Fly High Acts part 24 – Book of Acts
Video Illustration: From Sermon Spice – Conspiracy
Thesis: Paul knew that life was not fair and that men were corrupt but he also knew that God was good and He was always faithful. So Paul stayed committed to the faith even through unjust trials and unfair situations. It’s a lesson that the American Christian needs to learn today.
Scripture Text: Acts 25:1-27
The Holy Bible, New International Version.
The Trial Before Festus
Ac 25:1 Three days after arriving in the province, Festus went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem,
Ac 25:2 where the chief priests and Jewish leaders appeared before him and presented the charges against Paul.
Ac 25:3 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.
Ac 25:4 Festus answered, “Paul is being held at Caesarea, and I myself am going there soon.
Ac 25:5 Let some of your leaders come with me and press charges against the man there, if he has done anything wrong.”
Ac 25:6 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.
Ac 25:7 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.
Ac 25:8 Then Paul made his defense: “I have done nothing wrong against the law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar.”
Ac 25:9 Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me there on these charges?”
Ac 25:10 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.
Ac 25:11 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!”
Ac 25:12 After Festus had conferred with his council, he declared: “You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go!”
Festus Consults King Agrippa
Ac 25:13 A few days later King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea to pay their respects to Festus.
Ac 25:14 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.
Ac 25:15 When I went to Jerusalem, the chief priests and elders of the Jews brought charges against him and asked that he be condemned.
Ac 25:16 “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.
Ac 25:17 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.
Ac 25:18 When his accusers got up to speak, they did not charge him with any of the crimes I had expected.
Ac 25:19 Instead, they had some points of dispute with him about their own religion and about a dead man named Jesus who Paul claimed was alive.
Ac 25:20 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.
Ac 25:21 When Paul made his appeal to be held over for the Emperor’s decision, I ordered him held until I could send him to Caesar.”
Ac 25:22 Then Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear this man myself.” He replied, “Tomorrow you will hear him.”
Paul Before Agrippa
Ac 25:23 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.
Ac 25:24 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.
Ac 25:25 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.
Ac 25:26 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.
Ac 25:27 For I think it is unreasonable to send on a prisoner without specifying the charges against him.”
Introduction:
“That’s not fair!’ These words ring from the play grounds of schools all across America, “That’s not fair!” These same words ring in homes all across America, “That’s not fair!” Many coaches can testify to hearing those same words from their players, “That’s not fair!” It’s an all to common phrase heard echoing across this land of opportunity!
Craig Shirley in his sermon “That’s not fair” tells this story from one of Bill Cosby’s books:
You know, comedian Bill Cosby says that you aren’t really a parent until you have at least two children. When you have only one child and you walk into the room and find the lamp broken, it’s difficult for an only child to say, “It wasn’t me!” The father found himself in the uncomfortable position of having to arbitrate a dispute between his two young sons. The argument was about to boil over into a fight when he decided to step in, hoping to call upon the Wisdom of Solomon. Back and forth the accusations went, accompanied by finger pointing and name-calling. “He started it.” “No, he did.” “Did not!” “Did too!” After a while the father realized that no matter how much “active listening” he did, there was no way this was going to end in a win-win situation, so he made his decision. “Okay,” he said with all the authority he could muster, “both of you – up to your rooms and stay there until you can act as brothers should.” Just as he was feeling pleased with himself he became the target of his son’s anger. “No fair!” the youngest one protested. “He started it. I didn’t. He gets away with everything!” The older one protests “Why should I get punished? It was his fault. He’s such a baby about everything! You’re not fair.” It had turned into a lose/lose situation. Finally, totally at wits end, Dad summed it all up in a very fatherly way. “Hey kids, life’s not fair. Live with it and get to your rooms – now!”
I can recall as a child having these types of disputes with my brothers and with my mom. I also recall hearing these words coming from 3 beautiful little girls from time to time. The truth is I even hear these words coming from grown ups in the church and from older kids in the High Schools. I imagine this scene happens 1,000 of times a day and God hears it all day long. “That’s not fair God!”
Personal Story: I recall the time when God spoke to me about a court case I was thinking of pursuing. I had been discriminated against because of a previous injury and I had been laid off because this perceived back injury. I had been released from the Doctor who said I was totally healed and fully capable of doing my job. But the employer laid me off any way citing this was the reason – they even put it in writing. A civil rights lawyer helped put my case together and encouraged me to press forward for justice. I was praying whether I should proceed with the case or not. The Lord gave me a scripture verse in Romans which communicated the following to me, “When you are judged by sinful men you shall prevail!” So after receiving this confirmation I pressed forward. I did prevail and I did win the case and received a large amount of money which used to put me into and through Bible College. But during the ordeal I had to endure people lying about me and I had to deal with being treated unjustly by these people. But even though life was not fair to me Jesus was faithful. My unfair situation eventually turned out to be a blessing in the end!
Here is a thought from Johannes about this world of unfairness:
We live in an evil world!
Life as a Christian is not always a dance on roses. We live in an evil world with lots of misery and problems. Sooner or later things happen, and when we wonder, why is this happening, and why is it happening to me? The answer we may never get…
(But) Life is not always fair!
The Bible tells us about several persons that had to face terrible things even though they had done nothing wrong. One example is Joseph (Genesis 37, 39-41) He was innocently thrown into a pit and then he was sold as a slave by his own brothers! You can imagine how he felt when he was treated like this, by his own brothers. But Joseph didn’t give up, because he knew that God was with him and would help him through (from Johannes Jonsson 2002).
T.S. – The fact of the matter is “Life is unfair” and we have to learn to accept that it is! We need to quit spending valuable energy trying to change something that will not change in this sin filled world. We must learn to expect it and be willing to push through unfair situation with God’s assistance and to the victory on the other side.
I. Life is unfair at times so we need to accept it and even expect it.
a. God never promised that life would always treat us fairly and equally.
i. Actually the Lord and His word speak of the opposite impact from this world.
1. Matthew 10:22, “All men will hate you because of me…”
2. 2 Peter 2:9, “…the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials…”
3. James 1:2, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you face trials of many kinds.”
4. 2 Timothy 2:3, “Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”
b. Paul considered unjust ways as part of the cost for following the Gospel. To Paul this is what he expected from a lost and sin filled world.
i. I believe Paul was actually grateful to the Lord for life being unfair.
1. Because if the Lord was fair then none of us would make it to Heaven.
2. Paul knew if life was fair he would have been struck dead on the Damascus Road. But instead of judgment he received mercy and grace from the Lord Jesus. This moment in time changed his life forever!
a. Was it fair to the ones who were impacted negatively by Paul?
b. Remember Paul was instrumental in getting some Christians killed in the early church.
c. The people who were relatives of these men and women slain by Paul could have cried, “Lord that is not fair! Paul should be condemned! He should die like my brother died!”
d. But God choose the path of mercy and grace over “fairness.”
i. Is that fair?
e. Paul was so grateful that life was not fair because if it was he would have been sentenced to Hell for eternity.
ii. The truth is if life was fair then Jesus would never have died for our sins.
1. Jesus would never have risen from the dead if God was all about fairness.
a. Why should He have to suffer for us – that’s not fair!
b. Why should he have to endure pain and suffering when He did nothing wrong!
2. Jonathan Wilson from (sermoncentral.com sermon - “I appeal to Caesar”) wrote this about the truth of Jesus death and resurrection:
a. Festus did get the central issue right. He figured out that the whole case revolved around whether or not a certain man Jesus, who had died, was now alive or not. This is the most important question in the whole Bible. Is Jesus alive? If He is, then He can help me. I can pray to Him and expect an answer. I can trust in Him to save me. I can love Him and be loved by Him. If He is not, then my whole attitude toward Him is changed. If he is dead, then I can learn from His teaching, like I learn from Socrates or Shakespeare. I can use Him as a role model like I would Abraham Lincoln. But I won’t expect much from him…But if Jesus is alive then when you read the New Testament you must start to ask questions. If He is alive then what does He want from me? What difference does He make in my life? What kind of relationship can I have with Him?
All of the apostles testified that Jesus was alive and most of them died violent deaths because of it. All of the martyrs, in their millions, down through the centuries gave witness that Jesus is alive.
i. Life is not fair but Jesus is alive because of unfairness.
ii. Life treated Jesus unfairly but God was faithful to Him.
iii. Life can treat us unjustly but God never will.
b. The truth is if life was fair then we all would be dead! Stuck down by the holiness of God.
i. Paul realized that life is not fair and he was glad about it because that meant he got a second chance!
ii. We need to praise God that life is not fair! Remember it life was all about fairness you would be in trouble!
c. So why do we think in America that life should be fair? Where did this false thought originate? Remember it did not come from Jesus not does it come from the Bible!
i. Is it because we live in a delusional world which expects a false reality – like they see in the movies? Is it because the media tells us that we can on our own achieve a perfect society?
1. Some in this world think we can create a perfect world by the human effort of mankind – truth is this is impossible!
a. Note: There are a lot of judges who are not fair in this world. Why? Because they are filled with sin!
b. Note: There are bosses who are not fair in this life. Why? Because they are filled with sin and they make decisions that don’t always benefit the employee!
c. Note: There are Christians who are not fair with others in this world. Why? Because they are selfish or because it just works out that way!
d. Note: There are some world leaders who are not fair minded in this world. Why because of sin and their interests!
e. Note: There are accidents that are not fair! Why? Because we live in an imperfect world – this is not Heaven!
f. Note: There are natural disasters that are not fair! Why? Because weather happens!
2. Truth is we humans have a depraved mindset – a sin filled mindset when we are left to ourselves! This is what makes life unfair when it comes to dealing with each other.
a. The reality check is - A sin and fallen nature can never produce a “Fair World!”
b. Sin is the problem – it’s the element which creates an unfair world.
c. The whole course of nature has been affected by the depravity of man!
ii. Is it because we believe the illusion of the American right to the pursuit of happiness? Do we think that America will on its own merit produce a fair society were everyone is happy?
1. Yes, our Constitution guarantee’s us this right to seek after it. But can we actually create a fair and just world without God while we all strive for “The Happy Life!”
2. The truth is we cannot because one person’s happiness may infringe on another’s happiness and that’s not fair. The truth is a self-centered world does not care about fairness.
a. So the disease of unfairness spreads on across our land!
iii. Is it because of a false teaching that is being promoted in the schools and in our society today:
1. Charles Sykes is the author of DUMBING DOWN OUR KIDS. The following is a list he created for high school and college graduates of things he did not learn in school. In his book, he talks about how the "system" may have created a generation of kids with no concept of reality and set them up for failure in the real world
a. Rule 1: Life is not fair; get used to it.
b. Rule 2: The world won’t care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something before you feel good about yourself.
c. Rule 3: You will not make 40 thousand dollars a year right out of high school. You won’t be a vice president with a car phone until you "earn" both.
d. Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss. He doesn’t have tenure.
e. Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger-flipping; they called it opportunity.
f. Rule 6: If you screw up, it’s not your parents’ fault so don’t whine about your mistakes. Learn from them.
g. Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren’t as boring as they are now. They got that way paying your bills, cleaning your room, and listening to you tell them how idealistic you are. So before you save the rain forest from the blood-sucking parasites of your parents’ generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.
h. Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers but life has not. In some schools they have abolished failing grades, they’ll give you as many times as you want to get the right answer. This, of course, bears not the slightest resemblance to anything in real life.
i. Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don’t get summers off, and very few employers are interested in helping you find yourself. Do that on your own time.
j. Rule 10: Television is not real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.
k. Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you’ll end up working for one.
i. Dumbing Down Our Kids: Why America’s children feel good about them selves but can’t read, write, or add.
d. The reality check: The real world in which we live is not a fair place. Life is filled with arguments over fairness but it still continues to dish out unfair treatment to all of us. Our society is delusional in thinking that life will always be fair it will not. So we all need to accept this fact and quit trying to fight against it and in turn blame God for unfairness.
i. I promise each of you this – you will one day each face an injustice from another person.
ii. Remember Jesus Himself said “Expect unfair treatment in this world!”
T.S. – The question could be asked, “Are we preparing our kids in America for the real world?” Our world is not fair and it never will be without Jesus. The key is not whether we face unfair treatment but what will we do when we meet up with it in this world? What will our response be? Yes, life is unfair but God is faithful and you can expect this in this life.
II. Life is unfair at times but God is good and faithful all the time.
a. Paul knew that in spite of the unfairness in this world God is just and right in His ways.
i. God will always be just in the way He deals with us.
1. Psalm 9:16, “The Lord is known by His justice…”
ii. God will always be faithful to his Word.
1. God will never change the rules on us!
2. Rev. 16:7, “True and just are your judgments…”
iii. God will never go against the way of love.
1. 1 Cor. 13, verifies this fact!
iv. God will never act inconsistent with His commandments.
v. God will always go beyond our expectations and show more grace than any of us deserve.
vi. God will always forgive the ones who genuinely repent.
vii. God will never leave us nor forsake us in these times of hardship.
b. Paul knew a key truth that one day he would stand in front of the Great White Throne for judgment from God and He would be judged fairly and justly by the only one who could do this. God Himself – He is the only just judge!
i. This is why Paul seems to be able to deal with the injustices that he regularly faced for his stance on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
1. He expected unfair treatment because Jesus said it would come with your Christian witness!
2. So when Paul faced these unjust moment in time he accepted it as part of God’s plan and he pressed through them.
ii. Paul had put on the mind of Christ and he had died to himself and this act of surrender helped him to be able to deal with the injustices in the world.
1. A major key to understand to help us deal with injustice is to be like Jesus and die to your self. Then these moments of injustice don’t affect you if you are already dead to self!
c. Quote: From Our Daily Bread - December 2, 2006 “Not Fair” - READ: Psalm 19:7-14: So many situations in life shout, “Not fair!” I observe Christian couples who struggle to have babies while others are blessed with children and then abuse them. I look at families whose children are all alive and well, while I go through life without one of mine. I see friends who long to serve God but can’t because of health issues. It’s then that I must go back to a basic truth. We are not the arbiters of fairness. God is, and He knows far more than we do about His plans and purposes. The question isn’t about fairness. In the end, it’s about trust in a faithful God who knows what He is doing. “He is the Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice” (Deut. 32:4). Life will never look fair. But when we trust God, we always know that He is faithful. If you feel that blessings pass you by, and for you life seems a bit unfair, Just remember, Christ was born to die, And in His great salvation you can share. ——Dave Branon and Hess
i. The message from Paul and from the Acts New Testament Church is “Life is not always fair, but God is always faithful!”
ii. The Lord promises to never leave us or to forsake us in times of injustice. He promises that He will be there with us through the whole ordeal.
iii. Our part is first and foremost of choosing the path of dying to self like He did!
T.S. – When life’s not fair and troubles come our way it’s not the complaining that counts but what are you going to do in those moments of unfairness. How will you react to God and to others in times of unfairness?
III. When life does not treat you right or just what do you do?
a. Paul was being held in jail because of false accusations and lies by the Jews and its religious leaders. But he reacted in a way that honored God!
i. Remember Paul acted like Jesus in the midst of this situation.
ii. The judges were crooked and sinful men who were playing politics with Paul’s life rather than administering fairness and justice. So what should Paul be doing in this unjust scenario?
1. He needed to act like Christ -- so he did!
2. What would you have done if you were in Paul’s shoes?
a. Would you scream – yell – fall down and kick your feet?
b. Would you quit and role over and then give up?
c. Would you commit suicide?
d. Would you pick up a gun and shoot others?
e. Would you forsake God because you are mad at Him?
f. Would you curse God and die?
g. Would you compromise your integrity?
h. Would you appeal for justice with a higher court?
i. Would you hire a better lawyer?
j. Would you trust God?
k. Would you pray more or less?
l. Would you stay true to the faith?
b. The truth is or we could say that the reality check is this Life is not fair but how we react to unfairness determines our destiny.
i. Life is not always fair but the lesson to be learned is “How do we deal with injustice?
1. Paul was being unjustly kept in prison with no sound charges against him.
a. They really had no legitimate reason to keep the man in prison!
i. But they did any way!
b. The first Governor wanted a bribe but Paul refused to give him one – instead he gave him the Gospel.
i. It made him afraid!
ii. Paul stayed the course though!
iii. But he still remained in prison.
c. Paul did appeal to Caesar because he knew where his destiny lied and that was in Rome – before his arrest Paul was spoken to by the Lord that he would be a witness in Rome just like he was in Jerusalem.
i. Paul knew that this path of injustice was the path the Lord had chosen him to walk down and he needed to be faithful to the call of God.
ii. Paul chose the path and was obedient to the call and God blessed him in the end!
iii. I have often heard the quote “Life is unfair then you die!”
1. I have thought about this quote is that a bad thing – to be mistreated and then die as a result?
2. Paul did not think that was a bad deal – he would rather be with Christ then in this world – Paul knew what really mattered in life – it was the after life that counted not this temporary place!
2. Life can be filled with unfair or un-just circumstances like the one being faced by Paul. Life is filled with unfair moments – think about it!
a. A boy dies on a corner for being at the wrong place at the wrong time in New York.
b. A baby dies of Cancer and the parents have no explanation why?
c. A war breaks out between two governments in Africa and a 1,000 innocent lives die – children, and women who had nothing to do with the battle suffer for the choices of others.
d. Innocent men, women, and children are being murdered daily in Iraq because of car combs and suicide bombers. These people are innocent and want nothing to do with this so-called holy war but they suffer for the sins of others.
ii. Lives every day across this globe are impacted with unjust acts that cause death, pain, injuries, torment and the like. So why is it in Christian America we think we should be exempt from being mistreated by another?
1. Life is touched, ripped apart, blown up by people who do unjust acts toward innocent people all across this world. It’s a fact of life and we need to understand it’s going to happen and our response to it makes a difference.
2. For example (from this last Thursday’s headlines):
a. Iraq’s prime minister insisted Thursday there will be "no safe place in Iraq for terrorists," hours before a suicide car bombing killed at least 26 people in the Shiite neighborhood of Karradah and two rockets slammed into the heavy fortified Green Zone not far from the U.S. Embassy. Angry Karradah residents took to the streets chanting "We want the Sunnis out!" after the blast, the second suicide bombing in three days in the neighborhood. The explosion destroyed three minivans, 11 cars and dozens of shops, as well as the local post office, according to a resident.
i. So how do people respond – some respond with revenge to the so-called people who did this.
b. PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) - A car bomb exploded in the shopping district of a town in northwestern Pakistan on Thursday, killing at least two passers-by and wounding four other people, police said. The motive behind the blast in Hangu, about 60 miles south of Peshawar, was not immediately clear. However, the town has been the scene of sectarian violence in recent years and the attack comes days before a major Shiite Muslim festival.
i. The response of some will be retaliation in another region.
c. NEW DELHI (AP) - An angry crowd on Thursday severely beat up two suspects who are accused of sexually assaulting and killing up to 20 children and women. Television footage showed the crowd abusing and punching the suspects before police reinforcements rescued them by forming a cordon around them. One of the suspects, Moninder Singh Pandher, fainted and was taken to hospital, the Press Trust of India news agency said. The crowd pounced upon the two as they were being taken to a lockup by police after a court in Ghaziabad, a town on the outskirts of New Delhi, sent them to police custody for 15 days, PTI said. Police arrested Pandher and his servant Surender Kohli nearly three weeks ago and charged them with kidnapping, raping and killing the victims and then dumping their dismembered bodies into storm drains outside Pandher’s house in Noida. A total of 20 skulls have been uncovered so far, according to police.
i. The crowd retaliated thinking this was fair and just. But they are suspects and not yet charged with the crime.
d. QUITO, Ecuador (AP) - Ecuador’s first female defense minister died Wednesday in a collision of two helicopters that also killed her daughter and five members of the military, officials said. The wreck in the port city of Manta killed Defense Minister Guadalupe Larriva, 50, her daughter Claudia Avila, 17, and five officials, Interior Secretary Gustavo Larrea confirmed. In a televised interview, Vice President Lenin Moreno said the helicopters were performing a night flight test "and in a bad maneuver it appears that the blades collided and the helicopters fell to the ground." The crash took place near the military base in Manta, 160 miles southeast of the capital of Quito.
i. Is this fair – this accident?
e. LANCASTER, California — A retiree was engulfed in flames and critically burned when his electric wheelchair caught fire and he could not get out. The 63-year-old man, whose name was not released, was hospitalized Tuesday with burns over about 90 percent of his body. "When we responded, he was fully engulfed in flames," said Assistant Fire Chief Mark Bennett of the Los Angeles County Fire Department. "It’s horrible." A neighbor heard the man’s screams, Bennett said. The wheelchair motor apparently started the fire.
i. So this man will sue and the lawyers will make a lot of money – wheelchairs will then go up in price to cover the lawsuit. Is this fair?
f. SAN ANTONIO: Police say a man who pulled over to help a bleeding 10-year-old boy by the roadside likely saved another boy’s life by intervening in a mother’s knife attack on her son. Robert Villarreal, 46, was departing San Antonio for Eagle Pass on Tuesday for his job as a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer when he saw the 10-year-old covered in blood. The boy told the man his mother was stabbing his brother inside a nearby house. Villarreal instructed another motorist to call authorities while he followed the boy to the house. Villarreal said he entered the home’s back door to find the woman holding the 12-year-old boy’s neck with one hand and clutching a knife and a fork in the other. The kitchen floor was splattered with blood. "She was hysterical," Villarreal said. "She said she was going to kill the little boy. She had already stabbed his brother and she was going to kill him." Villarreal managed to wrestle the woman to the ground, separate her from the boy, retrieve the knife and then drag her outside. He said the woman was upset and disoriented.
i. To be fair some say the mother needs to be executed and the boys have to suffer the trauma of it all. Is this fair?
1. Be attacked by a deranged mother and then endure the pain of her execution? Is this fair to the little boys?
g. RALEIGH, N.C.: Michelle Young’s 2-year-old daughter was found wandering around the house, tracking blood all over. Mommy has "boo-boos everywhere," the little girl said. The child’s words only hinted at the horror upstairs: Her mother, five months pregnant with her second child, lay dead in the master bedroom, her skull fractured, her face smashed, blood splattered on the wall and a lamp.
i. The husband is the primary suspect and now we have a child who has to deal with the fact that there dad killed their mother because of an argument. Is this fair!
ii. The boy will lose both parents is this fair!
h. SAN ANTONIO: A bone-rattling blast of sleet and snow kept Texas and Oklahoma residents shivering in the dark Thursday, while a blizzard north of Los Angeles caused big-rigs to jackknife. Many Oklahoma schools remained closed Thursday, but Texas students headed back to class as transportation officials reopened roadways closed by ice. At least 66 storm-related deaths have been reported in nine states since Friday, including 10 in Texas and 23 in Oklahoma.
i. The weather men did not warn the people of the danger and some feel it’s their fault people died so they should be held responsible.
ii. People are mad that the states do not have more cold weather equipment and those responsible should be held responsible. Is that fair!
i. COLUMBUS, Ohio: A man shot and killed his wife before killing himself in a shopping center parking lot as the couple’s two teenage daughters looked on, police said.
i. He felt justified in killing his wife but is that fair! His daughters look on in horror! He felt justified in what he did!
c. How did Paul react in his unfair circumstance of life?
i. He imitated Jesus Christ and acted like Him!
ii. He kept his integrity and did not try to bribe the governors.
1. Titus 2:7, 8, “In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.”
iii. He stayed content in his situation.
1. Philippians 4:11, 13, “…I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances…I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”
2. 1 Timothy 6:6, “But godliness with contentment is great gain.”
iv. He did not try to manipulate people to get what he wanted.
1. Romans 5: 3, 4, “…rejoice in our suffering, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”
v. He prayed to the Lord instead for strength to persevere.
1. 1 Timothy 4:16, “Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.”
vi. He was patient while he went through the process of hearings and different judges.
1. Colossians 1:11, “…have great endurance and patience…”
vii. He stayed focused on his calling from God.
1. He still preached the Gospel to the judges of men!
2. In the next chapter Paul will be accused of losing His mind when he gives his testimony to Festus.
a. Acts 26:24, 25
viii. He did not do the woe is me syndrome.
1. Phil 2:14, “Do everything without complaining or arguing…”
2. He did not whine and complain to everyone else about his unjust situation.
ix. He made the best of his time.
1. Phil 1:27, “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
2. Ezekiel 7:3, “…I will judge you according to your conduct…”
x. He did what he could but he left the rest up to God.
d. How should we react to unjust circumstances in life if we look at Paul’s reaction to injustice?
i. We need to keep our integrity.
ii. We need to be content in our life situation.
iii. We must resist the temptation to try to manipulate the situation with our own cunning ways.
iv. We need to learn the discipline of prayer to stay the course of the Lord in our lives.
v. We must learn the discipline of patience.
vi. We must stay focused on our calling from God.
vii. We must not become consumed with the “woe is me” disease.
1. We must not become whiners.
viii. We must make the best of our situation and seek God’s wisdom, and direction.
e. Joseph Chuman, stated the following about injustice:
i. Unfairness cuts at least four ways: There is unfairness large and small, and unfairness which is created by human beings as opposed to those acts of unfairness that befall us by nature. On the small side, we all know what it feels like to be slighted or unrecognized or un-credited by another for something we have accomplished. We know what it is like to be deceived, duped, lied to or manipulated by another person, in the small, everyday circumstances of life… Perhaps, one of the starkest injustices experienced by human beings, and which we seldom dwell on, simply results from the sheer accident of being born at a specific time and place. We who are born in the rich and relatively safe countries partake of the opportunities to develop our human potentials, which people in past ages could scarcely imagine, and in ways which are foreclosed to billions of fellow human beings.”
f. Scroll Publishing on their website addresses our question: How do you handle an injustice?
i. Their writer responded the following way:
1. Recently I was talking with a person who had given years of dedicated service to her local church and had suddenly been removed from her position. The hurt was obvious and deep as she shared with me how unfairly she felt she had been treated. The advice I gave her is the same I give to myself when I feel another has done wrong to me: What happens in me is more important than what happens to me. There are many things which happen to us in life that we do not like. But we are really powerless, most of the time, to change our external circumstances. We cannot rearrange someone else’s behavior toward us, nor can we undo moments which have brought us harm. If we keep reliving the untoward event, and devoting endless hours in "appealing the verdict," we will be left spent at the end of the day. Our best recourse is to ask the Lord to change our inner life.
2. The key to gleam from this article is his thought, “What happens in me is more important than what happens to me.”
a. If we grasp this and apply this to our lives we are on the road to spiritual maturity!
3. Love is more important than fairness, and God loves us a lot. -- not the sin – but us.
g. Justice for Job by Andrew Greely - Life is not just unfair--it’s cruel. Will good people who suffer receive justice?
i. Excerpted from "The Great Mysteries" with permission of Sheed & Ward. Life is not fair. It is not merely that the innocent suffer (so, too, do the good) and that the evil flourish. Everyone may be born equal in their moral dignity, but we are born very unequal in our physiological endowments, our social background, the energy our parents invest in us, our intellectual talents, and our capacity for hard work…At first we are angry, outraged, dismayed. We may eventually resign ourselves to the unfairness of life and learn to live with it, but we are still baffled as to why God would permit such injustice in the world.”
1. He adds, “The classic description of the problem is found in the Book of Job. That good but confused man has done everything a man could possibly do, and he still finds himself punished. His friends taunt him with the observation that he must be a sinner since only the evil are punished, but Job knows he is being treated unfairly and complains to Yahweh. Much to Job’s dismay, Yahweh himself appears on the scene and gives him an answer: (Job 38:2-15)…It is a shattering answer. "This is my universe, Job, not yours. I made it, I know how to run it. I created the ethical imperative from which comes your hunger for fairness, and I know how to enforce it. Don’t try to tell me how to run my world." It is a very tough answer, and at one level it is the only answer we are ever going to get. That God has a plan we are prepared to believe, but the designs of the plan are beyond our comprehension.”
2. Greely also adds this interesting thought, “However, Yahweh gave another response to the question, and the name of that response was Jesus. The followers of Jesus discovered justice in the Christ event. In the resurrection of Jesus, God proved himself a just and fair God. He had validated the claims made in his name by the good man who was His son. He did not permit the tomb to have domination over Jesus. Unfairness was put to rout, and the right balance of things was restored. The Christ event was an ethical experience, an experience of justice being rendered, of righteousness being exercised, of goodness being vindicated.”
h. Thoughts on our subject from a sermon preached by Reverend John T. McFadden at First Congregational United Church of Christ, Appleton, Wisconsin on September 19, 2004.
i. “But as much as we hate to admit it, life is not fair. Sometimes the bad guys win and the good guys lose. The rich get richer and poor get poorer, shady politics wins out over ethical decisions, the least deserving get and the most deserving lose out. People with cars could get out of the hurricane’s path and those without were left to deal with the storm. It’s no coincidence that the safety air bag was introduced in the Mercedes Benz rather than a Chevy. And what about the troops returning to Louisiana from more than a year of fighting in Iraq only to find their homes destroyed and their families moved to other states and cities? It wouldn’t be hard to understand someone declaring “It’s not fair!” I guess that’s pretty much the reality.”
1. He adds this great thought: “Life is not fair and the reason it isn’t is because we are the ones who determine what is fair and what isn’t. In almost every situation that can be cited, the opposite side can justify their case.”
a. He goes on “Entitlements for the poor do not seem fair to the guy who works two jobs to make ends meet. The minority political party resents the majority party’s power. Workers who go on strike to try to preserve or create better working conditions and wages for everyone, resent those who are willing to step in and take over jobs for less pay and less benefits. Both sides find justification in shouting “It’s not fair.” And perhaps both sides are right and there is not much more that we can say than “You’re right. Life’s not fair. Live with it!”
ii. McFadden adds some more thoughts about our question, “This, of course, is not exactly a new revelation. Look at scripture! Look at some of the characters of the Bible! In the first reading, Jonah 3:10 finds himself where he doesn’t want to be – living in Nineveh. He tried with all of his might to avoid going to Nineveh, but God gave him an assignment that was going to be accomplished, even if it took a fish to do it. Jonah had to preach to the people so that they would repent. If they didn’t, God was going to destroy them. And that, you see, is what Jonah wanted! Jonah hated the people of Nineveh and wished them destroyed, swept away, never to be heard from again. But much to his dismay, and in spite of his only half-spirited attempts, the people listened and repented. In the text we read we find Jonah knee deep in his own pity party and complaining quite strongly to God. In effect he is saying, “It’s not fair. These people deserve to die. I just knew you were going to turn softhearted and show compassion. Just leave me alone to die. It’s just not fair!” Jonah’s problem was that he only saw things from his point of view, and from his perspective he’s probably correct – it’s not fair…Where Jonah saw actions and behavior, disobedience and decadence, God sees people who are so fouled up that they don’t know right from wrong and what they need is not destruction but compassion. After all, shouldn’t those who are faithful, trustworthy, loyal, kind generous, etc., get some perks? But the issue is not fairness. God’s response to Jonah is “Life isn’t fair, Jonah! Live with it!
Conclusion:
Quote - Not Fair! Says Patrick D. Odum “…Prayers reflect the injustice of life…God knows that life isn’t fair. He knows because He lived among us in Jesus and felt its unfairness first hand. He experienced poverty and hardship ... rejection and threats ... from the sting of the lash and the piercing of the nails ... while always facing the suffocating and paralyzing reality of the Cross. The coming of Jesus tells us in no uncertain terms that God hears our cries, knows our need, and responds in love and grace. But, the cross wasn’t the end! Jesus’ resurrection testifies that God is a God of justice. And when He comes back again to take us home, whatever hasn’t yet been made right will be.”
This why Paul never cried out that life was not fair! He just said “I appeal to Caesar” and he followed the path laid out for him by the Lord! He knew life was not fair but he also knew that God was faithful!
Paul knew that the issue was Jesus and His resurrection from the dead. He knew that judgment would one day come and it would be just because it would come from God!
Paul accepted the fact that Life was not fair and that he was not going to get a fair trial. Felix did not give him one because he wanted Paul to give him money to let him go. Festus was playing politics and did not even have legitimate charges against him. Festus did not give him a fair trial because he wanted to please the Jews and keep the peace. But Paul knew that God had a plan to bring the Gospel to Rome and his appeal would get him there. Paul knew the will of God and that was to go to Rome to be tried so as to bring the Gospel to the heart of the Roman Empire.
Paul knew the importance of handling this injustice in the right way – that is God’s way! So he imitated Christ and did it God’s way!
The key lesson from our story today is, “Life will be unfair at times so expect it and then deal with it like Jesus dealt with it!”
So as we review today we see that Paul did the following and we also need to do the same actions when we face “Unfair circumstances”:
1. We need to imitate Jesus.
2. We need to keep our integrity.
3. We need to be content in our life situation.
4. We must resist the temptation to try to manipulate the situation with our own cunning ways.
5. We need to learn the discipline of prayer to stay the course of the Lord in our lives.
6. We must learn the discipline of patience.
7. We must stay focused on our calling from God.
8. We must not become consumed with the “woe is me” disease.
9. We must not become whiners.
10. We must make the best of our situation and seek God’s wisdom, and direction.
Closing quotes to recall this week:
“Life is not fair so expect it and accept it and then act like Jesus did through the unfair situation.”
“Sin filled lives will never produce a ‘fair society’ so stay away from sin!”
“Life is unfair at times but God is good and faithful all the time.”
“What happens in me is more important than what happens to me.”
“Life is not fair and the reason it isn’t is because we are the ones who determine what is fair and what isn’t. In almost every situation that can be cited, the opposite side can justify their case.”
“God is not into fairness but are you not glad that He is not?”
