SUNDAY MORNING WORSHIP SERVICE, 16 August 2026
Sermon Series: “The Acts of the Apostles” (#42)
Sermon Text: Acts 25:13-27
Main Points:
Introduction
Fret not yourself because of evildoers
God will bring forth your righteousness as the light
Trust in the LORD and befriend faithfulness
Conclusion
Let me begin with Ps. 37 and David, the famous king of Israel in the OT, who wrote this psalm under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. He begins in a striking tone of command: “Fret not yourself because of evildoers.” And then, at the end of the psalm, in v. 40, he gives this assurance: “The LORD helps [the righteous] and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in [the LORD].”
But, who could speak these words with greater authority than David himself? David knew what it was to be falsely accused and unjustly pursued. He spent years of his life running from Saul, hiding in the wilderness, and living under the threat of death – not because he had done what he was accused of doing, but because others had turned against him. Yet, having experienced God’s faithfulness through all those years, David could speak to God’s people with confidence: ‘Fret not. Trust in the LORD. He helps and delivers the righteous.’
But, David’s experience points beyond David himself. Ultimately, he was foreshadowing Jesus Christ, the true and righteous King. Jesus was falsely accused, unjustly condemned, and crucified, though He was completely innocent. But, on the cross, He bore the curse that we deserved, and in His resurrection the Father publicly vindicated His Son.
What David experienced in part, Christ fulfilled completely. David could testify that God delivers the righteous; Christ demonstrated it before the eyes of the world through His death and resurrection.
And now, when we come to Acts 25, we see Paul standing in that same pattern. Paul is falsely accused, unjustly imprisoned, and brought before rulers who are trying to determine what crime he has committed. Yet, Paul remains a faithful witness to his Lord. He is, in this sense, an imitator of Christ.
So, we have David, pointing forward to Christ; Christ, the perfectly righteous and faithful Witness; and Paul, following in the footsteps of his Lord.
And the message that comes through all three is this: ‘Do not fret when truth is opposed. Trust in the Lord, remain faithful, and leave your vindication in God’s hands. Because truth does not need our anxiety to defend it. God Himself defends His faithful witness.’
So, let us follow this message in detail.
I. Fret Not Yourself Because Of Evildoers
Humanly speaking, Paul has every reason to be frustrated. He has been imprisoned for years. His opponents have repeatedly brought accusations against him. They want him condemned. Yet, the charges have no substance, and still Paul remains in chains. What a frustrating situation this must’ve been!
There’s also something rather striking about today’s passage: Paul himself does not appear. Festus and Agrippa are discussing Paul. The Roman authorities are trying to work out what to do with Paul. Everyone seems to have a voice – but Paul is not even in the room. It gives us a picture of how powerless Paul appears to be.
And yet, this is precisely where the brilliance of God’s providence becomes visible. Paul does not need to control the conversation in order for God to defend His witness. In other words, Paul may be absent from the conversation, but God is not absent from the situation. That is, in fact, the first lesson of Ps. 37, “Fret not yourself because of evildoers.”
Talking about ‘evil doers,’ they make a great deal of noise without possessing the truth. The accusations against Paul sound serious because there are many accusers. Festus says that not only the Jewish leaders but also the whole Jewish community has petitioned against him, demanding his death. That sounds overwhelming. But, Festus adds that the expected criminal charges were absent. He eventually says in v. 25, “I found that he had done nothing deserving death.”
So, here is an important principle: the volume of an accusation is not the measure of its truth. Sometimes God’s people become anxious because many people seem to be saying something against them. But truth is not established by majority vote. The truth belongs to God, whether the voice of His witness is loud or weak.
It also tells us another important truth, that is, fretfulness comes when we believe evil has more control than God. Ps. 37 does not deny that wicked people prosper for a time. David knows that evildoers can appear successful. They can appear powerful. They can appear to have the advantage. But David tells God’s people not to mistake temporary circumstances for the final verdict.
That is exactly Paul’s situation. From Paul’s perspective, the injustice is real. He really is in prison. His opponents are accusing him. The Roman authorities really are discussing his future. But my fellow believers, God’s providence is greater than the injustice.
What looks like another frustrating episode in Paul’s imprisonment is actually part of the providential path by which God is fulfilling His purpose for Paul. And now, Paul is moving toward Rome. He may see chains. But God sees His mission being fulfilled. Paul may see opposition, but God sees providence. Paul may appear to be a prisoner whose future is controlled by Roman officials, but ultimately, Paul’s future is controlled by God. So, do not confuse the activity of evil people with the sovereignty of God.
Moreover, we must not let opposition determine our spiritual condition. When people speak falsely about you, your first responsibility is not to control what they say. Your first responsibility is to remain faithful before God.
There is a difference between defending the truth and fretfully defending ourselves. Paul does defend himself when necessary. In fact, just before today’s passage, Paul had clearly stated his innocence and appealed to Caesar. So, the Christian response is not passive silence. We speak the truth. We correct falsehood when necessary. We use legitimate means of defence when appropriate. But, we do not make our own vindication the centre of our lives. We do not have to win every argument. We do not have to make everyone understand us. We do not have to control what everyone thinks about us. The Christian does not need to defeat or answer every accusation immediately, because God will reveal the truth in His way and in His time.
Therefore, fret not. Trust the Lord. Do what is right. Leave the outcome in His hands. That is why Paul is not in sight here in today’s passage.
II. God Will Bring Forth Your Righteousness As The Light
This leads us to our next point – ‘God will bring forth our righteousness as the light.’ Ps. 37:5-6 says: “Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.”
Now look at Acts 25. Festus has investigated Paul’s case. And what does he discover? He says that the accusers brought no charge of the kind he had expected. So, he says in v. 25, “I found that he had done nothing deserving death.” Also in v. 27, he says, “I have nothing definite to write to my lord.”
There is something wonderfully ironic here. The Jewish leaders have a prisoner whom they say deserves death. Festus has a prisoner whom he cannot even properly charge. The enemies of Paul have accusations. Paul has the truth. And eventually, the truth becomes evident. A faithful witness does not need to manufacture evidence for the truth. This is important because when we’re falsely accused, we’re often tempted to exaggerate. We want to retaliate. We want to manipulate public opinion. We want to construct an elaborate defence of ourselves. We want everyone to know our side of the story. But, Paul simply continues to testify to what is true. And there’s a lesson for us – that is, if we belong to the truth, we do not need to become dishonest in order to defend it. We do not need to adopt the methods of false accusers or compromise our integrity in order to defend ourselves.
Notice something else about this passage. There’s no dramatic miracle here. Instead, God works through ordinary means. Festus examines the case. Roman legal procedures are followed. Agrippa becomes interested in Paul’s case. Paul has appealed to Caesar.
And Festus needs something to write to Caesar. And precisely because he cannot find a credible criminal charge, Paul’s innocence becomes increasingly apparent. That is an important theological truth: God’s providence does not always look miraculous. Sometimes God’s providence looks like paperwork, procedure, investigation, and ordinary people being forced to acknowledge what is true.
We should remember that. Sometimes we expect God to intervene dramatically. But, God often works through ordinary circumstances that seem insignificant at the time. And through those ordinary circumstances, God accomplishes His extraordinary purposes.
But, we need to remember that the timing is in God’s hands. Ps. 37:6 says that God will bring our righteousness to light and make our justice shine like the noonday sun. This is a promise that, in God’s time, the truth will ultimate be revealed and His justice will prevail. Like the case of Paul, no charges can be found but he is not yet released. But ultimately, God will bring him to Rome to witness to the truth of Jesus Christ.
III. Trust In The LORD And Befriend Faithfulness
Now, the last point for us to hear today is about trusting in the Lord and remaining faithful. The psalmist puts it beautifully in v. 3 as “befriend faithfulness.”
Let me talk about Ps. 37 a bit more, and notice what David does not say. He does not say, ‘Trust in the Lord and wait until God destroys your enemies.’ He says, “Trust in the LORD, and do good.” That is exactly the posture we see in Paul. Paul does not allow injustice to corrupt his witness. Paul has been treated unjustly, but he does not become unjust himself.
This is crucial. As I briefly talked about earlier, there is a danger that when Christians suffer false accusation, they begin to imitate the behaviour of their accusers. Someone lies about them – they lie back. Someone speaks maliciously – they retaliate. Someone treats them unfairly – they become bitter.
But, Paul remains a faithful witness. Being imprisoned unjustly for over two years, but he remains calm and just, as if he has just walked into the courtroom first time in his life. The enemy’s falsehood must not produce falsehood in the witness.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, the way we respond to injustice is itself part of our witness to Christ. We cannot say, ‘I am defending the truth,’ while becoming increasingly untruthful in the process. We cannot say, ‘I am standing for righteousness,’ while allowing bitterness, anger, and hatred to take control of our hearts. Paul’s calling was not simply to prove that his accusers were wrong. His calling was to remain faithful to Christ. That is Ps. 37’s logic and what we read from the verses of Acts 27, especially vs. 13-27: Trust God, do good, and wait for God to act!
Our waiting does mean continuing to trust while continuing to obey. In the psalmist’s term, ‘befriending faithfulness.’
Conclusion
Let me conclude. Today, we celebrate our church’s 130th anniversary, we have every reason to look back with gratitude – not simply saying, ‘Look how faithful we have been,’ but rather, ‘Look how faithful God has been.’ Through 130 years, the Lord has preserved His church, sustained His people, and kept the witness of the gospel among us. Our presence here today is ultimately not a testimony to our strength, but to God’s providence and faithfulness.
We do not know what the coming years will bring. There may be difficulties, opposition, disappointments, and things we cannot yet foresee. But we know the Lord who has brought us this far. So, let us continue to proclaim Christ, live faithfully according to His Word, and entrust the future to Him.
For our confidence is not in our ability to defend ourselves, nor even in our own faithfulness. Our confidence is in Jesus Christ, the perfectly faithful Witness, who was falsely accused and crucified, yet vindicated by the Father through His resurrection.
So, brothers and sisters, do not fret. Trust the Lord. Remain faithful. For the God who has preserved His church for 130 years will continue to preserve His witness – and in His providence, truth will defend the witness. ***
St Columba's Presbyterian Church 