1-12 (NLT) Three days after Festus arrived in Caesarea to take over his new responsibilities, he left for Jerusalem, where the leading priests and other Jewish leaders met with him and made their accusations against Paul. They asked Festus as a favor to transfer Paul to Jerusalem (planning to ambush and kill him on the way). But Festus replied that Paul was at Caesarea and he himself would be returning there soon. So he said, “Those of you in authority can return with me. If Paul has done anything wrong, you can make your accusations.”
   About eight or ten days later Festus returned to Caesarea, and on the following day he took his seat in court and ordered that Paul be brought in. When Paul arrived, the Jewish leaders from Jerusalem gathered around and made many serious accusations they couldn’t prove.
   Paul denied the charges. “I am not guilty of any crime against the Jewish laws or the Temple or the Roman government,” he said.
   Then Festus, wanting to please the Jews, asked him, “Are you willing to go to Jerusalem and stand trial before me there?”
   But Paul replied, “No! This is the official Roman court, so I ought to be tried right here. You know very well I am not guilty of harming the Jews. If I have done something worthy of death, I don’t refuse to die. But if I am innocent, no one has a right to turn me over to these men to kill me. I appeal to Caesar!”
   Festus conferred with his advisers and then replied, “Very well! You have appealed to Caesar, and to Caesar you will go!”

Paul remained in prison in Caesarea for two years going back and forth from speaking to Felix and then to his cell. For two years Felix got to hear the Gospel message and why it was important to his eternal soul. We see no indication that Felix ever accepted Christ. I wonder though how many guards and attendants to Felix did believe as they listened in on the conversations.

Finally, a new governor came in named Festus. The Jews had wanted him to take Paul to Jerusalem to be put on trial and for Festus to officiate the trial there. Their real plan was to murder Paul on the way. How can these people think that murder and lying are ok? Yet how can we consider doing those kinds of things right either? Just as they had justified their actions, we too justify ours. God calls us to obedience in Him. He justifies us through our belief and trust in God the Son Jesus. We can never justify our sinful actions and make them right. Like my mama used to say, "Two wrongs don't make a right."


Luke 16:14-15 (NLT) The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight."

The high priest and his cronies justified their actions. But, our Lord said that God knew their hearts. There was no pulling the wool over God's eyes. The same hold true for us. We can never hide from God and His justice. If we are believers then we must be open and honest with Him and repent. Turning from our selfish, self-seeking, self-justifying ways  and accepting His way is imperative.

The high powered Jews that day saw no need to be made right with God. They were blinded by their version of justice. Hate so filled their hearts that they wanted nothing but death for Paul.

Romans 2:7-8 (NLT) He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers. But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness. 


Romans 6:5-7 (NLT) Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin.

Life or death is the issue here. When we choose to lay down our selfish, self-centered, self-seeking lives to Jesus and when we give up and hand our lives over to Jesus, our sins loose control over our behavior. Christ raises us up to new life in Him when we give up ourselves to Him. Though we trip and fall at times, we can go to the One who loves us most and lay those sins down again. He is faithful and will forgive us. Our life in Jesus on this earth is a process of becoming perfected in Him.

1 John 1:7-9 (Message) If we claim that we experience a shared life with him and continue to stumble around in the dark, we're obviously lying through our teeth—we're not living what we claim. But if we walk in the light, God himself being the light, we also experience a shared life with one another, as the sacrificed blood of Jesus, God's Son, purges all our sin.
   If we claim that we're free of sin, we're only fooling ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense. On the other hand, if we admit our sins—make a clean breast of them—he won't let us down; he'll be true to himself. He'll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing. If we claim that we've never sinned, we out-and-out contradict God—make a liar out of him. A claim like that only shows off our ignorance of God.

The high priest and his cronies claimed to know God. We can see by their actions that they didn't. If you and I claim we know God and don't accept that we are sinners and worthy of His condemnation, we will never receive His gift of forgiveness, cleansing and justification. Repenting of our sins, admitting we are wrong and weak, is a brave and honorable thing. Holding on to our sin and claiming we aren't bad people, justifying our actions, leads to death. We are weak, not strong.

Paul knew of the hypocrisy of the high priest and his cronies. He had the right to be tried in a Roman court because he was a Roman citizen. Festus wanted to appease the Jews against Paul but Paul declared his right to a trial in Roman court. He appealed to Caesar. Festus' hands were tied and the Jews couldn't carry our their plan to murder him. Caesar was the highest human authority at the time. It would be like us appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court.

As believers we have the highest power available to us ~ the supreme Judge, righteous and true. Sin condemns us but the One who has the power to condemn us gives us a way to freedom. Jesus is our Judge and He is also our advocate if we accept Him this way. Without Him we have no one to appeal to. Those who choose to depend on themselves and think they can handle life without Him have no hope in this life or the next. I urge you to appeal to the only power who can save you from yourself and this world and eternity to come. Jesus is the only way. Appeal to Him.