Hi, this is Bill Meyer. Just before today's program begins, I want to remind you that this coming Monday, June 30th, marks the end of Insight for Living's financial year. To give a donation before the deadline, go to insight.org slash donate. And now today's message from Chuck Swindahl. Yeah.
Imagine the divine irony in the courtroom where Paul stood before an audience of his accusers. Paul, shackled and in chains, was the freest soul in the room.
Well, today on Insight for Living, Chuck Swindahl recounts this epic showdown when Paul refused to acquiesce to the smug men in royal robes. His steadfast resolve displayed the magnetic power of standing tall when everyone else bows low. Do you ever find your knees knocking when in the presence of your enemies?
Well, let's gain some inspiration from Paul's courage. Chuck titled his message, Standing Tall as Paul Stood. I want you to turn to a magnificent story that unfolds out of the book of Acts. And I'm looking toward Acts chapter 25. Let me catch you up with a little context here.
Paul has been through, better word is endured, four trials, all of them.
somewhat like mockeries. They're like kangaroo courts. Remind you, no evidence has been found against him, though he's still held under arrest. I remind you that he has not been proven guilty, but he has been kept. in confinement.
He has appealed to Rome, which, in other words, means Nero. And he is living for the day he can stand before Nero, though we have no biblical story that contains that. We believe he ultimately did have the chance to testify before the emperor. And uh The trial we're looking at today in chapter 26, a little later on, is the fifth of five trials that he endured. Let me set the stage for that fifth trial.
Look at 25:12. When Festus had conferred with his council, Festus is the procurator or the governor of the day. In Caesarea, where this happens, Caesarea by the sea. Festus answered, You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar, you will go.
He's speaking to Paul at the end of the fourth trial.
Now, when several days had elapsed, King Agrippa. Mark these names. And Bernice arrived at Caesarea. and paid their respects to Festus. While they were spending many days there, Festus laid.
Paul's case Before the king, That's King Herod. A grip on it. Festus laid Paul's case before Herod. Saying, there is a man who was left as a prisoner by Felix. And when I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews brought charges against him, asking for a sentence of condemnation against him.
Verse 21. But when Paul appealed to be held in Custody for the emperor's decision, I ordered him to be kept in custody. Until I send him to Caesar. Then Agrippa said to Festus, Uh I also would like to hear the man myself. Tomorrow.
Answers Festus, You shall hear him.
So On the next day, when Agrippa came together with Bernice amid great pomp. And entered the auditorium accompanied by the commanders and the prominent men of the city. At the command of Festus, Paul. was brought in.
Now Pause. King Herod I A wicked man. before he died, attempted to kill Peter. who escaped Not long after the escape, Herod died a miserable death.
However, during his lifetime, He had at least three children. He had a son, whom we would say today he called Junior. Agrippa the Second. That's this Agrippa that appears before the scene in Festus' life. Herod also had a daughter named Drusilla and another daughter named Bernice.
Perdice. Who happens to be Herod II's sister? And she moves in to live with her brother. in an incestuous relationship. The whole thing is a moral mess.
And these are the people who have set themselves up as judges and jury over Paul. of all things. I mean, this is not the pot calling the kettle black. This is the trash can calling the Waterford cut crystal cheap. These are sorry human beings.
Garbage Morally, Sitting before Paul. who appears before them. Chains and all. He's manacled. He comes with chains on his wrists.
And he stands before them in the courtroom. The only man in chains, but the only man among them free. What an irony. And they without chains caught in the bondage of their own moral misery and sin. That's why I smile when I read.
that they appeared before him with great pomp. When I read that, I think that that's all you've got when you've got to cover up. One man writes, They would have on their purple robes of royalty and the gold circlet of the crown on their brows. Doubtless, Festus, to do honor to the occasion, had donned the scarlet robe which a governor wore on such occasions. And following them in the pageantry of the procession were both high-ranking officers, the military tribunes, who were members of the procurator's staff, and the leading men of the city.
And when they had taken their seats at the command of Festus, Paul is brought in and he's brought in in chains. This reads like a novel. Sitting on the bench are the people who needed to be judged. standing as the prisoner before them is the only one who's free. But this is his moment.
in court. After a brief presentation, and I do give Festus the credit for admitting there's no evidence. Verse 24. King Agrippa and all you gentlemen here present with us. Put gentlemen in italics.
I mean just to set the record straight You see this man about whom all the people of the Jews appealed to me, both at Jerusalem and here, loudly declaring that he ought not to live any longer. But I.
Sounds like Pilate. Doesn't it? I found that he had committed nothing worthy of death. And since he himself appealed to the emperor, I decided to send him. Yet, I have nothing definite about him to write to my Lord.
Isn't that great? I want to send him to Nero, but the page is blank. I don't have any charges that I can prove. And so perhaps. By bringing him before you today, especially all of you, including King Agrippa, after investigation has taken place, I may have something to write.
So listen carefully because we can't find anything wrong. Bring him in. And they bring in Paul. And Agrippa scoots up to the edge of his bench. and leans forward and gets his first close look.
at this notorious man who was once a Pharisee. Their eyes met. Paul's approach is classic. His opening is just Charming. It's genuinely courteous.
Paul stretched out his hand. and proceeded to make his defense. Stood before them in chains. He didn't hold out his hands to call them to silence. I think he held out his hand as if to bless the young king.
As he begins, In regard to all things of which I am accused by the Jews, I consider myself fortunate. King Agrippa. that I am about to make my defense before you today. Especially because you are an expert in all customs and questions among the Jews. Therefore, I beg you.
to listen to me patiently. Is that disarming or what? I mean, this is not your basic fundamentalist opening.
Okay? Listen, you moral miss shacking up with your sister, listen to me. Doesn't do that. He says It is a privilege that I have to appear Before this court. And I would like to share my story.
By the way. Let's learn a lesson from our model here, from our hero. When you have an opportunity to be with those. of high rank and significant authority. Be courteous.
Be gracious. Treat them with respect. You may not agree with their lifestyle, and you may not. You may not Uh be where they are. And nevertheless, it is a privilege for you to be heard.
Handle that carefully. When a man's ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. Proverbs 16, 7. A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong castle, and their contentions are like the bars. Of a castle.
No need to offend. Your words. Your testimony will offend. But you don't need to be offensive. And with this gracious opening, I beg you to listen to me patiently.
Paul gets on with it. In fact, the way Luke records it is just magnificent. I like the way it sort of rolls off the page. Verse 4: so then. Verse 9, so then He's telling a story.
So then this happened and and then that happened. Paul looks around the room, standing there manacled. With no notes. All Jews know my manner of life from my youth up, which from the beginning was spent among my own nation. In at Jerusalem.
He looked around and perhaps saw a face or two of one of his contemporaries. Maybe someone who was in the class with him with Gamaliel. My life's an open book. Jewish friends here know that this is my background. I lived in and schooled at Jerusalem.
Verse 5: Since they have known about me for a long time, if they are willing to testify that I lived as a Pharisee according to the strictest sect. of our religion. They could tell you. I was in the ranks of the Pharisees. And now I'm standing on trial for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers.
He's referring to Messiah. The promise to which our 12 tribes hope to attain as they earnestly serve God night and day. This hope, O king, I'm being accused by Jews. We have the same hope, and I'm being accused. for anticipating the hope and in fact, as you will see, meeting him.
Verse 8, I love the question: why is it considered incredible among you people if God does raise the dead? of course to believe in Messiah would Force one to believe that the one who was crucified was raised from the dead. Why is that?
So incredible. In fact, I learned in Basic Theology 101 under Gamaliel that we believe in the resurrection. Agrippa's listening closer. He is riveted to Paul.
So then. I thought to myself that I had to do many things hostile to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And that's what Pharisees did. And this is just what I did in Jerusalem. Ask around.
They could tell you. And he names the six things he did. Not only did I lock up many of the saints' prison. Having received authority from the chief priests, when they were being put to death, I cast my vote against it. I did that.
And as I punished them often in the synagogues, I did that. I tried to force them to blaspheme. I did that. And being furiously enraged at them, those are strong words in the Greek, furiously enraged. I I kept pursuing them even to foreign cities.
There was no limit, no restrictions, no reservations. While so engaged, as I was journeying to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. At midday O king, I saw something and then I heard something and then I did something. This is a testimony from a man whose life has been transformed. And I believe it was delivered in the most gentle, sensible manner one could imagine.
I was on my way to Damascus pursuing Christians that may have been hiding out in the far reaches of our boundaries. And on the way, at midday, there was a light that I saw. brighter than the sun, shining all around me and those journeying with me. And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice. Saying to me in the Hebrew dialect, I heard it in Aramaic, my mother tongue.
And he knew my name. He called me Saul. Saul. Why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.
Do I have? Sig. It's a Greek proverb for useless resistance. Damn it. You're wasting your time.
kicking against me. And I said, tis I courier. Who are you, sir? Who are you, Lord? And he said, Ego I me yesus.
I am Jesus. I saw him. I heard him. And then Jesus gave me my commission. Sixteen through eighteen, I have appeared to you.
I have appointed you a minister. Uh I will rescue you in the process from Jew and Gentile alike who don't understand. And I am sending you to them. You are my messenger, Apostolos. You will go as I send you in my name.
Now It's maybe not a good time to interject a thought, but imagine Agrippa. And Bernice. and festus. Yeah. This is the moment.
So King Agrippa. I did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision. I mean, how could I? And I kept declaring both to those of Damascus first and then at Jerusalem, and then he enlarges the circle, and then Judea, the province surrounding Jerusalem, and then to the Gentiles. I mean, I've gone all around the known world, Agrippa, making this known that they should repent and turn to God.
Performing deeds appropriate to repentance, they should turn their lives as I have over to the Lord Jesus Christ. I've done that. And For this reason, some Jews seized me in the temple and tried to put me to death.
So having Obtained help from God, I stand to this day. That's where I get the thought of standing. I it's like It's like Martin Luther. Here I stand, I can do no other. at the Diet of Arms.
I cannot shrink back. And I stand to this day testifying to small and great, stating nothing but what the prophets and Moses said was going to take place. And what was that? That the Messiah was to suffer and by reason of his resurrection from the dead would be the first to proclaim light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles. It fits the pattern of the Holy Scriptures, the very scriptures you people believe.
While Paul was saying this, Festus said. Stop! Paul. Paul! You're You are out of your mind.
Your great learning is driving you mad. It's the word for maniac. Maine is the word and uh it's maniacal. Paul, all this.
Well, Eugene Peterson does it well. Paul, you're crazy. Good night. Paul, you're crazy. You've read too many books.
You spent too much time staring out into space. Get a grip on yourself. Get back into the real world. Paul, stop it! You know why he said that?
I'm convinced. Because Agrippa really wanted him to go on. Agrippa doesn't talk and it's Agrippa's court. Festus. Looks furtively in both directions and realizes.
I mean, Bernice is jerking on his robe because it's about raw, and he's looking over at Agrippa, thinking, if this thing goes on, this thing's going to get out of hand. Just stop! Just stop right there. This is nonsense. You've gotten really weird, Paul, since you've been hanging around these jail cells and reading all these manuscripts.
Back off, man.
Now, this is where it gets. Oh, this is delicious. This is wonderful. Dialogue. Paul now turns from the focus to the group.
Dephestus. And then watch how he changes to Agrippa. Look. Paul said, verse 25: I'm not maniacal. Uses the same word.
I'm not a madman. Most excellent Festus was that great. We'd have been tempted to say, you schlock. Shut up till I get a chance to talk to a girl. He doesn't do that.
He says, I'm not crazy. O O excellent Festus Your Honour? But I utter words, look closely. I utter words that are sensible and truth. And true.
My words make sense. And they are true. Look at the Look at the darting of his eyes. For the king knows who's the king. It's a grip.
He turns from Festus and he looks directly at Agrippa. He says, The king knows about these matters. I speak to him also with confidence, since I am persuaded that none of these things escape his notice, for this has not been done in a corner. King Agrippa. D do you believe the prophets?
I know that you believe them. Boys had a great moment. Gripp was like, yeah. Yeah. I mean, he is connecting.
Do you belie you believe the prophets? Of course, you're Herod. Yeah. Yeah. I know that you do, Agrippa replied to Paul.
In a short time, you will persuade me to become a Christian. Yeah That's it. This is the moment that Paul's been waiting for. The latter half of his life One sentence. And I want you to notice the genius of his response.
Paul said I would wish to God that whether in a short or long time, not only you. But also, all who hear me this day might become such as I am. Except these chains.
Well, the momentum is building in Paul's address. Keep listening because Chuck Swindahl has much more to show us in this developing story. The title of today's message is Standing Tall as Paul Stood. It's part of our in-depth biographical study on Paul's life. and Insight for Living offers a variety of study tools for this series, including a spiral bound Bible study, a full length book, and of course all the audio C D's that contain Chuck's sermons.
You can check them out at insight. org slash offer. Paul rose to any occasion set before him, and he did it with the right message delivered with the right attitude.
So how can we adopt this virtue as our own?
Well, Chuck wrote a practical book on this topic called Life is 10% What Happens to You and 90% How You React. and it's our featured resource right now. Responding to hardship is the true test of character. In his book, Chuck describes how to let Scripture infiltrate our minds so we're prepared to handle whatever suffering comes our way. In addition to Chuck's book, we've also created a spiral-bound 90-day reflective journal so you can put your biblical mindset into practice.
It's called Cultivating Joy in Life's Circumstances. To purchase the Attitudes bundle, which includes both Chuck's book on attitudes and the Ninety Day Reflective Journal, just call us at 800-772-8888, or go to insight. org slash offer. From our first broadcast in 1979 until this very day, Insight for Living has become a treasured companion, even a mentor, to millions of listeners around the world. Here's Chuck.
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You can also call us at 800-772-8888 or give a donation online at insight.org/slash donate. Join us when Chuck Swindahl continues his inspirational message on courage called Standing Tall as Paul Stood. Friday on Insight for Living. The preceding message, Standing Tall as Paul Stood, was copyrighted in 2001, 2003, and 2024, and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2024 by Charles R. Swindahl, Inc.
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