Here is a teaching on chapter 25 of the book of Acts. If you want to check out previous Bible studies and chapters going forward, join our group here. Once you get added into that Facebook group, you can go to the "units" tab and you'll see all of the chapters and their study guides as they are being taught.
First I want to say a quick prayer... Lord, I pray that you lift up every single person reading this right now. I pray that you give us the knowledge and understanding to know exactly what it is that we're reading and the wisdom to implement it in our daily lives. Lord, I pray that you are with all of the people that were affected by the tornadoes that were hit where I live here in Kentucky and the surrounding counties. I pray for your protection, for your healing, your guidance, and for you to wrap your arms around every single person that was affected and just every single person in this world. Anyone that's going through some things, anyone that has storms in their life, Lord just wrap your arms around them, let them know that you're right here with them, and open up their heart, their eyes, and their mind to you Lord. I can't thank you enough for every single thing that you've done and I am so grateful for you Lord. I love you with every ounce of my being. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Acts Chapter 25:
1 Three days after arriving in the province, Festus went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem, 2 where the chief priests and the Jewish leaders appeared before him and presented the charges against Paul. 3 They urgently requested Festus, as a favor to them, to have Paul transferred to Jerusalem, for they were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way. 4 Festus answered, "Paul is being held at Caesarea, and I myself am going there soon. 5 Let some of your leaders come with me and press charges against the man there, if he has done anything wrong."
So the chief priests and Jewish leaders requested for Paul to be transferred to Jerusalem and again they had planned to kill him. We saw in chapter 23 of the book of Acts where some of the Jews had plotted to kill Paul and that's why he was transferred to Caesarea in the first place. So now some of these chief priests and the Jewish leaders were wanting him to be transferred back to Jerusalem so they could kill him. These jews were so set in their ways that they thought they were doing service to God for wanting to kill an innocent man that was just spreading the gospel of Jesus. They were so zealous for the law and they weren't even taking into consideration any other ideas other than what was in their mind and what they thought was right.
In verse five, we see that Festus told the Jews to bring some of their leaders and press charges against Paul if they thought that he did anything wrong. It seems like here that Festus wasn't convinced that paul was guilty and at this point, Paul had been in prison for two years for spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. He didn't do anything wrong but try and get people to know about the gospel of Jesus so that they may be saved and go to heaven also, and he had been imprisoned for two years because of it.
6 After spending eight or ten days with them, he went down to Caesarea, and the next day he convened the court and ordered that Paul be brought before him. 7 When Paul appeared, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many serious charges against him, which they could not prove.
8 Then Paul made his defense: "I have done nothing wrong against the law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar."
9 Festus, wishing to do the Jews of favor, said to Paul, "Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me there on these charges?"
10 Paul answered" "I am now standing before Caesar's court, where I ought to be tried. I have not done any wrong to the Jews, as you yourself know very well. 11 If, however, I am guilty of doing anything deserving death, I do not refuse to die. But if the charges brought against me by these Jews are not true, no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!"
12 After Festus had conferred with his council, he declared: "You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go!"
So these jews couldn't prove any of their charges against Paul and he himself said that he didn't do anything wrong, but because Festus wanted to do a favor for the Jews he wanted Paul to go to Jerusalem and stand trial before him there. Paul was already standing before Caesar's court and he hadn't done anything wrong so he refused to go to Jerusalem and he said that he appealed to caesar. Paul wanted to go to a higher court (or Caesar) to renew his case because he wasn't getting anywhere with his trial before Festus. Paul knew that he was innocent, it seems Festus knew that he was also innocent. But Festus wanted to stay cordial with the Jews and he didn't want any bad blood with them so he wanted Paul to go to Jerusalem to stand trial there because that's what the jews wanted and he wanted to grant them a favor. So then after Paul said that he appealed to Caesar, then Festus said then to Caesar he will go.
13 A few days later King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea to pay their respects to Festus. 14 Since they were spending many days there, Festus discussed Paul's case with the king. He said: "There is a man here whom Felix left as a prisoner. 15 When I went to Jerusalem, the chief priests and elders of the Jews brought charges against him and asked that he be condemned.
16 "I told them that it is not the Roman custom to hand over any man before he has faced his accusers and has had an opportunity to defend himself against their charges. 17 When they came here with me, I did not delay the case, but convened the court the next day and ordered the man to be brought in. 18 When his accusers got up to speak, they did not charge him with any of the crimes I had expected. 19 Instead, they had some points of disputes with him about their own religion and about a dead man named Jesus who Paul claimed was alive. 20 I was at a loss how to investigate such matters; so I asked if he would be willing to go to Jerusalem and stand trial there on these charges. 21 When Paul made his appeal to be held over the Emperor's decision, I ordered him held until I could send him to Caesar."
22 Then Agrippa said to Festus, "I would like to hear this man myself."
He replied, "Tomorrow you will hear him."
So King Agrippa had arrived at Caesarea and Festus told him about Paul's case. Festus wasn't sure how to handle Paul's case because they didn't bring up any of the charges that he thought they would or charges that he had dealt with before that he could handle. The Jews had brought up charges about their own religion and about the resurrection of Jesus Christ and so Festus wanted Paul to go on trial in Jerusalem because he wasn't sure how to handle it. But Paul had appealed to Caesar so then King Agrippa said that he wanted to hear Paul for himself.
23 The next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and entered the audience room with the high ranking officers and the leading men of the city. At the command of Festus, Paul was brought in. 24 Festus said: "King Agrippa, and all who are present with us, you see this man! The whole Jewish community has petitioned me about him in Jerusalem and here in Caesarea, shouting that he ought not to live any longer. 25 I found he had done nothing deserving of death, but because he made his appeal to the Emperor I decided to send him to Rome. 26 But I have nothing definite to write to His Majesty about him. Therefore I have brought him before all of you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that as a result of this investigation I may have something to write. 27 For I think it is unreasonable to send on a prisoner without specifying the charges against him."
Alright so those are all the verses of Chapter 25 of the book of Acts, but I'm going to discuss these verses with you guys here. So the next day Agrippa and Bernice had come and Festus said that he had brought Paul before all of them to investigate so that he would have something to write Caesar because he found no charges that were against him deserving death. Festus didn't want to send Paul to Caesar without having charges against him, but he didn't see anything deserving death. But Paul had appealed his case to Caesar, so Festus had to send him. So Festus was doing this to investigate to see what he could say to Caesar before he sent Paul there. In chapter 26 we'll see where Paul speaks to King Agrippa and all of that.
So that concludes this Bible study on Chapter 25 of the book of Acts. I know with this Bible study there was just a lot of paraphrasing and not much added to it. With doing Bible studies chapter by chapter, sometimes I don't have anything too much extra to add to it. Keep in mind that I always just let the Holy Spirit guide me. I don't go in and do any research, I don't have any type of degree for Biblical Studies or any kind of education on it, I just got directed by God to do these Bible studies for the Book of Acts. I read the chapters on my own, I let the Holy Spirit guide me, and that's all I go by. I think each episode has a specific thing or maybe specific things that each of us needs to get out of it. That's why I always pray at the beginning for knowledge and understanding and to make sure that whatever it is that we're supposed to get out of this Bible study that we receive it and our eyes are open to it.
So I hope this Bible study helped you in some way and that you were able to get whatever it is that you needed to get out of it today. Next week we're going to go into chapter 26 of the book of Acts, so make sure you stay tuned for that.
Acts Ch 25 Study Guide
Why did the chief priests and Jewish leaders request for Paul to be transferred to Jerusalem?
In verse 10, why did Paul appeal to Caesar?
Why did Festus tell king Agrippa about Paul’s case?
What is your biggest takeaway from this Bible study?
I love you guys so much.
Never forget to choose faith over fear.
-Lorena Camille (Faith Fuels My Fire)
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Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights
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