SUNDAY - AUGUST 16, 2026 “At A Loss” Acts 25:13-26

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Cover Bibles this morning.

We'll be in Acts chapter 25.

Acts 25 · chapter mention

We'll begin reading this morning in verse 13.

While you turn there, I thought a lot this week and the weeks ahead preparing in this.

And you notice the title of the message is at a loss.

And there's times in life, life when we are at a loss.

And I was thinking about it.

I was trying to think of some stories, and I thought of some, but the best one I could think of, really, is found in Scripture.

In the book of Job, chapter 2.

Job 2 · chapter mention

Here's what we find.

You find in the book of Job, most of you know the story.

If you don't, Satan came into the presence of God and was God said, Satan, where have you been?

And he said, roaming to and fro.

This is the Grant Stiegel translation, just roaming to and fro, tempting people, doing what I do.

And God said, Have you considered my servant Job?

And Satan said, Job worships you because you've not done anything, you've not let anything bad happen to him.

He said, Okay.

Just don't touch him.

And we know the story.

Then Satan just he took everything, all his wealth, his children, everything was taken from Job.

He comes back into the presence of God, and God said, Have you considered my servant Job?

And he said, Yeah, but you won't let me touch him.

Okay.

Just can't kill him.

And we know that Satan attacks Job violently.

And when Job is found at one of the, at the lowest moment, really, we we find three friends that come into his presence.

And here's what it says.

They see Job.

In Job chapter 2, towards the end of the chapter, it says that they see Job from afar off, and they don't even recognize who he is.

Job 2 · chapter mention

And from afar off they begin to weep, and they they tear their clothes, which is a sign of mourning, and they cover their heads with ashes towards heaven.

And then here's what it says: they come and they sit with Job for seven days and never say a word.

Because his mourning is great, his suffering is great.

Really, where we find those friends, I think is at a loss.

What do you say?

How do you comfort someone that has experienced the things that Job has?

And we if we're honest with ourselves, we've probably been there.

There's times in your life where you walk into a situation and you don't know what to say.

Sometimes it's it's horrible circumstances, such as Job.

You go in and you say, I don't I don't know what to say.

Sometimes it's it's good situations.

Things are so good, you just you're at a loss.

You don't know what to say.

And we find ourselves that in places and times where we we don't know what to say, we are at a loss for words and really at a loss for actions.

And in our our passage today, what we find is Festus, the procurator of Judea, he is at a loss for how to charge Paul.

So he begins to ask advice, especially from Agrippa.

Now listen, I know that very few of us today ever find ourselves at a place trying to figure out how to charge somebody to toward how to bring charges towards somebody to Caesar.

I don't know if you've ever been there.

I've not.

But we do find ourselves in places where we're at a loss.

We just don't know what to do.

We don't know how to move forward.

We find that life is so overwhelming and we're at a loss about how to move forward in this journey that we call life together.

And so in those moments, when we find ourselves in those places, the challenge for us is this trust God.

When we don't know how to move forward, trust God.

Rely on Him.

Fall into His arms.

As we look at our passage today, we're gonna find that there were several people who were just at a loss.

We're going to explore why they were there.

Why were they at such a loss?

I invite you this morning, if you are able, to stand with us as we give honor to the reading of God's word in Acts chapter 25.

Acts 25 · chapter mention

We're gonna begin reading in verse 13 and read down through the end of the chapter.

Now, when some days had passed, Agrippa, the king, and Bernice arrived at Caesarea and greeted Festus.

And as they stayed there many days, Festus laid Paul's case before the king, saying, There is a man left prisoner by Felix.

And when I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews laid out their case against him, asking for a sentence of condemnation against him.

I answered them that it was not the custom of the Romans to give up any one before the accused met the accusers face to face and had the opportunity to make his defense to concerning the charge laid against him.

So when they came together, I made no delay, but on the next day took my seat on the tribunal and ordered the man to be brought.

When the accusers stood up, they brought no charge in his case of such evil as I supposed.

Rather, they had certain points of dispute with him about their religion and about a certain certain Jesus who was dead, but whom Paul asserted to be alive.

Being at a loss how to investigate these questions, I asked whether he wanted to go to Jerusalem and be tried there regarding them.

But when Paul had appealed to be kept in custody for the dis custody for the decision of the emperor, I ordered him to be held until I could send him to Caesar.

Then Agrippa said to Festus, I would like to hear the man myself.

Tomorrow, said he, you will hear him.

So on the next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp, and they entered the audience hall with military tribunes and the prominent men of the city.

Then at the command of Festus, Paul was brought in, and Festus said, King Agrippa and all who are present with us, you see this man about whom the whole Jewish people petitioned me, both in Jerusalem and here, shouting that he ought not to live any longer.

But I found that he had done nothing deserving death, and as he himself appealed to the emperor, I decided to go ahead and send him.

But I have nothing definite to write to my Lord about him.

Therefore I have brought him before you all, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after w we have examined him, I may have something to write, for it seems to me unreasonable in sending a prisoner not to indicate the charges against him.

Let's pray together.

God, thank you.

Thank you for this opportunity that we have to open your word, to see you through your word.

So we pray that this morning, as you have revealed yourself to us, we will see you.

We will follow you.

We will trust you.

Jesus, it's in your name that we pray.

Amen.

So again, remember, remember where where we are in the story?

Felix was the procurator of Judea.

We've been calling him governor, basically the same thing.

He was the procurator of Judah.

He was left office.

Festus came in.

Festus, remember they as soon as he was in Caesarea, about three days later, he went down to Jerusalem.

In Jerusalem, the Jews came to Festus and they started questioning him about Paul.

He said, Hey, look, I'm going to try him.

I'm not just going to do anything until he's given a defense.

So he goes back to Caesarea after several days in Caesarea.

He brings Paul before him.

The Jews show up to accuse Paul.

Festus can really find nothing wrong.

There's nothing that he can charge Paul with.

So he asked Paul, hey, do you want to go back to Jerusalem?

Paul, there's no way he wants to do that.

So Paul at that point appeals to Caesar, which was the right of any Roman citizen.

So we find at the end of what we read last week in verse 12, it says, Then Festus, when he he had conferred with his counsel, answered, To Caesar you have appealed, to Caesar you shall go.

And so now he is sending him to Rome.

He is going to send him to Caesar, but there's a problem here with this.

The problem is he really has no charge to send with Paul.

Imagine if you were Caesar for a moment, and Festus, the procurator of Judea, sends this guy to you and said, Hey, here's this guy.

He appealed to you for a defense to make his case, but I don't know what he's done wrong.

Caesar's going to say, Are you kidding me?

My time is way too important for this.

What are you doing, even sending this guy to me?

Are you capable of being a leader?

Are you capable of being the procurator of Judea?

Just get out.

Like Caesar's not going to take that well, so he's got to find a way to a way to charge Paul to send something, but he doesn't know how.

He says right there, I think verses 18 and 19 kind of come to the crux of the matter for him when he says, When the accusers stood up, they brought no charge in his case of such evil as I supposed.

Rather, they had certain points of dispute with him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus who was dead, but whom Paul asserted to be alive.

Jesus who was dead, yet Paul asserted to be alive.

Festus doesn't know how to deal with that.

He doesn't know how to handle that.

He was dead and now he's alive.

I mean, maybe he's craypaul's crazy, but has he done anything wrong here?

I don't see it.

I don't know what that would be.

What are we talking about here?

Verse 20 he says, being at a loss how to investigate these questions.

I asked whether he wanted to go to Jerusalem and be tried there regarding them.

I'm at a loss.

I don't know what to do.

I don't know what to say here.

So he goes to King Agrippa.

Now, just real quickly, King Agrippa was of the Herodian dynasty.

So he was a Herod.

The Herods came into power in Judea back in before Christ, approximately 50 years or so before Christ, okay?

And these people, the Herodians, they weren't Jewish, really.

They were from the line, they were Edomites, basically.

They were from the line of Esau.

And during, but before they became kings, there were there were these the kings of Judea or the Hasmoneans.

They went down to the Edomites, conquered them, and basically forced all the Edomites to become Jewish.

Okay?

And so now when Rome starts taking over, this line of people, the Herods, they said, hey, this is a great chance for us to get in good.

So they sided with Rome.

Rome defeated the Hasmoneans.

And the first Herod, Herod the Great, he was really like, hey, Rome, we can help you here.

And so Rome basically made these people kings of the Jews.

Not really Jews, kind of Jews, half Jews, real Jews hated them.

But they were the kings.

And in Romans, in Rome's eyes, they were Jewish.

So for Festa, he was like, this is a great opportunity to get a Jew's insight into the matter.

So he comes because he's at this loss, and he bring, tells Agrippa about Paul, and Agrippa says, I want to hear him.

And so the next day they they get it all together and they line it all up for Paul to be brought forward before not just Agrippa, but all the leaders of the city, because Festus is at a loss.

And really he is at a loss because he doesn't know what to do with the resurrection.

That's the first group that we find here.

The second group that I think we see here really, Festus, he really thought Paul was foolish.

How could you say that he's resurrected from the dead?

The second group that we find here are the Jews.

The Jews, they thought Paul was a liar.

They thought he was a liar.

Every time they come forward, back in verse 15, it tells us every time that they brought Paul forward, they want a sentence of condemnation.

And listen, jail is not enough.

It is not enough for him.

They want Paul dead.

They want him off.

And we've talked about maybe why.

Let's talk about one reason that they could dislike Paul so much is because he has betrayed them.

In their eyes, he is a traitor.

He's a traitor because he used to be just like them.

He used to persecute the church.

He used to persecute believers.

And then all of a sudden, now he is a believer.

He is a Christian.

And he is fighting back against them.

They could view him as a traitor.

I think, and we talked about this last week.

If you were here, I think the busy biggest thing, the biggest problem that they have with Paul is that he follows Jesus.

And they don't just hate Paul, they hate Jesus.

Go back, I know we've already read it, but verses 18 and 19.

When the accuser stood up, they brought no charge in this case of such evils as I suppose.

Verse 19, rather, they had certain points of dispute with him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus who was dead, but whom Paul asserted to be alive.

Listen, we've heard Paul's arguments.

That Paul would, if you ask Paul, he would say, listen, I believe the same thing the Jews do.

I follow the festivals, I follow the law, I do all these things.

Here's the greatest difference between Paul and the rest of the Jews.

They are waiting for a Messiah to come.

Paul believes Messiah has come, and his name is Jesus, and that is proven to Paul by the resurrection.

The fact that Jesus arose shows Paul, hey, this is the Messiah we've been waiting for.

He said it back in chapter 24, verse 21.

He said, It is with respect to the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you this day.

It is because of the resurrection that Paul is standing here, that Paul is, that the Jews want him dead because of the resurrection, and because he is proclaiming the resurrection, he is proclaiming that they want him dead.

They think he's a liar, and they are at a loss of what to do.

They've done everything that they could.

So they want him dead.

They want him gone.

But now we come to Paul.

And we'll look at what Paul said to them.

But for the sake of today, because you don't want to get out way early.

For the sake of today, let's look at what Paul has already said about the position that he is in.

Somewhere around year 54 or 55, Paul wrote a letter to the church at Corinth.

We call it 1 Corinthians.

Now, so imagine he wrote this letter somewhere around 54 and 55.

History shows us that Festus became governor of or the procurator of Judea somewhere around 58 or 59.

So we're talking four to five years before Festus is on the scene, before Paul says any has ever any dealings with Festus.

Paul writes to the church at Corinth kind of the same thing, telling them that people aren't going to understand what they're saying and what they're doing, and they're going to receive questions about this.

And he writes a letter to them and addresses this.

This is 1 Corinthians chapter 1.

1 Corinthians 1 · chapter mention

I want to read to us verses 18 through 25, and hear what Paul writes here.

He writes, For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing.

But to us who are being saved, it is the power of God.

For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.

Where is the one who is wise?

Where is the scribe?

Where is the debater of this age?

Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?

For since in the wisdom of God the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preached to save those who believe.

For Jews demand signs, and Greeks seek wisdom.

But we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and folly to Gentiles.

But to those who are called both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.

For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the wickedness of God is stronger, or the weakness of God, not wickedness, the weakness of God is stronger than men.

Listen, there's gonna be times, he he says, there's gonna be times when when the world's at a loss with how to deal with us, when the world doesn't know how to handle Christians, the Greeks are looking for wisdom, the Jews are demanding signs.

There's gonna be a time, and and in this passage, real quickly, there's three things I think he says that we can look to.

One is this the foolishness of God is wiser than men.

God on his most foolish day.

Now listen, I don't believe God has foolish days.

I don't believe he has foolish days.

But if he did, on his most foolish day, you know those days.

Those days that you get up and every decision is wrong.

Have you ever been there?

I've been there.

Every one.

On those days, if God had them, it would still be wiser than the wisest man.

His foolishness is wiser than men.

But see, for the Greeks and for people like Festus, this is hard to swallow.

Because for the Greeks, in their mind, they're seeking wisdom because they believe, they believe there is a philosophy in Greek culture that if they are wise enough, if they can become wise enough, they reach this kind of utopia type place in their life where they can become like a God.

They are seeking that.

They are seeking to become wise so that they can become God like.

Wisdom.

Can't know God through wisdom.

You say, Grant, why?

Why can't we know God through wisdom?

Again, can I repeat it?

Because on his most foolish day, the wisest man doesn't even come close.

The foolishness of God is wiser than men.

We cannot reach him.

We cannot get to him.

We cannot make it to him through wisdom.

It is folly to think we can.

We also see another word used here for God's wisdom is this a stumbling block.

God's wisdom is a stumbling block.

Well, how is God's wisdom a stumbling block?

It is a stumbling block to the Jews.

Those back in Acts 25 who hated Paul because they hated Jesus.

The wisdom of God is a stumbling block for them.

Well, how so?

How is that a stumbling block for them?

Well, because the Jews believe, just think like the Greeks thought that they could be wise enough to become like a God.

The Jews believe they could be righteous enough not to become like a God, but to be with God.

So they they kept their laws and they kept their festivals and they kept all these things and they kept demanding signs, sign after sign after sign.

It's crazy to me.

Go and read the Gospels.

Jesus would perform a sign.

He would perform a miracle.

He would perform a sign there and he would perform it, and then he would teach, and then the Jews would come and say, if you would just show us a sign, we would do something.

It's right here.

They're looking for signs because they want to, they're not looking for signs to see who the Messiah is.

They're looking for signs to show them that they are being righteous enough to be with God.

And they're missing it.

Jesus and the proclamation of the gospel has become a stumbling block for them because Jesus has said, You can't be righteous, only I can be.

Let me give you righteousness.

But God's foolishness is wiser than man.

They don't need religion to get to God.

They just need Jesus, the Messiah who had been promised.

The second thing, when this world is at a loss and when we are at a loss on how to move in this journey, the second thing Paul challenges us to consider is that the weakness of God is stronger than man.

If what we just said, God on his most foolish day is wiser than man, which God again doesn't have foolish days, God on his weakest day is stronger than the most powerful man.

On his weakest day, he is stronger than the most powerful man.

See, in their minds, they thought the Greeks would think, and people like Festus would think, hey, it takes strength to gain wisdom.

I need more strength so I can gain more wisdom so I can become like a God.

The Jews would think it takes strength to keep all of these laws and to keep these righteousness.

I need strength so that I can be more righteous so I can be with God.

The problem is you can't be strong enough.

Listen to what he says in verse 24.

But those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

You see, Christ's strength, Christ's wisdom is necessary for salvation.

Because in our strength and in our wisdom, we will never get to Him.

We will never attain that level.

We will never become like a God.

We will never be with God because salvation is not a human work, it is a work of God.

Salvation requires the power of God and the wisdom of God to get us to God.

Because in our own strength and in our own wisdom, we will never get there.

Not just salvation, though.

There's this great churchy word that we use called sanctification.

Sanctification means this has two parts.

One of these parts is that we become who God has made us.

One part of sanctification is he sanctifies us.

Christ's work sanctified us, it made us holy.

The second part of this is now that we become who God has made us to be.

The process of sanctification, of becoming who God has made us to be, is not dependent upon your strength, on your wisdom.

It is dependent upon the power of God and the wisdom of God.

To become like God, to become in his presence, to grow and grow towards maturity in him.

It requires his power and his strength.

Why would we ever think that we can't, if we can't earn our salvation, now that we're saved, we can live salvation without his strength and power.

It requires him.

And the power, the weakness of God is stronger.

It is mightier than the strongest of men.

Paul reminds them.

The foolishness of God is wiser than men.

So the third thing he reminds them to do is to preach to Christ.

A stumbling block to the Jews and folly to the Gentiles.

We must preach Christ crucified.

Because the crucifixion of Christ crucified is the wisdom of God.

It is the only way.

It is the only way to make man righteous because we can't be in and of ourselves.

So Jesus on the cross took upon himself the punishment of God that was due to us for our sins.

He took that upon himself.

He arose.

What Paul said, the distinction here is the resurrection.

He arose and because he defeated sin, he defeated death.

Now what he does is takes his righteousness and places it on us.

There is salvation, there is sanctification through the wisdom of God, through the power of God of overcoming the grave, putting that on us so we are made righteous.

So when we are at a loss on how to move forward in this world, here's what we need to do: preach Christ crucified to the world and to ourselves.

And to ourselves.

And you hear that word and you go, Grant, preach.

I'm not a preacher.

Can I just tell you, here's what the word means?

Here's what it means.

Proclaim.

Proclaim.

You can proclaim.

You can proclaim Christ crucified.

Let's take the churchy preach out of it, okay?

Proclaim Christ crucified to ourselves.

Grant, I'm not good enough.

Grant, I can't go forward.

Grant, I don't know what to do.

Grant, life is overwhelming.

Grant, all these things are happening to me.

It's bad.

I don't know how to move forward.

Christ has defeated it.

He is crucified.

He is alive.

He is at the right hand of the throne of the Father praying for you.

Trust him.

Grant, you don't know what I've done.

There's no way God can forgive me.

There's no, I've done all of these things.

There's no way God.

Christ has been crucified.

He died on the cross for you.

He arose from the grave.

He is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He is praying for you.

Christ is crucified.

It is the wisdom of God.

It is the power of God.

You need to trust Him.

He can save you.

Amen.

So, what does this mean for us?

It means this.

If you've never trusted in Christ, today is the day.

It is the power of God.

It is the wisdom of God.

Proclaim Christ crucified to yourself.

Proclaim the truth that Christ that Paul proclaimed, that we're going to see him proclaim to Festus and Agrippa and all the others present next week.

Christ died for you.

Trust him.

For those who have trusted Christ, and you're in those moments that life is overwhelming.

And this is the time of the year it happens.

Parents, kids are going back to school.

It's hot.

Life gets chaotic at this time of the year.

Students, you're going back to school.

Proclaim in your own life Christ crucified.

The power of God.

The wisdom of God.

Trust Him.

Rely on Him.

Depend on Him.

I don't know where you are this morning.

I'm going to pray for us and we're going to stand and sing a hymn of invitation.

We're inviting you to come forward as we sing.

If you've never trusted Christ, we would love to pray with you.

There will be people, counselors, who can take you out and share with you how you can trust and follow Christ.

If you've never received Him, today is the day of salvation.

If you have, but you're in that moment that life is overwhelming.

Proclaim Christ crucified in your life.

Maybe this morning you need to come and kneel at these steps.

Maybe you just need to come and pray with us down front.

However, the Spirit is leading you, we invite you to come.

Maybe this morning you're looking for a church home.

If you are, we invite you to come.

Here's the great thing of this.

We don't have to proclaim Christ crucified by ourselves.

He has given us each other.

We can do it together.

Maybe this morning you need to come and unite with us so together we can proclaim Christ.

However, the Spirit is leading you, we invite you to come.

Let's pray together.

God, I thank you for today.

I thank you for this opportunity that we have now to respond to you.

I pray that this morning, as you are moving and as you are working in our lives, Christ be magnified.

Be magnified.

God, for those who have never trusted in you, I pray for them today, as you call them, they will respond.

Today is the day of salvation.

God, for those of us who are just find our place, ourselves at a loss on how to move forward.

God, we will trust you.

God, move now.

Give us the faith we need to respond.

Jesus is in your name we pray.

Amen.

Thanks for listening to this week's sermon.

If you have any questions for our pastor, feel free to reach out at DeSotoHills.com.