When he had spent not more than eight or ten days among them, he went down to

Caesarea. The next day, seated at the tribunal, he commanded Paul to be brought in.

When he arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him and

brought many serious charges that they were not able to prove. Then Paul made his

defense: “Neither against the Jewish law, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar

have I sinned in any way.” (Acts 25:6-8)

This week we’ve been looking at the challenge of holding onto our Faith in Jesus when

the circumstances of life leave us feeling helpless. As a pastor and counselor, this is

where I spend most of my time with the precious members of our church family. Men

and women who are trying to hold onto their faith while the debt is overwhelming or their

spouse is unloving, or their boss is demanding or their child is rebellious or the

diagnosis is overwhelming. How do we keep gathering, growing and serving when

things are falling apart all around us? After all, these difficult moments in life are the

moments when we need our faith the most! So how do we it?

Yesterday, we began with the idea of “authority.” While Festus, The Chief Priest and

Jewish Leaders may have considered themselves to be “authority” figures, Paul keeps

his faith by resting in the “authority” of Christ. Paul firmly believes that Jesus is in

complete control of his life and any momentary harm that befalls him is not worth

comparing to the glory that will result. This is precisely what Paul is getting at in 2

Corinthians 4:17 when he writes:

"For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond

all comparison…”

Here in verses 6 through 8 we discover another truth that keeps Paul in his right mind,

though things are falling apart around him. Paul has a “clean conscience.” Did you catch

that? Paul says in verse 8: “Neither against the Jewish law, nor against the temple, nor

against Caesar have I sinned in any way.” Now, Paul is not claiming to be “sinless.” In

fact, he refers to himself as the “chief of sinners” in 1st Timothy 1:15. But as it relates to

his relationship with Festus and the Jews in this moment, Paul has a clean conscience.

A clean conscious, which flows from simple obedience, breeds courage, while hidden

sin and moral compromise breeds insecurity and fear.

Q: How clean is your conscience? Are there any hidden sins that need to be brought

into the light?



Read 1st John 1:5-10 for more encouragement

Jimmy Carter